Maurilio Amorim

Search results for: “feed”

  • Content Marketing Rules: How to Add VALUE to Your Posts

    Content is still king in 2015, but how do you generate meaningful social media that provides VALUE? By focusing on creating content that will be:

    • Visual
    • Amuse

                and by making sure you

    • Listen
    • Unify
    • Engage

    with your audience.

    value add content marketing

     

    VISUAL

    A picture is worth a thousand words, and sometimes a thousand clicks. When you scroll through your news feed on your smart phone, what catches your eye? Photo posts account for 93% of the most engaging posts on Facebook. Photos on Facebook generate 53% more likes than the average text only post (Hubspot 2012). Use pictures and video to your advantage by creating compelling images that share the story of your brand and its impact, your brand’s history, and celebrate your customers.

    AMUSE

    Even the most conservative brands and organizations can have fun. Show your wittier side and your fans will love you. Think about the unpredictable humor behind such traditionally “boring” brands as Old Spice. Their new campaign strategy featuring former football player and actor Isaiah Mustafa was quirky and very, very viral. Old Spice’s online interactive strategy took place over just three days and featured real-time responses to Twitter accounts during “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” campaign. The campaign generated 80K twitter followers in 2 days, bumped up traffic to their website by 300% and Facebook fan interaction jumped 800%. Maybe you don’t have a shirtless guy to promote your brand, but don’t be afraid to think outside the box when appropriate.

    LISTEN

    According to the Exact Target’s State of Marketing Report, 60% of marketers were using social listening strategies in 2013 and 24% plan to do so in 2015. Social listening helps you identify opportunities to interact directly with your audience but it’s more than setting up a HootSuite account and monitoring tweets that mention your brand’s name or your conference hashtag. Monitor your social media statistics to see what content resonates best with your fans. Use social media listening to better understand your target audience, respond strategically, and build relationships.

    UNIFY

    Use social media to unify your brand messaging across all platforms as well as to create unity. Non-profits can really utilize the power of social media to get their supporters to rally behind a like cause. Consider appointing a social media street team to help spread unified messages about your organization.

     ENGAGE

    Don’t just inform your followers, interact with them. Consider using user-generated content. Ask your audience to submit photos and videos as part of a special campaign or to recognize a milestone, such as an anniversary or fundraising goal. Moe’s is celebrating their signature “Welcome to Moe’s” greeting with a fun fan-generated Instagram video contest. They’ve asked fans to upload their own version of the Moe’s welcome and tag it on Instagram. One lucky winner won a $250 gift card to Moe’s (that’s a lot of burritos.) Not only is fan-generated content a fun way to show customer appreciation, it’s a clever way of generating fresh, relevant content.

     

    Social media should be a 24/7 conversation that constantly evolves. If it’s a one-way street of dialogue, then pretty soon you’ll be the only vehicle on the road.

    What’s a good social media campaign you have seen lately?

  • Social Media Content Strategy That Works

    Content is still king in 2014, but how do you generate meaningful social media that provides VALUE? By focusing on creating content that will be:

    • Visual
    • Amusing

          and by making sure you

    • Listen
    • Unify
    • Engage

    with your audience.

    marketing social media content great success

    VISUAL

    A picture is worth a thousand words, and sometimes a thousand clicks. When you scroll through your news feed on your smart phone, what catches your eye? Photo posts account for 93% of the most engaging posts on Facebook. Photos on Facebook generate 53% more likes than the average text only post (Hubspot 2012). Use pictures and video to your advantage by creating compelling images that share the story of your brand and its impact, your brand’s history, and celebrate your customers.

    AMUSE

    Even the most conservative brands and organizations can have fun. Show your wittier side and your fans will love you. Think about the unpredictable humor behind such traditionally “boring” brands as Old Spice. Their new campaign strategy featuring former football player and actor Isaiah Mustafa was quirky and very, very viral. Old Spice’s online interactive strategy took place over just three days and featured real-time responses to Twitter accounts during “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” campaign. The campaign generated 80K twitter followers in 2 days, bumped up traffic to their website by 300% and Facebook fan interaction jumped 800%. Maybe you don’t have a shirtless guy to promote your brand, but don’t be afraid to think outside the box when appropriate.

     

    LISTEN

    According to the Exact Target’s 2014 State of Marketing Report, 60% of marketers were using social listening strategies in 2013 and 24% plan to do so in 2014. Social listening helps you identify opportunities to interact directly with your audience but it’s more than setting up a HootSuite account and monitoring tweets that mention your brand’s name or your conference hashtag. Monitor your social media statistics to see what content resonates best with your fans. Use social media listening to better understand your target audience, respond strategically, and build relationships.

     

    UNIFY

    Use social media to unify your brand messaging across all platforms as well as to create unity. Non-profits can really utilize the power of social media to get their supporters to rally behind a like cause. Consider appointing a social media street team to help spread unified messages about your organization.

     

    ENGAGE

    Don’t just inform your followers, interact with them. Consider using user-genrated content. Ask your audience to submit photos and videos as part of a special campaign or to recognize a milestone, such as an anniversary or fundraising goal. Moe’s is celebrating their signature “Welcome to Moe’s” greeting with a fun fan-generated Instagram video contest this spring. They’ve asked fans to upload their own version of the Moe’s welcome and tag it on Instagram. One lucky winner will win a $250 gift card to Moe’s (that’s a lot of burritos.) Not only is fan-generated content a fun way to show customer appreciation, it’s a clever way of generating fresh, relevant content.

     

    Social media should be a 24/7 conversation that constantly evolves. If it’s a one-way street or a monologue,  then pretty soon you’ll be the only vehicle on the road.

  • How Not to Deal with a Customer Service Fail

    Sometimes you are not in your best game. Things go wrong, and you know what just happened is in no way close to your best effort. You or your team fail your customer, client, or audience. So what should you do as a leader?

    bad customoer service

    Recently I ate at a restaurant where everything went wrong. Horribly wrong. From the moment my party arrived to the time we left, the entire experience was a disaster. Sometimes we have an off day. And rarely, an off day can turn into a truly awful day. It happens even to the best. But as I watched my dinner experience deteriorate with every course and exchange, I had hoped that management would at least try to “right” some of the “wrongs,” that in my opinion, were many. But that’s not what happened. After giving the manager a run down of the list of grievances, from poor service to the sword fish that had to sent back because it was drier than the Sahara desert, the best she managed to come up was, “Wow, usually people rave about their experience.  I’ve never heard this before.”  That was not the proper response.

    So what should her response have been? Here’s how I would have approached it:

    • I’m so sorry you were disappointed with your experience. What could we have done differently?
    • How can I make this right for you?
    • Would you give us another chance to make a different impression?

    Without having to agree with me that the service and food were substandard, the manager should have asked specific feedback and then tried to remedy the situation by offering to comp the overly dried entree that had to be prepared again, leaving the poor guy who ordered the bad dish having to eat his meal after everyone at the table had finished theirs.

    We will make mistakes. Even the best of teams will botch something (just ask Apple about their new map app). But the way we handle a momentary failure will help us avoid creating a culture of excuses that will likely lead to permanent failure.

    What’s the worst customer service experience you have had lately?

     

  • What Should Your Online Identity Be?

    I was listening to a discussion today about people’s online identity. Years ago it was taboo, and even considered unsafe to have your own name in forums and chat rooms–the precursors of today’s social media. And a lot of people still create user names that allow them to be anonymous. I’m looking at my Twitter feed right now and see names such as “Shoemoney” and “Angelcollector.” Creating pseudonyms online is web 1.o thinking.

    Intuitively I have always used my first and often last name in chat rooms, forums, and now Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and whatever comes next. The main reason I use my real name online is because, for me, the web is not a place where I go to hide, but I place where I go to connect,  share my voice, and engage clients and potential clients. It’s a place where what I do and who I am intersect in new and exciting ways. My holistic online existence allows me to write about my 10-year old son’s lack of “confidence” in his toilet after an unfortunate overflow incident, share pictures of great food I experience all over the globe,  as well as write about the new technology my company developed for TWR.org…a ministry that reaches into 169 countries in 202 different languages.

    My online identity is the closest to the sum total of who I am. I share thoughts, pictures, and video as an ever-growing collage of, well, myself. My online friends–people I’ve only met through my online persona, often say to me “I feel like I really know you.” And, if they follow me on Twitter or Facebook, they probably do. Some might feel I share too much personal information, while others appreciate my transparency. However, my personal brand continues to grow and get exposure to people all over the globe. I could have been “Brazilio” or “LatinMan” if I were using the web for nefarious reasons.

    Tom Peters was right: individuals are the brands of the future and not corporations. It would be interesting to find out what happens to Apple now that Steve is gone.

    How intentional are you about your online identity? How transparent are you with your posts?

  • The Hidden Costs of Bargains

    As a general rule, we do not want to spend more money than we have to.  But for those of us who love a bargain, chasing the “best deal” can ultimately cost us a lot of more. I know. I have done it several times. It took a good friend to say, “Are you willing to lose a $250,000 deal over $1,500?” as I got caught in the trap of the haggling game I had created. Since then I have tried to wise up and get to the bottom line of every major purchase, construction project, or service contract. The question I try to answer is “What’s the true cost of my short cut?”

    Bargain

    That’s not an easy one to answer. Before I can come up with the true cost of my decision, here are some variables I have to consider:

    How much more of my time will this less expensive option take? In my experience, a bargain always come with extra effort, therefore, extra time. As a rule of thumb, I figure what I make per hour and account for the extra time I will have give to this project. That alone can put an end to my cheap alternative.

    How much will it cost the entire company in lost productivity? Slow computers, inefficient systems, missing personnel, and crowded quarters can cost you more than paying full price for their replacements. If you are not careful you can starve the very thing that feeds you. You can “save money” to the point of losing it.

    What opportunities will we lose because of the extra headache, inadequate personnel resources, and general lack of focus? That’s perhaps the most difficult question to quantify, but I see it happen often. A simple fail to follow up on a lead that could be your biggest deal ever can cost you a lot. The inability to focus on growth engines can have an organization preoccupied with the urgent but not important. You might put out the fire but you will also fail to secure the future.

    What other hidden costs of any give “bargain” should we consider?

  • Twitter Etiquette

    I love the instant and concise nature of Twitter as well as the quick feedback and the community I’ve enjoyed being a part of it. However, I have seen a lot of people misuse and even abuse Twitter. So here are my top 5 Tweeves (Twitter Peeves):


    Twittarrhea: An unstoppable string of running Tweets for no reason. If you have 12 tweets within an hour, something very important, dangerous, or extremely cool should be happening. Otherwise, don’t punish us for your boredom.

    Twitteralogue: A long Twitter dialogue between two people. If you want to text your best friend, then great…text him, but please don’t have a long private conversation on Twitter. I really don’t want to know that you use Yukon Gold potatoes for mashing. Remember, you can use the direct tweet option for your personal, confidential, and or boring conversation.

    Twittertising: Uncontrolled self promotion of goods and/or services. Ok, before you accuse me of shameless self promotion and of breaking my own rules, I must clarify. Twitter is a great tool for marketing when done sparingly. If all your posts are promoting goods and services, you’re missing the point of the network and annoying the rest of us.

    Twitterbosity: Verbosity in tweets. One of the distinctives of this medium is the 140 character limit. It forces us to be concise and to get to the heart of the matter quickly. I believe it has helped me become a better writer. I blogged about it here. I have seen people post 3 or 4 tweets to explain a thought. Well, that’s a blog entry. Sometimes you need more than 140 character, but it should be a rare exception and not the rule.

    Twatin’: As in “hatin’” on Twitter. Originally, I had it named Twurd as in throwing a, hmm, well, moving on. Twitterland is all about love and community and there’s no place for ill feelings and pettiness. That’s what email is for.

    What about you? What are your Tweeves?

  • Successful Surveys in a Time of Consumer Fatigue

    The proliferation of customer satisfaction surveys is taking its toll on me. Once I was inclined to answer them. Now, I immediately dismiss the many requests for my feedback. According to an article in the NY Times, the exponential growth of the satisfaction survey is annoying consumers world wide. In the past, these surveys were an expensive proposition. Market research firms charged a lot of money to define, craft, and administer polls and to find a good representative sample of the target group. There is a lot of science and experience that goes into good quantitative and qualitative research. But with the advent of easy-to-use survey tools like SurveyMonkey, anyone can create a quick one and throw it online. What once was viewed as a privilege is now seen as a nuisance.

    survey fatigue

    So should you give up on getting feedback from the stakeholders in your organization? Of course not; but when doing so, consider the following:

    Keep it short. I mean short. What’s the essential information you must get? Most surveys are designed to get information to help shape a decision. You must decide the minimum required and make sure that’s the first thing you ask. While I, in responding to a survey, might  decide to answer three questions, I will not click through multiple pages. We no longer have the luxury of “warming people up” to the place they will give us what we need. If you fail to get to the heart of the matter soon, you might not get what you need.

    Incentivize. The busier and higher compensated your target audience is, the more you will have to pay for their opinion. Drug companies pay hundreds of dollars for medical doctors to give them feedback. Discount codes, coupons, and ebook downloads are all cost-effective ways to incentivize your audience to engage in a survey longer than a few simple questions.

    Feedback. I have never seen this done, but I would love to know what happened with the results of my survey. I once did a long survey for the marketing firm working on a Coca Cola ad campaign. It would be great getting a simple email back saying something like, “Thanks for being a part of our focus group. Click here to see how you helped shaped this campaign.” If organizations were to start this trend, I, for one, would consider answering surveys again.

    How often to you participate in a survey? Have you found yourself ignoring them more and more?

     

  • Communicating with a New Generation

    If you’re going to lead anything you need to learn to communicate across generations. Most of us have no problem communication with those are older than we are, but we often stumble when dealing with the younger generations. I have studied, worked with and watch e generation that prefers learning in a non-sequential, mosaic way–no doubt influenced by the a culture saturated with endless sound and video bytes. I have experienced that first hand in the lives of my own children whose world is one large media bucket where they both learn and interact with information in a much more informal and yet dynamic way than I did at their age.

    We no longer search for information, but information seeks and finds us whenever we are. Between my Twitter and Facebook feeds I’m constantly aware of news, trivia, the important and the ridiculous searching for me every second of the day.

    For those of us in communication this seemingly shift toward the chaotic and yet abundant information overload along with the changing learning habits has significant implications. Here’s a few to consider:

    1.Publishers that survive this shift will have to figure out how to produce and distribute content that’s beyond the black and white printed page. We might not be reading books, but we’re watching YouTube, reading blogs, listening to podcasts, reading Facebook posts and sharing our own content online.

    2. Educators who succeed will no longer be guardians of knowledge since anyone with a phone can now access the all the human knowledge base in seconds. The new educators will help students think, reason and make sense of the available information. Teaching facts is no longer the role of the teacher.

    3.Pastors and speakers will connect with this generation by helping them understand the great timeline of faith and how their own stories fit within God’s plan of redemption. They’ll begin spiritual conversations instead of preaching didactic sermons on what not to do. They’ll create environments for Biblical discovery instead of legislating spirituality.

    4.Employers will have to understand that this generation is not lazy, but that they live life full and in the moment and that relationships, causes and even pleasure will not be postponed for the sake of a career and “getting ahead.” Quality of life is the new currency superseding the almighty dollar.

    5.Parents must instill a strong moral and ethical code within their children from birth. There are not enough Internet filters and tv channel blockers to protect our children from the culture’s information dump being pushed at them at the speed of light. If we can’t shelter them from life as we know it, we must get to their hearts and minds before the rest of the planet does.

    What other areas do you see a need in a different communication approach?

  • The Problem with the Fake Blog

    “And let’s also add a blog to the new site design,” he said as if it were an afterthought, which I was sure it was. Knowing his propensity for delegating, I probed further, “That’s great. How often are you planning on blogging?” “Oh, I’m not going to write the blog myself, ” he said assuredly, “my secretary is going to take care of that.”

    Unfortunately, I find myself having this conversation with Pastors and business leaders more and more often. What ensues is usually a long argument about what a blog should or shouldn’t be. Here are some thoughts on the matter:

    Your blog should be your voice. It’s telling your story or the things you’re passionate about. No one else can do it for you. Are you sure you want your assistant speaking for you? If you have a corporate blog than, it’s a different matter. You can even use an editor to help make the posts smoother and edited for grammar. But you should own the ideas on your blog.

    Don’t disguise a PR post or news feed as a blog. People are smarter than that. They will let you know by not coming back or following you. Remember a blog is a conversation not just the latest thing you’re trying to push.

    Don’t fear negative feedback. Reasonable people can disagree and still respect each other. As far as the jerks and loonies go, just press “delete.” Not everyone appreciates my work, and some think I’m, let’s just say it nicely, “prostituting the gospel of Jesus Christ.” Unfortunately some anonymous commentators don’t use such polite language and I’m often forced to delete their entries.

    Have fun. Be transparent. People connect with you first then with your subject matter. My pastor Pete Wilson,  of Cross Point Community Church, posted a video in his blog of he and his wife Brandi in a silly competition of who was able to hold their breath the longest. The video not only helps us get the whimsical side of Pete, but it also features the sweet, albeit competitive, personality of his lovely wife, Brandi. After watching this how can you not love these people? Watch it here.

    The best blogs are a mix of personal and professional postings. Some people feel they need to dispense wisdom, wit and insight with every post. That’s OK, but the most interesting blogs to me are a mix of experience, passionate pursuits, insight, emotions, accomplishments and failures. I usually get the information, but I do in the context of one’s perspective that I’ve grown to understand and appreciate because of the human element found throughout each post.

    How do you react when facing with a blog that you suspect is not written by its named author or is too self serving?

  • Finding Your Perfect Job Has More To do With You Than The Market

    Lately I have spent time with several friends on their careers. The tough economy, life transition and leadership issues have forced some of my friends to reconsider their current employment.  It’s not uncommon for what you thought to be your dream job turn into your living nightmare. Over the years I have heard plenty of times, “I was hired to do one thing and now my job is doing something completely different.” It happens–more so these days than ever before.  While I empathize with their pain ( I have been there before)  I usually tell them: Don’t run away from a bad situation. Instead run toward the future you want.

    Find your perfect job career

    Every time we run from a job, we risk of ending up in a similar situation later down the road. Before you search for another job or decide to make a career move, take time and do some honest soul searching. Here’s where I would start:

    know your strengths and weaknesses. Be honest with yourself. Don’t buy into your own PR. You’re not good at everything. None of us are. Unless you can understand what you do well and what you don’t, you’ll never put yourself in a place where you can succeed. If you’re not a numbers person, then admit it. Stay away from business administration and accounting. Your perfect job will never be something you are not good doing. Never.

    Understand the environment you work best. Work environment makes a difference in performance. If you’re a collaborative person, than a job where you work alone or from home is not going to get the best out of you.

    Create a list of your past “wins” and find a common thread. Look back and catalog the projects, jobs, or situations where you had positive results or feedback. What made them succeed? If you can find the winning pattern, it will help you identify the key elements that will help you succeed in your new position. 

    Design your ideal job/career in your mind. It’s easy to say “yes” to a lot of things when you don’t have a strong idea of what you really want. It’s easy to say “no” to a good opportunity when you’re waiting to say “yes” to your perfect job.

    Connect the dots. In my experience, the perfect job you want is usually two or three steps, jobs, opportunities away from where you are. Learn to connect the dots and strategically pursue the next logical opportunity.

    What other advice would you give someone who is ready to make a job or career move?

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