When Ad Age's eZine popped into my inbox this morning the lead sentence from this article - Economy Weighs Heavily on Marketing Execs for 2009 (free registration might be needed to access) caught my attention. "Marketing executives are tired of buzzwords such as Web 2.0, blogs and social networking."
My initial thoughts were wait just a NYC minute. While Web 2.0 might indeed be classified as a buzz words blogs and social networks have proven to be credible marketing initiatives. However, as marketers well know perception is reality so for the marketing executives who participated in this research it appeared that social media has yet take its place in the marketing strategy tool box.
The article was based on findings from a study conducted by Anderson Analytics for and of the Marketing Executives Networking Group (MENG). Clicking into the site I read two quotes that caused me to think differently about what the respondents' views of social media might really have meant.
Tom Anderson, managing partner of Anderson Analytics - "However, that doesn't mean those digital ideas aren't important anymore. In fact, each of those ranked as a bit more important this year."
Guhaard Guha, MENG chairman of the board - "I think there may be a little bit of trepidation, in a sense of people feeling pushed into doing the Web 2.0 thing and maybe thinking, 'I wish it would go away, but I know it won't.'"
Once again what might be a credible research study was devalued for me because of a sensational lead in. What is important is:
1. Not that these executive thought buzz words were tired but it appeared a lack of knowledge about how to best use social media marketing led to "trepidations."
2. To understand that fear often leads to inertia which is the beginning of the spiral down syndrome not the fear itself.
3. These marketing VIPs acknowledged that social media is here to stay. How do you combat fear? With education.
Social media fears are the gizillion pound gorilla in the room. What fears does your organization have when it comes to social media marketing?
As December 2005 drew to a close, I asked a few bloggers what their wish list was for the new year .. 2006. I thought it would be fun to ask those same people to update their wishes for 2009.
Several 2006 wishes came true. Turning to thoughts for 2009 a few people felt that the blogs/social media has lost its focus of customer first content to becoming ego vehicles while others are looking for advances in technology. Twitter found its way into the 2009 blogger wishes as did more ways to collaborate.
What makes this list interesting is that all of the bloggers have been around in the social media space from at least 2005 which provides some additional perspective. I hope you enjoy the 2006 - 2009 comparisons.
2006 If I am going to be completely honest and self-absorbed, the thing that I would like it see more of in 2006 is more traffic at Funny Business. My second wish for 2006 is that I would like to see "professional journalists" get over themselves in their attitude to those of us who choose to blog.
2009 Well, I’m nothing if not consistent. Still wishing for more traffic for Funny Business but this year I actually am putting together an action plan to make that happen. I do think my second wish has come true since many professional journalists are now blogging. So a 50% wish accomplished rate is pretty good. My second wish for 2009 is to find a software that not only provides
2006 I wish blog people would chill & be more open minded to innovation without damning those that try new things. I guess it's another version of Peace On Earth Goodwill to Men.
2009 This is what comes to mind: Now that blogs are mainstream there is an over saturation of content. Too many musings out there. But more importantly I think many people are blogging for the benefit of their own ego instead of what their readers might want to read. Some blogs are more of a "performance stage" than a platform for exchange.
Twitter is another example. Seems the game is to see how many followers one can attract vs gathering a few quality followers where ideas may be shared. In summary: I wish that all bloggers would remember to write for their readers not themselves; and don't worry if there are only a few readers or Twitter followers...the idea is exchange of ideas with like minded people...not a high school popularity contest.
2006 MORE Smart Women Bloggers. There are dozens now, but I want more. I want women to stand up and be counted, because blogging is word of mouth marketing at its best, and that's a task we are designed by nature to dominate.
2009 For 2009 I'd like to see collaboration and cooperation between social media consultants. Many of us do this or that (strategy planning, education, design) and others do the marketing or networking building. In a world where the focus is on our customer, as it always should be, I'd like to see us form relationships with each other - to give our clients the best there is in social media consulting. Sharing is caring and, again, women are the leaders in this area. I hope you and I can work on some projects in the New Year, Toby. Along with a number of other great experts I have on my list.
2006 More niche blogging. Blogging is powerful because it is the power of niche communities. We all talk about it.
2009 I'd love to see companies, PR professionals, governments and more continue to embrace new media and to reach out to, rather than be afraid of, the blogging community.
2006 More people blogging. Yeah I know, everybody and his grandmother is already starting a blog, but there are many more people out there who should be lending their voices to the chorus who should be blogging too. Plus many more companies need to start blogging. Like Dana mentions, the person to person interactivity of blogging is still deeply under utilized. I know that from my own brand's experiences, blogging has been a very successful tool in getting consumers to reconnect to the bikes I sell. More creativity in the kinds of blogging going on. More humor. I think too many bloggers take themselves far too seriously. A little humility and a sense of humor goes a long way.
2009 Now that Social Media has become less of a four-letter word (like "blog"), I would really love to see more companies involved with Social Media evolve past the first timid stages of effort and move forward to more earnest and thoughtful approaches. We've seen too many companies enter the SM world looking for immediate ways to monetize those efforts. In a down economy, you can expect that to get even worse. But the real value comes in the form of strong communities built around relationships.
My secondary wish is to find the time to explore more avenues/ channels for discussions. I really want to get my brand involved more with video, but first have to have the time to pull it off. My head is so crammed with ideas… I just need the time to get them out. And… for the 3rd year in a row, I hope to finally find the time to write that book (on blogging/ Social Media for business) I've been mumbling about for so long.
2006 Communication is the universal solvent. It never hurt to communicate more. Blogging is the way to reach out and communicate with people. Making yourself and your company real to your audience is a good thing. Learn to let go of the ‘message’ and really communicate with your public.
2009 Start a dialogue online. In a recession it’s vital to tell your story and to listen to your stakeholders’ feedback. A recent study showed that although price and quality can be purchase influencers in this economy, ultimately it’s the company values that hold sway. And they found that almost 60% of Americans say they can judge the company’s values from their online presence. Use interactive video to tell your story and allow your audience to give feedback.
2006 I would like to see the people who will never make any money from their blogs remove the third party advertisements from said blogs. I would like to see more business bloggers ... fewer pictures of people's dogs and more thought leadership. I would like to see better ways of finding business bloggers.
2009 I pretty much got everything I wished for … the only thing I wish for now is “more time to blog!” I have hundreds of drafts … Alex Geana, Alex Geana
2006 I'd like to see more use of Trackbacks. What I love most about the blogosphere is the ability to find new and fresh voices - wonderful talented people from around the world you'd never know existed if it wasn't for their blogs. Interconnecting is what blogs do best. Let's do more of it.
2009 How funny to look back to 2005. While I think Trackbacks aren't that important anymore, I do thing that "interconnecting" is still the power of blogs and all social media.
I think for 2009, my wish would be for better searching and filtering tools for social media. Right now there is such a proliferation of blogs, Linked In, Facebook, Myspace, Twitter.....you can spend 24 hours a day with this stuff. I see more of a need to find the people and information that are most relevant to you - we need search tools and filtering devices that let us find and focus in on what's truly relevant versus what's more background noise.
It's kind of like the ipod - it was so cool that you could instantly access all this music, and you downloaded your favorites. It was just so amazing that all that music was out there and available at your fingertips. But now music lovers are looking for better ways to find new music, and sort through all the new releases to find songs that they really like. I think the same thing can be said for social media as it continues to mature.
So - here's to the continuation of the interconnectivity that blogs and social media present. But let's also toast new and better ways to sort through the proliferation of information to easily find that which will be most relevant to us and our lives. Wayne Hurlbert, Blog Business World
2006 I would like to see some technical improvements appearing in both individual blogs and in blogging software platforms. Improvements in how blogs speak to one another via trackbacks would assist bloggers in referencing one another. Perhaps an automated system that included all blogging software platforms would work well in this regard. Improved and simplified RSS feeds would help more novice RSS users add blog feeds to their subscription lists. With greater east of RSS use, and better cross interfaces, more bloggers could reach wider audiences. Better technical blogging systems would not only help individual bloggers and readers, but the blogging industry as a whole.
2009 Since that time, the advances in blogging and social media software have been tremendous. In 2005, before blogs became mainstream, the tecnology available precluded cross platform references and RSS feeds were not commonplace. Today, most of those technological limitations have been addressed, while adding additional capability for audio and video blog posts. Those advances in technology enhanced blogging and developed the blogging industry into a mainstream communications resource. Blogs can now interface readily with other blogging platform hosted blogs, and with other social media hosts as well. The blogging and social media challenges of sufficient and adaptible software are being met and expanded upon more every day. This trend will only continue to expand as more people and businesses add blogging and social media components to their lives and company strategies.
2006 More civility and professionalism. The level of aggressive interchange in the blogosphere doesn't make "the conversation" more genuine, it makes it more juvenile and makes it harder for Corporate America to truly grasp the business case for blogging.
2009 I'll stick with my old wish, but add that I would also like to see us work as a community to both welcome newcomers and remember the difference between criticizing an idea and criticizing the person who shares it. Our communities *must* be supportive of different viewpoints for us to not be viewed as crackpots.
2006 What I'd like to see more of is the availability of basic ecommerce functions as plug 'n play options with major blog software packages. Blogs are good for business, big and small and I think there's a lot of opportunity for business and value for consumers with ecommerce blogs.
2009 Wow, 2005 seems so long ago. I think there’s a tremendous opportunity for a hybrid web and blog analytics solution that is married to social media monitoring service to supercharge blogger’s ability to measure and monitor effectiveness. We need a better blog search engine too. I’d also love to see more of what Google is doing with open social, making it easy for blogs or even non-blogs to add social networking features. I still think there’s opportunity for ecommerce blogs per my 2005 blog wish.
2006 I'd like to see more new bloggers joining in the fun. I've walked a couple of techno-phobic friends through getting started recently, and it has been such a pleasure to watch them "get it". I'd like to see more people using their own domain names - this is going to be a huge issue as blogs develop and grow. I'd like to see more originality and care in blog design.- I'd like to see more thought put into blog archives. - I'd like technorati (or equivalent) to work as advertised. I'd really, really, really like to see the word 'blog' disappear. Blogs are websites. Let's just call them that. I'd like to continue to meet amazing people through my blogging adventures.
2009 Here goes: I'd like to see the WordPress premium theme business go open source, in accordance with the WordPress license. I'd like to see fewer blog posts starting with a number, like "38 ways to annoy your readers" I'd like to see better integration of off-site activity like Twitter, Facebook, etc, integrated into a blog's design, when appropriate. I'd like to see the spirit of open access and and an acknowledgement of our shared human experience continue to thrive
2006 With the corollary that I’d like to see more awareness by folks that they are responsible for their own success (or lack thereof). …..You want to succeed at something, take charge of it – make it happen, don’t keep listing all the outside forces that prevented you from succeeding. You won’t win all the time, but you, and no one else, owns your success.
2009 Let’s take world peace and an improvement in the economy as a given. After that, my greatest wish is for tolerance and respect. I’d like to see a bit more of both. Tolerance and respect for other people, for their opinions and even their positions. People are so quick to judge, so slow to empathize. Slow down, walk a few steps in the other’s shoes. It’s okay to criticize and analyze – even judge -- but wouldn’t it be nice if more people the world over tried to understand the other’s position first? You know. given that most of us live in some form of glass house.
2006 Research: if you're gonna say it, cite it. Cite something. I don't even know you, don't ask me to just believe you! Useful and user-friendly tools. That work (and I mean with full functionality) on Macs!!!!! 'Live and let live' attitudes from bloggers of one type toward bloggers of another. If you don't like it you don't have to read it, and you don't have to write one like it. That being said, my personal preference is: more context and commentary
2009 I have to say that all still applies! Although the introduction of the iPhone has certainly driven a lot of corresponding development of tools that are Mac-friendly.
I would add this, though: 2009 may indeed be a volatile, rough year for a lot of us, due to the economic crisis and efforts to recover from it. But I don't understand the need to make things worse than they are or use it as an excuse to speculate wildly and craft worst-case scenarios for us all to freak out about. This goes for you too, mainstream media!!
Cases in point: I wish not to read another schadenfreude-laden blog post about whether Steve Jobs is near-death or just slowly dying. It's ghoulish, invasive, appalling. I wish not to read another panicky blog post that takes business practices that have been common for years (like holiday shut-downs at big companies) as signs of the apocalypse. I wish not to read another wildly speculative blog post...or hateful anonymous comment...that uses something truly horrifying, like the Siport shootings here in Silicon Valley, as an excuse to slam any executive, company or culture. We are all people, folks, and I hope cruelty goes out of fashion in 2009.
And in the not-quite-so-ghoulish department: I really, really wish not to read another snarky blog post whose author or commenters can't let commentary on any woman's business endeavors go by without commenting on whether they'd "hit that". In almost all cases I'm sure the question is moot, so why bother? :)
2006 In keeping with the season, less fruitcake blogs; Johnnie Carson said there was only one fruit cake in the world and everyone just kept sending it to each other. If just passing along information read on someone else's blog, please at least add an adjective or a reason why it is being passed along, in a conversational tone... More tech support for the non-intuitive.
2009 The first thing that came to mind in re-reading my wish for 2006 regarding blog posts that simply passed along the highlights of someone else's blog post without adding additional insight or substance was a trend that seems to be escalating on Twitter recently, the "re-tweet". A tweet obviously does not have the life of a blog post and all of us do not have the same list of followers, so an occasional "re-tweet" can be of value. There just seems to be an awful lot of them lately.
2006 1. Ditto re civil behavior/common courtesy. That said, we should use the blogosphere (depending on the blog subject matter & purpose) to raise awareness of shoddy business practices, scams, government wrongdoings and such. I do make it a practice to never say anything I wouldn't say to somebody's face (and usually have) but then I'm pretty blunt when I'm unhappy about something (principle is the thing.)
2. Ditto re getting more people involved. The more interaction we have, the better chance we'll avoid problems (versus having solved them). Example: If the GOP and Demos had really talked to each other (instead of AT each other) and focused on the issues (versus dong mass mediocrity sound bites) - we'd be in much better shape.
2009 I still have the same wishes - particularly after suffering through the presidential campaign. Reading some of the comments made me want to bath in bleach. ("These are Palin's supporters???" Way past criticism...far past disrespect...to downright disgusting!)
This year I'd add that people learn to use the power of the Web to participate in our government. The Obama campaign and administration grok it and are encouraging people to get involved. Its as easy as typing, you don't even have to get dressed. It is, after all, "We, the people" not "him, the president."
Toss of the first 2009 boa to these smart divas and divos for again sharing their thoughts!
Before 2009 ticks one more second heartfelt thanks for your friendship
and support .. the laughter, the sparring, the learning. Wishes for a
joy filled 2009 with more laughter than sadness .. more smiles than tears and more cheesecake than brussel sprouts (unless you of course like brussel sprouts!).!
The holidays are a time for indulgences and that often include eating more sweets than usual. Scattered energies run high, feeling great for the moment and then a sudden sugar crash the next.
While watching the kids play I thought .. how many of us find that our social media initiatives are like sugar highs? The excitement of the new idea, the buzz of the launch, followed by some engagement and then the candy cane C-R-A-S-H!
Too often social media marketing (or traditional marketing for that matter) strategies are also like white elephant gifts. Your customers don't really want them but you feel the need to develop them because .. well it's what marketing is all about.
It can be a big disappointment for both you and your customers after the sparking tinsel and pretty wrapping is ripped away and the batteries included were forgotten. As with presents that don't really "fit" other gifts take priority and yours is soon forgotten.
I begin to wonder .. what would happen if .. marketers viewed developing social media marketing programs as gifts that fit that we create for our customers all year long? Those gifts that would help bring us closer to understanding each other to build stronger digital relationships, to having fun with each other with less candy cane C-R-A-S-H!
If social media marketing is a new way to listen and communicate with our customers then framing strategies as gifts that fit may be one way to conceptualize new tactics. Can marketing VIPS really think first of what would delight customers and then develop the message and strategy? Of course girlfriend, it's called Marketing 101!
6 Tips For Creating Social Media Marketing Gifts That Fit
1. Understand what your customers want and need. Listen and participate in their conversations on blogs, Twitter, social networks, etc. Michael Fruchter's post Ten Tools for Listen is a great way to get started.
2. Set a budget. Understanding financial limitations is important but becomes critical in a down economy. Be creative. Perhaps it's a community on Ning and not one developed from the ground up.
3. Plan. Take time to understand how all of the moving parts will fit together to support other "gifts" that you've developed previously. Is it a new video that is incorporated into the widget you built last year? Who will be involved? If your program crosses silos bring all the players - yes including the lawyers - into a round table discussion.
4. Presentation. Part of the fun of presents is unwrapping the gifts. Consider how you will launch your new initiative that will add to the excitement.
5. Be prepared to fix or exchange if necessary. Monitor the progress of the program. What do you need to incorporate to make it "fit" perfectly? Sometimes even the best gift breaks. As part of your Plan (see #3) build in a support effort.
6. Build an initiative for feedback.Help your customers continue the conversation with you.
What are your thoughts? Have I indulged in too many brownies and too much peppermint cheese cake?
Social media teaches us lots of lessons. The big one for marketers is it is not all about the brand .. it is all about the customer. As with so many lessons, we seem to keep relearning this one.
Before you go off the grid .. or perhaps when you come back on .. think of a gentler time before the Internet, before Twitter, before blogs or Facebook or even before email. It is Christmas 1947 and the CEO of a major retail organization briefs the company's ad department.
"No high pressuring and forcing the customer to take something he
doesn't want. We'll be known as the helpful store. The friendly store.
The store with a heart. The store that places public service ahead of
profit. The plan sounds idiotic and impossible...consequently, we'll
make more profit than ever before."
With those words Macy's Department Store launched the most innovative sales program ever viewed...on the silver screen. It was a Miracle on 34th Street. Customers would not be coerced into buying what they did not want and if another store had a better, less expensive product Macy's would send them to that store.
Fast forward 61 years. Social media is one of the most
exciting marketing strategies we've seen in the last 60+
years. However, in this model there is no room for high-pressure sales
techniques. The customer is in control of the brand experience. As Mr. Macy learned .. the customer has always been in control but few marketers have helped to create that experience for their customers .. especially when it goes outside of the company-brand/s.
Adding a social media strategy to the marketing mix is a powerful tactic that actively demonstrates your customers' needs matter. The digital relationships that the people (not departments) in your company develop create continuous listen which leads to continuous learning which leads to a continuous conversations which leads to trust which leads to the cash register bells ringing. And every time a cash register bell rings a marketer gets a bonus or gets to keep her job (!).. oops wrong film. Sorry.
Corner grocery store digital relationships that are build not only with you and your customers but among your customers could never have been imagined when Kris Kringle entered Macy's Department in 1947. For many organizations these open conversations still seem like a Miracle on (insert organization name here) or like the ghost of Xmas future (oops wrong movie again. Sorry.)
Often it is not easy to hear the answers to questions you did not ask. In developing new ways to conduct business there maybe a few wobbles and perhaps even acknowledgment that all is not perfect behind the curtain of your brand. However, the surprise gift is that strategies built with integrity, honesty and transparency that offer an opportunity to create dialog with your customers show that you are more a like than not. And that builds relationships.
The plan sounds idiotic and impossible... consequently, we'll make more profit than ever before.
As the year 2009 approaches, technology developments spin even faster
taking digital marketing into areas that were
impossible in '47 or '57 or even '08.
Imagine a site that holds current inventory and pricing, allows for on-line financing and results in better, faster cheaper processing.
Imagine a site that allows for product customization.
Imagine a site where you can start a conversation with a real person about what matters to you regarding a product or service.
Imagine a site where you can talk to a real person who doesn't respond with an FAQ list.
Imagine a site where you can actually help change the direction of a product or service before it's even launched.
Imagine a site where you can include your review of the product, service or customer care.
Imagine a site where you can talk to people about their experiences and learn from each other.
Imagine a company that doesn't close the door (or comment section) to you or your ideas.
The plan sounds idiotic and impossible...consequently, we'll make more profit than ever before.
It's interesting to compare a 1940's film, where finding solutions
to customers' problems was perceived as unique, to 2008 where finding
solutions to customers' problems is considered ingenious.
The techniques may have changed. New buzz words may be added to the
mix. Bells and whistles may be a little louder. However, after all is
said and done, the premise remains the same:
-Listen
-Understand
-Add value
-Do what it takes to go the extra mile to delight your customer
The plan sounds idiotic and impossible...consequently, we'll make more profit than ever before.
And with that Max and I wish you a holiday full of joy.
Sidebar: A Classic Diva Marketing post based on an article written for Marketing News
For the marketing consultants, and the people who work with consultants, this one is for you.
Sometimes I think of a consulting project as a well orchestrated event. So many pieces have to integrate to be successful. For example, you've spent hours and hours and possibly months researching, analyzing and developing recommendations. The day has finally come to present to your client. At this moment in time How you present is as critical as What you present.
One of my favorite from the heart gigs is co-teaching a management consulting class at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. This innovative course provides undergraduate (juniors and seniors) with a unique opportunity to actually be a consultant to a non profit "client. It's not often that a consultant gets to touch the lives of people beginning their careers.This is why I give up summer weekends to prep the course and cut business trips short ..
"This class has been hands down the best experience I've had at Goizueta. Several other classes do "real life" projects, but never to this extent. It was an eye-opening experience in all regards, and I think each group experienced the class a bit differently, which I think is really neat."
In addition to working with the amazing students and great "clients" (over the past 5 years), I've had the opportunity to collaborate with some talented co-instructors. None more so than this year .. Dr. Skip Gunther, a retired Booz Allen Hamilton partner.
Skip has to be one of the most eclectic guys I know not only is he an adjunct prof at Goizueta but the Leader of Brookwood Split, The High Energy Party Band. The band plays renditions of the most popular rock, funk, soul, and R&B cover songs of the past thirty years. You're in the metro Atlanta area check out Brookwood Spit .. even worth a trip OTP!
In keeping with the music intro Skip wrapped the semester with a few notes on how to make a client presentation sing (ouch! sorry Skip). His advice to the students is equally, if not more, valuable to professional consultants. Thanks for sharing it with Diva Marketing Skip.
13 Best Practices For Client Presentations from Prof Skip Gunther
1. Be sure to put your presentation and report into proper context before jumping into findings, conclusions, recommendations – several of the teams missed an opportunity here.
2. Always think like an executive: how much will it cost, what will my expected returns be, what will it do to the organization, who can I have do this?
Often, these questions are answered in part by doing a pro forma financial analysis. Other parts of the answers come from prioritizing the recommendations so that your audience can see relative degrees of importance
3. Make certain that you introduce your team (name and role) as one of the first agenda items – it helps keep the audience focused on your presentation rather than thinking about who these other people are and why they are there.
4. Always tie your recommendations back to your research findings and conclusions. Your recommendations may be great ones, but, when not placed in context, they may cause your audience to wonder about why this particular recommendation over something else.
5. Always make certain that your client is totally on board before making a presentation to others.
6. Don’t try to disguise incomplete analysis by representing it as something that it is not – you will be found out and will lose all credibility with your client (and others). Intellectual honesty is always best.
7. Be careful with flipping dense word charts too quickly, or, if your intent is to make a simple point with obvious depth of supporting points, touch on a couple of the supporting points at least before moving on.
8. Rise to the cause if your team looks at you for the response to a question, and either give a thoughtful answer, or acknowledge that you will have to think about that and get back to the person asking the question – try not to come across as talking without thinking, as doing so will result in your loss of credibility, which is never a good thing.
9. Work to have some kind of mechanism at the start to totally engage your audience – a provocative question often does it – and make sure that the potentially distracting stuff like not introducing team mates is not present.
10. Always try to give credit to the client for good ideas, key insights, etc.
For example, all of your recommendations may have initially come from the client, but the contribution you made was to put them into a framework and in context so that everyone can see what great ideas they are.
11. Good consultants look for ways to reflect praise back to their clients. After all, you are (usually) getting paid and that (plus the strong satisfaction of doing a creative, professional job) is your reward. The client has to live with what you present and recommend.
12. Present enough of the supporting analytics to motivate your conclusions and recommendations – much of this will find its way into the appendices, but always have ‘just enough’ in the story line.
13. Always be meticulous in citing your resources – it’s ok that you didn’t create everything, but what you did was integrate it into a story to solve a problem.
So .. how to you bring the notes together and make your cleint presenations rock n roll?
This post is dedicated to the awesome women entrepreneurs at the Women's Employment Opportunity Project (WEOP). Yesterday I was invited to spend some time with a special group of women who are creating blogs to support their new ventures. If you think that the U.S. has lost its edge on innovation think again. Some of the business ideas that are in development at WEOP ranged from financial services targeted to moms to an online resource center for divorced women to a community for women in non traditional jobs like construction.
We talked about the logistics of blogs (any WordPress experts willing to donate a few hours?), marketing (WEOP is using DivaTalks podcasts to supplement their learnings .. wOw!) and the power of social media marketing .. building relationships.
So the fabulous entrepreneurs from WEOP asked, "How do you build those relationships?" "Great question," said I. "There are comments, links, emails .. being part of the community and give bits of yourself in your posts .. as it is comfortable for you to do that of course.
When we first meet people in their offices we have "walls" that often give us cues to the first steps in finding common interests that go beyond business. We may find a college diploma that leads to a conversation about the school we both attended or perhaps it was a city that we both lived in. Or we may discover a photo of the family vacationing on the beach and find we have a love of the ocean. Or we may see a sports team pennant on the wall and realize we are both fans of the same team.
In the social media business world we have to give bits of ourselves to create those initial synergies that go beyond a mutual interest in marketing, advertising, PR, research, etc. One way to do that is through the meme games. Sometimes called "tag" it's a way of giving your friends a better sense of you. Some memes ask for your favorite books, some for places you traveled .. you get the drift.
The divine diva Ms. BL Ochmantagged me and asked me to give up 7 things that you didn't know about me. So here goes ..
1. It took me a week to decide to keep little Max the rock star YouTube puppy.
2. I love Xmas music. I especially like the songs from the '40's like White Christmas, Winter Wonderland, Silver Bells .. I play Xmas DVDs when I bake for the holidays .. shh don't tell any .. and dance around the kitchen with Max (see #1).
3. I make a mean cheese cake. One year I spent all summer experimenting my friends loved me! Note see #2
4. Family rumor is my grandfather, Popsie, was a boxer in Boston.
5. My Uncle Hy White
is a jazz guitarist who played with the Big Bands. Maybe he knew BL's grandfather. He tried to teach me to play but the strings hurt too much ..ouch!
6. I want to have a home on the ocean and one in a real city.
7. I want to conduct social media workshops on a cruise ship .. combine a holiday what with I love.How cool would that be?
Now the next part of the meme is to tag 7 people who will continue the game by telling who tagged them and then tagging 7 more people who will .. well you get it.
I'll tag a few people who have recently commented on Diva Marketing -
It takes imagination infused with courage to bring a new way of doing business into the mix .. for a small business owner or the ceo of a Fortune 50 company. Brave with vision to take calculated risks is the way I think of entrepreneurs. In today's down economy it is especially critical that small business
owners tap into that spirit, step out of their comfort zone and color
outside the lines.
Social media marketing is certainly one direction to pursue. However, even for a small business owner whose success depends on business done with innovation the openness that social strategies bring, along with the myth of lack of control (a post for another day), can be uncomfortable. Here are a few ideas to help ease on down the social media road.
Cost is in Time and People Not Dollars
Success for most businesses draws on three resources: human capital, financial capital and time capital. It's no secret that too often small business owners find them self short on all three. However, time capital is what most small business owners take from the resource bank.
Social media helps small business owners work smarter on limited resources/budgets. Most social marketing tools .. or to put into business vernacular .. tactics such as blogs, social networks, social sharing (e.g., videos, photos) are free so the investment is not in dollars or financial capital but in human capital and time capital.
Planning Is Critical
As with any marketing strategy (for a small business, a Fortune 100 company or a non profit) social media marketing must begin with understanding the organization's goals, objectives and defining success. Too frequently small business owners put "planning" last on their list of business to dos.
However, without a plan social media is but a cool conversation topic at your next cocktail party and not a business decision. It's easy to get caught up in the excitement of a YouTube video or creating an "in vogue" Facebook page. It's even easier to fail in the world of social media.
5 Get Started Social Media Marketing Strategies
1. Google Alerts - While more internet marketing than social media, creating Google Alerts provides you with a free way to keep tabs on the pulse of your industry. Google pulls its sources from news sites to blogs. Create several alerts that include: key words for your industry, your company name, branded products and throw in an "ego alert" with your name. Social pundits call this listening to the conversation.
2. LinkedIn - LinkedIn has a reputation of a pure business networking and is an ideal first step into social media networking. It can be used to support strategies from building business-to-business relationships to creating stronger brands.
3. Microblogging/Twitter - No time for a Big strategy? Micro blogging,
a la Twitter, is the place to explore. 140 characters per message or
"tweet" is perfect for busy entrepreneurs to not only develop
relationships but extend your personal network. Pop in several times during the course of the day to connect with different
people.
4. Facebook - For companies with target audiences who are active in Facebook, there are two ways to go. One is with a personal page and the second is building a group page for "fans." In addition to branding, Facebook provides an opportunity to "mix" it up with your customers and build stronger relationships.
5. Blogs - Of all the social media tactics blogs can become one of your most valuable social media assets. Creating relationships through conversations in your virtual 'home' can be powerful. You can authentically reinforce your brand promise, ask for feedback from your customers, build thought leadership positioning, provide extended customer delight support. And if that were not enough .. increase your lift in the search engines.
Buyer beware .. these benefits do not come without a price .. and that price is more human and time resources than Google Alerts, LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook.
Something interesting happens when you step from behind the perfect
world of a carefully crafted advertising campaign or a media release
built by committee .. the spirit of entrepreneurship is set free too.
It seems like kismet to me, for you see, it was almost 4-years to the day that Dana, Bill and I we were in Seattle for the very first national program on how marketers could use blogs - which was also sponsored by AMA. At that session we were joined by Robert Scoble, Ben McConnell and Dave Williams. Almost all of the speakers had met through some aspect of social media/blogs and most had never met in-person. It was a program build on digital relationships about digital relationships.
We learned a lot from those early days when social media, Facebook, Twitter and social networks were not even part of the vernacular. We were taught our first lessons in blogger relations by TDavid. What begin as a rather sticky situation ended up in a better program and a new friend. I'm thrilled that TDavid will be joining us on Friday. Lessons Learned from TDavid
One blogger can be the snowflake that can start an avalanche. There is risk and reward in a blogged economy. - TDavid
>Bloggers are people who want to connect. They want to know that they are being heard. Bloggers care.
>With the easy use of blogs, micro blogs, podcasts, vlogs and other social media tools marketers can not control how customers will reposition a carefully crafted message.
>You can not control customers’ conversations. The secret is you never could. However, you can manage those conversations by listening, participating, and caring.
Which has me thinking more about the challenges of building trusted digital relationships using social media. It seems there are two aspects: the digital/web-based and the personal.
1. Make it easy to verify the accuracy of the information on your site.
You can build web site credibility by providing third-party support (citations, references, source material) for information you present, especially if you link to this evidence. Even if people don't follow these links, you've shown confidence in your material.
2. Show that there's a real organization behind your site.
Showing that your web site is for a legitimate organization will boost the site's credibility. The easiest way to do this is by listing a physical address. Other features can also help, such as posting a photo of your offices or listing a membership with the chamber of commerce.
3. Highlight the expertise in your organization and in the content and services you provide.
Do you have experts on your team? Are your contributors or service providers authorities? Be sure to give their credentials. Are you affiliated with a respected organization? Make that clear. Conversely, don't link to outside sites that are not credible. Your site becomes less credible by association.
4. Show that honest and trustworthy people stand behind your site.
The first part of this guideline is to show there are real people behind the site and in the organization. Next, find a way to convey their trustworthiness through images or text. For example, some sites post employee bios that tell about family or hobbies.
5. Make it easy to contact you.
A simple way to boost your site's credibility is by making your contact information clear: phone number, physical address, and email address.
6. Design your site so it looks professional (or is appropriate for your purpose).
We find that people quickly evaluate a site by visual design alone. When designing your site, pay attention to layout, typography, images, consistency issues, and more. Of course, not all sites gain credibility by looking like IBM.com. The visual design should match the site's purpose.
7. Make your site easy to use -- and useful.
We're squeezing two guidelines into one here. Our research shows that sites win credibility points by being both easy to use and useful. Some site operators forget about users when they cater to their own company's ego or try to show the dazzling things they can do with web technology.
8. Update your site's content often (at least show it's been reviewed recently).
People assign more credibility to sites that show they have been recently updated or reviewed.
9. Use restraint with any promotional content (e.g., ads, offers).
If possible, avoid having ads on your site. If you must have ads, clearly distinguish the sponsored content from your own. Avoid pop-up ads, unless you don't mind annoying users and losing credibility. As for writing style, try to be clear, direct, and sincere.
10. Avoid errors of all types, no matter how small they seem.
Typographical errors and broken links hurt a site's credibility more than most people imagine. It's also important to keep your site up and running. Person-to-person. -Need your help .. let's build this one together. Please share your One Secret on how you build trusted digital relationships using social media. I've set a brief survey in Survey Monkey to collect responses. I'll let it run for about a week .. analyze the responses and post to Diva Marketing. Click Here to take survey
A few days ago I received an eMail from Paul Levy describing a unique outreach to help educate people about an important life issue that is often incredibly difficult to discuss. End of Life Experience.
It may seem strange to some, but for me, on the day before Thanksgiving it seems right to join with the voices of many people in social media who are dedicating posts to this cause. Taking these words from Alexandra Drane's speech (video below) I invite you to .. Make a toast to those that you love and those that you miss and have this conversation with your family.
We make choices throughout our lives - where we want to live, what
types of activities will fill our days, with whom we spend our time.
These choices are often a balance between our desires and our means, but
at the end of the day, they are decisions made with intent. But when it
comes to how we want to be treated at the end our lives, often we don't
express our intent or tell our loved ones about it.
This has real consequences. 73% of Americans would prefer to die at
home, but up to 50% die in hospital. More than 80% of Californians say
their loved ones "know exactly" or have a "good idea" of what their
wishes would be if they were in a persistent coma, but only 50% say
they've talked to them about their preferences.But our end of life
experiences are about a lot more than statistics. They're about all of
us.
So the first thing we need to do is start talking. Engage With
Grace: The One Slide Project was designed with one simple goal:
to help get the conversation about end of life experience started. The
idea is
simple: Create a tool to help get people talking. One Slide, with just
five questions on it. Five questions designed to help get us talking
with each other, with our loved ones, about our preferences.
And we're asking people to share this One Slide - wherever and
whenever they can.at a presentation, at dinner, at their book club. Just
One Slide, just five questions. Lets start a global discussion that,
until now, most of us haven't had.Here is what we are asking you: Download The
One Slide and share it at any opportunity - with colleagues, family,
friends. Think of the slide as currency and donate just two minutes
whenever you can. Commit to being able to answer these five questions
about end of life experience for yourself, and for your loved ones. Then
commit to helping others do the same. Get this conversation started.
Let's start a viral movement driven by the change we as individuals
can effect...and the incredibly positive impact we could have
collectively. Help ensure that all of us - and the people we care for -
can end our lives in the same purposeful way we live them. Just One
Slide, just one goal. Think of the enormous difference we can make
together. - Written by Alexandra Drane and the Engage With Grace
team
The story of Za, that began this innovative journey is told by her sister in-law Alexandra Drane.
