Posted by Erin Ferretti Slattery on Tue, Jan 12, 2010 @ 12:31 PM
Well, here it is, practically the middle of January, and your New Year's resolutions may have already taken a beating. (Chocolate cake, anyone?) If you're searching for a way--any way--to make good on at least one set of resolutions, try making some that you have a powerful incentive to keep-resolutions for your business.
1. Make 2010 the year you and your company master the art of social media and mobile marketing. Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and iPhone apps can be powerful ways to reach your audience--as long as you have good indications that your audience exists on each. If you're not yet active in social media, don't dive in headfirst. Figure out why you want to be on each site, and what distinct strategies and goals you have for each.* Another element to consider: whether you'll have the time and resources to devote to these, long-term. Not every company and brand needs an iPhone app. Where will you get the most bang for your social-media buck?
* May we recommend: "Going Social: 12 Key Things You Must Consider When Developing a Social Media Program for Your Business, Brands, or Clients"?
2. A corollary of #1: If you're using multi-channel marketing, make sure the content is varied and compelling on each channel. Die-hard fans will follow you to the ends of the earth (or at least to both Twitter and Facebook), but no one wants to read Twitter updates that end in "#fb." Determine who your target audiences are for each site and offer them solutions that fit their needs. United Airlines, for example, interacts with customers regularly on Twitter via special offers and air-travel advice--but United doesn't seem to have figured out what it's doing on Facebook: despite having over 13,000 fans, the company has not posted anything since setting up the fan page.
3. Social media listening. So you're on Facebook and Twitter, updating, retweeting, interacting, and generally being a rock star. Congratulations. Guess what? If you plan to treat your online activity as more than an echo chamber, you're also going to need to listen to how people respond to what you're putting out there. Monitoring what people are saying (tweeting, blogging) about your company, and tracking your company's reputation online, can be critical in positioning your business and its brands. You can do this via real-time search results from Twitter (now featured alongside Google search results), or--if you need more complex feedback--via a web-based application like Scout Labs. (Previously on CVMonologues: "Have You Searched Your Brand Recently?")
4. Online video. Take a good look at whether online video could offer a significant return on your marketing investment. One advantage? It's cheap. A Flip cam and basic editing software aren't going to break your budget. (Bloggers, take note.) Hip publishing house HarperStudio issues each of its authors a Flipcam and sends them off into the frozen tundra of the writing life with the expectation that the authors will send back video epistles chronicling their progress on that 80,000-word novel. For HarperStudio, this decision was a marketing bonanza. Whether you're an author, yacht manufacturer, or power-broker CEO, giving your customers a behind-the-scenes look at the creative processes at the heart of your business can be a serious (not to mention fun) way of connecting. Sites like Viddler and Vimeo offer a good idea of what you can accomplish.
5. Switching from website front-end matters to back-end ones: vow to take a hard look at your web analytics. Dig into yours to see what works. What content encourages visitors to visit--and linger--on your site? Which sites drive the most traffic to yours? (What's that? You don't have any web analytics, you say? Get thee to Google.)
6. Make sure your website encourages interaction with visitors--and that you're set up to support that interaction. Is your site the 2010 online equivalent of your great-aunt's living room, complete with plastic-covered lampshades? Does it say, "Look, but don't touch"? (If you're interested in changing your site from a brochure-style presentation to one that generates visits, have we got a blog post for you.)
7. Trim down. (Not you, your company.) When building a brand strategy, companies often throw everything at the wall to see what sticks. While this may work if you have endless funds and infinite hours in a day, you're probably better off honing the strongest and most cost-effective aspects of your strategy.
8. Put yourself in your customer's shoes. Since nearly every company has a presence online, the only way to distinguish your brand is through its quality (and let's assume yours is top-notch) and--perhaps more importantly--the way you treat people interested in it. Put in writing your commitment to customer service, and live it. There's a reason why the first five pages of hundreds of Google results for Zappos are full of adoring prose.
9. But that's not enough--you've got to be authentic in every interaction with customers. Could the last five people who interacted with your product or service identify what your company stands for? If not, it's time to close the gap between what you say you are, and how customers perceive you.
10. Become a trusted source of recommendations. Customers expect you to recommend your own product, of course, but demonstrating your awareness of the market can also be advantageous. Maybe the question to ask is not "How can I help my customer buy my product/service?," but "How can I help my customer?"
There you have it: 10 ways your company can kick off 2010 in smart-marketing style. Put one of these on the calendar for the next 10 business days and at the end of two weeks, you'll have formulated a clear set of online strategies that will help your business strengthen its relationships with customers and clients. Let us know what worked best for you...and, hey, are you going to eat the rest of that slice of cake?
Posted by Gretel Going on Tue, Sep 01, 2009 @ 10:37 AM
Formerly titled: "How Real Experts Can Use Fake Experts' Tactics to Regain the Online Spotlight!"
Just like upscale designer handbag companies have dealt with the effects of Canal Street knock-offs on their bottom line for years, the world's experts are now finding themselves in a similar predicament: fake experts are stealing their thunder and shillin' their thought leadership at second-hand rates.
If you can't beat ‘em, join ‘em.
Because the true thought leaders out there rely on their expertise to generate leads and new business opportunities, they've traditionally been more resistant to giving away their expertise for free. And as a result, opportunistic fake experts are way ahead of the game. So, assuming you're a real expert who has finally realized that you've got some catchin' up to do, it's time to play ball with the legions of fake experts crowding your space.
The bad news is that the fake experts have done a really great job cornering the market with some pretty unsophisticated tactics. The good news, however, is that since fake experts never produce their own original thoughts, they're dependent on you for material. This means that they will ultimately play a huge role in propagating your expertise around the internet for free! But first things first; before you can take advantage of their weaknesses, you've got to play by their rules and that means getting in front of their audiences.
So, as long as you're willing to temporarily sacrifice your integrity, there are some pretty easy ways to insert yourself back into the online spotlight using social communities like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. Here are some tried and tested ways of getting in good with an online community hungry for expert content:
1. Quote Other People
Why waste your time coming up with witty, clever, helpful, insightful things to say when many-a-person before you who has already done the dirty work? Twitter and Facebook are notorious for catering to people who make a name for themselves by quoting other people. And people eat it up! Some guy I'm "friends" with on Facebook (you know who you are) is constantly applauded for other peoples' quotes that he bastardizes, err, uses as his status updates. And without fail, his friends clamor to commend him on his insight and unique ability to capture emotion so eloquently. Every time.
It's kind of the same concept as borrowing someone else's dog to attract the hot girl walking down the street (but none of the poop). You know what they say: "work smarter, not harder." In other words, steal other peoples' ideas, reap the rewards!
How-to: Sites like Brainy Quote archive famous quotes by category ("history," "government") and by type ("author," "educator"). Head on over and choose your expert and topic. From there, update your status on any relevant social networks. Make sure to credit the person who said it originally, but don't worry, people will credit you on the backend. Promise.
2. Align With the Experts by Conducting Live (But Fake!) Conversations with Them
You're judged by the company you keep, so why not hobnob with the experts in your field? Don't worry, they don't have to hobnob back--people just need to make a mental connection between you and them. A good way to accomplish this is to post replies to popular figures updates on Twitter. For instance, if you're a marketer, you should send a live reply to Guy Kawasaki or Chris Brogan. Or both! Unless people do the legwork and find out that you're not actually getting replies back from these guys (which they usually won't), your followers will simply think that you know these people and, by golly, they'll want to know you because of it!
How-to: Identify the people in your industry who say really smart things and who have a huge following. Reply to something they say in a very knowing way, as if you two go way, way back.
3. Retweet (RT) or Otherwise Archive Other People's Content
Retweeting or otherwise reproducing other (smarter) people's content is a hybrid of the two above-listed tactics, but trust me, the sum of this baby is greater than all its parts. By retweeting someone, you're effectively creating a mental association between you and them just like you did when you hosted your fake, live conversation. And by reproducing their content, you are essentially saying, "Yeah, this is exactly my philosophy on the subject at hand as well, but they said it so eloquently that I'll let them have the stage on this one." Even more, though, the RT (or other method of sharing other people's content) is a great way to offer value to your audience and nurture an air of humility. ("Yes, I am happy to make space on my platform to promote good work when I see it. This is not all about me. We're all in this together.")
How-to: Review they pool of experts you identified for your fake, live conversations, and make a point of retweeting their original thoughts. (Again, make sure to give them credit--this will create the air of humility we discussed as well as link you to that expert in people's minds). If you want to get really crazy, you can provide your own unique summary of and link to the blog posts they've spent hours writing. This is a good way of using other people's content to sum up what you think your audience would benefit from hearing you say.
4. Call Yourself an "Expert"
This may seem pretty self-explanatory and that's because it is. If you simply start calling yourself an expert at whatever you do, people will buy it. Sure, there will be some skeptics but those people are just haters and probably aren't the people who are going to buy what you're selling.
How-to: Every social network gives you a space to describe yourself. Make sure to sprinkle in the word "expert" liberally.
5. Accumulate a Bunch of Followers
Follow a million people until you get a large number of people to follow you back. From there, un-follow everyone who didn't follow you back so you don't look like the creep who is following a bunch of people to get other people to follow you. This will make you seem as if you are in demand, you know, because you're an expert.
How-to: I think that about says it. But a quick rule of thumb: you can always rely on people who are doing the same thing to follow you back. So, if you see someone who is following a ton more people than are following him/her, go ahead and follow them. They'll be so happy that someone actually wanted to follow them, that they'll immediately follow you back.
6. Lists (you are here)
If you're an ambitious fake expert, you might decide that you want to take the plunge and create your own content. Well, then, a good place to start is with a list. For example, "The Top 5 Ways to Do This Thing That I'm an Expert At." People like lists and they spread like wildfire thanks to all the other fake experts out there. But if you've been paying attention to the rest of the advice in this article, then you've probably (correctly) surmised that there's a much easier, lazier way to do this that doesn't necessarily require any original thought from you. One of the better tactics I've stumbled across is making a list of people (experts!) to follow on Twitter or great blogs to read. This really allows you to accomplish all of the objectives you identifeied above--align yourself with real experts, create an air of humility, provide value, etc.--but doesn't require you to have a single expert-like thought. Phew!
How-to: Compile a list of all of the other people whose thoughts you've been piggy-backing off of all along. Give the list a catchy title (make sure to include a number so that people know it's a list). Maybe even come up with a way to categorize people into different groups so that it seems like you're truly curating the experience for your readers. Then make sure that everyone on your list knows they're on it, and ask your readers to suggest anyone you missed. Their suggestions can ultimately become your next list!
Wait, what's that? You really are an expert?
Well then, you should introduce some long form content (e-books? Books? Articles? Blog posts?) or even insightful status updates/tweets and let all the fake experts out there do the leg work necessary to get it out for you...
Ultimately, the joke's on them.
Posted by Kate Fleming on Fri, Jul 17, 2009 @ 12:13 PM
Around here we find our frequent conversations about social media ending with, "Hey, it's not rocket science." I know many people like to make it seem as though what we do is incredibly esoteric and that only the most experienced, knowledgeable person could even begin to think about undertaking it, but when it comes to social media, that's just not true. Yes, it's true that it takes a lot of work and that any brand needs a coherent strategy and that your company needs to be on board to make it happen, but do you really need a ton of expertise to master it? I'm not going to lie... No.
(Obviously, once companies get bigger and have more brand capital, social media interaction does become more complicated. They need nuanced strategies for different audiences, and they really do need an agency that has social media expertise to put it all together for them. It's simply not a wise use of resources to commit their internal team to figuring out social media when those people might not even be interested and there are agencies that do it better. Take us, for instance. :) )
When it comes to small businesses and start-ups, social media can be a really powerful tool, especially if it's undertaken by those at the center of the company. Sure, everyone talks about this, but I know from firsthand experience that smaller business owners often don't really believe that they could find a voice and an audience in blogging or on Facebook, Twitter or other online communities, which is just not the case.
The reality is that small businesses have two really key things going for them: 1. Their senior decision makers also tend to be the people doing a lot of the in-the-trenches work, so it's easy for them to decide on a strategy/voice and implement that. There's no bureaucracy, no approval process, no figuring out who's going to write updates or blog posts. 2. They've got passion. Who starts a business who doesn't have a love for or interest in some aspect of what they do and the community? That means they know their target audience really well, that they can offer specialized expertise and insights, and create content that is meaningful and effective. They also know who the influencers in the community are, what people are buzzing about, and all the other things that make it clear that they are members of the community too.
All of which brings me to Paul Bashforth (that's him looking all studly and triathlete-y during a real, live race), who, along with three friends, started a niche clothing brand for triathletes, True Motion. He and his partners currently hold regular jobs while they start their business, so they don't have a ton of time or money to commit to marketing and advertising. But from early on, Paul recognized that good content could set his company apart, and he's become a real convert to the power of social media. He also knows how important audience generation is (which inspired him to email Gretel's recent post on the topic to his partners. He's not sure if they've read it, but he's hoping it will get them all on the same page.)
After some free drinks (for me) and free consulting* (for him) the night before last, he has embarked on a campaign to really learn and use Twitter. He's retweeting, linking to relevant posts related to the trialthlete community, and referencing other Twitter users who are in the community. He's got his own handle (@truemotionpaul) and a company presence (@truemotiontri). On his personal account, he tweets about anything and everything (triathlons, yes, but also family, work, life and other normal stuff -- he is a normal human being after all), while on the company one, he's started carving out a niche with clothing/gear-related tweets, as well as general commentary on the goings on at True Motion. Literally, within days he's seen his followers increase and has started truly building his audience.
And why not? He's an obsessive athlete who loves triathlons. (Not to mention, he's the only man I know with whom I can swap stories about cleanly-shaved legs.) He and his brand are genuine community supporters and enthusiasts, and in joining the online conversation, he's steadily building brand awareness and loyalty.
*As much as I hate giving away free consulting, a promise of free drinks is usually enough to twist my arm. That is, as long as I get to choose the place!
Posted by Gretel Going on Wed, Jul 15, 2009 @ 09:51 AM
The term "Audience Generation" has been gaining in popularity lately due to its direct relevance to social media. But what is often considered common vocabulary by marketers, is sometimes pretty confusing to lay people. And because one of my goals in life is to not be like other marketers, I thought I would explain the ins and outs of audience generation in terms the general public might actually understand.
For instance, yesterday I was talking with an incredibly talented chef we're working with.* He's a somewhat reluctant social media convert who exhibits all of the tell-tale signs of a novice: infrequent tweets, a blog without posts (although it does have a title!), and a general overall confusion as to the benefits of both. Basically, he's diving in because he knows he has to, but he doesn't know a whole lot more than that. As a chef who has been written up by every lauded food publication, approached by the appropriate food channels (although nothing has come to fruition to date), and cooked at the venerable James Beard House as well as the restaurants of many-a-noted chef, he never foresaw the need to market himself. His job until now has been to wake up every day, head into the kitchen, and prepare amazing food. Sounds like a reasonable recipe to me (clever pun totally intended). That said, you can imagine his surprise when he discovered that there's a bustling online "foodie" (I hate that word) community that he's not a part of, and that some of these seeming foodie posers are even getting plucked out of the ether and offered huge opportunities. And therein lies the point of this article: while in the old days (err, ten years ago), it was necessary that one had talent to gain recognition, nowadays it's pretty fair to say you just need to know how to play the game, and that means building an audience--a loyal one at that.
I explained all of this to him briefly and I think he really got it. But then again, maybe not. Just in case, I've set out to spell it out a bit more for him and anyone else out there who doesn't consume marketing jargon on a daily basis (in which case I envy you).
So, here's the lowdown on audience generation and a few ways you can put it to work for yourself, your company or your brand:
First of all, what is audience generation?
It's pretty much exactly what it sounds like: the generation of an audience. More specifically, an audience of people who find genuine value in what you have to say or offer. Audience generation is by no means unique to social media, but social media and user-generated content sites like YouTube have really elevated its usefulness to new levels.
In the world of traditional advertising and marketing, marketers would literally buy their desired audiences through media buyers who would identify the best publications, TV stations, billboards or websites on which to place their ads. The idea was that your brilliant artwork would grace the space next to content that your audience was interested in. And thus would be born a psychological association between your brand and that content. Clever, right? I guess, but only if it's your only option, which it's not. The alternative here is to skip the middle man and produce the interesting content yourself, rather than simply existing next to it.
Another endangered form of audience generation is list-buying, whereby you define your target audience to your favorite list broker (yes, this is a real job title) and he or she will identify the perfect list of unsuspecting victims to whom your unsolicited email or snail mail campaign will be sent. Sure, you can reach the masses with both of these methods but you're certainly not doing yourself any favors in terms of gaining their loyalty or "owning" them, which is really the goal here.
Okay, so how do I generate my audience?
This really deserves its own post (consider it noted-I'll write a follow-up post soon). For now, here are the basics:
- Identify the platforms where your audience congregates. In the case of our above-mentioned chef, it would be a huge mistake for him not to be on Twitter since all the food groupies (admittedly, me included) are there in droves. He'll also need to go ahead and get some posts up on his blog.
- "If you build it they will come" need not apply here. Simply having a Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn account, or a blog, will not bring your audience to you. You've got to produce interesting content. Ask yourself: Who is my audience and what kind of content do they want from me? From our chef, I'd want to hear about the inner workings of his restaurant, what new items he's putting on the menu, cooking tips, and what his life looks like outside of work. I want details that aren't available on his official site. After all, the reason people "follow" you is because they want to be led (through your life). Hey, there's nothing wrong with a healthy mix of voyeurism and vicarious living.
- Engage. This means listening to others and joining in on the conversation. You need to become the perfect online host. Leave comments for other people, share their interesting thoughts with your audiences, and offer them value at every step.
The good thing about audience generation is that it just takes a little common sense, which is sometimes also the bad thing about audience generation. Put it this way: if you're a fairly socially-adjusted person who knows what it means to capture your real life friends' loyalty, you should be fine.
We've covered the WHAT? and the HOW? Let's move on to the WHY?
Building and Owning your own loyal audience will allow you to bypass traditional channels.
Creating your own private media channels-meaning blogs, newsletters, social media profiles and others-will allow you to get the word out on whatever it is you're working on or doing without having to rely on traditional methods like press release-PR, advertising, and other such techniques that are falling by the wayside. It also gives you a lot more freedom to say or present your message however you like. But again, it's not enough to simply create the channels, you also have to make sure you are continually building your audience. And further, that your audience arrived organically (not via ads or trickery techniques that conned them into visiting you!). Audience generation can be achieved through organic search methods, too, but that will be included in the follow-up to this post. (See above for brief tips on generating your audience.)
With a big audience can come big opportunities...
So while our extraordinarily talented chef is slaving away over hot veal cheeks at his restaurant each night, people who could only dream of having a portion of his talent are sitting online talking about it...and they're reaping the benefits as a result (that is, the benefits of a growing audience of people who want to hear about veal cheeks). What kind of benefits are we talking about here? A couple of my favorite early examples of opportunities that came about due purely to having a big audience (but certainly not due to having a remarkable amount of talent) are the Chocolate Rain guy on YouTube and good ol' Tila Tequila.
If you're not familiar with them, the basics are this: A couple years ago, Tay Zonday, a.k.a. "The Chocolate Rain Guy," released a basic video of him singing "Chocolate Rain" in an amusing voice on YouTube. For some reason that I'll never understand, people liked it and it was viewed millions of times. (To date the original video has been viewed 39,386,940 times.) Dr. Pepper saw this video as the perfect basis for its Diet Cherry Chocolate Dr. Pepper campaign and paid Zonday a rumored $200K for the rights (and to appear in the resulting commercials). Not bad for a kid with a funny voice and a webcam.
As for Tila Tequila, she's famous for having a ton of friends on MySpace. Yep, that's it. But as this story goes, friends + engagement = loyal audience = opportunity. Tila signed with VH1 to produce one of the worst reality shows in history (which is saying a lot): "A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila." Basically the producers weren't after her talent, they were after her audience. They just needed something to pull that audience in so they made up a show for her and the rest is history. (She's had numerous other opportunities beyond this as well.)
Of course, opportunities resulting from having a large audience aren't limited to pop culture; they're prevalent across industries-businesses are generating never-before-achieved visibility, leads, and hugely lucrative opportunities as a result of building and tending to their audiences. This is further why there are so many fake experts out there trying to cash in by collecting followers. (Not to worry, I'm working on a post about them, too.)
Sorry, it's not you; it's them.
In other words, the reason that the likes of Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton can get book deals, and so-and-so can get her own show when you can't even get an infomercial, is not because they've been secretly harboring the Great American Novel (or are particularly camera friendly); it's because they have large, dedicated audiences. Mystery solved, right? Uh, right. (Knowing this dirty little secret will either make you feel a lot better or a lot worse about society depending on how hard you're willing to work.) My advice is to play the game. And have some fun while you're at it. Generate audiences by engaging in things you're interested in. There are worse ways to get your name out there, ya know?
You can market to your audience in the future.
So it's true that not everyone is going to become an instant Internet-phenom. The worst case scenario-which is actually not so shabby-is that you will build a database of people who are interested in what you have to say. That means that when you do have something to announce or promote, they'll be there listening, and you won't have to pay for space or bribe a third party to get the word out for you. In the case of our chef, this could be a cookbook, a new restaurant, or, hey, the announcement of his new show (should he get one). Whoever's involved with him will certainly appreciate the exposure.
How is Audience Generation different than public relations? Can't I just ask my publicist to help me build an audience?
I think I've written enough here, but just know that audience generation and public relations are related but not at all the same. And yes, your publicist can help you build your audience but this should be carefully considered on a case-by-case basis. Authenticity and transparency are key. If your publicist can't maintain those two things, go it alone.
And to think I set out to write a short post...
The End.
* If you follow me on Twitter, you know that food is one of my great passions and, thus, one of my personal new business initiatives.
Posted by Kate Fleming on Tue, Jun 23, 2009 @ 11:26 AM
I am a shockingly lazy consumer.
Well, not really, but the Internet can really make me start to feel that way. I don't, for the most part, blog/comment on/tweet about my brand experiences. I rarely am so moved in any direction that I'm motivated to contact customer service. Before the dawn of the web (or at least the dawn of a truly interactive web), I can think of only one time when I actually bothered to go out of my way (in this case to complain): On a flight to Caracas, American Airlines lost -- for three (3!) days -- my backpack with all of my clothing and camping equipment, basically ruining all of my carefully-laid vacation plans. I had to pay for a hotel in Caracas for two nights and cancel an entire leg of my trip, but never received so much as an apology from AA, let alone any reimbursement for my expense. When I got home, I sent a long, ranting -- though very articulate, if I do say so myself -- letter to the airline and had a long, ranting -- a lot less articulate, if I do say so myself -- phone call with some random AA customer service rep. And I got exactly nowhere. Not one to make taking on companies for bad service my life's mission, I ended up letting the whole thing drop. (Though clearly I still have some unresolved issues since I got annoyed just thinking about the whole thing again. Damn you, American Airlines!)
Now with social media, blogs, and even the ability to easily design an entire blog/website dedicated to bashing a company, it seems like it's become a whole lot easier to take dissatisfaction to a whole new level. Which is why I often feel lazy. Even when I'm really annoyed, I might put out a feeble Tweet vaguely conveying my frustration, but I'm unlikely to do much in the way of wave-making. Partly because, in the end, I feel like I have bigger fish to fry, and partly because I feel weird about closely intertwining my personal identity with complaining -- and about a product/service no less. I mean, if I'm going to use space to complain, maybe I should take up things like the toxic swill in my neighborhood (I live near the Gowanus Canal) or advocate for social issues that really matter. There's something that starts to feel really cheap to me about using my voice and the little online capital I have to complain about not being treated respectfully by a flight attendant or about getting fat on my skinny latte. Obviously, companies are answerable to consumers and they should be held accountable for bad service or shoddy products, but it can start to feel like a lot of entitlement when people make a habit of complaining. And sometimes it feels suspiciously like people are angling for some special treatment -- a gift certificate, an upgrade -- rather than really venting about something that is a legitimate grievance.
So here's the real point of this post -- a question (and one that I don't necessarily know the answer to -- shocking, I know...):
Where is the line between accountability and entitlement? And how accountable should brands be, especially now that just about anyone can do some damage with a little time and a computer?
I am genuinely curious about the line between using social media, networks and communities:
- to hold companies accountable for shoddy products and services, misguided marketing campaigns, or offensive or exploitive practices, and
- to complain incessantly -- and very publicly -- about the littlest inconveniences, to make unfair and excessive claims in the hope of getting something free.
Thoughts? Anyone, anyone?
Posted by Gretel Going on Tue, Jun 09, 2009 @ 03:09 PM
We're just as sick of reading about social media as everyone else out there, but despite all of the available literature, we can't help but notice that people are still in need of some serious coaching in this space...
In our new (and free) e-book—GOING SOCIAL... 12 key things you must consider when developing a social media program for your business, your brand, or your clients—we set out to answer the following question once and for all:
What's so difficult about social media anyway?
The short answer? The "social" part...
Look strictly at the traditional offerings of the different types of marketing agencies out there, and it's quickly apparent that it's more than hierarchy and bureaucracy making it difficult for traditional marketing agencies (or even in-house marketing departments) to roll out their "social media programs." It's the fact that they have to reorganize and learn new skills in order to offer something they've never offered before.
In this glorious e-book, you will learn:
Why bad social media happens to good brands
What it takes to get noticed
The unique functions of social media
Where social media falls in the traditional marketing mix
The difference between a social media campaign and a social media programAnd, as promised, 12 things you must consider when creating a social media program for your brand, company or clients:
- Audience Identification
- Platform Development & Design
- Brand Campaign Integration
- Content Creation/Coordination
- Goal Mapping
- Brand Identity/Purity
- Audience Generation
- Social Media Listening
- Community & Social Responsibility
- Internal/External Community Engagement & Response
- Brand Advocacy
- Customer Service
Did we mention that it's glorious? Also, beautifully designed and accessible. Ahem.
Download Now!
Posted by Gretel Going on Wed, May 27, 2009 @ 11:12 AM
What is it about social media that has even the most sophisticated adults in a tizzy about establishing their online identities through proven tactics such as...tiling an arbitrary image across a virtual profile page?
I find it pretty intriguing to say the least and to my chagrin, we've been exposed to this oddity a lot lately in the form of calls from our clients requesting custom Twitter backgrounds. The oddity in question is not the need for a custom background, it's the urgency with which it's requested.
One client recently went so far as to take matters into his own hands and pay some online hack $35 to create a real mess of a background before talking to us. It was not pretty, to say the least. I still have nightmares of one day logging on with a browser that hasn't updated since having loaded his new background, only to find the dreaded, misshaped image staring back at me. Seriously, when all you can see is the top 15% of your head in your photo, it's probably safe to say that something hasn't gone as planned. [Quick fix: If you're in this situation and don't know what to do, go back to the standard background immediately! You can get there by clicking settings --> Design --> Change background --> Don't use a background image --> Save changes.] Crisis averted.
Before we get any further though, let's give this phenomenon its due diligence: When MySpace first entered the scene, I remember reading an interview with a marketing professional who self-righteously declared, "I really doubt people are going to waste their time decorating their profiles like they would their teenage bedrooms."
Well, we all know what happened next, of course. Sparkles. Lots of them.
Facebook got rid of all that nonsense when it introduced a sterile and unified platform--a welcome change to those of us who were sick of logging into the MySpace flea market only to witness the sad reality that was our fellow man's virtual wallpaper choices. Instantly, everyone appreciated the Catholic school uniform approach just a little bit more and subsequently pondered how their childhoods might have been improved had they not been responsible for expressing themselves outright through outfit choices on a daily basis.
LinkedIn, like Facebook, chose to focus on the content of the man's character, rather than the color of his...profile background. Users choose their connections based on what others bring to the table, which is a good thing or a bad thing depending on your view of capitalism, I guess. I'm not a huge fan of LinkedIn, but I dig capitalism. You know, in case you were wondering.
Anyway, back to Twitter and the case of the fully customizable background. I'm all for it if it's done right, so when clients express interest in customizing their pages (or, rather, threaten to never tweet again until their background "represents me!"), I get it. I don't think it's absolutely necessary considering that most dedicated users--those who are most likely to get the majority of their updates from this particular platform--are using "Twitter "clients" such as Tweetdeck or Twhirl to manage their friends and updates. Reason being, Tweetdeck, Twhirl, and other such technologies eliminate the need to ever login to Twitter.com again. At the same time, you never know who's going to stumble upon your page through an online keyword search or even as part of some deluded background check before doing business with you. (The nerve of these people to want to know who they're working with, right?)
So, long story short: Those who use Twitter primarily for business should definitely consider a custom background that offers information that won't fit into the 140-character bio line rationed to them. At the same time, don't stress yourself out over it. Providing quality updates is your biggest concern on this platform.
That said, if you do decided to customize your background, consider adding things like:
- URLs to other social networking profiles
- URL to a site or personal blog that gives your contacts more insight into your non-work life
- URLs to work-related sites such as a company blog
- Your email address
If you're working with a diverse audience, try to stay away from staunch "I am" statements that can work to pigeonhole you into a solitary category when, most likely, your expertise reaches far beyond that declaration. Also, keep in mind that the URLs will be images rather than active links, so don't expect to see a ton of traffic come in directly from your profile page.
Some quick tips on imagery:
- Don't tile one image a million times-find one that's fitting and enlarge it or incorporate it into a larger design. Admittedly, this is just a personal preference but it does reveal your lack of Twitter savvy.
- Remember that people will likely notice your background before they even read your first update. Be subtle unless you're boring and your image is really the only thing you have going for you (in which case, perhaps you shouldn't be broadcasting your thoughts to the world in the first place).
- Any information provided in the left sidebar (the standard area for any extra information you want to provide) will remain fixed so if you can't fit all of your information above the fold, know that no one will see anything beneath it as they scroll down your page.
- The dimensions of your background should be either 1600×1200 or 2048×1600pixels (although you can technically go smaller if you like).
- Don't hire an online hack for $35.
Oh, and to those who use Twitter for personal reasons...remember what you did to MySpace.
Posted by Gretel Going on Wed, May 20, 2009 @ 09:34 AM
We recently held an accidental one-day social media retreat where we over-analyzed every traditional marketing industry’s contribution to the social media space. This conversation came as a result of having been approached by a handful of larger agencies that want to partner on social media projects for their larger clients while they figure out how to roll out their own social media programs in-house. And on the flip side—having been approached by big clients that tell us that their big agencies can’t wrap their heads around social media quickly enough so the big agencies are outsourcing to companies like ours and still taking all of the glory. (Which we happen to be okay with.) So we got to talking: what’s so difficult about social media? The short answer? The “social” part.
The long answer: Looking strictly at the most traditional offerings of the different types of marketing agencies out there, we determined that it’s more than just hierarchy and bureaucracy that make it difficult for, say, advertising or PR agencies to roll out their “social media programs.” It’s that they have to, essentially, reorganize and introduce skills they never before offered. Social media done right requires more than just a slick application, which any designer/development worth their salt can conjure up at a very decent rate. (As an aside, we call this the “if you build it, they will come” approach to social media.) It also requires more than just a few witty updates and following/being followed by a million people, in hope that they’ll return the favor. (We call this the “Ashton Kutcher” approach.)
Social media requires the regular care and feeding of your profiles and engaging in continual dialogue with your audience. Social media should not be implemented as a “campaign”—this practice is a reflection of the type of company handling it (i.e. a traditional advertising company, which works in spurts or campaigns, will often naturally apply a campaign framework to its social media initiatives). Rather, it should be introduced as an ongoing program. Put differently, it’s the difference between the “fad diet” and an overall “change in lifestyle.” Sorry, couldn’t help myself.
So, here’s the breakdown of the different elements involved in a successful social media program. Of course, not all of these will be crucial to every initiative and there’s always going to be a difference between social media programs implemented by brands versus b-to-b companies versus the average Joe who just wants to socialize. And while I’m handing out disclaimers, I should also mention that none of this is to say that these agencies don’t belong in social media; it’s more so that they’re going to have to add new capabilities, which is the reason relatively smaller, newer and savvier social media companies like us can get in with big brands while they’re figuring it out. Thanks guys!
Content Creation
More than just a snappy tagline, your program needs an overall voice, tone and consistent message.
Application/Platform Development
Any agency with a design and development department should be able to create this for you. If this is the threshold on which you make your decision, you should probably rethink your strategy. This is the lowest common denominator.
Application/Platform Design
See “Application/Platform Development.”
Brand Campaign
A lot of times, a social media program can piggyback off a good brand campaign implemented by a brand’s ad agency of record, but it will have to be transformed into the more accessible, younger brother of the formal campaign. In other words, you don’t want to create a bunch of social media profiles that are branded with your logo and are, thus, off-putting. But it might make sense to take your tagline (and the promise that comes with it), and build an audience whose common interest is achieving that promise, not their innate shared interest in perpetuating your brand.
Media Coverage
Many larger brands like to start spreading the word of their new, fancy and glossy initiatives at the outset, but if your social media program is good, your audience will find them on their own.
Brand identity/Purity
This is ultimtely your company or brand’s responsibility. While you hope to work with a company that understands the ins and outs of your messaging and story, at the end of the day, you will need to be attentive to the initiatives taking place.
Audience Generation
This element is crucial and is not one that’s always understood by traditional agencies. For instance, PR agencies tend to approach audience generation from the perspective of conducting media outreach, and while these skills are somewhat applicable, the approach reeks of inauthenticity, which is the antithesis of everything that social media stands for. True audience generation emerges from a mix of attentiveness to and dialogue with your audience, and social media listening (described next).
Social Media Listening
This is an ongoing initiative that defines a lot of why social media needs to be a program rather than a campaign. You must dedicate resources to monitoring your social networks in effort to identify people talking about issues that are important to your overall goals and objectives (you do have goals for this, right?), as well as stand-out voices in your space. Follow, friend or otherwise connect with these people in order to build an audience of people likely to interact with your work rather than just an audience whose sole purpose is to boost your numbers for the sake of popularity. Quality, my friends. Not quantity.
Community & Social Responsibility
Bigger brands can get a bad rap for trying too hard in the social media space, as well as for being the entities responsible for destroying once-popular platforms with their overly-branded, salesy and often-intrusive efforts. A good way to negate this perception—as well as to connect with audiences on an authentic level—is to tie your initiatives to your existing social responsibility efforts. People will connect with a brand if it connects them to a good cause or if they can even benefit from that cause. Ask not what the community can do for you, but what you can do for the community…
Content Coordination
Who’s writing the content? This element is the one that differs most between consumer brands and businesses. While it’s okay for brands to assign someone to their content writing, businesses need to establish specific people as experts, and let those people share their insight (and personalities!). Many businesses will create profiles for their CEOs but then assign a minion to update the content. This almost always fails and, again, reeks of inauthenticity. As for consumer brands, there are agencies that will handle content for you and that will often do a great job with it (but many of them don’t do all of the other stuff listed here). PR agencies will also boast their writing skills (which good agencies should certainly boast). However, you want to make sure that your content and overall program is highly-controlled to maintain consistency. Also, if you’re doing this right, you’re building relationships along the way. You certainly don’t want a bunch of different people responding to messages from people who already have a dialogue with another person (confusing, right? Yeah, that’s how it is for your customers, too…). Again, you need a highly-controlled content strategy (we’ll write a detailed post about this in the near future), and you need to build authentic relationships. The bottom line is that keeping your social media program as tight as possible is always going to have the best outcome.
Internal/External Community Engagement & Response
This is related to your content strategy. If you’re running a community blog, for instance, you want to assign one person to be the moderator. This person will be the one to engage with commenters and communicate different happenings in between posts. This person will also be responsible for setting the tone of the platform—whatever it is—and I can’t communicate enough that this tone needs to be consistent.
Customer Service
Brands like Comcast and Intuit have shown the world how to use social media for customer service. Good customer service involves social media listening and weighing in on consumer comments. This activity is one that should be handled uniquely by your company if you’re a direct-to-consumer distributor. If you’re a brand that distributes to stores rather than directly to consumers, it’s okay to have your dedicated social media content person fill this role since you won’t be fielding complaints directly (well, at least not as often as direct-to-consumer brands), but you do want to make sure that this person has a direct line to someone in-house should a “social media crisis” occur in the public forum (i.e. someone bashing your brand).
Brand Advocacy
Because authenticity and transparency are such huge aspects of social media, you absolutely have to make sure that your social media team is 100% dedicated and sold on your brand or mission. Sure, you pay them to be your brand advocates, but if in the back of their minds, they’re just doing it for the money, then trust me, it will be obvious.
Overall Management
See everything above. And remember two words: “highly controlled.”
Interested in the way we approach social media? Check out our program, CVM Social: The 10-Step Social Media Standard.
Posted by Gretel Going on Wed, Feb 18, 2009 @ 10:46 AM
Over the last few months, and the last couple of weeks specifically, we’ve received several calls from clients wondering how it is they can use this mystical Twitter thing. We’ll admit that we’ve had a love/hate relationship with Twitter ever since we started using it, and thus far we’ve been careful only to recommend it to clients who we think have advanced through the rungs of social media (personal/business blogging, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc). This is no longer the case. Now we recommend it to clients who have something worthy to share (we tend to think that's all of them) and who we trust not to spam the world with useless information.
Anyway, in the process of explaining Twitter, dealing with resistance, and defining the best ways to use it, we’ve run into a few common questions, concerns and myths. Before we share our clients’ deepest, darkest Twitter secrets though, we’ll admit that our full migration was a slow one (we’ve been fumbling around on Twitter for two years now and just recently decided to like it). And the reason for this is that we found it counter-intuitive. Twitter is a learned sport, not an innate one like, say, LinkedIn, where you have a pretty clear idea of what you can accomplish right upon logging in. It takes a little bit of concentration and willpower.
So, without further ado, let’s talk about some of the Twitter-induced grievances that have arisen in case they echo yours:
“I hate the word ‘tweet’ and am struggling to say it with a straight face.”
We do, too. You’re allowed to cringe when you say it; just don’t put it in air quotes.
Myth: You MUST be on Twitter
We subscribe to the notion that most companies need to have a blog and that all companies need to have engaging or educational content available to online visitors. We don’t, however, believe that you need to be on Twitter, although we definitely think you should be on Twitter. Why? Even if you’re not planning to post updates, you should certainly be listening in on what other people are saying about your industry, your company, your competition, and even the world you live in. Free feedback? That’s pretty invaluable if you ask us. You’d also be surprised by the up-to-minute updates you can get this way.
"
How do I 'listen' to conversations on Twitter?"
You know what topics you’re interested in—conduct a search for certain keywords and phrases, your company name, etc. [You can use Summize.com for this, or conduct a search directly within your Twitter client (more about that later).] If there are specific people you’d like to follow, you can search them by name or email. If you yield a massive amount of results in these searches and don’t feel like following every single person who has ever talked about “X,” then you can set up the equivalent of Google alerts for these words/phrases so that you get an update every time someone tweets about “X.”
That’s kind of creepy. Isn’t that like eavesdropping?
Twitter is not the platform for people who don’t want the world to have access to their thoughts. Anyone can read your posts on Twitter, even if they’re not officially following you. (Tip: only follow people whose updates you want to receive on a regular basis; you can check in on others at any time without committing to their every tweet.) Feeling squeamish about broadcasting your thoughts to the world? Well, technically, you can have a private account but that kind of defeats the purpose of this platform. It’s easier to make new contacts if you’re open to new conversations with people who are interested in what you’re discussing, and vice versa. If you’re talking about private matters, perhaps email or instant messenger is a better option for you. And to those who are genuinely creeped out by someone who’s following them, just block them.
“I just don't always feel like I have anything to say.”
If this is the situation, we either suggest you don’t say anything and just listen to start, or you train yourself to be conscious of your daily life and what might be interesting to those following you. Another idea is to begin posting links to interesting things you read online. It’s actually kind of funny how people can establish themselves as experts by posting to other people’s expert articles all day. We’re constantly amused by this psychological trick and the people who pull it off—and even more so by the people who fall for it.
As an aside, this particular concern was ironically voiced by a client who is absolutely brilliant and whose 140 characters of advice could turn a company around in a day. Trust me, you definitely have something to say. I think this concern moreover brings up a larger issue: that the person in question needs to figure out how to adapt to the technology and consolidate his/her thoughts.
“Twitter’s not convenient. I have to keep it up all day and refresh every time I want my updates.”
The short answer is: go to either Twhirl.org or Tweetdeck.com and download a Twitter client. The long answer is that by downloading one of these pieces of software, you'll save yourself the same headache that Outlook and Entourage save you in the face of logging into webmail every time you want to check for new emails. Once you’ve downloaded Twhirl or Tweetdeck, you’ll get either a visual or audio alert (surprisingly not too annoying) every time you get an update. It also categorizes your updates by direct messages, private messages and alerts. Now, when I log into Twitter the old-fashioned way, it feels very archaic.
“I want to understand Twitter so I can explain it to my clients who are asking about it.”
Several of our clients are marketers, so it’s absolutely imperative that they have a handle on Twitter as their clients WILL ask them about it. As for clients in other industries—I think it’s safe to say that one out of every two people out there are selling themselves (or their companies) as either “innovative” or “cutting edge.” If that’s the case, they better be able to back their claims by knowing about this “innovative” and “cutting edge” technology. And even more, they should be using it regularly lest they want to be massacred by the bold bastard who calls them out on it.
“Why do I care if so-and-so is going to the store or getting on the treadmill? If it’s not about business, then I don’t care about it.”
This is a pretty popular question and it definitely predates Twitter. There’s just no getting around the fact that people often think that what they’re doing is a lot more interesting than it actually is. To play devil’s advocate though, it’s pretty annoying when you’re following someone whose life is clearly unilateral—especially if that single interest is work. Remember how in the old days people used to meet in person? Well, think back to those days and try to recall the people who you thought were interesting. Personally, I like the well-rounded people who can speak to several subjects, and I pride myself on being the person who goes to networking events and doesn’t talk about what I do (aside from answering the inevitable “What do you do?”). That said, my favorite people on Twitter are those who offer great tips and advice that are relevant to me, but also relate the fact that they have a whole separate life outside of work. There’s a thin line between being an expert and being a workaholic with tunnel vision.
“So-and-so posts 30 completely useless updates a day. I think I’m going to block him/her. “
More power to you. This is an example that falls into the what-not-to-do department.
Tweet-ups and Twestivals
If you can get past the nomenclature here, Twitter is a great means of organizing meet-ups with those who share your interests. This is especially effective for those who are traveling and want to meet some of their new Twitter-friends while in town. Organizing a tweet-up is no different than organizing a happy hour or networking event, accept that all invites are extended through Twitter (don’t mix platforms here, k?) and guests are identified through the same. For instance, you might not have a bunch of followers in a particular town but you know you’re going there for a conference on “X”. Conduct a search for people who are tweeting about that conference or the topic that it covers. Contact them with a direct message to see if they’re available and there you go. You might even find that a tweet-up is already in the works, which is even better… A Twesitival—hmmm, I think that’s like a conference about Twitter but “Tweetrence” didn’t exactly roll of the tongue.
Myth: “My audience is not on Twitter. It’s just a bunch of self-congratulatory marketers and college students. I’m trying to close million-dollar deals.”
How do you know? You don’t. And even more, you’re probably wrong. Unless you’ve really researched this claim or have performed a highly trustworthy survey of your demographic, it’s likely that there’s an audience for you on Twitter (although this is certainly not always the case). Usually, this concern is voiced by those looking for an excuse not to succumb to Twitter’s gravitational pull. Seriously, don’t even try. It’s like resisting a cell phone.
As for those of you who think that your high level, very important, C-Level dream clients aren’t on Twitter, check out this list of those who are over at Paul Dunay’s blog.
Oh—and the thing about the self-congratulatory marketers—it’s totally true.
Have any questions about using Twitter like a normal human being rather than a blatant sales person? How to walk and chew gum at the same time? Email me. Even better, tweet me.
Posted by Gretel Going on Tue, Oct 07, 2008 @ 01:46 PM
I was watching Rick Sanchez's coverage of Hurricane Gustav on CNN a little over a month ago when something awkward happened: he looked down at a strategically-placed laptop and began reading "tweets" from readers who were responding to his news coverage in real time on Twitter.
Seconds later, proof that he was active on Twitter--@ricksanchezcnn--was projected onto a white screen behind him in the form of a word doc that his 18-year-old intern no doubt pasted together to reinforce the fact that a social media revolution is indeed taking place over at CNN. As this went up, Sanchez announced that, "We're utilizing all the social networks here: MySpace, Facebook, Twitter dot com." This made me suddenly uncomfortable-and glad that no one else was around because if would've felt icky, like watching a love scene with your parents.
I went to bed disturbed, cursing to myself, "It's ‘twitter', Rick, not ‘twitter dot com'." And I couldn't help but think of that mommy prototype who, in effort to insert herself into her kid's life, tries to use the same words as him and his friends, but instead ends up using words like "hip" and "groovy." Nails on a chalkboard, I tell ya.
The next day I went over to Online Marketing for Marketers where the perennially-positive contributor Aaron Kahlow was commending CNN and Rick Sanchez for their use of social media. He'd been watching the same broadcast as me, but was obviously a lot more impressed than I was. He even gave CNN props for clicking on links...on live TV! Seriously:
"Take the actual use of the CNN website live on TV where the announcer actually clicked on the links on the website to show people where to go to get information or to link to sites like the Red Cross."
Best. News. Ticker. Ever: "Rick, now we're in deep doo doo"
[Image via Gawker]
While I'm pretty sure this shouldn't annoy me, I have a good idea of why it does. Let me backtrack for a minute. We have a client who told us that when he meets a VP of a big company, he/she will often cite their "defining moment" within the first five minutes of the conversation. "Yeah, I introduced the happy meal." Or, "I was the brains behind the Payless BOGO campaign." Whatever this is, it's what propelled their leap from a mere department head to a top exec. Upon hearing this, I immediately recognized what my "defining moment" is-or at least, what it is that I throw on the table within five minutes of conversation about social media. "Yeah, I was responsible for two viral* blogs a few years ago." I know it's tacky, but I can't help myself. I'm a proud mother. And at the point that I was gaining this impressive (to me at least) amount of online popularity (albeit anonymously), networks like CNN were still accusing bloggers of being losers in pajamas and cursing their existence within the media at large.
We-my loser blog friends and I-all laughed as we watched the New York Times and other respected publications gradually introduce more first-person accounts, blogs, comments and opinions. NBC then invited a bunch of New York-based bloggers to a "blogger summit" where they encouraged us to give them our stories and tried to make sense of this whole crazy thing. Now, news networks are even asking viewers to send in tips...as does your average blog.
So, while some think that news networks' entrance into social media is great because it reinforces a practice we've all been engaging in for years, I think it's safe to say that we don't need their reinforcement. I do believe we're the ones setting the trends here. It is, however, gratifying to watch newscasters such as Rick Sanchez-who isn't so bad otherwise-fumble ever so slightly with the kids' lingo. After that initial discomfort, it's even kind of fun.
Oh-but what was just downright painful was when, just the other night, Larry King told his audience to check out CNN's "interactive comments." I'm still trying to figure out how an interactive comment is different from a regular ol' comment. Any takers? Interactive takers?
*Yes, I'm one of those who can't say the word "viral" without making quote marks with two fingers. But to say it without an air of irony would be even worse.