Diva Marketing Turns 7!
06/06/2011
I was thinking of calling this post "The 7 Year (Blog) Itch." Although a blog is not a marriage, in a funny sort of a way, it is a commitment. And relationships are built through posts and comments. So perhaps not so strange?
And at year 7 it's a good time to look back at where you've been and think a bit of where you might go.
Yes, girlfriend, Diva Marketing celebrates 7 years .. belatedly. Diva entered the blogopshere May 24th 2004 as an experiement. I had no intention of keeping this bebe going for more than a few weeks. I mean, I had a website, what did I need with a blog?
However, within days people began to reach out and welcome me. People like Yvonne DiVita, Dana VanDen Heuvel, Michelle Miller, Tris Hussey, Paul Chaney, Anita Campbell, Bill Flitter, Stephan Spencer and then Rajesh Lalwani, Marianne Richmond, Elisa Camahort, Nettie Hartsock, Geoff Livingston, BL Ochman, Shel Israel and so many more who are still part of my life.
There were few books or workshops about blogs. These were the people who I learned from .. who I skyped & emailed long into the night and who changed my sleep habits for life!
I quickly realized that blogs were way different from static websites. And so I continued Diva Marketing because I was having too much fun to stop.
Along the way Diva Marketing changed from a concentration on general marketing and branding to a focus on how to use social media to support brand values/promise by creating and nurturing relationships.
That's what happens with blogs. They morph and change to reflect the interests of the author and the community.
Diva Marketing turned into a sandbox where I could play with new ideas - In The Moment Marketing, test concepts - Corner Grocery Stores Relations (one day I'll write a book - Everything I know about social media I learned from my grandma!) and learn together - Crowd Sourced Posts with the social media and marketing community .. you!
Take a 7 for 7 walk down memory lane with me and look back at some of the highlights of Diva Marketing. If it's cocktail hour shake up your appletini or if not pour a cup of java.
#1 - GourmetStation, my first blogging client, launched one of the earliest blogs tied to a commerce site. Founder Donna Lyons Miller bravely agreed to share our learnings on Diva Marketing. The innovative character blog Delicious Destinations was blown up by the "purest" blogerati who later agreed we were right on target.
Lessons Learned - All initatives must reflect the brand value and promise. Take risks but do not waiver on the mantra of social media: transparency, honesty and authenticy. Work with creative people are willing to take a risk and who believe in you.
#2 Jupiter Research, the influence of a community of marketing bloggers changed the way this company worked with bloggers, the methodology information it released to the public and developed guidelines for how its PR agency would interact with bloggers. Back-story
Lessons Learned: One voice, that joins with a larger community, can make a difference and even impact the internal processes of large organizations.
#3 Blogger Relations Pulse of the Industry research study explored blogger relations from the point of view of 3 audiences: bloggers, agencies and brands. 99 people offered their opinons. Their insights are the basis for several organization's blogger relations programs.
Lessons Learned: The 5 big take aways remain valid today and expand into social network content providers as well. Take Aways: 1. Know who I am and target my interests. 2. Provide value to me and my community. 3. Tell me about you. Ethics and transparency count. 4. Treat me and my community with respect. 5. Establish a 2-way conversation.
#4 Social Media Marketing GPS I wrote the first business book based on Twitter interviews; I used Diva Marketing to tell the story. The book is written in 12 chapters and takes you from the what and why of social media to ethics, strategy, tactics, blogger relations and a few case studies. Well over 10k downloads from people all over the world.
Lessons Learned - Traditional publishers told me the concept wouldn't work. David Meerman Scott suggested I test it by turning it into an a free eBook. Next time I'll ask for eMail addresses .. perhaps a buck a book might be a good idea too (smile!).
#5 Forbes acknowledged Diva Marketing as one of the best blogs on social media and marketing written by a women.
Lessons Learned: It's sweet to be given a high sign by a prestigious media company .. but you're only as good as your last post.
#6 Diva Marketing was almost acquired.What a trip it was when I received an eMail from the X Man that a large blog network wanted to buy Diva.
Lessons Learned: Keep exit strategies open. If you want to sell your blog you must own your domian and build on a platform like Wordpress that makes it easy to transfer content.
#7 All The Single Girlfriends Building on the experience from Diva Marketing, social media consulting and training I launched a new social destination. All The Single Girlfriends is the first community focusing on single women 40+ and those who are "single in spirt."
Lessons Learned: The social/blog space if much more cluttered than when Diva Marketing opened its virtual doors. The competion to build community, even in a niche market, is intense. It takes consistency and time .. and the kindnesses of friends.
Bonus! Along the way I met amazing people from all over the world. Many of those people were kind to share their insights about social media with us in interviews and Diva Marketing Talks podcasts. The support you've given has added joy to my life. This milestone belongs to you .. and perhaps Max too!
Lessons Learned: The power of social media is the relationships created through your involvement in real interactions with real people.
So, girlfriend, where do we go from here?
