06/30/2006
n 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.
Today's Friday Fun is nibble of bittersweet chocolate. 
Paul Chaney of Radiant Marketing (until 11:59pm tonight) is closing the virtual doors to his blog and moving on to new adventures and opportunities. Paul holds a special spot in my heart he was my first .. my first in-person blogger friend. Gotcha! After an AiMA event we spent hours in an Atlanta biker's bar talking about blogs.
Blogging Systems recognized Paul's talent and made him an offer he couldn't refuse. Paul's new gig is VP of Marketing. Lucky for our emerging industry that Paul Chaney's new corporate home is in the social media space. Although Radiant Marketing will be no more, catch Paul blogging at Blogging Systems Blog, Realty Blogging, Blog For Good and look for a new blog Sweet Tea.
Around the same time that Paul began exploring opportunities with Blogging Systems he met his soul mate. Next month wedding bells will ring for Paul and Aime. Nice when good things happen to good people.
NYC Blogger Meet-up Friday July 7th! If you're in Manhattan next Friday night meet up with a few diva bloggers - Teresa Caro, Peg Samuel of the Social Diva <Social Diva NYC Blog> fame and me at the Maritme Hotel - South Bar. The Maritime is located at 88 9th Ave b/t 16th & 17 Streets. South Bar is closer to 16th Street. Time: 5:30psih .. The Social Diva tells me that New Yorkers kick back early! Drop a comment and let me know if you're coming!
Shameless plug: Teresa Caro - Avenue A/Razorfish, Dave Williams, 360i, and I will be teaching a class on eMail Marketing, SEO and social media/blogs at the Fancy Food Show on Saturday afternoon July 8th. The pay's not all that great but we were promised all the samples we could eat!
Biz Astro Tips
business astrology for fun
By Diva Astrology Bloggers Paula Dare & Donna Page
Happy 4th of July and Good Luck Peachtree Roadrace Runners in Atlanta, GA!
Many of you are taking off early to enjoy the big holiday weekend. Have fun! When you get back to business next week, Mercury will have gone Retrograde on 7/4. Miscommunication, travel snafus, computer problems are just a few of the annoyances during the Mercury Retrograde period.
Mercury will turn direct 7/28. If you have any major decisions to make or contracts to sign, it is best to wait till after 7/28. The best thing to do is to re think your plans. It is also an excellent time in sales to call and reconnect with clients. Hopefully Peachtree runners won't have trouble finding where they parked their cars at the beginning of the race!
Also when you get back to work on Wed, July 5th, you may have a hard time getting back in gear. Mars opposes Neptune. This is not the energy you want to have to go back to work with after a holiday. You may feel very sleepy. Your energy level may feel like you are dragging a 50 lb. bag around your ankles.
Also be careful of who you trust. Don’t take what others say at face value. Don’t believe every word they say.
Technorati Tags: Paul_Chaney, Radiant_Marketing, Blogs, Business_Blogs, Food, Blog_Workshops, Bloggers_Meet-up, Astrology
06/30/2006
Diva Marketing's June 29th's post about Jupiter Media Research study caught the interested of a few other bloggers. Hobson & Holtz Jeremiah Owyang TechMeme Twelve Horses Karl Long/Marketing Profs
Among the study's findings were that "nearly 70 percent of all site operators will have implemented corporate blogs by the end of 2006.” I contacted Jupiter for more details and ran into a blogger brush-off. Read the full post.
Fard Johnmar, Healthcare Vox, also contacted Jupiter Research for additional information. He too was given the blogger brush off.
Jupiter's PR firm Peter Arnold Associations kindly informed him, "We do not play favorites. If we answered your questions, we’d have to
answer everyone’s. It does not matter if you write for the Wall Street
Journal or a blog. We are not revealing any more information about the
survey’s methodology."
Sidebar: Constantin Basturea forwarded the Diva 6/29 post to Carl Bialik at the WSJ with the hopes that he could get a journalist copy of the report. Thanks for your kindness Constantin .. looks like now even accredited journalists can't get a copy.
What is that report? What's the big deal about explaining the methodology behind a research study? It's SOP (standard operating procedures)for firms to provide that information since it confirms the credibility of the research.
Fard Johnmar went where no blogger had gone. He put down $750 of his hard earned money to purchased the report. He's provided a professional and objective review of the JupiterResearch study on Healthcare Vox. Interestingly, even after reading the report Fard has unanswered questions about the methodology.
"I feel it is important for me to share my observations about the report because it is far from adequate. I have two pieces of advice for readers: Don’t buy this report. Don’t accept the results of this survey."
I suggest you read Fard's full post.
Technorati Tags: JupiterResearch, Jupiter, Blogs, Business_Blogs, Blog_Trends, Healthcare_Vox, , Marketing_Research
06/29/2006
JupiterResearch released some highlights from the findings of a study about corporate blogging that has the blogopshere buzzing like bees to a hive of honey. According to the smart analysts at JupiterResearch by the end of 2006 corporate blogs will not only have tipped but it will be a blog, blog. blog world!
Their findings revealed that “… 35 percent of large companies plan to institute corporate Weblogs this year. Combined with the existing deployed base of 34 percent, nearly 70 percent of all site operators will have implemented corporate blogs by the end of 2006.”
Hot diggity dog! Kool-aid for everyone. But hold off on the party for a moment or two. Something seems off to me.
According the Fortune 500 Business Blogging Wiki (written by Chris Andersen of Wired and Ross Mayfield of Socialtext) Wiki to as of April 18, 2006 29 (5.8%) of Fortune 500 companies had a blog. If JupiterResearch’s analysis is correct and “nearly 70% of all site operators will have implemented corporate blogs by the end of 2006″ a lot of Fortune 500s (not to mention other large companies) are are going to be pretty busy building blogs during the next six month.
Before I posted my my thoughts, it only seemed fair to ask JupiterResearch for a behind the stats explanation. I shot an email off to Peter Arnold Associates (PR agency..that was the contact information on the media release.). In true bloggy fashion I explained I was working in the social media space, was a blogger and wanted to post their client’s findings. I also told them that I found the analysis odd and asked for clarification on the methodology, how JupiterResearch defined “corporations” and “large companies” and how they came to their conclusions.
The good people at Peter Arnold Associates sent me two lovely responses. The first: “Let me check in with someone on the research team at JupiterResearch to find answers to your questions. I’ll be back in touch as soon as I hear.”
The second: “Information about JupiterResearch reports are available to accredited members of the press for free and clients.
After looking at your blog link JupiterResearch has decided not to fulfill your request for more information since the blog is closely tied with your company that serves as a consultancy. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you this earlier, I didn’t realize that your company and blog were so closely affiliated.
If you’d like more information about becoming a client or purchasing a report, please let me know.”
Girlfriend, I tried to find out the story behind the numbers before I posted that I thought these findings were .. shall we say out of the ball park optimistic. Based on the information presented in their media release, I caution you to look at JupiterResearch’s conclusions with with a few grains of salt.
If anyone has read the report and can explain how “nearly 70 percent of all site operators will have implemented corporate blogs by the end of 2006″ please drop a comment. I sure would like to know.
Lessons Learned: Look behind the numbers before you reach for the kool-aid party shooters.
Sidebar: Cross posted on BusinessBlogConsulting
Technorati Tags: JupiterResearch, Blogs, Corporate_Blogs, Business_Blogs, Marketing, CEO_Blogs
06/28/2006
Quick marketing case study for savvy Diva and Divo marketers.
Situation: You are VP of Marketing for a popular on-line and traditional publication that targets business owners and c-level executives.
Goal: To reflect the on-line brand's growth to your target audience
Challenge: You have been charged with developing an outdoor ad campaign.(Don't ask why, your boss is Miranda Priestly) Where would you place the media?
INC's Solution:
Outdoor ads will be placed on 20 public telephone kiosks located
throughout the midtown Manhattan business district. The ads will feature
copy and artwork touting the key features available on Inc.com.
I realize that the medium "telephone kiosks" is a tactic of in-your-face-at-eye-level messaging for pedestrians and an opportunity for multiple repeat impressions. But somehow Girlfriend, it feels like a disconnect. Target audience biz owners and c-level executives .. busy people passing by while using their cell phones. Perhaps this post should be titled, " How Many Biz Owners & C-Level Execs Notice Ads On Telephone Kiosks?"
Now that is an interesting thought! Spin it into a YouTube video strategy. Cool idea if I do say so myself. Videos of business people on their cell phones bypassing the ads on the telephone kiosks in midtown Manhattan. A little consumer generated content. A little viral from YouTube. A little drink from the 2.0 kool-aid..make mine purple.
Heard it from: Media Buyer Planner
Technorati Tags: INC, Marketing, Advertising, YouTube, Kool_Aid
06/28/2006
Girlfriend, I'd like to tell you a story. Once upon a time, in the year 2005, there were three Divas who felt it was high time talented women bloggers were acknowledged for their work. Jory Des Jardins, Lisa Stone and Elisa Camahort invited chicks (and dudes too) from all over the world to join them in an unconference that celebrated the talented women who were blogging. And thus BlogHer 2005 was created.
Flash into the year 2006. BlogHer 2006 has gone from 200 attendees to 500+. From one day to two days. True to the original vision, the unconference conference celebrates women who are involved or want to know more about social media.
I'm honored
to join two Diva friends Susan Getgood and Yvonne Divita in an Un-panel about biz blogging. Through a series of mini cases we'll talk about what worked, what didn't work, successes and challenges. Case studies on thus far include: MasiGuy, Know Your Bones and Our Fathers Who Art in Heaven.
We're looking for a few good mini case studies to add to the discussion. If you're going to BlogHer on Saturday 7/29 and would like to share your experiences please drop a comment at BlogHer.
06/27/2006
Darren Rowse, ProBlogger, has put together an amazing list of over 130 bloggy tools, platforms, services. The most comprehensive list I've seen all in one place. Thanks for the A-to-Z help Darren!
Technorati Tags: ProBlogger, Darren_Rowse, Business, Blogs
06/26/2006
Blogger Stories
is a new blog that I launched to tell the stories of how people have
been touched by blogs. It's an opportunity for bloggers to tell their
personal stories of how their lives have been influenced by social
media.
The new chapters of Blogger Stories include a woman who left a high power job on Wall Street to follow her dream of blogging about cheese, a man who found a way for American Idol to bring him some bloggy fame and more!
Bob Walsh - ToDoOrElse; MyMicroISV Blogger Story
Nadia Muna Gil - Cheesaholics Anonymous Blogger Story
J.D. Matthew - Musical Ramblings Blogger Story
Kim Klaver -New School of Network Marketing Blogger Story
Take a break from your day and read a blogger story or two!
If you have an interesting story of how social media/blogs have changed your life drop an email to [email protected].
Technorati Tags: Blogger_Stories, Blogs, Books, Entertainment
06/23/2006
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.
Warning! This is a chick post. Divos are welcome to read along but today's Friday Fun is especially for the Divas. I've been collecting some cool non business blogs that are the perfect way to spend a hot and muggy weekend. Girlfriend, settle in with something refreshing, I'm thinking a Mojito would be perfect with that bit of added mint, relax and enjoy.
When was the last time you shopped for a dress? 
Not for a party. Not for business. But just because you want to wear .. a dress. Word d-r-e-s-s sounds so retro. Recently I came across a fun blog dedicated to dresses. Who woulda thought!? At Dress A Day the Site Meter stats are open showing an average of over 3,100 visitors a day. Visitors are engaged .. check the number of comments. Guess a lot of folks like dresses. I'd like to know more about the author. Who is this Diva? No about page.
Now that you've a swell new dress it's time for hair and make-up. At Meg's Make-up Reviews Meg and her beauty junkie friends provide their unbiased opinions. Any Diva who admits to buying beauty products before food has my attention when it comes what works and what does not. Sounds like Meg might be part of the LA in-crowd but I can't tell. Who is this Diva? No about page.
Cute new dress, fab make-up and hair. You're ready for a movie night dishin' with your girlfriends. June 30th the chick book The Devil Wears Prada 
turns into The Summer Chick Flick. The comedy is based on the best-selling novel written by Lauren Weisberger, who worked as an assistant at Vogue. She shows us the darker side of the glam biz complete with the boss from hell played by the wonderful Meryl Streep. Gina Bellafante reviews The Devil Wears Prada if you're looking for a preview.
Sidebar: The official The Devil Wears Prada website is still being built. However, the folks at Fox appear to miss a huge opportunity by not including any social media. Yes, there is a clip of the film but no RSS. Yes there is an audio of one of the songs but it's not downloadable.There is a link to Mobile and a link to something called Desperate Message. What are your thoughts? Is Mobile ring tones or something more interactive? Could Desperate Message be a blog?
This is one film that begs for peer-to-peer interaction. How about a blog that focuses on fashion and the fashion industry? What about a blog that is dedicated to the boss from hell? How about involving anina and her 360Fashion model troupe?
Funny Debutant's url is http://wittywhimsy.blogspot.com.
This blog is witty and whimsical. The blog title Witty Whimsy would
have been cute .. oh well. It's a Blogger blog which means no real
About page. Her profile page is great. You've
successfully slain the dragon! How will you toast your marshmallows? On
a pink skewer. Then serve on homemade graham crackers with melted
Vosges dark chocolate. Great style! But who is this Diva?
Complements of Divo Paul Chaney who pointed me to Glam.
Glam is the start of what I'm calling 3.0 Mash-Up Communities.
Communites that combine lots of frequently updated information, interactive content with 2.0 Web social media i.e. blogs/vlogs/podcasts.
Sidebar: My 2 cents .. the heart of the benefit of a blog is the ability and opportunity to develop relationships. For me there's a disconnect when I read a blog (biz or personal blog) where an About page is not included. Okay .. I'll get off the virtual soap box.
Biz Astro Tips
business astrology for fun
By Diva Astrology Bloggers Paula Dare & Donna Page
The new moon in Cancer is Sunday the 25th. This influence is asking us to develop family, caring, belonging, nurturing, and acceptance. Do your employees feel that they belong with your company? Do your customers and clients feel a genuine sense of caring from you?
Reevaluate your relationships and contracts and have all of them be win-win. If you feel you are in any win -lose scenarios let them go and focus on attracting on contracts where all involved feel empowered.
Venus has moved into Gemini, pleasant conversations among friends will yield results and contacts that can turn into business by the end of the summer (blog and blog some more). Concentrate on building relationships at the moment, the business will grow out of that.
Technorati Tags: Blogs, The_Devil_Wears_Prada, Chick_Flick, Paul_Chaney, Entertainment, Movies
06/22/2006
Spent the earlier part of this week in the mountains of Nevada speaking to the AMA Reno marketers about social media. 
Girlfriend, it was the first time I ever talked about marketing blogs in a casino - Harrah's Reno to be exact. Nope there were not any slots in the room. In fact, it was the only floor in the entire complex without a slot machine. I'm thinking .. add a few slots and it might be an interesting way to pay a speaker .. % of the audience's winnings.
Kind thanks to Dave Roberts, SMC3, for showing a southern diva Reno style hospitality at a wonderful restaurant overlooking the Truckee River. High fives to Robert and Josh the rockin' guys from Twelve Horses who continued talking blogs with me on their podcast.
Update: Twelve Horses Podcast
Flying into Reno my seatmate was a guy who grew up in a small town east of Reno. As we flew over the desert he gave me a guided tour of his home state. He pointed out Area 51, we of course flew around it, Death Valley, Lake Tahoe. His enthusiasm made for a fun ride and of course, I found myself thinking .. this would be a great podcast.
Talk turned to Reno and the casinos and gambling. Although Georgia has a state lottery (which I helped launch. Great fun to give away money .. but that's another story.) there are no casinos. My seatmate laughed and said for him slots and casinos were "all over the place .. just part of the Reno scene." The locals take it in stride and pretty much for granted.
I quickly found out what he meant about just part of the Reno scene. The second I stepped into the terminal I was greeted by the flash of slot-lights. Now here's the marketing thought that flashed and rang a few bells. I'm placing a bet that you know your products and services pretty well. But - how well do you know your products/services from the perspective of a new customer? A few Diva Marketing Questions to help place three cherries in a row for a big win!
- Do you know your products and services so well that you've forgotten what a new prospect or customer might experience?
- When was the last time you experienced your product/service - from the perspective of someone who has never heard of your offerings? Is your product manual easy to understand? Don't forget to try opening the package. Do you dare attempt that one with a new manicure?
- When was the last time you read your marketing communications materials - from the the perspective of someone who has never experienced your offerings? Does it provide direct information or is it a buzz word spin dance?
- When was the last time you called your customer service department or sales department for information - from the perspective of someone who has never experienced your offerings? Are people polite and caring? Do they talk in buzz words? Is the hold time reasonable .. what is reasonable anyway?
- When was the last time you navigated your corporate website - from the perspective of someone who has never experienced your offerings? Can you find answers to basic questions easily? Is contact information readily available .. where is the link?
Technorati Tags: Blogs, Business_Blogs, AMA, Reno, Social_Media, Strategy
06/21/2006
SItting in a Starbucks at the Reno Harrah's checking email and of course blog stats and what should appear but links to the 
2006 Marketing Sherpa Readers Choice Blog & Podcasting Awards. Two honors in one month .. rather makes a diva's head spin!
Sidebar: Diva Marketing was/is a TypePad Featured Blog.
This is year two that Diva Marketing has been nominate for the prestigous bragging rights award.
The competiton is not only fierce with 30 blogs on the list, but if location on the ballot is any indication of success .. we should begin the close but no cigar party now (Tris when is your next trip to the states .. the Divas will need a few more cigars!).
Still it's fun to be nominated. I thank the wonderful people who nominated Diva and the readers who cast their votes for a marketing blog that doens't take itself too seriously. 
A toss of the pink boa to all the Divas and Divos who want to have a litle fun with their marketing.
Nope that is not Max! But we kindly welcome the new Marketing Sherpa visitors. Stay awhile, look around. You might like to read a few interviews about on why corporations are blogging and what challengeds they faced - Biz Blog Profiles. Enjoy your visit .. if your like what you see please cast your vote for Diva Markting Blog. And even if you don't y''all are still invited to come back for the close but no cigar party!
Special pink boa toss to Marianne and Paul!
Technorati Tags: Marketing_Sherpa_Readers'_Choice_Awards, Blogs, Business,
Paul Chaney of Radiant Marketing (until 11:59pm tonight) is closing the virtual doors to his blog and moving on to new adventures and opportunities. Paul holds a special spot in my heart he was my first .. my first in-person blogger friend. Gotcha! After an AiMA event we spent hours in an Atlanta biker's bar talking about blogs.
Biz Astro Tips
