Facebook Content is Important
A Dummy's Puppet's Ramblings - from Chip Martin, Mannequin American
Facebook Content is Important
According to recent studies, there is very little correlation between how frequently a Facebook page administrator posts to their wall and the page's total number of fans. However, there is a strong correlation between the amount of other types of content (notes, links, photos, videos) and the number of fans.
So if you want to grow your Facebook fan base, it's important that you move beyond simple wall posts and add photos, videos, links and other useful content.
Additionally, Facebook's recent move to an algorithm-driven news feed means that just because someone is your fan, does not mean they will see your wall posts or status updates (true for both individuals and brands). Instead, the default news feed is now comprised of content that Facebook thinks you'll like, based on your interactions with content from that author in the past, and interactions by your friends with that content.
This puts a tremendous premium on posting engaging content that will generate comments and "likes" and "shares". If you're not paying attention to your content engagement scores within your Facebook analytics, start doing so now. And test content types to see what works best for your brand.
Airplanes Can be Funny Too
From Leslie Bonk: South African low-fare airline kulula.com recently came up with a brand-new, funny airplane motif. One of their Boeing 737-86N's called "Flying 101″ is entirely covered with details and funny remarks about the plane. The captain's window is marked with "the big cheese", the co-pilot's window with "co-captain, the other pilot on the PA system", and the jump seat is "for wannabe pilots."
In addition, the following descriptions are on parts of the plane:
- avionics (fancy navigation stuff)
- windows (best view in the world)
- black box (which is actually orange)
- loo (or mile-high club initiation chamber)
- rudder (the steering thingy)
- stabilizer (the other steering thingy)
- overhead cabins (VIP seating for your hand luggage)
- fuel tanks (the go-go juice)
... and much more.
More photos and information here.
"Think Different," Still Works
Apple's Think Different commercial may be 4 years old, but it still works and it's still one of my favorites. Click here to see marketing at its best. After seeing it you just feel good about what people can achieve.
Two Ads for my Female Readers
What can I say? Sometimes I like to suck up to my female readers. So here are two spots that women will find funny ... men, not so much ... which is also funny.
Fist we have MasterCard's "Gym Membership." You won't see the ending coming.
Dodge took a lot of flak for its Challenger ad that ran during the Super Bowl. If you don't remember it, or haven't seen it click here. I actually liked it. But apparently, women didn't. So here's the women's retort. It's a spoof ad explaining the other side of things. Careful, it has a swear word in it near the end so NSFW. Actually, I think it's a lot more accurate than the original ad.
Now for the Gents ...
To be honest I only included this so that I'd have an excuse to post a photo of Danica Patrick. What can I say ... I'm weak.
If you think you can make a better, funnier, classier commcercial for Go Daddy, (and most of you should be able to accomplish that), the company has launched a social media-fueled consumer-generated commercial contest. First place will net the winner $100,000 with second and third bringing in $50,000 and $25,000 respectively. It appears that Go Daddy is willing to spend more money on your commcercial than it spent on its own Super Bowl commercials.
Danica Patrick and the president of Go Daddy will choose the winners. OK, everyone, click here to enter ... and to watch some Go Daddy videos.
VentPeng Productions
Our friends Bob and Marty Hamil and Phillip Jones (not pictured) recently updated their Web site, VentPeng Productions. Click here to see it. These three are indeed a hilarious group of entertainers.
Bob and Marty are currently staring at The Blackwood Breakfast Variety Show in Pigeon Forge, TN.
Each year for the past 20 or so years Bob, Marty, Phillip and a handful of very loyal and sturdy volunteers have manned the hospitality suite at the International Ventriloquist Convention. That is tough duty to say the least. It involves long hours of putting up with vents from all over the world who tell lame jokes, abuse puppets and seldom go to bed before the morning sun starts peaking over the horizon. I try to avoid that room at all costs. I learned long ago that for some unexplained reason if I'm asked to speak in the hospitality suite, I slur my words.
Dale and Leslie are regular fixtures there. They claim to be "networking" and catching up with vent friends who they only get to see once a year. But I think it's the alcohol that attracts them.
Thinking Warm Thoughts
Speaking of Dale and Leslie, here's a photo of them taken last November while they were in the Caribbean ... literally.
I thought this photo would help remind people who live in snow-covered vistas that warm weather does exist. Actually this is one of my favorite photos because it means that Dale wasn't here and I could write this blog without having him looking over my shoulder, censoring my cleverness.
Or
Readers have sent me scores of puppet-related cartoons over the past two and a half years. It's interesting to see how many play off of the same concepts with only slight variations, or nearly exact copies. Did they see someone else's idea and later think it was their own? Being original is very, very difficult. Which I guess explains significant chunks of my routines.