Diva Marketing Talks With Tim Jackson and Donna Lyons-Miller
08/14/2007
Tonight Diva Marketing Talks about using social media to market consumer brands. Diva Marketing Talks is a live, internet radio show. 30-minutes. 2-guests. 1-topic related to social media marketing. Why? To help organizations understand social media marketing and how to join the conversation without getting blown-up. Miss tonight's show? You can pick it up as a podcast.
Topic for August 14, 2007: Leveraging Social Media To Support Niche Consumer Brands
Guests: Donna Lyons-Miller, GourmetStation and Tim Jackson, Masi Guy Blog join Toby to talk about how consumer brands can leverage social space marketing to extended awareness and reach while building a stronger brand.
Time: 8p - 8:30p Eastern/ 7p - 7:30p Central/ 6p - 6:30p Mountain/ 5:p - 5:30p Pacific
Call-in Guest Number: 718.508.9924
Tonight Diva Marketing Talks explores how social media can be used to market consumer brands. Gourmet food and high-end racing bikes don't seem like they would have much in common in terms of target audience and marketing strategies. However, Donna and Tim were two of the early adopters who used blogs to support their brands.
Tim Jackson is a born again bike nerd and nouveau blogging/social media nerd. Lifelong cyclist and writer, but recent convert to the world of marketing. A regular bon vivant, but on a cheap beer education. As brand manager for Masi Bicycles, Tim has the responsibility and challenge for marketing the brand and growing brand awareness with a limited budget. Enter Masi Guy Blog in the spring of 2005 .. and that changed the game.
Donna Lynes-Mille's career took her on a journey from corporate c-suite to an entrepreneur with a heart. A quote from Donna's email signature says more about her than what I could write in a bio snip. "Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new." Albert Einstein GourmetStation was one of the first online consumer retail companies to step into the world of blogging. According to Donna, "Blogging has been an excellent marketing strategy for GourmetStation."
Tips From The Diva Bag:
Complements of Donna Lynes-Miller
- Don't be afraid to be an innovator & take a risk.
- If any marketing program is strategically sound & executed well, it can be different (very different) & that includes blogs.
- Don't be shy about using social media to generate sales & profits. Social media does not need to be altruistic - we all need sales & profits.
- If your initial strategy is not working, don't be afraid to switch horses midstream & try another alternative. Most importantly, if you believe in what you're doing, don't give up. Don't be affected by what others say about you. Dr. Wayne Dryer says it so well, "what other people think of me is none of my business."
Complements of Tim Jackson
- Get out there! Don't be afraid. Sure, things can go wrong, but if you don't get out into the conversation, then others will do it for you and take away your customers/ clients.
- Reach out to other bloggers/ social media practitioners- if somebody takes the time to comment on your blog, go say thanks. That's how you build a community around your own work.
- Be honest and transparent. It's scary at first, but you'll find it is easier than trying to "hide" something. Besides, credibility is built more on warts than it is on artifice or heavy make up.
- Say thank you from time to time. For me, I have found that the simple act of saying thanks to the folks who read my blog and leave comments brings in more participation- it shows that I appreciate them taking the time to visit (and I honestly do).
Can't call in but have a question for Donna and Tim? Drop a comment and I'll ask it for you. Let me know would you like Diva Talks to chat about.
Update: Donna's and Tim's passion about blogging and their brands come through in a very informative and fun show.
