Since the rise of social media, many people have questioned whether people are migrating away from TV to engage more in popular social media platforms. Recently, this theory was put to the test.

Major news organizations including, ABC, CNN, BBC, ITV, Sky and others have been working extremely close with Twitter’s Media Team on new ways to integrate live media coverage and Twitter. As of last week, Twitter experienced its widest television integration to date with live coverage surrounding the royal wedding. According to Twitter Media, Royal Wedding related hashtags dominated the conversation with over 5.8 million tweets in a little over four days, with peak activity at 16,000 tweets per minute between 5 and 6am ET on the wedding day. On-air integration of Twitter hashtags were made very prominent within the live TV broadcasting of the Royal Wedding events, turning normal viewers into engaged participants. As part of the new media marketing environment, it was very exciting to witness.

There are many other successful campaigns integrating Twitter and TV – the Royal Wedding was just one example that reached new heights. Twitter reports that they have found that when TV shows bring Twitter elements into a broadcast, there is a direct and immediate increase in engagement on Twitter – that can ultimately drive higher TV viewership.

These media platforms are finding ways to complement one another more and more every day. Broadcasters are eager to develop new ways to encourage engagement, and utilizing social media marketing is certainly one way to do just that.

As tornadoes continue to touch down over the U.S., having access to immediate information is so important. Once again, social media platforms, especially Twitter, are helping to spread the word about the devastating tornadoes, and are perhaps saving lives.

It is said that most deaths and injuries happen to people who are uninformed and unaware. Having access to social media can help you stay alert. To track the weather conditions in your state via Twitter, you can follow #(state abbreviation)wx. For instance, our Sage Island office is in NC, so we are following the hashtag #NCwx very closely. We hope everyone stays safe until these storms pass!

Who doesn’t love a good deal? With today’s introduction of Facebook Deals, we wanted to remind everyone of the recent addition of Check-In-Deals through Facebook Places. Launched at the end of January, Check-In-Deals help consumers get special offers when checking in at a local business from a mobile device.

So the next time you are out-and-about with friends or looking for somewhere to dine, open Google Places from your Facebook mobile app. Click the check-in option, and you will be given a list of Nearby Places that are offering Check-In-Deals. Once you check-in you are able to see what offers are nearby and share those deals with your friends.

When you select a local business, you simply check-in to view and claim the deal. Simple as that! You may also notice that there are four types of Facebook Check-In-Deals:

Individual Deals: Get discounts on merchandise
Friend Deals: You and your friends can take advantage of a coupon together, you just have to tag your friends within your check-in to receive the deal
Loyalty Deals: For repeat customers that check-in frequently
Charity Deals: Local businesses will pledge to donate to a cause when you check-in

To redeem your Check-In-Deals, simply show your redemption screen to the local business offering the deal.

For more information on Check-In-Deals, visit Facebook Places. If you have any questions about Facebook Marketing, please feel free to contact our interactive marketing specialist here at Sage Island.

TransWorld Snowboarding Industry Conference
Solitude Mountain Resort – Salt Lake City, UT
December 18 – December 18

Go Twit Yourself – How To Cut Through The Hype and Really Make a Difference Online

Sage Island CEO and Creative Director Mike Duncan will be speaking to industry insiders at the Transworld Snowboarding Industry Conference December 15-18. In his seminar, he’ll offer tips to improve your website’s promotional strategy, social marketing, blogging and Web 2.0 results. This may be the most valuable time you spend and learn specific tactics to get your hands dirty and improve your online  sales and overall bottom line. Learn top tools and marketing strategies that can strengthen your website online marketing efforts at little to no cost. You will leave the seminar with actionable tactics you can use to make money NOW.

As part of their “Life’s for Sharing” campaign, T-Mobile gathered 13,500 people in London’s Trafalgar Square, handed out microphones throughout the audience and asked them to sing in unison. The result — a video of the crowd “simultaneously” singing “Hey Jude” together — has been viewed on YouTube over 55,000 times in two days. The success of the campaign will likely grow as the viral video makes its rounds on social networks and blogs throughout the work week.

The stunt is a great example of how companies can use viral marketing to position their brands front and center in the social media world in a positive light. I’m sure the undertaking wasn’t cheap, but hopefully it will pay off as the video continues to be passed around the Web.

And because it made my Monday a little brighter, here it is:

This week, a disturbing YouTube video posted by two disgruntled Domino’s employees quickly went viral. The video, titled “Disgusting Domino’s People,” shows the employees doing gross things to the food they would eventually serve.

The implications for the Domino’s brand are catastrophic. Though it was an isolated incident in one store, it spread throughout the country through various social media channels. Domino’s franchises on the other side of the country will most likely feel the fallout of this incident. It’s a scary reminder of the power of viral marketing.

While the impact is unavoidable, Domino’s acted swiftly to respond to the incident on YouTube. Today Domino’s posted this personal response from the company’s president, Patrick Doyle.

What can we learn from Domino’s response?

Act fast.

Domino’s issued a press release immediately, but it was two full days before they responded to the video directly on YouTube. Two days is a lifetime when it comes to viral content. The faster you respond, the faster you can steer the conversation.

Viral content lasts forever — so should your response.

The most effective response will reach out directly to the viral audience that spread the damaging content. Today’s YouTube statement was much more effective than Tuesday’s press release, and it will continue to reach customers even as the press coverage dies down.

Viral content lasts forever, but a press release only lasts through one news cycle. To ensure that the video will continue to reach their customers affected by the damaging content, Domino’s wisely included the title from the original video in their response and added “Domino’s Responds.” When people search YouTube to find the video they’ve heard so much about, they’ll also find a direct response from the company. Like the damaging viral video, this response will last forever.

Don’t just apologize, take action.

Instead of playing the victim and placing all the blame on the employees, Doyle clearly outlines the actions Domino’s will take to protect their customers in the future. Not only does he assure customers that the specific store has been sterilized, but he assures them that Domino’s is working to prevent this from happening again. “We’re re-examining all of our hiring practices to make sure that people like this don’t make it into our stores,” he says.

Make the last word a good one.

The last minute of the Domino’s response is devoted to displaying the brand in a positive light. Your response is your opportunity to get the last word in. Don’t waste it rehashing the negative press. Use it to remind your customers why they should trust you.

Unfortunately, social media and user generated content have made it much harder for brands to shield themselves from this type of damage. That’s why it’s more important than ever that you know and understand how to use social media channels to promote your company positively and protect your brand from damaging viral content. Through smart use of social media, you can shift the conversation to correct the damage just as quickly as it was done.

With Internet usage almost overtaking TV usage and the recent rave for social networking groups such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, companies all over are jumping on the bandwagon and doing their part to invest in this new form of advertising. Buzz questions such as “Are you my Facebook friend?”, ”Have you tweeted recently?” and “Did you check out that blog?” are heard around the world from audiences of all demographics. Sounds like they may be speaking another language, but in fact this is the language socially accepted in response to the new age of  social media marketing.

In an effort to compete with advertising across a social platform, Downy is promoting a new way to stay connected with friends and family. Until May 31, those who enter a snapshot photo with a pledge caption are automatically entered to win the ultimate reunion trip. Downy, the fragrant fabric softener, wants you to share this pledge with the world and connect with family and friends in a whole new atmosphere. So check it out, submit your own Downy pledge and stay connected with family and friends in a whole new way.