So imagine a staple of Online Media at the center of a swirl of rumors. Facebook was rumored to start geo-location support. It’s been the nerd talk for 2010: geo-location. Sites like Foursquare and Gowalla are leading the way. But just like Twitter, Facebook seemed poised to announce a new geo-location feature for accounts. With a huge user base, Facebook could easily put Foursquare and Gowalla on the path to shut down.

Facebook’s big developer conference ended without squat about geo-location. Then yesterday, the advertising world was buzzing about McDonald’s and Facebook. Turns out McDonald’s will be the launch advertiser to use Facebook’s upcoming geo-location feature. Check in at a McDonald’s and get a free fries or something. Can you imagine being enticed to show your phone the next time you order a Big Mac?

Geo-Location and New Social Media Tools from Facebook will make your business more profitable.

I’ve been hesitant to mention geo-location until this very moment. Mainly because if you’re not in New York City, maybe 5,000 people are using either Foursquare or Gowalla. On top of that, there was no clear leader between the two. No reason to invest in the idea until now. The moment Facebook launches it’s time for every company or business to analyze implementation to their media strategies.

Rewarding people for sharing their patronage with friends is network marketing making things happen. “Free” advertising for minimal cost. Chipotle still engages in a similar form of “free” network advertising. At locations near college campuses, Chipotle would offer free burritos on Saturday. What college kid gives up a free lunch? Chipotle would spread the word a bit and before you knew it, college kids loved Chipotle. They loved it so much Chipotle has an entire college campus marketing division.

With the impending launch of geo-location on Facebook, I don’t recommend panicking. It’s ok to get an extra cup of coffee and visit sites like Foursquare. Just don’t feel overwhelmed quite yet. It is the weekend in a few hours after all.

The potential from this news is extraordinary. It will also quell any detractors out there as well. It is very clear that McDonald’s is getting this unique privilege from a very large media buy. The full details are not clear but in what will sure be a big splash, McDonald’s will help transform Online Media trends.

For the average small business there might be a learning curve. That’s expected. Considering that you want people to visit your business you will probably catch on quickly. Sending “Check-In” promotions to friends who hopefully then visit and “Check-In” themselves. From there their friends see where they “Checked-In” and love the promotion so they show up and “Check-In.” After that it gets quite cyclical and the potential becomes beyond incredible.

Have you already been having fun with Foursquare or Gowalla? Let me know! I’ve been trying it out myself a bit under a pseudonym and it can get addicting fast!

Have a fantastic weekend and I look forward to seeing you here again on Monday!

Tell a Friend,

TZ

I was totally deceived for a while! is by Zazza Media Strategies, a Dallas Area Media Strategies, Relations, Advertising and Marketing firm.

Media Strategies, Media Relations, Social Media and Google Search. How to realize the true potential of online communities for business growth.

I’m not joking at all. I’m completely serious that ‘Googling’ will come to an end. I may just be a few decades ahead of myself is all.

Ya know how they refer to Facebook and Twitter as ‘Web 2.0′? It’s not because they’re social media, it’s because of the technology behind the websites. Back when Web 2.0 started a good friend explained to me the underlying principle guiding the technology. After building a Web 2.0 company himself he was best to describe it. Web 2.0 is designed to respond to you before you act. In other words, it should know what you want to see and show it to you before you even click a button.

Creepy?

You’re already getting used to it right now. I wrote this week about Facebook’s privacy and new features. Facebook announced today that over 50,000 websites have adopted their new plug-ins that essentially help Facebook dominate content across the web. Now you have over 50,000 different websites that you can ‘Like’ and suggest to friends. Facebook then passes that along to your friends and your friends pass their likes along to you.

Have you seen those Microsoft Bing commercials? They always take a jab at Google, the dominate search engine, for not being very visually appealing. Do you agree? Google is very simple. It’s text and list based. You search and their engine gives you results with very few images (unless you search for images) and it’s just very pure data. Bing is a very visual search engine. But even the typical search engine is slowly seeing a fate worse than death.

For marketers, Google is an amazing way to track and analyze where advertising dollars are spent and their results. Facebook, Twitter and others do not have that “graphing power.” You can’t walk into a room of high-dollar executives and show them results on a dry erase board because there’s only very select information. Facebook’s new methods of ‘Like’ and commentary centralize social media interaction in a way easier to potentially analyze.

That’s been the biggest problem for social media to date. So many others, including myself, know that social media is a valuable tool. Putting an exact number on that value has been the hardest thing to do yet. But what is very clear is that Facebook and Twitter are recognized by about 85% of the US population. That’s more than the percentage of people with regular internet access. Social Media strikes a chord with most people. Here’s what I think the major reason is:

Everyone wants to be involved in a community and share experiences and opinions with others.

To date, there has been no way that a single person can in theory interact with billions of others in the blink of an eye. Connecting with someone on the opposite side of the planet is easier than ever imagined. Google is very single-user focused. Facebook has been too mass-mob focused. Blending and bridging the gap makes for a very clear message:

Media Strategies is an active method to be seen and be heard in a community environment of instant action and instant response.

Searching will be dead. Finding will be king. Bookmarking will be a habit and sharing is only natural. If you’re not getting on board now you’re only delaying the inevitable. Until Monday friends, have a great weekend!

Tell a Friend,

TZ

Tony Zazza, a 15-year media, marketing and advertising expert, is the Principal of Zazza Media Strategies, a Dallas Texas Marketing Firm, that specializes in growing small to medium sized businesses to their fullest potential.

It’s the end of Google Search… is by Zazza Media Strategies, a Dallas Area Media Strategies, Relations, Advertising and Marketing firm.

Facebook and Social Media Privacy Concerns, the Ultimate Marketing Tool for Information and Outreach at a Reduced Cost.

If there’s one thing people get frightened about it’s their privacy online. Stolen identity, false impersonations and harassments are just a few of the consequences that come to mind. It’s completely understandable and I’ve been very wary of any of my personal information leaking online. Have you felt the same way?

Well the largest social network out there, Facebook, holds a lot of information about a lot of people. Facebook has also recently changed it’s privacy settings which has angered some. Facebook’s ultimate goal is to be in control of the information you post on the site. They make money selling controlled access to that information to potential advertisers. Imagine the intimate information, opinions and history you share on Facebook. Wouldn’t that be valuable to someone looking to market to you?

That’s exactly what Facebook thinks and that’s exactly what marketers salivate over. Today, credit bureaus sell basic and intimate information about millions of Americans to advertisers and marketers. They call it demographic data. Ever applied for a loan, mortgage or credit card? They have your information.

Ever signed up for a chance to win a brand new car? Some random third-party now has your basic information about you. Further, when you drop that entry form in their box, you agree to allow them to sell your information. It’s a multi-million dollar industry all about names, addresses and phone numbers. It gives advertising and marketing a personal touch.

If you have a Facebook account you need to visit this site. You can search for what information is accessible by anyone with a profile – which is anyone. All you ever need for a new profile is a unique email address.

Ultimately it’s easier to advertise to a certain group of people. Choosing the qualities of a specific group of people to target to is valuable. Instead of spending thousands of dollars advertising to a large amount of people that may not fit your ideal customer you can target and budget for a higher Return On Investment. It’s all about the dollar signs. What sort of investment and least amount of cost generates the highest return? Facebook, credit bureaus and sweepstake corporations bank on offering detailed information to marketers.

Should the average consumer be concerned?

Honestly, no if you do not share information that is either traceable or really sensitive. You wouldn’t put your social security number on Facebook so do not include your address on your profile.

Should marketers feel guilty for using information from Facebook?

If they do not push the boundaries then no. It’s hard to tell where those boundaries are but in reality if a person publishes that information then they must not mind other people using it.

What did you find Facebook shares about you? Drop me a line! Until Friday, take care!

Tell a Friend,

TZ

Tony Zazza, a 15-year media, marketing and advertising expert, is the Principal of Zazza Media Strategies, a Dallas Texas Marketing Firm, that specializes in growing small to medium sized businesses to their fullest potential.

Want to See What Facebook Shares About You? is by Zazza Media Strategies, a Dallas Area Media Strategies, Relations, Advertising and Marketing firm.

Online media strategies are more relevant with reviews and social networks. Bad reviews travel fast and damage any image branding. Important business tips for today.

So maybe you were following me this weekend when I had a gaffe with a local Italian eatery? When I say gaffe I really mean FIASCO!

Quick recap: I call to order dinner for my friends and I. I’ve ordered before and I’ve loved the food. Some new person answers and has no respect for me and no clue what she was doing. She lacked any sense of professionalism. After a difficult time of ordering a certain sauce (she constantly mispronounced it after I spelt it to her THEN asked, when I described it as an Italian Spicy Sauce, why I didn’t just call it that) my order finally arrives.

Here’s where it escalates:

My order is completely lacking the sauce I spent almost 5 minutes trying to order. I’ve ordered the sauce by name many times before and there has never been a problem. Now tonight, I get a rude, obnoxious and unprofessional person that cannot just ask someone with more experience for help. So when I call back and tell her there’s no sauce, she tells me that my food should arrive shortly. WHAT?! I just got done telling her my food had arrived. My reason for calling was … no sauce.

Now this person abruptly tells me to wait, puts me on hold and doesn’t even say ‘sorry’ for no sauce. Really? She comes back and says someone will bring me the sauce. I then ask for a manager. She then yells to someone: “they want to talk to you!” The reply I hear? “I’m too busy to talk to them!” Now I’m furious and the rest you can follow on Facebook.

What does this have to do with media strategies? Well, in a few days my status will pop up via search engines. My local network already knows of my troubles and eventually the poor review will be easily searchable. That business will not go under because of me but it will have a slight ding against its record. Right now there is one review on Google – there will soon be two. One good and one bad. For a fledgling business, that does not do much for positive branding.

In one instance, any company’s branding can get a ding or become slightly tarnished. With the explosion of social networking, reviews are much more available to consumers. Consumers can interact and automatically avoid places with poor branding and poor service reviews. Online media was originally a collaboration tool and if you’re not careful, people can collaborate against you.

The internet is a huge tool. Never avoid using it!

Hopefully I have enough time to cook at home for a while – I don’t feel like ordering out again soon! I’ll check back here on Wednesday, take care!

Tell a Friend,

TZ

Tony Zazza, a 15-year media, marketing and advertising expert, is the Principal of Zazza Media Strategies, a Dallas Texas Marketing Firm, that specializes in growing small to medium sized businesses to their fullest potential.

This adds to the List of the Worst Ever! is by Zazza Media Strategies, a Dallas Area Media Strategies, Relations, Advertising and Marketing firm.

Get your media strategy in shape by playing a bit of catch-up!

I’ve talked a lot about feeling behind, poor time-management or simply getting with the times. Today I want to encourage others to make that bold effort to step out, put the running shoes on and hit the pavement. Catch up to the world around you by learning something new everyday. Here’s how I did it myself.

I was slow to join Myspace and I joined Facebook at the same time. To this day I do not think I have a full grasp on all of the features of either. So when I started my business I quickly realized that if I wanted to ride the new ‘Social Media Wave’ I had to play a lot of catch-up.

It’s a lot to handle at once. I meet a lot of clients that are in the same boat I was. When realizing that you’re in a technology sink-hole you cannot ignore it. That’s the first mistake. The second mistake is that people avoid asking for help because they get embarrassed. Trust me, I know EXACTLY how that feels…

So after I realized I couldn’t ignore my sink-hole and because I don’t like asking for help I found a great friend: Google News. There I found my way to the Sci/Tech section where I became even more baffled by what I read. I do not speak tech jargon. I do not know more about computers other than email, internet and turning the darn thing on. Call me simple, but finding news that wasn’t on TMZ, PerezHilton, MSNBC or WFAA was a revelation. A very daunting revelation at that.

I’ve known many people who have quit at this step. What sites do you trust? What does any of this mean? Am I doomed? I was flabbergasted. I have spent over 15 years in the ‘traditional’ media. New online media is gaining strength and at the time I didn’t have any experts on staff to help my clients with websites, social media or networking. I was alone getting my clients on television, radio and in the newspaper. But I knew that soon clients would come to me to answer their online media questions and I needed to prepare.

After a day or two of browsing these new sites I found a friend gave me an analogy that helped a ton. It was suggested that I approach learning about online media like I approach working out in a gym. You can’t lift all of the weights on the first day. You can’t run that seven-minute mile right away. You can, however, get your feet wet and pick up a light weight. You can run a half-mile the first time. You won’t be a gym pro by any means, but you’ll catch-up. You just have to get ‘fit’ before you become an expert.

Slowly, over a week or two, I read a few articles here and there that interested me. Most importantly, I focused on those that I understood. I learned new things, heard the latest rumors and found myself reading more and more. I found new ideas to execute and when I went to add to my team – I knew exactly what I wanted. My business has grown significantly and it was all because I took the reigns and grew my media strategy to encompass something new.

It’s essential to my clients now too. Everytime I visit Wired News, ZDNet and CNet there’s something new or revealing that makes my business better. It allows me to offer more to my clients. I’m not a full six-pack of online media muscle, but I’m definitely well-versed and able to keep up with the best of them.

Hope everyone’s week is going well! Shoot back with some of your favorite sites and I’ll see you back on Friday!

Tell a Friend,

TZ

Tony Zazza, a 15-year media, marketing and advertising expert, is the Principal of Zazza Media Strategies, a Dallas Texas Marketing Firm, that specializes in growing small to medium sized businesses to their fullest potential.

I’m Getting Fit by Playing Catch-Up?! is by Zazza Media Strategies, a Dallas Area Media Strategies, Relations, Advertising and Marketing firm.

Making your Media Strategy a Call to Action might be Controversial but might be your marketing savior.

I LOVE to cook and enjoy a great meal. It’s a passion of mine to include wine, dessert, cheese and an incredible entree into a meal whenever I can. I love fresh foods and those that I know are healthy for me. Every once in a while though – I love a great pizza too. Is it as healthy for me as an Avocado Salad? No. But I sure do love it.

My friend, Janet St. James, reported last night on the DISD’s current efforts to change their approach to food in their cafeterias. If you haven’t heard, the U.S. is the most obese nation in the world. We have plentiful food – and a good portion of that food is not fresh. It’s a sensitive subject and one that a lot of people are passionate about: Food & Our Children’s Health.

It can be a heated subject and honestly I prefer to avoid political debate. So I avoid it. But then there are people like Jamie Oliver and his new show Food Revolution where he tries changing the cafeteria menu in a school district. He gets the cold shoulder from local media and a wicked eye from the lunch lady but there’s something VERY awesome about that: he’s getting exposure and media coverage.

Sure he has a show but if it wasn’t controversial and up-front, how would it be good for ratings? If there wasn’t an element of passion and adversity, why would the media want to cover it? Honestly, their strategy is very lackluster for online media. But they have enough of a traditional news media strategy that they are sparking conversation and reports linked to their show. Reporters like Janet St. James have covered this before. Janet is one of the best reporters specializing in health that I know. Shows like Jamie’s offer reporters a chance to engage a sometimes non-chalant audience.

Sometimes the best media strategy is all about your mission. Want to change the world? Do it. Tell everyone about it and create your own call to action. When you offer a way for people to become active themselves you are more likely to get a response and see real results. What’s your call to action?

I hope everyone has an amazing weekend and for those of you planning Easter Egg Hunts – I’m hoping for sunny blue skies! See you Monday!

Tell a Friend,

TZ

Tony Zazza, a 15-year media, marketing and advertising expert, is the Principal of Zazza Media Strategies, a Dallas Texas Marketing Firm, that specializes in growing small to medium sized businesses to their fullest potential.

How FAT are We Making our Kids?? is by Zazza Media Strategies, a Dallas Area Media Strategies, Relations, Advertising and Marketing firm.

Stay on top of trends and information by allowing the Media to come to you. Make your strategy effortless.

Ever feel like you’re playing catch-up? Whether it’s work, family or even just some rest and relaxation, playing catch-up is annoying and frustrating. I feel like I’m there every week! Things get too fast or they’re not fast enough. Either way something must be done quickly and other items are pushed down the to-do list. It’s a huge bore. HUGE.

When it comes to plotting your strategy to take over the world – or your industry – the Media never seems to sleep. It may move at a snail’s pace, but it never fully stops. This does get very overwhelming and tiresome. It’s a never-ending marathon. And I hate to run.

What’s also great about it is that there are tools to help you stay on pace with the Media and not lose precious hours working. You can literally find the Media knocking at your door by taking advantage of some time-tested tools. They’re very quick to put in place and honestly these tools are becoming more and more essential.

First, discover Google Alerts. Sign-up for an account with Google and you can have search items sent straight to your inbox. Like to keep up with the Chicago Cubs? Set a Google Alert to literally search for ‘Chicago Cubs’ and email you either daily or as-it-appears with a link to the article, page or website mentioning ‘Chicago Cubs’. This works great for keeping up with your industry.

One of my clients uses it to keep up with her franchising company. Results are delivered to her inbox. Sometimes its odd articles about other nationwide locations and sometimes it’s a friend mentioning her location on their blog. It’s really usefully to keep random news coming to you without having to routinely search.

Second, find some way to track and analyze traffic to your website or blog. Do not use a ‘Hit Counter’! Those were cute when you could build an AOL Free Webpage back in 1997. They’re useless now. You want to know where people are coming from. Is it your Facebook? Is it your local newspaper? Your YellowPages ad? Knowing where people are coming from helps you in so many ways.

Let’s say you sell toy animals. You advertise, you’ve joined the Chamber of Commerce and you’re tweeting away. You’re sitting pretty good. You then begin to analyze your traffic and see that there’s a local toy animal fan club you knew nothing about that is accounting for a good portion of your traffic. You now have the knowledge of a great source of customers and advertising that you had no idea about before. It’s almost magical where your web traffic can come from!

Lastly, discover Trending. Whether it’s Twitter’s topic trends or Google’s Hot Trends, knowing what is capturing the attention of the online world can help you know what’s new, hot and in demand. All with no effort from you.

Do you sell collectable 1980′s movie posters or former child star memorabilia? This morning sadly, Corey Haim was discovered dead. Too young to pass on in my opinion and I’m sure in yours but if you specialize in such material, maybe you should advertise your Corey Haim products because their demand and value have increased. Sure you could search news sites and search the web for every person you may have products for – but why waste time? Discover breaking news fast.

It seems spring is finally arriving! I’m so excited – ready for warm days and bright sunshine! I’ll see you all back here on Friday to get ready for the weekend – keep in touch with comments!

Tell a Friend,

TZ

Tony Zazza, a 15-year media, marketing and advertising expert, is the Principal of Zazza Media Strategies, a Dallas Texas Marketing Firm, that specializes in growing small to medium sized businesses to their fullest potential.

Guess what was knocking on my door today… is by Zazza Media Strategies, a Dallas Area Media Strategies, Relations, Advertising and Marketing firm.

First, that’s NOT true. I’m really glad though that people are erring on the side of caution when it comes to links they find. It is true that there are malicious people looking to spread viruses and Trojans through Facebook and many other online networks. It’s not very fun. Have you ever encountered a Facebook virus?

Now everyone wants something of theirs to “go viral” on YouTube or anywhere. But the effort you put to online media needs to focus on being personable and informative. Things do not go viral by plan.

Now I’m also a very big advocate of listening. If you try to engage an audience you have to be both intimate and responsive. So finally after most of my babbling I get to my question for you. How would you like to get updated on my new blog posts?

Be creative! I’d love to hear it!
Until next time when I actually get to sit at my desk, have a great weekend!

TZ

Tony Zazza, a 15-year media, marketing and advertising expert, is the Principal of Zazza Media Strategies, a Dallas Texas Marketing Firm, that specializes in growing small to medium sized businesses to their fullest potential.

This is not a virus – though it is viral! is by Zazza Media Strategies, a Dallas Area Media Strategies, Relations, Advertising and Marketing firm.

Are you missing the boat and becoming irrelevant? There are a ton of Media Strategies to use for any business.

Be honest – am I becoming irrelevant? You know me, I’m on the radio, I blog … more here than on my site but I try to keep everyone updated with Twitter and Facebook too. I used to update my Myspace page – I don’t anymore really. I have three or four email addressees too many and I find it hard to check them all in a day. Does that make me irrelevant? Is there something else I should do?

Where to go for activity and response can be a difficult question to answer. I’m always trying to keep up on news and my team is always reading, researching and testing new things when they’re not building something for a client. It does get tiring sometimes. I just had a client on an internet TV show last night. There are online radio shows that have large followings and I sometimes wonder if I shouldn’t be working 36 hours a day just to keep up. Do you feel the same way at all?

Even if you don’t own a business – ever feel like you could spend all hours of the day online finding new stuff or doing stuff that’s interesting and potentially meaningful?

Media is growing more and more. It’s becoming more and more interactive. Our client was receiving tons of questions direct from viewers in an instant last night. People were just typing away – watching away – and tuning in. It was very exciting! Does that mean I should switch attention to that? The stress of “keeping up” gets to be a lot sometimes.

When I see clients getting overwhelmed by the possibilities and effort of today’s media I just have one thing to say: what gets you excited?

From there I sometimes have to shoot down ideas that are obviously now irrelevant. Take Myspace for example. It still has a ton of accounts and visitors however they are steadily declining in hits for the past three years. Facebook has experienced tremendous growth in visitors, accounts and hits for the past three years. Many more observers are talking about the death of Myspace and the new features of Facebook. Myspace is becoming irrelevant.

Just three years ago, a few companies I was familiar with were forging their way online. They had websites early on and were doing a complete “refresh” with new looks and new Myspace pages. They invested a lot of time and simply walked away. Now their looks are out-dated, their Myspace pages are static ghost haunts with little information and no interaction. Their business is now becoming irrelevant online. Their real sales are hurting. Their biggest mistake? Not staying informed and not taking simple steps on a regular basis.

No one has all of the answers at once. Doing a site refresh and a re-branding campaign is not always perfect right out of the box. What matters are the little details that are updated and added on a monthly basis at the least. If you don’t take an hour or two a week to glance at your company’s website, Facebook Page, Myspace or whatever – you are doing yourself a HUGE disservice. Why? Because you’re making yourself irrelevant by not giving your online presence relevancy in your own routine. Why should anyone else if you don’t?

It’s Friday! In that spirit, leave me some feedback. I’d love to hear from you! I’ll be back to check in over the weekend at some point before Monday. Take care and be safe!

Tell a Friend,

TZ

Tony Zazza, a 15-year media, marketing and advertising expert, is the Principal of Zazza Media Strategies, a Dallas Texas Marketing Firm, that specializes in growing small to medium sized businesses to their fullest potential.

Am I irrelevant? is by Zazza Media Strategies, a Dallas Area Media Strategies, Relations, Advertising and Marketing firm.

Top Military Secrets on Twitter - Did you see?

Directly from Mikko Hypponen, of F-Secure, British Military secrets were leaked via Twitter within the past year. Isn’t that ridiculous? The U.S.’s key ally in a number of military activities has a security gap via a seemingly harmless website like Twitter. Doesn’t that frighten you a bit?

British Military documents reveal a very pro-active approach to online security – even restricting all but a few computers from even allowing access to Twitter, Facebook, etc. Yet even the very few computers allowed access, someone seriously dropped the ball and tweeted sensitive information.

The Ministry of Defence, similar to our Defense Department, is an elaborate, highly-trained, and well-funded mechanism. If they can’t stop harmful tweets – what can you do to protect yourself or your company online?

What is very important to realize is that controlling information you consider sensitive or personal is paramount. You can employ the latest and most expensive techniques to keep employees, family, legal information or trade secrets safe from exploitation and still have a HUGE failure – like military secrets on Twitter.

I cannot stress enough that it’s best to strictly define what is expected from your employees – especially via Twitter, Facebook or any other networking site. Can you imagine what a disgruntled employee might say about you online? Can you imagine how quickly that might spread to your clients and harm your business?

Just as you may use Social Media/Networking to your advantage – and I work with a lot of clients on this – you need to monitor and police what might be a disadvantage. If you expect people to respect and trust what you publish online, what’s to say they won’t respect and trust something circulating the internet that isn’t true?

Let me know if you need some easy (and even FREE) monitoring tools to keep you safe and well positioned! I’ll see you back on Friday!

Tell a Friend,

TZ

Tony Zazza, a 15-year media, marketing and advertising expert, is the Principal of Zazza Media Strategies, a Dallas Texas Marketing Firm, that specializes in growing small to medium sized businesses to their fullest potential.

Military Secrets Leaked on Twitter is by Zazza Media Strategies, a Dallas Area Media Strategies, Relations, Advertising and Marketing firm.

Domino's Recent Marketing Ploy May Have Already Backfired.

Imagine my surprise when I saw these self-depricating ads from Dominos airing during prime time. They announced that they were making a new crust and sauce to satisfy customers. “Wow,” I thought, “they are really listening to their customers and making a change for the better!” Did you feel the same way? The ads made a lot of buzz and Dominos made sure that they were disseminating that message through their stores, on their website and on their Twitter & Facebook accounts. Great media strategy, right?

WRONG.

There have been a slew of negative posts and retweets. Over half of all the comments about the new crust and sauce are horrible. Fans of Dominos on Facebook were announcing their switch to another competitor if they didn’t bring back their old recipe. What a nightmare! I have seen very few of the prime time ads since the first two weeks and I doubt anyone will see much more of them. Where did they go wrong?

When I choose pizza for a meal I always start at one place: the coupons. Why not see if my favorite pizza place has some coupons I can easily get my hands on? I usually forget to search their website because when I’m ordering pizza I’m usually too busy to think clearly. In the past two or three years I have stumbled upon very few if not any coupons from Domino’s.

For each client I approach their needs – not just their ideas. I incorporate this lesson: Keep it Simple and Find the Easiest Solution. I do not consider a multi-million dollar campaign to be an easy and simple solution. Printing more coupons however, seems very simple. Don’t let this same thing happen to you! (I’m hinting at my favorite pizza place here in Plano … )

Leave a comment with your favorite pizza place and I’ll tell you mine! I’ve got a busy weekend ahead and I look forward to hopefully stopping by before Monday – but until then, take care!

Tell a Friend,

TZ

Tony Zazza, a 15-year media, marketing and advertising expert, is the Principal of Zazza Media Strategies, a Dallas Texas Marketing Firm, that specializes in growing small to medium sized businesses to their fullest potential.

Who Wants Pizza?? is by Zazza Media Strategies, a Dallas Area Media Strategies, Relations, Advertising and Marketing firm.

Are these companies the future or just weeds popping up everywhere?

I noticed a trend today popping up on Google searches. Sponsored Tweets of Orlando is a company that brokers ad deals between Twitter users and those looking for promotion. The concept is rather simple:

1. Register with a Company like Sponsored Tweets or Ad.ly
2. Tweet messages from sponsors like 1-800-Flowers.com
3. Notate your tweet with “(ad)” or “#ad” to comply with FTC Rules
4. Get paid for each Tweet and more for each click-through

Ad.ly is already cash-flow positive. Considering the relative low overhead costs with such operations its easy to see that everyone will want to be in this business. Celebrities are cashing in like Kim Kardashian and lesser known LeVar Burton. The only question that has yet to be seen is just what sort of value this blatant Twitter advertising will hold years into the future?

Facebook has already been bogged for a couple of years with “Be the 1st to WIN a NEW …” and Facebook has not lost it’s appeal to people looking to network. Money is flowing but if you aren’t actively using Twitter you have nothing to gain.

Just as with news online today – the content you may be used to receiving will now be wrapped around with ads and promotions. Pay-Per-Tweeting is probably here to stay. There’s one HUGE fact to remember before considering such services to advertise: Twitter is FREE to use. So long as you can engage people on your own, there’s no need to pay for someone else to be socially mentioning you. It doesn’t hurt but such things never pay for bills on their own.

Pay-Per-Tweeting is big money for large brokers and decent change for the rest of us.

I’ll see you on Friday yet again!

Tell a Friend,

TZ

Tony Zazza, a 15-year media, marketing and advertising expert, is the Principal of Zazza Media Strategies, a Dallas Texas Marketing Firm, that specializes in growing small to medium sized businesses to their fullest potential.

ALERT: Are you being conned by Pay-Per-Tweet? is by Zazza Media Strategies, a Dallas Area Media Strategies, Relations, Advertising and Marketing firm.

Easy and Simple yet Deadly

It’s dubbed “Social Media” and you’ll learn quickly that I’m a fan of the service and a sceptic on the “social media experts”.

Here’s the deal: there’s a lot of confusing information out there. I was on Facebook only a few months after it launched. I stumbled upon Twitter years before the local news anchor had an account. I’ve been from building websites pre-New Media to working in a world where no one can get enough of it. There’s a fundamental concept that people often lose:

Stay focused on your content and where your content is launched

If you don’t think you understand “Social Media” do not try to use it. Tackle a service one at a time. Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, Digg, etc. – each of these services do not need to be daunting. You’re running your own business after all, don’t get anxious over a simple web service.

Remember that most “Social Media” services were created to have fun. So make sure you do just that: have fun with it.

Come back Wednesday for another Tip & Strategy.

Tell a Friend,

TZ

Tony Zazza, a 15-year media, marketing and advertising veteran, is the Principal of Zazza Media Strategies, a Dallas Texas Marketing Firm, that specializes in small to medium sized businesses.

Save Time – Avoid Social Media Chaos is by Zazza Media Strategies, a Dallas Area Media Strategies, Relations, Advertising and Marketing firm.

Many people turn to Google for information. Did you know that Google has already turned to you for information?

Starting off my posts to keep you updated with Media Strategies, I want to get your work week started with helpful links. Use Google’s tools so that even without a website, Facebook, Twitter or ANYTHING – people can “Google” you.

Google’s Tools:

• Google Products
• Google Business Solutions

Google does charge for some services you will see. But for the Media Strategist, the only important services are free. Including Local Business Center where you can add your business information Google does not already have.

Let’s say you own “Awesome Donuts” in Springfield, MO. You could add your information – people could google “Donuts Springfield MO” – and your business could pop up on the map like so: Google(Donuts Springfield MO).

Never forget that you are always in control of your information. Come back on Friday for another Tip & Strategy – Tell a Friend,

TZ

Tony Zazza, a 15-year media, marketing and advertising veteran, is the Principal of Zazza Media Strategies, a Dallas Texas Marketing Firm, that specializes in small to medium sized businesses.

Get Googled: Without a Website is by Zazza Media Strategies, a Dallas Area Media Strategies, Relations, Advertising and Marketing firm.