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Author Archives: Katie Turvill

About Katie Turvill

Katie recently graduated from the School of Business and Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University with an Honours Bachelor of Business Administration degree and a concentration in Marketing and Brand Management. She has several years of event planning and social media experience and worked on a range of events including the Pemberton Festival 2008 and the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. Katie is also a certified personal trainer and soon to be a certified indoor cycling instructor.

Like me on Facebook!

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Katie Turvill

We will not share your email with any person outside of October 17 Media.

October 17 Media recently launched our very first E-book, Like me on Facebook! Written by partners, Tamara Brooks and Brenda Cadman, this book offers a do it yourself guide to creating and maintaining effective Facebook Pages for small businesses.

Facebook is becoming a popular outlet for companies to reach their customers so it is very important for businesses to fully understand what they are getting into before jumping straight into Facebook. And you thought we already had too many skills, now we are writing books too!

Ready to dive in? This guide is very simple to understand and details the step by step process behind building and marketing an effective Facebook Page. Not tech savvy? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered; the guide was written with everyone in mind, from computer rookies to experts.

The e-book is also useful for those of you who have already created your Facebook Page and now just don’t know what to do with it. There are so many different apps and tools that can be integrated into Facebook Pages these days that is important to know which ones are smart for your business, and how to use them properly.

Topics Include:

Introduction
Importing Your Twitter Feeds
Facebook Pages vs. Groups
Importing Your Blog Feeds
Setting Up an Account
Profile Photos
Creating a Custom Facebook URL
Status Updates
Adding Page Admins
Videos
Info Tab
Contests
Photos Tab
Facebook Places
Wall Photos
Facebook Deals
Photo Albums
Sponsored Stories
Discussions Tab
Polls
Reviews Tab
Custom Tabs
Events Tab
Promoting your Facebook Page

Where can you find this amazing book of knowledge? Well that’s simple; the first 5 people to comment on this post are going to receive a free (yup free) copy of the E-book. If you were not lucky enough to see this post in time, then not to worry as you can purchase your copy on our website.

Read the book and loved it? Let us know if it helped you or if you are looking for more personalized assistance with Facebook, give us a call and set up your social media consultation with our experts!

Tags: Brenda Cadman, Facebook, facebook pages, October 17 Media, Online Marketing, Social Media, Tamara Brooks
Posted in About Us!, Facebook, In the News, October 17 Media, Online Marketing, Social Media | No Comments »

Facebook Questions is… a) Awesome b) Super Awesome c) Don’t Know

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Katie Turvill

If you haven’t seen it yet, Facebook has introduced a new application last week which we think is going to be very beneficial for businesses that are on social media! Following the same “look to your friends for advice” concept that Sponsored Stories used, Facebook has introduced the new Facebook Questions tool. The idea for the tool originated when it was noticed that many people have started using Status Updates to ask for their friends’ advice.

The tool is simple and unlike third party question apps, it does not require the pesky “allow questions to access your information” screen to pop up. The user simply receives a notification that their friend has asked them a question, provides some multiple choice answers, and gives you the option to answer and help out your friends. Many users will use this for simple questions such as: “What restaurant should I go to on Saturday?” or “Where should my next vacation be?” However, this feature can also be a great tool for businesses to use on their Pages.

Now, you must be wondering why this feature is beneficial to your business. So of course (since it is kind of our job!) we have have answers for you, as well as a few examples of questions to ask your fans!

Conduct Product/Market Research:
This feature is an amazingly simple and non-intrusive way to obtain reviews on products or to find out what your customers would like to see developed (i.e., product ideas, features, colours, etc.). Product development needs to focus on creating products that the consumer wants or seeks out, and what better way to find out what your best customers want than by just asking.

Increase Reach:
Once a fan answers your question, it will be displayed on their profile as well as in the news feed of their friends. Now you have not only reached out to your current fans and increased your interaction, but their friends have now seen this as well and may be intrigued to visit your page and answer the question (or see the answers to the question) for themselves. Imagine the audience you could reach with just a simple question!

Increase Customer Knowledge:
By encouraging your fans to answer your questions, you will start to learn more about your consumers’ likes and interests. This will help you to target the material that you post on your page as well as help in product development. You will have a better understanding of what your fans want to see on your page and what posts they are most likely to respond to. Then, of course, adjust your strategy to meet this.

Increase Engagement:
By asking fans to answer a question, this will encourage them to come back to your page multiple times. Since the feature will display the results every time the question is answered, a fan may continue to check back to see the current results and how many people have the same opinion as they do. Fans may also be inspired to make comments regarding the question or topic of the question. Discussions may be created, and threads will begin, both of which have positive effects for Facebook Pages.

As promised here are some potential questions for various types of businesses

Have you purchased (newest product) yet? Tell us what you think.
What colours would you like to see in our new spring fashion line?
What do you want to see in stores this summer?
What area of town has the best patios for dining?
Which location do you visit most?

So dive in and ask your fans a question you have been dying to know the answer to. Need some help brainstorming questions for your fans? Steal the ones above… kidding… give us a call! We are the social media experts you know.

Tags: Facebook, facebook pages, Marketing, Online Marketing, Social Media
Posted in Facebook, In the News, October 17 Media, Online Marketing | No Comments »

Taste the Social Media Rainbow from Skittles

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Katie Turvill

Since we loved writing about Red Bull so much, we decided to do another company profile and this time we chose Skittles! Their social media presence is just as popular and they continue to see success, but they have taken a different approach in managing their accounts. While Red Bull maintained an interactive and entertaining site, Skittles uses the simplicity of Status Updates, Photos and Tweets as their form of entertainment.

Everyone knows the slogan “Taste the Rainbow” and most people have seen the unique personality of Skittles through their commercials like Skittles Leak and Skittles Midas Touch but until you visit their Facebook Page or Twitter handle, you will never truly see the madness behind Skittles. I don’t know who is sitting there thinking of these tweets and status updates but they are either a genius or partially insane. Reading through the endless number of unique posts I found myself laughing and confused at the same time. It may seem crazy, but it’s working for them since they usually see roughly 500-2,000 comments and 2,000-12,000 “likes” on their status posts! Who knew that 10-20 simple words could generate such a response?!

Skittles also does an amazing job with running contests and photo challenges to get their fans involved. Their contests usually involve a creative use of Skittles in a photo that is to be uploaded onto their Facebook Page. The most recent prize given away for a contest was a fully stocked Skittles vending machine. You would think that most people would not desire this prize, but you’d be surprised at how many entries they received.

Skittles have also recently started a campaign called “Rainbro of the Week.” Skittles proposes a photo challenge to its fans and then fans are required to post a photo in guideline with that challenge. Of course, since it is Skittles, the challenges are going to be a little out of the ordinary. The chosen “Rainbro” gets the honour of having their picture posted within the profile picture of the Skittles page. These contests encourage fan interaction and stick with Skittles’ unique brand image. It is a great way to keep fans coming back to check what the newest challenge is and who will be the “Rainbro.”

Rainbow Inventions is another unique aspect of Skittles’ social media adventures. Although the actual inventions are posted to a blog website, they are primarily promoted on the Facebook Page through posts. These inventions are not items that you would normally expect to see, but from what we have seen from Skittles so far, they are very suitable. Items range from a Boom Box Chainsaw to a Brief Case Slot Machine. And of course once again, Skittles receives a positive response from their fans who continue to be entertained by their unique personality.

What I want to commend Skittles on the most is their ability to determine a unique brand image and personality and stay consistent with it through all channels of media. This is an essential factor when marketing, especially when using a large number of advertising outlets. Consumers have grown to love the craziness behind the Skittles team and will continue to be loyal fans fighting over who will be the next “Rainbro of the week.” Way to go Skittles, whatever you are feeding your employees over there must be working!

Need help portraying your brand personality on social media? We are here to help! Give us a call!

Tags: Facebook, facebook pages, Marketing, Online Marketing Strategy, Social Media, Twitter
Posted in Facebook, October 17 Media, Online Marketing, Social Media, Twitter | No Comments »

Who’s Managing Your Twitter Account?

Posted on March 17, 2011 by Katie Turvill

As social media continues to grow, more and more businesses are creating separate marketing units for social media or outsourcing their social media operations. Whichever way your company decides to go, you should make sure that you do your research and choose the option that best suits your needs. You also need to be careful who you hire to represent your brand on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter! The smallest mistakes can sometimes cause the most damage.

Chrysler learned this lesson on March 9, 2011 when a tweet was sent out from @ChryslerAutos account: “I find it ironic that Detroit is known as the #motorcity and yet no one here knows how to f***ing drive.” The tweet came from an employee of New Media Strategies who currently holds a contract with Chrysler to manage their social media accounts. In all fairness, the employee likely assumed he was signed into a personal private account; however, this event has not been taken lightly by NMS or Chrysler. Especially since Chrysler has recently launched a new campaign with the slogan “Imported from Detriot” that is based around pride of MotorCity. Eeeks! We still love you Chrysler. Mistakes happen and we recommend everyone follow this auto company that’s embracing social media. Go Chrysler!

As you can see, something as simple as double checking the account you are logged on to can go a long way. Chrysler isn’t the only company that something like this has happened to so we put together a few tips for anyone who is looking to hire a social media manager or company to manage their accounts.

Some things to think about when hiring a social media representative.

Make sure the person/company is knowledgeable and experienced with the software.
Ensure that the representative is fully trained and understands your brand image.
Arrange to have a deployment schedule set up so that all posts/tweets can be approved before sent out live.
Limit the amount of people with access to the account.
Limit the number of people in charge of creating and implementing posts to avoid confusion and mistakes.
Communicate with the representative on a regular basis.
A branding document/info sheet to help ensure that your brand image is conveyed consistently. This can include info such as formatting, appropriate or inappropriate abbreviations to use, a company mission statement and guidelines (or even stock messages) to us in replying to complaints or negative comments.
Stipulate that SM reps use separate SM management systems for their professional and personal updates (e.g. Hootsuite for business, Tweetdeck for personal). This one would have been useful in Chrysler’s case.

Having an expert manage your social media accounts can certainly save time and get you the most effective posts in that little 140 character box! Just make sure that it is the right decision for your company. For more information on social media management, channel setup or contest marketing campaigns call us and we will be happy to help!

And in case you were wondering, the employee from New Media Strategies who sent out the tweet was fired and Chrysler decided not to renew its contract with the company! Ouch… lesson learned!

Tags: Facebook, Marketing, Online PR Management, Social Media, Twitter
Posted in Facebook, In the News, October 17 Media, Twitter | No Comments »

Red Bull Gives You Wings… And Entertains!

Posted on March 14, 2011 by Katie Turvill

Since we have had so many people rave to us about Red Bull’s Facebook Page in our interviews, we decided that we had to give it a look for ourselves. Upon review, we agree it is definitely a Page to follow. Companies should take note of the things Red Bull is doing on Facebook. Don’t copy them of course, but use them as an example while creating your own social media strategy. Whoever is in charge over there deserves a big round of applause. Here are some reasons why we love them.

Customer Interaction: This is huge with social media and is one of the main reasons why social media is so beneficial in terms of customer service. Check out Red Bull’s Twitter handle to see how quickly they are responding to tweets and reaching out to followers. This is what creates loyal and engaged customers for the brand!

Entertainment Value: Fans don’t just visit the Page just to see updates or what has been posted on the wall recently. They go to play games! That’s right I said it… GAMES! They go to check out videos on their latest events, or even watch Red Bull TV. These are the kinds of things that get people coming back. Give them a reason… and they will come!

Regular Updates: This Page is always kept fresh and up to date. You will never visit the Page 2 days in a row and see the same post on their wall. Too often Facebook Pages get created and then abandoned! It is important to keep on top of your Page in order to keep your fans entertained and coming back.

And my personal favourite part of the page…. Drunkish Dials!! If you have not been fortunate enough to listen to these insanely funny phone calls, then you need to check it out now. It might even be smart to put the toll free number in your phone so that next time you are tempted to drunk dial an ex or a co-worker and confess your love, you can stop, call Red Bull, and confess your love to them instead. It’s much safer!

Now I hope that you all go to the Red Bull Facebook Page and check it out for yourself. I had way to much fun playing around on it while writing this post. Take note on some things that they are doing that would benefit your company and how you can utilize these to your own advantage. But remember to stick with your own brand image/personality! You don’t want to start confusing your customers by going in a completely different direction on Facebook than you do in other forms of advertising. For example, if you are a small boutique clothing store, you do not need cartoon games on your Facebook Page. Think fashion tips and runway or magazine photos.

And if you still need help coming up with some great ideas for your Page… give us a shout and we will be more than happy to help out.

FYI when I started writing this post (March 7 @ 9:45am) Red Bull had 15,569,560 fans and 1 week later when I post this, the fan count had reached 15,664,556 (March 14 @ 9:45am).

Tags: Facebook, facebook pages, Online Marketing, Twitter
Posted in Facebook, October 17 Media, Online Marketing, Social Media, Twitter, Video | No Comments »

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