We’ve talked before about three screeners. You know, that plugged-in, slightly undead segment of society that talks about what they’re watching on TV live with their friends online and via text. Heck, we’re part of it.

Marketers are looking to get a piece of that sweet chatter pie, and I haven’t seen an attempt more creative than the social media technology that comes with the second season of the HBO series True Blood on Blu Ray.

If you’re not familiar, the show is a horror/melodrama about hillbilly vampires in the American south. Or something. It’s sexy, it’s bitey, Anna Paquin is in it. There.

With this interactive Blu Ray, viewers are able to upload their photos and see an image of themselves becoming more vampiric as the season progresses.

They’re also able to post Twitter and Facebook updates about the show using their custom True Blood portrait as their avatar, share scenes and win virtual prizes.

That’s a pretty clever way of infiltrating customers’ social streams and creating viral buzz. And an apt one, given that the show is about people biting each other and passing along a sexy condition.

Will you get bit? More importantly, would you even bother to push what are essentially ads for a show from your Blu Ray out to your social networks?

I gotta admit, if something like this had come with The Sopranos or The Wire — and had been done well — I just might’ve handed my personal brand over to Tony Soprano or Stringer Bell.

I mean, really, has TV ever been better than it is now?

[Via]

What a sad image.

Picture a shopping cart, loaded with a 40-inch HD TV, a Blu-Ray player and the entire fourth season of Weeds, just left there unattended in the middle of Best Buy. Forever. No one knows who abandoned this feast of hi-fi entertainment or why.

This tragedy occurs all the time in the world of online commerce, and retailers are always looking for ways of reducing it.

And more and more of them are using the power of video.

A new eMarketer report titled “Video E-Commerce: Innovative Models Drive Sales” shows that online video use jumped 378% in 2009 over the previous year among the top 50 U.S. online retailers.

Though customer reviews are still king, according to the report, more and more big shops are finding that videos boost conversion rates, reduce product returns, build brand identity and keep those digital shopping carts zipping through the checkout lanes.

I’m not sure if Zappos was surveyed for the report, but the consistently awesome shoe seller produces tons of video and social content to build customer loyalty and move shoes. Here’s one of many hilarious videos from the Zappos TV blog.

Have you ever been on the fence about an online purchase and had your mind changed by a video?

For those who have not been to Kansas City, Kansas, “tourism” is not a word that springs to mind when you visit KCMO’s sister to the west. I like KCK a lot, don’t get me wrong. But to the outsider unaware of the town’s hidden gems, words like “blight,” “depression” and “inertia” are far more likely to come up.

It’s towns like KCK that need social media the most.

Because despite its rough outer edges, the crown jewel of Wyandotte County boasts some of the best ethnic eateries, local heritage fests, an amazing annual music tradition in the Street Blues Festival, plus top-notch destinations around the Legends at Village West, which is the home to the Wizards and the T-Bones — potentially the area’s only winning pro sports teams. (Note: They’re building a new stadium for the Wizards.)

From a tourism perspective, it’s a challenge to sell KCK. Despite these great attractions, the town has its obvious hurdles, and chances are very great that the Wyandotte County Tourism and Visitors Bureau doesn’t have the budget to pay a PR or ad agency to come in and give the place a makeover.

That’s why it’s so great that the Bureau is using DIY-style social media to tell KCK’s story and highlight its better sides.

Even though she was born last summer and won a national award for her Summer Scoop campaign, I didn’t hear about Dottie until yesterday. I got to attend an awards luncheon put on by the Tourism Bureau, and at everyone’s place setting was an ice cream scoop with a card tied to it listing the social media destinations for this summer’s “Dottie’s Inside Scoop” campaign: blog, Facebook page, Twitter and YouTube.

They showed this trailer at the luncheon. It was probably one of the first “web 2.0″ styled videos many of the smalltown businessmen and politicians in the room had seen, and I’m not exaggerating. (For me, it was the first WMV formatted video I’ve seen in a while, if that tells you anything about the tools they have to work with for this campaign.) After the video ended, the Tourisim Bureau lady hosting the lunch felt compelled to explain that, yes, the video didn’t look professional, but that’s how it’s supposed to be.

In any case, I like where KCK is going with this. Sure, it could be executed better. (I’d like Dottie to keep the camera rolling, forget the slideshows and improvise more.) But for a struggling city that desperately needs to promote its best points on a tight budget, this is definitely the way to go.

I just hope Dottie hits El Camino Real for some tacos this summer. That place is unreal.

Ever gone to the store only to find they’re all out of your favorite brand of razor blades (Gillette Mach 3 Turbo)? Or driven out to the nearest Best Buy to get a certain digital camera (Canon Powershot Digital Elph) and discovered they have the display model but none in stock?

Or what if you needed a tie for a wedding and wanted to get it from one of those great, old-school downtown tailors?

Your dad would’ve grabbed the yellow pages and began dialing up “human beings.” But you don’t have time for that. In fact, it’s tempting just to buy everything online… But wait, there’s a solution!

Since exiting beta in December of last year, Milo.com has been helping users find out exactly what’s on the racks of local stores before they leave home.

Milo.com’s aim is to help brick-and-mortar shops “fight back” by converting “online browsers into in-store shoppers.” Driving a reported 100,000 sales a day, Milo searches some 48,000 stores for 2.8 million products. Though, of course, the only ones that matter are the ones nearest you.

Though the site has mostly been listing national retailers, last week, Milo began adding product listings for mom-and-pops. Venturebeat suggests this is a reaction to Google’s moving into the local-search-shopping space via its Blue Dot Specials mobile app.

But whatever the case, we love just about any online tool that helps us connect with our local retail community.

Also, Milo.com seems to get the impact of social media on shopping.

There aren’t any social features on the site to speak of, but an entry on the company’s blog talks about ways people are using platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and Blippy to enable and enhance their shopping experience.

Just more ways the web is directly leading people to walk out their own front doors and into those of local businesses.

At LP, we kinda like Facebook ads. First of all, they’re more relevant than just about any other ads in the universe besides Google ads. That’s because they target users based on their profile information.

Further, by liking and unliking them, you can tailor them to your tastes — and weed out those borderline offensive beauty ads that pop up in your stream like digital cockroaches.

The bean counters at Nielsen have just published a study that gives insight into the value of using Facebook to advertise, both through paying for ads and through “earned media,” where users organically pass the marketing message along to their friends.

Working with Facebook’s in-house researchers, Nielsen surveyed over 800,000 Facebook users and 125 individual campaigns from 70 brand advertisers. The full report, “Advertising Effectiveness: Understanding the Value of Social Media Advertising” is downloadable here (in exchange for a smattering of your marketing information).

The survey looked at three kinds of ads along a continuum of inorganic to organic: (1) The plain homepage ad that you pay for; (2) the homepage ads with “social context,” meaning friends of yours who have become a fan of the brand; and (3) “earned media” social stories, which are the notifications of friend activity that appear in a user’s timeline.

Nielsen found that in terms of customer ad recall, brand awareness and purchase intent, Facebook ads that contained social context ruled over ads that didn’t.

That’s not really surprising, is it? The message here is that we trust our friends’ recommendations way more than we trust an image on a screen, however targeted that image may be.

In fact, as I’ve been writing this, I’ve been polling my Facebook friends about what kind of coffee maker I should buy to replace my leaky old Mr. Coffee.

Your move, Cuisinart.

What do you think of Twitter’s new revenue model?

Since launching four years ago, Twitter has grown to handling 50 million tweets per day — the 140-character-maximum messages that constitute the central, real-time feed at the heart of Twitter. Until now, the world’s biggest microblogging service had no way of making money. (It has stayed afloat thanks to $160 million in VC-backed funding.)

Now that Twitter has potentially developed a way to make money, brands and marketers that have been ignoring Twitter had better start playing catchup. This, friends, is the future.

For now, promoted tweets appear at the top of your feed when you search Twitter for a keyword that has been bought by an advertiser. Thus far, only Starbucks, Best Buy, Virgin Airlines and a few other brands have bought promoted tweets.

When you search for “coffee,” for example, here’s what shows up at the top:

The Future Is Real-Time

Mahesh Murthy at the WSJ points out the flaws in this phase of the promoted tweet model (no one uses Twitter search, only one promoted tweet at a time, to name the biggest problems), but he also argues convincingly that Twitter’s continued growth will lead to 24-7 marketing and customer relations operations. It will change the ad business.

People tweet 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You’ve got to listen to all this – and reply in real time. And the reply can’t come from BPO service-deck folks. Trained copywriters know how to speak in a brand’s voice. Can you have your creatives give up their vodka-soaked weekends and work shifts that cover 24 x 7, because their brand’s customers do? You’ll have to.

But screw the ad agencies. They had it coming.

What does this mean for businesses looking to connect with their customers?

The Future is Talk

Granted, until Twitter develops a way of targeting users based on location, there’s no reason yet for non-national brands to rush to develop promoted tweets. But that day will come soon.

Next, unlike Facebook ads, which are targeted based not only on location but on all that profile information you fill out  — interests, place of work, groups you’re a member of, etc. — and can be tailored by users through the like/unlike system to be made even more relevant, Twitter’s new ads are keyword-based.

Though Twitter’s approach to advertising will evolve in time, the one dictum that’s important for business owners and marketers to keep in mind — nay, to start obsessing over — is this:

Know what your customers are talking about.

At all times. Night and day. Week to week. Month to month. Zeitgeist to zeitgest.

That’s all Twitter is, really: conversation. Messages on Twitter are either brief monologues shooting forth from individual keyboards, or they’re conversations between people. It’s all talk.

Even at their fullest potential, promoted tweets will always stand one step away from real-world conversation. Imagine two people sitting at a bar, talking. Suddenly, a brand message is beamed onto the forehead of one of the speakers for a second or two. Interruptive, isn’t it?

That’s what advertising is. It stands out from the conversation and says “Quit being engaged with your real life and look at this product.”

Promoted tweets will probably make money for Twitter. That’s their purpose.

But for those who stand to profit from it, there is no substitute for talking in a transparent, human level.

There’s no buying into the conversation.

Forget Monopoly or pinochle. When I was growing up, coupon-clipping was the family’s parlor sport of choice. My dad’s bulky coupon wallet dictated where we’d go out to eat, when we’d go places like the zoo or museums and, essentially, what we would consume as a family.

I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking of coupons, especially those found in newspapers or in those annoying inserts I get in my mailbox every other week, as belonging to a bygone era.

But according to findings by Nielsen, coupon usage has surged dramatically in the current economic recession.

As “The Coupon Comeback” reports, coupon redemption fell off between 1999 and 2008, from 4.6 billion per year to 2.6 billion.

But in 2009, coupon use surged by 27%, amounting to the second-highest year-over-year jump ever recorded.

The highest growth sector was Internet coupon redemption, which grew by 263%. Newspaper inserts are still alive and well, though, accounting for 89% of coupons and 53% of redemption. This chart shows the biggest growers:

What’s also interesting: The wealthier the household, the more likely they are to clip coupons.

Or look at Groupon. The online/e-mail-based deal-a-day enterprise is hotter than those 4-for-1 jalapenos in the produce section, and only getting hotter — TechCrunch reports Groupon may have just received another $1.2 billion in funding in addition to the $250m it received late last year.

What This Means for Social Marketing

This one’s officially a no-brainer.

Customers are looking to save money. Your community loves you, but they don’t always want to pay full price. How can you use your social channels — Facebook, Twitter, your company blog — to distribute virtual coupons to your community?

Here’s one idea: Design a downloadable jpeg coupon and post it as a Wall photo on Facebook. Ask people first to “like” the photo, then print it and bring it in — or, better yet, ask them to show it on their smart phones (to save trees). As people come in the door of your business, watch your fan count grow online.

We’re not suggesting that you high-end types get all Price Chopper on us. There are ways to offer savings without compromising brand image. In fact, as the Nielsen study showed, your wealthier customers are the most coupon-hungry.

What other ways can you build relationships with your customers while giving them a good deal?

Foursquare, the mobile-phone, geolocation-based social networking app that allows users to “check in” when they arrive at businesses and attractions to win virtual badges, meet people and take advantage of special offers, is rapidly growing in popularity.

With currently 725k users and 22m checkins, including a couple headed for the North Pole, Foursquare is expected to keep growing. There’s even been talk that Yahoo might buy the company for $100m.

So, what does this mean for business owners like you?

First of all, if you’re still completely befuddled (and that’s OK, this stuff is pretty crazy), check out Business Insider’s master class on how Foursquare works.

Why should you care about this stuff? Foursquare is definitely growing in and around cities like Kansas City. Businesses who take advantage now by offering their Foursquare-using customers discounts, free stuff — incentives to check in — stand to grab an instant community of customers who are hooked on Foursquare and are out there just waiting for businesses to connect with them. In turn, these customers will promote your business to their friends for FREE through viral word-of-mouth.

Also, Foursquare will soon be rolling out analytic tools to make it more worthwhile for business owners to monitor their customers’ use of the platform.

It’s your time to be an early adopter.

So how do you do it?

1. Verify Your Location

I’ve been checking in to local spots for several months now, and I still find myself occasionally adding an unlisted venue to the system. Foursquare’s database of venues is user-generated and monitered for accuracy by users and people inside the company.

If your venue isn’t in the system, a user can choose to add it. Or, they can check in without adding it, which is what most of them will do — but it won’t do you any good. So, you need to make sure you’re in the system and that your info is correct.

To make sure your info is right, got to Foursquare.com and search for your business name via the box in the top-right corner of the screen.

If you are not in the system, you may add your business by going here.

If your business does appear, but the address or name is wrong, go to this forum and post a correction. It looks rather hap-hazard, but I know it’s official because in the time I’ve been writing this, a few of the corrections that users had posted when I began writing have already been made by the folks at Foursquare.

So, once you’re in the system, it’s time to get customers’ attention.

Continue reading after the jump…

2. Create a Special Offer

Start here to get some ideas for how to conceive of a special offer for Foursquare customers.

The most obvious way to take advantage of Foursquare’s built-in promotional properties is to post a special offer for the mayor of your establishment. The person listed as mayor of your venue is the one who has checked in the most times — don’t you want to know who that person is anyway? By targeting that person and rewarding them for their loyalty, you can pretty much guarantee that your mayor will go forth to the Interwebs and brag to his or her friends, some of whom may begin competing to oust the mayor by checking in more times. For you, this means more people in your business, more conversation online and, ultimately, more sales.

To upload your special offer into Foursquare so that users will see it on their phone when they check in at your venue or somewhere nearby, fill out this online form.

Some ideas (translate to your specific offerings, services, menu items, etc.):

• Free, all-you-can-drink coffee for the mayor.
• Two-for-one lunches for the mayor on Tuesdays, up to parties of six.
• Free cookie every odd-numbered checkin after the first.
• Or you can partner up. Say you own a gym that’s affiliated with a massage service. Award customers who checkin 15 times with a free 15-minute rubdown.

Note, however, that disclaimer at the top of the screen: Foursquare is currently only adding specials to places “where people meet, socialize and linger. Think: cafes, bars, restaurants, coffee shops, museums, theaters, etc.”

If you are the owner of a nail salon, hardware store, boutique, auto repair shop, grocery store, 7-11, etc., you can still take advantage of Foursquare. Check out Step 3 below and apply the ideas to your business model.

3. Create Your Own DIY Offer

Though people will find your special offer more easily if you add it into the Foursquare system, you can also go the do-it-yourself route and publicize a Foursquare offer on other platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, or even via old-school methods like your email list or a physical sign.

Most of these ideas will require users to bring their mobile phones to the front counter (or equivalent thereof) to prove that they’ve checked in, become the mayor, etc.

Some ideas that don’t require Foursquare’s official participation:

• Announce on your business’ Facebook page that the first ten people to check in on Foursquare every morning next week get 30% off their orders.
• Tweet from your business Twitter account something like: “For a limited time, every @Foursquare mayor gets a free large pizza and pitcher of @Boulevard_Beer” and then provide the Foursquare link to your business, i.e. http://foursquare.com/venue/133322
• Make a “Foursquare Leader Board” at your business by printing out profile images of everyone who’s checked in and tacking them to a bulletin board, with the mayor at the top. Give a free latte to people who checkin and 1/2 off the order to people who agree to tweet a picture of the leader board to their friends on Twitter.

Just remember: get creative and provide incentive. Especially in a town like KC, there are thousands of people looking to connect with businesses via social media, but there are still very few business owners who are taking advantage of the open channels that exist.

You could be among the first.

And did we mention it’s all free? You don’t have to pay Foursquare a cent. At least, not yet.

And if you have any questions at all, feel free to email me at jason@lockerpartner.com, hit us up on Twitter, @lockerpartner, or call us at 816-979-1738.

This year 81% of companies’ chief marketing officers plan to link annual revenues to social media marketing investment, according to a study by CMO Club and Bazaarvoice. With that in mind, SEO co. 97th Floor (Twitter: @chrisbennett) created this chart for CMO.com. It’s a good introduction to what social sites can do for exposing your brand, communicating with customers, driving traffic to your site and climbing to the top of search results.

The important thing to remember for putting the lessons of this chart to use: You must create content.

Click the image to download it as a PDF.

The New York Times this morning features an interesting case study about a small company faced with the choice between a traditional advertising strategy and a social-media/web-based plan for marketing its new line of products.

Those products: hand-rolled cigars from the Dominican Republic.

Pretty tradicional, no? Turns out, that’s not where the company’s mindset is.

Though the EPC Cigar Company was established last year, the family that runs it has roots in the cigar trade that go back to 1968. So when faced with the need to market their new label of cigar, E.P. Carillo, the Perez-Carillo needed a strategy that was cost-effective, efficient and that built upon the family legacy.

The family hired the agency Devito/Verdi to put its $300,000 marketing budget to good use.

The agency came up with a traditional advertising strategy that involved the usual stuff: taking out ads on major TV networks like Spike and VH1, taxi-cab toppers in New York, radio ads in major cities, print ads in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Wine Spectator, Cigar Aficionado, and so on.

The social strategy, on the other hand, had three website concepts that would be cheap to implement and reach cigar lovers everywhere. The article says: “one involved a collage on the company Web site of live, online mentions [via Twitter] of the company and Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr.; a second featured a world map (from Google Maps) on the Web site that showed the origin of real-time Twitter messages about cigars; and a third would use a Facebook page as the company’s main online presence. In any case, the digital strategy would involve the use of Twitter, Facebook and Flickr.”

Which strategy do you think EPC marketing director Ernesto Perez-Carillo III went with?

If you picked the second one, you win the stogie.

Perez-Carillo III decided the traditional media approach wasn’t worth the money. He chose to spend $40,000 on the digital initiatives and save the rest of his $260,000 for “trade shows, cigar-enthusiast events, point-of-sale material and some traditional media.”

Check out the company’s website, EPCarillo.com, and you’ll see a live, Google-based Twitter map showing tweets about cigars from all over the world. That’s just tweets about cigars, period. Not the company’s brand, necessarily. The site’s design is not great, but the idea is definitely powerful.

As the NYT article says: “Social media allow the company to communicate directly with cigar buyers, retailers, tobacco growers and others with whom it does business, according to both EPC Cigar and its agency. This is particularly important as the popularity of once-fashionable cigar bars wanes and public smoking bans proliferate.”

The site — which again, is kind of janky in places (on you, Devito) — features YouTube videos, Flickr photos and maps. Stare at that Twitter map for a minute, and you’ll see that the world does love a good smoke. And they love talking about it. (As I looked at it, I saw several tweets about this story.)

What a great illustration of how a small, family-run company can generate conversation about its brand organically — that is, by showing how real people are talking about the brand and the larger market in a meaningful way.

Kinda makes us wanna fire up a nice Dominican.

Image courtesy epcarillo