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	<title>Branding Insight Blog &#187; social media influence marketing</title>
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	<description>If you blog it, they will come. The MicroArts Blog: Insight. Onsite.</description>
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		<title>Social Media is a Hit No Matter the Call</title>
		<link>http://www.microarts.com/culture/branding-insights/social-media-is-a-hit</link>
		<comments>http://www.microarts.com/culture/branding-insights/social-media-is-a-hit#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 04 Jun 2010 16:02:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Benjamin Ruoff</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Internet marketing strategy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media influence marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social media marketing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.microarts.com/culture/branding-insights/?p=300</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-302" title="Social Media is a Hit No Matter the Call" src="http://www.microarts.com/culture/branding-insights/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Ben-Post-150x150.png" alt="&#34;Social Media Marketing Dont Get Called Out&#34; " width="150" height="150" /></p>
<p>By Benjamin Ruofff
Copywriting and Social Media Marketing Intern</p>
<p>The other night 28 year old Amarndo Galarraga threw the 21st perfect game in the history of Major League Baseball. Well, almost. In what appeared to be the final out of the game and the conclusion of one of the rarest phenomena in sports, umpire Jim Joyce declared the runner,&#8230;</p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.microarts.com/culture/branding-insights/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Ben-Post.png"><img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-302" title="Social Media is a Hit No Matter the Call" src="http://www.microarts.com/culture/branding-insights/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Ben-Post-150x150.png" alt="&quot;Social Media Marketing Dont Get Called Out&quot; " width="150" height="150" /></a></p>
<p>By Benjamin Ruofff<br />
Copywriting and Social Media Marketing Intern</p>
<p>The other night 28 year old Amarndo Galarraga threw the 21st perfect game in the history of Major League Baseball. Well, almost. In what appeared to be the final out of the game and the conclusion of one of the rarest phenomena in sports, umpire Jim Joyce declared the runner, Jason Donald, safe.</p>
<p><span id="more-300"></span></p>
<p>If you haven’t seen or heard about the<a href="http://www.microarts.com/culture/contact/"> incident</a>, the runner was out by a baseball mile. But what does that mean for everyone? For baseball fans it means missing out on glory, perfection and the ultimate post game for celebration.  Our takeaway for marketers and brands is that playing a perfect social media marketing game should never be a last minute judgment call, or worse yet not showing up to play at all.</p>
<p>With social technologies being produced at an alarming speed, it is a shock that there are still people out there refusing to accept what is certainly the future. Whether it is baseball missing the instant replay cue from both the NFL and NBA or the thousands of businesses unwilling to unlock the potential of using social networking sites, the unwillingness to move forward and accept these changes may be career ending.</p>
<p>Jim Joyce, the umpire solely responsible for putting an end to Galarraga’s quest for perfection, will go down in history as the umpire who blew that call. It has happened before with different umpires and refs, but it all could have been avoided. In trying to remain true to themselves as America’s past time, baseball has become stuck in the past. A simple rule change allowing a manager to challenge a questionable call during the course of the game would have allowed Joyce to review his mistake, which he later recognized.</p>
<p>Unfortunately in business, there is no replay to call upon when a company is called out, but there are ways to make sure you aren’t missing all the signs to garner perfection. Don’t miss the opportunity to gain perfection. Keep reading this blog or <a href="http://www.microarts.com/culture/contact/">contact</a> MicroArts today to learn more about unlocking the potential of social media marketing for your company today!</p>
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		<title>3 takeaways from Foursquare and Foursquare Day for businesses</title>
		<link>http://www.microarts.com/culture/branding-insights/3-takeaways-from-foursquare-and</link>
		<comments>http://www.microarts.com/culture/branding-insights/3-takeaways-from-foursquare-and#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 24 Apr 2010 11:04:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Walter Elly</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inbound Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Internet marketing strategy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media influence marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social media marketing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.microarts.com/culture/branding-insights/?p=71</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>By Walter Elly
Senior Director of Internet Marketing</p>
<p><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 220px;" src="/culture/branding-insights/wp-content/uploads/legacy/foursquare_logo-713108.png" border="0" alt="" />This month we had an interesting date on the calendar &#8211; 4/16. With 16 being the square of 4, a certain &#8220;bright-eyed&#8221; marketer realized that 4/16 could be Foursquare Day. His idea was to make 4/16 a day to celebrate and promote Foursquare- the mobile location sharing application that&#8217;s sweeping the globe.&#8230;</p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>By Walter Elly<br />
Senior Director of Internet Marketing</p>
<p><a href="http://www.foursquare.com" target="_blank"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 220px;" src="/culture/branding-insights/wp-content/uploads/legacy/foursquare_logo-713108.png" border="0" alt="" /></a>This month we had an interesting date on the calendar &#8211; 4/16. With 16 being the square of 4, a <a href="http://twitter.com/natebw" target="_blank">certain &#8220;bright-eyed&#8221; marketer</a> realized that 4/16 could be Foursquare Day. His idea was to make 4/16 a day to celebrate and promote Foursquare- the mobile location sharing application that&#8217;s sweeping the globe. Foursquare is a mobile application that lets you know where your friends are and let your friends know where you are too. Users earn points and &#8220;badges&#8221; for using the service, making it into a game. Businesses benefit from being promoted through Foursquare location sharing and from the data Foursquare provides on service usage. The story of Foursquare&#8217;s involvement in Foursquare Day illustrates 3 important takeaways for businesses.</p>
<p><span id="more-71"></span><strong>1. Listen:</strong> Foursquare Day wasn&#8217;t created by Foursquare, but was actually the idea of a fan who <a href="http://getsatisfaction.com/foursquare/topics/april_16th_should_be_foursquare_day" target="_blank">posted the concept to Foursquare&#8217;s support forums</a>. Another fan <a href="http://getsatisfaction.com/foursquare/topics/april_16th_should_be_foursquare_day#reply_2078283" target="_blank">replied a week later</a> with another great idea &#8211; that Foursquare create a special Foursquare Day badge. That idea became the rallying point for fans to start lobbying Foursquare to officially endorse the day. Two weeks later <a href="http://twitter.com/redheadjessica/status/11039359776" target="_blank">a fan&#8217;s Tweet</a> to Foursquare&#8217;s Twitter account resulted in Foursquare choosing to engage the community and recognize the day. By listening to what people were saying and monitoring conversations, Foursquare was able to discover a new opportunity.</p>
<p><strong>2. Engage:</strong> After that fan&#8217;s tweet was posted, Foursquare <a href="http://twitter.com/foursquare/status/11108521066" target="_blank">engaged their fans</a> with another Tweet, officially recognizing Foursquare Day. This single tweet ignited a firestorm around Foursquare Day and as a result, a firestorm around Foursquare. In the three weeks that followed leading up to Foursquare Day, major news organizations from CNN to <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/Horizons/2010/0416/What-is-Foursquare-Day" target="_blank">The Christian Science Monitor</a> ran stories about Foursquare Day. Foursquare continued to stoke the fire of this opportunity leading up to Foursquare Day through <a href="http://blog.foursquare.com/post/523695214/a-few-weeks-back-a-bunch-of-crazy-kids-down-in" target="_blank">further communication</a>. By engaging, Foursquare was able to help realize the full value of an opportunity that was discovered by simply listening.</p>
<p><strong>3. Measure:</strong> Throughout the whole process, Foursquare and the Foursquare Day team leveraged systems that enabled them to record changes in important analytics and metrics over time. The Foursquare Day website <a href="http://4sqday.com/" target="_blank">tracked the number of participating cities and businesses</a>. Foursquare <a href="http://twitter.com/foursquare/status/11278101265" target="_blank">tracked the number of people signing up for the service</a> as Foursquare Day approached. By measuring changes in metrics over time as they engaged, Foursquare was able to discover whether or not their communications produced measurable results.</p>
<p>Ultimately <a href="http://blog.4sqday.com/press/" target="_blank">290 cities in 35 different countries participated</a> and <a href="http://blog.4sqday.com/press/" target="_blank">20,000 people signed up</a> for Foursquare in the days leading up to Foursquare day. Press coverage <a href="http://blog.4sqday.com/press/" target="_blank">literally spanned the globe</a>. Just after Foursquare Day <a href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2010/04/22/foursquare-one-million-users/" target="_blank">registered users reached the one million users mark</a>. Imagine what listening, engaging and measuring can do for you! We&#8217;d love to talk with you about it and help you power the growth of your business. <a href="http://www.microarts.com/culture/contact/">Drop us a line</a>, we&#8217;re <em>listening</em>.</p>
<p>PS: We&#8217;re very proud to say that <a href="http://4sqday.com" target="_blank">Portsmouth, NH was the #1 city for businesses participation on Foursquare Day</a>. Check us out on the news:</p>
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		<title>Pepsi Skips the Super Bowl: A Social Media Experiment</title>
		<link>http://www.microarts.com/culture/branding-insights/pepsi-skips-super-bowl-social-media</link>
		<comments>http://www.microarts.com/culture/branding-insights/pepsi-skips-super-bowl-social-media#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 06 Feb 2010 13:16:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Benjamin Ruoff</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media influence marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social media marketing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.microarts.com/culture/branding-insights/?p=94</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 171px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 112px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="/culture/branding-insights/wp-content/uploads/legacy/shutterstock_16327933-717145.jpg"/></p>
<strong>By Benjamin Ruoff
Copywriting Intern</strong>

<p>The Super Bowl has always been a big deal for my family. I&#8217;m sure that I&#8217;m not alone on that either. In fact, it is the only football game throughout the entire season that my mom will watch. Not only does she watch it, but the meal she cooks is based on the&#8230;</p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="/culture/branding-insights/wp-content/uploads/legacy/shutterstock_16327933-717147.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 171px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 112px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="/culture/branding-insights/wp-content/uploads/legacy/shutterstock_16327933-717145.jpg"/></a></p>
<div><strong>By Benjamin Ruoff<br />
Copywriting Intern</strong></div>
</p>
<p>The Super Bowl has always been a big deal for my family. I&#8217;m sure that I&#8217;m not alone on that either. In fact, it is the only football game throughout the entire season that my mom will watch. Not only does she watch it, but the meal she cooks is based on the teams that are playing. As the Saints get closer to their big game Sunday, my mother is most likely digging through some old recipes, looking for her favorite jambalaya.</p>
<p><span id="more-94"></span></p>
<p>Clearly for many, the Super Bowl&#8217;s attraction lies in the new commercials aired during the game. This year though, with social media starting to hit its stride, will we see interest in watching the game wane? For example, Pepsi, one of the more notable companies that traditionally sprung big time for a Super Bowl ad campaign, has decidedly forfeited any airtime slots (costing between $2.5&#8211;3.0 million per ad). Instead, <a target="_blank" href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20100204/us_time/08599195840000">Pepsi has taken a liking to a social media campaign</a>, &#8220;Pepsi Refresh,&#8221; in which they will give away $20 million in grants.</p>
<p>Nicole Bradley, a spokeswoman for Pepsi, <a target="_blank" href="http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=9729592">explained why Pepsi wouldn&#8217;t be participating</a>, &#8220;In 2010, each of our beverage brands has a strategy and marketing platform that will be less about a singular event and more about a movement.&#8221; The idea is to be bigger than the Super Bowl, while allowing consumers to still appreciate Pepsi.</p>
<p>While Pepsi may stand alone among the giants in replacing Super Bowl airtime with a social media event, for now, many companies seem to be tying the two together. Look for commercials this year to be far more interactive, with more calls to action that direct audiences to Facebook and Twitter. With all the ability to connect television campaigns and social networks, many companies will try to make their 30-second spot go viral, as well.</p>
<p>Vice president of global sales for Facebook, Mike Murphy, seems to be on the same page as Pepsi. He said, &#8220;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.insidefacebook.com/2010/02/02/facebook-marketing-goes-to-the-super-bowl/">Instead of getting 30 seconds to connect with their customers, they&#8217;re getting 30 days.</a>&#8221; This seems to be what Pepsi understands as their new campaign does not involve Super Bowl airtime.</p>
<p>Is this just the beginning of big companies choosing to go with a social media campaign opposed to the Super Bowl commercials? Will Pepsi be a trendsetter or find themselves buying up valuable airtime next year? If this is the wave of the future, will casual fans who watch for the ads still look forward to the big game like they do now?</p>
<p>MicroArts Creative Agency is leveraging social media as part of overall branding campaigns like never before. It&#8217;s working for companies like <a target="_blank" href="http://www.worldsbestcatlitter.com">World&#8217;s Best Cat Litter</a>&#8211;products trying to break into and make a bigger impact in already noisy markets. We&#8217;re keen to see how the giants do it. Being big doesn&#8217;t necessarily translate to being nimble or even right. But it does mean we&#8217;ll begin to see some real dollars tossed into the arena.</p>
<p>We would love to hear your thoughts.</p>
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		<title>A New World of Growth? Facebook Promotes Their &#8220;Friend Finder&#8221; to Home Page</title>
		<link>http://www.microarts.com/culture/branding-insights/new-world-of-growth-facebook-promotes</link>
		<comments>http://www.microarts.com/culture/branding-insights/new-world-of-growth-facebook-promotes#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 31 Jan 2010 12:15:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>MicroArts Creative Agency</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media influence marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social media marketing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.microarts.com/culture/branding-insights/?p=97</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 105px; height: 100px;" src="/culture/branding-insights/wp-content/uploads/legacy/world-image-720510.jpg" border="0" alt=""/><strong>By Benjamin Ruoff
Copywriting Intern</strong></p>
<p>While new users are spending their time searching Facebook to broaden the number of friends they have, a push has been made to help them. It is not necessarily the technology that is new, but the location of it. On January 13, Facebook relocated their &#8220;friend finder&#8221; to their home page and reintroduced existing technology&#8230;</p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="/culture/branding-insights/wp-content/uploads/legacy/world-image-720515.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 105px; height: 100px;" src="/culture/branding-insights/wp-content/uploads/legacy/world-image-720510.jpg" border="0" alt=""></a><strong>By Benjamin Ruoff<br />
Copywriting Intern</strong></p>
<p>While new users are spending their time searching Facebook to broaden the number of friends they have, a push has been made to help them. It is not necessarily the technology that is new, but the location of it. On January 13, Facebook relocated their &#8220;<a href="http://www.facebook.com/find-friends/" target="_blank">friend finder</a>&#8221; to their home page and reintroduced existing technology that can gather large quantities of friends in a short period of time.</p>
<p><span id="more-97"></span></p>
<p>To many users, this seems very new, as it sort of hid in the shadows for a while. The way it works is by showing people you may know, usually friends of your friends. More importantly it uses your contacts from various e-mail and messaging services to seek out those on Facebook you know, but may not be connected with yet.</p>
<p>Now this may not seem applicable to casual Facebook users who mainly use the site as a way to keep in touch with old friends, but to those who use Facebook for socially networking themselves or their business this is a great way to expand. Now that most businesses are creating Facebook pages, usually one in search of fans rather than friends, they are now being reminded that they can utilize their e-mail contact list to generate a larger following on Facebook which in turn keeps a lot more people connected and updated with them.</p>
<p>Regardless of how you use it, the people at Facebook are really making a push to encourage growth among all accounts, personal or business orientated. This only seems to make Facebook a more reliable source in a world that is being transformed by social network technology. Of course there are some lingering questions about the &#8220;friend finder&#8221;, but the most important ones are about the future. What is next for Facebook? Are they still working on figuring out an even easier way to connect to people you may already know? One thing that is most certainly for sure, Facebook is not done figuring out new ways to stimulate their seemingly endless growth potential.</p>
<p>Have you extended your brand to the world of social media? <a href="http://www.microarts.com/culture/contact">Contact MicroArts</a> to learn where to begin!</p>
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		<title>2010: The Year Marketing Makes Contact &#8211; Thanks to the iPhone</title>
		<link>http://www.microarts.com/culture/branding-insights/2010-year-marketing-makes-contact</link>
		<comments>http://www.microarts.com/culture/branding-insights/2010-year-marketing-makes-contact#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:24:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Walter Elly</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Internet marketing strategy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media influence marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social media marketing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.microarts.com/culture/branding-insights/?p=101</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><img align="right" src="http://www.microarts.com/images/hero-iphone-facebook.jpg"/><strong>By Walter Elly
Senior Director of Internet Marketing</strong></p>
<p>It&#8217;s been quite a ride, with predictions, projections and plenty of posts, now 2009 has closed and 2010 is upon us. The flying cars aren&#8217;t quite here yet, but iPhones sure are. When you hold one in the palm of your hand it really does feel like you&#8217;re living in the future.&#8230;</p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img align="right" src="http://www.microarts.com/images/hero-iphone-facebook.jpg"/><strong>By Walter Elly<br />
Senior Director of Internet Marketing</strong></p>
<p>It&#8217;s been quite a ride, with predictions, projections and plenty of posts, now 2009 has closed and 2010 is upon us. The flying cars aren&#8217;t quite here yet, but iPhones sure are. When you hold one in the palm of your hand it really does feel like you&#8217;re living in the future. That&#8217;s because iPhones, and mobile devices like them, are the future: They are taking over telecommunications and as a result are transforming marketing. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.infoworld.com/d/applications/2009-year-social-networks-went-mainstream-077?source=rss_infoworld_news">Social networking is now mainstream</a> and it&#8217;s likely that we have the iPhone to thank for it.</p>
<p><span id="more-101"></span>Mobiles were born to communicate. In contrast, with computer desktops communication was an afterthought. Communications tools like terminal programs for modems, email clients and web browsers were added as a standard feature in desktop operating systems (OS) only recently in their history. This reflects the inherent challenge of today&#8217;s desktop OS and explains why <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/168028/google_announces_chrome_os.html">Google&#8217;s recently announced Chrome OS</a> is basically just a web browser. Google has rethought the desktop because today&#8217;s desktop OS doesn&#8217;t provide the best communications experience &#8211; it just gets in the way, instead of enhancing the experience.</p>
<p>On the other hand, with mobiles, the addition of applications was the afterthought. Apps as part of the mobile OS wasn&#8217;t a very compelling experience until the iPhone came along. The app store model created a new paradigm and as a result mobiles can now easily adapt as new forms of communication arrive. This has set mobiles on a course to take over all forms of telecommunication- not just the telephone (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.engadget.com/2005/07/11/its-official-more-cellphone-lines-than-landlines-in-the-us/">which happened in 2005 in the US versus landlines</a>), but also email, the web and social networking.</p>
<p>Signs of this takeover include the fact that the <a target="_blank" href="http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2009/12/report-iphone-most-popular-handset-in-us.ars">iPhone is now the most popular handset in the United States</a>. That&#8217;s right, not the most popular smartphone &#8212; the most popular handset, period. Then consider the fact that Facebook is the most popular application for the iPhone and you start to see the connection between mobiles and social networking. How deep is that connection? Well, let&#8217;s compare total iPhones sold over time versus Facebook unique visits, paying special attention to Q3 2008 when the Facebook app (and App Store) were released for the iPhone:</p>
<p><center><img src="http://www.microarts.com/images/facebook-growth-vs-iphone-growth.jpg"/></center></p>
<p>
The graph indicates a correlation starting with the Q3 2008 release of the App Store and the Facebook app for the iPhone. This correlation could be due to the rise of the Facebook app capable iPhone leading to the rise of Facebook and/or vice versa. It&#8217;s important to note that prior to Q3 2008 you could use Facebook on the iPhone through the web. However the iPhone Facebook web experience was not the same as the rich and meaningful Facebook experience that the app provides. In fact, the Facebook app is so good that <a target="_blank" href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/08/18/facebook-30-may-be-the-most-useful-app-on-the-iphone-yet/">some call it the most useful app for the iPhone</a>.</p>
<p>This synergistically driven growth created by the iPhone and the Facebook app could be responsible for the fact that now, in 2010, social networking is mainstream. As a result, it&#8217;s now possible to make contact directly, on a one-to-one basis, through social networks and social media, through a conversation with our customers, leads and prospects, directly to their desktops and mobiles. Efficient one-to-one marketing is now a reality. The promised higher ROI over traditional one-to-many marketing is finally being realized (complete with <a target="_blank" href="http://news.prnewswire.com/ViewContent.aspx?ACCT=109&amp;STORY=/www/story/07-20-2009/0005062278&amp;EDATE=">studies showing that socially engaged brands have better financial performance</a>).</p>
<p>Big brands get this &#8212; the most recent example being <a target="_blank" href="http://abcnews.go.com/Business/pepsis-big-gamble-ditching-super-bowl-social-media/story?id=9402514">Pepsi announcing that it would skip super bowl ads and invest $20 million into social media marketing instead</a>. It&#8217;s time for the rest of the marketing world to make the shift as well and complete the transformation. Investing in large ad campaigns and PR blitzes isn&#8217;t effective enough on it&#8217;s own to maximize ROI. One-to-many marketing ROI is eclipsed by the one-to-one. To <a target="_blank" href="http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/4405/How-Do-You-Measure-the-ROI-of-Social-Media-You-Don-t.aspx">paraphrase HubSpot CEO Brain Halligan</a>: it&#8217;s the thickness of your brain that matters, not the thickness of your wallet. To market effectively in the new one-to-one market one must invest in the creative. Create content, create conversations. Use your mind and win!</p>
<p>MicroArts Creative Agency is ready to connect with you to launch the next generation of one-to-one marketing for your brand, <a href="/culture/contact/">contact us</a> today!</p>
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		<title>Blogger Engagement &#8211; Learn the Three Simple Principles for Success</title>
		<link>http://www.microarts.com/culture/branding-insights/blogger-engagement-learn-three-simple</link>
		<comments>http://www.microarts.com/culture/branding-insights/blogger-engagement-learn-three-simple#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:34:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Drew Schulthess</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blogosphere engagement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media influence marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social media marketing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.microarts.com/culture/branding-insights/?p=109</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 70px; height: 51px;" src="/culture/branding-insights/wp-content/uploads/legacy/blog-outreach-741498.jpg" border="0" alt=""/><strong>Drew Schulthess
Digital Influence Strategist</strong></p>
<p><strong>Tweet &#8211; Engage the Blogosphere for Big Brand Awareness &#8211; Learn the Three Simple Principles for Success</strong></p>
<p>Blogosphere engagement is the process of connecting, participating and interacting with blogs and bloggers that are relevant to your value proposition. In simple terms, blogosphere engagement is the act of getting influential bloggers to talk about your brand.&#8230;</p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href=""><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 70px; height: 51px;" src="/culture/branding-insights/wp-content/uploads/legacy/blog-outreach-741498.jpg" border="0" alt=""/></a><strong>Drew Schulthess<br />
Digital Influence Strategist</strong></p>
<p><strong>Tweet &#8211; Engage the Blogosphere for Big Brand Awareness &#8211; Learn the Three Simple Principles for Success</strong></p>
<p><a href="/internet-marketing/blogosphere-engagement/">Blogosphere engagement</a> is the process of connecting, participating and interacting with blogs and bloggers that are relevant to your value proposition. In simple terms, blogosphere engagement is the act of getting influential bloggers to talk about your brand.</p>
<p><span id="more-109"></span></p>
<p>But why engage the blogosphere you ask? Did you know that 90% of consumers trust recommendations from people they know and 70% of them trust consumer opinions that are posted online, as found by the Nielsen Company in their latest <a href="http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/consumer/global-advertising-consumers-trust-real-friends-and-virtual-strangers-the-most/" target="_blank">Global Online Consumer Survey</a>? That&#8217;s right, nearly 3/4th of consumers online trust the opinions posted online by other consumers which is higher than all other traditional formats like editorial content, TV, newspapers, magazines and radio. Still not convinced? Here are some compelling facts supporting the value of blogger engagement:</p>
<ol>
<li>Brand mentions on the Internet are the best way to get users to visit your site to learn more about your brand. In a recent study by <a href="http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1007050" target="_blank">ARAnet</a>, it was shown that the most likely source for Internet users to read and take further action was seeing your brand in an article format.</li>
<li>Ninety-five percent of the top 100 US newspapers have reporter blogs&sup1;</li>
<li>Four in five bloggers post brand or product reviews, with 37% of them posting them frequently&sup1;</li>
<li>There were 94.1 million US blog readers in 2007&sup2;</li>
<li>184 million people world wide have started a blog&sup3;</li>
<li>Seventy-seven percent of active Internet users read blogs&sup3;</li>
</ol>
<p>Now that we&#8217;ve established the immense potential value of engaging the blogosphere, we would like to share three simple principles for success.</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Respect</strong> &#8211; you might think this is simple and straightforward but in blog outreach respect can take shape in many forms. Here are a couple manifestations of respect in the world of blogger engagement:
<ul>
<li>Treat every blogger equally</li>
<li>Treat each blogger as the expert</li>
<li>Take at least 10-15 minutes to read their bio and a few posts</li>
<li>Don&#8217;t talk above them</li>
<li>Encourage transparency</li>
<li>Expose yourself, don&#8217;t hide your real personality in the shade</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Delivery</strong> &#8211; bloggers are connected. Sometimes stuffing an email down their throat isn&#8217;t the best way of going about things. Try to figure out the optimal communication medium for connecting with them whether it be commenting on a relevant post, Twitter, Facebook or even picking up the phone (that&#8217;s right &#8230; phones still exist <img src='http://www.microarts.com/culture/branding-insights/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':)' class='wp-smiley' /> .</li>
<li><strong>Transferable Value</strong> &#8211; notice how the word &#8220;incentive&#8221; or &#8220;pay-off&#8221; isn&#8217;t used here? Bloggers aren&#8217;t a gumball machine you drop a quarter into. Instead, offer them something that is of relevant value. You should be talking to them because they are of relevance. Therefore, the product , service or development you are sharing should be of interest. Why not send them a package in the mail with your product and a thank you letter, or invite them to your private beta, or Tweet about them to your followers. Be creative here.</li>
</ol>
<p>Serious about doing some blogger engagement for your brand? We would love to go a step further and work on a customized blogger engagement program for you. Feel free to <a href="/culture/contact">give us a call</a> or better yet connect right here by leaving us a comment!</p>
<div style="font-size: 11px;">1. Technorati State of the Blogosphere 2008 (<a href="http://technorati.com/blogging/state-of-the-blogosphere/" target="_blank">technorati.com/blogging/state-of-the-blogosphere/</a>)<br />
2. eMarketer(2008)<br />
3. Universal McCann(March 2008)</div>
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		<title>Social Media is Truth Serum for Brands</title>
		<link>http://www.microarts.com/culture/branding-insights/social-media-is-truth-serum-for-brands</link>
		<comments>http://www.microarts.com/culture/branding-insights/social-media-is-truth-serum-for-brands#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:55:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Peter Getman</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blogosphere engagement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[brand launch communications]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[brand positioning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media influence marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social media marketing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.microarts.com/culture/branding-insights/?p=103</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 69px;" src="/culture/branding-insights/wp-content/uploads/legacy/BrandSyringe-720139.jpg" border="0" alt=""/><strong>By Peter Lee Getman
Principal Brand Director</strong></p>
<p>And as a result, brand transparency is the next trend.</p>
<p>This article inspired me to write this blog post. Titled &#8220;8 marketing messages we know are all lies&#8221;, it is essentially a story about common marketing spins, slants and cooked performance statistics in brand communications. As I read this article, I realize this&#8230;</p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="/culture/branding-insights/2009/11/social-media-is-truth-serum-for-brands.php"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 69px;" src="/culture/branding-insights/wp-content/uploads/legacy/BrandSyringe-720139.jpg" border="0" alt=""/></a><strong>By Peter Lee Getman<br />
Principal Brand Director</strong></p>
<p>And as a result, brand transparency is the next trend.</p>
<p><a href="http://bit.ly/11eotC" target="_blank">This article</a> inspired me to write this blog post. Titled &#8220;8 marketing messages we know are all lies&#8221;, it is essentially a story about common marketing spins, slants and cooked performance statistics in brand communications. As I read this article, I realize this mindset is soon-to-be-dated thinking. This thinking was perhaps accurate before the onslaught of social media. Today, brand managers and brand advocates must realize social media is the new truth serum for their brand&#8217;s behavior.</p>
<p><span id="more-103"></span></p>
<p><strong>Brand Transparency</strong><br />
Brands now live in an on-going conversation about themselves whether or not they join in or not, and the truth WILL BE set free. As a result, the trend WILL BE what I&#8217;m calling &#8220;brand transparency&#8221;. Brand transparency is the pinnacle of truth in marketing behaviors. These behaviors go well beyond inaccurate marketing communications. Brand transparency is when a brand welcomes the world in to understand exactly how their product is manufactured.</p>
<p><strong>Truth in the Serum</strong><br />
For example, brands like Kleen Kanteen&reg; and Sigg&reg; marketed BPA-Free water bottles. Revenues spiked as the Nalgene&reg; &#8220;BPA plastic bottle&#8221; business jumped off the cliff.</p>
<p>Nicely done. Or so everyone thought &#8230;</p>
<p>As it turns out, the Sigg brand had not been completely transparent with its BPA content.</p>
<p>The result? <a href="http://bit.ly/1zTfY5" target="_blank">Patagonia terminated their Sigg partnership</a>.</p>
<p>In reality, the amounts of BPA in their water bottles would never cause any human harm. They had fixed the problem [after millions of dollars sold], but weren&#8217;t forthcoming with both consumers and partners [including Patagonia]. If Sigg had engaged in brand transparency, their behavior and communication could have played out in a proactive way (instead of the reactive CYA efforts they were forced to take that fell short), with something like this:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>We are very sorry to announce that we missed a trace amount of BPA in our water bottles. It is so incredibly small; our scientists simply did not see it. It is an honest error and we took immediate actions to correct it. Please understand these are such trace amounts they will not hurt you.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, if you like, please do mail your bottle back to us and we&#8217;ll send replace it with your choice of our new bottles. If you don&#8217;t want the hassle, since the bottle you have is safe to use, please still accept our apology for this oversight. And, we invite you to please <u>download</u> a &#8220;50% off&#8221; coupon for our new bottles.</p>
<p>We hope this has not caused any stress or inconvenience in your day. Thank you for your loyalty to Sigg branded products.</p>
<p>Sincerely,</p>
<p>[Founder's Name]</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This turns a broken brand promise of BPA-Free into an opportunity to communicate what isn&#8217;t broken, the brand&#8217;s values.</p>
<p><strong>Brand Strategy Trends</strong><br />
Total and utter brand transparency is one of the next major trends in brand strategy. Social media will expose your broken promises. Believe it&mdash;and brand transparency is the only answer.</p>
<p>In fact, we are launching a new consumer brand in 2010 that takes brand transparency to the max. We are still in super stealth mode, so I can&#8217;t even share the product category we&#8217;re aiming to dominate.</p>
<p>Starting with filming the day all the partners met for the first time in Vegas to discuss the brand strategy, brand values and, as a result, the brand&#8217;s opportunity, we will tell the story of who, what, where, why we are building the products the way we do.</p>
<p>We are 100% transparent with the World, identifying what is not ideal about the product and ask our customers for fresh ideas on how to improve it. Most importantly, we will carry on these communications, these relationships, in the wide-open forum called Internet social media. If you are an organic, all-natural, green, environmentally friendly, totally-safe-for-humans brand, you best have a brand transparency strategy that is as honest as the way you do business.</p>
<p>The first brands to take on this strategy will be handsomely rewarded in the form of unsurpassed customer loyalty, customer evangelism, blogosphere ubiquity and, ultimately, shareholder value.</p>
<p>Get brand transparency right the first time. <a href="/culture/contact">Contact MicroArts</a> to learn more about how to infuse your brand with truth.</p>
<p>PS: Truth in marketing may not apply to ski areas just yet. Downpouring rain will still be referred to as &#8220;mixed precipitation.&#8221; Unless, you are Alta&#8217;s weatherman. So many times last year, Alta reported 4&#8243; of fresh snow whereby as I was walked toward the Wildcat lift in boot high powder. They under promise and over deliver! They report only 4&#8243; when they get 8&#8243; &#8211; How cool is that? Love Alta.</p>
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		<title>Best practices for when to share blog posts and links on Facebook and Twitter</title>
		<link>http://www.microarts.com/culture/branding-insights/best-practices-for-when-to-share-blog</link>
		<comments>http://www.microarts.com/culture/branding-insights/best-practices-for-when-to-share-blog#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:07:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Walter Elly</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Internet marketing strategy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media influence marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social media marketing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.microarts.com/culture/branding-insights/?p=112</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><img height="130" align="right" src="http://www.microarts.com/images/blog-twitterwatch.jpg"/><strong>By Walter Elly
Senior Director of Internet Marketing</strong></p>
<p>So you&#8217;ve read our post, Three Best Practices to Optimize Blog Posts for Facebook and Twitter, and now you&#8217;re ready to share the link to your post on Twitter and Facebook. But did you know that not all days are created equal when it comes to getting the most clicks on links?&#8230;</p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img height="130" align="right" src="http://www.microarts.com/images/blog-twitterwatch.jpg"/><strong>By Walter Elly<br />
Senior Director of Internet Marketing</strong></p>
<p>So you&#8217;ve read our post, <a href="http://www.microarts.com/culture/branding-insights/2009/09/three-best-practices-to-optimize-blog.php">Three Best Practices to Optimize Blog Posts for Facebook and Twitter</a>, and now you&#8217;re ready to share the link to your post on Twitter and Facebook. But did you know that not all days are created equal when it comes to getting the most clicks on links? If you have some content that you want to get extra attention for, or are just producing a few blog posts a week, then this is important to know! Here&#8217;s the data on when to share links in order to maximize click-through for Twitter and Facebook:</p>
<p><span id="more-112"></span></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-of-the-day-social-ctr-by-days-of-the-week-2009-9" target="_blank"><img width="240" style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 10px;" src="http://www.microarts.com/images/blog-fbchart.gif" align="left" border="0"/></a>Let&#8217;s start with Facebook. A <a target="_blank" href="http://vitrue.com/blog/2009/09/08/vitrue-srm-findings-social-click-through-rates-for-facebook-are-highest-on-tuesdays/">recent report published by Virtue SRM</a> indicates that Monday through Wednesday are the optimum days to post to maximize your click-through rate (CTR) on Facebook. Thursday through Saturday were significantly lower, though interestingly Sunday stood out with a relatively high CTR.</p>
<p>So, as a starting point, if you have a blog post or link that you want to share and you want to ensure it gets the highest CTR then be sure to share it on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. But you should treat this only as a starting point and track your own CTR and see what days are most effective for your own Facebook presence. Ours actually has highest CTR Wednesdays through Friday with Monday and Tuesday being the low points, atleast for now. As the makeup of our Facebook network changes, so could the CTR rate change &#8211; so we will continue to test- as should you.</p>
<p></p>
<p><a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/dan-macsai/popwise/report-nine-scientifically-proven-ways-get-re-tweeted-twitter" target="_blank"><img width="240" src="http://www.microarts.com/images/blog-rtchart.gif" align="right" border="0"/></a>Now with regards to Twitter, we don&#8217;t have any Twitter-wide specific data on click-through rate but, thanks to <a target="_blank" href="http://danzarrella.com/">great people like Dan Zarrella</a>, we do have data on ReTweet rate (ReTweeting is when someone shares your Tweet with their followers). This data does provide some useful guidance towards when you should Tweet to maximize click-through rate based on two factors: the data shows what day of the week Twitter is being used most and also shows when ReTweets happen the most. From this we can infer when your Tweet is most likely to be seen by the most people and also when it has the best chance of being shared with the most people.</p>
<p>Based on <a target="_blank" href="http://danzarrella.com/the-science-of-retweets-report.html">Dan Zarella&#8217;s data</a> it appears that Twitter is almost the opposite of Facebook: Wednesday through Fridays are top ReTweet days. Based on that a good starting point to ensure maximum CTR would be to share your links later in the week on Twitter. As before, use this data as a starting point and keep track of your own CTR information &#8211; our own data also indicates that Thursdays and Fridays have the highest CTR for us, but every network is different and will change over time. So keep testing and refining to maximize your sweet spot.</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-of-the-day-lunchtime-is-the-new-primetime-2009-10"><img style="margin-right:10px;margin-bottom:10px;" align="left" border="0" src="http://www.microarts.com/images/blog-timeofday.jpg"/></a>As to what time of the day is optimal, data indicates that daytime sharing on both networks, rather than early morning or sharing at night, will maximize ReTweet and click-through rates. As a starting point you might try sharing during lunch time, which some have dubbed &#8220;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-of-the-day-lunchtime-is-the-new-primetime-2009-10">the new primetime</a>&#8221; &#8211; atleast for video consumption, but it&#8217;s a useful indicator as a starting point. This is something again to test with your own network but good to keep in mind.</p>
<p><br clear="all"/><br />
In sum, the best practices for when to share blog posts and links on Facebook and Twitter are: Start by sharing during lunchtime for both. Start by sharing on Facebook early in the work week. Start by sharing on Twitter later in the work week. Lastly, you should be testing your own CTR over time and adjust accordingly. Need help testing CTR or just want to ensure maximum success with your overall <a href="http://www.microarts.com/internet-marketing/social-media-marketing/">social media marketing</a> efforts? <a href="http://www.microarts.com/culture/contact/">Give us a call today</a>, we&#8217;d be happy to help!</p>
<p></p>
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		<title>Direct mail campaigns, a marketing medium of the past?</title>
		<link>http://www.microarts.com/culture/branding-insights/direct-mail-campaigns-marketing-medium</link>
		<comments>http://www.microarts.com/culture/branding-insights/direct-mail-campaigns-marketing-medium#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:43:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Amanda Gingras</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[advertising direct mail and tradeshow programming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[direct mail]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[print advertising]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media influence marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social media marketing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.microarts.com/culture/branding-insights/?p=115</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 84px; height: 70px;" src="/culture/branding-insights/wp-content/uploads/legacy/StampHeroImg-718605.gif" alt="" border="0"/><strong>By Amanda Gingras
Director of Account Services</strong></p>
<p>In 1970, David Ogilvy published a book, <strong>Ogilvy on Advertising</strong>. In his book, Ogilvy talks about what a great medium direct mail was for some of his most successful account acquisitions &#8211; including his successful acquisition of the Mercedes-Benz account through a direct mail initiative. Ogilvy was an advocate of direct mail and&#8230;</p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.blogger.com/culture/branding-insights/2009/10/direct-mail-campaigns-marketing-medium.php"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 84px; height: 70px;" src="/culture/branding-insights/wp-content/uploads/legacy/StampHeroImg-718605.gif" alt="" border="0"/></a><strong>By Amanda Gingras<br />
Director of Account Services</strong></p>
<p>In 1970, David Ogilvy published a book, <strong>Ogilvy on Advertising</strong>. In his book, Ogilvy talks about what a great medium direct mail was for some of his most successful account acquisitions &#8211; including his successful acquisition of the Mercedes-Benz account through a direct mail initiative. Ogilvy was an advocate of direct mail and even described it as, &#8220;Direct mail, my first love and secret weapon.&#8221;</p>
<p><span id="more-115"></span></p>
<p>It&#8217;s now almost 2010 and, although direct mail campaigns have proven to be successful in the past, does any of this hold true today, now that everybody&#8217;s mailboxes are inundated with direct mail pieces? Do people even look at direct mail? I never did, at least I never thought I did, until recently I found myself clipping a coupon I received for a buy-one-get-one-free offer. Progressive Grocer announced that <a href="http://www.progressivegrocer.com/progressivegrocer/content_display/supermarket-industry-news/e3i6098aad6d9c8d3fb5d0f1885da23c814" target="_blank">coupon redemption rates are up 19%</a> in 2009 compared to 2008. Direct mail has also proven to show a 1-3% return. Is this something we should turn our heads to now that we&#8217;re seeing very high returns with Internet Marketing?</p>
<p>Today, everybody&#8217;s talking about search engine marketing, social media, Facebook, Twitter and other essential, Inbound Marketing tactics. Hubspot reported that 37% of lead generation budgets, on average, are dedicated to Inbound Marketing. <a href="http://www.blogger.com/internet-marketing/internet-marketing-strategy/" target="_blank">Inbound Marketing</a> allows you to effectively reach your target prospects. You can even test marketing through A/B testing strategies. Why bet the farm on a particular message, call-to-action or creative design that you think will generate leads when you can quickly and easily A/B test all of your messaging, creative, call-to-actions and be certain you&#8217;re generating qualified leads?</p>
<p>Now that we&#8217;re leveraging these great tools online with Internet Marketing, does this mean we should disregard traditional, seemingly more expensive marketing mediums such as expensive tradeshows, traditional public relations and even direct mail? Absolutely not. Rather, we should leverage what we know with Internet Marketing to make our traditional marketing efforts even more successful, especially direct mail marketing.</p>
<p>By leveraging Internet Marketing, we can prove our messaging, creative and call-to-actions BEFORE sending out our direct mail campaigns, thus increasing the likeliness of effectiveness.</p>
<p>Here are some important direct mail tips to keep in mind as you craft your campaign:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Post office regulations</strong> [<a href="http://www.usps.com/" target="_blank">http://www.usps.com/</a>] &#8211; Make sure to double-check the post office regulations prior to sending out a postcard or letter to make sure you&#8217;re not violating any regulations. A reprint can be costly!</li>
<li style="list-style: none"></li>
<li><strong>Gold database</strong> &#8211; Make sure your database is solid. Without a database that targets the right people, with the correct contact information, it doesn&#8217;t matter how effective your messaging is.</li>
<li style="list-style: none"></li>
<li><strong>Test your messaging</strong> &#8211; Leverage <a href="http://www.blogger.com/internet-marketing/internet-marketing-strategy/" target="_blank">Internet Marketing</a> techniques to test as much of your direct mail piece as possible. Do A/B tests on the headline, subhead, image, call-to-action, offer, layout, etc.</li>
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<li><strong>Don&#8217;t look like junk mail</strong> &#8211; If your envelope looks like junk mail, it is not likely going to be opened. Make sure the envelope you send your piece in has an &#8220;openability&#8221; appeal.</li>
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<li><strong>What&#8217;s in it for me? (WIIFM)</strong> &#8211; It&#8217;s important that the recipient of the direct mail piece knows immediately, WIIFM? This will increase readability.</li>
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<li><strong>Coupons</strong> &#8211; Make sure your offers are something you can stand behind. I recently saw a coupon for a FREE Papa John&#8217;s Three-Topping pizza, effective on one day, through online ordering. Coincidentally, on that same day, the online ordering for the locations offering the coupons was down, along with the phones.</li>
</ul>
<p>Have an upcoming direct mail campaign? <a href="http://www.blogger.com/culture/contact">Call MicroArts, a creative agency</a>.</p>
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		<title>FTC Announces Regulation on Blogger Claims&#8211;Three Reasons this is Good News, not Bad!</title>
		<link>http://www.microarts.com/culture/branding-insights/ftc-announces-regulation-on-blogger</link>
		<comments>http://www.microarts.com/culture/branding-insights/ftc-announces-regulation-on-blogger#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:42:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Drew Schulthess</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blogosphere engagement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Internet marketing strategy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media influence marketing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.microarts.com/culture/branding-insights/?p=121</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 155px; height: 155px;" src="/culture/branding-insights/wp-content/uploads/legacy/shutterstock_33003910-728777.jpg" alt="" border="0"/><strong>By Drew Schulthess
Digital Influence Strategist</strong></p>
<p>First and foremost, I was not endorsed or sent any special gifts to write this blog post. I did however go as far as printing out and glancing through the 81 page Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising guide released by the FTC this week. Can we go as far&#8230;</p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 155px; height: 155px;" src="/culture/branding-insights/wp-content/uploads/legacy/shutterstock_33003910-728777.jpg" alt="" border="0"/><strong>By Drew Schulthess<br />
Digital Influence Strategist</strong></p>
<p>First and foremost, I was not endorsed or sent any special gifts to write this blog post. I did however go as far as printing out and glancing through the 81 page <a href="http://www.ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005endorsementguidesfnnotice.pdf" target="_blank">Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising</a> guide released by the FTC this week. Can we go as far as calling this heavy bundle of ink on my desk a gift? I don&#8217;t think any 81 page regulatory document is a gift. However, I think that the actions from the FTC have gotten a bad rap and will end up serving the general good of consumers, marketers and organizations across the board. Don&#8217;t believe me? Here are three good reasons you should:</p>
<p><span id="more-121"></span></p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Rapid increase in transparency = happier consumers <img src='http://www.microarts.com/culture/branding-insights/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':)' class='wp-smiley' /> </strong> &#8211; If you have been following the noise/buzz surrounding the recent announcement you will quickly discover a trend. The complaints and issues with the new regulations are coming from bloggers, marketers and organizations. Hmm, but what about the consumers, general public and everyday people in which content on the web was intended for? Are they complaining about the outlook of a more honest, credible and transparent landscape on the internet? I think not.
<p>In reality, the increase in transparency created by these new regulations will create happier and better informed consumers. Why? For starters, 90% of consumers trust recommendations from people they know and 70% of them trust consumer opinions that are posted online, as found by the Nielsen Company in their latest <a href="http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/consumer/global-advertising-consumers-trust-real-friends-and-virtual-strangers-the-most/" target="_blank">Global Online Consumer Survey</a>? That&#8217;s right, nearly three quarters of consumers online trust the opinions posted online by other consumers which is higher than all other traditional formats like editorial content, TV, newspapers, magazines and radio. With that said, isn&#8217;t it a good thing we now have some rules that promote transparency within these online opinions? After all trust is everything, is it not?</p>
<p></li>
<li><strong>Products &#8211; Survival of the Fittest not the Richest!</strong> Real simple&#8211;money can change the game for underperforming products. Let&#8217;s let products speak for themselves in the opinion platforms of the online world. Is that too much to ask? If you can&#8217;t make it out there without paying people off for their opinions then you don&#8217;t deserve to be there in the first place.</li>
<li><strong>Accurate Diffusion of Content</strong> &#8211; Here is a simple example: You go to read a blog in which the blogger was swayed into liking a product via a payment or special gift. You read how they love the product and highly recommend it. You trust them, in fact, you typically buy whatever they recommend. As a result of reading this post you make a tweet about the product to 150 of your followers, tell five of your best friends at your next party and make a post on your Facebook wall. Get the drift?</li>
</ol>
<p>When it comes to <a href="http://www.blogger.com/internet-marketing/blogosphere-engagement/">blogger engagement</a> at MicroArts, we have always relied on our client&#8217;s true value offering or product to do the talking and nothing else. For many, this development by the FTC probably came as a shock. We hope for those upset or angry with the FTC they can see the positives in this development. We would love to connect with you and chat about it. Please <a href="http://www.blogger.com/culture/contact">drop us a line or come visit</a> us anytime.</p>
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