tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54178182206888900522023-11-16T06:04:15.584-05:00BRANDEblogThe latest news and muse about the world of branding, advertising, social media, and creativity.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger358125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5417818220688890052.post-46987520195483972672014-03-07T07:14:00.001-05:002014-03-07T07:14:07.558-05:00The BRANDEblog has moved.<a href="http://brandemix.com/blog/" target="_blank">Our new home.</a> <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5417818220688890052.post-52376262483822047102014-03-03T10:48:00.000-05:002014-03-03T10:48:25.850-05:00Social Recruiting Is Still The Next Big Thing<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jobvite recently released <a href="http://web.jobvite.com/FY14_Website_JobseekerSurvey_LP.html" target="_blank">its 2014 Job-Seeker Survey</a>, speaking to 2,135 adults both in and out of the labor force. I've read the report and discovered that social and mobile recruiting are still trending upwards, <a href="http://brandemixblog.blogspot.com/2012_10_01_archive.html" target="_blank">just as they were in 2012</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So who is looking for work? Everyone. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">35% of respondents said they change jobs at least every five years. Only 47% have stayed at a job more than 10 years. In addition, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">51% of employed workers are actively seeking or are open to a new job. That includes 26% of workers making $100,000 or more, proving that no one is safe! </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All together, Jobvite considers 71% of the entire American workforce to be "on the job market."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">College grads go to the following places to vet a prospective employer's company culture: 23% LinkedIn; 19% Facebook; 19% Google Plus; 16% Instagram; 13% Twitter. It's hard to believe, but this is one of the few categories LinkedIn actually wins.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq3aHj-bkAxp2Cy1SPuiJC163hwkpyHl2wunN2gI7jBDp9GPSfXunQFozpYjPMwEqz47l65_YLwzH2wagAKW1JJ3Vx_-kC799ahMoS02GUMVgv2fkbk9Kbd_K3mGVP1FAgOs1VuCFcKet9/s1600/Jobvite+2014+-+Where+get+info.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq3aHj-bkAxp2Cy1SPuiJC163hwkpyHl2wunN2gI7jBDp9GPSfXunQFozpYjPMwEqz47l65_YLwzH2wagAKW1JJ3Vx_-kC799ahMoS02GUMVgv2fkbk9Kbd_K3mGVP1FAgOs1VuCFcKet9/s1600/Jobvite+2014+-+Where+get+info.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Image courtesy of Jobvite</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For example, 40% of those surveyed found their "favorite or best" job through a personal connection. The next biggest category was social media but Facebook comes in first at 10%, followed by LinkedIn at 6% and Twitter at 5%.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Facebook virtually ties LinkedIn in the social network used by job-seekers to look up contacts that are employees of a prospective employer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">76% of "social job seekers" (those dependent on social media for job searches) found their current job on Facebook. Almost the same percentage shared an opportunity with a contact, or had a contact share one with them, on Facebook as on LinkedIn. This has to make LinkedIn executives scratch their heads.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It gets worse for LinkedIn. While 94% of recruiters are active on the network, only 36% of job-seekers are. In fact, the social site specifically designed for professional networking comes in <i>last</i> of the four major social channels: 83% of job-seekers are active on Facebook, 40% on Twitter, and 37% on Google Plus. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not to pick on LinkedIn, but it loses in the mobile category as well. 12% of job-seekers said they've search for a job on Facebook using their mobile device. Only 7% have done a mobile search with LinkedIn.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrnCY1vOkPAmLTkFCWhmedqI70YP8XmEhJmpIBHJGU0KPBM-qa8qd2eiymaceChTWfxrl5BXjOmeCxOldb3haxhR_ropol-eoU8UAMB8A7UwzHxy01B-YMFX8d0igEOgIEYXZtnQd0NuzC/s1600/Jobvite+2014+-+Searched+on+mobile.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrnCY1vOkPAmLTkFCWhmedqI70YP8XmEhJmpIBHJGU0KPBM-qa8qd2eiymaceChTWfxrl5BXjOmeCxOldb3haxhR_ropol-eoU8UAMB8A7UwzHxy01B-YMFX8d0igEOgIEYXZtnQd0NuzC/s1600/Jobvite+2014+-+Searched+on+mobile.JPG" height="194" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Image courtesy of Jobvite</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's talk about mobile for a moment. 43% of job-seekers have used their mobile device to engage in some type of job-search activity. (Perhaps the biggest indication that times are changing is that 17% of full-time workers have searched for job on their phone </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">at their current workplace</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This carries over into the application process as well. 27% of job-seekers say it's "important" to be able to apply for a job directly from their mobile device. 55% say it's "important" that they're able to view job listings without having to register first.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It seems that job-seekers are wising up, as well. 93% of recruiters say they're "likely" to look at a candidate's social profile (whichever one they can find). In response, some job-seekers have untagged themselves from photos, deleted specific content -- and 17% have actually deleted a social media account.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcxQp11t7Scpe-OhyphenhypheneFKsNoel4hzoUidQgH1YwzUGNnU7QrPUAKx1l2WPpRQqZNV4-KfoTMRynxSDUygm_Fe8nOVWz5gKQgg_ZlkBthsHDUbAKiEelsGgfQJiXCvNsmHvSwqyyUnc6PGdv/s1600/Jobvite+2014+-+Erased+social+media.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcxQp11t7Scpe-OhyphenhypheneFKsNoel4hzoUidQgH1YwzUGNnU7QrPUAKx1l2WPpRQqZNV4-KfoTMRynxSDUygm_Fe8nOVWz5gKQgg_ZlkBthsHDUbAKiEelsGgfQJiXCvNsmHvSwqyyUnc6PGdv/s1600/Jobvite+2014+-+Erased+social+media.JPG" height="126" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Image courtesy of Jobvite</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can see that social and mobile recruiting aren't fads, and they're moving from ancillary tactics to being full partners in an integrated online strategy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But even with all this data showing how much job-seekers use Facebook, only 65% of recruiters are active there. Are <i>you r</i>eady to create a careers portal on Facebook? Want to improve your LinkedIn presence? Do you see the lower numbers for Twitter and Google Plus as an opportunity to stake a claim?</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brandemix has a long history of social media recruiting success, and we'd love to help with your social and mobile campaigns. <a href="mailto:social@brandemix.com" target="_blank">Contact us for more information</a>.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5417818220688890052.post-44763221782535166782014-02-24T12:13:00.001-05:002014-02-24T13:39:49.052-05:00How to Avoid a Social Media PR Disaster<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Since 2011, I've covered social media PR disasters. It's surprising how many big brands, with decades of competent public relations, have stumbled in the new world of two-way online communications -- whether it's <a href="http://brandemixblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/social-media-pr-disasters-07-chevy.html" target="_blank">allowing customers to make their own satirical commercials</a> or <a href="http://brandemixblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/social-media-pr-disasters-united-breaks.html" target="_blank">driving a musician to write three songs of revenge</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">In each case, I've shared the lessons of the disaster so that your brand can avoid similar crises. But many incidents have the same takeaways, so I thought I'd offer some general social media best practices here. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNzBabw6CbXdPY4jKLyGjeKv9rTDqzEFlVrr5W89wVjJoNWxoObbzGKiNRkAiX7YblmFE86af1r4pt8hoyV0oCHnd0k5Rd7X3l1hZNE5d8TTydM2joWZUsJENsZJigWXj47tywmQXmT3O9/s1600/Circle+Thumb+Down.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNzBabw6CbXdPY4jKLyGjeKv9rTDqzEFlVrr5W89wVjJoNWxoObbzGKiNRkAiX7YblmFE86af1r4pt8hoyV0oCHnd0k5Rd7X3l1hZNE5d8TTydM2joWZUsJENsZJigWXj47tywmQXmT3O9/s1600/Circle+Thumb+Down.png" height="200" width="200" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><b>Apologize First</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">It's an adage in customer service that many wronged customers simply want to hear an apology and have their concerns acknowledged. Before any spin or damage control, say you're sorry to the wronged party. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">When Jessica Bennett, Lean In's Editor-at-Large, posted an ad for an intern on her Facebook page -- in seeming contradiction to Lean In's message of equal pay and female empowerment -- <a href="http://brandemixblog.blogspot.com/2013/08/social-media-pr-disasters-lean-in-intern.html" target="_blank">the negative comments piled up</a>. But Bennett's response to, as she put it, "what appears to be my entire Facebook feed" said, confusingly, that the post was for a personal intern, not a Lean In intern, and "Let's all take a deep breath." Backpedaling? Yes. Apologizing? No. The result was 200 <i>more </i>angry comments.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span><b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Keep Your Cool</b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Some social media PR disasters spring from good intentions and simple misunderstandings. But when brands fight back, they lose a lot of sympathy from the public. Just because many people use social media to post cat videos doesn't mean your social communications shouldn't be restrained, mature, and professional.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">After a Kansas City Chiefs fan tweeted a criticism of the team's ownership, <a href="http://brandemixblog.blogspot.com/2012/10/social-media-pr-disasters-kansas-city.html" target="_blank">the Chiefs sent a direct message to him</a> that included "Your choice to be a fan. Get a clue." Maybe they thought that was the end of the matter -- without even sending a link to where a "clue" might be found. The fan took a screenshot and tweeted the image to his 125,000 followers and posted it on Reddit, where it made the front page of "The Front Page of the Internet." The next day, the Chiefs issued an apology, which they botched by tweeting in the first person (see Applebee's below).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_mGE2ZriOX9b6AtHz6KP45gFJmpKXQ1a6h7uOh1DddrolJ-5D2Cds3yvuL6cIaZmifOLj38y6nNDUDQIMue-c3Lu2tFTHBPJ6z1JAqdz0hCTVi3LRDPCqNvlG-fkZzQ9q9nRyJqeC5Rj0/s1600/KC+Chiefs+DM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_mGE2ZriOX9b6AtHz6KP45gFJmpKXQ1a6h7uOh1DddrolJ-5D2Cds3yvuL6cIaZmifOLj38y6nNDUDQIMue-c3Lu2tFTHBPJ6z1JAqdz0hCTVi3LRDPCqNvlG-fkZzQ9q9nRyJqeC5Rj0/s1600/KC+Chiefs+DM.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><b>Present a Unified Front</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">As the Chiefs found, it's possible to get even the <i>apology</i> wrong. If your organization tweets in the plural, as many do, then it's jarring and puzzling to suddenly start using the singular. Your audience has to wonder: Who is talking? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">When Applebee's fired a waitress for violating a seldom-enforced policy, her defenders took to the restaurant's Facebook page to complain. Applebee's refused to respond...until 2 a.m. Someone from the company <a href="http://brandemixblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/social-media-pr-disasters-applebees.html" target="_blank">started posting replies to individual comments</a>. This person went crazy, tagging some commenters and deleting others, in the early hours of a Saturday morning. The meltdown was complete when the unknown rep finally posted "No one's asking me to comment at 5 a.m. I am because I care." But who is "I"? A social media intern? A franchise owner? The VP of Communications? The CEO? By using the first person, it appeared that Applebee's had lost control of its communications channels. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><b>Communicate Internally</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Before responding to a social media issue, it's best to check in with all relevant departments. Sometimes the biggest headache is coming not from outraged Facebook followers but your own colleagues down the hall.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Since 2006, blogger Sara Rosso had hosted an unofficial World Nutella Day to celebrate her love for the hazelnut spread. But in 2013, Nutella's parent company, Ferrero, <a href="http://brandemixblog.blogspot.com/2013/05/social-media-pr-disasters-world-nutella.html" target="_blank">sent Ross a cease-and-desist letter</a> demanding she stop using the brand's name -- thus shutting down her website and ending the "holiday." Rosso's supporters blast the company on its Facebook page for five days. Finally, Ferrero released a statement expressing its "sincere gratitude for her passion for Nutella" and allowing World Nutella Day to continue. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Why the about-face? Probably because the </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">legal</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> team was behind the first response and the </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">marketing </i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">team was behind the second. Legal saw a violation of trademark, while Marketing saw a grassroots celebration of its brand. Had the two departments spoken before taking any action, they could have almost certainly avoided a week of vitriol and bad press.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiadBrH09ICP9DriMaf3-xp8KznBrlQr2vE5WvdTsBSXRYGRxSYRRXA4R1IE6tFkTYyDSPLzTIBhv44NF9ILU4uKmAiyuoDfcRHNhvEX9a-SjfMuRqQm5JDWzMeqi3PXWvSWgbjnSR_Sv6g/s1600/Nutella+-+Nutella+Facebook+comments+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiadBrH09ICP9DriMaf3-xp8KznBrlQr2vE5WvdTsBSXRYGRxSYRRXA4R1IE6tFkTYyDSPLzTIBhv44NF9ILU4uKmAiyuoDfcRHNhvEX9a-SjfMuRqQm5JDWzMeqi3PXWvSWgbjnSR_Sv6g/s1600/Nutella+-+Nutella+Facebook+comments+1.png" height="178" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Keep these four lessons in mind before doing anything on social media that may spiral out of control -- and that includes responding to what you perceive as an unreasonable complaint. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Branding, marketing, and recruiting on social media can be tricky, but Brandemix is here to help. If you'd like more of our assistance, we<a href="mailto:social@brandemix.com" target="_blank">'d love to hear from you</a>.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5417818220688890052.post-33716753775998035692014-02-18T11:10:00.001-05:002014-02-18T11:10:50.869-05:00New Social Media Channels: How Can Your Brand Use Them?<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just when you think the world has enough social networks, another emerges that changes the entire landscape: Facebook supplanted MySpace. Google launched Google Plus. Foursquare became more like Yelp. And visual sharing evolved from Instagram to Pinterest to Snapchat.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">More social channels are on the horizon. While they all aim to be fun and useful, they're not all appropriate for brands to use for marketing or recruiting. I've researched the latest technologies coming out of tech conferences around the world and found a few start-ups you'll want to keep your eye on in 2014.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMuJBSxWTV3tSTfCSrMcxaa-MmaTkbuFupt-BTRgzJO4k0qjnEMkLjQjTo1cCyFSseCzy8A2IhbKiRiGhgcnDeja0EoWPCOSYMDDaMlBeZ_I2sN7Uaze13T5XXphaArI0iKupoEHZz2fki/s1600/Thumb+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMuJBSxWTV3tSTfCSrMcxaa-MmaTkbuFupt-BTRgzJO4k0qjnEMkLjQjTo1cCyFSseCzy8A2IhbKiRiGhgcnDeja0EoWPCOSYMDDaMlBeZ_I2sN7Uaze13T5XXphaArI0iKupoEHZz2fki/s1600/Thumb+2.JPG" height="285" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Thumb Pro</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://thumb.it/" target="_blank">Thumb</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>What it does: </i>Thumb allows user to poll their social network for answers to questions such as what to cook, what to wear, and what movies to see. On Facebook, I often see friends asking questions like "Where can I get great sushi in Chelsea?" Thumb gives those queries a dedicated home and is aimed at getting instant answers and sparking conversations. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>How your brand can use it: </i>Thumb Pro allows brands to "get hundreds of authentic responses from real people in seconds." It allows your organization to ask a question to a specific audience segment, get instant responses, and then follow up privately with anyone who responded. The website gives examples such as "Would you pay an extra 25 cents a can of Coca-Cola with real sugar?" and "Would you buy a reuseable Starbucks coffee sleeve?" You can conduct market research on logos, pricing, advertising, and even product design. You can use it for recruiting with questions like "Do you want to be challenged in IT every day?" or "What are some questions you have about working for a non-profit?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://nextdoor.com/" target="_blank">Nextdoor</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>What it does: </i>Nextdoor is a social network for communities and neighborhoods. And the company means it -- a physical address is required to join. Nextdoor allows neighbors to discuss local issues such as crime, garage sales, lost dogs, nearby bargains, and community events. T</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">he goal is to "build happier, safer places to call home."</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>How your brand can use it: </i>This social network is perfect for local businesses. It allows shop owners and their employees to participate in the community and build goodwill. Your business can be one of those "nearby bargains" or it can sponsor one of those community events. It puts a face and a name to your company. It's also great for hiring locally and reinforcing that community connection. And if you're the one who finds a lost dog, you'll be a hero to dozens of people!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX6YKOrYQSPwnuGHm-aTJRFa9cWLII06MDDmzzwT-2BjT1DlSMx5g9_pGsVkKvzsiVz84Y18TBjVh5S96Xp0ytuq9BOcLZDWEO3lZ5Ph9QRtWZOqtMAlQoeFLTyycNcVSiJ8EqDiLmHvhF/s1600/Impossible+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX6YKOrYQSPwnuGHm-aTJRFa9cWLII06MDDmzzwT-2BjT1DlSMx5g9_pGsVkKvzsiVz84Y18TBjVh5S96Xp0ytuq9BOcLZDWEO3lZ5Ph9QRtWZOqtMAlQoeFLTyycNcVSiJ8EqDiLmHvhF/s1600/Impossible+1.JPG" height="293" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Impossible</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.impossible.com/" target="_blank">Impossible</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>What it does</i>: User post "wishes" for the public to see, usually based on tasks or knowledge, like "I wish someone could teach me how to make chocolate" or "I wish someone could change the oil on a snowblower." Other users then contact the "wishers" and fulfill the task -- for free.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>How your brand can use it:</i> Since you can't <i>sell</i> anything on Impossible, you have to embrace the site's generous spirit. In much the same way brands give away information through blogs or social media, your organization can answer questions and give recommendations, building a foundation of customer service. If you're a tax preparer, you can answer tax questions; if you're a landscaper, you can answer gardening questions. Many brands don't know about Impossible, so your company can be one of the first to stake a claim in your area of expertise.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pinterest clones</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally, while Pinterest continues to grow, a number of similar sites have appeared that target a specific category. Depending on your industry, you may find these niche sites useful. Examples include </span><a href="http://www.trippy.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Trippy</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (travel), </span><a href="http://iwannanom.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">I Wanna Nom</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (food), </span><a href="http://dwellinggawker.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Dwelling Gawker</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (interior design), <a href="http://www.allireallywant.me/" target="_blank">All I Really Want</a> (gifts), and <a href="http://www.polyvore.com/" target="_blank">PolyVore</a> (fashion). You can use these sites just as you would use Pinterest: posting images, liking others' images, and making comments on posts that are relevant to your business. You create a selfless image for your company and brand it as an expert.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As you can see, social media is always evolving and it can be hard to keep up. At Brandemix, we follow the latest trends and investigate all the research to stay ahead of the game. If you're ready to move beyond Facebook and Twitter for your marketing, branding, or recruiting, <a href="mailto:social@brandemix.com" target="_blank">contact us</a>. We'll be happy to connect. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5417818220688890052.post-58829932062991881782014-02-10T09:27:00.000-05:002014-02-10T10:47:39.420-05:00How Augmented Reality Will Change Mobile Marketing and Recruiting<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've written a lot about the future of marketing and recruiting, from <a href="http://brandemixblog.blogspot.com/2013/09/win-recruiting-gamethrough-gaming_24.html" target="_blank">gamification</a> to <a href="http://brandemixblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/are-twitter-and-vine-shrinking-our_2952.html" target="_blank">short-form videos</a>. But there's one development that I think will truly revolutionize communication: augmented reality.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many mobile devices now have apps, made by various third parties, that "augment" reality by superimposing images, animations, or data on top of a "normal" view. For example, Yelp has an app, <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/browserRedirect?url=itms%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewSoftware%253Fid%253D284910350%2526mt%253D8" target="_blank">Yelp Monocle</a>, that uses your phone's GPS to display ratings and reviews over any restaurant you point it at. It looks like this:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3cuFWZ8PodTdUHXxEEM32A64OMran9cxAkrN4QUT-Jl-TR0-c-z5acUYPdqJBN0ATjq1aYur-_B80MbZzMFh6jI_21rBSe5sh2wvxfKFsdyJTRhZQZWTC6oEtec2w8rbMcIyDC2nT4TEE/s1600/Yelp+Monocle.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3cuFWZ8PodTdUHXxEEM32A64OMran9cxAkrN4QUT-Jl-TR0-c-z5acUYPdqJBN0ATjq1aYur-_B80MbZzMFh6jI_21rBSe5sh2wvxfKFsdyJTRhZQZWTC6oEtec2w8rbMcIyDC2nT4TEE/s1600/Yelp+Monocle.png" height="320" width="240" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So instead of looking at an overhead view of a map, you see information that matches your actual line of sight. And since you're holding your phone directly in front of you, you're less likely to bump into people!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Augmented reality completely changes your interaction with your mobile device. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Right now, most companies are only using for it special events and promotions -- Christmas being the biggest one. Recently, Chanel, Bratz, and Macy's offered augmented reality experiences for the holidays. In 2012, DreamWorks </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">created posters for their animated film <i>Rise of the Guardians</i> that <a href="http://www.dmnews.com/dreamworking-a-marketing-mix/article/265238/" target="_blank">included an augmented reality element</a>: people used their mobile device to scan a poster that featured one of film's characters, which then became animated on their screen.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For several years, Starbucks has offered a free app called Cup Magic. When customers pointed their phones at their coffee cups, the characters on the cups came to life and acted out short holiday scenes like sledding and ice skating. There were five different character cups, so customers had to return multiple times to get the full experience.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Starbucks brilliantly added a social element to the app; customers could easily share the animations through Facebook or email. That spread the word of the experience even better than traditional advertising, since Starbucks was letting its customers do the marketing. Even smarter is that the animations have no dialogue, so they transcend age, gender, and even language.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Based on their success at Christmas, Starbucks brought Cup Magic to Valentine's Day. These promotional cups feature a heart instead of characters; using the app to view the heart launches a short video of heart-shaped flower petals flying off the cup. As before, you can then send the video via Facebook or email. Starbucks calls this campaign "Celebrating Everylove," which they stress is "not just the romantic kind." And they've upped the urgency, since Valentine's Day "season" is much shorter than Christmas.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/8nvqOzjq10w?rel=0" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just to be clear: Virtually every one of these augmented reality apps is free. They don't require a code or a password. Companies want to make it as easy as possible to get the enhanced experience and to be able to show it to their friends.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can see how this could apply to recruiting. Imagine pointing a Monocle-type app at a building and seeing which companies are hiring. Or which companies are rated "best workplaces." Or which companies will be at the next career fair.</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What about Google Glass, you ask? While incredibly cool, that device isn't made for augmented reality; </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">instead of overlaying information on top of your normal view, Glass' images are confined to a tiny screen in the corner of your vision. Still, </span><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/21/openglass-google-glass-real-time-augmented-reality/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">some companies are trying workarounds</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now that you know what augmented reality is and how exciting it can be, how will you use it in your branding, marketing, or recruiting campaigns? Brandemix can help. Contact me and we'll discuss all the possibilities.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5417818220688890052.post-8573420699061266652014-02-05T11:22:00.000-05:002014-02-05T11:24:20.215-05:00Social Recruiting: Too Important for Interns<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://brandemixblog.blogspot.com/2014/01/new-years-resolutions-for-hr-and-talent_6.html" target="_blank">Earlier this month</a>, I advised organizations on adding social media to their 2014 talent acquisition efforts. Since then, I've heard from many organizations who told me, "We've assigned our intern to handle that."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think that's a mistake. Here's why.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Social media is "social" because of the interaction between the poster and the audience. In talent acquisition, the conversation centers on job openings, the application process, and the company itself. Job-seekers expect a company's social channels to have the information they want, almost instantly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So why would this crucial position -- charged with attracting the best talent out there -- left to unpaid interns?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I recently did a search on Indeed.com for the term "social media intern." Hundreds of results came back -- all posted in the last few weeks. Some of them were specifically for recruiting while others included both marketing and recruiting, as if the two were basically the same.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCBBjNmRBWxamdYfNpUe4hwvxOU9SU2zQxiRQ7P7jEqjkDdfmHlvDyohyjLftnkSKEuENJGA6Vubkzf9UB6_-ra9YWW2vHqYh775EdCGbjXOruS1KsTW-dy5pC_xM4SfBPBG34YwCUWJW0/s1600/Kid+on+computer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCBBjNmRBWxamdYfNpUe4hwvxOU9SU2zQxiRQ7P7jEqjkDdfmHlvDyohyjLftnkSKEuENJGA6Vubkzf9UB6_-ra9YWW2vHqYh775EdCGbjXOruS1KsTW-dy5pC_xM4SfBPBG34YwCUWJW0/s1600/Kid+on+computer.jpg" height="216" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This contradiction extends to the financial value that companies place on social recruiting. </span><a href="http://web.jobvite.com/rs/jobvite/images/Jobvite_2013_SocialRecruitingSurveyResults.pdf" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">According to the latest Jobvite survey</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, 43% of companies spend less than $12,000 a year on social recruiting...even though 65% of recruiters believe its value is greater than $20,000 a year! 20% of recruiters even place its value at $90,00 a year!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As we've all seen recently, one social media misstep can lead to days of bad press, loss of income, and (worst of all) the re-evaluation of job-seekers who were considering your organization. Whether it's <a href="http://brandemixblog.blogspot.com/2012/10/social-media-pr-disasters-kansas-city.html" target="_blank">a single angry tweet at a fan</a> or <a href="http://brandemixblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/social-media-pr-disasters-applebees.html" target="_blank">a complete meltdown on Facebook</a>, errors in judgment can mean terrible damage to your brand. Interns, who are often young and inexperienced, may not understand what they're doing wrong until it's too late -- or, if they're unpaid, they might not really care.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And you don't even have to look to major disasters to see how social affects recruiting.<a href="http://thehiringsite.careerbuilder.com/2014/01/06/52-percent-candidates-say-companies-fail-meet-expectations/" target="_blank"> A study by CareerBuilder</a> found that 70% of job-seekers said the experience during the application process had an impact on their decision to accept a position at a company. A lot of that "experience" comes through social media, from job postings on Facebook to employee videos on YouTube to company pages on LinkedIn.<br /><br />A few years ago, interns were given the social media reins because they were young, and social media was used primarily by young people. <a href="http://blog.bufferapp.com/social-media-in-2013-user-demographics-for-twitter-facebook-pinterest-and-instagram" target="_blank">That's not true anymore</a>. And social media is no longer an afterthought to talent acquisition; it's now front and center, as 94% of organizations use social media for recruiting, according to Jobvite. 33% of recruiters say social decreases time to hire, while 49% say it increases quality of hire. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I understand there are other reasons to rely on interns for social recruiting. Some organizations don't have the headcount or the bandwidth to manage a successful social recruiting campaign that takes place in real time. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's when you can bring in a cross-functional team of marketing,
internal communications, publicity, and any other relevant stakeholders
to help you in your efforts. Just make sure you implement guidelines to ensure they're adhering to your brand voice and are aware of your
hiring needs. </span><br />
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<style> </style><span style="font-family: Arial;">The better the talent supporting your social
recruiting, the higher return on your efforts.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For more information, download Brandemix free </span><a href="http://brandemix.com/our-capabilities/recruitment-advertising/social-recruiting/" target="_blank">Social Media Strategy Guide for Talent Acquisition</a>.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Or, <a href="mailto:jordioni@brandemix.com" target="_blank">find out more about how we can do it for you</a>. </span><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5417818220688890052.post-89471885920771416902014-01-27T08:57:00.000-05:002014-01-27T09:52:32.770-05:00Learnings from ERE’s Creative Excellence Awards Webinar<style>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last month, </span><a href="http://www.brandemix.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brandemix</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
was fortunate enough to co-host the CEA awards presentation, along with </span><a href="http://www.ere.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ERE</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Editor-in-Chief </span><a href="http://www.ere.net/author/todd-raphael/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Todd Raphael</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIqXIUQ-b4r2J1oYx5ncx7GDRLWgdT66mkeaQ5GRHkndkMjytzaDhMOmqcNp8Mv7QfeNj6aH85IeM0wQhvOnI8e3U8mXQ_FRowOfpUMqS8E4XrZxqxLjgqLkyEmapfT5ZDruri6L_Aqvg/s1600/Brandemix+CEA_Presentation_121213.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIqXIUQ-b4r2J1oYx5ncx7GDRLWgdT66mkeaQ5GRHkndkMjytzaDhMOmqcNp8Mv7QfeNj6aH85IeM0wQhvOnI8e3U8mXQ_FRowOfpUMqS8E4XrZxqxLjgqLkyEmapfT5ZDruri6L_Aqvg/s1600/Brandemix+CEA_Presentation_121213.png" height="150" width="200" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The CEAs are an award program designed to recognize
outstanding achievement in recruitment advertising and marketing. Each year, recruitment ad agencies and corporate recruiting departments from around the
world enter their best creative advertising campaigns. Each entry is judged by a panel of the finest
creative and professional talent from across the country, of which I was one. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As context for the awards ceremony, Todd and I did some
research on 2014 recruiting trends, much of it already familiar to readers of
ERE, particularly <a href="http://www.ere.net/author/drjohn-sullivan/">John
Sullivan</a>’s illuminating articles. In case you weren’t able to attend, here
are some of the important learnings you might have missed. </span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><b>Layoffs are at their lowest level since 2001.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><b>Hiring is heating up.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b> <br />More employees quit their jobs in October than in any other month since the recession of 2007-09.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In fact, according to Dice.com, 55% of hiring managers and
recruiters plan to hire more professionals in the first half of 2014 than they
did in the second half of 2013 - a jump of 9% from the same period one year ago
and <b>the highest level on record since Dice first posed the hiring
question in mid-2010.</b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Other 2014 Trends</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>Employer
branding is considered the best long-term recruiting strategy, as recruiting
looks more like marketing.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>“Apply with LinkedIn,” instead of a resume, is gaining acceptance.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>Employee
referrals and social media are melding.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>The idea
of attending college is changing, and thus college recruitment marketing is changing
as well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>A
metric-driven employee referral program is becoming a dominant hiring source.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>Boomerangs are a primary target once again.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>Predictive
metrics and the use of big data have moved from interesting to essential.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>The
mobile platform continues to be a critical tool.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When McDonald’s launched its first mobile career site in
2008, three million people visited it and 24,000 people used it to submit
applications. By 2012, those figures had jumped to 30 million visits and two
million applications. Now, it brings in a little over 10% of total
applications.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>Though Facebook recruiting is becoming a more significant part of the
recruiting budget and a more accepted as a recruiting source,
here’s a bit of advice: Keep your eyes on the next trend. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Teen panelists of Ignition 2013 had
these comments: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>“I
hate Facebook. It's just so boring. Now I’m an Instagram user<span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">.</span></span>”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">“I
used to scroll down Facebook and read every single status. Now I just love Vine.”</span></span><br />
<div style="text-indent: -24px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="text-indent: 0px;"><br />From the CEA submissions
themselves I learned the following:</span></span></span></div>
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</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>Augmented
reality is really here. The seamless process from ads to booths and banners
with QR codes or other ways to connect with smart devices has made for a totally
immersive recruitment experience. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>Website
redesigns on the rise -- in fact, there were more than 50 submissions this year. Flash is
out, HTML is in, and content is king. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>As
a words person, I am disappointed to see that copy is still a second-class
citizen to creative. While people and pictures were front and center, copy and
provocative headlines have not evolved as much. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>The
link from employer brand research to uniquely branded creative is still missing
a beat. Those of you looking for DIY branding have the research part down, but
take my advice: Call in a professional to do the analysis and brand
architecture.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">And finally, my favorite. There is more transparency and greater detail given about the hiring and selection process, from attraction through onboarding. That's great, as recruiting comes out from behind the curtain.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Want to know more? </span><a href="http://brandemix.com/?post_type=presentation&p=2518&preview=true" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Download
the full presentation here</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5417818220688890052.post-89880674311945187712014-01-21T10:08:00.000-05:002014-01-21T10:31:59.696-05:00Winning the Competition for Content Marketing<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">According to a study by KPCB, the amount of content that people are sharing globally<a href="http://www.kpcb.com/insights/2013-internet-trends" target="_blank"> is around two trillion gigabytes</a>. So, whether you're a content marketer or a social media recruiter, you're up against <i>a lot</i> of competition.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What sort of content should you create? And where should you post it to have the best chance of being shared?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I recently went to an expert in the field, <a href="http://www.sharethis.com/" target="_blank">ShareThis</a>. They're the ones who created that little button you see on so many blogs and websites (including this one), letting you easily share a post on more than 120 social channels. <a href="http://www.sharethis.com/blog/2013/11/01/consumer-sharing-trends-report" target="_blank">Their most recent study</a> has some eye-opening findings.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First, the five leading channels for sharing are Facebook, followed by Twitter, which together make up 75% of <i>all</i> internet sharing. Email comes in third, followed by Pinterest and LinkedIn.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But that's only one part of the story. A second study by ShareThis found that Pinterest content is five times more popular for sharing content than Twitter is -- though Twitter itself is a more popular channel. In other words, fewer people visit Pinterest, but those who do share a lot of content. So if you have photos, cartoons, or infographics, you should post them on Pinterest along with Twitter for a one-two punch.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was also surprised by the latest information on video sharing. <a href="http://www.sharethis.com/learn/knowledge-center/research-2/online-video-study/#sthash.245aWQLi.dpbs" target="_blank">66% of video shares happen through Facebook</a>. 13% are shared on Twitter, with sites like Reddit and Tumblr making up most of the remaining 21%. Once again, it seems that Twitter isn't always the best venue for sharing content. Video creators, take heed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The findings of both ShareThis and venture capital firm KPCB convinced me that mobile is the future of sharing. Right now, mobile sharing is twice as social as the desktop, and I expect that number will increase. The typical user checks social media on their phone nine times a day, but checks the web on their computer only three times.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnDGmWeb-EK9AIXEXzxr3Ycasq5Ooa_783ZxHC9eM8Y2oIwagTElWKTPYbuOSDOC1dlYoDQAO9KgMDRFRjZ2IeVPJNVpovU2xkBTAFE_0s0cgAM-wuEovkB7aIiQBUth9rajPL1oPjShL4/s1600/Share+This.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnDGmWeb-EK9AIXEXzxr3Ycasq5Ooa_783ZxHC9eM8Y2oIwagTElWKTPYbuOSDOC1dlYoDQAO9KgMDRFRjZ2IeVPJNVpovU2xkBTAFE_0s0cgAM-wuEovkB7aIiQBUth9rajPL1oPjShL4/s1600/Share+This.gif" height="277" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>50 ways to share content via buttons like ShareThis and AddThis</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As always, it seems the only constant is change. 2012 became the year of Instagram, but now it gets fewer photos uploaded per day than Snapchat does. If you want to be seen as a cutting-edge brand, you may need to add Snapchat to your marketing strategy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What are other strategic ways of sharing content? Video gets all the attention, but don't forget about audio; 11 hours of sound are uploaded to SoundCloud every minute. So consider creating songs, speeches, and podcasts along with YouTube videos.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's also time to re-evaluate Facebook likes. They're not the same as shares. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Scott Monty, social media director at Ford, <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/brands-favor-social-shares-over-likes-148256" target="_blank">recently called likes</a> the "digital grunts" of Facebook: "The like, as far as I'm concerned, is the minimum commitment you can ask from a fan. Likes, comments, shares -- it goes in that order of importance." Keep that hierarchy in mind when analyzing your metrics.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There's real value to a share. EventBrite came up with this breakdown for buying an event ticket: A share on LinkedIn is worth 92 cents; a retweet is worth $1.85; and a Facebook share is worth $4.15. This may mean the era of "clickbait" articles is over, since content that gets clicks and views simply isn't as attractive as that which gets shared (I'm looking in your direction, <a href="http://www.ibtimes.com/rise-clickbait-spoilers-bloggers-expose-whats-behind-upworthys-histrionic-headlines-1505972" target="_blank">UpWorthy</a>.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As for the type of content to produce, Likeable Local's CEO Dave Kerpen <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130912085641-15077789-7-simple-rules-for-amazing-content-marketing" target="_blank">recently delineated seven important qualities</a>. The more of these your content has, the more shareable it becomes:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Consistent</i> -- Post regularly so readers know when to expect your content.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Useful</i> -- Find a way to help, educate, or entertain your readers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Authentic </i> -- Be honest and real instead of writing press releases for your company.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Emotional</i> -- The most shareable content often tugs our heartstrings.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Where the audience is </i>-- Find the right channels using the statistics given above.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Paid for -- </i>Use sponsored posts on Facebook and promoted tweets on Twitter.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Storytelling -- </i>Tell the true stories behind your company, its leadership, and its employees.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Need help determining what content to create and where to post it? Brandemix has a long history of using shareable content to support marketing, branding, and recruiting campaigns. <a href="mailto:content@brandemix.com" target="_blank">Contact me if you'd like to know more</a>.<br /><br />And don't forget to share this article using the button below!</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5417818220688890052.post-44215746473395924492014-01-12T17:21:00.001-05:002014-01-13T10:35:06.049-05:00What the Viral Ads of 2013 Tell Us About Video Marketing<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Several <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news-gallery/20-most-viral-ads-2013-154000" target="_blank">publications</a> and <a href="http://venturebeat.com/2013/11/21/these-are-the-20-most-viral-videos-ads-of-2013/" target="_blank">websites</a> have released what they calculate to be the most shared video ads of 2013. I’ve watched them all -- some for the 20th time -- and I’ve discovered some factors that may be useful when you’re creating your own video content.
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fool Me Once...</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Two successful 2013 ads featured pranks. MGM, which released a new version of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Carrie</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> this year, set up </span><a href="http://youtu.be/VlOxlSOr3_M" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">an elaborate illusion in a coffeehouse</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> that made it appear that a young woman had Carrie-like magical powers -- which terrified the unknowing customers. Meanwhile, Pepsi Max disguised NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon and had him take an unsuspecting car salesman </span><a href="http://youtu.be/Q5mHPo2yDG8" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">on a high-speed test drive</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> that left the salesman breathless. </span></div>
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Playwrights call audiences knowing something the characters don’t “dramatic irony” and it’s worked since Shakespeare’s time. But be careful: Ads like this can come off as mean-spirited tricks. Luckily, these two ads stay on the right side of the line.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tug the Heartstrings</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some of the most viral ads of 2013 tried to make us cry. Dove’s </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpaOjMXyJGk" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Real Beauty Sketches”</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> ads illustrated that women often aren’t aware of their own beauty: A forensic sketch artist, hidden from his subjects, drew a sketch of a woman as she described herself. He then drew a sketch of the same woman, this time described by a stranger. Each time, the stranger’s sketch was more beautiful than the woman’s description of herself. The message was very powerful, making it the most viewed ad of all time. </span></div>
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Extra Gum’s </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rt57HUp6PPo" style="line-height: 1.15; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Origami”</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> ad had another moving premise. It told the story of a father who makes origami cranes out of gum wrappers for his daughter over her entire childhood. As he packs her things for college, he finds a box full of the cranes; she kept all of them through the years. </span><br />
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Many of us remember the most funny or shocking or raunchy ads, but pure, unironic emotion can also be very effective. Especially when combined with...</span><br />
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Animals</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Two of the most viral ads of 2013 touched us by featuring adorable animals. GoPro’s </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjB_oVeq8Lo" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Be a Hero”</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> ad showed a firefighter, wearing the company’s new camera on his helmet, as he found and revived an unconscious kitten after a house fire. Budweiser’s </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiJqzdOr4Ok" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Brotherhood”</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> spot, which aired during the Super Bowl, showcased the bond between a horse trainer as he raises a foal to become one of the brewer’s famous Clydesdales -- and who remembers the trainer after years apart. </span><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">People love stories about animals, and about the connection between humans and their pets, so it’s no surprised that these ads were shared so widely.
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Make ‘Em Laugh</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Of course, comedy still sells. AT&T showed that with its series of </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDaLbA3bwPY&list=PLxgUkHTvXNoYSV9JR0UdjV-YEYaHVYssQ" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“It’s Not Complicated”</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> ads featuring children saying the darnedest things. Kmart delivered some clever wordplay with </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I03UmJbK0lA" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Ship My Pants.”</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Ron Burgundy presented his usual clueless arrogance for a dozen </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzfVT6j_1dY" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dodge Durango</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> ads. And Doritos even got a joke across without any dialogue in its Super Bowl ad </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4d8ZDSyFS2g" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Goat 4 Sale.”</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Humor, in all its forms, is </span><a href="http://www.portent.com/blog/internet-marketing/humor-and-sharing-behavior.htm" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the most shared content</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> across the entire internet, so don’t be afraid to show your silly side. </span><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ads That Defy Description</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Not every popular ad of 2013 falls neatly into one of these categories, of course. Did Geico’s “Hump Day” ad go viral because it starred a camel, or simply because it was funny? Was Evian’s </span><a href="http://youtu.be/pfxB5ut-KTs" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Baby & Me”</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> so popular because it featured babies, or dancing, or dancing babies? And no other company staged a stunt this year like </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7FIvfx5J10" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Volvo Truck’s “Epic Split,”</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in which Jean-Claude Van Damme does the splits between two 18-wheelers </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">while they’re moving</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Length doesn’t seem to be a factor in creating shareable content. For example, Dove released </span><a href="http://youtu.be/litXW91UauE" style="line-height: 1.15; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a six-minute version</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of its “Real Beauty Sketches” that was almost as popular as the three-minute version. While the longer version never aired on TV, availability doesn’t seem to be factor in viral ads; But Geico’s </span><a href="http://youtu.be/kWBhP0EQ1lA" style="line-height: 1.15; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Hump Day”</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> was on TV all the time -- yet it was the second most-viewed internet ad of the year.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ready to create some video content with a good chance of going viral? Whether you want to be emotional, feature an animal, or pull a prank, Brandemix can help. </span><a href="mailto:video@brandemix.com" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Contact us and we’ll talk</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div> </div> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5417818220688890052.post-25347099361522207202014-01-06T10:00:00.000-05:002014-01-06T10:00:02.173-05:00New Year's Resolutions for HR and Talent Acquisition Professionals<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Welcome to 2014. The
economic outlook predicts that competition for talent will increase,
making this one of the most challenging years for recruiting in recent
memory. How can your company stand out and attract the most talented
workers?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />For friends of Brandemix in talent acquisition, I've analyzed some recent
trends and found there are three pressing issues for recruiters in the
coming year. Make one, two, or all three of these your New Year's
resolutions and watch your company make better hires.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Invest in employer branding</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An
employer brand is the promise your company makes to employees. It
communicates your vision as an organization and the employees' role in
realizing it. A strong, compelling employer brand attracts top talent,
retains them, and helps them perform to their best abilities. It
also increases referrals, decreases turnover, and <a href="http://hbr.org/web/extras/2008/12/service-profit-chain-today" target="_blank">drives profits</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The best employer brands come
from research. Communications audits and anonymous surveys make a good
start; employee focus groups and executive interviews are even better.
From these findings, you'll discover why employees choose to work for
your company, why they stay, and even why they leave. You'll learn the
C-suite's long-term goals. And you'll see the company's values clearly
emerge. None of t</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">his
has to cost a lot of money: a basic research plan's price is around
$10,000. This can be the year you make a bold statement to job-seekers
and take a unique position in the job market. <a href="http://brandemix.com/our-capabilities/employer-branding/" target="_blank">Download a FREE copy of our Employer Branding Strategy Guide.</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Add social media to your recruiting</i></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">78% of recruiters <a href="http://web.jobvite.com/rs/jobvite/images/Jobvite_SocialRecruiting2013.pdf" target="_blank">have made a hire through social media</a>, and 29% of job-seekers <a href="http://web.jobvite.com/rs/jobvite/images/Jobvite_JobSeeker_FINAL_2012.pdf" target="_blank">found their favorite job</a>
through Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. Social media is a great way to
communicate your employer brand, keep your company top of mind, and
engage with the most attractive job-seekers -- even passive ones. Make
2014 the year you put a significant effort into social recruiting.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Already
on Facebook? Add Twitter. Already on Twitter? Take the next step to
Pinterest or Instagram. Mastered those? Get on YouTube and start
creating videos. Reach out to job-seekers by
showing and telling how your employer brand differentiates you and you'll create a
unique connection with your desired audience. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://brandemix.com/our-capabilities/social-media-marketing/social-recruiting/" target="_blank">Download a FREE copy of our Social Media Strategy Guide for Talent Acquisition.</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Make your careers site mobile-friendly</i></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are some amazing facts: 31% of searches for "jobs" <a href="http://www.ere.net/2013/11/27/you-may-have-some-wrong-information-about-the-quality-of-mobile-candidates/" target="_blank">come from mobile devices</a>.
But many careers sites aren't optimized for mobile -- and 65% of
job-seekers will simply leave a site if it's hard to use on their mobile
device; 40% <a href="http://thehiringsite.careerbuilder.com/2013/10/17/2013-candidate-behavior-study/" target="_blank">will even have a negative opinion</a>
of that company. This doesn't just apply to entry-level positions,
either, as 65% of applicants to executive positions use tablets.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As
phone, tablets, and "phablets" become more popular, this demographic is
only going to increase. If your site isn't optimized for mobile (also
known as "responsive design"), you're conceding a large pool of talent
to your competition. This year, it's time to not only to match your
competitors but to leave them behind, with a mobile site that's clear,
easy, and even fun to use.</span></span><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ready to rock 2014?</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you'd like to learn more about how Brandemix can help with your employer branding, social
recruiting, or mobile websites, <a href="mailto:branding@brandemix.com" target="_blank">contact us</a>, and one of our experts will be in touch.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hope you and your entire recruiting team have a great year. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5417818220688890052.post-48882909241849407922014-01-02T08:07:00.003-05:002014-01-03T10:57:41.233-05:00Happy New Year From All of Us in Brandeland<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaAej2leT4vCBpvgTLmXdiq-LnywpWBR721NdQIU6fa1lJxpKdl7Rn7CF9dRadTysjxETBt1Nb8tUg3C0WZECQIARMZEG9po1Bx_nZKPq2jat4jN9aPkE2q2GpcdVDLece7s0F52xK-vk/s1600/251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaAej2leT4vCBpvgTLmXdiq-LnywpWBR721NdQIU6fa1lJxpKdl7Rn7CF9dRadTysjxETBt1Nb8tUg3C0WZECQIARMZEG9po1Bx_nZKPq2jat4jN9aPkE2q2GpcdVDLece7s0F52xK-vk/s1600/251.jpg" width="532" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5417818220688890052.post-45932387439238953702013-12-30T14:51:00.002-05:002014-01-03T10:57:50.287-05:00Happy, Healthy, and Fun New Year <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/81754358" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5417818220688890052.post-44838449146052045652013-12-23T10:12:00.000-05:002014-01-03T12:15:33.157-05:00The Most Popular Blog Posts of 2013<span style="font-family: Arial;">As 2012 comes to a close, let's take a look back at the year’s most popular blog posts. The topics range from telling your brand story to embracing new technologies to engaging your employees. I hope these articles will help you become an employer of choice and attract top talent -- and avoid some of the biggest social media mistakes. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Here are the BrandeBlog’s six most-read posts of 2013.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://brandemixblog.blogspot.com/2013/11/employer-branding-telling-right-story.html" target="_blank">Employer Branding: Recruiters Help You Tell the Right Story</a></span><br />
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383919462450_30729" style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the biggest recruiting trends of 2014 is employer branding: the promise your company makes to its employees. And one of the biggest trends in marketing is brand storytelling: the use of content and experiences to bring your brand to life. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Combining these trends can bring a powerful presence to your talent acquisition. Here's how to do it.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://bit.ly/12z9jsD" target="_blank">How to Become an Employer of Choice</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A recent Gallup study found that only 47% of American workers are completely satisfied with their jobs. A MarketTools study found that 21% of employees had applied to another job in the past six months. Clearly, many employees are ready to look elsewhere for the next step in their careers. To attract the best of these workers -- and </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">make your current employees stay </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">with you, follow these steps to become an employer of choice. </span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://bit.ly/105rYNr" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Create Goodwill for Your Small Business with Community Involvement</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For any small business to succeed, it must build goodwill with the surrounding community. You can have Facebook fans or catalogue customers all over the world, placing orders by phone and email, but if locals aren’t walking in the door, you’re doomed. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Branding your business as a “hometown hero” can make a huge impression on your customer base and serve as an important differentiator in the marketplace.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://bit.ly/GZK7UA" target="_blank">Build an Employer Brand Fortress by Integrating with Your Corporate Brand</a></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One question that gets asked in every employer branding workshop we hold is, “Where does our employer brand fit with our corporate brand?” Some </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">companies create an employer brand slogan that lives only within recruiting or HR. That's often against best practice, as it has no bearing on a true employer value proposition. A strong EVP is based on the unique elements of your culture and workplace, resonates with the people you would like more of, and integrates with the same value proposition to your consumer base.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Integrating the two brands isn't always easy, but it's crucial to success.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://bit.ly/Ube9JZ" target="_blank">Social Media PR Disasters: Applebee's Wild Night</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">If it's true that you can learn more from failure than from success, then there's <i>a lot</i> to learn from Applebee's mysterious midnight meltdown. After the restaurant chain's controversial firing of a waitress, critics took to Applebee's Facebook page to complain. In the early hours of Saturday, February 2, someone from Applebee's tried to fight back. What happened next is a perfect </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">example of what <i>not</i> to do in a PR crisis.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://bit.ly/15GrgZk" target="_blank">Recruiting with Google Glass</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Google's new wearable technology may change recruiting forever. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why? Because, as the economy improves and the competition for talent increases, Google Glass will allow organizations to</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">show</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> a job listing and a corporate culture instead of</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">telling</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. From talent acquisition to employer branding, here's how this amazing visual device can be used to engage job-seekers in several new and exciting ways.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial;">What do these posts' popularity tell us? That there a lot of people with an interest in <span style="font-size: 12pt;">–</span> and a need for <span style="font-size: 12pt;">–</span> social media trends, marketing, and branding. As it so happens, they are also specialties of ours! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial;">Want to be more popular to job-seekers, employees, and customer? <a href="mailto:branding@brandemix.com" target="_blank">Put Brandemix on your to-do list for 2014.</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks for reading and happy holidays.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5417818220688890052.post-46125618489593587132013-12-17T10:29:00.000-05:002013-12-17T16:15:52.778-05:00How to Conduct A Social Media Competitive Analysis - For Free<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's important for every business to conduct a competitive analysis to find their niche in the marketplace. But how do you analyze your competition on social media? How can you compare a big brand on Facebook to a small brand on Twitter? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />The good news is that you can conduct a fairly thorough competitive analysis using sites and tools that are completely free. Here's how:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Basic Social Media Metrics </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First, see if your competitor promotes their social channels on their website and their blog -- if they even </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">have</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> a blog. There's a big difference between tiny icons at the bottom of a website and big "Follow us" buttons at the top. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then, look at their social profiles to see how many likes they have on Facebook, how many followers they have on Twitter, etc. These raw numbers alone don't tell the whole story, but they'll be crucial to determining other statistics. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A great place to start is <b>Wildfire</b>'s </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://monitor.wildfireapp.com/?" target="_blank">Who's Winning in Social</a></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> feature, which lets you compare follower growth of three brands (including your own) on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ over a range of time, from the last seven days to the last two years. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUFzVIpOdmXlYI5BRuyaP4yy7u3nczRlL2zMOwX1heHEHu8CT8LsGlf_B-0MFnyXqzg48hD7K4qhVSqKLDxE7Oc87rODonwHp7zuAcAdG4R-t_BlSDHMyazfvmXOjz59rUvFCgChCxq7x2/s1600/Wildfire+social+media+comparison+stats.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUFzVIpOdmXlYI5BRuyaP4yy7u3nczRlL2zMOwX1heHEHu8CT8LsGlf_B-0MFnyXqzg48hD7K4qhVSqKLDxE7Oc87rODonwHp7zuAcAdG4R-t_BlSDHMyazfvmXOjz59rUvFCgChCxq7x2/s640/Wildfire+social+media+comparison+stats.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Wildfire's "Who's Winning in Social" interactive app</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Simply Measured</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> offers </span><a href="http://simplymeasured.com/free-social-media-tools" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">a number of free reports</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> aimed at specific social channels, including Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and Instagram, with Pinterest coming soon. For Twitter, the report tells you how influential your followers are, the top keywords in your followers' profiles, and even a breakdown of followers by time zone.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />A few social channels themselves offer free information on your competitors. Facebook lets you create "interest lists" that allow you to see your competitors' latest content and what type of content is resonating with their followers -- in real time. Be sure to set your lists to "private" so your competitors won't know you're watching them!<br /><br /><i>Content Metrics</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now you know your competitor's numbers, so it's time to determine what type of content they're posting. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can start with a quick scan of their feeds. Many brands start with text and links. More advanced brands add photos and videos. Expert brands also post polls, contests, and games. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For a deeper analysis, you can use </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Infinigraph</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> to see </span><a href="http://www.infinigraph.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">what type of content your competitor is posting</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, along with the most common days (and time of day) to post different forms of content. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> You'll not only discover a competitor's content strategy, but you may find that different content is posted on different sites; for example, food and design photos <a href="http://danzarrella.com/infographic-how-to-get-more-pins-and-repins-on-pinterest.html#" target="_blank">do very well on Pinterest</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Engagement Metrics</i><br />Lots of followers is good, strong content is great, but how is your competitor's audience actually responding? Engagement is really the most important metric of all.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br />Rival IQ</b> <a href="https://www.rivaliq.com/" target="_blank">shows your competitor's content within the last 90 days</a>, sorting the content by the type of engagement per each post.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBEIO_GdqD5fX2XHLlcapU_2M28JyaT-DapvBnowaomnG77PcbyppVAz5oUtZ0S800rFc0JXg8b5oKIGMnG5iN4bRNObOU6LI4x0WaaBc_vVJ9sFUZDEe-49YIDz1c50IkU0fpVd4pnjH5/s1600/RivalIQ+sodas+comparisons.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBEIO_GdqD5fX2XHLlcapU_2M28JyaT-DapvBnowaomnG77PcbyppVAz5oUtZ0S800rFc0JXg8b5oKIGMnG5iN4bRNObOU6LI4x0WaaBc_vVJ9sFUZDEe-49YIDz1c50IkU0fpVd4pnjH5/s640/RivalIQ+sodas+comparisons.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Rival IQ's "Competitive Landscape" feature</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why is this important? Take Twitter. When someone favorites a brand's tweet, only the brand sees it; but when someone </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">retweets</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> a tweet, that person is actually sharing the content with all their followers. Pinterest and Facebook make similar distinctions between </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">approving</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> a post and actually </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">distributing</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's also very useful to see the tone of engagement. Is your competitor posting a lot on Facebook...because they're responding to numerous customer complaints on their timeline? Are followers associating the competitor with good things or bad things? <b>SocialMention</b> lets you see the ratio <a href="http://socialmention.com/" target="_blank">of positive comments to negative ones</a>. </span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Putting It All Together</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Armed with this information, you can determine what types of content generate the best types of engagement for your competitors and learn what opportunities you have to stand out from the crowd.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Did you find a social media opportunity but aren't sure how to exploit it? Brandemix has a great deal of experience in social media marketing, branding, and recruiting. Contact us and we'll work together to put your findings to good use.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5417818220688890052.post-66193180262793601012013-12-09T14:42:00.002-05:002013-12-17T16:21:15.636-05:00What Do The Biggest Recruiting Breakthroughs of 2013 Mean for 2014?<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It has been a big year for recruiting and employer branding. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Employer
are now reaching job-seekers through "SoMoClo" -- social media, mobile
device, and the cloud. New technology, new services, and new
philosophies are re-shaping the recruiting world.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So how will the breakthroughs of 2013 shape recruiting in 2014? Here's a rundown of some trends you should be watching. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Gamification</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another evolving technology is gamification, adding game mechanics to a non-game activity, like recruiting. <a href="http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2011-06-12/business/35236079_1_social-media-presence-on-social-networks-social-games" target="_blank">Marriott got the ball rolling</a> with an awareness campaign, and <a href="http://workatdeloitte.cn/virtualtour/" target="_blank">a few other companies</a> have used aspects of gaming in their recruiting. The trend took another step when the French postal service <a href="http://brandemixblog.blogspot.com/2013/09/win-recruiting-gamethrough-gaming_24.html" target="_blank">created a game for orientation and onboarding</a>:
it simulated getting up in the morning, eating breakfast, and dressing
for work, along with mail sorting and delivery. It's only a matter of
time before a bold employer fuses all these concepts together and turns
the entire hiring process into a game. Who will it be?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Mobile</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://talent.linkedin.com/blog/index.php/2013/11/how-to-kickstart-your-mobile-recruiting-program" target="_blank">A recent LinkedIn survey</a>
shows that job-seekers have moved their searches to mobile devices: 72%
of active job-seekers and 62% of passive candidates say they've visited
a company's mobile site to learn about careers. But the survey also
found that only 13% of companies have "invested adequately in making
their recruiting process mobile-friendly." If you're using social media
in your recruiting campaign, keep in mind that many social sites are
visited from a mobile device: a</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ccording to Microsoft, 50% of Twitter users access that network through a phone or tablet. I expect <i>all</i> these numbers to increase in 2014. Is your company ready for mobile recruiting?</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcbnRA43QyiCn8Ir2r7xf7BJhAwNDo5aJWIzN8MJqSWmfP5JfqNc0pu2mtDVo60_I1vQn0tKOi055Wdf29Sfzf9_mj2L6tVYpOhyphenhyphenYr0CBnzJ6lDpZ8Og1KUFAxjMnThV_fKyW9YeCaLeQD/s1600/Google-Glass-Ad.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcbnRA43QyiCn8Ir2r7xf7BJhAwNDo5aJWIzN8MJqSWmfP5JfqNc0pu2mtDVo60_I1vQn0tKOi055Wdf29Sfzf9_mj2L6tVYpOhyphenhyphenYr0CBnzJ6lDpZ8Og1KUFAxjMnThV_fKyW9YeCaLeQD/s320/Google-Glass-Ad.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Google Glass</i><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://brandemixblog.blogspot.com/2013/08/recruiting-with-google-glass_6.html" target="_blank">As I recently pointed out</a>,
Google's new wearable technology, launched this year, has the potential
to revolutionize recruitment videos. There's nothing more powerful to a
candidate than showing them what a day working for a company is really
like; Google Glass lets them virtually experience it. But that's not
all. Google Glass <a href="http://brandemixblog.blogspot.com/2013/08/recruiting-with-google-glass_6.html" target="_blank">can show candidates the recruiter's point of view</a>
-- literally! This can greatly help them prepare for the application
and interview process. CEO's can also wear the device and shoot videos
of their working days, providing a behind-the-scenes look at the corner
office that employees and job-seekers now only dream of.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Vine/Instagram video</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Speaking
of video, two new short-form services launched in 2013. Twitter
introduced Vine in January; Instagram added a video component six months
later. For any recruiters using social media (<a href="http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/social-media-recruiting_b50575" target="_blank">which is most of them</a>),
these simple formats have opened up a whole world of video
possibilities. With only a few seconds, very limited editing, and no
graphics or effects, even a recruiter who has never made a movie in her
life can now create tiny works of art and share them with job-seekers on
numerous social channels. So far, I've been inspired by <a href="https://vine.co/v/hvOE7hWUb7j" target="_blank">Manifest Digital</a> and <a href="https://vine.co/v/b5xBFHHZe2H" target="_blank">Aviary</a> on Vine, and <a href="http://instagram.com/p/e8arEzN_xb/" target="_blank">VMware</a> on Instagram.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These trends shaped 2013 and
will certainly influence 2014. At Brandemix, we're keeping close tabs on
these emerging concepts and are adding them to our campaigns. If you'd
like to know more about gamification, mobile recruiting, Google Glass,
or short-form videos, <a href="mailto:branding@brandemix.com" target="_blank">drop me a line</a>.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5417818220688890052.post-64550096830142433032013-12-02T15:47:00.000-05:002013-12-02T15:47:32.481-05:00Brandemix Reveals Best Practices in Award-Winning Annual Report Design<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">'Tis the season for...annual reports! Brandemix's resident expert on the subject is Creative Director Clarissa Zorr, an award-winning designer with more than 10 years of experience. Her team created a report that </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">IR Global Rankings named one of the top global annual reports of 2010. Clarissa is </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">also a member of AIGA, the professional association for design. Today, we turn the blog over to her to get her thoughts on how to create a compelling and honest annual report.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiid0P9_IpdJXTEto0ncThyr-lpJ65wlloGN7pfTotr5wWZ3_8TJtcC3TroEiltXYBPpq67QJ1dPwu_ceJ1GNbBnEY0GFQ2MeNP-OgFIFQetM7kHp2xGhOF83TxxgqOohWUhh48P_l2eF__/s1600/Clarissa+Headshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiid0P9_IpdJXTEto0ncThyr-lpJ65wlloGN7pfTotr5wWZ3_8TJtcC3TroEiltXYBPpq67QJ1dPwu_ceJ1GNbBnEY0GFQ2MeNP-OgFIFQetM7kHp2xGhOF83TxxgqOohWUhh48P_l2eF__/s200/Clarissa+Headshot.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br /><b>It's The Start of Crazy Season</b><br />Not the holidays, but annual report season. Every year, publicly traded companies must present their shareholders with a report on corporate performance. The date varies from state to state, but it's always around tax time. Companies often start creating the </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">report during the fourth quarter. The final earnings don't come until the end, and you can't really design the charts or graphs until they do, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">making November through April the "crazy season" for people like me.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>What Makes a Great Annual Report</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What makes an annual report successful is transparency. All companies have bad years. How do you keep your investors during the tough times? After all, people often want to get rid of bad stock. But a financially sound company will have a plan if, say, a drug didn't get approved or a merger didn't work out. The shareholders deserve honesty and i</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">t's the agency's job to convey that. Of course, there are ways to be transparent while still giving the story a theme or framing information in a certain way. The company wants investors to know that, though it was a tough year, the company still has a long-term strategy for success. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>How Annual Report Design Affects Storytelling </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The format of an annual report
can go in any direction. Some companies talk about their pipeline and
look to the future after a bad year. Some brag about their recent
accomplishments after a good year. The interior of the "book" will vary depending on the
story the company wants to tell. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whatever the report's concept is, we tell it with design. That includes photography, typography, illustration, and charts. These all must come together to tell that story clearly. It used to be that all annual reports were physical books, but within the last 10 years, some states have allowed online versions. Interacting with screens instead of paper certainly affects the design and reader experience as well as the cost. For companies that preach sustainability, not printing hundreds of thousands of books is essential.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvmHhk_pjpIR1gnLhcMAYk4ONy0NHTA1ZHsfuJODjrCM91cZvtTZ36EuJW8QcxnE5jxCQns0lAjgS0KdWKPZ5TIyBlTptPwE_tF9beuK0N6dMqdv-1NrpkG-mKfILsO3YI71Jj80SYMXjf/s1600/Corporate+Communications+-+Investor+Relations+-+Brandemix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvmHhk_pjpIR1gnLhcMAYk4ONy0NHTA1ZHsfuJODjrCM91cZvtTZ36EuJW8QcxnE5jxCQns0lAjgS0KdWKPZ5TIyBlTptPwE_tF9beuK0N6dMqdv-1NrpkG-mKfILsO3YI71Jj80SYMXjf/s400/Corporate+Communications+-+Investor+Relations+-+Brandemix.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A sample annual report chart created by Brandemix</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">New Trends in Annual Report Design</b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As long as the investors have access to mandatory 10-K tax documents, the report can take any form. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've had clients whose annual report was little more than a video; they told their whole story on a website with almost no text.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An even more intriguing idea is the use of social media as a way to communicate with investors and share financial information. That concept is a little <i>too </i>advanced for some investors (and even some companies), but it's definitely a trend. And I understand why: it's transparent. It's the same sort of open dialogue that companies use when talking to consumers or job-seekers on social media. The message to investors may be different than the one given to customers, but it's still truthful.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>How Brandemix Creates Compelling Annual Reports</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We partner with top international firms that specialize in investor relations, which handle all the regulations. That allows us to focus on strategy, design, and execution. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like most projects, I s</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">tart an annual report by listening to the client so I can develop the message they want to
convey to investors. Sometimes I read transcripts from the annual
shareholders meeting, where I look for emerging themes in the company
president's address.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The design dictates the next steps. Taking the video route, for example, requires shooting, editing, graphics, and music. Often the board members must sit for an annual photograph, which can be logistically challenging for such busy individuals. The sheer amount of writing that must be done can also be daunting. This is why some companies turn to agencies like Brandemix.</span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Best Annual Reports</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are actually awards for the best annual reports! <a href="http://www.irglobalrankings.com/irgr2010/web/default_eni.asp?idioma=1&conta=46#" target="_blank">IR Global Rankings</a> determines the best reports based on "extensive technical proprietary research of publicly traded companies through a clear and transparent methodology." IRGR looks at annual reports from a technical perspective. They ask, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Are you being transparent? Are you being forthcoming? Are you giving investors the information they really need? It's all about the quality of communications. And I was honored to have one of my reports make a very strong IRGR showing in 2010.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you'd like to learn more about annual reports, <a href="mailto:annualreport@brandemix.com" target="_blank">write to me</a>. Or view some of Brandemix's design work <a href="http://brandemix.com/" target="_blank">on our website</a>.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5417818220688890052.post-23299641519202934972013-11-25T10:29:00.000-05:002013-11-25T10:35:48.914-05:00Giving Back at Thanksgiving, with Kiva<br />
<div style="color: #444444; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.7; margin-bottom: 1.7em;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://brandeblog.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/kiva-banner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-src="http://brandeblog.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/kiva-banner.jpg" height="122" src="http://brandeblog.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/kiva-banner.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; color: #444444; line-height: 1.7; margin-top: 0px;" title="www.kiva.org" width="400" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.7; margin-bottom: 1.7em;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All it takes is one person to believe in you.</span></div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.7; margin-bottom: 1.7em;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Organizations across America have believed in <a data-mce-href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=m64rrsbab&et=1108668038627&s=0&e=0019Hz6RHWX-O2NecFUR5Cd1QYoLpOQIhKyMh_Bg24YZkVTSuNQro7nHaqTp0NTEFHhWgfJ_j44xrLHiYoI4Zs93THEmfGebwxN" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=m64rrsbab&et=1108668038627&s=0&e=0019Hz6RHWX-O2NecFUR5Cd1QYoLpOQIhKyMh_Bg24YZkVTSuNQro7nHaqTp0NTEFHhWgfJ_j44xrLHiYoI4Zs93THEmfGebwxN" style="color: #0060ff; line-height: 1.7;">Brandemix</a> to develop branded communications that attract, educate, and engage their target audiences.</span></div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.7; margin-bottom: 1.7em;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During
this time of year, we feel it’s important to give thanks for that trust
and to give back as well. That’s why every year for Thanksgiving we make contributions to <a href="http://www.kiva.org/" target="_blank">Kiva</a>, a nonprofit organization that enables people like you and me to
extend microloans over the web to low-income entrepreneurs in struggling
communities, whether as far away as Africa or as close as Staten Island
and New Jersey.</span></div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.7; margin-bottom: 1.7em;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We
chose Kiva out of many other microlending sites because eighty percent
of its recipients are women, who are sometimes single-handedly
supporting large families. As a certified woman-owned business
enterprise, we believe in strengthening women around the world.</span></div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.7; margin-bottom: 1.7em;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No
matter how difficult our lives at the moment, people are suffering far
more in many places – too many – across the world. Please take the time
to visit <a data-mce-href="http://www.kiva.org" href="http://www.kiva.org/" style="color: #0060ff; line-height: 1.7;">www.kiva.org</a> and
give to the worthy cause of your choice. It’s not charity; it’s a loan,
and more than 98% of Kiva recipients repay the loan with interest.</span></div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.7; margin-bottom: 1.7em;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lending
through Kiva creates desperately needed capital in some of the poorest
parts of the globe. It bypasses corrupt governments and predatory banks
and ensures that the money goes directly to those who will use it. When
the loan is repaid, you can give the money to another entrepreneur,
donate it to Kiva’s general fund, or simply withdraw it. It’s a great
way to give. And while you're there, join the <a href="http://www.kiva.org/team/brandemix" target="_blank">Brandemix lending team</a>.</span></div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.7; margin-bottom: 1.7em;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We
hope you’ll join our efforts to fight poverty around the world and here
in the US. From all of us here at Brandemix, happy Thanksgiving.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5417818220688890052.post-83755515510958629482013-11-21T10:35:00.000-05:002013-11-21T10:35:19.438-05:00Employer Branding: Telling The Right Story<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383919462450_30729" style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Right now, the biggest trend in recruiting is <a href="http://hiring.monster.com/hr/hr-best-practices/workforce-management/employee-retention-strategies/employer-branding.aspx" target="_blank">employer branding</a>, crafting the promise your company makes to its employees. And the biggest trend in marketing is <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/why-agencies-and-brands-need-embrace-true-storytelling-152534" target="_blank">brand storytelling</a>, using content, examples, and experiences to bring your brand to life in the mind of consumers.</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383919462450_30729" style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383919462450_30729" style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Combining these trends can bring a powerful presence to your talent acquisition. But it's not always straightforward. Harnessing the best of employer branding and storytelling means sharing not only the story you want to tell but also integrating the story your best candidates want to hear.</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383919462450_30729" style="background-color: white;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383919462450_30729" style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For example, your company may have a customer-service focus -- but that's not necessarily part of a compelling employment offer. That sort of disconnection happens all the time: Many employers think that recent college graduates are concerned about the environment, but <a href="http://www.naceweb.org/s10162013/employer-job-preferences-student-survey.aspx" target="_blank">a recent NACE study showed</a> that working for a "green" company was <i>last</i> on their list of desired employer qualities.</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383919462450_30729" style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383919462450_30729" style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And don't mistake storytelling for content. You may have a regular blog, Pinterest boards full of photos, and a YouTube channel with lots of videos, but if none of it emotionally connects to job-seekers, you won't move the needle. As Momentum Worldwide's Jon Hamm put it in Adweek, "Audiences have always asked for stories. They've never asked for content."</span></div>
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<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383919462450_30729" style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To most effectively integrate storytelling with employer branding, I recommend that the HR department -- and even the C-suite -- become best friends with recruiters, because they're the ones "selling" your company and know what resonates with job-seekers. You'll have to go beyond a few casual conversations, too. Conducting independent focus groups with your recruiters allows you to marry what your company offers with what people want. It also lets you create counterpoints to what people are saying about your company "behind your back."<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr6BAWBjaCVUgQXZ1aTR7NSM83dBzExxAGlQjgcM9D7j5Z0key01Uq_I_Wyn2MjcI5OKMITxrEZeTMX5VXQYwWnghEsStjsZrhLnKZghyphenhyphenvuMA77C_gglwM3u9-uM3ia9uC3ohytO8NFRJg/s1600/Office+handshake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr6BAWBjaCVUgQXZ1aTR7NSM83dBzExxAGlQjgcM9D7j5Z0key01Uq_I_Wyn2MjcI5OKMITxrEZeTMX5VXQYwWnghEsStjsZrhLnKZghyphenhyphenvuMA77C_gglwM3u9-uM3ia9uC3ohytO8NFRJg/s320/Office+handshake.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Another successful hire!</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383919462450_30729" style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The result? You'll build a compelling employer value proposition that resonates with desirable workers in the job market. They'll be the right cultural fit, too, which means you'll decrease hiring times, hiring costs, and turnover while increasing retention, referrals, and productivity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The best branding involves storytelling, and employer<i> </i>branding is no different. Good employer branding is easy to spot -- Southwest Airlines, Taco Bell, Deloitte. Bad employer branding...well, those companies never seem to become household names.</span></div>
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<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383919462450_30729" style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It just so happens that Brandemix specializes in brand research and employer branding, so we're an ideal partner for determining what top talent is hearing from your company and what they <i>want</i> to hear. If you'd like to stand out from your competition, I'd love to hear from you. <a href="mailto:employerbranding@brandemix.com" target="_blank">Write to me</a> or read about our successes <a href="http://brandemix.com/our-capabilities/employer-branding/" target="_blank">on the Brandemix website</a>.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5417818220688890052.post-53108602854617260162013-11-12T11:13:00.001-05:002013-11-15T12:48:38.026-05:00Branding, Marketing, and Web Design Trends<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With the holidays fast approaching (such as <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/04/thanksgiving-hanukkah-_n_4211643.html" target="_blank">Thanksgivukkah</a> in just two weeks!) we thought we'd share some of our branding, marketing and web design predictions for 2014. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Branding</b>: <b>Clean-Slate Brands</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.trendwatching.com/trends/cleanslatebrands/" target="_blank">According to Trendwatching</a>, new is good, less is more, and sometimes true is better than tried. Consumers are seeking greater control, choices de-simplified, and upstarts on a mission. 2014 could be the year of the entrepreneur with a great product and an inspirational mission.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Web Trends: Start with Small</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Begin your design phase of
every project with an eye on how it will look on a mobile device. Then
branch out to tablets and PC's. It will help you frame your content by
what's important and build an architecture based on best-practice.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Less
is more. Just as we saw above, the trend is moving to simplification: large images, parallax effects, and one-page websites organized into blocks of
content inspired by Pinterest. The only thing that will get more complex
is the choice of web-friendly fonts you can use.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Video is surging in popularity. <a href="http://corp.aol.com/2013/06/05/global-marketers-believe-online-video-more-efficient-than-tv/" target="_blank">A June 2013 survey</a> conducted by AOL showed that almost three quarters of
marketing professionals plan to increase their spending on branded video
content or video ads in 2014. Same rules apply: keep it short and simple, and make it good. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Social Media Marketing: Diversify Your Strategy</b><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As we saw from investors' show of support for Twitter's IPO, social is only getting bigger and more relevant. As choices expand and audiences fragment, it gives marketing professionals the opportunity to create meaningful content that creates affinity for your brand's voice. Once you build out a brand framework and architecture, drill down your value proposition for each audience and demo you're looking to reach.</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Google+ will continue to grow in size and influence and should no longer be thought of as a second-tier site. Delete that joke on <a href="http://brandemixblog.blogspot.com/2013/03/dollars-to-donuts-its-time-to-update.html#%21" target="_blank">the famous "Donut List."</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Image is everything and make it fast. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Think Vine, Instagram, Pinterest. The popularity of these sites shows us that appetite for bite-sized chunks of content is growing. Say it in 6 seconds - and go! </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As always, it's best to have a strategy and never too late to <a href="http://brandemix.com/our-capabilities/advertising-marketing-pr/social-media-marketing/" target="_blank">download our free Social Media Marketing Strategy Guide</a>. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What are your marketing predictions for 2014? We'd love to hear them. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As an agency that specializes in branding, marketing and web design, we love staying ahead of the curve. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5417818220688890052.post-82607269612903766002013-11-04T11:48:00.000-05:002013-11-04T11:48:21.700-05:00Busting Employer Branding Myths<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Considering how important
employer branding is, I still encounter a lot of confusion and
misinformation about it. So, as a public service, I thought I'd bust some of the myths about
employer branding.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Myth #1: Employer branding is unnecessary</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some
clients tell me, "We're an employer of choice; great candidates will
find us." And yet you never hear executives at Apple or Disney or Coke
say "Everyone knows our products; customers will find us." In fact,
those brands have massive marketing budgets. You can't assume that your
exact desired demographic, whether it's MIT grads or truck drivers, will
actively seek you out. Or think about this: What if great candidates <i>do</i> know you -- and <i>don't like what they see? </i>Employer branding can increase awareness and engagement by refocusing your messaging on your company's mission, vision, values, and business strategy.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Myth #2: Employer branding is expensive</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Good employer branding actually <i>saves</i> you money, through lower recruiting costs, higher engagement, and increased productivity/sales.</span> Depending on the plan goals, a
basic research project can be launched for as little as $10,000. You can start small with
communication audits and internal surveys, and then add executive
interviews and employee focus groups. If you can secure a larger spend, we recommend surveying external constituents to provide context to your
internal findings. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiww5DlHDNCrU7_OL0-HaM1rCRvdoNpydHXEn3V6ABS4F29fzaH9qZ2kfdFD3xBuCNL9eex_Uwnz7zB-f19LtiwjsrmrW5Ce-oL_MwdI9OKNIt0F9Quz0h6oLryKQbLtCowrgCVzZijhJRk/s1600/Chart+graphic.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiww5DlHDNCrU7_OL0-HaM1rCRvdoNpydHXEn3V6ABS4F29fzaH9qZ2kfdFD3xBuCNL9eex_Uwnz7zB-f19LtiwjsrmrW5Ce-oL_MwdI9OKNIt0F9Quz0h6oLryKQbLtCowrgCVzZijhJRk/s320/Chart+graphic.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Myth #3: Employer branding is completely separate from consumer branding</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It better not be! An employer brand must be absolutely aligned with and inspired
by the consumer brand. After all, candidates are customers, investors, and influencers. One of the first things we do
on any employer branding project is break through organizational silos and align the employer brand with the company's current
messaging. We try to get all stakeholders -- Marketing, HR, Internal
Communications -- into the same room to make sure we have a consistent
brand that's authentic on both sides of the house. Along the way, we
often help Marketing and HR become friends!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Myth #4: Employer branding research can be done in-house</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It <i>can</i>,
but it's much more difficult. Employees are reluctant to share their true
feelings with their HR department for fear of reprisal. Executives
interviewing each other often leads to an "echo chamber" effect, where
no one advocates change. And external constituents, such as customers
and former applicants, think surveys are a marketing ploy and
stay away. Brandemix is a neutral third party; we take empathetic listening to the next level by listening, probing, and processing. An outside set of
eyes can reveal things about your employer brand that you never saw.<br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisU7tt2mNGEPXyl_w66ZKKeMU1FUja4oKC2QtFg5MhVj5CyWPljcZ2TNCETY9sX4MhQxc3vH7tuYdQwAXr2-uoiYJWlj_N44Em3t-3S0yd6Zw3F28bjy3EdC2eb7sL3XCVnkqqoC-qDQ4E/s1600/3+Employer+Branding+Stats+from+EBI+-+GOOD.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisU7tt2mNGEPXyl_w66ZKKeMU1FUja4oKC2QtFg5MhVj5CyWPljcZ2TNCETY9sX4MhQxc3vH7tuYdQwAXr2-uoiYJWlj_N44Em3t-3S0yd6Zw3F28bjy3EdC2eb7sL3XCVnkqqoC-qDQ4E/s320/3+Employer+Branding+Stats+from+EBI+-+GOOD.png" width="277" /></a></span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Myth #5: Employer branding only helps the hiring managers</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Au
contraire! The entire company benefits from a strong employer brand.
You'll attract employees who are a good fit for the culture, who stay
longer, perform better, and recommend the company to others. More
referrals and lower turnover makes for a happier, more stable workplace.
HR will have more time to work on other initiatives, like workforce
planning, talent management, or diversity. Eventually, you'll have
weeded out the underachievers and filled your roster with satisfied
employees, which studies have shown create more profit for the entire
organization.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don't
let these myths fool you. Employer branding is crucial to the success
of any company, from a nonprofit to a regional chain to a global
corporation. It cuts costs, generates profits, and can turn your company
into a true employer of choice. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Any other myths you want busted? <a href="mailto:employerbranding@brandemix.com" target="_blank">Drop me a line</a>.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5417818220688890052.post-83876771980187765302013-10-28T11:30:00.000-04:002013-10-28T11:30:50.145-04:00Why Ann Loft Careers is a Social Media Superstar<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://web.jobvite.com/rs/jobvite/images/Jobvite_2013_SocialRecruitingSurveyResults.pdf" target="_blank">The latest Jobvite survey</a> shows how important social media has become for talent acquisition: 78% of recruiters have made a hire through social, 33% say it decreases time to hire, and 49% say it increases the quality of candidates. Most impressive is that 20% of recruiters believe social media's value is at least $90,000 a year.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Who is leading the trend in social recruiting? I'm always searching for brands that are use social channels to engage job-seekers in clever ways. Joining recent honorees <a href="http://brandemixblog.blogspot.com/2013/07/why-amtrak-careers-is-social-media.html" target="_blank">Amtrak</a> and <a href="http://brandemixblog.blogspot.com/2012/11/why-taco-bell-careers-is-social-media.html" target="_blank">Taco Bell</a> is the latest Social Media Superstar: <a href="http://www.anncareers.com/social" target="_blank">Ann Loft Careers</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This iconic fashion line is active on seven social platforms, reaching out to job-seekers with compelling and unique content. Here are some highlights.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>A Facebook Page With More Content Than Some Websites</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ann Loft Careers has <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ANNLOFTCareers" target="_blank">a very robust Facebook page</a>. Recruiting channels for Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube each get a tab, and there are custom tabs for internships and for the company's charitable giving. On average, Ann Inc. posts twice a day, and responses to timeline questions are prompt and sincere -- one query was answered in just 12 minutes and another was answered after 9:30 at night. Best of all, there's a custom tab <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ANNLOFTCareers/app_432669606769900" target="_blank">just for the employer brand</a>, "Fit Is Everything," that includes the company's mission, vision, and values.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpnUZvWS7hGJuOGncN8FG_yv0bHJgu9OwI19ogtBCY9lPQ3y40Pc_t0PWv8fk02_c6UDLXO64e_8oDgkFZZ3CghOajw9S1SODcrS5y5vcL3jLO4r4k87bvZLFfJG0pX41rF9B3M-Asz3i_/s1600/Ann+Loft+Careers+-+Facebook+tabs.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpnUZvWS7hGJuOGncN8FG_yv0bHJgu9OwI19ogtBCY9lPQ3y40Pc_t0PWv8fk02_c6UDLXO64e_8oDgkFZZ3CghOajw9S1SODcrS5y5vcL3jLO4r4k87bvZLFfJG0pX41rF9B3M-Asz3i_/s400/Ann+Loft+Careers+-+Facebook+tabs.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ann Loft Careers' custom Facebook tabs</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Reaching Out Through YouTube</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are 29 videos on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/AnnLoftCareers/videos" target="_blank">Ann Loft Careers' YouTube channel</a>. These brief, well-short videos show what it's like to work in a store or at corporate. Several showcase the internship program, while others explore the company's green initiatives. Ann Inc. even charges headlong into what can be a touchy topic -- the condition of the foreign workers making their clothes. But it's communicated as <i>ResponsiblyANN: Supporting Women </i>and shows all the company is doing to improve women's lives around the world. My favorite videos are instructive, such as <i>The Perfect Interview Outfit </i>and <i>How to Apply at AnnCareers.com</i>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Showing Off On Pinterest</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fashion is visual, which may may explain why Ann Loft Careers has a jaw-dropping <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/annloftcareers/" target="_blank">9,000 pins collected into 56 boards</a>. And yet a number of boards have nothing to do with clothing. Along with boards offering great job-search advice ("Fall Interview Outfits," "Attention-Grabbing Resumes") there are some galleries that are just plain fun, such as a board devoted to breast cancer awareness month, one for Halloween treats, and one for "must-read" novels. Taken together, these boards add up to more than a look at Ann Loft Careers; they convey the Ann Inc. <i>lifestyle</i>. It's a brilliant way to communicate the company's culture and to help job-seekers self-select.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidyQnK3X27vm89t3ytu0Msl5cycuEzAENveFhPgRBJdN1I9PVJxrAqdvv5Gpfcx-dfPDy8daqRE4jYvK2k7kBLe-lU6XgESKy5Grd66x-Jyng8KJVQ-ISVWZ9am7lYUSQaMlBfA4PbnUo9/s1600/Ann+Loft+Careers+-+Interview+outfits+board.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidyQnK3X27vm89t3ytu0Msl5cycuEzAENveFhPgRBJdN1I9PVJxrAqdvv5Gpfcx-dfPDy8daqRE4jYvK2k7kBLe-lU6XgESKy5Grd66x-Jyng8KJVQ-ISVWZ9am7lYUSQaMlBfA4PbnUo9/s320/Ann+Loft+Careers+-+Interview+outfits+board.png" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>One of Ann Loft Careers' 56 Pinterest boards</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Putting It All Together</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But what if a job-seeker wants to follow <i>all </i>of Ann Inc.'s recruiting channels? The company's recruiting team has put together <a href="http://www.anncareers.com/social" target="_blank">a web page like I've never seen</a> -- a three-column live-stream of all their posts, from Instagram photos to tweets. It allows job-seekers to get a snapshot of what Ann Inc. is posting without having to follow all seven platforms. But even with all that information, the page is as clean and eye-pleasing as one of their fashion ensembles. It's like a Tumblr or Storify just for Ann Inc. talent acquisition, but it lives within anncareers.com. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ann Loft Careers combines authenticity with whimsy, and education with fun. It's reaching job-seekers in lots of visual ways and giving away important information on the job search and the interview process. And it aggregates all its social content into one convenient stream. It looks like Ann Inc. is in an enviable position as it prepares for its 50th anniversary in August 2014.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For all these reasons, I declare Ann Loft Careers a Social Media Superstar!</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5417818220688890052.post-72306821350547967122013-10-24T09:19:00.000-04:002013-10-24T09:19:03.779-04:00Brandemix Bonus Reel: Internal Communications Best Practices from Thomas Cook<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/77636637" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jason Ginsburg, Director of Interactive Branding at Brandemix, show how organizations can use Thomas Cook's philosophy in engaging employees during a re-branding.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To learn how Brandemix can help you with employee engagement and internal communications, <a href="http://brandemix.com/about/#our-capabilities" target="_blank">visit our website</a>.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5417818220688890052.post-62617443690509371122013-10-21T10:10:00.001-04:002013-10-21T10:13:06.160-04:00Five Things You Can Learn About Internal Communications from the Thomas Cook Re-Branding<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thomas Cook is the world's oldest travel agency. But after surviving wars and natural disasters for 150 years, the company was in real financial trouble in 2011. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Marketing</i> magazine listed the problems: "<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Emergency loans, travel-agency closures, job cuts and profit warnings," and about $786 million in losses in 2012. The company closed 200 of its agencies and shuttered its publishing arm, which had produced 300 travel guides.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But with new CEO Harriet Green, Thomas Cook reorganized and stabilized. And then it needed what Head of Communications Vicki Burwell called "</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">a face and personality to the body that we have worked so hard to make fit and healthy again." That is: a new brand.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">With input from stakeholders across all its divisions around the world, on October 1 the company changed its logo from a blue sphere to a "Sunny Heart" and trimmed its lengthy tagline from "Don't just book it, Thomas Cook it" to simply "Let's go!"</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi361G2D16-h4911sqKApfsiUlEUL2wIyqB7rxTaMvyEdHdEtNzBhrKNISeaogBJZ2DP864OC7zUwWeUrDMpbzarcQ5Cltx1P1jGPd_-5SJylQRCLPuW7DBdgM2C5RCdrfSiaaBzuySbYee/s1600/Thomas+Cook+logo+change.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi361G2D16-h4911sqKApfsiUlEUL2wIyqB7rxTaMvyEdHdEtNzBhrKNISeaogBJZ2DP864OC7zUwWeUrDMpbzarcQ5Cltx1P1jGPd_-5SJylQRCLPuW7DBdgM2C5RCdrfSiaaBzuySbYee/s320/Thomas+Cook+logo+change.png" width="128" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">But how to roll out this new branding to 27,000 employees at offices all over the globe -- some of whom worked at home? What followed is a case study in smart internal re-branding. Here's what Thomas Cook did right:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><i>Supporting managers first</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"We first unveiled the Sunny Heart to our Leadership Council, 140 senior managers from across the Group," <a href="http://www.allthingsic.com/thomascookic/" target="_blank">Burwell told All Things IC</a>. "They t</span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">hen owned the rollout to every single employee over a two-week period" in the run-up to the official launch. Rather than a single directive from the CEO, which wouldn't have been customized to each division, Thomas Cook let managers lead the way. And even better </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">–</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> they gave the managers a launch kit with videos and slide shows to communicate a consistent message across all departments.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 16px;"><i>The importance of employee buy-in</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 16px;">Thomas Cook could have rushed or overlooked the employee roll-out; after all, the branding was already done, so who cared what the workers thought? But Burwell saw that it was crucial to have employees on their side: "For them to understand why this is so much more than a new brand image, and the role that they have in our ongoing transformation, is vital for them to deliver our all-important brand promise." Spoken like a true brand advocate!</span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Employee trust</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The agency unveiled the branding to employees first, so there were 14 days where one leak, anywhere in the world, could have diminished the public unveiling. "</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">We trusted them with all the detail and asked them to keep it under wraps until launch day so we could maximize impact," Burwell said, "and it really paid off."</span></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnSkO0jn5ES0OvrxKoXUe1Z95hblH2CK2cHiWyi0VVI6U1AhwBKXSltFKcE1IX5bzKMXeZ2qK2D0pMaOmfmVyu1L0-Im9o6XyniGO8F8wZy88XfBJ9wGDa6oAvIlsSGRKKdgE9Q2E5bhy8/s1600/Thomas+Cook+employees+heart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnSkO0jn5ES0OvrxKoXUe1Z95hblH2CK2cHiWyi0VVI6U1AhwBKXSltFKcE1IX5bzKMXeZ2qK2D0pMaOmfmVyu1L0-Im9o6XyniGO8F8wZy88XfBJ9wGDa6oAvIlsSGRKKdgE9Q2E5bhy8/s320/Thomas+Cook+employees+heart.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Thomas Cook employees in Belgium celebrate the new logo</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><i>A "carnival" kickoff</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">Anticipation and secrecy made for a very fun day when the branding finally went public. Burwell said, "</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There was quite a carnival atmosphere on launch day. Lots of people chose to come to work with heart or yellow-themed clothing and there was a lot of social media activity with </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">photos and reactions being posted on Facebook and Twitter. There was a great sense of anticipation and much celebration on the day.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">"</span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"> </i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">When employees are actually celebrating your brand, you've done your job.</span></div>
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<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">Maintaining momentum</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">The launch is over, but the excitement goes on. Burwell explained how the internal communications team is keeping employees engaged and involved: "We'll be using [a re-branded intranet] as a primary channel to keep the brand alive and to encourage even greater 'Groupness,' a term we've adopted across the company over the past year. We've asked for feedback and ideas on all the Sunny Heart activity and will be using this to help further shape our ongoing plans."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">I couldn't have said it better myself. Through all phases of this transformational initiative, Thomas Cook did everything right. <a href="http://www.thomascook.com/thesunnyheart&utm_medium=soc&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=engage&utm_content=posting" target="_blank">Take a look at their new website and see for yourself</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">Is your organization looking for a new brand and greater "groupness"? <a href="http://brandemix.com/our-capabilities/branding/identity-development/" target="_blank">Let Brandemix be your travel guide</a>.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5417818220688890052.post-64546061483979263932013-10-17T09:56:00.001-04:002013-10-17T09:56:47.434-04:00Brandemix Bonus Reel: The Important of One Brand<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/77076930" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jason Ginsburg, Director of Interactive Branding at Brandemix, explains why it's important for organizations to integrate their employer brands with their consumer brands -- and shows how to do it right.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To learn more about employer branding, <a href="http://bit.ly/1bK8ofn" target="_blank">download our free strategy guide</a> or <a href="mailto:branding@brandemix.com" target="_blank">contact us</a>.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5417818220688890052.post-69658110227324790762013-10-14T10:30:00.000-04:002013-10-14T12:30:07.087-04:00One Brand: Part 2. Building a Brand Fortress Through Integrated Employer Branding<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Employer branding has been heating up. According to a <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/linkedin-talent-solutions/global-recruiting-trends-2013-us-20130625-v1" target="_blank">2013 LinkedIn survey of </a></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/linkedin-talent-solutions/global-recruiting-trends-2013-us-20130625-v1" target="_blank">recruiting trends,</a> recruiting leaders
are fearful their competitors are investing more heavily in employer branding
than they are. No surprise. Employer branding done well brings in qualified
candidates that are pre-sold with your organization’s mission, vision, and work
rewards, making a recruiter’s job much easier. For larger organizations, having
a well-articulated employer brand architecture ensures consistency or
messaging- where everyone, from employees to recruiters, is singing in one
voice.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is one question that gets asked repeatedly, in every employer branding workshop that we hold. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“But where does our employer brand fit with
our corporate brand?” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s not unheard of for some companies to create an employer
brand slogan that lives only within HR, and more specifically recruiting.
Often, against best practice, it has no bearing on a true employer value proposition, one that is based upon the unique elements of your culture and
workplace, resonates with the people you would like more of, and integrates with
the same value proposition to your consumer base. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But this should change. </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So why should you do
it? </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Integrating your employer brand with your corporate brand will
build a brand fortress: a talented body of people working together to support
the same corporate goals and achieve positive outcomes from their efforts.
There are demonstrated financial rewards with having an engaged workforce of
people who truly believe in what the company is trying to achieve and how they
deliver on the corporate brand promise. </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How can you do it? </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The marketing department is your friend. Talk to them and
find out what information they have on hand. You might get consumer surveys, industry
trends, and if you’re really lucky, the brand book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Along with logos, color palettes and
typography, the brand book should contain the brand position of your
organization, what your organization is and what it stands for. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These words and phrases sum up your company’s vision and customer
promise, and might also define how the brand is brought to life. Everything you
do in communication and action needs to support that statement, including your
employer brand. </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitaa0Ywu3d4hyphenhyphen6_aBxvQSb5RrTK9OsCLcowDDfJe6cfWzeUMVgSoWyCrGi6INgiOnZx7UedEHi_UseW8qVNcubqVgk7i4NcQ-2Gm9B-WeR33vZj0qGXCOs7JRae9QE3_hAb9L9jip2hK-U/s1600/LinkedIn+employer+branding+threat.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitaa0Ywu3d4hyphenhyphen6_aBxvQSb5RrTK9OsCLcowDDfJe6cfWzeUMVgSoWyCrGi6INgiOnZx7UedEHi_UseW8qVNcubqVgk7i4NcQ-2Gm9B-WeR33vZj0qGXCOs7JRae9QE3_hAb9L9jip2hK-U/s400/LinkedIn+employer+branding+threat.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2013 LinkedIn Global Recruiting Survey</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />The consumer brand will be your guide to how your company
wants people to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">feel</i> about the brand
and the overarching business objective you want to achieve. And that’s where
the workforce enters. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Look closely at that statement. There are emotional
qualities embedded within in it. “Confidence”, “passion”, “determination”, and
“diligence” enjoyment may be some of the feelings it tries to evoke. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Those feelings are what the employer brand
has to align with.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What are the demonstrated experiences from your workplace that
bring those emotions to life? What need to change, if anything, to keep those
emotions true through the pre- and post-employment cycle? Think of the potential
talent that you are looking to hire. Can they buy into that emotional space? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do your business goals resonate with them, or
is it simply a good job fit? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finding the true brand ambassadors through your employer branding will have a positive impact on culture, performance, recruitment <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and retention. You’ll find after time you’ll
have employees who come, stay, grow and recommend others committed to the
company’s success. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And that’s the ROI of branding done right.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0