Addition to the Twitter Vocab

So, I'm not really sure if this is a word or not. But just in case it isn't, I wanna make sure I get the credit for adding a word to the Twitter Vocabulary. I'm really excited to share this with you...are you ready?!!! Drum roll please................................................................................................................... TWEPLY: verb. To reply to someone who tweets at you or mentions you on Twitter. It's that simple, but yet it makes a whole lot of sense. All the confusion is settled, I'm amazing with my creative little word-mashes, I get it! Thank you, thank you! P.S. I believe I made this up...if it's already a word, please let me know so I can pin point the person who crushed my wildest dreams! Love you, Katie

Introducing Google Motion- The Next Step Towards Becoming Robots

The creators of Google introduced a new product they have been working on... Google Motion. What it is you ask? Well basically Google is telling us to become robots. Instead of typing your emails when using Gmail (a Google email system), they have created a new product that types your messages according to your body motion. I will give them the credit of creating a very unique product that is completely out-of-the-box, but I would expect nothing less from Google. However, I just don't think they are using technology the way it should be used. Just because we have been having technology advancements doesn't mean that we need to keep making products that don't benefit us in anyway. How hard is it to type your emails? I'm typing this blog right now, and let me tell ya... I'm doing just fine with my hands. Google says that our bodies haven't evolved to just sit at a stationary position all day typing on a computer. But all you need when writing something or working on a computer is your brain to be able to think. You don't need to use your body to type something. And they also say it's to get more exercise; nice health promotion Google, but it's not gonna help our obese Americans. Not to mention, everyone will have to learn the new "movements' to even be able to write an email. DUMB GOOGLE...DUMB! Although Google has done wonders for me, this Google Motion is unnecessary...and I think we should be using our technology advancements towards better things. Maybe like curing cancer, or helping the people of Japan by rebuilding their towns after the tsunami. But that's just my opinion. Check out the "Introducing Google Motion" video here... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu927_ul_X0

On-Campus Advertising Opportunities

I am a member of PSE, a sales and marketing business fraternity at UNI. As the VP of Marketing, it is my job to be the project manager for our 10th Annual Sprint into Spring 5K Run/Walk. My goal is to increase our past participation rate by 30%, reaching our highest ever number of runners at 200!!!! And the way I was going to achieve this goal was through finding new ways of advertising my event. And many of these ideas came from my Digital Advertising class.

The advertising methods I chose to use were:

-Facebook Event Page

-Email Marketing Campaign

-Twitter

-Linkwheels

-Organization Website

-Maucker TV/Marquee

-Maucker Bubble Posters

-Text Messaging Campaign

-MyUniverse Calendar, UNIonline, My Universe Weekend

-UNIBusiness Calendar, UNIBusiness News, Marketing News

-Press Releases

-Newspaper ad, the Northern Iowan

-PR Community Relations

-WOM

-Presenting in Class

-Table Tents

-Static Signs On/Off Campus

-Flash Mob

...that's a lot of advertising!

First I would like to say how lucky we are as students to have all these available outlets to advertise events, projects...basically anything we want to. And it's all FREE OF CHARGE! Agencies put billions of dollars towards their marketing/advertising, and we don't have to pay a thing. Yet, are we utilizing all of these available media outlets? I know that I have tried almost everything I can think of to spread the word for my event, but that's because I'm aware of a majority of these communication methods. It would be nice if we were taught or at least made aware of these outlets because I know that I have missed out on a lot of events simply because I didn't know it was occurring.

However, I have found that through all the advertising methods I have utilized, I have found that WOM is the most effective. This doesn't mean that the other methods don't work. I believe that the other methods are more appropriate to raise awareness for your events, and it may possibly lead to sales. BUT I feel that the most effective way of converting those leads into sales is through WOM (word of mouth). By actually talking to people, creating buzz, having that one-on-one contact with someone...that's how you're going to get the sales you want- for me, getting the number of runners I want to participate in my PSE 5K!!!

So I will advertise my 5K through my blog, not that anyone is reading it. So that makes me realize that this form of communication is simply...pointless. But if you are reading... you can visit

www.uni.edu/studentorgs/pse/projects for more information on the 5K! YOU SHOULD DO IT!!!!!!!!

Find that feeling that keeps you smiling.

KT

Discovery Marketing...Better than WOM?

We are all aware that Word of Mouth (WOM) has proven to the most effective form of advertising. But is there one step before WOM that we have been over-stepping?

"When it comes to social media marketing, we like to say 'it's better to discover a product with a unique value than to be told it has a unique value.' This is the essence of Discovery Marketing." This was pulled from the article written by Max Gladwell, the nexus of social media, geolocation, and green living.

Follow this link to read more info on improving your marketing effectiveness.

http://ow.ly/4n0nc

Klouty Klout Klout!

So is it normal to feel a lot more significant after your Klout score increases by 2 points? Well either way, I'm now at a Klout score of 25 Ladies & Gents! It better be getting better after blogging 4 times at 1:00am last night!

Say what you need to say.
Katie

Favorite Song/Music Video of the Week

Heyo, so I decided that as part of my blog I wanna start posting my favorite song/music video of the week (if I stay up-to-date with my blog). I love music and I love sharing music with people. If you have any requests or want to share your favorite songs/music videos...let me hear them!

This week's favorite song/music video is... drumroll please... "Good Life" by One Republic. It's a very chill song that makes you (at least) me feel really positive and at peace with myself. I can't help but smile when listening to this song. The music video is very simple but has a whole lot of creativity going on that should be appreciated. I love it, and One Republic is one of my favorite bands. Watch their video thanks to the good ol' YouTube channel and let me know your thoughts! When you listen to the song, I hope you really take in what they are saying during the song- it helps if you close your eyes and sway back and forth! (I'm a freak, I know...I just love music!)



Be happy. Smile forever.
KT

3 Elements of a Viral Hit Article

Freddy J. Nager, a teacher in social media and marketing at Antioch University-Los Angeles, has maintained a blog about viral media as well that is invaluable to follow for marketers. I was reading through his blog and came across an article on the 3 Elements of a Viral Hit. He claims that if you are looking to make something go viral, you should put your best effort into making it visual, interactive, and entertainingly educational. For more information, you should follow the expert and his article by clicking on the link below.

http://ow.ly/4jiHY

What Companies Do to Get Noticed

While doing research on viral videos launched by well-known companies, I came across this ABC News article about Reebok's efforts to keep the attention of its customers. The article talks about how companies (like Reebok) are supposedly creating "faux viral videos" that push the limits of the reputation of the company. These racier videos come across as being created by some random person, when it may be the actual company who created it hiding behind a disguise. The point of these faux viral videos is to grab the attention of thousands of people and create buzz about the company. Basically, in a dynamic and competitive market, companies are coming up with new (and desperate) ways to be recognized.

Check out the link below for more information on "faux viral videos".

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wackiest-viral-marketing-campaigns/story?id=10008623

Let's Start Blabbing

The purpose of this blog is to open up a discussion about the viral marketing world. I have for a long time been attracted to the entertainment industry and would love to some day be a part of the creative team who works on music videos, movie trailers, TV commercials...anything of the sort! I have actually created a couple of my own videos within the past couple months: one was a music video and the other a parody of the hit TV show "The Office". Both videos have received pretty decent reviews...making me quite a proud mama! You can view my videos below...

Music Video



The Office Parody (This video was created for a student organization I'm involved with called PSE. The video is supposed to answer the question..."What does PSE mean to me?")



Sooooo...did you like them?! (I'd love to hear your reviews/comments)

When I see various videos, I see more than just what they're showing you...I look at the detail, the angles, the meaning, and the effectiveness of each video. I'm not saying I'm some super star video maker...no no no, not at all. But I do feel that I have the creativity that goes on behind the production process. I do a lot of "research" on YouTube, VH1, TV, and other social media sources that post new videos. I enjoy the heck out of it, and would love to have a career that involves this kinda stuff.

I made a Klout account and I got a Klout Score of 11. They classified me as an "explorer" and that I "actively engage in the social web and try out new ways to interact and network." They predict that I will improve and become more engaged with the social web. They also said that I have the ability to generate actions and discussions...hmmm, NICE!

I also currently have 34 followers...so basically, I'm not very popular on the ol' Twitter. Nor do I tweet very often anyway...I suppose I should get better at that. But you can follow me and this blog if you find it interesting...but do whatever your heart tells you is best. :)

Well anyway, as an intro to this blog...this post has gotten rather long. But I'm excited to start blogging about the viral marketing world.

Let's get this shindig started!
With all my love,
Katie