by Nicole Ouellette | May 4, 2010 | Marketing Monday
Every Monday, the BE Blog posts about some fun marketing idea, online and off. If you have an idea, let me know. You might be featured!
I’m always impressed when a large company can get a lot of people to vote on something. Voter turnout at elections is so small yet Cottonelle can get thousands of people to vote in the ‘over versus under’ toilet paper debate. Really?!
In any case, over the weekend after spending a lot of hours in a car with Chef Dan, I found out that Mountain Dew is having a vote about a new flavor. Dan’s chosen flavor didn’t win a few years ago and this year, he was going to try them all so he could make an informed decision. His boss is doing the same.
The convenience stores we stopped at were selling Mountain Dew 2 bottles for $2. Lowering the price is certainly a good idea to get people to try new things.
by Nicole Ouellette | Apr 26, 2010 | Marketing Monday
The whole power of the internet is the idea of collaboration. At first, I was worried that people doing similar work to me would be competition but the more I spend time online, the more time I realized these people were my colleagues. We trade information and ideas, refer each other for work, and are otherwise friendly.
I had a meeting today with Phyllis, the Director for the Ellsworth Area Chamber of Commerce and she told me about theBar Harbor Bed and Breakfast Association. Here’s what’s neat about this group:
They chose a shorter domain name: sleepbarharbor.com.
BarHarborBedAndBreakfastAssociation.com would have been way too long to remember, not to mention print on business cards. Sleepbarharbor.com is much more descriptive and equally memorable.
They refer each other via their website, and word of mouth.
On the top of their website, there are two clearly marked places to check availability. This one location allows an internet user to check all 26 locations at the same time. You can also narrow your search for rooms that include certain amenities, like a television in the room or a water view.
If you call one of the inns and they are full, I am also sure that the person working at the front desk would help the person over the phone book a room at another inn using this website.
by Nicole Ouellette | Apr 19, 2010 | Marketing Monday
A bit of a break from my normal format, I decided to do a critique of a web advertisement I saw.
The other week, I was looking at Too Cute Tuesday directions on the Instructables website when I came across this ad:
Is that a teenage girl, lying on a bed? I thought I would click through to the website, thinking maybe this wasn’t being marketed to teenage girls.
It doesn’t take a marketing person to see exactly who this site is meant to attract. In cases like these, I hate being wrong.
I know that Zoe Kravitz, the model, is 21 years old and can do whatever she likes but come on. That look. On a bed. Looking like she’s wrapped in sheets )€” until you look close and see that it might be a dress. (This is confirmed in a larger format photograph but still,why did I even have to wonder if she was naked?)
I looked for other people talking about this ad. All I found was a handful of bloggers who sounded like they were quoting a press release about being excited about the new line and enjoying the vanilla and fruity notes of the fragrance. I was starting to feel a bit crazy. Am I getting old and being a stick in the mud about this?
I posed the ad to Facebook, just to see reaction of my friends. Here are a few that reflect the overall sentiment:
My friend Jen, who has a teenage daughter: OMG!!! That is crazy…way to sexualize a 15 year old! Gross
My friend Norah, who is raising a teenage son and daughter: Very tricky raising a daughter with this sort of thing in their face all the time. A bit rough on the sons too.
And my friend Bob, who is a therapist: I’m afraid we’ve become desensitized–being bombarded with this inappropriate stuff all the time. I’m with you…
But this isn’t just about Vera Wang Princess perfume. This is a symptom of a larger problem.
by Nicole Ouellette | Apr 12, 2010 | Marketing Monday
Dana Moos is one of the most useful people I follow on Twitter (@danamoos). I happened to finally meet her in real life at two tweet-ups (that’s a meetup for Twitter users for the non-nerds out there).
Anyone who watches Dana on Twitter or anywhere else sees that she makes great food (usually associated with the hashtag #foodporn), takes gorgeous Maine photos, and otherwise seems to be everywhere at once. I asked if I could pick her brain about how she uses her website, Twitter, Facebook, and other websites and manages to sell real estate.
First question: Do you ever sleep? If so, how do you manage to do your job, study, be a social media superstar, and have fun?
For the most part, I work from home. So if I’m not out showing property, I am on the computer from the first cup of coffee until it’s time to think about dinner! Then I might be back on the computer after dinner for a little bit.
It takes time, dedication, focus and organization! And it has become part of my routine. Just like exercise (which I don’t do as much as I should!) but the time that it takes hasn’t become a chore for me because I can be so creative with it. Any time I can be creative, I’m happy about what I’m doing. In high school and college I was involved in the Arts, then got away from it and into business, now I’m back. But now I can combine both and I love it.
How did you get into using social media? Did it start out with a blog like it did for me?
That’s exactly how I started. When I was an innkeeper, I learned a great deal about web marketing. So when I got into lodging brokerage, The Swan Agency Sotheby’s International Realty has a beautiful website, but I wanted my own, for my listings, my focus. So in December 2008, I designed a blog through Google Blogger (mainelodgingbroker.com) because I didn’t have the time to have a website designed by a professional. Besides, I wanted to take a stab at eventually designing my own! So after my blog was established, I joined Facebook and Twitter. And I follow my stats very closely. Seeing the impact of just these two social media sites, I expanded my blogging and photo blogging, primarily for business.
by Nicole Ouellette | Apr 5, 2010 | Marketing Monday
On Mondays, I explore individuals, companies, and websites that are using the internet in cool new ways. If you have an idea, contact me. I love feedback/inspiration!
They sure don’t make 12 year olds like they used to. How cool that this girl expresses herself on her own Vimeo channel!
I started looking through her other videos when I found an interview Tavi G did with Rich at Weardrobe.com.
Weardrobe.com is not just what you wear but how you wear it. Real people submit photos of their outfits for voting on the site. The winner every month (the photo with the most ‘hearts’) wins a gift card. On the site are also blogs about style.
Also, they are very interested in promoting the work of other bloggers even off of their own website. They have a huge blogroll (list of links) and interviews with fashion/style bloggers.
You can connect to Weardrobe with the usual social media methods. Enthusiastic supporters can even display badges. on their sites (Want to make people want to link back to you? Give them something pretty like a badge to put on their website!)
by Nicole Ouellette | Apr 3, 2010 | Marketing Monday
At the end of the week, I write about whatever I want. Because I can.
I’ve been long teased about how much I like Peeps. I figured there was no way they were manufacturing them just for my benefit though!
Peeps are little marshmallow animals with a sugar-y coating on the outside. Yellow chicks are the normal color shape but now you can get all kinds of other shapes and colors. It’s a great time of year for them but you can get them in seasonal varieties for most major holidays now (green trees for example in December). No more waiting for Easter baskets!
My favorite thing to do with my stash is slit open the package and let them age 2-3 weeks so they get a little crisp on the outside. Here are some people who are far more clever:
From my friend John, it was Peeps Sushi from Serious Eats:
All you need is Rice Krisipie squares, Fruit by the Foot, and Peeps to create. For the instructions and more photos, click here.
From my friend Kate, results from the fourth annual Washington Post Peep Diorama contest. (I think they called it that so I’d finally have to learn to spell ‘diorama’). Here’s the winner: