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Sarah Prince

Connect Online For A Better Bottom Line

Establishing a presence on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube is a necessary step in promoting new productions, but it is not enough. Effective social media marketing is complex and posting a few links on Facebook or fun facts on Twitter each week is just the beginning.

Using social media management tools to monitor relevant online chatter and respond to patrons’ feedback is very important. For instance, if there has been more buzz about rude front of house staff than the cast’s acting abilities, but that’s unbeknownst to management, then that’s a serious cause for concern.

To stand out amongst the noise, which characterizes social media, stay up to date about industry-wide best practices and assess competitors’ social media activity. If you want to improve your Facebook page, then find brand pages that frequently share interesting content that has high-quality visual elements and understand the approximate 80/20 split between being conversational and promotional. Viral videos like Will It Blend? demonstrate how easy it is to produce engaging content at minimal cost.

[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAl28d6tbko’]

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January 13, 2014 by

Stephen Colbert’s 3 Favourite Things

There is “so much [comedic] talent out there and not enough time to show it all,” Sandra Bullock astutely said during the People’s Choice Awards. The award-winning star of The Heat and Gravity took home four trophies on Wednesday night, while I sat at home wishing I had her brown wavy locks.

Kat Dennings, my other favourite brunette Hollywood star, dazzled in her role as co-host. When she quoted fans’ tweets and introduced which song Beth Behrs would sing next, she quickly made that segment a highlight of the 40th People’s Choice Awards. I promised my Facebook friends that I won’t blog more about the dance move Miley popularized last year, so let’s just say Beth’s rendition of Wrecking Ball was epic. Matt LeBlanc joked about singing a song too, but claimed that he couldn’t due to time constraints. The former Friends star then announced that The Big Bang Theory (the show with a Barenaked Ladies theme song) was named Favourite Network TV Comedy.

Kaley Cuoco AKA television’s sweetest newlywed accepted the award for Favourite Comedic TV Actress. She started the year with a bang by wearing a pink Vera Wang dress to her wedding, which she decorated with an upside-down cake hanging from a chandelier. Watching her in the opening sequence on the set of 2 Broke Girls was amusing. Remember, stars are just like us. They’re busy people who care about loyalty programs at Jamba Juice.

Whereas Justin Timberlake spoke about his team in the context of how they’re obligated to deal with his neuroses, Jennifer Hudson brought her sister into the spotlight to emphasize the importance of teamwork and family. “My mother always taught us that without family, you have nothing,” she said. Cover girl material right there. Sponsorship-related pun intended. 

Photo: Billboard

Photo: Billboard

Surprisingly, last night marked the first time Britney Spears won her a People’s Choice Award. Britney celebrated her prize and comeback in a dress that screamed Las Vegas style and reminded me how much I want to return to the west coast.

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January 9, 2014 by

Happy New Year

One of my favourite sessions at CM1, Toronto’s first conference for community managers, was led by Ryan Ginsberg from Twitter Canada. His talk focused on how social content strategists can plan ahead for and respond to big moments. This includes holidays and unexpected pop culture spectacles like Miley Cyrus twerking at the VMAs.

Last year, I wrote about how Oreo mastered social media when they were quick to post about the Super Bowl blackout. Oreo’s Super Bowl post was brilliant because their team quickly produced an image with a few words that effectively made millions crave Oreo cookies.

Likeable branded content is simple. Even though digital teams can plan for holidays like New Year’s Eve months in advance, I think a minimalistic execution is optimal. Essentially all you need to do is be engaging and say something to the effect of “Happy Holidays!” with copy and visuals that are aligned with the brand. When businesses create holiday greetings with too many CTAs, they risk appearing obnoxious, as ADP Canada’s Elizabeth Williams observes.

3 brands that understand the power of brevity when celebrating the holidays are Sharpie, Ben and Jerry’s and Holt Renfrew. Look at their Instagram posts to see what I mean:

Sharpie

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January 1, 2014 by

How Gastropost Unites Food Lovers

After hearing speakers from Mondelez and Starbucks at QMAC, I started thinking about how fun it would be to promote food and drinks as your day job. Chris Tindal, co-founder of Postmedia Labs, does the next best thing; he oversees the operations of Gastropost.

Since Gastropost’s Toronto launch in May 2012, it has expanded to Edmonton, Vancouver and Calgary, and it now has over 10,000 members. Recognizing its success, I was excited to hear Tindal speak about the content strategy behind Gastropost’s growth. Tindal explained that his team’s goal is to inspire people to love their city by encouraging community members to share their expertise.

Gastropost

Gastropost offers anyone with an internet connection and camera the opportunity to share pictures of food with a large audience. The main incentive to participate in Gastropost’s weekly missions is the chance to see your name and photo in National Post. Each mission has a different theme, such as holiday treats or Father’s Day BBQs. Some themes are created based on brand partnerships between Gastropost and CPG brands, such as Kraft.

Anyone can become a self-proclaimed foodie. Gastropost, however, differentiates amateur food photographers by featuring a selection of food lovers online and in the newspaper every week. 50 likes on your Facebook photo of a fancy appetizer doesn’t qualify as a claim to fame in the same way that being in the National Post does.

Gastropost proves that print newspapers still have value, authority and credibility. There’s no doubt about how exciting it is for a photo of your dinner to be featured in one of Canada’s most popular newspapers. Even though Gastropost doesn’t offer any monetary compensation, the personal validation members receive is evidently sufficient motivation to keep the #gastropost hashtag and community alive. “Every week we send people an email to do something and they do it,” said Tindal. How many email marketers can say that?

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December 9, 2013 by

Stock Up On Basics At American Apparel

If you’re looking for discounts on the basics, then you’ll want to check out American Apparel’s Warehouse Sale in Toronto’s Chinatown. American Apparel has embraced the opportunity to run a pop-up store during the holiday season, when wish lists tend to be long, while budgets are tight.

Before you head over to their temporary outlet, visit your nearest American Apparel store to try on t-shirts, pants and sweaters so you’ll know your size. There are no fitting rooms available and I don’t think you want to be that person awkwardly changing clothes in the basement.

AA Jeans

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December 3, 2013 by