and I’m back…

Hello again! Much has happened between my last post and this one so I feel like a whole new introduction is needed. What would the trailer for this movie look like? My guess is there’d be a #filmcamp in Denver, a film conference in Ridgcrest, NC  and a move back to Nashville.

After living a year in Northern Virginia and the DC Metro area, I’ve discovered that there really is no place like home. While I made some fantastic new friends and had some of the most memorable experiences I still couldn’t see myself in the DMV for much longer.

The time was right for me to leave Nashville a year ago and the time was right for me to return just last month. Over the course of that year I helped produce the Denver #filmcamp for Inside|Out Global and attended the Gideon Media Arts Conference and Film Festival.

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the #hiretoby campaign

It’s no surprise that I’ve been trying to get a full time job for the past two years. Why it hasn’t happened yet is beyond me, but I continue to trust that God knows what He’s doing.

For the past year, I’ve been working as Communications Director for Inside|Out Global (much more on this later…) but since we don’t have any funding, I’m needing to find something “officially” full time (salary & benefits). It’s time. I’ve been on my own for the past three years operating my own design company and it’s time I get paid twice a month every month.

That I want a job that uses is social media is the reason I’ve decided to use it to get a job. Enter the #hiretoby campaign. What better way to show I have a good grasp of social media than to actually USE it.

I’ve created a website aptly called http://hiretoby.com that houses a general cover letter and includes my resume. My social media links are listed there as well as my references. It’s a place free of distractions, ads, and other people. It’s all about me, my abilities and experiences.

On twitter I write tweets as if they were coming from a personals ad in the paper: “ENFP seeks employer with benefits. http://hiretoby.com #hiretoby” and so on. I include the hashtag #hiretoby so I can search who’s talking about it and track the response.

Feedback for #hiretoby:

“…I love your [#hiretoby] campaign! Smart use of SM!” – @BevJack – Marketing & Social Media engagement for the GRAMMYs

“@tobysturgill love your use of twitter for seeking employment. Perfect example of what I was teaching career transition group, thanks! – @barnettwebsites – web designer, graphic design

“…[#hiretoby] is brilliant!” – @EmoryColvin – actress, production geek, founder of @dramaticncountr

So check it out, RT my #hiretoby tweets and get me a job! :-)

Augmented Reality… beyond the QR Code

I first started talking about QR Codes a year ago this month. That print is now interactive with them was my main statement and to my disappointment, none of my clients at the time wanted to utilize this new technology. “We want to see other people do them successfully before we jump in.” (Not something you say to an early adopter.) Since then, I’ve seen campaign after campaign successfully using Quick Response Codes. I’ve seen them on business cards (they’ll be on mine), on billboards, and catalogs. I think it’s safe to say that we’ve entered the Early Majority crowd. Come on in, the water’s fine!

As with everything these days, this concept has already evolved into Augmented Reality (AR): “in which a view of reality is modified (possibly even diminished rather than augmented) by a computer. As a result, the technology functions by enhancing one’s current perception of reality.” – Wikipedia.

I’m not concerned with how they do it. I’m more interested in how we use it. Marketers and advertisers are constantly having to break through the clutter and noise to get our attention. And since our smartphones and iPads seem to have a lot of that attention, it only makes sense for said groups to figure out how to use them. Enter QR Codes and AR Codes.

Here’s a great practical way to use AR Codes thanks to USPS:

And a brand becomes interactive in London with the same technology:

How can your business or product utilize this technology? The sky’s the limit. Hop on the bandwagon, there’s still room.

an interview with samaritan’s purse

Those of you that run in Christian circles probably have heard of Samaritan’s Purse. They’re a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world. Since 1970, Samaritan’s Purse has helped meet needs of people who are victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine with the purpose of sharing God’s love through His Son, Jesus Christ. And I have an interview with them on Friday!

The position I’m interviewing for is their Social Media/Marketing Specialist/Communications opening. What’s even cooler is they contacted ME. They saw one of my shamless #hiretoby tweets on Facebook and wanted to set up a phone conversation. That led to a few more phone calls which led to a face-to-face meeting at their International Headquarters in Boone, NC tomorrow.

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instagram, my new favorite app

The older I get, the more I seem to enjoy older things. Not things intended for older people, mind you. Rather, things that were once new, but are now old and considered “old fashioned.” Antiques without the stuffiness. If its hay day was between 1920 and 1960 I’m all about it these days. That’s why I LOVE taking photos with this new app: Instagram.

Instagram allows you to transform everyday photos taken with your iPhone into works of art. Most often giving them that “old timey” look and feel. The app is 100% free and comes with heaps of custom filters, borders and depth-of-field options to make your photos as unique as you.

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Why I’ve disconnected Twitter from Facebook

I’ve been doing some thinking and planning for my twitter feed and feel it’s time to say goodbye to its partnership with my Facebook status. Since I’ve been on both Facebook and Twitter the two have been linked which was great for the time it was connected. I was able to kill two birds with one stone and reach two different audiences with one tweet. What’s wrong with that you ask?

Well that’s just it. They are two different audiences and I’ve seen a pattern of what gets retweeted on Twitter and what causes conversation on my Facebook profile. Seldom does the same get tweet get equal attention on Facebook and Twitter.

Here is my reasoning for the disconnect:

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Facebook vs Twitter

There’s nothing like a good info graphic, huh? Here’s one for Facebook and Twitter side by side.

How do you use Facebook and Twitter?

new social network is crazy good

There’s a new social network in town and it’s Crazy Good.

Imagine what it would be like if you got paid $1 for each of your friends on Facebook. Then a $1 for each of their friends and a $1 for their friends and their friends and THEIR friends. It would start to add up.

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social influence marketing helps ads win

It’s no surprise that VW’s “The Force” is one of the top-ranked spots from this year’s super bowl (aka #brandbowl).

But what did they do that other’s didn’t? They released this spot on Facebook and YouTube a few days before the big game.

“Doesn’t that ruin the surprise?” You ask. Not really. It allows the spot to gain momentum before it goes live and creates even more buzz. Instead of saying, “Oh, did you see that VW ad with the Darth Vader kid?” it became, “OMG, you HAVE to see the ad from VW about the Darth Vader kid… you’ll love it.” See the difference?

It’s called Social Influence Marketing and it happens best when it happens organically, meaning, a marketing department isn’t shoving it down my throat telling me to tell my friends about it.

Doritos was really the early adopter here. A few years ago they opened up a competion for viewers to create and submit a commerical that would air on the super bowl. And their ads, through widely viewed on social media platforms before the game have ranked in the top 5 group each year.

Gone are the days where these super spots are kept under wraps and very hush-hush. Let it go and watch it spread!

Did any of you see any spots early this year? If so, where?

how to promote your SM presence offline

Not sure how to tell customers at your brick-and-mortar stores that you’re also on Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare? Take a look at these examples at the Flickr group, Signs of Social Media, a gallery of signs that point customers online.

This is a screenshot of the back cover from the latest Crate and Barrel catalog. Note the two signs of social media in the bottom right-hand corner.

It’s amazing how social media is now a part of normal, everyday life. Marketing folks call this “online/offline integration.”

It looks a bit flashy, but it’s TGIFridays in Time Square so they’re on brand.

Greeting folks as they enter Dillard’s in Cincinnati (Glenway/Western Hills)

at Coffee Emporium in downtown Cincinnati

Interesting to see how Oreo pushes people to their Facebook page to engage with the brand. Note it says TELL US vs. FOLLOW US. Subtle but important.

HT: PR Daily