Tuesday night, UFC President Dana White was a guest on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Twitter was a natural topic of conversation between these two top tweeters. Dana described his recent Twitter Tag stunt in Montreal and shared his thoughts on how social media is a perfect tool for connecting with fans directly. How does the President of the fastest growing sport quantify the value of Twitter? Watch the whole interview here.
It’s not often you see two competing brands intentionally position their consumers against each other and encourage a battle. We suggested this very idea to two of the brands we work with. They’re teaming up, challenging their fan bases (and each other) to have it out . . . for the greater good.
On Wednesday during the Chicago White Sox vs. Cleveland Indians baseball game, the two mascots Southpaw (@Southpaw) and Slider (@SliderTheMascot), are going head-to-head in a Mascot Rivalry and bringing together two opposing fan bases, virtually. We like to refer to this as a Virtual Pep Rally.
For each #GoWhiteSox and #GoTribe hashtags that are tweeted during the baseball game on Wednesday, the two clubs will donate $1 to Stand Up To Cancer (@SU2C). In addition, the losing team’s mascot with the least amount of hashtags by the last out of the game, will have to make good on the pre-determined wager.
Social media provides an environment, free from rules and politics, where partnerships can be formed and relationships can be strengthened. Even if those partnerships are between two opposing baseball teams.
Creating a special hashtag for an event provides a low-barrier for fans to participate virtually and show team spirit, by simply tweeting a designated hashtag. In this particular case, by tweeting their team’s hashtags, fans are contributing to cancer research. So, it’s a win-win for everyone involved (minus the bragging rights).
Quick Hashtag 101: Utilizing hashtags when hosting an event or announcing a new product, makes it both easier for users to find particular tweets with similar subject matter, but also allows organizers to effectively identify and track all tweets with the same keyword. #GoWhiteSox #GoTribe
Virtual events such as this example, are simple and low-maintenance ways to connect with your audience and increase fan engagement. Plus, a little competitive banter between two mascots is a great source of content. Proof: http://twitpic.com/1qygql and http://twitpic.com/1qz09v
To follow the heated battle on Wednesday at 11:05am CST:
Team Chicago White Sox:
Message to Fans, White Sox Official Twitter Account, Mascot, Tally: #GoWhiteSox
Team Cleveland Indians:
Message to Fans, Indians Official Twitter Account , Mascot Tally: #GoTribe
Missed the Virtual Pep Rally? Here’s a recap of all of the action:
When’s the last time you’ve Googled your name? If you haven’t before, it’s probably time to conduct a mini personal brand audit. Try it. Make sure to Google all images associated with your name as well. Yep, images. Take an objective look at your own Facebook profile and see how others may perceive you. Whether that’s through the eyes of your grandmother, your boss or your clients.
It doesn’t matter if you’re the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, a sports league or a small business owner, personal branding is crucial and you should be keeping your finger on your brand’s pulse. Fortunately, given this day and age, social media provides a stage for us to showcase our own personal brand through resources, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Live Video Streaming, etc.
If you’re not sure where to start when it comes to defining your personal brand, try describing yourself to someone else. Recently, I was interviewed by writer, Joel Stein, for a branding piece he was writing for TIME Magazine. I started off asking him the same question, and he responded as described here:
“I told her I was lazy, self-involved and sexually frustrated. Martin, who is very good at her job, turned “lazy” into “needing stimulation,” which she then turned into “dynamic” and finally “rock star.” She transformed “self-involved” into “open.” Starting to get it, I suggested that “sexually frustrated” is really just “sexy.” (Amy said:) “I think the first two for sure.” - Joel Stein.
When it comes to branding, it’s important to remember that people don’t associate with company logos and corporate headquarters, they associate a brand with the person and a personality, behind those boardroom doors. Humans connect with humans. Not logos. Social media allows big corporations the ability to connect on a personal level as well as be accessible to consumers. Here are a few good examples of business and organizations that have used social media to enhance their brands:
-Dana White / UFC
-Doug Ulman / LIVESTRONG
-Tony Hsieh / Zappos
-Shaquille O’Neal
-Ashton Kutcher
-Conan O’Brien
-Ochocinco
Personal branding is imperative for any successful business. But, first start by defining your brand and then develop a strategy to promote it, or as my good friend Ron Burgundy would say, “Shout it from top of a mountain….” So step up to the plate and take charge of your own personal brand, before outsiders define your brand for you.
“If you don’t give your brand some thought, you become the guy whose funeral is all about how much he loved the Mets. A funeral is the ultimate brand evaluation,” Martin said. “Luckily, it’s not hard to find a rabbi who is into snark.” – Joel Stein.
Read the entire TIME Magazine article here.
Despite the name, I jumped on the Apple-wagon early and happily. Out of pure curiosity I sent Steve Jobs my money and became an iPad owner. Would this be the next best thing since Apple Pie? I didn’t care. I just wanted to be one of the first to take a bite. In fact, if Apple made oranges, I’d probably buy those too.
I was one of “those” who waited for the well worth it 3G. It seemed like years after the Wi-Fi only version hit the marketplace. I visited the Apple store often just to feel cool and to test drive the in-store iPad, and even started a #IWaitedForTheiPad3G club.
So after two weeks of having this juicy piece of technology in my hot little hands, here’s my review:
Nobody NEEDS the iPad. But I can’t live without mine.
Let me break it down. The iPad appears to be a luxury at first and then, without realizing, you find it becomes a necessity to your daily life. Do I find it valuable in my world of business? Not really. Can I live without it? Nope. Here’s why.
What do I use the iPad for?
This is the number one question I’m asked by those who weren’t as eager to send Steve their credit card number.
Full disclosure, I’m “that person” who takes their iPhone on the chair lift while snowboarding and uses it to stream live video. I haven’t gone to this extreme, but I wish I would have thought of it.
Okay, here’s my list:
What’s the iPad missing?
Webcam, front cover (yeah, I don’t want to buy an accessory), print capabilities (coming soon, evidentially), ability to add memory and a mouse.
Favorite iPad Apps?
NBA Gametime (Go Shaq), ABC Player, Evernote, Pinball HD, Mashable (much better than getting into a scroll-a-thon on the iPhone), Amazon E-Book Reader, Sports Center XL, Twitteriffic, MLB At Bat (Go White Sox & Indians). And, my favorite website that I’ve added to my home screen… DigitalRoyalty.com. 
Who Needs an iPad?
Final Thoughts:
The iPad is like Travel Yahtzee. Nobody really NEEDS Yahtzee in the car, but man, it sure is awesome when you’re on a family roadtrip with 1,000 miles of asphalt and 13 hours ahead of you.
The iPad is also like a mullet. The Macbook is business in the front. iPad is party in the back. Nobody really NEEDS the party in the back but it makes life more fun.
My key takeaway, right now, is that I use the iPad for consuming and presenting content but I look forward to version two, Mr. Jobs.
Friday, May 30th was a seemingly normal day in the Twittersphere. Trending Topics took place in increments of 10, hashtags were retweeted and new hashtags were born. A few thousand people tweeted about #Glee.
Yet seemingly unnoticed, an exchange happened.
Enter Troy B., of Grand Rapids, MI. On Friday, Troy was looking for new tires and did what many of us do daily—he tweeted about it.
A business responded with a deal, but it wasn’t a mom and pop operation, it was Discount Tire.
How? Because they wear their listening hat at all times.
It’s easy to respond to an @-reply or question to your twitter account or Facebook page, but when individuals aren’t a follower or fan of your brand on various social media touch points, there’s a certain barrier to interaction. Simply checking your “@-replies”, like you’d check an email inbox, doesn’t mean you’re listening. Extra, proactive steps must be taken to identify your consumers (or potential customers), listen to their needs and provide value when, where and how they want to receive it. Even if that means on the weekend or after normal business hours. This takes valuable time.
Not only did Discount Tire retain an individual’s business through Twitter, but they formed a one-on-one relationship with the customer. Better yet, this interaction took place publicly for anyone to see. The one-on-one interaction had infinite impression potential.
What’s more, they utilized social media to humanize their more than 700 store brand. All through social media, Discount Tire the corporation became Discount Tire the local business. That’s what is significant. That’s worth the listen.
The Cleveland Indians started the 2010 regular season this April with a lot of changes from last season: their roster, lineup and even their social media approach. As part of an aggressive social media strategy that Digital Royalty had the opportunity to collaborate on, the Indians have become the first to revolutionize in-game MLB seating by designating a 10-seat section of Progressive Field and reserving it solely for social media users and bloggers. Thus was born the Tribe Social Deck.
What the Indians organization is doing, is building a relationship with and rewarding social fans. Rewards in the form of experiential perks such as private tours of the ballpark and the opportunity to hangout with Indians personalities. The Indians’ are converging the physical and virtual world by turning online influencers and fans into much more–insiders. Fans and the local community now have the ability to feel as if they are an intricate component to the success of the Indians organization, which they are. For that alone, the Indians’ progressive leadership should be commended.
Not only was the Indians’ Tribe Social Deck a hit with attendees, but it caught the attention of prominent sports publications. Sports Business Daily was one of those publications who broke down the Tribe’s Social Deck, the full article which you can read here.
