tips « Luna Vega

Archive for the ‘tips’ Category

My Interview on WeAreNYTech.com

posted November 1st, 2011 & filed under marketing/advertising, Miscellaneous, projects, Serious Stuff, social networking, technology, tips

I’m so excited to be featured in an interview for WeAreNYTech. It’s a really informative and comprehensive website that showcases some of the best people working in the technology industry in New York City. I was happy to talk about my background in digital marketing and the different projects I’m currently working on. There’s a transcript from the interview and a link below.

http://wearenytech.com/262-luna-vega-digital-marketing-consultant

You mention in your bio that at one point you just decided to make your childhood dream come true and start your own business. How did you come to the decision that it was the right time?

I have always been a perfectionist. It was important for me to get plenty of professional experience under my belt before starting my own business. I took me several years to work up the courage to take the leap.

I vividly remember the day I launched an extensive project for company I was working for at the time. If I had successfully managed and survived this project, I could undertake anything that came my way, I knew I was ready. I had earned the confidence needed to be an entrepreneur. A huge weight also lifted the day I finally quit my job, as if I was finally allowing myself to be me and go for what made me happy deep down.

Is there any particular reason that you choose projects aimed at Gen Y, Hispanic, and Tween target audiences?

When I started my business, I quickly realized I needed to specialize. I dug and wrote down what came to me naturally. I had an affinity for pop culture, fashion, music combined with an internal flair because of my up-bringing (french/hispanic). Indisputably, my strengths rely in pop culture trend forecasting, and understanding the youth demographic. So I decided to apply this knowledge to the work I provide my client. A digital strategy is vacuous if you don’t understand demographic you are reaching out to. You can tweet and blog all you want but if no one cares about what you have to say than it’s a lost cause.

PluggedIn is a new project that you started that is a new web series where you invite your colleagues to debate digital platforms, relevant issues and new technologies affecting the New Media landscape. Where did the idea for this project come from and what were some of the challenges that you faced when putting the web series together?

My goal in 2011 was to create a video blog educating folks about the power of social media. It was hard at first as, everything had already been done. After going through a series of ideas, I decided to collaborate with my friend Trevz founder of thenewpop.com and create a debate show where our colleagues would size up issues in the Social Media landscape. I felt there was little constructive criticism out there about new technology especially from “real users”. It was time we gave a voice to the non techies and for them to provide their insight about which tool they like or dislike. It was important for Trevz and I to create a specific aesthetic for the show while making it entertaining.

Google + hangout launched not to long after we came up with concept, as a logical progression we decided to use the chat technology to host our debates. Producing this show has been one of biggest logistical challenges we have ever faced. It hasn’t been done before so we are literally making it up as we go along. We are constantly testing new video screen grabbing technology, accessing which browsers are better for streaming etc..

No Comments »

Do You Know How Influential Your Brand Is?

posted November 1st, 2011 & filed under entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship, marketing/advertising, Serious Stuff, social networking, technology, tips

It’s funny how various brands measure their success by how many fans or likes they have on Twitter and Facebook. It’s not unheard of for a brand to have thousands of fans and still get limited to zero engagement for their products. What is it that they’re doing wrong? Do they care about your message? Do they share content back with their peers and are they actually helping propagate the message?

Here are some great free tools to help figure out if your engagement on social media is sticking.

1. Klout – What is your Klout rank?

Klout is a great tool. It allows you to monitor exactly how successful your campaign is and it shows you data you can use to revise and improve your content.

http://klout.com/home

2. Edge Rank for Facebook

Edge Rank is another Analytics tool that you can use to monitor and assess the popularity of your campaigns and content on Facebook.

http://edgerankchecker.com/

3. Alexa and Google Analytics

Even thought they don’t refer back to Social Media, Alexa and Google Analytics are both great ways to measure if your initiative is successful. By seeing your SEO rankings and traffic generated you can get a good idea if your push is working. At the end of day, the purpose of Social Media isn’t to constantly blab about yourself, but to get users to come to your website.

http://www.alexa.com/

http://www.google.com/analytics/

1 Comment »

Kickstarter #101 – A few tips for a successful fund raising campaign

posted October 11th, 2011 & filed under entrepreneurship, marketing/advertising, projects, Serious Stuff, social networking, tips

For a while Kickstarters have been the talk of the town. Between Kickstarter, Indie Gogo, and a few other online fund raising sites, there’s definitely a huge variety to choose from.

Kickstarters are a great way to get some initial funds for a project, but let’s face it, you really need to get your project out there for it to successfully reach its goal.

Here are a few tips to using Kickstarters the right way:

1. Think about the nature of your project – Will it get people exited? What are you doing in return? If you plan on asking for funds for a new song or album you plan on writing, what will be the outcome once you finish the project? Your direct peers might have more of a vested interest in your project because they care about you, but people who randomly stumble upon a dozen Kickstarter requests a day might not be as interested about your upcoming project. Make sure you think about what your project really encompasses before you decide to launch it.

2. Be sure to advertise well – Make sure you make it sound like a promising and interesting project when you begin to advertise it. That way anyone who’s really interested in innovative and experimental projects will feel more compelled to help you raise the funds.

3. Think of a charity to give back to – Let’s face it, people are more willing to donate when they know it’s for a good cause. I think part of asking people for money also involves some kind citizenship or altruistic behavior. It’s the old rule of when someone helps me now I’m going to give back. You don’t have to abide by this tip, but it’s a rule of thumb I’ve always stuck by.

4. Proper Promotion – Once your fund raising project is launched now you need to start promoting it. Think of blogs, media outlets, and even local media outlets that could help you get the word out. Social Media can also be a huge facet in spreading the word on your new project. Just be careful that your promotion doesn’t come across as excessive spam. A good way to grab people’s attention is to make it a contest and ask for their kind help and a referral. Remember every dollar counts, and if you have a good story the word will spread.

5. Make sure you have some concrete examples of what you plan on raising money for - A solid example always helps people understand what goals you’re trying to accomplish. You need to make sure you can commit to the goal and seeing a little intro and explanation will definitely keep people interested.

No Comments »

Social Media & Separating Yourself From the Pack

posted September 27th, 2011 & filed under marketing/advertising, Serious Stuff, social networking, technology, tips

As a digital marketing consultant, I’m fully aware of all the “social media” gurus out there and individuals preaching that “social media” is the holy grail for all of your marketing problems. Truth be told, social media is a great technology that has enabled the democratization of content, and it allows smaller entities to broadcast and rally their communities without having to knock at the doors of “big media”.

Sometimes what they don’t tell you though is advertising, marketing, and PR concepts still apply when using social media. People don’t just blindly engage with your ideas or concepts, they must be given a reason to care. Tweeting or incessantly Facebook posting about your brand & not engaging in conversations is still considered spamming. One of the most important aspects of this two way conversation is you still need to give people a reason to care.

People buy things based on a feeling or on a story. It’s important to always think about your community and the consumer. Once you understand what they want & figure out ways to provide it to them your job will become a lot easier. It’s also important to be original when marketing through social media. The attention span of Internet users keeps getting lower and harder to please the more we get bombarded with information left & right. That’s why it’s so important to consider how your company will get noticed through marketing. It’s necessary to think about your direct community and exactly how you’ll have an impact.

A great example of this concept I want to share is an article I read about a year ago and I still remember it to this day. It was about a teen who posted online that he would give people private concerts at their house as he trekked around the US. He would travel to a city and tell people he was in town and they would book him to get serenaded at their homes. I thought it was such a great concept, especially considering the out of the box method he used to approach marketing a concert in this day and age, when everyone’s Facebook inbox is overloaded with potential events. It even got him enough press to the point of being published in Ad Age. This is a great example of thinking outside the box and finding ways to separate yourself from your competition. I would love to hear your thoughts on different ways you can use social media for marketing and promotion.

No Comments »

My Webinar on How To Make Your Brand Internet Famous

posted September 22nd, 2011 & filed under marketing/advertising, Serious Stuff, social networking, technology, tips

Thanks so much to everyone who joined my “Internet Famous” webinar yesterday presented by Accion New York. Special thanks to Accion for for hosting the event.

I realized that I tried to fit a lot of information into 1 hour so I hope you were able to take away some valuable tips. In a nutshell these are some key things to keep in mind to be successful with social media:

1. Research where your targeted demographic spends time (which blogs are they reading, which Facebook Fan pages are they following etc…).

2. Be consistent; this is easy to achieve by having an editorial calendar in place and creating content in advance.

3. Be unique and create content that is not widely available (example: restaurants and web radio stations).

4. Share rich media content and make it available on various platforms like Instagram, Flickr, YouTube, and Vimeo.

5. Make sure you start conversations instead of just spamming your message.

6. Consider partnerships as a way to expand your business in the future.

7. Make sure everything you do drives traffic back to either your Facebook Page or Website.

If you missed out on the webinar, here’s the link to it on Slideshare

http://www.slideshare.net/edorn/luna-vega-webinar-9363842

No Comments »

The Positives of Failure in the Entrepreneurial World

posted September 20th, 2011 & filed under entrepreneurship, projects, Serious Stuff, tips

Failure is definitely a word we’re all terrified of but within the entrepreneurial world its something we have to learn to embrace. No matter what type business you’re in, no one is successful without a few failures along the way. The preconceived notion that entrepreneurs become successful overnight is a fairy tale or pipe dream. It takes dedication, headaches and a lot of hard work to bring any initial concept to the final stages of fruition. Let me share my experiences and bumps in the road in shaping my own entrepreneurial career.

In 2008 I decided to create a photo device called Fauxcialite which would take animated picture of folks at events and simultaneously broadcast them at the event and social media platforms (back than it included MySpace and Facebook). The main focus behind Fauxcialite was to extend the lifespan of the event beyond a single evening and provide brands with the ability to drive traffic back to their site through these pictures. I pulled some strings, got a small business loan and started production with the immediate interest of some major brands. Unfortunately, the recession soon followed and I quickly learned that my business had too many “costs” and not enough of a margin, and based on how quickly technology was moving, I learned that building a physical component wasn’t going to be the best option.

This was an essential entrepreneurial lesson I never would have learned if it wasn’t for trial and error. It was a simple but necessary business lesson to have learned; you always need to make sure your profit margin is high, and this is one of the main reasons software technology has become so viable. Software like iPhone and iPad apps for example are extremely cost effective when it’s a good product. Building an iPhone app has a much higher profit margin than building a physical product (unless you invented the next great thing).

This experience made me a much more confident and wiser business woman.
We very often get blinded by our own entrepreneurial concepts without really thinking enough about the potential returns; how will we charge for the services or how much will customers plan on paying for the services etc. is extremely important when considering new entrepreneurial ventures.

No Comments »

Lil B & How Social Media Created Based World

posted September 15th, 2011 & filed under Serious Stuff, social networking, technology, tips

You must have been under some sort of Internet rock in the last year or so to have missed out on the meteoric ascension of the rapper Lil B. He’s probably the best example of how the Internet and Social Media can transform a burgeoning avant garde bedroom artist into Fader magazine covers and sold out concerts around the world. Lil B has successfully utilized every aspect of social media to not only promote his brand, but to develop an almost cult-like following by perpetually using Twitter and other outlets to connect and interact with his fans. Although Lil B and his decidedly avant garde movement may seem like a fly by night phenomenon or an isolated case of Svengali posturing, he’s actually implemented many specific tactics through social media that have served to solidify his ever growing movement and reputation. Let me breakdown some of his social media tactics that have given this diy artist worldwide recognition and a devoted international following.

1. Live on the Internet

Even though the concept of living on the internet seems unrealistic or too Avatary, Lil B has literally single-handedly developed his empire through this idea. He said in a recent Fader interview that he’s online 22 hours a day. If I wasn’t aware of his prolific output, I would almost think he’s speaking in hyperbole, but 22 hours a day seems like it make sense when you assess the sheer volume of his output. He literally puts out a new album every two weeks; there’s at least one new music video or maybe two on his YouTube every week, and he updates his Twitter feed every few minutes while responding to as many fans as humanly possible. Lil B is the best example of how much time and effort it takes to not only build a substantial fanbase, but also what it takes to maintain those fans and develop a real connection with them.

2. Show the fans how much you care

Lil B is one of those artists in the realm of Web 2.0 culture that literally interacts with his fans on a micro level on a daily basis. There’s no such thing as Twitter ghostwriters or a behind the scenes Svengali running his Facebook; when you talk to Lil B online you’re only talking to Lil B, and that’s a main aspect in the creation of his cult-like fanbase. There’s literally countless memes online that have incorporated his slogans, dances, colloquialisms, or just his overall transgressive persona. People are devoted to his creative output because he takes the time and attention necessary to personally interact with as many fans as possible on a one on one basis. This concept is what could separate an up and coming bedroom artist from one who’s selling out clubs like Santos Party House and appearing on the cover of magazines like The Fader simply from pursuing a real and authentic connection with your fanbase.

3. Use Social Media to set yourself apart from “The Pack”

One of the most important aspects of Lil B’s seemingly overnight segue from diy to 40 million YouTube views is how he’s utilized social media to set himself apart from other artists. Lil B’s cult-like following is actually a completely literal concept; at his concerts men literally genuflect in his presence while simultaneously offering their girlfriends as an esteemed dowry of sorts. He even invented “The Cooking Dance” which became an online meme-parade and has even crossed over to professional sports, with football players adopting it for their end zone showboating rituals. Sure, Lil B puts in endless hours and energy to maintain his social media presence, but a lot of the fanfare and attention he’s received is due to the progressive and avant garde nature of his movement.

The way he uses social media transgresses every cultural norm conceivable whether it’s his absurdist, non sequitur tweets, his “alter-ego” fashion / style Tumblr Dior Paint, or his endless stream of mixtapes with bizarre titles, and artwork, which has helped him establish a strong visual presence for his “brand”, which is an extremely important aspect of differentiating himself from the thousands of other rappers / mixtapes on the web. If we can learn anything from Lil B’s incessant social media tactics, its equal parts old fashioned elbow grease mixed with a true innate sense of experimentation that has garnered him a such a large fanbase primarily through his innovative and persistent use of social media platforms.

No Comments »

The Importance of Work Experience

posted September 13th, 2011 & filed under Serious Stuff, tips

Making the transition from the corporate world into the entrepreneurial realm is an arduous task, but my career in advertising left me with an indispensable knowledge on how to become my own business woman. Within the entrepreneurial world, I always felt it was frowned upon to have had a more conventional “job”, but more often than not, I’ve seen entrepreneurs fall on their face because they don’t have business or marketing experience. Very early on, I always knew I wanted to have my own business, but it only became a realistic venture once I had professional experience under my belt. By first focusing on my career as a producer in the advertising industry, I was able to learn some essential lessons which I implemented once I began my own business.

Here’s a list of some of the most valuable things I learned from my day job:

1. Value and rates on creative services – One of the most important aspects of a successful business is creating a concrete pricing model that allows you to offer quality work while still maintaining a realistic profit margin.

2. The Business Process – It’s always important to have a process in place when you start your own business and to make sure you stick with it for every client.

3. Writing a statement of work & contracts – Keeping an organized and structured business is one of the most essential aspects of running a functional, productive, and fiscally sound company.

4. Keeping astute and detailed notes – You never know when a tidbit of informal conversation could lead to a huge creative breakthrough or new marketing strategy. Keeping track of these exchanges gives you tons of ideas for future clients and future projects.

5. Making my client understand what they’re getting for their money – Everyone wants to be aware of what their spending their money on and the exact value you’re bringing to each client; doing this lets everyone know they’re on the same page with each and every financial aspect of a project.

6. The Invoicing Process – Without invoices no one gets paid, right? This is so important both for your company’s fiscal status and so the client can see in detail exactly what services your company provided.

7. Outsourcing – Don’t feel like you have to have to handle every minute detail in house; some of the most successful businesses know that outsourcing lets everyone focus on the tasks they’re most suited for without worrying about a time crunch or stringent deadlines.

8. Learning to say no to projects – Not every project or opportunity that comes your way is necessarily a good fit for your company. It’s important to understand what your potential clients’ needs are and to make sure you can deliver exactly what they’re looking for. If for any reason they’re being unrealistic, it’s important to let them know right away before you take a project you might not be right for.

I’m thankful I learned all these valuable lessons through my experience in the corporate world. In retrospect starting my own business after getting some working experiencing under my belt was the right decision instead of jumping into it head first. I can only imagine the roadblocks I would have encountered if I had ventured into the entrepreneurial world right after college. Thoughts?

No Comments »

How a small business loan helped me define my business

posted September 9th, 2011 & filed under projects, Serious Stuff, tips

On Saturday September 10th I’ll be participating in the DIY Business Conference at Loosecubes HQ in Brooklyn, NY, and I wanted to share my own personal experience with small business loans.

Deciding to start your own business is no easy task. My eyes always twinkle with excitement every time I hear peers and friends speaking about starting their own business. As business owners, there are plenty of trials and tribulations we need to go through, and I certainly had my share.

In 2008, I took a small business loan to kick-start my first business, Fauxcialite. I used the funds to build my company’s website and within one month I was collaborating with brands like Sony Music, FILA and Fuze Beverages. Creating this product so quickly enabled me to build momentum and understand the current needs in the market. It also enabled me to get my beta product in front of investors and get immediate feedback. Execution enables you to iron out all of the logistical issues and figure out a sound business process. Additionally, exposing our customers to the product enabled us to understand the pro & cons within the potential marketplace.

What I was able to learn by launching this business was extremely valuable and I never would have gotten the same experience from school or working for someone else. Unfortunately, the business didn’t take off like I had anticipated based on timing and the imminent recession. Since my business was strictly based on event production, that’s definitely one of the first things that gets cut during a recession.

Very often individuals who start their own business are reluctant to get a loan and end up maxing out their credit cards instead. Thankfully I was able to pay off my loan in a timely manner and at a reasonable rate, while also having enough funds allotted for the project, which really enabled me to take a look at my business in a different way. I wanted to see a return in my investment within the first 6 months, and without a loan it would’ve been too easy to keep feeding money into the business and not no when to stop.

My business would have probably have taken off after the recession, but the profit margin didn’t seem considerable enough to move forward. That’s when I realized I needed to take a hard look at my business and decided to terminate it in March of 2009. Luckily shutting down my original business enabled me to start a new project, my digital consultancy, and I was able to take the lessons from this experience and turn it into an entirely new enterprise. Even though the business didn’t turn to be a success like I had anticipated, it really helped me build another business with a much stronger foundation. As a thank you for Accion New York, I’ve been contributing my efforts to teach others about business loans, social media and the trials & tribulations of owning your own business. When one door closes another opens up, especially in the never-ending journey of entrepreneurship.

No Comments »

Archive for the ‘tips’ Category

You mention in your bio that at one point you just decided to make your childhood dream come true and start your own business. How did you come to the decision that it was the right time?

Is there any particular reason that you choose projects aimed at Gen Y, Hispanic, and Tween target audiences?

1. Live on the Internet

2. Show the fans how much you care

3. Use Social Media to set yourself apart from “The Pack”

POST CATEGORIES