Social Media for Non Profits: Jeremiah's Inn

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Social Media Monitoring Project: Lime Crime II

In my earlier post, we went through the goods and the bads of Lime Crime’s social media and business practices. This week, we’re diving in deeper! But first, let’s go over the basics: Lime Crime is a makeup brand that specializes in innovative products with bright, bold colors. While they often rock their social media game (especially Instagram), their shady business practices can definitely lead to them receiving a large amount of flack. We specifically wanted to look at one of their most innovative new products, the Diamond Crusher, because it seems that their unique aesthetic is what gives them a competitive advantage even after all of the negativity that has surrounded them. This week, we’re going to be taking a closer look at how all of it comes together, and what it really means for the company.

First of all, Lime Crime is definitely succeeding with their target market of unique young women. They make this clear by the constant array of artificially colored haired models on their Instagram. Their success can be attributed to the fact that pretty much all of these models are actually fans posting pictures that Lime Crime then re-posts on their own site (Again, sponsorships mean that we don't really know who is just posting a pic, and who was paid to support Lime Crime on their site in the first place, but the fake groundswell seems to work just as well as the real one for this company).

Strengths

Regardless, utilizing groundswell is absolutely one of Lime Crime’s biggest strengths. They know that their customers will be more inclined to post photos in their products if it might land them on their site. It also shows that Lime Crime is watching and listening to their customers when they chose to post certain people’s pictures, a vital aspect of groundswell. Also, it gives a “word of mouth” vibe. All of their promotions feel very grassroots oriented, which is fantastic for an indie makeup brand.

3/19

Lime Crime's innovative products like Diamond Crushers are certainly a strength. While the product came out in November 13th, it is still the two most dominant words associated with Lime Crime on Social Mention. It is clear that Lime Crime’s innovative products are one of its biggest strengths. If the products sold by the company were of poor quality, I am sure that more of the negative claims that surround them would be taken more seriously, but it is hard for people to pull themselves away from a company that is giving them products no one else can, like their brand new Black Unicorn Diamond Crusher. That being said, i have become skeptical of the data found on Social Mention. The two pictures below were taken at the same time, but with drastic differences. The only difference was a slight change in the search frome "Lime Crime" to "lime crime"......

 "lime crime" Tuesday, 21

"Lime Crime" Tuesday, 21            

This was, well, a little bit surprising, and I'm not exactly sure what to make of it. However, I still believe that Diamond Crushers and product quality are what are getting the company through. Here is one Youtuber's take on why she will continue to support Lime Crime. 

When it comes to their competitors, they’re pretty average. They’re not bad, but they’re not great. Jeffree Star and Sugarpill are considered two of Lime Crime’s main competitors because of their use of wild bold colors as well. In fact, they’ve been accused of copying Sugarpill in the past.

On the right: Sugarpill Heart Breaker palette. Left is Lime Crime's 

Based on Instagram, Lime Crime is smack dab in the middle of both companies when it comes to social interactions. While they average 365.5 interactions per 1000 followers, Jeffree Star does 464.4, while Sugarpill only has 332.9. Ultimately, I still think that this shows Lime Crime interacts well. Although they’re behind Jeffree Star, Jeffree Star’s whole brand is about interaction. He is one of the only makeup brands that regularly makes personal Youtube content. I think this puts him in a unique position, that honestly might hurt Lime Crime to do the same.

Lime Crime Instagram Interaction

Jeffree Star Instagram Interaction

Sugarpill Instagram Interaction

Weaknesses

That brings us to Lime Crime’s biggest weakness: They do not know how to handle a scandal. Especially Doe Deere, their founder. Deere has really been the main creator of most of Lime Crime’s scandals. Even things that didn’t have to do with Lime Crime at all have followed Deere to the brand. For example, she once threatened to sue a 13 year old for not properly citing her photos. That was in 2005. This article from Racked? 2015. That is not a good. Oh, and she also once dressed up like Hitler for Halloween…

While she provided a heartfelt apology for this choice, many makeup enthusiasts have not forgiven her. Because of these instances, if Deere was putting out video content like Jeffree Star is, it might not work so well in her favor. It seems that the best thing for Lime Crime to do is distance themselves from Doe Deere's name. Although she will likely stay as head of the company, it is ideal that her name become less and less attached to Lime Crime's brand.

The negative image around Lime Crime's scandals does not end with their founder, however. The company has a history in general of not handling issues in transparent ways. For example, one of their most recent products, the Super Foils, was meant to be one of their new unique inventions. However, when brown spots began to show up on people's eye shadow "Super Foils", customers feared that it was a rust or mold. Lime Crime was able to prove that it was just a weird reaction that was not dangerous in any way to the customer through rigorous testing, which is fantastic. However, they were documented deleting people's comments of concern during the process. From a groundswell point of view, it makes customers feel that the company has something to hide, and that their concerns were being silenced. Groundswell members hate being silenced.

A message from Lime Crime about the incident 

Opportunities 

Lime Crime absolutely has the opportunity to thrive. First of all, they need to continue promoting their most innovative and new products. Their strength rides on continuing to make creative new items for the makeup world that suite their bold young explorers. They have an opportunity to grow their social media as well. While they do a fantastic job posting, they could be even better on the side of responding. While they are at a good mid range for their style of company, they should work to be the best. Finally, they have an opportunity to be more honest with their constituency, who are very much part of the groundswell world. The quicker they provide information on a scandal, the more their customers will feel that their relationship is more mutual than one sided.

Threats

The further away that Lime Crime gets from a controversy, the better chance they have as being seen as a maturing company, and their products will be able to say more to a customer than their negative brand name. The biggest threat to Lime Crime seems to lay in their biggest weakness: Their founder Doe Deere. So long as she does not run off of the handles, and say or do something out of line, they are likely to have a slow and steady improvement. After a while, customers will likely look at most scandals and say "Well, that was a long time ago, I'm sure they've grown". That statement becomes mute with the next problem the next problem arises, especially if they continue to handle scandals by trying to cover them up.

Utilizing Twitter by posting a follower's picture.

There are a few things that I would suggest to the company:

1. As I've said before, they need to distance themselves from their scandal ridden founder. This doesn't mean she needs to step down necessarily, but having her presence limited would certainly help.

2. One thing that many makeup companies are currently doing are expressly seeking diversity in their models. Especially for a "unique bold female" brand like Lime Crime, they need to show their uniqueness. For example, many companies are embracing male models for their brand. Men are being more and more welcomed into the makeup work, and they are likely to get positive recognition for doing the same.

3. Lime Crime needs to learn the word sorry. An apology can go a long way, especially for an understandable mistake. It is harder to forgive when someone has not admitted guilt, and this is no different with a brand. When something goes wrong, the more transparent they can be about solving the problem, and the quicker they can say sorry, the better. Hiding things has proven time and time again to land them in Streisand effect.

Ultimately, many of Lime Crime's scandals are in the past. Their fantastic branding, interesting new products, and groundswell inspired Instagram are happening now. If they continue to push out products like Diamond Crushers, they are likely to keep growing and maturing in the right direction. There may be some bumps along the way, but if they handle problems responsibly they are likely to become a wildly successful company.

Netflix is for More Than Just Watching

Netflix is probably your favorite streaming site. If it’s not, it’s not for their lack of trying. Netflix does not only hold a huge share of online streaming, they were really the first ones to do it as a legal subscription based website. Netflix is to steaming, as google is to searching. They have become so defined as the “go-to” source, that they have become their own vocabulary word. If you want to look something up on the internet, you “google it”. If you want to watch something with friends or a loved one, you “netflix and chill”. Netflix did not start out this way however, which is why they make for such an interesting case, especially when considering how connecting with your groundswell can transform your company, as Li and Bernhoff suggest.

Netflix didn’t start out as a streaming site, they started as a DVD delivery service, where you’d choose what you would want, and they sent it to your house for a subscription fee. This was effective, but they quickly saw a new opportunity in technology and the market: Streaming. This, it turns out, has turned into a huge success. A website used for watching TV is not initially what you would imagine having a positive groundswell, as there are no specific products to complain about, and users are quite inactive while watching. However, Netflix has an Instagram, Twitter, and FIVE Facebook accounts (Based around different countries).

Netflix has prided itself on being engaged with their customers, and are always on the lookout for innovative ways to make TV watching the best that it has ever been. While their image has never been quite as bad as Dell’s, but their listening generally takes on a different angle. Netflix has become a master about listening to the complaints people have about television in general. What they fix was not their problem from the start, it was mainstream television’s, but because of that they are always a cut above the rest. You can check out an awesome info graphic with more information here.

One thing that Netflix has become known for is the ability to “binge watch”. You can watch all your favorite shows, without commercials, in order. Netflix has even begun making its own set of wildly successful TV shows that they put out an entire season of all at once. Through doing so, Netflix has changed its brand and company dramatically. They recognized a millennial trend of needing instant gratification, and they responded in kind.

Netflix has also been known to take on shows in high demand that cable stations dropped. One of the most famous is Arrested Development, a cult classic that only received three seasons. Netflix managed to bring back the entire cast for one more season, years after the final show had aired on cable. This is probably the best example of Netflix listening and responding to its customers, and the result has been astonishing for the brand.

Let’s take it back. Netflix went from a DVD delivery service, to a streaming service, to its own television creators, and in doing so was able to bring back shows that customers were upset about being cancelled in the first place. While many other streaming sites are now out, Netflix only seems to continue to dominate because of their willingness to transform. Because of that, they may look different in the next ten years, but I’d be shocked if they weren’t still a huge name in entertainment.

Lime Crime: Social Media Monitoring Project

Lime Crime. Right of the bat, the brand swings at you with a bold name.

They’re a brand that immediately presents itself as one for the bold, young, makeup world. Their lipstick colors range from classic reds to blue, purple, and virtually every color in between. Their symbol? A unicorn. Everything about their online presence seeks to show you that they are cool, hip, and meant for the unique extroverts of the world. However, when you begin to truly look into their history, it seems that the brand does not always practice what it preaches. In fact, they often actively act against themselves, and the diverse voices that many young people are currently seeking from the companies they purchase from.

Most of the scandals are entirely by the hands of the company's CEO and founder, Doe Deere. It began with Doe repackaging another company’s mica at a higher price. This led to the creation of some negative blogs around Lime Crime…. Which led to Doe attempting to sue blogs for slander. This, of course, was not the best course of action. The beauty industry groundswell was not happy with her, and ever since Doe and “beauty gurus” have rarely gotten along. This was not helped when Lime Crime’s security network went down, and many shoppers got their credit card information stolen. Oh, and they once ran a campaign for a "China Doll" makeup palette with a white model.

If you're interested in hearing even more, check out Drew Disaster's video:

Even with these scandals, Lime Crime has somehow pursued. While many who are within the fashion world now refuse to buy from them, they still have strong popularity. It seems that this continued success comes down to two things

1. Most people likely don’t know about their previous shady actions.
2. Their products are often innovative and hard to find “dupes” (A makeup product similar to another brand's, but generally cheaper or more ethically made) of anywhere else.  

Their most recent creation is a product named “Diamond Crushers”. These Diamond Crushers are a glittery topper to any lipstick you are already wearing. The idea is that they do not smudge your lipstick, and do not wear off when something touches your lips. These two aspects are valuable in the makeup industry, and it seems there are virtually no other makeup brands currently with quite the same product.

So, I decided study Lime Crime’s social media to see how they use each site to promote themselves or block controversy, and see how the launch of its innovative new product has led to its most recent success.

Their social media presence goes as follows as of February 27th:

• 5 Facebook Posts on that day. 1,069,344 Likes
• 7 Twitter posts (including re tweets) on that day. 67,500 Followers
• 7 Instagram posts on that day,. 2,800,000 Followers- Notably the posts from the day before showed up on FB and Twitter on this day.
• It is also important to note that although they do not have a channel on YouTube, they often pay famous "Beauty Gurus" to sponsor products by giving it to them for free, or paying them. This is a norm within the beauty industry.

Lower level Instagram star is re-posted on Lime Crime

It is easy to see that Instagram is Lime Crime's most successful social media account. This comes as no surprise, as Instagram's whole premise is around simple pictures and short videos. It's a site that leaves little opportunity for controversy. While captions and comments are an aspect, they are not the focal point, and often go unread by the user. This makes it the perfect place for Lime Crime to thrive, because it doesn't leave people asking questions. Where Instagram engages with the groundswell most successfully is through Instagram as well. They allow users to be part of their advertising by sharing fan's post, often as part of "fan Friday". This can engage users who hope to be featured to post more on their own pages, and thereby increase Lime Crime's word of mouth as well. (I myself first discovered this brand from a user I followed on Instagram).

Through all of their social media sites though, they did do a good job responding to groundswell. They do a good job responding to questions on Facebook and Instagram. On Twitter it is far easier to find out what comments were made on other people's page, and I noticed that multiple times a day they would post supportive comments on other women's posts in Lime Crime makeup, which is a fantastic move for the groundswell. However, we can see from Facebook's analytics that Lime Crime's Facebook followers are very uneven.

Facebook Analytics 2/28

The only other place that we really see this groundswell is through Twitter, where they also re-post pictures, although they are often the same ones they re-post from Instagram. Twitter is an interesting source for Lime Crime. Since you are limited in how much you say, there is more diversity in people's ability to interact with the company. However, twitter gives great insight into the teetering line that Lime Crime plays between new innovative products, and "haters" (as Doe Deere would refer to them as). Here is a perfect example from posts Lime Crime has been tagged in:

Four comments about Diamond Crushers, and one about Lime Crime being "trash"

This brings us back to Diamond Crushers. Diamond Crushers and products like it really do seem to be what is keeping the company afloat. In the past week, it is definitely what was fueling their social media support, shown through Social Mention:

Wednesday, February 22nd

Sunday, February 26th

Friday, February 24th

 Diamond Crusher's influence on brand conversations is notable immediately, as "diamond" and "crushers" are the 3rd and 4th key words (when doing the search I only put in the brand name, so that result came up naturally). The controversy that still looms over Lime Crime seems apparent, with the highest negativity rating being 3 positive comments to every one negative on Friday.

We can also see Diamond Crusher's Influence through Google Trends. The first mention of Diamond Crushers on Lime Crime's Instagram was November 1st. This was a perfect ramp up for the holiday months. As you can see, they had hit a bit of a lull until right as Diamond Crushers began to come out (official sell date November 15th)

As you can see here, the graph becomes skewed when November 24th is included. This is when Lime Crime had a large sale for Black Friday. However, I think that it was a strategic move on their part to get visitors to their site just days after a brand new product was dropped.

Overall, Lime Crime is a brand with a lot of problems. However, their strong social media presence, ability to interact with the groundswell, and innovative products seem to keep them afloat. I believe the best way for Lime Crime is to strengthen their brand is to distance or remove their founder, but that is hardly likely. Hopefully, if they own up to future mistakes in a timely manner, and take more time to consider their actions, their reputation will continue to build in a positive direction.

Snapchat Filters Make Marketing Fun

If you haven't received a photo or video on Snapchat with your friend in some ridiculous filter, then you’re probably not on Snapchat. If you’re not on snapchat, you probably have no idea what I’m talking about in the first place. Snapchat is a messaging and social media app that allows you to send photos and videos to your friends. The only catch: they only last ten seconds or less, then it’s gone. You have the options to send these photos and videos to specific other users, or put it on your “story” where anyone you are friends with can view it up to twenty four hours. Snapchat has some extra cool features as well. You can write comments on your images, place emojis wherever you’d like, draw, and put “filters” over your face for funny effects.

What do I mean? It looks a little bit like this:

These filters are all kinds of silly ways to express yourself. Some favorites include flower crowns, ones that turn you into bees, deer, and dogs, or a multitude of other insane things. One sort of filter that stands out though are those that are branded filters. These often have a movie or brand that they are promoting through an entertaining projection of yourself. These filters have proven to be a huge success for Snapchat and the brands, with a projected 1 Billion per year made by Snapchat from these advertisers.

I even took one of myself to show you guys:

They seem to be the perfect combo for millennials. It reaches down into their level, doesn’t yell too loudly about the products itself, and essentially allows you to make your own advertisement, since the picture within the filter can be whatever you’d like. Snap Filters almost provides a template for someone to provide a word of mouth suggestion to their friends, which seems incredibly unique. It also incorporates one of the most iconic aspects of millennial life: the selfie. Branded filters gives an excuse to take a selfie with a fun, interactive twist.

Sometimes the filters are just plain weird, like this one that turns you into a taco. But that just adds to the amusement. Some are also interactive, like this one that you must open your mouth to work. When you get to be part of the advertisement, it becomes far more exciting.

It seems to be working well for Snapchat, but it’s hard to tell the effect it actually has for advertisers. Because filters are so minimal on product facts, it likely does little beyond getting your name out there, but even that is worth a lot in the marketing world. Regardless, I am sure that this is the direction that marketing will be heading in for years to come.

Because of course, filters are fun for the whole family:

Wendy's Rocks the Groundswell

Let’s talk about Wendy’s. Yeah, you know that fast food place with the sweet little girl as their mascot? Well they’ve been burning people on Twitter like you would not believe. Making fun of those interacting with you may seem counter intuitive, but people are LOVING IT. Well, when you really think about it, it makes a lot of sense. What they’re doing, is diving right into their groundswell.

Li and Bernoff argue that Twitter can be a fantastic way engage customers, especially if they are not the kinds likely to engage in blogs, chat rooms, or other more in depth ways to get your customers talking. This would definitely be true for a wide spread, low cost fast food joint like Wendy’s. Their food is not particularly unique, there is not much you can do with it beyond eat it, and their customers have little connecting them beyond their love of burgers AKA EVERYONE (I know I know, vegetarians. But I’m making a point). What does work for a company like Wendy’s is a site that doesn’t let you post more than 140 characters about anything.

One thing that Li and Bernoff argue in Groundswell is that the first important aspect of twitter is to listen, but it’s another thing to talk. They state that “Talking on Twitter is easy. It’s also typically boring and useless unless done well”. What is the antidote to boring tweets? Groundswell explains that energizing your base comes from finding people who like your product and amplifying their voices. Well, Wendy’s has taken a slightly different approach to this. Instead, they energize their base by burning their competitors when potential customers question them. For example:

Yaaaaas Wendy’s! Wendy’s has found that these sort of “burns” get them recognition and shares. The initial people to be “burned” may have been embarrassed, but now people are tweeting Wendy’s just to see their snappy come backs. In the age of internet burns, Wendy’s realized that a few people potentially getting offended is worth the hundreds that will find it hilarious, and re-tweet. Also, it goes against the “banging them over the head” marketing strategy. This works to interest customers anyway because it’s become a uniquely Wendy’s thing to do, and the irony is heightened by the young girl as their mascot.

This is not the only thing that Wendy’s spends their time doing however. Li and Bernoff also argue that you always must be ready for a crisis if you’re willing to talk back on Twitter. Wendy’s uses their twitter as a way to listen and track poor quality in their restaurants and respond (of which there is a lot of in a cheap international chain). In fact, most of Wendy’s responses are requests for addresses where people had poor experiences.

Wendy’s is rocking it. Burning their opponents, and acknowledging genuine complaints at the same time. For now, they’re groundswell is all swell.

Mastering Social Media for Money

If you’ve ever surfed through the millions of attractive photos on Instagram, or spent hours staring at YouTube videos, you’ve probably seen something “sponsored”. It could have been  a “detox tea”, or a cocoa exfoliate, gummy bears that grow your hair or even morning sickness medication that requires FDA explanations (see Kim to the left). Sponsorships seem to be the new “it” thing in advertising, and it’s obvious why. We know that conventional advertising methods can often lose viewers attention quickly, and cost insane amounts of money. On top of that, many people have lost trust in advertisements, considering them to just be overdone, overused and too loud. Advertisers began to question how to utilize social media to gain new, loyal customers. The answer to that: sponsorships.

There are popular trendy people all over social media. These include instagramers, youtubers, bloggers, tweeters, and celebrities (The Kardashians being one of the prime examples of this). These are people that viewers often trust and feel connected to. If you watch Nikki Tutorials (above) videos every Wednesday, it’s likely you feel connected to her. She speaks right to you. Or if you follow, say, Annalovesu on Instagram, her constant beautiful photos and uplifting stories allow you to feel like you know and look up to her. Trust is built through mutual appreciation between the social media

star and the viewer quickly, because they are both presenting themselves as human beings looking to connect. By the time a social media star has built their site with thousands of viewers, they have also already built a rapport with their as someone trustworthy, likable, and potentially even inspiring. That’ why these people are ideal for new companies trying to get their name out there.

How it happens: Once a social media star has built enough followers, companies will reach out to them and offer their product for free and potentially some money. While on television they know an advertisement may be fast forwarded or muted, they see a persons following as a number who genuinely care and are interested in what the star has to say. This places social media sponsorships as a more effective and cheaper way to reach their audience. Sponsorships seem to be mutually beneficial for companies and social media stars, but are they for the consumer? That is for you to decide. You can learn more about the positive side to sponsorships here however:

Advertisements always seem to lead to criticism however. Many viewers speak out against sponsorships because they feel it lowers their trust in the social media stars. While many claim that they will only sponsor products that they personally like, it’s hard to trust coming from the seller. I know I personally am more influenced by a social media stars suggestion than an advertisement, even though I know that they are likely getting paid. I'm curious of what others think though. Is this a good way to advertise that ensures the products are truly liked by those reviewing them? Or is it no different than your day to day commercial?