by Scott Howard | Feb 1, 2017 | Really? The Personal ScLoHo, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo
In 2016 (and probably before), many of my friends noticed that their Facebook Newsfeeds was being filled divisive, argumentative and rude comments. Some decided to abandon social media or at least attempt to filter out the negative and return to the days of cat videos and food posts.
But despite all the noise, Facebook, (and other social media channels) is still being used to share Good Stuff. I’ve been following the journey of a friend of mine in Indianapolis that has been through quite a trial. The story of my friend Chris is really the story of his family and specifically his daughter Emme.
Emme and Chris from 2016
Over the weekend the Indianapolis Star newspaper shared a bit of their story which you can read here. Emme is just 4 years old and…
In her four years of life, Emme Theisen has known few days without pain. The pain exhausts her, nauseates her and all too often sends her to the hospital for stays that stretch days or weeks…. Emme’s family has traveled to Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Minnesota and elsewhere, searching for ways to ease this pain and find the cause behind it.
Turns out it was chronic pancreatitis. This is rare for someone this young. Nearly a dozen years ago, I was hospitalized and it was discovered I needed my gall bladder removed but first they needed to take care of my pancreatitis. I was in my 40’s and miserable, not sure if I was going to survive. I cannot imagine the life that 4 year old Emme has lived so far.
Tuesday 1/31/17 everything changed. Emme underwent a surgery that was scheduled to last 18 hours. I know this because of Facebook and the sharing that Chris and his wife have done on social media. Look for the hashtag #Emmesmiles to see this brave little girl.
Despite some complications during the surgery, recovery is going well as I type these words at 3:30pm on 2/1/17. Keep them all in your hearts and prayers.
by Scott Howard | Jan 17, 2017 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo's Collective Wisdom, ScLoHo's Web World, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo
Years ago, a friend of mine named Anthony gave a presentation on the power of Word of Mouth via Facebook.
It opened a lot of eyes.
Businesses that were looking to advertise and get more customers started to rethink the way they were doing things with traditional advertising methods like radio, television, newspapers and magazines, even phone books and billboards .
It also frightened some in the advertising world, thinking that they were about to lose their jobs if traditional advertising was going to disappear in favor of Social Media.
Fast forward a dozen years or so and social media is not new media anymore, it’s a standard marketing option that many have grown up with. Yet there are still some unanswered questions pertaining to How Does Social Media Fit in Marketing Your Business? 
Before I answer, my own credentials: over 20 years working in traditional media including primarily radio but also print and online. I served on the local American Advertising Federation Board and got to know the strengths of nearly any media along with their vulnerabilities. I also worked full time in website development and ran the social media marketing for a $50 million international e-Commerce company.
So I’ve seen a bunch and experienced a bunch.
The example that Anthony shared years ago was a friend asking on her Facebook page for recommendations for a new dentist. She had a couple dozen Facebook friends chime in with recommendations and a few warnings about dentists that they did not like.
There was nothing special about this except it was now happening online instead of in person. Social Media simply gave anyone with access to the internet the ability to engage in two way communication online instead of just over the phone or in person. Word of Mouth now had an additional platform.
Businesses wanted to figure out how to reach people looking for them on social media and although it has evolved over the years, advertising on sites like Facebook have been around for quite some time.
Facebook continues to change the algorithms that determine what you and I see when we are looking at our newsfeed. They made a big change when I was working fulltime in Social Media that shrunk the number of people reached organically with our posts by 75%. Why did Facebook do this? To make money. Piles and piles of money.
I quickly discovered that I could reach even more people on Facebook by paying for the post to be boosted and it worked. Facebook continues to refine the advertising options and there will never be an ideal formula… count on the changes to continue forever.
But while there is a distinct difference in organic Word Of Mouth marketing and Advertising of sites like Facebook, consumers don’t usually grasp the differences.
MarketingCharts.com released a study with statistics showing that 40% of people have bought something they saw on social media. It also said 2/3rd of adults use social media every week. What they cannot measure is the true power of a particular trigger factor that prompted an individual to spend money. That has always been the case, even before the internet.
Now I sometimes will use the tools that I have to show my advertising partners what we can measure online, but I always use the disclaimer that the numbers are only part of the story.
Should you and your business use social media to market your business?
My answer is nearly always yes.
Why? It’s because that is where your customers are.
Should you only use social media?
Probably not, it is limiting just like any other marketing you are thinking of.
But please don’t just act on these blanket statements as the gospel for how to successfully market your business.
You need an individual assessment, and that’s where I come in.
Contact me for details.
by Scott Howard | Oct 17, 2016 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo
30 years ago I began my adventure into the world of advertising and marketing. I took a job in Detroit creating campaigns for radio advertising clients.
I’ve spoken to 100’s of business owners, managers,and entrepreneurs. I’ve interviewed the customers, clients, front-line workers and support staff. And I’m still learning.
My definition of marketing is everything that presents you and your business to your “marketplace”. Your “marketplace” includes your current, past and future customers and clients. It also includes influencers who may not buy from you, but they have the power to influence those that will.
Number 1: You have to get your entire business moving in the same direction to create harmony and forward momentum. Think Big Picture. Really BIG PICTURE. All of your employees need to know what the mission is and that each one of them is responsible for contributing.
Number 2: You need to create a long term identity that will define who you are in all economic climates. This identity, also called your Brand, will not change over time, it will only be adapted.
Number 3: Your brand and your mission will be known by your customers and clients. If you are unsure what your brand is, perhaps you need to ask your customers and see if you are both on the same page.
Number 4: You need your own website. Not a Facebook page, you need something that you control. In 2016 if you don’t have your own website, you don’t exist as a legitimate business.
Number 5: You need a presence on Facebook. This is not a contradiction of number 4. Social Media is a communication tool. Your website is to show that you are real. Odds are Social Media will be just as important as your website, but for a different reason. Think of it this way. A retail store is like a website. Social Media is like a phone number. See the link?
And Number 6: You will need to optimize your website for mobile. More people access the web via smartphones than laptops. This means smaller screens and if you have not created a mobile version of your online presence you will eventually be behind your competitors.
Do you agree with my list of 6? Are there others you would add?
By the way, I originally wrote this in 2011, except for a couple of date references, this list has been timeless.
by Scott Howard | Sep 25, 2016 | Really? The Personal ScLoHo, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo
A peek into the personal, fun side of ScLoHo.
If you are connected to me on Facebook and have had a birthday recently, I may have “memed you” on Facebook.
I’ll show you some examples in a second, but here’s the reason.
Facebook can be a wonderful tool to stay in touch with others and see what they are up to and share glimpses into your life too.
I am a pretty open book and will connect with both business and personal connections on my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Scott.Howard.aka.ScLoHo along with Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. But here’s something really cool about Facebook that you are aware of if you use it… Facebook tells you when your friends birthdays are so you can wish them a Happy one.
Because Facebook favors visual messages over text only messages in their algorithms, if you include a picture when you post, it will get more views.
So here’s what I started doing when I had the time. When a friends birthday was coming up, I would search thru their Facebook photos and find one that was fun and playful. Download it, (sometimes crop it) and then run it through an online meme generator and then post on on their Facebook page.
You can do this too in 5 minutes or less and create some extra smiles with your connections. Take a look:
Lee Tobin roots for the Phillies
Cappy works at the same place as Lee, thus the same silly hat.
Some pictures are fun
Some pictures are a bit wild
You never know your friends until you explore the pictures they post on Facebook!
I like to use pictures where their mouth is open
Sometimes you have to be creative with your captions
This is so much more fun than talking politics on Social Media!
by Scott Howard | Sep 8, 2016 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo's Web World, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo, WOWO Fort Wayne Radio Advertising with Scott Howard
I saw this quote a few times this year,
If you’re not paying for it, you’re not the customer; you’re the product being sold.
And I’ve also heard people react to the way they are being tracked and targeted by “Big Data”.
Big Data is simply the information that is gathered about us electronically and organized online.
Some of it is very specific, other is general.
We have been voluntarily providing this information for years.
Your first email account perhaps was a hotmail, yahoo or aol email address. Or if you are younger, maybe gmail was and is your email service of choice.
These free email accounts were collecting information about me and you and that was just the beginning.
Facebook and every single social media platform is gathering data about you.
Your phone with its built in GPS, knows and tracks where you go.
When I got a new phone last year, I added some apps for gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants and a few others to take advantage of “discounts”. You may have some on your phone too.
As the quote says, if you didn’t pay for any of these services, your data is what is being collected and sold to others.
We give our data freely. In return, we are targeted with ads and offers that are customized to what Big Data knows about us.
They even tell us when we absent-mindedly agree to the T.O.S. (Terms Of Service) agreements that we click on without reading when we sign up for the free stuff.
It’s not bad and it’s not good. Data collection is neutral. It’s like money. It can be used for good or evil.
In reality, none of us who do anything online can escape and we really don’t need to.
If you want to use this Big Data to locate and target your future customers, I can do that. 
My company has partnered with the best vendors to offer these online services, more than I can explain today. We call it Opt-In as part of the Federated Digital Solutions and radio divisions of our company. Contact me for details on how we can do this.
In the meantime remember,
If you’re not paying for it, you’re not the customer; you’re the product being sold.
and relax.
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