Monday Mashups – Yelp Reviews, Facebook Hashtags, Find Influencers in Your Area

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Yelp Reviews Impacting Discoverability 

Early last week Yelp announced changes to the “Nearby” tab on its mobile app. The Nearby tab already allows customers to locate businesses close to them by using the GPS function on their mobile phones. However, now with this update the list of locations provided will be based on both positive & negative reviews given by strangers and friends. With this new algorithm, online reviews will have a higher influence on driving traffic to a business.

Introducing Hashtags on Facebook

It finally happened. Facebook rolled out the feature of clickable hashtags. Known as a way to categorize trending topics, the hashtags operate similar to other services like Twitter and Instagram. Click on the hashtag and you will see a feed of what other people and Pages are saying. Although, before you start adding hashtags in your posts, take a look at a few of these tips.

Find Influencers in Your Area 

Just like attending a networking event and making new connections, social media is the virtual way to build relationship with influencers. Starting conversations and engagement is key when utilizing social media channels, but it’s important to interact with certain individuals that play a important role in your industry/community. This article helps you identify and suggests how build those new relationships.

Questions to Ask Before Using Social Media

For those who are still unsure of which social media platform is best suited for your brand, this article gives 5 questions that should be asked before executing any tactics. Instead of being the business that just jumps onto the social media world, take the time to identify and understand why that specific tool is the most effective one.

Twitter Introduces Free Analytics Tools

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WHAT HAPPENED.

Last week, Twitter quietly released free analytics tools through their advertising site.

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE.

If you use Twitter for anything beyond casual chatting, then you’ll likely benefit from knowing how your audience engages with the content you’re posting. Marketers currently use a myriad of tools (such as Crowdbooster or Hootsuite) to analyse statistics on their engagement. It’s unlikely that marketing professionals will begin to rely solely on Twitter’s native analytics, but it is a great option to get an overview of what’s creating engagement and what’s not.

WHAT TO DO.

Signing in is easy. Visit https://analytics.twitter.com, and sign in using your regular Twitter username and password. Once you’re logged in, click the ‘Analytics’ tab at the top and you’re off to the races.

Foodie Friday: How Your Restaurant Can Take Advantage of Instagram

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The one trend in social media that definitely hasn’t died down is foodtography. Whether it’s documenting self creations, showing recipes or critiquing the food at a restaurant, people are constantly taking photographs and posting them on a social platform. Instagram though has grown to be one of the key tools when it comes to sharing photos online; it’s probably safe to say that it will even remain that way for long time. Many businesses have become active on Instagram and are launching very effective social media strategies around the app. Inspired by an article from Social Media Today (which even features an infographic), here are some Kernel tips on how to use Instagram effectively in the restaurant industry.

1) Promote Your Products
It’s a given that restaurants will post images of their food, duh! Instead, add unique captions that include the ingredients or the story behind the dish. Don’t forget the other features you may also have to offer like the brands of wine available, the open patio or your daily specials. When people say a picture is worth a thousand words, it’s true. These are more creative ways to send a message to your followers.

2) Engage with your followers
When it comes to social media, customer engagement is always important. Listen to what your audience is saying and respond to comments. You can even take a look at your restaurant’s checkins or tags and leave a positive comment on those.

3) Competitions and giveaways (promotions)
Your followers are most likely people who love your restaurant. Having a contest or giveaway exclusively on Instagram is a great way to show your appreciation to your loyal customers.

4) Behind the scenes
People are always curious about what they’re eating. By posting more personable photos restaurants are able to share more information about their food and brand in a fun way. Great examples are to see the staff in action or the preparation of a menu items.

5) #Hashtags are awesome
Encouraging people to use a specific hashtag is very beneficial. It’s an easy way for customers to see what people are posting about your restaurant. Also, it’s a great tool for restaurants to source photos and share them on your own social media accounts; just don’t forget your manners and credit the user.

 

Monday Mashups – Foursquare, Not Social Media Problems, Vine Engagement, Facebook Contests, Twitter Success Story

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Foursquare Testing Paid Promotions 

Earlier this week it was reported that Foursquare has started allowing some local businesses in New York City to promote their store within the service. Until now, promoted listings were limited to only large national merchants. Along with this, a third revenue stream for the mobile app which would allow marketers to use its data to target consumer segments on other services.

Not Social Media Problems 

Sometimes businesses are quick to blame social media for their problems, when in reality it’s not the truth. Before pointing fingers, take a look at these nine situations that are definitely not negative impacts caused my social media.

Powerful Engagement with Vine

There’s no doubt that visual engagement is extremely effective, especially in video form. Some may think showing a powerful message in a matter of seconds is a challenge, but there have been creative minds hard at work releasing a number of amazing videos. Now with the Android version available, there is guaranteed to be a larger group of users jumping on board.

Facebook Contests & Genuine Fans

When businesses decide to run a Facebook contest the goal shouldn’t be to gain an abundance of fans, instead it should be to acquire genuine fans who are interested in you. Discover 5 tips to help make your contest effective and ensure it attracts the people you want

A Story of How Tweets Lead Your Restaurant to Success

Scottish cafe, Hula Juice Bar, has become an avid of Twitter over the past 18 months and have recently been recognized for their social media skills. Hear their story on how daily tweets have helped not only their business but community engagement.

Monday Mashups – Facebook Verified Pages, Social Media Customer Service, SEO vs. Content Marketing, Engaging Content, Executive Team Active in Social Media.

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Our Monday Mashups are back! We’ve found some great articles to start your week off with a good read!

Facebook Verified Pages and Profiles

Like Twitter, the new verified Pages on Facebook are to help people find the authentic accounts of celebrities, other high-profile people and businesses. This update will be rolling out to Profiles soon as well.

5 Examples of Great Social Media Customer Service

There’s no doubt that social media has become a crucial part in marketing a business online, but it has also impacted customer service. Here are some key points to remember when using social media effectively for customer service.

Switching from SEO to Content Marketing

Some marketing professionals are changing their mind about how much time and money should be put towards SEO. Instead, the better choice is to now concentrate on content marketing. Do you agree?

26 Ways to Create Engaging Content

It can sometimes be tough creating content that connects with people, especially to engage with them. This article has more than enough ways to help you engage with your audience.

How to Get Your Executive Team Active in Social Media

It shouldn’t only be the Social Media Manager who’s active online. If there are executives that can add credibility to your strategies, then it’s time to get them on board and be social.

We’re looking for a New Intern – Could it be you?

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You easily adapt. You have lots of great ideas to make things better. You want to work for a growing start up. You like eating.

You could be our next Popcorn Kernel! We’re looking for a creative and hardworking person to join us! As a boutique agency, you will definitely get hands on experience in a variety of roles.

Here’s what we’re looking for:

Description
We are looking to hire an intern with strong knowledge and understanding of the digital media landscape, including various social media networks. The intern hired for this position will need strong critical thinking skills in order to integrate into our vibrant and passionate team who are very excited to share this exciting launch with an intern hoping to gain a ton of great online experience.

Responsibilities

  • Research relevant events and information for clients
  • Assist in measuring analytics
  • Post on company blog and social networks
  • Online outreach and promotion using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and more
  • Website and social media optimization
  • Assist in the creation of signage for promotional campaigns
  • Assist in the distribution of marketing materials
  • Assist in execution of Events
  • Seek and analyze competitor marketing and sales materials
  • Provide support to social media efforts
  • Provide support to schedule and coordinate speaking engagements, appearances
  • Write press releases and other materials
  • Compile contact lists, update databases, search for press coverage

Requirements
Anyone applying for this internship should have some basic Marketing, Business, PR or Design experience.

If you think you’ve got what it takes to hit the ground running and work with us, send us your best -whether that’s your LinkedIn profile, your resume and cover letter – wow us!

Email resumes to Dee, our PR Manager at dee [at] gopopcorn.ca.

We are doing interviews in the coming weeks with the internship starting in April 2013!

Dennis Pang to Speak at SocialHRCamp Vancouver 2013

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Popcorn’s very own CEO and founder, Dennis Pang, will be speaking at this year’s Vancouver SocialHRCamp on Friday, May 10th. Along with several other marketing, social media and HR professionals, Dennis will be addressing the increasingly integral role of HR in the Social Media industry.

SocialHRCamp, launched in Vancouver, hosts worldwide one- and two-day events that allow participants to learn from thought leaders, experts and innovators in the fields of Digital Marketing and HR. Whether you’re just curious or already expanding within the social and digital world, this experiential and collaborative event is for you!

To find out more about SocialHRCamp and other speakers at Vancouver’s SocialHRCamp 2013, visit the event page here.

 

Event details:

Date: Friday, May 10, 2013

Time: 8:30am – 5:00pm

Location: Talent Technology Headquarters, Suite 200-13799 Commerce Parkway, Richmond, BC

Price: $199 – $579

Nick Routley to Judge IMC 2013 This Weekend

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Nick Routley, Creative Strategist at Popcorn will be judging this year’s Intercollegiate Marketing Competition this weekend. Although the event will be over the course of two days this weekend, February 22nd – 23rd 2013 – Nick will be judging on Saturday at SFU Harbour Centre.

SFU’s Beedie School of Business hosts this annual marketing business case competition, presenting a unique challenge for 8 teams to demonstrate their marketing prowess. The Final Presentation round will be open to students from SFU and other post-secondary institution.

The SFU Student Marketing Association organizes this event at the Coast Coal Harbour with past organizations including Telus, Pepsi and Zajac Ranch. This year Washington University, Western Washington University, University of Alberta, Kwantlen, Capilano University and Royal Roads University will be participating.

For more information about the conference, check out SFU’s IMC Website.

When Opportunity Knocks: YWiB UBC`s Entrepreneurship Panel

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Popcorn’s very own Dennis Pang will be speaking at the Young Women in Business Society (YWiB) UBC’s annual Entrepreneurship Roundtable with four other amazing panelists.  This event will be a great opportunity for budding entrepreneurs to ask questions about how to overcome challenges, learn how to transform ideas to reality and network with the speakers. Dennis will be focusing on his digital marketing businesses (Popcorn) and other social media related topics, making this an event you won’t want to miss! Space is limited so make sure to RSVP. To find out more about the speakers and the YWiB UBC Chapter, please visit the event page.

Event details:

Date: Monday, Feb 25, 2013

Time: 5:30pm – 7:00pm

Location: Henry Angus Building 2053 Main Mall Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2

Price: YWiB UBC member (free!) & non-members ($5 at the door)

Social Media Statistics for your Marketing Plan, Instagram on Your Desktop, Facebook’s Hidden Feature, The Importance of Blogs and Facebook’s Cover Photo Policy

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Social Media Statistics That Affect Your Marketing Plan
Did you know that 57% of Pinterest users interact with food-related content? And that websites using the “+1” button increase page traffic by 350%? Find out more salient statistics that just might change your social media marketing strategy.

Instagram on Your Desktop
Previously strictly limited to mobile, Instagram has recently come out with a web version for desktop users. Unfortunately, this new version lacks some of Instagram’s most distinctive features.


Facebook’s Hidden Goldmine
Invaluable to business, targeted content amplification allows you to reach highly relevant audiences outside your extended network. Find out how to access and leverage this overlooked tool.

The Importance of Blogs in Content Marketing
Blogs fuel social media, search optimization and the sales process. A well-run blog can be a great foundation for your content marketing strategy.

Facebook’s Cover Photo Policy
A picture is worth a thousand words, and your cover photo is the first thing users see when accessing your Facebook page. Make sure your cover photo meets Facebook’s guidelines while making a good impression on your customers.