Do a lot of shipping? track your packages with Twitter

Some 6 million people visit Twitter each month, so it's no wonder applications for the platform are coming fast and furious. Not only can consumers use Twitter to track their favourite taco truck, file civic complaints and apply for jobs, but they can now track their packages as well thanks to a new application from North Carolina-based Signal Engine.

Users with packages to track begin by following PackageTrack on Twitter (@packagetrack), causing the free application to follow them in return. They can then direct message PackageTrack with the nickname of a package they'd like to track along with its tracking number, separated by a colon—"Red Dress: 23345631243," for example. PackageTrack then notifies them by Twitter each time the package's status changes, including a Google Map illustrating its route. Launched earlier this year, PackageTrack currently tracks only UPS, USPS and FedEx packages, but it says it will be adding more carriers soon.

All the world may have once been a stage, but today one might say it's a microblogging platform; no longer merely players, all the men and women now tweet and follow. What is *your* brand doing to reach customers on Twitter...?

TreasureWorld game gets kids OUTSIDE

Childhood obesity may be a problem of epidemic proportions in many parts of the world, but several games are doing their part to help keep kids moving. We've already covered LocoMatrix, Swinxs and The Hidden Park, and now a new contender launched last month takes kids on a wifi-based treasure hunt outside.

Published by Aspyr Media, Treasure World is a game for the Nintendo DS that converts real-world wifi signals into online treasures. The story focuses on Starsweep, a space traveller who journeys through space in his ship called Haley. In the game, however, Haley has broken down and needs more stardust to get going again. A quirky robot named Wishfinder helps players find not just stardust but also treasure during their adventure by tapping the wealth of wifi hotspots available around the world. More than 2,500 in-game items and treasures such as trees, flowers, candy and clothes can be unlocked as players access the more than 200 million wifi treasure spots worldwide that are registered within the game, and those items can be used to decorate in-game environments. Some feature musical qualities; others can be used to dress up the player's unique character. Either way, the stardust uncovered helps move the spaceship along. Only some items are available at each hotspot, however, meaning that the more kids move around, the more they'll find. Players can also join Club Treasure World to chat, trade items and show off with other treasure hunters around the globe. Treasure World's list price is USD 29.99.

Treasure World is not only another blow in the fight against obesity, it's also a nice illustration of what's called the OFF=ON trend, whereby the online and offline worlds are increasingly overlapping. Game developers around the world: keep the kids moving and the innovations coming!

"This Ad Cost Nothing"

A new, guerrilla ad campaign for the Salvation Army was donated by an agency with the help of more than 50 local businesses.

Known as the "This Ad Cost Nothing" campaign, the three-week initiative was designed primarily to raise awareness for the Salvation Army's Northern New England division. It was conceived and created in Portland, Maine, by local agency VIA Group, which turned to area businesses for help carrying it out. Part of the campaign included broadcast time and print ad space donated by traditional media; the majority, however, employed less conventional tactics. Pizza boxes and coffee sleeves were transformed into ad space for displaying the Salvation Army's logo and URL, for example, as were bathroom mirrors at local restaurants—with the help of a little grease paint. VIA employees and willing friends parked their intentionally dusty cars in downtown Portland, with the logo and slogans written on their back windshields, while dozens of shops sported the logo on their own windows as well. Painted rocks, tarps and tennis court floors were also among the more than 5,000 "creative units" included in the campaign.

Besides getting the word out about the Salvation Army and no doubt updating its image, the "This Ad Cost Nothing" campaign is also yet another nice example of the types of efforts increasingly being expected of companies by Generation G. As the saying goes, 'tis better to give than to receive—and that's never been more true than it is today! ;-)

How could you use your friends and family to promote your business in non-traditional, "guerrilla" ways?

What ideas could you add to a campaign like this?

Updates from your home's energy usage monitor - via Twitter

I love this!

German utility company Yello Strom is clearly into accessible tech: it manages its meters directly via households’ broadband connections, and offers access to Google's PowerMeter. Now, it's keeping its customers informed by enabling meters to tweet about energy use.

Each "Yello Sparzähler" smart meter (designed by IDEO) is allocated its own Twitter account, which is automatically updated with energy consumption data. The owner can follow the account to receive regular updates, leading to greater awareness and hopefully lower energy use. DIY power monitors such as Tweet-a-Watt are also capable of tweeting, but Yello Strom seems to be the first utility company to offer the service as an integral part of their smart meters.

While adding Twitter to their mix will undoubtedly give Yello Strom a PR-boost, the larger goal is to feed energy data into any tool customers may be using. As explained by Yello Executive Director Martin Vesper, "Our goal is to use as many different channels as possible to inform our customers about their energy consumption."

Twitter campaigns to raise sales (wsj story)

Twitter helped Moonfruit become a household name, boosting the company's followers from about 400 to 47,000 in a few days. Wendy White, marketing director, created the contest enabling Twitter users to win one of 10 Apple MacBook Pros over a seven-day period -- they just had to include the "#Moonfruit" hashtag. Online retailer Chickdowntown also has enjoyed sales gains from announcing contests via Twitter. What makes this such a success is re-tweeting, in which Twitter users pass on information to their lists of followers.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124805161394863097.html

Local Bike Shop using Facebook to drive in-store traffic

Love this - as I sit at work waiting for MySQL queries to run, I often jump over to Facebook to see what's going on.

Joe Jones is a local bike shop with a Facebook page and a significant following.

Since I am a "fan", this popped up
Great use of social media marketing to drive foot traffic. Can you do the same for you rbusiness?

A local text marketing campaign

This past July 4th, the North Conway Fire Department (www.northconwayfire.com) had the Sherman Farms' Cow Train. (very cute!)
Attached to the 'engine' was a sign that said
Text 'getlost12' to 94044 and see what you can win

So, being curious, I did. This morning I got an email

Subject: Corn Texting

Happy Summer (finally) from The MAiZE at Sherman Farm,
We are proud to introduce our newest addition to the MAiZE for 2009.  Corn Texting will be a game inside the maze; try and find all the hidden signs, send a text and receive a clue to help you navigate your way.  Find them all and win a prize!

Try it today and get entered to win a drawing.
Text "getlost12" to 91011 and see what you can win!

Happy Texting,
Michele

Kinda cool use of integrated marketing techniques.  Keeps you fully engaged with their brand, while playing games, collecting prizes and growing loyalty.

Maybe an on-snow type scavenger hunt, executed similarly, for a ski area?  or inside an amusement park?

You can donate 20% of a purchase to a charity

Turning shoppers into philanthropists, LavishGiving.com is an online gift retailer that donates 20% of all purchases of USD $100 or more to a charity of the buyer's choice. Which allows them to be generous twice: once when giving the gifts they purchased, and a second time when donating 20% of their value to a favourite charity.

Seven days after shopping, customers are mailed a Good Card worth 20% of their purchase. The seven day grace period is in place should anyone wish to return a purchase. Customers can then visit Network for Good's website (www.networkforgood.org) to donate the entire amount to one charity, or distribute it between several of the 1.5 million charities that are affiliated with Network for Good.

iphone app for city of Boston

in Boston, you can use a new iPhone app to report the location and condition of potholes! I wonder if there is a way to use a similar concept to build an iphone app to have "fans" report in a great travel destination? a great hike? a great swimming hole?

idea storming this morning for my Chamber of Commerce clients.

Obama's Web Team

Did you know it was a Boston group that really the Obama campaign's web machine? It will be cool to see how Obama and team choose to use the web in the future - and drive how others use the web in new ways.

"technology wasn't just a tool in the arsenal, but a transformational force."

They powerfully leveraged everything from text messaging to YouTube video propagation to supporter networks on platforms like Facebook and Twitter - to far greater extent than Hillary or McCain.

The KEY was that when you signed up on MyBarackObama.com (affectionatly known as MyBO) you immediately understood how to get involved - by virtue of the intuitive user interface, functionality, and layout. (my passion, you know)

You could click a button to donate. You could see maps displaying locations and details about area house parties. You could organize your own event. You could download the Obama "message du jour". You could establish your own fund raising efforts and watch the "thermometer" rise as your friends helped out. And give 'em your email address, you'll get emails signed by everyone from Michelle to Al Gore.

The team that did the work is from Boston ~ a shout out to Blue State Digital!

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/magazine/articles/2009/01/11/the_geeks_behind_obamas_web_strategy/

How can you use the web to do your business differently?