By Leticia Barr

Today, the most effective parent-to-parent conversations can occur beyond the blog post. The ever-evolving online space has witnessed the development of new social tools utilized by bloggers and other digital influencers that can convey a story about a product, provide an inside look at a brand, or enhance a brand’s customer service.

Savvy marketing professionals are designing blogger outreach programs with a more holistic approach – taking into account bloggers’ use of Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Forward-thinking companies have moved beyond ‘spray and pray’ blogger outreach to engage bloggers in more meaningful ways – leading to compelling content that’s of higher value to parent audiences.

General Motors stands out as a leader for two innovative campaigns that tapped bloggers to create cross-platform content.  When prepping for the debut of the 2013 Terrain Denali, GMC invited a dozen bloggers to Michigan. Like other auto press events it included time to learn about the new Denali through a vehicle walk-around and drive-time. But the entire event was wisely designed to be interactive and capitalize on bloggers’ influence across multiple social media platforms.

Drive routes to showcase Northern Michigan at the start of summer were planned in conjunction with the Michigan Bureau of Tourism. Inspired by the scenery, bloggers captured images of the car during morning drives using Olympus PL-3 cameras provided through a partnership with Olympus. By the afternoon, we had not only experienced the car, but also learned how to shoot incredible images for our blogs.

Bloggers were invited to select a favorite image of the Denali to appear on the GMC Facebook page for the opportunity to be their new Timeline photo. As soon as the photos were up on the GMC page, each blogger went to work reaching out to our social networks by Tweeting, emailing, and sharing in Facebook groups to get our friends to like our images for the chance to be featured as the new Timeline photo. The well-planned event generated brand awareness and new Facebook fans for the 2013 Terrain Denali, as well as deepened brand relationships with bloggers for long-term gain.

As further evidence of GMC’s strategy to both spotlight and leverage digital influencers and their rich content, GMC also recently tapped leading fashion bloggers to showcase design inspirations for a custom Buick Encore digital look book, called Buick Pinboard to Dashboard.

The effectiveness of both of these campaigns is rooted in GMC’s recognition of bloggers’ digital influence across the broader social media sphere and a focus on the development of rich, compelling content. I’m excited about this evolution in how bloggers and brands are working together, and to see how consumers react to the new content we create together.

Leticia Barr is known throughout the social media sphere as Tech Savvy Mama, her award winning technology and education blog. She is also a Parents.com columnist, and a contributor to several brands’ content streams. Reach her on Twitter @TechSavvyMama.

Filed under: 360 Public Relations, 360PR - MomSquad, Blogger Relations, Digital PR, FaceBook, Facebook, Internet, Social Media, Trendletter, Twitter by Admin - No Comments →

Facebook has been very busy rolling out all sorts of updates to the platform (something new almost daily!) – The most significant change for brands is the updates to Facebook EdgeRank, the algorithm that determines whether or not your content will be seen in fans’ news feeds, hammering home the importance of creating engaging content specific to each community.

Here’s the cliff notes version of all the changes:

• People can now promote their own posts. Expect to see your news feed flooded with engagements and baby announcements if it’s not already.
• Facebook is taking a page out of Google’s playbook and allowing auto-optimization for Facebook ads to stay within their suggested bid range.
• Is searching for new pages not high on your priority list? Don’t worry – with Facebook’s new “like pages” they take the work out for you and suggest new brands and pages you may like.
• “Collections” are in beta testing with select brands and appear to be a direct attack on Pinterest. This feature pushes users straight to purchase within the Facebook platform, a key distinguisher from Pinterest so far.
• Like, want, buy, and read buttons are popping up after Facebook gave open graph developers stricter guidelines to follow.
• Expanded post targeting is now available for most brand pages, allowing you to target based on gender, relationships status, educational status, age, location, and language.
• Changes to Facebook’s EdgeRank algorithm have several outlets reporting brands have experienced a significant drop off in average weekly reach. Some accuse Facebook of altering their algorithm to force brands to use Facebook ads, sponsored stories, and promoted posts on a regularly basis.
• New study shows brands that post on the weekend and/or during “off hours” (8pm -7am) receive more engagement.
• Rise in “response rate” interest from third-party analytic vendors; starting to measure the time it takes brands to respond to fans. Shockingly, 70% of brands completely ignore fans. Those who do only answer 30% of fans’ questions.

What do you think about all the changes Facebook has made?  Tell us below!

Filed under: Facebook, Social Media, Social Networking by Kyle-Bishop - No Comments →

Digital Digest: June 27th

The Digital Digest by 360social gives you the best digital secrets, trends, tips and tricks for new tools, and general news circulating in the digital world. Have a question? Curious about a new site and what it does? Never heard about a tool mentioned recently? Contact Lesley Ridge, 360PR’s content and community manager:  @lesleyridge or  Facebook.com/360pr and join in the conversation using #360PR!

Michelle Obama on Pinterest: Obama Campaign Launches Account for First Lady to Celebrate Father’s Day:  Is politics the latest Pinterest trend? Possibly! Today, First Lady Michelle Obama made her debut on the social site with three boards – Around the White House, Great Memories, and Father’s Day. What other boards do you think MO will create? Tweet your ideas using #360PR.

Behind the Scenes of 4 Hot Social Media Campaigns [CASE STUDY]: While most brands have a presence across multiple social channels, usually one in the bunch emerges as the rock star, driving traffic, engagement, and conversation. Mashable contributor Lauren Hockenson gives four recent campaigns gold stars of excellence. Read the short version for quick insights to what drove success, or click on each campaign to dive a little deeper.

Five Strategies to Dominate Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube [INFOGRAPHIC]: This week’s infographic is brought to you by Awareness, Inc., covering goals brands and companies should strive to achieve across their social networks to be successful. A favorite? Analytics. Understanding what works for your audience is key to develop and curate the most relevant content. Want to read more? Download the full white paper here.

Filed under: Cause-Related, Digital Digest, Digital PR, Facebook, Social Good, Social Media by Admin - 3 Comments →

Digital Digest: June 20th

The Digital Digest by 360social gives you the best digital secrets, trends, tips and tricks for new tools, and general news circulating in the digital world. Have a question? Curious about a new site and what it does? Never heard about a tool mentioned recently? Contact Lesley Ridge, 360PR’s content and community manager:  @lesleyridge or  Facebook.com/360pr and join in the conversation using #360PR!

Coca-Cola Creates Global TV Series for Olympics: First-ever original series for big-time marketer set to air episodes of celebrity and athlete interviews, musical performances, and more during 2012 London games to capture “the vibe of London, the social aspect of it for the fans.” The series’ target audience? Teens. Ad spots are available to other brands.

Take Your iPhone Underwater With This ‘Scuba Suit’: What better way to kick-off the first day of summer than grab a waterproof case for your beloved iPhone so you can literally capture every.single.moment. While it’s not the first in the category, it’s touted as having a bit more to offer consumers, including its ability to stay dry up to 15 feet underwater. Cost: $60 (buy here.)

How Sephora Used Facebook to ‘Thrill’ Its Fan Base [CASE STUDY]: Overwhelmed by multiple social channels? Feel like you’re drowning in attempts to keep up with consumers? Take cue from beauty empire brand, Sephora, and their recent social campaign that spanned platforms. Key points: big prizes draw big crowds; leverage both online and off assets to boost performance; and don’t underestimate the power of ‘exclusive’ with your community.

Does Facebook Know Your Love Secrets? [INFOGRAPHIC]: Today’s infographic is brought to you by WorldWideLearn. Using data from University of Wisconsin researchers, news outlets, and Facebook, the team at WorldWideLearn uncovered some of us are luckier in love than others. Warning: a peak break-up time is approaching. You’ve been warned!

Filed under: Consumer Marketing, Digital PR, Facebook, Social Media by Admin - No Comments →