Author: Stacey Rynders

Facebook- 8th largest country!

Stacey Rynders

facebookWhen it comes to social media marketing, I constantly hear clients say, “I just don’t get it. Who has time?”

Now, I admit that I came to social media with the same attitude, and for a long time, I ignored social media too because, like my clients, my days were crazy full with other details that didn’t include telling everyone about the minutia of my day. My days aren’t any less busy, but I have spent some time with twitter and facebook and other social media sites so that I could figure out what it was all about. I was converted in less than a week. Turns out that twitter and facebook provide a lot more info than I first expected.

Think of it this way. Social media is like word-of-mouth on speed. The viral element makes information spread at rapid-fire pace and has the potential to quickly deliver a message.

In a recent Fast Company article by Lon Safko, this bit of information provided a more tangible account of the potential of Facebook and Twitter.

Facebook has more than 150 million members with more than 80 billion page views each month. Facebook is represented in 170 countries & territories, every continent, even Antarctica, and is available in 35 different languages. More than 1 in 5 people who access the Internet visit Facebook. If Facebook were it’s own country, it would be the eighth most populated country in the world, just ahead of Japan, Russia, & Nigeria.

… MySpace, on the other hand, has more than 76 million users in the U.S. and 120 million people worldwide with an average age of 26 years old. 88.1% of its members are between 18 and 55 years old and the 35 to 54 year old demographic is at 32%.

…And finally, LinkedIn is used as a professional directory and has more than 27 million users with an average household income over $110,000. The gender distribution weighs heavily toward males at 65% and 35% Female with an average age of 41 years old.

There’s no ignoring these numbers.

Affordable Video & SEO

Stacey Rynders

apple-dell-hp-visitsRight now, one of the fastest ways to boost your Web site’s Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is to add video. Recently, Mary Krummenacher introduced me to Activated Marketing – a rather affordable route for small and medium businesses to integrate video into Web sites. For instance, a video cast starts at $580. This includes the actors, script, production and basic graphics. Extra features might boost the price tag and so can the intricacy of the project, but Activated Marketing is certainly making video more affordable to the masses. Even better, for an extra fee Activated Marketing can place the videos in emails and pdf’s. Technology is a lovely thing.

If you are interested in a Video Cast or Video Feature, email Mary for more information.

If you want to learn more about SEO or Search-Engine Marketing (SEM), contact my friends at tSunela at 314.721.8813.

Augmented Reality – pretty cool stuff

Stacey Rynders

Check out this YouTube on a GE Augmented Reality piece. Today at lunch, Todd Shasserre was talking vaguely about some augmented reality projects that he’s helping develop at Mozaic. My comment was a gross simplification – “It’s so Jetsons.” Imagine printing an image off your home computer, holding it up to your camera or an IPhone then a moving digital image literally emerges in front of you. Think of the marketing possibilities – an engaging consumer message that customers will want to show everyone! Talk about viral marketing. Imagine sitting in a restaurant where three or four people are using their IPhones to share an augmented reality message with friends – a bevy of digital pop-ups. It seems so surreal and utterly fascinating.

Now, there are some kinks still being worked out that involve making augmented reality interfaceable with so many different software platforms. But there will be campaigns rolling out in the next year. Mozaic is a company to watch! They are doing innovative, super-techie creative marketing.

Twitter Marketing: 15% one-day sales hike for pizza joint

Stacey Rynders

32-twitterlocal-051809Blogger Lisa Young Twittered about a recent Advertising Age article that gives a pretty compelling example of Twitter Marketing provided solid ROI.

“In a test run April 23, an exclusive-to-Twitter promotion brought in 15% of the day’s business.”

$0 for a Twitter account + Time to Manage (or outsource management) = 15% one-day growth

This is a hard ROI stat for print, radio and tv to combat. Of course, a lot depends on the message, culling a following and time to effectively manage a company’s tweeting. I know some businesses are still fighting the need for social media integration into their marketing plans; but it is time to join in or become obsolete.

If you are interested in this topic, check out and join the Social Media Club of St. Louis. There’s an event tonight (with a lot of RSVPs from local marketing gurus) at Atomic Cowboy at 6pm.

Only 1% of Web sites Mobile Ready?

Stacey Rynders

gima_logo1 Discussion at last night’s Gateway Interactive Marketing Association meeting was all about mobile technology. Mobile video. Mobile Marketing. M-Commerce. Is the mobile wave here yet?

The answer to that question was varied, but the one resounding statiistic tossed out for consideration is that only 1% of all Web sites are mobile ready. Compare that measly 1% to the 30 million I-Phone and Blackberry cellular users accessing the Web via their mobile.

Something seems a tad bit off about this number. Whether mobile marketing is here or not or whether your company needs an I-Phone app is not the problem; it’s whether your Web site translates to mobile applications without going crazy. Start with the basics; then experiment with your marketing campaign.

If you don’t know if your Web site translates to mobile technology, talk to my friend Barbara Hines with Anchor Mobile Marketing. She can help you find the answer.

SAVE THE DATE FOR THE NEXT GIMA EVENT – June 17: Business Speed Dating

Gender & Social Media Use

Stacey Rynders

gender-social-media2The Collective Thoughts blog writer Ryan provided an interesting supposition on his observations of the gender differences in the use of social media. Perhaps the most intriguing element for me is that the assertion is that women tend to discover the usefulness of social media and more adeptly integrate it into their lives instead of focusing on the DIGG voting competitions. Why do I think this is interesting? Well, it applies to me. My favorite thing about Twitter is not what other people are doing, but that it can be a constant news feed. I’m connected to favorite bloggers, favorite publications and industry-related posters (hence how I found the Collective Thoughts blog).

Whether you disagree or agree, I’m curious how you use social media … and whether or not you agree with Ryan’s admittedly “generalized” assertions on social media. Frankly, I think he’s onto something when it comes to considering the gender differences when strategizing your social media marketing plan.

Here’s a teaser clip:
“I think women put more emphasis, focus and time into their social media browsing than men. Men seem to be very ADHD with social media, jumping from news story to story, whereas I’ve noticed women take slow time and incorporate what they read more into their daily life and lifestyle planning.”
Loren Baker, Search Engine Journal

A great thing about social media marketing is that you literally get a first-rate, hands-on education in human anthropology. You learn what moves people. You learn what people want. You learn how to tug at heartstrings and drive emotions to their limit. You learn how different groups of people respond to different types of content. It’s simultaneously liberating and disillusioning to discover how predictable groups of people behave.

Read the entire article “Gender Differences in Social Media Participation.”

Popular Commentary

Stacey Rynders

dooce In perusing Standing Partnership’s blog post by Marijean Jaggers, I discovered that Dooce.com is allegedly “the most popular single-author blog in the English language.” Needless to say, I was curious, so I clicked the link – something I highly suggest you do as well. It’s hilarious. From a bathroom rehab in the third trimester of pregnancy to nicknaming the protruding pregnancy bellybutton Fred – this is a blog to return to time and again for grins. Bookmark it!

Revolt Against Traditional Advertising

Stacey Rynders


Beth Minnigerode with Standing Partnership wrote an interesting post about the rising demand for communications authenticity in advertising. I find the query interesting, but I have to wonder if such authenticity ever left the consumer culture. I think that it was a consumer desire largely ignored, and with such backlash against the corporate culture, many brands are changing their tune.

Regardless of your opinion on this post or Beth’s, the YouTube clip is worth watching.

Avedon Photos

Stacey Rynders

avedon_image Check out the hommage to Richard Avedon in the latest edition of The New Yorker. These are captivating fashion pictures and span the many decades that Avedon has influenced fashion photography. There is nothing quite like a timeless, artistic image that truly captures the mood of a brand or product. The New Yorker offers a slideshow of 15 images, but should you be in New York City from May 15 – September 6 be sure to visit the exhibit at the International Center of Photography.