L&S Unscripted

Admittedly, we first have to ensure there is dialogue. If you participated in the third part of the L&S Social Media Boot Camp, then you know that we experienced a couple minor technical difficulties – but luckily @markmorgan was able to join the conversation for questions and answers at the end.  Thanks to @courtneylotzer who continued through like a champ and our participants who stayed with us during the bump and if you missed all the excitement, you can watch the updated version of the webinar here or use Twitter Search and query for #TheExtraMile.

Here’s a brief overview for those who missed Tuesday’s webinar.

Where to Start?  Listen. There are numerous tools and online resources to measure and listen to all sorts of conversations online. To start listening, to help filter all the noise, we suggested a few free tools that we find valuable.

• Trendrr
• Quarkbase
• SocialMention
• Technorati Search
• Google Alerts

These are all great tools for providing a snapshot of what people are saying in the online space. Trendrr is probably the most comprehensive (look beyond your initial confusion, just stick with it for awhileJ), Google the easiest and others are fun to play around with if your geeky like our team is!

Lawrence and Schiller uses these tools in addition to our subscription based tool, Radian6. As a company we looked at many different options for our social media monitoring tool of choice.  We debated between Radian6 and Sentiment Metrics. We liked Sentiment Metrics because it automatically assigned sentiment to each post. After researching it further, we came to find out that statistically, the sentiment metric was only correct up to 40% of time, so we chose Radian6 because of its ease of use and functionality.

With the Radian6 measurement platform, you can find your brand on millions of blog posts, videos, reviews in forums, sharing of photos, twitter updates. It is real time monitoring of mentions about your company, product, issues and competitors, and has the ability to quickly find the most important relevant conversations.

Free tools are great for initial competitive review, building broad insights of topics from a general audience and checking your “gut” instincts.  We prefer to use an in-depth tool such as Radian6 for trend analysis and quantifiable ROI measurement.

I’ve listened. Now what? Define your goal, then the tool. We can’t say it enough. Social media should always start with understanding, and agreement, of what you are trying to accomplish with your overall marketing and/or communication efforts.  Measurement of social media is the same. Understanding your goal is the key to defining and selecting an accurate metric for ROI.

And finally, start engaging online and offline (use traditional marketing to promote your online efforts). If you don’t engage on behalf of your company, someone else will. If there is a void someone will step up and fill this role when there is a need for it.

Deserved or not deserved a single negative review or mention can taint a brand for a long time. It’s important to take a more proactive role in protecting your brand before it’s too late. You have the tools, now you can start monitoring the digital space for mentions of your brand, either positive or negative, and it’s the best way you can actually cultivate relationships, too.

Would you be surprised that 40% of marketing professionals don’t use a formalized marketing communications plan? Maybe not…especially if you’re one of them.

When you don’t know where your brand is heading, it doesn’t matter which way you go. But when you have a defined objective, you want the most effective path there. That’s why marcom plans are such a valuable asset.

Personally, I like to think of them in terms of news.

News tells the stories of the day, and in the same sense, your marcom plan is how you’ll tell the story of your brand. It identifies the 5 W’s of your marketing strategy: the who (target audience), what (branding and creative), when and where (media planning) and why (research and overall strategy). But unlike news that’s printed and quickly becomes history, your marcom plan is a living document, adapting to the needs of your brand and the factors in flux around it.

Today’s newest plans are even more flexible. They’re measurable in real-time, so marketers can make adjustments and see results immediately.

Think about it. Without a dashboard in your car, you’d never know how quickly you’re approaching your target destination or how much fuel you have to get there. It’s the same with marketing. Without dashboards, you don’t really know where you’re going and how quickly you’re getting there…if at all.

At L&S, we’re actually measuring ROI as it relates to marcom plans through real-time dashboards.

This set of metrics can be defined by you and is displayed on an online “blackboard” where you can quickly evaluate the success of a marketing plan or campaign.

What they measure is up to you. But most dashboards include:

- Digital inputs, like web visitors, referrals or quality metrics

- Traditional and non-traditional media responses such as impressions, click-throughs, call center volumes or other inquiry types

- Sales metrics communicating how customers move through the sales funnel (online or offline) including leads, sales, product types, geographic and timeline sales trends

- Other engagements consumers might have with a brand during a campaign

By evaluating these measures, you can track ROI from the beginning of a campaign to any defined point in time, pushing you to set initial campaign goals and look at immediate benchmarks.

With dashboards like these, you can gain a real-time picture of what’s happening with your brand. Without them, you might be simply driving in the dark.

In week two the skinny chicks rule, the integrity of the official scale comes into question and one of last week’s champions falls to an abdominal injury.

The details are brought to you by this week’s sponsor, Kentucky Fried Chicken.

The highest-percentage-weight-lost award goes to Kristy Andersen. Just like the wealthy are often the best savers it appears Kristy knows how to peel the pounds with a loss of 1.75%. She was followed closely by a pack of not-so-skinny-chicks: Kevin Phipps at 1.53%, Jeremy Peters at 1.43%, Mark Henderson at 1.30% and Jeff Hanson at 1.25%.

Overall many found this week to be a challenge while staying even or slightly gaining. A grand total of 11.5 pounds were lost this week compared to 62.5 pounds last week. Based on my home scale I personally believe the official scale is weighing two pounds heavier than when the contest began. As they say, this weight loss thing is a marathon, not a sprint.

Last week’s pedometer champion, John Pohlman, set the standard for everyone at 10,000 steps per day. This week John says he felt like “the mechanical rabbit at the greyhound races” as the Big Losers relentlessly stalked him. The Judge cranked out 17,000 steps on Wednesday with a Stairmaster/basketball combo. Melody Morton turned in 20,000 steps on Saturday, 14,000 on Sunday and a total of 87,263 for the week. Now that’s a smack down. The Pohlman-Morton grudge match is alive and well. Hanson may have trouble keeping up due to an abdominal injury. Details are sketchy but in layman’s terms I think he may have “blown a gasket.” Surgery may be imminent.

Four more contestants exceeded the standard of 10,000 steps per day this week. They are, in order of most steps to least: Pohlman, The Judge, Jeremy Peters and Kristy. Total recorded steps for all contestants rose to 710,873 compared to last week’s 678,266.

Reset your pedometers and let the week three contest begin.

-The Judge

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 3:16 — 1.6MB)

How can Twitter, the current “It” application of social media, help you market your business? Miles Rausch, L&S web programmer and an early adapter of all things digital, sat down with The Extra Minute to offer some insights.

Twitter was also the focus of Social Media Boot Camp II. A video archive of the Twitter webinar is available. During the boot camp we asked the attendees a couple questions about their use of the micro-blogging tool. Here are the results.

Do you have a Twitter account?

What kind of tweets do you send?

Well it depends on if you joined Tuesday’s (4.21.09) webinar or not, L&S Social Media Boot Camp: Twitter Demystified.  We had great questions from the audience of over 120 participants and you can follow the online conversations as well via twitter search, #TheExtraMile.

There were a number of requests for the information presented, so here’s a quick hot sheet as presented by @awayken and @robintemple.

In case you were wondering, L&S likes to describe Twitter as an open forum of short dialogue. Twitter was designed to be compatible with mobile phones and extend text messaging type posts to a larger audience. Think of it as a cross between text messaging and a chat room. Oh by the way, its always changing too – watch the horizon for new innovations and Google’s role.

How To Use Twitter 101:

1.  Don’t use the website…use a Twitter application!

• Tweetdeck
• Twhirl
• Twitterfeed

2. Share Content

• Share Links: Tr.im (trims your links)
• Share Pics: TwitPic
• Share Vids: 12seconds
• Save Thoughts: Birdhouse (a notepad for Twitter)
• Spread Music: Blip.fm

3. Talk the Talk: Twitter Lingo

• tweet – an update or posting to Twitter
• replies – a way of relating your tweet to a previous tweet
• direct messages – private messages
• favorites – a way of marking your favorites
• fail whale – Twitter’s “over capacity” mascot
• @TheExtraMile – a reply to TheExtraMile
• RT – re-tweet
• OH – Over heard
• #awesome – a way of tagging your tweet

Also, I found this great presentation on slideshare.net – a great visual presentation of Twitter words.

4. Listen to the Conversation.

• Twitter Search
• Monitter : Search by topic, geography.
• TweetBeep : Receive e-mail alerts.
• Nearby Tweeps

5. Twitter is for Conversation. Take the time to respond to people and be a part of a conversation

6.  Utilize multiple accounts. Segment your audience (sales versus service) and your conversations, ie Dell, Wells Fargo.

7. Follow interesting people.

• Wefollow: Connect with new tweeple who share your interests

8. Promote: Your account should be in your website, in your email byline, on your tshirt, etc. If people don’t know your twitter account exists, it’s not going to do you much good.

9.  Retweet (RT) but give credit where credit is due.

10. Don’t over-use. Be relevant.

Let us know if you have other questions or comments to share!  Looking forward to next week’s session!

Join our in-house measurement experts, Courtney Lotzer and Mark Morgan, as they lead Part III of Social Media Boot Camp and you’ll walk away with the best social media measurement practices to help your bottom line.

L&S Social Media Boot Camp: Part III

Measure the Digital Dialogue

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

10:00 a.m. CST

The Lawrence & Schiller Social Media Boot Camp is a free 10-week webinar series that focuses on a variety of social media topics for today’s digital marketing environment. Each Tuesday morning, join us for an in-depth discussion and a review of available tools and best-of-the-best showcases from across the country. Social media is inherently social; likewise your comments and questions will be included in the one hour online conversation.

For a complete schedule of upcoming topics, click here.

Register here for Part III of the Boot Camp, “Measure the Digital Dialogue

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (1.6KB)

In honor of Earth Day, The Extra Minute serves up a special edition. The topic… Marketing Green Initiatives.

Natalie Eisenberg, account executive at Lawrence & Schiller, prepared this list of six suggestions for companies that have been hesitant to take the first steps into marketing their efforts to sustain the environment.

1. Don’t Wait. You don’t have to be completely green before promoting your efforts. Celebrate and communicate your small successes.
2. Perfection is not the goal. Focus on progress and improvement.
3. Be Yourself. Stay true to your brand voice and personality when tackling and marketing environmental efforts.
4. “What’s in it for me?” Green fatigue is real. Be ware of ‘save the world’ messages. Instead communicate the primary benefits for your customers.
5. Walk the walk. Do as much as possible.
6. Be Prepared. Expect criticism. Get ready to explain your company’s position.

The first installment of the Lawrence & Schiller Social Media Boot Camp was launched last Tuesday, April 13. Needless to say, I have to give a shout out to the audience who asked great questions and were willing to really engage with the topic. Great questions, great polls, a great time was had by all. In fact, it was overwhelming to see that over 100 people participated in this first ever event for our agency.

In case you missed it, here’s a brief recap of the topic:

Definition of Social Media: Content created by people using highly accessible and scalable publishing technologies. It is intended to facilitate communications, influence interaction between peers and with public audiences. This is typically done via the Internet and mobile communications network.

L&S Version of Social Media: Social media is content created by people, with tools, that create conversations.

Key Takeaway: If your company exists, people are talking about it online. If you choose to participate in the conversation, think about your message first and then find the right tool to connect with your audience.

Here’s the video if you want to listen to the entire presentation – its worth 60 minutes of your time!

The Lawrence & Schiller Social Media Boot Camp is a free 10-week webinar series that focuses on a variety of social media topics for today’s digital marketing environment. Each Tuesday morning, join us for an in-depth discussion and a review of available tools and best-of-the-best showcases from across the country. Social media is inherently social; likewise your comments and questions will be included in the one hour online conversation.

Today’s topic at 10:00 a.m. CST was focused on “Twitter Demystified.” Come back in a few days for the recap on our blog.

For a complete schedule of upcoming topics, click here.

Register here for Part III of the Boot Camp, “Measure the Digital Dialogue.”

The Week One Weigh-in is complete. A grand total of 62.5 pounds were lost. That’s an average of 3 pounds per person that weighed-in this morning.

The highest percentage weight lost award goes to Jeff Hanson at 4.09%. Jeff says his secret to success is that he quit smoking at the same time. Crazy! Jeff also is tracking goals he set for calories and exercise. All that paid off with an 8.5 pound loss for the week. Michelle Adrian, Kevin Phipps and John Pohlman all passed the 3% threshold as well. Nicely done! Jeff plans to use his $20 in prize cash to buy his old smoking buddies a pack of cigs.

Most steps travelled goes to John Pohlman at 68,001. John’s goal is 10,000 steps per day. (There were only 6 days in Week One.) He’s getting them by walking the dogs and jogging on the treadmill. He says the pedometer is such a great motivator he’s going to purchase a higher-quality unit. John’s earnings of $20 should cover the cost. Jeff Hanson logged the 2nd most steps with 64,000. The Judge came in third with 51,000. Rumor has it that Melody Morton was in the 60,000 plus range as well but she opted out of this week’s weigh-in. I see a grueling weekly battle developing between Morton, Pohlman & The Floating Brain.

The special Judge’s Award for this week goes to Korena Keys for creating the program. Nearly everyone lost weight and the pedometer has become a great motivator for many.

See you at Coyote Canyon.

-Judge Mark

Are you set to increase the intensity of your social media know-how? Are you ready to be “awayken”? Week II of the L&S Social Media Boot Camp webinar series is open for registration and we want you!

Twitter, the micro-media blogging tool “du jour”, has exploded exponentially in just the last two months. And when we say exponentially – we mean over 1300%. So let’s talk about how you can use this tool in the workplace, in your marketing efforts and in your social speak every day.

Week Two: Twitter Demystified
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
10:00 a.m. CDT

Meet Miles Rausch (@awayken) and Robin Temple (@robintemple) as they lead Session II of the L&S Social Media Bootcamp.

Social media is inherently social; your comments and questions will be included in the one hour online conversation.

Full schedule available at http://www.l-s.com/bootcamp/schedule.pdf
Register today at https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/393464723

L&S Big Losers,

I have received a number of reports of pedometer malfunctions. Among them are…

• Fell on floor of supermarket and reset inducing embarrassing profanity-laced tirade
• Fell in toilet
• Don’t know where the heck it fell because I can’t find it
• My child reset it
• It locked up at 999,999 steps
• The dog ate it
• Lost it snowboarding at Great Bear
• A bear ate it
• And so forth

It appears the pedometer is an inexact science at best but it is highly motivating and a fun gadget. So we want to keep it as part of the contest.

Here is my recommendation and ruling. Begin a paper log and write down your pedometer reading every night. Those logs will be accepted at the weekly weigh-in. I will allow some “estimating” this week while we’re working out the bugs. The iron fist will come out next week.

Yes, that means we’re on the honor system. But in all reality we already were. It would be pretty easy to strap that thing to the bumper of the car on the way to work.

I purchased a pedometer at Lewis (shameless client plug) for $12 that hasn’t reset itself a single time. Come and check it out if you’re thinking about an upgrade. It looks pretty darn smart on my belt as well.

Another clarification, when you weigh in this Wednesday morning at 7:30 am your $2 fee will be paid out to the just completed week’s leaders in percentage weight lost (scale) and steps taken (pedometer). Please bring cash so I don’t have to turn my office into a retail outlet. Don’t anger the judge. I know where you live and how much you weigh, and I have a blog and team of internet marketing specialists.

Many have been swinging my office to check the official scale. Feel free to do that even if I’m not around.

See you at the Royal Fork.

-Judge Mark

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 3:45 — 1.7MB)

Don’t get me wrong. Reading is great. Do it every chance I get.

But there is a certain something about listening to a story that can’t be denied. The tone of voice, the pacing, even the pauses add embellishments that can only be conveyed through the spoken word.

That’s why Lawrence & Schiller is offering The Extra Minute – a weekly podcast.

The Extra Minute will provide short stories (2-3 minute) that include one or more of these basic elements:

1. Full-circle, integrated marketing
2. Quantifiable results
3. Our 5280 promise

Our first episode focuses on Social Media Boot Camp, a new series of webinars Lawrence & Schiller launched April 14th (watch the archive).  The Extra Minute will offer new podcast episodes every Tuesday.

Take a listen and let us know what you think!

Wondering how to skirt the effects of a recession?

Take a page from Sioux Falls’ book. The city (and entire state of South Dakota) was featured in this week’s LA Times as a rare U.S. community that’s thriving despite a floundering economy.

Some highlights:

• The region from North Dakota to Texas includes five of the six states that analysts at Economy.com have classified as not yet in recession.
• Sioux Falls has an unemployment rate of 4.8% -  less than half that of Los Angeles.
• Despite the pummeling the financial sector has taken, banks have only made limited cuts in Sioux Falls because it is so much cheaper to operate here. Citibank, for example, has slashed 53,000 jobs around the world but only 122 here.
• The state is aggressively pro-business, which some also credit for its resilience amid the recession.

Read the rest of the story right here.

On New Year’s Day every employee of Lawrence & Schiller received an email from one of our co-workers challenging us to participate in a company-wide weight-loss and fitness contest. That initiative sparked a 12-week adventure for the 24 Extra Milers who accepted the challenge and a great new spectator sport for the rest of the company.

I was asked to be “The Judge” of the contest. My job was to conduct weekly weigh-ins and write reports for the company blog. Those stories evolved into a unique combination of fact and exaggeration. At the request of several folks here I’m going to post them on “L&S Unscripted” over the next 12 weeks.

Here is how the L&S Biggest Loser contest worked:

-          Every contestant paid a $25 entry fee which was awarded to the top 3 weight losers at the end of the contest. Weight loss was based on percentage lost rather than pounds lost.

-          Every week contestants paid $2 to weigh in. Half of the weekly fee was awarded to the top weight loser for that week. The other half was given to the contestant who logged the most steps on their pedometer.

From my vantage point, looking past people’s feet to see the scale window while they weighed in, I learned a lot about my co-workers socks and have become an expert at guessing people’s weight. Watch for me in the Fool the Guesser booth at the next county fair.

A special shout out to L&S Media Strategist Korena Keys. Her challenge initiated an event where 175 total pounds were lost and lives were literally changed. Here is her New Year’s Day email.

———

To:  L&S All Staff

Subject:  Review. Regret. Resolve. It’s 2009.

Date:  01.01.2009

New Year’s Resolutions…

This is why I hate New Years Day. Everyone expects you to have all these grand resolutions on top of the guilt of over-indulgence during the holidays. Save money; be nice to people; lose weight; spend time with family; exercise; you know the drill. On top of this, you are smacked with TV ads showing you how you can get abs of steel simply by using their special bungee cord, you lose fat in your sleep by swallowing a pill, or join this gym because it will make you feel good just knowing you belong. Blah, blah, blah.

I know I will be pressured in making resolutions and, come February, I will not even remember what they were. So, my first, and only, 2009 resolution will not be to lose weight. No, I am not falling in that trap again. My resolution will be to get healthy (with the hope this will result in a smaller pant size).

Maybe you are better than me and can follow through on your resolutions. For me to be successful, I need accountability. Someone I know will track my goals and question me when they start to slide. Someone I know is simply watching to see if I will succeed or fail. Someone who scares me into success. Someone like you!

If any of this sounds familiar to you, or you just want to see me try, then I would like to invite you to join me on Tuesday morning at 7:30 here at L&S (Synergy War Room). We will have an introductory meeting to kick off the L&S Biggest Loser competition. I know, it sounds corny. But I figure that if it will help me, then it will probably help others in the office as well. On Tuesday, we will outline the program so that you can decide if you would like to participate. The contest will be held completely outside of office hours, and will have two parts; the first based on percentage of loss (not quantity so that it is equitable between all species, shapes, and sizes), and the second on the effort. More details to come on Tuesday.

If you are interested, but unable to meet Tuesday morning, please talk to me before Wednesday, January 7^th.

Breakfast will not be served.

Korena

———

Come back every week for the weigh-in reports.

- Mark “The Judge” Glissendorf

For anyone out there who questions the value of Twitter, I offer you TwinsTicker.

If you every find yourself desparately hoping for a comeback victory or praying the defense can hold long enough to preserve a win, then you need to follow @TwinsTicker.

TwinsTicker provides the odds of winning with updates after each score or key out. The math involved is complex to say the least. Better to see it in action:

 The ticker tweets are available for other teams too:

• Cardinals
• Cubs
• Yankees

What I like most about TwinsTicker is what it represents… the ongoing search for new applications that will make social media relevant to new audiences. Once upon a time, conventional wisdom said the Internet was little more than a toy for freaks and geeks.  Then everyday people discovered everyday ways to use it. Now we’re seeing the same progression with new media like Twitter.

Hopefully TwinsTicker exposes more people to the possiblities of Twitter, but it does come with a downside. As exhilarating as it is to watch your team ride a 99% chance of winning through the late innings, it’s equally devastating when the tide turns.

At times like this, baseball + Twitter = bitter.

Sometimes a good kick in the pants – like a recession – is exactly what we need to get us moving in the right direction. Think about it. Just one year ago we were all complaining about:

• Low personal savings rates
• High credit card usage
• Soaring oil and energy prices
• An inflated housing market

 Today, a lot of these problems are on the mend.

• The personal saving rate has risen to over 3% from a negative percentage in 2005.
• Consumers are learning to spend more wisely as budgets tighten.
• Oil prices were below $35 a barrel in February; today, they currently sit below $50.
• Falling housing prices are making homeownership a new reality for many.  

No one’s saying this recession has been painless; a lot of people have lost their jobs, homes and savings, facing difficulties none of us want to deal with. But there’s a silver lining to every situation. And sometimes focusing on the bright side can make coping that much easier. Just something to think about…

After several years serving on the board of the South Dakota Symphony and most recently as board president, L&S President and CEO Scott Lawrence has been named as the chair for the Sioux Empire United Way 2010 campaign drive.

Campaign chair is an honor reserved for some of the most well-respected leaders in our community who have expressed a strong devotion to helping those in need.

“Getting involved and having the opportunity to give back to our communities is a priority for myself and the agency,” Lawrence said.

“I am extremely honored to step up as this year’s campaign chair. Many people have said to me, ‘what a terrible time to lead’ because of the economy. I say just the opposite. I believe this will be the Sioux Empire United Way’s finest hour.”

An unsteady economy has not stopped the campaign from reaching and exceeding its goals in the past; last year, the Sioux Empire United Way saw a 3.2% increase in giving, raising $9.3 million for those in need.

As an agency, Lawrence & Schiller has a legacy of extra-mile support for the United Way with 100% participation in employee giving and more than 30 Heart Club members.

Lawrence & Schiller is also helping to develop marketing materials for the upcoming campaign, titled “Live United.” You can learn more or get involved with the Sioux Empire United Way at www.seuw.org

South Dakota Tourism’s “All Aboard South Dakota” campaign was honored as a finalist at the Minnesota Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Awards on March 27. The awards banquet attracted over 300 communications professionals from large-scale agencies, corporations and non-profit organizations.

Selected as a finalist in the Integrated Communications Services category, the “All Aboard South Dakota” campaign stood next to work from global organizations like Doremus (Omnicom Group), Fleishman-Hillard and Carmichael Lynch.

“All Aboard South Dakota” commercials, print ads, web banners and emails connected visitors with travel deals exclusive to Minnesota residents. Trains on the Minneapolis Light Rail were wrapped in stunning South Dakota imagery, and six authentic cowboy re-enactors roamed downtown Minneapolis, talking to commuters, attending local events and handing out sheriff’s badges to kids. Eventually, the Light Rail train conductors were shouting, “All aboard…next stop: South Dakota” and taxi drivers were humming the state’s jingle as they drove past.

The train wrap garnered an estimated 30 million impressions, and the campaign earned 1.6 million impressions from media coverage by MN Public Radio and the MN Star Tribune. As a result, vacation inquiries from Minnesotans were up 22% during the peak tourism season.

Minnesota PRSA is the tenth-largest chapter of the PRSA, the world’s largest organization for public relations professionals with nearly 32,000 members. Since 1978, the Minnesota PRSA Awards have honored the best in the public relations field.

So you think that your brand has gone digital huh?  You have your content on Youtube, your Facebook page has a few friends and you’ve maybe even been tweeting with a loyal following.  Well, I’ve got news for you; according to Colleen DeCourcy, the Digital Director for TBWA, there are 10 hours of content being uploaded to YouTube every minute.  That’s 600 hours of content an hour, 14,400 hours a week, and 432,000 hours a month.  Good luck being found.  Being digital is about innovating with truly game changing applications.  Take Nike for example.  No longer do they create a shoe in a vacuum and expect the product to drive the market.  Instead, Nike is letting the market drive the product with Nike iD.  Consumers can go online and design the size, shape, color, even laces of their ideal shoe and Nike cranks them out and ships them direct.  Amazing how digital marketing can drive an entire operation. 

Going digital takes a big commitment to strategy, not just tactics.  You can’t simply post to YouTube and create a Facebook page and call it good.  Being relevant in the digital market is an ongoing task, requiring marketers to be constantly innovating.  Take a look at your digital strategies.  What are you doing to truly change the game? 

We invite you to join our upcoming Social Media webinar series. We will focus on different social media topics each week for 8 weeks beginning Tuesday, April 14th.

Week One: Social + Media = What Exactly?
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
10:00 a.m. CST

Recent Nielsen findings stated that social networking is more popular than email. Are you a game changer or are you still wondering what social media is? Either way – you know that social media plays a major role in advertising and marketing to your audience. Join L&S for an in-depth discussion and web conference series. The L&S Social Media Boot Camp kicks off on Tuesday, April 14, 2009, with “Social Media Orientation: A Crash Course for Marketers.”

Digital Marketing Director, Robin Temple, and Billie Jo Waara, Account Planning & Research Director, will provide an initial overview of available tools and best-of-the-best showcases from across the country. Social media is inherently social; likewise your comments and questions will be included in the one hour online conversation.

Full schedule available at http://www.l-s.com/bootcamp/schedule.pdf

Register today at www.l-s.com/bootcamp

A driver-side view.

At L&S, we’re always looking for new and innovative ways to market our clients. A good example? These gorgeous (yes, I used the word “gorgeous” to describe a semi-truck) eighteen-wheelers by the South Dakota Office of Tourism.

These seven trucks are currently driving cross-country, wrapped in  beautiful South Dakota images to show the majestic wide open spaces of our state. How’s that for a road sign?

Not only are the trucks getting attention from fellow drivers; travelers have even stopped to have their photo taken with the big rigs at truckstops around the U.S. In fact, the truck drivers have received such a huge response from people along their route that they now carry vacation guides with them to hand out, answering questions and getting people interested in a South Dakota vacation.