The Vitrue Blog

BizReport's Kristen Knight dives into targeting via social media with our CEO Reggie Bradford. Excerpt below, or click through to the BizReport site for the complete read.

According to Reggie Bradford, CEO of Vitrue, a social media company, there are some proven methods to attracting the right target base through social media. First, social sites need to be monitored. According to Reggie, affluent consumers what to trust a website. Whether that is an ecommerce hub or a social message board, monitoring the site is a good way to show these consumers that you care. Second, marketers should offer video and finally be as authentic as possible on the social platform.

 

Another great article by our CEO Reggie Bradford on Adotas. Reggie dives into 3 excellent tips to help ensure brands safely harness the power of UGC. Excerpt below or click through to the Adotas site  for the full article.

News flash: the much-hyped Web 2.0 is here. When it arrived may still be up for debate but for the savvy company and interactive marketer, the discussion that's really worth having is what to do with it now that it's here. How can companies effectively engage their consumers on a playing field they no longer control, yet maintain the integrity of their brand? Having consumers at the center of the digital universe requires a huge shift in the way marketing is done and, so far, there are far more questions than answers.

Today, we know our customers are no longer happy simply being spoken to - they want to have a voice. If denied, they'll easily find a brand, service or product that is more than happy to engage them in dialogue.

 

Reggie Bradford, our CEO, recently published an article at Adotas about user generated content and the travel industry. Below is an excerpt or click over to the Adotas site to read in it's entirety.

The Travel Industry Association (TIA) of America estimates annual travel expenditures at more than $730 billion. World figures, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council, were valued at $2.97 trillion last year. With the United States leading the world in sheer quantity of travel, it's no wonder that agency, hospitality and hotel marketers are brainstorming ideas on how to attract customers and grow business. The adoption of user-generated content (UGC) has proven to be a significant vehicle to capitalize on this tremendous market opportunity. By bringing their customers into the mix, brands are fueling two-way dialogues that provide dimension and authenticity directly from the consumers about the brand's promise and experience. Over the past several years I've seen firsthand how the power of social media has impacted the tourism industry by working with clients who have been incredibly successful in leveraging this powerful medium to their advantage. With more than 40 percent of all hotel bookings projected to be booked via the Internet this year (according to Milestone Internet Marketing), hoteliers must take a proactive approach to engage their consumers by asking them to participate directly with their brands.  

I read an interesting interview with Founder and CEO of Real Travel Inc., Ken Leeder, in EyeforTravel on March 6, 2008. In this article, Mr. Leeder contended that the idea of "Travel 2.0," or the interlacing of social media with travel companies' consumer outreach, may in the future be linked to social networks like Facebook. He pointed out an alleged disconnect in intentions between people visiting travel sites and those accessing social networks, debating if consumers would be reluctant to have their demographic and psychographic information shared with travel agencies and advertisers for no additional value.

Check out Allen Maurer's piece about Vitrue and Reggie at TechJournal South.

Reggie Bradford, CEO of Vitrue, which helps companies create video-centric social networks around brands, says that working with startups from WebMD to N2 Broadband and Vitrue, he’s learned that perseverance and timing are key virtues.

In a press release from January 7th, Will Beresford, strategy director at beyond analysis, makes ten predictions on the future of social media and business in 2008.  While we've all had our fill of forward-thinking projection pieces, Beresford provocatively asserts in supposition number 6 that "the interest in large social networking sites as the next best thing in advertising will fall away as quickly as it has arrived." The elephant in the room to which this contention is clearly pointed is Facebook, which came under intense scrutiny in 2007 for its Beacon feature which many consider an invasion of consumer privacy.

The reasons he cites for pulling away from social networking behemoths include cluttered advertising and a reluctance to "bare all" for everyone to see. The latter is easily avoidable with the right settings but the former truly presents a quandary. "Like a trendy bar or nightclub," Beresford states, consumers will abandon one site for another as their preferences and those of their friends continually fluctuate between what's hip and what's over. I agree with him on that point. If whichever website that hosts a brand appears to "sell out" to too many too quickly, once-loyal fans will go somewhere else until the same fate befalls that site.

Herein lays the beauty of creating your own branded social media site. For example, one of our customers, a popular potato chip maker, ran an online video contest last year to see how creative their consumers could be in thinking up a catchy ditty to describe their chip of choice. The results were amazing, a fountain of enthusiasm and wacky, fun, talent-filled submissions. Each consumer-created video helped reinforce the values of the chip brand, but looking around the site, so did everything else - the background, the color scheme, the logos. The campaign site was 100% dedicated to one and only one brand, our customer's brand. Your brand.

Beresford backtracks in point number 5, admitting that companies without a Web 2.0 presence will explore the space to "enrich their understanding of their customer base." Some would say that's what Facebook is doing with Beacon (fancy me a contradiction?) However, Beresford's still right. You learn a great deal about your customers by seeing what they can contribute to your online social community or contest. When consumers talk, other consumers listen. Why? Because it's a sneak preview into what they'll be experiencing if they commit to trying out the brand. No one likes to make a decision uninformed.

Thus, I urge you to read between the lines of what Will Beresford is saying and avoid the fate of so many social networks. Branding isn't about living in the moment; it's about embodying the past, present and future and planning how your products will impact consumers' lives for years to come. If you stay true to your customers, you can rest assured that they'll stay true to you too. It's your company's presence. Doesn't it deserve a room of its own?

"Have you ever wanted to make a promotional video or Television Commercial? Do you get tired of seeing the same old commercials over and over? Could you do a better job selling that story?"

This is what Meijer, a Midwest retail supercenter, is asking its consumers to do - create consumer generated ads. Engaging your consumers and letting them guide the messaging of your advertising campaign is a great way to gauge what they believe as the equity of the brand. Consumer generated media is very powerful and if executed correctly, can be very successful. Ensuring safety throughout the promotion is a key factor. Meijer just launched its promotion, so I am going to keep an eye on what their consumers come up with.

Pringles recently ran a contest that was asking its consumers to create "Jingle for Pringles." The Pringles team was curious to see what its consumers thought of the brand and how they would communicate that through a song. As it turned out, the messaging that was being represented in the videos were right in line with Pringles' brand equity.

 

 As the Cincinnati Bengals gear up for another competitive season, they are once again encouraging their fans to create fan generated content that best expresses the passion for the team.

Think you've got a better Touchdown Dance than Chad Johnson? Want to share your favorite tailgating moments or experiences with other Bengals fans? Grab your camera, shoot a short video clip of your favorite Bengals activity, and upload it to the site.

As a registered user, you can make connections with other Bengals fans around the world no matter where you might be. Form new networks of Bengals friends, send and receive personal messages and share your Who Dey spirit with your new Bengals community!