Conversational Media Marketing

Email Insider just done with several demographic groups age 34 and under regarding their channel preferences for receiving and/or being influenced by promotional messages.

The four groups were:

• Teens: 15-17 years old, still in high school
• College students: 18-24 year olds still in school
• Wired: young males, post-college between the ages of 18 and 34 years old, without kids. They are employed full-time or self-employed, have a good income — an annual household income of at least $35K
• Young homemakers: females, between the ages of 18 and 34 years old, who consider “homemaker” to be their primary occupation

To say that I'm excited about BlogWorld and New Media Expo this coming weekend would be an understatement of the grandest proportions. It has nothing to do with the fact that I'm speaking, or that I'm getting to go, along with my wife Amie, to Vegas (which is actually more of a treat for her than me as she used to live there a number of years ago).

Instead, it has everything to do with the fact that I'll finally get to meet so many of you, my virtual family and friends. People I've grown to know, admire and deeply respect.

For some, it will be a time of reconnecting. For others, including many I've known via online channels for years, this will be a first opportunity to meet face-to-face. I intend to get very little sleep and wear myself out shaking hands, hugging necks and otherwise meeting and greeting.

There are two very special cadres of people I want to meet and/or see again. One is my Realtor friends, most especially those that purchased Realty Blogging. The other are members of the IBNMA, the blogging and new media organization I have the privilege of serving as president. We're going to have a big ole time together!

Of course, there is always the fear of not making a good impression. Sometimes relationships are best kept virtual. Still, I'm hopeful that I can overcome my social ineptitude, remember when to keep my mouth shut, and make at least a semblance of a good impression.

Regardless, I plan to make the most of the time as I know the weekend will whirl by. And if you're interested in hooking up, just look for the short, bald guy with the silly grin and hint of a southern accent. That'll most likely be me.

I may be playing with a lit stick of dynamite here, but I'd like to know what you think of using online communities (whether of interest or practice) for lead generation? Does that amount to little more than prostitution?

Having come from the "purist" days of business blogging, I really don't want to use online communities for such "prurient" motives as driving marketing and sales agendas. Yet, I can't help but believe there can be a healthy balance between community and commerce, especially when it's possible the reason the community exists is for the sake of commerce.

I've started writing a post or two per week over at WordFrame.com. My first post is Vertical social networks for business, a table of their own, which reports on the new eMarketer study about businesses entering the social network space.

(BTW, WordFrame is an awesome B2B social networking platform. If your company has an interest in creating a socnet for either internal or external use, I recommend it highly. It's affordable, highly scalable and has all the features you'd want or need.)

If you've become a fan of Chris Brogan and David Alston's Twebinars, you know it takes a bit of doing to get all the pieces in place to successfully participate. During yesterday's Twebinar, for example, several questions were asked about what was needed. This post is designed to answer that question and make the next Twebinar a walk in the park.

Twebinar how-to:

First, you'll need to log in to the "webinar" portion. That goes without saying. If you want to keep things basic, that's actually all you would need to do. Questions can be asked via the Q/A panel on the interface.

However, what makes Twebinars the fun, unique, interactive and social event they've become is the added layer that Twitter provides. Here's what you need for that:

1. Be logged in to your Twitter account so you can send tweets to Chris, panelists and other Twebinar attendees.

2. Have a second browser tab open to (used to be Summize until Twitter acquired it). That will give you the ability to follow the conversation timeline and enable you to interact with others. (I just switch back and forth between the two tabs. I'm sure evntually Twitter will incorporate both components into one interface.)

3. The glue that holds all of this together is the use of what are known as hashtags (#) specific to the event. In the case of yesterday's Twebinar it was #Tweb2.

Each time you post a tweet just include the hashtag associated with the particular Twebinar and your tweet will be added to the timeline.

That's all there is to it!

NOTE: Early on www.hashtags.org was the site used for tracking tagged conversations, but with the advent of Summize that seems to have changed.

BTW, Twebinars are great resources for meeting others who have similar interests as you and for building out your social network inside Twitter. I find interacting with others during the Twebinar is as informative and enjoyable as the webinar portion itself.

We're officially announcing the relaunch of the International Blogging and New Media Association today. This has been long in coming and I'm elated to see the day finally arrive.

Check out the press release and the blog post. If you feel so inclined, please help us spread the message.

One more thing...

I know there may be talk about how the executive board is comprised only of men, and middle-aged white men at that. And I understand. I can promise you the Advisory Council, which we will announce next week, is far from that. It's a diverse group in many respects as you will see.

Again, help us spread the word, the IBNMA is back Jack!

I finished reading Groundswell last night, the book co-authored by Forrester analyst Josh Bernoff and former analyst Charlene Li. I have to say it's one of the most important books on the subject of social media that I've read this year.

Research - The opinions shared, suggestions made and advice given are based on solid research. What else would you expect from Forrester, right? Everything is well-documented and appended.

Case studies - Charlene and Josh support the research with real world examples showing how organizations both in the for-profit and non-profit sectors are using the tools of social media to accomplish marketing and business communication purposes. They showcase larger organizations like Dell, Best Buy and M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, but do include a few references to small business.

Writing - The book is very well-written. Again, you'd expect no less from Forrester analysts.

Move over webinars and workshops...Twebinars and Plurkshops* are the new, fun ways to facilitate familiar business interactions.

Webinars and workshops are common business meeting practices. What if you could take these very familiar forms of interaction and combine them with the coolest, quirkiest, geekiest apps available today, and Plurk?

It's already being done. People are finding ingenious new ways to use these apps to congregate around topics of shared interest and have meaningful, even in-depth discussions in 140 characters or less!

(*I just reserved the domain name so you'll see a parked page.)

Something my boss said recently in regard to a weekly Internet radio show we started for Bizzuka got me thinking. "What you're doing (in terms of the show) will not just help us create greater awareness among prospects, but among those considering coming to work for us," he said.

It caused me to realize that marketing, especially social media marketing, is not just about building a prospect list. Sometimes, whether intentional or not, it's also about attracting quality talent and/or wealthy investors.

Andy Kaufman and I go way back. We even worked for the same company at one time. Of all the Realtors I know, Andy is one who really gets social media marketing and at a granular level. Here are his responses to some interview questions I shot his way.

What is your opinion on Realtors and blogging? Is it a useful tool
to generate leads? Why?

It's tough, but if you can pull it off, it's a great tool to generate business. In addition to the obvious SEO benefits, it provides an amazing opportunity to build your brand in order to stand out from the crowd.