Taking Time To Comment

Just when I thought 'social media expert' was really just a nice way of saying “I’m a Twitterholic, a Facebook junkie, blogging nut—and hey I can say ‘meme’, too”– an encounter with a PR pro on Twitter changed all that.

rachelakay @AxiomPR I haven't cmted yet - but doesn't mean I won't. I like to take time to craft comments but have to prioritize against my task list.

It never crossed my mind to think that those who comment on blogs take time to craft their thoughts -- a process that may or may not take all day -- making sure their work/client priorities come first. I assumed frankly that online users were just standing by waiting to call someone out on something when a blog post link came across the Twitter feed, or just simply commenting for the sheer effect of gaining more people to their own blog by retweeting something as their own. Beth Harte calls those types of people “social media leeches”. Danny Brown can’t stand them, as he’s all about keeping the tweet associated with the originator.

I’m humbled knowing there are people out there who don’t have a get-rich-quick scheme driven by their quest for more connections on all social networks; that they’re really trying to provide value to the space. If I were running a consumer business, I’d look for the social media experts who actually take time to do things, like commenting on blogs. That alone surely guarantees quality work.

Here is a list of some people that I’ve connected with—and that doesn’t mean on LinkedIn or they’re following me on Twitter. These are the social media types that actually offer quality conversations and take the time to comment:

Rachel Kay (rachelakay)
Amber Naslund (Ambercadabra)
Amanda Vega (AmandaVega)
Jason Baer (jaybaer)
Arik Hanson (arikhanson)
Beth Harte (BethHarte)
Danny Brown (dannybrown)
Peter Shankman (skydiver)
David Meerman Scott (dmscott)
Sarah Evans (prsarahevans)
David Armano (armano)
Graeme Thickins (GraemeThickins)
David Spinks (DavidSpinks)

Sure, this list is small what should that tell us about the social media majority? Who are people you think add quality and new depth to blog conversations?

Social Media Marketing Is Simple

Many are still afraid of social media. There are a lot of terms and ideas floating around that confuse people and can even make them panic. I want to start the new year off right by proposing an idea that sounds pretty simple:

The goal of social media marketing is the same as traditional media marketing - to spread ideas through word of mouth.

When working in the social media world (obviously not all social media should be used for marketing), the aim is to get people to talk about your product or brand. Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and other social media platforms allow people to share ideas quickly. People talk about their interests and hobbies, which often include brands and products. Using social media for marketing aims to tap into the rich veins of discussion that will produce buzz and excitement around a brand.

The tools may be different, but most of the goals are very much the same:

• Make a great (good is not good) product that can stand on its own without spin that satisfies a consumer need.
  
• Customers will get excited and tell their friends about the product.
• Marketing can help, but real success comes through viral word of mouth a.k.a. the best and most desired form of marketing.

Yes, I am trying to simplify social media a bit for those still gripping to understand. Good ideas spread. Goal of social media marketing = word of mouth. Is this too simplified?

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.