MJR Creative Group is proud to support a very special program called the Buy California Grown Marketing Agreement. We were asked to develop the website www.californiagrown.org, to help put a face on California’s agricultural communities and to give consumers a better understanding of how each purchasing decision they make can support California’s farming families and the state’s economy.

One of our favorite parts of the project was the fresh-from-the-farm video and recipe series. This blog post marks the fourth in a series of posts that will spotlight the videos and the California farmers they showcase.

This week’s California Grown Farmer Spotlight is Jasbir Singh Kullar. Jasbir migrated to California from India in 1977, and spent more than a decade as a migrant agricultural worker before establishing his own 1.5 acre farm. In 1994, he spent his life savings on a 20-acre kiwi vineyard — an operation which has since grown to more than 300 acres and includes fruit packing, cold storage and marketing facilities.

“Farming is all I’ve ever known, from India to California,” he says. “I don’t see how anyone wouldn’t want to do this — you’re outdoors, working with your hands and feeding the world.”

A first-generation farmer, Jasbir is continuing the family legacy into the second, with his son now working in the business. And if you think he’s passionate about farming in California, you’re right! He still gets a thrill from comparing California-grown fruit with that from other places: “There’s a noticeable difference in the texture, appearance and — of course — the taste of California fruit.”

The reason? “California-grown fruit is a product of the most knowledgeable farmers in the world, using the latest technologies and incorporating sustainable practices that preserve the earth,” he says. “Farming in California is definitely a labor of love.”

Learn more about Jasbir, plus discover a great recipe for California Kiwi Cream Cheese Ice Cream.

One of the pleasures of our craft is getting the opportunity to delve beyond the project at hand and learn about our client’s business and industry. We feel it contributes to the quality of the product we provide, and enhances our relationship with our client. From time to time we’ll use our blog to share a bit of what we have learned, we hope you will find it as interesting to read about as we did discovering it.

We focus our work on clients involved in the areas of food, wine, and agriculture. As a consequence, flavor is a common thread throughout our client work, and we have had the pleasure of learning a great deal about the importance of  both natural flavor, and the science of flavor technology.

Our knowledge of flavor technology and trends began as a result of our work in the wine industry for one of our favorite clients’ Cork Supply cooperage brands Tonnellerie O, Barrel 21 and Creative Oak (oak alternatives). As we learned the ins and outs of coopering, closures and their associated technologies, we were exposed to the science of flavor in winemaking. Our knowledge further expanded as we developed a marketing communications package for Nellson Nutraceuticals. They develop custom nutrition bars, dry blends and healthy snacks for brands, and the creation of custom flavor profiles is an important part of the services they provide.

The demand for custom flavor profiles is increasing, and innovation in the category is it’s hallmark. In the U.S. retail marketplace, influencers like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s have specific guidelines that impact all ingredients, including flavors. Products destined for European markets will have to be EU-compliant, mandating adherence to specific regulations governing flavor formulations.

Consumer trends are a primary driver behind new flavor profiles and innovation. Food Processing Magazine took a look at what’s hot in flavor for 2012. A continuing interest in spicy, robust ethnic flavors. Mexican, Indian, and South American flavors are contributing to “America ‘spicing it up’ in 2012,” according to Meera Vasudevan, executive vice president of Preferred Brands International. Ed McIntosh, marketing manager for Flavorchem Corp. further advises that the “top flavors for savory snack categories are varietal cheese flavors, barbecue, wasabi and garlic. Six months ago, barbecue-type flavors were not even listed,” he says. “Now, they’re in the top 10.”

Product categories are also influential on flavor trends. Health and wellness-focused manufacturers tend to have customers that are open to more experimental flavors, and accepting of more true-to-flavor profiles that might be more acidic or exotic than traditional consumer flavor profiles. Many products in the nutraceutical category are capitalizing on the 2012 trend of big citrus fruit flavors that tend to be more tart than in the past.

In wine, tremendous innovation in the area of oak alternatives is being led by MJR client Creative Oak. Their products provide winemakers with tank staves, tank bags, or barrel inserts that impart specific flavor profiles to the wines. The flavor varieties enable winemakers add a personalized brand signature to their wine without using traditional oak barrels. This interactive chart showcases the types of flavors winemakers can use, choosing either convection toasts or fire toasts. We love descriptors like butterscotch (typically used for Chardonnay, Cabernet, Zinfandel or Syrah), smokey (chocolate and coffee tones), and spicy (clove and anise!) and medium plus fire (vanilla, roasted nut and spice).

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Last week we published a blog post based on data published by URL shortener Bit.ly. This data documented link-clicking behavior on Twitter and Facebook. The data suggests that there are specific day and time ranges that you may want to consider when  posting to the two major social media platforms to get the most link clicking activity.

Since this data was published, many social media pundits have taken to represent the information as fait accompli. However, there’s always more to it than the raw numbers.

We believe that aggregate behavior patterns on social media platforms can only be taken as a guide when making analysis against your own marketing efforts. There’s several reasons for this.

Your audience does not necessarily reflect the average. In fact I can confidently say that your audience likely does not reflect the average. There will be nuanced, at the very least, and probably dramatic behavior differences. It is not hard to plot your audience’s patterns, use the many available tracking tools to create your own audience engagement map.

There are influencers outside your core audience. Their behaviors are probably different than your core audience’s. Re-tweets are social media currency. You are after the click-through of course, but extending the reach of your tweet is even more valuable. If you capture the attention of one of the big whales on Twitter (meaning folks with a huge follower count, not waistline), the resulting RT can send your reach into the stratosphere and give your follower count a significant boost.

Quality content will trump typical behavior. Relevant, interesting information will make people react. A person who does not typically engage can be inspired to RT a particularly interesting link. Boring links will be ignored, even when posted at the most amazingly active day and time on Facebook.

So again, we come back to the basics: know your audience, keep a broad view while staying tightly targeted, provide great content. Sure, it’s interesting to know aggregate behavior, and savvy marketers will take this information into account. But if you only post during that Monday-Thursday, 1-3pm window, my guess if your social efforts will suffer. There is no social media magic bullet. Let me know if you feel otherwise, I’d be interested to hear from you.

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MJR Creative Group is proud to support a very special program called the Buy California Grown Marketing Agreement. We were asked to develop the website www.californiagrown.org, to help put a face on California’s agricultural communities and to give consumers a better understanding of how each purchasing decision they make can support California’s farming families and the state’s economy.

One of our favorite parts of the project was the fresh-from-the-farm video and recipe series. This blog post marks the third in a series of posts that will spotlight the videos and the California farmers they showcase.

This week’s California Grown Farmer Spotlight is Dean Devine. A fourth-generation California cherry grower, Dean understands the value of family farming in the Golden State. In fact, his son and daughter are both active in his business, which he has run for the past 36 years. But Dean’s family business impacts more than just his immediate household — he employs five full-time and 150 seasonal workers, all doing their part to produce superior cherries and satisfied customers.

Currently, Dean grows 175 acres of cherries, and knows exactly why California cherries are so unique and popular with consumers. “California is one of just a few states that produce sweet cherries,” he says. “In fact, all California tree fruits are generally sweeter than those from other states.”

The reason? Rich soils, mineral-rich water, a near-perfect growing climate and a ready workforce. All of these come together to make California cherries truly special. And allow growers like Dean Devine to keep his family business going strong for generations.

Learn more about Dean, and get his recipe for Cherry Chicken Mole!

Yesterday the team at bit.ly led by Hilary Mason published data showing the activity of links using their shortener platform in a comparison between time of day and day of week. They show the results in the heatmaps below.

Legend: Y-axis is the day of the week, and the X-axis is the time of day. White colored blocks show least activity, dark blue blocks show the most activity. Midnight is at the far left, and all times are EST.

TWITTER

This chart shows average click through rates per hour, per day on Twitter. What this shows clearly is Twitter weak on the weekend for click activity. The best times to get link action appears to be Monday-Thursday, and in the afternoons, 1-3pm (EST). Posting after 8pm gets rapidly declining activity, shrinking to near zero after midnight.

FACEBOOK

Facebook, exhibits different behavior. Remember, this is click-through link behavior, not all traffic. See the dark blue square? Thursday at 3pm seems to be a click-happy moment on Facebook. Also, compare the number of darker blue squares on this heatmap versus Twitter — Twitter seems to convert more links than Facebook.

An important milestone in marketing has been reached. Smartphone ownership of mobile users in the U.S. has reached 50%. (Source: Nielsen, 2012). Buckle up for this next stat:  By 2015, 81% of U.S. cell users will have smartphones (Source: Goldman Sachs, 2011).

Spend a bit of time reviewing the behavior of mobile-enabled consumers and the impact becomes clear: you must have a marketing strategy that embraces your mobile customer.

Consider that RIGHT NOW…

• 37% of your customers are using their smartphones to access the internet.
• 95% of smartphone users have searched for business or product info from their phones.
• 90% of these acted within 24 hours of their search.
• 57% of smartphone users say they won’t recommend a business with a poorly designed mobile site.
• 40% have turned to a competitor’s site after a bad mobile experience.

It’s time for some action.

Your number 1 priority is to build a mobile website. There are a number of ways to make that happen. To see your way clear through the decision making process it is critical to understand one thing: Your web presence can be programmed to determine what device is viewing it, and deliver different experiences to each type of device. Understanding this detail helps point the way to having a successful web experience for your customers, no matter what device they use.

Many companies have realized that the web experience has changed significantly since their last site update. Many choose to revisit their entire site, and many are designing for mobile first. Some create a special slimmed down version of their existing site that functions well on a mobile device. Others still are creating a separate mobile experience.

There are many approaches to take and your agency should be able to help you make the right decision.

Priority number 2 is adapting your marketing strategy for mobile. Embrace mobile across your marketing channels. Examine your marketing initiatives through the mobile lens.

• Example: Email marketing. Up to 30% of email opens come from mobile over 50% of email opens come from mobile (see update at top of article) and this number will continue to trend higher. You should be optimizing your emails for mobile users with your layout. Consider the mobile screen: make your messages longer rather than wider, and be selective with images.  You should also take care with your call-to-action links – send prospects to mobile optimized pages. Remember, your website can tell what device is browsing it, so design for the mobile browser.
• Example: Social media. Social and mobile media are tightly interwoven. Every single day more than half of mobile social networkers access social content from their mobile device. You can deliver them trackable coupon and promotions.
• Example: Offline media. Mobile can activate more traditional promotions channels. QR codes can energize print campaigns and drive traffic from mobile devices.

The implications for email senders like you and I are fairly clear. As Tom at Return Path states in his summary:

“… those that aren’t tracking which device their subscribers are reading their emails on, or optimizing their emails or websites for mobile devices stand to lose out.  A poor user experience could mean no response, no action, or plainly put, no ROI.”

In April 2012 Google published the Mobile Playbook. In it, Google predicts that “Mobile represents a sociological shift with how users relate with both the digital and physical world. Business that understand that will win.”

We agree with them.

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MJR Creative Group is proud to support a very special program called the Buy California Grown Marketing Agreement. We were asked to develop the website www.californiagrown.org, to help put a face on California’s agricultural communities and to give consumers a better understanding of how each purchasing decision they make can support California’s farming families and the state’s economy.

One of our favorite parts of the project was the fresh-from-the-farm video and recipe series. This blog post marks the second in a series of posts that will spotlight the videos and the California farmers they showcase.

This week’s California Grown Farmer Spotlight is Alex MacLachlan. Alex is as passionate about California as he is about the quality of his avocados. “I get to grow something special — the quintessential California fruit that has huge cultural significance,” he says. “And I get to live in a beautiful setting to boot, in geography that gives us a huge advantage in quality and freshness.”

For 13 years, Alex has grown Hass avocadoes in his 16-acre orchard, and is now opening a restaurant to showcase the fruit of his labors. He sees the restaurant as a natural extension of his avocado operation, and an example to other California farmers of how to strengthen their businesses by creating their own customers.

“It used to be a given that you would buy products you needed from your neighbor, and that he would do the same from you. Now globalization has blurred that relationship,” he says. “By putting a face back on our products, California can lead the way in rebuilding our brand recognition.”

Alex’s advice? Demand that your grocer stock the best quality California-grown produce available. And help keep the Golden State

Learn more about Alex, and get an awesome avocado recipe for the Huevotada!

MJR Creative Group is proud to support a very special program called the Buy California Grown Marketing Agreement. We were asked to develop the website www.californiagrown.org, to help put a face on California’s agricultural communities and to give consumers a better understanding of how each purchasing decision they make can support California’s farming families and the state’s economy.

One of our favorite parts of the project was the fresh-from-the-farm video and recipe series. This blog post marks the first in a series of posts that will spotlight the videos and the California farmers they showcase.

Our first California Farmer Spotlight is Janet Louie. She is a part of Green Valley Floral, based in Salinas, California. California’s Mediterranean climate is ideal for growing a wide variety of popular flowers. But the weather wasn’t the only reason Janet followed her parents into the floral industry 22 years ago. “I love being part of a family business,” she says. “It inspires me, and has become a tremendous source of pride.”

Growing roses, gerberas and lilies on 16 colorful acres, Janet works alongside her parents and husband in the family business that is also home to 45 employees. The company has made a name for itself, not only as a showcase for the beauty and quality of California flowers, but also as North America’s only licensed grower of David Austin cut English roses.

“Our customers know they can count on the quality and consistency of our products, and they also know we’re on their side,” says Janet. “We love bringing new products to market to help their businesses grow.”

Next time you buy cut flowers, make sure they’re from California — and keep the floral industry blooming!

Learn more about Janet Louie and Green Valley Floral including information about her products and flower arrangement tips.

Facebook announced they would be providing real-time page insights back in February, and they are now live for most pages. Real-time is a bit of a misnomer, as most are actually updated every 15 minutes, but this upgrade to Facebook page analytics should satisfy the most fidgety of community managers.

There is a great deal of information available, here is the full list (all are available throughout the Facebook API, most are available in Facebook Insights):

• Page storytellers: The number of people sharing stories about your page
• Post stories: The number of stories generated about your page post
• Post stories by action type: The number of stories created about your page post, by action type (like/share/comment)
• Post storytellers: The number of unique people who created a story about your page post
• Post storytellers by action type: The number of unique people who created a story about your page post, by action type (like/share/comment)
• Post impressions: The number of times your page post was seen
• Post impressions unique: The number of people who saw your page post
• Post impressions paid: The number of impressions of your page post in an ad or sponsored story
• Post impressions paid unique: The number of people who saw your page post in an ad or sponsored story
• Post impressions organic: The number of impressions of your post in news feed, ticker, or on your page’s wall
• Post impressions organic unique: The number of people who saw your post in their news feed or ticker or on your page’s wall
• Post impressions viral: The number of impressions of your page post in a story generated by a friend
• Post impressions viral unique: The number of people who saw your page post in a story from a friend
• Post impressions by story type: The number of times this post was seen via a story published by a friend of the person viewing the post (comment, etc.)
• Post impressions by story type unique: The number of people who saw your page post in a story from a friend, by story type
• Post consumptions: The number of times people clicked on anywhere in your posts without generating a story
• Post consumptions unique: The number of people who clicked anywhere in your post without generating a story
• Post consumptions by type: The number of times people clicked on anywhere in your posts without generating a story, by consumption type (photo views, video plays, link clicks, other clicks)
• Post consumptions by type unique: The number of people who clicked anywhere in your post without generating a story, by consumption type (photo views, video plays, link clicks, other clicks)
• Post engaged users: The number of people who clicked anywhere in your posts
• Post negative feedback: The number of times people took a negative action in your post (e.g., hid it)
• Post negative feedback unique: The number of people who took a negative action in your post (e.g., hid it)
• Post negative feedback by type: The number of times people took a negative action in your post broken down by type (hide, hide all, unlike page, report spam)
• Post negative feedback by type unique: The number of people who took a negative action in your post broken down by type (hide, hide all, unlike page, report spam)

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If you have followed this blog recently, you know that I am big on optimizing brand image content for how it is being used in social media. Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook have led the big push in image content on the internet, with images capable of driving significant traffic to a brand’s web properties.

Whatever the darling status of these social platforms, the true behemoth that drives site traffic is Google, and Google is paying increased interest to image search. You care about how your website ranks on Google, now its time to care about how your images rank, as they can be an important  source for site traffic.

So far we have discussed optimizing images in terms of its content: image quality, resolution and size. With the flood of image-based content now available on the web (and its growing at an astonishing rate), its time to optimize your images for Google image indexing.

Google can index image types formatted as BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG and WebP, as well as SVG. But how does Google know if an image is about coffee and not about tea ?

Google is very transparent with how it determines what images to return in response to a search query:

When our algorithms index images, they look at the textual content on the page the image was found on to learn more about the image. We also look at the page’s title and its body; we might also learn more from the image’s filename, anchor text that points to it, and its “alt text;” we may use computer vision to learn more about the image and may also use the caption provided in the Image Sitemap if that text also exists on the page.

Specifically they recommend that you (meaning your web developer) ensure that:

we can crawl both the HTML page the image is embedded in, and the image itself;

the image is in one of our supported formats: BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, WebP or SVG.

Additionally, they recommend:

that the image filename is related to the image’s content;

that the alt attribute of the image describes the image in a human-friendly way;

and finally, it also helps if the HTML page’s textual contents as well as the text near the image are related to the image.

You may know the importance of submitting site maps to Google to help them index your site’s text content, but you also can (and should) submit Image Sitemaps as well.

Many have experienced the disappointment of finding their own images outranked on Google image search by someone else who has used the same image. Employing the techniques in this blog post can help Google determine your use is the most authoritative, and rank your image higher. Business on the internet all about capturing that relevant traffic, and its worth your effort.

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