SubscribeA Word with the Marketing Nerd @stef_funny (Making the most out of my internship)
<Editor’s Note> I’m very excited to congratulate Stephanie Trinh aka @stef_funny who’s on my team here at Marketing Melodie. She recently graduated from SDSU. What a huge accomplishment. She’s an official college graduate! Stephanie is moving on to begin her career in the “real world” but before she leaves, she has some final words of inspiration and insight to share with you on her experience here at Marketing Melodie and why interning is so important. I’ll let Stephanie take it from here. HIT IT STEPHANIE! </Editor’s Note>
It seemed like just yesterday when I asked Melodie about her internship program. It has definitely been such a pleasure working with her. I’ve learned plenty from Melodie, whether it was about social media for businesses or advice on what to say during my interviews . Although people cringe at the thought of having to be an intern, I’ll tell you why interning is one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.
- I’ve met so many great people during the time that I’ve worked with Melodie. We all know that the marketing industry is all about who you know. Melodie has hosted many events, which I have attended and it has helped me expand my networks. I love talking to marketing professionals and hearing their stories about how they have gotten to where they are today.
- I’ve gotten exposure. The blog posts that I compose and post here are also posted through Melodie’s social networks. Although I do have my own blog, I get new exposure and more traffic by blogging on another site. Plus, writing these posts help me to deepen my own understanding on why businesses should use certain social networks as a part of their overall marketing plan.
- I had fun and expressed my creativity. Melodie encouraged me to spark my creativity by having me help her create things to post for clients and her own social networks. Some of the ideas included Motivational Monday posts, Melodie Tips, etc.
- The real hands on experience. My internship program gave me a chance to learn through actually doing. The one on one mentoring experience Melodie provided has been really helpful and has allowed me to focus more on what I want to learn. Make it clear to your employer what you want to learn before you start your internship.
- Learning more than just internship stuff. Melodie has helped me better understand where I want to go in my career life. She’s helped me with interviews and given me networking tips – things that I really am going to use in the “real world.” The best part about working with Melodie is that she isn’t just someone you intern for, she’s your mentor who truly does want to see you succeed in the industry. I recommending finding an internship where you can directly interactive with your Manager and ask questions along the way.
I still can’t believe I’m considered to be an alumni now. Yay to graduating and to the class of 2012!
You can connect with Stephanie on Twitter, Google+ and check out her blog, Marketing Nerd!
5 Reasons to Attend Social Media Day San Diego @SMdaySD #smdaysd
By now you’ve probably at least seen a tweet or Facebook post about Social Media Day San Diego. It’s right around the corner! The event will be hosted on June 30th, 2012 at the Marina Kitchen inside the San Diego Marriott Marquis & Marina. Social Media Day is an international day that celebrates the revolution of media and the digital space. We’re all connected now more than ever because of social media; so on June 30th, let’s show our appreciation by getting off our computer screens, meeting new people and hanging out with friends at Social Media Day San Diego! If this isn’t enough to convince you to go, here are 5 reasons to attend Social Media Day San Diego:
1. Experience some of San Diego’s greatest products on Social Media- There will be tons of goodies and giveaways from local companies on Social Media! We’re raffling off some amazing prizes and if you are one of the first 100 people to arrive at the event, you’ll receive a Social Media Day gift bag filled with surprises.
2. Enjoy the luxurious atmosphere and view- What better way to socialize with old friends and meet new ones than in the extravagant Marina Kitchen inside the Marriott?
3. Network with hundreds of Social Media savvy professionals attending this event- You won’t hear the questions “Why would I want to tweet what I ate that day?” or “Why would you check in somewhere” at this event. Come out to network and make new friends with smart and tech savvy like minded individuals.
4. Have fun with games, contests and social media inspired interactive activities- We put out a call for sponsors and have received an abundance of replies! It’s so great to see so many businesses embracing social media. Our sponsors will be conducting fun social media inspired games, contests and have additional promotional offers for you to take advantage of.
5. Put San Diego on the Map- Social Media Day events will be happening across the nation and world so this is a great opportunity for San Diego to really make a mark in the social space and show everyone just how great the San Diego Social Media community is. We’ll have the Minglestream tweet wall ready for action with the hashtag #smdaysd. The best way to celebrate Social Media Day is to actually include social media in the mix!
Full event details are below:
When: Saturday, June 30th
Time: 5PM – 9PM
Where: Marina Kitchen – inside the San Diego Marriott Marquis- Get directions.
This is a free event, however, we do encourage you to RSVP
Official Website: http://www.socialmediadaysandiego.com/
A special thanks to @stef_funny for compiling this post! Stephanie will be volunteering and representing Marketing Melodie at Social Media Day. Tweet her, look for her at the event and say hello!
A Word with the Marketing Nerd @stef_funny (Instagram Buzz)
<Editor’s Note> I’m very excited to have Stephanie Trinh aka @stef_funny on my team here at Marketing Melodie. She’s an ambitious Business Marketing Student at SDSU, is filled with positive energy and is even a fellow marketing nerd! I’ll let Stephanie take it from here. HIT IT STEPHANIE! </Editor’s Note>
With all the hype going on about Instagram, I’ve decided to write a little bit about this mobile app. Instagram is a free photo sharing application that allows users to take photos, apply a digital filter to the photos, and then share the photos with friends and followers. This app was originally available only for the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch when it launched. Two years later, in April 2012, it became available on Android. There were over a million downloads of the Instagram app when it was finally released on the Android system. A few days after that, Facebook acquired Instagram and its 13 employees for $1 billion in cash and stock. Amazing how quickly things change in the digital world, wouldn’t you agree?
Being that Instagram launched in October 2010, now has over 25 million users and is known as one of the most popular mobile-only social networks, why would businesses not consider playing a role on Instagram? You can post fun altered photos of your products and begin a hashtag trend for your followers. Starbucks has already jumped on the wagon and has over 400,000 followers. The point of Instagram is to share photos, so as a business you can share photos of things that relate to your brand personality or just great mobile photos of your products – be creative! Another awesome thing about Instagram is that you are also able to share your photos on Facebook and Twitter. The more social networks the better!
Here are 3 main reasons why your business should join Instagram:
1. Most people are very visual- Instagram is great because it gives us the opportunity to share fun photos of our daily lives. How interesting would it be to your fans to follow unique photos of your business’s life? You can show how much fun you have in the workplace and even take little “sneak peek” photos and have your followers figure out what the photo is. Keep them engaged, that’s why they’re following you! Just remember to keep in mind that Instagrammers don’t want to see product photography, but more artistic photography that’s been filtered.
2. There are millions of users using this app- The digital world is making changes all the time, just make sure you are caught up with the newest fad and stay in the loop. After Instagram became available on the Android, there were millions of downloads through the Android system, that pretty much means that Instagram is sort of a big deal.
3. You can create fun contests- With the usage of hashtags, it makes it easy to track and create contests. Have your fans post a creative photo with a certain hashtag that represents your products or services and give out fun prizes. The more interactive your consumers are, the more they begin to feel like “family” to your brand.
You can connect with Stephanie on Twitter, Google+ and check out her blog, Marketing Nerd!
A Word with the Marketing Nerd @stef_funny (Interview tips I’ve learned along the way)
<Editor’s Note> I’m very excited to have Stephanie Trinh aka @stef_funny on my team here at Marketing Melodie. She’s an ambitious Business Marketing Student at SDSU, is filled with positive energy and is even a fellow marketing nerd! I’ll let Stephanie take it from here. HIT IT STEPHANIE! </Editor’s Note>
As I’m getting ready to graduate in August, I’ve come to realize that there is one thing I should be working on, and that’s how to make a great first impression. I’ll be interviewing for jobs soon and during an interview, the first impression is everything. You’ve got to make that first impression last. As I’m preparing to graduate I’ve already been to a few interviews dnd have learned so much. Here are a few tips for the recent grad or anyone in the job market!
Go to the interview dressed professionally- That means business attire! I always wear a pencil skirt or slacks with a collared shirt and a blazer. If I was a guy, I would wear slacks with a long sleeve collared shirt and a tie. It’s always better to be over dressed, than under dressed in the case of an interview.
During the interview- Take a deep breath and speak at the pace that the interviewer is speaking at. You want to be on the same page with them, so don’t speak too fast, but don’t speak too slow either. Speaking too fast is easy to do when you’re nervous. The best thing you can do is to be aware of this which will help you slow down. If you think you’re talking too fast, you probably are!
Sell yourself- A Job interview is the time and place to sell! Answer your question in a way that always tie back into how you can benefit the company. Remember: “features tell and benefits sell.” Also, make sure to do a ton of research on the company before the interview process. You don’t want to be stuck when they ask you, “So tell me what you know about our company.”
Don’t be nervous!- I know it is easier said than done. You may believe that the company is interviewing you and that you need an unforgettable answer to every question, but take a look around and realize that you’re also interviewing the company. You want to make sure that this is truly a company you will be happy working for.
Any questions?- Always ask questions at the end of the interview. When you don’t have any questions, it gets interpreted as, “she doesn’t have much interest in the company.” This may not be the best time to start asking about benefits and salary. However, do ask about what they are looking for from the position they are seeking to hire and if opportunities of moving up within the company is feasible. It’s a good idea to go in to the interview with 2 or 3 questions to ask so you’re prepared with they ask “Do you have any questions?”. If questions come up during the interview, don’t be afraid to ask, especially if it’s a clarifying question.
Last but not least, keep in mind:
“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door”
You can connect with Stephanie on Twitter, Google+ and check out her blog, Marketing Nerd!
A Word with the Marketing Nerd @stef_funny (Klout Perks for Businesses)
<Editor’s Note> I’m very excited to introduce you all to Stephanie Trinh aka @stef_funny! She’s the newest member of my team here at Marketing Melodie. She’s an ambitious Business Marketing Student at SDSU, is filled with positive energy and is even a fellow marketing nerd! I’ll let Stephanie take it from here. HIT IT STEPHANIE! </Editor’s Note>
We all influence one another, the question is, how much of an influence are we? In 2008, a social media analytic website called Klout was founded to help us measure our level of influence on our audience. Klout gives each individual a score from 1 to 100, based on the individual’s ability to drive action through their social networks. Actions are considered as how many mentions and retweets you receive on Twitter; comments, wall-posts and likes on Facebook and so on for all the other social media networks that you are able to link Klout to. Klout also gives you an idea of the topics you are influential on, and if the people in your network agree with Klout, they can give you a +K.
Just recently, I discovered Klout Perks. By having a Klout account you are eligible for Klout Perks, but certain perks are targeted to specific users based on their score, influential topics, location and more. The perks consist of free or discounted products and/or services. From analyzing all the Klout Perks that have been offered, I’ve come up with three reasons companies may benefit from offering Klout Perks:
1. It’s great brand exposure.
As individuals are browsing through all the perks because their curiosity got the best of them, and whether or not they qualify for the perk, they are still being exposed to your brand. The best part is, your brand is getting a ton of impressions, but you don’t have to pay the CPI price!
2. It’s a viral opportunity for your business.
Some of the most influential individuals will be redeeming one of your sponsored packages. These individuals are the ones that are highly active in their social networks and will be telling their fans about the fun perks they’ve received through Klout, which means they will be talking about your brand!
3. You can use Klout to measure your outreach success!
Klout gives you a lot of insight in the digital world. See who you influence the most, whether it may be a competitor or a loyal fan. You can also see the topics you are influential on, and how your influence compares to your competitors.
Here is an example of how successful Popchip’s campaign went:
Popchips’ campaign was targeted towards healthy trendsetters. They offered a popchips sample kit, hoping that this would be shared and passed along to friends and family. Only 300 influencers were able to claim the perk but there was 14,819 tweets about the perk along with 46.7 million impressions of the perk.
Are you interested in getting your business involved with Klout? All you’ve got to do is contact Klout here then talk to us at Marketing Melodie and we’ll help you come up with an effective marketing strategy on how to integrate Klout and digital tools.
You can connect with Stephanie on Twitter, Google+ and check out her blog, Marketing Nerd!
A Word with the Marketing Nerd @stef_funny (Case Study: Volkswagen Punch Dub)
<Editor’s Note> I’m very excited to introduce you all to Stephanie Trinh aka @stef_funny! She’s the newest member of my team here at Marketing Melodie. She’s an ambitious Business Marketing Student at SDSU, is filled with positive energy and is even a fellow marketing nerd! Stephanie is always on the lookout for awesome campaigns and when she finds them, she’s eager to learn from it and share. Here’s an awesome case study from Volkswagen, I’ll let Stephanie take it from here. HIT IT STEPHANIE! </Editor’s Note>
In 2010, Volkswagen collaborated with Deutsh LA to create the ‘Punch Dub’ campaign. The campaign consisted of many YouTube videos, a Super Bowl commercial and a game called ‘Punch Dub’ where every time you saw a Volkswagen, you called out the color of the car and punched the person next to you. This game was a remake of the original game ‘Punch Bug’ and was created to develop more awareness of Volkswagen and its 13 different models. I found this campaign to be one of the best that I have ever seen because not only will people selectively look out for Volkswagen cars to play the game, but Volkswagen found a way to integrate themselves into our every day lives as we continue to play ‘Punch Dub.’ They’re taking the power of the internet and integrating it with an in person experience.
Sluggy Patterson is a fictitious character that was made up to explain ‘Punch Dub’ and what rules pertained to the game. As Volkswagen attempted to create viral videos for the ‘Punch Dub’ campaign through YouTube, the most views one of their videos received was a little over 600, which is not very many. However, the videos are pretty funny and these are my two favorite videos of Sluggy Patterson:
So what are your thoughts on the Volkswagen Punch Dub campaign? Do you know of any other campaigns that have done a great job integrating an online component with real life activities?
You can connect with Stephanie on Twitter, Google+ and check out her blog, Marketing Nerd!
