UFC Brings Social Media into the Octagon

Posted on Aug 20, 2011 by Taylor to Social Media

If there is one businessman who not only understands the importance of social media, but is able to leverage it, it is Dana White. White, the current president of the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) uses Twitter and Facebook to promote his organization but, more importantly, to interact with fans. Under his watch, the UFC has become the second strongest sports presence in social media (beat out by the NBA). What is White doing right – and what can you learn?

UFC has moved comfortably into the mainstream, and in addition to TV spots, fight fans can catch bouts on pay-per-view. To take advantage of the audience, and to build an even larger one, UFC decided to broadcast live events on Facebook. The first pro sports league to do so, this broadens the reach of an already international brand to 650 million users. Some more stats:

The UFC has 5.8 million combined Twitter and Facebook fans, not counting individual fighters’ accounts, Spanish-language accounts, or White’s 1.46 million followers. Part of this stems from their traditional fan base, but part is also due to the reach they have achieved via social media. They have taken fighting out of the Octagon and put it into mainstream America. “Everything is for tomorrow. Our Facebook page has grown unbelievably since we started putting up fights on it. And what happens is you end up turning more fans onto it, and you continue to grow your fan base and build your brand. You educate people about the sport and get more people talking about it, which is vital.”

White recently spent nearly a quarter million dollars on a social media incentive program for fighters to develop their skills in the social media world. White also points out that it provides retiring fighters with a strong presence and continued fan base that is important as they pursue other careers. Other initiatives White has employed:

• Weekly video blogs on YouTube.
• Letting Facebook fans “like” the page and then watching live fights.
• Training UFC fighters how to use Twitter effectively and creatively.
• Responding in real-time to consumer complaints. White says, “Now, as these things are happening, I have people running around fixing all the problems that are happening that I’m reading on Twitter.”

So, say you have a business that tens of millions of people do not tune in to watch. Does any of this apply to you? You can’t really stream “Live from My CPA Office” on YouTube and expect hits. But you can do other things that White does:

• Offer your audience information (or entertainment) that is relevant to them. White ups the ante by providing live fights and video recaps. This may not be applicable directly to your business, but think about how you can enhance content, whether it is by adding updated news features or by connecting with a Twitter feed.
• Set up the profiles – and use them! White regularly interacts with fans via Twitter. He keeps them updated on UFC news and events.
• Respond to your audience. Good or bad, respond to people. Social media is about interaction. Dana White may be fielding questions about who is going to coach the next Ultimate Fighter. You may be fielding questions about why your pizza is the best or if you use organic products in your business. Whatever it is, respond and contribute to the dialogue.

Tags: facebook, twitter, UFC, youtube

France Says No to Twitter and Facebook on TV

Posted on Jul 26, 2011 by Joey to General, Social Media

In 1992, France passed a governmental measure that forbids news programs to promote commercial enterprises on the air. This is to prevent “secret – and unfair – advertising.” The government specifically called out Facebook and Twitter, prohibiting news anchors from mentioning those words unless they were specifically part of a story. No “follow us on Twitter” plugs here.

This is in great contrast to the United States, where every television show, movie, product, brand, and celebrity is always inviting us to follow them on Twitter or like their Facebook page. What can news anchors say to connect viewers with social media (since this is where more and more people are actually getting their news rather than tuning in at 7:00)? “Find us on social networking sites” or “check out website to find links to social networks.”

The French TV regulatory agency, the Superior Audiovisual Council (CSA) says they are simply upholding the law, adding, “Why give preference to Facebook, which is worth billions of dollars, when there are many other social networks that are struggling for recognition? This would be a distortion of competition.”

While the CSA feels they are just doing what they have to under the letter of the law, British-Canadian journalist, Mathew Fraser, says that they are obsessed with “legalistic codes and decrees” that are typical of the “Kafkaesque nightmare” that is the French bureaucracy. French bloggers tend to agree. Loic Le Meur says, “French regulation forbids TV networks to say Facebook or Twitter? My country is screwed.” Another noted that this gives Americans “yet another reason to laugh at France.”

Americans aren’t laughing, but they are wondering. Why can’t news organizations promote their online content since, again, that is where more of the population is receiving news? Ian Crouch writes in a blog post for the New Yorker: “Sending one’s audience out wandering in the woods of the Web – ‘look for us on whatever social-media site you prefer to use, we might be there’ – has never been good for the bottom line, or for the news media’s other business of informing the public.”

Image Source Source 2

Tags: facebook, twitter

Fox News Twitter Feed Hacked: False Obama Assassination Tweets on July 4

Posted on Jul 22, 2011 by Joey to General

As the country celebrated the 4th of July with a long weekend, disturbing tweets began appearing from Fox News. The first: “@BarackObama has just passed. The President is dead. A sad 4th of July, indeed. President Barack Obama is dead.” No one was more surprised, presumably, than President Barack Obama himself. As Independence Day continued, “Fox News” tweeted new details, including that President Obama was killed while campaigning in Iowa, that he was shot in the pelvis and neck. The tweets even congratulated “President Joe Biden” on the promotion. The incident, which is under investigation by the Secret Service, highlights a very dark side of social media.

As the Christian Science Monitor notes, “The incident is a cautionary tale about how online mischief-makers are using social media as an important tool to spread misinformation [as was the case with the false Obama tweets] or even gain access to personal computers.” The easy access to social media and the ability to participate in it is its greatest strength, and it is also its most vulnerable spot. Fox News Digital vice president and general manager Jeff Misenti, said, “The network was not in control of the account once it was hacked…” Fox staffers had to sit by, reading each new tweet, because Twitter was not responding.

This is not the first time something of this nature has occurred. Recently, McDonald’s appeared to have posted a message reading, “As an insurance measure, due in part of a recent string of robberies, African-American customers are now required to pay an additional fee of $1.50 per transaction.” PayPal was also targeted as hackers posted angry rants from its Twitter account.

Rich Mogull, analyst at Securosis, advises, “If you are large enough, talk to your provider ahead of time to understand how to report a problem, and who to report it to.” Make sure you have a contact and validation process in place so you can streamline the process should your account be hacked.

Sophos advisor Chester Wisniewski advises companies to be vigilant with their password policies. If you can restrict it to one person, do so, and make sure you avoid passwords that are easy to guess (1234, qwerty).

Tags: hacks, twitter

Dial 911 – or Turn to Twitter?

Posted on Jun 20, 2011 by Joey to Social Media

“NEED HELP NOW!! Grandma w/ RUPTURED AORTA needs Card Surgeon/OR ASAP, STAT! Can you accept Life Flight NOW!!?” This is a tweet from Matthew Browning, who needed emergency medical care for an ailing grandmother. Rather than calling 911, he turned to Twitter. In minutes, he had a reply from Emory Health Care telling him to have the grandmother’s doctor call their transfer service for “immediate care.” They provided a direct telephone number and kept in touch all day. The elderly woman was in a hospital and needed an urgent transfer, which was arranged via Twitter with the help of an on-top-of-it staff and an alert grandson.

What is remarkable about this story is that the woman in need lived in rural south Georgia. The hospital she was in was not equipped to deal with her emergency and other area hospitals could not handle her complex needs. Her granddaughter’s husband, who was hundreds of miles away, was able to arrange a life flight transfer to Emory Health Care, which could accommodate her.

For those who think Twitter is simply a forum for celebrities to spout off their latest comings and goings or is merely a repository for the inane, this story brings a new side of Twitter into the limelight. Emory’s Web and Social Media Specialist, Morgan Griffith, received the tweet from Matthew Browning and worked with him all day to resolve the emergency and accept the transfer.

“There has existed an inherent conflict between health care and social media for quite some time. Health care is innately private, secure, and confidential, and that makes people worry when coupled with such a fast, open, and uncensored dialogue as the one taking place in the social media space. On that incredible Monday, we got a glimpse of the potential these two realms have to be an extremely useful, successful, and potentially life-saving duo. It was a truly moving and powerful experience to be a part of.”

Social media is now. It is constantly changing and updating, and this is exactly why it can be such a valuable tool when minutes matter.

Tags: twitter

Social Media Don’ts

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Taylor to General, Social Media

The growth of social media has been exponential; with Facebook boasting of 600 million users, and Twitter claiming 200 million, there is no doubt that it is a tremendous force with which the business world has had to reckon. And they’re still learning. Much of social media management and optimization has been experimental as pioneers strike out into new virtual territory. Sometimes, it is not clear what the best path is or the right angle for a campaign until it’s too late. Learning from effective use is always important – as is learning from missteps.

“Misstep” may be too kind a word for GoDaddy’s founder Bob Parsons, who recently went viral for all the wrong reasons. He posted a link to his video on hunting “problem elephants” in Zimbabwe. To be fair, these elephants do trample crops and can destroy a season of hard work. Pizza Czar’s Vaughan Lazer doesn’t see it that way; he sees the video, in which Parsons kills what he claims is a problem male (and which experts say is a protected female) as slaughter. He pulled 130 domain names from GoDaddy, which cost the website thousands in revenue.

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) pulled its GoDaddy domain names and is urging others to do the same. For his part, though, Parsons says, “I think if you had all the facts and you knew exactly what was going on and the difference it makes in these people’s lives here, you’d feel completely different.” 20,000 businesses begged to differ; this is how many accounts GoDaddy lost.

What might we learn from Parsons? According to global brand strategist Jonathan Salem Baskin, “The goal is not engagement, the goal is selling. Engagement is how we get there. So if it’s not a direct line, not even dotted line, to a sales transaction, you really need to ask long and hard not just if I can, but should I?”

He also says Parsons should have minimized damage by pulling the video, apologizing, addressing concerns, and moving on. Instead, his tactic of defending the elephant killing is not winning him any allies and is causing substantial damage to his business. Whether or not he should be killing the elephants is one issue; whether he should have posted the video is the one that marketers need to pay attention to.

Tags: GoDaddy, twitter

Twitter and Facebook Users Complain about Online Marketing

Posted on Apr 17, 2011 by Joey to Social Media, Technology Trends, Web Marketing

The Advertising Standards Authority, the UK advertising regulator, has fielded over 4500 complaints about online marketing. Until now, it has been outside the agency’s purview. The ASA has been responsible for television marketing and paid online advertising, but after numerous complaints, it will now look at non paid sites, like Twitter and Facebook. Effective as of March 1 of this year, online marketers will face stricter regulations.

What brought about the change? After 2500 complaints last year alone, the ASA added to its staff to deal with the extra complaints. Matt Wilson, of the ASA, says, “The principle that ads have to be legal, decent, honest and truthful is now going to extend to companies claims on their own websites.” Internet users will be able to turn to the ASA to report misleading or indecent material. Anything that could be construed as marketing, even if it is on its website, can be regulated by the ASA.

ASA Chairman, Lord Smith, says, “This significant extension of the ASA’s remit has the protection of children and consumers at its heart.”

The ASA recently made headlines when they banned Beyonce’s commercial for her perfume, Heat. The ASA said the provocative ad couldn’t be played when children were most likely to be watching television. This type of regulatory power would be extended to the internet, but says the ASA, they will not censure members of the public who post banned material online. For example, someone who posted Beyonce’s ad on YouTube would not be pursued by the ASA. What they can do, though, is order censured companies to withdraw online marketing. They will also “name and shame” companies who fail to comply with their new regulations.

Tags: facebook, online marketing, twitter

The Power of Twitter on Your WordPress Site

Posted on Apr 15, 2011 by Taylor to Social Media, Technology Trends

The power of Twitter can reach far beyond its domain walls; if you want to reach more people, and give them the opportunity to share content, you can install a tweet button on your WordPress site. The tweet button was released by Twitter in the summer of 2010, and if you haven’t added it to your site – what are you waiting for? It is a quick and easy change.

First, though, why install the tweet button? It can help you share content and see how many times that content has been retweeted. This will give you a terrific idea of how far you can extend your reach. Simple Twitter Connect is a WordPress plugin that makes it easy to add this function, as well as other Twitter features, to your blog or site.

When you activate and set up the base plugin, you have the basic Tweet button, but you can add additional functions with add-ons. One of the best features of this particular plugin is that it allows you to have your own Twitter identity. When you tweet, it will come from your blog or site, not from Simple Twitter Connect.

The add-ons available allow login via Twitter, comments using Twitter credentials, auto-tweet for user comments, auto-tweet new posts, auto-link all Twitter names on the site, and, of course, you’ll get the official tweet button and widget.

You can download the tweet plugin directly from the WordPress website. This will give you the basic base plugin, which enables your site to host the individual plugins. Then you can choose the smaller individual function plugins you want, such allowing comments, login, and more.

Twitter can be phenomenally effective, and if you can add tools that will help you create more functionality and versatility for users. Simple Twitter Connect does just that.

Tags: twitter, wordpress

Copywriting in 140 Characters or Less

Posted on Apr 1, 2011 by Taylor to Copywriting, Social Media

If you have five hundred words with which to engage audiences, it’s relatively easy. You have room to be witty and clever while still sticking to your purpose. You can be engaging and use words to convey the right tone. With 140 characters or fewer, you don’t have that luxury. You don’t have room to establish a tone; you just have to jump right in. Microwriting, as copywriting for micro blogging sites is known, is a whole new skill. What does it involve?

It involves being concise! A tweet is to a short story like an article is to a novel. In a novel, you have a lot of room to develop your story, introduce your characters, and establish the mood. With a short story, you’ve got to get right to it. With a tweet, brevity really is the soul of wit, and this type of writing tends to be very informal. The trick is to be casual and engaging but still maintain professionalism.

It is also helpful to know some Twitter etiquette. Knowing what things like @ or # or RT mean is crucial so you use them correctly and give your followers the information and/or recognition they want. Your tone should be casual; you can be funny, but above all, be conversational.

The goal is not to explain your site’s business or operating philosophy; it is to engage and interact with potential customers. When people come across a subject of interest, they will share their feelings and conversation is sparked. You are not selling here; Twitter users can smell a sales pitch from ten tweets away, and you will lose any following you’ve managed to establish. This is a tool for meeting and engaging with potential and current customers. Good uses of your updates include important announcements, contests, short tips, or asking for feedback. Replying goes a long way in building a good base of followers.

Tags: Copywriting, Social Media, twitter

Would Ben Franklin Tweet?

Posted on Feb 20, 2011 by Joey to General, Social Media

Of course he would have! In addition to being the perfect medium for the First American to campaign for colonial unity, his pithy quotes would have made excellent tweets. “In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.” Perfect. Under 140 characters and straight to the point. He could have even added a shortened URL link to his website, which of course he would have had. A great way for Ben to keep up with his lady followers. While Twitter is hitting its stride in 2010, it is fun to speculate how it would have been used by some of the world’s most important historical figures.

Ernest Hemingway would have tweeted. He would have made fun of it, but its allure would have proven too great to resist. And he would have published a short story a day made up entirely of 140 character tweets. Perhaps he would have also used Twitter to protest the war: “In modern war… you will die like a dog for no good reason.”

Black_Moses “RT @Levi_Coffin: Swing low, sweet chariot, coming for to carry me home.” Twitter would have been a great – if somewhat dangerous – means of communicating for the engineers of the Underground Railroad. Harriet Tubman, or the Black Moses, as she was known, could have sent coded messages to a far-reaching network of supporters. Black spirituals were a form of social networking, after all. Today, would Harriet Tubman be tackling other issues of equality?

Twitter is a popular medium for the accused to protest their innocence. Maybe Sam Sheppard could have started a social media campaign to turn the tide of public opinion in his favor. “@F Lee Bailey: it wasn’t me, it was the bushy haired man. DNA testing can’t come soon enough.”

And some people just use Twitter to tell you what they had for lunch, what they are doing after work, or other minutia that no one really needs to know. This would be perfect for Oscar Wilde. “I have nothing to declare except my genius,” would be a perfect first post.

Tags: twitter

The Impact of Social Media

Posted on Feb 10, 2011 by Joey to Social Media

If you run a website or blog, you can’t help but run into the suggestion – or mandate – to incorporate social media into your business. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn…millions upon millions of internet users log onto these sites every day, and spend as much as several hours perusing them. But does social media really deliver in terms of driving traffic or converting that traffic to sales?

ForeSee Results compiled its Social Media Marketing Report by surveying about 100,000 visitors to the top 40 websites in the UK. The objective was to find out what led the visitors to the specific sites. Forty-six percent of respondents said that brand familiarity was their primary reason for visiting a site. Search engines led 13 percent to their sites. So, how many were driven via the social media train? About three percent, and another one percent from blogs.

These figures certainly seem to contradict the ubiquitous advice that all businesses need to be focusing attention specifically on social media strategies – but do they really? It can be countered that there is more than one route to a business site. For example, a consumer may see a product that piques his interest on Facebook. He then uses a search engine to find the specific vendor or business. In this way, social media has played a very important role, but one that isn’t necessarily accounted for in the survey.

Another issue with the study is that it did not look at the efficacy of the top 40 sites’ social media efforts. Boots, for instance, a retailer of pharmacy and health/beauty products, does not have a Facebook or Twitter account at all, which certainly skews the findings. John Lewis, another UK retailer, only just created a profile on Facebook. Apparel retailer, ASOS, by contrast, sees more than six percent of its traffic driven from Facebook and Twitter.

The lesson from ForeSee Results’ survey is not to jettison social media efforts, but instead to use them more effectively to drive traffic and convert sales.

Tags: Social Media, social media marketing, twitter