Remarkable Social Sharing Success in the Automotive Industry

On a typical day at an automotive dealership, many new and shiny cars are sold to delighted customers. They drive away feeling happy and excited, but usually there is no way for the dealer to tap into their excitement and spread the message for their brand’s promotion.

Within the past year, Pixe Social has changed the social promotion landscape for a number of automotive businesses by extending the relationship with those customers through online interaction.

Sales associates at Bel Air Honda have fostered long-term relationships with their customers by capturing their memorable moments with the tablet-based Pixe Social solution and sharing the photo on the Bel Air Honda Facebook Page. The 396 photos taken and shared online have shown potential
customers just how much care and dedication one could experience by choosing “a better way” with Bel Air Honda.

Take a look below at the impressive results gained by this successful partnership between February 2 – December 31, 2014.

 

Our newest social partnership in the auto industry is with Texas-based dealers at Waxahachie Autoplex and Waxahachie Ford. For almost two months, the sales team has leveraged our solution to jump start their social media marketing. Clients at both locations have enjoyed showing off their new purchases as well as some exciting free giveaways including a flat screen TV!

In this short amount of time, Waxahachie Ford has benefited greatly from the social sharing power of the Pixe Social’s solution. Customers have expressed their appreciation for the quality in salesmanship and of the cars through ‘photomonials’. The following infographic displays the extended reach and engagement with social fans for the dealership while using our solution.

If you want to see similar results for your automotive dealership, make sure to set up an appointment with us or stop by booth 6652W at NADA Convention 2015.

How Marketing Agencies Manage Exhibit Programs

Guest blog post by Michelle Bruno, Bruno Group Signature Events

Many companies rely on marketing and advertising agencies to help them maintain brand consistency and cohesive messaging across various channels including trade show exhibits. Often, exhibitions are just one component of a larger campaign, and the decisions that marketing firms make around graphics, booth design, in-booth activities, and even technology have to fit within some very specific parameters.

A good fit for the audience. As with all marketing initiatives, booth features, especially devices or technologies, have to appeal to the target audience. Something that might be hugely appealing to a hip, tech savvy crowd could easily flop with a more traditional audience. The better bet for marketers is make selections that have broad appeal across different age groups and demographics.

A match for the campaign. Marketing companies are charged with making sure that whatever tactics they choose to employ in a booth reinforce the brand positioning they have developed for their clients. Dan Katz, president of LA ads based in Los Angeles, describes this requirement as making sure the “idea doesn’t wag the campaign.”

Customizable. Colors, images, and taglines are crucially important to marketers. They look for ways to take standard offerings—booth properties, giveaway items, collateral, games—and customize them to fit the client’s marketing strategy. Before LA ads selected Pixe Social’s social marketing solution for use in their client’s trade show exhibit, they made sure they could insert a custom image into the photos.

On trend. As a rule, marketing firms prefer to stay abreast of trends in design, communication, and technology when advising clients. Fleshing out a lead-generation activity based on selfies and social media, for example, is more forward thinking than handing out compact disks or inviting visitors to spin a roulette wheel for prizes (unless it’s a gaming show). 

Cost-effective. Marketing companies are the eyes and ears of the client when it comes to a trade show budget. At the same time, they have to make a profit themselves. One way they reach both of those objectives is to seek out suppliers that offer competitive pricing and offerings that complement the agency’s value-added services of strategy, design, project management, and fulfillment.

Easy-to-use. Trade shows are unique environments. Booth staffers are typically much more focused on selling than they are on managing any non-sales activity in the booth. With that need in mind, marketers look for activations that don’t burden the client unnecessarily. LA ads selected a social photo booth for their client because it was an end-to-end solution.

As intermediaries, marketing agencies play a unique role—to meet specific standards (their clients and their own), demonstrate creativity, and reach campaign objectives. They are constantly on the lookout for solutions that can serve their customers and help them bring all of the pieces of the program together easily, quickly, and cost effectively.

Digital Marketing Solutions at IAAPA Attractions Expo 2014

We'd like to invite you to stop by Pixe Social Booth 2164 at the International Association of Amusement Parks Expo and Show (IAAPA) to discover our powerful social marketing solutions, Pixe Encore and Pixe Snap.

Pixe Encore entertains guests and visitors on-site as well as one leading social media like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram through vibrant and interactive engagement. Pixe Snap is a state-of-the-art consumer engagement app, integrated with leading social media sites in real-time and available for download on smartphones to entertain and grow audiences.

Our award-winning digital media solution provides family fun centers, amusement parks, water parks, and attractions an easy mean to instantly engage customers as well as grow audiences year round.

Win an iPad Mini!

Also, make sure to snap a picture with us at our booth for a chance to win an iPad Mini! The photo with the most likes on Facebook by 11:59PM EST on December 1, 2014 will win our big prize.

Experience the power of Pixe Social and learn how to boost your brand's social and viral reach by 4-5 times in a matter of days!

ad:tech New York Combines Marketing and Technology at 2014 Show

Pixe Social has partnered with ad:tech for over a year, providing the official social photo booth for ad:tech New York 2013 and ad:tech San Francisco 2014. While at ad:tech SFO, Pixe Social's tablet-based social photo booth software, Pixe Encore, captured 314 photos extending the event's reach to over 44,000 fans on Facebook. The ad:tech Facebook Page saw significant outreach to 80,209 fans leaving 201,584 social impressions. 

Over the past year, Pixe Social has grown significantly, working with successful brands and events such as EXHIBITOR Magazine, BizBash, and CES. Pixe Social also expanded its array of social marketing solutions with a free consumer app, Pixe Snap. Successfully adapted at New York Comic Con 2014 and MCM London Fall 2014, Pixe Snap engages individuals with their favorite brands and events in their geographical area.  As the 2014 winner of the EXHIBITOR Buyers Choice Award, Pixe Social has continued to work with a number of prominent resellers, including LA Ads.

"My client’s tradeshow booth was a smash because Pixe Social made it so easy to take photos, embed my client’s message, instantly email photos to booth visitors, and direct visitors to the client’s Facebook Page. At the same time, we were able to capture the emails of each visitor to connect with them post-show. Pixe Social went out of their way to help me design the program and assure its success." Dan Katz, President & Creative Director, LA Ads

This year, Pixe Social is sponsoring the official ad:tech New York 2014 social photo booth. We are providing a unique growth opportunity for reselling to marketing and advertising agencies in attendance. We invite you to visit booth 535 and see Pixe Social in action!

SXSW Interactive Opens PanelPicker Voting Late Summer 2014

This past week, Pixe entered the PanelPicker for the SXSW Interactive Festival Sessions.

The 22nd Annual SXSW Interactive Festival will be held on March 13 – March 17, 2015 in Austin, TX. Known in the SXSW community as an “incubator of cutting edge technologies and digital creativity,: this festival combines technology, entrepreneurship, networking, and social programs. Compared to the smaller SXSW V2V that Pixe attended in mid-July, Interactive attracts over 30,000 attendees and industry-influencers.

Pixe’s discussion will focus on solving the challenges brands face in using social media to reach their potential customers. Technology consumers are recording their favorite television shows and fast-forwarding through any commercials, so how can brands reach their fans in this non-traditional atmosphere? Nowadays, individuals feel strongly against having any advertisements or pop-ups interfering with their down-time spent on Facebook or Twitter. Brands want to create a meaningful connection with their potential customers without appearing as overbearing or obnoxious. Pixe will discuss the ways brands can seamlessly integrate their marketing efforts within their fans’ social networks.

We invite you to take part in voting for us to present during the SXSW Interactive Sessions. Starting on August 11, 2014 and ending September 5, 2014, SXSW opens voting on Interactive Sessions to the public community. All you have to do to vote is create an account with the PanelPicker. To keep our fans informed, we will actively post updates and commentary about our session during the voting period.

Pixe Engages with Local Music Festival Fans for Mad Decent Block Party at Merriweather Post Pavilion

International stages have hosted music festivals for decades, but over the last 10 years the show lineups and crowds have been rapidly on the rise. Pixe Snap, a free social photo sharing mobile app, gives music fans the opportunity to express their love of bands and music festivals by sharing photos along with the event hashtags.

This summer, Pixe Snap is generating additional excitement around three different festivals local to the D.C. Metro area, including the Firefly Music Festival, Mad Decent Block Party, and Virgin Free Festival. Pixe is hosting a summer-long concert contest series to give fans a chance to attend concerts for free with the Pixe Music Take Over.

For the upcoming Pixe Music Take Over contests, Pixe Snap users can participate by tweeting their Pixe Snap concert photos. We will randomly draw a winner for a pair of tickets to the biggest summer shows a few days before the concert date and notify them via Twitter.

If you want to attend the next local music festival, enter the Pixe Music Take Over #MDBP2014 contest. All you need to do is

1. Select #MDBP2014 location
2. Snap a picture with Pixe Snap & type why you should win tickets 
3. Tweet your photo

On Monday, July 28th, we will randomly pick a winner and notify them via email and Twitter. Good luck and thanks for playing!

Win Big with the SXSW V2V Pixe Photo Contest

Between networking and pitching innovative startups, SXSW V2V conference attendees have had a lot of fun at the official mobile photo booth powered by Pixe Social. Welcomed by the Pixe team at the conference venue and at the Networking Mixer, guests let loose with old friends and colleagues while posing for fun pictures wearing and holding colorful props. Pixe helped capture the festive mood by clicking engaging photos at the Conference Closing Party on Wednesday evening.

Pixe was also showcased at the SXSW V2V Startup Spotlight. The Spotlight provides startup brands with the opportunity to display their cutting edge technology. The Startup Spotlight was a great way to demonstrate first-hand how Pixe works by allowing attendees to experience our social marketing solutions. Featured Spotlight brands, venture capitalists, and angel investors were impressed with the Pixe software’s ability to engage with event attendees in real-time on leading social media.

We’re excited to see that photo booth users have started to spread the love on their own social media networks by tagging, liking, and sharing their photos with friends for a chance to win an exciting prize that’s
perfect for this tech-savvy crowd. The user that collects the most likes by midnight EST on July 27, 2014 will be awarded an iPad mini! Haven’t started yet? Find your Pixe photo on Facebook or Twitter to start sharing.

The SXSW V2V Pixe Social Album has already reached over 5,000 SXSW Facebook fans, generating over 9,000 Impressions. Do you want to see which photos have created the most viral buzz? Take a look at the top photos below.

Pixe Shortlisted for Three Event Technology Awards

We are excited to announce that Pixe has been shortlisted in three categories for the Event Technology Awards:

• Best Technology for Marketing an Event / Building Event Attendance
• Best Use of Social Media
• Best Use of Technology For Audience Participation

The above listed nominations recognize Pixe’s successful partnership with MCM London Comic Con.
At the 2013 October show, the 920 photos posted by attendees from the MCM Pixe Social solution reached a total of 1.8 million fans and created 4.4 million Impressions on Facebook.

Started in March 2013, the Event Technology Awards (ETA) hosts event industry professionals in London to recognize the technology contributions made to the meetings and events industry. The inaugural 2013 awards attracted brands including Adidas, EE, Ticketmaster and Vodafone. The award ceremony will be held in conjunction with Event Tech Live, Europe’s only event dedicated to event technology that is open to the public. The 2014 awards will take place 13 November 2014 in London, UK.

Four Tips for Social Branding with the Selfie

Selfies are not just a fashionable modern technology trend–here today, gone tomorrow. By its very nature, the Internet immortalizes everything it holds.  A selfie can therefore create a long-lasting virtual imprint for people invested in a celebration, brand or event. When a simple photo is combined with the sharing power of social media, a selfie even has the ability to go viral and create millions of impressions, like Ellen DeGeneres’ selfie did during and after the Oscars.

The Internet is a great equalizer. Any brand can benefit from a ‘photomonial’ from a loyal customer to create a measurable impact online. All that is needed is right timing and smart marketing strategy.  Pixe combines theme-based social selfies with the power of testimonials, and backs it with a
powerful technology. Just as importantly, by completely eliminating boxy enclosures and old fashioned print outs, it puts an entirely new spin on traditional photo booths.

So how can your brand chase after the reported $800 million to $1 billion value Samsung estimates for Ellen's famed selfie? Read on to boost your brand's selfie driven staying power.

Post with a Hashtag: Whether you’re a startup company or an established brand, each one of your social media posts should contain a custom hashtag. To encourage your guests to post their selfies online with your personalized hashtag, make sure to promote it yourself everywhere! Tabletops, napkins, posters, and the bar are some places that should be decorated with your brand hashtag.

Show off the Selfies: To boost the amount of selfies taken at your event or business, let your guests see what others are sharing on Facebook or Twitter through a live photo wall. Create a rotating photo slideshow that uploads the photos with your hashtag in real-time. Guests will be excited to see themselves on a large than life screen.

Have Fun: In order to get your guests to loosen up a bit, provide theme-based props that coincide with your brand or event. For example, if you own a swimwear shop, decorate the store with silly sunglasses and colorful leis next to posters that encourage customers to take a selfie with
your event hashtag.

Contest: Everyone loves a freebie, right? Create a contest around sharing selfies with your branding. People are much more motivated to share their pictures (and your branding) if there is some sort of
incentive involved. Selfie contests are a win-win for your customers and your brand.

Pixe provides an all-encompassing social media solution through our mobile-based photo booth. Pixe creates a custom hashtag that displays on every photo appearing on our large, HD Photo Wall that instantly uploads every photo live from events.

To maximize the event’s fun factor, Pixe brings an assortment of silly props, including our signature
blinky glasses, so guests can transform their appearances with every shot. Pixe also hosts an exciting contest for attendees, a little spark of competition for an awesome prize results in continued engagement with attendees after the event ends. With the full-service marketing support of Pixe, events transform into powerful branding opportunities.

A Scalable Solution for Small Businesses

The week of May 12- 16, 2014 celebrates National Small Business Week (#SBW2014) in North America. At Pixe Social, we are invested in the cause of the success of small businesses because our solution provides a great platform for small and mid-sized businesses to maximize their social reach with minimal investment and in a very short period of time. Whether it’s a local restaurant or café, university event, or automotive dealership, Pixe Social has expanded the fan base of many a brand since its inception in April last year.

As a start-up company, the Pixe team understands how challenging it can be to find any wiggle room in a budget for marketing and promotion. Growing businesses want to see the maximum return on their investments (every penny counts!), and that’s exactly what Pixe Social can provide through our cutting-edge social media marketing solution. It’s simple, really. Start from the source of your business’s success by showcasing your most loyal fans.

How cool would it be if you saw yourself on your favorite restaurant’s Facebook Page? Imagine yourself enjoying a delicious meal with your buddies and your server snaps a picture to capture the evening for posterity? Not only will you be able to keep that memory of a night out with friends, but also the next day, you’ll be famous because you made it onto Facebook Page of your favorite brand. If you can imagine your own excitement from your fifteen minutes of Internet fame, imagine how your business’ fans will respond to the idea of being able to showcase their emotional connection with your brand.

Follow Pixe Social's board Pixe Social at UMD Smith School Business Summit on Pinterest.

At the 2014 Business Summit at the University of Maryland Robert H Smith School of Business, Pixe Social gave the attending students and faculty a wonderful opportunity to share their love for the Smith School. Photos and testimonials taken at the Pixe-powered photo booth were tweeted in real-time with the event’s hashtag from the @SmithSchoolPixe handle. Fans of Smith School were able to tune into what people loved about their experience not only at the conference itself, but also how the graduate school had change many a former student’s life. The popularity of the event and the photos is evident from the fact that fans continue to favorite and retweet the posts to this day, a month after the event.

Breaking Down Digital Media Acronyms Part 1

Digital Media is an expansive industry that picks up traits from the worlds of web design, traditional marketing, social media, graphic design, and even business development. This glossary will touch on the most commonly used acronyms, providing a mini cheat sheet to help manage all of the

abbreviations.

SEO: Search Engine Optimization is the process of achieving a higher, unpaid, and organically placed position in the results on a search engine. Search engines such as Google or Bing take many background features like key words, relevance, and new content into account when calculating the placement of a website.

SEM: Search Engine Marketing is very similar to SEO, but SEM is the form of marketing that utilizes SEO. Marketers tap into SEO through researching industry trends, following industry discussion leaders, and working with search engines to send more traffic to websites.

ROI: Return on Investment is the amount of return, be it financial, web traffic, or user engagement, a company receives from devoting resources to a specific project. For example, when a company begins to build a social media interface, the amount of time it takes for their marketing team to create accounts, develop a following, and connect with potential customers is the initial investment. The return on that investment is securing new customers, making sales, and yielding a profit.

RSS: Really Simple Syndication is a condensed and centralized feed containing all relative information to the topic of interest. For instance, if one were looking for the top news stories of the day, a news website would input an RSS feed into their site that is constantly updating the
trending headlines. Many website have imbedded an RSS feed into their sites to track trending industry topics or their social media feeds. Yahoo.com provides an RSS on their homepage that can be personalized to your interests.

HTML: Hyper Text Markup Language is the language used to create web pages. Every web page you view is supported  by a design that is written in HTML. Digital Marketers use HTML on their company websites, content pages, and even designing emails.

PDF: Portable Document Format file is a document that can be easily viewed or printed on any computer software without compromising the original document design. A PDF’s text and images will appearexactly as intended, no matter the receiving device, making file sharing much simpler for digital marketers.

GIF: Graphic Interchange Formats are image files that are compressed, meaning shortened, to reduce the time for downloading by the user. Pronounced with a “J,” you have probably seen countless GIFs on social media sites. GIFs are images that are commonly animated by combining multiple images and typically have a comical caption to accompany the picture. Here are some example of the most popular Internet GIFs of 2013.

CPC & PPC: Cost per click and paid per click are terms used for brands advertising on websites. In developing an online marketing campaign, many companies choose to pay for advertisement on sites that are seen by potential customers. The websites that host the advertisements will charge the company either for a predetermined cost for each time the ad is click or the company can pay for a certain amount of clicks ahead of time.

URL: Uniform Resources Locator is the web address that is specific to each page on the World Wide Web. Every single internet page has a personalized address containing a combination or letters, numbers, and symbols.