Why market to teens? Tracey Stratton, our Director of Public Relations, has four of these little terrors. She explains why building a relationship with the teens running rampant across the U.S. is so important for businesses in this short video.
Are YOU marketing to teens?
Klout is an algorithm that measures your influence online. From your basic social media profiles (Facebook and Twitter) to your more niche networks (such as LinkedIn, Flickr and Blogger), Klout collects the data you post, then analyzes and scores the things you talk about, how big your audience is and whether you have the ability to get others to take action.
To determine your Klout Score, Klout measures:
After analyzing your online influence, Klout determines your official Klout Score, a number from 1 to 100, which Klout updates daily. The higher your score, the more influence you have. Klout reports the average Klout Score to be around 20. (Currently, mine is ranging between 53 and 55.)
Awhile ago, I received an email letting me know my Klout Score had qualified me for Klout Perks: a year’s supply of Secret Clinical Strength Waterproof antiperspirant. So I opted in and even tweeted a link for my friends to sign up for a year’s supply of Secret.
I had my doubts about actually receiving anything, but about a week later, a box arrived with four sticks of Secret. After trying the product, I found that it’s really something I like and will probably buy in the future (even though I won’t need to for, like, a year). So in this case, Procter & Gamble’s social media giveaway strategy through Klout worked. I’m not only a converted user of the product but I’ve spread the word about it.
Don’t worry, you don’t have to have tons of friends/followers to qualify for Klout Perks. Klout decides who receives Perks based on topics of influence and location, so being influential – even if it’s related to only one thing you’re passionate about – might still help you score free stuff.
Well, it can be pretty easy to cheat and inflate your Klout Score. At the end of the day, Klout’s entire system is computerized. So, to some degree, you could game the system and appear to be an influencer on topics you don’t really know that much about.
The fact that a Klout Score can be pretty superficial has made a lot of people wary of it. Although I tend to fall into this group, I do see some value in using the service as a benchmark and initial research channel when I’m evaluating people online.
According to Klout, the best way to improve your Klout Score is “to consistently create great content that people want to share and respond to.” And for the most accurate Score, Klout suggests you connect all of your social networks.
How much value do you place on your Klout Score? Have you ever received free goods/services/access as a Klout Perk? Tell me!
Before she came to jhP last spring, Chelle Decker was the marketing director for the Topeka Civic Theatre and Academy. During that time she was in charge of advertising, public relations, printing, design and helping plan special events for TCTA. She was almost a one-woman marketing machine!
In this short clip, Chelle explains the differences between her theatre job and her position at jhP.
I surprised a local storeowner when I told her that I liked Topeka because it has so much more to offer than my hometown, Lawrence. Here are the top five reasons why I think Topeka has Lawrence beat:
1. Authenticity: In Topeka, there are countless hidden spots to discover – and a lot of them look just as they did 40 years ago when my mom and dad attended Washburn.
Taco Casa at 1423 S.W. Sixth Ave. is one of these authentic places. It’s small, soiled and a little too dark but, at the same time, perfect. In Lawrence, if a building is around for 20 years, it will have been remodeled (or, as my friend Jan calls it, “restroyed”) two or three times. There are very few places that are untouched, nostalgic and authentic.
2. Affordability: Most things in Topeka, including food, houses and antiques, cost less than they do in Lawrence. Also, there are more stores to shop, antiques to find and restaurants to try.
I’m also impressed by Topeka’s enthusiasm for garage sales. There are so many I often drive around on my lunch break and find four or five. They usually start on a Thursday and go through the weekend. A friend once told me she shows up with a bag on the last day of the garage sale and negotiates a price to fill it.
Housing is cheaper here as well. In Lawrence, the median house price in the fourth quarter of 2010 was about $150,000. In Topeka, it was around $110,000.
3. Trumpet the Lamp Dancer: Although his moves are getting progressively vulgar, Trumpet continues to make me smile, dancing with his lamp on the corner of 10th and Kansas Ave. He moves like he’s possessed by music. The instant I see him, two things come to mind: First, what might it be like to dance on a street corner, sober, in daylight? And second, how great it used to feel dancing for hours with my friends.
One time I heard Trumpet say in an interview that he’s out there dancing so that people will remember to look out for one another, and that we need to prop each other up. I’ve only seen Trumpet once when he was not dancing. He was pushing a woman in a wheelchair across a street.
4. Food: I love Topeka’s love of cheap, California-style Mexican food (Tortilla Jacks, Taco Casa, Taco Villa, etc.). Topeka is also home to the first “food truck” I’ve seen. These mobile kitchens are a major trend in food/cuisine today, but Lawrence has very few of them. Lawrence has more restaurants focusing on seasonal/local cuisine, but if you’re looking for cheap and delicious, go to Topeka.
5. Diversity: When it comes down to it, Lawrence is a white, middle-class, small town. Topeka is a lively and diverse metropolis. There are so many different cultures represented here – and that can shift the way people view and appreciate each other.
To demonstrate these points, my coworkers and I trolled Topeka on our lunch break to look for some lucky finds.
Topeka offers many unique and hidden gems. Check out Suzie’s favorite places, then tell us: What everyday Topeka wonders do you love?
Dan Billen’s curiosity got the better of him after seeing these bright orange Think signs posted in several people’s yards. Our graphic designer allowed us to follow him on location to see what these signs are all about. Take a look to see what we discovered.
What other outrageous advertising schemes have you come across?
