The Friday Focus - 2012 Olympics: Social media friend or foe?

With the London Olympics right around the corner, the Web’s been abuzz with stories about the summer’s main event and perhaps more interestingly, the Olympians themselves. The 2012 Olympics have been deemed the “first social Games,” and we’re interested to see the Internet’s role in the upcoming weeks.  Let’s take a close look at just how helpful this social media frenzy has been/will be for the Olympics proceedings.

The Twitter Trap

For some of the athletes competing in London this summer, social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter have become nothing short of a publicity nightmare.  Just ask Australian swimmers Nick D’Arcy and Kenrick Monk, who regrettably uploaded a photo of themselves to Facebook from a California shooting range in which their main props were, of course, guns.  The controversial pic led to the decision that the two men must leave the Games immediately after their competition ends, along with a month-long ban from social media entirely. Bummer.

Gun-toting Aussies

As for three-time Olympic gold medalist (and fellow Aussie) Stephanie Rice, a tweet including a picture of the swimmer in a—get this—swimsuit had plenty talking.  Given, the tweeted bikini was slightly less conservative than her Olympic pool garb, but from the talk on the Web one might not have been surprised to see her banned from Twitter too (she wasn’t).

Rice's edgy bikini

The Inconvenience of TV

On the other hand, social media is opening countless new doors to experiencing the Olympics and interacting with fellow enthusiasts.

For example, for those of you not watching the live television broadcast of the archery competition at 3 a.m., behold the almighty power of the online recap.  A simple search or Facebook/Twitter browse can easily reveal the winners of any late-night or early-morning event you might have missed, not to mention the availability of YouTube videos or other online live streams.

Find out when your favorite events will be broadcast here.

The Verdict

Despite the apparent social media curse on Australian swimmers, it looks like the Web may be the perfect forum for the London Games.  Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and even Pinterest are likely to generate more interest in this summer’s Olympics than previously, and even Olympic sponsor P & G (Procter & Gamble) turned to YouTube with their “Raising an Olympian” campaign.  Ultimately, we expect to see plenty of online Olympics commentary and are eager to see how social media reshapes the Games in the years to come.

Until next time,

MARA JOFFE

Blogger

Can a small business afford an agency?

The economic environment has been tough for several years-especially for small businesses.  And, when budgets are strained, business owners are often tempted to cut back on marketing. But in tough times, it is critical to resist the temptation to retreat and instead look for ways to invest your marketing dollars to grow and stand out. The reality is that small businesses not only can afford the services of an agency, it is smart strategy to use professionals like The Focus Group. An agency like ours can turn your marketing dollars into an investment by using our knowledge, out-of-the-box thinking and creative ideas to drive customers to your business. We live and breathe these things every day, and we love nothing more than hearing that our work has helped make you successful.

 
Unlike the traditional media sales force, our goal is not to get you to spend money and buy the “deal of the month.” Our goal is to take your budget-whatever you feel that you can spend- and make it work. Here are a few ways agencies can help small businesses: 

BUDGET PLANNING - many small businesses do not have a marketing budget. Instead, they make their marketing decisions based on cash on hand and the latest “deal” that local media salespeople are offering. It is very important to develop a yearly marketing budget, but how do you even begin? Budget planning involves looking at your previous year sales and evaluating the buying cycle. Most businesses have an ebb and flow throughout the year-some months are slow, some months are busy. The goal is to maximize the return in the busy months and minimize the drop in the slow months. Once you have developed a budget, you can make informed marketing decisions. Creating an effective long-term plan can save you money in the long run and increase business.

MEDIA PLANNING- all salespeople for every marketing company (print, cable, direct mail, outdoor, broadcast, radio, phone books, etc.) believes they have a great product. You can’t blame them. But the fact is that “the deal” is not always the best deal or the right deal for you. Additionally, the medium quite possibly could be a bad fit for your business. How do you know? Our team can help. We know all the mediums-their strengths and weaknesses. We’ve heard the pitches and can make informed recommendations to increase success rate and return on investment.

BRANDING, THEME, AND CREATIVE - a professional, polished image can be invaluable, and the right idea can make an impact. Professional production and graphic design definitely can help you stand out from your competition. Our costs are competitive and affordable for most businesses. Click here to view some of our branding work.

WEB DESIGN - your website is quite often your first impression with a potential customer. Professional web design is affordable and effective. No matter the size of our clients or the site, all of our custom websites convey a professional, branded image that impresses and informs prospects. We are also versatile in SEO (search engine optimization), social media integration and functionality. A good website can be one of your best investments, and it can last for years to come. Click here to view some of our websites. 

SOCIAL/NEW MEDIA - social media and online advertising have completely changed the game in marketing. Businesses now have the ability to speak directly to customers at little or no cost. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social media platforms give you the power to interact with customers and prospects. Just like other areas of The Focus Group, we’ve assembled a talented interactive team that stays on top of the trends so they can be ready to provide your business with the best advice. With these newer mediums, you can achieve big results with a small investment. Click here for more on Social/New media.

We can provide these services, as well as many others such as public relations at very reasonable rates. The return on investment and potential increases in business can be large when you make sound marketing decisions.

BEN HUNTER 

Marketing Consultant

The Friday Focus - Six Ways to Jumpstart your Website

In today’s advertising world, creating a functional Web presence is key to getting your business (or you, personally) on the map. Below are six tips we at The Focus Group believe can breathe new life into anyone’s struggling website.

1. Focus on the user.

What goal is your website supposed to accomplish? Avoid desperately trying to attract the attention of search engines like Google or Bing, and put more emphasis on meeting your users’ needs. After all, your online success depends on them!

2. Create engaging content.

Website content should be fresh, concise, and most importantly, relevant. Your content should get straight to the point so as to quickly establish and maintain a connection with users. Incorporating interesting, entertaining and informative content (both body copy and images) can revitalize and drive new traffic to your site.

3. Follow a hierarchal structure.

Organization can make or break any website. Determine what information is most important, and make a point to emphasize it in a clear, simple way. Busy or novelty websites can discourage users who would rather not spend 15 minutes trying to understand a site’s navigation. The phrase “too much of a good thing” easily applies here, and it will serve you well to maintain some sort of a hierarchy on your site and avoid clutter.

4. Keep tabs on SEO.

Search engine optimization (SEO) plays a huge part in directing current and new users to your site. Knowing where your site stands on search engines is extremely important, and there are many ways to successfully monitor/utilize SEO without losing your site’s main mission. Google Analytics or sites like gorank.com provide you with vital information about what keywords or phrases are getting your site (or your competitors’ sites) the most attention. Weaving these words/phrases into your content can boost your site’s traffic, but as mentioned above, there should be a balance between increasing your SEO results and satisfying your users.

5. Interact with no-nonsense links.

Links to and within your site generate much interest and user-site interaction. Make sure to include relevant links that aren’t simply designed to be picked up on search engines—you want real people to notice you too!

6. Don’t forget about maintenance!

And last but not least, keeping your website updated will do wonders for you and your business. For example, restaurant websites should have the latest menus available online, and event-based websites should be sure to distinguish past, present, and future shows, performances, etc. Live Facebook and Twitter feeds can make updates simpler and more frequent, and monitoring the site on a regular monthly or quarterly basis can ensure that your business is providing the most current information and services to your users.

These are only a few major tips for revamping your website. Remember: The Focus Group can help you accomplish these goals and more!!

MARA JOFFE

Blogger

What's Your Brand Story?

What's Your Brand Story?

I am totally convinced the best marketing today is rooted in the ability to deliver a compelling brand story. 

Current research reveals the best brand stories show - not tell - you understand your customer and their needs. You demonstrate relevance and genuine authenticity. Most of all, you deliver fresh, engaging and creative concepts that make an emotional connection with your customer. An uber-brand that quickly comes to mind is NIKE. I don't know about you but I think they are amazing storytellers! 

FACEBOOK recently implemented TIMELINE which is probably the biggest change to their platform to date and guess what .... it's all about users creating and sharing their stories.  Think about some of the most popular social media platforms....Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, PInterest...these tools are all designed to deliver a story.

Just the other day, I stumbled upon an interesting website www.publicwords.com I thought it was such a find that I really wanted to share it with all of you.   

This a resource rich website - video, podcasts, newsletters, photography and so forth. At the core is helping people tell their stories.

Remember - If you don't tell your story - someone else will!

Until next time,

Cathye Ross Amos

The Friday Focus - Facebook is King...for Now

When it comes to social media, the first thing that comes to mind for most is a given: Facebook. And rightly so!

Social media strategist firm Hasai has recently come out with this nifty infographic that essentially breaks the social media world down, from site memberships to number of employees to the leading competitors for today’s top names, and Facebook currently occupies the social media kingdom’s throne.

Facebook has 850 million members across the globe and over 3,000 employees! The powerhouse up-and-coming social network Pinterest has only 10.4 million registered users and a staff of 37. Yes, 37. And despite Thursday’s trending Twitter topic “RIP Facebook,” the social media giant Facebook brings in $3.7 billion in revenue compared to Twitter’s $522 million.

Just last summer the media was buzzing about what seemed to be the “next big thing” in social media and what would become Facebook’s leading competitor: Google+. But only months after its unveiling, even Google’s social networking site seemed to fade into social media oblivion.

Now, Facebook isn’t exactly in the same arena as the other sites featured in the infographic.  For instance, Pinterest has very little to do with reconnecting with family or friends. And you don’t post status updates telling the world all about your latest dog-walking experience or your disdain for that jerk who cut you off on the highway (both of which I’m sure everyone finds extremely riveting).

Some sites are much more niche, like how Spotify and Foursquare deal specifically with music and local deals (respectively), unlike Facebook with its photo/video sharing, event planning, location tagging, gaming and chat capabilities.

On another note, other sites that could prove relatively decent competitors such as Club Penguin, Disney’s social network for kids, might be next on Facebook’s chopping block. Club Penguin actually has more members than Pinterest, Spotify and Foursquare combined! But be forewarned, Disney: Facebook’s partnership with Zynga, the social network game development company best known for FarmVille and Words with Friends, could easily prove fatal, drawing the younger demographic currently boosting Club Penguin’s membership toward the ever-increasingly popular Facebook. 

Plus, if Facebook goes through with its attempt to throw out its current age 13+ account requirement, the combination of Zynga’s vast array of gaming options could be a literal game changer, wiping Club Penguin off the map.

And don’t think Facebook doesn’t know how important Zynga is to its membership—the gaming developer accounted for a whopping 19% of the social network’s revenue and received the majority of Facebook’s $1.4 billion payout to app developers in 2011. Even with the launch of Zynga.com, new games are still being debuted on Facebook instead (under an agreement set to expire in May 2015).

So there you have it, yet another article detailing Facebook’s perfection of the social media world. But with the growing skepticism surrounding Facebook’s recent stock market debut, we’ll have to keep our eyes peeled to see if the network can keep its crown.

Until next time!

MARA JOFFE

Blogger

Sources:

http://marketday.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/16/11719029-zynga-is-one-of-facebooks-most-important-friends?lite

http://www.theverge.com/2012/3/6/2848094/facebook-app-developers-zynga-1-4-billion

http://mashable.com/2012/06/01/social-media-ranking/

The Friday Focus - Bursting the Privacy Bubble

In a generation where even our children and pets have a Facebook or Twitter account, many critics are expressing concern over how much damage social media is doing to privacy.


Social media has no doubt taken the world by storm, and even I have posted the occasional picture of a cute baby cousin or—might I brag—adorable pet fish.

But moving away from the pet aspect of it all, there seems to be a pretty big controversy brewing over the ethics associated with flaunting our family photos for literally the globe to see.

Sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and now 23snaps (Check out this article on 23snaps to learn more.)—a site geared specifically toward sharing your children’s photos, videos, and other information—make controlling children, whether they be infants or teens, and their privacy as simple as clicking a mouse.

I mean, who’s 6-month-old is going to object to having their chubby-cheeked face plastered all over the Internet?  And who’s 5-year-old is going to have any idea that mommy posted that video of him skinny-dipping in the kiddy pool to YouTube?

The kids may not be crying foul (yet), but the argument at hand is that because of this “Facebook parenting” style, these children have already lost control of how the world views them—and how they view the world.  It isn’t just their privacy that’s been thrown out the window; their first impressions have already been made by their well-intentioned parents, and these youngsters are quickly taught that advertising their likenesses and information all across the Web is the norm.

Now to be fair, this could easily become commonplace in this day and age—if it hasn’t already.  After all, the social media explosion has come in the midst of a generation known for its “helicopter parenting,” where kids are kept on leashes and the comedy “Bubble Boy” is ultimately brought to life—and then some.

With some parents at the helm of their children’s academic, career, and even social lives, who’s to say mom and dad are out of line for innocently adding an album to Facebook that chronicles their child’s everyday life?

Regardless, the next 10-20 years will give us a better idea of just how detrimental social media has been to our children’s privacy and overall sense of self.  Needless to say, I’ll be thinking twice before I post ANYTHING online again!

MARA JOFFE

Blogger

Creative Thinking and Brainstorming Strategies

Have you ever wondered how those advertising masters of the creative universe come up with those brilliantly clever ideas? I mean come on, who was it that said, "I know what we should do ... let's dress a kid up as Darth Vader to help advertise this car." It may have seemed farfetched at the time but with creative courage - it was a home run.

A solid creative process is a great way to generate new ideas for just about any problem that requires a solution. Brainstorming is an oldie but goody, and if done correctly, these sessions can help your company think outside the box.

Here are a few tips we like to use:

 KNOW IT ALL  

The only way you can solve a problem is if you know what it is first. Make sure you have a clear objective, and that everyone is properly briefed prior to the brainstorming session.

  

BUT WHY?  

A major stimulant to creative thinking is focused questions. An inquisitive mind is the breeding ground for creativity. Unless you ask lots of "Why?" and "What If..." questions, you won't generate creative insights or push an idea to its full potential. 

TEAM TITANS  

It is very important to understand that creativity comes from everywhere. So don't be afraid to invite your pop-culture expert of an office manager, the tech-geek producer or even the analytical, libertarian account manager to the table. Everyone views the world differently, and their experience may trigger a landslide of creative ideas. Build on each others ideas, redirect ideas, and go with the best idea no matter who it comes from. Ahem, bosses and directors, I'm talking to you. I've learned that when your personal ideas are disturbed or disrupted it helps you to see things fresh.

Even as a creative director, I would be a fool to think that I have all the brightest ideas. And if the team is afraid to be open or even think that they have to agree with all my ideas, then I am a team of ONE. Our team helps push my thinking because we are all different and that's what makes us strong. Whose voice are you over-looking?

  

NEGATIVE NAYSAYERS WILL BE STONED 

Encourage the unconventional. Discourage negativity. Cultivate an environment where team members are fearless in their thinking. Limit the "No, that won't work.", "That's a bad idea" or "What are you an idiot!" - I'm pretty sure this type of environment will not generate many idea possibilities.

FUNNY BONE

Finally, learn to laugh. It's OK to be silly. Studies show that laughter dissolves stress, helps you relax, think and recharge. It releases inhibitions and allows you to be more expressive and productive. Most importantly it shifts perspective, allowing you to see situations differently. So, lighten up! There is nothing more uninspiring then a stuffy brainstorming session.

These are just a few tips on how you can spark your creative juices. Try something new; you never know where it will take you. As for our team... well, we're still trying to figure out how to work flying ninjas and vegetarian zombies into an advertising campaign. Hey, it could happen.

CECELIA SHABAZZ

Creative Director