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BeeLiked Social Media Marketing Tools Help You Launch Twitter Competitions And Connect With Your Customers More Effectively (So They Can Connect With Your Brand)

 

With massive business-boosting social media sites like Twitter, YouTube and Instagram, there are endless possibilities to connect with your followers in more interesting ways. You know, like a little healthy competition. BeeLiked agrees. That’s why the “social pollination” site features social media marketing tools to help you manage your social media competitions in a simpler and more engaging way.

 

We caught up with CTO Damien King to see what makes BeeLiked so killer, why social competitions are so important, and what he would eat with Jack Dorsey.

 

Tell us a little more about what inspired BeeLiked.

My Co-Founder and I originally created a bookmarking site, much like Pinterest, but for events. However, we were heavily reliant on user-generated content and ultimately it never gained critical mass. As with most founders’ first #fail we did gain some great insights and have applied these to BeeLiked.

 

 

 

 

We saw a real opportunity to help brands launch competitions across multiple social networks and not just Facebook. Increasingly brands are using Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, SoundCloud, Flickr and Pinterest to launch innovative marketing campaigns; yet there is no tool that seeks to facilitate the management of these campaigns to provide an important visual showcase that can be integrated into the company’s website and Facebook page.

 

 

 

 

BeeLiked does both, providing a simple management tool at BeeLiked.com as well as enabling companies to customize a Microsite.

 

Why do you think social competitions are a smart brand-building technique?

We believe there are still many organizations struggling to engage with their social communities in a way that both rewards and builds loyalty.

 

Social competitions achieve all of the below:

  • Help to build brand affinity in a way not possible through conventional marketing.
  • Drive web traffic through viral sharing.
  • Increase the number of fans and followers so as to maximize audience reach.
  • Boost brand awareness.
  • Will generate sales when positioned correctly.

 

There have been some really exciting and innovative campaigns coming out recently. We like to shout out about any campaigns that catch our attention on our Blog.

 

You’re based in Brisbane. How’s the tech scene there?

The tech scene here is really starting to kick off. I’m originally from Melbourne, which has always had a strong community; however, recently there have been a number of Start-up evangelists that seem to be making a difference. There’s now a tech hub here called River City Labs that is a hive of activity. They have regular meet-ups and their own startup mentors within the tech space. I’m expecting Brisbane to go from strength to strength.

 

 

 

 

What’s a typical day look like?

Well at the moment it’s anything but typical, and it’s probably better described as ItsTheStartUpLife. At home it’s an early start from 6 am for when I have US/Canadian conference calls. Then it’s into the office to setup for my daily ‘flight check’. I have a location distributed technology team that I’m trying to run 24-hour continuous development with. It means I spend a large part of the day reviewing deliverables, testing, code fixing, planning and then re-scoping. I tend to act as a product owner as well as a technologist and delivery manager. I have a ‘war wall’ that is a lean version of an ‘information radiator’ to help keep us focused.

 

 

 

 

Like most start-up founders I’m multitasking on a number of disciplines throughout the day such as SEO, PPC, PR, sales and marketing.

 

As the day continues I ramp up for UK time so I can catch up with my co-founder and the rest of the team in London, as well as our UK clients. It’s a challenge to keep it all ticking over without it impacting on my family life.

 

What’s the best business advice you’ve ever received?

It actually came from Avinash Kaushik, DM Evangelist at Google, he spoke about “Structured Thinking.” At the time it related to how many large organizations find their staff make poor decisions due to not having the time for structured thinking. This personally translated to me as a requirement to periodically remove myself from the technical and day-to-day details of the business to spending time confirming we are focusing on the right direction. This involves drawing up a matrix showing all of our objectives and short-term goals, ensuring they are in harmony with each other and the overall vision.

 

If you could have lunch with one person, who would it be, what would you eat, and what would you talk about?

At this stage I’m very keen to have lunch with Dick Costolo or Jack Dorsey. Ideally I’d like to talk to Jack, but I’m not sure how involved he is these days. I’d be certain to keep things light with a seafood option and French Sancerre on the side. Ultimately I’d like to find out more about how we could work together and how Twitter could support more Start-ups that consume their API.

 

 

 

 

Biggest startup challenge so far? How did you handle it?

At the moment our biggest challenge still relates to distribution. It’s very difficult as a start-up with a new idea to have the capacity to reach the number of organizations needed to meet our conversion targets. We would also like to provide a personalized customer service and work with our clients to directly impact our product road map, but this all takes time and resources, which is a constant struggle.

 

 

 

 

Web App or site you couldn’t live without and why.

I hate to be boring but it’s still Google. More so than ever now, especially since taking on new business roles outside of technology. With the help of a great search engine I’m able to locate video blogs and white papers to allow me to execute any business task I require with gusto. Not to mention it’s pretty good for tech, and generally end up at Stackoverflow. (Thanks guys).

 

What’s your music-streaming site of choice, and what’s currently playing?

Spotify, and at the moment I’m stuck on Flaws – Bombay Bicycle Club. I haven’t even heard their new album.

 

What would you be doing if the Internet didn’t exist?

Pursuing my love of sports, either a professional snowboarder or Formula 1 driver. I’m sure with all the extra time I’d be able to compensate for my lack of natural talent.

 

What’s the greatest thing about BeeLiked?

It enables brands to run competitions quickly and seamlessly across multiple social networks without breaking the bank. For example you can run a YouTube or Flickr competition which has Twitter and Facebook voting and is integrated into your website, mobile website and Facebook Page.

 

 

 

 

Where can our readers reach out to you?

 

Thanks, Damien! If you are a business that wants to utilize the power of social media in a more engaging way, check out the rad social media marketing tools from BeeLiked. Create your own social media competitions so your customers can better connect with your brand.

 

Photo Credits

Courtesy of Founder | BeeLiked.com | Flickr | Rivercitylabs.com

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