Arianna O'Dell

I’m every marketers dream.

I am a heavy user of social media. I fall in the 20-30 year old age bracket. I talk non-stop. I have disposable income to buy your product.

I hate the word, “influencer” so let’s just call me someone who can’t keep my mouth shut.

Where do I talk?

I talk online.
I talk on my blog.
I talk on Twitter.
I talk on Facebook.
I talk on Tumblr.
I talk on LinkedIn.
I talk on Pinterest.
I talk on every social network you could possibly think of.

I talk in person.
I talk at work.
I talk at bars.
I talk at parties.
I talk in coffee shops

You get the point – I talk all day, everyday.

What brands have I talked about recently?

The Good :
Crest – A while ago they sent me a free Crest white strips, toothpaste, and mouth wash.

Nordstroms – They recently had an awesome event that they invited me to.

Rafflecopter – This tool was amazing and I felt compelled to tell other marketing people about it.

Odesk.com – This website is an amazing outsourcing tool.

The Bad :

Clearwire – I hate this company with a passion for their poor customer service.

HP – I also hate this company for their poor customer service.

So let’s get to the point of this post. How do you market to people like me? – The people who WILL spread your message, good or bad.

Give me something for free :

As cliche as this sounds, it works. Let’s jump back to Crest for a minute. A few months ago, after some Twitter chitchat the company sent me a box of Crest White Strips and Whitening Tooth Paste. I jokingly asked them on Twitter to send me some and they did. This little “act of kindness” had a huge return on investment for them. Why? Because I think I’ve told 100 people about this. And now, a million more people will know this after I publish this post. (Okay fine, maybe 200 Let’s see, so a box of Crest Strips probably costs the company $20? For 300 solid and memorable impressions – I’d call that a deal!

That said, you can’t buy my love – I will never post anything on my social channels because someone paid me to do it – only if I truly like the product/service and think my friends could benefit from it.

Save me time and or money :

If you compliment me on my sweater, I will reply with “Thanks, I got it at _________ for only $20!” I love telling other people about where they can get good deals. I’m a firm believer that everyone should have more free time and more money – I LOVE telling people about this. If you have a product that will save time or money  – I’ll talk about it.

Give me something that will make me and my friends laugh :

My feeds are full of the following – things I like and things I think other people would like. I will always post a video or article if I think other people will think it’s funny too. Whether it’s an auto-tuned Bed Intruder video or an puppy with a hat on, if your company can make me laugh – chances are you have a shot at my wallet.

Be innovative and push boundaries :

There are too many companies that are afraid to run any kind of marketing campaign that might spark controversy. I talk about things out of the ordinary. I talk about cool things I’ve seen. There is no way I’m going to tell my friends “Hey, did you know Coke is on Facebook?” – no one cares. What I will tell my friends is “Oh hey, I had ______ experience with this company. They are so _______ !

Want some more marketing ideas? Let’s get coffee and I’ll tell you anything you need to know about marketing to me.

Like I said, I love talking ;D

This weekend I had the opportunity to attend Startup Weekend : Special Edition, at Madrona Venture group. The event was not marketed, and was promoted solely via word of mouth. Luckily, I heard about it through a friend and was able to get a ticket back in February.

I have attended two start-up weekends in the past. One in Seattle and one in London. The weekends attract cool people, fun projects are built, and lifelong friendships are formed. Each one I have attended, I’ve walked away with new friends, new knowledge, and incredible experiences. If you haven’t been to one you should check it out!

This weekend, I had the chance to work with a phenomenal team on a new product called City Match. City Match is a service that matches its users up with their ideal city. Our team had some awesome developers and designers who were able to build a fantastic product!

“But, Arianna you’re a marketer…. what did you even do all weekend?”

Start-up weekends are a mix of technical and business oriented entrepreneurs and wannaprenuers. Whether you are a business person or a developer, start-up weekend has something for you.

This weekend I did things such as:
-Set up social media channels
-Write press releases
-Set up a landing page
-Engagement on social channels
-Made a cool video

This is an excellent post from Jennifer Cabala on what business people can do during the weekend.

Something I learned this weekend:

Your team is everything – Fortunately, I found myself on great team with an awesome group leader – Grant Goodale. If you haven’t had a chance to work with Grant on a project, I recommend finding a way. His leadership style was extremely motivating and helped keep our team on track. Grant is definitely one of the best leaders that I know!

My team also included :

Elliot Cohen - Elliot is a master developer. He was constantly hard at work all weekend cranking out our product. I had known Elliot for a while on Twitter, but this was the first chance I had to meet him in person. So glad I finally got to!

Cameron Newland - Cameron is awesome and if you don’t already know him, you should. Cameron is one of those smart, witty, hard to find, business/developer types. Working with him is always a blast. Additionally, Cameron has a British accent that can’t be beat.

Justin Ricaurte - I knew of Justin vaguely before this weekend but glad I got to work with him on this project. Is there anything this guy doesn’t know? Don’t think so! The whole weekend I learned so many bits of knowledge from Justin about an array of subjects. Justin is an extremely smart biz/dev person who I highly recommend working with.

Kevin Korpi- Did you see our website design? This is the awesome work of Kevin Korpi who I just met this weekend. Kevin made so many fantastic designs for our team in literally minutes. If you’re looking for a designer, Kevin is a highly skilled, overall cool guy you should be working with!

The entire team was fantastic and I am grateful to have gotten to know these guys all a little better.

Thanks for a great weekend!

I’m a sucker for reality TV. Okay, not reality shows like Jersey Shore or Real Housewives of Miami, but business reality shows! When produced correctly, television can be very educational as it highlights real world scenarios and circumstances. Over the past few years, I have found three business reality shows that teach useful business and marketing principles.

1.) Shark Tank This is my newest obsession and favorite show. The show brings entrepreneurs into a room to pitch a group of venture capitalists – the sharks. Okay, you’re probably thinking…. “ahh Arianna, that’s so boring!”

But it’s not!

Watching this show, you’ll hear cool business ideas, innovative marketing strategies, and learn what investors are looking for in a business. Not only will you hear great ideas, but you’ll hear some of the absolute worst. Both great and mediocre business ideas all have something valuable to teach!  This show is a must watch.

2.) Mary Queen of Shops – This show, airing on BBC, takes failing businesses and turns them profitable (or atleast tries). I was hooked on this show while in England, though with BBC, you can watch it stateside. This show takes real world examples of entrepreneurial struggle and solves the problem through Mary’s innovation. Mary, a saavy firecracker gives entrepreneurs straightforward advice to take their businesses to the next level. Through watching this show, you’ll learn the struggles brick-and-motar shops are facing as well as possible resolutions. Not to mention there is always a good deal of crazy business owners.

3.) The Apprentice - I don’t care what anyone says – I love Donald Trump. I think he is a smart, respectable, business man, who has built a remarkable empire. On The Apprentice, teams battle for the opportunity to become Donald’s newest apprentice through a series of group tasks.  On this show, you’ll watch different personalities handle ambiguous situations and race against the clock to complete their tasks. I’ve watched this show for a number of years; some seasons being better than others. Right now, the show is running “Celebrity Apprentice”. This season, you’ll see how the same business principles apply to both celebrities and the average Joe.

So c’mon entrepreneurs - turn off the American Idol and turn on these!

I am sitting in McDonald’s right now. Right now, I’m not here for the food, I’m here for the free Internet.

Right now, I’m hearing French. I’m hearing English. I’m hearing German, Spanish, Italian, and other languages of all kinds. I’m in Paris! Why are so many tourists here when they could be eating McDonald’s in their hometown?

This is probably my 50th visit to a McDonald’s since I began traveling over the past few months. During my many visits, I have noticed so many great examples of marketing and branding initiated by the fast food giant.

Many people disapprove and even boycott the multi-billion dollar chain because of it’s unhealthy products and high caloric meals. Even so, I can’t help but admire the amazing brand McDonald’s has managed to build internationally and their diverse customer base . What are some of their brilliant branding efforts?

Distinct colors - The vibrant red and yellow are the same throughout every country I have ever visited. Not only are the colors bright and eye catching, but the signage at every McDonald’s can be seen from at least a block away. Walking down most “touristy areas” the golden arches are a reassuring constant among unfamiliarity and are placed strategically on high streets and in center locations throughout major cities.

Standard products – The products at McDonald’s remain very standard from country to country. Even though the menu is changed somewhat to cater to different demographics, the layout of the menu and format for ordering remain constant. The familiarity is reassuring to many, putting them at ease from the stress of international travel. Going into a McDonald’s you know what to expect. Cheap food, quick lines, and mediocre quality. 9 out of 10 times, your expectation is correct.

I used to work at a McDonald’s. Yes, I mopped bathrooms, cleaned floors, said “would you like fries with that?”. Working at a McDonald’s during my teenage years is something I am far from ashamed of. Not only did I get to flip burgers, but I got to see first hand the efforts McDonald’s went to in order to make each product standard. McDonald’s has so many procedures and regulations that employees must follow in order to ensure that products are prepared in the same way from store to store. From measuring cups, to detailed production charts, the company strives to deliver universal products packaged similarly at each location.

Stay as long as you like - Even though the hard plastic seats are designed for quick meals, not one employee has asked me to leave for sitting for an extended period. How is letting me loiter in their restaurant helping their bottom line? Here are a few reasons:

- Staying so long makes me feel obligated to buy something. Every time I have sat down to use the Internet I have bought a drink. Their markup on soft drinks is an enormous percentage. After working in the food industry and seeing how soda fountains work, you quickly realize how much money is made from water based drinks.

- Because they don’t mind me camping out – I’ll continue to come back. Other places have cut me off the Internet after 1/2 an hour!

- I will recommend McDonald’s to any friends traveling overseas who will be in need of Internet.

- I will be reminded of the feeling of being at ease and comfortable during my last visit, every time I pass another store.

Why would you go to a McDonald’s when you could do that at home? – In countries where I am not a speaker of the language I find it hard to order, and sometimes will even resort to ordering something I don’t even want, just for the ease of the transaction. In the McDonald’s I am in right now, the the menu is in French with some English. But in addition to writing, there are numbers so a tourist could simply say or point to what I would like to order – saving many tourists the frustration of foreign ordering.

From all the countries I have visited I have yet to see a deserted McDonald’s. Why? Familiar atmosphere, a reassuring taste of home, and abundant in cities, McDonald’s is definitely doing more than one thing right in terms of branding and marketing.

Would you like fries with that?

Lying in bed, unable to sleep, I started to think about tech and social media. Two years ago, both of these words would have made me go “huh”?  Believe it or not, it was just over a year ago that I joined Twitter and immersed myself in the tech scene. From Twitter, I have met so many people and have heard about so many fantastic gatherings and meet ups.

Thinking about how I had originally been introduced to the Seattle Tech community, I realized it has all stemmed from Twitter! I have made friends, found work, and have been connected to so many things from just Twitter alone. Instead of sleeping right now, I thought it will be interesting to reflect on my Twitter experiences. Here it goes!

When I first joined Twitter I had no idea what it was. Signing up for an account, I had no idea who to follow nor what the purpose of having an account was. Trying to get tapped into the tech scene, I did some Googling and found the Seattle 2.0 website. From Seattle 2.0, I found some great information and after perusing the website, I found that the editor, Danielle Morrill & founder, Marcello Calbucci, were both on Twitter. I began to follow both of them. Not knowing anything about Twitter at the time, I read their streams and randomly began to follow some of the people they had been engaging with.

For a few weeks, I followed my Twitter feed for news and heard about all sorts of events going on in Seattle. From following Danielle and Marcello’s networks, I began to gain much insight about the Seattle technology community. Through my newly acquired Twitter stream, I got up the nerves to attend my first event – a Social Media Club Seattle event. I remember not knowing anyone in the entire room and pretending to read my phone as I was too scared to strike up a conversation.

Looking at my Twitter stream during the SMC event, I began to see that some of the people in my Twitter network were there. Danielle Morrill from Seattle 2.0 tweeted something to her followers saying something along the lines that she was “the redhead in the back of the room” and to “come say hi!”. Danielle Morrill was someone I had been wanting to meet so I took her up on her tweet and introduced myself. Danielle was wonderful and gave me some great advice on what events to attend and how to get involved in the Seattle Startup scene. Later on, she even met up with me to offer feedback on the startup I was working on.

After the SMC event, I felt welcomed and encouraged to attend more events in the area. It was then that I heard about a thing called a “Tweetup”. (A great way to meet folks from Twitter in real life!) Little did I know I would be attending these on a regular basis.  Thank you to Stephen Matsumoto for hosting my first one! From tweetups, I began to meet more and more people from the Seattle tech scene.

Another awesome person who shaped my tech experiences is Chris Pirillo. Found through Danielle and Marcello’s networks, I connected with Chris though Twitter. Chris offered to meet up for coffee before he even knew me and before I even knew all of what he did. Which seems to be everything! (Sorry Chris – this was back when I was a tech noob! ) Ever since I followed Chris, his stream has been a source of great information and I have continued to meet people through Twitter after my first positive experience meeting Chris. From Chris, I also found out about his yearly conference, Gnomedex, which was the first technology conference I have ever attended. At Gnomedex, I got the chance to meet some of my longtime Twitter friends like @AndruEdwards who I had been talking to on Twitter for months. One of Chris’s other events, Geek’a'licious Hackday also enabled me to make  more friends including @aphughes, @anneghammer and @michellegamboa who I have kept in touch with ever since!

After Gnomedex, I attended other events in the area and continued to meet so many great people. Another connection point in my experiences, would have to be MindCamp hosted by Andru Edwards. At this event, I got to hang out with Roberto Hoyos who I had briefly met at Gnomedex and then got to hear more about Throwboy pillows – (which I highly recommend !)

After meeting Roberto, I began to use a service called DailyBooth which he was a part of. DailyBooth is another connection point in my tech experiences. After utilizing the service for a few months, I saw that the founder – Jon Wheatley was on Twitter. Even though I had only tweeted to him a few times, Jon was my first connection into the London startup scene. Finding out that I would be coming to London, I began to follow a few people from his stream to see what was going on in the startup scene. Through his stream, I found @JamesProud who was my first London Twitter meet up. As I mentioned in a previous post, James gave me some information about what events to attend and how to get started over here.

Taking his advice, I attended Geek’n'Rolla which introduced me to a whole set of  London tech enthusiasts. Since then, I have attended many UK events enabling me to meet so many great people from the other side of the pond.

After all of these events, I look back to see everything stemming from Twitter! Would I have attended these events if I had not had a Twitter account? Probably not. As cliche as it sounds, Twitter has changed my life!

Here is the quick version highlighting a few degrees of separation that have led to my experiences today – in case you don’t want to read this whole post.

I went from:
Not knowing anyone and anything about tech
to
Following Danielle Morrill and Marcello Calbucci of Seattle 2.0 on Twitter
to
Chris Pirillo
to
Aaron Hughes
to
Roberto Hoyos
to
Jon Wheatley
to
James Proud
to

London Friends and Events

to

Right now, knowing much more about tech and with so many great friends!

I know I have left a lot of people out of this post, but there isn’t enough room to list the hundreds of incredible people I have met! I tried to focus on a few connection points even though everyone has been important. If we have even only exchanged even one Tweet, thank you – you have all shaped my experiences so much!

The middle :

Friend me on Facebook or Linkedin.

Also, go follow Zolidays on Twitter : @Zolidays

Hey guys!

I am right now at Startup Weekend London and am working on a starting up a travel website with some new friends! The idea is to create a travel site for those who have a budget in mind, but not necessarily a destination.

For many people, travel booking is a hassle and huge inconvenience. As travelers ourselves, we have a problem with most travel sites when looking for holidays within a certain budget. Sometimes we may not know yet exactly where we want to go, but do know how much we have to spend. Without an exact location or date in mind, it is often troublesome and frustrating to compare holiday deals around the world.

Our new company, Zolidays solves this problem! Simply type in your budget and time frame and let Zolidays fetch you the best deals from across the web.

While we are in the process of developing the site, I was wondering if anyone has any feedback on the idea or has some ideas on how to build an initial user base?

Any help would be fabulous!

-Arianna

Follow us on Twitter : @Zolidays

Fan us on Facebook : http://bit.ly/9wYYGH

When I went home this weekend I took a look at some of the products my family had around the house. Upon looking through the medicine cabinet, the only product that that made me go “huh?” seemed to be the “Suave for Men” shampoo. I remember when this line launched about a few years ago – my brothers instantly became victim to the products marketing efforts and immediately, there became a designated guys and girls shampoo.