“How can I get more Facebook page likes?” is a question that any social media professional is asked on the regular. Aside from organic methods and reaching out to every last person you know (hey second cousin’s best friend’s mom – like my page!), there is really only one surefire way to grow your audience: Facebook ads.

Throughout the last couple of years – heck, throughout the last few months – the paid advertising options on the Facebook ad platform have changed dramatically. Less than a year ago, Facebook marketers were presented with only one option: the simple Facebook ad that appears in the right hand column next to the News Feed. But now marketers are faced with tons of options. Do you want to run sponsored stories with your ad, or should you run sponsored stories without running an ad? What about just doing a promoted post? Should you allocate some of the budget for an ad and then some for promoted posts? What about also doing a sponsored promoted post?

Well fear not, fellow Facebook ad users!  I work with this medium day in and day out, and here are my findings in a handy pro/con list.

STANDARD FACEBOOK ADS

Example of a standard Facebook ad

PROS

- Help to build brand awareness
- Increases overall page Likes
- Ads are customizable (headline, ad copy and image can be changed)
- Plenty of targeting options

CONS

- People cannot Like your page directly from the Facebook ad
- Headline and ad copy are very limited and the image is very small
- Facebook favors ads that direct people to another Facebook page, so if your ad is sending people to an external website the ad performance is likely going to be lower than expected

Example of where standard ads are seen on Facebook

MY TIPS: Although it seems like these general Facebook ads are being weeded out by the other paid advertising and promotional features, a well crafted and targeted Facebook ad can still make quite an impact. Be sure and use a catchy headline that captures the users attention as well as a colorful image. I usually steer clear of using logos as images unless they draw the eye in with colors or angles.  Images with people can ad a personal touch to an ad and usually gain the most clicks.

SPONSORED STORIES

Example of a sponsored story

Sponsored stories, which are a type of ad that shows people’s interactions with a Page, app or event to their friends, seem to be outperforming the standard Facebook ads in terms of generating new page Likes. These can run in addition to regular Facebook ads or on their own.

PROS

- People can Like a page directly from the sponsored stories (low barrier to entry = more Likes!)
- Appear in people’s News Feeds as opposed to the right side column of ads
- Reach friends of friends who do not already Like the  page
- Plenty of targeting options

CONS

- They are not customizable – what you see is what you get
- There is no ad copy or description, so people may be hesitant to Like the page right away if it’s not clear what your organization is all about

Example of a sponsored story in the News Feed

MY TIPS: Unless a client specifically asks you not to, I suggest always using sponsored stories when running a standard Facebook ad. Or simply use them on their own. These work extremely well to generate more page likes fairly quickly. People are more likely to Like a page if they see that one of their friends has already liked it. That basic vouch can go a long way.

PROMOTED POSTS

Promoting page posts is another feature available on the Facebook ad platform. In my experience, this option hasn’t generated a ton of overall page Likes right away, but it has definitely helped spread the word for specific needs and increased brand recognition. Given that only 15-20% of a person or Page’s total audience will see a post, it is imperative that other options (even if you have to pay) are available for page posts to be seen by many more people.

Example of a promoted post

PROS

- Plenty of targeting options
- Appear directly in people’s News Feeds
- If you’re using the Power Editor tool then you can create promoted posts that won’t show up on the Facebook page’s Timeline. This is great for targeting specific audiences or testing messages

CONS

- Promoted posts are non-customizable and may not help generate a ton of new page Likes right away

Example of a promoted post in a News Feed

MY TIPS: When you have a post and need to ensure that the majority of your audience sees it, use promoted posts. In terms of gaining more Likes to a page, these aren’t my favorite option but they do work. Be certain you understand the guidelines for promoted posts though, sometimes Facebook is finicky about the image to text ratio.

As you can see, there are many things to keep in mind when placing Facebook ads. There are also many new ways to make sure you are getting the most bang for your buck. Do you use Facebook ads on a regular basis? I’d love to hear what others think about the many features available on the new ad platform.

Recently I have been working on a few different projects that involved implementing interactive Google Maps on clients websites. I’m sure by now you have seen Google Maps used in many different ways on the web. Data visualization is really growing in popularity. There is real power behind being able to see data plotted on a map rather then reading a big list of information. I want to highlight a few examples of sites doing cool things with maps.

Fun Examples

Companies are finding tons of creative ways to engage with their users through interactive maps. Instantly users are engaged and begin exploring the information, and learning more about the company or topic. Click on the images below to interact with the live site.

The music map displays all of the artists that have been featured on Best of British Unsigned. Great way of featuring the many artist that have visited the area.

FlyBe route map lets you explore different airports, departing flights and helps you book a flight.

Messages for japan plots the locations where people have sent a message to show their support.

 Bluecadet is a good example of how companies can display their locations to help customers find them. Notice the custom marker with their logo.

Get started here: Use Google Maps on your website

If you you can embed a youtube video you can embed a google map. Follow these steps to get started:

1. Visit Google Maps . Enter an address in the search bar to place a marker.
2. Click on the link button and select “Customize and preview embedded map”. 
3. Here is where you can adjust the window size, zoom level, and where the map centers. Copy the code, paste it into your site and enjoy!

Resources to customize your map

For those with a little more web knowledge or if your looking the push your map to the next level, here are a few styling tools I found useful.

1. If your looking for something different then the default google map colors, Colorizr is a nice tool that lets enter in hex color values and displays it live on the map. When your happy with the look copy and past the javascript to your site.

2. Google’s API documentation is also a very helpful tool. Its the main source, and has some great example on how to further customize your map.

I hope a few these examples sparked an interest and opened your eyes to some of the endless possibilities. If you see any other great examples, or add a map of your own feel free to share! We would love to see what you find. Comment below to share the link.

Have you been on Facebook or Twitter lately? If you have, you’ve experienced what I’ve been calling, “The Marriage Equality Graphic Blitz.”

And I’ve got to say, if there ever were a week to discuss social media as an effective medium for messaging, communicating and networking – this is the week.

Regardless of your beliefs, religious affiliation or political party it has been hard to escape the amazing social movement that took this week by storm – Tuesday, March 26th in particular. The Human Rights Campaign changed its Facebook profile picture on Monday and called on others to do the same to show their support for marriage equality in a public and visible way.

On Tuesday and Wednesday the Supreme Court of the United States heard two cases on same-sex marriage – they heard Hollingsworth v. Perry, about California’s Proposition 8 on Tuesday and Wednesday they heard a challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act (Windsor v. United States).

The simple, bright red square with a pink equals sign, (the Human Rights Campaign’s blue and yellow graphic but re-purposed for Marriage Equality now in red) has exploded on Facebook. Since Monday afternoon that one post from the Human Right Campaign’s Facebook page has received nearly 20,000 LIKES and more than 70,000 SHARE – all from one single post.

All this excitement and buzz got me thinking about another “viral” campaign. Remember the “Kony 2012” campaign? The half-hour video created by Invisible Children to make African warlord Joseph Kony “famous”?  Yep, it broke records with more than 100 million views in less than a week and helped the organization raise more than $20 million. Granted this campaign ultimately hit a few bumps in the road, but it did make quite a social media splash.

This week’s Marriage Equality social movement is an act of awareness but also an act of solidarity. It is very different from “Kony 2012” but the word “viral” will be attached to both. SNL skits go viral, cat videos go viral, the Beach Boys singing off key goes viral too.

We cannot predict when something will go viral – so please don’t ask me for any magic equation. But how cool is it when something so meaningful to millions of people goes viral, too.

(I, for one, choose marriage equality over cats any day.)

As a designer I love seeing negative space in my creations. Not because it looks cool but because it’s usually a clear indicator of success.

I’ve had the joy of working with hundreds, if not thousands, of clients over my career. They’ve ranged from scrappy local non-profits to national consumer facing brands and everywhere in between. I’ve found that when it comes to design, all clients regardless of their business, cause or mission have a very familiar problem that they’re looking to solve (often times through design). The project doesn’t matter – it could be a full-blown consumer engagement campaign, a product launch, rebrand, website or a good old-fashioned three fold brochure – the problem persists.

The problem is simple… sort of. 

I’m gong to assume that we all love what we do. Because we love what we do, we believe that our product and programs will make someone’s world, or the world around us, a better place.  And, if you’d just give us a bit of your time… we would LOVE to tell you all about our products and services, their features, our programs, the tactics, our efforts… Heck, if you gave us enough time we’d tell you about our hopes, our dreams, our pets, that really cute thing we saw on YouTube….

The problem isn’t that we don’t have good things to say. It’s that we don’t know how to tell our story in a compelling and meaningful way.

My advice is simple…  Do the hard work to hone your message. Get to the point.

Here are some more quotes from incredibly smart, famous and successful people. Each is a master communicator and influencer in their own right. They’ve helped shape my personal philosophy about design and communication in general. I find them to be compelling and spot on.

The next time you see an ad or design with lots of clear space – take a look. 

I’ll bet you a ShowPony button that it gets right to the point.

Grey Poupon – yes, the mustard – has marketed themselves as being the “classiest condiment in the world,” and has done a great job in doing so. After a highly successful ad campaign aligning themselves with the elite (check out this classic 1980’s television commercial), it is only right that Grey Poupon’s social media channels would follow suit. A few months ago, the company began a unique Facebook marketing campaign leveraging the channel to promote an elite “club.”

Little did I know what this would mean for me.

Visit Grey Poupon’s Facebook page and you will see a tab that says “Become a Member.” The tab leads you to an application for membership to the “Society of Good Taste.” You have the option of allowing the app access to your Facebook page to determine whether you are worthy enough to be admitted into the Society.

Random information taken from your Facebook page such as tagged photos, checked-in’s, the school you graduated from, and the city in which you currently reside are shown on a movie-style screen and animated critics judge you. For my critiquing, a friend’s check-in at a local bar from last year popped up, to which a judge commented, “You are quite the personality about town.” Other comments such as “how gregarious!” and “we do love a party, black tie preferred” were also shown.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable experience. It was fun to read the comments from the snooty critics and to see what sort of random information they were able to glean. But then, something happened.

I was denied entry.

This does not bode well for my self-confidence. I wasn’t sophisticated enough for a mustard company?

However critical I may be, this Facebook marketing ploy is pretty genius. I (and certainly many others) was determined to gain admission into the Society of Good Taste. I wanted access to special contests for cook books and various Grey Poupon swag that one can only win by becoming a member, but more importantly I wanted the peace of mind knowing that I was sophisticated enough for eligibility.

Not only did I “Like” the Facebook page (the importance of which you can learn from a past blog), but since being denied access to the Society I found myself being cautious of grammar in my personal statuses, as well the pictures I posted and the check-in’s I made. In terms of marketing and advertising, this is huge. I may not have realized that I was thinking of Grey Poupon directly, but there was no doubt that they having an affect on me subconsciously. Their daily posts began sticking out in my newsfeed more so than others. Essentially, I was seeking approval from a brand of Dijon mustard. What had I become?

Regardless, I reapplied for admission a week later. After the usual critical comments from the animated judges, this notification appeared:

I was approved! I was in the 69th percentile, but I made it.

This is the perfect example of a successful Facebook marketing campaign. It is personal, engaging and most of all, it is FUN. I don’t use any type of mustard on a regular basis, but yesterday I was at the grocery store in need of Dijon mustard for a recipe and guess which brand I chose?

Well done, Grey Poupon. Way to keep it classy.

One of my favorite parts of my job over the past year or so is having had the opportunity to participate in speaking engagements at conferences and local business chapters.  In addition to helping me add credibility to what I do, I’ve been able to connect with people offline, and create additional opportunities for myself and my firm.  While I’m not an “expert” by any means when it comes to securing these opportunities, there are a few steps I’ve taken that have helped me do so that I thought might be helpful for those looking to do the same.

1. Connect in the real world.  You can be the smartest person in the world with great credentials, but without a strong network of the right connections, you will most likely fall on deaf ears.  Get out there and meet some folks, especially those in charge of the events you are interested in speaking at.  Your in person introduction will make that online submission to speak a stronger sell.

2. Get your house in order.  It goes without saying that without a mildly successful blog, social network, or career, you might have a hard time joining the speaking circuit.  The good news is you don’t have to be a Fortune 500 executive or world famous blogger.  Just make sure you have a well contributed, commented on, blog, and an active social audience.  You have to show that you have some sort of audience/credibility first.

3. Pitch something memorable.  I actually worked my way in by coming up with a session that I genuinely thought would attract an audience.  The session was titled “Social Media Solutions On A Budget”.  Find something you are knowledgeable about, and add a spin to the title that will surely not only entice an audience, but the attention of a show’s organizer.

4. Leverage an ally.  If you know someone connected to the show or organizer in any way, make sure you include a name drop in your submission.  The fact is sometimes it’s more about who you know, then what you know, especially when it comes to getting your foot in the door.

5. Kill it onstage.  There is no doubt that the only factor that will really have you maintaining your speaking circuit card is delivering a world class presentation.  I pride myself in giving everything I’ve got when given the opportunity.  Be entertaining, informative, and most of all, HELPFUL.  That is the key.  Be sure to give your audience actionable information that they can walk away with.

I know for many these tips may not seem like rocket science, and quite frankly they are not.  But they are the steps that I have taken and found success with.  For those of you on the speaking trails, would love your tips as well in the comments.

With 2013 just kicking off, I thought it would be a good time to release my top 5 web predictions for 2013. As we all know technology changes at an increasingly fast rate, so its hard to stay on top of the game. I figured I could try to help those who may not be “super web savvy” be able to spot some of the lastest trends that are starting to show up on the web.

Predictions/ Whats already going on

1. Responsive design

Because of the rise in smartphones, tablets and large desktop displays, designing website for one screen size has become increasingly difficult. The solution used to be build a main desktop site, then build a separate mobile site with stripped down information. This is less effective because people want to view sites on their phones and tablets but not lose out on any of the content.

The solution? Responsive web design. Responsive design gives your website the ability to dynamically adjust size based on the users device. This eliminates the need/cost of building two sites but allows the user to have the full experience of the main site presented in a way that fits the device. Check out responsive.is type in a url and test how your site looks on different devices.

 2.Metro/Minimalist Style

You may be familiar with the new windows 8 design. I feel this will really inspire and push the web to a more minimalistic, less graphic heavy approach. Websites will focus more on content and less on heavy graphics. This will also help with the transition of people browsing on mobile devices.

3. Parralax Scrolling

If you havenet seen one of these sites by now check out the Nikes Air Jordans Site. I have been seeing parallax sites all over the web  in 2012 and don’t foresee them slowing down in 2013. I think it’s a pretty effective way of telling a story or introducing a product. The key is it captures the viewers attention through interaction vs. just browsing through links. Something to keep tabs on in 2013.

 4. Css3 Effects

 Css is a stylesheet language used to style a website. There have been a lot of advancement in this technology over the years that allow web designers to do some creative things. With modern browsers supporting the new web standard, i see a lot of web designers exploring the new possibilites of css3 animations and transitions in 2013. Example: hover over the owl

5. Fonts!

With Google web fonts, Typekit by adobe, and the ability to use your own custom fonts by using @font-face. I see the world of typographic web design blowing up in the coming year.

Lots of cool things to look forward to in the coming year.. and I’m sure there will be a few hidden gems that will be sure to catch our attention. Let us know what you think will be a big deal in 2013 by giving us a shout via Twitter: @WeAreShowPony.

Last week, the ShowPony team had the opportunity to attend Microsoft Accelerator for Windows Azure Demo Day: an event powered by TechStars in which 10 startups presented their cloud-based companies to a room full of mentors and potential investors. We were extremely impressed by the level of expertise and intelligence behind the startups, and the energy in the room was just what ShowPony’s social media team needed for “Live Tweeting” the entire experience.

Emily and Molly in action.

Based on tips from Molly’s helpful “Live Tweeting” blog, we felt prepared to handle whatever would be thrown our way. Originally, Molly had planned on taking the lead for Live Tweeting, while I would Tweet intermittently throughout the presentations. While this started out as a good plan, we quickly learned that the presentations weren’t very long, and in order to share up-to-date information on Twitter, we needed to rethink our plan.

That being said, the overall experience was fantastic and we came out with some great tips that made the Live Tweeting process even better.

Three more tips to “Live Tweet” like a pro:

1.) Follow Twitter handles ahead of time:
If the information is readily available as to who will be presenting (attending, etc.) be sure to find and follow them on Twitter before the event is underway. This might only take an extra two minutes, but when you are trying to deliver information in real-time with your followers, every second counts.

2.) Tag-team:
Don’t feel pressured to do everything on your own. If someone from your team is also attending and owns a smartphone, tell them to jump on board. Two sets of ears and fingers are better than one; maybe they caught an interesting fact that you didn’t hear.

Molly and I decided that we would send two tweets per presentation (TPP – you heard it here first). One of us would capture an interesting fact or comment during the presentation and the other would be ready to do a “great presentation/thank you” post. Both roles (cleverly named “Role 1” and “Role 2”) used @mentions and stated what the company did, and used quotes and facts directly from the presentation.

3.) Retweet and reply:
Not that we thought we’d be the only ones Live Tweeting, but we were surprised to see how many others in the room were using the event’s hashtags as well as @mentioning the companies. Early on we were “retweeted” and “favorited” by many different people, even ShowPony followers who were not attending the event. Instead of replying right away or retweeting fellow Live Tweeters, we waited until the next day to respond to our @mentions. This worked out fine, but next time we will try doing this while still at the event.

Making the connections online is important, but it is equally important to meet the people you are tweeting. You are in the same room after all, so tweet a plan to meet at the coffee table or at the front door after the event. Nothing is better than meeting your Twitter friends IRL (in real life). It is so important to keep the “social” in social media – particularly when networking!

Hopefully these suggestions will be helpful for your next Live Tweeting escapades, professional or personal. We’d love to hear what other tricks of the trade you’ve found useful. Let us know on Twitter: @WeAreShowPony.

Does this sound familiar?

You find out about a cool, interesting, educational, industry related local event.
You check your schedule and are free – yay!
You RSVP to the event.
You show up at the event.
You have a great time and learn a lot of great information at the event.

So, who gets to hear about it? Who gets to learn from it?

Only the people at the event? (Noooooo….)

“Live Tweeting” has always seemed to be a worthwhile use of my neglected, Instagram-heavy twitter account. Yes, I’ve “Live Tweeted” in the past but never to the level or caliber I believed was necessary.

“I’m not texting, I’m Live Tweeting!”

I think this is because I am always busy at industry events, feverishly taking notes in my spiral notebook with my trusty ball point pen (gasp!). I guess I’m old school and I have had so many questions about how, why, where and when to “Live Tweet.” I needed a set of rules, tips, tricks and insider information on how to do it.

Remember, we all start somewhere and asking questions, observing and taking a risk and doing new things is what makes social media fun. So, in that spirit I’m writing my own “Live Tweeting” rules.

What does “Live Tweeting” even mean? Does a quick status update count or do I need to relay every fact and figure I learn into a perfectly executed 140 character snippet?

Alert: Social Media users of all kinds – you too can “Live Tweet.”

In fact, by following a few simple guidelines it can turn your old school note taking habits into a networking tool that shows you are “with it” and care about the subject matter. You might even make some great industry connections, meet potential clients and have fun along the way. (eeek!)

Here are my five simple “Live Tweeting” rules:

1. Location, Location, Location
Like with real estate, your location (especially when “Live Tweeting”) is key

- Don’t be in the back of the room (bad for Twitter photo ops) but don’t be in the front of the room as it may look like you could be texting, which appears disrespectful
- I like sitting near the front, seated at the outside of a side table – #idontmessaround

2. What tweeting platform should you use?
What app helps propel you from handwritten notes to ReTweet glory?

- It goes without saying that a smartphone or a device that you can Tweet from is a must
- At work I use HootSuite to manage Twitter conversations for multiple clients but when live tweeting  I like to tweet right from the Twitter app
- Make sure that if you are managing multiple accounts you have access to the account you want BEFORE the event. You don’t want to spend precious “Live Tweeting” time looking for a password or logging onto an account. #yourtimeismoney

A picture (especially in a tweet) is worth a thousand words. They’re helpful when you are limited to 140 characters.

3. Set the Stage
A little Twitter love ahead of time goes a long, long way

- The day before you “Live Tweet” an event make an announcement on your Twitter feed Something like“Don’t miss my live tweeting adventure tomorrow morning at ________ with _________.
- It might seem like a no brainer but set the stage with times, dates, @mention who will be there, where it will be held, sponsors, etc.
- This way people can expect it the live tweeting in their stream and folks will appreciate the twitter love in advance. #BuzzBuzzBuzz

4. Introduction and Conclusion
Tweetiquette is important so don’t forget to say “hello,” “goodbye” and “thank you”

- Like any good communications stream, a simple introduction and conclusion helps as a guideline. In the world of twitter with so many voices it is nice to have an official beginning and end of your live tweeting session.
- Introduction: “Hey Friends: In 10 minutes I’ll be Live Tweeting  the _______________ . Thanks for your RTs!”
- Let people know you are done, “That was fun! My poor fingers hurt – too much great info. Did you learn anything new from ___________? #HNGhiandgoodbye

5. “Live Tweet”
This is your time to shine – make a splash in your Twitter feed!

- With all the build up to you “Live Tweeting” now is the time to deliver the goods
- Share facts, figures, quotes, photos and more! This is your time to shine; you have an audience so play to your crowd!
- DO NOT FORGET to use hastags (#)and @mentions in every post– super important.
- Figure out how many tweets you are comfortable with for a live tweet session. I think anywhere between 5 and 20 tweets is a great place to start.
- Tip: You can even prewrite some tweets to use during the session. Cut and paste from your “notes” in your phone. Being prepared will pay off in spades. #livetweetinglikeimkatiecouric

BONUS: Go the extra mile
You go the extra mile at your job, why not go the extra mile with your live tweeting?

- Introduce yourself to your table and say you are live tweeting, not texting – I repeat live tweeting, not texting
- Hand out your business card to new contacts and make sure your twitter handle is on there. Remember to highlight your twitter handle or physically write it on the card.
- I’ve started to wear a “I’m not texting , I’m tweeting button” at events so there is no mistake about what I am doing. I’m present and I care about the speaker and their information. It is funny and wearing the button makes me accountable for my tweets. #besttwittericebreakerever

I’ll be the first to admit that “Live Tweeting” used to intimidate me. Use these steps to make “Live Tweeting” easy, interactive and fun.

*Heads-up: I will be Live Tweeting at the Microsoft Accelerator Demo Day on Thursday, January 17^th. Follow me at @WeAreShowPony to see me in action!

ShowPony is not just creative talent for all your design and marketing needs, we are a powerhouse when it comes to collaboration and translating your brand across all channels. We recently had the opportunity to work with TechStars alum LikeBright, a local team doing great things in the “friends of friends” space. You can read more about LikeBright here (be sure to scroll down).

This past fall, ShowPony took the lead in directing LikeBright’s commercial video debut. From story board to props, our team ensured every detail seen onscreen fit the LikeBright brand and conveyed the emotional experience of finding true love. Check out the final product below.

LikeBright founder, Nick Soman was kind enough to sit down for a little ShowPony Q&A.

Tell us about the concept behind this LikeBright video.

Nick Soman

LikeBright’s mission is to eliminate loneliness using the shared social ties that connect people. Everybody on our team knows what it feels like to meet someone through a friend. We wanted our video to give people that feeling.

What were some of the challenges in pulling it off?

We needed to find talented actors people could relate to, especially since there’s no dialog. We needed to find a great location with ideal filming conditions, which isn’t easy sometimes in Seattle. And we needed to coordinate the efforts of a bunch of people with different schedules and talents.

Would you consider this a success?

A huge success! ShowPony found us a perfect location at Golden Gardens, brought everyone together and managed the whole shoot. We’ve gotten a ton of great feedback on the video and we couldn’t be happier with the process of putting it together. You guys are pros.

Any advice to offer others in the Seattle start up space?

Your most valuable resource is your time. Don’t be afraid to reach out for help, especially from folks who understand startups and have helped out before.

We always end a Q&A with a wildcard – since LikeBright is all about making matches, describe your favorite sandwich and what you would pair with it to create the perfect meal.

Glad you asked! Peanut butter and jelly is a tried and true LikeBright favorite. We like ours with a side of R&B: http://vimeo.com/54898716

Many thanks to Nick and the LikeBright team for the opportunity to collaborate on such a great project. You can check out a full gallery of behind the scenes photos here.