Mad Season
Above
Columbia Records
1995
An underrated record from the end of the Grunge era was the only album by Mad Season called Above. This was a side project by members of Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, and Screaming Trees. This vinyl version was produced as a double album and featured a minor radio hit, “River of Deceit.”
Most Franchises, retail chains, or multi-unit restaurant systems have multiple Facebook pages that are not under the control of the brand or the local operator.
Maybe that former night manager set one up a few years ago. It could be that a customer wanted to check in, but that location wasn’t on Facebook yet so she just created her own location page…complete with a logo from 1982. Perhaps a dismissed employee took revenge by creating a phony page with nasty images.
It’s typically not as malicious as that last example; we usually find pages that were set up then innocently forgotten when the staff member left and now no one remaining can access the page.
We also find, at some point, the CMO who is suddenly haunted by these ghost pages. He or she is terrified by the thought of a customer or stakeholder discovering this abandoned page and thinking poorly of the brand.
Have No Fear
My advice lately to such marketers has been simply: have no fear. Don’t worry about it. In some cases, you may be able convince to Facebook to take down some pages, but for most of these, you will hit a dead end.
The good news is that no one is looking at those pages! What many people still don’t realize is that unless someone is driving traffic to a page, no one really sees it anymore. Very few Facebook users look up pages just to see what’s new on them. If there’s no new content being posted, there’s no new content showing up on anyone’s newsfeed. And, let’s face it, our own newsfeed is all any of us notice!
That rogue page is not really a haunted house that a customer may see as they walk down your brand’s street. It’s more of a junk drawer in a house that no one will see from the sidewalk.
Focus on What You Can Control
Spend your resources – your time and ad dollars – on driving traffic to the pages or places that you want to people to see. Frequent posting of quality content and purchasing of ads coming from your “real” page will far outweigh any ugly, off-message, or duplicate page.
This week on Social Geek Radio we celebrate our 300th Episode! Thanks to all of our guests over the past 7 years for so many great conversations about their innovative marketing and technology.
For this milestone show, we have an inspiring tech entrepreneur joining us to share her fantastic story. Ludwina Dautovic will join us live from Melbourne, Australia to tell us about her latest venture, The Room Xchange!
Please join us each Wednesday night at 8pm ET or download immediately after the show:
Website: http://socialgeekradio.com
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/social-geek-radio/id372755526
President Ronald Reagan
Reads Stories From The Old Testament
Nickelodeon Records
1984
My strangest #TBT #Vinyl post so far. This 1954 recording of President Reagan reading Bible stories was released in ’84 on a small indie label — make that an extremely small indie label… It was pretty much the back of a record store in small town Dixon, IL.
This record was actually banned after a one million dollar lawsuit from RCA Records against some shady businessmen including the mayor! Read more about the small town scandal here from UPI’s archives.
In the long checklist of critical items to execute when relaunching an organization’s website, there’s one that all CMOs and CIOs need to skip: Do not make an announcement about the new website.
Relaunching your website is not news. It’s not a story. Don’t send out a press release or even write a Facebook or LinkedIn post. I’m sure building the new site was hard work and cost a great deal of money. You’re right to be proud of your new site. But I must tell you: no one else cares.
Your website is the place where you tell your story; it’s not a story that you have made changes to that place.
How Did We Get Here?
The traditional old media set a bad precedent. Newspapers regularly made big announcements to their readers about their own changes in format or style. Television is even worse. Every redesigned set on a morning show means a “behind-the-scenes-hey-aren’t-we-happening” moment for programs like the Today Show.
That’s fine if you have 5 hours of fluff to fill every morning on NBC. But your brand has only few seconds to grab a consumer’s attention online. Tell your story and don’t waste your shot by talking about the way you tell stories.
Take a Shakedown Cruise
Before you shine a spotlight on that new website, let your current customers and team take it on a shakedown cruise. If issues pop up, or some content is found to be inaccurate, you would rather work on a fix before too many eyeballs hit the site. Too many companies have wasted time, money, and credibility by driving consumers to a website that wasn’t ready for large numbers of visitors.
What Could You Announce?
Put your customers’ interests first. What does your news mean to them?
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Change of Heart
From the album Long After Dark
Backstreet Records / MCA
1982
This is one of my favorite Petty tunes and was released on red vinyl in 1982. Due to the stickers on the label, this copy was obviously stolen from a radio station, most likely in the 1990s. I don’t know who would do such a thing.
Last week members of the International Franchise Association went to Richard J. Rundle Elementary School in Las Vegas for a day of painting, landscaping, and building. The Franchising Gives Back event is an annual day of service when IFA members help communities in the host city of their annual convention.
While our group has worked alongside many terrific organizations in many cities across the USA, we had never been taught lessons in leadership by teachers and students.
Here are a few ways the leaders from Rundle Elementary inspired us to share in their vision:
1. Make Others Feel Appreciated
As we approached the school, it was clear that a large crowd was waiting in front of the building. The cynic in me hoped we weren’t being picketed or protested. When the bus doors opened, I heard the applause. Over 100 students, parents, and teachers cheered as we exited the bus and made us feel like the Beatles touching down in America.
Paul Pickett of Wild Birds Unlimited has participated in the event for several years, but said, “being greeted by the teachers, students, and families at Richard J. Rundle Elementary School is a memory that I will never forget!”
I was a first-timer this year and had been unsure what the whole day was going to be like. But the warm welcome made me want to get to work.
2. Share the Story and the Vision
Had we arrived to an empty school, we would have still done a sufficient amount of painting, planting, and building. But the school’s leaders told us about the school’s challenges, history, and even about the heroic child for whom the school was named. We became invested in the outcome.
Just as we were leaving at the end of the afternoon, I noticed part of a wall that needed one more coat of paint and went back to do it right. Without being engaged in the school’s story and needs, I would have ignored it. A little story telling gets a great deal of buy-in from your troops!
3. Give Credit to Others While You Roll Up Your Own Sleeves
The school leaders made us feel like what we were doing was a single effort that made all the difference in the world. But we were there for only one Saturday afternoon. Though we completed many projects, our efforts were nothing compared to the daily improvements the school’s staff and students are constantly doing.
And while we received all the credit, there were many parents who joined in as well. Desirae Franco of The Dwyer Group told me, “My favorite part was working with a father and son to help paint their team logo on the wall. The boy was so excited and it was contagious!”
Emphasizing – and perhaps over-emphasizing – our contribution made us take ownership of the improvements.
4. Set Up Your Partners to Succeed
The projects were laid-out in a dummy-proof manner, so even a bunch of CEOs, marketing people, and sales people could dive in and make a dent. The instructions were clear and the tools were ready!
Having a project well-organized is critical when dealing with a group of non-specialists. Without specifics on how many people were needed on each task and directions on where to start, confusion would have derailed us early in the day.
5. A Hand-Written Note
In a world of email blasts and texts, I’m a big fan of standing out via the old style hand-written note. The students of Rundle Elementary wrote enough illustrated thank you notes for each of us and handed them to us as we boarded the bus to head back to our convention.
Deb Evans of Social Geek Radio and Deb Evans Consulting said, “We know we make a difference each year, but this year we were thanked with cheers, hugs, and handwritten notes!”
I received a lot of free giveaways and tchotchkes at the IFA Convention this year, but a student’s note was the thing I kept!
Thanks Geeks!
Thanks to the Digital Marketing Geeks and the Social Media Geeks. And thanks to our guests from the business and franchise community…
Due to you, Social Geek Radio has been named to Emerge’s list of the 20 Best Business Podcasts for 2017!
Special thanks to Qiigo, Deb Evans Consulting, and The International Franchise Association for their continued support.
The Who
You Better You Bet
From the album Face Dances
Polydor Records (UK)
1981
Here’s The Who’s first hit post-Keith Moon. This is a Polydor Records version from the UK.
Looks like I picked this up at Appletree Records, DeKalb, IL
A major theme for the International Franchise Association’s 2017 Convention is “Telling Your Franchise Story.”
I’ve been advocating and promoting ways to use social media at the IFA Convention each year since 2009. So, I am very excited about amount of content and programming dedicated to story-telling this year!
Here are five places where you can learn how other brands are telling their stories digitally during or before The IFA Convention:
1. Roundtable Discussion: “Digital Marketing for Franchise Development”
Monday, January 30, 9am
South Pacific Ballroom E – Mandalay Bay
(as part of the Digital Marketing and Tech Summit)
There are lots of great roundtables this year. If you’re interested in sharing your experiences and hearing some best practices from others, please join my table!
2. Panel: “Social Media: Today’s Secret Sauce for Telling Your Franchise Story”
Monday, January 30, 2:45 pm
Tradewinds E & F – Mandalay Bay
I am thrilled to be moderating this panel of marketing executives called “Social Media: Today’s Secret Sauce for Telling Your Franchise Story”
Here is IFA’s description:
Great brands rely on stories to define their brands. With the expansion of social media and consumers “24/7 mentality,” today’s brand journey must begin, build and extend onto social media. Whether you are looking to inspire, motivate or excite your customers and community, social media continues to play a key role. This session will include franchisors and franchisees who understand how to use this “secret sauce” effectively. We will also share how to use social media to tell the positive story of franchising because in today’s rapidly-moving market, we cannot simply raise awareness about our own brands, we need to seize the opportunity to educate consumers wherever and whenever we can about what franchising is and all the great contributions our businesses make. Come prepared to take away practical and tactical ideas from marketing pros that will make a real difference for your business.
Moderator: Jack Monson, Director of Digital Strategy, Qiigo
Alice O’Donnell, Vice President of Marketing, Massage Heights
Kathleen Kuhn, President, HouseMaster Home Inspection Services
Ali Rauch, Marketing Director, Chicken Salad Chick
3. Podcast: “Telling Your Franchise Story”
On last week’s episode of Social Geek Radio, we previewed the above session with panelist Ali Rauch of Chicken Salad Chick. Ali gave us the background on her brand’s “Every Chick Has a Story” social media marketing campaign.
http://socialgeekradio.com/2017/01/18/todays-secret-sauce-for-telling-your-franchise-story/
4. Podcast: “What’s Trending in Franchise Development”
This week on Social Geek Radio, we were joined by our good friend, Thomas Scott, for a preview of his IFA panel. Thomas shares ideas on how to tell your story and position your website to meet the needs of today’s franchise buyers.
http://socialgeekradio.com/2017/01/25/whats-trending-in-franchise-development/
5. Qiigo’s Contest: “What Happens in Vegas Stays on Facebook!”
My team at Qiigo is looking to have some fun sharing our cool new selfie sticks and giving away some cash and an Apple Watch! All you have to do is:
We’ll see you in the exhibit hall!
