The Facebook Success Summit 2011 was one of the most informative and relevant events this year. 90octane chose to participate in over 15 sessions in which industry experts presented the “ins and outs” of Facebook marketing. Over the next few weeks, we plan to break down some of the highlights from the Summit and include examples and ideas for how to manage and execute Facebook marketing campaigns. Enjoy!

One of the most valuable sessions was a panel discussion led by social media experts Victoria Ransom of Wildfire, Ben Pickering of Strutta and industry author Mari Smith. During this session, entitled “How to Build a Loyal Fan Base Using Facebook Promotions,” the panel discussed everything from regulations and prize selection to messaging.

We’ve recently worked with our client Globus family of brands to successfully execute two Facebook contests that have resulted in learnings consistent with the content of the Summit. Since one contest launched in October, we have seen fan growth of over 90%!

By Steven McKenzie, Intern

QR codes offer a way to bridge the gap between traditional advertising and new interactive platforms.

In this industry, it is often difficult to gauge which new technologies and techniques provide valuable ways to reach out to customers and which are just popular for their innovative shock value. The surge in QR code popularity has marketers wondering which of these two directions the trend will go. Do we really need another way to deliver content or re-direct information to our target audience? Industry-leaders seem to think so. Brands like Ford, Audi, Pepsi, Starbucks, Best Buy, Macy’s and McDonald’s have all created programs with embedded QR codes over the last few years—and have had great success.

These programs have also aided in a growing QR code awareness among smart phone users. According to information collected by JumpScan and published by Mashable.com, the use of QR codes increased 1,200% between July and December of 2010. Additionally, survey results from MGH, an advertising agency in Baltimore, revealed that 65% of smart phone users have seen QR codes, and of those, nearly half have used them.

QR codes have great potential as devices to finely tune targeting for programs and content. They allow marketers to bridge the gap between printed or traditional marketing materials and interactive programs. They also provide a great way to extend discounts, deals and offers directly to customers. And of course, the technology associated with QR codes makes them an ideal tool for measuring the success of a campaign through trackable conversion data.

By Annie Hay, Marketing Associate

In another attempt to foray into the social networking cybersphere, Google announced the introduction of its newest feature: the +1″button.

We don’t want to accuse Google of attempting to +1 Facebook again, but it is hard not to. In the same way that we have been unscrupulously liking each other’s posts, liking each other’s companies, and well, liking each other all over the social sphere in general, we can now really prove our affection with the Google +1.

In a way strikingly similar to the Facebook “Like” button, the Google +1 allows us to click a little icon next to our search results and give it our stamp of approval, therefore recommending it to friends and anyone we have allowed to be our Gmail chat pals.  Unlike the fiasco that was Buzz, this social attempt seems set up for a bit more success—and the “+1″-ing possibilities are endless:

Delicious chocolate chip cookie recipe? +1.

Site for the super cool hotel you stayed at off the highway somewhere between Omaha and another corn field? +1.

That great PPC ad you clicked on that took you to an even greater page, that then offered you that cool product, that you then purchased? +1!!

Yeah, you see where we are going with this.

By Erin Wilson, Senior Account Coordinator

90octane offers up a little analysis on our favorite creative online marketing campaigns of 2010.

2010 proved to be a year for pushing the limits when it came to online media. With the enormous growth of social media and the ability of the consumers to use social media to interact with businesses, companies had to do something different to stand out. Below is the 90octane review of the most creative campaigns of 2010:

· Old Spice: The social media campaign created by Old Spice and marketing partner Weiden & Kennedy was a hit immediately. Making over 150 videos within a three day time period, the videos were tailor-made to the company’s fans on YouTube and drastically increased Old Spice’s interaction with its customers. Old Spice took ‘real time’ social media to the extreme and was able to increase Facebook interaction by 800%, website traffic by 300%, and made itself the most-viewed YouTube channel.

By Meg Archer, SEM Specialist

Don’t Discount the Power of E-mail Campaigns in Your Marketing Strategy

In a marketer’s toolbox, e-mail is a powerful tool. Last year, some experts speculated that 2011 would be the year e-mail campaigns died. Boy, were they wrong. There have been a few changes in the way e-mail campaigns are created and executed, but e-mail marketing campaigns still provide strong, measurable results. Here at 90octane, for example, we continue to see success in the quality of the conversions created by our current e-mail programs.

According to ClickZ, email campaigns that are integrated with social and mobile media create a stronger message, thus allowing customers to participate in a conversation about your brand, via the media channel of their choice. Customers may reply to an e-mail via Facebook, LinkedIn, a corporate blog or Twitter. Today, the busy B2B subscriber expects e-mails to contain pertinent information that allows them to seek out and engage with your brand via other media channels. Embedding “share with your network” (SWYN) links to e-mails has become a best practice, and according to ClickZ, is a good first step. It is also important to develop a deeper relationship with your B2B customer by understanding the business goals that drive their needs, and incorporating them into e-mail messaging. This is a critical step, and one that could significantly impact your marketing program.