Customer Service: Make a Video

Since the dawn of time, customer service has always needed improvement. If you’re not on hold, you’re busy being transferred from person to person or listening to automated recordings. When the age of the Internet came about, you were probably staring at a Frequently Asked Questions page. When the FAQ was no help, you had to resort to email, phone or a manual search for someone with a similar issue. The problem is, no matter which way you choose to seek help, you are either stuck listening to someone try to explain a solution or get drowsy reading an article about troubleshooting.  In either case, there is an easy solution for both the company and the customer: video content.

There is always going to be a common problem with every product. Sometimes the problem extends to the instruction manual not being comprehensive enough, causing a large percentage of customers to have trouble getting the product to function initially. Sometimes it may be a simple jam or a hidden switch not in the “on” position. Whatever the case may be, videos can offer not only great help, but they can alleviate a company from receiving an overwhelming amount of customer inquiries.

Social Media Spotlight: Sam Bridge Nursery and Greenhouses

For this week’s Social Media Spotlight, we are happy to present Sam Bridge Nursery and Greenhouses. Sam Bridge Nursery is a full service, year-round, garden center that provides customers with a large selection of top quality plants for the home and garden. Not only do they supply plants, they also offer landscape design, installation, and Sam Bridge Premier Garden Care. Sam Bridge Nursery is well known within their industry and has been providing top quality products for over 80 years. We had the pleasure to speak with the manager of sales and marketing for Sam Bridge Nursery, Maggie Bridge, about their social media campaign, and here is what she had to say:

YouTube Does it Right With Launch of New Video Editing Features

Yes, you read it correctly. I am pointing out that YouTube has done something right, yet again. We know that many other sites implement new features that may not please their users, or a feature that has been glorified as the next best thing since sliced bread, only for it to flop during the release and eventually be taken off the site. So what has YouTube done exactly? Well what else, made sharing video content on its social platform even better with new added features.

As YouTube reigns supreme within its industry, it is no surprise that they would implement an update that will not only please the avid, regular users, but even spice things up for the occasional users as well. YouTube has released tools that allow you to edit your video right there in your browser.

Social Media Lessons Learned From the Old Spice Guy

In today’s modern world of Internet marketing and leveraging social media campaigns to increase traffic and sales, video is the number 1 rated type of content. Having a social media campaign is great and once you have a strategy in place you are on the right track, but utilizing the platforms available to you effectively is a whole other ball game. Old Spice used professional athlete Isaiah Mustafa to be the face of their “Old Spice Guy” campaign, and looking at whether it was a success or big time upset, well, everyone has his or her own opinions. Let’s talk about some of the lessons we can learn from the social media campaigns of the Old Spice Guy, and now, The New Old Spice Guy.

Social Media Spotlight: Jay-O Productions

On this week’s installment of Social Media Spotlight, we bring to you Jay-O Productions, a musical production company that creates tempos, tunes and beats for artists to record their lyrics onto. Started in 2008, Jay-O Productions has put out several releases to the public, allowing anyone to listen to their music. They have also posted beat-making videos on their YouTube channel, which is very innovative and gives you a personal feel into the activities of this production company. We had the pleasure to speak with the CEO and Founder of Jay-O Productions, Jason Osborne, about their social media strategies. Here is what he had to say:

What social media platforms do you currently use?

J: I currently use Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. There is a good chance I have an account on any media outlet that’s popular.

 What value, if any, does social media provide to your business?

Social Media Spotlight: Swipes Lovin Wipes

This week’s featured company for our Social Media Spotlight is Swipes Lovin Wipes. An eco-friendly company owned by women, Swipes is dedicated to providing safe and natural wipes specifically designed for use before or after intimate moments. To purchase Swipes Lovin Wipes you can visit www.Swipes.com or visit www.Spencersonline.com.  We had the pleasure of speaking with Anthony Scott, Director of Business Development for Swipes Lovin Wipes, and here is what he had to say:

What social media platforms do you currently use?

Creative Social Media Contests That Generate Viral Buzz

Creating a way to stir up buzz about your company and/or product these days seems to be a relatively easy task. Whether it’s to start controversy during major sporting events, like a Sleepy’s mattress commercial did, or to create consumer interaction to make one of the funniest Doritos commercials of the year, each and every idea is different. So what have companies been doing to increase their viral presence within their consumer base?

Skittles, for starters, has long since surpassed expectations on a well thought out viral campaign. MOB The Rainbow, their social media campaign, has engaged millions of Skittles fans worldwide. This campaign alone nearly quadrupled their Facebook fan base to over 15 million people. These campaigns are primarily a collaboration of all Skittles fans to achieve a common goal. The video below is an actual MOB event that created some serious viral buzz for the Skittles’ brand back in early 2010.

The Power of Social Media

Many of you out there may not be aware of this, but there are some serious protests taking place in Egypt as of earlier this week. Now the main cause for these protests is an attempt to overthrow the current presidential reign of Hosni Mubarak, who has been in power since 1981. Claims of poverty and government corruption have led the Egyptian people to fight back. As of Wednesday, it was confirmed that Twitter has been blocked from being used on the Egyptian internet; a huge shock to anyone who is an avid internet user. More recently Facebook has been blocked from being used, as sources indicate Facebook was indeed the social media platform used to organize these protests.

4 YouTube Sensations That Did It Right

It’s hard to imagine that the wildly popular video sharing website YouTube.com only recently celebrated its fifth birthday. YouTube has transformed from an intriguing novelty to an entertainment and marketing powerhouse, boasting around 2 billion views per day and about 24 hours of video content uploaded every minute… that’s right… every minute. Businesses, corporations, and celebrities alike collect and maintain much attention from YouTube’s vast and varied ranks of users, making it a Mecca for anyone attempting to gain some sort of attention. Having attempted starting and maintaining a YouTube channel with dreams of turning it into something popular and entertaining, I am living proof that not every YouTube dream is realized. In my opinion, there are truly four YouTube superstars that did things right, and have attained viral start-status by way of their creativity and ingenuity.

The Power of YouTube

For most small businesses and start-ups, YouTube is usually overlooked as a prominent social media tool. Some companies may choose not to use YouTube because they believe their videos will not be discovered, get many views, or ever go “viral.” Keeping these uncertainties in mind, let’s take a look at what success YouTube can bring to your company.