At long last (and after many sleepless nights), Social Media is finally explained in this one picture.
Enjoy.
There’s a New Kid in Town
Account Coordinator Avery McNeely Blogs About Being the New Kid on the Block at G-Force Marketing
The new car smell still lingers as I attempt to capture in writing my first month and a half on the job at G-Force Marketing Solutions.
I arrived at 3300 Battleground Avenue with limited exposure to a traditional agency setting and my only interaction with the automotive industry was the occasional oil and filter change at the local dealership. I wouldn’t claim to be inexperienced, but I’m a creature of habit and I’d grown accustomed to a certain routine. This was my first career move in nearly seven years and it would result in not only a new work environment, but a new home.
My colleagues and I survived those first few weeks with an incredible degree of patience and a high tolerance for pain. In fact, I spent many an evening scouring the inter webs for companies that specialized in delivering fruit baskets and cured meats as a way to give thanks and offer a bribe for future missteps. I might be sensationalizing this a bit, but being the new kid and becoming familiar with new processes is always a bit overwhelming.
In my former life, I belonged to a sensory branding agency in the greater Charlotte area that provided custom music programming for large retail chains and restaurants. We managed our own platforms and our focus was to grow existing services by leveraging our relationships in the music industry to build a solid voice for these brands in the marketplace. I certainly wasn’t familiar with insertion orders or media traffic, let alone the landscape of Central Florida’s automotive dealerships. With expectations abound, it was time to sink or swim.
I’d like to thank everyone at G-Force for making my transition as smooth as possible. It’s a real pleasure to work with each and every one of you.
Noteworthy Perks at G-Force Marketing
- Short Commute
- Spacious Office
- Tight-Knit Staff
- NoShavember (Winner of Best Mustache!)
- Relaxed Environment
- New Technology
- New Media
- Proximity to Giacamo’s Italian Deli
- Proximity to Battleground Park
- Jingles
- Free Soft Drinks
- Being a part of Sealy’s Friends & Family
- Pet Friendly
- In-House Production
- Media Savvy
- Professionalism
Successful Socializing: That’s the Way I Like It
To like or not to like. For anyone that has a Facebook account, that’s a daily option.
Mark West is the Social Media Editor for G-Force Marketing Solutions
As a Social Media Editor, part (OK, a LOT) of my job is research, so I like a gazillion pages. I have co-workers and friends make comments or roll their eyes about how many pages I like (they see it in their FB feed). In all honesty, some of these pages I really do like and some I…well… don’t. Bet you do too, if you think about it.
So, what generates a true like from me on a Fan Page? My interest generally lies in Popular Culture, so most of the celebrities, movies and TV shows I like, I’m truly a fan of. Some more than others; but I’m obsessed with news from Hollyweird. Other pages I’m a fan of usually offer inspiration (speakers, non-profits, causes), benefits/coupons/giveaways (retail/restaurants) or tips (cooking, shopping, home renovations).
For me, the benefits mentioned above, are essential ingredients in making a Facebook (or Twitter or Google+) fan page successful. This is the generation of “what’s in it for me?” and I’m proudly a card carrying member. What’s the benefit of your page? Pages that don’t know how to relate to people (or it’s audience) lose the meaning of what Social Media is all about. Period.
That’s my free tip of the day. And if you’re a business, that’s a very important piece of information to know. Social Networking is not about selling a product; it’s about a building a relationship. What builds a relationship? The right communication. (I figured that one out from all those Rom-Com’s I claim to not watch).
Now, go forth, communicate, and treat your likes wisely.
The Worst Passwords of the Year
Almost every webpage we use needs a password. Let’s face it, we either use the same one over and over or employ an incredibly simple one and hope autofill does it’s job.
I Need a Password for My Password
A recent article has outed the worst passwords of 2011. You’ve probably used one or maybe even quite a few of them. Hackers love these because it makes their job so much easier. And who are we to make their task more daunting, right?
Take a look at the list below and see if yours made the list. By the way, you might want to steer clear of your pet’s name. It looks like Shadow and Bailey are all the rage.
1. password
2. 123456
3.12345678
4. qwerty
5. abc123
6. monkey
7. 1234567
8. letmein
9. trustno1
10. dragon
11. baseball
12. 111111
13. iloveyou
14. master
15. sunshine
16. ashley
17. bailey
18. passw0rd
19. shadow
20. 123123
21. 654321
22. superman
23. qazwsx
24. michael
25. football
Design and Branding Worthy of a President
Graphic Designer Amber Allen takes a look at how cohesive marketing can even help in Politics.
When it comes to branding and marketing in political campaigns; you either have it or you don’t. It seems that most candidates running for office, nationally or locally, pay little to no attention to what a well thought out and well branded campaign can actually do for them.
Let’s take the Obama campaign into consideration. His campaign was the first one in history to use a coherent and comprehensive program of fonts, logos, slogans and web design. He is one of the first presidential candidates in history to be treated like a high-end consumer brand that needed to be sold to the public. His design campaign was not only carried through with cohesive colors and fonts, but his brand was also carried over to the digital revolution. This attracted a younger generation through Facebook and Twitter.
Obama’s campaign worked incredibly well, not just because of his message of change, but due to the consistency of his brand. Everything in his campaign was always the same. The font Gotham was almost always used. Even the smallest details were well thought out and executed. And that was important for Obama, because he needed to present a campaign of being well-managed and in control. His branding and marketing campaign reflected how he needed to be treated as a candidate.
It’s obvious how well Obama’s campaign did in 2008. This is largely due to his marketing stance. In actuality, political came secondary. This rarely happens, but if candidates actually paid more attention to the branding and marketing of their candidacy, the supporters that they could gain would increase dramatically. - AA
To Tweet or Not to Tweet….Wait, What?
Twitter in a political year? Absolutely!
Would you elect someone based on 140 characters or less? First off, yes, because we did. In the 2008 Presidential election, Barack Obama used Twitter to reach a core younger demographic. According to Read Write Web, Obama gained over 2,865 new twitter followers on or around election day in 2008 for a total of 118,107 followers.
President Obama reached his core demo by being in their hands when they wanted, answering the questions they asked, and listening to the comments. People share information – they share opinions, facts, problems, needs. The public is speaking (tweeting) are our politicians listening?
The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln says it best –“Government of the people, by the people, for the people”. I suppose in this decade we should add tweeted by the people. -JB
