I have to say, I was quite shocked when Facebook decided that in order to reach a large amount of fans on your business page, you now have to pay to reach out to the fans that you tried so hard to collect in the first place assuming that you would be able to reach them easily with your business page. But now Facebook is offering this for your personal page as well. They have a button now on your post that says "promote" it then wants you to pay $7 in order to make your post "important news" on your friends newsfeeds.
This seems like the beginning of Facebook slowly becoming a paid site which will ruin the while concept of Facebook completely.
I'm wondering what the push is for these new methods of making Facebook users pay? Are the billions of dollars Facebook is making off advertisers not enough? Are they just getting greedy? Or are advertisers backing out because, in my opinion at least, Facebook advertising is less effective than google advertising.
I understand hitting up the advertisers and small businesses for cash, but hitting up the typical consumer Facebook user is just going overboard. What is going to be paid next? Does this mean that my posts aren't going to be seen by as many of my friends if I don't pay?
The big question is, what do I really get out of paying the $7 to promote something to "important news" on my personal page. Lets say I want people to know about my small business or my event, am I really going to make $7 worth of profit from advertising to under 1500 friends? Not necessarily. Maybe if I was a medium sized business with a personal page but I'd say the majority of people are not.
Now I'm just wondering what the next social media site that's going to be coming up if Facebook wants to keep hitting us up for money, I know everyone will be gone soon enough. Maybe google plus? I'm not a fan of their layout but I'm also not a fan if paying for posts!
Thoughts on cool products, design & digital media by a graphic designer & digital media expert in Las Vegas.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Facebook coupon offers
I think I like this new promotional tool on facebook business/fan pages. You can pay to offer a coupon to your network and you can choose how many it reaches. I don't like the fact that it has a limited reach, because I feel like when I got all those "likes" on my page, I should be able to reach them like I would with an email address only on their facebook wall. But the good thing about the coupons is that if someone see the coupon and clicks on it to redeem it, it comes up in their friends newsfeed that they have redeemed a coupon from this business.
It's cool for me as a consumer because then I can see some offers that are out there that my friends were interested in and it's cool for me as a business because my coupon code and like to my page gets posted on that persons page so all of their friends can check out my offer as well and possibly go to "like" my business too or redeem the offer. I will probably use this each time I want to post about a coupon code for my online jewelry sales business. I like that it reaches out to more than just my fans, it can reach their friends and friends of friends too. That in itself if worth it more than just letting my fans see a post. Also, the fans that click on the offer are more likely to see my future posts in their news feed than they would have before because now they've shown interest by clicking something I posted.
It's cool for me as a consumer because then I can see some offers that are out there that my friends were interested in and it's cool for me as a business because my coupon code and like to my page gets posted on that persons page so all of their friends can check out my offer as well and possibly go to "like" my business too or redeem the offer. I will probably use this each time I want to post about a coupon code for my online jewelry sales business. I like that it reaches out to more than just my fans, it can reach their friends and friends of friends too. That in itself if worth it more than just letting my fans see a post. Also, the fans that click on the offer are more likely to see my future posts in their news feed than they would have before because now they've shown interest by clicking something I posted.
Friday, September 7, 2012
Before/After Photo editing
Photo editing in photoshop is an interesting technique. I feel like I'm always learning more about fixing colors and lighting and how to warp things into the way I want them. It's not just something you learn by doing a few hours of editing, it definitely takes a lot of practice to make it look right.
Here is a picture where I did a lot of editing. I had to change the middle girl's jacket completely because the client wanting a different colored jacket on the girl. Then, I changed the zippers on the girl on the right to black thick zippers instead of silver colored thin zippers. Lastly, I took out the girl on the left because the client decided that she wanted this image with only 2 girls instead of 3. There are other small changes made throughout the image like lengthening the girls pants or taking out extra pockets on the black coat on the left, but overall the image came out great and the poster is being hung in the window of a women's clothing store in Beverly Hills, CA for fall 2012.
Here is a picture where I did a lot of editing. I had to change the middle girl's jacket completely because the client wanting a different colored jacket on the girl. Then, I changed the zippers on the girl on the right to black thick zippers instead of silver colored thin zippers. Lastly, I took out the girl on the left because the client decided that she wanted this image with only 2 girls instead of 3. There are other small changes made throughout the image like lengthening the girls pants or taking out extra pockets on the black coat on the left, but overall the image came out great and the poster is being hung in the window of a women's clothing store in Beverly Hills, CA for fall 2012.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Skype for business
For several years, I have been working with a client strictly over the phone doing design work. In the first year, it was me just sending him .jpgs through email back and forth and him calling and asking for changes. This took up so much time and it would get frustrating trying to understand what he wanted and I kept having to send him a bunch of new versions. He kept asking me to come up with a way that he could see my screen and work over the phone.
I had been using Skype previously because a friend told me about it. I realized that they had a way that you could share your screen through the messaging feature. It calls from one username to another, so it's not charging you for a phone call. Skype only charges you for a phone call if you are calling a phone line, not when you are calling another skype username within your country.
Skype has made it so much easier to communicate with my client who is now several states away from me. He can see my screen and tell me to move around text and pictures the way he wants them while I am on the computer doing it at the same time so he can see it. It has become a normal everyday type of thing to use Skype for work. He doesn't have a microphone on his computer, so we still have to use the regular phone to speak to each other, although if you both have speakers, you don't even need a phone. If you have a business where you need to show someone a design or information on your screen without being right next to them, I would suggest using Skype.
I had been using Skype previously because a friend told me about it. I realized that they had a way that you could share your screen through the messaging feature. It calls from one username to another, so it's not charging you for a phone call. Skype only charges you for a phone call if you are calling a phone line, not when you are calling another skype username within your country.
Skype has made it so much easier to communicate with my client who is now several states away from me. He can see my screen and tell me to move around text and pictures the way he wants them while I am on the computer doing it at the same time so he can see it. It has become a normal everyday type of thing to use Skype for work. He doesn't have a microphone on his computer, so we still have to use the regular phone to speak to each other, although if you both have speakers, you don't even need a phone. If you have a business where you need to show someone a design or information on your screen without being right next to them, I would suggest using Skype.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Online forum creation
There are a lot of websites now that let you create an online forum free. They let you host it free on their website and give you a custom URL attached to their domain. You can always buy your own .com domain and have it forwarded to the domain link they give you.
I recently tried out out called www.lefora.com
It's not too bad, they don't spam you with ads all over your forum. There seems to be pretty good protection from spam bots joining your forum. They make each person that joins your site click through a bunch of ads with promotions just to join but afterwards, it is pretty clear from ads, except for some text ads at the very bottom that your barley notice.
Forums are useful if your trying to communicate with a group of people all at once. For example, when your throwing an event, you can create a forum to find out who wants to attend, who wants to perform, who wants to work, get every one's opinion on a topic, etc... It also helps create buzz for the event because talking about it hypes up the excitement of going to the event.
They are also useful for weekly or monthly clubs, sales groups, groups that want to discuss a topic like art or doing charity. Forums have been around for a very long time on the Internet. Much longer than facebook and myspace. It used to be harder to start a forum, get followers, etc... but it was like a private group facebook page where you share ideas, funny pictures, talk about current events, etc... There are a lot of forums out there today dedicated to computer tech support also.
One negative thing about starting a forum is that once you get a group of people on there and things start rolling, they really start to suck you in and somewhat waste your time in the same way that facebook does. Also, if you were the creator, you may want to check back often to administer the board. You have to decide what you want to allow on there and what you don't want to allow as far as topics, NSFW (not safe for work) posts, bad language, rude things people say, etc. On one hand, moderating a forum too much, you can lose some people with too much censorship, but not moderating it enough, you can also lose some people because they may not be protected from being harassed. If it is something to do with a business or event you are running, you may want to be on there enough to moderate the negative posts. Just be careful what you censor, because people will call you out of you censor your board too much also. It's all a balance.
I recently tried out out called www.lefora.com
It's not too bad, they don't spam you with ads all over your forum. There seems to be pretty good protection from spam bots joining your forum. They make each person that joins your site click through a bunch of ads with promotions just to join but afterwards, it is pretty clear from ads, except for some text ads at the very bottom that your barley notice.
Forums are useful if your trying to communicate with a group of people all at once. For example, when your throwing an event, you can create a forum to find out who wants to attend, who wants to perform, who wants to work, get every one's opinion on a topic, etc... It also helps create buzz for the event because talking about it hypes up the excitement of going to the event.
They are also useful for weekly or monthly clubs, sales groups, groups that want to discuss a topic like art or doing charity. Forums have been around for a very long time on the Internet. Much longer than facebook and myspace. It used to be harder to start a forum, get followers, etc... but it was like a private group facebook page where you share ideas, funny pictures, talk about current events, etc... There are a lot of forums out there today dedicated to computer tech support also.
One negative thing about starting a forum is that once you get a group of people on there and things start rolling, they really start to suck you in and somewhat waste your time in the same way that facebook does. Also, if you were the creator, you may want to check back often to administer the board. You have to decide what you want to allow on there and what you don't want to allow as far as topics, NSFW (not safe for work) posts, bad language, rude things people say, etc. On one hand, moderating a forum too much, you can lose some people with too much censorship, but not moderating it enough, you can also lose some people because they may not be protected from being harassed. If it is something to do with a business or event you are running, you may want to be on there enough to moderate the negative posts. Just be careful what you censor, because people will call you out of you censor your board too much also. It's all a balance.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Turning Customers into Brand Ambassadors
Check out this article posted on PRWeb about getting your customers to talk about your brand. See the original article here.
You know that social media has the power to amplify everything you say about your business. But there's a flipside: it also amplifies everything your customers say. While this lack of control might seem like a cause for concern, it's actually a great opportunity to leverage your customers as brand advocates.
Some of the most effective marketing you can do is good old word-of-mouth. When happy customers spread the word about your business, new customers will soon be knocking at your door.
Thanks to the speed of social media, word-of-mouth now works faster than ever. Here are four ways to generate it from your customers.
1
Reward loyalty.
Make sure your customers know that you value their business. Even a simple "Thanks for your business" can make a difference. Tactical tools such as loyalty cards or discounts are great, but they're even better when offered in conjunction with face-to-face gratitude. If you're feeling confident on social channels, try recognizing your most loyal customers on Facebook or Twitter with a special "customer of the week" feature and discount just for them.
2 Embrace the good and the bad.
People tend to share extremely positive or extremely negative customer service experiences. However, some of the most compelling stories arise from companies responding to bad customer experiences effectively. If someone shares a negative story about your company online, respond to their complaint, do everything possible to remedy the situation, and communicate what you're doing. Think of complaints as opportunities to improve customer relations and earn more word-of-mouth.
3
Get more social.
Apps like FourSquare, Yelp! and Open Table to name a few, allow customers to leave real-time reviews about your business. Make sure you know what people are saying about you on these forums, and respond appropriately. Better yet, become an active presence yourself, thanking people for positive reviews, responding to concerns, or even offering discounts or promotions for users. To encourage reviews, you can add buttons to your website which link directly to these sites.
4
Give customers something to talk about.
Neutral sentiment does nothing to further your brand. Customers don't talk about 'average' experiences with brands. What they'll remember—and share with others—is how your company goes above and beyond to make customer interactions easy and pleasant. Check out these "10 Examples of Shockingly Excellent Customer Service" for some inspiration!
By managing relationships with your customers effectively, you can turn them into marketers for your brand, as well as keeping them happy and satisfied.
You know that social media has the power to amplify everything you say about your business. But there's a flipside: it also amplifies everything your customers say. While this lack of control might seem like a cause for concern, it's actually a great opportunity to leverage your customers as brand advocates.
Some of the most effective marketing you can do is good old word-of-mouth. When happy customers spread the word about your business, new customers will soon be knocking at your door.
Thanks to the speed of social media, word-of-mouth now works faster than ever. Here are four ways to generate it from your customers.
1
Reward loyalty.
Make sure your customers know that you value their business. Even a simple "Thanks for your business" can make a difference. Tactical tools such as loyalty cards or discounts are great, but they're even better when offered in conjunction with face-to-face gratitude. If you're feeling confident on social channels, try recognizing your most loyal customers on Facebook or Twitter with a special "customer of the week" feature and discount just for them.
2 Embrace the good and the bad.
People tend to share extremely positive or extremely negative customer service experiences. However, some of the most compelling stories arise from companies responding to bad customer experiences effectively. If someone shares a negative story about your company online, respond to their complaint, do everything possible to remedy the situation, and communicate what you're doing. Think of complaints as opportunities to improve customer relations and earn more word-of-mouth.
3
Get more social.
Apps like FourSquare, Yelp! and Open Table to name a few, allow customers to leave real-time reviews about your business. Make sure you know what people are saying about you on these forums, and respond appropriately. Better yet, become an active presence yourself, thanking people for positive reviews, responding to concerns, or even offering discounts or promotions for users. To encourage reviews, you can add buttons to your website which link directly to these sites.
4
Give customers something to talk about.
Neutral sentiment does nothing to further your brand. Customers don't talk about 'average' experiences with brands. What they'll remember—and share with others—is how your company goes above and beyond to make customer interactions easy and pleasant. Check out these "10 Examples of Shockingly Excellent Customer Service" for some inspiration!
By managing relationships with your customers effectively, you can turn them into marketers for your brand, as well as keeping them happy and satisfied.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
The LOL's of casting/ hiring people
When I used to be the one looking for a job, I always wondered what people thought of my responses. What I could do better, what I was doing wrong or right. Then, when I had to post for jobs and casting for photo shoots, I realized how difficult, annoying, comical and interesting it is to get responses from people that want the job you are offering.
Some people reply with:
- almost nothing like- "I'm interested. Here's how to contact me." (delete)
- a question like "so what exactly do you want?..." (like I have time to answer every question- and some of these don't even have any info, they want you to respond first before they send info.)
- "can you change the date that you posted for the shoot?" (uh no, I can find 50 more people that can make that date I asked for)
- "I would like to work with you if we can negotiate on more pay" (who do you think you are?)
- " I need you to fill this out for me and tell me exactly what you need" followed by a long list of questions. (I'm 100% more likely to respond to someone who didn't want me to spend 20 min. on a survey.)
- It is stated in the post that I need people to interview on Tues and Wed. - "Can I come in on Thursday for an interview?" (Obviously if I asked for Tues & Wed., I'm probably already making the decision by Thurs.)
- A million replies to person casting. (likely, the person who posted the job is sifting through 100 people and is extremely busy, also they are likely not the person making the final hiring decision)
Responses to when I ask for someone local in LA:
- some people just send their info anyway and never even say that they are located on the east coast
- "I may be in another state but I work well remotely" (yeah but that's not what I asked for)
Some tips on replying:
- You don't want to be the last person to interview. Maybe not the first, but definitely within the first day, especially if it's for a gig that's time sensitive on picking someone.
- Reply with a little info about yourself, what you do and a hook as to why we should hire you, but not too long. And attach your resume in the same email.
- Don't ask questions about the job in your first response to the post.
- It's helpful to change the name of the email you send back instead of using "re: Looking for Photographer in LA" (everybody responded with that and it's hard to tag which email you sent)
- Don't call, unless asked to. And if you do, only call once, not 5 times. (It's annoying, I'm busy)
When your coming in for an interview:
- Ask what to bring (always a resume, and a portfolio if it calls for one in your job)
- Ask what to wear (most likely dress conservative, unless you know you are interviewing with someone from a really alternative artsy type of job)
- If your job has something to do with computers and you need to show examples on a computer, be sure to bring the computer or iPad with you. Don't assume the client has one right there to use.
Whatever you do, don't make someone have to jump through any hoops for you. Hiring and casting people is a pain in the ass most of the time anyway. It's best to just get your interview time and date, show up on time, look like a million bucks and have a great personality and portfolio.
Some people reply with:
- almost nothing like- "I'm interested. Here's how to contact me." (delete)
- a question like "so what exactly do you want?..." (like I have time to answer every question- and some of these don't even have any info, they want you to respond first before they send info.)
- "can you change the date that you posted for the shoot?" (uh no, I can find 50 more people that can make that date I asked for)
- "I would like to work with you if we can negotiate on more pay" (who do you think you are?)
- " I need you to fill this out for me and tell me exactly what you need" followed by a long list of questions. (I'm 100% more likely to respond to someone who didn't want me to spend 20 min. on a survey.)
- It is stated in the post that I need people to interview on Tues and Wed. - "Can I come in on Thursday for an interview?" (Obviously if I asked for Tues & Wed., I'm probably already making the decision by Thurs.)
- A million replies to person casting. (likely, the person who posted the job is sifting through 100 people and is extremely busy, also they are likely not the person making the final hiring decision)
Responses to when I ask for someone local in LA:
- some people just send their info anyway and never even say that they are located on the east coast
- "I may be in another state but I work well remotely" (yeah but that's not what I asked for)
Some tips on replying:
- You don't want to be the last person to interview. Maybe not the first, but definitely within the first day, especially if it's for a gig that's time sensitive on picking someone.
- Reply with a little info about yourself, what you do and a hook as to why we should hire you, but not too long. And attach your resume in the same email.
- Don't ask questions about the job in your first response to the post.
- It's helpful to change the name of the email you send back instead of using "re: Looking for Photographer in LA" (everybody responded with that and it's hard to tag which email you sent)
- Don't call, unless asked to. And if you do, only call once, not 5 times. (It's annoying, I'm busy)
When your coming in for an interview:
- Ask what to bring (always a resume, and a portfolio if it calls for one in your job)
- Ask what to wear (most likely dress conservative, unless you know you are interviewing with someone from a really alternative artsy type of job)
- If your job has something to do with computers and you need to show examples on a computer, be sure to bring the computer or iPad with you. Don't assume the client has one right there to use.
Whatever you do, don't make someone have to jump through any hoops for you. Hiring and casting people is a pain in the ass most of the time anyway. It's best to just get your interview time and date, show up on time, look like a million bucks and have a great personality and portfolio.
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