Yodels: News & Articles

About Our Name

I often get asked about our name. Why Yodelpop?

My first answer is usually: the URL was available. Then we all share a laugh and there's an awkward pause as the other person waits for the real answer. Then I tell them it was the name of my beloved grandma, who worked the vaudeville circuit. Then I tell them the truth: the URL was available. And then, just before they punch me in the face, I tell them the real truth:

We are Yodelpop because we help people get their messages out (there's the yodel) in a way that has impact (there's the pop).

A certain amount of what you have to offer the world—your constituents, your clients, your colleagues—is learned. You've worked in your field, you've gotten the training you need to do your work well, and maybe you've got an academic background that gives credibility and context to what you do. As an organization, you have the required resources and tools of the trade to do your work.

But there's more: your occupational DNA. It's what makes your projects stand out as different—and better—than those of others in your field. It's what makes your spaghetti sauce unlike anyone else's. Other people can go to school and learn the things you learned there. They can have virtually the same jobs you've had and even have a company name that's similar to yours. But nobody else has your innate and unique gifts, the things that make people seek you out as a partner, as an expert, as a friend.

In short, you can yodel.

How many yodelers do you know? If you knew one, and you had yodeling that needed doing, you'd call that person, right? When Yodelpop helps you with your communications and marketing, we make sure people hear you yodel, and we make sure it pops, so that when they need whatever it is you provide, you're the one they think of.

Plus, the URL was available.

Say What? The Obvious Social Media Question

So much of the public conversation about marketing right now deals with metrics, technology, and demographics. How many followers do you have? Do you use Hootsuite, Tweetdeck, Traackr, etc.? How do you segment lists geographically when social media are set up to break down geographic barriers?

Those are good questions, but they all come down to "how." If we stay in that territory too long, we become like Lost's John Locke (season two), obsessed with pushing buttons, losing sight of the more important issue:

What do you say to all those people?

I'm not a social marketing guru. First of all, video blogging requires that you maintain an actual hairstyle (maybe it would be easier to John Locke it after all). More to the point, I like to help people use social media as part of a larger effort to accomplish their missions. I find the best communicators (social media and otherwise) are people who are passionate enough about their work—the "what"—that they really enjoy the conversations they have via social media.

These are the actions I see my favorite online communicators taking:

• Tweeting as a person, not a company or organization: I get irritated when there's no headshot or individual's name behind a post. (You might have noticed that we've stopped tweeting as "Yodelpop" and just tweet under our own names, with Yodelpop as our location.) When Raccoon Traps Unlimited starts a conversation on nocturnal omnivores, even if it doesn't mention traps, I immediately feel marketed to. Reading a company post can be like getting a Christmas card signed "The Andersons." We know damn well Aunt Nancy wrote the thing, even without the telltale glühwein stains. Be transparent about the fact that it's you speaking, and it's likely you'll find yourself saying more compelling things. [UPDATE: Yodelpop does both now, because we've learned that there's some content we want to share as an organization and other content that we want to share using our own voices. There's a place for both, but I'd really like to find time to share more of the latter.]


• Listening: You can only do this if you actually believe other people have something interesting to say. Follow people who are generating ideas about things you care about. Get on Hootsuite and create a bunch of filters on your favorite music, your city, an ongoing political story that matters to you and your market, whatever. If you're worried about wasting time, set aside 15 minutes a day to read posts (you have my permission to give up styling your hair), and stick to it.


• Recycling: Some of my favorite tweets are retweets. If you're always making up something new to post, chances are the evil centrifugal force that threatens all marketing efforts—ego—will draw you back to posts like "What's New at Our Company Today." And then I will have to shoot you.

Facebook Pages Vocabulary

Profile – Your personal space on Facebook. You must have a personal profile to create a Facebook Page, or to be an admin of a Facebook Page. The Profile is your own identity. You can set up a personal profile, and have as much exposure to the rest of Facebook as you’d like. You can allow (or disallow) people to find you and request to be your friend, and your friends can contact you, leave messages, post and comment to your wall, view and interact with your applications, just depending on how much you allow them to do.

TIP: It is advised that your Profile NOT be a business image. It is against Facebook policy, and is generally not considered professional and can be confusing to your audience. If you are currently using a Profile page as your brand or business image consider working on a strategy to make the change-over to a Page for your brand/business.

Applications - Features that enhance the functionality of Facebook. Built into Facebook are apps like Photo, Video, Notes, Events, Places, Birthdays, Chat, Credits, Links and a few more. Many developers create apps outside of Facebook, such as apps for games, coupons, contests and many more.

Page - Created by brands, companies, organizations, musicians, politicians, etc. Facebook members can become fans of a Page by “Like”ing the Page to communicate support for the group, company, etc, and to interact with other members who share their sentiments.

Like - This is how “fans” join Pages. When someone “Likes” a page, they will begin to see the Page’s posts on their own personal profile news feed.

Wall – Your Wall is where all your Page’s posts are listed, whether they are your posts or your fans’ posts. The new layout also includes a band of 5 photos at the top, where the Tabs used to be.

Status – What you share on your page. A “ status post” will show on your Page’s Wall, as well as the news feeds of all the “fans” that “Like” your page.

News Feed — the center column of your Home page (works the same way on either a personal Profile or a business Page). It is a constantly updated list of stories from people (if it's a personal Profile) and Pages that you follow on Facebook. In addition to posts from friends and Pages you follow, you’ll see photo tags, friend requests, event RSVPs and group memberships in the Top News and Most Recent streams on your home page.

Tabs – Tabs used to appear at the top of your Page’s Wall, however they have now become a menu that is listed under your Page’s profile image (the logo/icon at the upper left side of your Page)

Settings – The area on your personal Profile or your Page where you customize many settings for your page: privacy settings, viewing settings, what can or cannot be posted, etc.

Admins – Admins are people (personal Profile's) that operate/edit a business Page. The creator of the page is the original admin, and that person can assign other Admins by entering in a user's email address associated with their Facebook account. A page always needs at least one Admin, but you can assign or unassign Admins at any time.

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