Horror Movie Goodness

As you know, we’re no strangers to working on social media campaigns for movies. One of the most recent projects we’ve been working on is a new movie, The Theatre Bizarre. It’s an indie horror movie that the Chefe has dubbed “gore-porn” and that’s a pretty accurate description. We started their social media campaign pretty much from scratch, and really relied on Twitter to promote new stills and clips from the movies.

The Chefe used Follower Wonk to find influential people in the horror movie industry, and developed lists for outreach. We contacted them and worked in conjunction with their Twitter accounts to help spread the word around about TTB. In the weeks to come, we’ll be talking about Follower Wonk and it’s usefulness in other types of campaigns, not just movies.

More Movies, Plus Games

Another project we’ve been working on is a series of three sites, two based around movies and one on video games. When the Movie Gallery franchise went out of business, it sold its assets, including its web presence. The sites for Hollywood Video, Movie Gallery and Game Crazy were all bought buy the same company and it was our job to figure out how to turn a profit on them as well as market them.

The Chefe had the brilliant idea to turn them into collating sites. The Hollywood Video and Movie Gallery sites automatically post content the most popular posts from several major movie news sites, and the Game Crazy site does the same thing for video games. We also supplement the sites with unique, humorous content written by yours truly.

We’ve created Facebook, Twitter and Google+ business pages to reach out to new fans as well as connect with old fans of the sites. While the direction of the sites is entirely new, it still offers plenty of content that should appeal to older fans. We post unique content to each fan page as well as repost more popular posts from the sites.

More Posts Coming

With the increase of new and unique projects we’ve been doing, we have plenty of new content for Social Media Guerilla. So while we’ve been off the radar for a little while, we’ll be posting more frequently again so we can share our experiences with you. Sorry, we’ve not been around much, but as you’ll see, the wait has been worth it.

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The Ultimate Local Promotion – Online!

Our goal for Quiznos is to increase local awareness through online resources. We always try to keep our costs down by using smart advertising, and even with our fees, it’s been a relatively inexpensive campaign for Quiznos.

Aside from the usual custom landing page on Facebook and a Twitter account, we also focused heavily on using Google Maps, Foursquare and Facebook Places.

Google Maps + Offer + Boost Ads

We started by getting Quiznos to actually appear on Google Maps. Google Boost was pretty helpful, offering a set it and forget it approach to ad generation and integration. You can also place a coupon in your Maps listing, which gives added incentive for people to choose your business. And as the business “owner”, we ensured that all the images were high quality.

Foursquare Venue Coupons

With Foursquare, we took full advantage of their coupon offer as well. They have a GREAT selection of potential offers dependent on various criteria you select based on the number of people checked in and their status.We also did a similar tactic for Facebook Places. Not everyone uses Foursquare.

A Great Social Media Campaign

With Quiznos, we had a lot of savings offered. Coupons were available from Google Maps, Liking them on Facebook, or signing in on Foursquare or Places. We have effectively used QR codes in the campaign as well. There are signs throughout the store with a QR code that links to the Fb page.

The social media campaign items are ranking well on Google as well, so there’s no reason any should miss any of the deals.

We’re pretty excited with the results, and the owner has seen a marked improvement in sales, so he’s pretty happy as well. And with the low price of the campaign, we were able to offer an affordable solution that worked. While this wouldn’t work for every business, it’s well suited to representing the local branch of a national chain, and it’s low maintenance while bringing in a sustained revenue stream. It’s win-win for everybody!

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Hesher

Hesher stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt (3rd Rock from the Sun, G.I. Joe), Rainn Wilson (The Office) and Natalie Portman (V for Vendetta, Black Swan) and will be released in theaters in May. The plot is about a man who lost his wife and his son who are both suffering from the loss until Hesher shows up and changes their lives.

While it may sound like a heart wrencher, it’s not. Hesher is a foul mouthed pot head who lives by rules that aren’t entirely normal. The soundtrack is half Metallica, and even the title font is done to look like the Metallica logo.

Defacing Photos

We’ve been working very closely with director Spencer Susser on the social media campaign, and it has revolved around taking normal pictures and videos and “Hesher-izing” them. Popular videos from Youtube and pictures of famous people have all been tagged.

Originally, fans could post their pictures to the Hesher personal profile and the director would tag them all. Now, however, the official Hesher Facebook fan page has an app to let you deface your own pictures with some Hesher graffiti. The app is the Hesher De-Facebook, and I’ve included an example with my cat, Demon.

Demon Before

Demon Defaced

Naturally, we’ve also started a Hesher Twitter campaign, and we’re very active on both the personal and fan pages on Facebook. It’s generated an overwhelmingly positive response, and we’re eagerly awaiting the release of the movie. It’s been a lot of fun working with everyone involved. Rainn Wilson and Metallica, as well as others, have made mention of the movie to their fans, and we get a large amount of traffic from related sites. So when Hesher releases in May, make sure you go see it and help support our marketing campaign!

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The Stupid

Chrysler’s snafu was perpetrated by someone with access to the Chrysler Twitter feed. They apparently thought they were using their own account, but inadvertently used the Chrysler one when they complained about traffic in Detroit and dropped the f-bomb. Oops.

Aflac’s issue comes courtesy of Gilbert Gottfried, who somehow thought it would be a good idea to crack jokes about Japan’s recent crisis on his personal twitter account. (Really, Gilbert? Wow.) While the actor eventually took the offending comments off of his page, the damage was done and Aflac unceremoniously canned his ass.

Welcome to the Fishbowl

My grandmother used to say “Fools names and fools faces are often seen in public places.” How right you were, Gram. People forget that the internet isn’t a private place. Period. We’ve talked about privacy on Facebook before. It doesn’t exist there or on Twitter, Myspace or anywhere else online. In a world where everything is a quick Google search away, you need to consider the repercussions of everything you do online.

These are two different examples of social media snafus. With Chrysler, the employee was careless, and in the case of Aflac, their spokesman was an idiot. Yes, it was his personal profile, but that doesn’t matter. When you are a public figure, that’s the price you pay. So how can YOU avoid making a similar mistake?

Separate Accounts? Just Fooling Yourself

I’ve heard of people using separate Facebook accounts, or using FB for work and public and MySpace for personal, but that is still a great way to tempt fate. The Chrysler employee thought he was using one account when in reality it was the other. That could just as easily happen to you. You think your updating your personal profile and the next thing you know, clients and the public are asking you about your date Friday night. Not a good solution.

I don’t have easy access to any of my clients accounts on my phone specifically to avoid this situation. When I mobile social update, I never have to worry, because I know it’s my account, period. I’ve purposely made it so I have no access to client accounts on my phone because this very situation was immediately apparent and avoidable. The guy at Chrysler was an idiot for having such a huge client even near his personal account. Access it from a real computer. It can wait to be updated while you drive to and fro.

Another Simple Solution

If you won't say it here, then don't say it!

Ultimately though, my solution for this is the same as for Facebook privacy concerns. Stop putting things online that will embarrass you! If you wouldn’t say it out loud in front of your church, don’t put it online. That’s why we have phones and email, for sending more personal stuff. And if it’s real personal, tell them in person. I know my clients are going to be friends on Facebook, and that some of them will follow my twitter. I wouldn’t drop the f word in front of them, so I won’t online either. It’s not real hard.

Just THINK before you SPEAK.

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QR What?

For the purpose of this article, a QR code is a barcode that your smart-phone can scan in real life and then process, typically to take you to a website. QR codes are popular with advertisers now, because it gives marketers the ability to measure response rates with a high degree of precision and allows for easier ROI calculation, thereby justifying expenditure on marketing.

The Right Way and The Wrong Way

[sws_pullquote_right]The key to making QR codes work is by adding value! [/sws_pullquote_right]
One of the problems we had was trying to figure out how to use the code effectively. Too often people just use the code to take smart phone owners to a homepage. Who cares? They can Google search that. What you need to do is introduce value. Make people WANT to scan the code.

One way to do this is to ensure that where ever the QR code takes the user is unique. A QR code only accessible site, perhaps. And don’t forget to make the site optimized for mobile viewing. A full blown web site is too much for the small screen on a phone. The site should be a single page, with all the needed info right there and easily navigated with thumbs.

How To Introduce Value

We have many different clients in many different industries. Unfortunately, some of our clients are not in industries where a QR code is practical. The QR code is useless without something physical to put it on. However, not all of them fall into that category. I’ll use some of our current clients to provide examples.

• 

  A Clever Way to Put In A QR Code

  Merchandising - One of our clients produces a miniature figure game, among many other types of collectibles. This example is easily the most versatile one I have. They could add a QR code to the boxes for the pieces or even better, on promotional posters. The code could lead to a site with a LTO. It could be a site with a list of all the pieces in the set. It could lead to an app that lets people track their collection as soon as they buy some new figures. It could lead to phone wall paper based on the product. You get the point.

• The Energy Drink – Slap it on a can, and the sky’s the limit. It could take people to the Drink Mixes page. It could take people to various videos. It could take people to an instantly redeemable coupon.
• The Photographer – Use it on the backs of photos, and when you give away wedding photos, everyone will effectively have your business card. Offer a 20% discount for contacting you through the QR code.
• Fitness Gym – Stick it on a business card or flyer, it takes people straight to a sign up page for a free week trial. Bam!
• Wineshop – This one would take some work, but I think it would be cool. Set up a QR code for each section of wine or even each vintner. Put them on the shelves, people scan it, and they get a review, possible pairings, and maybe a coupon effective immediately. It would take away all the embarrassment people feel about not knowing how to buy wine by letting them learn as they shop.

So there are a few ideas to get you started if you’re stuck trying to figure out how to use QR codes in a marketing campaign. And if you want to include the social media part, a QR code can just as easily link to an FB page as a regular mobile site. Just saying.

See you next time, Guerilleros!

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Cornhole Competition

If you do a Google image search for Cornhole, I hope you have the SafeSearch on. And if you do, you’ll see plenty of pictures of the game cornhole, a popular party game. I’ve never played it, but the rules are easy enough. You have to throw three bags full of corn into a hole on a sloped board. Probably harder than it sounds.

There are numerous companies online selling cornhole supplies, and even numerous Cornhole Kings. As a matter of fact, just yesterday we had a polite little C&D letter. So now he’s the NEW Cornhole King, which was actually the name of our site all along, and we refer to him as The King.

Cornhole Comedy

The most immediate way we convey the humor is through the blog and Facebook. Anna has done a wonderful job building up a faux mythology behind both the King and the game. She has provided detailed descriptions on the Cornhole Court, the way Cornhole Evolved From Warfare, and other posts that are pretty funny. However, she also puts useful info into the posts, like the rules and etiquette; things of that nature. And every other week is a news update from the world of Cornhole. Real news, not fake. Cornhole is amazingly popular.

To go along with each post is an appropriate picture. Initially it was a photo-shopped picture of the King’s head on some real kings body. He had a terrible grin and sunglasses on. So now I do some simple editing to pictures of real nobility to give them sunglasses, and the King has an instant family tree.

Of course, all of our posts make it to the Facebook page, and our FB specialist posts humorous updates on the page daily, as well as frequent twitter updates. It’s proven pretty popular, and we’re pleased with the reception it’s had. Moving forward, we’re going to do a few videos with the full Cornhole Court in attendance, and see if we can’t get those going around.

Well, that’s it for today, Guerilleros! It’s too nice to stay in here all day. I’m going to the beach. See you next time!

Social Media Guerilla brings tips and tricks for effective social media marketing, as well as social commentary to anyone who is interested or will at least listen. We are waging a war on traditional marketing techniques. We are the underground. We are the future. Enlist now.

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I also noticed that we now have 42 followers on Networked Blogs, and 42 just happens to be my favorite number. Our 42nd follower also happens to be the newest writer I’ve been working with, and I invited her to write a guest post. Dr. Anna Gralton is a talented writer from Australia, and has been very helpful to the Chefe and I with some blog posts lately.

One of the blogs Anna has been running is topcornholeboards.com. The company name is The Cornhole King, and Anna has written some brilliantly funny posts following the royalty theme. They are completely worth stopping by for. But let me stop going on, and here is Anna’s article!

Tips on Writing Humor in Social Media

Writing humor for social media can be akin to a minefield. Humor’s a great way to get the message across, especially in this day and age with social media. If you get it right, the benefits can be nothing short of a miracle: increasing brand awareness; buzz; attracting new clients and leads; promoting firm-client interaction; increasing followers, fans etc. In contrast, if you get it wrong, you’re likely to confuse the heck out of your readers or, worse still, insult them. They will lose interest and not come back.

Although social media marketing is ultimately about selling and is very serious, the fact of the matter is that much content is set in a light-hearted, entertaining backdrop. As such, if you can find a funny angle or if it just slaps you directly in the face, such as with our Cornhole client blog, then why not run with it? Let’s face it; no one wants to read dull, dreary blog posts about an obviously funny topic.

You might also think that writing a humorous piece is easy and can be done on the spot. Wrong! When writing for social media, as you know, there are many more considerations that go into it. This is where you have to sit down and consciously merge the two.

Considerations

• Commonsense 101. Make sure the product and/or site is really set up for humor. Consider what the client wants and needs. What type of content do they already have on their site? Consider their brand identity and tap into it. This is where a thorough understanding of the business, their target audience and their objectives is required.
• The Underlying Guts. Think about the guts of the article. What is the post really going to be about? This will be serious and you’ll need to connect humor to it, not vice versa. Only create this connection after the crux of the post has evolved. Unless you have a specific idea in mind, don’t start with humor first.
• Idea Creation. Revolve humor around a subject matter that everyone gets. If a client is entering a nationwide market from a localized geographical area, the humor must be understood by everyone out there in cyberspace. Pick a genre that’s popular. You could even tap into a subject that’s already been done, such as a slapstick movie. One pointer, though, if you’re going to continue to make a series of posts, ensure the topic is large enough to run with.
• Tread Carefully. When writing humor, there are a few basics you should be cautious off. Readers won’t get in-jokes and it will only come off stupid. Don’t say anything politically incorrect – remember it’s for your client, not you. Also, don’t go overboard. A nice subtle bit of humor before getting into the core of the piece is great. Too much and it will come across as ridiculous.
• Feedback. Get a friend or family member with a normal, but lacking, sense of humor and find out on a scale of one to ten what they’d give it. This is the person you tell a joke to and they give that socially inappropriate smirk and walk away. If the scoring hits above five, there’s a good chance you’re onto a winner!
• Frame of Mind. Don’t write the piece when you’ve just had a screaming argument with your next-door neighbor because his dog dodoed on your front footpath for the umpteenth time and you were lucky enough to step in it – again! Do it when you’re in a relaxed, happy frame of mind and thinking happy thoughts. If this happens to be limited in your universe, at least jot down the outline when you’re in a happy mood. You can fill in the contents later.

When writing humor for a social media client, try not to get too carried away. This can lead to “humor specialization” – that is, humor that only you find funny. Keep it light, simple and connected to the brand and customer base.

• Dr. Anna Gralton is the head of Freelance Formations,a freelance writing and research company based in Australia.

Social Media Guerilla brings tips and tricks for effective social media marketing, as well as social commentary to anyone who is interested or will at least listen. We are waging a war on traditional marketing techniques. We are the underground. We are the future. Enlist now.

For an example using humor to drive traffic check out the Cornhole Kingdom, the place for custom cornhole boards.  The Kingdom is a great site for humor, and it certainly spreads into the realm of social media.

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A lot of people have multiple concerns about privacy on Facebook, Twitter and other sites, calling for more stringent protection. They are consumed with the thought that people might be able to see them. While Facebook has several different levels of privacy settings, they’re not good enough for a lot of people.

Online Privacy: An Oxymoron

I don’t get it. You’re online. It’s the internet. Were these people raised with no common sense? How can you expect privacy when you have no direct control over the medium? Much like celebrity sex tapes, once you put it down in a format that can be distributed easily, there is no realistic guarantee of privacy. It’s a shame, maybe, but it’s the truth.

So I propose a very simple solution. Don’t put anything private online. If you don’t want anyone else to know, then don’t say it or show it, especially not on service that is designed to share info, like Facebook.

My Facebook account is wide open to everyone. Anyone reading this can go to Facebook right now and see everything on my wall and all of my photo’s. Why? Because there is no info on there that I wouldn’t tell you anyway. So I don’t really care who see’s it, and anything I don’t want available to everyone, I share either in emails or in person. And I certainly wouldn’t put anything that might be embarrassing to me on there.

Of course, that’s just me. But I encourage you all to do the same. My grandmother, God rest her soul, always said “Fools names and fools faces are often seen in public places.” And my grandma didn’t raise no fools.

Social Media Guerilla brings tips and tricks for effective social media marketing, as well as social commentary to anyone who is interested, or will at least listen. We are waging a war on traditional marketing techniques. We are the underground. We are the future. Enlist now.

For privacy in a more personal setting, you should hold your next big event at The Grande Ritz Palm, the top Outer Banks wedding venue.  The Palm is large enough for an extended family reunion and secure enough to let you feel safe.  With just a short walk to the Albermarle Sound, the Grande Ritz Palm is the perfect event site for you.

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And speaking of you, the reader, I have recently noticed an upswing in membership on the Networked blogs. That is a great app. The Chefe has almost all of our blogs on his wall with it.

We’ve been getting a steady stream of new readers coming on board, and I want to welcome them to the blog. I also want to thank whoever turned them on to us, because that is social media marketing at work. Especially on this blog, which is much like the shoemaker’s children, always going barefoot and without any marketing.

The Challenge

And in honor of all the new readers, today I have a challenge. It’s a simple one, so I hope you’re up for it. And it’s going to tie in to next weeks post, so I hope you do it.

Two of the main concepts behind Social Media Guerilla are stealth and networking. Have you read the About SM Guerilla page? It’s all of about five sentences, so do so if you haven’t yet.

The best social media marketing strategies should not even look like marketing campaigns. To quote the Guerilla Chefe, “Guerilleros are sneaky.”

The second part is networking. You need to have a network of friends in order for social marketing to work. Otherwise, who’d spread the news?

The Guerilla Chefe embodies these two principles. He has stealth so down pat, his name doesn’t even appear on this entire blog. And yet, you are all still part of his social network. Nice, huh?

So here is the challenge. I want all of you to find the Guerilla Chefe and friend him on Facebook. Make him part of YOUR network. This is just a simple way to flex your deductive reasoning  prowess, plus, it helps you become a little more stealthy tracking someone down.You probably won’t have to think real hard, but you’ll have to think a little. And if nothing else, haven’t you ever wondered who the Chefe is? Heck, he wasn’t even the Chefe until I started writing here.

And really, this is super easy. I gave you a clue on where to start already, and your choices are seriously limited. Really, the more I think about it, this is almost too easy.

Just make sure that when you friend him, you put the name of the movie I got the title of this post from in a message. And if you didn’t know what movie it was immediately upon reading it, then you must have completely missed the 80′s. Google it.

Next week I will explain why we’re doing this. That’s right, this does all have a purpose. But you’ll have to wait until next week to find out. So this challenge is only good until next Tuesday.

The Prize

Oh, and what’s the point of a challenge without a prize? I have no idea what to offer as a prize though, so here’s my proposition.

If you friend the Chefe, friend me, as well. And in return, I will write one blog post, masterfully crafted for your blog, free of charge. I will also put your name up here so everyone else knows how cool you are.

I would like to point out that I am a professional writer, and I do get paid well for what I do, so this does actually have some value.

I am a REALLY busy guy, though, so this is only eligible to the first five people who friend the Chefe AND me, so you have to friend us both to get it. Once you find the Chefe, finding me is as easy as saying “Oh look, there he is.”, so I don’t feel this makes the challenge any harder. Plus, for as long as it’s going to take me to write 2,000 words, I feel I deserve to be friended.

I will write it about any topic you like, up to 400 words minimum, and it will have my own distinctive flair. SEO and keyword usage is a given.

If you don’t have a blog, then I don’t know. I have trouble believing that anyone who cared about social media marketing could not have a blog. That’s like trying to fly by flapping your arms really fast.

Just don’t forget to put the name of the movie in a message when you friend the Chefe and when you friend me.

And that’s it Guerilleros. You have one week, so get a move on, and good luck. I hope you all have a merry Christmas, and I’ll be hearing from you soon. Don’t forget to tune in nect week, when I explain how this all ties into social media marketing, only on SMG.

For an example of my writing, check out some of the content at OBX Master Builders, the site for the best Outer Banks contractors.  The older blog posts are mine along with all of the page content.  If you like what you, take your spot at the table and try to win my services!

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Last season, one of the episodes had Jack, Liz (who I always think of as Liz Lemon, thanks Tracey) and Cerie all in Liz’s office. Jack is upset about a post on YouFace, a Facebook clone, and wants to check it. Both Cerie and Liz rush into action, Cerie on the smartphone, Liz on the desktop. Before Liz can even finish entering in the sites name, Cerie announces she has the relevant post. And this scene is clearly meant to be a joke on Liz.

But this innocuous little scene really hammers some facts home. It clearly demonstrate that Lemon’s generation of 30-40 year olds has  already been left behind in the IT field. Tech is advancing so fast, that people who were not brought up with this constant race are not adapting as quickly as younger people.

Of course, we all knew that. What’s more interesting though, is that Cerie went to her smartphone first. And this is the most common way to get on the web if you just need something quick. I’m on my laptop, and out of habit, I still used my phone to find out how to spell Cerie’s name properly. A vast majority of younger people get there main exposure to the internet through their phones. Google Mobile Search has drastically increased this year, no doubt in part because of the slew of new smartphones that really cater to the tween crowd.

But we knew this too. So what did I learn from that episode of 30 Rock? The fact that everyone already knows these things so well, that 30 Rock had a throwaway joke about it.

This is a quickly changing world Guerilleros. But you knew that.

But you can at least stay up to date on Social Media Marketing information with us. So sign up to get us everyday. Or at least as often as we post.

And now for something completely different.  The Williamsburg Wedding Guide is up and running with the goal of helping people plan their marriages in the Colonial Williamsburg area.  They have some great vendors and are going all out to be the best in the area.  If you are looking for a great place for your wedding, you should certainly check out the Guide.

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The truth behind Google Maps!

Hello Guerilleros! It’s another beautiful day for Social Media Guerilla, isn’t it? And today, let’s talk about some of the changes Google has been doing. Specifically the Google OneBox, and a little about the preview function. The OneBox, and its Google Maps results is the big one though.

OneBox results are when Google shows information within a special unit, often with images associated with them. OneBox unit often appears to highlight news, shopping, image and other results that are blended into regular listings using Universal Search.

One of the best results you can hope for with your brick and mortar store is to get it to list on Google Maps. These results are above the organic results even, and are ideal placement for a web listing.

But how you get on there is a mystery. Yeah, there are theories, but no one knows the exact formula, probably not even Google. Even if you’re number one on the organic results and PPC, there’s no guarantee you’ll even be on the Maps.

Now though, Google has moved the OneBox results for the Maps to the right side of the page, by the PPC ads. In fact, as you scroll, the map covers the ads. Really Google? Thanks. However, this really does take the focus off the maps and back on results. And it seems they are better integrating Map results with organic ones. But that’s just my observation.

Another cool little feature I’ve noticed is the preview function. Beside the result is a little magnifying glass icon, and if you hover on it, you’ll see a small image of the website before you click on it. It’s nice, but really I’m not sure of the function. It’s too small on my monitor to really make anything out, but I guess if you have a larger monitor than mine it’s more visible.

These changes are not effecting everyone, and to be fair, I can’t even always get it to work for me. So your results may differ, and this may not even be permanent. You know how Google like to play around.

Well, that’s it today Guerilleros. I’ve had a long day, and I think I’m going to get some dinner. But if you need more help with your social media marketing campaigns, make sure you browse the site for more SMG tactics.

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So this morning I put it on, and it looked really good on me, so I took a picture of myself wearing it. Naturally, I uploaded it to my personal Facebook.

From here, I wanted to show all the people involved how well it fit. We all know that tagging the photo itself puts the picture on the persons wall, but you can’t photo tag with a fan page and I wanted the clients fans to see the pic as well.

So I put a message with the photo and I used the @ to tag people. When you type @, followed by whoever you’re trying to tag, Facebook will pop up a little selection of your friends and pages you like. Just pick who you’re looking for, and you’re good to go. But to tag someone, you have to be friends with them, or Like them.

Clearly, this is incredibly useful. If you have a company that sells kitchen furnishings, why not talk about Vetrazzo counter tops and tag Vetrazzo in your update? Then your post will appear on both your site and the Vetrazzo site. And, generally, there are more followers on their page who will hopefully follow back to your page and become fans.

I would warn you though, don’t abuse it. It has been my experience that other pages will take offense if you start blowing them up with your posts.

So thats this weeks update. The Guerrilla Chefe is beckoning, so I best be wrapping this post up. And of course, don’t forget to search the rest of the site for more social media guerrilla warfare tactics.  See you next week, Guerilleros!

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I don’t plan to talk about what Google TV is, you can find that on your own. I want to talk about possibilities. Ways to take advantage of a new technology. Several different ideas come to mind pretty quickly.

PPC based on TV

This is a no brainer. If PPC ads can read your search query, it can read what you’re watching on TV. Instead of basing your ads on keywords, in the future you may need to think about the TV that your potential customers are watching. This could be very interesting.  If you have a bakery, and someone sets their Google TV to record Cake Boss every week, possibly they would like your product.

Oh look, it already exists.

Direct Fan Interaction During Television Shows

Imagine watching the newest episode of The Big Bang Theory, and Chuck Lorre pops up in a little live chat on the side of the  screen and talks about the episode your watching. And not only that, but since it’s a live chat, you can interact with him. Awesome right? So how is this marketing? Well, imagine if you offered a similar service. Nice, right?

Community Building

If you have a way to tie your product to a TV show, you are golden. Find a way. You have a chiropractor for a client? Hey, Alan on Two and a Half Men is a chiropractor. It’s a valid enough connection. Start basing your communities around TV shows, and the clients will come from the fan base. Most popular shows have viewers in the millions.

Pulling it all Together

Let’s say I Like House on Facebook. I find an ad asking me to join a specialized House fan page run by a doctor who is local to my area.  I do, and the next time I’m watching House, I have the opportunity to chat with other fans as the show is playing. I eventually become a regular member of the community, because I am interacting with fellow fans as the show is on. This is the key time to catch me being receptive to a House community. And of course, the next time I get sick, guess what doctor I’m going to see? The one running the fan community I belong to.

Yeah, that was a pretty contrived example, but you can see where it’s going. This opens a whole lot of ways to interact with your community, and we didn’t even talk about apps yet. Google Tv apps open even more doors.

Well Guerilleros, that’s about it for me today. I have a few fan communities of my own to go take care of. And remember, for more guerilla marketing how-to’s and such, keep coming back to Social Media Guerilla!

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I like to check out the blogs and sites I follow, as well as Facebook. You know, like Copyblogger, Mashable, and Techcrunch. They’re all kind of industry related. However, sparked by a Monster-fueled Halothon, I decided to pop in on the Xbox community over on Facebook.

I had never been to their FB page, and it was nice. They have 3  custom FBML pages. One for everyone, one for the hardcore gamers (like me!), and one for the new Kinect. Of course, even though it has a separate tab, the “All” page had the Kinect, as well. And that was also the landing page.

Just recently, I had to ask the Guerilla Chefe how to set my custom FBML page as the landing page for everyone. It’s so simple, I felt dumb for not knowing. So just to keep you from feeling dumb, here it is really quick.

Go to a page you admin. On a page you admin, click “Edit Page”

See? I even highlited what to click.

Click “Edit” under “Wall Settings”

Select which landing page you want from the drop-down.

That’s it in it’s entirety. I told you it was pretty easy, and for some reason I even included pictures. So hopefully you guys learned something, and now, I have a few more Covenant to kill before bed.

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Twitter stays at the front of user privacy protection

Hello Guerilleros! Recently, the Guerilla Chefe received an email from Twitter discussing two big changes they are implementing. These improvements will be unfolded over the next couple of months. More than likely, a few of you also received the same email, but perhaps, you were a bit confused. Well, lets clear that up.

Update #1- The Rise of OAuth!

The first update is for new authorization rules for applications. This change will begin implementing OAuth, an open standard that will not require you to hand out your password to programs anymore.

Much like a valet key, OAuth gives applications very limited access to your account, so unauthorized users can’t hijack your feed. And you can control exactly how much access this key permits.

And, applications are no longer allowed to store your password. That’s great. You no longer have to worry about someone stealing your phone and gaining access to your password. And lets face it, the majority of people use the same password for almost everything, so keeping it safe is pretty important.

Update #2 – See Where You’re Going!

We comon folk will start experiencing the t.co URL wrapping. This is a n order to provide better content.great feature too. No longer will you need to fret over following a link in a Tweet. Before it even gets to you, it is screened to make sure it’s not affiliated with any sort of malware.

Plus, with the URL wrapping, you’ll actually be able to see where the link is taking you. No more clicking a link to go to amazon, and ending up at 4chan.

Also, Twitter plans to collect data on the sites we click through to, to enhance user experience. I think that is just market speak for “So we can more effectively target you with ads”.

In light of all the problems Facebook seems to have over privacy, it is nice to see a social media site trying to stay ahead of the curve. These updates, while not exactly super cool, are important, and will help protect you and your clients in the long run.

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