This week we covered reputation management and the "online identity" of a brand. Reviews and social comments are a lasting and influential representation of a company, product, or service. Positive and negative feedback are a product of social media, but the way in which a company responds to the feedback (especially the criticism) can make the greatest impact on their business and financial bottom line. When brands acknowledge and remedy a situation, it doesn’t go unnoticed. I'll be using this blog post to recommend responses to the following negative and positive comment examples from The Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina and Hyatt Regency in Orlando, as if I were the Social Media Manager of the respective hotels. **Please note this is for class purposes only - any phone numbers or email addresses are fictional and strictly made for the purpose of this post!**
Negative review:
Greetings - Thank you very much for taking the time to review our property at The Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina. Your input, and the feedback from all of our guests is vitally important to us and we always want guest expectations to be met upon arrival. We apologize sincerely for your experience not meeting those expectations during your stay for your 10-year high school reunion.
I have informed management of your comments and our top priorities are now twofold - to have them addressed, as well as working to ensure that future travelers experience only remarkable hospitality, service and cleanliness. The issues you've encountered made us aware of the areas in which we can improve.
Please know that we have since covered the parking lot gate box, as well as addressed the cleanliness issue of our pool and spoken with the employee in question. We want you to know that we truly enjoy sharing our passion for our destination with visitors and want you to make the most of your trip while enjoying our amenities. If you come back to our hotel, I would love the opportunity to speak with you directly, so please ask for me. We hope to see you again in the future and you can reach me directly at 954-463-5555 if I can be of any assistance.
Positive review:
Thank you so much for visiting the Hyatt Regency in Orlando! It is always a pleasure to hear how our hotel goes above and beyond our guests' expectations for both business and leisure experiences. Please know that we have added your requests of a room on a high floor and views of the pool to your account for future visits. Requests are made possible based on our availability at the time of reserving with us.
Have you registered for our Hyatt Gold Passport? You can do so here to take advantage of exclusive member benefits on your next business trip. You can be on your way to earning free nights at Hyatt hotels worldwide if you provide the reservation number from your most recent visit. Thank you for recommending our the Hyatt Regency to your friends and family. To show our appreciation of continued visits, we'd like to upgrade your next 50-minute Deep Tissue or Spa Refresher massage - you'll get an extra 30 minutes on us. We look forward to serving you again in the future!
CosmoProf North America is a three-day exhibition for beauty industry professionals. The business to business trade show is held annually and is focused on distributors, manufacturers, and buyers of cosmetics, skin care products, toiletries, fragrances, spa management software, as well as hair care and styling products. This week I will be analyzing their integrated marketing communications (IMC) efforts on their social media channels before, during, and after the conference in Las Vegas July 13-15, 2014.
Please note: this post is strictly for academic purposes. I am not a spokesperson of CosmoProf North America or any of the companies represented at the trade show. Feel free to get more information on CosmoProf here and here.
As you can see from the screenshot below, CosmoProf uses social media buttons for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram as designators to the platforms in which businesses and consumers may engage with CosmoProf before, during and after the conference. Although they have a presence on these platforms, their website is where they devote their time to truly promote the event. With one glance, one can see a countdown to the event, awards they've received for most innovative trade show, a YouTube clip of highlights from 2013 and quick click-through access to visitor registration.
CosmoProf North America Website Homepage
Their website is obviously their main hub of information. At the bottom of the page, the option to subscribe to a newsletter is available. I did not personally subscribe, so I could not attest to its role in the mix but it's possible that the newsletter's purpose was to drive traffic back to their website rather than to any particular social channel for guests to gather information before, during, and after the event.
To be honest, I expected to see more posts building anticipation for the trade show, but there was only one mention of the event on Facebook before opening on July 13th. However, once the event had started, both Facebook and Twitter were predominantly used to highlight certain booths and speaking engagements throughout the three day period.
Facebook posts frequently included photos of new products. Twitter didn't include very many photos, but did retweet a very active user named Hannah Perlman (@DalaiHannah), who strategically used #trendscout and #cosmoprof2014 in her posts. As expected, Twitter gained the most response from visitors as they commented in real-time on their participation and experience. They mentioned brands and products with which they interacted and liked.
Instagram was also very popular although it was mostly used for consumer-generated content. There are several web viewers that contain photos from the event--Websta and Iconosquare, to name a few--but any archived content had to be tagged with #cosmoprof in order to be viewed.
#cosmoprof Instagram submissions found on Iconosquare
It should be noted that there was not a unique official hashtag for the event, and the hashtags that were used were inconsistent. With hundreds of visitors using unofficial or other interest group-specific hashtags, this may affect any measurable data for future access and that which is reported back to sponsors.
For the most part, branding is consistent among channels. I was able to recognize very quickly whether I had landed on the verified account handles simply by seeing the model in a bright blue, windblown dress as pictured from their homepage. What stood out to me was their use of 10times, a service provider for business events. There are tabs where visitors could add themselves as "Attending" the conference, get information regarding hotels in Las Vegas, or leave a review. Visitors could see which exhibitors and plan ahead. I hadn't previously been aware of this content community or how they were changing the way in which we discover and experience events such as CosmoProf's trade show.
Overall, CosmoProf is making an effort socially, but could improve their IMC by using all channels to build anticipation for the conference, asking followers questions about the event or which brands/products they tried, consistently using hashtags and using them across platforms, and encouraging visitors and exhibitors to use said hashtags. There is a lot of potential here, and I know a little planning on their behalf could make a huge difference.
Digital communication planners and social channel users around the world can attest to this.
According to Brand Media Strategy: Integrated Communications Planning, the growth of the social network has taken brands to unforeseen heights in generating awareness, building involvement, increasing active consideration, and driving purchase. This week I'll be covering Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom and how an array of Facebook posts and Twitter tweets create brand experiences that reinforce the brand proposition of fun family entertainment. By using these channels, they create interaction and retain relevance to consumers.
Please note that the following blog post is entirely hypothetical and for academic purposes only. I am in no way affiliated with the Walt Disney brand or any of its subsidiaries. If you have any questions regarding Disney or its parks, you can follow them on Facebook and/or Twitter.
August 1:
Facebook - Be on the lookout for #FreebieFriday posts every Friday for the month of August - we'll announce where you can take advantage of an exclusive freebie while in the park that day!
Twitter - Interested in free stuff at Magic Kingdom? Stay tuned for #FreebieFriday tweets for the month of August!
August 2:
Facebook - Summer in Florida is in full effect. Besides sunblock, what do you wear for your day at Magic Kingdom? #DisneyTripTips
Twitter - What do you wear for a day at Magic Kingdom to have fun and stay cool? #DisneyTripTips
August 3:
Facebook - Our "Celebrate the Magic" Nighttime Spectacular fireworks show will dazzle you as we turn Cinderella's Castle into a work of art. Two shows every night - you won't want to miss this!
Twitter - Let us dazzle you with our "Celebrate the Magic" fireworks show. You won't want to miss it!
August 4:
Facebook - Love Monster's Inc.? Be sure to check out the Laugh Floor Stage Show and have some fun with Sully, Mike, and Boo!
Twitter - Share some laughs with Sully, Mike and Boo of Monster's Inc. at the #LaughFloor stage show today!
August 5:
Facebook - Poll: What is the longest you would be willing to wait in line for a Magic Kingdom attraction? Select one of the options below.
One hour Two hours Three hours I'd wait five hours or more Four hours
Twitter - What Magic Kingdom attraction are you willing to wait in line for? Tell us!
August 6:
Facebook - Cool off and make friends with a visit to Casey Jr. Splash 'N' Soak Station. It's an open play area based on the circus locomotive from Disney's Dumbo.
Twitter - Come play in the Casey Jr. Splash 'N' Soak Station and beat the summer heat. #StayCool
August 7:
Facebook - Throwback Thursday: Share a photo of you or your princess with a Disney princess! Use hashtags #tbt #disneyprincess
Twitter - Share a photo of you or your princess with a Disney Princess. Include #TBT #disneyprincess in your post!
August 8:
Facebook - It's #FreebieFriday! The first 200 guests to check-in to Main Street USA Confectionery will receive a special treat on us!
Twitter - The first 100 tweets to mention #MainStreetConfectionery will receive a special treat on #FreebieFriday. Stop by the shop to redeem!
August 9:
Facebook - Disney Trip Tip: Pin your name and cell phone number to the inside of your child's clothes and make sure your family wears closed-toe shoes to the park. Don't risk losing a flip flop! #DisneyTripTips
Twitter - Don't forget to pin your name and cell number to the inside of your child's clothes. #DisneyTripTips #thelittledetails
August 10:
Facebook - Fantasyland's "Festival of Fantasy" Parade will highlight all-new magic with music and dancing. The parade starts at 3pm!
Twitter - RT if you plan to head to Fantasyland for music, magic, and dancing by 3pm for the "Festival of Fantasy" Parade!
August 11:
Facebook - Staying at a Disney Resort hotel means you can enjoy more fun in Magic Kingdom! On select days, guests can arrive early or stay later courtesy of Extra Magic Hours.
Twitter - Stay at a Disney Resort hotel and enjoy Extra Magic Hours on select days! Get more info here: bit.ly/mc56n8d1
August 12:
Facebook - Trivia: Which attraction opened in 1956 and has the distinction of being the only one designed by Walt Disney?*
Twitter - Do you know which attraction has the distinction of being the only one designed by Walt Disney? Reply with your answer!*
August 13:
Facebook - Disney is featured in this Theme Park Insider's article on Top Theme Park Travel Tips. A great read if a trip to Magic Kingdom is in the works! Article: bit.ly/4v85er6a
Twitter - Disney was featured in this article on Top Theme Park Travel Tips: bit.ly/4v85er6a - a great read!
August 14:
Facebook - It's that time of the week again - Let's throw it back with a #tbt photo of a Magic Kingdom #fireworks display!
Twitter - Post a #ThrowbackThursday pic of a Magic Kingdom #fireworks display!
August 15:
Facebook - Love to collect Disney pins? Tell us about the best trade you've made to receive an exclusive 2014 Walt Disney pin! Act fast - we've got 1,000 to give away on #FreebieFriday
Twitter - #FreebieFriday: Tell us about the best trade you've made for a Disney pin to receive an exclusive 2014 Walt Disney pin! We've got 1,000 to give away!
August 16:
Facebook - Planning a trip to Magic Kingdom soon? Want to deal with smaller crowds? Most major parks are less crowded in September and October, as school starts up, and April and May, as school winds down. #DisneyTripTips
Twitter - Try planning a Magic Kingdom trip for September, October, April or May. When school is in, the park tends to be less crowded. #DisneyTripTips
August 17:
Facebook - The Electrical Water Pageant is an all-time favorite. Enjoy the sea creatures and twinkling flags across the lagoon to electronic tunes in this nighttime water parade. Fun for all ages.
Twitter - Watch an array of colorful lights as the floats glide by at the Electrical Water Pageant. Fun for all ages.
August 18:
Facebook - Go backstage to meet the most iconic of the Disney characters - Mickey Mouse! He's ready to hug and photograph with his biggest fans at Town Square Theater.
Twitter - Meet and greet Mickey at Town Square Theater - It's the perfect photo op!
August 19:
Facebook - Trivia: What's the legend of The Big Thunder Mountain? Share your knowledge in the comments section below!
Twitter - Which attraction has an eery ghost legend attached to it? Reply with your answer!
August 20:
Facebook - Your time is precious to you and we are here to help with Fastpass+, our ride reservation system.
Using the suggestions for your specific trip can save you up to 4 hours in line per day with touring plans. Use discount code FASTPASS+ to save 20% on a 1-year subscription to touringplans.com.
Twitter - Save up to 4 hours in line per day by using Fastpass+, our ride reservation system. Find out how here: bit.ly/4b7i2oq3
August 21:
Facebook - Share a Throwback Thursday photo of your most memorable Character Meet and Greet! Include #tbt #disneycharacter in your photo.
Twitter - Tweet a photo your most memorable Character Meet and Greet for #tbt. Include hashtags #tbt and #disneycharacter
August 22:
Facebook - #FreebieFriday Need a stroller for your little one during your visit to Magic Kingdom? If you reserve a Disney stroller for 3 days, get the 4th day Free! Available for a limited time only.
Twitter - Reserve a Disney stroller for 3 days, get the 4th day free! Available for a limited time only on #FreebieFriday
August 23:
Facebook - Plan your day with Disney's Mobile Magic application - you can quickly pinpoint restaurants and provide up-to-the-minute estimates on wait times at rides and attractions. Available for Android and iOS users. Download it today! bit.ly/t7lo760 #DisneyTripTips
Twitter - Download the Disney Mobile Magic app to plan your day right from your phone! Available for Android and iOS users - bit.ly/t7lo760 #DisneyTripTips
August 24:
Facebook - Put on your dancing shoes and prep your moves in Tomorrowland for the #INCREDIBLESSuperDanceParty from 5pm-10pm. It's the most heroic dance party around from Disney-Pixar's The Incredibles!
Twitter - Boogie down in Tomorrowland at the #INCREDIBLESSuperDanceParty from 5pm-10pm!
August 25:
Facebook - Love Frozen? A Sand Sculpture brought Olaf to Frozen Summer Fun at Disney's Hollywood Studios in the Disney Blog - Weekly Recap!
Twitter - Find out how a sand sculpture brought Olaf to Frozen Summer Fun at Disney's Hollywood Studios: bit.ly/3u02bd
August 26:
Facebook - Trivia: The first Audio-Animatronics figure in human form were developed at Walt Disney's request for which Magic Kingdom attraction?
Hint: The result lead to rave reviews at the 1964 New York's World Fair.
Twitter - Do you know the Magic Kingdom attraction in which the first Audio-Animatronics figure was developed? Tell us!
August 27:
Facebook - The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train has been open for three months already, and broke records for the number of guests to ride in 90 days. What's your favorite aspect of the ride?
Twitter - The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train has been open for three months - Tell us why you love it!
August 28:
Facebook - Share your favorite photo with #CinderellasCastle in the background for #throwbackthursday
Twitter - Have a great #CinderellasCastle photo for #ThrowbackThursday? Share it with us today!
August 29:
Facebook - Did you know that #FreebieFriday can take place year round at Magic Kingdom? Many guests assume PhotoPass Cast Members are not useful if they don't plan on purchasing the CD or prints. The truth is that these picture-taking Cast Members will take photos of you with your own camera. All you have to do is ask!
Twitter - Take advantage of #FreebieFriday year round by asking PhotoPass Cast Members to take photos of you with your own camera at Magic Kingdom!
August 30:
Facebook - #DisneyTripTips Go against the flow: Head to the back of the park at opening while everyone boards the rides nearest the front gate. Opt for the left-hand line at snack bars and souvenir shops because most are programmed to turn right.
Twitter - While at Magic Kingdom, go against the flow. Opt for the left hand line at snack bars and shops. More #disneytriptips here: bit.ly/1w70loz
August 31:
Facebook - Go Wild on the #JungleCruise! Expand your horizons and tour the most exotic rivers of Asia, Africa, and South America. Encounter the wonders of nature in an unforgettable adventure!
Twitter - Embark on the #JungleCruise for a true-life adventure of the world's most exotic locales!
*The Answer is Tom Sawyer Island. The original opened to the public at Disneyland Resort in 1956.
Before diving into my post below, clickhere for a Prezi introduction!
History
Greg Tseng and Johann Schleier-Smith created Tagged.com
in October 2004 by with
ambitions of “[building] a Teen Yahoo! or the next MTV.” They launched the site
with about $1 million from their savings (Businessweek).
In just two months, they managed to reel $7 million in venture capital
from Mayfiled Fund of Menlo Park, California. It was also in this short amount
of time that Tagged.com’s traffic hit 1.6 million unique page views.
Tagged started off much like Facebook, but struggled to retain site
loyalty and their identity by adding (but not gaining traction from) similar
features like Facebook’s ever-popular news feed function to their social
network. Growing tired of chasing after the ascent of Facebook, the founders
soon made the decision to reinvent the company to help people make new
relationships in a short amount of
time, rather just keeping in touch
with existing friends.
What kind of channel is it?
Tseng and
Schleier-Smith coined Tagged as a “social discovery” channel. With 75 percent
of users using Tagged to meet new people, they worked to facilitate
interactions that people weren’t getting on Facebook. Their success is in part
due to honing in on this differentiation and building off the idea of social
discovery.
Target audience, user numbers, and growth
Hitwise ranked Tagged as
the third largest social network in the U.S. in 2011, behind Facebook and
MySpace. Originally targeted at teens 13-19 years old, Tagged opened its doors to all ages to increase its
range of potential users in October 2006. According to company statistics, 74
percent of users are over the age of 21, and the vast majority of users are
evenly distributed between the ages of 18 to 44 (HowStuffWorks.com).
After acquiring social network hi5 in 2011, it became available in 220 countries and
18 languages, with more than 20 million monthly unique visitors, 100 million
registered users and revenue exceeding $32 million (Entrepreneur). Collectively,
the users form over 100 million new connections and consume over 5 billion page
views per month. As shown in the screenshot below, Tagged visitors are on
average on the site for about 20 minutes, with almost 16 daily page views:
Statistics from Alexa.com
In Greg Tseng’s article, How A
Startup Pivots: The Tagged Story (So Far), he admits that Tagged’s growth
was made possible by their pivot into the new space of social discovery. With a
mission “to enable anyone to meet and socialize with new people,” they focused
efforts on the core human need of meeting and socializing with new people that
had been neglected online before Tagged’s existence.
What does it do?
At Tagged, businesses can use filtered search to meet others for sharing
activities. In this way, it acts as a content community and businesses can use
the Groups feature for common interests, social games, and a “What’s New” news
feed to focus on meeting people with an “Everyone” tab, where users can see the
updates and photos from anyone on Tagged, subject to their filters. Powerful
recommendation algorithms back these features, deciding which 100 of 100
million users are recommended to users.
In an effort to expand on
services, Tagged acquired Digsby in
2011, allowing users to
interact with social networks, webmail and instant messaging. Also realizing
the key matchup in social and gaming, Tagged purchased WeGameto bolster
their own gaming prowess. Both of these features make brands much more
accessible, interactive, and fun.
How does it work?
Accessing Tagged can happen one of two ways: going
to the website directly and registering for a free account, or by receiving an
e-mail from someone in your contact list inviting you to join Tagged so you can
see a friend's newly uploaded Tagged photo album.
After finishing the registration process, the user
is brought to an interface similar to Myspace to fill out a personalized,
public profile with a picture of himself or herself. Once that’s complete, they
can begin using the following features:
A journal which serves as a blog,
Sending bulletins to friends,
Games such as poker,
Watching videos,
Collecting "pets" (other users on the site)
Businesses can network by sending invitations to
other users based on information in their profiles. There is an opportunity to leave
comments, wink, or offer Tagged "luv" as a sign of interest or promote new products and services.
For $20/month, a brand/business could upgrade to a VIP
account, letting them see who’s viewing their profile. They can have access to more features by earning virtual
"gold" for completing certain actions (such as answering a marketing
survey), and then using that gold to buy digital gifts for their new friends. This informal engagement with friends will make for plenty of evangelists for your brand.
Integration with other social channels - It's mobile-friendly!
Since Tagged fought so hard to distinguish itself as a viable social
network, there is no integration with other social channels outside of its
recruiting email. This does not mean that a business cannot create an automated
post or tweet mentioning how the user is interacting with the company on
Tagged. The post/tweet uploads itself upon user registration if the user
registers with Facebook or Twitter. 80 percent of Tagged members also use
Facebook as an alternative service, so there is a good chance of a company “shout-out.”
There was once hope that this overlap would allow for the two to grow in tandem,
but Facebook simply overhauled the market share.
Increasing mobile connectivity options and
offerings for Tagged users was a major priority in 2011, and led to Tagged launching a new mobile website athttp://m.tagged.com, and
creating an Android app that further
complimented Tagged products and services for consumers to meet new people on
the Internet. This suite of
mobile Tagged products lets users handle some essential features like friending
and sending messages, as well as location-based,
real-time chat, a redesigned user profile presentation, and a grid view for
friends. Brands will now be accessible via mobile when the app is used.
In Kim-Mai Cutler’s article, Tagged Adds Some Great Features to its Mobile
App,I found that Tagged’s usage leans more toward the mobile web and Android
than the iPhone. Forty-six percent access the site through the web, 32 percent
through Android and 28 percent through an iPhone, with some people using more
than one method.
From a
business perspective, Tagged profiles also offer more customization and allow
users to engage in more personal and open behavior. This makes it a bit harder
for a big corporate brand to break in, but it gives small personal businesses
like personal trainers, media personalities, photographers, cosmetologists, and
other businesses a place where the personality of the owner can contribute to
the bottom line.
Sources:
Armstrong, M. 11 July 2011. “Tagged Adds Some Great Features
to its Mobile App.” Mario Armstrong: TV Host, Digital Lifestyle Expert, &
Entrepreneur. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
I'm a big fan of beer. Wait, let me rephrase - I'm a big fan of well crafted beer. I may have alluded to this before, but there's no harm in a reminder. This week in class, we covered industry-specific social networks, so imagine my delight to find an existing platform like "Pintley!" If you've never heard of it, it's a peer-to-peer network about craft beer.
The Boston-based beer website came to fruition in 2008 after co-founder Tim Noetzel spent time abroad immersed in European beer culture. The platform went public in 2010, targeting the beer lovers of the world by providing a space for users to write reviews and share recommendations. Pintley is also a tool of discovery - learning your tastes, suggesting other beers you'll love, and evolving your taste profile as you supply more information from your drinking experience.
My Pintley Profile and Beer Recommendations
It's simplistic in appearance and only provides a numerical description. This is especially helpful for those who know little about varying brewing styles, hops, and tasting notes. Pintley clearly relays to consumers, "This, according to a lot of people, tastes good."
Seems easy enough, right? What's more, its registration process is just as basic. You sign up with an email address or link it to your Facebook profile, log in and start rating beers. Pintley is an important platform mainly for its efforts to change how beer is marketed and sold, by leveraging both small craft brewers, established breweries, and well-known companies like Samuel Adams. On this platform, smaller brands are on the same playing field with big companies. The market share is spread more evenly.
Overall, I think Pintley has their work cut out for them. There are a number of other similar beer sites and applications with information on local breweries that provide opportunities for discovery, recommendations and social features. On the other hand, Pintley is different from the rest, with its ambitious goal of creating "brand evangelists" who assist brewers build word-of-mouth marketing campaigns. I have a good feeling that if they can get more paying brewing companies to participate, there's a better chance of them standing out from the other players.
We also talked about proximity marketing this week, and how marketers promote brands to highly targeted, on-location audiences via mobile device. The Pintley staff found a way to cater to consumers demanding products tailored to their tastes with a mobile application. Within the element of proximity marketing, they bring their online network to real-world settings by inviting users to rare beer events, like craft beer launch parties and free local tastings in major cities across the country. Their efforts create a win-win-win for the drinker, brewer, and bar. Pintley is much more than a consumer app. It's a content community. Its mobile application features a newsfeed, a Notes section where users can comment on beers and see what friends think, and a forum in which users can discuss any beer-related topic. While the app creates the possibility of consumers helping craft brewers with future product development, shareable social sites like Facebook and Twitter, work well alongside this platform with its integrated marketing communications efforts.
I'm an event planner turned social media-er. My desk is riddled with sticky notes.
This blog is following me as I pursue my M.A. in Mass Communications, specializing in Social Media. I do not claim credit for any images posted on this site unless otherwise noted.
Have you registered for our Hyatt Gold Passport? You can do so here to take advantage of exclusive member benefits on your next business trip. You can be on your way to earning free nights at Hyatt hotels worldwide if you provide the reservation number from your most recent visit. Thank you for recommending our the Hyatt Regency to your friends and family. To show our appreciation of continued visits, we'd like to upgrade your next 50-minute Deep Tissue or Spa Refresher massage - you'll get an extra 30 minutes on us. We look forward to serving you again in the future!
