No New Years' Resolutions For Me

I find New Years's resolutions odd. I don't make them. I guess I don't really understand why there should be one day of the year to start a new habit. If you want to read more, then start reading more today. If you want to get in shape, do for a long walk today. If you want your life to move towards a new direction, take a small step to do that today.

New Years' should not be the one day we make changes; it should be one of many. I feel like a lot of people put off making changes they want in life ("Oh, that will be one of my New Years' resolutions") and use the upcoming new year as an excuse to be lazy for a little bit longer. Maybe I should have written this blog post in the middle of the summer.

I have many goals for myself, but I hope to be actively pursuing them all year long. I believe that it is important to be motivated throughout the year, not just on January 1, to make progress and change.

What do you all think about New Years' resolutions?

Social Media Christmas

Daily Axioms will be taking a short Christmas break. While we won't be doing daily posts again until January, we will try our best to post a few times over the break. We will be back in 2009 with more social media commentary from Axiom Marketing's social media team.

A huge component of both Christmas and of social media is giving, so it only seems natural for the two to work well together. The power of bringing people together with social media has been seen in many creative ways this year, so let's end the year on the right foot.

How You Can Give: Please head on over to The Squidoo Holiday Twitterdrive for Charity. Everyday, you can vote for your favorite charity on the list and $1 will be donated to them. All the votes are being tracked from Twitter and they are giving away up to $30,000. Make sure to vote every day!

How We Can Give: We want this post a Christmas wish-list for you. What are the topics you would like us to cover next year on Daily Axioms? What can we improve? What is it that you need from us?

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Last-Minute Christmas Gift Ideas

Still need to purchase some gifts for family and friends for Christmas? I do. I am always late with the game. Here are a couple of last-minute ideas for the social media inclined.

1.) Domain names - Secure a domain name for your sister or best friend. GoDaddy.com has reasonable prices and there are many discount coupons out there to get them for even cheaper. They might not understand why that's a good gift, but they may thank you someday.

2.) Free eBooks - There are many great authors who have given away their new books for free this year. One of our favorite authors here at Daily Axioms is Seth Godin. You can get his newest best seller, Tribes, for free here. Or just buy a hard copy.

3.) Teach - Show your dad how to use RSS feeds. Give your cousin a new tool for finding jobs by searching on Twitter. Direct your roommate to one of your favorite blogs to read. Hopefully what you are learning online is valuable information; pass it along to someone who could use it in 2009.

Holy F. S. I Was Just in A P.C.

@2drinksbehind is following 41 people on Twitter; the F/F ratio doesn’t matter. He doesn’t need to search out anyone for the rest of his life after his on-the-minute tweet from inside the Denver plane when it crashed. He’s got 1,582 followers and a NBC Nightly News interview to prove it. In the spirit of his post, “Holy fresh strawberries,” what is going on with the news?

Mike Wilson describes himself in his Twitter profile as a “hobbit child,” and apparently this media exposure is an “experience of a lifetime in more ways than one.”

News has no bounds, reaching into the citizen journalist file and pulling out tragedies like the plane flying off the Denver runway, and earlier on, the Mumbai attacks. Are publications writing these social media stories in hopes of re-gaining print circulation numbers? I feel news is so desperate now that they can print stuff like this without censorship. Some people are outraged about news' nonsensical approach nowadays, as these comments to this article suggest.

I do have to say, though-- if I were in a plane crash and wanted to let the world know about it, I’d use my Twitterrific and I would probably #$%@ my pants too.

5 Tips For Standing Out Online If You Are John Smith

In followup to my last post about managing your online identity, I thought it would be helpful to give a few ideas on how to set yourself apart when others are already using your name. I have it easy with my name, so I have significantly less complicated of a task than if my name were John Smith. Both these men have the same name and both are on the first page of Google image results. It is possible to stand out even when you have a lot of competition.


Here are a few tips on how to stand out if your name is John Smith:

1.) Start early. The early bird gets the worm. Hopefully by getting a leg up on others, you will be able to purchase www.yourname.com or other important sign in names that will become more and more curcial in the future. Find the tools that could be important for your future career and secure a placeholder there under your name. If you've missed out on www.yourname.com already, consider an alternative. A few other valuable URLs include yourname.tv, yourname.name, yourname.info, or yourname.net.

2.) Create your individual brand. No matter if you share a name with someone else, there is only one you. You have to let people know who you are as an individual by showcasing your areas of expertise, interest, and specialty. There is already a famous John Smith, but he is known for being a soldier and sailor, not a marketer, veterinarian, weatherman, small business owner, or blog writer. Consider branding yourself with a logo or other visual element that would easily stick in people's minds.

3.) Tell, but also show. Your profile should give a good description of who you are, but you also need to show what you have done. When people search your name, will they find your blog comments in places that enhance your brand identity? Consider which blogs you would want to be associated with and make a conscience effort to connect yourself with the writers and conversation. Make sure all the conversations and projects you are involved in get linked back to you.

4.) Learn how to use SEO. There are many tricks and techniques for how to optimize SEO on your name (too many to cover here). One important factor to keep in mind is what words or phrases you want to be associated with your name. Are you a real estate agent? Every time you create a website, profile, or relevant post, make sure the phrase "real estate agent" and others are in the tags. One tool for improving the tags you are using is Quintura. By typing in a keyword that you might use as a tag, you will be able to find other keywords that are regularly used in conjunction with yours. By using tools like these to add more related tags to what you are already using, you can improve your chances of being found.

5.) Consistency. If you really want to create a solid picture of yourself, focus on consistency. Make your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc profile pics and descriptions all the same. As people search you out, the consistency will help them find you and create a complete picture. It can be very easy to confuse people with an disjointed picture. By connecting all the places you are active, you will create a bigger and more organized picture of yourself.

I need more suggestions from you. Ideas?

The Power of Suggestion: What’s Missing?

There are several components to a Facebook Fanpage; and like Facebook itself, the one most frequented is the wall. People talk here and the brand director reads it and hopefully listens. But when businesses try to integrate a lazy marketing tactic such as begging the question, “What do you think?” it comes off as desperate.

As a consumer, I feel too pressured to make a decision right then and there, and when the topic is too broad and there’s no incentive to respond, I don’t want to participate. I need a narrative that will strike an emotional chord, not bland marketing. I need to know your product has my best interests at hand, so if I’m green and I find out from a wall post you’re not recycling your plastic bottles, I won’t give you the time of day. Better yet—I’ll become an enemy.

If businesses really want to grab consumers— online or off – they should continually ask themselves: “What’s in it for my fans?” Crest Whitestrips got it right.

Speaking to the misdirected companies on Facebook, how about a contest for the consumer who gives the best suggestion on the seven varieties of a new product, or perhaps something a little more creative like what a sweet tea business can do with all its wasted plastic bottles. How about a stunt PR tactic—a sensationalistic “World’s Biggest Bottle Statue” brought you to by the brand that needs a better place for its bottles. I guess it all goes back to traditional PR on a 3.0 platform.

If you’re wondering why you’re not seeing threads on a discussion topic part of your Fan Page, then buy me a toaster. I really need one.

...But You Can't Hide

An Australian court ruled this week that if a defendant cannot be found, Facebook is now a viable medium for tracking them down and serving court papers.

As you put your digital fingerprints online, you are leaving a permanent bunny trail of data behind. Not only are online actions irreversible, but they are making staying hidden more and more impossible. Everyone can make one of two choices about their digital fingerprint:

Option 1: Your online actions are unguided, unplanned, and unorganized. You forget that people are watching you and are forming a picture of who you are based on your online activities.

Option 2: You make an effort to create a purposeful picture of yourself online. As Jeremiah Owyang points out, Google search results are the new business card. When people search you, they can often put together a pretty good picture of what you are about. Not only can you not stay hidden, but now you must carefully craft what you want a 6-second picture of yourself to look like, as well as a more thorough investigation.

A few ideas to consider:

• What does your MySpace/Facebook/[insert social media community] profile say about you to potential employers? Your blog readers? Your extended family?
• Do you own www.yourname.com?
• Do you make it easy for an employer or company to get a quick picture of what you are about? A more detailed picture?
• Are any of your non-actions (or poor choice of actions) making you hidden or unqualified from certain opportunities?
• What are you going to do in the New Year to position yourself for success?

You cannot hide. But you can chose how you want to be seen.

Top Albums of 2008 - One List To Rule Them All

I have seen at least 15 different "Top Albums/Songs of the Year" lists this past week. Rolling Stone has several, Spin has their version, and there are even all the charts for top sales (digital and physical). While these types of lists used to carry more weight for readers, I don't believe they matter as much anymore.

In an increasingly user-generated content world, we can all become writers or content producers. We all have opinions and we love to share them. Instead of relying on the old sources for what is "hip" or "best" in music, we make our own picks and then interact with others to further develop the lists. We will still read the old lists for ideas, but if our favorite album isn't on it, we'll either go looking for one that agrees with us or we'll just create our own. We no longer have time for set-in-stone top albums lists; we need something we can interact with, something that has life to it.

Imagine an interactive community based around the "Top Albums of the Year." The main function of this community would be for users to create a "Top Albums of The Year" that complied all into one place. Everyone's opinion would matter and be calculated into one single list. The living list could be viewed as a whole but also could be sorted based on country of user, sex of user, genre of music, etc. The community would work on a single-entry voting system that would help to avoid rabid fan-boys from sitting on their computer for hours just voting for Fall Out Boy or Miley Cyrus. An interactive community like this could easily be turned into a way to find new music, rally fans around a band that was deserving, or showcase your opinions (not to mention, make money for the music industry). Giving users an incentive to share their lists and interact would help to keep people coming back and checking how it had been developing. When the clocks flipped over to Jan 1 12:01AM the list would lock in and be announced within the next week.

What do you think? Good idea?

Leaner and Meaner in 2009

Over the past week, I didn't have the internet at my house. No Twitter, no RSS feeds, no Facebook, no email. And it wasn't the end of the world.

I realized that there were many things that I spent time on that were unnecessary. There are so many ways to get wrapped up and consumed in our social networks and internet habits that we ultimately waste a lot of time. Not having the internet for a week (in the evenings) reminded me that I don't need to refresh my Twitter page every minute to read what everyone is saying. I can improve the way I use my time.

Once better systems are in place to measure the impact of social media efforts and the mainstream more readily adopts them, will those social media efforts be lean and mean enough to be worth it? To improve the ROI of social media, it is going to become very important for us to get rid of the factors and habits that waste our time.

I want to hear your plans to "cut the fat" from your online activities in 2009. Suggestions?

How To Not Get Hit By A Shoe

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5 Tips For Brands On Twitter

Today we have a special guest post from Ben Nesvig:

Mashable brought up a great topic last week about brands and Twitter. It is my belief that brands do belong on Twitter, as long as they are using Twitter responsibly. If I have praise or beef with a brand, I want a representative from the company to hear me out. How can brands tweet responsibly?

A five step process for brands who want to engage on Twitter:

5. Show transparency. Put your first name in the bio section. Let Twitter know who is running the brands account. An ideal Twitter photo for a brand would include the Twitterer and the brand logo.

4. Do not rush out to follow 1,000 people right away. Utilize Twitter Search and start off by following people who praise your brand and give a personal response to those who have complaints or comments. Twitter isn't an ad campaign with a deadline. It is a marathon. Learn to walk before you run.

3. Do not turn your Twitter account into an RSS feed for corporate news. Consumers don't care about everything that happens at your company. Give corporate news only when it is relevant or asked for.

2. Show personality. Each tweet shouldn't look like it was approved by a committee. Twitter gives you an opportunity to show the human side of your company. If you represent a large brand, this is especially important.

1. Make your Twitter account about the consumer, not your brand. Respond to their criticisms and comments. Care about their feedback, which means responding to complaints and suggestions personally. Also, give them coupons or discounts on your products. Gary Vaynerchuk often gives out free shipping to Twitter users. Think about what your brand could offer.

Twitter can be a great place for companies, but it can also be a medium for them to abuse. Twitter is an incredible tool to show that your company cares about its customers. Comcast got it right, why can't your company?

LinkedIn on Group Conversations

Professionals arrive in droves on LinkedIn, a popular social network made for the professional— so why is their an outpouring of drab conversation in group settings? Usual group participation goes as follows: read a comment in a group, respond to the comment with a link, or completely go off topic and talk about how much you need a job.

This is a conversation format we see too often part of social networks, and we just ignore it. In a not so long ago Minnesota PRSA conference, Peter Shankman informed this entire crowd of professionals that he didn’t like LinkedIn, and now I understand why. LinkedIn is becoming a spam-lover’s domain, one who acts in the guise of a professional.

There is absolutely nothing worse than seeing a comment that does not add value to the topic of conversation. It makes me want to leave a group that has worked so hard to establish its 300-member base.

When jumping on LinkedIn and joining groups, please avoid the following:

• Arriving in a forum or discussion and trying to answer a question to a topic you clearly don’t know anything about. Ask yourself: Can I REALLY answer this?

• Starting your comment with “Great post” and then moving on to tout your business and provide links that force the person out of the topic of conversation

• LinkedIn "easy-handing", meaning don't ask people to link in with you via leveraging a comment thread... yuck.
  

• Not being transparent about your reason for being in the group and saying something like “Here’s some videos that I just found…” when you’re trying to pitch the person you work for, and again—it’s not helpful.

I won’t mention names but here’s a video a person recommended to a women who was looking to develop a social media 2.0 discussion forum on her Web site.

Automotive Commercials

Every year, we all see thousands of auto ads while watching television. The auto makers spend millions and millions of dollars (perhaps billions) on TV commercials that are made to show off their latest models and features of the new cars. Only about 10 million new cars are sold every year in the US, and while the auto makers know this, they are hoping that when the time comes for us to buy a new vehicle we would remember their ads and decide on their vehicles.

I do not believe TV ads work for the auto companies for a few reasons:

1.) Not everyone is looking for a new car. These ads become untargeted, uninteresting, and once again, ignored by the large portion of the TV viewers. I don't believe that TV commercials are the way people gather info on new vehicles.

2.) They all blur together. Auto makers are stuck in a cycle of releasing new commercials because that is "what you do." The more that they try to make them new, the more they all blend into one giant blur or leather interiors, financing offers, and great gas mileage (at least they tell us it is). The blur then becomes spam and ignored.

3.) There have been so many TV ads over the past 20 years, that we ignore them now (or rage about how much we hate them). We already know that Ford is tough (once again, this what they tell us) and that Caravans have a lot of storage for soccer gear. If auto makers only spent money on an ad when they had something truly exciting to tell us about their product, we would probably listen. Unless a car commercial presents something significantly different (and I'm not talking new graphics, I'm talking alternate fuels, etc), they will be ignored.

Think of the last car ad you saw. I can picture maybe 3 car ads in the past 10 years that I actually remember or liked. If I was to look at getting a new car, I would search places like Consumer Reports and talk to friends and family about their recommendations. Of all the conversations I have had with others about buying a vehicle, not once has a car commercial entered into the discussion.

I just can't see how all the money spent on TV ads can be worth it for auto makers. What do you think? Are automotive ads worth it for the car companies?

Are Facebook Connect Brands Worth a Mini-Feed?

Petitions to take down Facebook’s mini-feed were substantial. Demands for the old Facebook to come back were actually fairly minimal. Now, Facebook has another thing Facebook fans can either love or hate.

It’s not an aggregator tool; it’s better. Facebook users can now broadcast via mini-feed what they do on other Web sites with Facebook Connect (it’s not limited to social networks/aggregators only, like FriendFeed). Of course Facebook was able to partner with Web sites (it’s crack next to Google), but the brands are far from what most PR-speak claims is “leading.”

I suppose San Francisco Chronicle’s Web site SFGate.com is now going to get a boost of ad revenue, but who really follows the pub’s news outside of Silicon Valley residents and those looking for the latest reporter geek’s blog post? Then again, this may spark someone’s fancy: the JC Penney DogHouse. I’ll admit it’s funny, but what Facebook user is going to want an update of his friend succumbing to buying a diamond ring instead of being subject to doing laundry much like military men peeled potatoes? You don’t believe me? Check out what could potentially be on your feed.

What do you think of the brands Facebook is touting via Facebook Connect? Is Facebook getting too big for its britches?

Axiom Marketing Featured on yourBusinessChannel

We were recently featured on yourBusinessChannel's new series on how to use Twitter in business. It is an ongoing series covering lots of great Twitter topics, and we were fortunate enough to contribute. Check out the latest episode below about how to gain more followers (the right way) on Twitter:



For more in the series go to yourBusinessChannel.com.

A Small Twitter World Indeed

After Tweeting and finding followers within other social networks like Ning.com, I have come to the conclusion that Twitter has yet to really tap into additional audiences besides tech geeks, moms, PR pros and… stalkers.

I realized this when a handle that I followed on a different Twitter account (my small business) played catch-up with me @timotis. Sure, I had a Ning.com site for my small business which is how this individual found me initially, but how did they know to follow @timotis? That sort of thing is disconcerting, and it tells me Twitter could be a place for up-to-no-good types. Has anybody received requests to follow you, then you choose not to follow, and later find a suspended account due to “suspicious activity”?

Right now, Twitter seems like a safe-haven but what’s going to stop hackers from “Twitterbomb” (people tweet about this but apparently it doesn't exist anymore) viruses? Or perhaps a fail whale could drain this microblogging site that receives tweets from only 7% of the United States still. A small, concise world indeed.

Chinese Democracy Failed

Chinese Democracy was one of the most anticipated albums ever and was poised to set sales records. The numbers are now in, and they are disappointing. What went wrong? Many are blaming Axl Rose for the poor sales numbers for Chinese Democracy, claiming that he did not do enough promotion for the album. But, here are a few interesting facts:

1.) "Chinese Democracy," "Guns N' Roses," and related terms were all in the most-searched terms on places like Twitter, Google, etc around the week of release. People were talking about it.

2.) The album was streamed millions of times on MySpace in a few days. People were listening to it.

3.) Axl has been talking about new songs for Chinese Democracy for over 15 years and promising an imminent release more than once. People did know about the album.

I have more than one guess as to why the new Guns N' Roses did not blow the world out of the water with sales numbers. I do not believe this was an issue of poor promoting. My best guess is that the content was not there. The songs were outdated and simply could not live up to the hype created. After millions listened to the album on MySpace, they realized that it wasn't that special, and therefore did not rush out to purchase it. Sure it has its moments, but the album simply became a victim of too much promotion spread over 15 years. Agree or disagree?

Go Avatar: How To Avoid the Recession

The age of avatars has never been so prominent than now, so if you’re feeling the effects of the recession, leave yourself behind and become “virtual” in a 3D World.

It’s really easy to do this. Just go to Whirled or perhaps “simpsonize” yourself, but remember to never leave your computer so you never encounter "in the red" surroundings, such as unpaid bills, unemployment, or every single sullen news segment broadcast from the Capitol. Being an avatar only adds to the escape because even though it’s you, it’s not really you and you feel good about that.

Avatars are also good for adding personality to your many social network profiles. Rather than upload a very genuine mug, you can make your nose bigger, color yourself, and own some really nice pearly whites complete with a devil grin. Ugly? Now you can be handsome.

Americans aren’t just home for the holidays; they are at home online, shopping, Tweeting, building a better domain for themselves. But if you really want a cure for your bleak situation, you should “friend” only the people who smile, a recent CNN article suggests. It may not be an avatar, but every little bit helps.

TMI: The Downside of Social Media

Blogs are bubbling with news about Barack Obama. His new cabinet picks, his plans for the crucial first one hundred days, and...his workout routine?

Obama's been known to work out in regular gyms, which has anyone who has been beside him rushing online to dish the juicy details. A google search on "Obama Workout" turns up over 4 million results(!), the first page containing results from noted blogs such as Politico, the LA Times, and Buzzfeed. To which we respond: Seriously? The highlights of descriptions include details of humming while he bikes, not breaking a sweat while he works out, and having hands that are as "soft as butter".

Social media is a great tool, but some of this "news" is pretty unnecessary. In the olden days of newspapers, this wouldn't be such a phenomenon. But then again, if the public wants it, who's to say they're wrong? We'll stick to real news here at Axiom, though.

Luke Wilson and Me are BFF

Hey guys! Try not to get too jealous, but guess who I'm following on Twitter? Yeah, that's right, Luke Wilson and I are Twitter friends (kind of, he isn't following me back...yet.) Luke is the other Wilson brother, less famous than Owen but more famous than Charlie. And he's the cuter one, too.

What does this mean for the rest of the world? The autobiographical details are accurate, and it looks like it's really Luke Wilson. A "fake" account is usually filled with exciting information and is regularly updated, but this one looks like the real thing. It's updates are sporadic, and the tweets are a little less than glamorous.

Usually anyone who wants to get in contact with a celebrity has to find their address, send fanmail through the office of the publicist, and consign themself to the fact that their letter will most likely be read by a bored intern. If more celebrities get on twitter, this means direct contact with the stars. Great idea for a movie? Tweet it! Or maybe Luke Wilson will come and meet you for drinks at your place (lol).

Happy Birthdays are worth a lot on Facebook

You wouldn’t think it, but sending your friend a happy birthday message on Facebook foreshadows what is to come to really call social media social media. As social network developers become more attune to what is valuable or who is valuable in your circle of influence, you’re going to see less and less updates from your 500+ friends on Facebook. Chances are you have around 10 friends you actually want to hear from on a regular basis.

Peter Shankman, in an address to the Minnesota Public Relations Society of America, said “you only send a happy birthday message to the people you’d like to stay in contact with, or you care about.” The ability to say happy birthday—it’s on the your Facebook’s home page and it only takes 5 seconds.” Enter the new world of social media.

If you’re not saying happy birthday to the people you care about, do it and see if they get a warm fuzzy and have more likelihood to like you. The same goes for those brands you represent that people want to hear from. Go ahead, tell consumers you hear them and know what they need, so they can have a truly special day that goes beyond their birth.

What do you think? Are social networks going to become more focused like the "5" you see on T-Mobile?

No Comments? You’re Such a Journalist!

Are you in bitter angst over never receiving a single comment on your latest blog post, good or bad? Thinking like a journalist might have something to do with it.

Observe the blogs that generate 210 comments on a post. TechCrunch comes to mind in one of its recent posts about Twitter being a news source. I was riveted by Arrington’s comments within the post and I resonated with it. But rather than bury myself among those 210 commenters, I’ll revel in the glory of it here by offering some valuable information.

Blog content should be original, not regurgitated unless it’s a HUGE topic. The best kinds of bloggers are ones who think like “publishers” not journalists—something I learned from social media guru David Meerman Scott. Journalists are entirely known to regurgitate. All we ever read in newspapers anymore is the same mumbo jumbo that Joe Schmo covered the night before--- or even weeks earlier!

To better say it, think like a salesperson and how you can offer the highest quality product. In this case, and in every social media case, it’s content. Comments are the sales and indicate whether or not people buy what you are saying.

Traditional Media ROI - Just As Hard To Quantify?

We put a lot of value on landing a mention or story in a big newspaper like USA Today. Once we make it into a big newspaper, we have hit the jackpot. Everyone will hear about us. Millions read that paper everyday, which translates to lots of exposure for our brand or product. There has been a lot of talk about the ROI of social media lately and yes, it is hard to measure, but is it harder to measure than that of traditional media?

Consider the following funnel: I subscribe to the newspaper > I actually read the article with your brand name > I actually remember the brand name > I use the info in the article to make a purchasing decision.

My argument is this: it is just as hard to measure true ROI in traditional media as it is with online or social media. Sure, lots of people subscribe to USA Today, but everyone does not read and soak in every single article or advertisement. They skim. They pick and chose. They filter. A newspaper readership with 100,000 subscribers does not mean that 100,000 people saw your brand name, let alone used the info to make a decision that effects your profit.

Are we too comfortable accepting the ROI measurements for traditional media?

Stay in Character for Blogging's Sake

No one knows yourself better than you, so why second hand your content, or “ghost write” it? Companies and icons attempt to cut corners when it comes to building community online—simply by using another’s voice.

Kanye West blogged… somehow behind bars. (Funny - I didn’t know guardsmen allowed laptops). Is Britney Spears really on the microblog Twitter? You be the judge based on the content.

Brand deficit may be a realization for Mr. West, but Britney will be just fine. A poster child for ChumbaWumba’s “TubThumpin,” Ms. Spears is a perfect example of brands never being kept down, those only leading to more fame and fortune.

I’ve come across a lot of social platforms with great attempts at brand tenacity, though I have to say _S_A_R_A_H_ on Twitter stays in character, thanks to some great PR brains. Part of the hit Sci-Fi series “Eureka,” _S_A_R_A_H_ can hold a brand identity all her own and needn’t apologize for her @ replies to marriage proposals. We can all learn a valuable lesson from _S_A_R_A_H_. Stay in voice whether you’re a celebrity, avatar, or a Self Actuated Residential Automated Habitat.

Take The Next Step

While this post may not be entirely about social media, it may be just the thing you need after returning from a holiday break. Seth Godin is offering a unique opportunity for a 6-month unpaid internship in New York. The idea is to give a valuable experience and education for people who want to push themselves forward. Please go to Seth's blog and Squidoo page for more details.


These days, I'm agreeing more and more with Gary Vaynerchuk's musings on pursuing your passions ("You are a loser if you don't like your job").

Maybe this internship is just what you need to take that next step.

Tweets… For a limited time

Brand cereal special shapes...items on the fast food menu...and then there's Twitter accounts.

As microblogging platforms continue to explode, so do internal marketing/PR tactics on how to get the most bang (or should I say no bang) for your buck on Twitter. The most popular strategy: supplying lots of tweets, but providing the means to an end in building a brand.

Observe the constant Twitter banter between @GOPmccainwin and @BarackObama. Both candidates were in high stakes competition over maximizing one another’s political influence through quality tweets. After November 5, it all came to an end. The question is: should it have stopped? For McCain – perhaps… President-elect Barack Obama – a big hearty “no.” Since the tweeting did cease and myself and many others continue to get Mr. Plouffe’s e-mails, what are followers thinking of Mr. Obama now? Too busy? He's not Tweeting!

Then there’s another side to this: seasonal tweets. How many companies have asked you to jump on their bandwagon – to buy this laptop for this great value, or in general, just providing you tweets on what they are doing for the holidays? So far I’ve met up with @HPHolidayCheer. What are they going to do post-holiday? I’m dying to find out.

What do you think? Will brands receive backlash for limited time tweets if Twitter is at the bare essence a way to reach your consumers direct and with haste?

One last thing- Happy Thanksgiving!

Twitter is a High Trust Society

You just took a leap of faith. That link you just clicked from Twitter could have been a virus, spam, or led you to some porn site. How would you have known? The origin of the site was disguised in a URL shortener.

Twitter has a very high trust rate at the moment. Why is this? Probably because you feel as though you know the person who sent the tweet. But how well do you really know most of your followers, especially those of you following 2,000 people?

Another reason is that no one has broken the trust established on Twitter. No one has yet to post a virus to Twitter that has spread (that I know of).

Do you only click on links from people you know? Or have you been just clicking on whatever looks interesting?


Experiment:
If you found this via Twitter, tweet the twurl link below to your profile and we'll track how many people on Twitter click a blind link. Lets get a discussion going:

http://twurl.nl/7c6x37

Exclusive Content

The team over at (Red)Wire has the right idea. Under the guidance of Bono, (Red)Wire have created a digital music magazine that helps to fund the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. For $5 a month, people will receive the digital magazine, exclusive music from big name musicians, video updates the workers in Africa, and the satisfaction that they are doing their part in a global problem. (Red)Wire will kick off December 1 (World AIDS Day) with an exclusive holiday track from The Killers and Elton John called "Joesph, Better You Than Me."

One thing that (Red)Wire really understands is the exclusive content. Each week a major artist like R.E.M., Bob Dylan, U2, or Death Cab For Cutie will offer up an exclusive, DRM-free song for the members. Music fans pay for exclusive content and get excited for exclusive content. Exclusive content is a hugely important part of what separates (Red)Wire from everyone else trying to do the same thing for their cause - not only are they giving people what they want, but they are giving people what they don't already have.

What exclusive content are you providing? Is your blog or marketing campaign just a rehash of what is already out there or are you providing something fresh, new, and exciting? Do you stand out in the crowd or do you blend in with the noise?

You're Not an Expert (if you call yourself one)

While looking at bios on Twitter and on several blogs, I've noticed one common theme: everyone is an expert.

If you label yourself as an expert, you probably aren't. Any restaurant that claims "the best [insert food] in the world" does not have it. Self labeling is pointless and should be avoided. Your customers and consumers will do the labeling for you. They probably already are.




Do you or your company want to be industry leaders in social media? Then get involved. Interact. Put out quality content. Don't just simply join a few networks and then claim you are experts. You will be labeled an expert, when you show that you are an expert.

Two examples: Take a look at the bios of Chris Brogan and B.L. Ochman. Notice that you will not see the word 'expert' on their bio pages. Instead they give their credentials and site case studies that they have worked on.

The title of 'expert' is something that you earn, not something that you can self assign. If you are truly an expert, show it don't say it.

Social Media Is Not A Short-Term Project

Jacob Morgan's most recent blog post inspired me to write this post. Check out Jacob's blog on social media strategy - its good stuff.

Sandwich Fever is the biggest sandwich blog out there (and is fictional). Thousands of avid readers visit the site every week to learn about the newest and best sandwiches out there. My restaurant would really like to be on Sandwich Fever because that would mean more customers would come to eat our great food.

Short-term mentality - I'll send Sandwich Fever an email about my great sandwich and because it is so great they will have to put it on their front page. The most likely result is that the email will get ignored or quickly deleted.

The correct mentality - I will begin to read Sandwich Fever regularly. When I get a chance to contribute something meaningful in the comments, I will post my response in hopes of beginning a conversation with the writer and other readers. If possible, I could connect to the writer (and readers) on other platforms like Twitter and Facebook in order to have more conversations with them. As I build my personal brand, I will have more credibility to get people to find out about my great sandwich. Eventually, I may have an opportunity for my sandwich to be on Sandwich Fever - The writer may even be the one to ask me!

To try to pitch to a blogger in a 'cold-call' style more than likely will produce little result. The best option for getting attention online is to build relationships. Just as you would not ask someone you barely knew for a favor, so it is with online relationships. We need to be realistic with our expectations with time lines; if we truly wish to make a lasting impact online it will take time to build a proper foundation on meaningful conversations, genuine interactions, and beneficial information shared between people.

Social media is not about a 2-week marketing plan. Social media is not about throwing an idea out there to see what works. Social media is not about quick, easy results.

Social media is about careful planning and intentional actions. Social media is about relationships that are two-way. Social media is about long-term plans and hard work.

Viral Video of the Week

The Viral Video of the Week deals with working a crowd. This young man has some skills that most professional speakers could only hope to attain.

fbooklookin at Facebook Spam

It seems that more and more spam is streaming through Facebook these days. The latest spam appearing on Facebook is a post saying that your profile picture is featured on fbooklookin. Tempting to check out the site? Yes. A pretty obvious spam site? Definitely.

I'm constantly getting nervous that Facebook might one day up like MySpace, a site littered with spam. Here is to hoping that Facebook will step up its game with regard to spammers and viruses.

This Tweet is Personal

Large businesses are not personal by nature. The larger the corporation, the harder it is to be personal. On the other hand, Mom & Pop shops are highly personal. You know the owners, who are often very kind and friendly people.

The average customer desires a personal connection with companies they shop at. This largely explains the revolt against WalMart. They are seen as a massive corporation that is only in the business of making a profit. If customers didn't care about the personal shopping experience, small towns would welcome stores like WalMart who sell products at much cheaper prices than smaller Mom & Pop stores.

Twitter is the personal connection tool that large corporations have been waiting for. They can show that they actually care. They can reach out directly to the customer. Comcast is a great example of putting personality behind a corporation.



What is stopping most companies from embracing customers and starting up a dialogue with them?

Fear.

Companies fear a backlash. They fear one poorly worded tweet being retweeted and causing an uproar. The latest example with Motrin is not reason to avoid social media, but more so a reason why you need to know your audience. Just because one company in your industry fails, doesn't mean your company will. The same applies to social media. Just because one company screws up, doesn't mean yours will.

The day that a company loses control of its brand online, is the day the company will begin to build value in the eye of the consumer.

I welcome any company that joins Twitter, as long as they use it to start conversations and not shout advertisements.

Ambiguity Answered: Top 5 Social Media Measurement Tools

Percolating oneself on every social network seems to be the common strategy for practitioners wanting to stay ahead of new media competitors. Though, if you spend your time fragmenting, you’re going to miss out on the thing that matters most to landing online business: social media measurement tools.

An ambiguous area to say the least, social media measurement is something not even the experts have been able to completely understand, but companies are trying. Here are the top 5 social media measurement tools to add to your proposal:

• Trackur Similar to Google Alerts in terms of pop-up value, the site also allows you the ability to filter out keywords that don’t belong in your search. You can add as many filters as you like. Comparable to Google Reader with its results userface, Trackur features share and RSS feed subscription. Trackur’s biggest advantage: highly specific, though search results can take 2-3 minutes.
  

• Compete.com A must-have for monitoring the popularity of one Web site over another, Compete generates web traffic and indicates visitor frequency daily and annually. For example, searching perezhilton vs. techcrunch reveals, while Websites are entirely dissimilar, they maintain similar web traffic.
  

• Vitrue SMI Vitrue asks the question, “How social is your advertising?” A quick comparison search will reveal not only the popularity of the subject or phrase, but where it’s most likely discussed, such as forums, microblogs, blogs, and video-sharing. This tool was highly impressive when it came to projection monitoring of the 2008 Presidential Election.

• Forrester Research- Social Technographics Tool This free and fast tool will provide you insight into where your client should focus their audience. After filtering gender, age, and country—the result is an analysis on whether or not you should advise set up on blogs, discussion boards, or microsites.
  

• Search.twitter.com Don’t underestimate the power of search on a microblog. Extremely fast turnaround, search.twitter.com allows you to directly reach out to your consumers after they tweet about bad or exemplary services and products.
  

FOR-EV-ER

We've been talking a lot lately about your online fingerprints. The things you do, say, participate in, post, and bookmark will all go on your permanent record and cannot be undone. There is little opportunity to take back what you have done or say you were "just kidding."

Case in point - NME posted some interesting news this morning about Coldplay, quoting a Chris Martin discussion in which he mentioned a possible band breakup in the next couple of years. Although they have already taken the news down (and replaced with a blank page), the information is already all over the internet.

Even if you try very hard to reverse an online action, it can be hard to undo. Before you push "send, "publish," "post," or "save," make sure that you would want your grandkids (or future employers) to see it.

Social Media Is Useless (Without Perspective)

"Twitter doesn't make sense. What is the point? It seems like a big waste of time and energy."

We spend so much time trying to explain the importance of social media to our friends. We highlight how things are changing in the world, give some examples of people we have met through Twitter, and try to get them excited, like we are, for the possibilities that are out there. But they still just don't get it.

Perspective is everything. Without looking at social media from the right point of view, it is nonsense. Sometimes for people to understand and gain the right point of view, they don't need more examples or facts, they just need more time to walk further down the road.

5 Reasons Why I'm Not Following you on Twitter

5. You are following 2,000 people and have about 75 followers.
It is an easy mistake to make, but that doesn't make it excusable. I know you want more followers, but spamming 2,000 people is no way to build up your Twitter brand. For 5 tips on gaining more followers, see our post here.

4. You don't have a profile picture.
Put up something. I don't care if it is a picture of your dog. Just do it.

3. You don't have a bio.
Why would I follow you if I have no idea who you are? It doesn't have to be a serious bio, but you should fill it out.

2. You have less than 5 tweets and no @ replys.
Before you start following anyone, you should put out at least five tweets (4 of those 5 shouldn't be about setting up Twitter either). If you do that, odds are people will start following you before you follow them. Your homepage should also have at least a few @ replies on it. Twitter is a conversational tool. Use it as so.

1. 90% of your links are to your blog or selling a service.
As I have said many times, content is king. I have no problem when people link to their blog or their website. It is when it consumes the majority of your tweets that it goes overboard. As Drew quoted the Beatles a few posts below "In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make." Live by this on Twitter.


What do YOU think?

Facebook: Home of the Hypertargeted Ad

While casually browsing Facebook the last few weeks I have been constantly paying more attention to the advertisements on the right side of the screen. I've noticed that about 75% of the time, the advertisement features information that is directly from my profile.


I have seen at least three other advertisements similar to the one on the right, all featuring artists that are mentioned in my Facebook profile. The two artists on the right are the first two listed in my 'favorite music' section of my profile. Obviously, this ad caught my eye. Other ads that are even more targeted have featured one of my Facebook friends, mentioning a recent trip that they went on. Below their picture is a link to a travel company.

Targeted or Intrusive?

Do I enjoy banner ads? No. But would I rather see banner ads featuring my favorite musicians than Viagra ads? Of course. I realize that Facebook needs to monetize some how and banner ads are one aspect of that. I'm sure that a lot of people find this form of targeted advertising intrusive and annoying, but considering all alternatives I don't mind it.

What do you think: Targeted, Intrusive, or Both?

The Beatles Don't Need Marketing (Anymore)

The Beatles have made several exciting announcements this past week. First, copy #0000005 of the Beatles White Album will go up for sale on eBay. The first four copies of the album were given to the members of the Beatles and copy #5 is now poised to become the rarest and most sought after copy of an album ever. Secondly, Paul McCartney told BBC radio that he is trying to release a "lost" Beatles song that has only existed as a rumor for years. The 14-minute song titled "Carnival of Light" is an improvised jam session that never made it onto a Beatles album when recorded in 1967.

The Beatles is the ultimate brand. They captured the attention of millions and built a career on continually pushing themselves forward with the music they released. While there are many reasons for their success, I believe it can be traced back to a central idea: content quality. People who love music know that The White Album is one of the most important albums of all time, so when an announcement that copy #5 going up for sale on eBay is made, no hype is required. People are automatically hooked by the pure facts. No elaborate marketing campaign is needed to build awareness of the news.

While most companies will never reach the heights the Beatles have attained, there are several lessons to learn from their success:

1.) Genuine word of mouth has staying power. The Beatles are cemented in history and still get attention today because of the power is genuine word of mouth. They gave people something real and true to talk about, not just a fad that wears out quickly. Word of mouth has been and will always be the best way to gain attention. An important goal of every brand should be to reach a point at which they can consistently rely on word of mouth to get their messages spread.

2.) Consistency is the difference. Vanilla Ice does not have a huge loyal fan following. To succeed, you must constantly and consistently create content that is worth being talked about. To reach maximum word of mouth potential, there must be proof that you want to do more than make a quick buck or have your 15-minutes of fame. Hard work must still happen, but being patient for the results can be the difference. The Beatles may have put it best themselves: "In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make."

3.) Quality content does not need spin. If something genuinely touches a person, they will share it with others regardless of what is popular at the time. The Beatles music is timeless and true. Which brands can say that they are creating lasting content? Instead of spending tons of time and energy trying to make the ordinary exciting, spend time creating great content that will naturally be exciting to those who want to hear about it.

Updated: Motrin Moms and Why Listening is Important

If you haven't heard about the Motrin Moms commercial that sparked a wave of backlash against Motrin, you can watch the ad below:



This has led Twitter Moms and Dads to turn their commentary into the top trending topic on Twitter. Obviously, this is not something that Motrin wished for. Mothers were offended by the condescending tone that the ad takes towards Mothers who carry their babies, calling them 'fashionable' and an 'official Mom.' You can read more about this from the New York Times Parenting Blog.

How this could have been avoided:

Listening. It's as simple as that. If the people who created the ad had asked Twitter Moms what they thought about carrying their baby on their back, they probably would have created a commercial with a different tone. All of this could have been avoided with a simple sincere question to a group that is probably more than willing to give their opinion.

How Motrin has responded:
Motrins website is currently down and they have issued an apology.

This is what every large company fears about social media. You put your message out there and people rip it apart. This should not discourage companies from engaging in social media, but it likely will. When an agency presents a social media campaign to an executive, they will likely say "well we don't want our company to be the next Motrin, lets just play it safe."

This is not a reason to stay away from social media. It is more so a reminder that you really need to be connected with your audience and know what they are thinking. Social media allows you to directly connect with customers on a personal level. If Motrin was involved in an online community when the ad was released, they could have responded in a much quicker and sincere way. Instead they are left with an email apology. Effective social media is all about listening and caring about what your audience is saying. Motrin has an opportunity to come back with a sincere message to Twitter moms. Will they capitalize on that opportunity?



What are your thoughts?


UPDATE: Motrin.com is back up and they have posted an apology.



Am I the only person who thinks this might actually be good for Motrin? After all, they are criticizing the advertising not the product itself. To some degree this reminds me of when the new Microsoft ads with Jerry Seinfeld came out. People railed against the ads saying how they were pointless and a waste of money. In this case people are finding the advertisement offensive. In both cases they were called bad advertisements. Both advertisements have generated a lot of word of mouth.

Motrin has given a sincere apology. People will eventually forgive them and realize that it was just a poorly worded advertisement. For all the negative feedback this ad has received, it has generated a massive amount of word of mouth (at least on Twitter) which I believe will cancel out any negative feelings against Motrin.

Do you agree or disagree?

Another thought: You know how Motrin could have given the most sincere apology? A YouTube video. Just a short video apology from one of the creators of the video would have been a thousand times more effective than the statement on their website. The statement has no personality to it.

Another Reason Why Your Company Should be on Twitter

A few weeks ago I noticed a tweet from @VPG_Printing stating that they were giving out 1,000 free business cards to the 1,000th follower. I happened to see it at the right time and ended up being the 1,000th follower.

Putting things in perspective:

If @VPG_Printing wasn't on Twitter, would I have ever heard of them? No. There are thousands of printing companies on the internet. It would take an incredible marketing campaign for me to know a printing company name. In my search for business cards I probably would have ended up going with the first link that came up on Google.

Twitter gives businesses the opportunity to do three very important things:

1. Reach out to current customers and be a direct customer service agent to them. See @ComcastCares for a great example.

2. Word of mouth. As most Twitter users know, information can spread rapidly online. Take a look at the latest example from Twitterrank. Now obviously, your brand isn't going to spread rapidly like a breaking news story, but that doesn't mean it won't be talked about. Word of mouth is how I found out about @VPG_Printing. It is how I find out about every new blog I read. It is how I decide if a movie is worth paying $10 to see in the theaters. It is important.

3. Show personality. People love companies that have a real personality. Personality is the difference between talking on the phone with a human customer service representative and talking to a computer that can't understand you. Showing that your company is full of real people who really care is incredibly important.



There are many more reasons to be on Twitter, but those are three of the most important reasons for a company to have a Twitter presence. Laura from @VPG_Printing utilizes Twitter in a very effective way. She shows personality, is an excellent customer service rep, and offers up frequent discounts on products. Some companies get it. Some don't. Not every company should be on Twitter, but for the vast majority that should, an opportunity is waiting for you.

3 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Joining a Social Network

Social media can be overwhelming. If you read Mashable or TechCrunch you could go insane trying to keep up with all of the different social networks and start-ups. It is tempting to join every new network, but unrealistic and definitely not effective.

When joining a new social network ask yourself three things:

1. How much time can I commit to this site?
Don't join a new site unless you can invest time into it. And not just time in creating a profile, I'm referring to active time on the site. It is never useful to join a site just for the sake of joining. It is kind of like having a gym membership, but never actually going. You feel good, but you haven't accomplished anything.

2. Why am I joining this site?
You should have a set objective. Every new network you join should provide some benefit for you. Know what your objective is before you join. I use Facebook for fun, Twitter for learning, and Linkedin for networking. You can have totally different objectives, but it is important to know why you are joining a site.

3. What can I offer?
Do you have ideas or information worth sharing? Or are you joining to just push your website or blog? Self promotion is fine in small doses, but you should be able to offer up something to the community you are joining. Social networks are not about you, they are about the community.

Social Media's Impact on Brand Image

Neal had a bad experience with returning a pair of defective running shoes to Nike. He decided to write about it and tell others about his disappointing experience. Just happens that Neal writes for The Wall Street Journal and millions of people can read his article in print and online.

Today, we are all broadcasters. Sure, we've always had our circle of friends to share experiences with about a product, service, or company, but with the internet, our circle has significantly grown. Whether it takes the form of a simple status update on Facebook ("I am waiting in line at ___ and they are so slow!"), a product review on Amazon ("I had trouble with ___ and it was actually hard to use"), or a long, detailed blog post, all of our experiences with brands now reach a much wider audience than even 10 years ago.

Nike may have gotten unlucky with Neal, but had they known he'd write about his poor experience for everyone to read, they would have treated the situation differently. Since we all have the potential to talk about our brand experiences to an audience, everyone becomes a potential misstep or opportunity for a company. Keeping in mind Long Tail principles, even though you may only have 50 friends to broadcast to (what damage can that really do?), when you add up all the small circles of influence, it can really become a powerful force. So, if you are a person with a large sphere of influence like Neal or you are an average social media user, every time a company interacts with a customer, there is very real potential for it to be discussed in the social media realm (and become a permanent mark on your brand) . How should social media effect the way companies now look at customer service, return policies and maintaining brand image?

Be Thinking Like Arby's, but Don't Be Arby's

In this tough economy, being on top doesn't matter, as companies like Best Buy received a lot of mouth-drops by analysts who projected good things to come. Instead, the company was prognosticating cutbacks. It's a given that Best Buy won't buckle, but the franchise restaurants miffed by their own brand advertisement might want to reach out direct to their consumers-- to see what it is they really want. Arby's isn't on the forefront of every consumers' mind (of course not!) but its slogan suggests how customers should be thinking about brands: constantly.

One franchise restaurant I'm predicting is going to file for Chapter 11... Chili's. Over the years, they have tried to reinvent food offerings and the customer experience, but had not the legs to stand on. Reacting way too quickly to the competitive franchisee climate, Chili's went from "Spicilicious" to "Pepper in Some Fun" over the course of one year. That's a short window to inform the consumer of a new demographic and a new experience. Confusion then ensued and led to less and less door traffic.

Applebee's did it right... waiting quite some time before introducing its new logo design and spruce-up of "Welcome to the Neighborhood." Nights are packed with college students scarfing down half-price appetizers. The big difference between Chili's and Applebee's: I don't see myself at Chili's. Who are they anyway?

The one chain restaurant that I will promote until I experience my own drop of the mouth is T.G.I. Friday's. "In here, it's always Friday." Ahhh... just rolls right off your tongue, and you know it's going to be a party. It's loud, the food is great, and the atmosphere makes you want to embrace everyone around you. It probably didn't hurt to also receive reigning endorsement from Guy Fieri, host of "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives," touting his own menu of succulent entrees. Tomorrow I'm going there. Can't wait.

While you don't have to offer horsey sauce and $5 dinner combos to be successful, you certainly need to have brand consistency through and through. Best of luck, Chili's.

The Balance Between Transparency and Privacy

We have constantly been told by experts (and our parents) to not give away personal information online. Addresses, phone numbers, where we will be at certain times, and personal ID numbers are all off limits because they could be used against us to harm us financially or physically.

Being transparent and "real" with online activity and identity are very important these days. Instead of hiding behind "coolguy14" on blogs, online accounts, and screen names, many people are opting to use their real names and become more transparent with their actions. But have we become too comfortable with transparency? Are we ringing the dinner bell, ready to serve up our personal info?

I regularly read/watch a lot of different bloggers and social media people out on the internet. I know what these people look like, what some of their interests are, their ages, and where many of them live. Does Gary Vaynerchuk ever worry that someone will track him down and kill him? Okay, so that's a little extreme, but what could a malicious person do with all of this easily accessible information?

Now more than ever it is extremely important to be mindful of what kind of information we provide, and how we provide it. If we tweet our home address, that information will always be out there for people to find for years. Mistakes and slip-ups are very possible with the level of comfort many now feel online. I believe it is important that you are truthful and real with people you interact with online, but building online brand identity and equity doesn't mean you have to risk your safety or future.