Category Archives: Social Media

Starstruck

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JayBaerFrom what I’ve heard, even the most popular movie stars turn bashful when they meet somebody whose work they admire. At least that’s what I’ll keep telling myself after sharing a silent flight with one of my own industry celebs.

I was boarding my flight in Chicago bound for Social Media Marketing World in San Diego, so I knew there was a pretty good chance that somebody on that flight was headed to the same destination. As I approached my cabin, there he was in the front row with his trendy black glasses and striped socks. I knew it was Jay Baer and I wanted soooo badly to let him know how much I was looking forward to hearing him speak the following day. As fortune would have it, the line halted and I was directly in front of him for a good 90 seconds. I whispered a few introductions in my head and they all sounded like stuttering gibberish, so I proceeded to my seat.

Kicking myself from the epic fail, I chose to share my experience with my Twitter followers, who I knew would understand the magnitude of my shame:

———————————–

Jessica Tiede @tiedejess Apr 7
Pretty sure I’m on a flight with @jaybaer but I’m too dorky to say hi. #smmw13

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I waited for a little empathy, but instead received the following in return:

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Austin Rogerson @austinrogerson 7 Apr
Make moves #jealousofyou “@tiedejess: Pretty sure I’m on a flight with @jaybaer but I’m too dorky to say hi. #smmw13”

MonikaRun @monikarun 7 Apr
@tiedejess @jaybaer ha! I love that you will tweet that, but won’t say hi in person. The joys of social media. #smmw13

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Did I just get called out for being lame?! Oh yeah, I got called out alright. Not cool. I needed to turn this day or ship or plane around and not let that happen again. I vowed to throw that shy girl back into my luggage and get my social on for the next three days. Couldn’t be happier that I did.

That night at the first networking event of the week, I introduced myself to more than a few social celebs, Jay Baer included. We talked, we drank, we danced…okay, maybe we just shook hands and I snagged a photo…but I overcame the bashful and was happier for it.

The silliness of it all is certainly not lost on me. I realize that these are just people with great ideas doing what I do, but doing it better and probably having done it longer than me. Doesn’t mean that there isn’t possibly maybe perhaps just one person out there who thinks I’m that cool too. Is there somebody out there who thinks I’m that cool? Don’t be shy now…speak up! Just kidding. Not really.

My second favorite thing about these three amazing days was knowing that I had made new friends and mentors who I could actually tap on the virtual shoulder and ask questions. Experts in the vast world of social media are willing to share what they know and spread the word. They are approachable and they are teachers.

My first favorite thing about these amazing three days was the tweet I received on the second day:

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Jay Baer @jaybaer 8 Apr
@tiedejess Drinks on me next plane!

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#boom

Build communities, build yourself

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photoLast summer, I was fortunate to attend a Socialmedia.org conference in Chicago. It’s is an exclusive community of social media thought leaders who are enthusiastic about sharing their own experiences and best practices with members of the organization. I love any opportunity for a conference in Chicago — home to amazing hot dogs, pizza, Navy Pier, pizza, the Cubs, pizza, museums, pizza and more. See where this is going? Fortunately, I was traveling with a colleague who was smart enough to suggest that we consult Yelp to make our culinary decision. It led us to Pizano’s and the rest is eat-until-you’re-miserable history. I still dream about that pie.

If you travel, Yelp is a necessity. Last year I used it in Salt Lake City, Chicago, Princeton, Indianapolis, San Francisco and Miami. So, when I arrived at this month’s Social Media Breakfast (SMB) Madison meeting with speaker Corey Dane of Yelp Madison, I was expecting to hear what I already knew about one of my favorite apps. Boy, was I wrong!

Corey reminded me that Yelp is not merely an app for travel and it’s much more than a means to quiet my growling belly. Yelp is a fantastic way to support your local fare by finding that lesser-known cafe or dive bar and then writing a review about the best burger to ever cross your lips. Or to inform fellow hotel guests that they can exchange their floral scented hotel shampoo for an unscented version. Maybe you want to rave about the spa that offers wine with your pedicure. Yelp sponsors offline events for its most loyal contributors and grants them with “elite” status. It encourages you to stand behind your reviews with accurate profiles and personal photos. Yelp builds communities.

While Corey highlighted three main keys to success in building a loyal community for your business, I couldn’t help but notice the parallels to success in building your own personal and/or professional success. These notions to 1) Get Personal, 2) Forge Connections and 3) Embrace Fun are undoubtedly why companies like Starbucks have built strong communities while spending little money on advertising. They seem so simple and yet the impact of applying them can be tremendous.

What do you think might happen if you tried applying those same notions in other areas of your life? Where do you begin? For starters, you need to work hard, cultivate relationships, surround yourself with positive people, celebrate people from all walks of life, don’t be afraid to laugh out loud. According to Corey, “Success = Time + Passion.” Great tips from a guy who knows a lot of about building communities…and the best places to eat in Madison.

My trash = your treasure, I

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Just one of the many tables filled with toys.

More than two full racks of clothes for kids organized by size and season!

Garage sale season has officially arrived as evidenced by the slew of signs on every corner in my small town. Do you love them or hate them? Do you find them dirty or intriguing? Do you stretch your neck when driving by in hopes of spotting that Blatz Beer sign you’ve been missing since you were 17? Or do you avoid them altogether for fear of finding that creepy plush Ronald McDonald doll that your mom taunted you with for years?

This very weekend I am playing hostess to the most epic of all Tiede garage sales. I have teetered down the attic steps with arms full of boxes, I have climbed up from the basement dragging comforters, luggage and home decor galore. But mostly, I have shed tears sorting through toys and clothes that my children have outgrown. As I mentioned in a previous blog, I welcome the maturing of my kids. I am not crying because they’ve outgrown the beautiful dresses and coolest toys ever. I’m crying because I’m cheap and I can’t believe we paid $25 for the Zhu Zhu Pet and Fun House that Noah played with for five minutes and now we’ll be lucky to sell for $2.00.

I’m so cheap, in fact, that I refuse to pay for a classified ad in the local newspaper. Do you know the going rate for classified ads? It costs $16 for 10 words and 60¢ for each additional word.  I can’t even get my street address and hours of operation in the ad for under $20 and that doesn’t allow me to begin describing the sheer awesomeness of my garage sale!

Then I remembered that I AM A DIGTAL MARKETER. I am a blogger. I am a tweeter. I am a Facebooker. I use Craig’s List. And I pin pins on Pinterest!

So I present to you, my faithful readers, a brazen and bold digital plug for the sale of my Tiede Treasures:

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

This Thursday beginning at 4:30pm sharp, you are all invited to attend the garage sale to end all garage sales. There will be more toys than FAO Schwartz. There will be baby essentials like wipe warmers, bouncy seats, and changing pads. There will be racks of clothes organized on hangers by size and season. There will be nursing pajamas with only minor Lansinoh stains…c’mon ladies, don’t judge — you know it’s inevitable. There will be a pink motorized jeep for your little princess. There will be an infant carrier for your newborn bundle of joy. There will be a Kelty backpack for your slightly older bundle of joy. There will be a One Step Ahead Sit n Stand stroller for your second bundle of joy. There will be home decor that I can no longer bear to look at on my walls and shelves, but there’s no shame in admitting that you can’t live without them. There will be beauty supplies. There will be one kick-ass pair of boots. There will be an interview-ready suit that I clearly don’t need because my job rocks. There will be kitchen rugs. There will be bathroom rugs. There will be shower curtains. Hey! I just realized that you can redecorate your entire bathroom at my garage sale!

Stop by and check out all of the goodies you will find in my garage and on my driveway this weekend. The children are not for sale, but almost everything else you see can be yours for a small price. The sale of my husband is negotiable.

Are you Pinterested?

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You may have just discovered Pinterest, but it has been online for almost two years already and it’s now one of the top 10 social networking sites. For those of you who have no idea what is a Pinterest, you’re missing out on a gold mine of new recipes, DIY projects, inspirational quotes, videos, and things that make you truly laugh out loud. Your own friends are surfing the Internet and finding new products and ideas they love. They “pin” those new faves and assign the item to a virtual bulletin board filled with other fun finds of a similar nature. If you happen to follow this friend of yours, you will see everything they choose to pin to their bulletin boards and maybe find something you can’t live without as well.

Pinterest is both a time saver and a time suck. When I need a quick kid friendly recipe for school, I hop on Pinterest and within minutes I find s’mores-on-a-stick. Then another minute goes by and I find cookie dough brownies. Then a recipe for homeade cough syrup. Then a killer ab workout. Then tips on how to make a container garden. Then a sassy new hairstyle. Then produce bags made from old t-shirts. I have old t-shirts! The next thing you know, I’m headed to the grocery store to buy Cheez-Its® because I just spent the last two hours devouring the delicious ideas that is Pinterest.

We all have friends who we think are way more trendy than ourselves. Follow them on Pinterest and get a glimpse of what they think is awesome. Latch on to it and raise your own cool factor a notch or two. Why not? Everybody’s doing it!

Pinterest seems to appeal primarily to women as evidenced by my serious lack of male followers. But guys need to jump on this party bus as well. Fill your boards with great athletic shoes, craft brews, video games, power tools, futuristic cars, and 101 things to do with bacon. Need more masculine pinning ideas? Check out #BroPin, created by social media strategist Mike Street and managed by a variety of male Pinterest users.

Before you navigate away from this Hail-to-Pinterest blog, don’t forget to Pin It! It’s easy — just click the “Pin It” text at the top of the right column.

Social Bowl XLVI

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I love social media. I love interacting with complete strangers on Twitter who teach me more about digital marketing than any semester in college. I love “Checking In” to the Boston Store on Foursquare only to find that I just earned $10 off a purchase of $30 or more. I love finding a new recipe on Pinterest that appears ultra complicated but only has four ingredients. I love seeing pictures on Facebook of my cousin’s new baby, Avery Jean, who I have yet to meet in person. I love getting an endorsement from a colleague on LinkedIn who refers to me as someone who “…is ready to deal with any situation and offers strong solutions.”

Even though I try to immerse myself in social media, the impact it had on yesterday’s Super Bowl XLVI was still mind-boggling to me. A Super Bowl Social Media Command Center was established in Indianapolis providing social media coverage 15 hours a day for a week leading up to the game.  The Super Bowl Host Committee selected 46 of the top influencers in social media to promote Indianapolis and the Super Bowl through social media. Twitter broke records both during Madonna’s halftime performance and again at the end of the game.

For me, YouTube gets my vote as the favorite social media channel for all things Super Bowl. I missed the National Anthem because I was busy loading “Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest” into the DVD player for my kids. Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait long to catch the performance online.

The commercials are a major draw for a large part of the population and as a marketer, I look forward to them every year. However, once again the kids make it nearly impossible to both watch and hear the clever multimillion dollar masterpieces. YouTube strikes again by providing a one-stop shop for every commercial aired during the Super Bowl at AdBlitz.

Couldn’t stay awake for the Vince Lombardi Trophy presentation or the game MVP announcement? You guessed it…YouTube has all of the highlights. I haven’t had the opportunity to sit down and watch them all yet, but I am really looking forward to reviewing the MVP announcement. David Beckham got that one, right?!

Merry Craigslist

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Buyer or seller? Who cares! If you have kids and you’re not using Craigslist as your own personal Toys R Us this Christmas, your credit card company must really love you.

Last year was a buyer’s market for us. Our daughter was 18 months old and had the attention span of a gnat. I scoured the pages of Craigslist and found everything from a like-new doll stroller to a barely used bead maze. I never once heard her complain that the generous display of gifts under the tree did not come in their original packaging. I even started a trading enterprise on Craigslist…LeapFrog® Leapster cartridges that my four-year-old son had become bored with for new (a.k.a. different) games to keep him entertained. He never noticed the old cartridges were missing and was thrilled to find new games under the tree.

This year we tried a different sport — selling. As an anti-hoarder and a hater of clutter, I was more than happy to rid myself of last year’s bead maze, a tippy plastic kitchen, and a few Little People sets that never seemed to remain in an actual set. In one weekend, we sold enough “treasures” to hit Toyland and fund Noah’s entire Christmas celebration.

Like any sport, selling on Craigslist is exhausting and time consuming. I post, I repost, I reduce the cost, I answer 80 annoying “Is this still available?” e-mails, I negotiate a meeting location and finally a sale is made. Victory! Totally worth it.

Last week when Lia asked, “Where’s my kitchen, mommy?” I do have to admit that my heart sank just slightly. But I know that tippy plastic kitchen will be long forgotten on Christmas Day when Lia is presented with her new state-of-the-art wooden kitchen masterpiece designed to make all of her culinary dreams come true. Thank you, Santa Craig.

Seven reasons I won’t accept your friend request

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Do I really have 244 friends? It’s pretty hard to believe since I spent last Friday night sitting at home eating Combos and watching “Water for Elephants” On Demand while my husband was carousing with my cousins at buck camp. It’s not that I couldn’t have gotten a sitter for the kids — not one of those so-called friends invited me out. These days, 244 friends isn’t even a big number. But now that the novelty of Facebook has worn off a bit, I’ve gotten more selective about who I want added to my list of friends…and who I don’t want added.

1) If while riding the bus to school in third grade, you ripped the puffy hand-crocheted ball off the top of my hat (made with love by Grandma Adsit) and then proceeded to toss it around the bus, I will not accept your friend request.

2) If you are my 15-year-old babysitter, I will not accept your friend request.

3) If I have ever referred to you in my status update as the annoying co-worker who talks too loudly on the phone about your kid’s bodily fluids and the violent way in which they exited his body, I will not accept your friend request.

4) If we went to college together and you tried to kiss my boyfriend in the basement of the blue Pepsi house during cartoon cocktails at Springfest, I will not accept your friend request.

5) If you are the friend of a friend who wants a job at my company and thinks I can give you a positive referral, I will not accept your friend request.

6) If you don’t speak English, I will not accept your friend request. Not trying to discriminate, just seems like a moot point.

7) If I have absolutely positively no flipping idea who you are and neither do any of my actual friends, I will not accept your friend request.

On a side note, Google+ has a great feature in which you can assign people to an acquaintance circle or a friend circle. If you fall into the above category of 1, 3, 5, or 7, I would definitely add you to my Google+ circle of acquaintances. Sorry 2, 4, 6…not gonna happen.

Bad teacher

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Okay, I’m not Cameron Diaz bad, but even my own mom claims that I’m a bad teacher. Isn’t she contractually obligated to tell me that everything I do is amazing?

In the last several years, I’ve spent countless hours teaching my mom:

  • How to program the VCR
  • How to use a DVD player
  • How to use a universal remote
  • How to use a cell phone
  • How to search with Google
  • How to bookmark
  • How to create a Yahoo! e-mail account
  • How to buy me presents on Amazon
  • How to use a digital camera
  • How to attach photos to an e-mail
  • How to send photos to Walgreens
  • How to buy a Groupon
  • How to “ship to store”
  • How to reserve movies from Redbox
  • How to “friend” somebody on Facebook
  • How to “defriend” somebody on Facebook

While my mom has truly mastered a few of the items above, our lessons have left her performance less than stellar on a majority of these activities. She blames her lack of understanding on me for being a bad teacher. I will admit that I don’t read diaglog boxes, I grab the mouse from her hand, I click faster than a Kardashian marriage, and I swear a little. Apparently what I perceive as efficient, others find irritating. You say potato, I say potahto.

I pretended not to hear my mom a few weeks ago when she asked, “Should I be tweeting?” And again yesterday morning when she said, “I wish that I knew how to sell stuff on Craig’s List.” I literally ran from the room when she uttered the words, “I ordered a DVR last week.”

That said, my mom was my very first blog subscriber and she still doesn’t even know what is a blog. I truly love my mom for trying so hard to learn about technology, new media, and how I spend my days in eMarketing. I just wish that somebody else would teach her.

Despicable Us

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I lost the coin toss on Friday morning. This meant I would be accompanying my kindergarten son to Halloween trick-or-treating at his elementary school followed by a showing of “Despicable Me” in the gymnasium. Flipping a coin to decide who was lucky enough to stay home with our two-year-old daughter was merely the first despicable act of the day.

We arrived at school in time to join the hallway stroll with ninjas, princesses, athletes, grannies, superheros, mummies, and one very inappropriate five-year-old Lady Gaga who made my miniature Transformer blush. It’s no stretch to say that girl’s mom committed the second despicable act of the day.

With prizes in hand and blankets on the hard floor, we waited for the movie to start. The lights went down and the gymnasium fell silent. About 30 minutes into the movie, my left leg started tingling which only enhanced the numbness of my rear. It was time to move from my cross-legged position and look around the room to see if the other parents looked as uncomfortable as I felt.

To my surprise, the room was glowing like a Bon Jovi concert. About 60% of the light was coming from little ones wearing their new glow bracelets, but the other 40% was coming from parents looking at their mobile phones. Hmmm. Well, I did have a few e-mails that needed attention, so I fired up my BB and joined the crowd of despicable parents who can’t sit with their kids for a 90-minute movie.

Like all good animated films, this movie had an underlying theme hidden in the brilliant lines of Steve Carell and the antics of his minions, who were really just Universal Studio’s version of the oompa loompa. The theme was about loving somebody unconditionally despite their flaws. It’s the kind of love that I have been blessed enough to receive from both my parents and my children. I can only hope that it’s strong enough to endure when my son is a teenager and he realizes that not only did his parents flip a coin to determine who had to attend his movie night, but that his mother was rude enough to send e-mails during the movie. I am ashamed of myself.

One good thing did come from the evening, however. I feel great relief knowing that if ever a tornado blows through town on a school day, Noah will be secure in that gymnasium. I know this because the glow from those mobile devices danced around the room as we all stretched our arms toward the open door waving them around for a better signal. Despicable.

Going broke with Groupon

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Last Friday wasn’t just any date night. It was date night with a free babysitter and a Groupon! How could we possibly go wrong with such an extreme score? Upon meeting my husband at the locally owned Italian eatery, we found ourselves uttering the following phrases:

  • Let’s order an appetizer – we have a Groupon.
  • Should we get another round of drinks? We have a Groupon.
  • Don’t order your favorite margherita pizza, get something better – we have a Groupon.
  • How about dessert? We have a Groupon.

We left this popular restaurant two hours later feeling uncomfortably full, fairly buzzed, and completely broke. This sacred Groupon somehow made us feel entitled to splurge beyond our means and our appetites. As a result, we spent more money than we would have on a normal date night with a paid sitter.

I have been purchasing these money-saving gems since the inception of Groupon. I have purchased photo framing, teeth whitening, massages, pedicures, and play date activities. In fact, next week I will be enjoying a $19 gel manicure at my favorite salon. Why do I need a $19 gel manicure? I don’t. I have 20 shades of nail polish in my closet and two hands that are perfectly capable of painting the nails on the other. Still, when that e-mail arrives in my inbox every morning with claims to save 50-60% on a service or product I don’t actually need, suddenly I would be a fool for not purchasing this convenient mobile scannable bar code of sheer value.