Taking the Challenge out of Crowdfunding, the #IceBucketChallenge Way

For the past couple weeks, social media feeds have been flooded (pun intended) with videos of friends and colleagues completing the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Thousands of participants including politicians, athletes, and members of Hollywood have humbly accepted the challenge to dump a bucket of freezing cold ice water on their heads to raise awareness for ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Those that accept the challenge, in turn, challenge their friends, coworkers, or even complete strangers to do the same or donate $100 to the ALS Foundation.

As with many other social media viral campaigns, the critics have voiced concerns about how much the ALS Association is actually benefiting from the videos. In reply to the doubtful naysayers, Alsa.org notes that between July 29 and August 12, 2013 the ALS Association raised $1.12 million. During that same time this year, nearly 150,000 individuals have donated $4 million and those numbers have risen in the past three days. Along with donating to the cause, thousands are now educated aware of how many people are affected by this disease each year.

Starting with Peter Frates, a former Boston College baseball team member and currently living with ALS, on July 31, the challenge has reached over 15 million people on Facebook alone. This unique execution of crowdfunding, a large number of people raising monetary funds for a project usually through online word of mouth, has greatly surpassed the expectations of both the ALS Association and social media experts.

In order to provide some entertainment for your Friday afternoon and spread the word about ALS, a few Pixe team members have accepted the challenge, including our leader, Rajiv Jain (See videos below). Enjoy!

The Introverts' Guide to Successful Networking at Tradeshows

Guest blog post by Nicholas Weeks, Operations and Assets Coordinator

The Pixe team joined our friends at a2z, Inc. in a week-long series of team building activities designed to foster cross-functional team work and communication. At the start of the week, every team member completed a Myers-Briggs Personality Assessment. This test analyzes and reveals how an individual prefers to use his/her perception and judgment. Under the system, a unique letter represents each of the four main communication characteristics to signify which communication style we prefer in both professional and personal relationships.

The first, and usually most telling, category is either an “I” to represent Introversion or an “E” to represent Extroversion. Introverts are not necessarily shy, they just prefer to process ideas and concepts internally in large social settings. Extroverts, on the other hand, thrive in large groups and can quickly process and verbalize their opinions. So how do executives with “I” personality type survive in the hullabaloo at a trade show or conference, and successfully interact with event attendees in their booth before and during an event?

Pre-Event
This is the most important stage for any team, especially when you have any “I” team members. For me personally, being a very strong “I”, it’s best to have my pitch down a couple weeks beforehand and have 2-3 small talking points in case I need to approach someone. Perfecting the pitch helps you more in the long-run to develop confidence and the ability to talk to anyone, cutting down on inevitable pre-event anxiety. Your talking points encourage natural conversation rather than an awkward silence followed by meaningless chatter that provides no real value.

During the Event
From past experiences, I’ve realized there are two types of successful conversations while exhibiting at an event.

• The Booth: Anyone who approaches your booth is there for a reason; they are curious or interested in learning more. This cuts down on pressure because the conversation will have a predetermined path. With any booth demonstration, I rely heavily on the pre-event planning. With all of the practice and preparation one has put into the introductory pitch, one already the key support system in place to break the ice.
• Show Floor: Instead of starting off with your pitch, all you have to do is introduce yourself followed by a brief description of the company, and now the ball is in their court. To me, this is the easier of the two conversations. As an introvert, I tend to be more of a listener and keep my thoughts to myself to analyze while others talk.

To help all the Introverts out there, here are some simple steps for survival in an Extrovert world:

• Wind down time:  When you ask any introvert they will say that they need their own space to get focused, reorganized, and time for reflection. Usually the hour after an event ends is the time that is most critical.
• Take breaks:  During the event, it’s useful to clear your mind every couple hours or so. If the floor gets slow, take advantage of this time to walk and clear your head.
• Don’t worry:  It’s okay to make mistakes and they are going to happen anyways. So what if the last pitch you gave wasn’t the best? That’s the best part about tradeshows, there are usually hundreds of people that you will talk to next, by the end of the day one fumbled line will be the last thing on your mind.
• Have Fun: The most important part of the tradeshow for me is the experience in itself. I have found that the more you relax and try to have fun, the better the results you will have. People love fun and when you product incorporates fun naturally, it’s easier to relax.

Related Links:

• Pixe and a2z Team Members Participate in Pixe Snap Scavenger Hunt
• An a2zWeek Full of Fun, Learning and Team-building Exercises  
• Booth Sales THEN and NOW! (Video) – Part 1

Pixe and a2z Team Members Participate in Pixe Snap Scavenger Hunt

Every year, Pixe’s sister company, a2z, Inc, brings everyone together for a week of team building and training activities, including outdoor adventures, training breakout sessions, and social events. This year,  a2z introduced an element of fun with the Pixe Snap Scavenger Hunt.

Team members from both a2z and Pixe came together to form cross-functional groups for the Scavenger Hunt. Each group was given a list of targets to find and photograph using the Pixe Snap mobile app.

Some Scavenger Hunt items included finding something red, a team selfie, and team members doing the YMCA. With our smart phones and lists in hand, all of the teams were sent off to complete the hunt in less than two hours. The winning team was awarded with an ice cream social to celebrate their win.

Below are some of the photos from our 2014 a2z Week Pixe Snap Scavenger Hunt.

Cooking Up a Social Extravaganza at NRA Show 2014

Following a rewarding time at the 2014 CaterSource Conference & Tradeshow, with our business and our appetites fully whetted, the Pixe team is excited to return to another landmark for the food service industry at the McCormick Place Convention Center. For the second year in a row, Pixe Social will spice up the expo floor as the official mobile-based photo booth provide at the National Restaurant Association Show 2014. The NRA Show 2013 Photo Booth served up a great interactive experience to an appreciative audience who loved seeing their photos posted on the big HD screens and leading social media almost as soon as they clicked the button.
I love NRA Show because this is where the best in the industry come together! #NRAShow #PixeSocial #Awesome #LoveIt pic.twitter.com/1Z9PQLlaXF — Pixe NRA Photo Booth (@PixeNRABooth) May 19, 2013	Over 2,300 photos shared over five days by attendees, exhibitors, and celebrity guests on NRA Show's Facebook Page expanded the event's reach to hundreds of thousands of fans. The photos were also tweeted in real-time and reached 184,747 Twitter users. This year, once again, the official NRA Show Pixe Social Photo Booth will provide attendees and exhibitors with a unique opportunity to generate a social sizzle around their presence at the restaurant industry’s leading exhibition. To entice your social-savvy taste buds, Pixe Social is organizing an iPad Mini contest for the photo booth user who collects the most likes for their NRA Show Pixe Social photo on Facebook by midnight on June 1, 2014. Stop by booth 6679 to learn how #Pixe can deliver a high ROI on your social promotions and significantly expand your restaurant’s fan base. We invite foodie fans to use the hashtags #Pixe and #NRAShow to heat up the trending Twitter topics during the show.

Related Links:

• Say Cheese: See NRA Show Attendees Goof Off (PHOTOS)
• 360-degree Attendee Engagement with a Song, a Dance and a Photo
• Gadgets, apps dazzle at Chicago food show
  
  

Breaking Down Digital Media Acronyms Part 2

Since the start of the Internet, companies have been discovering new ways to build their brand and reach out to new customers. This platform has spurred the start of Digital Marketing. Digital Marketing is the process of using digital formats to advertise a message for a brand. In order to understand this new industry a little better, take a look at some of the most commonly used terms and phrases.

Content Marketing: Content Marketing is a brand’s process of producing original, valuable, and thought-provoking content and sharing that content with interested consumers. For instance, trade magazine, company blogs, and even many brand social media sites aim to share interesting articles, trends, and new products that relate to their specific industry. Here is a short history of content marketing from the Content Marketing Institute.

Social Media: Social Media is a combination of the websites, and now applications, used for social networking. Social networking is creating relationships, either personal or professional, through a login-based social media website. The most popular social media sites include, but are not limited, to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Google+.

Organic Marketing: Organic Marketing is the process of marketing a brand or product without paying for advertising. It is important to note that organic marketing does contain intent, but it is a more unexpected option.Organic marketing is focused on creating a natural relationship with your potential customers, especially through word-of-mouth and social media outlets.

Responsive Design: Responsive Design is probably one of the hottest trends in marketing now, responsive web design is a website’s ability to react to the user’s screen size. Web designers are now standardizing flexible content on the sites that can automatically adjust to whatever type of device is used. Along with changed appearances, responsive websites will transform the user experience to work with a device, such as the finger zoom feature on iPads, a drop down “hamburger” menu for mobile, and landscape/portrait views on tablets.

Tribal Marketing:Tribal Marketing is a marketing strategy to create a community-centered feeling for those interested in a certain product or brand. Marketers attempt to target certain individuals that all have a common interest or need and solve that need with the use of their product. In essence, marketers want to encourage a bonded tribe in support of their product or services

Digital Dashboard: Generally speaking, a digital dashboard is a central location that draws content from multiple resources into a manageable and readable format. Many dashboard systems support a standard selection of applications, but are usually customizable to improve user experience.

Viral: Going ‘viral’ is a term used for when a person, topic, video, article, or photo hits the popularity level as to where it reaches the Internet engagement level of the hundreds of millions of views. When one Youtube video suddenly goes from about 100 likes from the poster’s family and friends to a shocking 2 million views, this video has reached Internet celebrity status as a viral sensation. 

Need some more? Read Breaking Down Digital Media Acronyms Part 1

Five Ways to Make the Most of Your Pixe Social Album

In order to grow your small business while keeping in mind a small marketing budget, a social media presence is an absolute must. However, many people don’t realize that you will only gain as great a return on your investment in social media as the effort you put into it.

In partnering with Pixe Social, you’ve realized the amazing social media marketing reach your event pictures could have on your business, but how can you go above and beyond? You have to promote those images!

According to Facebook, posts that include images receive 120% more engagement with your fans than a post with only text. The following tips on making the most of your Pixe Social albums will transform your small business into a social media marketing machine.

Cross Promotion

Pixe photos look great on every social media channel! Share some of your favorite event photos through Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and even on your business’s blog. Blogging about partnering with Pixe Social turns taking photos into an experience for you and your fans. Make sure to share the
link to your Facebook Fan Page and you’ll easily transform readers into followers.

#BizBashFL Attendees: Get the most likes on your @PixeSocial booth photo on Facebook by 11:59 PM EST on 5/5 to win an iPad Mini!
— BizBash Live (@BizBashLive) April 23, 2014

Keep Up the Hype

So your event has concluded and all of the Pixe Social photos are posted on your Fan Page, but how can you make sure fans actually see their pictures? Pixe Social provides your business with an email list from photo booth users, so take advantage of it. Send out a friendly reminder about the Pixe contest and have fans share the pictures on their social media pages.

Start a Conversation with Fans

Online fans love to feel like they are connecting with the people behind the Facebook Page, so start a contest with fans around the Pixe Social Photo album. Ask fans to vote on which one of the event pictures is their favorite and offer a prize. For extra credit points, make the prize a discounted offer for your business so it brings them offline and in store.

Take it Offline

Believe it or not, a lot of your customers have yet to interact with you through social media, so show them what they’re missing by printing out your Pixe Social photos. Spruce up your business walls with a photo collage and show how much you appreciate your fans on and offline.

Photomonials

Don’t ignore those word bubbles! You may not realize it at first, but the comments photo booth users type in their Pixe Social photos provide you with valuable customers testimonials. Create a page on your website or print out some of the best glowing compliments to make the most of your Pixe Social album.

The Robert H Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland recently hosted current students and alumni at the 2014 Business Summit. The official Smith School Pixe Social Photo Booth captured the following remarks from attendees:

Post by Robert H. Smith School of Business Office of Career Services (MBA Program).

Pixe Social Bringing Social Soul to Frankfurt, Germany this May

The Pixe team is excited to announce its partnership with the IMEX Group, and upcoming exhibition of our unique mobile-based social marketing solution at IMEX 2014 in Frankfurt, Germany between 20–22 May 2014.

Pixe Social is bringing a new interactive experience to attendees at this popular worldwide exhibition for incentive travel, meetings, and events.

A number of team members will be walking around the show floor, taking pictures of attendees and exhibitors alike, and inviting them to share their photos and testimonials with fans and friends on leading social media. Pictures will be shared on the IMEX Facebook Page live from the exhibits floor, tweeted with event hashtag (#IMEX14) and streamed to a HD photo wall on the show floor. Photo booth users will also have the opportunity to share their picture through their own social media pages to share their on-site experience with friends and colleagues.

In an exciting contest for IMEX attendees, the photo booth user with the most likes on their Pixe Social photo on Facebook by 11:59 PM EST on 1 June 2014 will win an iPad Mini!

In addition to providing the official IMEX 2014 Pixe Social Photo Booth to engage with attendees during the event, Pixe will also be exhibiting in Stand Number C720 with a2z Inc., Pixe’s sister company. a2z, Inc. provides event planners and organizers powerful web and mobile software that helps event organizers as well as event participants maximize their time and ROI.

A unique aspect of IMEX Frankfurt is the appointment system, which connects exhibitors with hosted buyer attendees before the event. Click here to schedule a meeting with Michael Krantz, Director of Sales, who is representing Pixe in our booth at the event.

Pixe is excited to be returning to Europe. As the official photo booth solution for MCM Comic Con across multiple cities in the UK, Pixe Social has enabled hundreds of thousands of attendees to spread the love about their favorite brands and comic characters.