Broken down, Facebook Timeline will essentially tell the story of you (yes, you ala your Profile)  in roughly three parts – Stories, Apps and an inventive way to allow you to express who you are. The layout will have stories appearing at the bottom of the page. In the middle, there will be tiles to display all of the Apps and the things you have done with them. The neatest thing is the ‘Timeline’; displaying years so you can literally go back in time.

Although currently available in beta stage, developers (apps developers) can try it out! Not a developer? Become one – it’s quite simple. Below are some guidelines to get started:

1. Visit FACEBOOK to start the developer access process.
2. Click ‘Create a New App’ and name it whatever you want. Of course, you’ll have to agree to the Platform Privacy Policy. Then click on ‘continue’ – you will then have to submit a CAPTCHA.
3. Go to your app’s main settings screen and find ‘Open Graph’ on the left hand side. Once there, you’ll be directed to ‘Getting Started Using Open Graph.’
4. Test It Out! Follow along the test route and type in any VERB in the first box and then any NOUN in the second; then click ‘Get Started.’
5. You’ll almost there! You’ll be taken to a new page where you should change your default settings. Of course, there will be a few pages of settings to swim through.
6. Visit the Facebook Home Page; and there should appear an option to tryout the new Timeline on your home page.

Just a note that until this is live (rumors have it that October 9th will be the day); only other developers will be able to see your new timeline.

Here are my ‘Before’ and ‘After’ photos so you can see the difference!

BEFORE – OLD PLATFORM

AFTER – NEW PLATFORM

WOW!  Huge difference, don’t you agree! Needless to say, now is the time to play with it before your profile changes on you overnight without knowing it.  Heaven knows we’ve seen quite a few changes lately from Facebook; so at least you know have a heads up on this one!

Be sure and share your new profile photos when you’re finished!  Would love to see how it turns out!

What started as a Harvard-only networking site has taken the globe by storm in just six short years. It is within this time frame that Facebook, along with all social media, has revolutionized how people use the internet and communicate with others.

Today’s social media enables people to communicate and share information more efficiently. It’s no wonder why celebrities, causes and major brands have taken to social media to reach a global audience.

Case in point, recent statistics report there are over 400 million users on Facebook worldwide spending an average of 55 minutes on the site each day. The site translates into 70 languages to serve the 70% of Facebook users who reside in countries outside of the United States.

What is the impact of 400,000,000 active users in an average week?

• 5 billion pieces of content are shared (which include blog posts, web links, photos, news stories and video)
• 700,000 events are promoted
• 140,000,000 people become fans of Pages

As the statistics show without a doubt, Facebook users can be valuable ambassadors for a business, celebrity, cause, artist or brand.

One may wonder if Facebook’s founder, Mark Zuckerberg envisioned internet dominance of this size and scope. Perhaps not, but Facebook is here to stay with others nipping at the heels of social media’s revolution.

http://www.finextra.com/fullstory.asp?id=20559

Vantage Credit Union to offer account information and funds transfers via Twitter

RESPONSE TO ARTICLE

Interesting . . . this article kind of hit a nerve today as I just had a recent convo with someone about this.

Soooooo, now I’m going to go on a soap box for a second . . .

This is just one of those things that I personally don’t think belongs in the world of social media. If you don’t want it to be shared, I don’t think it should be included in the communications plan for social media. I think it’s a cute idea, but the risks in my opinion totally outweigh the benefits. To answer general questions about the credit union, as a customer service tool that is not automated is a different story – individuals seeing that type of messaging, whereby the credit union is providing great customer service, showcasing their responsiveness and expertise, as well as showing people that they care to be there for their members is something worth using a social media platform for – where others seeing it is a benefit to the company. In this case, everything is confidential and you are using a social medium just because it’s all a-buzz right now when there are other methods that are less risky. Also, anything that relies on using an automated means of communication again goes against the grain of “Social” media. People don’t like to talk to robots – social implies people talking to people. I like their idea here, but I think it belongs with e-alerts or a log-in page on the web site,  or even a log-in .mobi page so people can access it on their phones – a more secure method of communication – not to mention, you have no control over  when Twitter goes down; it has a lot of technical issues, playing catch-up technically due to it’s overnight explosion, and we don’t know what improvements or changes are going to be made – The lack of control can be a dangerous thing if people start to rely on this type of usage. it seems like a very large and possibly dicey investment logistically without a lot of return, other than to say you use Twitter in a novel way.

As mentioned in the article e-alerts can basically do the same thing but don’t have the same security issues.

www.ceamarketing.com

“I need my website updated; I need a new website created.”

It’s been very exciting!!!! Plus, then you add social media in to the mix, and there is a flurry of other opportunities. I completely agree, that a good website is extremely important to have these days. A bad website can do a lot of damage; it definitely needs to be professional, and it needs to be a decent representation of your business. And, we all know people are tied to the web – Duhh. But, before you spend thousands or even hundreds of dollars on a redesign, or a spankin’ new site, make sure that it is critical to your sales process or your company’s growth. Does your website really play an integral part in landing new business or some other vital function to keep your business moving forward? Is there a huge missed opportunity because you don’t have a good website? Does your current website hurt you – turn business away? Does your site capture valuable leads that sales staff can work?

There are a ton of ways a website can be a big benefit, helping to bring in additional dollars, but if all it is is a glorified brochure, than you probably don’t need to be investing in a web revamp right now! If you have a basic site that does what it needs to do, even if looks a little 90′s or even 80′s, just make sure it’s worth the investment – not just a cosmetic make-over but an upgrade with substance. Also, if you don’t have enough bucks to extend beyond the redesign into marketing, you may want to rethink your decision to beef up or build the site. You can have the most gorgeous, interactive, engaging website in the world, but if you don’t drive anyone to it, or if it’s not built to good search engine standards, than fooey. What’s the point? IT’S NOT, IF WE BUILD IT, PEOPLE WILL COME process; you must show people the way.

Because a website can be a big undertaking, all I am saying is make sure it’s worthwhile – how do you know if it’s worthwhile – ask yourself, will it make you money? And that doesn’t mean just e-commerce. That can mean, with CEA for example, does this site accurately convey our capability as an agnecy, does it showcase our fine work, does it show our personality, expertise and company culture well enough that someone would e-mail us or call us? For an agency, these things are extremely important. Our website is a porfolio piece, and if our site wasn’t up to par, it could seriously injure us by giving the wrong impression. So the legitamacy thing, the need to impress thing, the collecting contact info thing – all vital to our business. We also market it online and in traditional advertising as well. Our website’s analytics system helps us better understand if our ads our working. That’s why we invest in our website; because it’s vital to our way of life. But to just have a beautiful trophy in the closet where no one ever sees it, well, than it becomes just another piece of not-so-important junk.

There is a psychological factor that comes into play when using personalization in marketing. People want to feel special, unique and understood. Marketing that plays on those emotions makes your company more favorable in buyers’ eyes. Personalization marketing campaigns allow you to tailor your message to each individual, pressing their hot buttons and piquing their curiosity. The buyers feel like you are really getting personal with them and know what they want, which reinforces their bond with your company.

While the product has many names, the best way to define Variable Data Printing (VDP) is personalized printing. It’s a form of digital printing that allows you to get personal with direct mail by playing on the needs and desires of each consumer, and communicates one-on-one with them.

VDP permits text and graphics to be changed from one printed piece to the next, without stopping or slowing down the printing process. People like to see their name. It grabs their attention leading to an increased response of 10-15 percent on direct mail campaigns.

Your mailer is designed with a basic layout displaying your marketing message. Each piece is then printed with a different person’s name and graphic that will appeal to the individual. For example, the mailer might say something like “Jill, join us for our model grand opening at ABC Community.” The piece might have the same layout as the others, but a few of the graphics are tailored to appeal to Jill’s interests that have been determined through a targeted list and database. It might have a photo of a specific model home that she would be interested in and lifestyle graphics that play on her emotions as a female.

Now you know about personalization and variable data printing, but how do you use these tools to enhance your marketing campaign? With a new four- letter word- PURL. A PURL is a Persistent Uniform Resource Locator, more commonly referred to as a URL or web address. Its function is to point the consumer to a customized landing page instead of directly to a company website. Consumers receive this personalized URL mainly by email or direct mail.

How many times have you gone to a general website and weren’t able to find what you were looking for? A PURL will help eliminate frustration and wasted time by leading consumers to the information they want to see, when they want to see it. What better way to get them plugged in than delivering it to their door! Studies have shown that over 80 percent of potential homebuyers start their search online, and nearly 33 percent of direct mail recipients prefer to respond online. Offering personalized web addresses provides them with the option to do both.

Here’s how it works. Jack receives a VDP mailer that invites him to type in his Personalized URL for more information (i.e. jack.hammer.abcbuilder.com). After typing in the PURL, he ends up at a landing page built specifically to match the direct mail piece that was personalized for him. Jack will then confirm his contact information and answer a few survey questions about what he’s interested in and boom… the next page that pops up has exactly what he was looking for; a specific community with a floor plan and amenities in his price range. Jack is also able to register for additional offers and promotional items as well. It’s faster, it’s easier and, most importantly, it saves Jack’s activity for additional
follow-up.

The hardest part of spending marketing dollars is actually seeing your return on investment (ROI). Studies have shown that there’s $122 ROI per $1 spent on marketing with PURL campaigns, indicating that they work. And the best part is they produce almost immediate results by tracking exactly who visits the web destination and what they’ve clicked on. This real-time data is used to send you comprehensive reports with campaign response rates, visitor patterns and detailed lead information allowing you to follow-up with sales leads as they come in. With traditional ways of marketing, it is difficult to track these results.

Times have changed and marketers need to know immediately what’s working and what’s not. They can’t wait months to find out. After all, there are such things as minute rice and instant pudding, why not instant leads?

It’s time to get real. People don’t communicate like they used to, and our marketing has to cater to that. Companies should not only be looking for new ways to get in the door of their consumer, but ways to interact with them. Everyone is looking to increase response rates, so why not put your money where your mouth is? Stand out from your competitors, be unique, and get personal!

We have a pond here at CEA Marketing Group. In better times it was filled with life. However, lately it reminds me of our economy, seemingly drained with the drought destined to go on and on. It’s so drained that instead of one pond there are two little pools separated by rocks. There is a giant goldfish that hangs out in what is left of the larger pool. I know he is a giant because I can see him from my window upstairs, without my glasses! I marvel at how he has been surviving, hiding in the deepest part of the pond. Acting as though everything is fine.

A crane likes to stalk around the pond and I fear he will have an easy meal if the water evaporates any further, a snake skims by. I look for the fish every day. Hoping he is still there. If he can survive waiting and hoping and praying (do fish pray?) then why can’t we? But still I worry. Our drought has lasted four years. Floridians are now tapping into the aquifers for drinking water, not a good thing. Even if we have a normal summer pattern with a 20 minute downpour each afternoon, I wonder if this will ever be enough to fill the pond. I would have to be like the fish and not be frantic about the situation.

Meanwhile, if our economy seems like it is in a drought, you need to know what smart, progressive businessmen and women know: now is the time to seek out new business. Now is the time for entrepreneurs to fill spaces left empty. It’s time to reach out and get new clients that have been left standing by a closed door. Now is the time to let people know that you are still here and not going anywhere. Share your loyalty and show your strength. Now is the time to move ahead. Invest. Advertise. Let your clients know that you are still going strong and positive. You are in this with them. And we will come through this together.

One day last week it started to rain. It rained all day, quite rare here, and it rained the next day. It rained on and off for three more days. The pools filled up and fell together and the pond was whole again. I was elated. I saw the goldfish gliding through the water on the second day. I imagined that he was happy. I was happy. On the third day the entire pond area was alive with wild sounds. Insects and bugs of all kinds were shouting out. We could hear them from the art room upstairs and from the conference room downstairs. They were loud and raucous, celebrating the end of difficulties and the beginning of fresh times. They were breathing easy and ready to pick up where they had left off. The party lasted well into the afternoon and made me think, maybe our economy is not far behind.

Indeed, mobility, in terms of telephonic-based communications, has become ubiquitous in everyday life—on a truly global scale.

What was once simply a means of sharing spoken words cell phones have evolved to become a traveling information submittal and retrieval device, entertainment center, educational resource, camera, video recorder, gaming palace, geo-locator, social messenger, plus a whole lot more.

And, with advancements accelerating at an almost exponential pace with respect to hand-held technology, it’s no wonder that savvy folk quickly realized potentiality within the realm of advertising.

By now, most of you—unless living in remote hermitage—have heard of and/or actively engage with text message-based advertising. While these campaigns certainly have their place in the overall “marketing mix,” such activity is considered “old school” by the 1s-and-0s promo techies.

Today, the buzz is Bluetooth marketing which is already widespread in Europe, yet just beginning to make its way to the states. Below are two scenarios depicting how both consumers and small business owners could benefit from Bluetooth marketing.

First scenario (consumer perspective): Suppose you are a busy sales exec, going from one meeting to the next via plane, and land at your third airport for the day. Things have been so hectic that your personal secretary could never keep pace with accommodating your travel itinerary. When landing, you are hungry; you have no hotel booked, and a rental car needs to be secured right away. While hustling to grab your bag from the conveyor belt, you spot an engaging kiosk that says it can satisfy all these needs—instantly, right from your cell phone. All you need to do is enable the Bluetooth function, if it is not “defaulted” already. Instantly, the required info appears on the screen of your hand-held and all arrangements are made through your phone’s Internet connect. These proximity advertisers—the restaurant, hotel and car rental agency—gained another paying customer.

Second scenario (small business owner perspective): Let’s say you have a bar and/or lounge that’s nearby or just a few clicks away from a major entertainment, sporting event and concert arena. You’ve tried plastering flyers on peoples’ car windshields in the parking lot, but it has not generated any tangible results. Worse, you’ve received calls from angry people complaining about your flyers stuck under their wiper blade. How can you get this fertile source of potential business into your place of business to part with hard-held greenbacks? One viable solution, employ proximity marketing. You’ve got a couple of willing cocktail servers working for you, why not sent them out to this nearby venue as proximity marketing “hotspots,” walking the parking areas before and/or after the events? Simply equip these ladies with a compact, “backpack-style” walking billboard along with a battery-powered mobile proximity device; let them stroll around, and see how many folks “ping” on their cell phones to receive information, directions, special, discount offerings, etc. you want to present. It’s simple, straightforward, and bottom-line business enhancing for sure.

Bluetooth marketing has the power to reach cell phone users, which in today’s world is about 80 percent of the population. The technology is a win-win for both businesses and consumers. Businesses have a new and unexplored marketing channel to reach out to potential clients and consumers have real time access to those services.

Putting a photo shoot together is one of the ways advertising agencies can create a picture that is worth a thousands words.  Photo shoots can help a company express passion and inject emotion into a product.  Demands are high in photo shoots, since cost and time constraints are always contributing factors so the client and their agency must agree on certain expectations.

Below are tips for a successful photo shoot:

•    Leave the actors on the acting set.  Use real people like actual customers or employees, rather than models.  The photo shoot itself is more natural this way making the picture more genuine.
•    Don’t skimp on retouching.  An audience can be captivated by the added special effects.
•    Lighting is everything.  Natural lighting versus stage lighting is going to determine the mood of the photo whether it’s going to have a natural feel or an abstract artsy feel.
•    Don’t forget the details. Little details like sprinkles on an ice cream cone or lipstick on a coffee mug give the visual accents needed to round out the mood of the shoot.
•    Location, location, location.  The world is your backdrop.  If an exotic location is not practical, have the creative team create it in the studio.

Creating an advertisement using a less is more approach to copy along side an eye-catching picture is the start to a successful campaign.  Remember pictures have stories to tell, but it takes a good photographer to paint the canvas.

Is this the best strategy to weather through the storm? The simple answer is no. In the current economic environment building name recognition and brand loyalty is crucial to empowering consumers to buy. Maybe its time to do some flood control with our marketing efforts by investing in a multi-channel advertising approach as opposed to fishing for the cheapest bait and hoping to get some bites.

A multi-channel advertising approach is the best strategy to reach consumers. It’s important to spend money on traditional advertising like billboards, radio, television and print to drive consumers to a web site. Once a company has saturated themselves in the market than social media is a viable option to continue promoting the business and attracting new business. Social media takes time to build relationships encouraging people to check out the company’s new Facebook, blog and Twitter accounts. The Internet has made unbelievable amounts of information accessible, but it also has contributed to the information overload consumers complain about, so it’s important to provide relevant information.

Now is the time to put a strategic advertising campaign in place. With so many businesses cutting their advertising budgets, think about the market share available. Also several media outlets are running specials or have discounted rates. Consumers are eager to hang up their rain coats and begin spending during sunnier days. Already, they have begun paying closer attention to their mailboxes and inboxes looking and researching for the best deals. A successful marketing campaign does not mean you have to purchase the Rolls Royce limited edition. Smart companies are advertising with al carte options that appeal to their mission.

So before allowing the rising water to swallow up advertising dollars, think about investing in a marketing plan that will have financial survivors shopping again.

Well, I can’t stop you from doing your own work, and I do applaud you for learning something new and trying to save your company some valued marketing dollars. So to help you make your company look a bit better here, are a few tips you should know.

1) Fonts: Everyone loves using fonts. I need this font to showcase this service and this font to showcase this other service. Next thing you know it’ looks like a carnival exploded (even carnival posters usually only have two typefaces though). Try to keep it to two typefaces and no more than two type variances of one of them. (ie. A bold Helvetica for headlines, and times with normal and bold for copy). Also try to keep from using more than 3 type sizes. This will keep conformity to your design and not make the users eye dance all over the place trying to figure out want they need/want to read.
http://www.amazon.com/Typography-Workbook-Real-World-Graphic-Design/dp/1592533019/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238174329&sr=1-1

2) Layout: One of the best way to learn proper layout is with some colored construction paper, sissors, a glue stick, and a pile of 8.5×11 white sheet of copy paper. You cut the construction paper into a bunch of different shapes. Small squares, large squares, HUGE squares, rectangles, circles and maybe even a triangle or two. The more variance in sizes and more pieces of cut up construction paper the better. Now take these shapes and glue them to your copy paper. Align them so they are appealing to your eye. Now, visualize as to what could be a photo, a headline, and your copy. Voila, layout 101.
http://www.amazon.com/Design-Layout-Understanding-Using-Graphics/dp/0713488387/ref=sr_1_30?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238174282&sr=1-30

3) Equipment: Get the right stuff. Leave word for that letter you need to write to your boss and pick up a decent design suite. Of course I recommend a Mac with the Adobe CS3/CS4 package, but not everyone needs that kind of power. Corel makes some decent entry level programs that printers can still use. Oh and publisher is out…please don’t use that for anything but maybe your church newsletter, if you must.
Adobe: http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/design/?promoid=BPDDY
Corel: http://apps.corel.com/lp/other/5590/index1u.html

4) Learn the equipment: Most are pretty easy to learn. And the best thing to do it buy a book. The second best is to hit up a podcast. There are quite a few ranging from beginner to advanced. The book though will help you find the topics you need to look up though. Third is to find a friend who you can call for tips. Also, don’t feel you can’t call you agency and tell them you’re having to cut your marketing budget and have to do more design in house. You may be able to work out a deal for them to check your work and give advice for a small fee. Just watch out about contacting them too often, it may end up cheaper to just send them the work. And I hope you are still sending them a bone or two, other wise you might want to find another source for critquing your work. Below are a couple some links you’ll certainly want to check out.

Indesign CS3 – http://www.amazon.com/InDesign-Macintosh-Windows-Visual-QuickStart/dp/0321503066/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238173663&sr=1-2
Corel – http://www.amazon.com/Corel-WordPerfect-Suite-8-Dummies/dp/0764501879/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238173706&sr=1-12
Podcasts – http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=124921198
- http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=130134744

In closing, doing small projects here or there on your own can not only cut your costs, but can save you time. Things like small flyers, in house memos, small event posters, and other small projects can be done quickly once you’ve learned the programs. Just don’t get in over your head and you end up doing more design work than your daily job…time is money and a lot of time it’s better to just send the job out and save your time. Good luck and feel free to ask questions.

Keep an eye out for my next blog…Indesign tips and tricks!