Driving Social Media with Print

The campaign for the Bixby Knolls Dragster Expo and Car Show was mostly in print: flyers, posters, advertising, etc.

So, I was pleased to watch the event take off in social media, and crowds that resulted from the additional visibility social media provided.

It was featured on various web sites:

• The District Weekly
• LB Post
• Everything Long Beach
• Bixby Knolls BIA
• LB Report
• PT Cruisers of Orange County
• 562 citylife
• It even got written up on Yelp!

And, it was all over facebook (this is not a comprehensive list, and you may have to log in to facebook to visit the links):

• facebook
• More facebook
• Still more facebook
• Incredibly: more facebook!

It got blogged about, and according to TweetDeck, saw plenty of action on Twitter. People even tweeted photos of the event!

Why the social media payoff? Three key reasons:

1. Attention getting visuals (nobody tweets what they don't see)
2. Lots to talk about (a Speed Expo, a mechanical bull, beautiful show cars and fabulous dragsters with a rich history tied to the community)
3. The campaign branded it differently from other car shows.
   

Vroom!

Are You a Dinosaur?

I was reading discussions on LinkedIn earlier today and found a photographer complaining that people don't want to spend money on photography, and a graphic designer complaining that people don't want to spend money on typography.

Obviously, these are broad generalizations, but they have a core of truth: technology has made it so anyone who can afford a computer, laser printer, and digital camera can produce photos and type.

The folks on LinkedIn argued (correctly) that the unwashed masses don't take photos (or set type) as well as professionals do.

But, it doesn't matter that they're right, does it? If people don't see value in what you're offering, they're not going to buy it, are they? And if they can do it themselves, for less: that's what they'll do.

Now, what about you? Is the market you serve as robust as it used to be? Have you been blaming it on the recession?

Well, it could be the recession. But it also could be that the emerging economy is making your market extinct.

According to the theory, the dinosaurs went extinct when a giant meteor hit the earth. They never saw it coming.

Even if they had, there wasn't much they could have done about it.

You, on the other hand, still have time to adapt. New markets are emerging even as existing ones disappear.

If you'd like us to check out why your sales are down, plus get some recommendations for markets you may be able to capitalize on, ask us about our Brand Scan Plus.

Or, do three tweets and a blog post, and have your paleontologist call me in the morning.