Post Category: Social Media
4 Jan, 2009 People are going to say bad/mean things about you. It’s a fact of life. It’s also something that prevents many businesses from participating in online communities and other websites that offer user generated content.
We can’t invite conversation about our product (business, brand, etc.) because someone may say something negative! This is a comment that I hear all too often, and it’s true—if given the opportunity, someone, at some point, could say something critical or disparaging. But guess what… someone, at some point, will say something critical or disparaging whether you participate in social media or not.
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7 Dec, 2008 I was asked recently at work to provide some information about best practices for creating and maintaining public social networking profiles (namely LinkedIn and Facebook). Here’s what I came up with…
A General Rule To Live By
You may have heard this maxim before, but it’s worth repeating: Don’t publish anything online that you wouldn’t want to appear on the cover of the New York Times. Before you post any content ask yourself, would I want my mother, child, spouse, best friend, boss, client, etc. to be able to see what I’ve posted now or at any point in the future? If the answer is no, it’s probably best not to put it on the Internet.
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3 Oct, 2008 According to a new study by Cone, a strategy and communications agency, you and I are among the sixty percent (and rising) of Americans who use social media. More interestingly, among those of us who use social media, the vast majority—93%—expect companies to have a social media presence.
Your customers want to engage and communicate with you online. If your business does not have a social media strategy yet, it’s clearly time to develop one. Here are a few tips to get you started in the right direction:
- Start by listening. What are your customers saying about you online?
- Join and add value to the conversation by responding to feedback.
- Be genuine.
Don’t confuse “Web 2.0” technology and design patterns with communication. Social media is not about Ajax, tag clouds, RSS feeds and embedded Flash video players. Social media is about sharing content and having conversations. Those of us who do want to engage with your business online are not looking for a sales pitch.
22 Aug, 2008 During yesterday’s Mzinga/Cramer webcast (#mzcramer on Twitter), “Taming the Monster Issues with Social Media Marketing,” the panelists (including yours truly) discussed some important issues facing marketers interested in entering the untamed world of online social media. As user generated content takes hold and anyone with an Internet connection is given a voice (or a megaphone), it is essential that businesses rethink their marketing strategies.
Old School Marketing is Uni-Directional
During the Twentieth Century, most marketing was unidirectional. The few who held the power to communicate with the largest audiences were able to spread and maintain control over their message. There was very little listening in this marketing model; brands and messaging were created and controlled from the top-down with scarce customer feedback. Marketers who cut their teeth on this style of polished, one-way broadcast messages (and there are quite a few of you) must evolve as people’s communication patterns evolve. It is time to listen and communicate with your customers.
Social Media Marketing is About Communication
As I stated during the webcast, the Twentieth Century was a communications anomaly. Throughout history humans have shared messages through words and images within personal social networks… communities. These communities tended to be localized and modest in size, but word of mouth marketing (both good and bad) reigned. We are entering an age when word of mouth marketing—social media—is not only reclaiming its dominance, it is obliterating the idea of uni-directional, controlled brand messages.
Today’s technology provides anyone with the ability to easily re-edit and publish your television commercial, pontificate on your products or expose proprietary information. Corporate and political press agents and spin doctors will no longer have weeks or days to do their jobs because the user-generated messages can spread across the globe to millions of connected users at the speed of light.
Marketers, the Twentieth Century is over; show your human side, and build a community with your customers. It’s time to start listening. Be sincere, and build trust.
14 Aug, 2008 Lifecasting – it’s all the rage! Here are five reasons why you too should blog and tweet incessantly about the minutia of your life, take daily photographs of yourself and post them to Flickr and strap a video camera to your body that will stream your every move to anyone with an Internet connection.
… And Now, The Top 5 Reasons to Broadcast Every Second of Every Day of Your Life…
- You’re a narcissistic attention whore.
- Your mommy taught you that everything you do is exceptional and worthy of exuberant adulation.
- You have an innate desire to annoy friends, family and perfect strangers.
- You think people actually give a shit about the fact that someone put poppyseeds on your onion rolls.
- High probability slight chance of receiving a development deal with a TV production company.
If any of these apply to you, what are you waiting for? Get out there and start over-sharing with the world! What’s the worst that could happen?
In all seriousness though… please don’t.
30 Jun, 2008 I’m coming clean. I’ve been with someone else. I’m sure you’ve noticed that I’ve been neglecting you lately, and I apologize. I’m not trying to blame you, but we both know that you’re a little high maintenance. Don’t get me wrong—you’re great… really, you’re wonderful. It’s just that, with her it’s so quick and dirty. It’s so damn easy with Twitter.
We both know that over the past five years we’ve had our ups and downs. Back when we first started out, I couldn’t get enough. We used to do it every day, sometimes several times each day. And it felt great. Then, as time went on, I started to get busier. Work, kids, life… you know how it is. The excitement—the spontaneity had vanished. It started to take so much more effort and planning. I know, a lot of that… all right, most of that is my fault. I admit I’m a perfectionist. But you, of all blogs, know my philosophy: if you’re going to do something, do it right.
Then it happened. I heard people talking about her. How easy she was. No commitment; nothing serious. I ignored her siren call for a whie, but eventually, I started thinking of excuses to get closer to Twitter, to give her a spin. But I stayed loyal to my blog… for a few months anyway. I even used my blog to publicly mock Twitter. I’m so sorry.
Over time the urges continued to strengthen. I lingered on Twitter’s website more frequently. Rumors of how often Twitter goes down peaked my lusty interest. I finally made up an excuse: I needed to succumb to her seductive call for work… it was social media research. Again, I shamefully used this very blog to publicly document my initial tryst with the hussy.
And it was, no… it is so easy. Even as I sit with you, pouring my heart out to you, I think of how easy it would be to quickly send a 140 character or less missive off into the ether. It’s grown from a lurid fascination to an obsession. I used to see her once or twice each day, mostly at work. But I quickly longed for more time with Twitter. I wanted to tweet in all kinds of exotic and unusual places: on my way home in the car, at the grocery store, even on my family vacation to Puerto Rico. I have even recruited my friends to join in the fun. I disgust myself.
I thought maybe Twitter would bring us closer. I thought I’d learn a few things that I could use here. Ultimately, it’s just distracted me from the business of blogging. Why am I telling you this? Guilt I suppose. I can’t promise I’ll be around as often as I was when we first started out; and Twitter will still be part of my life. But I’ll do my best to spend more quality time with you if you’ll allow me to have an open relationship.