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?
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:
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
Twitteris 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.
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.comA 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.
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.
"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. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
Convince&Convert have a great blog post about companies assuming the worst from social media.
Why do companies assume the worst from social media?
Because they have no control. They worry that when they open themselves up to criticism that consumers will do their worst and unload on them. Companies and people fear things that they cannot control.
Three things companies need to realize:
1. Your customers are already talking about you. This is obvious to 99.9% of you reading this blog post, but some people still don't get it. Do a simple blog or twitter search and see what comes up. 2. Social media is an opportunity, not a threat. Social media gives you the opportunity to connect with customers in a personal way. Creating 100 brand ambassadors through social media will do more for your brand than a 30 second commercial to 1 million people could ever do. Take a look at any article about Microsoft or Apple. In the comments section you will see people defending their brand whether it is a Mac or PC. Leverage social media effectively and you can create consumers who will do the marketing for you.
3. Social media isn't a fad. Change isn't always easy, but evolution is necessary to survive. Your company wouldn't continue to constantly put out the same product year after year without making any improvements to the product, would it? So why would you continue to use the same marketing strategy year after year when there are better ways to connect with consumers?
The Risk and Reward
You never assume the worst will happen in any given situation, so why do it with social media? If I assumed the worst about my drive to work this morning, I probably would have stayed home. Just like with every other decision in life, you should calculate the risk/reward and act accordingly. Social media is no different. Rewards are waiting for those who act.
Microsoft have been running a series of YouTube ads on their channel for the last two months now. They started off the much-hyped "I'm a PC" campaign with two funny but irrelevant Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates ads. They were successful in generating buzz and WOM but there was hardly a message behind the ads.
Now Microsoft is releasing ads backed by different musicians and athletes showing how they use PC's. So far, the three ads released have been viewed over 2 million times. My favorite of the three is below. Although, I'll admit that I'm biased towards the ad since I'm a huge fan of GirlTalk. At least we are now with an ad that talks about what the PC can do instead of an ad talking about wearing leather shoes in the shower.
There is a right way and a wrong way to get started on Twitter. A lot of people out there picked the wrong way. I'm sure a few of these have been posted elsewhere online, but they are worth repeating. Here are 5 tips for the new twitterer:
5. Fill out your profile, especially your bio. Odds are you aren't Oprah and can't be identified by your name alone. A picture and a bio are necessary.
4. Have at least one @ reply on your Twitter page. This shows that you are on Twitter to have a conversation, not just push your website.
3. Don't immediately follow 2000 people. Your Twitter page should take off like a plane, not a rocket. Post a few tweets and then follow a few people who would find value in them. PRsarahevans has a good list of the top 50 people to follow. (I'm pretty sure we came in at #51...maybe)
2. Do not auto-follow and do not auto-reply. If you are going to thank someone for following you, do it through an @ reply. It will come off as a lot more sincere. The auto-reply is generic and used by many to link to their website. Please don't auto-reply. It comes off as SPAM and isn't necessary.
1. Content is king. Twitter is heaven for two types of people: narcissists and people interested in sharing. Most people share blog posts, insights, breaking news, and anything that the Twitter community might find useful. Even if you aren't on Twitter to engage in conversation, people will still follow you if you have valuable content.
Any PR agency coming to grips with the fact that, well, the pitch isn’t biting in print might have better luck by fabricating a really nice story that features a customer and his/her own worst enemy: customer service.
A strategic ploy now very much a reality at print news outlets, reporters are reporting out the “crux of the matter,” what every customer wants to hear – and readers are responding in the embedded comments box. Who wouldn't want to hear and continue a thread on bad hotel service, because I too didn't get hot water when I wanted a hot shower. What's worst-- no one was at the front desk to remedy this situation. Ahhh... putty in a reporter's hand.
I remember the days when family-centered stories were all the rage, but as circulation numbers dwindle, so does a reporter’s time and energy in seeking out rich content that does not appeal to the masses. Customer service forever and always will.
If you don't agree, check this out. I wouldn't want to be this hotel brand...
Yammer, the Twitter like service for companies, launched a group feature earlier this week. They added the group feature citing that it was one of the most requested features. I enjoy the feature on Yammer, but this makes me wonder about Twitter...
When will Twitter finally launch a group feature? I know they are working on it, but it has been a slow process so far. It was only recently that 'fail whales' started becoming a rare occurrence.
Twitter has a few obstacles to deal with: - Hasn't monetized - No groups - Managing rapid growth - Lack of features, etc.
It is my current prediction that Twitter will be monetized and have significantly more features within six months to a year. Time will tell if I'm right.
The video of the week comes from CNN on election night. They used hologram-like technology to beam Jessica Yellin into the studio. It was completely pointless and reminded me of Star Wars, but it was exciting to see a news network embrace new technology.
I guess I shouldn't say it was completely pointless. The video has racked up over 2 million views on YouTube and was discussed on several tech blogs.
I have been thinking a lot lately about online identity and personal brand. Many people work very hard to create their online brand identity starting at the bottom and building upwards with hard work, persistence, and transparency. Some reach a place of not only familiarity, but of credibility on a certain subject. When I think about what it is I would build my reputation on, I often come back to one interesting question: What is the ultimate goal?
U2 is the arguably still the biggest rock band in the world. Their front man, Bono, has been given charming charisma and a winning personality and he could be easily satisfied with just making music and touching people through songs (which is not necessarily bad). His personal brand has reached a height that gives him a platform and the attention of the world's listening ears. I believe that Bono, not settling into his position for what it is, uses his personal brand for a higher purpose. Instead of sitting back and basking in rock-star glory, he acts differently. Bono often comments about the absurdity that a rock-star can get an audience with the world's political leaders and multi-million dollar corporation CEOs , but he also realizes the importance of taking his opportunity no matter how it comes. He reaches out using his personal brand and position and now has literally affected millions of people all over the world as a champion of poverty, AIDS awareness, and international advocacy.
The quest for online notoriety often times seems selfish to me. If I were to build my name up to a point of credibility, would it just be for me or could I do it for something more than myself? The position of fame for fame's sake is an easy place to stop, but we must all ask ourselves why we work so hard and what the goal of all our efforts could be. At the end of the day, what will we make of our personal brand?
10. "Twitter is a great place to get blog ideas" @TDefren 9. "Talking to a real person from a company can actually win my business. It creates emotional ties that wouldn't otherwise be there." @MandyBee
3. Sometimes I do care what people have for lunch. I've seen some great recommendations on twitter.
2.Gary Vaynerchuck. I first learned about him when someone posted a link to his web 2.0 keynote address. I'm a dedicated Vayniac (I think that is the correct term)
1. It is an incredible learning tool. Follow the right people and they will deliver some very valuable insights whatever your passion might be. A solid list of people to check out can be found here.
According to CNET, YouTube will be featuring full-length movies within 30-90 days. This news comes shortly after YouTube started streaming full-length TV shows from CBS.
Why now?
TV shows need to be online. I'm sure they don't want to be. TV shows can make a lot more money off TV ad revenue than online ad revenue (fewer commercials online). They are going pirated and put online regardless, so it is advantageous for the parent company to distribute them legally with ad revenue.
Why the shift from cable?
Many people are feeling stressed from the economy. They are starting to look at what is expendable in their daily lives. Three monthly expenses immediately come to mind for most people: tv, internet, cell phone. With the age of online video, the standard television is becoming more and more obsolete. It probably won't ever become entirely obsolete, but the internet is pushing it in that direction.
Take a look at what people on Twitter have been saying:
It comes down to this: why buy the cow (Cable) when you get the milk for free (TV shows)?
In the PR Industry, we often hear about PR flacks sending out mass emails to reporters hoping that a few people will pick up on their boring pitch. I have always tried to avoid spamming reporters with untargeted pitches, but I've never truly been able to empathize with them until now.
What happened?
A few weeks ago I decided I wanted to start up my own website. I purchased a domain, but then soon realized I would need some HTML and CSS help. I decided to put up a short and specific ad on Craigslist with what I wanted: HTML design help and a flat rate of $50 for the work put in.
What did I receive?
To date, I've had over 50 responses to the brief ad...and most of them are entirely irrelevant to what I posted. As they came pouring in I was left wondering "Didn't these people read my ad? Why are 90% of these emails copy & paste jobs?"
Most responses: I would estimate that about 90% of the respondents saw that I was looking for web design help didn't read the rest of the ad. They copy and pasted their pitch and sent it on over to me. Most of them charge anywhere from $300 to $3000 per web page built. Does that sound like something I would be interested in? Also, a few of these people who sent me bad pitches followed up with again after I didn't respond to them. If I was interested in a $1500 web page, believe me I would have responded.
Another 5% sent me an email that was literally spam or completely irrelevant. Only 5% of the emails I received were actually genuine people who read my ad and responded sincerely.
The moral of this story should be obvious to all PR people: don't spam journalists. Keep crying wolf by sending journalists untargeted pitches and by the time you have a solid pitch for them, you will probably be on the black list.
Take this advice from Peter Shankman, which he gives before you join his HARO list: Next: This is really the only thing I ask: By joining this list, just promise me and yourself that you'll ask yourself before you send a response: Is this response really on target? Is this response really going to help the journalist, or is this just a BS way for me to get my client in front of the reporter? If you have to think for more than three seconds, chances are, you shouldn't send the response.
In the end, we could probably all stand to do this a bit more, huh?
I was so excited, completely ready to boast the conveniences of social media platforms in the midst of dwindling ad market value to those companies knocking at Axiom’s door. And then it hit me—almost to the point of regurgitation. Social media is not free? What?! It may seem like a priceless avenue, but it takes A LOT out of you.
Consider those who are “Twitter whores" (not my words, Twitter’s) and how much time it takes them to become an elusive Twitter whore. Yes, the account set-up was free, but now they find themselves tweeting incessantly and not getting any work done (or are they?). I have Twitterberry and seldom use it for fear that I will have two ball and chains, integrated at best.
Not surprising at all but many companies are now searching out the most influential Twitter users—and perhaps they might hire them to “tweet” with a “twosse” on a freelance basis. Anyone know Pierre who sits for four hours at the local Starbucks and tweets about fashion sense on behalf of clothing retail clients? I do. He lives in New York City and gets paid handsomely.
One platform of the many platforms out there, Twitter is a free device that has a future; optimism touted among the Silicon Valley entrepreneurs of society, and a glass-half-empty mentality donned by PR peeps looking for real value.
Correct me if I’m wrong and if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go read a lengthy dissertation on why businesses should be on Twitter by GeekPreneur.
Did you notice something last night on Facebook? I did. A lot of people were updating their statuses frequently while the election results came in. It reminded me of something else....oh yeah, Twitter.
I would estimate that about 98% of my Facebook friends are currently not on Twitter, so this was very interesting to watch. A few people commented on how much fun they were having checking the updated statuses of everyone. This furthers my belief that Twitter will eventually go mainstream. It is still with the early adapters, but I believe it is nearing the tipping point.
When the status feature of Facebook was first introduced, it was mocked just like Twitter is by some people, "Why do I care what you had for lunch?" But eventually people have embraced the status feature, which is what I believe will soon happen with Twitter. There is value in both, but it is up to you to find where the value is.
A few reflections on how the influence of the internet:
Twitter: I wouldn't call Twitter influential in changing opinion in the election (it is hard to make a intellectual argument in under 140 characters), but politics have been a large part of twitter during the election. From live tweeting during the debates to the Election Page, Twitter users have been vocal on their political views. Twitter was also used as a way to spread breaking political news immediately, before the main stream media can report it.
YouTube: Probably the most influential medium of the election. Yes, more than television...by far. YouTube was the dumping ground for user generated political videos, parodies, campaign speeches, gaffes, and basically any video involving politics. There are several political videos on YouTube with over 1 million views concerning the election. It has been a continuing influence in the election, where TV has only had a few big moments.
Facebook: From Fan Pages to election events to broadcasting your political views across your profile, Facebook is the easiest way for the average person to get involved in politics online. Look at your friends status updates today and you will probably notice several who have donated their status to either of the candidates.
Ustream: This isn't as widely used as the other mediums, but it is still a very important site. Both candidates used Ustream to broadcast campaign stops live over the internet. Could you have imagined something like this 8 years ago?
Apps: The Obama team recently came out with an app for the iPhone and iPod touch. It is a pretty neat application for a presidential candidate. It allows the user to access campaign updates, media, call lists of their contacts (separated into swing states), and a few other features.
Concluding thoughts: Technology has come incredibly far since the last election. In 2004 there was no YouTube, hardly a Facebook presence, no Twitter, no Ustream, and no iPhone. Incredible where we are today, which leaves me with another question to think about: What role will the internet play in 2012?
Wondering how long the wait is at your polling station? Look no further than Twitter for the answers.
TwitterVoteReport.com is sorting through all the Tweets today regarding each person's voting experience, average waiting time by location, and potential trouble spots with voting machines. The amazing part about this project is that the updates are instant and specific. Traditional new sources will not have this kind of information because it would be impossible for them to sort through and categorize the amount of information out there. [Note - the site may be up and down throughout the day due to high traffic and it looks like it is down right now. In the meantime, go here to see all the updates]
Virgin Atlantic recently fired 13 employees over content that they had been posting to Facebook. After the news spread, people on Virgin Atlantic's Facebook Fan Page responded by calling out them on firing employees over Facebook content.
From the Facebook Graffiti feature:
More anger stemmed from the wall on the Fan Page:
The medium that caused the firing of 13 employees is the same medium being used to voice grievance against the company. I won't comment on whether Virgin Atlantic was right or wrong in firing the employees since I haven't read all of the details.
My advice for Virgin Atlantic: don't overreact to the negative criticism. You have about 8,000 fans on Facebook and only a few angry comments. Don't get hostile and lash out at the negative comments. It's the internet, it happens.
The video of the week comes from students at Ron Clark Elementary. With a heated election only a day away, it is refreshing to see a humorous bipartisan video. Check it out below and don't forget to vote tomorrow....however you like.
