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Marketers have few Facebook friends

"Proof reading your blog posts certainly helps too ;-)"

2011-10-07T14:15:00.004+01:00

Last week I discussed the common misconception that Social Media allows everybody to be an effective marketer. This train of thought is widely propagated by a whole host of Social Media gurus and experts, who say just follow their hints and tips, or better still, buy their 'how-to' guides, and you too could harness the power of Social Media for your business.

Unsurprisingly, it's not that simple and these tend more towards those 'get quick rich' schemes, rather than actually transforming people into marketing whirlwinds.

As with any worthwhile outcome, Social Media marketing success takes hard work, knowledge and experience. If a company doesn't have the appropriate resources, they better look to a third party, such as eskimosoup, to conduct their campaigns.

Last weeks article was a response to one appearing in Marketing Week and here's a couple more to support the argument from their excellent writer, Mark Ritson. Very interesting reading, especially to see that even the big brand can get it wrong in Social Media

The seven dumbest sins of social media

So moving on, this week I want to talk about a comment I received on last weeks blog entry. From 'anonymous', the comment said,"Proof reading your blog posts certainly helps too ;-)", indicating a mistake in my copy. I only spotted one, but there may have been more.

Of course I do proof read my blog's before posting, but apparently not well enough for the odd typo to get through. It's an important point that whenever you publish anything online, be sure to check and double check it.

With the advent of Social Media, with it's status updates and tweets, we're getting more used to publishing regularly. What we publish is more likely to be a short remark, rather than a long, considered article and this brevity, along with just how often these are posted, can bring complacency with the accuracy of the language used. Even big brands make mistakes if you keep an eye out for them.

Now, obviously the subject of this blog isn't the English language or grammar and eskimosoup is in no way an English School, so I don't feel too ashamed. But presentation is a part of our work and spelling mistakes or typos just don't look good. No matter what company you are and however forgiving your audience, mistakes always detract in some respect from your professionality.

Twenty years ago, before the online boom, when a company's marketing activities might be producing a paper catalogue, some posters and a handful of leaflets, there was a relatively small amount of copy to check and get right. In the modern world, where companies are expected to blog a couple of times a week, post several status updates through each day and constantly tweet, that's a heck of a lot more output to control.

But it does still need quality control. Being quick and responsive is part of the nature of Social Media, so having to wait for the Director to 'ok' everything just won't work. Whoever runs your campaigns needs a certain amount of autonomy, a good grasp of the written language and an eye for detail. They need to consider carefully what they're posting and not rush it or they risk those errors coming through and your brand being damaged.

As last week showed, there'll almost always be someone around to jump on your mistakes and leave a comment. This then puts a big sign up for any other readers who didn't notice, making the whole situation worse. It's much better to simply take the due care and attention in the first place.

Right. Now I've gone and done it and written about proof reading, so I'm really opening myself up with this one. Have I made any mistakes or typos? 'Anonymous', over to you...

Hull Dine Week is coming to whet your appetite!

2011-10-06T10:24:00.020+01:00

We're all "souper" excited about Hull Dine Week!

Taking place in various Hull city centre dining venues, you can save money with Buy One Get One Free offers, Kids Eat Free promotions and other great deals whilst filling your belly with mouth-watering meals!

The participating venues are:

Ask (Princes Dock Street)
Ceruttis (10 Nelson Street)
Expressions (Holiday Inn Express, Ferensway)
handmade burger Co. (St Stephen's)

Holiday Inn (Castle Street)

Kings Grill and Bar (10 King Street)

Leonardo's (Princes Dock Street)

Linley's (22-23 Story Street)

McCoy's (Princes Dock Street)

Pizza Express (Princes Quay)

Pizza Hut (Jameson Street)

Portland Hotel (Paragon Street)

Stanleys (Paragon Square)
The Wilson (Freedom Quay, Hull Marina)

Please note that offers, dates and times vary by venue.

Running from Friday 21st - Sunday 30th October, Hull Dine Week will also host 'Come Dine With Us', an opportunity for anyone to become an online food reviewer and be in with a chance of winning £100 of vouchers to spend in a Hull Dine Week venue of their choice.

Hull Dine Week is run by Hull BID and linked with eatdrinkenjoy.

For more information, please visit the Facebook event.

Oh, and don't forget to wear your best bib!

Newsflash! Social Media Marketing is not easy and not everyone can do it!

2011-09-30T12:23:00.005+01:00

In the past few week's articles, I've been getting into some of the nitty gritty of facebook's functionality, but this week i'm taking a broader view.

Over at Marketing Week, a study has highlighted the fact that many businesses are still failing to make the most of Social Media. It's not that they're not using it, but rather employing ineffective strategies, not measuring returns and at the bottom line, wasting money.

That money might be wasted by giving current employees responsibility for Social Media Campaigns, when they're not quite up to the job.

Like any marketing, if the delivery bloke does it between runs, it ain't gonna be that great. Whoever's doing it needs a bit of nounce (sorry to any delivery drivers reading and I know some of you do) and a realistic amount of time allocated.

At least being familiar with facebook, twitter, et al, is definitely an advantage, if not a necessity, so a young intern or temp could be useful, but how well can they really represent the culture and brand of the business? Even if they're a Marketing trainee, there's a heck of a lot for them to have to consider in a serious Social Media approach. That's a lot to ask, no matter how good they are.

A marketing manager, with years of experience, might still find facebook a foreign land and not quite have the catchy lingo to maximise a status update's 'shareablility'. Just getting to grips with how to use the various platforms would be a massive time drain and unlikely to result in anything like the necessary knowledge of the tools required.

At the same time, the marketing manager's attention and efforts are taken away from the things they're actually good at and which benefit their business.

Ok, ok, it won't always be a disaster. If there's a marketing professional working in the company, who has a good grasp of Social Media, then that money might be well spent, but that's still far from certain.

So, just like in other areas of marketing, many businesses make the decision to go outside and employ a marketing agency to run their Social Media campaigns. If they make the right decision, they'll choose a company like us, who demonstrate a considered, joint-up approach and who delivers results.

But that's not everyone and here's where money can again be wasted.

A top tip and general rule in marketing, which possibly extends further through business, is never criticise the competition. That said, some marketing agencies are just plain rubbish. So rubbish, in fact, that we wouldn't consider them competition, so I think I can get away with it. If a business chooses a rubbish agency, then they should have done there homework better, and can expect little from their spend.

Most will make a a better decision, but marketing is very multi-disicplinary, and if the online side of a good agency's work isn't quite up to scratch, they'll struggle with Social Media. If an agency's websites are just as great as their posters, they're more likely to be effective at Social Media marketing. Ideally, they'll have at least one specialist or at the very best, a whole team dedicated to the practice.

Just like us. We have a great team and our strategy's are responsive to individual businesses and always evolving, as the campaign rolls out and continues.

We don't pretend to have all the answers, but marketing within Social Media is a young discipline and anyone who says they do, is terribly over confident. Facebook on it's own has vast functionality and a scope that even Mark Zuckerberg can't predict.

Social Media itself is very young and who knows where it will be in five years, if indeed it still actually exists in anything like the form it does now. Marketing within it is always a challenge, as it's always changing, but can offer great rewards... if done right.

Heineken: The water in Majorca

2011-09-28T14:39:00.001+01:00

Heineken isn’t a British beer. Originating in the Netherlands in 1873, it’s still primarily brewed there to this day. However, we Brits have developed such a taste for the brand that we gave it a fully-fledged Cockney character back in the 1980s. How did we do this? Through the School of Street Credibility!

This advert sees a delightfully prim and proper young lady attempting to recite the sentence “The water in Majorca don’t taste like what it oughta” in a brash East End accent, but instead coming across as if she’s in a dramatisation of Jane Eyre. The bullish but likeable ‘speech coach’ is reaching the end of his tether, desperately repeating “Ma-jow-ka” before slumping into his seat in resignation. Luckily, his office dogsbody brings in some cool refreshment, advising the woman to “get yer laughing gear round that”. And hallelujah, suddenly she could land a lead role in Only Fools and Horses, and the concluding few seconds are the icing on the cake (or the head on the pint, if you will).

Years later, we were all unwittingly exposed to a horrifying scene: Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee, each dressed in romantic garb, playing the piano and swinging in a tree respectively, both singing ‘Why do birds suddenly appear?’ and making far too much eye contact with the viewer. The culmination was a menacingly calm caption that read, ‘Buy a pint of Heineken or we’ll keep running this commercial’. Those evil geniuses!

Nevertheless, the British public doesn’t like to be coerced into buying things. We each believe we’re shrewd customers: we know what we want and we reckon we’re far from impressionable. Still, this stubbornness was our downfall when, a short while later, a second version of the advert was released, very similar to the first but even more painful due to the addition of Peter Stringfellow and Vanessa Feltz. Oh, the humanity! Heineken was just as cruel this time around too, taunting us with an “I told you so” attitude.

Finally, we all surrendered and bought a pint of Heineken (let’s face it, we had no choice), and were then rewarded with something the entire family could enjoy. It was at this point that the brand’s strapline really did ring true: ‘How refreshing. How Heineken.’

Recently, in early 2011, we were treated to a particular lollapalooza of a commercial, but one that caused a wee bit of controversy. Called ‘The Entrance’, a veritable superhuman of a gent enters a mansion and wows the guests with, in this particular order, warmth, respect, surprise, speed, geniality, spectacle, chivalry, precision, high fives, sportsmanship, magic, martial arts, dexterity and music, all with unfailing charm. Some viewers believed Heineken was stating that alcohol contributes to ‘social and sexual success’. This, thankfully, was overruled by the ASA on the grounds that the character doesn’t drink a drop of alcohol during the advert and the brand itself is shown for only a few seconds during the 90-second run time.

The first global campaign in five years, this advert was shot in Spain and features the Danish group The Asteroids Galaxy Tour. Back in 1999 Heineken was voted 'Brand of the Century' in the Netherlands, but the last few years have seen a slip in sales. Perhaps this current campaign, with its proactive slogan ‘Open your world’, is just what the brand needs, and with almost a million views within the first week of launching, Heineken may well receive prestigious awards once again.

So whether parody, blackmail or extravaganza, Heineken is one brand that knows how to get our attention. And for all of you out there who, like me, enjoyed the tune in the recent advert, here’s the full video just for you. But prepare yourself; it’s a Danish psychedelic space trip! How refreshing.

eskimosoup is:

A Hull Marketing Agency

A Hull Web Design Agency

A Hull Graphic Design Agency

Google is set to take over the world!

2011-09-27T14:35:00.004+01:00

Today is Google's 13th birthday!

Google: one of only a handful of brand names, such as Hoover and Sellotape, to expand beyond the confines of a proper noun and enter verb territory. ‘To Google’ is to search online for something, despite the numerous competing search engines that are just as easy to access and refer to. With the corporation accounting for a 91% share of all searches in late 2010, this is completely understandable.

So far, Google covers pretty much every area of life you can imagine. With apps such as Calendar, Maps and Translate, you’ll never become lost in time, space or translation ever again. The latest additions to the family are Offers and Wallet, which work together beautifully the way online siblings should.

Having had their buyout offer of $6billion declined by Groupon, Google set to work creating their own version of email-based discounts. Currently undergoing trials in parts of America, Google Offers presents daily deals that target specific geographic areas.

Imagine it: Your smartphone receives an email offering a 25% discount at your favourite coffee shop. You walk in and place your order, present the email on your screen, then swipe your phone using Google Wallet as payment – you don’t even have to find your debit card!

Localised, relevant, up-to-date and targeted, Google Offers will revolutionise the way we shop, whilst providing retailers with a cheap and effective form of advertising and drawing app users through their doors. If all goes according to plan, Google Offers will soon be available worldwide.

Google Wallet, the corporation’s mobile payment system, is now available to Johnny Public (well, any Johnny Public that uses a Sprint Nexus S 4G phone and Citi MasterCard or Visa card at least), and works with over 300,000 merchant locations as of 20th September 2011. Incredibly simple to use, you just swipe your smartphone at the checkout and voila, you’ve paid for your groceries, cinema tickets or a big bag of Pick ‘n’ Mix for your Friday afternoon treat.

To initiate the service you need a Google account (no surprise there). After agreeing to those good old-fashioned T&Cs and creating a PIN, you can start the process of adding your cards to your account. Over time, the logical progression will surely see all smartphones, card providers and retailers embracing this new technology.

Aside from convenience and versatility, the system is also more secure than a regular debit card, meaning it really does tick all the boxes. So look out for Google Offers and Google Wallet, as they’re set to simplify and optimise the way we shop and advertise our business: perfect for all avid Googlonians.

eskimosoup is:
A Hull Marketing Agency
A Hull Web Design Agency
A Hull Graphic Design Agency

Spotlight on eskimosoup's Marketing Assistant

2011-09-26T11:02:00.002+01:00

eskimosoup offers many services: from graphic design and website construction to social media and exciting campaigns, we use the tools best suited to what you need. Our office works as four teams, one of these being the Marketing Team. This is made up of four fellas and one dedicated girl called Becky Duncan, our Marketing Assistant.

Sneaky eskimosoup reporter Rich Sutherland, who sometimes steals Becky’s Post-it notes when she isn’t looking, caught up with her to see what her role involves.

RS: Becky, can you tell us how you got to be where you are today? (Not in that specific chair, I mean at eskimosoup.)

BD: I left school and went to sixth form for a month, then I studied hairdressing for six months, worked full-time for six months, went to college to study Creative and Media, left college, started an apprenticeship with Hull Business Training Centre and got employed by eskimosoup in March 2010. I qualified in both Level 2 and 3 in Business Admin while here and once completed was employed as the Marketing Assistant.

RS: Sounds like it’s been a busy few years. So what are you working on at the moment?

BD: Right now I’m organising the St Stephen’s Student Lock-in on Tuesday 4th October, which is a big event exclusively for students in the area with loads of special offers, competitions and entertainment. There’ll be all kinds of fantastic things like a Capital FM DJ, a Red Bull stand, stilt walkers and even an RC racecar track!

RS: Those lucky students! You’ll be telling me there’s a free beans on toast promotion next!

BD: Yep.

RS: Awww…

BD: I’m also working on the Hull BID Dine Week, which takes place from 21^st until 30^th October, NHS Leeds Let’s Change, Hugh Rice Jewellers and other St Stephen’s promotions, so it’s really varied.

RS: It’s probably hard to choose but do you have an all-time favourite project?

BD: I don’t have a favourite as there have been parts of many projects that I’ve really enjoyed, but I have worked at a lot of fun and interesting events, particularly for St Stephen’s and the Hull Comedy Festival. I’m really excited about the Student Lock-in and can’t wait to see how it turns out.

RS: And what do you get up to when you’re outside the eskimosoup office?

BD: I love live music and have seen a mix of people from The Sex Pistols to Enrique Iglesias to Prince. And I’m going to see Mark Knopfler and Bob Dylan next month!

RS: “Like a rolling st—”

BD: Stop that.

RS: Kay.

BD: I’m also obsessed with shoes! I probably own over 50 pairs. At one point I was buying a new pair each week, and yet I still wear the same pair every day. I’ve calmed down a lot now though. I also like baking and decorating cupcakes.

RS: (See below.)

BD: What?

RS: Nothing, just talking to our readers.

BD: Oh. That’s a bit weird.

RS: Thanks for being this week's Team Spotlight, Becky. I'll let you get back to your Student Lock-in.

BD: No problem... Hey, where have my Post-it notes gone?

Next week’s Team Spotlight will be on John Gilbert, eskimosoup Marketing Director and comedy master.

eskimosoup is:

Yes! Something has most definitely changed on facebook

2011-09-23T13:57:00.003+01:00

Last week I asked the question, "has something just changed on facebook?" after I'd noticed a little difference. Then, within 24 hours of me publishing the post, facebook had a major overhaul of the newsfeed and a whole load of other features and that little difference was blown out of the water.

At which point it was more what hasn't changed, than what has. As discussed in the previous article, little changes are always happening on facebook, but every now and again there's a seismic shift, where it seems like everything changes. This was one of those times, just after I'd been on about it.

There's been the usual outpouring of dismay from users, who always have a good complain when they have to get used to something new. It will be interesting to see if any of these jump ship to Google+, since if they're having to learn new features anyway, they may as well try a new platform while they're at it.

Unsurprisingly, there's also been a flurry of activity from Social Media experts, all competing to give their take on the changes and what they mean for Social Media marketing. Personally, I'd rather let them bed in for a little while, get a feel for them and see how they effect user behavior, before I offer comment.

... except on changes to 'share'. This ubiquitous link on facebook has been the main subject in my recent articles and last week I stated that we'd look at how best to encourage use of 'share' in this article.

I had actually said the same in the previous week, but then facebook made a little change to 'share' which I had to address first. Now they've made this massive update, which includes aspects of 'share' and I'm in the same boat.

It just goes to show that when marketing on facebook or other Social Media platforms, you really do need to keep your eyes and ears open. What worked yesterday might not today, and if you can see those changes coming, you're all the better prepared.

So what's changed with 'share'?

The most notable is a great help in measurement and actually fills a hole that I identified a couple of week ago. Though the number of 'likes' and 'comments' was easy to see on a page, the number of 'shares' wasn't displayed anywhere. It was simply impossible to discern how many times content had been shared. but now the umber of shares is displayed with each post, in the same way as the number of 'likes'.

There also seems to be a difference in which content can be shared. Last week I said how 'share' was new to text only page status updates and now it seems to be gone from some personal profile posts in the newsfeed and on pages... but not all of them.

Hmm, why is this? What's the pattern? Is it to do with individual's privacy settings?

I'm not sure yet, but I'll look into it and get back top you.

Social Good Day

2011-09-21T15:09:00.005+01:00

Today, Wednesday 21st September 2011, is when social media is used for social good. It has a wonderfully straight forward name: Social Good Day.

A simple concept that results in a huge impact all over the world, all you have to do is share information, pictures, videos, links or any other useful content with friends and followers through sites such as Twitter and Facebook.

Whether you focus on a charity, campaign, helpline, workshop or even your thoughts on a particular social issue, you'll be raising awareness and making a difference.

eskimosoup are busy with a large laryngeal cancer awareness drive called Throat wrecked? Get it checked! Working with the Humber and Yorkshire Coast Cancer Network and NHS Hull, this social marketing campaign aims to highlight the warning signs and symptoms of throat cancer and the actions that should be followed. Early detection can make throat cancer treatable and save lives, so it is imperative that people know the facts and feel confident with what they should do if they notice the signs for three weeks or more.

Please help us by 'liking' the Facebook page. And if you have the time, posting the link on your wall and sharing it with others will be a great help and very much appreciated.

See what's going on across the planet for Social Good Day by checking out the Twitter trend #SocialGood.

Thank you.

eskimosoup is:

Spotlight on eskimosoup’s Developer

2011-09-18T17:45:00.000+01:00

We at eskimosoup don’t shout about our Technical Team as much as we should. They’re an amazing bunch that could have become super villains with master plans to enslave the world, blow up the sun, or even turn the Humber Bridge a shocking pink just for a laugh, but instead they use their powers to create top-notch websites, content management systems and simply breathtaking code.

Adam Poskitt is one such evil geni… er… I mean techie person. As an eskimosoup Developer, he’s worked on projects for numerous clients. Non-technical eskimosoup reporter Rich Sutherland pulled Adam away from his computer screen and some programming language called Ruby (which has nothing to do with the Crown Jewels) on a framework called Rails (Thomas the Tank Engine isn't involved) to learn a bit more about his role.

RS: Poskitt, you work with computers, websites and code every single day; did you study a relevant course beforehand?

AP: I have no formal education in computer science. When the time came for me to decide whether or not I wanted to further my education, I decided I wanted to do just that. That said, I wanted my work and career to be something that I would be proud to voice (I'm not ashamed to say that I'm an egotist), so I took a different approach.

RS: So if it wasn’t a formal education, what kind of training have you had?

AP: At the time, I thought I wanted something more challenging than working a 9-5. I opted for a career in the Army working in IT as an Engineer or Technician. I trained with the Army for 3 months with this as my focus, but dropped out when my personal life became more than difficult. Even now, I reserve a place in my heart for the military. After leaving, I was unemployed for months, but I started working at eskimosoup on Monday 16^th February 2009 and have loved every minute of it, even the fact that it’s 9-5.

RS: Have you always had a passion for… er… oh, I’ve gone blank. You know, those box things?

AP: Computers?

RS: Bingo.

AP: I've spent most of my life in computers. Whether it was helping out at school, experimenting at home with new software technologies or even selling them when working in retail.

RS: And what exactly do you do here?

AP: Since starting at eskimosoup as a member of the four-person Technical Team, I have developed, or at least been involved with, over one hundred websites. My job title is Developer; I build, maintain and extend sites for our clients. I strive to bring my experience from each of them to new applications that I'm responsible for.

RS: Sooooo… you make internet webpage things work?

AP: Yes, Sutherland, I make internet webpage things work. *sigh*

RS: What’s your current project, then?

AP: I've been working on websites for Vivergo Fuels, A. B. Rooms Locksmiths and the Humber and Yorkshire Coast Cancer Network campaign Throat wrecked? Get it checked!

RS: Blimey. Varied.

AP: Absolutely.

RS: And what’s your all-time favourite project?

AP: The development work on Vivergo Fuels' two websites. One is to promote their business that I mentioned earlier, the other is a partner portal that represents data from XML files that they upload in the form of bar and line graphs, making it easier for their partners to extrapolate data on their facility; this is protected by a secure login system.

RS: Blimey.

AP: You’ve already said that.

RS: I thought it was worth mentioning again to be safe. Anyway, what do you get up to when you’re not extrapo-mo-lating the Exxy Mel from the barren lines of the logging system? (Did I get that right?)

AP: Close enough. Well, despite my pedantic and specific criteria, I love to read and am an avid gamer. I enjoy writing but have found little time for it in recent years. I also find myself spending an unhealthy amount of time on Twitter.

RS: Oh yeah, I hear you follow some pornographic feed.

AP: Geographic. National Geographic.

RS: Ah.

AP: And NASA.

RS: So you make universally accessible websites at work, and enjoy keeping up to date with the world and the stars in your spare time?

AP: Huh. That was quite eloquently put… for you.

RS: Blimey.

AP: Ugh.

Next week’s Team Spotlight will be on Becky Duncan, eskimosoup’s Marketing Assistant and shoe lover.

eskimosoup is:

Has something just changed on facebook?

2011-09-16T12:07:00.001+01:00

The quick answer is 'probably'. After all, they always seem to be tinkering with or tweaking something. ,

An interesting aspect of facebook and indeed, many digital products, is how regularly they're updated. Unlike a physical product, where a new model needs to be purchased to receive upgrades, a web based service or desktop based program, like Windows, can offer it's users perpetual improvements. These are generally free and take little or no effort from the user to implement, possibly being automatically installed without the user even noticing.

Imagine you buy a second hand car. You wake up the next day and it's brand new. The next day it's a sports car. It hasn't cost you a penny and has taken no work, but your car just keeps getting better and better.

With products such as Windows, when a big overhaul is needed, a new model is released and then, there's a price. But with Social Media services such as facebook, they haven't as of yet, charged for new additions or indeed a new edition. The updates are just part of the service, which needs to stay up to date in order to stay relevant and ahead in the Social Media game.

Some of these updates, especially the big ones, receive a fanfare, press attention and often notify all users about the change. Security changes with facebook, for instance, usually draw a lot of comment, due to this particular subject always being a bone of contention and privacy as a whole, a constant consideration for the entire population of the internet.

But there are far more little tweeks that go by relatively unnoticed compared to the seismic shifts that everyone hears about. If you really do want to keep abreast of every little change, it's a difficult prospect, but a good place to start is the Facebook Blog.

I think one of these smaller changes may have just happened, but I'm not sure and can't find exact mention of it on the blog.

When a change is trumpeted, it's obviously easy to spot. But if it doesn't make the News, it could go by unnoticed, even by those such as me who work in Social Media. You might suspect it down the line, but chances are, you'll just think that's the way it's always been or not pay it a second thought.

Look at the 'like' link on facebook, next to 'comment' and 'share', which allows users to 'like' content posted by their friends and pages. It's far and away the most popular way of interacting with facebook and is an integral part of the experience.

How long has that been there? Since the beginning?

It's actually only been just over two years ago, yet it's difficult to imagine facebook without it.

This potential new change I've spotted isn't quite as far ranging, but for those of us who manage pages, it could be very useful. I'm fairly certain it hasn't been there forever, but if I'm wrong, please let me know. With so many different aspects to facebook, it can be difficult to keep track.

The change ties in rather nicely with my topic here for the past few weeks, namely the 'share' link. As mentioned above, 'share', 'comment' and 'like' appear underneath posts on facebook, allowing users to interact to them. If a page posted a video, photo or article, that content could be liked, commented on or shared by it's followers.

As discussed last week, share is possibly the most powerful in spreading that content beyond a page's follower-base, but there are problems.

The first is that if a user shares that video, photo or article, that's all they share. The accompanying comment by the page isn't shared, so any message given there is lost. We often recommend including a question or invitation to interact in this comment, which works with the first layer of followers who see the post in their newsfeeds. The second and further layers however, being follower's friends, their friends, and so on, only see what the shared post, without seeing the original comment.

I was going to look at how best to deal with this problem this week, but because of the change I've noticed, we'll leave it till next week. That change is important because it has solved the second, possibly even more crucial problem with share.

Quite simply, that problem was that a user could not share a text only status update by a page. I'm fairly sure I haven't imagined it, but until very recently only the 'comment' and 'like' links appeared under text only page status updates.

The 'share' link is now there.

Text has a far shorter download time than images, sounds and video, and is therefore the most accessible across the spectrum of internet speeds and devices around the world. This means it can reach the largest audience.

The lack of a share link was big limiter in realising that, but not any more. It's a small change, but one I'm very happy about and is undoubtedly good news for Pages.

Spotlight on eskimosoup's Creative Director

2011-09-09T17:24:00.008+01:00

eskimosoup has two Creative Directors. One of them always wears a hat; he’s called Phill Postill. Another owns her own bowling ball; she’s called Hannah Griggs. This week the spotlight is on Hannah, but she left the bowling ball under her desk whilst being interviewed by eskimosoup reporter Rich "rubbish at bowling" Sutherland.

RS: Hannah, you’re one of eskimosoup’s Directors. Can you tell us how it all started?

HG: Well, I took Graphic Design at GCSE and A-level and studied a degree in Media and IT at university. My husband George, eskimosoup’s Technical Director, was at uni with me. When we graduated we got jobs at the same company (we do everything together).

RS: Awww…

HG: So yeah, me and George worked for a web development company. After a while we realised that we had lots more to offer and decided to set up our own business, which we called T Media. George was the technical guru, developing the websites, and I was the Graphic Designer, but I also learnt HTML and did code here and there as required. That was from 2003; in 2008 we and the brilliant events marketing company Level M merged with eskimosoup to create a “souper” team!

RS: Lovely stuff! So you and Phill are both Creative Directors, how does your role differ from his?

HG: Phill does most of the graphic design that you’ll see in print or online. I still doodle and get to be all inventive but I also deal a lot with the technical side, turning the designs into code. I work closely with Nick, our Lead Developer, and Carl, one of our Web Developers, making sure that the websites work with all screens and browsers. We also have to make sure that they have top-notch accessibility and are in line with any new developments that might have popped up in the web world.

RS: I’m not very technical but for those reading who are, what programming languages do you use?

HG: I use HTML, CSS and Rails. I’m a self-taught coder by accident. It’s satisfying and geeky… and satisfyingly geeky. Hehe!

RS: In your time here you’ll have worked on countless projects, so I realise this next question will be a tough one, but which is your all-time favourite?

HG: It’s definitely Piccalilly, the organic babywear company. I’m baby mad, I love their little clothes and faces, they make me go all gooey! Piccalilly are really nice people and great to work with; they’re down to earth, have good ethics and I really do believe in them. Plus I’m a huge fan of ecommerce as I hate going to shops. I buy absolutely everything online, and if I ever do need to go into a shop, I find the item online first then hand the product code to the sales assistant! I love working with a fantastic online retailer like Piccalilly, it’s the best of both worlds.

RS: So you’re not so much a window shopper as a Windows shopper then. Eh? You having that? Eh?

HG: Ugh.

RS: Sorry… And what are you working on at the minute?

HG: A major focus right now is SafeOn, an online resource for those working in gas detection in confined spaces. Users can study courses, undergo rigorous health and safety training, access interactive videos and even take exams all while at home. It’s an ingenious and extremely valuable service; I’m very excited to be a part of it.

RS: As for outside of work, I hear you own your own bowling ball, although I may have fibbed when I said you keep it under your desk.

HG: Yep, I love bowling. I even won a game against Paul Moor when I was fourteen, and he’s now one of the world’s leading bowlers… although I admit he may have improved since then. I own all of my own equipment actually; I’m really into my sports and fitness. I play badminton, squash and table tennis, go swimming and running, workout, lift weights and I’m a proper gym addict!

RS: Wow! Are you really competitive?

HG: I am, yeah, and I really enjoy it. But the other reason is because I’m an absolute food junkie! I love eating in and eating out, I watch cookery shows and buy cookbooks, I just love food. If I didn’t do loads of fitness I’d be a real porker!

RS: So to sum up, you’re a Creative Director, a graphic designer, a doodler, a web developer, an e-shopper, a baby lover, a fitness enthusiast and a bowler. Anything else?

HG: I’m a real perfectionist, which is why I enjoy my work so much. Every aspect of the job requires everything to run smoothly, which is just the way I like it. Oh, and I love all things pink!

Next week’s Team Spotlight will be on Adam Poskitt, eskimosoup Developer and avid gamer.

eskimosoup is:

Share and share a like. But what about comments?

2011-09-08T12:57:00.008+01:00

'Like', 'Comment' and 'share' are the ubiquitous links that appear under posts on facebook. Whether on a page or in a newsfeed, these are the main ways people interact on the platform. Applications and other features come and go, but these remain the most common way a user spreads content.

Encouraging users to do so is (or should be) the backbone of Social Media strategy and the surest route to that holy grail of online marketing; viral propagation of a marketing message.

Actually this article's not about 'comments', or rather it is, as well as 'likes', but more about 'share'.

In last week's article, I looked at measuring success on facebook, specifically through the Monthly Active Users (MAU) statistic, which show how many fans and non-fans see a page and it's posts. Examining this with example pages, I found that even without many fans, comments or likes, MAU can still be very high. There's nothing in the stats to account for this, but there is something on a page that isn't represented in the stats.

The 'share' link, next to those for 'like' and 'comment', allows a user to post a page's status updates to their own profile, meaning that it appears in their friend's newsfeeds. It's arguably more powerful than either of the other two in spreading content, yet the number of times an update is shared is not shown in a pages statistics or indicated anywhere else.

Except perhaps in the MAU. If it is the share link that accounts for that large difference in the example pages, then that demonstrates just how powerful it can be.

It's strange because many Social Media experts barely mention it. More often than not, you'll be told that likes and comments are key, but are they really?

Let's compare them to share.

If a user likes a page, then it will appear in their friends newsfeed, but likes for posts don't. Comments on posts don't either.

Shared posts do.

Straight away, that's a big difference. Newsfeed is the first thing a user sees when they login and is essentially their facebook home page. That's the main target and if you're not appearing there, you really should be and have little chance of doing well.

Comments made on pages will appear in the newsfeed, but only if it's your friend commenting on a page you already like. So not too helpful in acquiring new fans.

So encouraging users to click 'share' is only way to get your status updates into new newsfeeds.

But how best to give that encouragment? And once they share, is your message still getting across?

We'll look at that next week.

Spotlight on Steph Collinson, Client Care

2011-09-02T15:15:00.002+01:00

Steph Collinson joined eskimosoup in October 2010. As half of our Client Care department she works closely with every member of the team, as well as clients, suppliers, couriers, maintenance workers and the occasional Gorillagram that knocks at the door.

Relentless eskimosoup reporter Rich Sutherland managed to conduct an interview with Steph in short bursts between incoming phone calls.

RS: Steph—

SC: Hang on, the phone’s ringing. Hello, eskimosoup, Steph speaking. Oh, hi there, how are you? Yeah, not bad thanks. No problem, will do. Okay, bye.

RS: …

SC: You may continue.

RS: Um… So yeah, Steph, tell us about your role at eskimosoup.

SC: I’m doing an apprenticeship with the Hull Business Training Centre and my job here is helping me to learn all kinds of new skills.

RS: And what exactly do you do?

SC: Everything. (Hehe!)

RS: Specifically…?

SC: Still everything. But it includes taking phone calls from clients, administration work, invoices and bills, ordering stationery and equipment, sourcing quotes and supplies, all kinds of things. Oh, and I order a cow load of milk from Tesco every week to keep the caffeine monsters happy!

RS: Good work! I do enjoy a cuppa or five each day. And what part of the job do you enjoy the most?

SC: Well I love getting a good bargain so I do enjoy finding the best price for high quality services, such as printing, event materials and anything else we might need to make a client’s project a huge success. We’ve built up excellent relationships with many local businesses that match and exceed anything you’ll find online, and that’s really satisfying.

RS: So what are you focusing on at the minute?

SC: Rachel, the other half of the Client Care Team, is training me in the accounts system. I plan to do a night course in accountancy in the near future, so it’s really interesting and a huge help.

RS: And in the time you’ve been here, which is coming up to a year, have you done anything particularly strange?

SC: Would dressing up as a massive cigarette and being stood on by a couple of Hull City players count?

RS: Er… yeah.

SC: Well I’ve done that as part of the NHS No Smoking Campaign, which linked in with the national No Smoking Day in March. I was also shown how to do forward rolls in St Stephen’s by Strike, the martial arts duo that was on Britain’s Got Talent in 2008. That was… interesting.

RS: Wow, it’s clear that you do all kinds of things at eskimosoup and your job takes you from the office to different sites for events and promotional activity, but what about in your spare time, what are your interests?

SC: Handbags are a must-have, I get a new one every few weeks, haven’t you noticed?

RS: Uh…

SC: I’m also into shoes, but that’s mainly due to Becky in the Marketing Team, it’s a love we share. I also think I can sing and keep getting told I can’t, but I have the radio on whenever I can and sing along when no one’s around. Plus I’ve recently started camping and fishing with my boyfriend, although he might have gone over the top when he bought a five-man tent and a year’s fishing license.

RS: Blimey, that’s wide-ranging!

SC: Yep, my work life and personal life are both nice and varied.

RS: To finish, can you tell us something that you say all the time?

SC: Two things: At work, “Hello, eskimosoup, Steph speaking.” And when I’m out on the town it’s simply “To the dance floor!”

eskimosoup is:

How do you measure success on facebook? Monthly Active Users?

2011-09-02T14:18:00.000+01:00

Measuring success in Social Media is difficult.

If you promote your business on facebook through anything but a page (which contravenes facebook rules and could be deleted at any time!), you're up against it from the start. With a Personal Profile or a Group, you can gauge your progress through the number of friends or members you have and how many 'likes' and comments you get, but that only shows part of the picture.

Interaction, such as 'likes' and comments, is an indicator that a user has actually noticed you and paid attention, but many users only like to watch, so many more may have seen you.

How many people have visited you? How many times have your posts been seen?

With a Group or Personal Profile you just don't know, but with a Page, there's a detailed statistics package called 'Insights' already included. There's a lot of interesting data, such as geographic, gender and age demographics, with many indicators on how you're doing.

One particularly interesting feature is the Monthly Active Users (MAU) and this may well be the single best indicator of how a page's effectiveness. In faceboook's words, MAU is;

"The number of people who have interacted with or viewed your Page or its posts. This includes interactions from fans and non-fans."

So, this statistic tells you how many people you've reached, which at the end of the day, is what you want to know.

Let's look at some example facebook Pages that I have admin rights to;

Aerial Extreme; http://www.facebook.com/aerialextreme

This is one of our most successful pages, for a great company who offer 'high wire adventure courses' around the country. It has lots of great interaction, and even though the MAU is lower than the fan number, that's still a great reach.

Fans -6,244

MAU - 4,574

Eskimo Soup; http://www.facebook.com/eskimosoup

Our own page provides marketing hints, tip, and case studies, as well as insight in to what we do. There's really great content, but we're often too busy doing great work for a clients to spread it around enough, which accounts for the relatively low MAU.

Fans - 422

MAU - 251

Hugh Rice Jewellers; http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hugh-Rice-The-Jewellers/108764349183128

This is the page for a chain of jewellers based in Hull. We've only recently taken over the admin for the page, but by introducing a regular content strategy and interacting with larger, relevant pages, have increased MAU by over 1,000% in little over a month.

Fans - 222

MAU - 1,402

Beverley Road, Hull; http://www.facebook.com/beverleyroad

A personal project, recently launched, looking to gauge opinion on an area of Hull. The difference here is huge and shows that just because your fan numbers are low, it doesn't necessarily mean that your reach is too.

Fans - 63

MAU - 1,213

The last two examples are very interesting. How can there be such a huge difference between fan numbers and the amount of people who see content, when 'likes' and comments seem so low on the pages themselves?

The answer is the 'share' link.

There is no indication on the page or in the 'insights' of how many times a post has been shared. It would be a hugely useful statistic for facebook to offer Page admins, but it's the only factor I can see to explain the disparity. I've examined page view data, i.e. when people come across or visit the page, and that comes no where close.

Though comments and 'likes' look great to visitors, the 'share' link is far more powerful in reaching a larger audience, yet it's the most difficult to measure. MAU could be a way, but the sooner Facebook introduce a concrete figure into Insights, the better.

Next week we'll look at how to maximise the impact of 'share'.

Sanity prevails! The Government decide against censoring Social Media

2011-08-26T13:33:00.003+01:00

Following the riots last month, Prime Minister David Cameron announced that the Government would be looking at the possibility of closing down Social Networking sites during times of civil unrest, as they had been instrumental in the organisation of the rioters. This week Ministers sat down with representatives from Facebook and Twitter to discuss the matter and decided not to seek further powers to restrict Social Media.

This is a huge relief and great news. From a personal point of view, I work almost exclusively in Social Media and it's become an increasingly important part of many organisations across the Public, Private and Voluntary sectors. Any downtime could cause serious problems for those organisation's campaigns and would stop me and people like me from earning a living.

But, to a certain extent those are selfish reasons and there are much broader and more important factors to consider, which should lead Government to never actually seek those powers.

The argument for the powers came from the high use of social networks, especially Blackberry Messenger, by looters in coordinating their actions and inciting further violence. As Police and MP's took a tough stance in the aftermath, two young men were even given jail time for trying to start riots via facebook, despite them never actually taking place.

Anyone who uses the internet regularly will most likely be used to seeing hollow threats of violence all the time, with 'trolls' looking to antagonise whoever they can, safe in the knowledge that they'll never actually come into contact with their targets, but in this case, it wouldn't be tolerated. A crackdown looked imminent.

Immediately following the violence, David Cameron said, "We are working with the police, the intelligence services and industry to look at whether it would be right to stop people communicating via these websites and services when we know they are plotting violence, disorder and criminality."

Happily, they have decided it wouldn't be right and a good job too. With the recent Arab Spring uprisings, Social Networking played a similar role to the UK riots; allowing protesters and demonstrators to easily communicate and organise. Again, similarly, the State in those Arab countries condemned the participants as looters and rioters and shut down many Social Networks.

Although there is debate on the motivations of the UK rioters, it would be difficult to cast them in the same revolutionary role as the people who looked to overthrow dictators in the Arab Spring. That said, it's not out of the realms of possibility that future civil disturbance in the UK could have a more defined and just cause than the recent looters and perhaps face a less just Government. If that Government had the special powers in place to censor the internet, we may find ourselves in a familiar and worrying situation.

Whether demonstrators or government was deemed in the right, both sides would draw crucial benefits from Social Media. It even had a plus side during the riots here, with the Public using the platform to avoid hotspots and find family and friends. The Police also found it useful in tracking down suspects and monitoring the spread of the violence.

Pressing the 'kill switch' would lose these positives and also have a deeper moral problem.

Social Media a medium for communication and hence speech. For that speech to remain free, censorship cannot be countenanced, no matter the justification. Otherwise, we head down the road of Iran, China and all those Arab regimes who look to oppress their people. Common sense seems to have prevailed in the UK and that now looks unlikely. Hopefully it will endure.

Marmite: Which side are you on?

2011-08-23T15:48:00.011+01:00

Marmite: The thick, dark brown paste with a sharp odour and distinctive saltiness that’ll make your toes curl. Perfect on toast, crackers and digestive biscuits alike; a wonderful accompaniment to many a cheese; and, most importantly of all, either loved or hated, never in-between.

British shops have stocked Marmite on their shelves for over a hundred years. Its basic form was invented in the late nineteenth century by a German scientist, who accidentally discovered that concentrated brewer's yeast could not only be eaten, but enjoyed. The Marmite Food Extract Company was later formed in Burton upon Trent in 1902. The name comes from a French term for an earthenware cooking pot, which the product was initially packaged in until the 1920s when it was replaced by the familiar glass jar. To this day, the logo boasts an image of that very type of pot.

For decades Marmite was regarded and marketed as a hearty food spread, especially popular with vegetarians as a meat-free alternative to products such as Bovril. The discovery of vitamins in 1912 had been a boon for the brand due to it being a source of Vitamin B, and straplines of the 1930s like ‘Marmite definitely does you good’ surely swayed anyone who had their reservations.

During the Second World War, British troops were issued Marmite as part of their rations, whilst housewives were encouraged to spread it thinly to conserve supplies. In the 1950s, the feelgood factor of a secret recipe handed down over the generations, coupled with health benefits for children, helped to push sales; and in 1969, ‘The Marmite Guide to Better Cooking’ came free with purchases. By 1973, ‘The Growing Up Spread’ strapline secured Marmite as a foodstuff for the entire family.

It wasn’t until the 1980s when Marmite’s humorous approach began. The ‘My Mate Marmite’ advertising campaign was launched in 1987, with army privates enjoying well-deserved yeast extract on toast (Marmite and soldiers – get it?), although Jones couldn’t help but give in to temptation even when he should have been falling into line.

However, though Marmite’s recipe has remained largely unchanged, its marketing tactics went through a major adjustment over the years. Marmite marketers recognised there was a blatant segment of British buyers that not only didn’t purchase their product, but loathed it with a passion. Unlike many foods, the paste’s flavour wasn’t one that allowed you to sit on the fence: you either loved it, or hated it. And with this revelation, a brilliant polarised campaign was born.

The Marmite ‘Love it/Hate it’ crusade has been going strong since 1996, with the dual skinned website asking whether you’re a Lover or a Hater. An example of the Lovers’ perspective is when a lifeguard breaks away from his snack to rescue a drowning man, who is then overcome with passion for the spread. Meanwhile, the Haters will surely sympathise with the poor young man whose evening doesn’t go according to plan due to a certain product on his date’s lips.

Over the last fifteen years, the British public has seen a wide range of conflicting Marmite advertising. Branded buses have sported ‘Honk if you eat Marmite’ on one side and ‘You'll Honk if you eat Marmite’ on the other. For its centenary in 2002, Zippy, the greedy character from Rainbow that never shuts up, fastened his mouth closed when confronted with Marmite on toast, whereas Paddington Bear shared a delicious Marmite sandwich with a passing pigeon, with disastrous consequences. The clever thing about this campaign is that, aside from gaining much public attention and being memorable, those who hate the product due to its taste will surely love the brand for its bold strategy and wonderful style.

Marmite is a brand recognised by all Brits. Jars can be found in practically every grocery outlet in the country; there are related products, such as breadsticks, rice cakes, crisps, cheddar, cashew nuts and ‘Marmite Very Peculiar Milk Chocolate’; we’ve even seen Guinness Marmite, Champagne Marmite, and Marston’s Pedigree Marmite to celebrate the 2009 Ashes. The branding is so ingrained in the public’s consumer psyche, when Marmite Squeezy was released in 2006 – their first new product in 103 years – the usual typeface was replaced by the words ‘Squeeze Me’ in the characteristic font and colour palette, with no ambiguity whatsoever as to the contents. That year, Marmite Squeezy accounted for 10% of the brand’s sales.

A recent development has been Marmite's Haute (with the jar blocking the 'u') Cuisine, offering simple and delicious recipes brought to us by Dom Joly, available on its YouTube Channel.

Whichever side you take, you can’t deny that the advert below stuck in your mind like brown paste to a blonde moustache. How many of us found ourselves whistling this tune at the bus stop, or absently humming it whilst pottering about the house? I know I did, and I couldn’t stand the stuff until a few years ago. Marmite’s my mate, is it yours?

eskimosoup is:

How should people be directed to your facebook page?

2011-08-19T12:41:00.004+01:00

For starters, if you're doing it like in the photo on the right, you're doing it wrong. I'll explain why later.

Since their launch, facebook pages have become an increasingly important part of many companies online marketing strategy. Their versatility and interactive nature have given business a method of two way conversation with their audience like never before, allowing deeper and more reactive relationships.

Add to this the 'word of mouth' element, where a comment or like is seen by a users friends, being something of a recommendation, and it easy to see why facebook pages are becoming just as essential as traditional corporate websites.

For evidence in this, just look to traditional advertising. I've certainly noticed that in television and magazine adverts, as well as billboards, a company's facebook page is often displayed rather than their website. More and more people are being directed to a facebook page, where they can 'opt in' to regular engagement.

But how to direct those customer via offline marketing has always been a problem. With a website, it's easy. Just include a nice, visual link directly through to the page and that's that. However, this is obviously impossible offline.

Company's have attempted this in many different ways in the past, without a single accepted standard developing. People have been invited to 'Find, Join or Search for us on facebook', some times with a search term included, such as 'eskimosoup'. This is what's been done in the picture above; passers by are invited to find the company of facebook, though without the help of suggested search terms.

This was the problem; users did in fact need to search for the page. They would have to remember or guess the search terms, probably the company name and could in fact find a list of similarly named pages, possible visiting the wrong page in the end. Even if they did reach the intended page, it could take work. As with anything online, the fewest clicks means the least effort, so the opposite could cause the people to give up entirely.

This is how it has been, but finally there does seem to be a consensus emerging, with many leading companies employing the same method. And that method just so happens to be the one that we've been recommending for years, ever since the functionality that allows it was introduced.

When a business page is first created, the url/web address will be something like 'http://www.facebook.com/pages/page-name/21343911974'. It's fairly plain to see why displaying a web address such as this would be useless in offline advertising. It's too long and difficult to remember, at least for anyone without a photographic memory.

This is why companies got into the habit of directing their audiences to search for them, as they couldn't expect such a url to stick.

As with any web address, the shorter and more memorable a url is, the better. This is especially important in marketing, where one can only expect limited interest and attention from the viewer of a url.

So, how can that be done with such an unwieldy url as a facebook page has?

In the early stages of pages, I identified this problem and would recommend companies direct a sub-domain of their own towards the page, for example, 'www.eskimosoup.co.uk/facebook'. This could be displayed in offline marketing and anyone visiting that address would go directly to the corresponding facebook page.

While other company's audiences had to login to facebook, then use the search box to hopefully find the right page, if they indeed used the right keywords and there was no other page with a similar name, our clients could be confident that their prospects were directed straight to their page, with no chance of going elsewhere.

This was a great, effective workaround, but then facebook itself realised the problem and introduced it's own solution. Pages could now register a new shorter and more memorable url by visiting 'facebook.com/username'. We quickly registered 'facebook.com/eskimosoup' and went about the business of doing the same for all our clients. This url was then displayed in all offline, as well as online marketing.

This was some time ago, but is only now emerging as the accepted best method of advertising a facebook page, included in those adverts and billboards mentioned above. There are however, still a surprising number of not just small page, but also huge, corporate pages who still haven't caught on.

How about you? Have you registered a short url for your facebook page? Have you included it in your advertising? If not, we strongly recommend you do so as soon as possible at facebook.com/username.

Are #hashtags relevant to your Business?

2011-08-12T13:24:00.005+01:00

Last week I talked about using twitter hashtags to promote business, specifically adding trending hashtags to your tweets to increase their reach. I offered a couple of top tips and promised more this week, so here they are.

Relevance is Key - Though you can add a trending hashtag to any marketing tweet, even if they have nothing to do with one another, it's not often a good idea. It will be considered spamming, which means at best, it will be ignored by most but a few, who will follow up with your desired action. At worst, it will irritate many, twitter will receive a report of spamming and your account will be deleted with no prior warning. Not great, if you've spent years building your following.

Relevance can be Flexible - It can be tricky, but with a little creativity messages can be made relevant to the trending hashtag. Remember that it's rare that traditional marketing speak should be used in Social Media. 'Buy now!' doesn't often cut it. Social Media is relationship building, before the sale, so don't think you have to go in screaming about your brand. Even forgetting your brand and just engaging in the conversation around the trending hashtag or making a witty comment will bring relationships for you to build on.

Relevance to your Brand - Except for the geographical targeting above, so far we're talking about a fairly scatter gun approach. Yes, you're reaching large numbers of people, but are they interested in what you offer? If your market is broad and encompasses all shapes and sizes, there's no worry. If not, it depends what you offer. If it's golf clubs, for instance, then there may be lots of activity around famous tournaments and you can presume the trending hashtag audience will be fairly receptive. Other times it may be slim pickings, unless Tiger Woods makes the headlines again.

So, our tips so far are piggy backing on popular hashtags, but they don't necessarily have to be trending to be useful. '#specialoffer', for instance, may not be trending, but if a user sees it in a tweet, they can click it and see every tweet with it included, presumably a list of special offers. Similarly, people looking for info about Sheffield, can search for '#sheffield' and bring up all the corresponding tweets.

If you have a keyword such as these that you suspect people may be looking for, have a look yourself, by typing the keyword, including the hashtag in the search box at the top of any twitter page. If there's lots of recent tweets in the results, then the hashtag is 'live' and good to be added to your tweets. If, on the other hand, there's few and they're far between, it's probably not worth it.

Looking at creating your own hashtags, these can be good for running competitions or having a conversation around a subject, but you'll have to prompt your followers to add them. So, something like "answer this question and include '#yourcompanyname' to be in with a chance of winning" or "Tweet with #ourlatestproduct to let us know what you think of it."

As far as having your hashtag trend, it'll be tricky and may not even be worthwhile. For it to trend, it needs thousands of tweets to include it, so will need to either have a viral element, such as humour, or have topical relevance to current affairs. However, if this has no relevance to your brand, your initial tweet will be lost in the deluge and all those thousands of tweeters will have no idea it was you who started it. It's therefore imperative that your brand or a direct connection to your brand is included.

This will most likely prove difficult, if not impossible, so may well never play a part in your twitter marketing. It's always worth keeping in the back of your mind though, because if the opportunity ever arises, a trending hashtag directing back to you could bring phenomenal success, easily eclipsing everything else you've ever done with the platform.

I often say there's no magic bullet or means to get instant success in Social Media, it takes consideration, work, patience and time. But that said, a trending hashtag as described above, would come pretty close.

Pot Noodle: 'It's dirty and you want it'

2011-08-08T15:34:00.007+01:00

The best way to begin this brand spotlight would be by pointing out that Pot Noodle is the most recognisable, and surely the most popular, instant noodle snack in the UK, whilst simultaneously the most hated brand of all time. According to a 2004 consumer poll, the majority of Brits simply couldn’t stand the product, though whether this referred to the foodstuff itself, the advertising or its reputation of being not so much junk food as just somehow a bit mucky remains unclear. Granted, seven years have passed since this research was carried out, but no other brand springs to mind that might claim its place if the survey were conducted a second time.

So, how can something that’s loathed by so many people remain on the shelves of every single supermarket and the majority of corner shops throughout the nation? The answer is beautifully simple: by using this public disgust to its advantage.

A relatively young brand, Pot Noodle was launched in 1979 by Golden Wonder, instant noodles themselves having been invented in 1958 by Taiwanese-Japanese businessman Momofuku Ando. It’s almost praiseworthy how the UK can take something basic and filling (albeit dried and pallid) and make it… well… wonderfully tacky. China, for example, has a few dominant brands of instant noodle with lovely names, such as Ting Yi (‘Master Kong’), Hwa-Long (‘Chinese Dragon’) and Bai-xiang ‘(White Elephant’), whereas in Ethiopia, the trade name Indomie is referred to as ‘Lehulum Tesmami’, meaning ‘suitable for all’. All of these will undoubtedly be eaten with at least a little decorum and most likely function as a meal accompaniment rather than a quick and slimy belly filler. And instead of a chintzy porcelain bowl with chopsticks in a calm family-based setting, our nation gobbles limp, dripping ribbons from a plastic pot, emitting vulgar slurps as the rehydrated peas pop between our molars. Still, the container’s recyclable and there’s little water usage involved, as you don’t have to do any washing up, so it’s not all bad.

Over the last few years, Pot Noodle has truly embraced its reputation of bordering on the sinful, and this has been blatantly portrayed through use of overtly smutty situations. One advert followed a seemingly straight-laced man as he prowls the streets in search of a purveyor of the forbidden snack, and another sees the shooting of a backstreet adult movie, the female star going wild with a classic Chicken and Mushroom. But it wasn’t so much the content that some found offensive, it was the graphic strapline that tipped the whole campaign over the edge: Pot Noodle claimed to be ‘The slag of all snacks’.

And yet, the brand’s marketing department didn’t stop there. Instead they produced posters showing their product resting next to a seedy neon sign buzzing ‘Hurt me you slag’. Situated on bus stops, high streets and billboards, these were swiftly withdrawn once banned by the Advertising Standards Authority; a sad day in Pot Noodle history, but good publicity nonetheless.

Possibly the most intense Pot Noodle campaign featured a man joining his friends in a bar, but being met with surprise and disgust when they notice his badly concealed ‘Pot Noodle horn’, an oversized manifestation of his feelings toward the snack. You can’t help but love the guy’s dedication when, having accidentally knocked a woman off her seat with his instrument of passion, he boldly declares that "It's big and brassy and I'm going to blow it!” This advert soon got shunted on the TV schedule to after the 9pm watershed.

Over time, Pot Noodle adverts have treated us to ‘The Lambshank Redemption’ (a parody of Stephen King’s inmate drama, with the classic phrase "Spanking gorgeous!"), ‘The Moussaka Rap’ ("I'm making vegetarian moussaka with cheese from Osaka"), and the hardworking men and women of the fictional Crumlin Noodle Mine (Pot Noodles are manufactured in Croespenmaen, near Crumlin, Wales, with 155 million units produced annually). So whether you line your kitchen cupboards with Pot Noodles or wouldn't eat one if your life depended on it, you have to admit that the brand is honest, innovative and has a good sense of humour.

Pot Noodle currently comes in about fifteen flavours. Whilst Beef and Tomato and Chow Mein have remained popular, some have been fleeting due to either lower than expected sales or limited availability, such as Bacon Sizzler and the posh-sounding Lamb and Mint. Then there are the seasonal editions, namely Turkey and Stuffing and even Christmas Dinner, ideal for slovenly bachelors who can then claim they prepared a traditional Yuletide meal. A responsible choice is Doner Kebab, as it’s a relatively healthy alternative to its far fattier namesake, albeit an awful lot soggier.

Personally I love Pot Noodles; any meal that can be prepared with nothing more than hot water and a fork is alright in my books. But when I’m eating one, I can’t stop myself from thinking about Lister in Red Dwarf when he shares his opinion on the brand: "I've been to a parallel universe, I've seen time running backwards, I've played pool with planets and I've given birth to twins, but I never thought in my entire life… I'd taste an edible Pot Noodle."

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How do you use #hashtags on Twitter for Business?

2011-08-05T13:06:00.004+01:00

We do have a tendency to focus on facebook when speaking about Social Media here at Souper News. With good reason too, as having an active usership of over 750 million, it's the undisputed king of Social Media. This means that when a business is looking for a target audience in Social Media, the chances are they'll find the largest on facebook.

But facebook isn't the be all and end all. There's a multitude of Social Media platforms out there and sometimes it's appropriate to branch off from facebook and incorporate more into the marketing mix. If a company, for instance, has some real characters among it's staff, videos may be able to exploit and get that across more than a photo or written word. If that's the case, then Youtube is the place to be.

More than any other platform though, we recommend and use twitter, combined with facebook, in Social Media marketing strategies. Again, it's got a huge usership, but it's more how it's used that's the key. Social Media has always had an element of being something of a virtual version of word of mouth, traditionally regarded as on of the best ways a business can be promoted. Twitter distils this and keeps it simple, making it the focus and in doing so, replicating real world word of mouth more fully than any other platform.

Twitter is simply great at getting the word out. With the right followers and specifically targeting users with influence and good followings of their own, an interesting marketing message can really catch fire and spread far and wide. Though barely any different in essence from a status update on facebook, the lack of 'noise' from the myriad of other things one can usually do on other platforms, means a tweet can go so much further.

If that tweet contains the same keyword as many others posted at that time, say the name of a celebrity in the News, then that keyword may 'trend'. This means that it will be displayed as trending on the twitter home page, as well as various associated apps. Users may then click on the trends and see all the related tweets.

Hashtags (preceding a word with '#', i.e. '#eskimosoup') take this further, by converting the keyword to a link in the actual tweet, going through to a page displaying all the tweets containing that term. Recently, with the Murdoch scandal in the News, '#hackgate' became popular, so anyone interested could click on that hashtag and see every tweet containing the term.

So how can this be useful to Business?

As I always say with Social Media and often with the Internet in general, they're still young and are only just beginning to explore their potential, so many ways may yet be to come. Below though, are a few top tips from us about using hashtags on twitter. It's by no means exhaustive. We may know more, but sorry, we're not telling. If we did that, everybody would be as good as us! ;-)

Watch the Trends - By definition, trends are popular. If a hashtag is trending it means thousands, if not millions, of people are writing and reading them right now. If you can drop your message in there, by adding the hashtag to your tweet, that's a huge audience.

Trending where? - If you're an online business with e-commerce trading internationally to everywhere covered by twitter, it doesn't matter. Otherwise, it does. If your market is the UK, hashtags containing 'UK' are an obvious indicator, as are those with city names, though they might have a narrower reach. Words specific to UK news could also be right.

... and I'll leave it there.

'What?! Only two top tips! Where's the usual ten I find everywhere else?', I might hear you cry.

Oh ok, we'll have some more next week, looking at how relevance is key in using twitter hashtags and how best to create your own.

Spotlight on Nick Bolt, Lead Developer

2011-08-01T10:02:00.005+01:00

Nick Bolt began his career at eskimosoup as a developer, before swiftly rising to the challenge of Lead Developer. Having completed an industrial placement in Bradford, focusing on software development, attained a First Class Masters Degree in Computer Science from Hull University, and even demonstrated his skills at that very institution for two months prior to joining us, the man certainly knows his onions… or at least how to code some virtual onions.

eskimosoup reporter Rich Sutherland entered Nick’s web of… web stuff… in order to ask him a few questions, which the tech-minded mastermind was kind enough to answer in jargon free English.

RS: Nick, you have a Masters in Computer Science. What qualification did you get before that? I’m guessing it was in a similar subject.

NB: Certificate in Psychology.

RS: Ah.

NB: I plan to combine the two in order to create an online intelligence that will take over the world.

RS: Really?

NB: No, not really.

RS: Right. So moving on, what is it that you do at eskimosoup? (In layman’s terms please, as I need to write this down.)

NB: I enable dreams…

RS: Lovely.

NB: …by amalgamating the needs of the client and the design plans of our creative team into a fully functional, dynamic website. Our designers provide a mock-up of what the site should look like, so it’s a case of building it on those foundations. Aside from looking good, the site needs to be easy to navigate, fast and efficient, and able to be updated frequently.

RS: And what would you say has been your favourite project at eskimosoup so far?

NB: Probably the virtual sexual health clinic for the NHS that I’m working on now, as it incorporates elements from every aspect of my job. It’s also security heavy, which is always a motivating challenge, and has a very high level of functionality. It’s a varied site full of interesting content and has to be speed sensitive, so there’s lots of nice techie stuff for me to be getting on with.

RS: What about outside of work, what do you get up to in your spare time?

NB: I take part in badminton with team members when they turn up, boxing with a friend when he turns up, and karate when I turn up. Aside from that I seem to be finding myself cleaning the house a lot. Does that count as a hobby?

RS: No.

NB: Fair enough. In that case I like reading (I’m going through the Game of Thrones series at the moment), travelling to small gigs in Leeds and Manchester, and growing chillies.

RS: Growing chillies?

NB: I use them in my homemade chilli con carne.

RS: Nice. Anything else?

NB: I’ve got two guinea pigs called Winston and Fizzle and two hamsters called Mort and Roy. Roy’s a girl but she was wrongly sexed at birth and it’d seem wrong to change her name after all this time. Plus she feels like a Roy, you know?

RS: …So anyway, you’re eskimosoup’s Lead Developer, you know your stuff when it comes to all things technical; weird question, but what’s your favourite equation?

NB: Ooh, it’d have to be y = !x = !z = true

RS: Interesting. And what does that mean?

NB: It’s what it doesn’t mean that’s so interesting.

RS: Okay, what doesn’t it mean?

NB: Exactly.

RS: Nick Bolt, it’s been an absolute pleasure.

NB: I’m sure it has.

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What will Google+ offer Business?

2011-07-29T12:46:00.004+01:00

Last week's article discussed the new kid on the Social Media block that's got everyone talking, Google+. Though still a million miles away from challenging facebook's mighty tally of users, it's made a cracking start, with record numbers of people signing up in it's first few weeks.

This is causing some commentators to already speculate on it's future triumph over the more established network. Social Media expert Mark Ross-Innes of Softwerx said at a conference this month, that he believed it's more a matter of when Google+ would overtake Facebook, than if.

An article over at Marketing Week puts the phenomenal uptake of Google+ down to privacy. Though offering a very similar service to facebook, the new network is organised differently, so that it's easier to control who sees what's shared. Contacts are arranged into user defined 'Circles', where a circle of friends may see that drunken party photo, but the work colleagues circle sees only the happy, healthy holiday snaps.

This isn't exactly a new idea and it's already possible to do the same, albeit in a clunky, somewhat complicated way. with facebook. However, the difference with Google+ is that it's the default setting and has very simple usability.

It's actually true to say that pretty much everything that Google+ offers can already be done in facebook, it's just that it's the standard in the former and takes some fiddling in the latter. Google have done what facebook did before it with MySpace and others; cherry picking the best or most popular features, improving their usability and reaping the rewards.

The only problem for Google in this, is that facebook can and mostly likely will do the same right back. Facebook regularly overhauls it's functionality, don't be surprised to see a 'circle-like' system introduced some time soon, especially if it's established that this is what gives Google+ the edge.

And facebook does have time to spare. As I pointed out last week, even if Google+ continues to grow at the same rate, it's still impossible to get 750 million users in a short span of time. It will have to sustain it's momentum, not to mention it's edge in functionality, for a good while yet.

All I'm really saying here is don't announce the winner when the race has only just begun. Facebook hasn't got to where it is today by chance. It's always been responsive to it's marketplace, innovative and constantly evolving to stay ahead of the game. It will not take the challenge made by Google lying down.

How well Google+ serves businesses will be an important factor. It's currently in the process of testing it's own version of business pages, with a view to fully rolling them out later in the year. These have been massive for facebook, with everyone from cottage industries to the world's biggest brands setting up pages to connect with their audience, and they'll be a big part of Google+

A key advantage Google may have in this, is that it already runs the number one way in which people find businesses online, namely it's search engine. Even here, facebook pages often rival their website counterparts for search rankings, but a Google+ business page may well get preferential treatment.

Expect a deeper integration of theses pages within Google search results, with options to 'like', 'share' or 'comment' directly via the results page, rather than having to actually visit the page, as with facebook. This can only help uptake and having this interaction available through search will help embed it with users as a part of Google+, making it somewhat of a one stop shop for all internet needs, whether social or commercial.

Having it's other tools, such as Google Docs and Mail integrated into the network will also be a boon, meaning a page could be much more than the marketing tool of facebook. It could offer a comprehensive solution, giving that sales front end, but also elements available to employees that could for all intents and purposes provide an intranet.

This is speculation and we'll see if it goes that far. There'll no doubt be surprises in store as the two internet giants fight for dominance. War always brings about technical innovation, so no matter who the winner is, we're bound to find an abundance of new and exciting tools and features at our disposal. Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next.

I haven't mentioned here what impact 'circles' and the improved privacy may have on business, as that's been what pretty much everybody else in Social Media has been talking about, and there's no point going over it again. If you haven't read anything on this though, it's discussed at the Marketing Week article above and there's also a very good article on the subject over at PC World's Business Center, giving an overview of how the landscape will change.

Lucozade: An energetic history

2011-07-27T09:32:00.009+01:00

When a Geordie chemist concocted a wonder tonic in 1927 for use in hospitals, he could never have guessed it would evolve into a vibrant energy drink marketed for general consumption, regardless of whether or not you have a sniffle. Originally called Glucozade, the G was soon dropped to create a product that at least sounded a little less sugary, and which became a household name over the years. The ever-popular Lucozade is now available in many varieties and enjoyed by the unwell and healthy alike.

For decades the packaging was made of glass with a cellophane wrapper, until in 1983, when it was replaced by something incredibly futuristic: polyethylene terephthalate (a plastic bottle, to you and me). It was at this time that the brand rapidly moved its associations away from stethoscopes and bedpans and toward liquid power. This was essential for Lucozade’s identity and sales development, as it opened up the market to people in need of invigoration for whatever the reason, not just due to illness. The old notion of a sickly child in striped pyjamas being given a small glass of fizzy goodness that ‘aids recovery’ (above) was replaced by Daley Thompson and traffic light symbolism. Another advert featuring the Olympic champion decathlete saw him distracting fellow sportsmen by noisily opening his beverage at different tournaments (below). In this swift movement from the sickbed to the running track, Lucozade was reborn as a beverage that ‘Replaces lost energy’.

As the years went by, the brand developed the concept of positive energy. One particularly lively advert portrayed Lucozade causing a Mexican wave of almost superhuman abilities, all taking place within forty seconds. Now if that don’t promote positive energy, there ain’t nothing that will!

The late nineties presented us with a gang of keyed up Mods waiting for their lazy friend, who overcomes his tiredness through a few swigs from a familiar bottle before joining them with his magnificent Vespa. The most memorable part was his mum ruining his street cred by shouting “Jimmy, you forgot your sandwiches” from the balcony. Fast approaching the millennium, the closing message explained that Lucozade was and always had been ‘The original solution’.

A few years later we were treated to Lara Croft, everyone’s favourite Tomb Raider, escaping a bald-headed, tattooed villain with a chainsaw and attack dogs. Just as she’s about to be torn to pieces, the game is paused and the player pops out of the room. Whilst left alone, the CGI characters take a breather and enjoy a glug of Lucozade from Lara’s satchel. ‘The refreshing pause’ was the strapline that spoke to and engaged all those young people out there in need of a pick-me-up during endless gaming sessions.

One of my personal favourites, simply due to its randomness and two-dimensional sixties jazz-style animation, is one known as The Music Factory (below). Demoralised office workers flop their heads in unison to the daily grind until a cuckoo escapes from its clock and invigorates the workplace. And what better way to sum up such a madcap advert for an energy drink than with the simple, affirmative and compelling slogan 'Move it'.

Recently we’ve had far less surreal messages from Lucozade, such as extreme sports enthusiasts leaving jet streams of orange bubbles in their wake, inspiring you to ‘Do more’; and the poster for Lucozade Blackcurrant shows a happy hippie proudly displaying her purple tongue, ‘Energy in a different flavour’ providing a no-nonsense summary of the brand’s latest offering. At this moment in time, Lucozade’s new campaign employs a single word to sum up their entire ethos: ‘Yes’.

Despite these diverse advertising styles, and even a major change in the brand’s unique selling point, the fundamental promise communicated from company to consumer has remained unchanged: Lucozade gives you that oomph you need to get the most out of your day.

So whether you’re a buyer of good old-fashioned Lucozade Energy; a dedicated athlete that requires Lucozade Sport with Caffeine Boost; need to watch your sugar intake and choose Lucozade Light; or fancy an immediate burst from Lucozade Alert Plus (the ‘two-calorie wake-up call’); slipping down your throat is a restorative mixture that’s remained popular for over eighty years and must surely have an exciting advertising story ahead of it. I’ll drink to that!

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Is Google+ the Facebook killer?

2011-07-22T11:34:00.007+01:00

A lot of what we talk about here at Souper News often concerns Social Media. It's certainly the biggest thing to happen online for some time and arguably the same could be said for it's effect on marketing. More and more companies are embracing the format, with facebook pages and twitter accounts almost rivalling their websites for importance and the benefits they can bring.

With over 750 million users, facebook is the current undisputed king of Social Media. It has evolved beyond a mere website into many peoples preferred way to browse the internet. Though Google is often still the first port of call when searching for a website, facebook provides an alternative route, with users visiting youtube, news sites, etc via their friends links appearing in their News Feed home page.

A product or service may even be searched for without leaving facebook, with business pages offering the chance for a dialogue with a company, as well as that all important recommendations from a users peers. This is where the focus is for many a business, with the unprecedented level of engagement redefining how an organisation communicates with it's audience.

facebook is constantly evolving and improving it's functionality to ensure it leads the pack, but the bottom line for why it's now so important for business is that huge user base. It didn't happen over night and has taken years to build and that's the main problem for any rivals. It's quite simply impossible to compete with those numbers in the short term and any new Social Network would need to keep going and maintain interest for at least a few years before it could hope to.

But Google+ has made a jolly good start. In just three weeks it's already clocked up over 20 million users and that's despite it still being in an invite only, limited release mode. That's one of the fastest take-ups in the history of the internet, but only time will tell if they keep that pace and begin to challenge facebook's dominance.

With the huge numbers of people already using Google's other services, such as Gmail and Google Docs, and these also being integrated into Google+, it certainly has an advantage that it can press. There's also Google's supremacy as a search engine, which it can use to further promote the new network.

All this still doesn't make the success of Google+ certain. It's not their first attempt at a Social Network, with past attempts Buzz and Orkut never really taking off (except in Estonia). There's also the question of whether there's actually a need for Google+, when facebook already provides a very similar service.

Will people be willing to leave facebook profiles behind, after investing so much time in them, just to have to start again?

That's possibly an even more pertinent question for us Internet Marketeers. As well as creating profiles in Social Media, we also spend massive amounts of time understanding the various platforms and developing effective strategies. So, when we hear that a platform such as facebook may have a rival or be on the way out, it can be a nervous time, where so much work and consideration may soon become virtually useless.

This makes it incredibly important that we always have our finger on the pulse and eyes on the ball. We watch the progress of emerging technologies and changes in the landscape keenly, so that we can offer the very best advice to our clients and give them the confidence that they'll always be at the cutting edge with their online presence.

Regardless of whether Google+ dethrones facebook as the king of the Social Networks or falls by the wayside, we know that we'll be able to utilize the victorious platform to it's full potential for our clients and they know it too.

Spotlight on Rich Quelch, Marketing and Events Manager

2011-07-20T12:44:00.008+01:00

Rich Quelch joined us on a sunny day in July 2010. Since then he’s managed all of the team’s event activity in St Stephen’s (from a huge denim installation called Pure Jeanius to an Enchanted Hollow at Christmastime), performed 10 consecutive hours of keepie-uppies for Children in Need (his record being 105 minutes without letting the ball touch the floor), and acted as humble assistant to Keith Chegwin during the Hull Comedy Festival 2010 (his foghorn of a laugh could be heard over everyone else's). And that’s only the tip of Rich's eskimosoup iceberg!

Rich has a swanky degree in Marketing and Advertising and has worked in marketing, events and recruitment for as long as he can remember... maybe longer.

Intrepid eskimosoup reporter Rich Sutherland caught up with Rich Quelch between his important meetings, emails and tea drinking (milk and one-and-a-half sugars) to get some inspiration from this King of Commitment.

RS: So, Rich, what would you say has been your favourite project whilst working at eskimosoup?

RQ: I’d have to say Peter’s Story as it’s such a positive and imperative venture, promoting mental health to men in the region. It’s also a very endearing project, a subject that’s close to my heart, so I feel a real passion for spreading awareness and getting the free DVD out there as much as possible.

RS: And what are you currently working on?

RQ: We have a perpetual presence in St Stephen’s that embraces a diverse programme of exciting, educational, cultural and innovative community engagement. Instead of a table stall we might have a gigantic pair of sunglasses with TV screens behind each lens giving information on eyewear, or a suitcase promoting the UK-wide project Retail Centred that’s so big it wouldn’t fit on a plane!

I’m also directing this year’s Hull Comedy Festival, which has some side-splitting acts in store for everyone. On top of that there’s Leeds Let’s Change, an online resource giving advice and support for people aged 50+ in the Leeds area who want to quit smoking, lose weight, drink more responsibly and generally enjoy life through improved health. So it’s quite a mixed bag of jelly beans!

RS: And how about Rich Quelch when he’s at home? I assume you don’t sleep in the eskimosoup office overnight?

RQ: Well, it’s true that I love the job but I have other responsibilities too. I play football for Little Weighton AFC on the weekend and they gained promotion to the Premier Saturday Division for the first time in their history last season. I also love a good old putt around the golf course. Some have even likened me to Tiger Woods… or was it Victoria Wood?

RS: Thanks, Rich. You’re an inspiration to us all!

RQ: No worries. Do we have any bourbon biscuits to go with this tea?

RS: Er... I think we've run out. *munch*

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