Trends in Online Marketing Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/917753470 The web changes so fast that keeping up with the latest and greatest online trends can seem like a full-time job. But since none of us have that kind of time, join Saffire for a fast-paced session to learn what … Continue reading “Join Our Webinar “Trends in Online Marketing””
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The success of social media outlets like Instagram and Pinterest has proven what we’ve been saying all along: photos are the hook for your website! Facebook finally jumped on the bandwagon with their timeline overhaul that gives more profile real estate to images. Let’s go over a few facts that prove images are the king … Continue reading “A Picture is Worth 1,000 Visitors (or more!)”
The success of social media outlets like Instagram and Pinterest has proven what we’ve been saying all along: photos are the hook for your website! Facebook finally jumped on the bandwagon with their timeline overhaul that gives more profile real estate to images.
Let’s go over a few facts that prove images are the king of online content:
Our belief that images drive traffic and engagement is just one of the reasons the Saffire software has such a focus on photos. We include a photo gallery on every event page, and even offer a gallery view so you can look at photos as you browse events.
Unfortunately, we often hear from events that getting quality photos isn’t easy. That is a serious problem and we need to find a solution, because it is essential to the success of your event to have great photos! If your staff is too busy to take pictures during the event, consider assigning that duty to an intern or even working out a sponsorship opportunity with a local photographer.
Whatever you do, we encourage you to make photography a priority at your event this year. Your content online could be great, but it won’t really matter if it’s not attractive.
And just a little tip from us: the best and most shared photos are the ones from your visitors, so allow them to share photos with you online. Who knows, you might find the next face of your fair on Facebook!
Social Networking Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/692500870 It seems like a new social media outlet is popping up every day, but let’s be clear: social media and social networking are not the same thing! Social media is an outlet for you to reach customers, but the network you create through … Continue reading “Join Our Webinar “Social Networking””
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Last fall, Saffire and IAFE announced our partnership to sponsor a new kind of event calendar to promote the fair industry. Our goal for Fairs Everywhere is to be a one-stop-shop for fairs, vendors, sponsors, volunteers and patrons to find out the very latest information they’re searching for about events in an interactive format. I want … Continue reading “Fairs Everywhere: Find a Fair No Matter Where!”
Last fall, Saffire and IAFE announced our partnership to sponsor a new kind of event calendar to promote the fair industry. Our goal for Fairs Everywhere is to be a one-stop-shop for fairs, vendors, sponsors, volunteers and patrons to find out the very latest information they’re searching for about events in an interactive format.
I want to take a minute to encourage you to update your listing on our site, because customers are using this tool every single day! In fact, sometimes people call our office to find out information about your events, and our first stop is your Fairs Everywhere listing!
So, what can you do to improve your listing?
If you have questions about your Fairs Everywhere listing, please just let our staff know. We will help in any way possible.
In our webinar this afternoon, we will be discussing how-to market on a budget and one of the best ways to save money is to take advantage of social media. If you let your customers market for you, its a win-win situation! You don’t have to pay for marketing, and they feel involved. And the … Continue reading “Social Media & Your Event”
In our webinar this afternoon, we will be discussing how-to market on a budget and one of the best ways to save money is to take advantage of social media. If you let your customers market for you, its a win-win situation! You don’t have to pay for marketing, and they feel involved.
And the truth is, having your customers share information about your event won’t be a stretch. Take a look at how much time the average user spent on social media in January 2012.
A great example of an event that has taken advantage of Social Media is the South Texas State Fair in Beaumont, TX. At the beginning of their 2011 event, they didn’t even have a Facebook page. And today, they have 1,139 fans!
Part of what has helped increase their fan base is that each post encourages interaction. Whether they are asking for feedback, suggestions or a simple “like,” their fans feel that they are doing their part to help and promote the event.
They also cover a wide variety of topics. Make sure you aren’t just talking about the same event all the time, but also discuss new fair foods or events that are taking place each day.
Have fun with social media and feel free to offer incentives! If you want to increase your fan base, say you’ll randomly choose 2 fans to win a prize once you reach your goal number. This will get your fans to tell their friends about your page, and your numbers will skyrocket. Trust us! We’ve seen this happen more than once.
Don’t be afraid to try new things with social media and make a commitment to finding the right formula. And if something doesn’t work, it’s not the end of the world. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day!
I attended a session on Monday presented by Helen Klein Ross, the creative mind behind @bettydraper, a twitter account that maintains the voice of AMC’s mega-popular character Betty Draper, played by January Jones, in the hit show Mad Men. Everything about this twitter account is spoken in the voice of the character from the show. … Continue reading “SXSW Recap: Social Storytelling & Building a Narrative for Your Brand”
I attended a session on Monday presented by Helen Klein Ross, the creative mind behind @bettydraper, a twitter account that maintains the voice of AMC’s mega-popular character Betty Draper, played by January Jones, in the hit show Mad Men. Everything about this twitter account is spoken in the voice of the character from the show. Not the actress, not the writer, but the character is perpetuated in this easily accessible and massive platform.
She provides a connection for several thousand fans of the Mad Men brand, and gives them an opportunity to interact with her in a way that helps them feel personally connected to the show.
Social media allows you to stay connected to your consumers, but it’s not just about having a twitter account or Facebook page. Those are simply the platforms for building a connection with your brand. You have to give consumers a REASON to connect, because just being present in these spaces is typically not enough.
Whether it’s maintaining your brand recognition and story throughout the off-season when consumers may “forget about you,” or just perpetuating your brand in new arenas, it’s a way to broaden your market and at the same time strengthen your connection with your existing fan base. Creating content that engages your consumers creates an emotional connection and gives them a reason to want to share that experience.
As you begin to craft your story, consider your audience. Think about who you are trying to reach, and instead of considering how many people you are trying to connect with, think about WHICH people you are trying to connect with. Think about the stories you can tell that will resonate with your customers, and if you’re ever in doubt, use Betty Draper’s recipe for successful storytelling.
Create the content (the more the better), keep a consistent and continuous voice for your brand, keep it simple and always make it easy for others to share it with their friends.
After lots of buzz and a first appearance on personal accounts, Facebook rolled out Timeline for brands on February 29. While some brands have received the new format with open arms, others are a little unsure of how to create their new presence, so let’s take a little time to explain the Timeline and what … Continue reading “Understanding the New Facebook Timeline”
After lots of buzz and a first appearance on personal accounts, Facebook rolled out Timeline for brands on February 29. While some brands have received the new format with open arms, others are a little unsure of how to create their new presence, so let’s take a little time to explain the Timeline and what it can do for your event.
Some have compared the new Timeline to a blog template that allows you to focus more on images and milestones. You are basically given a skeleton to fill in with your event’s unique story. Now, you can focus less on trying to sell yourself and more on showing your personality which will create a personal connection with fans.
Cover Photo
Not long ago, brands began creating default landing pages to display large images. While that will no longer be available with the new Timeline, Facebook’s answer to the situation was offering a cover photo. The recommended image dimensions for the large photo are 850 x 315 pixels.
While many people are excited about the possibilities of cover photos, please don’t forget your profile picture. This picture will still appear everywhere else on Facebook, so make sure it can stand alone and represent your brand.
Milestones
While the new timeline will automatically create a recent history of your event, you can also tell the story of how your event became the experience visitors have come to know and love.
You can add milestones as far back as the year 1000. You should use the information you already have, but take this opportunity to research your event’s history for new information. You may find interesting photos and stories that could also be used as marketing materials.
Make sure to call out important photos and events on your Timeline by clicking the star on a post that expands the photo to a widescreen view. You can even pin content so it will remain the top post for 7 days.
For some fans, displaying your history may reignite enthusiasm for your event. They may see something that reminds them of their experience when they were younger and encourage them to once again make your event a priority.
Because Facebook no longer has the issue of information being “below the fold,” your content has a much longer lifespan. Users will likely continue to comment and like posts long after their initial creation date, which means you need to focus more on quality of posts instead of quantity.
What’s next?
Brands have until March 30 to go live with their new Timeline, but some pages have already made the switch.
Here is our list of events to watch as you create your new profile:
When you hear that 188 billion email messages are sent each day, you may think the title of this post seems a little silly. But the truth is, this is a topic of conversation among online marketers every day. People are obviously still using email, so that is not the problem. The question is: can … Continue reading “Is Email Dead?”
When you hear that 188 billion email messages are sent each day, you may think the title of this post seems a little silly. But the truth is, this is a topic of conversation among online marketers every day.
People are obviously still using email, so that is not the problem. The question is: can your customers filter through the massive amounts of messages they receive to take action? You’ll hear different opinions on this, but we believe email is worth the effort.
We think the image below proves email is still an important part of your marketing mix. The spikes you see are increases in online sales on days when a company sends an email. We often compare the increase in web traffic and sales after an email send to a heart monitor, and you really can’t argue with dramatic statistics like that.
A great example of an event that takes advantage of email marketing to drive ticket sales is Rodeo Austin. In the email below, you’ll see that they sent a visually appealing email on the day they announced their 2012 concert line-up. They created a sense of excitement for their customers, and it made an impact on their ticket sales.
When we look back at our clients over the years, the most successful ones have a clear common denominator: they regularly communicate with their customers via email. This keeps your event fresh in the customer’s mind and keeps them coming to your website to learn the latest information.
So, is email dead? We don’t think so…as long as you’re doing it the right way.
Since its launch in 2010, Pinterest has become one of the fastest growing forms of social media in history. Pinterest is an online bulletin board that allows you to organize images into boards based on different themes like recipes, decorations, events, entertainment and more. It was recently reported that Pinterest drives more traffic to websites … Continue reading “7 Tips for Creating a Successful Pinterest Page”
Since its launch in 2010, Pinterest has become one of the fastest growing forms of social media in history. Pinterest is an online bulletin board that allows you to organize images into boards based on different themes like recipes, decorations, events, entertainment and more. It was recently reported that Pinterest drives more traffic to websites than Google+, YouTube and LinkedIn combined.
Big brands like Whole Foods, Martha Stewart, NBC’s Today Show and the Travel Channel are already taking advantage of this online bulletin board, and now it’s your turn. Here are 7 tips to help your fair successfully create a presence on Pinterest.
1. It’s called social media for a reason. – If you are going to create a Pinterest page, be dedicated to it. It will require time at the beginning to get started as you organize boards and find pins, but once you get going it won’t take a lot of time to maintain. But be warned, it may be a little addicting…in a good way.
For tools like Pinterest to actually help you, you need followers. And the way to get followers is by pinning, repinning and commenting. This will engage users and create followers. You can also increase exposure by putting a Pinterest follow button on your website and promoting your new Pinterest boards through your other forms of social media, like Twitter and Facebook.
Perhaps the most important key in gaining followers is to help each other out! One thing we’ve learned since we began working with fairs is that you support one another, and social media should be no different. Following another fair will help you both increase your followers, because you are all looking for the same type of Pinterest user.
2. Create new content. – One of the most underused tools on Pinterest is the creation of new pins and as a brand this is your chance to make an impact. Download the “Pin It” button for your browser’s toolbar so you can create a pin from any website you visit with one click. The photos on your website are a great place to start, so use content you already have as you begin creating new pins.
And Pinterest has gone mobile! You can now turn pictures you take with your phone into pins. Your fair is the perfect time to create unique pins, and users will respond to the real-time posts.
3. Show your personality. A great example of a brand that shows its personality on Pinterest is the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo. While they do have a board with photos of their event, they also share recipes, favorite places in Fort Worth, funny animal photos and other images that inspire their brand’s image.
This will help users begin to view you as more than just an event that takes place a few weeks out of the year. Getting your customers to connect with your story and vision creates a sense of loyalty that will ultimately drive ticket sales, so repin content that you know your customers will be interested in.
4. Promote a lifestyle. People associate a sense of nostalgia with fairs because it reminds them of “the good ole days.” If you post images of food, rides and posters that bring back fond memories, they will begin to associate your brand with that feeling.
People look to Pinterest as a way to momentarily escape from reality for just a minute and, let’s face it, a land of cotton candy and Ferris wheels is a pretty good place to go.
5. Avoid shameless self-promotion. While Pinterest is a great tool to help market your brand, don’t abuse the privilege by bombarding your followers with promotions. Pinterest specifically asks in their etiquette that its users avoid using the community “purely for self-promotion.” They aren’t saying you can’t share information about your fair, but be respectful of their guidelines.
6. Treat it like market research. Around 70% of Pinterest users are women, and most of them are mothers under the age of 45 who make the family’s plans and most of the purchasing decisions. Newsflash: this is your target audience!
Women are voluntarily sharing information with you that will help improve both your event and your marketing efforts, so pay attention.
7. Find inspiration. There is no greater place to stay up to date on trends that will keep your event fresh. You can find countless ideas by quickly scanning categories like food, music, fashion, design, technology and more. Who knows, you may have an idea that changes the fair industry for good. Enjoy the possibilities!
Pinterest is invite-only, but we have a few invitations to give out to fairs that are ready to take their brand’s social media to the next level. Contact our team at info@saffireevents.com for more information.
