06/17/2009
Add one more virtual place to network to your list .. TweetChats. Oh no! girlfriend you might be thinking not another social media thing to add to my running list .. and what is a tweetchat anyway?
Anita Campbell, Small Business Trends, has a great definition.
- A tweetchat is simply an organized group chat that takes place using the Twitter platform. Participants use an assigned hashtag (say, #sbbuzz) for their tweets during the discussion.
When Marc Meyer asked me to host one of the most popular Tweetchats this week I said .. of course! Held weekly, Tuesdays from noon - 1p, #socialmedia explores issues about social media marketing. The focus this week was on the "hidden demographics" of social media like bebe boomers, women etc. etc. etc. Title: Deciding the “now what” and the “who with” of social media in your company.
The exchange of ideas was fast, furious, exciting .. and the people .. so smart. Moderating was like running a race while juggling 50 balls in the air. Although #socialmedia is structured around 3 20-minute segments each with a unique question, it was fascinating to watch the sidebar conversations occurring simultaneously. The questions:
#1. What demographics are most powerful in each of the top social networks? And Why?
#2. Which demographics are most overlooked, ignored, or taken for granted, in the top tier social networks? Why?
#3. With the increase of social media usage, which demographics will drive innovation in social networking?
I found that our conversation didn't really follow the progression of the questions as much as some other tweetchats might have; but the discussion happened naturally on its own accord. With tosses of a pink boa to the amazing people who generously shared their opinions and experience and to Marc Meyer and Jason Breed the sponsors .. here are my takes of the highlights.
Boomers
The Baby Boomer generation maybe late in getting to this party but according to comScore there are about 16.5 million adults ages 55 and older engaged in social networking.
@conniereece - All I can say is that marketers need 2 wake up 2 how many boomers R online & how they use socnets. Connie thinks that boomers are the "lost demo" and not only for profits but nonprofits are missing opportunities.
Even in this economy, Boomers have more $ to spend then the X-Yers. Note to brand marketers (and main stream media): Take off your cool shades the internet and social networks are Not only for the "youngsters."
The challenge for brands per @CBWhittemore is to make it .." relevant to baby boomers & others b/c new marketplace imperatives."
The challenge for people who have not grown up with new technologies is understanding how to use the tools. A wrong click will not necessarily bring down the Internet or explode your computer. On a personal level @evelynso shared a great idea .. that might help grandparents have an ah ha! moment. Think of Flickr or Facebook as a global grandkids brag book. You get to share those cute photos of your precious darlings with your closet Friends; and if you wish some you might not know yet.
When it comes to How generations use social media platforms we noticed a few differences. - seniors/ Boomers have a different $ management style. Check
alternatives - sometimes SM is cheaper & faster. From @evelynso and @marc_meyers - boomers share content Gen Y shares the intimate details of their lives.
Where are the Boomers hangin' out? Consensus seems to be on Facebook. Very few boomer friends (male or female) on Twitter. For @conniereece - Lots on FB now, and a few on LinkedIn. @sonnygill thinks that - demos on the more established networks are wider ranged than Twitter is (namely boomers).
Wondering ... will we see a change as Gen Y's and Millenniums' careers shift into management levels and the Boomers become more comfortable with open conversations? Also will Boomers leaving the work force (those that can afford to do so!) result in more transparency in their social media interactions? In other words will the cultures flip-flop?
Gen Y
When it came to Gen Y we thought they were tech savvy but lacking in social media marketing, strategy expertise. @CathyWebSavvyPR
- I've heard from some college students that SM is a part of social
life, they can't see applications. That was my experience too when I
presented social media marketing to an advertising class at UGA.
When it comes to Twitter - @dcgf - I think it's Gen Y who are not very "savvy" w/Twitter. The movers and shakers on here are older...However @CathyWebSavvyPR believes that - I think Gen x/Y will once they begin entering the workforce & needing to use SM. their learning curve may B shorter
Can Social Media Close the Generation Gap?
Example of one of the sidebar tweet conversations
>At the risk of making assumptions, I'd hazard to say that the ave age of THIS "unConference" is over 35! (don't hate-ha) - @dcgf
>@dcgf
as an Mil-gen are you comfortable engaging with the 'older' peeps on
twitter? @dcgf could social media be the way to close the generation
gap? - @tobydiva
>def closes gen gap and @Mark_Meyer I think all gen's want to feel like they're being engaged on a personal level - @dcgf
Women
We wondered where women were hanging out online and if they were using social media diffently than men. Most of our tweets were based on observation and personal experience. @Verbatim told us that - Research shows men preferring Twitter and women, FB. Which makes sense to me, FB being more personal details.
@conniereece in regard to Twitter - if you look at *what* men/women post on Twitter, it's different. Women more likely to share, men to broadcast. #socialmedia (generalization). Seems that a guy agrees with Connie - @marc_meyer men generalize and women socialize...?
Tweets were not all serious we had some giggles along the way. @wpmc - Saw a book on communications "Men are Like Waffles, Women are Like Spaghetti" - Facebook is like spaghetti.
@CathyWebSavvyPR brought out an interesting point that brands should consider when using Facebook to reach women. - I know many women feel that FB is for freinds & family & resent the intrusion of business there. others like it.
Social Media Marketing
We also talked about what is social media? @greenhance offered an interesting concept - Altho I've no proof, I think SM adoption is personality driven. Some are more likely to use Twitter, others FB, etc.
@marc_meyer looked at in from this point of view - Twitter is 4 biz Linkedin is 4 networking, FB is the playground, or something like that. any1 remember the analogy?
When it comes right down to it people agreed with @ddeseta - It's not about the most followers. It's about having the most relevance within yoursphere. and with @mrochte - It's about convening not controlling #SocialMedia " - that's the message we need to understand http://on.ted.com/y mrochte
When it came down to what to make of the "hidden demographics" @greenhance reminded us - Brands can cultivate real loyalty with SM in a way that was previously limited by geography/reach. Social media is one aspect of marketingmarketing basics.
To wrap this up it's back to marketing basics - know who your customers are/where they hang out/what they want. @tobydiva Be careful of what you think you know.. your truth might be an illusion.
Resources
Tweet Stream
Business Week Social Media Gender Gap
Pew Internet has extensive stats on social media
Forrester Social Technology Profile Tool - John Cass for the link!
Blogher 2009 Women and Social Media Study
06/15/2009
It's Atlanta. It's not even summer. And it's hot. Although that's just the way it is in Hot'lanta come almost summer it seems like a surprise. People nod and say, "Yup sure is hot."
It's a blog or a tweet or a vlog about your brand. It's not even dressed up in your company's pretty packaging. And it's the raw voice of your customer. Although that's just the way social media is it seems like a surprise. People nod and say, "How can we control it?
Summer is hot.
Social media is come as you are.
At this point it shouldn't come as a big surprise to us.
That's just the way it is.
05/22/2009
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.
This post was inspired by Mark Story, Where Online Intersects With Offline. Mark is running a series on Mondays he's calling #blogmonday. With all the chatter about social networks and widgets and videos and podcasts and apps and tweets and gizmos (oh that's the next Big thing) the traditional blog has gotten lost in the digital maze. So I thought I'd use Friday Fun from time to time to #BringBackTheBlog by highlighting some of the great work that continues to be done in the blogosphere.
Seems only fitting that the first up should be Mark Story's post - Help Doug Haslam Ride. Blogs are wonderful social vehicles to tell from the heart stories and also to raise awareness for causes. In this post we learn about Dougn Haslam who is riding in the Pan Mass Challenge to raise money for the Jimmy Fund. Through his post Mark gives us a peak into his life as a dad and shows us some of the values that are important to him -helping others. Follow the Jimmy Fund on Twitter.
Sidebar: The Jimmy Fund is a Boston-based nonproft supporting the Dana Farber Cancer Institute that helps children and adults.
Mary Schmidt's posts on Marketing Troubleshooter always make me think. She's smart, witty and quick to the draw proving that blog posts don't always have to be long to position yourself as a thought leader. In her post The price is a surprising happiness to you Mary combines two complex marketing topics - price and email marketing .. and makes her point about both.
It has always amused me and confused me that marketers think no Believe that marketing is vastly different from business-to-business, business-to-consumer, products and services. While there are of course challenges within verticals and sectors the principles of marketing and relating to people's needs remains the same. Francois Gossieaux, Emergence Marketing, addresses that issue in his post about social media communities - B2B and B2C communities - no difference, it’s all about h2h. Francois uses his blog post to present his point of view including a few examples.
I'm going to let you in on my new secret. Shh! If you tell anyone Max might have to howl at you .. he never bites. Mommy blogs. (I'm not a mom so I don't frequently hang out in that blogosphere village though I do pop by to visit friends like Geek Mommy, Mom-101, MomInTheCity.) Remember this is #bringbacktheblog post so I'm talking blogs not necessarily "influencers" .. thought a great mom blog will often be home to a women who is sought after by marketers. Some of the best designed blogs are coming from this 'village' of the blogopshere.
My new favorite is Cool Mom Picks - a multiple author blog led by Liz Gumbinner and Kristen Chase. The branding is clean and consistent and the writing fun and engaging. Take a look at the side nav bars that are used not just for sponsorship ads but for value content. You'll find links to guides and internal content pages .. brilliant!
Sidebar: If you do want to know more about Moms Influencers catch the Diva Marketing Talks podcast where Liz Gumbinner and Susan Getgood join me to dish about Blogger Relations. It's a fun show with lots of great information.
05/19/2009
Pop a Cork For The New Diva Marketing Blog. Five years today - May 19, 2004 - that was the head line I wrote for the first post on Diva Marketing.
As my story goes .. I launched Diva Marketing as an experiment because my friend Dana VanDen Heuvel told me I couldn't talk about blogs in workshops I was conducting unless I was active in the space. I pretty much told Dana he was daft. I mean I can talk about any marketing strategy if I understand what it's about. Dana said blogs were different and in order to establish credibility I had to participate in this thing called a "converstation."
What did I really need with a blog .. I had a website!? However I did want to understand the logistics so I launched Diva Marketing. I quickly realized that the website with the funny name was not like any other marketing strategy I knew. Dana was right to "get it" you had to roll your sleeves up and dive in .. watching from the sidelines wasn't going to cut it.
Thanks to you .. five years later the experiment is still around. Diva Marketing turned into not only a learning playground but a labor of love and one of the first blog brands. 
Who would have thought?
Thanks to you .. for enriching my life. If anyone had told me that some of my dearest friends would live oceans and miles way in India, Europe, Australia, Canada as well as across the country from NYC to St. Louis to San Diego and just around the corner in Atlanta too .. no way Girlfriend would I have believed that one!
Thanks to you .. for impacting my personal and business life and for the opportunity to work with marketers all over the States helping them understand that the importance of blogs/social media.
Here are a few of the Looking Back Lessons that I share with you today.
11 Looking Back Lessons About Social Media Marketing
1. Opening the doors and windows to allow your employees to hear the unfiltered voices of your customers can bring unexpected insights leading to stronger brands, new products/services ideas even more responsive customer service.
2. Management's trust in their employees to represent the brand value in an authentic but respectful manner is the foundation of a social media strategy. This may mean different hiring values and more transparency in the strategic direction of the company.
3. Traveling the social media marketing road alone, without a someone who understand the culture of the "villages" where you want to engage, can do more harm than good.
4. Social media gives more than it takes if you're willing to come out from your walled garden and engage with your customers. No eating M&Ms behind the 2-way mirror .. it's a time for sharing your candy.
5. You can set house rules for blogs and social networking communities and still be "real."
6. People want to know they matter. Social media creates ways to show your customers you care about their concerns and feelings.
7. To succeed social media must be given the same respect and made accountable just as any other marketing strategy. Set strategy that includes: goals, execution expectations of your staff, measures of success.
8. Measures of success may be different from traditional marketing, especially direct response .. but it's okay to view success differently.
9. You can color outside the lines and take risks to try new ways to do it .. IF you stay true to your brand, are transparent, authentic, honest and believe in the conversations you are starting.
10. You don't have to do every thing at once. Review social media tactics with the view point of how they can support your goals. Start with your "digital home" and build out from there. For some organizations that may be Facebook, for others a blog and for some Twitter or ... you fill in the blank. What can you do within your current enterprise's culture and resources of human capital, time and money?
11. Social media puts the heart and soul into marketing.The real power behind social media is in building and nurturing relationships.
Help Me Celebrate Year Five!
There should be a way to pop a cork on a bottle of champagne when a blog turns five. There should be a special way to celebrate a milestone in the digital world. So what should we do?
Tossing this back to you. Drop your ideas in comments I have presents for the folks whose ideas we use - the soon to be released book, Ignore Everyone, by Hugh MacLeod gapingvoid and perhaps some Johnny Depp inspired brownies and 
a pink boa!
- "If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun." Katharine Hepburn
04/09/2009
Diva Marketing Talks is a live, internet radio (BlogTalkRadio) show. 30-minutes. 2-guests. 1-topic about social media marketing. Why? To help you understand how to participate in the "new" conversation without getting blown-up. Miss today's show? You can pick it up as a podcast or listen on your computer.
Today's Diva Marketing Talks explores a "new" demographic that is joining the social media conversation. Think that social media is all about Mils, Gen X or Gen Y? Think again. The Boomer Generation may be late to this party but will the shear numbers of the demographic influence SM? Des Walsh - Des Walsh dot Com, Barbara Rozgonyi -Wired PR Works and Carlos Hernandez - iRM Consulting, join me to talk about will the Woodstock generation be as open to naked conversations as they were to dancing in the rain sans clothes?
Topic for April 9, 2009: Boomers Step Into Social Media
Time: 6:00p - 6:30p Eastern/ 5:p - 5:30p Central/ 4:00p -4:30p Mountain/ 3:00p - 43:30p Pacific
Call-in Guest Number: 718.508.9924 .
Des Walsh
Des Walsh is passionate about the potential of social media for business transformation. As a strategist and coach he helps businesses and entrepreneurs navigate the social media maze and become savvy participants, developing their own roadmaps to fit their own strategic objectives.
He has been in business for twenty years as a communications consultant and coach, following a public service career with senior positions in education, the arts and major events planning. He draws on that experience to help companies handle the cultural challenge in changing from a traditional command and control approach to marketing and communications, to the more open, transparent world of social media.
Des is co-author of LinkedIn for Recruiting, now in its second edition and an e-book for small businesses, 7 Step Business Blog, recently translated into Mandarin Chinese. He is an Associate of China-based company CultureFish Media, which assists companies promoting their business online in China. He is also a Partner with the Colorado, based company ITBrix, which produces the social media, community building and collaboration platform WordFrame.
He is a regular speaker on blogging and social media and has spoken at conferences in Australia, the USA and China. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the International Blogging and New Media Association and a member of the Board of Governors of the International Association of Coaching. Des blogs at Des Walsh dot Com and Thinking Home Business. @deswalsh
He is based on Australia's Gold Coast and his motto is “have netbook, will travel”.
Barbara Rozgonyi
Barbara is the founder of CoryWest Media, LLC, a strategic social media, marketing and PR consultancy based in the Chicago area. She also publishes Wired PR Works, which is listed on Alltop, ranked in the Ad Age Power 150 and mentioned as one of the top sources for marketing content by junta42. Founder and chair of Chicago ’s Social Media Club, Barbara speaks frequently about how to get new media to work for you. WiredPRWorks @wiredprworks
Wired Works PR
Carlos Hernandes
Carlos is a Social Media Catalyst & Trainer to people desiring to be Web 2.0 savvy, but especially to Baby Boomers. Why so? In February of 2007, he elected to pursue a calling to help people. He especially identified with fellow Baby Boomers who were intimidated by emerging social media technologies.
He has been successful by working with individuals and businesses to leverage Web 2.0 technology in the sales and marketing initiatives. Carlos' has shown fellow professionals how to develop networks and connections via LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter in an integrated and cross-promotional manner.
Carlos made this conscious decision capitalizing on his gifts of public speaking, problem solving and teaching. His knowledge is grounded in a 28 year professional career working for Westinghouse Electric & Eaton Corporations in technical solution sales, marketing and project management. Academically, he studied Civil Engineering at Stanford University's School of Engineering. iRM Consulting @carloshernandez
Tips From The Diva Bag
Complements of Des Walsh
<>One of the best things and also one of the worst things about social media is that there are so many tools available which can help you build a business or kick-start a new career, and which are either no-cost or low cost. It's one of the best things because we now have, on a low or zero expenditure budget, tools which not too many years ago would have cost us thousands, even tens of thousands of dollars to buy or have built for us.
One of the worst things is that there are so many tools, so many services competing for our attention and love, that we can easily get confused, waste time with services that are not quite right and just get overwhelmed. We need to work on our social media business strategy, not just on tactics, tips and tools.
<>Baby Boomers who have been in business are familiar with the Japanese word “kaizen”, which when used in the context of Western manufacturing and other industrial and business processes is usually translated as “continuous improvement”: Tony Robbins re-badged “kaizen” as CANI – “Continuous And Never-ending Improvement.
Part of this kaizen approach is making small changes as you go, not just waiting for some major overhaul. So in the social media context, with low cost or no cost tools so readily available you can make changes as you go. And you no longer have to be a techie to make many of the changes.
<>Think global – if you want to. Or think small and local. One of the great things about social media from a small business point of view is that it allows so many people to live where they want and build a business which can be local, regional, or national or global, as they choose.
Learn how to be findable online, using blogging and other social media. More and more people go online to find what they are looking for, the product they want, the service they need. It's our choice as to whether they find us and like what they find, or find our competitors and never know about us.
Complements of Barbara Rozgonyi
<>Own your age by celebrating your accomplishments
<>Promote your technology heritage as being an early adopter way back when
<>Connect cross-generationally via alumni, networking and social groups
<>Position yourself as a mentor for people starting out in your profession
<>Talk about your collections, hobbies and interests to round out your profile
<>Post flattering and current profile pictures that look like who you are today
<>Be a leader people seek out for social media connections
<>Start out with LinkedIn and develop your professional profile
<>Go through your network and invite friends to connect online
<>Recommend and refer others when you see someone looking for help
Barbara's post on social media and baby boomer statistics
Complements of Carlos Hernandez
<>Don't be surprised if you become labeled a "lurker" for just reading blog posts and the like. It is okay to go slow and learn about the various social media communities. You will know when you are ready to contribute a comment, status update or tweet.
<>Become more than a job seeker on social media networks such as LinkedIn. Tap your passion and knowledge to grow into becoming a thought leader. It's one of the benefits of being older by having made mistakes and learning along the way.
<>I like Tara Hunt's perspective, who was a recent presenter at Web 2.0 Expo San Francisco (Twitter's @missrogue). "What can you give away that won't make you broke?" Social media lets you share your talent for the betterment of others
03/26/2009
This seems to be the week to share thoughts of some of my smart friends with you. Perhaps we should begin a new series on Diva Marketing .. Sharing The Thoughts of Smart Friends.
My pal Jon Lee Andersen is an attorney in Atlanta. But Jon is no boring lawyer .. he is one cool divo whose practice focuses on the marketing and advertising industries. In fact Jon has bragging rights as the only lawyer who has held the office of president of the AMA/Atlanta Chapter.
Quarterly Jon writes a newsletter on marketing topics incorporating the point of view of the law. He kindly agreed to share his latest article about mobile marketing with Diva Marketing's community. His writing is smart and funny. In this issue Jon's dog analogy so reminded me of Twitter!
New Dogs in Advertising - By Jon Lee Andersen
The Faithful Companion
I once owned a Golden Retriever who followed me everywhere. If I went from one room in the house to another, within minutes he was in there with me. I think he was slightly irritated on some occasions with this movement, especially when he was perfectly comfortable where he was at the moment and could see no good reason to move. As he got older he did stop following me upstairs, but he always waited at the bottom step for me to come back down. When I was at home, he was always at my side.
Now my dog sent me messages regularly, but they were only about himself. Today however, there is another “faithful companion” in our lives and it has the potential to deliver messages to me where ever I may roam: my cell phone. Like my dog it follows me from room to room, and even better - it goes out the door, down the street, to the grocery store, to school, the pizza parlor and the ball game.
Advertisers are taking serious note, since technology now enables them to text me messages about their products and services. I have read that as many as 60 million consumers were exposed to mobile advertising in a recent month and that analysts think the mobile market could be as big as $3 billion in billings within the next 4 years. As text messaging gains even more converts, it is likely to grow even faster. As the saying goes, this marketing dog can hunt!
The Hound Dog
Not is the mobile advertising getting bigger, it is getting more sophisticated. Like a good bloodhound, if my phone was equipped with a GPS system (alas, it is not) advertisers could find me almost anywhere. This would enable them to target me with advertising designed for my specific location, say a coupon good for French fries if I happen to be near a fast food chain. And if the advertiser knew from some other source, such as a behavioral study of my habits from my online usage, that I really liked fast food, the success rate of the advertising should be very high.
The Watch Dog
So, with this proliferation of text and other mobile advertising, what are the problems and the guidelines for doing it correctly? As with the online advertising, the biggest problem is spam, the unwanted ads, junk and schemes being sent. While it is annoying in my computer’s email inbox, at least it is free.
For cell phone customers however, it is not only annoying, it can be rather expensive. Most mobile phone service providers charge for incoming text messages. I have read that in 2008, it is estimated that over 1.5 billion spam text messages were received by consumers at a cost exceeding $225 million dollars.
The principal watch dog for abuses in mobile advertising is the Federal Trade Commission, working under the 2003 CAN-SPAM Act. While CAN-SPAM was initially focused on the glut of spam email messages flooding computers, Section 14 of the Act specifically bans companies from sending unsolicited commercial text messages to cellular phones.
The key requirement for mobile text advertising is that the recipient must give the advertiser “opt-in” to send the text message. By opting-in, consumers have affirmatively agreed to receive text messages from an advertiser and have agreed to pay for any resulting charges incurred. An affirmative opt-in is also required to allow an advertiser to utilize location-based information.
Both the Mobile Marketing Association and CTIA Wireless Association have developed Best Practices Guidelines to address mobile advertising. Both state that content providers must obtain approval from subscribers before sending them commercial SMS or MMS messages or other content.
Obtaining consent may be one of the biggest headaches for advertisers, since the rules require that notice about how and what information will be used must be given in proximity to the consent. Therefore, the small screens of mobile phones will pose some technical limitations. But, I’m betting on technology and advertisers!
The text ad was directed to Mark
Whom they knew was out in the park
And being most careful men
They checked his “opt-in”
So the D.C. watchdog wouldn’t bark
© March 2009 Jon Lee Andersen, Andersen Law Firm, All Rights Reserved
Sign up Jon's quarterly newsletters. He's also happy to answers any questions. jlandersen -at - lawyer - dot - com.
Thanks to BL Ochman, PawFun and whatsnextblog, Benny Bix Ochman Labradoodle's person for the use of his cool photo.
03/23/2009
One of my joys is helping marketers understand how to use social media to build brand value. In the workshops and speeches I give one of the most Frequently Asked Questions goes like this: "When it comes to social media marketing all I seem to see is consumer products and programs that target moms. Can social media be used in a business-to-business environment? And How?!"
That question always brings a smile since the business roots (versus the personal application) of social media began with the tech blogs and than were adopted by small business owners .. many in the B2B space. Yes, Virginia social media is quite definitely a strategy that can be
successfully used to help market products and services whose target audience is other businesses.
For my money, one of the most effective tactics is using social media to position VIPs in your company as industry thought leaders. The heart of this initiative is built around sharing knowledge. Nothing new here. Businesses have been employing white papers for eons to set this in motion.
However, add social media tools such as blogs, live podcasts, social networks and even Twitter, to the mix and you go beyond what could be a white paper yawn. You have the opportunity for Exchanging Knowledge with your VIP as the leader of the discussion. Powerful way to enhance brand value and equity.
Recently my friend Ron Strauss, president of Brandzone and co-author of "Value Creation: The Power of Brand Equity" wrote an interesting post on an AMA listserve that dovetails with this concept. Ron agreed to share his ideas with us.
The Difference Between the Expert Based Approach and the Knowledge Sharing Approach
- TRUST. LEARNING. BUY-IN. PULL VS. PUSH.
TRUST. By sharing knowledge, the company demonstrates expertise and the confidence to 'give' this power to their client.
- Since knowledge is power, sharing knowledge shares power - to everyone's benefit. Trust is an intangible attribute and is one of the core values of every brand - essential to building and/or preserving brand equity.
LEARNING. By helping clients understand the implications of the knowledge they shared with them, and its application, companies are teaching how to apply these ideas within the context of the firm.
And the context of the firm is described by its processes, organization, business model, how it chooses its customers, etc. Thus, organizations are teaching clients how to 'fit' the knowledge to their company's values in a way that created effective outcomes for their served clients. So, the company must understand how to apply the knowledge in a way that aligned with their customers' values and needs.
BUY-IN. Sharing knowledge in a way that encourages the learner to take responsibility for its application and for the outcomes of those applications, creates 'buy-in' from Day 1.
There's no need to 'sell' the organization on the program, the process of acquiring the knowledge and applying it does that. They sell themselves as they use the knowledge to overcome barriers and issues.
PULL VS. PUSH. Sharing knowledge and its applications in a manner that's consistent with the Brand Promise creates a 'pull' force field through out the organization.
In today's flatter, less hierarchical organizational structures this is necessary to quickly adapt to change, and to meet clients ever-changing requirements in a timely, fashion while remaining profitable. Employees need to be empowered to do what it takes to deliver on the Brand Promise, to create the kind of experiences that create loyal customers.
Interested in learning more about social media marketing for business-to-business? I'm honored to be a guest speaker at the webinar Using Social Media & Networking in Client Conversations sponsored by References Online. I join Umang Shah of Cubed Consulting, Duncan Egan of Taleo Corporation and Lisa Hoesel, References Online. Date: Wednesday 3/25 Time: Eastern: 12noon - 1p Central: 11a- 12noon Mountain: 10a-11a Pacific 9a-10a Registration
One more .. catch the recent article about social media in the Atlanta Business Chronicle - Executives using social media to brand themselves as well as their companies. Guess who was quoted in her local business rag .. yup me!
03/19/2009
Diva Marketing Talks is
a live, internet radio show. 30-minutes. 2-guests. 1-topic about
social media marketing. Why? To help you understand how to participate
in the "new" conversation without getting blown-up. Miss today's show?
You can pick it up as a podcast or listen on your computer.
Today's Diva Marketing Talks explores the impact of social media sponsored conversations from both sides of the virtual fence: brand and content creator. "Auntie" Melanie Notkin, founder of the innovative community for aunts, SavvyAuntie and Scott Monty, Global Digital Communications Ford Motor, discuss the impact accepting money or products/services can have on social credibility. We'll also talk about where blogger relations and pay per click fits into the picture. Question: Are social media content creators the new NASCAR drivers?
Topic for March 19, 2009: Do Sponsored Conversations Make Social Media Content Creators the New NASCAR Drivers?
Time: 7:00p - 7:30p Eastern/ 6:p - 6:30p Central/ 5:00p -5:30p Mountain/ 4:00p - 4:30p Pacific
Call-in Guest Number: 718.508.9924
Guests
Melanie Notkin is the founder and CEO of SavvyAuntie.com, the first online community for cool aunts, great aunts, godmothers and all women who love kids. Before launching Savvy Auntie, in July 2008, Melanie was an interactive marketing and communications executive for global Fortune 500 companies, including New York Times Digital and American Express, as well as L'Oréal.
Melanie is a regular panelist on the Strategy Room on FoxNews.com and a contributing editor to Toy Wishes Magazine. She and Savvy Auntie have been featured on NBC, CBS, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, The Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, The Charlotte Observer, Huffington Post, Mashable and TechCrunch, among others.
SavvyAuntie.com was ranked as one of Springwise's Top 10 Entreprenerial Ideas of the Year (2008) and Melanie was recently named a Heeb Magazine HEEB 100.
Find Melanie at Twitter Blog SavvyAuntie and of course on the SavvyAuntie Community
Scott Monty describes himself as a "Renaissance Man." Although he is a marketer and communications professional focused on the digital industry his career spans a number of industries from healthcare, pharma, biotech, travel, automotive, tech, to communications. Some of Scott’s past clients include American Airlines, Audi, Starwood Hotels, IBM Healthcare & Life Sciences, Boston Scientific, The Coca-Cola Company, Millipore, Motorola and Kraft Foods,
Scott is currently the head of social media for Ford Motor Company, where he holds the title Global Digital & Multimedia Communications Manager. While his role is based in the Corporate Communications area, he is a strategic advisor on all social media activities across the company. From blogger relations to marketing support to customer service to internal communications and more, social media touches many facets of Ford business, and Scott is there to ensure it is consistent across all of them.
Scott is an active blogger and podcaster. He writes about issues relevant to the intersection of advertising, marketing and PR at The Social Media Marketing Blog and also writes The Baker Street Blog, a literary undertaking. Scott has been featured in numerous news and business publications, on a variety of podcasts, and on national television. Scott is a recognized thought leader in the social media industry and frequently speaks at industry events. Scott received his Master's in Medical Science from Boston University's School of Medicine concurrently with his MBA from BU's Graduate School of Management.
Find Scott at Twitter, The Social Media Marketing Blog The Baker Street Blog,
Tips From The Diva Bag
Complements of Auntie Melanie Notkin
1. Trust is something you earn. And it's the most valuable asset you have. Deserve it or fail.
2. As a company, you can't wake up one day and decide you are going to be authentic and transparent. It has to be something you were born with. And if you weren't born with it, apologize and be authentic and transparent about your journey to authenticity and transparency.
3. Social media and digital media enable us to be transparent and authentic. The minute you hire an intern to tweet for you is the minute you give the steering wheel to a student driver. From another country. Where they drive on the other side of the road. You'll never make it back home
Complements of Scott Monty
1. You know the phrase from Glengarry Glen Ross , "Always Be Closing"? Forget it. Instead, your mantra should be "Always Be Listening." Thanks to the open nature of the web and the ability for any one of us to create content, we have the ability to track and understand what they're saying about us. Listening is the first step to providing value for your community. If you know what they're saying and what their expectations are, you're well along the way.
2. Give your community a unique experience. Most likely, you work in a market where you're competing for your customers' attention, whether you sell consumer packaged goods, consulting services, or technology. If you can create an opportunity for them to learn or get something from you that no other competitor can offer them, they'll remember you better and come back for more.
3. Be human above all else. Let people know that there are real people working for your company, whether its a small business or a multinational entity. If you can let their personalities shine through and make it easy for people to relate to them, they'll be more likely to trust you with their business.
03/05/2009
In December 2008, the New York Israel Consulate held the first government press conference on Twitter and in doing so public diplomacy took one more step into social media.
The purpose of the 2-hour open conversation in 140 characters was to engage and provide the public with a platform where citizens' questions about the Gaza situation could be addressed directly by @DavidSaranga, Consul for Media and Public Affairs at the consulate General in New York. In addition to the running tweets from the press conference, updates were posted on the Consul's MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube pages.
With a few weeks distance behind him, I asked Mr. Saranga if he would look back on the experience and in retrospective share some of the marketing/PR lessons learned. My thanks to him and to the staff of the Department of Media and Public Affairs who kindly responded to my request. A special shout out to Noam.
Note: Diva Marketing is not a political blog but one focused on social media marketing and branding. My questions and Mr. Saranaga's responses reflect that positioning.
The Office of the Consul General in New York serves as the focal point of the Consulate. While it oversees all departments within the Consulate, the Lishka (bureau) primarily functions as the liaison between the State of Israel and the various centers of power and influence that encompass the New York Metro area such as national and local organizations, the offices of public officials and business alliances.
The role of the Consul General is to promote the positive image of Israel in the media and the surrounding communities by keeping them abreast of the most updated information on Israeli prominent personalities and developments.
David Saranga, Consul for Media and Public Affairs at the consulate General in New York.
Prior to joining the Consulate in New York, Consul Saranga served as Deputy Spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Israel, and was responsible for contact with the foreign media. He was a Manager of the Direct Marketing Department, Visa-Israel Credit Cards and worked as National Sales Executive at Kidum Ltd. Consul Saranga has been engaged as an academic since 1989, when he worked as a Teaching Assistant at the Hebrew University. Subsequent work has included one year as Director of Studies and Lecturer in Marketing Management at the Open University in Israel.
Toby/Diva Marketing: Using Twitter as a media conference forum was innovative and brave. Why did you choose to go in that direction?
David Saranga: We have been involved in online work for some time, through our blogs (isRraelli and IsraelPolitik) and our presence on MySpace and Facebook. After reading about Twitter, we felt that the tool held a lot of potential for communicating with people online.
Firstly, we can “focus” on one person, but many people can tune in as well. This way, even when we are answering one person, other people are still taking part.
Secondly, Twitter is a site where people are increasingly going to talk, so we wanted to join the conversation where it was happening.
Toby/Diva Marketing: How did you achieve buy-in from the consulate and other stake holders?
David Saranga: The diplomatic staff here has really come to understand the value of web-based content and of social media. We told them how important a presence on Twitter could be, and they were hooked.
Toby/Diva Marketing: What were their main concerns? What were yours?
David Saranga: We were all mainly concerned with how many people would ask questions and whether we would be taken seriously. When we first joined Twitter and mentioned the “Press Conference” idea, we started hearing opinions that we might not answer so-called “hard” questions. So we needed to make sure that we answered as many questions as we could, even and especially the “hard” ones.
Toby/Diva Marketing: Where did most of the engagement come from?
David Saranga: While our Twitter following has been quite varied, we seem to have attracted people interested in learning more about the Middle East and people who work in new media, public diplomacy or both. It was quite interesting to see the range of people with whom we have had very rewarding interactions through Twitter and/or as a result of such efforts.
Toby/Diva Marketing: What lessons did you learn from the first Twitter press conference?
David Saranga:
- Our biggest lesson was the importance of making ourselves available to people through a medium they understand.
We are aware that this issue raises a lot of emotions, and we wanted to give people the opportunity to talk with us in an unmediated fashion. Many of the questions we received were thoughtful and inquisitive, and we were happy to share our point of view on what can be touchy subjects. 
It was also important for us that we could expand answers on our blog. While we could give only short answers online (due to constraints imposed by Twitter and by the sheer number of questions*), we did want people to know that we cared about their questions and wanted to give them the full attention they deserved.
*Note: Twitter allows only 140 characters per tweet.
Photo of staff of the Department of Media and Public Affairs tweeting at the press conference.
Toby/Diva Marketing: What was your biggest surprise?
David Saranga: We were really surprised by the amount of interest we generated. We started this whole project figuring we would get a few people to tune in. When our “followers” count began to rise precipitously, we realized we were on to something much larger.
Many more people than we anticipated were interested in having us take part in this conversation. The mainstream media got involved, too. We got coverage in the New York Times, Le Figaro, the Guardian, and other news outlets around the world. We were truly astounded.
Toby/Diva Marketing: What would you do differently next time (will there be a next time)?
David Saranga: We’re still evaluating the lessons of the first time, so we’ll have to evaluate whether we’ll do this again. We all felt this was an extremely positive experience, and we’re grateful for all the attention and ongoing relationships that resulted.
Our biggest problem was trying to respond to a flood of questions in an organized fashion, so fixing that issue would be a necessary step before organizing another press conference. That said, we’ve really been having an ongoing press conference since late December, as we are active on Twitter.
The next thing we hope to arrange is a TweetUp (i.e. meeting Twitter followers face-to-face) in the next few weeks to bring our followers together and help them see other facets of Israel with which they may not be so familiar. We’ve thought of a bunch of ideas (music, art, film, etc.) but want to see what our followers are interested in, too.
Toby/Diva Marketing: What lessons can you pass on to others who are thinking of using Twitter for their press conferences?
David Saranga:The best lesson we can offer is that you should not be afraid to answer the hard questions that come at you.
- The best thing to do is to be as transparent as possible and just be sincere in your answers.
Toby/Diva Marketing: To wrap it up … your thoughts on social media ..
David Saranga: It’s clear that social media is not just a passing trend, but rather an effective way to communicate. It is important for us to maximize the capabilities these tools offer and use them to help us in talking to as many people as possible.
Israel Consulate in Social Media
YouTubeFacebook
MySpace
Blogs: Israel Politk isRraelli.org
First Israeli Tweet-up in the making!
Twitter
Facebook
12/08/2008
It takes imagination infused with courage to bring a new way of doing business into the mix .. for a small business owner or the ceo of a Fortune 50 company. Brave with vision to take calculated risks is the way I think of entrepreneurs. In today's down economy it is especially critical that small business
owners tap into that spirit, step out of their comfort zone and color
outside the lines.
Social media marketing is certainly one direction to pursue. However, even for a small business owner whose success depends on business done with innovation the openness that social strategies bring, along with the myth of lack of control (a post for another day), can be uncomfortable. Here are a few ideas to help ease on down the social media road.
Cost is in Time and People Not Dollars
Success for most businesses draws on three resources: human capital, financial capital and time capital. It's no secret that too often small business owners find them self short on all three. However, time capital is what most small business owners take from the resource bank.
Social media helps small business owners work smarter on limited resources/budgets. Most social marketing tools .. or to put into business vernacular .. tactics such as blogs, social networks, social sharing (e.g., videos, photos) are free so the investment is not in dollars or financial capital but in human capital and time capital.
Planning Is Critical
As with any marketing strategy (for a small business, a Fortune 100 company or a non profit) social media marketing must begin with understanding the organization's goals, objectives and defining success. Too frequently small business owners put "planning" last on their list of business to dos.
However, without a plan social media is but a cool conversation topic at your next cocktail party and not a business decision. It's easy to get caught up in the excitement of a YouTube video or creating an "in vogue" Facebook page. It's even easier to fail in the world of social media.
5 Get Started Social Media Marketing Strategies
1. Google Alerts - While more internet marketing than social media, creating Google Alerts provides you with a free way to keep tabs on the pulse of your industry. Google pulls its sources from news sites to blogs. Create several alerts that include: key words for your industry, your company name, branded products and throw in an "ego alert" with your name. Social pundits call this listening to the conversation.
2. LinkedIn - LinkedIn has a reputation of a pure business networking and is an ideal first step into social media networking. It can be used to support strategies from building business-to-business relationships to creating stronger brands.
3. Microblogging/Twitter - No time for a Big strategy? Micro blogging,
a la Twitter, is the place to explore. 140 characters per message or
"tweet" is perfect for busy entrepreneurs to not only develop
relationships but extend your personal network. Pop in several times during the course of the day to connect with different
people.
4. Facebook - For companies with target audiences who are active in Facebook, there are two ways to go. One is with a personal page and the second is building a group page for "fans." In addition to branding, Facebook provides an opportunity to "mix" it up with your customers and build stronger relationships.
5. Blogs - Of all the social media tactics blogs can become one of your most valuable social media assets. Creating relationships through conversations in your virtual 'home' can be powerful. You can authentically reinforce your brand promise, ask for feedback from your customers, build thought leadership positioning, provide extended customer delight support. And if that were not enough .. increase your lift in the search engines.
Buyer beware .. these benefits do not come without a price .. and that price is more human and time resources than Google Alerts, LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook.
Something interesting happens when you step from behind the perfect
world of a carefully crafted advertising campaign or a media release
built by committee .. the spirit of entrepreneurship is set free too.
Inspired by my interview with Jim Schakenbach - The Power of Words
