Social Media 101 – Learn From the Big Brands You Use Everyday!

I just became a Fan of Ralph Lauren!

Truth be told, I've been sporting Ralph Lauren gear for as long as I can remember, but I just Became A Fan of Ralph Lauren on Facebook. I'm also a Fan of Calvin Klein, Equinox Fitness Clubs (where I workout) and Harney & Sons Teas (which we love to drink here at Y INTERACT). This is just a couple. On Twitter, I follow the Financial Times (which I read every day), JetBlue and the BoltBus (both of which do a pretty decent NY/Boston trip) and a number of other brands that I interact with, in some way or another, every day.

Why? Well, the first is obvious - I want the deals and discounts. If there's a 40% off sale at the Ralph Lauren store (or, to a lesser extent since I rarely buy clothes online, at RalphLauren.com) I want know about it! But it's also useful for my work since I'm curious to see how big, global brands are using social media. Perhaps I can take some of their tricks and techniques and apply them to my business.

In my opinion, retailers have it made in the shade with social media. The social world is their oyster! They can increase revenue by promoting all sorts of sales, discounts and more to their customers. News organizations such as CNN and the New York Times have it pretty easy as well - news headlines, etc. Another big winner in the SocialMediaSphere seems to be, well, social media - Twitter is gangbusters with social media experts who seem to do nothing all day but post articles on the teaching, plusses and minuses of social media. I guess this blog would count as one of those since I will tweet this when I'm finished writing it!

Less obvious, but I'm seeing more of it, is customer service - Where brands can directly interact with their customers in real time. Just a few weeks ago I was on Twitter wailing and whining that the BoltBus' Terms & Conditions to access the free WiFi wasn't iPhone-friendly. And, you know what? Soon after that, BoltBus was following ME on Twitter. Not just keeping track of what customers in general were saying, but now what Ahmed Yearwood specifically has to say about them. What a great way to be heard, and much quicker than calling a 1-800 number and going through a maze of "press 1, press 6, press 3" automated messages! All in 140 characters or less! For companies, it could also be a great way to follow customer trends and activity to be pro-active in their promotions. I actually have yet to hear of companies doing this, so when you read about it in the Wall Street Journal, remember you read it here first!

For Y INTERACT, a New York City-based design studio, I'm still working out the Secret Sauce on what all this social media stuff does for us (beyond the obvious: keeping clients, prospects and Friends of Our House updated on our goings on, new projects, etc), but like everything else, it's a cool work-in-progress. And learning while also keeping tabs on great spa deals at Equinox ain't a bad way to spend the day!

Ahmed Yearwood
Y INTERACT
http://yinteract.com

Follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/yinteract

The Rise of Small Business in 2009

My economic indicator shows bubbling activity in Business Start-Up Land!

Out of the rubble of the 2008-2009 economic turmoil, many people seem to be contemplating going their own way and starting a business. And while I was an economics major at Harvard and still read the Financial Times every day, my economic indicator is a simple one: my in-box! Lately, we at Y INTERACT have been getting a higher than usual number of phone calls along the lines of "I've got a friend who is starting a business and they need a website…", or, "Do you do logos?..." This also includes current clients who are already in business but are branching into new entities.

It's classic Economics 101 at work – an economy on its knees is prime time to start a new business, for a couple of reasons:

1. After personal economic circumstances shift, many who have contemplated living the dream of running their own company decide to take the plunge and go their own way. After all, if you've lost your job and are having a tough time finding a new one, what have you got to lose, right?


2. Start up expenses, everything from talent to supplies to office space (if you're in the market for it), can often be found at discounted rates due to a soft economy.


3. And lastly, potential clients (consumers and companies) often start looking for alternatives to their current vendor list – smaller more nimble shops that can accomplish the same task sooner and cheaper!

I started my design studio, Y INTERACT, in aftermath of the dotcom bubble bust (the dot BOMB!), and that was now – knock on wood – over eight and a half years ago. Fingers crossed for another eight and a half.

And, contrary to what you might read about in the tech rags and in the news, most new businesses aren't financed with millions of dollars of venture capital funding. Most are done via good 'ole fashioned boot-strappin' it: Tapping into the savings, borrowing, bartering, etc.

I just dug up a stat (click here) saying that 25% of all startups fail within their first year, and over half (55%) will fail within five years. So, the trick is not actually starting a business, but STAYING in business once the dust settles around you.

Here's to all ambitions to make the 45% Club!

Ahmed A Yearwood
President
Y INTERACT
http://www.yinteract.com
Follow me on Twitter @yinteract

Getting started in social networking? Take your name NOW!

It happens more often than you think - you sit on the fence deciding whether or not you want to start a new online initiative (such as a Twitter feed, a Facebook page, a blog, or even build a new website), you finally make the decision to rock and roll on it, and find that your name is already TAKEN! And while of course there are always alternative names you can select, nothing ever beats the real thing.

It just happened to one of our clients this morning. In the process of an initial meeting to discuss social media, submitting a proposal, getting a Green Light, and our initial Next Steps call (which only lasted about 10-14 days total) their Twitter URL went from available to taken. In the past, it has also happened a couple of times with website URLs.

Unfortunately, cyber-squatters and profile squatters are RAMPANT on the 'net, other businesses with similar or identical names may be out there with the same idea as you, and (in the case of big global brands and celebrities) there are always a number of fan-related (and hater-related) sites that crop up as well. Rikin Diwan at the New York Post discussed this during the Social Networking 101 panel panel discussion that Y INTERACT co-hosted with the Wall Street Journal last April. You can find this discussion on Y INTERACT's YouTube Channel, Y INTERACT tv (view part 3 of 3 where this is discussed).

A word to the wise - even if you're not sure that you want to commit to developing and maintaining social media/web 2.0 channels - go online and claim your name/brand, even if you just sit on it for a while. Especially since (these days at least) social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter are all free, and domain names are extremely cheap to own.

With the millions and millions of web users out there, someone else might grab it while you're thinking about it.

Ahmed Yearwood
President
Y INTERACT
http://www.yinteract.com/

Follow me at Twitter @Y INTERACT

MTS Health Partners' Website Gets a Facelift – Website Design by Y INTERACT

Y INTERACT has recently launched a new website for MTS Health Partners, one of the pre-eminent healthcare merchant banks. With a more modern, cleaner look and feel, the new website, http://www.mtshealthpartners.com, clearly delineates the two key areas MTS Health Partners specializes in – Private equity investing, and strategic advice and financing services – an important distinction that was missing in the previous website design.

Behind the scenes, the new MTS website features a custom-built content management application for updating all site content, including page copy, news, team bios, and senior manager headshots. MTS can even create, remove and update mini-tombstone advertisements that illustrate recent transactions, as well as manage older transactions within sortable tables, all without any HTML coding knowledge.

Since MTS Health Partners does not regularly issue news alerts and press releases, the site's application also includes a function to add or remove news from the website's home page with just a simple check box.

In addition to the design and construction of the website, Y INTERACT arranged a photo shoot at MTS Health Partners' midtown Manhattan offices to shoot the Senior Managing Directors for each of their profile pages.

You can find the newly designed website at http://www.mtshealthpartners.com.

For cool before-and-after screenshots of the site, visit Y INTERACT's Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/yinteract.

Ahmed Yearwood
President
Y INTERACT
http://www.yinteract.com

Follow me on Twitter @yinteract

My Adventures At Puma City, Boston

As part of their sponsorship of the Volvo Ocean Race - a nine-month yacht race around the world - Puma created Puma City, a mobile retail and entertainment comprised of 24 shipping containers. It was in Boston (the only US port in the race) for only three weeks. It's gone now, but not before I had a chance to check it out last week!

Designed by LOT-EK, Puma City was one of the coolest spaces I've seen in quite some time! Not only as a great retail outlet (where I managed to pick up a few items) but the top level had a full bar where, at night, became a total lounge with guest DJs spinning an awesome vibe. Totally free to the public (except for the VIP level - where unfortunately dropping a lot of coin on Puma gear did not get one access) the line to get up there was ridiculous!

The sales people were friendly and extremely knowledgeable. Speaking to one of them, I learned that the staff at Puma City were the top sales managers from Puma retail outlets throughout the US. As a reward for being the cream of the crop at Puma, they got to spend three weeks in Boston at the mobile retail space. Talk about a win/win - employees get the inspiration to perform and reward for doing so. Customers (like myself) get friendly staff who were not just sales representatives, but fantastic brand ambassadors.

Hats off (Or, should I say "sneakers off!") to Puma! Just one thing - the only link I could find to get any information on the place was their Facebook page. Of course that's very modern, 2.0 and all, (I mean, Y INTERACT has a Facebook page, too!) but if I were Puma, I would have also created a fully-branded out website for the space. But then again, of course I'd say that - I would love to have built it! Does that make me "old school"???

Click here to view some cool photos I uploaded to the Y INTERACT Facebook page.

Ahmed Yearwood
President
Y INTERACT
http://www.yinteract.com/

(@yinteract on Twitter)

Social Networking 101 Panal Discussion – What I Learned

On April 30th, 2009, Y INTERACT and the Wall Street Journal sponsored an evening panel discussion and reception titled, "Social Networking 101." The event was attended by over 100 media professionals who came to get insights on the 2.0 space from four distinguished panelists: Gary Sheffer, Executive Director of Corporate Communications, GE; Steve Rubel, SVP, Director of Insights, Edelman Digital; Josh Stinchcomb, Executive Director of the Condé Nast Digital Business Group; and Rikin Diwan, Online Business Development, NYPost.com.

It was a great night – extremely informative and the Tweetinis weren't too bad, either! I had a number of key take-aways from the panel group. The one that immediately comes to mind is Steve Rubel's idea of "Digital Embassies" – how marketers need to create and maintain not just their website, but also build communities on the Facebooks, LinkedIn, Twitters, Blogspots, etc, of the web. As the players change, you need to build and maintain new Digital Embassies. As others begin to play out, it may be time to close one and move on.

Gary Sheffer talked about the opportunities that companies have to tell a story, and use that to take control of your brand. To become journalists inside the company. There's a constant, ongoing conversation taking place about your brand, and you have an opportunity to either participate (and help shape) that conversation, or not participate and just let the wave of conversation wash over you. Gary also likened traditional media to a train that makes regular, consistent stops along the way, versus the web and 2.0 channels, which are more like a river – continually flowing, changing, where people are continually tossing stuff into it. Marketers need to stay on top of this rapidly moving information.

My big take-away from Josh Stinchcomb was an answer to the question: "how can marketers make money from all this?" His advice was that marketers need to get more creative about how to monetize their 2.0 strategies. You may not make any direct $$ from posting on Twitter or your LinkedIn group, but revenue may come from building your brand or your name. For example, becoming an authority in a specific area, then generating revenue via speaking engagements, or getting additional business from the greater name brand awareness that you have. (Also, let's not forget that brand value is extremely important, and measurable. How to appropriately attach a $$ value to a brand? That's a whole other conversation!)

Rikin Diwan was right on point when advising to claim your name and claim it NOW. I give this advice to my clients ALL THE TIME – don't sit on the fence because someone else can take your name right from under you! Rikin also recommended that marketers really need to "just do it" so to speak. You don't need to tweet or blog post every day, but you should commit to doing it – even if it's just once or twice a week. You don't need GE-sized budgets to enter the 2.0 space, but if you're going to invite others to follow you, become a fan, or read your blog posts, you'd better give them something or you'll lose them.

To learn more about each of the panelists and where you can find them in 2.0Land, visit Y INTERACT's event micro-site at http://www.yinteract.com/sn101/

Ahmed Yearwood
President
Y INTERACT
http://www.yinteract.com/
(@yinteract on Twitter)

A Tale of Two Sneakers

Ad Campaigns Will Fail in the Home Stretch if Your Brand Reps Aren't On Board With Your Message

According to an article by David Marsh in today's Financial Times, "service blossoms in a downturn. Waiters wait, usherettes usher, doormen open doors." I'd agree with this 110%. As budgets get squeezed, buyers have greater choice, and competition intensifies for each new sale.

Unfortunately, no one has conveyed this message to the sales reps in New York City's Nike store.

Yesterday, I was coming out of a midday meeting in midtown. I've been looking to purchase a new pair of sneakers for weeks but time is always so tight. Anyways, being relatively close to the Nike store, I thought I'd drop in. I mean, it's Nike, you can't go wrong. I've bought into their million dollar ad campaign messages, "Just do it," from back in the day, Tiger Woods, etc. And, honestly, even though I don't quite recall what Nike's post-"Just Do It" tagline is, I'm still on board. I was looking forward to exploring the myriad options at my feet in their mega-flagship on 57th Street. I could even see myself trolling down Fifth Avenue with my "swoosh" shopping bag, and going to Cardio Kickboxing sporting my phat new gear.

Unfortunately, Nike, "Just Blew It!" After 1) dealing with three sales reps who seemed to have very little, if any, product knowledge, 2) finding it tough to get anything beyond a one-word answer to my questions, and 3) getting one of those "try those over there" (with a point across the floor, as if I could call the stock room and try shoes on myself), I was done. I left and decided that my quest for a new pair of sneakers would just have to wait.

Later that day back in the office, I thought, "Why not try the Adidas store?" I'll admit, I know Adidas by name but I'm kinda old-school - my perceptions of that brand went out with Run DMC back in the late '80s. I really didn't know much about Adidas besides the fact that it's a big European label (pronounced over there as "Ahh-DEE-das"), I've got some of their workout wear (which I dig), and I'd guess their main spokesman is David Beckham. But I'm a Europhile so I'd check it out. Plus, I was leaving work soon and their mega-store, on Houston Street, is just a few blocks from our studio on Canal Street.

What a great experience! My sales guy, Stefan, clearly knew all his stuff, was extremely helpful in answering my questions, and allowed me to sample many different styles and sizes, and all while never rushing me despite the fact that I arrived within 30 minutes of closing time. Not only did I walk out with a new pair of sneakers, but I definitely plan on heading back sometime soon to browse the rest of the store when they're not so close to closing. And, next time I'm looking for a new pair of sneakers, I know where I'm going.

Unfortunately, situations like this are way too common. As companies spend tons of money on long-winded marketing campaigns to impress consumers and external audiences, many times they fail to recognize that one of their most important target groups are their own employees. A million dollar ad campaign will only get a brand so far if client-facing ground troops - the men and woman who deal with the customers and prospects all day - aren't on board with the message. After all, Tiger Woods might come to mind when I think of Nike, but he's not the guy helping me try on a pair of "Air-Whatever-The-Hecks" during a long-winded lunch break. In my opinion, Nike clearly doesn't get it. Adidas clearly does. Another brand that immediately comes to mind as one that gets it, is Apple - the reps in an Apple Store are so on board they must bleed 1s and 0s!

Another company that clearly gets it is one of our clients, INTTRA. At Y INTERACT, we are currently in the middle of a marketing campaign with INTTRA - the shipping industry's preferred e-commerce platform - called "The Next Wave". The target audience is all INTTRA employees, with a campaign that includes posters, plasma animations for worldwide reception screens, desktop screensavers, the intranet (which we call the "INTTRAnet"), and more. The objective is to inform and educate employees about new initiatives at INTTRA. Their marketing team understands that communicating a message out to the world will only get their brand so far. However, if the representative picking up the phone, or the sale rep making a client call doesn't understand the messages swirling around them, it could cost them business. And these days, that business is more important than ever.

Ahmed Yearwood
President
Y INTERACT
www.yinteract.com