06/28/2009
This morning, after I washed the news print off of my fingers from the Sunday New York Times, I downloaded some sample chapters on to my Kindle. Several of those books were recommended to me by my dear friends at amazon.com. Others I found on blogs and through Twitter. The world of publishing is not simply changing .. it is colliding with technology and the world of social media.
Don't just take the word of a digital author but people in traditional publishing are taking out their red pens and looking at their current models with a critical eye. If the publishing business is to stay in business I would encourage publishers and editors to take a cue from the lessons that marketers have learned over the past few years. What is important to understand is that these changes come with options for the reader/customer. The "delivery channel" choice may be as important as the content. Do your readers want digital or traditional or an integration of both?
This month Debbie Stier @debbiestier - SVP, Associate Publisher, Harper Studio, Kaylie Jones @KaylieJones - best selling novelist ("Lies
My Mother Never Told Me." "A Soldier's Daughter
Never Cries"), Kevin Heisler (@KevinHeisler - literary executor and Ron Hogan @RonHogan - curator, Beatrice.com gave their insights about the future of publishing at the 140 Character Conference. The video is well worth a view.
Then there is the other Big Question: How are readers finding books in the new world of tweets, Facebook, blogs? Is the library still important? How has the promotion and building a readership community changed? Publishers and agents tell me not to even consider submitting a proposal without a comprehensive marketing strategy that includes social media tactics. The rules of engaging with editors are in flux also. If you follow me on Twitter or you Friend me on Facebook does that mean it's okay to send you a proposal without an agent?
Nathan Bransford, Literary Agent recently asked his readers- "Where did you hear about the book you're reading?" Over 300 people responded. I was curious about the break down and did a very informal tally. What is probably valid is not the count but the weight of each category.
- Friends (including book clubs) - 78
Blogs (including author blogs) - 62
Bookstores - 45
Websites/reviews sites - 33
Library - 22
Amazon recommendation/reviews - 22
Twitter - 19
Book tours/met the author - 11
Blog promotion/contests - 5
Read other books by author - 4
Other (ezines, book fairs, TV, Radio, book reviews, podcasts, cover/jacket - 29
It will be interesting to see how social media impacts traditional publishing, what emerges as new publishing model/s, who will lead the innovation and who will close their doors. In the mean time I'm curious .. "Where did you hear about the book you're reading?"
06/24/2009
The best quote from the aima (Atlanta Interactive Marketing Assoc) June meeting last night was from Carl Warner, JWT/Atlanta who told us what a Marine general had to say about social media.
- "Web 2.0 is undisciplined theater."
Seems the agency had briefed the General (the Marines are a client) on social media. My sense is that Carl was a little disappointed in the General's response. Not me! I would have jumped up and hugged the General (Is it against protocol to hug a Marine general?) and said, "Yes! Sir, that was brilliant! You get it. Social media is undisciplined. It is messy. It is coloring outside of the lines."
I would have then expanded our discussion to what are "social media conversations." We'd probably talk about in social media conversations, as in any conversation, there are the people who initiate the discussion and those who respond. Conversations (including videos, photos and podcasts) that are started by civilians might not be nice and neat. In fact they may even be passionate. Who knows who will say what or when or how .. yes, General - very undisciplined. But when you think about it most conversations with friends are spontaneous and don't follow predetermined rules (except perhaps a few rules of etiquette).
Then I'd ask the General to look at social media conversations from the view of an organization or a brand or in this case the Marines. I'm betting he'd be pleased to know there can be .. should be .. some structure to participating in the conversation. That means planning. Strategy is something that I'm sure the good General understands well.
We'd go on to talk about the conversations that take place in the public "parks and spaces" of the internet say on Twitter or Facebook or MySpace versus those that happen in his digital home .. say a blog or community built by the Marines. Although house rules can't be imposed in public gathering places, just as you have expectations for guests visiting your home or office, it is acceptable to have a few guidelines for your online visitors. I'd point him to this post where he could see some great examples of corporate blogging/social media guidelines.
Along the way I'm sure we'd discuss how a strategic direction for his Marines who participate in online conversations would begin with some guidelines. We'd talk about the "brand values" and the love that the Marines have for the Marines. We'd talk about how even in a world that appears to be chaotic there can be some structure and at the same time authenticity. We'd talk about why the Marines would even want to be part of this untamed world.
I'm betting we'd come to the same conclusions that many business owner, CMOs, brand managers have when it comes to social media. At the end of the post or tweet or podcast or vlog or social network it's about the relationships we build and nurture with our customers which leads to achieving the purpose of the business or non profit or the Marines. To bring that full circle .. that can not be done without knowing where you are going. Yes, General the social world is indeed undisciplined but if you use social media as a marketing strategy that becomes more manageable with a strategic overlay.
06/23/2009
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.
On today's Diva Marketing Talks CK Kerley - Epiphany and
Valeria Maltoni -Conversation Agent join me to discuss what is frequently at the center of social media marketing .. the infamous "conversation." Can tools like blogs, Twitter, Facebook, etc., that were created
for just people to keep in touch with friends and family - not to promote
the latest computer or coffee products, be used by marketers to have authentic
conversations with their customers? How do we over come hurdles to keepin’ it real? And by the way .. what is real any way?
Thanks Valeria for the awesome 3 Divas graphic!
Topic for June 23, 2009:
Time: 6:00p - 6:30p Eastern/ 5:p - 5:30p Central/ 4:00p -4:30p Mountain/ 3:00p -3:30p Pacific
Call-in Guest Number: 718.508.9924 .
Christina "CK" Kerley
High-energy, high-impact marketing specialist Christina Kerley--known simply as "CK"--has been bolstering businesses, brands and causes for over 15 years. Her approach leverages the best of new world and old by blending tried-and-true marketing principles with new technologies (and new practices). More information, tips and goodies available at CK-Blog.
Valeria Maltoni
Valeria Maltoni helps businesses understand how customers and communities have changed marketing, public relations, and communications - and how to build value in this new environment. As a communicator with 20 years of experience, 10 of which online, she specializes in marketing communications, customer dialogue, and brand management.
Valeria has come to define modern business as a long and open conversation. Conversation Agent is recognized among the world's top online marketing blogs. Valeria was handpicked by Fast Company as Expert blogger to write about creating conversations between marketer and customer. She built one of the first online communities affiliated with the magazine.
She is a contributor to Marketing Profs Daily Fix, Marketing 2.0, Social Media Today, and The Blog Herald. She is on the Advisory Board of SmartBrief on Social Media. She is a co-author of The Age of Conversation, a groundbreaking eBook collaboration by 103 of today's top marketing writers. Valeria’s deep experience across a broad array of mid-to-large sized companies in the technology, health care, manufacturing, risk management consulting, non-profit and public sectors have provided her with a wealth of experience and insights.
Tips From The Diva Bag
Complements of Christina "CK" Kerley
1: To succeed in social media, brands must get past thinking “technology” and, instead, think “humans.” As silly as this might sound, you would be amazed how often companies get sidetracked with “all they can do” with Web 2.0 technologies instead of “all the relationships they can build” through these tools.
- Yet amid all this high-tech, we need to remember that people are on the other side of all the blog posts, comments, updates and tweets… and naturally, want to be treated as such. Thus, if a company wants to connect with people, they need to be more human, too. Otherwise, just like a lifeless ad, brands are going to be ignored (or worse, mocked).
*Action Point*: In all of your social media programs and communications, instead of focusing on the technology, focus on the people you can connect with and how you will use these tools to open communications with them, add value to their work and/or lives and help them connect with others who share like interests. This simple shift in focus will net extraordinary rewards.
2: Moving from ‘The’ to ‘Me’ is tough stuff (but leap we must). Up until now, when companies have spoken with their markets it's been in broadcasts from “THE” brand, not communications in the “Me” voice. Due to this sea change in communicating with customers, it can be difficult at first to find one’s footing and personal voice... but once companies do, they find it refreshingly natural and their markets find it much easier to communicate with them. Remember, it's hard to like a machine; but it's easy to love a person.
*Action Point* Decide which individuals in your company will represent your brand online and how their unique personalities will dovetail with the personality that you’ve already established for your brand. These representatives will now come to signify and be synonymous with the brand since consumers and professionals can now communicate with them (instead of one-way communications found in other media).
In turn, these representatives are able to build valuable customer relationships and brand advocates that will serve to benefit the brand through Word-of-Mouth mentions, referrals and recommendations.
3: To increase buzz, drop the buzzwords. Learning how customers actually speak can be a big learning curve. We have become so comfortable in our “buzzword bubbles” that we lose sight of how silly we often sound—this is especially true in B2B communications since the subject matter can be quite complex.
But we no longer need to guess or assume how our markets speak, because the Social Web enables us to see how they speak every day (and for free!). And the best marketers aren’t talking nearly as much as they’re listening.
*Action Point* Review online conversations from your market and compare those to your own communications… then assess where your language can be more conversational, less like a talking brochure. After all, social media is a dialogue not a monologue and people become very sensitive to sterile messaging and buzzword-laden conversations.
And for B2B brands, just because you’re speaking in a more conversational manner does not mean you’ll come off as unprofessional or too casual—you’ll just be that much more relatable to your markets.
Complements of Valeria Maltoni
1. Be honest about what you're looking for and you will gain insights in return. According to the 2009 Tribalization of Media study conducted by BeeLine Labs in conjunction with with Deloitte and The Society for New Media Research, market research and insight is the top purpose for companies that seek to build online communities. Successful companies:
- Think about “tribes” and not market segments
Treat their community as a network and not a channel
Are customer-centric instead of company or product-centric
Understand what it means to be social
Social media is not about a new media channel, it’s about the social taking root in all aspects of business. Businesses that are increasinly seeking more word of mouth for their products and services should be aware of the impact of group behavior on product and service influence and engagement - externally and internally.
2. Celebrate the people where they are, not the products. People within an organization who are blogging, or tweeting, etc. as part of their jobs can have “real” conversations and still represent the brand if they focus on customers and act human. Encouraging fans and evangelists, instead of shutting them down or worse, hitting them with IP infringement sanctions, goes a long way in doing that.
For example, why would you close down a fan site that is generating thousands of hits? Yet, that's exactly what Mars did. This is a cultural thing. Usually top management is focused on remaining competitive and that means on those processes that will allow the organization to operate efficiently and stay aligned behind its own message. Customers and employees rarely have a moment of celebration that is theirs in this kind of environment.
3. You need to like who you are and accept it. I recently wrote a post about it. Even on the Web, you've got to like who you are to sound authentic. This is valid for companies, brands, and people. The relationships, business, followers, whatever that may be, are all outcomes.
To have the outcomes, you need to be open to them. It goes beyond having a personality to embracing what you're about. It means allowing your employees to show their humanity. Is your organization encouraging that for real or are you just going through the moves? This is such a gray area at the moment.
For example, has your organization given any thought as to what it's going to do with the accounts in the names of the employees it is asking to tweet and blog on its behalf? Is it going to take over the account once the employee moves on?
That kind of consideration may be holding you back. Employees are also who you are - perhaps even more so, if they're engaging customers. Successful companies are embracing and facilitating conversations where and how they're happening without worrying too much about keeping it all inside the walls or about the popularity of line employees vs. the C-Suite.
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
06/17/2009
Passing along a rather cool "by invitation only" shopping site, bTrendie, that is modeled after QVC. Items, discounted up to 60%, are available for only a short time.
Products are for kids so any mommy bloggers popping by check it out. BBF Jeneane Sessum is behind the marketing and created a special code of us - BlogDiva. Would be cool if they expand into Diva Stuff!
Hope to win the free birthday party package for Olivia who turns 13 this month and is still bravely batteling Cystic Fibrosis.
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.
06/12/2009
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.
In the world of social media Facebook, Twitter and other social networks have taken center stage. Our old friend .. the 
blog .. seems to be relegated to a role in the chorus. Of course social networks can play an important part in social media marketing, however, the platform is not Yours. It will never be Yours. LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and every community on Ning could go away tomorrow. All of your contacts, all of your content could blow away like dandelion seeds in the wind.
Blogs, (that you serve yourself) are always Yours (at least until the server crashes or a hacker blows up your site). #BringBackTheBlog is an occasional series on Diva Marketing that highlights some of the great work in the blogosphere.
Blogs do take more time and care than a 140 character tweet or a Facebook wall post. The challenge becomes updating with relevant, interesting content. According to Nettie Harsock, "Conversational content is the base ingredient to any blog truly thriving and engaging a community long-term." Nettie offers 5 Tips For Conversational Content.
Fard Johnmar HealthCareVox has been writing smart posts about healthcare in social media since 2006. His recent post is a great example of building content from other sources, In his post about media consumption habits of e-patients he incorporates findings from the Pew Social Life of Health Information study. By the way did you know that although people are looking for medical information online, including peer reviews, less than 40% use social networks like Facebook and only only 12% are currently taking advantage of Twitter?
Unlike an article written in main stream media, social media provides an opportunity to tell your stories when you want, how you want, without the filter of a reporter or editor. While business story telling follows a similar format to those you read as a kid, there are a few differences. Katya Andresen Getting To The Point, provides us how-to direction including a story telling check list.
When it comes to story telling blog posts that end in marketing lessons no one does it better than Ann Handley - Annarchy. Ann's talent for creating stories about simple every day happenings in her life not only engages us but endears us to her. Word of caution .. don't enter the world of Annarchy unless you have a few spare moments.
When we think of blog posts we usually think of T-E-X-T. However, since blogs are websites and anything you can include in a website you can incorporate into a blog post think photos and videos. Paul Chaney's, The Social Media Handyman, use of video interviews is an excellent example of the versatility of blog content. Paul does one - two minute interviews at the 140 Twitter Conference.
Read more in the all tweet book - Social Media Marketing GPS #smgps - Chapter 6 Tactics Second interviews with Yvonne DiVita and Julie Squires about blogs
06/11/2009
When you first step into social media it's often like being the new kid on the block. Sometimes you might feel shy or uncertain about how to or who to play with in your new neighborhood. What do you do when you're the new kid on the block? You reach out to
people with the hope that a couple might turn into "friends."
Although Diva Marketing had its 5th blog birthday last month I felt a like a stranger in my own home town. Want to know an awesome woman in India - I can put you to touch with Dina Mehta or perhaps you need a cool diva in Germany - happy to introduce you to Nicole Simon or maybe you'd like to know about vlogs in Hawaii, I'm sure Roxanne Darling would be glad to chat with you.
But when it came to the cool Atlanta divas working in social media marketing my network was sadly struggling. So I did what any social media marketing diva would do I began a networking search through blogs, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, email and traditional WOM too. That search morphed into the creation of a resource list of the Atlanta Women in Social Media Marketing. My thoughts are that this is a work in process .. it all comes down to the relationship.
Criteria: using social media as a marketing strategy for your business ventures or helping clients use social media as a marketing strategy. Look for the Atlanta Women in Social Media Marketing posts over the next couple of weeks.
Where are the Atlanta Women in social media marketing? Part 3 [Part 1 Part 2]
Jen Gordon A Clever Twist Who Is Jen Gordon @Jen Gordon @aclevertwist
1. What does social media marketing mean to you? - Social Media marketing seems like an oxymoron at first, but I think it really just means building a community around a common interest and making a product relevant and interesting- not just trying to sell something.
2. My favorite social media tactic is blogging to me is also the best medium because it gives you more opportunity to express a complete thought. A how-to. Give people something to hang on to and learn from. Blogging can be more of a teaching tool and a lot of social media marketing is about sharing expertise.
3. In 140 characters - What is Atlanta's greatest challenge in becoming a social media hub? – I think the greatest challenge is proximity to Silicon Valley and some of these places where the innovation is at warp speed.
4. 2 sentences about your company. - Clever Twist designs and develops creative and interesting applications for companies or individuals across all fields of interest. We specialize in custom (and frequently humorous) iPhone and Facebook applications.
5. I began offering social media marketing in Fall of 2008, with the launch of Clever Twist.
Michelle Batten iMediaWorksConnect BlogTalkRadio @iMWconnect @AtlCavalier
1. What does social media marketing mean to you? – To me, true social media is passion + sharing = connecting; the marketing part is really about tapping into the right audience with the right message at the right time in a valuable way so its relevant and acted upon.
2. My favorite social media tactic is reading and commenting on other people's blogs/tweets. Shows you're listening and invites them and others around them to start a dialogue with you.
3. In 140 characters - What is Atlanta's greatest challenge in becoming a social media hub? WILLPOWER. We must make it an ongoing priority 2 build + maintain connections across disciplines: brands, non-prof, gov, edu, start-ups. This involves listening, sharing + carving the time out 2 participate.
4. 2 sentences about your company. - iMediaWorks helps brands learn how to tell their story, amplify their experience and nurture their tribe and its culture through an integrated interactive communications strategy that puts social media and other digital channels at the core. Our team Creates Digital Roadmaps for brands as well as offers specific consulting services in areas such as digital branding, customer segmentation, cross-channel optimization and decision-based performance analytics. I primarily focus on B2C and non-profits.
5. Began in social media marketing in the Fall of 2006. Currently conducting a research study of the Fortune 500’s use of social media across 8 channels, which will be featured in my new blog series “Will They Stay or Will They Go?” airing Thursdays at 4pm on BlogTalk radio. Also serving as Programming Co-Chair for the Atlanta Chapter of The Social Media Club, which meets the 2nd Thursday of each month.
Peggy Duncan – PeggyDuncan.com SuiteMinute @peggyduncan
1. What does social media marketing mean to you? - It’s magnetic marketing that draws people from all over the world to you and vice versa.
2. My favorite social media tactic is keeping my blog content fresh with technology discussions that everyday people can understand and use.
3. In 140 characters - What is Atlanta's greatest challenge in becoming a social media hub? - You can be southern and savvy. For some strange reason people are still surprised by that.
4. 2 sentences about your company. – My main focus is on improving personal productivity through training and consulting on organization, time management, Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and shameless self-promotion with WordPress. I travel internationally, am an author of several books on my topics, and an award-winning technology blogger.
5. Began in social media marketing March 2007, I transferred my 8-year old Webzine to a blog and kept the same focus of demystifying technology. I'm now conducting a WordPress Blogging Bootcamp for small business owners. They learn how to create a self-hosted WordPress blog, optimize it for search engines, and connect it with other social media such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. This ties perfectly to my expertise in personal productivity because I also teach how to find time to do all this.
Diane DeSeta White Knight @ddeseta
1. What does social media marketing mean to you? - Social media marketing is about transparency, honesty, tolerance, and giving. As individuals we have the ability to make meaningful connections with people by engaging in dialogue around common themes. For companies it's an opportunity to reveal the humanity behind the brands by encouraging sincere dialogue with customers which can be a potent influence on customer loyalty.
2. My favorite social media tactic is Crowd Sourcing. I consistently reach out to my network of colleagues and clients to vet ideas, help spread the word, and get valuable feedback on marketing campaigns. The crowd is the source in social media.
3. In 140 characters - What is Atlanta's greatest challenge in becoming a social media hub? Recognizing that we already are a social media hub for the South East.
4. 2 sentences about your company. – My six year old company, WhiteKnightllc is an interactive marketing agency that specializes in creating immersive interactive marketing experiences on the web that engage customers with brands in a meaningful way. We service clients of all sizes in both the B2B and B2C spaces.
5. I began offering social media marketing /or using social media marketing - Our company began offering social media marketing services to clients in 2004 beginning with Fox Interactive Media. Most recently my social media activities include serving as Co-Chair for the Atlanta Chapter of the Social Media Club and spinning tunes as a DJ on blip.fm.
Carol Flammer mRelevance Atlanta Real Estate Forum @AtlantaPR @mRELEVANCE
1. What does social media marketing mean to you? - Social media marketing is about attracting, educating and engaging buyers online. It is a powerful optimization tool, as well as a way to manage reputation, build brand and create community. One of my favorite articles on our blog.
2. My favorite social media tactic is blogging.
3. In 140 characters - What is Atlanta's greatest challenge in becoming a social media hub? - Atlanta’s social media hub challenge is the same as many cities – lack of talent to effectively tie it all together online - Relevance.
4. 2 sentences about your company. - mRELEVANCE is a social media, Internet marketing and public relations agency creating relevant on and offline relationships for clients. We are known for creating effective web presence with strong content, call to action and measurable ROI. I primarily focus on: B2B, B2C (or your could say Real Estate and related industries)
5. I began offering social media marketing - We started repurposing content online and blogging on behalf of clients in 2006. It was referred to as new media at the time.
JoAnn Hines Packaging Launch Packaging Diva Packaging University @PackagingDiva
1. What does social media marketing mean to you? - Social Media to me is engaging your best audience in a meaningful, constructive manner.
2. My favorite social media tactic is answers questions and provides timely insights, relevant advice plus a few laughs along the way.
3. In 140 characters - What is Atlanta's greatest challenge in becoming a social media hub? Anonymity of the key players.
4. 2 sentences about your company. - I package people, products and services. I'm one of the most "connected" people in packaging, the 3rd largest industry in the US.
Linda Lindsey Insol @Insol_IT Little Brown Dog Marketing
1. What does social media marketing mean to you? – Social media marketing - finally something new to play with! What's not to like? It's easy, free, fast, track-able, interesting, it's perfect for today's "got to have it now, the way I want it" culture. I've always been fascinated by the sociology behind what makes people do anything, especially interact with a brand.
2. My favorite social media tactic is twitter ... love the varying functionality like twitterhawk ...
3. In 140 characters - What is Atlanta's greatest challenge in becoming a social media hub? There is no reason Atlanta cannot be a social media hub…
4. 2 sentences about your company. – Insol takes care of existing and future Information Management requirements by addressing the full life cycle of network services for small and medium sized businesses in Atlanta. Focus is primarily B2B.
5. I began in social media marketing – 2008.
Atlanta Women in Social Media
Donna Lynes-Miller GourmetStation
Grayson Daughters WaySouth Media
Lya Sorano Lya Sorano.com
Melissa Galt Today By Design
Jeaneane Sessum allied
Melissa Libby MelissaLibbyPR
Amber Rhea Being Amber Rhea
Jacki Schklar Funny Not Slutty
Laura Nolte Green Theory Interactive
Barbara Giamanco Talent Builders
Sue Rodman Field Trips With Sue
Sherry Heyl oncept Hub, Inc
Nadia Bilchik Nadia Speaks
Jen Gordon A Clever Twist
MIchelle Batten iMediaWorksConnects
Peggy Duncan PeggyDuncan.com
Diane DeSeta White Knight
Carol Flammer mRELEVANCE
JoAnn Hines Packaging Launch
Linda Lindsay Insol
and me! Toby Bloomberg Diva Marketing
Where are the Atlanta women in social media marketing? Where are the women on the client/brand side? If you want to be included or know of anyone who meets the criteria please leave a comment or shoot me an email.
06/08/2009
"We are moving from technology-centric applications to people-centric applications that conform to our relationships and identities. The social graph is enabling a new Web experience that will transform the way we work, learn, and interact across every aspect of our lives." Clara Shih, the Facebook Era
I agree with Clara Shih, and think that the Facebook Era is one of the smartest books about social networks. However, although it is technology that proples the experience the reason social media works is actually very simple. At its heart it's people connecting with each other, telling their stories, sharing their lives. What you share depends on your comfort level of giving pieces of yourself to your digital network.
When those stories and experiences involve brands, organizations, service then it becomes part of "social media marketing." The stories that are tweeted or blogged or put on a Facebook page are exposed to your expanded network. Through digital word-of-mouth your opinions may influence the purchase behavior of people you don't even know.
Sooo .. let me tell you a story. - Today I arrived in a small town in Pennsylvania - Johnstown to speak about social m
edia at PA Development Center's Annual Conference (waves to Elyse Harvey who was wonderful to work with on this project!). I dropped Max off at the vets (with instructions for extra walks and doggie ice cream treats) at 10a and after a long day of travel from ATL to IAD to JST I walked into the Holiday Inn at 6:30p .. famished.
Now I must admit my expectations of Harrigan's Restaurant at the Holiday Inn was .. well .. not very high. In fact, I tried to find another place to eat. Went so far as to do a few Urban Spoon shakes which turned up pretty much only fast food. Sometimes you turn a corner and are delightfully surprised. The venue itself was inviting, Lori, my waitress or is the pc term 'server?' was awesome and most importantly the food was excellent.
To help demonstrate social media and stories for the workshop Lori graciously agreed to have her photo posted, with the amazing dessert tray, on Twitter, Facebook and Diva Marketing. Next time you're in Johnstown, PA head to the Harrigans and ask for Lori .. I promise you won't be disappointed.
Where will this go? Who in my social media network will see a post, tweet or Facebook page? Will the post or tweet make its way into someone's search for Johnstown restaurants or Harrigans? Will Lori make a few extra tips?
So what is great social media marketing? It's all about the stories and the people and the beat goes on and on and on and on ....
06/05/2009
Social media marketing is not Only about marketing. Social media influences the way we interact with customers and with the people within our organizations. Social media changes the way we do business.
Recently I spoke about social media marketing to a savvy group of small business owners at the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. No where are employee relations more personal than within a small business. Not only are heart and soul pouring into the day-to-day operations but for most small business owners "the business" takes on its own personae becoming almost a family member.
The session about Facebook with the Chamber members opened an interesting conversation when a women (let's call her Mary) shared her Facebook story. It seemed one of her employees (let's call her Ann) posted to her Facebook wall that she was "bored" with her job. Mary's son was a Facebook Friend (of Ann's) and told his mom. Mary's initial reaction was anger that Ann was wasting time on a personal Facebook page and not doing her job.
Feedback from the other small business owners ranged from you must be careful what you post since you never know who might be listening or telling other people to agreeing with Mary's view to suggestions to have Ann take over the company's Facebook page. Ironically, the company's Facebook page was Ann's responsibility.
Not knowing these good people nor the culture of Mary's company, I didn't want to alienate them, however, it was important for them to understand the bigger social media lessons that they could take back to their organizations.
1. Mary had a new important piece of information about a staff member and perhaps her company.
- Did that mean it was not the "right" job for Ann?
- Did it mean that Ann needed more training to do her job?
- Did it mean that Ann was not being utilized to her full talents?
- Did it mean Ann was looking for a new job?
- Did it mean that Ann's attitude was influencing other employees?
- Did it mean that the organization had a hiring challenge in other areas of the company?
2. Mary's company was now in public view for other people to see their internal culture.
- Would potential employees have a negative view about working for the company?
- Would it make attracting new employees difficult?
- Would Ann's friends influence prospective customers?
Social media is not only impacting marketing but management issues that are more complex than a simple Facebook or Twitter post. All that said, social media management should not be used as a new James Bond espionage tool but information to make companies more responsive to internal process. Because as Sybil Sterchic might say social media provides a new way to take care of the people who matter most .. your employees.Who in turn take care of your customers .and make sure as Becky Carroll might say Customers Rock.
