04/19/2006
Girlfriend, do not play follow the blog link game if you want to get any work done. And do not follow this link to Corporate Hallucinations penned by 
Steve Crescenzo. And by no means should you watch the videos starring Steve. That is unless you want to put your life on hold for more than 30-seconds.
Steve you are a cutie pie divo! Add one more fan to your club.
Heard it from: Blog Write For CEOs
Sidebar: For the students who are visiting and thinking "...and this has what to do with marketing?" This tactic is called a teaser or sometimes cliffhanger and used as an attention getter.
Technorati Tags: Blogs, Business_Blogs, Regan, Steve_Crescenzo, Humor_in_Blogs
04/18/2006
In the rough and tumble world of social media it's not easy to herd cats - or bloggers - into a space where we can play kindly together. When I speak to marketers, about using blogs as a business tool, one of their FAQs is about ethical implications and trust. On the side of the blogs and comments..the authors and the readers.
Part of WOMMA's (Word of Mouth Marketing Assoc), mission is the creation an Ethics Code that establishes guidelines and best practices. At the heart of the Code is the Honesty ROI: Honest disclosure of Relationship, Opinion, and Identity. DuPoint is the first F100 company to endorse the Code.
Michael Rubin, of WOMMA, asked that I pass along an invitation to Diva's readers to attend a Free teleconference - A Practical Guide to Doing it Right - scheduled for tomorrow April 19th. Time: 12 noon Eastern. Call #: 512.225.3050. Login:772541#. More Information.
Great way to celebrate Patriot's Day. (Well, Patriot's Day use to be on April 19th until Massachusetts decided it wanted a 3-day weekend holiday and moved it to the 3rd Monday in April.) Perhaps WOMMA's teleconference will be the shot heard 'round the blogopshere!
Technorati Tags: Blogs, Business_Blogs, WOMMA, Ethics
04/18/2006
Diva Yvonne DiVita, Lipsticking, needs the help of the blogoshere. She's behind bars and can not pass go unless she collects $600 by May 13, 2006. Girlfriend, it's for Muscular Dystrophy - so dig out some of your tax refund $ and think it's a tax deduction so you break-even in this feel good deal.
Technorati Tags: Blogs, Nonprofit, Lipsticking, Muscular_Dystrophy
04/18/2006
Now that I have your attention ... no this really is not a shamless plug for Diva Marketing dahling. It's attribute to the power of search when it comes to marketing with blogs and the benefits that even a small brand can derive.
eMarketer released results of Search Engine User Behavior Study conducted by iProspect . The study analyzed search users behavors and their perceptions of companies in regard to natural search rankings.
According the Robert Murray, president of iProspect, "[Many] search engine users ascribe industry leadership to those brands within top results and believe them to be leaders in their fields."
That perception is gradually increasing. In 2006, 36% of respondents agreed with the statement "US search engine users who equate top positioning in search results with brand quality while 33% thought it was true in 2002.
So why can Diva Marketing claim "leader in the marketing blog field" status? Number #2 in a Google search for marketing blog out of a total of 199,000,000. 
Not too shabby for a wee brand trying to earn a reputation in what is becoming a cluttered and very fragmented field of blog strategy consulting.
Who is #1 you may ask, blog buddy Lee Odden.
Is SEO marketing important? I'm thrilled to be working with a new client, WaterhousePR, who discovered Diva Marketing from searching on marketing blog. We're working on an exciting blog project..stay tune for details.
Sidebar: Now that girlfriend was a shameless plug!
Technorati Tags: Blogs, Marketing_Blogs, Search_Engine_Optimization, SEO, eMarketer, Search_Engine_Iser_Study
04/16/2006
Times they are a changin'. Robert is now filtering comments on the Scobleizer.
Yes, I am approving every comment here. And I will delete any that don't add value to either my life or the lives of my readers.
Robert, I will defend your right to the death .. well perhaps virtual death .. to do anything you want with Scobleizer's blog comments. However, I'm hoping that your corporate blog fans realize that completely sanitized comments - zapping off all negative comments - may harm rather than help a biz blog. People are talking about your brand (and if they are not ... well that's a post for a different day!). The good. The bad. The ugly. To borrow a few lyrics from Bonnie Raitt -
People are talkin, talking 'bout people
I hear them whisper, you won't believe it
We can learn much from blogosphere conversations (Consumer Generated Media) from listening to raw custormers-talk (without the filter of a moderator). In addition, addressing concerns on your company blog provides a 'home court' advantage to tell your side of the story, perhaps with a vlog or podcast, show clients what you're made and how you handle customer concerns.
Technorati Tags: Blog_Comments, Robert_Scoble, Scobleizer, Negative_Commnets
04/14/2006
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.
Divas need chocolate! This Sunday lots of chocolate will be eaten including bunny ears and tails. How do you eat a chocolate bunny? Believe it or not the good folks at Russell Stover conducted a survey to learn how people gobble up those chocolate bunnies. 74% of child and 61% of adults eat the ears first.
Marketing Lesson: This research may seem a bit odd but think about it. Russell Stover learned what was important to their customers..perhaps that led to making bigger ears or more emphasis on the design of the ears. The research is fun ... so much so that I've helped with some viral marketing!
If a chocolate bunny is not your style how about chocolate bling
in the form or earings or a necklace?
Or if you really want to relive your childhood and play Hansel & Gretel how about an entire room made from chocolate?
Heard it from: Boing Boing
[Updated: Must be a trend today ... Diva Yvonne DiVita, Lipsticking is blogging about our fav food - chocolate. Yvonne reviews the Lindt website and so is Diva of online communities - Nancy White, Full Circle Online Interaction Blog.]
Biz Astro Tips
business astrology for fun
By Diva Astrology Bloggers Paula Dare & Donna Page
The planet Mercury enters the sign of Aries 4/16. Simply put: Think Before You Speak. Especially in business dealings. You may say something that could kill the deal. Take care not to be overly aggressive. Yes, your ideas are great but theirs maybe also.
As the Sun enters Taurus 4/20, examine your financial assets. Decide whether you should invest any more money, time and effort into your business.
The love of comfort and beauty fares strong in this sign. Perhaps it's time to redecorate your place of business. Make it more comfortable and pleasing for your customers.
Technorati Tags: Marketing_Research, Blogs, Chocolate, Astrology
04/14/2006
Better late to the party than not going at all! Josh Hallett, hyku, dropped me an email earlier this week about FPRA Blog Week. FPBA Blog Week is a Free online event sponsored by the Orlando Chapter of PRSA.
Members of FPBA are providing a forum to share information about public relations. Calendar of Topics range from crisis management to ethics and power networks and more.
Diva's let's take a cue from the creativity of FPRA's use of blogs and viral marketing (Josh's email). Think ... how can your company/organization spin the idea of an online event that uses blogs as a platform? This is a great marketing strategy that is inexpense to put together, could (if you market well) create great word of mouth attention for your organization and since a blog is a website, the information will continue to bring you search visitors.
Blog Event Strategy
1. Identify a topic in your industry that people are buzzing about
2. Invite industry leaders (in your firm and outside of your firm) to write a post about a topic issue
3. Promote to your customers, prospects, the media through blogs, email, traditional press releases, etc.
After the event is over ...
4. Reveiw comments to determine what your readers found most interesting
5.Leverage your insights to explore those issues in greater detail, write longer articles, explore new products and services.
Technorati Tags: Blogs, FPRA_Blog_Week
04/11/2006
Back in the olden days (say 39.278 seconds ago) of business/marketing blogs the chant of those who drank the Kool-Aid was content, content, content. More is better and more than more is better than that! A blog that isn't updated frequently - say three times a week - was thought of as dusty and musty (achoo!). How often to post is one of the FAQs when I speak with new bloggers.
Blog buddy, Scott Burkett, Pothole on the Infobahn, told me about an Atlanta biz blog, Known Identity, that updates infrequently which led to an interesting chat. With Scotts okay here's our conversation about posting frequency and readers' expectations.
Diva: Do you think the blog is "resting" or "resting in peace" since the last post was 3/28?
Scott: Given their tight niche, they probably don't have as "much to say", so I would imagine their posts are industry-event driven, rather than mouthpiece driven. I would expect some gaps here and there.
Sidebar: I think Scott just termed a new type of blog -> Mouthpiece Driven. Gotta love that one!
Diva: Which brings up another question..if content isn't updated frequently, does the it really matter if the content is perceived as valuable and one subscribes via RSS? Unless of course Google rankings and Search are part of your strategy.
Scott: I subscribe to some blogs that are updated perhaps once or twice a week (Charlene Li) while others are updated multiple times each day (Doc Searls). Some are updated once in a blue moon (Charlie Paparelli). The key to me is the value of the content, and the context of that content. I don't expect Charlie to write every day about angel investing, but I do expect Charlene Li to publish her mindshare more often.
Diva: So, does that mean your expectations are set by the blogger, the industry or both?
Scott: Both...if a blogger is a laggard in a fast-industry, they probably aren't worth tuning into. And vice-versa...
So how frequently should you post? The answer is ... It depends.(How's that for a marketer's response?) Seriously, it depends on how you've defined the goals and objectives of your blog strategy. If you're not concerned with search rankings once a month may be suffcient. If you want to be Diva of Google it might be several times a day. Of course, keep in mind the other part of the equation = quality of content. And as Scott says the speed of change in your industry.
Sorry Shel, the marketers are at it again..poking their fingers and morphing blogging. But here's a whispered secret ... you and I may agree more than you think (not about character blogs!) but about blogging changing marketing...although marketing is also changing blogging. [Naked Conversations Chapter Six Consultants Who Get It - page 94].
04/08/2006
This should really be part of Friday Fun Diva posts...but it's pretty cool so I thought I'd pass it along for cartoon fans - My Name Is Earl Kress Blog launched this month.
Earl Kress is a writer and extra for shows like Top Cat (I loved that one!), Yogi Bear (who doesn't love Yogi and Boo Boo too?), Tom and Jerry and The Flintstones. Comments are off on the blog but there is an email link and Earl does appear to answer questions. The back-stories are great and as interesting are the transparent posts about learning how to blog.
More Cartoon Blogs
Cartoon Brew
Funny Cute
Michael Sporn
Now I have to stop procrastinating and finish the presentation for the AMA/Philly Chapter that I'm doing next week - April 12th at the Doubletree...check it out if you're in Philly.
Technorati Tags: Blogs, Cartoons, AMA, Blog_Workshop
04/07/2006
Happy Friday Fun! Divas what do you do when the glass of milk is half full 
but you need to dunk your Oreo cookie? Nabisco has redesigned one of the world's favorite cookies from round to an oblong dunker. Will be interesting to see if the cookie tradionalists adopt a change.
Heard it from: Ad Age (free registration)
There are many different ways of looking at life and dunking your cookies (how's that for a segue?). The sun the moon the stars...do they influence our lives? Who really knows? I though it would be a kick to add a mini business astrology post to Diva Marketing Friday Fun. Paula Dare and Donna Page, professional astrologers, based in Atlanta, have graciously agreed to be our personal diva astrology bloggers. So...just for fun and your reading pleasure here is the first Astro Tips.
Sidebar: Your thoughts on this new feature?
Astro Tips
By Diva Astrology Bloggers Paula Dare & Donna Page
The Sun is in Aries
(since March 20) activating the desire for new starts. Aries teaches us the lesson of take care of self. Having a little me time is essential to your overall well being. Schedule that time and consider it sacred.
With the Sun in Aries and the Moon in Taurus there is tremendous power to start new business adventure and to acquire new clients. However, the Taurus influence is telling us not to let it fall apart from lack of foresight on the financial backend.
With Venus is in Aquarius (the sign of groups and friend) it is a great time to meet and connect with new business partners that may evolve into established friendships.
Steve Crescenzo. And by no means should you watch the videos starring Steve. That is unless you want to put your life on hold for more than 30-seconds.
