Wordless Wednesday – An Early Spring

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Jason Houck

Photo Courtesy of Nanette @AMomBlog

Is Social Media Use During Travel The Norm?

Posted on February 26, 2012 by Jason Houck

Checking into Foursquare, posting a status update on Facebook or sharing in 140 characters or less on Twitter is the norm today for an individual when traveling. Why is it the norm? In a Sun Sentinel article, Jennifer Polaro from Albany, NY states why this is true by saying, “I want to be connected with my hometown. I need to know what is going on. I have friends on cruises who are doing the same thing. You can’t break away.”

The article continues on to give reason why many vacationers use social media by saying, “Many visitors find it hard to disconnect during vacation because they feel social (media) pressure to let their friends and followers know what they’re doing and where they’re doing it.”

I agree with the above statement but their are many other reasons why. In addition to visitors feeling social (media) pressure, the use of social media during travel is a way to grow their travel brand and blog, being loyal to their audience and fulfilling an obligation.

Travel Brand, Blog – Sharing content while on vacation is a way to gain feedback from the audience so you know what to share on your travel website or blog resulting in exposure and growth.
Being loyal – Months before traveling, an individual shares they are traveling to a certain place. When this is conveyed, their audience expresses interest. Social Media is all about what your audience wants to see or hear about. We must remain loyal and deliver as this is a way to gain trust and influence.
Obligation – Often many times, a certain hotel, resort, etc will invite a traveler down in exchange for promotion in real time which means sharing pictures and other content as you experience it. To keep our character and credibility intact, we must abide and fulfill our end of the deal.

Social Media use during travel goes beyond checking in to see what’s going on back home and feeling pressure from social media friends and followers. In fact, it’s a job to 1000′s in the travel industry and a way to live their passion resulting in social media use during travel. Not only is it a job to many but it’s advertising for the place we travel to, a chance to showcase creativity, be authentic and build relationship’s with travel brands.

So, is social media use during travel the norm for you? If so, why?

Personality as a Brand

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Jason Houck

When we all meet someone the personality they entail says a lot about what kind of person they are. The same holds true for a brand. It is very important as a brand to have personality. The reason this is true is because when people are looking to connect with a brand they look for an aspect about the brand that makes them feel comfortable and want to build a relationship with. Basically, your brands personality is whats perceived by others meaning your audience and consumers.

When developing the personality of your brand ask yourself a couple questions that will aid you in developing the right one that will encompass a positive impact.

Who am I? What kind of results do I want to see?
Is my brand one that everyone wants to connect with or am I trying to target a specific audience?
Does my personality fit my brand identity and is it strong enough to make a lasting impression?
How do I want to be perceived by my customers and audience?
Does my personality define me?
If my brand were human what would be my characteristics?

Once you develop your brand personality, the marketing strategy aspect of your brand becomes somewhat easier to create. Make sure all departments of your brand are working together as a team and agree as a team to make this happen. I have seen many brands fail when trying to develop a personality because they fail to work as a team which leads to a lot of chaos, disagreement and disaster.

So sit down with all departments of your brand and ask each other, “Are we being perceived in a way that makes us successful?” During the meeting with all departments, be sure to develop a set of social media guidelines or principles to help guide employees when carrying out tasks and communicating “as the brand”. If your brand is not being perceived as being successful take into consideration what I have talked about and start developing the visual personification your brand deserves. After all, personality can say a thousand words about who we are as brand.

Does Your Content Have Power?

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Jason Houck

As we all know, content is King and helps define why we blog, use Twitter and Facebook. It is important to create our content to encompass our niche and give your audience the information they are looking for.

A great way to help you decide if your content is being developed in a positive way is to ask yourself , “Is my content valuable with direction?”

Below I will share 6 ways to ensure that your content is valuable and directional.

Make your content powerful and strong enough for someone to want to share it
Use content that is up to date
Stick with content you understand and believe in. No need to impress someone in a fake way.
Use detailed content, paint a picture with words. Just because we know what it means doesn’t mean everyone else does.
Use web links that are informative and reliable
Content that steers someone in the right direction of success

The main point I am trying to convey is when developing content develop it in a way that everyone understands and sees worth in to help give them answers and information they are looking for. If you do this you will gain trust and keep your audience engaged and coming back for more.

Always remember to never step outside your comfort zone in creating content. It’s not who your are and your audience will sense it. For example, If you’re niche and audience revolves around content that helps a grocery shopper become more savvy using coupons, they may not want to hear about how is the best way to please a man or woman in bed.

If looking to expand your content to encompass another topic, ask your audience if it’s something they are interested in. Do this by just asking the question, creating a poll or even creating a blog post.

Don’t get me wrong. It is okay to occasionally share content that you may find funny or relaxing. After all, we all need a good laugh or a day to unwind.

Content is powerful as a King. It not only helps us grow as a person but helps us see success and grow as a whole. Just remember to embrace your power when developing content. If we do, we all become a winner.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this subject. Also, feel free to add in a comment what you may think I left out.

Using Video to Enhance a Brand’s Image and Presence on Social Media

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Jason Houck

As a brand, it is important we encompass a positive image and unique presence on Social Media to grow and be of value to others. If your brand is new or having issues with doing so, I am here to share information on how your brand can make that happen.

When promoting a positive image and unique presence, a brand needs to keep in mind it’s about connecting with the audience and customers. By doing so, the brand creates a path for customers to build relationships, spread the word and keeps them coming back for more. One way this is done is to put a face behind who your customers and audience speak and do service with on Social Media. As a consumer on Social Media , this is something I and many others look for to help get a better feel and understanding of who we are conversing with but what some look for doesn’t stop there.

The key to keeping the positive image and presence is to be authentic, original and unique in doing so. This is done by enhancing it through the use of video which takes it above and beyond the profile face pictures you find on other brands websites, blogs and Social Media platforms. By using video, a brand is giving their audience and consumers a look from the outside in and further deepening the connection. There are several ways to make this happen.

Create a short video with enthusiasm from each team member within the brand. No one likes, “Just another boring video” so it’s important to create it with zazz and make it interesting and fun. In this video, state your name, what your position is, and what makes your position fun and enjoyable.

Give your audience and consumers a look into the daily life by showing them around your companies work environment in a different video. Put them in your shoes. After all, they are your brand and fuel your success and growth.

Create an additional personal video of the person responsible for managing the Twitter account. Basically, the person tweeting and engaging. If more than one individual tweets from the account, make sure each one has a personal video. Tweet the video link at the start of each day or when the account is changing users. Include in the video the person’s name, a relevant greeting and the question, “Is there anything that I can help you with today?”

Thank your consumers and audience weekly in a video. Give a shout out to people on Twitter that follow you, people that have liked your brand page on Facebook. Make it personal, show gratitude and let them know they are never forgotten.

Post all videos on the brands YouTube account, landing page on Facebook and Twitter as I discussed above. As far as the team video, post it on the brand’s website as a welcome.

By using video, the brand is raising their profile, promoting a positive image and enhancing brand value for others. This connects the brand with their customers and audience in a unique way and shows them the brand has took the time to create it for them. Basically saying, we care about and value our audience and consumers. I understand this might be time consuming but by investing in this time it is sure to create a remarkable ROI as many customers are looking for this type of aspect in a brand and sharing what the brand is doing.

So is your brand ready to enhance their image and presence by being unique, authentic and make a lasting impression through the use of video?

North Carolina Tornado: It Wasn’t Luck Nor A Miracle. It Was The Grace of God.

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Jason Houck

Wednesday afternoon, Mother Nature unleashed her fury upon the western areas of North Carolina with a possible Tornado. To be exact, this possible North Carolina Tornado affected the counties of Burke, Rutherford and Caldwell.

At approximately 5:30pm, I was sitting in my home here in Caldwell County doing some work as the local news station broke into regular broadcasting with the first tornado warning issued for Rutherford County progressing into Burke and parts of Caldwell.

Upon receiving the warning for Caldwell, I immediately began to see flashes of light from the fierce lighting and hear loud rolling thunder along with rain drops pelting against the windows. I then decided to secure myself in a closet where I was very frightened which was immediately taken away by my Twitter community as I had my iPhone with me checking for updates.

In closing, no damage is reported in my immediate community but just a short distance away in Granite Falls area a home was leveled with reports of boats at a Lake Hickory Marina being flipped over.

Photo Courtesy of Brad Panovich of WCNC TV

In the adjacent counties of Burke and Rutherford, total destruction is being reported in hardest hit areas, (Bradshaw RD, Icard and Ellenboro community), with at least 30-50 homes and structures suffering major damage and complete devastation along with many pets wondering around the rubble. I am happy to report that no deaths are being reported and around a dozen individuals with minor injuries.

Photo Courtesy of Burke Weather Inc.

Photo Courtesy of WCNC TV

Photo Courtesy of Diane Gallagher

Photo Courtesy of News Channel 13

Photo Courtesy of WCNC TV

After seeing all the major damage and interviews with neighbors, I am very thankful I was spared. Despite many families losing all they have, they are all optimistic and thankful to be alive by saying, “It wasn’t luck nor a miracle. It was the grace of God.”

I ask that you remember all individuals affected by the storm in your prayers including officials and others helping with cleanup. Burke Weather Incorporated is meeting today with Samaritan’s Purse and others to put into action a call for volunteers.

For further updates throughout the day and to see additional images, follow me on Twitter @JasonPromotesU and by following #NCWX