Cleveland Shooter Takes Facebook For A Ride

The Facebook Live feature has never been used in such a horrific manner before. If you are unfamiliar with the story, a man from Cleveland named Steve Stephens filmed himself committing a homicide on Facebook Live a couple of days ago. The crime was undoubtedly disturbing, but also appalling was the fact that the video stayed up on the social site for almost three hours before being taken off.

The man is still yet to be found by police, and arguably a big part of that has to do with the slow reaction from Facebook on the issue. Surely Facebook could have handled this situation more swiftly and in a better manner. They have since issued an apology to do damage control, but I would say that damage cannot be undone.

Social media has a strange ability to not only organize crime but also to locate it and stop it. Just as police scan social sites for potential lawbreakers, the sites themselves need to be on the lookout for odd behavior. Sites encourage users to “share”, and that they do. What is shared and said on social media should be regulated not just for vulgarity or indecency, but also to help stop senseless crimes like these from happening.

Given, Stephen’s social media accounts (Facebook and Youtube) do not give any blatant indications that he was capable of homicide, but in many cases posts will show signs of potential violence. This could potentially become a privacy issue, but perhaps safety is more important in this case. What do you think?

Would You Apply To A Job With Your Facebook Profile?

Facebook just came out with a new “Jobs” feature. Businesses can promote open jobs on the social network and its users can apply automatically on their page. Tech experts are saying that this new addition will hurt LinkedIn’s growth, but I’m not so sure.

There are many issues with this, the first being that Facebook is personal for many people. Even if you have nothing to hide, privacy is still going to be a big issue here. If you’re like me, you have pretty strict settings on your page so that random people can’t see your stuff. College students that go out to parties and the like are probably not going to be keen on applying to jobs through Facebook. For me, I have nothing on Facebook that I wouldn’t be cool with my mom seeing, but I don’t want a recruiter looking at my St. Patrick’s Day album. NSFW, obviously. I also don’t want to tailor my Facebook posts to be in line with whatever recruiters are looking for. That’s my personal page and I want to keep it personal. This brings the question: what content can companies see on your page?

Second, anyone that sees the job posting is able to apply. This could be a potential problem for recruiters who are seeking qualified talent. They could receive tons of applications that might not be relevant or have inaccurate information. There is also no way to attach a resume when you hit apply, so the value of the feature is questionable. As the feature stands, you would have to provide a comment explaining how to get your resume.

Or, you could just send them to your LinkedIn, which is way easier.

Facebook has some work to do if it wants to cut into any of LinkedIn’s business. A social network and a professional network are not the same thing, and arguably should not be combined. Facebook will have to lay out some better guidelines and improve functionality before “Jobs” stands a chance.

 

Uber Eats Is Bad News for Bulldawg Food

Uber Eats is on track to put Bulldawg Food out of business in Athens, Georgia. Not only does Uber Eats undercut the prices of the university food delivery business,  but it is also much faster and arguably more convenient for students. Uber Eats’ marketing strategy utilizes word of mouth in a strategic way that is particularly successful among young people.

Athens, being a college town, is already a prime market for a service like Uber Eats. Uber Eats is a separate app from the regular driving service that offers a variety of local restaurant choices that can be delivered to your door for a small fee. This is not a new idea by any means, as Bulldawg Food has been providing this service for years now. However, not everyone knows about Bulldawg Food as they do not seem to do much marketing online. The local business only has 64 followers on Instagram, which is almost none at all considering their primary target consumer. The only way I know of them is because I once specifically searched “food delivery service athens” and they came up on Google.

Uber Eats has a deal where you get $10 off your first order if your friend gives you a promo code. Everyone receives a personal code when they download the app and this gives groups of friends an incentive to try the service. Upon hearing of this code, I tried it myself and got a full meal and appetizer from Fuzzy’s Taco Shop for roughly $4. I essentially only paid for the delivery for my meal. This idea is similar to the “get your first ride free” with regular Uber, but is even more clever. People using the code are probably with their friends in that moment and more than one person would want to use the service.

I think that Uber Eats will be very successful and is a great addition to the already popular app. It is tough to spend less than $25 using Bulldawg Food given that you also have to tip the driver, whereas with Uber you do not.

 

What If You Could Use Shazam-like Technology To Identify Objects?

Now you can.

Have you ever been out walking around and seen something you wanted but not known where to get it? You should download Pinterest.

Pinterest “Lens” is a new feature that allows any user with iOS or Android to take a photo in the app to be analyzed for a specific search. For example, if you take a picture of a pair of black shoes, Lens will recognize features of the shoes and translate them into keywords. You are then presented with a search of the shoes that gives you similar pairs, stores that sell them, or outfit choices to wear with the shoes. The end goal of Lens is not just to find you the product, but also show you how to use it or give you new ideas about the product.

The more Pinterest users play around with Lens, the smarter it will get and the better results will become. The feature is still in a learning phase and currently allows users to put in their own tags for items that Lens might not recognize itself. For marketers, this means that whatever content is posted on Pinterest should be easily recognizable by the new feature in order to receive matches/hits. More simple photos with good lighting are probably best for this.

In addition to Lens, a similar tool called “Shop the Look” was created in November 2016. Shop the Look is essentially Lens specifically for outfits. The tool can tell you where to purchase items in the photo. This tool is geared perfectly towards Pinterest’s almost wholly female audience.

 

What do you think about Lens? How do you think it will change content curation on Pinterest, or will it?

 

The Rise of “Athleisure”

It’s almost like a dream. What could possibly be better than a new trend that allows you to dress up sweatpants and have it be socially acceptable? “Athleisure” is exactly what it sounds like: athletic clothing to be worn in a casual setting, but for much more than the gym.

I’ve always been a big believer that dressing nicely is not so much a motivator to be productive as it is a stuffy formality. Often times I can get work done just as well in a t-shirt as in a dress. I like this trend because it maintains a fashionable presence without sacrificing comfort. It’s also incredibly versatile in that anyone can pull it off, regardless of body type or gender.

Big business has caught onto this trend and you can find athleisure at local chain stores like Target. You can also find higher quality athleisure from brands like Fabletics, Athleta, Lulu Lemon, etc.

Given the versatility of this trend, it can be marketed in many different ways. It does not have one consumer profile, because it is for the fashionable, the athletes, young and old, guys and girls… There is a lot of potential here. I’m excited to see more of it– and buy more of it.

 

Kylie Jenner Lip Kit: How Much Is A Brand Name Worth?

If you’re not familiar with the controversy from May 2016, Kylie Jenner’s lipstick line was rumored to be very similar in formula as another brand, ColourPop, that uses the same manufacturer. A lot of the upset started when a YouTube beauty blogger named Stephanie Nicole did a “Take Two Review” comparing ColourPop’s formula with the original Kylie Lip Kit formula and the updated Kylie formula.

Just a side-by-side for you: a ColourPop lipstick runs at about $6, whereas Kylie lipstick costs a pretty penny at $17. The only problem is that Kylie’s brand ONLY contains ingredients also found in the ColourPop formula and nothing more. The first four ingredients in both lipsticks are identical and in the same order as far as percentage of content.

In fact, the majority of difference between the two formulas is merely the coloring used. The two brands do not have the same colors, but are otherwise eerily similar. This wouldn’t matter all that much if Kylie Jenner’s lipstick didn’t cost three times as much.

There is an almost $24 price difference between buying a package lip liner and lipstick from the two brands. Stephanie, the Youtube blogger, made a good point by saying that part of the price difference is undoubtedly the mere ability to use Kylie’s name on the branding. The company has to pay her to do that, of course, and therefore the lipstick price must go up in order to keep normal profit margins they would receive on other brand lipsticks.

So, what is a brand name worth? With the Kylie Lip Kit, it seems to be approximately $11 a product, or 283% markup from $6.

There are some obvious ethical issues with advertising a product that is about 95% the same as another as completely different in quality. Kylie Jenner was fairly transparent about using the same manufacturing facility as ColourPop, but that’s a far cry from admitting her brand is really only worth five or six bucks without her name plastered on the packaging.

I personally have no bias for or against Kylie Jenner or the Kardashians and actually would regard them to be smart businesspeople, regardless of how they present themselves for reality TV purposes. However, after looking into this lip kit controversy, I can’t say that I would trust Kylie’s products to be much higher quality than any competitors’. Save yourself $11 and just buy a ColourPop lipstick.

Sources:

Stephanie’s Vlog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfJS4AeesAU

https://www.buzzfeed.com/augustafalletta/kylie-lip-kit-same-formula-colourpop-cosmetics?utm_term=.rlMEeNGye#.kxGVz5erz

 

Chick-fil-A Still Wants You To #FriesUp

Chick-fil-A showed its support for the Atlanta Falcons this past week by creating the #FriesUp hashtag. The company showed some love for its hometown team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

In my opinion, I think the #FriesUp posts are a fun way to encourage customer involvement with the brand. It’s clever, relatable, and something the city of Atlanta can get behind. The posts also required little effort and cost for the company and have had a good response so far (from Falcons fans, at least).

Their tweet that reads “Together we #FriesUp, Atlanta! Swipe back and forth ️ in support, or show us your own Waffle Fries up.” got 1,287 retweets as of 2/5/2017. The other Twitter posts the company has put up only have a couple hundred retweets, on average. The hashtag has obviously hit home with some customers and provokes a response from those that see it.

Unfortunately for Falcons fans, Chick-fil-A’s support wasn’t enough for the team to pull out a win. It does, however, make me want to drown my sorrows in some waffle fries.

 

 

Your Friend’s Annoying Blog Is Actually Good Marketing

From this perspective, at least.

We all have that friend. Whether their blog is about food, fitness, fashion, or anything in-between, it’s usually not the most eloquently written or interesting thing to read. On top of that, your friend isn’t any kind of expert on the subject they’re writing about and the value of the content is kind of questionable. But this aside, what your friend is doing that you aren’t is reaching an audience in a way that evokes a trust and following that ordinary social media posts cannot.

You might not like blogs, but according to statistics from Inbound Systems (an internet marketing service), your consumer definitely does. If your business is without a blog, you’re missing out on a crazy good and cheap opportunity to boost your sales and encourage customer engagement. Here are some stats that might surprise you:

-Having an active blog on which you post multiple times a week will make you more likely to show up higher on Google search results, meaning more traffic and more leads.

This is important because…

-75% of people never go past the first results page on Google.

You might be thinking, Okay, but do people really read these?

Yep. Think about how much time you spend on your email on any given school or work day.

-Internet users in the US spend 3X more time on blogs than they do on email.

AND…

-Blogs have been rated the 5th most trusted source for accurate online information.

People really believe these. In addition to this, blogs will receive comments from past or potential customers about products that increase believability. Positive word-of-mouth on the internet that’s shareable is very powerful. And it’s proven to work for both B2B and B2C businesses, generating anywhere from 67-88% more leads per month than companies who are blog-less.

So, your friend’s recipe for a healthy chili or tips for toned arms might seem unimportant to you, but there are people that care. These people follow, comment, share, and interact in ways your followers don’t. This is not to say that you should start a personal blog, but that every business should have one and post routinely on it. Blogs are inexpensive, easy ways to get noticed by potential customers and referred by past customers. They’re a great way to be seen and interact with customers, ultimately making you money.

Source: http://www.socialmediatoday.com/marketing/15-important-stats-about-blogging-and-content-marketing-infographic

Snapchat’s Going Public in March – Why This Is Good for Marketers and Bad for You

Snapchat wants to receive the largest IPO, or initial public offering, that they possibly can for their scheduled public debut in March 2017. This being said, the company is trying to make itself seem as valuable as possible right now, and that means emphasizing the potential of the app’s advertising capabilities. These efforts could potentially mean more ads for consumers in the near future as well as the company accessing more of your personal information.

To begin to explain what kind of effect this will have on users, let me ask you a question.  Have you ever seen an ad on your Facebook sidebar for a product that you were just looking at online? Most people find it kind of annoying. Currently, Snapchat limits the specificity of its ads as they will appear to users. Understanding this sentiment, Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel has expressed distaste for that kind of marketing, saying that it is “creepy” and Snapchat is not about “being creepy”.

However, this is not music to investors’ ears. Marketers and investors alike want to know that their advertisements have the correct reach and will result in purchases. Because Snapchat ads aren’t as specific as, say, Facebook ads, they don’t actually know what the user reaction will be. Right now, Snapchat only uses your email and information you’ve entered in the app to target you. If the company begins to purchase consumer data, they could learn a lot more.

For example, if you use the same email address for other things/accounts (such as web subscriptions or store loyalty programs) as you do for Snapchat, the app could easily access all of that information and use it for advertisement purposes. As an avid consumer of both Snapchat and Facebook, I currently find Snapchat ads to be much more discreet and less irritating than the ones on Facebook. There is also less advertising overall and, as a social media user, I like that. I also think that using different filters to promote a product (like different movies use filters) is creative, fun, and interactive.

Snapchat going public looks like a win-lose situation that marketers will enjoy and consumers will find annoying. Only time will tell, but I hope that Snapchat is able to maintain its current privacy settings and stay away from being “creepy”.

 

Facebook Audience Insights is the Best Marketing Tool You Haven’t Heard Of

Over 1.1 billion people use Facebook as of November 2016, which is more than any other social media platform. Most businesses have Facebook pages and use them as a way to share information and advertise their products, but not all businesses are using this site to its full potential. A couple of years ago, Facebook came out with a new feature called “Audience Insights”, which essentially allows businesses to analyze their audience in terms of age, sex, location, household income, interests, and more. The purpose of the tool is to give marketers better customer insights and help them reach consumers more easily.

The first step to accessing your business insights is to visit the page https://www.facebook.com/business/news/audience-insights and choose to create a page based on people you’re connected with on the site. You can then request a more specific data analysis by selecting elements of your audience of interest (Ex. Female, 50-54, Atlanta).

The most interesting ability that the tool has, in my opinion, is the “Lifestyle” data set. The Lifestyle category shows data based on purchase behavior and brand affinity of the people that are connected to a business’s Facebook page. This feature allows marketers to look at previous purchases their customers have made and gear their marketing efforts in a certain direction based on this information. It helps them to create more compelling and relevant content for their consumers as well as recruit new clients.

Audience Insights is also completely free for users, as opposed to paying data companies for similar information. Although it was originally created to help advertisers, it works in a similar way with marketers and is arguably the best tool available in terms of doing business through Facebook. Before some extensive search on sites like Mashable and Social Media Today, I had heard nothing about it. I think that this feature could be particularly useful for start-ups and small businesses trying to find their footing and establish a general consumer profile. Even if a business does not do much of its marketing on Facebook, the tool is still worth looking into because the information could be used to help on other social media platforms as well.

Source(s):

https://www.aabacosmallbusiness.com/advisor/social-media-channels-business-223554094.html