3 Creative Ways to use Timehop in a Marketing Campaign

What is Timehop?
One of the most up and coming apps at the moment is Timehop - a digital time capsule which digs into your social media posts of the past in order to see what you posted on this day X year/s ago. Timehop links to your Facebook, Twitter, Iphoto, Instagram, Foursquare, Dropbox and Iphone / Android camera. Conjuring up a feed each day to let you know exactly what you posted / captured. You can choose to share your Timehops on social media - or keep them private.

Who uses Timehop?
An app like this is aimed towards anyone and everyone - the main principle here is social media usage. 
No matter what you are marketing, there may well be a clever link here towards Timehop. 

Marketing on Timehop
The main aim here is Timehop's share feature, whereby users re-post what they did on this day with fresh comments almost reflecting on the post. 

1. The Facebook Generation
Most likely this audience have had their social media profiles since the age of 13, therefore their Timehops will cover the embarrassing young adult phases of their youth. From melodramatic fall outs with friends, to their last days of high school.
MARKETING THOUGHT POINT: Use Timehop to enhance this, running social media competitions on the right days in the year, IE last day of high school, in order to increase engagement on your brands social media feed. 

2. Family Orientated Memories
During the course of your social media years, you may well have had a child - or two, or three. By now they are older. Your brand may decided to run a campaign based on family life through the years, asking the audience to share their memories on Timehop. This is also a great way for people who have been through similar family issues, to inform those who are going through it in the present IE - my child is teething. You may also create an active community for your brand, with people engaging with one and other over similar issues. The idea of using the past in order to inform the present. 

3. You and Your Brand
You may go back in time with your brands social media to find out what campaigns you ran a few years back. If you ran something highly successful which generated a lot of buzz you could ask for those people to re-post using Timehop for a fresh idea. Lets say: "on this day 2 years ago it was fathers day! we asked you guys to post your best memory of you and your father, we want you guys to use Timehop to re-post what you wrote for a chance to win a meal for two". 
Simple idea, yet it goes deep as it appears to make your brand more humane with having an active history. 

The Bigger, The Better

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Microsoft really has made an impact in Trafalgar Square today – how? Well they installed a giant semi-functional Surface 2 Tablet (Precisely 27ft wide and 17ft tall to be exact) on the square. And no, this doesn’t have anything to do with Honey I blew up the Kids.

Of course there really is no point of a giant tablet to the world domestically, so what it the purpose? It boils down to three words: word of mouth – the most powerful form of Marketing.

In a single instant Microsoft has created: talking points, a land mark, an intrigue and an icon. The Tablet hasn't gone unnoticed as publicity is rapidly spreading and people are talking (you only need to Google giant tablet London!).

So why have they gone to this extreme?

Well unless you have been living under a rock for the past few years, you’ll know that Microsoft tablet sales never manage to beat Apples Ipad. Recent TV Ads featured in the US show direct comparisons between the Tablets as they ‘battle’ it out.

One of the best ways to gain brownie points for your Brand is to remain interesting to your Customers. Apple does this often through show cases of new products, and even through its unique store experiences – complete with ‘Geniuses’.

So how does Microsoft compete? It can go better and bigger (literately). People notice spectacles and, if done right, it can rejuvenate a Brands image. Microsoft is well on the way to establishing itself in the Tablet market, all I can say is I would consider purchasing a Surface 2 – would you?

Generating Online Word of Mouth

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One of the first things I was ever taught in my Marketing Lectures at University was that Word of Mouth Marketing is the most powerful and effective forms of Marketing.

Why? Well think about it. My friend works at Boots, and she works in close connection with their beauty products. When she recommends makeup or skin care products for me -I am more likely to buy it because I trust her. If I was walking through Boots and a stranger suggested a product to me, I am less likely to buy it because I don’t trust their judgement.

So that’s how normal word of mouth works, but what do I mean by Digital Word of Mouth?

Well Online Word of mouth is generated in 3 main areas:

•          Blogging (Blogspot, Wordpress)
•          Social Media Platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram...)
•          Vlogging – Video Blogging (YouTube, Vimeo)

If you can tap into one of the three areas above which covers your products then you can generate successful online word of mouth.

How does it work?

Let’s take the product Rimmel London -Kate Moss Lipstick.

You are a buyer, you know nothing of the product so far – and nor do any of your friends. All you know is the information on the advert (below). 

Now although Rimmel have done a wonderful job of showcasing the product, the most effective and persuasive way to sell it is through Online Hotspots.

This covers: Beauty Blogs, Social Media pages dedicated to Makeup Lovers and the Makeup Vloggers.

Below I have pulled out two very different YouTube video reviews on the Kate Moss Lipsticks.  

Why do they work? Well they are testing the product for you, and they are been honest. Viewers gain trust through watching normal people Online because it is relatable.

You can find the biggest blogs which are relevant to your product through sites like bloglovin’.

Earlier this year it was announced that Ford gave awayfree cars to bloggers in order to buy into this word of mouth – GENIUS.

This type of marketing is all about the product. If you have something which is fantastic then you should think about getting involved into the online word of mouth game – because what they have to say is worth a lot to their followers.