QR Codes, Video and Negative Comments...

We're back with more episodes to add to the "Quick Buzz" series. 

"Quick Buzz" is a series of 30-60 second videos clips by fatBuzz bringing you news, events and updates from the world of Design, Marketing and Social Media.

In the first video we have Kirsty talking about how to deal with negative comments online. We often see that when companies have a negative comment posted on one of their social media channels, their first reaction is to delete it. This is the wrong thing to do, so take a few minutes to listen to Kirsty's wise words on how this situation should be approached.

We had extra fun filming this first video as Kirsty was the first member of the team to test our new Auto Cue !

Here we have Malcolm making his first appearance in the "Quick Buzz" series, where he talks about how important it is to use the right embed code, when embedding video on to your website. But also not to forget to upload your video content to as many relevant channels as possible to raise awareness of your brand. 

Finally to round off our latest "Quick Buzz" update, Gordon talks about how important it is for your business to be using QR Codes. But sometimes just using them, simply isn't enough, you want to make your code stand out from the rest, you want people to have a reason to scan your code instead of your competitor's. You can do this by customising your QR code to match your company's branding. 

That's all for now but keep and eye out for more Quick Buzzes from the fatBuzz Team.

If you have any questions about the topics mentioned above, or you have suggestions for a topic you would to hear in a future Quick Buzz, please let us know on our Facebook Page, and member of the team will get back to you. 

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Social Media Podcast Edition 40 is now available - Google+ may conquer the World (slowly) and, Apples may be cheaper next year

Taking part in Social Media podcast Episode 40 we have Gordon White,  Kyle Murdoch Kirsty Hunter, David McKinlay and Iain Murray.  This episode seems to have lots of laughter and plenty of the usual disagreements between Iain and Gordon - we may need another referee to decide who's right with some of these topics!

David McKinlay is our latest recruit at fatBuzz, he was thrown in at the deep end with this one because he only started his new role as developer the same day as we recorded this podcast - a big welcome to David, we look forward to his contributions in the future.

As with the last episode I have listed the topics in a slightly different way the feedback seems to be that you liked this method of highlighting the various topics we argue about.

On Social Media Podcast No.40 we discuss the following:

• Google+ - flop, success, slow burner? - we discuss this at length 
• Google+ Business Pages - could this be the making of it?
• Facebook - the new Timeline
• Social Media Privacy Settings - an even greater need to take control
• Google Music and Google Video - the latest news
• Google App Store, iTunes and iCloud - what's been happening
• Spotify, NetFlick,ILoveFilm - they all get a passing mention
• Steve Jobs - A sad loss
• Social Media Strategy - why you must have one
• QR Codes - A look at Dean's new Recipe Book and QR Codes
• Touchnote - they're doing Christmas Cards
• Banjo App - Iain explains what it does
• SiRi - why it can't find www.fatBuzz.com
• UVoucher - Iain gets cheap Pizzas
• CardMobili - Iain explains this pretty pointless App
• AA Safety Cameras and Cams Ahoy - Why Gordon doesn't need such Apps
• Sky+ and SkyGo - what's happening with these new versions
• Smartr and Xobini - how the curate your engagement
• Aura PR - We answer Laura's question about using video for business
• iPad - Should Apple go cheap to protect market share - a good argument to finish

We hope you enjoy the podcast, if you have any comments to make or topics you would like us to discuss please leave them here on the blog or on our Facebook Page.

Play the podcast here:

Subscribe/Download Social Media Podcast on iTunes

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You can also follow the Social Media Podcast on Facebook now - visit and "Like" the new Social Media Podcast Facebook Page HERE.

Exclusive offer to New Media Breakfast attendees

Here's an exclusive offer to anyone attending the New Media Breakfast in Glasgow on Friday; we will evaluate some of your recent HTML Emails FREE OF CHARGE!


In order to keep the presentation as interesting and relevant as possible, we would like to feature email campaigns that have been used by attendees so, if you would like us to take a look at your html emails please email David at david@attacat.co.uk

We have done this in the past and I can assure you that the guys will offer a very fair appraisal of your campaigns and they will suggest ways to improve what you're already doing.  It also makes it much more interesting for the other attendees if they can use examples of campaigns  and possibly get some background information about them beforehand.  So don't be shy, get your examples over to David.

For those of you who haven't yet booked, here are the details of the next Glasgow New Media Breakfast.
 

DATE: Friday 25th November 2011
VENUE: No,29, Royal Exchange, Glasgow
PRESENTER: Kiril Bunin & David Clark

Email Marketing is often overlooked when it comes to discussing new media but it is still one of the most effective marketing tools available to businesses today.  Likewise, there are some common mistakes in Email Marketing that render campaigns useless or, ineffectual.

This presentation will take you through some of the things to avoid and some of the common pitfalls of Email Marketing.  It will also share some valuable tips and tricks that will help you to get greater success from your email campaigns in the future.
Here are some of the area that will be covered at the New Media Breakfast:

• Are you unsure how to measure the performance of your email marketing?
• Have you optimised your subscriber list?
• Do you have a plan or strategy in place?
• Are you using the right email platform for your business?

The Speakers
Kiril Bunin

The foreign variable in the Attacat equation.  Kiril is our resident conversion rate optimiser and  self confessed ‘scientist’, his passion for enhancing  conversion rates through a process of stringent testing & optimisation has been put to great use within Attacat.




David Clark

David joined Attacat from a background in sales and retail and with great experience of dealing with customers he knows exactly what they are looking for. He has wide management experience in food retail and furniture sales with teams both large and small. He also has a great knowledge of the self catering property market.

Now an AdWords qualified professional, David likes to keep up to date with all the internet marketing goings on that keep the Attacats busy all day.
Venue: 29 Member's Club, Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow
Date: Friday 25th November 2011
Time: 7.30am for 8am

HOW TO BOOK

Non No.29 Members - £10 +VAT

BOOK FOR NEW MEDIA BREAKFAST GLASGOW HERE:

No.29 Members Go Free – If you are a 29 Member you can attend the breakfast free of charge. Please email malcolm@fatbuzz.com with your membership number and he will add you to the attendance list. We hope you can make it along to this event. If so, I look forward to seeing you on the day.

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Keep taking the tablets

Everyone has a personal brand, whether they realise it or not. It’s the picture that people build up of you in their minds eye as they collect ‘clues’ to who you are. Some of those clues will come online (they’ll Google your name, check out your LinkedIn profile, see what you’re tweeting, browse your Facebook updates, watch any YouTube clips).

And some will come offline (they’ll shake your hand, see what you’re wearing, hear how you’re speaking, check out what you’re driving.)

But there’s a place where both online and offline clues come together, and that’s with your choice of tablet.

It’s something that’s come to my attention recently; I popped into the Apple store on Regents Street with the aim of asking a few questions about an iPad – nothing more. But I got caught up in the buzz and ended up walking out £499 lighter, clutching my iconic plastic bag.

When I got to my next meeting, the person said, “Oh, you just got an iPad, my husband loves his.” The same happened at the meeting after that, “My boyfriend bought it for me and now I couldn’t live without it.” And all of a sudden, I was a member of ‘the club’ and those people bought into my personal brand a little bit more. (The subconscious thinks along the lines of, “We have something in common - I have an iPad and I’m a good person, so it follows that she’s a good person.”)

But then something happened…I took the iPad back. Now just stop a minute and take note of your reaction to that.

If it’s anything like the ones I’ve received from iPad owners, you’ll think I’m mad and perhaps some of the buy in I had will disappear. Because people seem genuinely disappointed when I tell them I just couldn’t get on with it. And telling them I now own a Samsung Galaxy 10.0 instead doesn’t seem to cut the mustard. I’m officially ‘out of the club’.

But then I realised something: that’s exactly where I want to be. Because the biggest motivator of my own personal brand is ‘doing things my way’ (which usually means doing things differently from the majority). Reports that Apple has 73% of the tablet market and that, among would-be buyers, only 6% plan to buy the Galaxy mean the niche club I’m currently a part of is likely to stay that way…which suits me fine! So the tablet I chose does indeed give the right clues to my personal brand.

So what clues do you give about your personal brand with your choice of tablet? And what clues to you get from others’? Leave a comment to let me know.

About Me

You may remember I presented at the Glasgow and Edinburgh New Media Breakfasts earlier this year on the subject of personal branding. It's a pleasure to be guest blogging on the fatBuzz Blog, hopefully I can bring you some useful information in the future. Meantime, you can read more from me on my own Spark Branding blog here.

Alternatively you can contact me via Linked-In or Twitter at the links below or via Fiona MacDonald fiona@fatbuzz.com

Follow me on Twitter
View my Linked-In profile

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Team members make their Quick Buzz debut

Since our last post on our series of Quick Buzz videos, other team members have decided to make their first appearance in front of the camera.


If you have seen these videos before 'Quick Buzz' is a series of 30-60 second videos clips by fatBuzz bringing you news, events and updates from the world of Design, Marketing and Social Media.

The first video is by our newest member of the team, Kirsty. In this edition Kirsty gives you her first Quick Buzz about Facebook pages.

The next part of the series is from Marion of fatBuzz, where she share's her extensive knowledge in event management on how to run a success event.

Here we have Gordon,talking about how it is important to be yourself on social media as it will create more engaging conversation.

Finally we have Cecilia, our senior designer, gives us a very useful tip on how it is important to adapt a square format of your logo so you can make it work with social media.

These videos will be syndicated to our various social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Blog, YouTube and you will also be able to find them on the fatBuzz website. Be sure to look out for the next Quick Buzz with other members of the fatBuzz team. We would be interested to find out what you would like to see on future 'Quick Buzz' episodes, so please don't hesitate to tweet or facebook us.

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With Kids Charity Race Night

One of our chosen charities at fatBuzz, are trying to raise money by holding a race night this month. We would really appreciate it if you took the time to read this post. With Christmas just around the corner we know this time of the year can be especially hard for deprived families in Glasgow's east end. With Kids are a great Glasgow based charity that provide many different services to these families.

The Courtyard Bar are very kindly organising and sponsoring the With Kids Charity Race Night on the 23rd November. They are helping them raise funds for Christmas and we would love for you to join them for a great night. With Kids have recently written a post regarding our Christmas Appeal highlighting how vital donations and fundraising is to the charity at Christmas time.


The Race Night is a welcomed addition to their fundraising efforts to help in the lead up Christmas. This time of year is a tough time financially for many and through fundraising events and kind donations they aim to make sure no family is left with nothing at Christmas.

Join everyone at The Courtyard Bar, 84 West Nile St. 7.30pm on 23rd November. There will also be live entertainment, Tombola and Raffle Prizes.

If you would like to make a donation or help With Kids with donating anything to their Christmas Appeal, they would love to hear from you. Contact With Kids on 0141 550 5770 or email us.

You can keep up to date with what With Kids are up to on their Website, Blog, Facebook Page or you can follow them on Twitter.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post, so please help us spread the word about the event by sharing this with your online friends using the share buttons below.


 If you have found this post of interest then the chances are your friends will too. Thank you!

Edinburgh New Media Breakfast - QR Codes and making them work for your business

QR Codes don't need to be strange little black and white boxes inserted as an "add on" to your page or advert; they can be the focal point of the advert.

Neither do they have to link to the home page of your web site (in fact, they probably shouldn't), they can link to any number of things like videos on YouTube, Podcasts on iTunes, specially created pdf files, Google Maps, your Skype account - the possibilities are endless.

    

And, because there are so many options, QR Codes offer endless potential to businesses, charities, events, individuals, brands, etc. etc. So, make sure you dont miss the next Edinburgh New Media Breakfast all about this exciting way to promote your activities. (Full details below)

QR Codes - How to make them work for your business

DATE: Thursday 10th November 2011

VENUE: Tigerlily, George Street, Edinburgh

PRESENTER: Jim Divine

We have been asking people for suggestions for topics for the New Media Breakfast and one in particular keeps coming up - QR Codes.

At the November New Media Breakfast we are delighted to announce that Jim Devine will share his knowledge and experience of QR Codes and demonstrate how they can be used for your business development in the future. We look forward to Jim's presentation and some of the case studies and examples that demonstrate the endless opportunities QR Codes offer businesses today.

In the words of Jim Divine, creator of the Cyberlogo the QR code phenomenon has been a long time coming. These little black and white patterned grids have been on our radar for a few years, but you may be surprised to know that they have been a part of everyday life in Japan for over a decade yet are only now getting the exposure and recognition they deserve in the west. Why has it taken us so long to embrace this technology and realise its marketing potential? More importantly how can it create value in your business?

Jim will show you how to incorporate QR codes into your marketing and day to day business through examples and case studies.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Jim Divine first started in the advertising industry in 1985 with Marr Associates, winning many international awards for creativity. He stayed with Marr for 15 years before starting his own business 21nine in 2000.

He discovered QR codes in 2007 while working with the comedian Bill Bailey and has since been spending his life educating the masses and finding more creative ways to make the technology more digestible.

Venue: Tigerlily, George Street, Edinburgh
Date: Thursday 10th November 2011
Time: 7.30am for 8am

HOW TO BOOK

BOOK FOR NEW MEDIA BREAKFAST EDINBURGH HERE:

 

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