Alberta Business Marketing

Facebook is pursuing a trademark on the word “Face” and has filed litigation against a Website that includes the name “book” in their URL.  Some in the accommodation industry may consider that Facebooks new “Check in” service, that has found its way into the mobile version of the website and the Facebook App (accessible to iPhone, iPod, Blackberry and Android devices), might some day pose a threat to the industry standard for guests announcing their arrival at the front desk.

In the meantime, Facebook Places provides a simple, handheld way for your guests to tell all their friends that they are at your location.

Why Facebook’s Places app matters?

• over 50% of web users have an account at Facebook.
• over 90% of people who earn at least $30 000 per year own a cell phone.
• over 35% of cell phones are Internet enabled devices.

It’s a fair guess that 2 of every 10 guests you are serving today has a handheld device and are capable of checking in on Facebook.

Whether an accommodation, food service, beverage service or attraction ask yourself this question.

“Would you like your clients to tell their friends that they are enjoying themselves at your location?”

Go ahead, I’ll give you a second to think about that.

OF COURSE YOU WOULD!!!!  Perhaps friends will come along to join the party, look you up online . . . at the bare minimum, you are going to score credibility points with all the friends of your guests who decide to check-in at your location.

So what do you need to do to encourage your guests to “Check in” on their mobile device?  Ask your guests to check in.

Call your guests to Action.

Give your guests a clear call to action.

Consider posting a sticker on your door, a sign in your waiting area, a rack card at your dining table that invites your guests to “Check in” on their handheld.  Consider offering an incentive to folks who check in – like a coupon for a free coffee on their next visit.

Of course there are a myriad of location-based games and associated apps – Gowalla, Foursquare, etc…. but the granddaddy of “Social” is Facebook.

What do you need to do to get started?

Go to your lobby or guest waiting area, turn on your handheld and point it to Facebook app or mobile website.  Click on the places tab and fill in your location.  If you are the first one to check in, you’ll be able to give your place a title and description.  All others who check in, will announce their arrival with the information you post as well as their own personal note.

Tags: android, app, blackberry, check-in, Facebook, handheld, iphone, ipod, Mobile
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As a result of fragmented media and the proliferation of marketing messages, marketers have turned to what has now become the now tried and (sometimes) true tactic of user generated content.

UGC has challenged the norms of traditional content and spawned powerhouse sites like YouTube, Wikipedia and Trip Advisor.  From a brand marketing perspective there have been some gems, such as the recent Old Spice campaign and the Doritos “Viralocity” campaign (aka name the new chip flavor). UGC campaigns can help achieve many marketing objectives such as:

•             Find brand advocates – these are people who are loyal to and champion your brand. They consistently generate brand awareness through word-of-mouth, participate in events, discussions, and influence purchase intent

•             Generate trusted referrals – remember consumers are more likely to “like”, “follow”, “check-in”, “become a fan” or endorse a brand because their friend does

•             Deepen consumer engagement and establish a two-way dialogue

•             Extract consumer insight

•             Entertain and provide unique consumer experiences

Wither Mobile?

Users upload their content (generally video, text, or audio), usually via their desktop or laptop.  The first question we ask is “What about mobile?”.   Mobile gives your consumers the opportunity to engage anytime and anywhere,in context with how they experience your brand (and most handsets  support all relevant content types).  Enter consumer spontaneity, instant gratification, and integrated campaigns into your UGC world.

There are several methods to activate UGC in the mobile world:

•             Interactive Voice Recording: Consumers can record a message that gets played for others to hear – See Rogers “Beg-For-A-Blackberry” campaign

•             SMS: Consumers can send a message to a shortcode that gets posted to a UGC platform

•             MMS: Augmenting the text message,  richer forms of media can be delivered (or uploaded) via an MMS shortcode, longcode or as an MMS email – See Malibu Rum “Urban Limbo”

•             Email: All smartphones support photo capture and email - See Budweiser Boston Pizza "Biggest Football Fan"

•             Downloadable application: A native application launches the camera functionality, and integrates social media APIs (like TwitPic and Facebook Connect) to allow users to upload content - See Ontario Tourism “Discover my Ontario”  

A two way conversation

Uploading content via mobile is just scratching the surface.  We see mobile being used in both  directions - for content viewing, voting and commenting.  It’s important to ensure your UGC website is optimized for mobile viewing (take the extra time to develop a mobile YouTube channel for video) and that the uploading user interface is compatible with touch screen interactions.  Leverage social media site APIs for content liking, fanning and other social hooks.

By adding mobile you’ll provide a contextually connected UGC environment that will increase reach, deepen engagement and permit consumers to advocate for your brand 24/7.

Want more insight into the intersection of mobile and social media? Check out the SocialMobile presentation by  Vortex’s own Timothy Quinn on Slideshare.

Brady Murphy

Tags: Branding, Mobile, social media
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Facebook announced “Places”, a tool that allows Facebook subscribers to essentially “check in” to locations and serendipitously discover friends who happen to be nearby. Momentum continues to build in location-based services, Geo-fencing, mobile social media etc.

Why this will work.
Facebook is the all-powerful Borg (for those non Trekkies out there – they assimilate, adapt and propagate). With 500 million subscribers (and reports that 150 million of these are mobile), sheer size makes Facebook the clear favourite. In my opinion, Foursquare, Gowalla, My Town, etc. are officially the underdogs (if they weren’t before). Naturally, Facebook is faced with the issue of privacy, and provided they allow users to self-provision and dictate terms, then chances of success are high. Reaching eyeballs via Facebook Places substantially increases the efficiency of ad dollars and brings us another step closer to the perfect delivery of WHEN and WHERE.

What does this mean from a marketer’s point of view?
The ecosystem has added a slew of new terms that strategists, planners, brand managers, and CMOs,must be aware of for water cooler chats. This announcement could mark the dawn of Facebook mobile monetization where ad products and services will emerge. I suspect Places may be the final straw that pushes those brands that don’t have a mobile friendly destination to get one, as those brands can leverage the open graph API to ensure their brand communities can enjoy a seamless mobile experience. Who knows? Facebook could be the first organization to really marry mobile commerce and social platforms – they have a great Trojan horse model to explore with other products and services. In the near-term, Vortex is anxious to socialize mobile properties and mobilize brand communities. New DIY tools and APIs will strengthen the value proposition for our partners, some simple use cases include:
• Consider a beer or spirit company that uses experiential marketing. Imagine a promotion where X number of people that check in win, or 1 in X who check in to a restaurant/bar are entered to win a trip. Participants earn bonus ballots for socializing their whereabouts via Places and ta-da, we have next generation swarming. Amplify this experience by posting user generated content (such as pictures and video) and let your Twitter followers and Facebook friends see your world on demand.. When boiled down, many marketing fundamentals still apply: LOCATION, EMOTIONS, LTO(limited time offers)/SENSE of URGENCY, SHARED CONNECTIONS and WORD OF MOUTH.

Carriers (and OEMs) could be X-factors in mobile/social media
There is no doubt that carriers and handset manufacturers want in on the action. Geo-fences and location-based alerts are on their radar, as they battle the perception that their place within the mobile ecosystem is simply as dump pipes and dummy terminals. Arguably carriers and manufacturers have some tricks up their sleeve. A Canadian trial called OneAPI could allow carriers to get in the game by providing client-side information all accessed through a web API. OneAPI has the potential to be a total game changer as it offers SMS+ MMS aggregation, billing services, and targeting, and with the right partnerships, could offer a location-based experience that is as seamless and accessible, if not more so, then one offered by Facebook. (Click HERE for more details about ONE API.) http://www.gsmworld.com/oneapi/

Brady Murphy

Tags: Mobile, social media
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Telecommuting takes on a whole new meaning, thanks to my Telus Mobile Internet Stick and my iPhone.

What does my Telus Mobile Internet Stick give me – Freedom to work from whereever and whenever.  That is totally cool especially for this digital nomad!

Some of my peers escape to the mountains for hiking, mountain biking, rafting and other outdoor activities.  My perfect escape is chilling in the lounge of my favourite mountain park hotels and coffee shops – and yes it includes my laptop and cell phone.  I get my best work done when on the road travelling and being actually away from the day-to-day office distractions.

Some folks ideas of a mountain getaway includes their RV, Camping equipment or hiking boots. My Mountain escape equipment includes my hotel rewards card, MacBook and iPhone.  Having the freedom and the flexibility to escape the city is something I cherish as a Calgary Social Media Consultant and Search Engine Optimization professional.  Whenever the opportunity presents itself I pack up my MacBook, iPhone, Creative Juices and my mobile Internet and off to the Mountain Parks or Alberta badlands I go.

The mountain air is the perfect seed for creativity.

Having the tools to escape and remain connected provides this opportunity to get out of the city for the day.  I can enjoy time in the Mountains to plan and really strategize about the direction of our business and at the same time, keep in touch with my clients and continue to serve their needs when the need arises without them even knowing where I am.

What does it take to escape from the office on the perfect Canadian summer day?

Be open to an endless flow of ideas – Getting away from the rat race provides the perfect opportunity for you to escape the distractions of office life.  Leaving you completely free to focus on whatever you need to work on.  Need to tighten up your business plan, review last quarter’s sales figures or complete a project…getting away from the office facilitates the flow of great ideas and provides clarity.

Stop every once in while – Just stop and look out the window.  Be observant of everything going on around you.  Listen to the tourists speaking, the music playing in the background or the sounds of kids enjoying their family vacation.  You never know where your next great idea will come from.  Some times you need to get up and find a new spot or even just go for a walk.

Pack your own Telus Mobile Internet and Power – This is a must because you never know where you are going to set up camp.  Without your Internet  and your own power you may struggle to enjoy true freedom of working wherever you decide.  My mobile Internet stick and vehicle AC adapter provides the freedom to work from a picnic table, coffee shop or even the lobby of the hotel.  Whatever fits into your lifestyle. Don’t forget your power adapter and a spare battery as well.

What do I enjoy the most by having the ability to escape and my Telus Mobile Internet – FREEDOM!

Tags: Alberta Provincial Park, Business Success, Calgary, Calgary social media consultant, canada, Hospitality/Recreation, Internet, Internet Service, Internet stick, iphone, Mobile, mobile Internet, mobile Internet stick, mobile web, S&P/TSX 60 Index, search engine, technology, Technology/Internet, telecommuting, Telus, TELUS Corporation
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When it comes to seeking immediate gratification for personal communication and entertainment, mobile technology is the new norm. From tots to boomers, all age groups and 75% of Canadian households use mobile phones. For teens and tweens unable to afford data plans, the iTouch and other wifi-enabled devices offer a quick internet fix and addictive applications.

So as marketers, how do we stay on top of trends and reach target audiences quickly and easily?

The answer lies in pint-sized form: mobile marketing. Canadians are very interested in communicating with their friends through mobile. At LIPSO Systems Inc. we have learned that in addition to providing multi-channel solutions, data driven consumer insights are what matters to customers the most.

In 2009, 35.3 billion peer-to-peer text messages were sent in Canada, which is a 70% increase from 2008. As this trend grows, year-over-year commercial marketing campaigns become more integrated with mobile solutions to extend branding efforts into the social media landscape and reach consumers anywhere and anytime.

Beyond texting, Canada’s overall wireless revenues totalled $15.9 billion in 2008, and half of all phone connections in Canada are now wireless. Most interesting of the Canadian mobile trends are voice revenues, which are declining per subscriber, while the industry still grows in double digits. 2009 saw a 35% growth rate thanks to data plans, which are now housing hundreds of thousands of app options, interactive games and mobile versions of users’ favourite websites.

When it comes to hardware, Canadians are shelling out for top-of-the-line iPhones, Blackberries and exploring the open-source movement with various devices supporting the Android operating system, making wireless phones among the fastest growing consumer products in Canadian history. Thanks to all this data use, the retail industry is seeing a significant bump in web traffic. 46% of North American consumers use their mobile phones to compare prices while they’re shopping in stores, and mobile web shopping has increased 40% in the U.S. since October 2008.

While these numbers are compelling and speak to the need for all organizations to explore opportunities on mobile platforms, the underlying reason to integrate mobile into your marketing communications strategy is the same reason we rely on media relations, events, in-store promotions and print advertising.

As a nation of storytellers, Canadians’ history has been marked by challenges to overcome geography, adverse weather and other political and cultural differences to tell our stories. Over the past twenty years Canada has established itself as a leader in communications networks and technology, and it is no surprise that Canadians are eager to receive information, interact and transact on their mobile phones.

Christian Trudeau, President, Transcontinental Marketing Communications
LIPSO

Tags: Mobile
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