Managed IT Services

6 Things: Time's a wastin'

Wednesday, August 18, 2010 by Doug Dimon

“6 Things” is a list of things I've come across that I find interesting, inspiring, adventurous, or just plain cool. I’ll be publishing these fairly regularly, so keep an eye out.

It's been a little while since my last "6 Things" post. It's not that I haven't had lots of cool stuff ooze through the interweb onto my screen, it's just that I wanted to get my CAT/Clio posts out. And besides, absence makes the heart grow fonder... or is that absinthe?

This list features 6 awesome time-sucking activities I've come across recently. They aren't all new, but if you haven't had the pleasure of using these to fill up your copious free time, then you are in for a treat. Actually, the real question is, "are these a waste of time?" If you are engaged and entertained, is that not a worthwhile activity? Who's to say, but if you get caught at work spending your time on these... you don't know me.

Most of these are tied to brands. Do they do anything for them? Much of marketing is building awareness, so in that sense, many of these are successful (but not all). Will they lead to better business? That's hard to say, but they probably aren't hurting it.

1. Who doesn't want a paper head?
Converse has posted an application on their blog that allows you to make a paper mask of yourself. Here's mine.

It took some time, but it wasn't difficult. You can print on 8 1/2 by 11 paper, but only if you are making a mask for your cat (it's very small). 11x17 will yield a nearly life-size mask (that's what I used). If you have access to a large format printer, a giant paper head would be awesome.

Does it do anything for Converse? Well, they are really a lifestyle brand, so I say yes. Their blog is all about be cool, hip, and funky... and this fits right in.

2. Rube Goldberg meets Jeopardy
To promote their Chrome browser, Google created a hybrid video/trivia game.

It uses a cool YouTube feature that lets you play multiple movies in a sequence and interleaves little trivia games between them. The object is to get through the course as quickly as possible.

It's fun, uses Google services (search and YouTube), and it gets the message out that chrome is fast (over and over, in fact). Will it make you download chrome? It might. They provide a handy download link right on the page.

3. Drink a fake beer, win a real prize.

To promote Strongbow beer, they poured a virtual pint and invited everyone to take a sip.

Every time you refresh your browser, a sip is registered. If you are lucky, your sip will reveal a prize. Better hurry, there are only about 400,000 sips and under 50 prizes left.

Does it make you want to try Strongbow? Not really, although if you are one of the lucky ones, you might win some. And it does raise awareness, but there's not a lot of information (or any, really). In fact, given the tiny "drinkaware.co.uk" link in the bottom left corner, I'm not sure it's even available in the states.

4. Do a little dance.

You, too, can be a video DJ, creating a seizure inducing video montage that you can send to all your friends.

Actually, this is pretty fun. You can choose beats and remix clips, and record your masterpiece for viewing and sharing. In the end, you are probably the only one who will be impressed with your mad cutting skills, but that's enough, isn't it?

This is meant to promote fashion photography and it does a good job at that. I felt compelled to click around just to see what the site was all about.

5. Cast you and your friends in a film trailer.

"Lost in Val Sinestra" is a horror film directed and starring you and your friends. Well, at least that's what the trailer says. If you have a Facebook account, create your own.

This is not the first Facebook connected "film" I've seen, but I think the integration in this one is awesome. The production value is great and they did an impressive job using the photos and names throughout.

It's actually a stunt to promote television services for Swisscom. But the only mention of that is a short cryptic message after the credits. There's no link. I only know about the connection because I read some blogs after mucking about looking for who was responsible. There's not even any mention of this on the Swisscom site. Experience: A+. Marketing: F-.

6. Foul mouthed cartoons are fun.

Sure Pixar is great, but have you thought that if Buzz Lightyear would just drop a few more F-bombs it would be high-larious. Well, now is your chance to script a 3D movie your way.

These are not new, but they are still fun to make and watch. Between the too-cute characters and the almost creepy vocalizations, it's hard not to love them. You can create free movies using a limited character set. "Premium" characters cost money (which I suppose is how they stay in business). But even if you only play around and never actually "publish" a movie, it can be hours of fun.

(warning: Most of these movies are rated M for mature... although clearly the people making them are not.)

Does This Picture Remind You of Your Website?

Monday, July 26, 2010 by Michael Kogon

I took this picture earlier this month in a small cafeteria in an office building. Six months into the year and the sign still has a Happy New Year message on it.

While I too am surprised by how fast the first half of 2010 has gone by, I can't help but think how many times the business owner has passed this sign since January. He's probably walked by it every day and night, yet hasn't thought about updating it.

This isn't the first time I've seen this. You'd be surprised how many times I come across websites with 2009 press releases on their home page or a blog post from April. It's easy to to let time get away from you.

Even if you're updating your news room and blog on a regular basis, when was the last time you updated your product pages with fresh images or refreshed the copy on your "About Us" or "Our People" pages? Chances are, there are updates to be made.

Think about content management as part of your marketing responsibility and part of your customer service responsibilities. It does matter.

Oh yeah, in case you didn't know it, U LOOK MARVELOUS.

Deep Thoughts From CLIO and CAT, Part Three: Let's Get Physical

Monday, July 19, 2010 by Doug Dimon

This is the final post of a series on my insights from two conferences I attended: The Clio Awards Conference and Creativity and Technology (CAT). If you haven't done so already, please read the first and second, or you'll completely lose the plot.

There's been a lot of talk about what will be the next big thing in the digital world: augmented reality, location-based services, geo-tagging, etc. All of these things were mentioned at the conferences with varying degrees of excitement. But what became clear is that these are all expressions of what is really going to be the big news over the next couple of years... merging the digital and the physical world.

I know a few people (a very few) who can legitimately claim not to have a digital life. They aren't part of any social network, they barely use email or text, and they would actually rather stand in a line to hand a teller a piece of paper than bank online (crazy, right?). Conversely, I know a some people who seem to only have a digital life. They do everything online, and their social activity is confined to Facebook, chat rooms, and MMORPGs. But most of us live comfortably in the middle, navigating on and off line between our digital and physical lives.

So it should come as no surprise that any technology or creative that breaks the boundaries between the digital and physical worlds is making a big splash. More mobile devices, GPS ubiquity, faster web access, and advances in graphics processing and display technology are all helping to push this wave.

Whether it is something as simple as being able to geo-tag your photos or as cool as having your message chalked on the Tour de France route,moving messages and

experiences beyond the digital is the hottest way to engage people. It moves the experience beyond the bits and bytes of the digital world and gives your messaging something tangible to which people can relate. Interestingly, most information in the digital sphere has a much greater longevity than it's physical counterparts and yet people put greater value on the physical. I believe this is because no matter how plugged in we are, we still live in the world and physical things seem more "real" to us and thus have greater value.

The exciting thing is that there are increasing opportunities to leverage the advantage of digital with the appeal of physical. Advances in mobile AR (e.g. Juniao and Layar), interactive projection maps, "controller-free" systems, or real-time effects... things that used to be seen only in sci-fi movies... are becoming possible. Decades ago, the promise was of virtual worlds we could escape into, but bringing the wonders of the digital realm into the everyday world is proving to be much more interesting.

How Brands Can Benefit from Pegshot

Tuesday, July 13, 2010 by Ashley Reed

You’ve probably heard about location-based services like Foursquare and Gowalla, but have you tried Pegshot yet? Instead of answering the question “Where are you?”, Pegshot tells your friends “What’s happening where you are?” by enabling users to quickly share videos and photos with their social networks. The application allows users to “peg” a shot from their location and post it to Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Tumblr, Digg and Posterous in real-time.

There are many ways in which brands can take advantage of Pegshot to increase awareness and engagement with their organization. Pegshot is especially well-suited for promoting events as it facilitates quick and easy sharing of photos and videos in real-time, allowing immediate visibility on the social web. This means your audience can interact with your events while they are happening even if they cannot be there.

Real-time sharing also increases pass along rates since, attendees are usually active on social networks at events and can quickly view your content and re-tweet it, “Like” or comment on it. Not only can content be published on your social media accounts, but Pegshot even allows you to post photos and videos directly to your company’s website. In most cases, companies allow only their employees to publish content to their website to ensure that all material is appropriate.

To take advantage of Pegshot at your next event, follow these easy steps:

1. Create your event.

Add your event by filling out the details of your event including the name, date, your Twitter hashtag, and location. Your event will appear on any user’s mobile device in the surrounding area.

2. Create a branded landing page for your event.

You can create a custom branded landing page for you event or choose your Twitter background.

3. Promote your event and add contributors.

Pegshot offers a custom registration page so you can collect as many contributors as possible. You can use this custom landing page to promote your event across social networks as well as your website, email and print marketing initiatives.

4. Capture your event as it’s happening.

Now you’re ready to begin pegging photos and videos of your event in real-time. Your contributors as well as any Pegshot users in the vicinity can share content of your event which will be displayed on your custom landing page in addition to social networks and your website (if permission is granted.)

Fan Nation: A Study of Natural Social Networks in Sports

Thursday, June 24, 2010 by Joni Lockridge

Part One: Professional Soccer

I admit. I’m riding shotgun on the World Cup bandwagon. And after several hours in a crowded sports bar here in Atlanta, it is clear I’m not the only one. I was welcomed into a community of individuals who actively sought information about the team, the sport, the players, even the South African culture. We shared stories, we spilled beer on our jerseys… and we Facebooked each other so we could meet up for the next weekend’s games. I’ve officially expanded into new social network.

What is it about sports that make “social networking” so natural, so effortless? More importantly, what can brands in other industries learn from sports as they spend marketing dollars to acquire digital fans? A recent attempt by Syncapse to estimate the value of a fan on Facebook has resulted in an average worth of $138 per fan. The study further states that:

On average, fans spend an additional $71.84 on products for which they are fans compared to those who are not fans
Fans are 28% more likely than non-fans to continue using the brand
Fans are 41% more likely than non-fans to recommend a fanned product to their friends

Given the demonstrated value, I sought out Casey Romany, an Account Executive for Soccer United Marketing (SUM) to uncover their ingredients for success. SUM holds all commercial rights to both Major League Soccer and the United States Soccer Federation, including the men’s and women’s national teams that are playing in the 2010 World Cup. In addition, they hold rights to Mexican National Team games played in the United States, the CONCACAF Gold Cup™, and InterLiga.™

SUM just launched the new MLSnet.com, which has been years in the making. Obviously, they are not ahead of the technology curve, but as Casey describes, perhaps it is because they have never needed to be.

Soccer fans are extremely loyal and craved a centralized location to read about the sport. They flocked to the new website where they can read about international matches, local MLS games, and their favorite players from all over the world.

“We needed to take control of the space. A fan would have to go to so many different leagues, teams, and national sport sites to access information about soccer,” said Casey. SUM then supported their investment by hiring some of the biggest soccer journalists, affectionately called “soccer heads,” to tell the sport’s stories. Genius.

By building one platform for all of soccer and capitalizing on its protagonists, its epic battles, and its gossip, SUM has pulled together a social network so powerful that other brands invest marketing dollars to gain access to the soccer fans that SUM has unified. When a multi-million dollar business model also includes a way to monetize your marketing and PR tactics, it’s clear your fans are worth more than $138 each.

The key takeaway: Soccer, and the rest of the sports industry, is in the business of telling stories. Strong, passionate, exciting, tales of victory, tragedy, and legends in the making. Shakespeare only wishes he had it this easy.

And by comparison, fan pages on Facebook are flat. Most connections are superficial—purely discount driven, and without true loyalty. Where are the stories? The passion? Brands forget that they are selling more than products, and they lose depth in the relationships when they set the expectation that being a fan means getting a price reduction. I’m not arguing that this method isn’t a great way to build numbers, but I am arguing that it is a fragile way to build loyalty.

In my opinion, here are a few brands that have succeeded:

Starbucks: Starbucks offers promotions, but more importantly, the page also connects to those fans that are socially and environmentally aware— a strong attribute of Facebook users within that 18-24 demographic segment. Maybe this is why a Syncapse report revealed that Starbucks fans are likely to spend $238.22, more than triple the $71.84 average. In addition, their photo albums tell vivid, engaging stories about the company, the products, and the leadership (Check out Howard Schultz’ trip to Rwanda).

Southwest Airlines: As over-the-top as the flight attendants can be, it is refreshing to witness personality in the airline industry. The persona is also displayed full force on the Southwest Airlines Facebook page, and fans eat this up (a relatively safe assumption given the number of times fans ask, “How do I work for Southwest?”). Another thing I like about the page is how they speak to checked bags like they are passengers, personifying a service they offer. I value my personal belongings on a trip, and everything on this page reminds me that Southwest Airlines does also.

Nike Football (Soccer): Admittedly chosen due to its soccer content, this site still exemplifies the art of storytelling. The videos instigate a real emotional connection, and the calls to action are extremely powerful. The Nike Red campaign is building the same momentum as the LiveStrong campaign did $47 million dollars ago. This page screams “Join the team, unite as a fan of the sport, rally behind the cause, and be loyal to the Nike brand.”

Soccer United Marketing has united fans in a way brands can emulate. If you are looking to build loyalty, why focus solely on the collection of fickle bargain hunters? Present your product information by telling the details about the hard work and research during development, or build stories around employees and spokespersons similar to fiery sports features on players and teams. Most importantly, let your fans know that you have a heart; you are human; and you are the hero, not the villain. Like.

Why Do We Work?

Wednesday, June 16, 2010 by Laura Long

On my commute home I was listening to NPR, admittedly partially listening while daydreaming rather than getting educated, but a question caught my attention. “Why do we work?” The discussion was largely around motivation and what drives the creativity of a workplace towards new ideas. In my goal to participate in our company blog for the first time, I have been putting the pressure on myself to finalize my subject. What do I have to say? Great advice was given today: Speak to what gives me passion. The question from the radio reminded me.

So, why do we work? I mean, it can be hard! In the agency world it can also be unpredictable. A moving target if you will. We notoriously work hard and play hard. Each of us is driven by different motivators to get us up and at ‘em. Regardless of role we play in the cast of characters, there are times when we ask ourselves why. We wouldn’t be human if we didn’t. The reasons vary: money, recognition, people, opportunities, etc. As I pondered this myself, I realized it boiled down to one word.

My Word: Pride

For me, throughout my career I have served clients regardless of the job. Starting in retail, consulting and agencies, each position was in support of understanding my customers and serving their needs. It has only been with distance from that first job that I’ve been able to see the motif of this thread throughout my career.

This may sound lofty or something from some feel good management manual but it is exactly what drives me. “Why do I work?” It is because when I feel proud - I feel intensely motivated.

Recently I was reminded of how powerful this feeling can drive your motivation. Watching the accomplishment of my colleagues as they were recognized for a successful project for a client was, of course, nice. It was more than that. Seeing behind the eyes of my colleagues, to their pride, and – yep, here it comes – the look in our clients’ eyes. When we work so hard to provide smart and creative solutions to our clients, when we achieve their goals, when everyone looks at them and says “Wow, they are the rock stars we want them to be.” I’m proud.

How can we achieve this lofty feeling? Listen. Listen to what our clients need. And it isn’t just their business goals. As with each employee’s motivation, our client’s need different things to achieve success. Our skills in client services begin with any relationship tool. Listen first. Then ask questions. The more we know, the more we can deliver – in the partnership and in the growth of the account relationship.

There is another side to my story and one that is equally important to me. The pride I feel with my team in their accomplishments. It is genuine and I learned it from the leader’s I want to emulate. Working with employees and colleagues to support them to achieve their success brings my sense of motivation to great heights. I feel proud. It is why I work - I want to make things better. I want to feel like I’m contributing in a positive way to the work lives of my team members and my clients. Life can be challenging; Work can be challenging. Having a reason to work through those difficult times is related to how we feel about the possible outcomes. My possible outcome feeds my motivation to work. I’m not perfect…but…

I’m proud.

Best Practices for Facebook Pages

Wednesday, June 2, 2010 by Ashley Reed

Major brands are increasingly turning to Facebook to reach consumers and engage them deeper. In order to get the most out of your Facebook presence, be sure to formulate a strategy. What do you hope to get out of your Facebook Page?

Facebook Pages can be used for:

Building brand awareness
Increasing consumer engagement with your brand
Generating leads
Qualifying fans and converting them to customers
Improving customer service
Establishing your company as a thought leader

Once you’ve defined your goals, keep in mind these Do’s and Don’ts for engagement:

Do:

“Listen” to what your fans are talking about on your page – do they have praise or complaints?Identify what interests them and customize your messages accordingly.
Post compelling content like pictures and videos that keep them coming back for more.
Share exclusive content that they can’t get anywhere else.
Utilize Facebook applications like surveys, quizzes and games that foster an interactive experience.
Use Facebook’s analytics tool to determine what tactics are working, and which one’s aren’t.
Promote your Fan Page everywhere: print, online and TV advertisements, email signatures, business cards and targeted Facebook ads

Don’t:

Automate your content – Facebook is about conversation!
Sound impersonal - use a casual and informal tone.
Sound like a press release.
Spam your fans – maintain a balance of promotional and conversational posts.
Neglect your Fan Page – make sure you are monitoring it on a daily basis to respond to fans and post new content

Have more tips to add? Leave a comment below!

Trendwatch: The Social Graph

Tuesday, May 18, 2010 by Jeremy Porter

What’s the biggest buzzword around social networking right now? If you guessed location-based services, it would be hard to argue with you. If we ask you again in six months, chances are good you’ll answer the social graph.

The social graph questions keep coming up in client and prospect meetings. What is the social graph? What do we need to know about the social graph? How can we use the social graph to deepen relationships with customers? So on and so forth...

While I can’t answer every question you have about the social graph, I can help to start framing the conversation for executives struggling to gain a deeper understanding of the impact social graphs will have on their business.

For starters, the social graph is just a fancy way of describing relationships or connections with people, places and things. It’s a map of your social connections and preferences – a visual data model if you will, with hubs and nodes. For you, your social graph could be the Connections you have on LinkedIn, the places you’ve checked in on FourSquare, or the brands you’ve ‘liked’ on Facebook.

For illustrative purposes, there a few dozen lacrosse fans who are my Friends on Facebook. How many of them are from upstate New York? Syracuse fans? Of those, how many also listened to a lot of grunge in college, now live in Atlanta and work in marketing for an integrated interactive agency?

Granted, there’s probably not another one of me – at least not that specific, but you can see the potential. You’ve never been able to slice and dice data with this level of precision before. It’s this unprecedented level of targeting that gets innovative marketers excited, while privacy advocates reach for their pitchforks and torches.

Of course, my example above only illustrates relationships between connections and doesn’t get into activity, preference or myriad other social graphs that can be linked to one another. For example, who likes the same things or has been the same places as me? Who’s reading this article at the same time you are? These are questions you will be able to answer as social graphs get more sophisticated.

Where Did The Social Graph Come From?

Social graph has been popularized by Facebook, the world’s largest social network and the company most likely to serve as the epicenter for social graphs. While Facebook has plans to be the only social graph, recent announcements like its “Open Graph” suggest the company is happy remaining the epicenter of all social activity online. Plus, it’s unrealistic that Facebook could sustain a monopoly over the social graph – we all want to use other stuff.

With offerings like “Open Graph”, any electronic asset online can be linked to an individual’s social graph. In the months to come, look for this to include every place you go, everything you do, and everything you buy.

While Facebook has a lot of influence, there are no rules to the social graph. Any piece of social data can be woven into your graph to provide a more accurate picture of the interdependencies between your relationships and preferences. Privacy concerns aside (a future post perhaps), this stuff is truly amazing.

In the first wave of the Web, we were excited to discover new websites via links to other sites or search results. Early social networks encouraged us to link to one another, which dramatically accelerated our discovery of mutual relationships and made networking (the human kind) much faster – and in many ways enjoyable. Now everything is getting out there.

What’s All This Mean for Business?

For starters, you’ll start to have a crystal clear view into who your potential and current customers are. In the short-term, this will provide you with tremendous targeting advantages over your competition. For the 1st time ever, you’ll be able to customize incentives for all the 32 year old homemaker motor cross fans that have purchased a tofu burger from you in the past year.

Keep in mind, the more accurate you can target customers, the more accurate customers can target you. It is yet to be determined how consumers will react to the knowledge that they are your best customer. How much longer will it be before Foursquare mayors start demanding more incentives for the role they play in your viral marketing? What happens when Blippy users start demanding special incentives for all the purchases they’ve made?
These are good problems to have. Smarter brands and smarter consumers always forces us to innovate and push the needle farther. And who doesn’t love a good challenge?

Bottom line? The social graph takes a lot of the fun out of the guessing game of life – learning about people and things over time. Only time will tell whether or not instant gratification is a good thing or not. As marketers, it’s hard not to get excited about the potential to target with the greatest accuracy, reliability and ease ever. Bring it on.

At the same time, let’s tread forward lightly. We don’t want to create such huge concerns over privacy that regulation and oversight come in to drain the life out of the creative process.

What do you think? Are social graphs a good thing or a bad thing? Do you want people to know what kind of ice cream you like or what kind of car you drive? How much sharing is too much?

Barnard is Still Right

Friday, May 14, 2010 by Chris Wojda

The adage “A picture is worth a thousand words” is widely attributed to Frederick R. Barnard, who published a piece extolling the effectiveness of graphic images in advertising titled "One look is worth a thousand words", in Printer's Ink, December 1921. And while certain devices are rendering printed publications somewhat obsolete, the immediacy and therefore power of a quality still image will never be deemed old-fashioned.

Speaking of such devices, in this brilliant iPad demonstration, a friend cheers on her teammate who is competing in a national level dog agility competition while her brother receives his Master’s Degree.

How to Leverage Online Video on Your Site

Monday, May 3, 2010 by Stephen Boyd

Over the past two years, and more specifically the last six months, more and more companies are understanding the need to have online video on their website. A good website should be a place where a person can come and get good solid information on a company, product, or service. A great website will tell an engaging story around the brand that will pull the customer in and make him or her want to get more information. Great video content can take your site to the next level.

But what makes great video content?

What is good video? Just like anything else subjective, that depends on the viewer. However, with the constant arrival of high quality production/camera equipment for both professionals and consumers, creating a good quality production video is not nearly as difficult as it used to be. From homemade videos and basic talking head videos to more professional e-commerce pieces and live action mixed with animation, online video has a wide array of uses. Now, more than ever, producers and users of online video really need to focus more on the message itself and make sure that is engaging.

Here are some examples of great video content I've seen used - hopefully this will spawn some ideas for how you can leverage online video on your website:

President Obama - Even using cameras installed on computers will work for the right message, as Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign showed. David Plouffe used a series of videos made in his office to keep Obama’s fans informed of what was going on in the campaign. While being just a very basic, low production video, Plouffe used PPT slides to emphasize certain points and utilized the fact that the information itself was interesting to viewers to make a more engaging video.

TED – A great website with an incredible array of videos of speakers on a variety of subjects, this is a fantastic example of the most basic video production can still be engaging and entertaining as long as the subject matter is worthwhile. Nothing more than a camera following a speaker around on stage (granted, some of the speakers are among the brightest people on Earth).

E-commerce – plenty of companies are trying to use video as part of their e-commerce strategy to get users to buy their products. Zappos has been leading the charge, creating not only their own youtube video but also asking consumers to create their own videos showing their experience with their shoes. Lots of great press and interest in this campaign has made for a very successful period for the company. Diesel has a great video on their site of video utilizing tagging and e-commerce within the video. For companies who feel they can engage customers with their products while being worn/used by others, this is another great example.

Viral videos – Everyone wants to have the next viral video ant there are some great examples of thses – from the homemade laughing baby video that has been viewed 115MM times, to the now famous music video for OK Go on treadmills, there are plenty of ways for companies to engage with consumers.

Many of the top brands have their own YouTube pages to let consumers immerse themselves in the brand experience. As we all know, YouTube is now the second most used search engine in the world behind Google – so use it. Create your own channel – post videos, link them to your Facebook page and tweet about them. See what happens.

Another great way to engage in viral is of course comedy. One of my favorite sites for this is Return of Terry Tate - Terry is a former NFL player who both creates his own viral videos (professionally done) and is also often used as a spokesperson in viral videos for brands. Check out his website - and if you have budget and want to do something hilarious, think about him. I have seen examples of both external and internal company videos featuring Terry.

So, companies hoping to use online video no longer have to worry about huge production budgets for these videos. Of course, the better the video looks, the more likely it is to be shared. But, as I mentioned before, if you can create a great story to tell, you don’t have to spend a million dollars to tell it.

Here are some other great online video sites that you may or may not have heard of:

Funny Or Die - www.funnyordie.com
DailyMotion - www.dailymotion.com
MyDamnChannel - www.mydamnchannel.com
NextNewNetworks - www.nextnewnetworks.com
Heavy - www.heavy.com

These are some of my favorites. Please feel free to share some of your favorite sites with me as well - I'd love to check them out.

Community = (Me + My Friends) x (You + Your Friends) x (Your Friends and Their Friends)

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 by Andy McCann

"We were born to unite with our fellow men, and to join in community with the human race." -- Cicero

A friend recently asked me what all the sensation was around Foursquare and Gowalla. These location based services (LBS) now gaining serious traction in the social media space. This same friend had asked me the same question a little over two years ago when I started actively participating and raving about Twitter and Facebook.

The first time I was asked this question, I initially struggled to answer it in a way that would easily explain the excitement and draw of using an online service to tell other people what I was doing, where I was eating, or why I think that (so and so's latest article) was so interesting.

However, this time the answer came to me rather quickly. "It's all about our interaction with our communities. Mine and yours and how they overlap!" When I see a friend write that the Thai place down the street has some kickin' sushi, I give that more credence than the billboard I see driving to the office. When I see one of your friends talk passionately about their son's kung fu instructor, I take that as a more qualified reference than a yellow pages ad.

So what are we really seeking when we post our latest thoughts on Facebook and Twitter? Or when we check out where our friends are checking in on Foursquare or Gowalla? Are we just vain and think that what we are doing is SO important? Or are we just seeking a way to connect in an ever busy, ever moving, ever expanding world?

We have friends and family and colleagues and people we just admire with whom we go days, weeks or even years without actually laying eyes on each other. Or even more rare, actually sitting down and catching up on what has been going on in our lives, our careers, our family, friends, churches, baseball leagues … our communities.

Thanks to these online tools, I get to keep up with a larger number of people than ever possible before. And I learn more about their communities and the people and places in them. This in turn, expands my own known universe. It makes me bigger than I could be on my own. My boundaries are constantly expanded, and in a way that is relevant and meaningful to me and my friends (and your friends and their friends). Growth is good, is it not?

I live and work in Atlanta. I like to enjoy the occasional tasty local brew, listen to great live music and I also just so happen to really get geeky about the latest and greatest innovations in the .NET developer community. Wonder how many different ways those communities intersect and how they are related? Wouldn't be a cool thing if I could go somewhere and see my friends in these different circles talk about these things that are interesting to me and that we have in common. What if I can be the catalyst to help bring these different communities together in new and interesting ways?

One of the most interesting ways that new media tools have affected me and my community are when my online and offline worlds converge. Last November, I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to host and moderate a panel for the TAG Consulting Society on "Marketing Your Practice to Build Loyalty and Brand Awareness". I was able to engage 2 panel members through my offline community and reached out to my online community to find the remaining two panel members.

Thanks to my network of friends, I was introduced to two extremely smart and engaging panelists who helped round out a wonderful panel. (Thanks again to @lisa_sherman77 and @johnreed3000). Another example of where my friends reach out to their friends who then become my friends who then can become your friends too.

I would like to extend this opportunity for us to become part of each other's community. Follow me on Twitter @andrewmccann or on Facebook or on LinkedIn. From there you can find me on Foursquare and Gowalla and whatever the next big thing is that allows me to connect with my friends and your friends and my friends with your friends.

We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men.
-- Herman Melville

Top 10 List of Top 10 Lists

Tuesday, April 20, 2010 by Paul Iannacchino

Who doesn't love a good Top Ten list? The answer is nobody! Why else would Letterman still be doing it after all these years? I decided it was due time I compiled my own. So, here is my Top Ten List of Top Ten Lists:

#10 - Letterman’s Top 10 - the mother of all top 10 lists

#9 - Top 10 Cat Videos - woo hoo (ironically, I'm allergic... but not to video)

#8 - Top 10 Best Tracking Shots Ever - a personal favorite

#7 - Top 10 Inventions That Changed the World - did the bread slicer make the list?

#6 - Top 10 Sports Cliches -

#5 - Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs - yeah, thanks for narrowing it down guys. It does have a Top 10 though.

#4 - Top 10 Burgers in the U.S. - according to Playboy (the obvious source)

#3 - Top 10-est Rap Albums of All Time - according to Steady Bloggin'

#2 - Top 10 Video Share Websites - from Top Ten Reviews

And... drum roll please... my #1 pick for best Top 10 lists is...

#1 - Wayne's World - the duo revised the famous bit a couple of years ago.

My point is not the Top Ten lists, but rather, that these lists (and in some cases the corresponding content) have been around for as long as we can remember. Essentially it’s like a radio DJ of old, someone making choices for you and putting the selected material into neat little buckets to presumably be more easily consumed.

For brands the time has come that we start talking about making a clear distinction when it comes to web video (and content), and all brand messaging online for that matter - the distinction between content vs. intent.

Cats doing wacky stuff is merely content for content sake, there’s no intent to make it spread or sell anything. It’s just…cats? However, what if you do in fact to want to speak to the cat people. What then? How do you ‘meow’ to the feline masses? You want to connect with, collect and ultimately sell to the cat people.

Now we have intent.

This is crucial as the era of services like Peter Gabriel’s TheFilter.com reach the marketplace and begin to filter content for us. Forget search. Imagine all the portals claiming to be the source for the most effective filtering, aggregating only the content that’s right for you.

The media landscape is already fragmented to such a degree it’s difficult for anyone, even the most literate and tech savvy, to follow. Which means now it’s even more important that brands are intentional when creating content to reach their preferred consumer.

Can you just throw a banner ad on some zany video of Al Bundy dancing to the latest Major Lazer jam? Sure, that still works…Google’s banking on it. But you’re not speaking directly to anyone.

Instead, go find people. Your people. Seek them out where they are, and speak to them in their language so you connect in a way that’s engaging, authentic, and real. Intent.

Now take that idea and run with it. That’s what the Internet is for.

(Image Credit: Number 10 by yoppy)

What Do Marketers Really Want?

Monday, April 19, 2010 by Michael Kogon

What do you want? Those of you that are CMOs, Brand Managers, VPs of Advertising or Marketing, what do you really want?

Whenever and wherever this question is asked, the answer is always the same: Results! You want results and you want them now (it’s the same thing you wanted yesterday, and the same thing you’ll want tomorrow).

If you are in the agency business, you should never lose sight of this basic marketing need. If you are in-house and spend your money on advertising and marketing, I hope this helps you think about how to find people who can improve those results faster.

This topic has been on my mind since I got together with a group of marketing professionals earlier this month. We started off talking about how to produce ROI reports for their CFOs and finance counter parts. Ultimately, what everyone really wants to see is results.

How you define results and what value they deliver for your business may vary, but here are some sample measurements based on our discussion:

•   Brand health metrics
•   Units Sold
•   Leads Generated
•   Awareness and Recall levels
•   ROAS
•   E-mail marketing conversion
•   Increased Foot Traffic

How can agencies produce results more consistently when results are so varied by each client? Here are six suggestions for ways I think agencies can be prepared to provide a variety of results for a variety of clients and also for the same customer who has evolving needs over a long period of time.

1.   Understand your client's business. If you are not as much a management consultant as an ad person, then I think you will fail in the future. Today's marketing and advertising challenges, impact customer service, public relations, product develop & procurement as well as IT, finance and channel relations. Now, they always have, but now that the world is digitized and visibility is possible; the demand to work on more than just demand is higher.

2.   Understand customer behavior. One of the things I think Agency can do better than most client-side marketers is getting to know the end customer and the customers along the way. We can and should provide outsider insight into the purchase drivers that lead consumers or businesses to buy from clients. By being involved in the insight business, we can help our customers produce the results they need.

3.   Be more social. So much has been said about this over the last 18 months, so I'll share why I think agencies need to become more social. We are in the business of communications and in connecting companies and customers. The landscape has evolved where the cost of distributing messages is virtually zero and the demand for connection is 100%. When demand is this high and the cost is so low, there is an unlimited amount of success you can have for you and your customers if you tap into this skill set.

4.   Learn math and how to analyze data. I became a Speech Communications major because it had no math requirement. I bet a lot of people who are in our field did the same thing, I know it. Math has never been a problem for me, I just didn't care to do any more formulas or equations. Then I got into advertising, and as I did Nielsen store data, GRPs, category management, research, coupon redemption and media plans, it became clear that math was going to be a big part of my life. When I started our Integrated Interactive Agency in the 90s it become clear that math, engineering and analysis would be at the center of much of what we would do to help clients. A strong analytics capability and good math people, programmers, engineers and analysts are essential if you are serious about producing results and proving those results.

5.   Learn how to produce. Content, code, sounds, event. From branding to social, to broadcast to micro-cast. From visual to technical, and in-home to the 6th screen. A good partner doesn't outsource the doing to sub-contractors, it is no longer acceptable to do the boards, the concept, the design, the plan and then hand it off. In these days and times, buyers expect ongoing interactions and learned messaging overtime. The mediums must be an integrated seamless experience or you will lose sales and revenue for your clients. That is not the result they want.

6.   Ask your clients what they need to thrive. So I end with this, what do you need to thrive in your current marketing and advertising role? We are listening……….

Measuring Social Media ROI (Yes, It's Possible)

Monday, April 19, 2010 by Ashley Reed

The following is an abbreviated step-by-step guide to measuring social media ROI.

Step 1: Define Goals & Success Metrics
The first step of ROI measurement is defining your goals. What do you hope to accomplish by being active in the social space? One problem is that brands launch social campaigns without clearly identifying or understanding their goals, which makes measuring success difficult (if not impossible).

Here are a few examples of social media goals:
•   Expand brand or product awareness
•   Increase engagement with brand
•   Generate qualified leads
•   Drive sales
•   Build community
•   Create brand advocates
•   Qualify fans and convert them to customers
•   Improve customer satisfaction
•   Establish company as a thought leader
•   Attract talent

Once goals have been defined, the next step is determining the appropriate success metrics that align with these goals. For example, if a goal is to increase brand awareness, metrics might include the volume of online discussion or “buzz” about your brand, the level of audience engagement (re-tweets, comments, posts, video views), the number of fans, followers, etc. and the number of user impressions.

The following are examples of social media success metrics:
•   Volume of online “buzz” about a brand
•   Volume of positive sentiment
•   Number of fans, followers, readers (or number of high-quality/targeted fans)
•   Engagement (number of video views, duration of views, time spent on the company blog site, time spent playing a company’s branded game application, etc.)
•   Volume of user comments posted to company blog, profile or posted content
•   Retweet or peer-sharing statistics for related content and posts
•   Comment or retweet resonation (number of user comments multiplied by
   how many followers or friends each user has)
•   Media coverage
•   Media impressions (mentions on blogs or other media multiplied by the size
   of the audience)
•   Quantity of new or qualified sales leads (referred from social sites)
•   Website Referral Traffic (from social sites)
•   Advertising click-through rates
•   Volume of customer service issues handled

Step 2: Establish a Baseline
In order to effectively measure success, make sure to first establish a baseline by determining your current position within the social landscape. For instance, if your goal is to increase awareness and you will be tracking the amount of “buzz” or mentions about your brand, you must first know what the current levels are before taking actions to reach that goal. Without establishing this baseline, it’s difficult to accurately show ROI.

There are a variety of analytics tools available to help with social media measurement. I won’t go into too much detail here (there are dozens of options), but a few of these include Google Analytics, Social Mention, Viral Heat, Scout Labs, Radian6, and Listen Logic. These tools can be used to gather key social media metrics and help you identify strengths and weaknesses of your social presence.

Step 3: Measure and Track Success
After you launch your social media program, begin the measurement process to track success. Gather the success metrics from your analytics tools and start to see how (or if) they correlate to higher sales, increased customer satisfaction, website traffic, store traffic, etc. Try to identify trends where possible. Does positive consumer sentiment or an increase in chatter about your brand lead to higher website/store traffic, leads or sales? Recognizing these trends and identifying their point of origin is key in measuring social media ROI.

(Image Credit: "Basics of Social Media ROI," by Oliver Blanchard)

Location Based Services Are Here to Stay

Friday, April 16, 2010 by Gil Wolchock

While the race for ‘ownership’ of the LBS market (Location Based Services) rages on, and naysayers’ debate its viability, I am sold on the concept.

If you are not familiar, LBS are the latest craze in the ever growing social media marketing landscape. The general principle is that an end user uses their smart phone and its GPS abilities to ‘check in’ to their current location.

Like its social media older cousins Facebook and Twitter, there are many out there that think this is just a passing phenomena - a game if you will. Like Facebook and its now 400 million plus users, and Twitter and it’s large following I believe in the LBS strategy. Out of the pack has emerged two ‘major’ players in the field, FourSquare and Gowalla. Google, Facebook, Yahoo! and even Apple are also looking at entering the playing field but I believe they will have to make an acquisition to truly play.

Along with the hype of these types of services there is also a lot of criticism. Since I am a ‘fan’ and a user I might be a bit jaded but I think I can at least address the critics; here are the gripes I have heard, some legit, some just silly:

1. If you tell everyone where you are then you are leaving your house open to be robbed. I originally thought that this was a ‘non-issue’ I have to admit but after a conversation with people smarter than I over drinks I have amended my opinion. This is one that you DO have to pay attention to. Use common sense, if you are ‘checking in’ on vacation, turn off the setting that posts to Facebook and Twitter, so ONLY your friends on that LBS Tool of your choice get it. Second, and this goes whether you use and LBS or not, CHECK YOUR PRIVACY SETTINGS IN FACEBOOK! Facebook has gone through a number of changes and many people have forgotten to go into their settings and make sure they have the level of privacy that they want. For me, I only want FRIENDS seeing information; others may have different standards and that’s cool, just make sure you are comfortable with yours. As for Twitter, you can ‘protect your tweets’ as well so only your followers can see them.

2. You can get stalked by a crazy ex and have to deal with all that. True, but is that really a concern? If it was, you wouldn’t be on FB, Twitter or LinkedIn. Can it be a problem? Sure. However, you don’t have to tell EVERYONE where you are. Your standard LBS lets you self select who the information goes to. Side note – crazy ex probably knows all your haunts and when you like to be there anyway…

3. Why would you want to be doing free marketing/advertising for a place or a brand? Are we seriously talking about this one in 2010? Look down at your feet people (go ahead, I’ll wait) --- is that a ‘swoosh’? Did NIKE pay you to wear their shoes or did you drop $100+? How about that laptop I carry around? You know the really sleek, chrome looking thing with the fruit in the middle very well lit? Let’s face it people, WE have become walking billboards! Take the silly Ed Hardy T-shirts (yes, I am just over 40 and don’t get it). You have people clamoring to be seen in an Ed Hardy, and what is besides some crazy print with the biggest part of it being his SIGNATURE!!! I’ll talk more about personal brands in another blog.So there are some of the negatives, which may be legitimate, but aren’t exactly deal breakers.

What are the positives you might ask?

1. It’s fun and it’s social. One of my favorite shows as a kid was CHEERS, the bar where everyone knows your name. Basically, with a tool like FourSquare you can become your own walking CHEERS. Check in at a friendly place and the bartender says, “Welcome, how about a beer Mr. Peterson”, OR how about you get to a place that is running an amazing special, you could take the time and call or your friends, or break your fingers and text them OR check in with an LBS, type in a comment, it automatically gets to everyone through whatever social tools you are using and who knows what can happen when everyone shows up. Simply put, in its most elemental form, it’s a way to extend the party.

2. As I have heard from Social Media Guru, Gary Vaynerchuck, “why would someone check in at a bar?” Give’em a free beer and watch them check in all day! What a cool way to earn stuff and allow a small business truly establish a win-win customer loyalty program. At one of the Whole Foods in Austin, TX you get a very valuable coupon on your 5th visit. What does this do? It drives loyalty, rewards it, makes it fun and even mysterious…what will I get on my 10th check in, etc…Not enough small businesses are using these tools to see a huge uptick here but I believe by this time next year it will be off the charts.

3. That last part of #2 is part of the biggest positive from a business application and it’s the direct corollary to the third criticism. I’m not sure when MARKETING became a four letter word but when it comes to LBS that is seems to be the #1 complaint and it goes something like this, “that stuff is just one big marketing ploy to get you to go somewhere or buy something”. My response is somewhere along the famous Socrates reply of “duh!” Isn’t that the whole reason for newspapers, magazines, TV shows, etc…sure they have their entertainment and news value BUT no one is shocked to know that advertisers are paying to place their content in front of your eyeballs to get you to buy stuff! Not sure why the uproar when it comes to LBS, it seems to me like a natural fit.

4. Last but not least and this is by far where I see the big win for LBS and that is creating partnerships to pull off some really cool stuff. I was discussing the value of FourSquare with an Executive at one of the major record labels. She is responsible for new acts and we were discussing the value of LBS for her and she said; give me one way it works in my world. So I said, do you have an all girl band you want to promote? The answer was yes. How about an in store ‘tour’ across America teamed with an outlet like Express? You have all the traditional ways to support it but now add an LBS layer for very little cost. It is also a completed integrated approach across all the social media tools; from Facebook, to Twitter, blogs, Flickr and a full activation using LBS. Her eyes lit up and she said, write it up and let’s take a look at it. That’s just the tip of the iceberg.So, mock it if you want. Five years ago you never thought you’d be on Facebook.

If you can remember back to 1991, if someone asked if you wanted to be accessible 24/7 via the phone, some new thing called email and a feature called text that in our old lexicon meant a book at school you would have said, “no freaking way”…and how many of you don’t have a cell phone today?

How Does Social Change Your SEO Strategy?

Tuesday, April 13, 2010 by Sherman Distin

Off-the-rack SEO plans from four years ago are still turning up in proposals. You can spot one by seeing how they rely heavily on keyword optimization and site-to-site link building.

While these aren’t tactics that should be thrown away, they pay no attention to the fact that the Web has turned social. SEO is no longer about telling the search algorithms what to think of your site. The search engines are more interested in what everyone else thinks about your site.

Forming strategic link partnerships and making sure you’ve used all the right keywords does one thing – it tells the search engines that you know what you want to be ranked well for. This is an important step but nowadays good SEO doesn’t stop there.

The goal should be to build organic traffic not just SEO traffic. You should be leveraging social media tactics to get more people sharing links to your site. Make sure your site itself is Web 2.0-friendly so you get a viral effect from the increase in traffic.

The more recommendations and mentions your site has online the higher the probability of your site being ranked well for your target keywords. Essentially, if more people are discussing your company as the best place to find product XYZ, then the search engines will rank your company higher for product XYZ. Encouraging and facilitating discussion around your products or services can be as simple as offering the functionality on your site to do so.

Capturing User Reviews on your site creates more content to attract Search Engines but also creates copy that other users may want to share. Let's say one of your customers shares a story of how your product solved their problem or was a best fit for their need in a user review captured on your site.

Other shoppers may want to send this review to other shoppers who have similar needs or problems. The more convenient you make the action of sharing the user review, the more likely it will be shared. This functionality can be done through an AddThis button, a FaceBook Share button or a ReTweet button.

With all of this sharing going on through social buttons or good 'ol fashioned cut & paste, you could run into a problem with people sharing different versions of the same link. This is especially likely when you are using Session IDs or when people are sharing links to search results from your site's search box. The URLs can point back to the same content but how each user arrived at that content could change how the URL looks. How is a Search Engine to know which version of the URL to index and rank? Here come canonical links to the rescue.

Canonical links are not brand new yet they are very under used. Canonical links are inserted as <link> tags in your header tag within your HTML. This is a relatively simple operation when compared to creating 302 redirects and modifying your .htaccess files. If that last sentence gave you a nose bleed then canonical links are definitely a better option for you when it comes to dealing with multiple links pointing to the same content.

Making sure your site is social friendly as well as SEO friendly can multiply your traffic greatly. Socially-friendly sites are a great leap forward but don't forget the basics! Content is still king.

Reports of the Death of Second Life are Greatly Exaggerated

Monday, April 5, 2010 by Paul Hernacki

I recently overheard several discussions and have seen a number of social media posts mocking virtual MMO world Second Life. Many declare it and its ilk dead. People are openly cynical towards it. Laughing at it seems like the hip and trendy thing to do unless you want to appear to be an idiot. And you're not an idiot, are you?

When Second Life first came onto the scene it was the shiny new toy with all the typical hype. You couldn't swing a dead virtual cat without hitting a marketer or interactive technologist that wanted to talk about Second Life. People ran to it like moths to a flame and then they got burned. I once heard Second Life brilliantly described as marketing's Vietnam. No one wants to talk about it or how bad things got screwed up there.

People spent tons of effort on research around it, heralded it as the next big thing, many even asked their employees to start playing it in a rush to become subject matter experts on it and figure out how to pitch their clients on creating branded virtual islands and experiences in this brave new 3D immersive world. And truly, the potential was staggering, nobody was wrong about that. But the results weren't what everyone had hoped for. Far from it. The technology and interface still had a steep learning curve for many users, there were numerous barriers to entry that made it unwieldy for many potential customers, the experience was still a stretch for the vast majority of mainstream users who were just beginning to figure out FaceBook, and the ROI for the required effort simply wasn't there beyond some immediate PR value. But more than anything, there was a conundrum around the openness and lack of control over the experience, namely that Second Life was (and still is to a large degree) rife with adult content, porn, virtual sex and many other things that most brands simply didn't want to be associated with or risk exposing their customers to as those customers struggled to navigate their way to BrandXYZ Island. So people left in droves, most corporations that had tested the waters began their mass exodus. Those that jumped on the bandwagon (who still had their jobs) shook their heads in embarrassment and apology vowing never to make that mistake again.

But here's the thing. They weren't wrong about the potential. People were simply overly zealous, reckless, and so anxious to be ahead of the curve to appear innovative and be early adopters that they just made bad decisions on timing and failed to do their homework. They invested far too much effort into something that was still far from being ready for prime time and the mainstream. They wanted to be bleeding edge and guess what? There was blood. And now people either talk about it hushed tones or openly deride it.

But did you forget the part where I said that it's full of porn, sex and adult content? That industry and genre of society is so all over it and advanced in its use of it that it's crazy. That's right. The same industry and users that were the first to embrace newsgroups, web sites, e-commerce, paid-subscriptions for content, cross-channel branding, and on-line video. And they are always months to years ahead of the mainstream adoption and monetization. They happen to have a user base that will go to great lengths to extend their experience and be willing to deal with early shortcomings of the technology. It's a multi-billion dollar industry that time after time leads the way.

Meanwhile, another massive industry, Gaming and Entertainment, has continued to embrace the technology. MMORPG's like World of Warcraft and many others plus the continually enhanced experiences offered via services like Xbox Live leverage incredibly rich and immersive interactive 3D gaming and social experiences. Project Natal from Microsoft even looks to change the game further by enabling more physical interaction without the need for a handheld controller to interface with games and virtual environments.

The technology continues to advance. The processing speeds to accommodate these environments continue to increase. The typical memory of average computers continues to increase. Broadband keeps getting broader and the average technical proclivity of users keeps getting higher.

Second Life continues to evolve with a large number of improvements for user experience and better content ratings to segment world areas that are more "adult-focused" from those that are not (a move which has even been protested by some of the Adult-Content focused current users of the platform). By some reports the amount of Adult content is even growing in lesser proportion to more mainstream content. And their parent company Linden Labs has been hard at work developing the Second Life Grid that enables companies and organizations to have and create private worlds that are independent from the mass Second Life world. Companies like Unity are doing amazing things to enable 3D games and experiences to be easily developed and require nothing more than a browser. More powerful game engines are coming out every day. And Windows Phone 7, coming out soon, will enable Xbox Live right from a phone.

So it's not that Second Life is dead. Far from it. It didn't want to go on the cart. What's dead is the spirit and vision from some whose egos were crushed because they were burned by being reckless in pursuit of the next big, cool thing. Note to these folks for the future: if it's full of little besides porn and sex it's probably not yet right for most brands. But you're crazy to not see that means it will eventually make its way into the mainstream. It just takes time. It's probably not going to happen tomorrow. But when it does, don't call it a comeback because it'll have been here for years. If you're smart, you're still paying attention to what they and others in this space are doing. And you are smart, aren't you?

Babes and Some Basic Truths About Re-Connecting With Audiences

Friday, April 2, 2010 by Al Leach

Facebook’s Hottest TV babes, Celebrity babes on Twitter, Hot babes on LinkedIn, babes, babes, babes...

Did this get your attention? OK, so let’s progress.

I recently attended a few industry conferences on leveraging “Public Relations in the Social Media Era.” The sessions were eye-opening. With a show of hands, it seems most of the 500 attendees, who were charged with managing their brands’ PR function, didn’t understand much about how to harness the power of Social Media or how to convince their executive management to engage in it.

A prevailing theory shared with me follows: Social Media has enabled a two-way dialogue between brands and consumers. However, many brands over the last 50 years grew accustomed to telling customers via one-way conversations (advertising, promotion, news releases) that their product or service was essential to the customers’ aspirations or success. So, now there’s a disconnect.

Well, I’d like to share some of the new “truths” about re-connecting that I have heard from my recent travels. And I hope they will be of some constructive use.

Truth #1: Social Media has put the “PUBLIC” back into Public Relations.

Years ago, PR consisted of community town hall meetings, public comment forums, press conferences, and other means that enabled public feedback, deeper questioning and public input. Back then, the public had some say and means of expressing their opinions and their voice could be heard. But public dialogue was hard because you couldn’t easily reach the masses in a personalized way. So, the press release took over and gave birth to one-way dialogue and allowed brands to merely issue holding statements on issues instead of getting in front of customers and listening to what they had to say.

This is an exaggeration but you get the point. Then the Internet arrived and Social Media soon exploded. Now everyone has a say in your business affairs and consumers are in charge of your brands’ reputation and companies are in a responsive mode -- catering to the interests of their customers once again. Not a bad thing….

Truth #2: “Every day is ELECTION DAY.”

I heard this statement and it resonated with me since I once worked in politics. If brands want to effectively communicate and engage with their customers, they need to get into a campaign mindset and determine how to get “elected” every day by consumers, shareholders, employees, etc. This mindset requires the willingness to conduct a dialogue with your stakeholders.

Find that common interest or common ground you have with your customers – determine what’s the breadth of your relationships with your customers?—what emotional connection do they have with your brand or CEO? -- and then leverage it. Listen, chat about it and let the conversation grow. If you want to win (the election), you have to play. (Okay, yes, that’s a tagline from the NY State Lottery but it obviously was effective and memorable, and it underscores the point.)

Truth #3: LISTENING is more important than talking.

Who da thunk? This seems to be a revelation to us communicators who are expected to jump-start discussions and then deliver the pitch. But, lest we remember, we’re in a new era where customers have a large share of voice and they are talking back. So, it’s probably better that we listen to what they are saying first and then jump in.

Let’s test this theory (some sarcasm intended here; my dad was British so sometimes I let loose….) Testing the theory here: Imagine going to a party, walking into a roomful of strangers and telling your date: “Get out there and say something?” Not very effective -- unless you’re Jim Carrey. Rather, we’d ease up alongside a group, listen to what they are discussing and choose a tactful means of joining the conversation. PR in the Social Media era is no different. Use the “listening posts” that your Social Media experts (or ours) know all about. Use them to better understand what conversations you should be monitoring and participating in.

Truth #4: In times of CRISIS, your stakeholders consume, process and use information differently – they are more emotionally engaged.

As a result, using IMAGES in times of crisis are more effective than words (that dreaded news release again). So, getting your CEO on video to explain what’s happening, how your addressing the crisis and what to expect is key – post it to YouTube, your website, link it in email blasts, used paid search to drive traffic to your video, and, yes, add hyperlinks to your video in your news releases. Video is visual and allows you to convey trust, express empathy, to show respect for your stakeholders needs and demonstrate that you’re taking action.

So these are some of the basic truths that I have heard about from experts in Social Media, Public Relations and Stakeholder Communications. I think they make sense and seem reasonable. Nothing appears too hard to grasp here in my view. I asked some of the conference presenters why so many peers face challenges in embracing Social Media. To these questions, I was presented another truth. You cannot learn or recommend anything unless you personally first make an effort to try it yourself first and understand it. Seems reasonable.

So, about those hot TV babes on Facebook….

What Are Your Plans? Why Not Share Them?

Friday, April 2, 2010 by Jeremy Porter

Twitter wanted to know "What are you doing?", though today they just want to know "What's happening?" Then there's Foursquare and Gowalla. They just want to know where you are. Now there's a new breed of social services catching on that want you to tell people what you're going to do.

The front runner in this new social planning category is Plancast, with their tagline "You've got plans. Spread the word." Early adopters and Twitterati flocked to Plancast during SXSW Interactive (SXSWi) last month, sharing the minute details of every session and party they planned to attend. HotPotato, a similar social event sharing service also got tossed around at SXSWi, promoted through the mobile Foursquare app at the festival.

Unlike traditional calendar sharing, services like Plancast and HotPotato enable you to create and share an event with your social media friends, which at first glance seems like a brilliant way to get all your friends to rally around an event.

The big question here is how much sharing is too much? If you use Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare and a service like Plancast, you're providing an incredible amount of personal data to all kinds of people you don't know all too well.

It's easy to get caught up in the excitement of all these new social services, and none of us want to be left behind on the next big thing in social media. I'd just urge you to consider what you share across these social channels until you have a firm understanding of your privacy risks (or at least your privacy settings).

I use all these services, and I tend to be a bit of an over-sharer when it comes to the details of my personal and professional lives (they're one and the same to me). If anybody wanted to use my information for ill-will, I'm sure they could. The Please Rob Me service that popped up recently is a good signal for the potential risks here. While the service has since been deactivated, it was effective at rasing awareness around the social media privacy issue (which was also a central theme at SXSWi).

I think the benefits of these social tools far outweigh the potential privacy risks - but that might not be the case for all of you. Before you start sharing details about that month-long trip you plan on taking this summer, you might want to think twice about who is following your feed.

For now, if you plan to attend a big event, or you'd like to rally support for an event you're close to, consider using a platform like Plancast or HotPotato to get the word out.

Going Mobile

Thursday, April 1, 2010 by Tom Kirszenstein

During the Vancouver Olympics in February, I conducted an informal experiment to arbitrate which mobile Olympics experience would be superior--the mobile site at www.NBCOlympics.com, or the NBC Olympics iPhone App. Other than the mens and womens medal round hockey games, my entire olympics experience was mobile-- I kept totally up to date using only my iPhone.

As it turned out, both were excellent interactive solutions that delivered different experiences. Each had valuable, engaging content--schedules, scores, and tons of video. However, what really differentiated the App was its Social Media integration. It enabled me to follow athletes on Twitter, post my own comments and ask questions. The iPhone App also let me set my own Favorites for quick access to the things that I was most interested in. With the exponential growth of mobile devices & services, alongside the insidious expansion of LBS apps such as FourSquare and Gowalla, our world is definitely going mobile.

In 1999, I purchased my first Sprint PCS digital handset. I upgraded over the years to various other devices that include a "flip" camera phone, a "candybar" phone with no camera, and a cool texting phone (complete with full QWERTY keyboard), and then finally acquiring my current iPhone 3GS. It didn't take long to find out that there really is an App for just about everything.

Since last year, my daily routine has involved using my phone alarm to wake up, then check the weather App, and read the morning news. While at work, I use mobile Apps from Yammer!, Skype, and various Twitter clients such as Tweetdeck and Echofon. Still a big user of SMS text messaging in conjunction with Web sites and various Apps, I am alerted of changes, posts and retail offers that I don't want to miss.

Arriving in Atlanta from Tampa only six months ago, Google Maps was vital to find my way everywhere. Also found myself embracing several Augmented Reality Apps to find things in my neighborhood--where to eat, buy groceries, and even find my apartment. When at home on weekends-- my Trace Tuner is fired up while practicing my saxophone, as well as my Karajan Music Training App for learning my scales & intervals. Checking sports schedules & scores is easy with various sports Apps, I also conduct my online banking with my phone, follow stocks, use movie Apps for showtimes & trailers, and TV Guide when I watch TV. I use my reward card App for my loyalty cards, use travel Apps like Kayak and Tripit to plan & coordinate my itineraries, music Apps like Zoozbeat to create, share, & discover music, and I also play a few mobile games and check LinkedIn, Facebook and MySpace. PayPal has recently introduced its "Bump to Pay" App that makes it even easier to buy with my phone. In addition to the seemingly infinite array of mobile apps, I find myself navigating away from any Web site that is not optimized for mobile devices.

Mobile technology is responsible for sweeping changes in our economy and our culture--not only expanding what we are able to do, but also how we think and interact with others. Televisions and stereo consoles used to be pieces of furniture in our parent's living room that allowed us to trade our free time for soap commercials. We now interact with our world on many different levels, using many different devices, in many different places. Contemporary marketers are still are offering a trade, but the power has shifted, quite literally, into the hands of their potential customers.

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