Franklin Diaz Latin Dance Company offers salsa partner work and body movement.  A great emphasis is put on isolations and body control with a focus on letting go, feeling the music, and dancing from the heart.  The business is run by Franklin Diaz, who personally teaches all the classes (which I attend!).  He is a well known Salsero (male salsa dancer) in the salsa community.  Franklin does not have a social media presence, with the exception of a Yelp business and a personal Facebook page. 

Facebook.  Setting up a Facebook business account will make the dance company relevant and raises the word of mouth potential drastically.  A quick search on Yelp resulted in 61 salsa dance schools in NYC and he has to differentiate his from the rest.  

• Video Examples of his movement technique should be included.  Simple instructional videos that are easy to follow will ease the anxiety of potential students because they will see they can do the moves too.  Videos showing advanced dance movement will show what they can achieve with practice and help advanced students practice at home.  The strength of his school compared to others is in his focus on moving your body, not just placing your feet and that needs to be shown. 

• Status Updates should often be in the form of questions. This is how the site becomes interactive. For example, "how do you deal with becoming discouraged in dance class?” is a question people can respond to but they can also read the responses of other students.  That builds a community.  If you create conversation with your students, you will build a relationship and that fosters loyalty.    

• Post at 11am on Wednesdays (according to mashable.com, highest activity on Facebook is 3pm Wednesdays).  If you post by 11am, your post is visible for the 3pm rush.  You want as many people to see your post as possible without over posting and taking over their news feed. 

•  Offer Facebook Promotions Create posts advertising discounts on a “limited time” basis, such as “$5 off Friday’s class if purchased by Wednesday” and include a link to Paypal or “bring a friend day” where a customer brings a friend, who can dance for free.  Just like the workout buddy system, students are more likely to attend classes if they come with a friend.  If you can get their friends to join, then they are more likely to return week after week. 

Franklin Diaz is one of the few dance instructors that has focused on what salsa is all about – Latin rhythm interpreted through your body.  He has a great advantage over schools that simply teach basic steps and choreography.  He has a loyal student base but can now expand that base using social media efforts such as Facebook.      

Spa Belles, a Manhattan based salon offering manicures, pedicures and various spa packages, is one of the most visually recognizable nail salons with 8 locations throughout the city.

While their locations are identifiable and strategically placed in different neighborhoods, Spa Belels lack a social media presence that could boost their clientele and brand recognition. In order to do so, I believe the company should take advantage of their already established facebook page, which has not been updated since March, and become involved with American Express’ second annual “Small Business Saturday”.

If Spa Belles signed up to be a part of Small Business Saturday, they would get $100 worth of Facebook advertising, financed by American Express. The nationwide campaign, Small Business Saturday, was launched in 2010 and has become a huge success through social media efforts (facebook, twitter). Small business Saturday allows independently owned stores to take advantage of holiday sales/increased shopping on Saturdays after Black Friday weekend.

If Spa Belles takes advantage of the national campaign by having special events in their stores and offering discounts or other incentives for clients on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, not only will they bring in new clients, but will increase awareness of the spa’s name for years to come. It will also give them incentive to update their facebook page with free advertising!

Introducing Harlem Lanes.....Now Meet Ping.FM !

 

Harlem Lanes is a small privately owned regional Bowling and Entertainment facility located in Harlem, New York City.  Features include:

• 24 bowling lanes
•  Live DJ and deluxe lounge area
• Café, bar, arcade and private party room
• 24 flat screen televisions
• Daily Promotional Events

Given that this is a small family-owned business, it’s great to see they have basic social media programs underway in the form of a simple page for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Yelp.

One  ‘easy- to- implement’ social media recommendation I outlined was to utilize the functionality of Ping.FM. This free application to will update all social networks status feeds at once, simultaneously.

(Yes - no more logging into separate Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn pages to manually update the individual status - sounds appealing right?)

I believe this small change yields significant results in time management for the co-owners who appear to personally manage their social media programs.

 

A Commercial Gas Company Breathes Oxygen Into Its Online Profile

  AAA Medical Gases, located at 350 J.F.K Boulevard Bloomfield, is a family owned commercial gas vendor.  The company services about 2,000 customers in North Jersey, lower New York state, and eastern Pennsylvania. There are 15 employees, and a few part timers, according to Anthony Voglino, sales manager. 

 Reportedly, AAA sells cylinders of oxygen, nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and helium.   The company provides oxygen to doctors and medical institutions for their patients. It offers nitrous oxide to dentists for oral surgery operations. It supplies carbon dioxide and nitrogen for medical machinery. The corporation also delivers helium to retail stores for their balloon sales, the sales manager said.

 According to Voglino, his brother Michael Voglino has been company president and owner since 1994, after acquiring the firm.  The corporation is currently establishing its first-ever website, and has no social media presence.

 As such, one of my recommendations is establishing a Facebook page for AAA Medical Gases. Doing so will help the company in the following ways:

1.     Give an overview of the AAA Medical Gases. The company can use Facebook to post pictures of the corporation and videos of its principals describing what it does. This approach acquaints the public with the company. This solves a lack of awareness problem. For example, some people do not know that AAA Medical Gases also sells helium to balloon stores.

2.     Offering an online business forum. Established AAA customers can use a Facebook link to place gas cylinder orders. Potential clients can query with background information about their business and their gas cylinder needs. The details can serve as an icebreaker when sales personnel initiate talks with business prospects.

3.     Providing cylinder delivery schedules. Cylinder gas truck routes and timetables can be posted on Facebook. The information can be updated to reflect unforeseen delays, such as weather or traffic congestion. This tactic can spare customers from calling AAA Medical Gases about cylinder gas arrival.

4.     Bonding with customers by spotlighting milestones. Significant professional and personnel achievements can be touted on a section of AAA’s Facebook page. Appealing to human interest will draw more Facebook visits and word-of-mouth attention about the company. Both are good for business.

5.     Doing community charity. With Facebook, AAA Medical Gases can request donations on behalf of an established benevolence organization. Better yet, the company can use the social medium to spearhead fundraisers.  There is always a local volunteer organization in need, or a family/person facing undue hardship. Taking up an altruistic cause will boost AAA’s reputation.

 This all goes to show, there’s a lot of mileage to be gained from just one social media outlet. Just think of what several can do for a company.   

Surfing the Waves, not Internet

 

Saturdays Surf opened it’s doors in Soho in August 2009. Dedicated to the idea of surfing, living and working in New York City, Saturdays Surf began selling primarily surfboards and wetsuits. After a growth in popularity, they began selling books, art and other surf lifestyle accessories. Today, Saturdays Surf designs and produces a menswear line that is focused on quality, authenticity and the surfing lifestyle. Retail business aside, Saturdays Surf is also an espresso bar. The establishment has grown to be a popular meeting place for surfers, artists and influencers. 

Saturdays Surf currently has a basic Facebook and Twitter page, however they do not effectively or efficiently use either outlet. In order to ensure that Saturdays Surf is effectively using their social media outlets, I would recommend the following improvements and additional programs:

FACEBOOK: 
  
A New and Improved Facebook Page:

• The new and improved Facebook page will include a personalized home page and basic company information 
• Saturdays Surf homepage will take advantage of branding opportunities by tastefully branding their page with images of their logo, products and storefront 

 
Weekly Single

• Currently, Saturdays Surf posts  different songs that they call, Today's Single. The Today's Single post occur at random and inconsistent times
• Their new page will feature a Weekly Single that will be posted every Friday afternoon

 Facebook Surfing Video Competition

• During the peak surfing months (June-November) consumers will be able to enter the Saturdays Surf Facebook Video Competition by submitting a video clip of a personal surfing adventure 
• Facebook fans will be able to vote on their favorite video by 'liking' it
• At the end of each month, the person who's video received the most 'likes' will get a $300 gift certificate to their store
• At the end of the competition, all 6 semi-finalists will be automatically entered to win one grand prize, a new surfboard

TWITTER


Daily Wave/Surf Reports

• Saturdays Surf Twitter followers will receive daily surf and wave reports (these will also be posted on their Facebook fanpage) 

Saturdays Surf is already a very popular retail store, design label and hangout, however by improving on their current social media strategy and introducing new programs their business would surely improve.

Sculpting Ice Hotel Facebook Page

Starting its twelfth year of operations, Ice Hotel Quebec is a unique concept in North America. Several artisans with a solid technical expertise related to the creation of structures of snow and ice make Ice Hotel a well-recognized team around the world. Ice Hotel Quebec is a concept that features 36 rooms and suites with beds entirely make of ice but lined with deer furs and covered with mattresses and Arctic sleeping bags. Amenities also include an art gallery, a nightclub, a coffee place, a movie theater, outdoor hot tubs and a 60-feet slide, all made of ice. Every year, the design of the hotel is changed and incorporates many features to keep visitors coming back. The Hotel de Glace is a major tourism destination in Canada.

Ice Hotel has built a basic social media presence that allows them to engage with their audience. However, I would recommend them some advanced Facebook tactics for embarking on one-on-one customer engagement:

1. Creating off-topic or indirectly related content. Ice Hotel is only creating discussions about the Ice Hotel itself. This is a basic type of information to talk about but there is so much more they could share with their fans. Perhaps more facts about Quebec City, snow structures or even other Nordic countries could be added. It could help reducing community pages which take attention away from the main fan page where the interaction should be.

2. By creating more multimedia content, perhaps more photos of events and encouraging their fans to tag themselves, Ice Hotel is making engagement. Promotional pictures are posted but other content like pictures posted by customers who lived the experience makes the page authentic. Multimedia can make your company appear friendlier. Videos and images show that the project is fun, that Ice Hotel care about their employees, and most importantly, that they care about their customers.

3. By creating contest, Ice Hotel will transform fans in ambassadors. This is one way to excite their community by collectively creating ideas. Not only does a contest build buzz organically but a good social media contest should include some sort of sharing or “virality” as a requirement for winning. There is many type of contest Ice Hotel could craft:

1. What’s your style? Since the Ice Hotel thematic and design changed accordingly each year, a contest could be created to encourage their fan to speak up.
2. Work your artwork on ice which could be an ice sculpture idea contest. Fans could be challenging ice sculptors with their ideas.

4. Finally, Ice Hotel Quebec should be tailoring their message on each of their social media platforms. Right now, the same content is posted on Twitter and Facebook which doesn’t make place for new conversations with their audience. Social media users of Facebook may be different than the ones on Twitter. Indeed, tailoring communications for each individual site makes the company’s voice more engaging, transparent and authentic.

In conclusion, Ice Hotel enjoys an amazing reputation internationally. Each winter, they are operating at full capacity. This Quebec base company should however fully take advantage of the social media power and build the tremendous word-of-mouth that this project is able to create.

Pop Burger, oh Pop Burger, where is your social media?

Pop Burger is a hip NYC based restaurant based in NYC that opened in 2003. Think sleek fast food restaurant with a sexy lounge. Their clientele is mostly 18-34 year olds with no children.

This place is chic, edgy and full of pop art. It would benefit from a focused social media strategy.

Pop Burger’s signature dish is a two-bite burger. Why not get the NY tri-state area’s amateur chef skills flowing with a “Create the next two-bite burger contest?” The company’s online presence doesn’t match the modern feel of their restaurants.

The public could log on to the site and vote for their favorite two-bite burger. The finalists would present their burgers to a panel of judges, and incentives could be cash prizes. In addition to cash, the winner could receive a one night stay for two at a four star hotel in NYC, and a year of free min burgers. Win, win, win!

A contest like this would help increase Pop Burger’s online presence and the number of people frequenting their Andy Warhol-esque restaurant. With all of the restaurant/ lounge competition around it would remind New Yorkers that Pop Burger is still one of the hippest and most fun hangouts in NYC, with really tasty food.