Lessons Learned About Blogs & Social Media
09/10/2007
Sometimes you just have to let a post be a link because someone does it so well all you can do is say .. click here to learn more.
In this case it's
Kevin O'Keefe, Real Lawyers Have Blogs and founder of Lexblogs LexBlog, who has consolidated 
lessons learned about blogs and social media from some of the most highly respected people in social media (how I got into the mix I'm not quite sure). Kevin weaves in his own special sauce creating a must read post. Here's a taste .. but I encourage you to "click here to learn more."
Dave Winer: granddaddy of blogs and social media described blogs as the unedited voice of a person and suggests if you're trying to get business from your blog, send people away.
Duncan Riley, co-founder and former vice president of b5media tell us that you build traffic through your perseverance.
Amy Gahran, a Colorado-based media consultant, journalist and regular contributor to Poynter Online reminds us that before you do anything else, figure out which groups you wish to engage in a public conversation. Then - Don’t just lurk, speak up!
Susannah Gardner, co-founder of the internet consulting/web design company, Hop Studios and author of Buzz Marketing With Blogs for Dummies, has put together a review of popular blog software platforms.
Robert Scoble who brought blogs to Microsoft and co-authored Naked Conversations: How Blogs are Changing the Way Businesses Talk with Customers)says blogs/social media is the new-more-efficient-word-of-mouth network. According to Robert, "Five bloggers is all it takes to spark something."
Shel Israel, strategic communications advisor, co-author with Scoble of Naked Conversations: How Blogs are Changing the Way Businesses Talk with Customers, and publisher of his social media/technology centered blog Global Neighbourhoods, offers 10 tips when blogging as an employee of a corporation. One of my favorites is - If you make a mistake, admit it. Say you're sorry. Fix it. Make a penance. Link to people who are talking about you or the mistake.
Charlene Li, Vice President and Principal Analyst at Forrester Research, has a report that helps to define the ROI of business blogging. This is a must read for anyone who considers social media to be a credible, accountable marketing strategy .
Jeremiah Owyang, a Bay Area web strategist and soon-to-be Senior Analyst at Forrester Research, explains there is no cookie cutter way to measure success, it depends on the goals of the program, whether it be thought leadership, buzz, reaching to customers, managing crises, customer outreaches, etc.
Alex Barnett, VP, Community for Bungee Labs, reminds us that the key to realizing the long-term marketing benefits of blogging is understanding that marketing is a conversation. Your prospective clients talk among themselves and with those who influence them.
Doc Searls, a fellow at UC Santa Barbara’s Center for Information Technology & Society and well-known blogger is credited for coining the phrase, "Markets are conversations." Doc explains his concept further, "In fact, we were trying to get past metaphor altogether, and back to what markets were in the first place: places where people meet to do business and make culture."
Guy Kawasaki, CEO of Garage Technology Ventures, co-founder of the user-created social media site Truemors offers 11 ways business professionals can use LinkedIn. One of my favs is - Ask for advice. LinkedIn’s newest product, LinkedIn Answers,allows you to broadcast your business-related questions to both your network and the greater LinkedIn network.
Josh Hallett, runs the consulting firm Hyku, LLC and operates the company’s Hyku Blog. Josh gives how to advice on live blogging conferences. He cautions that to be effective at large conferences a team of bloggers should be assembled. It's not a one man or a one diva show.
John Cass, an author and marketer out of Massachusetts blogs at PR Communications. He points us to
how to initiate a blogging policy - SCOUT Backbone Media, Inc.'s Corporate Guidelines for Using Blogs and Forums.
Mark Cuban is more than just the owner of Dallas Mavericks, Chairman of HDNet and new member of ABC’s third season of Dancing with the Stars, Mark is the author of the blog - Blog Maverick. In a post from 2005, Mark explains how blog searching can be a powerful 'competitive intelligence' business tool.
In today's world, one upset customer can write in their blog about how upset they are about your product or service and it could be linked to by any number of other blogs, which in turn are linked to by any number of blogs, which is in turn picked up by a TV news show. In 24 hours or less, tens to hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people have heard the complaint and your business and brand are at risk.
Darren Rowse, co-founder and vp of blog network b5media writes lots the popular ProBlogger blog where he provides tips for successful blogging including how to monetize a blog. Darren's win-win-win tip is inviting guest bloggers in. You get a bit of a break, the blogger gets added exposure and your community gets some new insights. Sidebar: Guest blogging for Problogger was how I met Peter from The Blog Studio who designed Diva Marketing's spiffy skin.
Steve Rubel is svp at the PR firm Edelman. Steve maintains the blog Micro Persuasion. He believes the future of PR is participation, not pitching. He tells us that the web has become more influential than traditional media, and smart PR specialists are doing what they can to adjust their business models to reflect these changes.
Brian Clark is an Internet marketing strategist and content developer. He also runs Copyblogger, providing tips for successful online marketing. His 5 Immutable Laws of Persuasive Blogging, provides tips for gaining influence in the blogosphere. Anyone who pretends to know me will not be surprised that tip #5 is my favorite.
5. The Law of the Story: Stories are the most persuasive blogging element of all, as they allow you to present a problem, the solution, and the results, all while the connotation of the story allows readers to sell themselves on what you have to offer.
.. and what did Kevin pull from me? That blogs establish relationships and connect with potential clients.
Thanks to Jeff from Bridgewater State for the use of the cool graphic.
