Stephanie Liu

Digital Media Dinner – Social Media Branding Recap

The second series of Digital Media Dinner was held last month and focused on how businesses both large and small could strengthen their company’s presence across various social networks, review sites,  in addition to collective buying sites such as Groupon.  The event was hosted by local social media consultant, Melodie Tao (also known as Marketing Melodie) and featured Danny Wurst, Community Manager at Yelp, Kate Grofton, Account Manager at Groupon, and Lee Mills the VP of Marketing at MojoPages as panelists.

To kickoff the event, Melodie Tao presented a high level overview of popular online review sites, location based services, and provided the audience with tips and tricks on how to create and maintain their own Facebook business page. Then opened the floor to the audience to ask her and the panelists a few questions. What I found most interesting was the difference of a Facebook Profile versus a Facebook Page.

According to Facebook’s terms of service, “Profiles represent individuals and must be held under an individual name, while Pages allow an organization, business, celebrity, or band to maintain a professional presence on Facebook.”

This means, should a business create a Facebook profile instead of a Facebook page, Facebook has the authority to delete that profile and as a result, the business would lose their list of friends. So if you’re business has a profile instead of a page – act now and set up your Facebook page. Once you make that change you’ll have access then to view analytics on your Facebook page and take advantage of Facebook’s Like buttons and widgets.

Another key take away that I came home with were Yelp Events. Apparently I have been living under a rock and am not as Yelp savvy like my dear friend Jonathan H. because when Melodie Tao asked who heard about the event on Yelp – almost everyone raised their hands! Yelp Events? Huh? What is that?

Yelp Events features local events that Yelpers can RSVP to and a comment board that the community can participate in. My excuse for not being aware of this feature is because I generally look for events on Facebook and only go on Yelp to read and write reviews. However, since the event, I’ve taken a stab at adding a few San Diego Ad Club and Ad 2 San Diego events to the calendar and it was pretty easy.

Overall, I enjoyed Digital Media Dinner and look forward to the next series. For those of you that were unable to attend, you can view Melodie Tao’s presentation below or on SlideShare.

Digital Media Dinners- Social Media Branding

View more presentations from Melodie Tao


Credits: Photo courtesy of Melodie Tao.

San Diego Advertising Fund for Emergencies Annual Party
Stephanie Liu

San Diego Advertising Fund for Emergencies Annual Party

  • By Stephanie Liu
  • March 1, 2011
  • Events

SAFE – the San Diego Advertising Fund for Emergencies is a volunteer, non-profit organization (501c3) dedicated to providing financial aid in life crisis situations to members of the San Diego County advertising and marketing community and their families. Our services are free. Cases are handled carefully, confidentially and compassionately.
This year, the Annual SAFE Party is going to be held on Thursday, March 3, 2011 at Tom Ham’s Lighthouse from 6PM – 10PM. To purchase your tickets online, visit the official SAFE website. Supporting SAFE ensures that we will be here today and tomorrow, should you need us.

If you need help, call us at 619-255-2281. If you’d like to help SAFE by donating, volunteering or becoming a sponsor, visit GIVE HELP section of the web site.

Stephanie Liu

Tips for Marketing on Foursquare – OMS 2011

Thanks to my current employer, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to attend the Online Marketing Summit (OMS) in San Diego which was held at the Downtown Westin Gaslamp Quarter. I was at the conference most of the time providing attendees with a demo of my company’s software solutions for SEM and SEO and while I wasn’t able to attend a lot of the sessions, I was able to attend a session on how marketers could leverage the location-based social media platform, Foursquare, to target and reward loyal consumers.

Mike Lewis, the speaker and  Vice President of Marketing at Awareness, Inc. kicked off his presentation with a comedy web series on YouTube produced by HubSpot, Inc. called, “Foursquare Cops,” which I had to share (see below). The rest of the presentation is up on SlideShare. If you attended the event, what was your key take away?

Foursquare Cops – HubSpot, Inc.

Top 10 Ways Marketers can Use Foursquare

Presented by Mike Lewis (@bostonmike) at OMS 2011

View more  presentations from Mike Lewis on SlideShare and visit his blog Social Episodesfor more of his insight on social media and its on today’s businesses.

If you’re already on Foursquare, feel free to add me – HeyStephanie. Check you later!

Stephanie Liu

Land a Power Lunch with Top San Diego Advertising & Marketing Executives

  • By Stephanie Liu
  • February 15, 2011
  • Events

Are you looking to get ahead in your career as an advertising and marketing professional in San Diego? Well if you’re already an Ad 2 San Diego member, you’re already off to a great start!

Ad 2 San Diego has partnered with top advertising and marketing professionals in the community to participate in a silent auction where Ad 2 San Diego members can bid on a private lunch with a top executive. This is the perfect opportunity to gain face-time with executives in the community who you can exchange ideas and key lessons with regarding your field.

Attendees will be able to bid on a one-on-one lunch with the following executives listed below. To learn more about each executive, click on his or her name to view their individual bios online.

For your chance to bid on an exclusive one-on-one lunch with any of the executives listed above, be sure to RSVP and register today for this month’s Ad 2 San Diego Members-only event.

If you’re not already an Ad 2 San Diego member, this is the perfect opportunity to join. Easily sign up online and take advantage of membership benefits today.

Stephanie Liu

Get Face Time with San Diego Marketing & Advertising Executives

  • By Stephanie Liu
  • February 13, 2011
  • Events

Feel elite with Ad 2 San Diego (Ad2SD) at the February Members Only Event hosted at the Gaslamp Speakeasy!  An ultra-exclusive event, this Happy Hour is password secure and therefore, only Ad2SD members are allowed to attend.  Behind closed doors, members will be able to enjoy 1/2 Off Signature Prohibition-Style Drinks and Complimentary Light Appetizers.

As part of the members-only event, Ad2SD folks will have access to participate in a silent auction to bid on One-on-One Lunches with distinguished advertising and marketing executives in the San Diego community.

Below are the details for the event – be sure to RSVP to reserve your spot. If you’re not already an Ad2SD member, you can easily sign up and register online. For more information on the event, visit the Ad2SD website or the Facebook fan page.

Ad 2 February Happy Hour Details:

· Date: Thursday, February 17, 2011

· Time: 6-8pm

· Location: Gaslamp Speakeasy

· Address: 710 4th Ave, San Diego, CA 92118

· Specials: 1/2 Off Signature Drinks and Appetizers

· Light Appetizers will be provided

· Silent Auction: Bid on a chance for a One-on-One Lunch with Advertising & Marketing Executives!

· Price: $10 – Ad 2 & Student Members. $15 – San Diego Ad Club Members

Stephanie Liu

Ad 2 SD Cause Marketing Night 2010 – Come Drink for a Cause!

  • By Stephanie Liu
  • October 19, 2010
  • Events

The 2010 Public Service Committee has selected their annual partners… The Seany Foundation and S.A.F.E.  That’s right, this year we selected two organizations to receive help from Ad 2 SD and its great members. Come Drink for a Cause, celebrate the kick off for Ad 2’s 2010 Public Service campaigns, and mingle with Ad 2 and these great organizations!

Make sure to get raffle tickets for your chance at some great prizes!  All proceeds from admission and raffle sales will benefit these two Public Service campaigns.

Read more on Seany Foundation, S.A.F.E., and Ad 2 SD Public Service here.

Event Details

What: Ad 2 San Diego Cause Marketing Night

When: Thursday, October 21, 2010

Time: 6:00 – 8:00pm

Where: Proper Gastro Pub and Wine Steals at the Ball Park, Upper Patio

Address: 795 J St.  x  San Diego, CA 92101

Drink Specials: Half Price Appetizers, Half Price Wells, $2 Off Draughts, $4 Wines, $5 Martini Specials from 6-7pm  x  $4 20oz. Miller Lt & Hennepin, $4 Wells from 7-8pm.

Cost: Ad 2 / Students – $10. SAFE / Seany Foundation / YNPN Member – $10. Ad Club / Non-Members – $15.

Donate for the raffle and contribute to Public Service!

Download application here and email Brittany Cook.

Stephanie Liu

Ad 2 National Mid Year Retreat 2009

  • By Stephanie Liu
  • November 28, 2009
  • Events

Earlier this month, Ad 2 San Diego hosted the Ad 2 National Mid-Year Retreat at The Dana on Mission Bay. The event had over 40 Ad 2 members from chapters all over the US which was a great experience for a new member such as myself.

As the Social Media chair on the Communications Committee for Ad2SD, I was eager to meet other Ad 2 members that shared my position to exchange ideas on two specific areas: (1) how we could better promote our Ad 2 events and (2) encourage other professionals in our areas to join our events.

During our break out session, I learned that other chapters were taking advantage of Facebook and Twitter to promote their events like us. However,  I was suprised to learn that other chapter didn’t promote events on their site as often as  we did (i.e. Event Announcement, Event Summary, Photos, etc.) but after sharing our success stories with other members, I’m confident that that will change in the future.

Below are a few key take aways that I learned from the other Social Media chairs:

1. Leverage your Ad 2 newsletters and forward them to interested co-workers.

2. Edit your Facebook invites to invite members and fans that are local.

3. Twitter can help find local sponsors for your Ad 2 events (i.e. happy hours at bard, printing needs, etc.).

4. Stream events online if possible and post on video sites such as Ustream.tv, Facebook, YouTube, etc.

The key take aways listed above are definitely actions items that the Communications committee are going to roll out this year. Aside from learning new best practices for social media, I started realize that Ad 2 isn’t just for folks involved in online marketing — it’s for young professionals that are passionate about all avenues of advertising (i.e. print, television, online, etc.). Overall, mid year retreat was a great experience and I’m definitely looking forward to attending next year’s mid year retreat.

Before I head out, check out the Ustream video highlighting our Toga Catwalk.

Stephanie Liu

Social Media Breakfast San Diego Recap

  • By Stephanie Liu
  • September 27, 2009
  • Events

milanocoffee-29Aug2007113333925625
Getting involved in the social  media scene in San Diego is easy and fun thanks to Social Media Breakfast San Diego (SMBSD). The group meets once a month at the Milano Coffee  in Mission Valley to network and collaborate with other social media enthusiasts  and to share their experiences in recent  social media initiatives.

This month we got up close and personal with the social media team from Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp. otherwise known as Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes. Erika DiProfio and Ginger Anderson are the masterminds behind the company’s social media strategy and shared with us how Garden Fresh utilized social media and how their fully integrated approach has proven to be successful.

Below is the presentation from the event. You can also check out the Ustream video to the right. I suggest fast forwarding the video 16  minutes because that’s when the actual Souplantation discussion begins.

Key Take Aways

  1. Erika & Ginger are responsible day to day execution of Souplantation’s social media strategy.
  2. Social media was not viewed as a single campaign but a way to integrate everything they do for promotions.
    1. Use social media to capture customer feedback and drive marketing initiatives.
  3. Their goals were to open the lines of communication and to increase brand loyalty.
  4. UGC contest on Facebook has included: Best Pucker Face & Best Salad Face.
  5. The company has over 5K employees. Downward communication has been vital to their success to date.
  6. Over 1.1MM Club Veg Members to date.
  7. CEO has supported the team’s social media initiatives.

[Image Source: DiscoverSD]

[Video Source: SMBSD]

Stephanie Liu

Ad 2 San Diego Cause Marketing Night Recap

  • By Stephanie Liu
  • September 6, 2009
  • Events

ntc

Last month I had the opportunity to attend the Ad 2 San Diego (Ad2SD) Cause Marketing Night at the stunning NTC Promenade. Each year, Ad2SD donates a complete advertising campaign to one non-profit organization in the San Diego area. The advertising campaign includes television, radio, print, outdoor and interactive advertising elements depending on the client’s goals and objectives. Other campaigns have also included a logo design, production of collateral materials, and public relations initiatives. With the help of committed Ad2SD members, Ad2SD designs and produces the campaign for the non-profit organization with little to no cost at all.

This year, three non-profit organizations competed for the coveted Ad2SD Public Service campaign which included the Challenged Athletes Foundation, California for Sustainable Energy, and Make a Wish Foundation. Each non-profit was given 10 minutes to present what the goal and objectives were for their organization and how they would be able to benefit from the public service campaign. For a full recap on event, check our Marco Barron’s summary here.

After the presentation and Q&A session, Ad2SD presented Christine Guardia, the Cause Cultivator of KooDooZ. Guardia discussed how partnerships are the fifth “P” in a marketing mix. Below is the presentation that she prepared that night.

For more information on Cause Marketing, be sure to follow Guardia on Twitter @Cause4Kdz. As for the winner of this year’s Ad 2 San Diego Public Service campaign, be sure to check out the Ad2SD site. They should be announcing the winner soon!

[Image source: NTC Promenade]

Stephanie Liu

Ad 2 San Diego presents Cause Marketing Night

  • By Stephanie Liu
  • August 11, 2009
  • Events

ad2sandiegoIf you’re a marketing professional under the age of 32 and looking for a professional organization where you can network with other members of the advertising, marketing, and communications field – you should check out your local Ad 2 chapter. And if you’re in San Diego, you should definitely check out Ad 2 San Diego (Ad2SD). Why you ask? Because Ad 2 is a great organization that helps create future advertising and marketing industry leaders through education, leadership development and networking programs.

Just recently, Ad2SD hosted the “Start Up or Shut Up” event where attendees got to get up close and personal with a panel of San Diego’s finest agency execs to learn what it takes to bring a start up to a reality.

The panel included:

Over 50 attendees attended the event (myself included) and were able to gain an intimate perspective on the pros and cons of running a new business such as how to hire the right team, when to accept investment capital, how to negotiate rates, and more. Overall, it was a great night with a huge turnout and I’m definitely excited for this month’s event.

On August 27, 2009 at 6PM, Ad2SD will be hosting their annual “Cause Marketing Night” where three non-profit organizations will get a chance to compete for the coveted Ad 2 Public Service Campaign.

According to Ad2SD, “Each year local chapters select a client, research the client’s needs and author a complete marketing plan. Then, based upon that information, AD 2 members create television, radio, print outdoor and interactive advertising elements. Some campaigns also include logo design, production of collateral materials and public relations initiatives.”

Each non-profit will be given 10 minutes to present to a panel of judges on why they deserve the campaign and after the presentations, the guest speaker (TBA) will share a presentation on Cause Marketing. Check out the TV spot that was created last year for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County on the right panel. Awesome work don’t you think?

If you’re a non-profit in San Diego and want to compete for the coveted public service campaign, download your application here. If you’re interested in attending the event, you can register for the event now! Ad2 members get in for $10. Special discounts are also available for Students, Ad Club members, and YNPN members. To learn more about the event and the pricing details, go to Ad 2 SD Cause Marketing Night.

Hope to see you there!

[Image & Video Source: Ad 2 SD]