Larry Weintraub CEO, Fanscape

Q: You blogged recently about the importance of answering the “Why do I care?” question when developing social media campaigns. What are some examples of brands doing a good job of providing their customers with something of value?

A: There is a mad rush right now to get more people to “Like” you on Facebook. Success is being measured as how many fans you have and not necessarily on how much those fans are actually engaging with your brand. There are plenty of ways to get people to “Like” you. You can give them free stuff like Starbucks did originally with their ice cream and like Einstein’s Bagels did with a morning bagel and cream cheese. You can use other platforms to drive “Likes” like Bing did by giving people Farmville cash when they “Liked” Microsoft’s Bing Facebook page. And then there are a host of underground spam merchants that will guarantee you “Likes” for pennies a piece. But getting fans is only part of the strategy, keeping them there is much more important. And challenging!

So what should you do? Simply put yourself in the shoes of the consumer. What would you want to see? What would make you come back again after you got your free stuff or were drawn there by a promotion or piece of exclusive content?

There is a lot of noise out there. The typical person only “Likes” a handful of brands. They have so much going on in their lives and they are engaging with their friends multiple times of day on Facebook, so if you are a brand, you really need to stand out. Some of the brands that are doing a great job with this:

Skittles – For Skittles, it’s all about weird content. Turns out there are about 18 Million who like to watch and interact with like-minded weirdos.

Starbucks – Yes, they are the leaders in social media, but why is that? Because they listen to their customers. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said that last year’s growth was largely due to the fact that they actually listened to their customers and that social media was a huge part of that.

GameStop – A year ago they didn’t have a Facebook page. Now they have 2.5 Million fans and one of the most active Facebook pages of any retailer. Why? Because they have video game fanatics running their social media properties. If you want to see game trailers first, reminisce about games of yore, or get to meet the people that make the biggest games, then you visit every day.

Mountain Dew – Dew drinkers love to live on the edge. They are young passionate action sports fans. Once a year Mountain Dew introduces a new flavor and when they do, they turn to their Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube fans to help them create every element from choosing the flavor to actually making the television commercials. There are few brands that give this kind of power to their fans.

Now step back. What are your favorite products? Why would you follow them on Facebook or Twitter? What could that bar of soap, that denim jean manufacturer, that potato chip maker do for you that would make you come back over and over?

That’s where you start.

Allie Wester

I asked our staff if they had any thoughts on the matter or if they’d seen some great examples and I got some wonderful responses…

“I LOVE the Pretzel Crisps idea and I expect to see brands do more of this in the future. It’s a smart way to get new customers and reward loyal ones, and of course it has a great pass-along factor to it, too. A lot of brands regularly give out free product as an apology for a bad experience posted on Facebook or Twitter. On the flip side, I would love it if one of the brands I’m loyal to — say, Essie nail polish — sent me a bottle as a “thank you” for tweeting positive things about their polish. It would guarantee my brand evangelism for life, and I’d be sure to tell everyone about it!”

- Allie Wester, Social Media Manager

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“Two great examples come to mind…

1. KLM recently did a campaign called “KLM Surprises”. I LOVE this campaign. They basically cyber stalked people who were checking-in at the airport or tweeting about being at the airport for a KLM flight and then surprised them with a little present for their trip right at the gate. These presents were all personalized based on their twitter profiles, check-in comments, etc. and were not even KLM branded. It at first sounds a bit creepy and it’s a bit hard to explain, but they created a great video so I would recommend watching that since it does a great job summing it up. You can watch it here: http://surprise.klm.com/

2. Edge Shaving Gel also did a cool one where they surprised people who tweeted about something that irritated them with a solution. This was all a part of their “anti-irritation” campaign. For example, one man tweeted how irritated he was to be out of cereal and he was surprised with a box of cereal at his front door. Another woman tweeted that the voices in her head were speaking in Spanish — Edge responded with the gift of a Spanish/English dictionary. Here is the link to the Mashable article which gives some good insight on results: http://mashable.com/2011/01/18/edge-soirritating/ ”

- Kate Rafferty, Business Development

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“MARS is doing great stuff with their brands. Saw these two…

1. Mars Canada – Random Acts of Chocolate: http://www.facebook.com/marsacts

2. Skittles – Mob the Rainbow: for valentine’s day they surprised a Meter Maid with valentine cards http://bit.ly/iy5Fmp”

- Lisa Warnock, Business Development

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“Beyond even calling it “Random Acts of Kindness” – I see this as actually a new form of monitoring. Brands are now going beyond those who follow them/like them to find people simply talking about something relevant and reaching out. I imagine that they are taking a look at who has the most influence before deciding who to reward and who not to reward.

I think this new monitoring trend will become even bigger this year. The mobile extension of this monitoring trend is also forthcoming. Soon, when I check into my Pilates Studio, a brand will reach out to me with a coupon for a smoothie, workout gear, health food, spa treatments, etc. It won’t be just about your location – it will be about your lifestyle.

Check this out: http://adage.com/article/news/kraft-s-jell-o-plans-twitter-mood-monitor/227439/”

- Christy Wise, Social Strategy

Stats
What makes “Random Acts of Kindness” a viable social media strategy?  For starters, consumers are currently disclosing a vast amount of personal information on public forums: about their daily lives, their moods or their whereabouts (whether on Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, GetGlue or any other number of social apps).  Secondly, consumers are interacting with brands more and more and they are expecting brands to interact with them in a way that’s rewarding to them.   Last, but not least, brands are increasing the amount of time and resources on monitoring the social web.  Put it all together and you have the makings of a win-win program.

What does this mean to you?

Think of it like your wallet being merged with your GPS device.  You’ll be able to pay for things, check in at locations, and even start your car.  Come to think of it, you can do all of that right now.  While the term NFC is a bit new to most of us, tech heads will tell you it has been around for years.   If you look up Near Field Communication on Wikipedia, you’ll see these application extensions:

• Mobile ticketing in public transport
• Mobile ticketing for concerts and live events
• Boarding Pass on planes and trains
• Mobile payment: the device acts as a debit/credit payment card
• Smart poster: the mobile phone is used to read RFID tags on outdoor billboards
• Bluetooth pairing: as easy as simply bringing mobile phones close to each other
• Electronic money
• Identity documents
• Electronic keys: replacements for physical car keys, house/office keys, hotel room keys, etc.

Outgoing Google CEO Eric Schmidt recently painted this vision of NFC-enabled mobile phones:  “I’m walking down the street and I need pants. My phone has an NFC chip. It knows where I am. It tells me about two stores, one to the left with a 20% discount and one to the right with a 30% discount.  It is programmed to know I am a cheapskate so points me to the right and the store knows what pants I want.”

TechCrunch talking about Apple’s innovations in NFC said, “If Apple can nail Near-Field Communication (NFC) and tie it directly into their already-established iTunes payment system … It could change everything.  It could transform Apple from the biggest technology company in the world, to the biggest company in the world, period. By far.”

Eric Schmidt called this Consumerism at it’s finest. What does that mean exactly?  It means our lives are going to get easier and less cluttered.  And in the process, we’ll buy more!

1. Smartphones as common as the toaster. 2011 is the year smartphones take over. With an expectation of smartphones nearing 50% penetration in the US, Verizon adding the iPhone, and tablets taking over, we’re all going to be walking, talking, emailing, playing, and sharing while we chew gum. Mobile extensions to your social marketing plans are a must. Optimize your messaging for iPhone, iPad, Galaxy, Blackberry, Droid, et al.

2. Companies will integrate social feedback into their decision making process. In 2011, we will see a growing number of companies finally go beyond using social channels merely for building awareness and providing support. Expect to see a rise in companies who, by end of year, will be recognized for socially-informed innovation, customer focus and work environment, much like Zappos and Amazon were a few years back. (Predicted by Ravit Lichtenberg on Read, Write, Web)

3. Social Commerce. People like their Facebook, that’s where they spend most of their time online.  Facebook would prefer you didn’t leave.  So, why not buy all your stuff right there? Right now on Facebook you can book your Delta Airlines flight and buy your buddy a Cold Stone Creamery ice cream.  We’re definitely going to see more of this transactional business directly on Facebook this year.  And then we’ll start seeing it in other social platforms, not to mention on our phones.

4. Website Evolution. Websites will continue to become more social. Should I have a website or should I just be on Facebook?  You need both.  In fact, you need to be in more places: LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, WordPress/Tumblr/Posterous.  And this list will grow.  Start by making your website more social.  Integrate Facebook open graph; allow people to “like” and rate the content on your website.  Overarching plan: give people a reason to return or else they’ll grab your store hours or client list and never come back.

5. Groupon: here today… Prediction is that we’ll burn out on the current incarnation by year’s end.  But that doesn’t mean it is going away.  Let’s call it what it is, the digital version of the guy with the sandwich board handing out flyers.  Retailers have more opportunities to drive people into their stores than ever before.  Ask a retailer if they liked their Groupon (and similar) experience and about half will say no.  Consider this a brilliant innovation or a retail marketing disrupter, but we’ll see more of this.  Google wasn’t going to spend a fortune buying Groupon for their health.  This is the evolution of targeted advertising.  Foursquare had you check in, Groupon had you buy a deal, expect a merging of the two: meet your friends at the local bar, the whole table gets a discount.  Reward the loyal and those who return, not just the lookie loos.

6.    The Digital Talent Pool The real talent—the ones you really want—are entrepreneurial and creative, and they’re not waiting around in your lobby to get a job. They’re trying it on their own.  Media outlets will find future talent on YouTube, iTunes, or other popular audio/video on-demand sites like BlogTalkRadio. NBC Universal announced an initiative last week where they will select 20 popular “tweeters” in each market to create content for their websites, broadcast segments, and other distribution channels.  (- Jessica Northey on Social Media Today)

7.    Video, not just for looking at babies and cats. YouTube is the number 4 most viewed website and guess who just cracked the top 20?  Netflix.  (per Alexa) Most of the sites on the rest of the list serve up plenty of video too (Facebook, Yahoo!, CNN, etc.).  Pay attention to sites like eHow and Howcast if you want to know how to build a table, bake a cake, or change a car battery.  People like visuals.  Show and tell is easier than ever and again, it’s what people want.  And going back to mobile, people can watch this on the go now too.

8.    Digital and Social immersion. Merge radio frequency identification (RFID) with smartphones and social networking and you complete the loop of total immersion in connectedness.  One word: EpicMix.  See what they are doing at Vail ski resorts and you’ll get it.  Your ski pass is embedded with a unique ID.  It knows where you are, how many miles you’ve skied, it tells you where your friends are, and it provides a platform to add photos and video.  You unlock badges that automatically update to your Facebook page.  You don’t need to do anything.  Imagine the extensions to shopping, dining, and travel.

9.    Cause Marketing. Expect brands to integrate a little extra feel good into their strategies.  Over the last two years charity started at home, but we’re starting to loosen our purse strings a little bit.  When it’s apples to apples, we’ll lean towards the more socially conscious product.  And technology is making this easy through things like text donations for NPR podcasts and fundraising apps such as kickstarter.  Remember this term too: Crowdfunding.

10.    Social Search. We put this at the end because it really started last year.  We just don’t believe everyone quite understands it yet.  At least not its implications for brands and their products.  Realize that when people now have conversations about you via open social networks (i.e. Twitter – for the moment), that filters into the search query.  Immediately.  So when you are looking up where to buy a barbecue, you’ll see real time conversations about the exact same thing!

Innovations and honorable mentions, a.k.a. things to keep an eye on this year: Quora, Social Scrapbooking, Social news on your tablet (e.g. Flipboard), near field communication (i.e. mobile payments, mobile ticketing, QR code reading, etc.), entertainment check-in apps (e.g. GetGlue, Philo, Miso), and of course, web-enabled televisions.

In a long-anticipated move into the e-book market, Google has officially launched its massive e-bookstore, bringing more than 3 million books, many of which are available free of charge, to any device that has app capabilities or has a web browser.

But what makes Google E-books better than those already dominating the space such as Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and Apple? We’ve compiled the top 5 reasons why Google E-Books is changing up the game.

Free Material
Everybody loves getting something for nothing. Google E-books provides you with roughly three million books free of charge. Google E-books has the largest selection of public domain titles, allowing users to download tons of noteworthy titles without spending a penny.

Cross Platform Support
Google E-books supports any type of device that has access to a web browser. Instead of requiring users to purchase the titles through a single online store to read only on compatible readers, Google E-books allows customers to not only buy books from their own store, but also from any other online vendor that sells books in either PDF or EPUB formats. These downloads are then read by any device that has web browsing capabilities. Google E-Books works cross-platform with computer web browsers, smartphones with the Google eBook reader app, and eReader devices such as the iPad, Nook, Kobo eReader, and Aluratek eBook.

Automatic Syncing
Cross-platform usage would be pointless if nothing synced up. As you read your books on your computer, Android, iPhone, or iPad devices, Google E-Books will automatically sync across all platforms. If you begin reading in the morning on your iPad, you will be able to pick up right where you left off on your Android or iPhone device on your way to work.

Impressive List of Publishers
Google E-Books may have just launched, but nearly 4,000 publishers are already providing the store with content. Of these 4,000 publishers, almost all of the major players have jumped on board including Macmillan, Random House, Simon & Schuster, and Hachette just to name a few.

A New Approach
Google’s approach to the e-book phenomenon is different from those already dominating the space. Because of the way Google decided to take on the challenge, they’ve created a brand new ecosystem which makes both retailers and affiliates, as well as publishers, all part of the e-book selling process for the very first time.

Accounting and consulting firm, Deloitte, reports in its 25^th Annual Holiday Survey that, 72% of respondents said they would utilize the internet this holiday shopping season and 17% of them would use their smartphones in the process. An additional 12% said they would use social media sites such as Facebook to aid them in their purchasing decisions. Of those consumers that said they would utilize social media sites, the reasons they gave included: gift ideas, coupons, discounts and promotional information; which should prove very useful to retailers as the clock ticks closer to Black Friday.

Web analytics firm, Coremetrics, found that social media will be among the top five most effective ways to attract new visitors to stores and websites. “The thing that is really interesting is that the second best channel for getting new visitors has turned out to be Facebook,” says John Squire, Coremetrics’ chief strategy officer.  The result, retailers should see more people in their stores, both brick and mortar and online, and consumers are primed to save a tremendous amount of time and money.

Who is Doing What?

Retailers are already jumping on the geo-location bandwagon and using notable platforms such as Foursquare and Facebook Places to drive people into stores.  Facebook is opening up its 500 Million-plus subscriber base to retailers in the hopes of taking on the geo-location industry leader, Foursquare. Merchants like Starbucks, McDonalds, and H&M have already created promotions, and earlier this month The Gap used Facebook Places to give away 10,000 pairs of jeans across 900 of their participating US stores.

JCPenney is no stranger to online promotions and boasts nearly 1.2 million Facebook fans.  The company is wrapping a Black Friday sweepstakes that offers 15 lucky Facebook fans a shopping spree where JCPenney shopping experts will be their personal escorts. The company has also partnered with The Salvation Army for a holiday season-long Angel Giving Tree campaign that helps children and seniors in need. Additionally, rather than let shoppers leave Facebook, they have integrated an online shopping experience directly into their Facebook page.

Lowes, the home improvement retailer, launched a Black Friday campaign called “Lowe’s Black Friday Sneak Peek Party on Facebook”.  Fans RSVP’d to the event by Friday, November 5^th which gave them early access to tremendous deals.  Customers were given coupon codes of up to 90% off products on their website. The event was so popular that Lowe’s actually extended the event from Friday through the entire weekend.

Kmart is using Facebook and Twitter to promote their extended Black Friday sales and a Christmas trip sweepstakes while Urban Outfitters and Levi’s have integrated the Facebook “Like” button into their online stores, allowing customers to sort products based on the ones “Liked” most frequently – making it real easy for you to buy for someone who loves those brands.

Social shopping is also playing a much larger role this year than in years past. Sites like LivingSocial and Groupon offer great daily deals to subscribers and the latter has branched out to working with national chains like The Gap and The Body Shop.

The Gap recently offered $50 gift cards at half price through Groupon while The Body Shop offered $40 worth of merchandise for $20. Many thousands of customers participated in these Groupon deals and we expect to see many more retailers participating in similar offerings as we get closer to the holidays. LivingSocial plans on launching a promotion called the 12 Days of Gifting, a program that will offer 12 days of giftable deals, ranging from fine dining to retail stores.

This season, both the retailer and the consumer are benefiting greatly from technology.  As a retailer, the opportunity to drive people into your stores has never been better.  As a consumer the chance to save money, time and aggravation is equally as exciting. Hopefully the end result of your social shopping experience will make you, well… more social!

CEO, Larry Weintraub

I have been dropping hints for an Ice Cream Maker.

President, Terry Dry

I am really hoping for new Formula 1 Racing Game for the Wii.

CTO, Kevin Glickmann

I don’t want anything. I have everything I need.

COO, Greg Boles

I couldn’t limit it to one. I want a Netbook and a good pair of earbuds for my iPod.

VP, Account Management, Melissa Taylor

I wish that someone would pay off my mortgage.

Social Media Strategist, Christy Wise

I am wishing for a fancy-schmancy iPad.

Sr. Account Executive, Liza Patriana

I want iPad and/or a Kindle because I have neither. I would love if a Prius would fall into my lap and a duplex in Los Filez. Can you tall I want it all?

Sr. Manager, Social Media Marketing, Ben Arnold

I want a bike!

Manager, Corporate Communications, Natalie Svider

I wish for a 2010 AFC West title for my Oakland Raiders and an iPad. Not that much to ask for really.

Manager, Social Media Marketing, Allie Wester

I am wising for the IKEA PS Maskros Pendant Lamp!

Manager, Social Media Strategy, Andrew Germer

Wishes that someone gets him Rock Band 3

Account Executive, Sherry Globman

I’m wishing for a new iPod. And an all-expenses paid vacation to Hawaii

Office Manager, Heather Overton

Only one wish? Ok, the Kindle, but what I REALLY want is the iPad

Community Manager, Charles Ryan

I want, I want I want. A Louis Vuitton iPad Case, and an otter costume for next year’s Halloween (yo, they’re pricey)

Facebook is already the leader in social networking. With the popularity of the Facebook gaming content and the boom of virtual goods, Facebook credits was created as a way to bring  a universal currency into the social gaming space.

The credits are now making their way from the virtual world into some of the more popular brick-and-mortar stores across the country. Target, for example, began carrying Facebook Credit gift cards in multiple denominations back in September, and more recently, Walmart and Best Buy have also began to sell the cards. The cards, which commonly come in $15, $25, and $50 versions, should help Facebook to capitalize on the huge popularity of social gaming.

Social gaming and their virtual goods are a booming business. It is expected that revenue for online virtual goods is to surpass 6 billion by the year 2013. Not only that, Facebook Credits are already accepted by over 200 Facebook games, and 42% of online buyers are social gamers. By adding the Facebook cards into brick-and-mortar stores across the country, Facebook hopes to garner more support for the virtual currency by adding a tangible product sold in an offline environment.

“The physical representation of a brand…adds more validity,” said Rob Goldberg, the founder of GMG Lifestyle Entertainment Inc., the company responsible for creating the Facebook Credit cards. The company is also responsible for the iTunes cards that are sold in retailers throughout the world.

Facebook Credits have the opportunity to become so successful due largely to the fact they have a very active ecosystem in which to operate. Although Facebook Credits isn’t the first online currency to attempt to unify online monetization,  Facebook’s vast  network  provides the currency with an efficient platform on which to thrive. The popularity of the site itself, as well as countless of other sites which feature Facebook integration, make the concept of Facebook Credits even more ingenious and useable.

More recently, startup Ifeelgoods got the brilliant idea to offer Facebook Credits as a way to persuade customers to sign up for a website, share a favorite product, or even purchase something else online. The concept is interesting, but the company promises Facebook Credit promotions to be more effective and less expensive by using these virtual goods and currencies in place of tradition promotions.

Some critics suggest Facebook should provide ways for users to spend Facebook Credits that don’t just include virtual goods inside their social games. They could do so by utilizing their already enormously popular social networking system, much like Pay-Pal took advantage of the partnership between them and the eBay site.

Facebook Credits are still a fairly new concept, and Facebook has been keeping quiet on the actual direction in which the company intends to take. It is apparent, however, that Facebook wants to create an effective currency system for online social gaming, and hopes to eliminate the issues of international currency conversion fees charged by other companies. One thing is certain though, if Facebook plans to have their credit system become the only major online currency, it’s not going to be without making some key decisions.

Since the increased use of the Internet, newspapers and magazines have struggled to maintain subscriptions. With the total number of active Internet users expected to surpass 2 billion by the end of 2010, publishers are constantly trying to find ways to turn online news into a profitable franchise. Is it possible that the iPad can revive and revolutionize print media the way it did with music and iTunes back when the first iPod hit the streets? Possibly.

In a recent CNN report, iPad sales are around 8 million and have over 35,000 different apps.  With so many iPads being sold, news and magazine apps have a legitimate chance of monetizing its product.

The number of applications on the iPad that are dedicated solely for the purpose of reading news is relatively small right now, but are sure to grow. In the United States, users have a number of options to choose from. USA Today and the Wall Street Journal are the two most popular choices, but the new New York Times app could give the other two a run for their money. A few of the United Kingdom’s premier print publications have entered the app market as well, including The Financial Times and The Times of London.

The question still remains, however, if the apps themselves will boost enough user interest to turn a significant profit. The concept of paying for online news still seems crazy when there is an abundance of free news sites on the Internet. Although that maybe true, users who subscribe to the iPad apps are literally paying for a digital version of the newspaper, and not simply paying to browse articles online. It could be this very concept that revolutionizes the idea of digital news, and gives print journalism an outlet to create a modern, digital newspaper.

Here’s a little bit more about some of our favorite news apps for the iPad.

USA TODAY – FREE

The app is free, and provides you with tons of news right at your fingertips. It features all sections of USA Today, from spots, money, life, and top stories. You can do crossword puzzles, thumb through newspaper photos, and easily browse the news on the application as it makes excellent use of the space provided.

WALL STREET JOURNAL – FREE (for print subscribers)

The WSJ application is one of the best on the iPad. The application  has already been downloaded more than 650,000 times. The application does a great job of literally putting the paper into a digital format, maintaining the same look and feel of the actual paper. If you’re looking for a great way to browse financial news on the go, look into getting a subscription or downloading this app – it’s a must.

THE NEW YORK TIMES – FREE (until early 2011)

Not many papers can compare to the New York Times, and the same is true when it comes to iPad news applications. The New York Times app just released a new version and it’s nicer and cleaner than ever before. In a similar fashion to the WSJ app, the NYTimes application maintains that very same real-newspaper feel. The application features over 25 different sections, as well as picture and video streaming making it wonderful for reading AND watching news on the go!

FINANCIAL TIMES – FREE (for print subscribers)

One of the best publications for financial news has one of the best apps for it as well. .  Sleek and fast operating , the Financial Times app offers the ability to download the paper to read elsewhere when an internet connection is not available. You also have the ability to customize the articles and watch award-winning video coverage.

THE TIMES OF LONDON – FREE (for print subscribers -  free 30 day preview!)

Much like The New York Times application here in the US, The Times of London application looks beautiful and delivers news to the user in a way that is formatted well and easy to read. After the trial, users can subscribe to the £9.95 ($15.95) monthly subscription fee to still receive news.

No matter what your news preference, there’s likely an iPad app for you. We’ve listed the ones we like best, what are your faves?