Super Bowl! Super Bowl! Super Bowl!

… like Sunday! SUNDAY! SUNDAY!

In case you didn’t know, there’s a big show tonight, and I’m not talking about men in tights, either! ha!

I am so excited about the commercials this year. Social media is going to play a big role in the ads, and they are expected to be better than ever. They better be with a cost of around $3.9 million a pop!
Yes, I know.. that number is usually inflated and it never reflects the rate card pricing.. which goes out the window for events like this. But it sounds good, right?

I am going to be your Super Bowl Commercial 411. I’ve got the inside scoop on when commercials are airing, pre-releases and more.

You want even more?

Okay..
Tomorrow check back here over at AMA Baltimore to get my take of the best and worst of commercials, and why I think they were a hit or flopped.

Brainzooming.com has created a #bzbowl game that allows players to collect points based on spotting traditional advertising cliche’s. This is going to be FUN.
As various Super Bowl ad cliches show up in commercials, check the items off your list and total up the points at the end of the quarter and/or game.
Prizes are optional.

Now, for the inside scoop…

Superbowl-Ads.com has released the commercial schedule. Seriously!
Take a look at what products air when, and be ready to take notes! Notice anything key about the products in slots before/after each ad spot?
Hmm..

I’ve already mentioned that social media is expected to be a big part of tonight’s ads. Here’s the skinny:
Social Media Gets Legs

Oh, and don’t forget to check in on Four Square to don your Super Bowl XLV badge!

Lots of brands have been getting pre-show buzz. Volkswagon is one of them.
Mashable has a Top 10 list of brands getting the most pre-show Twitter buzz.

Here’s a sneak peek at the VW commercial to air later today:

What brand are you most looking forward to seeing in the Super Bowl commercial dual?

Social Media Seminar

Look at that awesome group!

This past Friday, January 14, I spoke at the Baltimore Washington Corridor Chamber (BWCC), Women in Business kick off meeting. I spent most of the time discussing various social media strategies with real word case studies that have proven to drive lead generation, compliment the sales process, and help manage customer service issues.

Here are a few of the bullet points from the seminar:

There is no science to social media

Social Media cannot stand alone in the marketing plan; instead, it should be integrated with other sales and marketing strategies

3 buckets of marketing: Online Marketing, Face to Face, and Media & Advertising

Social media is not a sit back and wait; “If you build it and they will come” does not work in social media

3 ways to attract community members on social media platforms: Engage, Provide Content, and Give to Get

ENGAGE: Contests, listening and responding, humanize the voice

CONTENT: Captivating & creative, include things like blogs, white papers, product specs, industry information

GIVE TO GET: Offering coupons and other discounts to your customers is a great way to attract new members

Tips to engage, types of information to share as content creations, and “give to get” ideas

“Give ’em something to talk about…”

Resources

Websites I follow to learn about social media

If you’d like a copy of the presentation, download it here.
If you share this with others, please credit the author (ME!) appropriately. Lots of time went into that..

Stay tuned right here, on this blog channel. I’ll be exploring more of each of the topics in the presentation over the next few weeks.

Feel free to post your questions from the seminar or the presentation. I love to chat about social media, in case you haven’t noticed!

Or, if you’d like to chat about your current strategy and where you’d like to be, I offer a complimentary 30-minute consultation – just because I like you. Simply drop me a note and I’ll be in touch.

And one last thing….

I’m planning on conducting a 5-part webinar series that dives into the actual how-to of each of the platforms to grow your social media community. Each session will be 1 hour in length including time for Q&A, The cost will be $25 per session, or all 5 for $100.
If you are interested, please let me know. If I can get enough people interested, I’ll find a way to make this happen!