Conversational Media Marketing: January 2009

Leili McKinley, a blogger you should be reading

If you are at all interested in social media marketing, especially as it relates to branding, there is a blogger you should be reading, Leili McKinley.

I found out about Leili via a comment she left in response to my post, Does social media have to be either marketing or pr? I had not heard of her previously, but the import of her comment caused me to investigate her further. And what I found literally floored me.

Here is a blogger who is obviously well-acquainted with her subject matter and who has the unique ability to convey a lot of information in relatively few words. In fact, none of her posts exceed more than a few paragraphs.

A famous quote attributed to Blaise Paschal says, "I have made this letter longer than usual, because I lack the time to make it short." Leili has that unique ability to concentrate her thoughts and communicate them succinctly and clearly. Not many people I know are blessed with that gift.

I used to think that, if someone could write reams about a given subject, that must mean they're truly knowledgeable. Now, I think the opposite is more in keeping with the truth... that is if Leili McKinley is any example.

You know I don't often rave about bloggers, but Leili is one I've added to my list of must reads. You should as well.

PS: Leili is managing partner of business consulting firm Soaring Phoenix.

Posted on January 13, 2009 at 10:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Does social media have to be either marketing or PR?

asked the question last week, Is social media the same as marketing?

In considering that and the conversation I had with Beth on User Friendly Thinking radio last Friday, I want to ask another:

Does social media, as it relates to business, have to be marketing or PR at all?

(I'm thinking aloud, but hear me out.)

Does social media have to fit into old paradigms or can it be something new altogether?

It's sort of the same question that's been asked about blogging over the years -- are bloggers journalists? (No, they're bloggers. Next question.) Perhaps, rather, the use of social media is a new skillset which can be applied in either direction.

John Jantsch said the other day that companies need to consider hiring a "Chief Conversation Officer." Maybe that's it. Maybe the way to think of social media for business is neither as marketing or PR, but, simply, conversations that lead to conversions. Thus, maybe a key component of the skillset required is as a conversationalist.

In a biblical passage Jesus states, you "can't put old wine in new wineskins." The Web 2.0 qualifies as new "wine," but we seem hellbent on making it synch with old forms, and it's not doing so well.

For example, conversion rates on advertising in social networks are abysmal at best. CPM rates are dropping like rocks and all of us kool-aid drinkers know why. No one goes to Facebook or any other social network to click on ads. (That's just one example. Give me time and I can come up with a few more I'm sure. )

The old saying, "I know what I like," would be more truthfully restated, "I like what I know." We're uncomfortable with those things with which we have no familiarity and, thus, attempt to fit them into our current frame of reference. Social media is one of those things, so it stands to reason we try and turn it into something it may or may not be.

(Did I mention I'm thinking out loud here.)

I have a personal confession to make, which may explain why I'm addressing this issue in the first place. I don't fancy myself as either a marketer or a PR person. I'm a blogger and a social media practitioner.

Truth be told, mainly I'm a teacher. I love sharing knowledge, information and opinion. Oh, I like helping people too, which is a useful trait to have for being effective in social media for business.

Sooo... have I finally gone off the deep end and completely lost touch with reality? Or, could it be that social media is a new wineskin that simply just doesn't fit neatly into our traditional molds? Maybe Beth's question is not the one we should be asking afterall.

PS: Toby Bloomberg has a lot to say about this topic in an interview she did with Shel Israel at Global Neighorhoods.

Posted on January 12, 2009 at 07:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (18) | TrackBack (0)

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FifteenTwitter follow dos and don'ts

school of fish twitter follows
There are two schools of thought pertaining to who to follow on Twitter. One is what I refer to as the Guy Kawasaki method which says, "forget the influentials," "defocus your efforts," and "get as many followers as you can." It's more of a mass marketing approach.

Up and until on the number of people that I could follow in a given 24-hour period, that's pretty much the school to which I subscribed and just about anyone and everyone qualified (minus the spammers of course).

Since then, I've had to be more discerning and have actually found that to be a good thing. So, here are fifteen suggested Twitter follow dos and don'ts based on my current Twitter follow modus operandi:

Dos...

1. Focus your efforts - If you're in sales and marketing, hopefully you've outlined specific target markets based on demographic, psychographic and technographic profiles. Maybe you've even created a persona of the ideal client or customer. Find those folks and follow them.

One good way to do that is by using Twellow, which is a Twitter "yellow pages." It categorizes Twitter followers based on geography and industry and covers everything from aerospace to Web development.

For example, a search on my city, Lafayette, LA, brought five pages of returns totaling 100 people. Not a lot, but consider that a) Lafayette is a small city by comparison and b) it's in the deep south which is often the last to catch on to new trends. If you're in a more metro area, chances are your returns will be manifold times this.

What might be more relevant is search by category. For example, Bizzuka, the company I serve as marketing director, is targeting the legal industry. A search for lawyers brought over 930 returns. We are also targeting healthcare. A search returned almost 100 hospitals.

Apply that same methodology to your own situation and see what comes of it.

Twellow defaults to ranking returns based on number of followers, but you can also sort by
recent activity and/or whether the person has verified their Twellow account.

Each person listed has a profile associated with their entry which, depending on whether they've verified their account or not, could contain lots of information, including a bio, latest Twitter updates (good for knowing whether they're an active user or not), and link to their Web site or blog.

2. Follow those with real names - That's one way to know it's a genuine account. (It's always a good practice when setting up a Twitter account to use your real name.)

3. Follow those who follow you - In most cases it's a common courtesy. Chances are they're in the same industry or have some relevance to you.

4. Follow those following the people who are following you - Same rationale as #3, just once removed.

5. Follow those following the people you are following - If you've chosen to follow a particular individual for whatever reason (maybe they fit the profile mentioned in #1), there's a good likelihood at least some of the people following them would be relevant for you as well.

6. Follow those in your industry - Obviously, one of the best uses for Twitter is as a vehicle for networking, gathering feedback and getting advice. It's a great tool for meeting others in your industry or discipline.

7. Follow those you find interesting and/or entertaining - In all the mad rush to turn Twitter into a business communications and marketing tool, leave a little for pure fun. If you find someone's posts interesting, maybe they're worth following as well.

8. Follow those who use the same hashtags (ex. #nms08) to follow a conversation - Again, if they're interested in the same things as you, consider following them.

9. Follow those who @reply you - @replies can be sent into the public timeline addressed to people you're not following. If a user has addressed you in that way, might be fruitful to add them.

10. Follow those interacting with people you follow - If you see a tweet with an @reply addressing someone you're following that comes from someone you're not, they may be worth following. Check em out!

Don'ts...

11. Don't follow those with numbers behind their names - This is a technique often used by spammers (Twammers) due to the fact that have multiple accounts. It's a dead give-away. (One word of caution: When setting up your Twitter handle, don't use numbers. Your real name will do nicely.)

12. Don't follow those with no avatar - If you can't see their face, company logo or some sort of avatar, don't follow.

13. Don't follow those who only broadcast - Unless you know it's an account set up strictly for that purpose - a news, shopping or "tips" type account - don't follow. If they don't participate in conversations with anyone else, they won't with you either.

14. Don't follow those who aren't active - I don't know the number or percentage, but I bet the number of people who've subscribed to Twitter and aren't actively using it is sizable. If a user is not actively maintaining the account, chances are it's dead.

15. Don't follow users based on their follower count - In social media, it's not necessarily how many eyeballs that count but who those eyeballs belong to. There are some very influential people who may not have huge numbers of followers.

There you have it - 15 tips for know who to follow and who not to. That's my list at least for now, though I'm sure I'll add to it. BTW, you can too! What criteria do you use in determining who to follow. Please share it in a comment. Thanks!

Finally, if you're not following me, please do. My Twitter handle is .

Posted on January 09, 2009 at 08:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

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Marketers "sick" of Web 2.0 says MENG survey

A newly released survey done by Marketing Executives Networking Group of top marketing trends of 2009 indicates that "twice as many marketers are 'sick' of hearing about Web 2.0 and related buzzwords such as 'blogs' and 'social networking' compared to last year’s survey."

The survey goes on to say that "marketers still admit they don’t know enough about it" and that " 67% of executive marketers consider themselves beginners when it comes to using social media for marketing purposes."

This represents real opportunity for true social media marketing consultants, so long as they can make this stuff palatable and speak in layman's terms.

One person who does this very, very well is , a veteran marketer who recently started her own agency, Harte Marketing and Communications. Beth has the good sense to see where social media fits into the overall marketing spectrum, and I believe her's is a well-reasoned, studied approach. (Doesn't hurt she's an adjunct professor at a local university.)

In a recent post, Beth asks, "Is social media the same as marketing?" To which she answers...

"I have said more than a few times that I am not a fan of the term 'Social Media Marketing.' Maybe it’s just semantics. Maybe I am just being staunch in applying the marketing and communications definitions and principals that I learned long ago and have implemented for ages.

"The issue at hand, as I see it, is that a lot of people are adding Social Media Marketing as part of their service offerings, but they haven’t spent a day doing the marketing part and because of that they struggle with implementing social media as part of an overall marketing strategy. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t consider a company being advised to set up a LinkedIn or Facebook group or to have a Twitter account marketing (and in some cases, it’s not social media either). There’s much more to marketing (like product, distribution, pricing)."

As you can tell, Beth has some strong opinions on the subject and I highly recommend you read the post referenced above. Whether you agree with Beth or not, it will spur some critical thinking.

Another thing you should consider doing is joining us tomorrow, Friday, January 9, for User Friendly Thinking Radio, where Beth will be our guest. We're going to discuss this and other issues of importance to marketers today. The show airs at noon central and lasts for 30-45 minutes.

Posted on January 08, 2009 at 12:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (14) | TrackBack (0)

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Corporate blogs, trustworthy or not. Depends on who you ask.

Which is true?

Consumers trust company blogs less than any other channel.

or

Blogs have long had an avid following, but corporations are finding that blogs can be a secret sauce to building solid relationships with their customers.

Depends on who you ask, Forrester or eMarketer.

The first statement comes from a hotly-contested Forrester survey on corporate blogging. The other from an eMarketer article which based its conclusion on studies done by BuzzLogic and Jupiter Research.

The Forrester survey goes on to say that, "Not only do blogs rank below newspapers and portals, they rank below wikis, direct mail, company email, and message board posts" and "only 16% of online consumers who read corporate blogs say they trust them."

Conversely, eMarketer states "[B]logs have more impact on purchasing decisions than social networks. One-quarter of readers said they trust ads on a blog, as opposed to 19% who trust ads on social networks."

Continue reading "Corporate blogs, trustworthy or not. Depends on who you ask." »

Posted on January 06, 2009 at 07:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (12) | TrackBack (0)

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My four goal words for 2009

Chris Brogan has a practice he's used since 2006, that of distilling his goals for the new year into three or four words. Seems like a good one to follow, so I'm giving it a try this year.

My four goal words for 2009 are:

Degree

At 211 degress water is hot. And while it would burn you if you stepped in a shower, its uses are somewhat limited. But turn it up one more degree to 212 and you can change the world. At 212 degrees water is not just hot, but boiling, and boiling water can power a locomotive or generate electricity.

That extra degree makes all the difference. Think about the difference between 1st and 2nd place in a 100 meter dash or a NASCAR race. Usually, it's less than a second. The little bit of extra effort can take you from good to great and be the key differentiator.

The extra degree requires determination, perseverance and focus, but the rewards can be well worth it, in business and in life.

Distill

This word naturally follows the first, because steam is vaporized water and that's the first step in the process of distillation which, in my use of the term, stands for purification, concentration, filter and focus.

This year I want to focus on two key things in my business life:

Building the Social Media Handyman brand. (That includes the new book.)
Growing and strengthening Bizzuka's brand.

The two are not mutually exclusive, and not necessarily in that order. The first is more a personal brand, but my aim is for that to lend credence to the corporate brand. With the addition of social media marketing consulting responsibilities, my role at Bizzuka is changing anyway and it's my hope I can reciprocally leverage one to help the other.

I toyed with the idea of using the word "discard" here instead, but that sounded too negative. Still, for these goals to be attained, anything that detracts will have to be discarded. Some triage will obviously be needed and I'm working on what that entails now.

Develop

This is a tripartate goal, to:

Help others grow in their use of the Internet, especially social media, as a marketing tool.
Build a network of professional colleagues with whom I can share ideas and experiences.
Continue my own professional growth. If I stop growing, no way can I help anyone else.

One thing I constantly struggle with is turning the focus away from "me" and concentrating it on "you." (Even this post has a "me" bent to it. Hopefully, it will be the first of comparatively few.)

I do understand that you don't care that I know unless you know that I care. In 2009, I want to filter everything through a "how is this going to help the community" lens.

To that end, the Social Media Handyman blog over at Active Rain and my posts at MarketingProfs Daily Fix blog will be focused more on how-to, while this one will continue a focus on opinion and op-ed.

Do

Author Joe Queenan, in his sardonic book, Balsamic Dreams: A Short But Self-Important History of the Baby Boomer Generation, suggests that we boomers talk a lot about doing stuff, but never actually get around to it. I know that's true of me. If I had a nickel for every idea I intended to do something with but never did, while I wouldn't be rich, the pickle jar in the kitchen would certainly be full.

In 2009, I don't want to look back over a slew of ideas that lay like discarded fast food bags along the roadside. It's time to either "fish or cut bait." Yet, I can't do everything and that's where the process of distillation comes in.

There you have it - Degree. Distill. Develop. Do. - my four goal words for 2009. Thanks, Chris, for the inspiration.

Now, what about you? What words could you associate with your goals this year?

Posted on January 05, 2009 at 08:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

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Twitter phishing scheme

There is a phishing scheme propogating through Twitter now. It works in this way:

You get a direct message which often contains a URL with "blogspot" in it. Do not click that link.
If you happen to click the link, you'll be taken to a phishing site asking you to login. Don't do that either.
If you did and logged in, change your password immediately.

Go to for more info or to learn more.

This developed over the weekend while I was away at my parents who have no Internet access. I checked Twitter via my iPhone and saw a message asking me to visit the link. Unsuspectingly, I swallowed the bait, clicked the link and, believe it or not, logged in. D'oh!

The result was that I spammed every person following. While I'm not to blame, I do feel terribly about it nonetheless. Don't become a victim like me.

This will come and go in a few days hopefully. Phishing, like email spam, is a fact of life on the web, so there's little to be done about it I suppose. Still, viligence and a good malware program is called for.

Posted on January 03, 2009 at 10:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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