5 Truths About the Millennial Generation

I would like to believe that I am generally a pretty positive person. I try to see the best in people and I respect individual opinions. However, there is one opinion that has really gotten under my skin recently, and I feel like I should share my viewpoint.

I am exhausted of hearing that the millennial generation is lazy, narcissistic, entitled, and doomed. The millennial stereotype is usually inaccurate, and to be frank, unoriginal at this point. It seems that employers and other generations everywhere believe that millennials cannot hold a conversation, they have poor work ethic, they don’t have respect for their elders, etc. In response, I would like to share some millennial truths.

Millennials do have a different work ethic.

Work smarter is the name of the game. We have been raised in a world where multi-tasking is expected and over involvement is the norm. Because of this, we try to work smarter. Our work ethic is strong, but not in the 9-5 traditional way. In a workplace we look for flexibility and work we genuinely enjoy. If that can be provided, millennials will work hard and smart, creating results that are completely different, in a positive way, from those with traditionally strong work ethics. I am 22 years old and in the last two and a half years, I’ve completed six internships while attending school full-time, among other things. I am not different from many people of this generation. If we can find our niche and our employer can offer flexibility, we work hard and smart.

Authority doesn’t intimidate us, but that doesn’t mean we don’t respect authority.

We are a generation taught to always ask questions. We are inquisitive and curious, and in this day and age, people of authority have never been so easily accessible (example: @BarackObama, @BillGates, @Oprah Twitter accessibility). There is something to be said of a person whose confident standing in front of a board room of executives, but still values every single one of their opinions. Please don’t misconstrue our generations comfort with authority as disrespect. I assure you, we understand that people hold authority for a reason.

We aren’t entitled, we are excited.

For some reason, everyone everywhere gives me the same spiel as I prepare to graduate from college: You aren’t going to get your dream job right away. For the record, I am aware and can appreciate the fact that I will not get my dream job right away. In fact, I would be concerned and disappointed if a new graduate was ever offered my dream job. I believe that millennials have been raised in an era where everything is changing and so much is possible. We are seeing the rise of young and powerful entrepreneurs (I’m talking to you, Mark Zuckerberg) and new ways to change the world (TOMS Shoes provides shoes for people in undeveloped countries). Millennials want to be part of this changing society, and we are anxious to do so.

I’ll admit it, our social skills are a bit different.

It’s not just our generation navigating the digital waters.

As a millennial, I am constantly told how my generation is expected to be tech savvy, up to date on digital trends, and well informed. Then, the complaints roll in that our generation is on our phones way too much and we are unable to carry on conversation. Like most of this generation, I am very tech savvy and I check Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Buzzfeed, the BBC, CNN, the AP, and the New York Times every day. I would like to point out that checking all of this takes less time than watching the nightly world news. As I said above, it’s about working smarter. Our generation has communication and social skills that the generations before us haven’t even dreamed of by communicating via digital mediums. However, I can still carry on conversation with my co-workers, I call my family at least two times per week, I’d prefer to catch up with friends over dinner, not iMessage, and no, I do not leave my phone on the table. Our generation is evolving, but we aren’t as different as we are made out to be.

We want you to be open-minded and communicate openly.

In true millennial fashion, I would like to ask you to be open minded. I would also like to ask you to communicate openly. I’m certainly not saying that no millennial fits into the millennial stereotype, because some certainly do. If you have millennial employees who you might see as fitting the stereotype, I want to challenge you to take a play from the millennial playbook. Ask them why. Maybe they are looking for more flexibility or respect. Maybe they are looking for something to be excited and passionate about. I can promise that if society can stop lumping all millennials into the same millennial stereotype box, millennials will surprise you and our generation will continue to redefine society.

-Maggie Weldin, PR and Marketing Coordinator

March 31, 2016

5 Ways to Research Potential Employers

It’s Not Just Employers Doing the Research.

Working at Plaid Swan has easily been one of my favorite experiences of my career thus far. Since November, I’ve been surrounded by wonderful co-workers, learning more than I could have imagined, and performing as part of a powerful team. Nevertheless, as my graduation sneaks closer and closer, I am continuing my search for work closer to my immediate family in the Southeast part of the country and research has never been more important.

Within the last few months, I have learned that it’s not just employers doing research on applicants. Especially when applying from a distance, it’s really important that applicants research potential employers. Let me tell you, this was a lesson learned the hard way through a run in with an agency that had some very strong ties and was a front to a not-so-great organization which I won’t disclose (shout out to you, Tom Cruz and John Travolta). My hope is that through my experience, others can learn to thoroughly research employers to make sure employment would be a good fit.

Here are 5 ways to research a potential employer:

Pay close attention to the steps of the hiring process.
Are they interviewing you for a job you are truly qualified for? Are they asking relevant questions? If the answer is no to either, the employer may have ulterior motives. This was where I certainly realized the potential employer was not right for me. I had suspicions, so when the employer had me complete a personality test, I copied and pasted one of the questions into Google. It turned out that the test was the exact same used to recruit for the particular organization the employer was a front for. Cue the spine tingling chills. Red flag overload!!!!
Find out their exact location.
Google the address on their website and see where they are located. Use Google street view to check out the front of the facility and neighborhood. Check to see if images found on their website or Google+ page match what you see in Google Maps street view. This might sound super creepy, but you cannot be too safe. The agency who I was interviewing with uploaded a photo to their Google+ page and website that did not match the address listed on their website or the street view in Google Maps. I tend to try to see the best in people, so I figured there was possibility they had moved and didn’t change the photo. Second red flag.
Break out your web-stalking skills. Research the founder(s) and your interviewer(s).
Google is your friend. Naturally, you’ll research the company you are applying for, but it is also important to gain a deeper understanding of the people you’d be working with. Research the founder and your interviewer to see what kind of work they have done in the past and see if they appear in the “News” section of google. Use LinkedIn to see if they have recommendations and what their previous work experience includes. Learn more about the people whom the founder/interviewer have long-standing relationships with. I’m talking going full on private investigator on potential employers. When I was going through phone interviews, I could not find any results for my interviewer on any social media or Google. First red flag. Later on, Google searches revealed the founder’s deep ties to the previously mentioned organization.
Pay close attention to any phone or in-person interviews.
Does the interviewer call or see you on time? Does the phone number match the office number or at least have the same area code of the office? It is important that the employer is legit and that they respect and value your time. In my experience, the interviewer’s number did not match the office location, the interviewer called late two separate times, and the call was dropped while my interviewer used an elevator. Third red flag. And why was the interviewing using an elevator during an interview?
Follow your intuition.
The reason I researched this employer so thoroughly is because my intuition told me to. The first phone interview did not feel right, the second one plain creeped me out, and my research saved me from going for an in-person interview at an office that did not appear to exist with people trying to recruit me to an organization for which I am not interested. I kindly told the interviewer I was no longer interested in the position, and watched my opportunity to greet Tom Cruise in the hallway slip away. If it doesn’t feel right in your gut, try to figure out why and trust yourself.

Overall, most potential employers are honestly trying to find great talent. However, when it does not seem right, use the tools you have to research until you figure out why. Serious situations like mine aren’t common, but thorough research can help you identify employers with whom you would work well within. Its time consuming, but research is never a bad decision. And no, I will not be joining the company of Tom Cruise and John Travolta anytime soon.

-Maggie Weldin, Marketing and PR Coordinator

P.S. Plaid Swan is hiring! And no, we are not recruiting for any sketchy organizations, but we do deckedited1 have an awesome outdoor deck and a Potosi Brewery stocked fridge. We are currently hiring:

Senior level graphic designer or conceptor
Experienced media planning/buyer

To learn more, contact betsy@plaidswan.com .

March 25, 2016

The Price of Admission

At my core, I am most certainly a marketing strategist. It is my passion. It is what makes me tick. However as a business owner, I must also be developing new clients all the time if we want to grow. You can hire great sales people, but if the principals of a business cannot manage relationships and bring in new accounts, the business will likely struggle in the long term.

Late in 2015, I started to think about what our firm could do differently in the New Year. We are on track to have a banner year, so I decided to try and “peak on a peak.”

I started watching how other industries sell to me. I thought I may learn some valuable lessons. And I did. What I came to realize is that I am often giving my time (which I consider VERY valuable) away for free or even PAYING someone to sell to me. I lose an hour of my day with each meeting.

My first point of contention was my hair dresser. I spend 90 minutes a month in her chair and spend about $100.00 with each visit. I also noticed I am literally paying to sit through an infomercial of her products. STOP! I am paying for this time!

I have a good relationship with this woman who practices magic on me each month so I was nice, but upfront. ”Karen, I am paying for this time and you have never heard about my business. And rather than getting sold products, I would like to talk about who comes here for services.” She was great about it. I have since received leads and landed several new projects and in return, I have sent her two of my friends to become customers of her salon.

So, beginning in 2016, I have started to require this trade. Yes, I will see you about leasing a new copier should we need one, but will require you bring me a lead. Who do you currently work with that may be in use of my company’s services? You want me to consider changing my office cleaning service? Sure. But prepare to share a client contact with me before you roll out that price sheet.

How is it going? Since November, it has generated a strong lead about 30% of the time, but has been to my benefit 100% of the time. There have been two reactions. “Sure, Betsy. I will give it some thought and come prepared to share.” Or, “What do you mean? We don’t work that way. We just want to be a benefit and share our product with your company.” A lead is the price of admission. Those don’t want to share don’t get a meeting. In these cases, I save an hour or more of my time, and that works for me too.

Those that do provide a tip have most likely turned in to people I plan to meet with again this year. I am much more interested in what they have to say and what they are selling. These are business cards I keep.

Certainly, there are exceptions. You really cannot do this with the vendor- partners you need to service your clients. However, the people that want me to sell me services such as insurance, printers or office supplies etc. come prepared! You now have to pay to play. Everybody wins and no one feels like they just lost an hour of their day.

We are all focused on the same goal. Let’s help each other have a great 2016!

-Betsy McCloskey, Partner/Principal

March 17, 2016

Living on the Edge

I was up and out hiking early one morning, getting on the trail about 6:30A. There were more people out than normal and as I started down my favorite path, a couple began to follow me, which of course is fine, but I wanted some solitude and frankly wanted to let my dog, Jada run off leash and burn off her energy. So, I saw a short side path that I had always assumed was a dead end for fisherman to settle in close to the water. It was a gateway to a part of the timber that I had never been. I ended up finding this manicured, but untraveled road which I walked for about a mile. All of a sudden it all opened up to this beautiful forest and there are sap buckets everywhere. Hundreds of them. Really cool find.

Later, the road turns in to a very long hill, which would be fine but it is still covered in ice. So, I turn around and head back down. Then I see it. A “shortcut” back to the main trail. It is a deer path, about 18″ wide that borders the very edge of the bluff. Now, I know I will likely hit a couple of bad spots, but how bad can it be? Deer’s do it….

First 200 feet, all is great. It rounds the bend of the bluff (I am about 30 ft. up and there is water at the bottom.) All of a sudden my 18″ path turns in to a 6″ path. Jada is ahead of me and naturally she is just trotting a long, jumping over the rough spots. Well, rough spots aren’t bad if you actually have a trail, but 6″ does not a trail make. At one point I slip on ice but catch myself by going down on all fours and grabbing handfuls of dried grass. Feeling pretty good. I start to get up by placing my hands, palms down flat, still hanging on to the grass, and get my feet under me. This stance results in my butt being in the air while I steady myself. Those of you that have dogs know, fore paws down and butt up is the universal dog sign of “Let’s wrestle.”

I look up and 75 pounds of hair has turned around and is staring at me with big, wide, happy eyes. For some reason, I just couldn’t speak. To say “No, stay, sit, stop…just wasn’t happening. All I could think of was “I hope I don’t die.” Jada comes barreling at me and at the last moments I yelled, “NO!” She jumps over me landing behind me, like a chubby ballet dancer on a balance beam. But “lab crazies” just have to burn themselves out. (Labs get so much adrenaline they have to run at full speed in large circles to burn off the energy. You really can’t stop them once they start, as the dog is just going nuts.) I look behind me and she has went half way up the hill and she is rounding a tree and heading back down at full speed, slipping and sliding the whole time. This went on for 3 jumps. All I could do was pull my shoulders in, head down and hope she didn’t land on me and we would both go over. Nope.

On the last jump she ends up in front and just starts walking on about her way. I get upright, get off the deer trail and lift her face up to mine and tell her she is an insane beast and that we will at some point die together. To which she responds with a wet French kiss right on my mouth.

Good times.

After it was all over I started to laugh about how much that entire event reminded me of owning a business. It all seems rosy and fun in the beginning. You take some risks that turn out to be much bigger challenges that you expected. One day, you look up and a situation is barreling down on top of you and all you can do is duck and weather the potential impact. Then, all of a sudden you look up, and your client or employees are smiling at you and you are getting up and moving forward again.

I have learned a lot in 5 years. The most important lessons are to

1) Be resilient.

2) Don’t borrow trouble.

3) Don’t turn back. Stabilize, stand up and move forward.

Turning around should never be an option.

-Betsy McCloskey, Partner/Principal

March 10, 2016

4 Marketing Strategies That Advanced Airbnb Growth

Airbnb is one of the quickest growing companies in the world. Created to serve a need of those renting Growth spaces day to day, Airbnb has completely shaken up the hotel industry. Founded in 2008, the company’s number of users has absolutely skyrocketed. Here are 4 ways Airbnb has grown via marketing.

Creative Design

When Airbnb was just getting started, they needed some start-up capital to establish themselves. The two founders, Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia, were designers by trade with a knack for unique and laugh-worthy design. In 2008, Brian and Joe created Obama and McCain cereal boxes, which they sold at convention parties in the fall and made around $30,000 dollars. These boxes had nothing to do with Airbnb, but they were creative and unique and demonstrated Brian and Joe’s pure hustle. Cereal

Craigslist Integration

When Airbnb was created, it clearly distinguished itself from other platforms by being personal and less fraud filled. Airbnb knew these strengths, but also realized that Craigslist had an advantage they did not: A gigantic user base. Through complex web engineering, Airbnb somehow created a way for Craigslist customers to post their same listing on Airbnb and vice versa. This introduced a completely new audience to Airbnb who stayed because of the obvious advantages. Airbnb was more modern, personable, and less sketchy feeling than Craigslist. Craigslist integration is possibly the number one reason for Airbnb’s quick and explosive growth.

Professional Photography

Like any good company, Airbnb constantly evaluates what is working for them,
and what is not. Airbnb noticed a lag in New York City revenue. After hands on research, the company realized it was because of the low quality photos being used that mirrored those usually found on Craigslist. Airbnb introduced a photographer program that gave listers the option to automatically schedule an appointment with a professional photographer. The result was listings that were two and a half times more likely to be booked and lots more revenue. Airbnb now employs thousands of freelance photographers.

Content Marketing

If there is one strategy that Airbnb uses which other brands should pay attention to, its content marketing. Airbnb creates fluid branded content pretty much everywhere. In 2014, Airbnb created a 128-page magazine called Pineapple, which featured stories and experiences of Airbnb users. Another piece of content, Airbnb Neighborhoods, features neighborhoods across the world and details places to see and highlights of each. Airbnb also created a short film made entirely from Vines, which demonstrated a story of travel and adventure across the world. The company also created economic impact reports showing the benefits Airbnb has on local economies. The amount of branded content that Airbnb pushes out is huge and users love it.

Check out Positive Health Wellness’s article on “8 Reasons Why Traveling Is Good for Your Health”

February 25, 2016

Content Marketing

CONTENT IS KING

This is a phrase that any marketer has probably heard. Content marketing is a valuable strategy for a variety of reasons.

WHAT IS CONTENT MARKETING?

In today’s world of marketing and advertising, there is so much clutter causing traditional marketing to lose effectiveness. Content

The Plaid Swan Blog is an example of content marketing.

marketing is a strategy that entails creating content based on an organizations goals which is also attractive and relevant to target customers in order to attract and retain them. Content marketing aims to change or increase consumer behavior.

When an organization focuses on content marketing, they will create content that their customers are seeking out. This kind of marketing is not disruptive and repetitive, but rather helpful and insightful. Readers become better educated or find solutions to problems they may have. Content marketing does not focus on the rental of mediums like billboards, radio time, and print ads. Content marketing is owned and unique content that cuts through the clutter, without the customer even realizing it.

“Content” itself can be a variety of items from blog posts to tutorial videos. The content created for content marketing helps organizations establish a personality, which guides target customers from an introduction to a sale while answering their questions and not being intrusive.

HOW IS CONTENT MARKETING BENEFICIAL?

Customer Engagement and Satisfaction

By establishing a content rich website and other medias, organizations demonstrate their expertise by helping to educate or entertain others. This establishes the organization as a thought leader, which may give an organization more influence over buying decisions and overall increases their credibility. Customers are happier when they are working with the best of the best.

Creating unique content specific to the target audience increases the amount of engagement with that content leading to more views and more influence. A fluid tone and personality across all channels of content creates deeper relationships with customers before they even speak with a person from an organization.

Inbound Traffic and Lead Generation

When used strategically and correctly, content marketing is a driver of engagement and ROI. First, content marketing creates websites that are content rich. Content rich websites perform better in search results and are easier to find, especially those with more content than others. Sixty-eight percent of consumers prefer custom content, so it is not surprising that content rich websites perform so much better.

Additionally, this increase in inbound traffic increases lead generation drastically. Content rich websites garner 97% more leads than websites that are not content-rich or host a blog. This is probably why 93% of companies in the B2B market use content marketing.

Cost

Overall, strategic content marketing can be much more effective than traditional marketing. It does take time and money to create content that will truly resonate with a target audience, but that can be so much more valuable than the thousands of dollars spent on traditional marketing crafted generically to reach a mass audience.

Content marketing is both cost and target effective. This means more sales coming in with less money going out and that is a win.

Have more questions about content marketing? Give us a call.

February 18, 2016

Seriously, I am Going to Flip Out.

As a marketing person, I watch trends. Everywhere I go from the coffee shop, to the doctor, the dentist,even the drug store, I naturally find myself watching people. What are they purchasing; how do they move through the store when they shop; how many people are using a list; how did these people get to this destination, did they drive? Who is using coupons and who isn’t.

I try very hard to be unobtrusive when I watch people. I don’t stare like I think they may be shoplifters; I don’t comment or ask questions as to why they are doing what they are at that moment, or even why they make the choices they make. There is one trend, however, that is slowly driving me mad.The garbage we are reaching for, putting in our heads and calling “news.”

Today, at a doctor’s office, waiting to be called, I caught myself noticing what magazines others were reading. People; Star; Celeb; Entertainment Weekly.What sat alone, ignored, unloved? TIME; Newsweek; Economist; USA Today.

Why is that? Why would any adult care to read about another mansion purchased; or who is dating who; divorcing who; sleeping with who….Why do hard working; smart, educated, free thinking adults care who or what the Kardashians are doing?

So, I broke my rule, and I asked. One woman actually made a good point. “Their lives are so screwed up, it makes me feel better about my own.” Another just shrugged. Another stated, “I guess I don’t know. I just recognized Boy George on the cover.” (Is he still even alive?)

I pointed out the other reads being ignored, and asked why no one was reading those publications. I received the same facial expression one gets when offering up sardines. Those pubs were called depressing, boring, dry, and “yuck.”

So, while I don’t believe in censorship on ANY level, I have to say that this is one trend over the last 10 years that just breaks my heart. It is like watching a young, healthy kid smoking a cigarette.

I will continue to watch what people read from afar, but I will be shoving those celeb rags to the back of waiting rooms, hiding them under the chairs at the hair dresser, and putting a TIME in front of the Glamour magazine in the grocery store rack. I can only hope that a new headline will catch someone’s attention and they will pick it up and begin to read. Is that censorship? Maybe it is.

– Betsy McCloskey, Principal/Partner at Plaid Swan

February 9, 2016

Super Bowl Standouts

$166,000 per second. That was the cost of most of the advertising seconds during Super Bowl 50. For that price, we are bound to get some pretty great commercials, right? Here’s a look at my top seven Super Bowl 50 ads.

1/2 T-Mobile – “Drop the Balls” and “Restricted Bling”

Let me tell you, T-mobile ads caused the most audible laughter from our Super Bowl group. The use of humor and timeliness make these ads effective. The first ad features Steve Harvey making fun of himself for his now infamous incorrect Miss Universe announcement. In the ad that parodies Verizon’s recent ad, Harvey calls out Verizon as the reason the audience is misinformed. Check it out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eI8YZdejPKg

The other T-Mobile ad features Drake and parodies his song, “Hotline Bling.” The song’s music video spurred tons of memes and parodies, with even Donald Trump recreating the video during an SNL skit. T-Mobile used the popularity of “Hotline Bling” to create an ad that would appeal to a mass audience, one the Super Bowl certainly had.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDIeNrcGxvQ

3 Audi – “The Commander”

This commercial felt impactful. The idea was that a retired astronaut could feel the exhilaration and excitement of life again when driving the Audi R8. It seems like this ad is specifically targeted to the older demographic, but as a 20-something, it certainly pulls at my heartstrings and takes my breath away. The spot features David Bowie’s ‘Starman’ and the new 205-mph Audi R8 V10. I believe that space travel is still a concept that demands the attention and curiosity of viewers across demographics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diU_09jb4bI

4 Mountain Dew – “Puppy Monkey Baby”

Mountain Dew’s Super Bowl commercial is the weirdest ad I have seen in a very long time, but that is its strength. Some people love it, and some hate it, but everyone is talking about it. The Puppy Monkey Baby combination is the star of the show alongside strong messaging about the three ingredients of Kickstart. Do you love it or hate it? Comment below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ql7uY36-LwA

5 Jeep – “Portraits”

This ad evokes nostalgia and spirit. The ads demonstrates the many uses of Jeep ranging from simply picking up groceries to using the Jeep as transportation in war and the movies. The ad shows black and white photos of common and famous people who all love Jeep. The ad ends with the slogan, “We don’t make Jeep. You do.” This is no hard sell, but it is moving and special.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKn5K5V7tRo

6 Heinz – “Wiener Stampede”

How has Heinz not thought of this before? Nothing brings joy and positive associations to viewers like a stampede of adorable, short-legged, floppy eared wiener dogs running majestically towards the lucky Heinz condiment people standing in a field surrounded by bold mountaintops. Are the Heinz wieners the new Budweiser puppies? I think yes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOlfhBT8i9I

7 Prius – “The Longest Chase”

I really enjoyed this ad. Some critics believe it’s completely unrealistic and I completely agree, it is, but that is why it is humorous. The ad demonstrates different features of the Prius, like the small size, quiet engine and back up camera, as four men evade the police. This ad pokes fun at the perception of a Prius and seems to begin to reposition the car away from the focus on fuel efficiency and towards the idea that the car is fun to drive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYeM-8hO3hM

Is your favorite ad not included in my list? Let me know your favorite in the comments section!

– Maggie Weldin, Marketing & PR Coordinator

January 31, 2016

Snapchat Advertising for Higher Education (and Others)

Everyone knows that social media is growing and evolving as an advertising tool. Whether you work for an institution of higher education, or you are just trying to reach a younger demographic, you might have some questions regarding Snapchat advertising, so here we are going to throw down some of the basics.

Snapchat was launched in 2011 by, then students at Stanford University, Evan Speigel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown. The app allows users to capture photos or short videos which can be sent to other Snapchatters. Once the photo or video is sent and watched, it “disappears.” Snapchat now features various filters, lenses and a drawing tool. The app also offers Geofilters, which are filters only available in certain locations, and Live Stories, stories created from photos and videos submitted by Snapchat users which are only visible for 24 hours. Usually the Live Stories are based on specific events and users can only submit content if they are in that geographic location. Snapchat also offers a section called, “Discovery,” which hosts premium content provided by editorial partners like National Geographic, CNN, and People. Snapchat Demographics

Demographic of Snapchat

Snapchat is an ideal platform to use when trying to reach young people, particularly 13 – 35 year olds. The majority
of Snapchat users are between the ages of 18 and 24. There are over 100 million daily active users of Snapchat who compile over 7 billion video views daily. This platform has the ideal demographics for colleges that are recruiting.

Advertising Options

Snapchat advertising is special compared to Twitter or Facebook ads. There are two basic kinds of ads: filters or lenses that overlay the user’s video or photo, and actual ads that run in-between curated or premium content. Snapchat ads are created specifically for mobile in a vertical format that takes up an entire screen. This means your ad content has no other competition on the screen with it, promising a higher likelihood that people will pay attention. Additionally, advertisements that are video based always play with sound, as long as the user’s audio is turned on. This is one more way for your ad to catch the attention of the viewer. Snapchat offers a variety of advertising options including ads in Live Stories and the Discovery section as well as Geofilters.

Discovery

These are just some of the 18 Discovery channels.

By swiping down on this ad, users could access recipes provided by the advertiser, Hidden Valley Ranch.

This is an ad within the Tastemaker Discovery channel. By swiping down on this ad, users could access recipes provided by the advertiser, Hidden Valley Ranch.

First, Snapchat offers advertising in the Discovery section of the app, where editorial partners post original content each day. So far, Snapchat has been pretty tight lipped about how this kind of advertising works. After research, we have found that ads in this Discovery content are sold by Snapchat and by the particular editorial partners. Ads are a minimum of two cents per view and ad rates are determined by the number of views the advertiser is guaranteed. Advertisements can be 10 second photos or videos which appear between other pieces of editorial content or a brand can “take over” an edition of a Discovery channel with branded messaging throughout. The number of “take overs” of a channel per month are limited by Snapchat.

This option seems to offer the least amount of geographic flexibility and is a bit complex, but allows advertisers to target audiences based on interests. These ads can reach anywhere from half a million people to well over a million, so rates are pretty high. This isn’t currently a great option for college or university advertising, but Snapchat’s ad platforms are always evolving so check back in a few months, and things may have changed.

Live Story

This is part of Snapchat’s Iowa Caucus Eve Live Story. Usually Iowa has a local Live Story, but with the caucus on February 1st, this story can be seen worldwide.

There are a few different kinds of Live Stories. First, there are Live Stories that are local, like the Iowa story or college campus specific stories. Then there are also worldwide Live Stories where any Snapchat user can view the story. Live Story ads are similar to Discovery ads, as ads are sandwiched between curated content, making them appear more native and less intrusive. Live Stories cover a variety of events from all over the world and are viewable by either any user of snapchat or a specific local audience. So far, it is not clear if Snapchat advertising is available on these local community stories or not.

As for the worldwide Live Stories, around 20 million people view these stories in the 24 hour period they are live. Ben Schwerin, Snapchat’s director of partnerships, reported that the April 2015 Live Story of Coachella generated 40 million unique viewers. That’s a lot of eyes. Snapchat usually offers four ad spots in Live Stories. The ad spot at the beginning of a story is typically more expensive than the spot at the end, giving advertisers a little flexibility when it comes to pricing. Interested advertisers can contact Snapchat and either find an event that suits their brand or suggest Snapchat covers a specific event that they were not already planning to host a Live Story for. As Live Stories generally have huge audiences, they are expensive and probably not the right fit for college advertising. If Snapchat does allow advertisers to place ads in local Live Stories, this would be a viable option for schools that are able to target by state. This is something we are looking into further.

Sponsored Lenses

This Snapchat lens recognized my face and turned me into driver with a distinctive mustache.

Snapchat lenses are effects that are triggered by facial recognition and are applied to videos or photos of faces. For example, there is a lens that makes you look sick and when you raise your eyebrows a thermometer comes out of your mouth. Snapchat is also offering sponsored lenses. It has been reported that Snapchat lenses are used on more than 10 million snaps a day and cost over $500,000 per day. A sponsored lens is a great option if you are trying to reach a very large audience fast, but is probably on the pricier side.

Sponsored Geofilters

Geofilters are digital stickers used to overlay users photos or videos and can only be utilized in a specific geographical location. Users are looking for ways to differentiate their content, and Geofilters are providing that. Sponsored Geofilters are pretty new for Snapchat and it is not clear the price range that the handful of advertisers have paid. Since Geofilters are location based, this gives advertisers the option to narrow down the target audience and to control pricing. This might be a good option for colleges that generally recruit from a few specific states and could come up with Geofilter messaging that made sense in the particular location.

Non Sponsored Geofilters

This, “Las Vegas,” Snapchat Geofilter helped me tell a story and added uniqueness to my content.

Geofilters are a wonderful option for colleges or universities for a few reasons. First, submitting your community Geofilter graphic is FREE. Yes, you read that correctly, free. According to Snapchat, all you have to do is go to the snapchat website to submit your graphics and choose a location for your Geofilter to be shown. Snapchat then reviews submissions and will email you if yours is chosen. Snapchat only uses original graphics for local areas. Snapchat community Geofilters are unique because as of now, business are not eligible for community Geofilters, but Colleges and Universities are.

These Geofilters are beneficial for a few main reasons. First, if the college does a fair amount of recruitment from the local area of the college, this is a great way to reach and resonate with their local audience. Additionally, the Geofilter will be used by current students and sent to their friends who are likely attending other schools or high schools all over the country. There is also potential for the Geofilter to be submitted to the local Live Story in your area, the Iowa Story in our case, allowing the filter to reach a very wide audience.

While free sure does sound great, there are some drawbacks to using the Snapchat Community Geofilter. First, there are not metrics offered for Geofilters like they are offered for Live Story or Discovery Ads. Also, there is no guarantee that your Geofilter will be selected or that people in the geographic area will choose to use your filter. While submitting the filter is free, the time spent to create and submit your filter usually is not. There is also less control over the message that users will choose to accompany the Geofilter. In the case of Snapchat advertising, the less money you spend, the less control you have, but Geofilters are a great option for higher education advertising.

Overall, there are a variety of Snapchat advertising options and a few that are pretty viable for institutions of higher education, like Geofilters and local Live Stories. Snapchats ad platform is constantly evolving and changing. If you want to learn more about Snapchat or social media advertising, give us a call!

– Maggie Weldin, Marketing Coordinator

September 3, 2015

WordPress Responsive Transportation

Here at Cerasis, we think it’s important that our clients and customers understand that transportation reverse logistics (or reverse logistics in general for that matter) is much more than just a flashy buzzword. It’s an integral part of helping your company thrive in today’s competitive business world.

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