Jul 31, 2007
Diva Marketing Talks: Analytics tonight. Diva Marketing Talks - a live, internet radio show. 30-minutes. 2-guests. 1-topic related to social media marketing. Why? To help organizations understand social media marketing and how to join the conversation without getting blown-up. Can't join us live? The show morphs into a podcast!
Topic for July 31, 2007:
Time: 6:30p - 7P Eastern
Call-in Guest Number: 718.508.9924
Guests: Peter Kim, Forrester Research and Marianne Richmond, Resonance Partnership
Tonight Diva Marketing Talks focuses on social space analytics. We're calling this one Blog Analytics A Step Towards Credibility?? Social media is fast taking its place at the grown-up marketing strategy table. With the respect, as a credible strategy, comes things like keeping elbows off the table and Accountability and the "M Word" - Measurement. Before you can measure "it" you have to define what "it" is. Our 2 guests are not only highly respected in the social media marketing world but bring the perspectives of agency and client side to the conversation.
Peter Kim is an analyst at Forrester Research in Boston. His coverage area focuses on marketing strategy and organization, including advertising and accountability. Prior to joining Forrester, Peter was international marketing manager at PUMA AG; part of the strategy network at Razorfish; and a research analyst at Coopers & Lybrand focusing on the energy industry.
Marianne Richmond has held senior level marketing positions with some of the largest consumer brands like Nabisco and Purina. From the agency side she's worked with Ally-Gargano/Marketing Corporation of America and DIMAC Direct. Her career direction has led to opening the doors of her own shop Resonance Partnership based in St. Louis.
Tips From The Diva Bag: Blog Analytics A Step Towards Credibility??
Complements of Marianne Richmond
- Forget trying to find the Holy Grail definition or measurement and focus on what you want the end result to be...what you want your customer to do, believe, experience or think OR what role you want a specific media channel to play to achieve the end result. Once you know the desired outcome, then what it takes to get there... the metrics should fall out from there.
- Accurate targeting is critical success factor. Bad targeting=false metrics.
- All or nothing statements like "the page view is dead" will kill you....there never was and never will be one single one size fits all measurement except for sales and profits.
Complements of Peter Kim
- Be free. There are many good packages available for no cost that provide excellent metrics.
- Think simple. Social media analytics work differently - focus on a few key indicators to start.
- Don't obsess. Metrics should help fine tune your communication strategy, not drive it.
Can't call in but have a question for Marianne and Peter? Drop a comment and I'll ask it for you. What would you like Diva Talks to chat about?
The show is available for download as podcast to your favorite MP3 player. Or play it right on your computer!
Jul 30, 2007
BBF Tim Jackson, Masiguy, commented on a recent Diva post - "Blogger Relations Strategies are HUGE."
I'd go so far as to say 
that many brands will take their first dive (or second step after first listening we hope) into social media not by writing a traditional blog but with a side step passive strategy of BR .. blogger relations.
This quote from James Clifton, European Planning Director, Agency.com, reinforces my thoughts.- “We
believe that it is important to look at the people driving social media
and and work out how to engage them, rather than just jumping on the
latest MySpace or YouTube bandwagon."
Sidebar: Last month Agency.com released findings from, Who Is Driving Social Media, an analysis of what they term influencers - "uploaders."The
big strategic implication of the Uploaders study is clear – brands need
to think of these digital influencers as a resource, not a target. - Dr. Paul Marsden.
That's an interesting concept. Agency.com doesn't say brands should build relationships and expand community with bloggers but instead suggests that bloggers should be positioned as a "resource." And what is a "target?" I've sent off an eMail to Marianne Stefanowicz, Assoc. Director, PR & Marketing Agency.com Worldwide asking for clarification. Ms Stefanowicz was indicated as a contact on the release. Perhaps she'll drop a comment or respond back. If she does I'll let you know.
We've seen BR used to chat it up about cameras, computers, retail stores, TV shows. Think about it .. BR provides many of the same benefits as does active participation in social spaces *. The risks associated with BR are different than an active participation strategy. For some organizations they may be easier to mitigate. Here are a few -
Blogger Relations Strategy Risks
- No control of a blogger's posts or non posts - negative reviews are very possible
- Not understanding the social media cultures - remember each village in the blogosphere and social networking sites have their own unique nuances and social media etiquette
- Not paying attention to details - its the little things that will trip you up
- Not including over riding benefits to the community as well as the blogger
Sidebar: *Active participation in social space: participation in the conversation: launching a blog or a YouTube video, joining a social networking site a la Facebook or Flickr, and what seems to be an extreme risk for brands -commenting on blogs. Let's take a look at some of the rationale why BR is gaining in acceptance.
Benefits of a Blogger Relations Program (Over Active Participation Social Space Tactics)
- Viral buzz - easy linking and pass along .. the echo effect
- Search engine key word lift - increased brand mentions from multiple blogs and longevity of website content
- Influencer behavior - BBF*, who I trust likes, it so I'll give it a try
- Less time commitment - the agency does the work
- Less resource drain - no need to dedicate people to write posts and participate in the conversation
- Less lawyer involvement - not involved in reviewing (or sanitizing) bloggers' posts
- Limited IT involvement - not involved in development or hosting of web pages
While a BRS may build a limited community, based on the program you develop, the downside is it's more likely you'll Not build community. Agency.com suggests that you invite "uploaders" to be brand advisors . Sounds like a vintage marketing strategy called a customer circle to me. Quess what's old is new again.
All well and good you may say, but how does it affect brand equity? Great question Diva and Divo. Glad you asked. Immediate Future, an agency in Great Britain, took a look at how the social media buzz of major brands compared to the Interbrand Top 100. The results may surprise you .. or not. Immediate Future has generously shared results, methodology and offers their conclusions.
Coke Flash! Although Coca Cola was ranked by Interbrand as The Number One Brand in 2006 my friends down the street don't show up in Immediate Future's Top Twenty-five Social Spaces Share of Voice. Google, with an Interbrand ranking of 24 is the #1 Brand when it comes to buzzz.
Even with Coke's push into Second Life, YouTube and quasi
consumer generated content it appears not many people wanted to be (part of) .. the Coke Side of Life. What does that mean?
The data from this study was collected in April 2007 and Coke's virtual coke machine strategy launched mid month. Perhaps the buzz will build and 2007 will bring Coke into the top 25.
Not sure what to make of this except another example that the game it is a changin!
Sidebar: There are talented people who can help you navigate this new industry. It only takes a nano second to become an expert .. not! For some reason there are too many people who after seconds on Facebook or a few blog posts position themselves as experts. Please, please, please if you do choose to work with someone to develop social space strategies .. check credentials.
Diva Marketing Talks Blogger Relations
From Blogger Relations To Blogger Relations Programs
12 Blogger Relations Tips For PR, Advertising & Brand Marketers
Jul 29, 2007
With a 
dirty martini in hand and wearing your hot polka dot bikini
TiVo Fellini's La Dolca
and head over to Getting To The Point where Katya Andresen, is hosting this week's Nonprofit Consultant's Carnival.* The theme is Your Top Five .. Anything.
What does a dirty martini, a hot polka dot bikini and a Fellini film have in common? At first glance not much but each in its own time and place was considered edgy and even innovative. And Katya is giving special treatment to posts that contain one of the following words: bikini, martini or Fellini.
My Top Five .. Anything: Internet Marketing Strategies That Were Once Innovative But Have Since Become Mainstream
1. Websites
2. Online surveys
3. Search engine optimization
4. eMail Marketing
5. Online press rooms
Sidebar: Marketing Milestones 1950-2000 by Prof. Dr. Henrikri Tikkanen
My Top Five .. Anything: Social Space Marketing Strategies That Are Considered Innovative That Are Gaining Acceptance Or Some May Say Are Tipping
1. Blogs
2. RSS
3. Social networks
4. YouTube as a channel strategy
5. Tagging
... Watch For Six and Seven ..
6. Micro blogging (Twitter, Pownce)
7. Blogger Relations Strategies
Sidebar: Interesting conversation on Marketing Conversations about BRS
Jul 26, 2007
It's the world 
of conversations. That's not news .. you knew that girlfriend. The social space of blogs and Facebook and Twitters and Pownce and zillions of smash-up communities provide options .. oh so many options (!)for casual chats.
But some afternoons it's nice to take a break, relax with a great cup of java or that special tea and let someone else do the work and lead the discussion .. in the old fashion genre of an interview. For your reading pleasure a few bloggers who are running "interview series."
Rajesh Lawlani,BlogWorks offers Blog The Talk with a focus on industry leaders in social media and technology. Rajesh's most
recent interview, with Guy Kawasaki, explores high tech investment and investors.
Yvonne DiVita's, Lip-sticking, Smart Woman Online /Smart Man Online, provides wonderful insights into people and their passions.
Geoff Livingston,The Biz Buzz, taps social media "in the know" people, with a slant towards the PR biz, in his Interview Series.
Valeria Maltoni's, Conversation Agent, Ask (?) Away series is positioned as a recap of a conversation. Check out the right navigation bar under what else but ... "Conversations."
In keeping with bloggy transparency, through a series of interviews, Shel Israel, Global Neighborhoods, is conducting and sharing research for his client SAP on his blog. Shel's Global Survey interviews are a great way to "get a handle on what is happening in the world regarding social media."
Update: Merrill Durbrow, The Merrill Dubrow Blog, highlights leaders in marketing research industry in his interview series.
Lessons Learned: An interview series is a terrific win-win-win content tactic. Your community wins. Your interviewee wins and You win too.
Jul 26, 2007
In 2005, I met a cool divo by the name of Peter Flaschner, The Blog Studio, who presented me with an opportunity I couldn’t refuse.
Peter offered to create a custom new blog “skin” for Diva Marketing. Through a series of posts, that included all the comps, we involved the community in the redesign. The invaluable feedback strongly influenced the design you're viewing. It was an awesome and fun experience and we all learned together what makes a great blog design.
A few weeks ago (at the SITC New Media Nouveaux) I met a cool divo by the name of Ken Yarmosh, Viget Labs, who presented me with an opportunity I couldn’t refuse. Ken offered to take a look at the mysterious tech side of Diva Marketing and provide some suggestions on how to optimize Diva.
Ken’s suggestions will range from functionality to some SEO stuff and perhaps some design ideas. We'll also review the flow and navigation. But Ken went one step further. Not only did he present this great opportunity to me but to the cool divo - Geoff Livingston, The Blog Buzz.
As with the Diva design, I thought it would be another great experience to share with you and Ken agreed. So over the next few weeks Diva and The Blog Buzz will get a check up (Ken promised it wouldn’t hurt). Geoff and I will keep you posted on what the “Blog Docs” at Viget Labs find.
In case you’re wondering why Geoff and I would trust our “babies” to 
Viget Labs, Viget Labs is a web consulting firm, of talented developers and marketers, based outside of Washington DC.
They’ve done some amazing work including the development of Seth Godin’s Squidoo and Brittany Spears' website. Hmm .. from Seth to Brittany .. and The Buzz Blog and Diva Marketing .. what a range! This is sure to be an interesting adventure.
Jul 25, 2007
Checking blog stats and noticed a referral from Ad Age. Seems they're in development with the Power 150. Here's a shot of the page. Shhh girfriend! Don't tell them but order is wrong. Diva Marketing is #7 and Seth is #64. 
Jul 25, 2007
The Diva of Cx3: Creativity, Community, Conversation - CK, CK's Blog, came up with an innovative 
idea to help education corporate American about the Age of Conversation .. not necessarily the book but the concept. Begin at the top with the CMO. CK is giving away 5 Age of Conversation books to 5 Chief Marketing Officers at 5 F500.
Sidebar: perhaps it should be the Diva of CX4? Creativity, Community, Conversation, CK.
Mario Vellandi, Melodies in Marketing, is playing too. Gotta check out his Convo Cone graphic .. a new twist on one of my fav desserts .. ice cream cones. Wonder where the jimmies go?
In India, Arun Rajagopa Clicks n’ Bytes from Muscat, Sultanate of Oman is on board to drop a few presents to the CMOs in his country.
I love this idea so much that I want to play along too. My challenge .. who gets the book? CK is wrapping hers in shiny paper with a big red bow. I'm thinking shiny paper with a pink boa might entice the package to be delivered to the right person.
CK is sending to: United, Sears, Wal-mart, NBC and Saturn
Mario is sending to: P&G, Baskin Robbins, Starbucks
Arun is TBD.
I need your help. 
Who do you think should get the Age of Conversation book with the
pink boa wrap? The only rules are no duplicate companies and it must be a Fortune 500.
Updated: Here's link to the Fortune 500 List.
Jul 24, 2007
Wind down your day with Diva Marketing's new live, internet radio show .. Diva Marketing Talks. 30-minutes. 2-guests. 1-topic related to social media marketing. Why? To help organizations understand social media marketing and how to join the conversation without getting blown-up. Can't join us live? The show morphs into a podcast!
Topic for July 24, 2007: The Verticals Get It - Using Social Media In B2B
Time: 6:30p - 7P Eastern
Guests: CB Whittemore, Solutia and Paul Chaney, Blogging Systems
Tonight Diva Marketing Talks focuses on how business-to-business can leverage social media. As C.B. says, "Paul talks real estate. I talk flooring. Our mission is to showcase how blogs and social media can be used effectively inside verticals." With C.B. and Paul at the mic we have the talent to build the foundation of a great B2B social media strategy .. from the floor up.
CB [Christine] Whittemore is the is director of in-store innovation for Solutia's Wear-Dated carpet fiber. formerly known as Monsanto. Not only does she hold a cool title, but she courageously exemplifies the word "innovation" for an industry that is not known for being a leader in 21c communications. She handles public relations, innovative marketing practices and any
other projects that don't quite fit into easily describable confines. C.B. blogs at Flooring the Consumer
Paul Chaney is one of the visionaries of social media. He began the first association for bloggers, opened the doors to the first company offering services by blog copywriters, wrote one of the first successful business blogs. And then was made an offer he couldn't refuse .. to help develop a social media company targeting the real estate industry. Paul puts his talents to work as Blogging Systems' Vice-President for Business Development and as Partner in newly-formed Nacht & Chaney Social Media Consulting. Along the way he managed to write a book - Reality Blogging Book too. Paul blogs at active rain.
Tips From The Diva Bag: The Verticals Get It - Using Social Media In B2B
From Paul Chaney
The Verticals Get It - Using Social Media In B2B
- 1. Blog about what you know relative to the industry. There will come a point in time when you will reach the limit of your own knowledge. When that happens, reference tip #2.
- 2. Read other industry-relevant blogs. The easiest way to do this is to subscribe to RSS feeds.
- 3. Keyword-optimized posts written on a regular basis (minimum 3-5 times per week) will give you your best chance of increasing your presence in SERPs as well as establishing your credibility within the industry.
From C.B. Whittemore
- It's a slow build. Be steady, consistent and don't lose your focus.
- Connect the new with the old to help demonstrate the value of the medium and the information available there.
- Be contagious when you blog and when you explain what social media is/how to use it.
- It's about sharing your passion!
Next week, July 31 - Diva Marketing Talks Analytics with Marianne Richmond, Resonance Partnership and Peter Kim, Forrester Research.
Update: Diva Talks podcast is up on Blogtalkradio. CB and Paul were awesome. A warm welcome to our first caller, Ines Hegedus-Garcia from Miamism.
Jul 23, 2007
Congrats! to Todd Andrlik. Todd developed the 
Power 150 - a rating system resulting in a list of the top 150 marketing/ad blogs in the world. Now he's taking the Power 150 to the "Power Ad Rag." He's partnering with Advertising Age to include the list in the pub.
Todd’s brilliant creation goes way beyond that and creates a ranking that combines traffic, influence and quality into a ranking of the best out there. We’re excited to be able to bring that to our readers. Jonah Bloom, editor Advertising Age
Where and how the Power 150 will be placed and positioned is still in development. But what makes this especially significant is the acknowledgment of a traditional institution (yes, Girlfriend Ad Age is indeed an "institution" albeit for the ad industry) that blogs and bloggers matter. That blogs and bloggers are credible resources for Advertising Age's readers.
Todd - thanks for including Diva Marketing. I am honored that Diva has been part of the Power 150 since day one.
Jul 20, 2007
Friday Fun is Diva Marketing's virtual happy hour from cosmos to
Jack to lemonade. A waiting for the weekend 'playground' time to be
sophisticated-silly. Or sometimes just plain silly.
I've a riddle for you. No cheating don't scroll down! What is filled with danger and intrigue? Is something common but personal and very intimate. It holds emotion, pleasure, beauty, finance, disgust and sometimes despair.
No, it's not the new Harry Potter book. No, it's not the next James Bond
film. No, it's not the next Lindsey Lohan or Paris Hilton media blitz. Give up? 
It's a
woman's purse sometimes called a handbag or pocketbook or clutch.
Kelley Styring, InsightFarm, found that the mysterious world of a woman's purse is even more than that. It might just be a clue to unlocking billions of dollars in new product opportunities for marketers. Kelly spent over 100 hours interviewing 100 woman and exploring the contents of their pocketbook. She found remarkable insights into their lives and a surprise .. potential unmet needs.
“I found that the purse - the nerve center of a woman’s life, bearer of her most important things – is also a disorganized bag full of junk. But that’s where the opportunity exists for marketers to fulfill unmet needs.”
Did you know that 95% of U.S. women aged 18-64 take a purse with them Every Day? I bet the divas of marketing to women, Yvonne, Mary and Michele, could tell you that women make about 70% of all retail buys. Think of if this way .. that seeming innocent Coach bag or Target special is the only physical link between home - where needs are created and the store - where those needs can be fulfilled. (K. Styring). What is in that pocketbook and how it is found may be the catalyst for the next iPhone. I'm thinking a lipstick and mirror holder, as part of an iPhone, would be ultra cool.
Kelley Styring boasts that “In Your Purse: Archaeology of the American Handbag” is the first quantitative and qualitative study to delve into the
contents and context of a woman’s purse. Kelly has even turned her findings into a clever YouTube video. Well worth a watch.
Divas what is in your purse? I'll start - In my pink purse I found: a wallet, cell phone, blue tooth thingy, lip gloss, gourmet tea bags (for when I travel and don't want to drink the boring stuff or horrid coffee), note book, pens, biz card holder and a piece of chocolate.
Heard it from: The Merrill Dubrow Blog
Sidebar Update: Lip-Sticking - Handbags Post
Sidebar Update: Sorry, didn't mean to leave out the divos. For divos, like BBF Lewis Green .. what's in your man purse? I'm thinking a man purse research project is something I could get into (smile).
Jul 17, 2007
Diva Marketing Talks - a 30-minute tapa bite of fun and information about social media.
Toss of a pink boa to Jeneane Sessum - Allied and Wayne Hurlbert, Blog Business World Blog Business Success BlogTalkRadio for guest hosting 
today's Diva Marketing Talks: The Company You Keep: The Ethics of Social Media. They totally rock! This is a must listen show for anyone interested in the issues of surrounding social media.
The thread of who we are goes across our entire participation. - Jeneane
Every action that you take and everything you do should be made with fair treatment helping others in mind. - Wayne
Tips From Diva Marketing Talks: The Company You Keep, The Ethical Side Of Social Media
Jeneane Sessum, Allied
- Be Yourself - Figure out who you are and carry that across all social platforms.
- If you can't figure out who you are, at least be FUNNY.
- Admit when you're wrong, unless the other party/blogger/company is wronger.
- Don’t Quit. Take breaks, but don’t quit because longevity counts.
Wayne Hurlbert, Blog Business World Blog Business Success BlogTalkRadio
- Respect other people's work. Incorporate attribution if you are including parts of a post in your blog post. Credit should include the name of the blogger, the blog title and a link to the blog and/or post.
- All concepts used from other blogs should be linked and credited to the source.
- It’s okay to modify posts with details such as event dates, times or typos. However, it’s not a good idea to delete and then change major concepts on a published post. If you need to update the information indicate and date the change. Or write a new post and link back to the original post.
- Admit to mistakes. It increases your credibility if you offer a correction and an apology.
Jul 17, 2007
Girlfriend, there comes a time when you just have to try on that cute pair of Jimmy Choo's that you've been longing for but were not sure if they'd fit. To take a chance on something new.
Tonight Diva Marketing Blog takes to the air waves with a BlogTalk Radio Show - Diva Marketing Talks. The focus is similar to where Diva Marketing has morphed .. to help organizations understand social media marketing and how to join the conversation without getting blown-up. It's a 30-minute tapa bite of intense flavors in the form of conversation and fun. Time: 6:30p - 7P Eastern
Tonight's show is focused on The Company You Keep - The Ethics of Social Media and who better to join in on this conversation than Jeneane Sessum - Allied and Wayne Hurlbert, Blog Business World Blog Business Success BlogTalkRadio?
Jeneane was blogging since before blogging was cool. She launched Allied in 2001 and as you can imagine she's has a few thoughts on how ethics fits into the changing world of social media.
When I think of Wayne Hurlbert, the words "gentleman of the blogosphere" comes to mind. Wayne frequently writes about ethics and he believe ethics is a good business strategy.
I most cordially invite you to join Wayne, Jeneane and me in a Diva Marketing Talks conversation about the ethical side of social media marketing. If you miss the live show it will be available for download into your MP3 player of choice.
Diva Marketing Talks
Date: Tuesday, July 17th
Time: 6:30p-7p
Toss of the pink boa to Wayne for his encouragement to start this adventure and his technical consulting help!
Jul 16, 2007
Three months ago 103 bloggers, from all over the word,
came together to write one book, Age of Conversation,
on one topic, the way people are communicating and connecting with each in today's world,
to support one dear friend, CK celebrate the memory of her mom,
with the proceeds going to one global charity, Variety The Children's Charity.
The visionaries behind this project were Gavin Heaton and Drew McLellan who spent the last 3-months of their lives coordinating, planning and launching the book. The journey of Age of Conversation and the lessons learned from the process are as important as the messages it includes. The book is a testimony that relationships built through social media can create a community that can make a difference.
Each author was asked to write a 400 word chapter on the topic of "conversation." What emerged is a thought piece from some of the marketing pioneers in the social media industry. Perhaps you may not recognize all of the names, however, these are (some of) the people, who through their day-to-day involvement in the space, are creating an important, new marketing direction.
Your company may not be including blogs, or podcasts or Myface or YouTube in its strategic marketing plans today. Most of the world might not be aware of micro blogs like Twitter, Jaiku or Pownce but trust me on this one Divas and Divos, the impact of social media is changing the perceptions of how your community relates to your brand. Those changes are and will continue to impact not only how we market but how we do business.
The Age of Conversation provides 103 points of view about doing business in a world where as I say in my chapter, Technology Is Recreating Business Intimacies -
Business is personal. Technology is fueling the emotional engagement that leads to long-term customer interactions.
What also emerged was not only a business book, that will challenge your thinking, but a book written from the heart. What an interesting world we live in .. a business book with a social media soul!
Age of Conversation Store has 3 purchase options: an eBook for $9.99 ($7.99 to charity) a software book for $16.95 ($8.10 to charity) and a hard copy book for $29.99 ($8.55 to charity). All proceeds will be donated to Variety The Children's Charity. No author, including Gavin and Drew, will see any revenue from the book.
Age of Conversation Google Map - do not click unless you have the time to click and play. Complements of Matt Dickman
Toss of a pink boa
to all of the people who so generously gave of their time and their heart to this amazing project. I am beyond honored to be included in this very important project.
Gavin Heaton
Drew McLellan
CK
Valeria Maltoni
Emily Reed
Katie Chatfield
Greg Verdino
Mack Collier
Lewis Green
Sacrum
Ann Handley
Mike Sansone
Paul McEnany
Roger von Oech
Anna Farmery
David Armano
Bob Glaza
Mark Goren
Matt Dickman
Scott Monty
Richard Huntington
Cam Beck
David Reich
Luc Debaisieux
Sean Howard
Tim Jackson
Patrick Schaber
Roberta Rosenberg
Uwe Hook
Tony D. Clark
Todd Andrlik
Toby Bloomberg
Steve Woodruff
Steve Bannister
Steve Roesler
Stanley Johnson
Spike Jones
Nathan Snell
Simon Payn
Ryan Rasmussen
Ron Shevlin
Roger Anderson
Robert Hruzek
Rishi Desai
Phil Gerbyshak
Peter Corbett
Pete Deutschman
Nick Rice
Nick Wright
Michael Morton
Mark Earls
Mark Blair
Mario Vellandi
Lori Magno
Kristin Gorski
Kris Hoet
G.Kofi Annan
Kimberly Dawn Wells
Karl Long
Julie Fleischer
Jordan Behan
John La Grou
Joe Raasch
Jim Kukral
Jessica Hagy
Janet Green
Jamey Shiels
Dr. Graham Hill
Gia Facchini
Geert Desager
Gaurav Mishra
Gary Schoeniger
Gareth Kay
Faris Yakob
Emily Clasper
Ed Cotton
Dustin Jacobsen
Tom Clifford
David Polinchock
David Koopmans
David Brazeal
David Berkowitz
Carolyn Manning
Craig Wilson
Cord Silverstein
Connie Reece
Colin McKay
Chris Newlan
Chris Corrigan
Cedric Giorgi
Brian Reich
Becky Carroll
Arun Rajagopal
Andy Nulman
Amy Jussel
AJ James
Kim Klaver
Sandy Renshaw
Susan Bird
Ryan Barrett
Troy Worman
S. Neil Vineberg
Please join me in a virtual social media celebration of the Age of Conversation!
Sidebar: Link is to Age of Conversation's Facebook page.
Jul 10, 2007
Paul Levy, President and CEO of Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and blogger of Running A Hospital Blog is no stranger when it comes to innovation and loving a good challenge. In 2002, when Paul took the helm of the BIDMC the hospital was on verge of being sold by the Commonwealth. In 2004, the medical center reported a $28 million dollar operating surplus.
With the hospital under control, I guess Paul found a few extra seconds. In August of 2006, Paul decided to add blogging to his To Do List and launched Running A Hospital Blog. In keeping with the mantra of social media (transparency, authenticity, honesty and passion) posts run from patient's customer service concern to his views on social issues to health insurance to asking readers if he got paid too much and even the recipe of Beth Israel's famous chocolate chip cookies.
The healthcare business is fiercely competitive, especially in Boston, a city know for its hospitals and docs. In his post Opening Day Items Paul shows us an out-of-the-box marketing strategy that dovetails into the BIDMC's partnership with the Boston Red Sox. BI Babies are sent home in co-branded baby caps and a certificate for a tour of Fenway Park on birthday number five.
Bloggy Discloure: I'm a BI bebe and I'm betting if the BI had that in strategy in-place, I would have had a few more siblings! Had to add this comment from Paul - "And, by the way, all BID babies are above average . . . Good to know that you are another example of that."
In an email chat Paul explained his views about about blogs and social media in healthcare. I think you'll agree that Paul has indeed taken a sip or two of the kool-aid and hit a home run with Running A Hospital Blog.
About Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
One of the nation’s preeminent academic medical centers, providing state-of-the-art clinical care, research, and teaching in affiliation with Harvard Medical School. Licensed for about 600 beds, BIDMC annual clinical and research revenues are in excess of $1 billion. Overseen by a 20-member Board of Directors and with a staff of over 6,000 FTEs and a medical staff of over 700 physicians in thirteen clinical departments.
Toby/Diva Marketing: It seems as though Running A Hospital Blog is your personal blog versus a “company blog.”
Paul Levy: This a personal blog. It is not published by the hospital.
Toby/Diva Marketing: Why a personal blog and not a BI/Deaconess Medical Center blog a la Nick Jacobs?
Paul Levy: Dunno. I'm not sure it matters that much, but if it were an official organ of the hospital, I would probably feel compelled to have all posts reviewed by our General Counsel, press office, and other people inside the hospital. That would make it hard for me to write and post something at 5am or 10pm, when I do my writing.
Also, I would probably self-censor much more, knowing that things were going to be reviewed by corporate folks. I think currency and immediacy and spontaneity are important in keeping things interesting. Also, this way, my staff folks can honestly deny that they have any prior knowledge about what I have written! By the way, I like Nick's blog a lot. He seems like a wonderful guy, and they are lucky to have someone with his experience, wisdom, and good humor.
Toby/Diva Marketing: Do you think the hospital will adopt a social media strategy including blogs, blogger relations, etc? If so when? If not why not?
Paul Levy: I''m not sure what it means to have a social media strategy, at least with regard to blogs and blogger relations. Anyone can start his or her own blog in about 30 seconds. Why should the hospital be a repository? If we were, then we would have to have blogging policies! That seems inherently contradictory to the idea of social media.
If we did post blogs on our company website, wouldn't we have to make the "space" available to all and then also have to insure that they met standards for honesty, accountability, grammar, spelling, HIPAA, good behavior, and the like? If you permit all blogs to be posted on the company website without standards, then you are inviting lawsuits. So then I would have to have people enforce the standards.
Why undemocratize the most democratic form of communication by imposing corporate standards on it when anybody in the company can already create their own site in the outside world? If it is good enough and interesting enough to attract readers, the word will get around.
We are, however, looking at wikis for a variety of purposes.
Toby/Diva Marketing: Why has blogging been worth your time, energy and resources? What has surprised you about your blogging experience?
Paul Levy: Totally worth it, especially in terms of getting feedback from a wide variety of people throughout the world. It is like tapping into an incredibly extensive community.
Toby/Diva Marketing: Are ideas and suggestions from comments distributed and/or utilized internally?
Paul Levy: Oh, yes. I pass along ideas to our folks, and we follow up.
Toby/Diva Marketing: How does your blog fit into Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Marketing/ Community Outreach Strategies.
Paul Levy: This is not the hospital's blog. Strictly speaking, it is not tied into our business strategies, although I like to think that there is nothing in it that is inconsistent with our strategies.
Toby/Diva Marketing: I noticed that the blog is not linked from the Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center webstite. Nor is there a direct link from the blog to the BI website. Any plans to do that?
Paul Levy: No, it is not a hospital publication.
Toby/Diva Marketing: Did you have to first gain permission from your board?
Paul Levy: No.
Toby/Diva Marketing: How are you handling HIPPA regulations?
Paul Levy: I follow them!
Toby/Diva Marketing: What were the reactions from your peers?
Paul Levy: Some are very supportive, some are disdainful. Our physicians and nurses and other staff are very, very supportive.
Toby/Diva Marketing: What are your feelings about Sermo? Particularly the inclusion of allowing investment firms to view postings and the possibility of inviting the pharma in?
Paul Levy: I have never read it. I don't look at sites where you have to register.
Toby/Diva Marketing: What will it take for social media to gain acceptance within the healthcare community, to the extent that blogs (and other tactics) are adopted?
Paul Levy: This will happen very slowly. It is not a field that encourages open expressions of feelings or positions.
Toby/Diva Marketing: What would you tell other healthcare organizations and physicians who are considering launching a blog?
Paul Levy: Be prepared for a great adventure.
Sidebar: Thanks to Nick Jacobs for the intro to Paul Levy. Another example of the blogger network.
Jul 8, 2007
You are coridally invited to join Geoff Livingston, the Divas from SITC and me for a blogger meet-up at the Brio Tuscan Grille at Tysons Corner Center in McLean, VA on Thursday, July 12 at 6:00p. Let's talk blogs and social media over a glass or two of vino.
Perhaps Katya Andresen, Debbie Weil, Mitch Arnowitz and Leslie Jump.
Want more blog-talk? Success In The City is presenting a full day conference - New Media Nouveaux on lucky Friday the thirteenth. I'll be there telling my bloggy story ;-) Would love to hear blogger story too!
Jul 6, 2007
Friday Fun is Diva Marketing's virtual happy hour from cosmos to
Jack to lemonade. A waiting for the weekend 'playground' time to be
sophisticated-silly. Or sometimes just plain silly.
Play a game, read a great biz book and or listen to a few great biz ideas. BBF (best blog friends) have some awesome suggestions. The post is long because of the lists .. but girlfriend I know you can scroll pretty fast!
One For Three - play a game
When Lewis Green tagged me to play a new meme (a viral game where you get know a little bit more about your fav bloggers) I told him perhaps we should be playing jump rope. But that's rather difficult to do online so I'm telling you .. 8 Random Things About Me (yawning is allowed but no loud snoring).
Update: Steve Woodruff also wanted me to play tag with him. So Steve this is for you too!
1. I hate technology - It's what it can do that excites me
2. I'm getting addicted to My Face - Watch for interesting business applications as it matures
3. I love ice cream - It makes me happy. I don't know why it just does.
4. I love learning about and drinking wine - Have taken several courses and altho I enjoy a really nice bottle I love discovering great wines under $10
5. I love to travel - One day I'll have the $ and time to travel for fun and not business
6. I love the comedian Kathy Griffin - I can totally relate to the D List thing
7. I love jazz, music from the 40's and of course show tunes - Why? past boyfriend, my dad, theatre major
8. I love the ocean and I love watching storms on the ocean - Walks on the beach are calming, inspiring, and invigorating.
The rules are I get to tag 8 (random) people ..
Joe Reger
Average Jane
Arun Rajogopla
Ted Demppoulos
Dr. Ellen Weber
Paul Chaney
Philippe
Roxanne - maybe Rox will do a Barefoot on the Beach video (smile)
Two For Three - read a great biz book
Geoff Livingston found a creative use Facebook. He created an "email wiki"
and invited some friends to help develop a list of 25+ must-read
social media, marketing and PR books. This list was compiled by Chris Abraham, Toby Bloomberg, Eric Eggertson, Susan Getgood, Kami Huyse, Ike Pigott and of course Geoff Livingston. Thanks for the code Geoff!
In addition to listing the authors alphabetically by name, Geoff linked their blogs or home pages (you can get their books via
Amazon,
bn.com or any other preferred book seller).
Chris Anderson, The Long Tail
Paul Bausch, Matthew Haughey, and Meg Hourihan, We Blog
Rebecca Blood, The Weblog Handbook
Todd Defren, PR 2.0 Essentials (e-book)
Susannah Gardner, Buzz Marketing with
Peter Kim is an analyst at Forrester Research in Boston. His coverage area focuses on marketing strategy and organization, including advertising and accountability. Prior to joining Forrester, Peter was international marketing manager at PUMA AG; part of the strategy network at Razorfish; and a research analyst at Coopers & Lybrand focusing on the energy industry.
Marianne Richmond has held senior level marketing positions with some of the largest consumer brands like Nabisco and Purina. From the agency side she's worked with Ally-Gargano/Marketing Corporation of America and DIMAC Direct. Her career direction has led to opening the doors of her own shop Resonance Partnership based in St. Louis.
