UPshow Announces Acquisition by EverPass Media and Strategic Spinoff of Employee Experience Platform — Click to Read More
What’s in a name? Well, the definition. An influencer influences topics, trends, brands and people.
Influencers are essentially today’s role models. Remember that typical first conversation question, “If you could have dinner with anyone, who would it be?”? A few years ago, the typical answers would be Honest Abe, Gandhi, Kim Kardashian. Today, the answer is the Instagram blogger with 52K followers and there would be a request to make sure the dinner was shot layout style with all the food and drinks placed strategically on the table and published with the appropriate hashtags and tagging.
Why do people trust celebrities about skin care regimes and look to their friends to see what’s funny? Because we are looking to be influenced! We have a mass group of people on social media purposefully on the lookout for any influence on anything from what to wear to where to dine. This creates quite the opening for brands to step in. While people are looking to be influenced, you want your brand to be the one influencing.
With UPshow, a business has an accessible outlet for influencers to post their content. The exciting concept of having your own social media pictures posted in venue like a jumbotron draws the trendy on-the-lookout-for-the-next-best-thing influencer to post. Once the business has the influencer's post on the screen, the business can easily interact and begin to build a relationship with them through UPshow's Social Media CRM.
UPshow partners are able to easily see who posts, how many times they post and more importantly, how many followers they have within this Social Media CRM. Those with a high number of followers are who you want to target as they have that key influential power. If your business has an influencer posting, this the perfect reason to reach out on social media with a like, love or comment.
Connected Commerce allows a business to schedule automatic incentives and promotions to those who post on the UPshow screen. If an influencer receives a Connected Commerce message on their UPshow post, the business may have convinced an important customer to stay longer or come back again to shoot their half off chips and dip.
Fun, fresh and delicious doesn’t just describe the appealing dessert creation of Snowdragon Shavery but also the brand’s social content! Offering froyo, coconut water, macaroons and more, Snowdragon delights customers with “Snow Cream”. All these sweet treats are displayed with energetic zeal on Snowdragon’s Instagram account and its UPshow screen.
Let’s take a look at the “UPshow Effect” at Snowdragon Shavery- highlighting customer posts that aren’t just pictures but invaluable customer promotions.
Click through the images below!
Snowdragon Shavery’s social media accounts are explosive with informative and entertaining content. With such an established brand voice and image, Snowdragon is able to use the UPshow screen as an additional outlet of brand promotion. In venue, customers are seeing Snowdragon’s social posts collect on the screen and getting in tune with the overall branded sense.
Whether you’re looking for a raw food, worldly cuisine, organic, junk food or everything in between, #Foodies are Instagram’s star on the scene. These social users help establish a particular brand image of your business to all their thousands of followers. When this influencer, @chicagoandfood regrammed to the Snowdragon Shavery UPshow screen, the social media scene begins to see Snowdragon as a Chicago staple. This is free promotion for Snowdragon that also elevated and categorized the brand on social media.
Besides the colorful imagery that’s simply attractive to any Instagram user, this post does a great job acting as cheerleader for the brand. With 115 likes plus multiple comments, this Instagram user, whose entire page is dedicated to what she loves in Chicago, has demonstrated the true word-of-mouth marketing that exists on social today. Because of her post to the UPshow screen, Snowdragon is receiving free promotion from her as she can’t stop raving about the treat in her comments section!
Get ready to sing loud and proud in the great state of Texas when you walk through the doors of the original Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar in Austin. With the infectious excitement of 2 side-by-side baby grand pianos dueling it out in the rock ‘n roll atmosphere, the night depends on the singing, laughing, clapping and dancing of the audience. When you’re at Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar, you’re the best entertainment of the night!
Let’s take a look at the “UPshow Effect” at Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar Austin- highlighting customer posts that aren’t just pictures but invaluable customer promotions.
The digital style influencer lives an everyday normal life doing everyday normal things, like attending bachelorette parties! While busily living that normal life, her 16.3K followers are watching, gaining insight and inspiration for what they will wear, where they will go and which businesses to mention on social media. Seeing @wearandwhenblog’s Loren at Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar in Austin affirms to her followers that the business is trendy.
Everybody may know your name at Cheers, but with UPshow we consider you a VIP. These regular customers pop up on the UPshow screen multiple times within the night and even multiple nights a week! While the VIP is showing all their followers how devoted they are to the venue, the venue is in return gaining extensive social media content. Robyn posted on the UPshow screen several times during the night she spent at Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar. Each post affirmed how engaged and entertained the screen allows the audience to be at Pete’s.
With so many choices in just one city, imagine the opportunities that are available to the wandering worldly traveller. The fact that this solo travel Instagrammer chose Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar in Austin as her next adventure allows the business to reach the destination seekers audience online. By posting to UPshow and all her social following @wandercathenna is confirming to her audience that Pete’s is worth it to make a stop at if you’re in Austin. It also doesn’t hurt that she’s displaying one of the business’s signature drinks in the shot!
Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar in Austin utilizes UPshow’s digital signage aspect, Spotlights, to provide useful in-venue information (who doesn’t fall in love with a place offering free wifi?!), showcase popular menu items and continue the brand experience with out of venue offers.
Click through to see the Spotlights:
Senor Frog’s Orlando wants you to unleash your fiesta! The lively restaurant’s rejection of silly rules and regulations and encouragement of hanging out, dancing, singing and all around acting in whatever way makes you feel like a Frog Star brings about fun social media content from customers. The intensity of the venue only heats up with those customer posts blasted on the UPshow screens and in return, Senor Frog’s Orlando has a seriously fun consumer-generated content frog-print on social.
Let’s see the “UPshow Effect” at Senor Frog’s Orlando- highlighting a few posts that aren’t just customer photos, they’re invaluable customer promotions:
DJs like Oskar Lares have large followings on Instagram who like to track down where he’s playing. When Oskar makes a post noting that he’s jamming at Senor Frog’s Orlando, his followers have just scored a new spot to go for a musical night out and Senor Frog’s has gained the top-of-mind awareness in the DJ community.
PartyLikeAFrogStar is more than just a hashtag, it’s the philosophy of Senor Frog’s! Customer pictures that show a true frog star party are much better than Senor Frog’s just telling you. This picture boasts that Senor Frog’s Orlando is a great place to bring your friends for a night out or even a special occasion such as a Bachelorette party!
Senor Frog’s Orlando organizes different giveaways, like the one this customer won above. The only thing better than actually winning a five-night stay in Cancun, is posting about it on social media and blasting it on the UPshow screen! This customer is merely showing off her winnings but all her followers are now alerted that Senor Frog’s Orlando is the place to be if you’re feeling lucky.
What better way to relax the Senor Frog’s way than with a drinking game! Senor Frog’s Orlando uses UPshow’s Spotlight tool to post engaging content like this "Beat the Clock" drinking promotion for customers to participate in.
Over 150 classes a week, up to 1200 calories burned a class, 50 minute class sessions equals a 100 percent progress. CTF Chicago has the largest offering of group classes and personal training open to all fitness levels. With UPshow screens in the facility, members can track their #fitnessgoals and even catch a big brand ambassador promoting an available class.
Let’s see the “UPshow Effect” at CTF Chicago-highlighting a few posts that aren’t just customer photos, they’re invaluable customer promotions:
CTF Chicago has personal training and group classes to choose from for members. The trainers that teach these workouts are so influential they are signed with Nike. Having their social media post come up on the screens at the gym can convince a member to come back to take a class from Gina or any other Nike fitness instructor. Seeing the same social media post on your phone can also lead to more followers of CTF Chicago’s account. The credibility of having a sponsor like Nike plus the authenticity of their organic post peaks fitness consumer interest and grows trust in CTF Chicago.
@magmilerunner is strong, fierce and the total fitness influencer package for Chicagoans. Fitness buffs and admirers look up to Maggie for #fitnessgoals so when she posts where she goes to workout and refresh, the online world is taking note. Not only are people in the gym seeing that @magmilerunner is working out with them thanks to using the UPshow hashtags but her 1300 followers are now exposed to CTF Chicago.
One of the simplest ways to better market your business is to use what you already have. For CTF Chicago that isn’t only the TV screens but enthusiastic employees as an extension of the brand. The commitment of the trainers is shown through the posts they send to the UPshow screen even before someone’s stepped into their class. This gives the social media users the opportunity to learn more about the trainers and get a feel for CTF Chicago.
Through UPshow, businesses can use a feature we call "Connected Commerce". With Connected Commerce the business has the ability to send out messages and replies to customers who have posted through UPshow.
CTF Chicago uses Connected Commerce to offer special promotions to members and non-members. These Connected Commerce messages make the customer feel appreciated and noticed by the business and incentive another visit to CTF Chicago to redeem their special reward! A simple gesture like this is what causes repeat “regulars” at your business.
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Most brands these days seem to act like 1950’s housewives when it comes to their image/tone on social media. The leap from traditional advertising to digital was supposed to be one of expression; however, branded social media is falling into the same trap as traditional- total unauthentic one-way noise.
We think it’s time to tell the housewife to kick her feet up and take a break as the free spirit of the digital age starts to showcase personality and no fear of consumer-generated content.
Check out the article here!
El Hefe packs so much energy and flavor you might just call it macho, wait, super macho (OH YEAH). The Super Macho Taqueria has 3 locations, Scottsdale, Tempe and Chicago under the Riot Hospitality Group. The restaurants aren’t just slinging tacos and pouring the best Beer-Garita though, they’re also utilizing UPshow for great social media content, influencer opportunities and digital advertising in venue.
Let’s take a look at the “UPshow Effect” at all three El Hefe locations- highlighting a few posts that aren’t just customer photos, they’re invaluable customer promotions:
It's obvious if you’re looking for a good time, the El Hefe employees show you where it’s at with their UPshow pictures! The photos are professional quality and show off the lively atmosphere of the El Hefe. For on the prowl party-hunters on social media, these pictures are vibrant and enticing enough to grab attention and increase El Hefe’s potential customer base.
Notably at El Hefe’s Chicago location, DJs flock to the UPshow screens to announce shows and get the crowd pumping. The DJ’s fans that missed the show at El Hefe can experience it through the social media pictures the DJ posts to UPshow while El Hefe is marked as a location must to all the influential DJ’s followers. How’s that for a win-win scenario?
Social media is the go-to place to search for food trends. Everyday people, such as the collaborators of @chicagoeatthis, use social platforms to track their food discoveries and boast about the wonderful eats in all places of the world. These #foodies bring the truest form of authenticity to a brand they post about. When El Hefe’s Chicago location received a shoutout from @chicagoeatthis, the brand’s social credibility rose among consumers looking for real opinions on where to go out. This counts for much more than the traditional food critic magazine publication or even El Hefe itself promoting its menu on social media.
El Hefe's UPshow Spotlights not only tempt in-venue customers to have a go at alluring menu options like Carne Asada Fries, it also advertises weekly parties and specials as well as showing off owner, Riot Group Hospitality’s well-deserved bragging rights.
Click through the images below for a closer look at some key UPshow Spotlights:
Meet the sweet treat that is impossible to not take a picture of- Milkcraft’s ice cream. The Milkcraft creamery serves ice cream frozen with liquid nitrogen and scooped into a Hong Kong bubble cone. The treat receives so many well-deserved social mentions that the business won UPshow’s Most Engaging Quick-Serve location for the year of 2016! The added fun the UPshow screen brings in-venue to the frozen treat stop convinces customers to spend more time in venue to show off their creative goody.
Let’s take a look at the “UPshow Effect” at Milkcraft- highlighting a few posts that aren’t just customer photos, they’re customer promotions.
Professional Quality Photography:
No need to invest in expensive photo sessions to show off your product! Digital influencer @brianfv posted to the UPshow screen in Milkcraft on his own! His 28.5k followers look to him for vivid and interesting content and this shot of the ice cream is just what they like. He showcases Milkcraft like a pro, except instead of feeling commercialized, his influencer status secures the business a vote of authenticity among the his social media following.
Comments as Promotion:
This Instagram user’s UPshow snap of her Milkcraft treat was so enticing it caused a love storm in her captions! If the continuous heart-eyed emojis didn’t speak volumes to the appeal of Milkcraft, then read what the user responds to her followers. She provides the details to her followers, basically encouraging them to stop by and reaffirming to all that Milkcraft is a must-stop shop. By having the UPshow screens in Milkcraft, the business gains a customer willing to stay a little longer than usual for a quick serve location and also gains potential customers through the much-loved Instagram post.
Descriptive Brand Promos:
One thing we can all agree on is that social media is the perfect place for glamour shots of Milkcraft’s product. What makes these posts go even farther is the tone the customer brings to it. For example, this post by @ljlevy is not only aesthetically-appealing to the Milkcraft brand by showcasing the venue, it’s also providing a deliciously enticing product description. In just one simple sentence she wraps up the entire Milkcraft experience (liquid nitrogen and unique individualized toppings galore!) for her followers. For a quick serve location, all those hungry-eyed customers waiting in line can see this delightfully sweet post on the UPshow screen and can now say, “I’ll have what she’s having”.
Tastytrade's Bootstrapping in America show features entrepreneurs sharing their stories and key insights to creating a thriving business. Watch the video below of our CEO Adam Hirsen's guest spot on the show talking about UPshow's roots and the importance of surviving as a start-up.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/nqamzlFDcAw
Drink. Eat. Screen. That's Tom's Urban's motto. And while they do an awesome job taking care of the "Drinks' and the "Eats', UPshow does its part with 'the Screens". With 4 Tom’s Urban locations utilizing UPshow to power "TomTV", they're focused on maximizing the impact of dozens of TV screens in each venue. With branded content, compelling digital ads and curated video channels, through UPshow's platform, they've created their own unique branded entertainment channel that is totally Tom.
Let’s take a look at the “UPshow Effect” at these Tom’s Urban locations by highlighting a few posts that aren’t just customer photos, they’re customer promotions.
It’s always great to have an influencer stop by your business, especially if they decide to post positive things about the experience afterwards. What influencer @highendhippie is doing here goes far beyond just simply raving about Tom’s Urban at the Los Angeles location. In her caption she specifically recommends the venue as a place to eat and drink if you’re heading to the Staples Center. The association between such an important complex as the Staples Center and Tom’s Urban can heighten brand recognition for the business and also increase Tom’s potential reach to @highendhippie’s 21.2k followers.
You must be living in 2001 if you have never entered the entrusted pages of Yelp before trying out a new bar or restaurant. At Tom’s Urban Mohegan, CT location, the local Yelp actually endorsed the restaurant! Yelp is more than an influencer in the social media world, they are a VIP so having such a name freely post about your business gives you major online credibility.
#Foodie pics are all the rage on Instagram these days; however, nothing can reinforce a popular place to hang than a shot of friends enjoying their time eating and drinking! What this shot does a great job of doing is adding dimension by showing the spacious background of the venue and by also showing a large group of people. Before heading out with your #squad, you want to make sure the business is welcoming of such large parties and this shows that Tom’s Urban Las Vegas definitely is.
Larissa Long is a digital marketing influencer so her presence at Tom’s Urban Denver location is something the business wants to take note of. Long posted to the UPshow screen through her Twitter and did more than just post about how she loves Tom’s Urban-she complimented an employee! This type of promotion is not only major props to the outstanding employee but it’s also a great genuine promotion from someone a lot of people online are listening to.
Tom's Urban also uses UPshow as a digital signage platform for interesting or wacky videos to entertain the customer as well as display ads that show promotions, events and special deals. Notable ads sprinkled within customer's social media posts include a Beat The Clock Bites deal, which encourages customers to order select bites that go up one dollar each hour in the afternoon. This fun competitive promo helps increase afternoon sales for the business. Tom's Urban also posts 'Urban Legends', out-of-this-world facts that interweave into an ad for a special drink customers can order at the venue. Check out these entertainingly strange and engaging digital ads below!
Click through some of Tom's Urban spotlights:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ps9iUyaFGF0
A business wants a brand image that is authentic and top-of-mind to consumers. Various techniques have been attempted to master a relatable brand image that is appealing to a large audience. UPshow easily conquers authenticity and top-of-mind awareness with one simple solution: Consumer-generated content.
If you’ve been living under a rock (hey, we don’t judge, it’s been a rough year) then we will catch you up. Consumer-generated content is when the customer posts about the business on social media on their own platform by their own choice. Our UPshow screens blast that social media picture with the appropriate hashtags up on the screen so the consumer can have their 15 seconds of fame, while the business is reeling in online content.
The ultimate goal is getting your message to stick. If your business wants consumer attention you have to have the right message at the right time in the right medium. One way to get customers to start paying attention is to create an inviting and intriguing brand image. The most intriguing brand image comes from exactly what consumer-generated content can offer:
A Realistic Lifestyle:
Before social media, brands would push product into mediums such as magazine, with model friends grinning wide, lifting their glasses of sponsored vodka into the air with their manicured tips. Audiences would gaze at the glossy pages and imagine how life could be like that next time they found themselves swiveling in the bar stool. Today, influencers (normal people, yay!) showcase what “cool” is within what most consumers deem an affordable/more realistic lifestyle. A heck of a lot easier to obtain than to try to live like Kylie Jenner. The effortless nature of the influencer concept makes it one of the most personable when dealing with consumer-generated content. Besides, it’s not just consumers that are fed up with celebrity sponsored advertising hidden in Instagram posts.
Natural:
Consumers today are well aware of the efforts companies take to make content for social media. The staged photoshoots are just not natural and stick out like advertising rather than seamlessly streamlining into the social media user’s feed. Not everyone can afford the glamorous lifestyle staged on branded content. This makes the ad unreachable and unrealistic to most consumers you’re trying to convince to purchase the product. Instead, your brand image should seem natural to your consumer. When utilizing consumer-generated content, the posts of real people at your real business tell the social world that your business is popular but also approachable.
Trustworthy:
We take our friends shopping with us because it is their responsibility to tell us if those shoes look super-fly or super-lame. Now that friend has a blog, a Yelp account and 5000 followers on Instagram. Her responsibility has expanded to letting you know where to eat, shop and drink based on what she has to say online. The element of trust within consumer-generated content is like the trust of an old friend.
You’ve heard it before- consumer-generated content is good for business. But what most businesses don’t know is that to make the consumer content thrive, the business has some work to do!
Follow these simple rules to extend your marketing beyond one customer post at a time:
Always interact with the customer who tagged, hashtagged or mentioned you, even if it’s just a like! Hosting your guests extends beyond good in-store service, you must continue your manners online!
Find ways to use (with permission) the customer’s post as an example or other marketing material. What kind of advertising gets more authentic than the business showing real people having fun at the venue?
Give the consumer a reason to post (other than that they are obsessed with your cheeseburger!). UPshow utilizes the screen to give customers 15 seconds in the spotlight for a post that the brand can then use forever.
Show the consumer you appreciate their awesome post by offering a promo or special shoutout. With UPshow’s Connected Commerce feature, businesses can automatically and manually respond to UPshow customer posts offering a promotion to redeem.
Never be afraid to encourage customer posts about your business. When your business has UPshow, this encouraging post is simple. Remind followers that your business has the UPshow screen and that they are encouraged to post content with the appropriate tags and hashtags!
If your business is looking for growth in consumer-generated content, encouraging customers to post is a best practice; however, your business should also be monitoring social media for users that fit your target persona. Reacting to these user posts and sending them a little attention can’t hurt your CGC attempts!
Looking to highlight a specific drink, event or aspect of your business but want the authenticity of the consumer generated post? Post to social media encouraging consumers to post about that specific aspect one day. (Offering a giveaway or promotion doesn’t hurt either)! With UPshow’s Spotlights feature, your business can promote the posts you're looking for on the UPshow screen as well as send out social reminders!
With geotagging, tagging and hashtagging as all available options for a consumer to give your business a shout out, it’s always a good idea to remind consumers of what you’re looking for. For example, a consumer must use the appropriate hashtags in order to get up on the screen. Ironside Bar & Galley does an excellent job of reminding consumers to do this each night!
While you’re taking in your daily monitoring of the consumer posts, you’ll start to see some definite regulars or superstars that frequent your newsfeed. Reach out to those customers by giving them a follow! This simple action makes the customer feel loved by your brand, which can turn quickly into devoted brand loyalty. Through UPshow, we help your business identify influencers and regulars that are posting about your business!
Unfortunately, with all the noise on social media today consumers aren’t going to listen to a tweet or Instagram post asking them to post content tagging your business. To get consumer’s content that actually works to promote your business, you have to have a plan. UPshow takes the time to help generate a plan that works for your unique business and is a simple way to incentivise customers to post while at your location.
