Greg de Lima

YouTube – Changing The World of Commercials

Greg de Lima — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 10:28:53 +0000

Have you seen commercials change much since the rise of use in YouTube?

Well, it’s a phenomenal change! I love it as a matter of fact.

The ability for a commercial to be launched, virally, free, and longer than your normal TV spot is leading to a new wave of commercials. Because the normal TV commercial spot usually lasts 30 or 60 seconds, being able to launch a video that engages the viewer many times more than normal gives us much higher quality of content in commercials.

The fact that being able to launch a YouTube video campaign means that, your distribution cost is zero! You could pay millions of dollars for a Superbowl ad spot, but if the majority of the Dorito’s (Keep yo hands of my momma!) success was the circulation of the video after the original release, the virility and cost of your commercial could have just as much success with free distribution.

The video that spawned this post I saw over at Jason Keath’s (@jakrose) Blog, The Puma Hardchorus.

Edit – Also watch the Heineken Case Study Video about the AC-Milan/Real Madrid match. (YouTube)

ShoTools – Review

Greg de Lima — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 10:49:07 +0000

I recently had the joy of being able to get an invite to ShoTools (still in private beta). While a great tool, I believe it still has quite a ways to go, especially in regards to the depth of it’s abilities.

ShoTools revolves around three main categories: Audience, Sharing, and Statistics.

Audience

General overlook about who your followers are, who you follow back, who doesn’t follow you, and the ability to take actions based on these criteria. There is an option to auto-follow people based on tags that you select, and other criteria. This criteria follows under: Friend/Follow ratio, last update, how many updates, min. number of friends/followers, and follow new people following you.

I like this section the most, you can manually select be able to go in and choose exactly who you want based on what you search by. Depending on the depth of your tags you really can find quality people who benefit you and you benefit them!

Sharing

A little typical here. With the option to drag in a bookmark to share via ShoTools, which later the shared link will be shortened and appear with a toolbar up top with the usual gizmos.

From their Help section of Sharing:

With our Fast Share Button in your navigator you can share with your audience the site you’re in. This link will be shown using our Expert Toolbar with your brand visible on it so you will be recognised as a reference in your sector. We offer also a tool to specify rss sources to make it easier to automate, schedule and share posts from different sources with your audience.

Statistics

I believe this section is still currently under development, and I can’t give a good judgement.

Overall outlook, I’ll have to give it some time. Let it develop a bit more, but for now…Four Stars.

Do You Know What You Want?

Greg de Lima — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 10:23:14 +0000

Do you know exactly what you want in a product? What about in a service?

Here is a long (18min) video from Malcolm Gladwell at TED in 2004. Watch it if you want but it has only some bearing on the rest of this post. In 2004, Gladwell also released this article in the New Yorker (The Ketchup Cunundrum).

Consumers are naturally dumb. Not to say they’re unintelligent or anything along those lines. But when it comes to knowing exactly what they want they have almost no idea what they want or what will make them happy.

So what does this mean for us as marketers in a social world? There is no reason we shouldn’t know what our potential clients want! That may be stretching it a bit, but with the wealth of information and the range of demographic & psychological analytics we can derive from information posted (thanks to restaurant check-ins and social ratings), we can cater directly to the clients unknowns.

As consumers it’s likely they will not know exactly what they want, but we as the providers can take this information and take a look into their tastes. By using this information we can develop strategies for companies that cater directly to these people and literally exploit the things that they love.

Mashable! also related to the way consumers behave on internet but from an alternate perspective, User Competency in Social Design.

If these are simple assumptions that Adrian Chan is making, then we can also assume much more about their behavior based on their previous trends.

Let me know what you think! Leave a comment!

In or Out

Greg de Lima — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 17:55:30 +0000

What’s your opinion, would you rather have an email newsletter sent to you automatically after purchasing something at an electronics store or willingly sign up for a random email once a month from a service you signed up for?

Yes, the Opt-In vs Opt-Out battle rages on.

I recently went to an Authorized Apple Retailer here in Spain because my Power Adapter hit the fritz (I will keep their name out of it). At the end of my transaction I was asked for my email address, obviously I questioned this, but when the attendant replied that it was to email my receipt I naturally said, yes. I don’t like to waste paper, but if anything happened to this adapter I needed the receipt.

Not much later, I got a monthly newsletter from the store. This frustrated me a little bit. I like newsletters but with some conditions. I don’t like product based newsletters. But, if you’re giving me updates about your company, or useful information that I can learn from or write a blog about, hell yes! Let me sign up for it though!

From EmailStatCenter.com

More than 80% of participants favor doing business with organizations that use opt-in permission to send them email. - Habeas (2008)

That’s a solid percentage.

Only 92% of retailers have an email sign-up form or link on their homepage. - Email Experience Council/RetailEmail.Blogspot, “Retail Email Subscription Benchmark Study” (July 25, 2007)

When looking at those two together. That’s a good number of possible subscribers voluntarily signing up for your newsletter.

Why are you still choosing the opt-out way? You will either go straight to spam, delete, or unsubscribe!

Image by Jerry Lindholm

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Keeping up Communications

Greg de Lima — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 14:15:58 +0000

Probably one of my favorite parts of this film! But you may be asking, “ok…what does Top Gun have to do with Social Media, or Branding?” Fine, it doesn’t really have anything to do with it except for the fact they’re “Communicating”.

Communication is the one thing that without it, you will crumble. Communication in your enterprise may not exactly be your top forte, or your main focus. But as a marketing or sales department, it should be. The ability for a company to maintain a constant interaction with it’s clients or associates is an aspect that cannot be surpassed by many other departments.

US Airways & the Harvard Business Review had a case study of Dessert Gallery. In it they used a Survey and Facebook, to alter their customers behavior (read the Case Study for more details). On the off hand I look at this from a different perspective.

What did communication have to do with their success?

Probably more than you might lead to believe. The fact that their upkeep within the Facebook page and in their surveys shows more interaction than before they began this campaign. An ability to start, build, and maintain a constant stream of communication and interaction not only on Facebook, is a difficult task. The time and effort that is needed is one that not everyone can hold on to.

Don’t Focus on Yourself, focus on everyone else who is in your Twitter or Facebook stream. Look at your competition, how are they interacting? Are there questions being unanswered about a product or service you prove?

Answer them, be a presence. Be something people want to be a part of!

Estamos Perdiendo el Social – Español

Greg de Lima — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:27:28 +0000

¿Alguna vez has sentido que con todos las nuevas medias sociales que estamos perdiendo el interés clave?
¿Donde se ha ido el aspecto del social, y a donde va?
Hace poco tiempo estaba hablando por teléfono y un cliente potencial me habia dicho que mis tácticas y estrategias de medias sociales son muy “libro de texto”. Por un lado lo comprendo, pero por el otro, simplemente funciona.
El habilidad de mantenerse e intractuar en las redes sociales es lo que crea relaciones furetes. Si sean personas que conozco directamente o no, hay una fuerza que supera cualquier otro método de gestionar las redes.
No soy el único que piensa asi. Hace unos dias Mitch Joel (@mitchjoel) escribió una pieza titulada, Personal Branding R.I.P., y tendré que estar de acuerdo con sus puntos de vista. Pero, la falta de personalidad e interactuación no solo tiene que ver con el Branding Personal, pero muchas presencias en Twitter y Facebook extendiendo a todos los aspectos de las medias sociales.
Estamos perdiendo la interactuacíon social, lo cual empezó y sigue fortaleziendo el proposido de medias sociales. Este significado social que tenemos es la única cosa que nos deja atraer, como negocios e individuos, a hacer auto-marketing y construir relaciones duraderas que en fin son provechos. Estando en una red social y simplemente poinendo enlaces o publicidades no es la manera de gestionar. Por ejemplo: el @dellOutlet. La gente entiende que este por la mayoria es un servicio automático. Pero si estas haciendo un perfil para estar ahi para la gente y establecer conneciones, teniendo un servicio automatica simplemente no ayuda.
Construye estas conversaciones y conviertelos en algo aprovechoso.

Relaciones, son la clave para comprender ventas, marketing, y en su totalidad la parte Social y Personal en Medias Sociales y Branding Personal.
Desacuerdo? De acuerdo? Deja un comentario!

Imagen por Sjany

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How I Made Page 1 of Google

Greg de Lima — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 17:05:33 +0000

My friend asked me once a while back, how did I manage my SEO strategy in order to rank high, and basically dominate the first page of Google results for “Greg de Lima”?

Quite simply, it all boils down to patience.

I have never really managed my self in a way of SEO to intentionally try to become the lead results of my own search results. When I began my blog in Early 2008, I couldn’t have told you what Search Engine Optimization was. But now, with a little bit of understanding and a couple of WordPress plugins achieving and maintaining the results is just a matter or patience.

Here are my tips:

Keep consistent – The name you use in one place should be the name you use everywhere else. I branded myself since the beginning as Greg de Lima (@gregdelima, Facebook.com/gregdelima, gregdelima.posterous.com, gregdelima.tumblr.com etc.) If you change it, make sure you change them all, unless you want a different association with each.
Post Often – If you are not keeping updated or posting something at least once every two weeks (I have found) can lead to lower results, or less accurate results. Keeping fresh news coming from your consistent names gives search engines something to keep posted.
All-in-One SEO Pack – Get it. Use it, considering you’re running on WordPress. Download here.
Link Out/Link In – If you mention external sources, link to it. Whether these posts are within your own blog, someone else’s, a news article, etc. Hit up a small link, and make sure the link title reflects what it is. Ex; Greg de Lima on Twitter (@gregdelima) the html should look something like this:@gregdelima
Be Patient – Rome wasn’t built in a day.

From a students point of view, especially for young entrepreneurs, this will definitely help with new and upcoming personal brands. Getting yourself known and building up your network never hurt anyone!

Downside – don’t do anything you wouldn’t want your mother to see. You get one bad rep on your name, and it will definitely hurt your reputation.

Disagree? Extra tips? Leave a comment!

Doing a Good Thing

Greg de Lima — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:11:47 +0000

This post isn’t about me, it’s about my friend Emily. One of the most fabulous people that I know is going on a Mission trip starting in September of this year. As the former Director of a mission summer camp, her leadership is some of the strongest and most effective I have ever seen. She is a strong person with a great heart to do many things for many people.

So what’s the point, she tells me that she needs quite a bit of money to complete this mission trip, it’s year-long. From what she tells me, about $12,000. I ask you kindly to help her and the hundreds of people she will be helping by donating any amount you can.

You can learn about Emily at her Mission Year Blog and click Donate Now, this will contribute directly to her fund. You can also donate through the main website here, with the Support ID # 10-0009.

Follow Mission Year on Twitter, or Facebook.

Thank You.

Update: Here is a link directly to Emily’s donation page, if reading this was enough for you.

We’re Losing the Social

Greg de Lima — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:19:28 +0000

Have you ever felt like with all this new media and social networking, that we are losing the key interest?
Where has the social aspect gone, and where is it going?
Not too long ago, I was on the phone with a potential client when I was referred to as being very “text-book” with my social media and branding strategies. Now, on one hand I can definitely understand this, but on the other hand, quite simply, it’s because it works.

The rigidity of being able to stick around and actually interact on many social networks is what builds the strong relationships that I have within my social networks. Whether or not they are people that I know directly, or people I have never met, there is a strength that trumps over many other methods.

I am not the only person who believes this. A few days ago Mitch Joel(@mitchjoel) wrote a piece titled, Personal Branding R.I.P. and I must agree with him whole heartedly. But this lack of personality and interaction not only has to do with Personal Branding, but many presences on Twitter and Facebook and extending to the social aspect of social media.

We are losing this social interaction that started and continues to strengthen the purpose of social media. This social meaning that we have is the one thing that allows us as businesses and individuals to market ourselves and build the long-lasting relationships that eventually prove fruitful. Being on a social network and merely pushing out links or press-releases is not the way to go. Sure, you might see click-through rates go up, maybe even some turn around. Take the @DellOutlet for example; people understand that this is a mostly automated service. However, if you’re setting up a service to cater to people and build your network with the end of having attendees or worth-while connections, you’re not going to get anywhere.

Build these conversations and make them into something that you will always benefit from. Relationships are the key to understanding sales, marketing, and overall the Social and Personal in Social Media and Personal Branding.

Disagree? Agree? Let me know!

Image by Sjany

Push Your Passion

Greg de Lima — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:42:59 +0000

How many times have you seriously done something that you enjoy? Something that you want to do and give back to someone else? Are these your passions?
Even as a student the level of involvement of my friends to their studies and what they want to do is sometimes slim to none. With the new business world spinning at a rate that we keep pushing and keep advancing, the only way to keep it going is by doing what we love!

I can agree it sounds cheezy, you may be stuck in a job that you think you enjoy, but at the end of the day you couldn’t give a rat’s-ass about it.

I couldn’t tell you the many times my Grandfather and my parents just put everything aside and said, “Here, this is what we are going to do, and you’re going to help!” I was never 100% committed to what they wanted me to do; I stuck with it though. I learned what to do and how to act. But when it comes down to the nuts and bolts of your prime business or website, whatever, you have to care, and you have to love what you’re doing to make it worth while.

That’s not to say that you will not be successful, but simply a way to enjoy what you do, and be able to take yourself and your venture to the next level because you care, want, and need to see something come of what you do.

The way of Social Media has entirely changed the way we put our passions into our projects. You don’t have to agree with me, and quite honestly I don’t expect you to. I just personally despise seeing so many twitterers depending on ReTweets, @ Replies, and how many followers they have. And all that in the end does have significance, but what’s the most important part of this new marketing wave?

The Passion.

Give it all you’ve got. Make it significant, for yourself, others and they will come.

What are your passions? How can this be changed?

Image by (nutmeg)