On today’s menu: a delicious Facebook meltdown, a sweet smash hit of online video creation and a delectable sampling of the best treats from the world of online marketing. So pull up a chair and enjoy a buffet we call Five Things You Might Have Missed!

1.) Kitchen & Facebook Nightmares: If you want crystal clear examples of how NOT to use Facebook marketing, how to get a reality television audience to turn against you and generally make the Internet explode, please direct your attention to Amy’s Baking Company in Scottsdale, Arizona. To say the restaurant has experienced negative backlash after an epically horrific appearance on Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares would be the understatement of the decade. Things went from bad to worse when the owners freaked out on their Facebook page and started insulting, well, everybody. It’s a branding train-wreck that must be seen to be believed.

2.) No. 1 in Twitter Marketing: Meet TweetPee, a Twitter-based alert that lets parents know every time their bundle of joy needs their diaper changed. This is either the grossest use of branded Twitter campaigns we’ve ever seen or one of the most genius. Either way, it’s Twitter for business that folks are talking about around the globe.

3.) More Social Google Goodies: This week’s Google I/O Developers conference saw a bunch of new, big-time social media stuff from the world’s most visited site. Lucky for us, Taylor Hatmaker from ReadWriteWeb breaks down the ins and outs of these innovations and what marketers need to know in a new blog post.

4.) Slingshots Never Disappoint: We’re not sure what produce wrapped in socks hurled at a wall of champagne glasses has to do with anything, but we do know that as a viral commercial for Hanes, the idea is a hit — and one worth watching. A couple of times.

5.) Snap, Crackle, WTF: On second thought, you may actually want to miss the noisy adjustments in the online commercial for Ryan Lee Chiropractic Center in Los Angeles. After all, the exaggerated snapping and popping of human body parts are just a tad disturbing. But regardless of how this ad makes you feel, it’s memorable.

Facebook marketing has produced all kinds of valuable lessons from the unlikeliest of sources. Take Hollywood lunkhead and action star Vin Diesel, for example. Not only does a guy who gets paid millions to mumble keep getting hired, he also is quite the master when it comes to selling his brand on Facebook.

Just ask him.

“What Facebook didn’t realize is something very big was about to happen, and that was — for the first time in history, and it’s kind of a fluke they didn’t see this coming — when I jumped on that page in April 2009, I started talking to people. In the realest ways,” Diesel modestly reports in a new issue of Entertainment Weekly. “Imagine if you could’ve been a Facebook friend to Marlon Brando, or whoever your role models are. Imagine, if you were able to Facebook Elvis, and talk to him, and hear from him without the Hollywood of it all. That was the Fast & Furious experience.”

While Diesel’s oversimplification might make marketing snobs snicker, the dude has a point. Facebook is still the fastest and most direct social media network for brands, politicians and celebrities. Naturally, many would argue that most celebs and brands on Facebook are having someone else create their posts. But Diesel maintains that every post on his page was created by him alone.

“Facebook used to ask me to come up to their office to explain what the f**k I was doing, and why I had so many fans,” he says. “What was unique was: I never let anyone do a post, I never let anyone post for me in the last four years. My audience knows me so well on the page that if my producing partner’s in the room when I post, they’ll know somebody was around me. That’s kind of cool, that’s how sophisticated they are. Facebook really owes me billions of dollars. But whatever.”

But let’s hear what you think, kids. Have celebrities hurt or helped Facebook marketing? Do you take to heart what a personality or brand posts on Facebook, or is it all juts a bunch of PR hooey? And lastly, what stars do you follow on FB? Sound off below!

Over the last few months, we’ve enjoyed tracking online coverage of Google Glass. Why? Well, if Google can convince the world to wear silly little computers on their heads, then the brand will have pulled off the online brand management coup of the year. And if not, the failure will give Google haters a never-ending supply of material. Either way, we loved that a reader brought this handy little infographic, which outlines everything we need to know about Google Glass, to our attention.

It’s hard not to snicker at the idea of wearable technology, so naturally Goggle Glass made for an excellent target during Saturday Night Live a couple of weeks ago. In it, Weekend Update tech reporter Randall Weeks (played by Fred Armisen) tried to illustrate how normal and easy the Glass works. Predictably, SNL’s version of the product was hilarious glitchy and hard to use.

Yet, as the infographic points out, we’ve been rocking some form of wearable technology since the 1980s heyday of calculator watches. And for all of its silly features and comedic possibilities, Google Glass does a lot of cool things, too.

“Glass is a step toward the dream of ubiquitous computing in which the Internet is available everywhere at all times without the need for interrupting the task at hand,” the infographic notes. Eye-level Internet means real-time flight status at the airport, checking the weather without glancing at a phone and turn-by-turn directions. The bumps and glitches of Google Glass are currently being worked out, thanks to a team of lucky fans who forked over $1,500 each to help in “shaping the future of Glass.” The rest of us will be able to get our mitts on Glass for a lot less dough — and right in time for the holidays.

One thing is certain: Google Glass is highly buzzed about, parodied and blogged on. From an online marketing viewpoint, Google has already won. Thousands of the devices will fly off the shelves just out of sheer curiosity. Whether Glass can outlast the calculator watch, however, remains to be seen.

This is a Guest Blog post by Emma-Julie Fox. To submit a guest blog post to Brandsplat, click here.

With the popularity of social media and its prominence in SEO today, one wonders if email marketing is still useful when social media seems to be a one-stop shop for PR, marketing, SEO and traffic generation.

People also have a general aversion to spam lurking within their email, and the abundance of it is frightening. Besides, who still reads email when they can get in touch with their friends through social media sites? Actually… a lot of people!

The fact that people need to have email addresses for work, means that a majority of paying consumers are very accessible via email. In fact as per a 2010 study, 94% of online users access and use e-mail! A more recent 2013 report suggests that 55% of marketing professionals agree that e-mail marketing is one of the most effective marketing tools.

It is agreed that social media has its own statistics to boast of, but when it comes to B2B marketing, most marketers swear by the quality of leads they get through e-mail marketing! As per a Software Advice Survey, 40% of B2B marketers said they got high quality leads through e-mail marketing.

Email Marketing – How does it work?

Before email marketing can begin, a website needs to acquire email addresses from potential clients or customers. How they get them is up to the website. Some would offer visitors the chance to receive monthly newsletters. Others offer a free E-book to download, but only if the visitors fill out a form and give their email address.

The website or the business behind it will then design an email that’s basically also an advertisement for the website. These emails usually contain graphics, images, calls to action, all combined to make an attractive package.

E-mails can also include attachments, like the promised newsletter or limited-offer discount coupons. Whatever it is that’s contained in the email, it is there to invite people to click on the links provided and visit the main website.

The emails are sent by bulk and sent to every email address gathered. Needless to say, that email list needs to be large enough to justify the entire email marketing effort.

The goals of email marketing, among others, are:

1. To make consumers become aware of their products and services.
2. Make the business and the website a thought leader.
3. Do PR.
4. Generate traffic.
5. Gain conversions.

Email Marketing’s Place in SEO Today

Email marketing is very helpful for businesses that sell merchandise and services. You’ll find, for example, that many websites selling general merchandise like clothes, furniture, gadgets, and services like SEO and virtual assistance invest time and resources for email marketing.

They are very straightforward with their message and there’s no deception. If they are selling something or offering a promo, they state it immediately in their email. In fact, as per a 2012 Blue Kangaroo survey, 7 in 10 people admitted that they had used a discount coupon offered through a marketing email!

There’s little worry that these emails will be flagged as spam because the recipients have been given the choice of whether or not to receive them. They have, in effect, asked for these emails, and the fact that they did sign up is a concrete demonstration of their interest in whatever the website is offering.

Unless a website steals the recipient’s email address, the marketing emails should be welcomed. This is one of the best things about email marketing.

Skipping Steps in the Conversion Funnel

For the consumers’ part, email marketing is useful because it lets them skip several levels of the conversion funnel and go directly to the final stage of purchase. They are presented with product information, service description, and business background. If they are interested in what’s being pitched, all they have to do is click on the link and continue with the actual purchase.

Normally, online shoppers would go to search engines and look for websites that sell items they are interested in buying. Many would go directly to online market websites like Ebay, Amazon and CafePress. Since there are many online sellers on social media sites, consumers also look for sellers there.

By contrast, email marketing presents the merchandise to the consumers and saves them the time and effort of scouting for suppliers. They don’t have to look anywhere else, and that’s very convenient.

This is an advantage that marketing officers should be able to convey to website visitors. By showing how much they can benefit from signing up for regular emails, a website can encourage consumers to volunteer for it. (It won’t hurt to hint that surprises and discount offers are in store for email subscribers.) If you can achieve that, your website’s email marketing can be very successful in fulfilling its goals.

About the author: Emma-Julie Fox writes for Pitstop Media Inc, a top rated Vancouver SEO company that provides services to businesses across North America. If you would like to invite the author to guest post on your blog please contact www.pitstopmedia.com.

Some of the most powerful companies in the world use blogging for business to reach out to new customers, communicate with employees and help create powerful web content. And every Monday, we profile one of these bigwigs in hopes of inspiring you to start an amazing blog marketing campaign of your very own. This week, we look at how outdoor clothing retailer Patagonia elevates blogging into something pretty amazing.

The byline at Patagonia’s blog simply reads, “The Cleanest Line: Weblog for the employees, friends and customers of the outdoor clothing company Patagonia.” Yet this company blog is more than a corporate newsletter or boring product pitch disguised as a blog. The Cleanest Line transforms our old ideas about corporate blogs by creating an online magazine that reads more like NPR or GOOD then a commercial for hiking boots. Journalistic in style, the writing at The Cleanest Line is high-quality, interesting stuff. By blogging about the things that are important to them — like mountain climbing, responsible clothing manufacturing practices, independent documentaries and environmental causes — Patagonia tells us more about itself as a brand in a few posts than a billion press releases ever could. While the blog does feature images, clearly the point here is to read and get Patagonia’s message.

In addition, the simple design and layout make it easy to kick back and read several posts. Again, this is surely intentional. The Cleanest Line is company blogging built on a brand’s message and philosophy and, best of all, it’s actually interesting to read and enjoy.

Marketing magazines and SEO blogs have long shouted the praises of The Cleanest Line and Patagonia’s blog creation innovations. We can easily see why. What Patagonia does so brilliantly is use its blog to provide a company narrative. This smart move is something all of us can use blogging for. Try not to think of daily entries as “Ugh! Another blog post!” but as more opportunities to using blogging to spread your ideas and beliefs. Let The Cleanest Line inspire you to take blogging to new heights.

Which brand is headed back to the drawing board? And who’s turning to their fans for hot online video creation We’ve got the answers to these questions and so, so much more in today’s Five Things You Might Have Missed!

1.) Original Recipe: We’ll never know what the Colonel would think about KFC’s new boneless chicken… but thanks to a new video campaign, we’ll soon know how fans feel about it. #IAteTheBones is the chain’s new campaign which calls for fan-created videos that show reactions to the new boneless chicken. Video entries are posted on Facebook until June 8; weekly winners will be chosen to receive prizes like t-shirts and gift cards. Five grand prize winners will also be selected to receive $1,000 and a chance to be included in an online or social media advertisement within the next year, KFC says.

2.) Curves Ahead: If you missed the hubbub over H&M’s new swimsuit campaign, don’t worry. We’ve got a feeling we’ll be talking about this photo shoot featuring a normal-sized girl for quite some time. Size 12 model Jennie Runk became an accidental hero this week when her campaign for the global clothing brand was released, drawing applause and accolades from fashion industry and marketing insiders alike.

3.) The Facebook PR 411: Lisa Buyer at Search Engine Watch published a fascinating blog post this week entitled “22 Facebook PR Secrets Every Community Manager Should Know.” Must-read tips include why you should market on Saturdays, the benefits of a positive attitude and why less is more.

4.) Watch What Happens: Sci-fi films and tech gurus alike have long predicted a super smart watch that acts like a phone, computer and social network. But according to Read Write Web, the smartwatch revolution might not happen for a while. Still, with big brands like Apple, Microsoft and Google toying with the idea, the smartwatch might be the next tech branding story to keep our eyes on.

5.) Social Media Meh: Is social media marketing lost and no longer valuable? Are we wasting our time? What brands are doing it all wrong? Kipp Bodnar ponders these concerns in a fantastic article on social media marketing that you may have missed.

“Relationships matter.” Not only is this a motto social media experts tend to live by, but it’s also the original tagline for LinkedIn. Launched a decade ago this week, LinkedIn had 4,500 members at the end of its first month. According to co-founder Reid Hoffman, “Today, hundreds of millions of professionals around the world are turning to LinkedIn to connect with each other, manage their identities, get insights they need to be great at what they do, and find their dream jobs.” LinkedIn is the original professional social network, and at ten years old, it continues to be a terrific place to market our small businesses, brands and ideas. Here’s just a few reasons why LinkedIn is a social media marketing must.

It’s a great place for blogs and articles: Worried your company blog is too heady, too technical or just too business-like to find an audience among regular blog readers? Post that sucker on LinkedIn and watch the schmoozy professional set gobble up your content. LinkedIn’s audience reads and responds to more serious and specific blogs and articles than, say, the kids over on Facebook.

It’s like giving your business card to millions of people: LinkedIn boasts more than 200 million active users from millions of companies and organizations in every possible field imaginable. Having your company active on the site, therefore, introduces you to millions you might not otherwise have met.

It’s a great place to see what your competitors are up to: From the ice cream place in the mall to the Fortune 500 investment firm, they’re all here on LinkedIn — and for users, this is great news. Not only do job searchers get a more creative way to widen their nets, but companies using the site for marketing get a front row seat to see how their contemporaries and competitors are using the site, too.

It’s drama-free: Tired of the blubbering and griping on Facebook? Over Twitter meltdowns? LinkedIn is the place for you and your company. For a social network, the site is delightfully free of most of the personal BS found on other platforms. It’s a mature exchange of information, for the most part, and is largely free of baby mama drama, cat videos and unsolicited political opinions. And for that we’re extremely grateful.

At the risk of providing a Santa Claus/Tooth Fairy moment, we have some news that may shock you. Most of the blogs you read aren’t written by the people whose names appear in the blogs title. Ditto for the majority of celebrity tweets, corporate Facebook page updates and clever Tumblr blog entries allegedly produced by a style icon. The fact is, this here Internet thingamajig is filled with ghostwriting. Ghostwriters are now turned to for everything from blog posts and social media content to digital press releases and beyond from companies of all types and sizes. So if you’ve been thinking it’s time you stopped trying to write everything yourself, let go of your fears and learn to embrace the ghostwriter — well, we couldn’t agree more.

Ghostwriters, first and foremost, help us save time. Complex content marketing strategies require a lot of writing. To really change your company’s digital presence, you need lots of tweets, lots of blog posts and a never-ending output of written material. And creating this mountain of words takes gobs of time — time most business owners do not have. By turning over content creation to someone who does it for a living, you literally save yourself hours of banging your head against the keyboard. Also, great ghostwriters are terrific researchers and they spend hours getting to know your brand’s language. This means every post will sound like it came from your brilliant brain. Another bonus to working with a ghostwriter is that you no longer have to scramble for original ideas. Professional writers get paid to think on their feet and come up with dynamic tales your followers will want to read. Letting a ghostwriter worry about the blog post for the week (or what on Earth to tweet about) leaves you more time to run your business.

Besides, haven’t you heard? The old shame of hiring a ghostwriter is a thing of the past. Top executives, movie stars and local companies alike know the value of hiring a talented ghostwriter to handle all of their content needs. And it’s easy to see why. Dynamic digital content is a must in this day and age; if you can’t create it, why not rely on somebody who can?

Email is still a vital component of every content marketing plan. Some would even argue that as more and more people rely on tablets and smartphones for email, email marketing is beginning to become more relevant. Fine. But where do newbies start with email marketing? And how do mere mortals achieve email amazingness? Fear not, marketing mavens! We’ve come up with a list of easy-to-remember and even easier-to-implement email marketing tips that any size business can rock out.

1. Get Friendly: The No. 1 question small businesses ask when starting an email marketing campaign is, “Who do I email?” Sounds kind of silly, but the concerns of who are we marketing to and where do we get these mysterious emails are legit ones. We always suggest starting with your company’s database of frequent customers and your personal contacts.These folks, presumably, already get emails from you and therefore are a terrific place to start. Friends and loved ones aren’t just less likely to delete your emails, but they’ll also usually give you honest feedback.

2. Post Exit Signs: You want people to be engaged with your email marketing, but the last thing you want is to make them angry. So play by the rules and clearly post a unsubscribe option. As Cara Aley writes, “Nothing says spam like a lack of ability to remove oneself from an email list. Make sure that every email you send has a clear option for removal for your readers; it’s a part of the CAN-SPAM law, and you could be fined $16,000 for not abiding by it.”

3. Deliver the Goods: If your email list isn’t growing, could it perhaps be because your emails stink? We’re sick of digital clutter, and now we are all quick to react to companies who email us with boring spammy content on a daily basis. Instead, challenge you and your marketing team to come up with emails and email newsletter content folks will actually want to read. Consider adding value and really creative content to your subscribers’ in boxes and watch your list grow like a weed.

4. Get Real People: If you have an office or a brick-and-mortar retail shop, don’t forget to gather emails in person! Being able to explain how awesome your emails are to your customers face-to-face is truly priceless and an opportunity that should not be missed.

5. Creativity Wins: ModCloth, Fab.com, Amazon, Starbucks and Epicurious all create the kind of email newsletter we stop and read. Why? Because they all look great and are incredibly creative. Use your favorite email newsletters as inspirations and take them to your marketing team and designers before you start.

Each Monday, we take a look at the blog writing and blog marketing habits of some of the world’s biggest brands. From airlines and luxury jewelers to social networks and toy companies, we’ve seen how brands of all kinds use blogging to connect with a global Internet audience. Even brands thought of as “old-fashioned” are taking to blogging with resounding results. This week one such brand, Bigelow Tea, is using blogging to take the company into the next millennium.

Constant Comment is the tea flavor that put Bigelow on the map, and still is the company’s top-selling product today. To pay tribute to this fact while nodding to the very nature of blogging, Bigelow has cleverly named its company blog “Constant Comments.” The cleanly-designed and image-rich blog has more of a food magazine look and feel than a boring old blog blabbing about tea. As tea is often associated with relaxation, the uncluttered design and short, easy-to-read posts are surely intentional. That isn’t to say the blog posts are uninteresting, though. The company is obviously passionate about tea and it shows in the varied and entertaining posts. Customer contests, recipes, tea-themed party ideas, profiles of Bigelow-sponsored events and behind-the-scenes videos are the kind of dynamic posts featured on Constant Comments. Bigelow has taken a lot of care in curating the kind of posts its audience will like to read.

Every detail is thoughtful and well-executed here, and that’s inspiration any size blog can take away. Thinking about your brand’s image and personality before you start blogging is a wise idea and really helps your blog’s message be clearer. Consider your branding, your logos, your other ad campaigns and images and then integrate those idea into your blog. Using already existing ideas and language also helps alleviate the stress of creating a blog language from scratch. Bigelow’s brand thoughtfulness in regard to its blog pays off in a well-written, great-looking and fun-to-read blog which lines up perfectly with the rest of the company’s image.