Facebook: Now vs Then

TIMELINE

Let’s face it Facebook has come a very long way from when it first originated back in 2004. That year was the simplest time for this ever-popular and ever-growing social media platform. We now have a timeline for all of our past posts and the ability to customize our page to our taste. You now have the opportunity to tell your entire brand story by using the equivalent of “Life Events”, featured content and of course the well-received Cover Image.

NEWSFEED & ADS

Back in 2004 Facebook ads were non-existent where as now they are popping up left right and center. They may be annoying but it’s a great marketing tool to get your brand established, since Facebook has more than 1.5 billion users! The Newsfeed is also a lot more organized and you can interact more with what your friends are liking on other social media platforms. A big step for Facebook has been when they bought out Instagram in 2012 for $1billion! Instagram has made the movement towards mobile instead of web where content is just a fingertip away rather than a click.

USER CONTROL

The user is now in control, you can now chat with your friends, and group your conversations. Overall communication is a heck of lot easier and you can stay in touch with your loved ones much better. The only thing that is constant with Facebook is that it is ever evolving and changing. What are your thoughts on the recent changes of Facebook? What changes would like to see for 2014?

You're Not Winning, Unless You're Pinning!

We live in a highly visual world. We like to look at eye catching, beautiful things. Whether it’s art, pages in a magazine, or photographs. It’s human nature for us to gravitate to something visually interesting. It doesn’t matter if we’re browsing online, or if we’re physically touching or viewing something, this rule applies. 

A study by ROI Research found that when users engage with their friends on social media sites, it’s the pictures that  catch their attention most. It also found that 44% of users are more likely to interact with brands and companies that post photos over any other form of media. 

YouTube? Me Too!

How do I make fried rice? How do I tie a windsor knot?  How do I wrap a cat for Christmas?

These questions are just a mere dent in the pop can of life we face everyday. Human beings are wired with an inborn love of learning. We’re curious people by nature, but the fact of the matter is – we don’t know how to do a lot of things.

Before the Internet, many of us found ourselves pacing up and down the dingy isles of our school library searching for the coveted lettered encyclopaedia that would with any luck, hopefully have the answer we were looking for.

Meet Breanne!

Meet our newest team member and Junior Social Media Strategist, Breanne.

With a degree in history and religion, I have a background unlike most people who work in the media industry. Working as a cook at the best fast food restaurant in Canada (the world?), A&W, and slicing Deli meat/making sandwiches for the residents of my small town made me appreciate the little things in life. For example, how amazing it is to work somewhere that doesn't require an immediate shower scrub down after a shift. I never did find a solid remedy to get rid of onion-hand-syndrome.

Most of my experience in social media and the web stems from my own personal fashion blog .When I started in 2009, I had no idea that my blog could offer me more opportunities than anything else had in my life up to that point. Six hundred posts later, it is safe to say that I am well versed in the realm of fashion blogging. Through university, I became accustomed to formal writing. While I still enjoy putting together an academic essay (really, I do enjoy it), the casual and personable writing that I utilize on my blog is much more useful and far-reaching. I am looking forward to growing and putting all my skills to good use with CruiseMedia Group.

The only other thing that needs to be known about me is that I am a true cat lover. Right now I only have one cat because I’m slightly allergic. Her name is Eevee, after the Pokémon. 

Facebook Means Business

You have a Facebook fan page for your business, it's new, fun, and at times, it's oh-so-overwhelming. Before every update you question yourself; "Am I using my Facebook fan page to its full potential?"

When using Facebook, a balance of engagement with your audience and brand awareness is key to success.  Whether you're a retailer, a hair salon, or an accountant, the practices are similar.Constantly asking your audience to 'share' your posts, 'like' your comments, or asking questions hoping for a comment  may be more harm than good. Instead, balance them out. Talk about your industry, provide education, and ask engaging questions to create a response. Make Social Media about your audience.  

Cruise Media Group at Centrallia 2012

Cruise Media Group was honored be involved in Centrallia 2012 - an International business to business forum held in Winnipeg every two years.  Over 500 companies from 30 different countries were in attendance.  As a silver sponsor of the event we handled aspects of Centrallia Social Media leading up to the event and managed the huge Twitter feed board on site.  We made many great contacts and felt privileged to be part of such a successful event.

Our Awesome Social Media Cookies for Centrallia 2012

Here's what our staff had to say about their experience.

Say Cheese : Centrallia 2012 Photobooth

Check out these "Get in the Game" Cruise Media player cards we created at our photobooth from Centrallia 2012. See anyone you know?

 

Photo Gallery by QuickGallery.com

To download these photos please visit our Flickr stream here

Join Our Team! Web Designer/Developer

We want a web person that gets this excited!

Do you dream in HTML, write programs between commercials or knock out a website while brushing your teeth.  If so, then Cruise Media Group is looking for you!  We are a dynamic, growing company looking to add a part-time contract web developer/designer to our team.  Projects will include websites and programming.  Please email your resume and portfolio to jenna@cruisemediagroup.com 

Video = #Winning

The Cruise Media Group team are big believers in video content.  Why read it when you can watch it?  Video is the most effective way to get your message across or tell your story through social networks.  We really liked this article published by Fast Company on "Why Short-Form Video Is The Future Of Marketing", written by Kerrin Sheldon, so we have shortened and posted for you.

"If you have used the Internet in the past three years, chances are you have watched an online video. Video is everywhere. Our friends post funny cat videos on our timeline. Our coworkers pass along inspirational messages about success. Our favorite brands showcase their products in inventive ways. Nearly every site you visit has a video displayed in some form. As a result, video has rocketed in viewership--and there's no sign of it slowing down.

Enter: Cheezy Stock Photo of Couple Watching Vids

Here are 5 reasons why online video will soon dominate your time spent on the web, and why if you're a marketer, you can use video to propel your business forward."

1. More and more users are consuming their video entertainment online 

Study after study after study shows that more people are using the internet to consume video. In April 2012, ComScore reported that the average viewer watched nearly 22 hours of video in a single month. Most likely, those 22 hours were broken into many short-form videos, each being watched for just a few minutes at a time. The market is moving more toward catering to the Facebook generation's attention span--quick videos that are aimed to inspire, provoke, or excite. Likewise, the viewing experience on tablets devices such as the iPad make short-form content even more enjoyable. Apps, especially in the travel realm, are using HD video to engage audiences. Desktop and laptop viewers and tablet audiences continue to consume more and more short-form video--and marketers are seeing a big opportunity arise.

2. Marketers are using video to engage social media audiences

If you truly want to measure a trend's staying power and rising popularity, there's one metric that almost never fails. Can you make money from it? If the answer is yes, and there is a lot of opportunity to do so, then you can bet that it will stick around for some time. With online video that is definitely the case. Brand marketers have found great ways to engage audiences and create brand loyalists through online video, especially through their Facebook brand pages

I predict the next 5-10 years will be huge for video marketing online. Brands are moving further away from direct advertising, whose metrics that are hard to calculate, and into original video content--content that is created not to sell but to engage. They tell a story and they create brand loyalty. The days of direct consumer advertising is dwindling, and the advent of marketing through storytelling has arrived. This will propel online video even more into the world of serious profits.

3. Barriers to entry are low

Be a storyteller! Like this guy

With the barriers to entry continually being broken down with advances in technology, filmmakers now have the ability to create content--all in beautiful HD--for a much lower price tag than ever before. DSLRs, with the Canon 5D, 7D, and 60D leading the charge, have evolved into amazing filmmaking machines. While shooting and editing a professional-grade video still takes a good amount of skill and experience, and perhaps this alone will help keep the market from being too saturated, it is now easier than ever to teach yourself to create the next viral hit.

With that being said, there are still a few more barriers to entry. To create truly high-quality content, you must be a storyteller. You must be able to pull together a large selection of shots and content and pare it down into a manageable short-form video that will engage an audience. 

4. Quality is expanding quickly

To expand on the previous point, the advent of high-quality equipment at a reasonable price means that more potential storytellers are getting their shot at creating videos. Before, the sheer price and other barriers to entry meant that there was a very small portion of the population who could even be in the field. Now, with it being much easier to afford to even make videos, there is more opportunity for younger talent to enter the market. 

Vimeo and Youtube are also amazing teaching grounds, with tons of professional how-to and DIY videos. Likewise, sites like No Film School are giving independent filmmakers access to some of the best tips and tricks on the web, making at-home learning easier than ever. 

5. There are plenty of avenues for dissemination

Everyone knows YouTube and it continues to dominate the market. But unless you're a professional musician or are looking to score the new huge viral video showcasing your friends firing off bottle rockets from a made-at-home cannon, there are plenty of other places to showcase your videos. As mentioned above, Vimeo is the finest collection of artistic videographers on the web. Without outwardly deleting poor-quality content, Vimeo's homepage and search results make it easy to find awesome content and avoid the endless amounts of useless crap that often plague the YouTube experience. Along the same lines, Pinterest's new video feature gives curators great opportunities to pin videos to their boards. Even more so than Facebook and Twitter, Pinterest has created a sharing experience so simple and effective, it makes the potential or virility even higher. 

Kerrin is the co-founder of the new travel documentary site Humanity.TV. He is a self-taught filmmaker and photographer with a passion for adventure. Follow him on Twitter and likeHumanity.TV on Facebook for inspiring travel videos and photos.

Posted by Jenna - Marketing Manager @ Cruise Media Group

Social Media Marketing VS. Traditional Marketing

Traditional Marketing OR Social Media Marketing.  Some business owners are under the mis-conception that a choice has to be made.  Instead think of it as Traditional Marketing AND Social Media.  On one hand you have a company who understands the power and reach of Social Media and dumps their entire marketing budget into Social Media management, ads, designs etc.  On the other hand you have a company who still believes Social Media is just a passing trend and continues to place their dollars into traditional advertising such as newspaper, radio and television.  At Cruise Media Group we advise our clients to meet somewhere in the middle.  Keep doing the the things traditionally that have worked for your business, but also allocate funds to support a Social Media presence.  

Which way should you go?

Consider this:  Social Media should be the call to action for all of your traditional advertising.  For example,  all print ads should have your Social Media icons, and all radio advertising should direct listeners to your Facebook & Twitter pages.  If you can direct all of the traffic from your traditional advertising into your Social Media,  you've captured them in your networks.  Once they're in your network they have made a commitment to be updated consistently on your company, products and services.  Now what's that worth to you?

If you're interested in ideas on how you can marry Traditional Marketing & Social Media Marketing,  contact us and we can help . 

A few ideas to leave you with:

• Direct radio and television ads to your Facebook & Twitter 
• All marketing material should contain your Social Media icons (even your business cards!)
• If you're a retail location put up a poster on site to raise awareness of your Social Media
• Have newspaper ads drive traffic to a Facebook or Twitter content
• Have videos that you can email to clients that describe your products, services and company

Written by Jenna,  Marketing Manager at Cruise Media Group 

Likeability & Engagement

Money, Money, Money, Money, MONEY!

It’s a funny thing, concocting content for Social Media to achieve true engagement.  I notice on a daily basis, business and marketing types ripping the soul out of what Social Media can really be.

 Given the opportunity to create lasting and mutually beneficial relationships with your target public, why would anyone take archaic, ineffective marketing strategies and force them into other channels expecting different results? (insert definition of insanity here.) Answer: MONEY. It seems every conversation we have about Social Media turns to ROI within the first few minutes.