By Steve Barnes

Social Media is a big deal for bringing in new business. It’s a big deal when it’s done correctly.  And it’s an even bigger deal when it’s done dead wrong.

This is why Social Media training is important. It’s baffling to see businesses that have fought hard to gain brand presence simply turn the keys to their corporate image over to an intern. Just because someone is fresh out of college with a Facebook and Twitter account doesn’t mean you should entrust them to steer you through the complex Social Media landscape. Social Media is big business but it’s not free. Sure, it is “free” to have an account but it is only going to help your business if the management of those accounts is done with wisdom and creativity.   Then and only then will a company reap the profits that social media marketing has to offer.

Keep track of links? Uhhhhhhhhh.

My favorite recent story was a client that brought me in to evaluate their Social Media infrastructure. I met with their ‘Social Media Manager,” a 24 year old college graduate they were paying 60K a year. My first question was regarding her editorial calendar. The blank look on her face said it all.  Next question: What are you using to track your links?  The silence deepened along with the vacant expression.  What about analytics…are you not measuring anything to see how it is performing?  She muttered something that sounded like, Uh?  Needless to say she is no longer employed by this brand.  We have had to work hard to turn around the mess that was created at the hands of someone who just didn’t “get” Social Media like you need to “get” Social Media to survive. Word to the wise: there are a ton of ‘Social Media Gurus” floating around selling voodoo that you should be on the lookout for. They talk a big game and many have no clue what they are talking about. I’ve seen really smart business people get sucked into spending a lot of money on hot air. Make sure you do your due diligence before spending anything on launching a program.

I’ve been fortunate to work with “social” media for over 25 years.   Yes, I know that social networks have not been around that long which is why I qualified it as “social” media. When I hosted radio shows, it was the guests and the callers that always made the show resonate. Why?  Because the back and forth between guests, hosts and callers was intriguing, entertaining social interaction. If you think about it, Social Media is just that today but each individual is the host of their own show. Which part of radio was NOT social? The ads.  Radio was broadcasting (one way) ads while on-air talent were creating social relationships (two way). These days, people just turn the radio off and listen to their, i-Whatever. A big problem with many Social Media strategies is that they are using Social Media to broadcast instead of being social. You have to engage with your fans not sell to them by broadcasting your propaganda. You know what happens when you sell to them, right?  Click, your stream is turned off.

How Can a Brand Do Social Media the Correct Way?

There are several ways a brand can create a successful Social Media infrastructure without breaking the bank. A successful Social Media plan includes hiring a qualified person to execute the plan. What you don’t want to do is add these job duties to another full time employee. This ALWAYS ends badly. Remember what I said earlier, Social Media is not free. You get what you pay for and you want and need to pay for a quality community manager.  It takes commitment, knowledge and creativity to launch an awesome plan. From super small to massively heritage we help brands every day structure successful plans. Every brand’s strategy is completely different which makes our job fun.

There are several ways you can create your Social Media infrastructure. Some big brands have a Chief Content Officer, a VP of Social Media strategy, a Director of Social Media strategy, a Social Media manager and a Community Manager all under one roof. You are correct in the assumption that this line up is not cheap but it shows you how important these big brands are looking at getting it “right”. The problem is that there are not enough of these qualified people out in the marketplace. If you can find a solid (and I mean SOLID) Community Manager you will be at a great starting position. Many of the brands we work with have a full-time Community Manager and wish they would have hired one a year ago. A Community Manager is a rare species that is hard to find. I can’t stress the importance of hiring the right person for this difficult, grinding job. It is definitely a certain personality that excels at this position. Here’s a great info graphic mapping out Social Media Jobs and their salary range.

The last element to cover is Social Media training.  For your team to be sure they understand Social Media execution at a high level, the entire group should take the time to fully embrace what they as individuals can do to help your brand’s social efforts.   The WOM (Word of Mouth) starts with the brand ambassadors that you already have on the payroll.

Key Takeaways:

• Align with a thought leader in the Social Media space to help guide your overall strategy if you can’t afford a full-time Strategist.
• Hire a Community Manager, but seek guidance to be sure you are getting a qualified team member.
• Take the time to train yourself and your team to truly understand Social Media execution.

With social media community manger listed as the “it” job of 2012, it might be a good idea to quickly get up to speed on how to engage your targeted fans and followers. My goal is to help you make social network community management very easy and fulfilling to your brand. You have to get your fans and followers entangled with your brand if you want to float to the top of their streams. Below, you’ll find some resources to help get you acclimated as you start to go down the ever-changing path of social media.

Social Relationship Management Tools

There are a million choices when it comes to the perfect social network community management tool and the Altimeter Group is saving you a bunch of time with their very thorough case study and review of the big players in the social relationship management space.

Facebook
Are you up on all the changes with Pages for brands and the addition of the Timeline?

What is EdgeRank anyway?

This is a question you’ll want to get your arms around immediately. Here’s a great Edgerank summary to help you understand the EdgeRank game.

Twitter

Some love it, and some are scared to death of it. It can be a best friend to a marketer if they play the game correctly. Below are 2 resources that can help take the fear out of your affair with Twitter…Social Network Community Management Made Easy…and…Don’t Lose Twitter Followers With These 20 Tips For Tweeting.

QR Codes

Having a mobile strategy can be a huge asset.  One thing you’re going to want to explore is QR Codes. Learn more about QR Codes and how you can put them into play for your brand this holiday season.

Facebook Places

Facebook now allows check-ins for non-physical events, and executing this at all of your events with a prompt for visitors to “check-in” could give that event some nice residual reach.

B2B Marketing

If you’re in the B2B game, here are The 10 Commandments of B2B Marketing to help guide your ways.

Video Help
Why not learn from some of the biggest brands in the world. like Amway, Intel, Barracuda Networks, The University of Texas and more?  You can check out the Social Marketing Minute, with over 100 video case studies (in bite-sized 1/2 minute chunks) showcasing all the things they did right and wrong.  Here’s an example from Phil Lempert (The Supermarket Guru from The Today Show) on the topic of B2B and B2C social marketing.

Creating Video Content.

It’s time to become a producer. NOW. You need to entertain, educate or a little bit of both would be nice. Video is where you need to be and here are 5 Easy Steps to Great Looking Web Video Content.

Exit off this Train?

Maybe the community manager gig isn’t right for you?  Find out if you have what it takes here in the article How To Know You’re Not Community Manager Material.

Unfortunately, there is no official Twitter manual with definitive ways to tweet. You have to do what feels right and take your cues from your fellow tweeps. These tips in this easy Twitter tutorial are not set in stone in any Twitter Bible, they are simply my opinion of how to tweet more effectively. Below I’ll serve up a few “rules” I feel are important, break down a “retweet,” and give some real life examples of how I would construct a tweet.

A Few Common Rules and Definitions:

• @: “@” is what you’ll see before someone’s username. My username on Twitter is @SteveBarnesUSA. When you address or comment about someone, it’s best practice to list them with the “@” sign in front of their username.
• #: “#” is called a Hashtag. Be sure and understand the difference regarding using a “@” or a “#” in your tweets.
• 140: The maximum characters you can include in a tweet is 140. I feel it’s best practice to only use 124 which will leave 16 characters for anyone that wants to retweet your content with a short comment of their own.
• Username: Try and make your username as short as you can to leave more room in all your tweets for content. If you have a super long name, try and simply using your initials. The shorter the better.
• Comment: If you can add a succinct comment to a retweet, that’s always a better practice. Sometimes it’s not needed and there may not be enough room (unless you edit the original tweet without losing its meaning). If you tweet a URL to a story you think your followers may enjoy, try adding a comment of some sort to show your personality.
• Credit: Always give credit to the authors of tweets or content. Never remove the @username attached to original content. Always try and add the @username to a URL you tweet if it’s accessible. If the author hasn’t made their article “Twitter friendly” I wouldn’t waste much time chasing it down. But you can still credit the website.
• Edit: I can’t stress this enough. Brevity is key on Twitter (and mandatory). Below are some examples of how I’d construct a tweet based on some actual tweets I pulled from my timeline.

Breaking Down a Retweet:

Tweet Construction:

Here are 5 actual tweets from our timeline with an edit showing how I would edit that tweet to make it more compact in line with the discussion above. You can’t have a tweet that’s too short, in my opinion. Leave room to keep your tweet alive with engagement.

1. ORIGINAL: Three Ways to Better Focus Your Social Media Marketing for success http://ow.ly/5UV9j #social #socialmedia (106 characters)

EDIT-> 3 Ways to Better Focus Your #SocialMedia #Marketing for success http://ow.ly/5UV9j (82 characters)

2. ORIGINAL: #socialmedia Ten Social Media Mistakes Small Businesses Can Avoid http://dlvr.it/dmt4B (86 characters)

EDIT-> 10 #SocialMedia Mistakes Small Biz’s Can Avoid http://dlvr.it/dmt4B (67 characters)

3. ORIGINAL: Average Reach for Twitter may be higher than you think – http://gag.gl/h7ES #Twitter #SocialMedia #Marketing (108 characters)

EDIT-> Avg Reach for @Twitter may be higher than U think – http://gag.gl/h7ES #SM #Marketing (85 characters)

4. ORIGINAL: 5 Steps to Getting Started With Mobile Marketing socialmediaexaminer.com/5-simple-steps… via @smexaminer #mobilemarketing #socialmedia (134 characters)

EDIT-> 5 Steps to starting w/ #Mobile #Marketing http://pub.vitrue.com/kKb via @smexaminer #sm (87 characters)

5. ORIGINAL: RT @socialmfortunes: Strategies vs. Tactics: Strategies vs. Tactics (Social Media Marketing) bit.ly/p24zeD #SocialMedia #Marketing (130 characters)

EDIT-> RT @socialmfortunes: Strategies vs. Tactics: Strategies vs. Tactics bit.ly/p24zeD #SM #Marketing (96 characters)

Some find Twitter to be intimidating, scary, spooky and unnerving. In my opinion, it’s none of those but could be a bit confusing from afar. When you break it down, it’s simply about using common sense and acting like a decent human being. It’s another channel of communication that, when used effectively, can yield impressive results both in your personal and professional life. This not only applies to Twitter but can also be applied to any social network like Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, etc.  How long would you keep a friend if you showed up at their doorstep always selling something? Not long. Here are 20 Twitter & social media tips that will show you how to not lose twitter followers…

 Compliment someone: Make it genuine.

 RT someone with a nice comment added: Be sure and credit them, plus a nice 2-3 word comment.

 @ SPAM: You know, the ones with the long list of usernames attached and nothing else. Not good. You should use the Twitter function to report all SPAM and also block any users that SPAM you.

 Ask for a RT: The twittersphere jury is out on this one. Careful if it’s standard procedure for you to ask for a retweet all the time. Some could grow tired and drop you.

 Start a conversation: See someone you want to engage with? Start a conversation! Many people are on Twitter because they want to have a social relationship. Don’t be serial about it, but relevant conversations may boost your Twitter credentials.

 Blatant ads or promotions: If you are on Twitter simply to SELL, you will be sniffed out and shunned by many people. Twitter can be a great selling aid, but you have to be smart.

 TWEET IN ALL CAPS: We hear you! It’s ok to ACCENT words here and there, but don’t yell the entire conversation.

 Be funny: Bring funny stuff to your stream and people will gravitate to you and share your tweets. Funny is not easy, and be careful to use common sense not to offend, it could backfire on you.

 Tweet a deal: This can be a double-edged sword. If you have something to gain from it, you should be careful how you do it. If you are sharing someone else’s deal (and have nothing to gain) you’ll fare much better. Make sure there are no hoops to jump through that will annoy people.

 Tweet useful info: When you come across it, tweet it! Twitter is a great way to get useful resources into the air. Use the great information, articles, etc. you find as content for your brand. You’ll get credit for the tweets when you share and also credit the authors of the info.

 Spew hate & negativity: There is no faster way to lose your followers and friends than putting a negative vibe out there.

 Be human & real: Show emotion, compassion, interest, excitement, humor, and people will want to engage with you on social networks.

 Be self-serving: Talk about yourself and promote your stuff all the time. Let me know how that works out for you.

 Ask a question: You will be shocked at how quickly you will find out the answer and probably make a new friend/follower.

 Answer a question: Even better than asking a question. You can get thought-leader status pretty quickly if you consistently help people in your niche.

 Use a hashtag for rogue promotion: If you jump in on someone’s party and start spamming with their hashtag (#), prepare to get a Twitter beatdown, which you deserve. Some large brands have taken it on the chin trying this one.

 Follow Friday: It’s simple to Tweet #FF plus a few user names, and it makes people feel special. When that happens, you usually are in good graces with that Tweep. It’s a nice gesture and a good weekly habit to get into.

 Beg: Whether for a RT or a Follow…it’s just sad.

 Use SMS short code: This is also debatable. Personally, I think it’s ok with obvious words in a few parts of a tweet. I like to save about 16 characters at the end for people to comment when retweeting, and this is a gr8 way to do that.

 Use the word “BIEBER”: If it’s in your username, a tweet, or on a TV near you, it’s over. Goodbye.

By Steve Barnes

St. Regis at Dana Point, Ca. Yes, please.

You’re sitting at your desk thinking of a way out. It’s okay, you can admit it. It’s Friday, and the world looks SO much better outside than it does cramped up at your desk. Some sun would be nice instead of that computer screen tan you have working, right? If only there was a way to be productive anywhere else but here! A 3-day weekend would give you a sweet head start to a nice resort somewhere or maybe there’s that home project you’ve been putting off. There are tons of iPhone & iPad apps that can free you up like never before, and I’ve got 5 specifically for marketers who want to get their weekend started NOW.

1. NewsRack

NewsRack is one of the best RSS readers I ‘ve come across for iOS since the iPhone party started. There are some slicker RSS feed readers, but NewsRack delivers a nice experience on both the iPhone & iPad. While you’re at the pool, you can quickly surf all your feeds and blast out any breaking news stories or retweets you may need to push to your brand Fans. The best part of NewsRack is how easily you can post to Facebook & Twitter, automatically inserting the title of your post and shrinking the URL.

2. EasySign

What about all those contracts you’ll need to sign on your Friday away? EasySign has taken the clunkiness out of the electronic signature game. When all the eSigning apps started showing up, there were a lot of hoops to jump through to actually get something signed. It was almost faster to drive somewhere and sign it. EasySign has perfected the process with either a quick download or forwarding the document to an email address so you’re able to sign within the app. I was very impressed with how easy it was.

3. Beejive IM with Push

It’s probably best to not invite resentment from co-workers with your mobile productivity. These days, being logged on to IM is the equivalent of “leaving the lights on” when you head out for vacation. If you’re on IM, surely you’re doing something productive, righ? Right. Beejive IM works with about every IM client out there, and you can lean over your cocktail to keep up with any requests coming in from the art department. With the ability to leave apps “open” in iOS 4, this is a goldmine on days when you are “working from home”.

4. iTalk Recorder

Since you’ll be so relaxed, your best ideas are probably going to start flowing. iTalk Recorder is an amazingly easy digital voice recorder where you can email files from within the app. When I say easy, I mean easy. Push the big red record button and you’re on your way to capturing poolside brilliance. You can use it to stockpile ideas, plot some meeting points for the next staff gathering, or maybe even start that memoir you always meant to write.

5. Sonar

The sun has dropped and it’s party time. Think of all the networking you could do for your brand if you just knew who all those people at the club or restaurant were. Guess what? You can! I’ve saved the coolest app for last, an amazing “ice-breaker” called Sonar. When you pull up the app, you’ll see nearby locations where you can check-in and start networking. Sonar will show you who’s there and how you’re connected to them by listing the Twitter and/or Facebook friends you have in common. If you’re in sales, it’s like printing money! You now have an instant conversation starter inside your iPhone.

Quit reading this NOW, download all this digital goodness and slip out to enjoy that 3-day weekend!

By Steve Barnes

If you are walking around with an iPhone, you might not be aware that you are carrying around a top notch movie studio in your pocket!  ”It’s all about engaging video content” is what you hear over and over and it’s time for you and your iPhone to join the content party. iPhone video can look impressive if shot correctly and I’m going to show you some tricks and tips to get you some stellar looking footage. In this blog post I will be referring to the iPhone 4 which shoots amazing 720p HD video. iPhone video is not an “end all” solution for every case but if you are on a low budget you can really bang out some beautiful video content with your iPhone and edit it with the most basic iMovie editing setup. I’ve seen some iPhone video content that rivals some shot on an expensive fifty thousand dollar HD camera. Apple has done a lot of the hard work for you inside the technology. You simply need to know how to leverage it to capture killer video content. If you have a nice camera that already shoots 720p HD video, then the iPhone 4 could also make a nice second camera for your arsenal. Here’s how to get started using your iPhone 4 for professional looking video content…

Settings:

Below are some tips for getting your iPhone ready for the job of capturing great content. There are a few pertinent settings that will help you have great success.

• -Turn on “airplane mode” in your phone settings to avoid messing up any footage should you get a call or a text during your shoot.
• -Hold your phone with the camera on your top left when shooting and be sure your fingers are on the side of the iPhone as it is very easy to cover up the lens with a finger tip.
• -Turn off the light (setting is on the screen). This light is not good for much as it blinds a close subject and can’t reach a distant subject.
• -”Tap” the iPhone screen twice to see what the camera is actually capturing. By default you are seeing a cropped view that does not represent what is being recorded.
• -”Tap” the iPhone screen 1 more time to focus and light balance your subject. This is one of the biggest things that some forget to do and it’s one of the big keys to great footage. Tap exactly on the focal point of the shot and the camera will focus and light balance with that target in mind.

Stabilize:

Smoothee Steadicam for iPhone 4

With the iPhone being so small and light, you really need to use some tools to eliminate shaking when you are trying to hold the phone still. You will find a million adaptors online but the ones below I actually own and recommend highly.

• -Xshot – XSIP4 iPhone 4 Case w/Mini Tripod: This is great as it comes with a really nice hard shell case that has a slot built into the case where you can slide it right onto the tripod adaptor. It’s hard to even notice the slot on the case if you wanted to use it as your main case. You can easily add this included adaptor to any tripod or you can use their small one included in some cases where you will be placing the phone on a table.
• -BARSKA Accu Grip Handheld Tripod System: This is a great investment and you can use the same adaptor from the above kit to sit the iPhone on the tripod system. If you don’t purchase the item above, you will need to buy some sort of adaptor to be able to mount the phone on this system or any tripod. This “gun handle” tripod works very well and gets your hand completely off the camera.
• -Steadicam Smoothee for iPhone 4: This system is a little more expensive but worth every penny. You will be amazed at the video you can capture once you have mastered using it. It will take a bit of practice but it by no means is hard to learn. I love using this when using the iPhone as a second camera to get nice fluid camera movement. Once you get this out of your bag, be prepared for everyone within eye shot to ask you about it.

Sound:

Your Ticket to Pro Sound

The onboard mic on the iPhone is fine if you are capturing ambience or simple overall sound at an event. If you are interviewing someone I would suggest using an external mic. Note that the iPhone has a “special” input that may look like a standard “mini” input but it is not. Below is what you will need to get awesome sound into your iPhone.

• -iPhone External Mic Adaptor: Be sure and get the correct connector for the type of mic cable you are plugging into the adaptor. This example is for using an external mic with a XLR connection. No matter what external mic you use, you will need an adaptor cable to make it work properly. Make sure it is made to be used with the iPhone 4 which has special input requirements.
• -Azden ECZ-990 Supercardioid Shotgun Mic: This is a really nice sounding inexpensive shotgun mic. You will need to find a way to either mount this to your tripod as the iPhone does not have a “Cold Shoe” for mounting mics or lights. You can mount to your tripod or get a separate stand to place nearby. There are some solutions that combine all but I have found them clunky.

Your best scenario is when you can have your subject holding or wearing a microphone.

Light:

The iphone does an impressive job in low light scenarios. If you are using external video lights you have to white balance each time you are starting a recording. Take advantage of any natural light to help with your shot but avoid shooting with your subject’s back to your light source. If indoors, you should stand with a window behind you so the light is aimed at the back of your camera and at the front of your subject. If outdoors, you want the sun to be behind your camera but also careful to place your subject where they are not blinded by the sun and end up squinting. For best results, shoot earlier or later in the day to avoid overbearing direct sunlight. Clouds can be your friend!

• -Lite Panel LED Video Lights: These are sweet but also require a “Cold Shoe” to mount to the light or some other mounting solution. This is definitely a worthy investment if you do much fixed indoor shooting (and you have no other lights) but you should always try and supplement with outside light spilling in from a window. There are tons of lights out on the market and I suggest going with “daylight” balanced lights that are soft and flattering on your subject.

All In One Solution:

• 

  The Bubo Rocks

  -The Bubo for iPhone 4 by OWLE: This is one super cool solution that comes with an external mic and also a “Cold Shoe” to mount a light or mic plus additional areas to mount accessories. This unit also has some lens enhancements that will add some juice to your onboard lens like a wide angle and macro option.

I hope this helps with your next shoot!

Twitter pet peeves can come in many shapes and sizes. A lot of people and brands use Twitter different ways and for different reasons which makes it hard to apply steadfast rules to how Twitter is used. We threw out a homework assignment here at Vitrue HQ to crowdsource a list of some pet peeves from our cast of Twitter characters. This is by no means the “end all” list but it’s definitely a great place to start the discussion. Their only rule was to submit their response in the form of a tweet, so no going over 140 characters! What is your #1 Twitter pet peeve?

1. @KiSheynaTweets: TWEETING IN ALL CAPS LIKE THIS. It comes off as yelling & annoying.
2. @MikeStiles: Auto-DM for following. Can it get any more impersonal?

   

3. @nancy_elle: Pushing the 140 character rule with random characters >@*<@&^
4. @easports30: Sharing content, but not applying your (quick) analysis or commentary on it. Lazy Tweeters!
5. @nnluna: Using abbreviated teen-texting language like R U or B4. #communicationnerd
6. @SteveBarnesUSA: re: @nnluna-not using obv. abbrev’s to shorten tweet & end up killing URL attached. + not leaving about 16 char. for RT’s.
7. @oscarjg3: Tweet bombardment. less tweets for more impact.
8. @FredStuk: Stop the spam madness including “@” spam where someone lists several handles plus a spam link.
9. @SassyTinATL: pushing your tweets automatically to #facebook! It’s 2 different audiences!
10. @jennyheinrich: #extremelylongandannoyinghashtagsthatwillnevereverbesearchedagain.

By Steve Barnes

As a marketer, you’re faced with the task of producing great looking web video content if you’re going to compete in the social media game. If you‘ve never produced, shot and edited a video for mass consumption, there’s quite a learning curve to do it correctly. Making a wrong turn can cheapen the look of your video and be lethal reflection on your brand image.

The smartest way to produce web video content:

• -Know who you’re targeting with the content
• -Meet with your team and plot out content ideas
• -Have a pre-production meeting to work up a plan and schedule (This is going to save you time and lots of headaches later)
• -Allow twice the time you think you’re going to need to produce the content
• -Don’t cut corners when shooting. You’ll pay a price during post production

The biggest misconception when working with video is that you have to spend tons of money to get great looking web video content. There’s a difference between a “cheap” production and an “inexpensive” production. These days, technology is your friend. You can produce solid looking web video content without your company accountant blowing a decimal point.

These particular tips are intended for the video production beginner who doesn’t have access to professional video production tools. With very little investment, you can have a mobile video studio ready to create content like a modern day Cecil B. Demille.

5 Easy Steps to Great Looking Web Video Content:

1. Camera
   

   JVC GY-HM100U

   Getting a solid camera is important for obvious reasons, but there are a few key items to consider when you purchase. First, make sure you have a “mic in” input so you can use a higher quality microphone. The preference is an “XLR” input, but you can get away with a “mini 1/4” input as there are adapters to get pro sound into the camera. Second, you want either a “3 CCD” or “HD” based camera. Lastly, think about how you’re going to get what you shoot to the computer for editing. This can be frustrating if you don’t understand video codecs and how they apply to editing. I would suggest a camera that shoots to memory cards so you can quickly pull them out and move the footage to your computer. Your other options are to use mini dv tapes (be sure your computer and the camera you use are compatibile), or to have a mini dv “deck” (again, be sure it’s compatible with the computer). You can also download your footage via USB. All of my experience is on a Mac, and they are generally very receptive to most cameras and decks.

   Suggested cameras that meet the above criteria:

   -The Canon HV 40 plus this audio accessory is a great choice on the low end

   -The JVC GY-HM100U is an awesome camera (and the one we use at Vitrue) if you can spend a little more. (If you go this route, Final Cut Pro plays well with this video codec)

   *Bonus Tip: Get this Pelican 1560 Foam Case (sized to “carry on” a flight), and this Tripod (that comes with a travel case). Also buy online from B&H Photo and save tax in most areas.

2. Lights
   

   Day Flo EZ Lite 1050 Kit

   Lights are extremely important, but often overlooked. You want to get a decent light package, but you don’t have to break the bank. Depending on what kind of projects you’ll do, you should supplement your lighting with available sunlight. I think the best deal out there for a simple light package is this DayFlo EZ Lite 1050 3 Head Kit from Pacific Coast Lighting Systems. With this, you get a “Daylight” light which you can easily mix with sunlight for great results. These are also “cool” lights so your room doesn’t get boiling with hot lights. This kit also comes with a great instructional video on lighting a video production.

   It would also be smart to get a travel-sized light like the Litepanel LP MicroPro (daylight balanced) for small shooting scenarios.

3. Sound
   

   Sennheiser Evolution G3 100 Series

   One of the biggest complaints in post production is that the sound was not recorded well. Choices depend on your shooting situation. All of the suggestions below can be used with the audio accessory mentioned above in the camera section:

   -Get a pair of lapel mics for use in interview situations. The Audio-Technica AT831B is a “wired” inexpensive choice, or you could go with the superior Sennheiser Evolution G3 100 Series “Wireless” combo kitwhich has 2 wireless “Lav” mics plus a base to make a standalone handheld mic a “wireless” (like one mentioned below)-It would serve you well to have 2 Shure SM58’s in your production kit. These are an industry standard, and you can convert one to “wireless” with the above Sennheiser Evolution kit

   -Avoid using the onboard camera mic if you can help it. A mic like The Panasonic MC-70 is a solid “shotgun” mic for picking up general sound

4. Editing
   

   Apple iMovie

   Completely understanding editing gear and technique takes years of hands-on experience. The numerous options in some software can be downright overwhelming. I’d suggest a MacBook Pro for your editing. Editing needs serious processing power, and you should “max out” your computer’s processing power for the editing to go smoothly and quickly. Apple provides iMovie with all Macs, which is more than sufficient for new editors and does a great job with footage and graphics.

   These are other paid options, but remember, as the price and level go up, so does the learning curve:

   -Final Cut X is brand new from Apple, and frankly, is taking a beating from editors around the world. Do your research on this one before getting it. The now discontinued Final Cut Express was an excellent choice for editors looking for a basic powerful solution. You can always pick up a used copy. My favorite and current choice is Final Cut Pro Studio, which you should approach with caution unless you know you’ll be comfortable with the level of editing savvy needed to get the most out of it. You’ll have to hunt this one down online as Apple has discontinued it (crazy!!)

   -Adobe Premier Pro is also a very popular pro editing solution. I have no personal experience using this Adobe product, but it’s comparable to the Final Cut Studio mentioned above.

5. Exporting For The Web
   

   Quicktime Video Export Settings

   What a big can of worms. There are hundreds of ways to export footage. I’ll offer the easiest solution for beginners so that your video looks great but is also optimized for the web. The settings below are a great “catch all” solution when using Quicktime to export files for web use. The 2 best places, in my opinion, to host your video files are YouTube and Blip.TV, but there are many more to choose from. These days, they’re doing the heavy lifting for you by serving up HD video to users effortlessly.

   Quicktime settings when exporting video:

   Compression: H264
   Frame rate: Current
   Key Frames: Auto
   Compressor: High
   Encoding: Best (Multi-pass)
   Date rate: Automatic
   Size: Same size that you recorded in most cases. If you need to shrink the file size you can choose an alternate size but be sure and keep the video aspect ratio correct.
   For Audio: AAC, Stereo, 48K and 128 kbps

Although this is meant as a reference for beginners, even these tips can be imposing for a beginner. The best thing to do is jump right in and start experimenting. There are countless tutorials on the web for free to help you along the way. Lights, Camera, Action!

by Steve Barnes

In my opinion, a lot of restaurants don’t take enough advantage of social media. There’s no better category that can gain from social media than a restaurant, especially a new restaurant. WOM can spread like wildfire and your social strategies should be crafted to leverage as much WOM as you can with new restaurant marketing. Often times when a new restaurant opens they have a preview night where everything is on the house. They want you to sample their food and drinks. Offering it to you for free will get your attention and hopefully your patronage in the future. They are starting at ground zero and this is one of many broad social strategies on the way to great restaurant marketing.

Make sure your Facebook profile is complete before you launch your strategies

A few friends friends of mine are part of a very successful restaurant group in Atlanta called 101 Concepts. They are opening a new Italian restaurant called Cibo e Beve very soon which got me thinking about social strategies that they could use on their opening preview night. The Chef-Partner, Linda Harrell, at Cibo e Beve is already very socially minded which will make this plan rather easy for them. If you are just getting into the social game, before you can execute any of the following be sure and get your Facebook and Twitter existences set up properly or your social strategies will be a bust.

Remember you can’t offer something in exchange for a social endorsement, but you can ASK for opinion. It’s the social equivalent of “If you “LIKE” us, tell your friends!”. The easier you make it for them, the better your social gain will be. My suggestion would be to ask for participation via a “table tent”, printed napkin or from the servers. Make it fun and you will get participation and restaurant marketing gold.

5 Social Strategies for your New Restaurant Marketing:

1. Remind people to “Check-in” on Foursquare and/or Facebook. Some people don’t remember to check in on Foursquare and Facebook but will if prompted. It’s obviously great to get your new restaurant name popping up in people’s streams.
2. 

   Who wouldn't want to come to your restaurant after seeing this tagged dish?

   Invite people to Upload/Tag Photos with Facebook Brand Tagging. There’s no better time to do this than on preview night. Before you know it, you will have a great catalog of tagged photos in your Facebook photo album. (Be sure and enable the proper permissions on your brand page)

3. Make your preview night menu (and even your regular menu) Tweet ready. Put your Twitter handle in plain view on the menu and create a Hashtag (#) for each menu item. You need to say nothing more…if Tweeters like it, you have just made it easy for them to share it with their followers.
4. Invite people to upload Video Reviews to your page. Video is huge. Take advantage of it. Just about everyone has video recording on their phones (really great video recording). Invite people to sum up their dining experience or you could also have someone roaming the room asking for reviews with an iPhone or other smartphone (a la news reporter style). People will talk, especially as the cocktail flow increases, and will be glad to tell you what they think. If you do the recording, keep it short with a simple question. (Be sure and enable the proper permissions on your brand page)
5. Use the new Facebook “Recommend This Place” feature to your advantage. There are a few ways to execute this strategy. Here are a few social strategies for this from an Inside Facebook article that will be very effective for you using geo-targeted posts.

BONUS TIPS to remember when you continue your social strategies for your restaurant marketing:

• -Don’t post/tweet too much and flood the stream. 1-2 posts a day about 5-6 days a week is plenty (always at different times) for a restaurant.
• -Inform your staff about any deals you post. There is NOTHING worse than an awkward exchange when a customer is trying to redeem an offer and the server knows nothing about it.
• -Make the offer “worth it” or you might lose audience. “Worth it” is hard to define but make it special and people will talk about it.
• -NO hoops. You want people to come in and feel excited about redeeming the offer so don’t make it hard on them.

People love to eat out. People love Social Media. Let both work to your advantage!

By Steve Barnes

Let’s face it, TV is in full control of the viewer from DVR’s all the way down to YouTube. We can watch it WHEN we want, WHERE we want and HOW we want and skip right past those pesky commercials. Some have it down to an art…I know I can (Blup Blup Blup) the Tivo to miss every commercial and land back on my show without missing a beat. Many people can just tune out the noise or divert their attention with a quick check of their Facebook stream.

TV started getting social with the introduction of “check in” apps like GetGlue and Miso. Sure, it’s fun to check in to our favorite show and let our social followers know we are watching a cool show but without engagement it will surely grow tiresome, quickly.

GetGlue checks you in to more than just TV/Movies

GetGlue also let’s you “check in” to a book, movie, video game and a few other things. With GetGlue you can earn stickers from some of your favorite shows and they will post a story to your Facebook wall or Twitter feed complete with your comments about whatever you are doing. Miso is another very similar app but they focus on TV shows and movies and offer badges instead of stickers. Miso is the most similar to Foursquare with a big “friend” infrastructure.

Miso has a very slick rating "Story" that you can post to your streams

Miso has a great rating setup to rate your TV shows or Movies on a 1 to 5 star scale and then publish a slick story about your rating to your Facebook wall or Twitter feed.

Into_Now tells your social "hood" what has your attention

Getting the viewer to engage with the actual show or movie works because of the cache. The poor commercial in a TV show has been left for dead…or has it? Yahoo doesn’t think so as they just “checked in” to the entertainment game with the 17 million dollar purchase of a peer entertainment “check in” app called Into_Now. Into_Now is unique in that “check in” landscape in a few novel ways. With Into_Now, you simply click a button and it listens for about 5-7 seconds and will recognize what you are watching whether a movie in the theater, a live show on TV, a show on your DVR or even content on YouTube. With Miso and GetGlue you have to manually search for your show or movie. Pretty sweet how Into_Now automatically catches what you are watching (very similar to the music app SoundHound), lets you comment on it and sends the story to Facebook or Twitter for you. The advanced fingerprinting technology was invented by the company Auditude originally for recognizing shows for the purpose of inserting online ads. Wait. What if you trained the app to recognize not only TV shows and movies but also commercials? Could you get someone to “check in” to a commercial?? The problem with commercials is that their content offers you nothing but propaganda, usually, or maybe a chuckle here or there. You have to GIVE your viewer something to win and keep eyes on your spot, maybe even winning a fan. That is exactly what Into_Now can do and it could be HUGE for the brands.

Auditude went back 5 years and built a huge library of commercials that it can recognize when you are watching TV if you choose to “check in”. PepsiCo is a big believer in both social media and Into_Now’s technology. Pepsi is already aggressive with social media with a social vending machine and now they are getting in this game with a very cool Pepsi Max “check in” promotion. It’s amazingly simple. You “check in” to the TV spot (anywhere from Live TV to YouTube–you can try it below if you get the Into_Now App and watch the Pepsi spot below), they then download a coupon to your device for a FREE Pepsi Max, and you take it to the retailer of your choice and show your device to the cashier for the free drink. Innovative.

If brands step up with great offers (Pepsi has committed to giving away 50,000 drinks), this could be what gets the eyes back on TV commercials? I was shocked at how easy the process was and you can give it a try below. If you GIVE it, they will come.