Category Archives: Guest Post

Guest Post, Sharisax Is Out There

Social Media Monitoring: Critical for Business Success

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Success with social media strategies requires monitoring and reporting, but with so many tools available, what should you choose?

This was a Discussion Topic that has so far generated 88 comments on the LinkedIn group: Future Social Media. Among the individual site recommendations was a response from Alan Stevenson who offered several tools to consider, so I asked if he’d put his knowledge into a special Guest Post for my readers:

Guest Post by Dr. Jim Hamill and Alan Stevenson

This article will provide an overview of Social Media Monitoring tools, what they are, what benefits they can provide for your business and how you should begin to think about the solution(s) that meets your needs.

Just as Google Analytics has forced us to think differently about our website, Social Media Monitoring tools are forcing us to think very differently about our wider web presence.

What are Social Media Monitoring Tools

One of the major trends on the Web has been the emergence of Social Media Monitoring Tools – applications which allow companies to monitor the conversations taking place about brands, products, competitors or industries across different social media platforms:

WHO is saying WHAT, WHERE on the social web.

We have identified over 100 companies operating in this space, as summarized in Tag Cloud above.

Social Media Monitoring solutions range from no- or low-cost tools such as Google Alerts, Trackur, Social Mention or ViralHeat to more expensive and sophisticated tools, such as Scoutlabs, Radian6, SM2 or SocialRadar.

Some tools are sophisticated, but expensive

The most sophisticated (and most expensive) tools allow businesses to monitor and evaluate the following:

· A river of news: all the information pertaining to your business, industry, product or competition

· The volume of relevant mentions

· The topic trends (peaks and troughs over a period), tying in with events, other marketing initiations or potential reputation issues such as Nestle and a Palm Oil protest

· Details of what is being said at an aggregate level, from all content. Usually displayed as a “tag cloud” containing mentions of key words or phrases

· The mention medium: tweet, blog post, forum post, news item, video or image

· The importance of individual mentions with an ability to rank and further tag or categorize e.g. this mention is about “jobs”; “finance”; “competitors”

· Overall sentiment or tone (with some serious caveats); which mentions were positive or negative. See the idolstats site for an innovative application of this feature

· Language variants, some supporting analysis in 10 or more languages

· The perceived importance of mentions, channels, sources or individuals (in other words your influencers)

· Updates and changes as they happen, usually as email alerts or RSS feeds

· The opportunity to identify “actionable insights” e.g., the Banff Tourism Authority that noticed the potential viral impact of a squirrel or the Southwest Airlines team that got behind a video of their rapping flight attendant

Others are free, but with limitations

The free tools provide “some” of the aforementioned features and for many businesses (arguably most businesses); combining one or more free tools is good enough. I’ve highlighted a few to consider below:

Google Alerts – Searches Google’s index across blog, news, video, web and groups for your key search terms. Results can be provided by email or as RSS feeds and it provides an extensive range of results (updated daily) but does not include Twitter results (yet). Further analysis (such as relevance or importance) or search within comments over a period of time can be facilitated through use of a Feed Reader (Google Alerts feeding Google Reader). A good starting point for any business in this space.

Social Mention – Provides a good level of social media analysis for specific search terms and includes sentiment analysis. Using the advanced search facility, terms can be customized to a great extent although there is limited use of authority or relevance in results. Not as feature rich as Blogscope and reports are fairly basic with less ability to specify dates or drill into results. Also, alerts are on basic search terms only.

How Sociable – Not a bad way of quickly getting a handle on how sociable a company or brand is. It scores your business across a range of networks and blogs. Simply, it creates a search query in each channel and rates the response. Although not 100% accurate it is a useful tool to track progress.

Trackur – Does the usual things well (aggregates search across video, web/news, twitter). Provides results in one place where filtering can take place but deeper analysis is not possible. Sentiment tracking is manually configured i.e. you set positive, negative, neutral for each return (the system defaults to neutral for all).

Blogscope – An initiative from the University of Toronto. It provides popularity curves and key words for any search and has good links to articles and videos (with preview facility). You can drill down by date and conduct comparison searches. The presentation aspect of the tool is excellent. It captures data from the main blogs and one or more video sites (although I suspect only YouTube). It does not appear to pick up Twitter and there is limited ability to analyze content further or even monitor on an ongoing basis.

A solution ‘fit’ for purpose

Businesses that receive a high number of mentions on a regular basis or those that have a portfolio of products and services to manage, will require the range of features and level of analysis only available from the more sophisticated “high end” tools. The debate currently taking place on the LinkedIn group: Future Social Media is testimony to the difficulty that then exists in determining which of the many tools on the market is the right tool for you.

It is often compelling to use the feature list of a product as the starting point for selecting a solution. Or indeed become fixated by what tools do or don’t do as well as their counterparts. This invariably leads to problems. I should also say that all of the leading Social Media tools are limited in the following:

· They do not analyze sentiment well; they are unable to determine automatically and to a high degree of accuracy positive or negative mentions and often err on the side of caution i.e. make the majority neutral
· They will not calculate Return on Investment for you
· They will not interpret the findings for you or take effective action for you
· They are not an answer to further manual processing and manipulation

My answer to the question of which tool to use or which tool is best, is the same answer for any business looking to monitor Social Media. The tool or tools you use should depend entirely on your prioritized needs or requirements e.g. if you are only ever going to receive a few mentions a month, why pay a high fee to monitor those conversations? If you are only ever going to monitor conversations in English why do you need a tool that translates tweets into eight different languages, as cool as that function appears?

Put another way, you must consider your rationale for monitoring Social Media in the first place. This rationale should be closely aligned to your overall Social Media vision and objectives and tied in to your key initiatives (YouTube Channel, Facebook Page, Twitter account, Website or Blog etc.). In this sense, you will certainly be considering a Social Media Monitoring solution that augments the range of ‘channel’ specific analysis tools that already exist, for example, Google Analytics, Facebook Stats, YouTube analytics, and so on.

Social Media Monitoring tools can support your Social Media Strategy in a number of ways:

  1. Market Knowledge and Intelligence. Where your customers, partners, competitors and staff are hanging out online.
  2. Customer Insight and Understanding. What your customers and their influencers are saying about you or your competitors.
  3. Engagement with a potential network of high value, high growth prospects. Identifying key posts and follow-up actions.
  4. Interaction with Key Influencers. Identifying influential sources for incorporation into a wider strategic response.
  5. Reputation Management. Timely identification of potential reputation issues.
  6. Improved Sales and Marketing. New prospects, customer and market opportunities.
  7. Improved Performance Monitoring. Monitoring a number of measures of Social Media performance (very different than those we use to measure Website Performance). We like to call them the 4I’s of: involvement (views, followers, members etc.), interaction (posts, comments, ratings etc.), intimacy (sentiment, affection, aversion to the brand) and influence (forward, share, retweet etc.).

The question is what do you really need and what is a nice-to-have?

Knowing this will help you focus in on a more detailed set of requirements, features and functions that you can then use to compare and contrast solutions. You might also consider using a free or low cost solution as you formulate your Social Media strategy (determining where your customers are hanging out and which channels you should engage) but then commit to a more robust package to support your implementation and ongoing performance monitoring.

In conclusion, we believe Social Media Monitoring tools herald an exciting new era for the Web. Just as Social Media is relevant for most businesses and industry sectors then so too are Social Media Monitoring tools. However, choices should be made around which tools are fit for purpose for your business. If you start your exploration of this area from the perspective of what you need and what you are trying to achieve, we believe you will find a solution just right or certainly good enough. If you start from the feature list on the vendor’s website, you may well give up or procure a tool that offers limited long-term value.

Social Media Monitoring, when used correctly, will support and enable many of the activities that are now critical to your future Social Media success and your future business success.

We look forward to your comments.

Alan

Alan Stevenson

e: ast3v3nson@gmail.com

w: www.linkedin.com/in/asbusinesssolutions

About the Authors

Dr. Jim Hamill and Alan Stevenson are acknowledged experts in Web 2.0/Social Media having successfully delivered on a wide range of consultancy projects in both the UK and internationally. They own and manage two very successful online communities – the tourism industry professional networking community ‘Tourism 2.0’ (www.tourism2-0.co.uk); and the ‘crowd sourced’ Web 2.0/Social Media e-Learning Community www.web2-0cpd.com. Alan has been advising businesses around strategic use of Social Media Monitoring tools for some time.

Dr. Jim Hamill


Alan Stevenson


e: jim.hamill@ukonline.co.uk

w: www.linkedin.com/in/jimh7171

e: ast3v3nson@gmail.com

w: www.linkedin.com/in/asbusinesssolutions

Figure 1: Social Media Monitoring Tools – Tag Cloud  Source: The Authors

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Guest Post, LinkedIn

Webinars Work . . . When Everything Works

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People are so darn smart!

And social media platforms like LinkedIn offer experts in every field a great forum for sharing their expertise — and for the rest of us to benefit.

Like many people who want to learn “everything,” I register for many online webinars. Unfortunately, too many of them experience technical difficulties that detract from their usefulness. When I saw Bret Smith’s Discussion Topic on Webinars in our group Social Media Marketing Mavens, I wanted to broadcast his great advice, so asked if he would publish his views in a Guest Post.

Bret has 20 years’ experience in Global Sales, Marketing, Alliances, and  Business Development. He is co-principal of WebAttract, a global leader in informational webinar production and demand generation. During his career, he has established himself as a master of the science and art of audience recruitment as well as solution selling.

Like the Boy Scouts’ motto: BE PREPARED

Guest Post by Bret Smith

Webinars can go wrong in any number of ways. You are in charge of making things work out. Here are four common problems to prepare for:

1. Missing Presenter: Webinar speakers sometimes confuse the start time’s time zone —“Was it EDT, EST, or GMT?”

If the presenter doesn’t show up on time, be sure to have his or her emergency contact information on hand so you can call their cell phone or hotel room or have their assistant track them down.

2. Audio Difficulties: The telephone or Internet audio may cut out midway through the webinar. You may lose the presenter, lose the audience, or lose everyone at once. This situation can quickly become overwhelming unless you act quickly and decisively.

a) If only the presenter cuts out, verbally inform the audience what has happened and tell them the presentation will begin again shortly. That gives the speaker time to call in again or call in with a backup phone line.

b) If just the audience cuts out, post a note on the webinar screen with instructions for what the audience needs to do. They may need to exit the webinar room and login again or hang up and dial into the conference call again. Before the presentation resumes, confirm everyone can hear the audio. The easiest way to do this is to have several co-workers be attendees. They can run over to tell you if the audio is working again.

c) If everyone cuts out at once, first post an explanation, then get the presenter’s audio back up, and finally make sure the audience’s audio is back up, per the instructions above.

3. Presentation Slide Control: The speaker may lose the ability to progress from slide to slide during the webinar.

Sometimes the presenter can log out and log back in to regain access. If not, the presenter should have numbered the slides and have a hard copy nearby. The presenter can then use the hard copy to present from and instruct the facilitator when to move from slide to slide.

4. Doomsday: Webinars depend on many variables: the Internet provider, the telephone provider, the webinar technology, and your computer, to name some. At times these variables collude to get the better of you and you have no choice but to cancel the event.

Don’t make yourself wrong for this happening. Just deal with it.

  • First communicate with the live audience what has happened, what they can expect from you, and how to reach you.
  • After that, you’ll want to email or call every attendee.
  • Your message should include an apology, information about the rescheduled event, and some kind of compensation for their lost time, like free access to the next webinar or a complimentary e-book or report.

You never want to have these problems but, if you do, be excited: Any failing gives you the opportunity to impress the audience with your client service.

Bret Smith invites everyone to join his own group: WebAttract Thought Leadership Webinars and Webcasts

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Guest Post, Interview, Sharisax Is Out There

Social Media is Really All About Building Community and Supporting One Another

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Social media has changed my life — and if you are reading this, no doubt social media will be changing your life AND your business, as well.

Social media platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook have allowed me to meet and engage with a host of new friends — this is a very supportive community of individuals who interact with one another in a win-win situation for all of us.

I met Deepak Gupta on Twitter through some mutual American Marketing Association friends, and when he asked to interview me for his blog, I was honored.

Interview with San Francisco Social Media Evangelista — Shari Weiss

by Deepak Gupta [3/21/10]

I had the pleasure of interviewing and gaining insight from San Francisco’s own Social Media Expert – Shari Weiss. You can follow our discussion below:

What did you do before becoming a social media evangelist and how did you get into that industry?

My 35-year career has combined careers in magazines, corporate communications, and education – most recently as a marketing lecturer at San Francisco State and freelance writer for Wal-Mart/Sam’s Club. Early in 2009, I discovered Social Media and Social Media Marketing, and I’m convinced this revolutionary new communication opportunity will continue to change our world for the better.

What qualities and traits make for a good social media evangelist?

Open-mindedness must play a huge role because much of the new technology is foreign to generations of people raised with traditional methods and tools of communication.
Passion goes a long way in supporting the commitment necessary to continue studying every new tool and strategy as it is introduced AS WELL AS helping convince others of the ultimate benefits in store.
Knowledge of sociology and psychology to understand and empathize with people.
Honesty and authenticity in spirit and practice is critical to model best practices.

What tools of the trade do you use throughout your typical day and how do they help?

1) Email is number one, and I check my mail dozens of times every day.
2) I keep my Tweetdeck open throughout the day to see if any of my friends have written to or mentioned @sharisax – I have met and begun relationships with dozens of fellow Tweeters, some of whom have become partners and friends.
3) My email often leads me to notifications from Facebook and LinkedIn. Of late, I have been spending more and more time checking and participating in LinkedIn group discussions.
4) I have two blogs that I write articles for several times a week AND respond to commenters, all of whom I am excited to approve and reply to.
5) I do not yet have a SmartPhone, but I see that as coming soon. SOON has come. I now have a Droid and will be blogging about my SmartPhone/SmartBooMR adventures.

I cannot help notice how many people call themselves social media experts. Are they just throwing the title around or are there really that many social media experts out there today?


No comment, except to say that it is difficult to become an “expert” when something new is coming out all the time, and it is difficult to always know what will achieve “critical mass” and what will fade away as yesterday’s forgotten buzz.

Some of our readers are up and coming social media experts. What advice can you give them and how can they get that seal of approval of becoming an expert in the industry?

My first piece of advice is to forget about getting into social media to become an expert. Better to find the perfect fit for your particular skills/interests AND the tools and strategies that will help you provide value to others. In my case, I love both writing and teaching, so I blog and conduct workshops to help others learn everything I know.

Currently what are the best websites for promoting social media and why?

Without much doubt, Facebook – with its 400 million users – is, and will be, Number One. I do believe that YouTube – the second most popular search site – is a platform that should be understood and used to reach the most amount of people. I, personally, love Twitter and suspect it may replace email in certain circumstances. LinkedIn has great potential for those business types who learn how to use its many facets. Finally, with all its resources – particularly the brilliant minds in the organization – Google is bound to play a growing role in all our communications.

What kind of tips do you have in writing stories for our Readers?

I agree with the Common Wisdom that the best articles tell lots of “stories,” particularly case studies and narratives that show people accomplishing goals.

Also write clearly and simply, don’t whine, and tell the truth.

Give us one of your biggest accomplishments? What are your future goals?


One of my biggest accomplishments has been to continue my first blog SHARISAX IS OUT THERE with an ever growing passion . . . and a never-ending selection of juicy topics to learn and write about. And now I’ve started a second blog HOW TO DO SOCIAL MEDIA BY THE BOOK, where I share great lists of information from the wonderful social media books that I read.
I have begun offering workshops to friends and small business people and plan to help small businesses begin to implement social media strategies. In addition, I am working on a magazine-type blog for Baby Boomers.

We cannot ignore that the popularity of social media is skyrocketing. What advice do you have for people who want to use your ideas to promote their business?

GO FOR IT! That’s what social media training is all about – helping people use these tools to build their businesses and help others.
**

BTW, You can find me in a number of places online:

Linkedin http://www.linkedin.com/in/shariweisssf
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/shari.weiss
Facebook Fanpage for Performance Social Media http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/Performance.Social.Media
Ning: http://performancesm.ning.com/
Twitter http://twitter.com/sharisax
Google profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/shariweissSF
Friendfeed http://friendfeed.com/sharisax
YouTube http://www.youtube.com/sharisax
Squido lens: http://www.squidoo.com/readandchat
Delicious http://delicious.com/Sharisax
Digg http://digg.com/users/sharisax
and
my San Francisco State website: http://online.sfsu.edu/~sharisax/

PHONE: 415/897-6052

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Guest Post, LinkedIn

Social Web to Get More Social

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One of the coolest social networking activities I’ve been enjoying lately is a discussion on the LinkedIn group “Future of Social Media.”

Member Endaf Kerfoot posted a great topic in April 2009:

“Introduce yourself to members of the group – who you are, what you do, where your social media strategy is at/going, what you want to know more about, where you see your own Future of Social Media.”

At last count, 405 of the 3000 members had introduced themselves — including me and Michael Sherman.

Michael is from Long Island, NY; currently resides in South Florida; and has worked in marketing positions for seven years. Like me he is enamored with All Things Social Media, so I asked if he’d like to contribute his insights to my blog . . . so here’s Michael . . .

The Future of Social Media for 2010 and Beyond

Guest Post by Michael Sherman

So many people think Social Media is in its infancy. I don’t agree. I think it’s been around longer then you think.

Back in the late 1990s when I first experienced the World Wide Web. I would come home from school and jump onto my father’s computer and go on those famous AOL chat rooms. It was great. Instantly, I could interact with people from all over the world.

To me, that was social media — real time conversation.

Now when you think of social media today what comes to mind?

Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn: Amazing communication platforms with capabilities we haven’t even thought of yet. Hey, I wouldn’t have met Shari without using them.

The thing with learning social media is that you can’t just read a book and become a genius. Technology is changing faster then you can change your clothes.

Anyone who considers him or herself a social media expert is just bragging. It is impossible to be an expert in this area because of the constant changes.

If I was writing for this blog last year, the article would have been about MySpace and Friendster. Next year it may be Google Wave or something we can only dream about today.

So if I had to make some predictions for the future of social media I would have to say that it’s a medium that isn’t leaving us anytime soon. It is going to keep getting better and better.

Two Predictions

Social TV: Video will become even more important and relevant as we go forward. It will be intertwined with live television like never before. No longer will you need to vote for your American Idol on the phone. You will be able to do it right from Facebook and be able to interact with the hosts and producers in real time to turn Reality TV into Social TV. Television is made for consumers, and they will have a say on what they want to see. Social media can make that happen.

Even more social: People will be partying virtually. No matter if you are in New York, San Francisco or Hong Kong — social media will allow you to experience the same party experience no matter how far away you are from the other people. The amenities will be the same, and everyone can see and hear everyone else: A Tweetup on Steroids.

In a nutshell, social media is going to allow people to be able to interact with each other faster and quicker then ever before — in ways that they never thought were imaginable.

Michael can be reached via his LinkedIn profile. If you want to make predictions for the future of social media, you can join our LinkedIn group FUTURE SOCIAL MEDIA [check out Groups Directory] and/or write a guest post for this blog.

BTW, if you click the photo of the panel above, you will get to a past story on a panel discuusion of the Roadmap for Social Media’s Future featuring Steve Rubel, Michael Brito, Angela LoSasso, and Richard Brewer-Hay.

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Guest Post

The Future of Advertising: A Google AdWords HOW-TO

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from My Friend & Guest Poster Deepak Gupta

Savvy marketer Deepak Gupta has become a great friend through Twitter, and when I read about what he learned from two days at a Google Grants Workshop at their Headquarters in California earlier this year, I wanted to learn more about how to implement AdWords.

Google AdWords also known as Pay Per Click can have numerous benefits if planned, executed and monitored properly. However, we must also be aware of the pitfalls

How do you go about running an AdWords campaign?

Step-by-Step

First — You and your team need to define attainable goals like these:

1) Increasing donation volume

2) Recruiting more volunteers

3) Raising brand awareness

Second — Set up campaigns appealing to relevant geographic and or demographic targets. So that you can track your campaigns efficiently, do not duplicate or move around keywords once you are up and running.

When you set up your Ad Scheduler, you have the choice between Accelerated and Standard Delivery (evenly delivered ads throughout the day).

Third — Develop tightly themed Ad Groups. The more relevant your ad text is the higher the CTR (click through rate), the Quality Score and the Page Rank.

As for Ad Text Optimization, place catchy calls-to-action and inter-capitalize your display URL. For instance, instead of having www.helpmyresume.org, show www.HelpMyResume.org. In addition, rotate various ads and you can track individual performance.

Fourth — Keyword research requires careful thought. Use the Google Suggest Tool to find relevant keywords. Try to come up with keywords from the User’s perspective, not yours. Be sure to look at all match types – broad, phrase and exact.

Fifth — Landing Page Optimization. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen an ad, clicked and then be lead to page that has nothing to do with the product/service I looked for. There are numerous resources available on Landing Page Designs. Here is a good presentation from AlexDesigns.com:

Landing Page Design & Optimization

View more presentations from alex harris.

The bottom line is you can have great goals, campaigns, ad groups and good keywords, but if you cannot convert (close the sale), you are spinning your wheels.

Possible Pitfalls of Running AdWords Campaigns in a Vacuum

Google AdWords cannot be done alone.  It is only one aspect of Social Medi Marketing. I would highly recommend for any business or organization, at a minimum, to be present on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and show up organic search results in addition to running AdWords.

When people do searches, 75% of the time they click on the organic content found within the search engine results page (SERP). Only 25% click what they see on the sponsored links section. Users tend to trust the organic content more because of the independent review. If you show up in both areas, that is in your favor.

Branding: Keep in mind that if are well-branded and have good press, you will have a better chance of performing better than an up-and-comer.

As for Keyword Research, use the Google Suggestion Tool and brainstorm with your team or others to generate ideas. Do not be embarrassed if you think your term sounds funny – you can surprise yourself!

Once your campaigns are up and running, use the reporting features and Google Analytics to monitor and track your performance. Every so often, adjust your campaigns. Eliminate low performers, refine your keywords, and refine your ads. Repeat this process often.

Budget how much you want to spend on your AdWords Campaigns. Be sure to allow enough extra sums in case your competitors decide to jump in and bid up the price for keywords. Calculate the ROI.

Some obstacles I have come across professionally are that (a) some of your team members may not have the time to read your reports or(b)  working with AdWords is a lower priority than designing a direct mail campaign.

If you have Administrator access and are in an Organization that appreciates enterprising people, then take the Bull by the horn and be a one-person shop.

Posted by Deepak Gupta

Deepak Gupta
Chat Google Wave: dgupta5150

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Guest Post, Sharisax Is Out There

Online Relationships Lead to Lots of Learning: Guest Post on Art of Selling from one of my new fav Tweeple

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Justice Marshall aka @SocialNature on Twitter believes that relationships are the foundation of business and happiness, and that makes lots of sense as Justice and I are Tweeting one another — learning from one another — and supporting one another.

When Justice recently Tweeted about a conference he’d attended about the Art of Sales in response to one of my Tweets on the Art of Marketing, I asked him to Guest Post his findings.

Voila . . .

There are no bathrooms in New York:

What I Learned at Art of Sales, Vancouver BC 2009

When Shari asked me to write a guest post on What I Learned at Art of Sales in Vancouver BC, 2009  http://www.theartofproductions.com/events-salesVancouver09.html it naturally made me ask myself “What DID I learn?”

I don’t generally take notes at these sorts of events (not my learning style) so I have to look inside my brain to see what stuck. And as I look inside, I notice an internal distinction between what I learned… and what I enjoyed.

I certainly enjoyed all four of the presenters. And interestingly, the speaker that I learned the most from was also the least interesting in terms of presenting style. He sat at the side of the stage and basically gave a slideshow. But his slideshow rocked. Max Lenderman — http://www.experiencethemessage.com/ — taught me something new about experiential branding, with visual examples and stories from all over the world.

Dipping their toes in

I work mostly with natural health and wellness businesses. These folks are accustomed to more “traditional” forms of advertising and marketing, and are now dipping their toes in the digital and social media spheres. My mission is to help them use social media to support what they’re already good at, and tie it all to their overarching business vision and objectives.

Along the way, I also get to learn about and influence their strategic planning process. In his presentation, Max showed me —

How some companies are creating remarkable branded experiences in real life that can be extended and deepened through digital mediums like social media.

His most striking examples were pop-up stores and unusual branded installations like the Charmin public restrooms in Times Square.

Smart brands worldwide are creating events and contributing and participating in the lives of people in ways that are way more far-reaching than being just about the features and benefits of any particular product.

It got me thinking —
  1. How can my clients bridge the gap between real-life and social media in a meaningful way?
  2. How can we create deeper branded experiences, drawing people into something that is valuable, compelling and worth sharing?

So – What did I learn?

I learned to stretch my thinking about what a branded experience can be. I learned that branded experiences can be pretty elaborate… and pretty far removed from the original product offering. Branded experiences can take a wide (and long!) meandering path. They can be generous, humorous, touching and inspiring. The best branded experiences work on a feeling level, and push the envelope of conventional marketing and PR thinking.
Nearly half a year later what I learned is still sticking, and has in fact taken root and continues to grow.
Shari – Thanks for asking!
(Justice Marshall is a Social Media Director and Web Strategist for Natural Health and Wellness brands. Find him on Twitter @SocialNature
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Blogging, Guest Post

Social Media Helps Students & Teachers Learn from One Another

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One of my greatest teachers these days is my newest student Gregory Stringer, a 56-year-old disabled retiree who has returned to school for retraining, and that includes a heavy dose of Social Media Networking — which is how we met not long ago.

In the LinkedIn group, FUTURE SOCIAL MEDIA, Endaf Kerfoot presented a Discussion Topic asking the 3,000 group members to introduce themselves:

“Introduce yourself to members of the group – who you are, what you do, where your social media strategy is at/going, what you want to know more about, where you see your own Future of Social Media…”

Gregory and I both introduced ourselves to the group, and then after reading Gregory’s “elevator speech,” I decided to ask him to connect on LinkedIn.  The rest, as they say is History.  🙂

We now email one another, read & comment on each other’s blogs, and share tips. When I was reading through Gregory’s blog Grannelle’s Social Media, I was particularly intrigued by this article:

Tips for educators starting out blogging with students

[. . .  so  Gregory kindly allowed me to re-publish it here as a Guest Post]

My name is Gregory Stringer, and my Internet handle is Grannelle. Six weeks ago I had no idea what SNS was, or even stood for. Today, I am very active on many Social Networking Sites. In addition to blogging, I also “tweet” (http://twitter.com/Grannelle), have a MySpace page (http://www.myspace.com/grannelle), track my wellness odyssey on Limeade (https://limeade.com/SecureLogin.aspx), and list my professional information on LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/in/stringergregory).

Many sites offer the ability to blog as well as network. What follows are a few of my “secrets” for successful blogging in particular and for joining in on associated SNS in general.

1. Develop a profile document – Almost every site asks for the same general information when registering for access. I have therefore found it helpful to create a document that includes information such as name, address, e-mail, and any other information that is requested on each site I am interested in joining. By keeping this information current, I can simply copy and paste whatever is needed in the required fields. This can be a great time saver, and it insures that my data is consistent.

2. Investigate which sites you want to join – Since I am very active in not only blogging, but also commenting on articles I’ve read, I find it helps to narrow the field somewhat by only registering with those sites I am most interested in visiting. These may be news sites, blogs, and so on. It is very easy to get lost when surfing the ‘Net, especially when clicking link after link. Ergo, I will bookmark a site that looks intriguing, and when I have time, return to examine what is there. If it looks like something I think I may be enticed by, I’ll take the time to register. If not, I delete the site from my bookmarks.

3. Use an auto form-fill program – I use RoboForm with IE8. This way, I don’t have to track passwords every time I log on, though I do keep a secure record of all passwords. Again, this is a time-saver, and as a student, I find my time is at a premium. With a simple click, my user name and password are entered at each site I visit.

4. Link sites to each other – I post my “headline” on Twitter, and add a link to my blog site here at Edublogs. I also will link other blog postings, i.e. MySpace, to my main blog. I find it handy to link comments I make on one site to pertinent blogs. This serves to increase my visibility across the Web.

5. Ask questions of more experienced bloggers – As a newbie, I find I must often seek advice from others, such as Ms. Sue Waters (Sue Waters Blog), who shares some terrific instruction at The Edublogger (http://theedublogger.edublogs.org/). Ms. Waters, a technophile and apparent chocolate lover, hosts a wealth of erudition for those of us just starting out.

6. A default picture to post – I currently don’t have one, but I plan to go to one of the larger discount stores that offer portrait shots at economical prices. This is handy, as it gives a face to the “voice”. People like to know a little about whom they are speaking with, and a recent picture is helpful. It also gives your postings a more professional, as well as personal, feel.

I hope the reader has found something helpful here. If you have questions, or if you’d care to add to what has been said, please feel free to leave a comment. For me, blogging is a large part of my educational experience, and in any scholastic endeavor, the participation of everyone only increases the adventure. Won’t you join me in the journey for wisdom?

NOTE: Gregory recently received his first internship as an SM marketer and has already been offered a full time position upon graduation. His future plans include earning a BS in either marketing or e-Business, and advanced degrees in Internet Marketing.

FURTHER READING FROM GREGORY:

What kind of Netizen are you

What are the keys to social media participation

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Guest Post

What Are the Educational Needs of Social Media Marketing?

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Guest Post by Axel Schultze

Axel Schultze was the first social media guru I brought into my Public Relations class at San Francisco State at the beginning of 2009.

He is the founder and CEO of Xeequa Corp. a social media software company, helping businesses to create a better customer experience. In addition, he began Social Media Academy in January 2009 — as well as a number of other successful enterprises.

Axel belongs to many Linkedin groups including “Social Media Academy” where I saw this excellent response to the question:

“My questions are, then, is Social Media Marketing a viable entity, or just a “flash-in-the-pan?” Is there a need for teaching the fundamentals at the post secondary level? How does one achieve expertise in this budding possibility?” — Gregory Stringer

1) Social Media MARKETING is only one aspect of social media.

That said – it is probably the biggest opportunity for marketing leaders to have more saying in a corporate strategy if they understand and appreciate the complexity of a social business. In every successful business somebody leads the charge of whatever needs to be done. Why not the marketing group. There are several reasons why marketing may lead a cross-functional social business initiative, but I’ve also seen other departments to do that including finance.

2) A social business is an organization that leverages the ongoing changes in our hyper-connected society

— in all aspects of their organization, including product management, service & support, sales, marketing, logistics, procurement and more. Often times when I mention logistics or procurement in the context of social media I see lots of question marks and hear people saying “isn’t that too far-fetched?” Well there are examples and I was involved myself in some where the supply chain was the starting point for a social media engagement – in financially very rewarding.

3) Business people will want to learn how to practically apply social media and create a social business.

While some will be OK to explore, experiment and trying to figure it out themselves, others may want to not spend the time but learn best practices, methods, models and frameworks and just execute. As we all know, there are two types of learners: The autodidact who tryes everything themselves. That is a great way of learning and allows to make mistakes in a rather conscious manner.

Typically these are early adopters. So the ones who started in social media in 2003, like me, had to learn things on their own. Then there are the ones who rather acquire knowledge in a very compact way, circumvent obvious mistakes and go apply the knowledge. Mostly in times where the market is advanced and making mistakes is no longer acceptable.

That’s why the Social Media Academy exists.

4) Therefore the educational needs are to learn and understand the following aspects of social media:

  • What is it and what is it good for
  • Learn all about the implications of social media to business
  • Where and how to start
  • Ability to assess the situation of a company and all their respective market constituencies
  • Transform the assessment into a strategy
  • Create a strategy with and for the market
  • Knowing what organizational needs to consider
  • Develop an execution plan
  • Resources, budgets, financial implication
  • Aligning the new strategy with core business objectives
  • Ability to formulate goals and targets – measure model and tune

Learning how to tweet and how to brush up a LinkedIn profile or selecting the right tools are only tactical aspects after the core strategy is defined answering the question:

“What can I do to create a better, more successful business experience for my prospects, customers, partners, vendors, employees and other relevant market constituencies.”

As such it is an obvious coincidence that the Social Media Academy leadership class has exactly that at the core of its class.
Axel   http://xeesm.com/AxelS

FURTHER READING:

Social Media Tools Week report

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Blogging, Guest Post, LinkedIn

Avoid These 9 Blogging Blunders: Guest Post by Suzanne Vara

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“Blogging is a way to share your thoughts, knowledge and information like never before.  We blog for many reasons which are  unique to us as people, but yet share a community that is a part of us.” — Suzanne Vara

Suzanne Vara is one of my new online friends/collaborators/role models, whom I mentioned in a recent article about How To Choose A Blog To Read.

Suzanne and I participate in many of the same LinkedIn groups and have built a very supportive relationship, which includes reading and commenting on each other’s blogs and group discussions — truly one of the great values of the Social Web.

Her online marketing agency, Kherize5, Builds  Big Brands for Small Business and her blog offers consistently great advice and guidelines for reaping great rewards through social media marketing. We have such similar interests and goals that I look forward to each one of her posts.

Today’s article on my blog actually ran a few days ago on Suzanne’s, but her thoughtful insights regarding some commonly discussed blogging tips is definitely worth passing along to new bloggers — and experienced ones as well.

How to Improve your Blog — or start a new one

Guest Post by Suzanne Vara

As a new blogger who is trying to gain new readership we look for new ways to get as many eyes (readers) and fingers to the keys (comments) to drive us to continue to write.  Seasoned vets who have been blogging for upwards of 8 years still look for new avenues as technology changes.

Technology is a tool that we utilize to gain new eyes and fingers but the means by which we determine how, what and why we will blog have not really changed over the years.  The same fundamentals that were incorporated to be a success still hold true today:

  • Provide useful and valuable content
  • Acknowledge those who read and comment with a comment back
  • Reach out to other bloggers
  • Comment there as we are all in this together.

Pretty basic but yet there seems to be a disconnect at some point as we get busier or feel that we are not gaining traction as we believed we should.  This is not to say that veering off course from time to time is disastrous but falling off the radar is in a sense waiving the white flag of setting unrealistic goals and expectations of yourself.  Blogging is not always easy as the what if no-one reads or am I a great writer or do I really have the time to commit to this do come into play as the post itself is just a part of blogging.

Everyone makes mistakes and how we identify and correct them builds that confidence and a better blog.

9 Blogging Mistakes to Avoid

1. Inconsistency: In the beginning new bloggers have the energy and set out to post every day, even 2x a day. Great strategy if you have planned for it and reasonably set aside time to keep up with this.  As a new blogger it is advantageous to have 20 or so blogs posted when you start to promote.  Set a schedule of when you will post so that readers expect it and do return to see what is next.  Being inconsistent leads to lack of trust as you were supposed to be here but you were not.

2. Lack of Focus:  As a new blogger trying different things to determine where you fit in is what is so unique to a new blogger.  An opportunity to establish yourself and determine  your niche.  Meet the expectations of readers to develop a loyalty. It is inviting to then try and branch out from your niche and expand.  There is opportunity to do so but not always on the main blog.  Seek new ways to expand on your style with guest posting or publishing on other sites.  Grow within yourself while maintaining focus on what you are trying to accomplish with the main blog or in some cases multiple blogs.

3. Burnout:  Blogger burnout is an excuse, an enabler, a way to throw your arms up and admit defeat. There is always something to post.  A quote, an opinion on another blog, a post why you feel burnt out.  The ideas are endless.  Physical limitations are a factor and being unable to even pull a post from the “can” is completely understandable (life happens) but outside that it is setting a standard for not being committed to yourself and audience.

4. Boxed Comments:  We hear over and over again to comment on comments to our blog and comment on other blogs, and we all do, so this is not a mistake in that aspect. But, what happens when the comment is “Great post, found it useful.”  Commenting back at first thought is the “Thanks for reading and finding this useful.”  Expand on that by seeing if they have a blog and refer to their blog in your comment back.  Thank them of course but also include how you liked a certain post as it relates back to yours. What happens if they do not have  a post that relates to yours, either respectfully thank them as above or ask them a question of some sort that relates a post of theirs.

5. Fear of First:  First to post or first to comment. Why?  If you find something and see that no-one else has written about write about it.  Being the first to comment on a blog is an opportunity to be able to share your thoughts without influence of others. After you comment share the post as it  meant enough to you to comment so why not share?

6.   Complacency:  Developing your niche and readership that meet your personal goals is wonderful but not a time to sit back. What happens when you do not meet your goals or even expansion.   Complacency is convenient and assumes loyalty.  That warm jacket is nice but yet decreases in size each year.

7. Closure: Closure as it relates to the lack of putting a piece of you and who you are into the post. When providing tips or relating a strategy, throw in what has worked for you (ie this blog) something you want to or are learning more about or something personal that connects people to you. Going outside a comfort zone is not always easy but yet it is welcomed.  Whether we deem ourselves as an introvert or extrovert, we all are a part of both. We tell people what we want them to know whether this be sharing knowledge from people we admire or exposing things about ourselves.  ie every so often my son becomes a part of this blog. As a mom first instinct is to shelter and protect but yet he is a big part of my life and actually inspires my writing though his curiosity of learning all that he can.

8. Lack Luster  Headlines: Think linkbait.  The headline is the what gets the article read. The content can be so valuable but if the headline is not enticing enough to read, many overlook. Headlines for some are the easy part where with others we struggle. Look at others that enticed you to read and incorporate.

9. Blinders to Community Expansion: This somewhat goes back to complacency, the expansion of your community is almost endless.  Commenting on blogs is great but not looking at the blogs of other commentors or the blog roll of people you read is not expanding upon your community.  The opportunity exists but time does not always but at the same time, we make time for what is important to us.

As a blogger who is blogging for the betterment of the business, exposure of the business or just to share thoughts we all have our reasons but all make mistakes.  The way to get around the mistakes is to acknowledge them and improve.  So, tell me how you are improving instead of identifying with the mistakes you have made?

Learn anything new here?

Tell us in a comment below.

One of the new tips for me was #4 “Boxed comments.” You can read my comment about that on Suzanne’s original post here.

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Guest Post

Every­one was a new­bie at one time when it comes to social media

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Putting together last week’s post “Ten Mistakes Made by Social Media Newbies” was a rewarding experience for me, especially because the article seemed to touch a chord with many of my friends — a lot of whom are resisting the New World of Communication.

Not all of them, though.

Below is a really detailed article comment written by Kimberly Noon, one of my awesome marketing students at SFSU. Her Gen-Y insights added a lot of her own experience to the conversation, and whe agreed to allow me to share her remarks as a Guest Post.

Here’s Kim:

Shari — I love this. I think you’ve nailed every­thing. As a very expe­ri­enced Social-Medialite, I think you’ve explained every­thing so well. A few comments…

Learn­ing the dif­fer­ent avenues of social media CAN be super over­whelm­ing. For new­bies, they should do exactly what you said. Fol­low the 4 steps and focus on one ele­ment at a time. Learn­ing one (twit­ter, face­book, etc.) will help you learn the oth­ers. For exam­ple, Twit­ter and Face­book have many of the same ele­ments and reach the same demo­graphic, hence once you learn one it will be “eas­ier” to learn the other.

Friends connect through Mafia Wars

Love the Mafia Wars ref­er­ence 🙂 My boyfriend works for the com­pany that sup­plies us with those games such as Far­mVille, Mafia Wars, YoVille, etc. The point of those games is to con­nect friends through gam­ing. Back in the day, this used to be done by hav­ing family/friend game nights and play­ing board games. It’s the same con­cept, only nowa­days, peo­ple are on-line the major­ity of their day and have less time to meet face to face. These games give peo­ple the oppor­tu­nity to play games with their friends/family (be con­nected) and still have the same kind of play­ful expe­ri­ence.

Also, if the games are THAT pop­u­lar there is prob­a­bly some­thing attrac­tive about them… and it’s just another way to be con­nected, which is the point any­way.. right?

One of the best ways to learn the tips and tricks of social media is LISTENING to your peers. Watch, lis­ten, explore, and learn.

Every­one was a new­bie at one time when it comes to social media. Most social media mem­bers are for­giv­ing and will offer help and sug­ges­tions. MOST, not all.

Be your­self when it comes to social media

Act­ing like some­one you aren’t is bad and it’s for a whole dif­fer­ent crowd — the cults of peo­ple who use social media as an “escape” from who they really are. The peo­ple who are there to be them­selves and con­nect with peo­ple they REALLY know (not imag­i­nary inter­net friends) see these “cult” peo­ple as creepy and spam-like.

Speak­ing of spam — DON’T spam. This will cause peo­ple to “unfol­low” or “hide” you, which defeats the pur­pose of being con­nected through social media. There are so many peo­ple on my Face­book page that post and repost every ounce of spam they come across. I “hide” these peo­ple from my Face­book page so I never see what they post. You don’t want to be one of these peo­ple 🙂

Lastly, social media out­lets are NOT your diary. Like you said, once you say some­thing, it’s out there and you can’t take it back. If you want to post some­thing, think about it first. If it’s some­thing only your diary should know, write it down there and don’t share it with the Web world.

Kimberly’s had her say; what’s yours?

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Guest Post

ABC’S of PR: One Student’s Wide Angle View

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Magan JenkinsI met Magan online last week when she wrote this fabulous blog post on PROpenMic, a social network for PR students, faculty and professionals. I loved her creative approach to the practice and wanted to share it with my audience.

Magan is a senior at University of Georgia. As a PR major, she is in love with all things New Media and is working for a special certificate in that area of study. Her favorite color is lime green and her favorite foods are salads and French Fries [of course lots of salad so she can eat the fries, I imagine 🙂 ]

ABC’s of PR

by Magan Jenkin

Since I am a senior this year I thought it would be fun to go back to the basics and remind myself of my ABC’s, only this time within the world of PR.

A- Audience, Always make sure any all plans, press kits, news releases, etc are aimed at your target audiences.

B-Business etiquette, the best way to learn is to OBSERVE- Guest speaker Joan Collins

C-Create social networking accounts i.e. Twitter, Facebook, PROpenmic, Blogging, etc.

D- Develop plans and strategies that will be most effective

E-Elements of a Crisis- Surprise, Lack of information, Loss of control, Outside scrutiny, Time pressure

F-Focus Groups, a great way to gather information on your audience

G- Google yourself to make sure your Web presence is a positive one.

H- Hear, Keep your eyes and ears open for any internship opportunities that may present themselves.

I- Interview a working PR practitioner, an assignment I was able to do in in my 5920 class. I learned so much from Melissa Libby from Melissa Libby and Associates

J-Join PRSSA, UGA’S Public Relations Student Society of America

K- Key Message, always make sure your key message is clear and directed to their right audience

L- Look for AP mistakes in any print material you are sending out

M- MBO, Management by Objectives, process of agreeing upon objectives within an organization so that management and employees agree to the objectives and understand what they are in the organization.

N-Networking, an important skill to develop to help build strong relationships.

O-Opinions, get to know the opinions of your target audience and the local media. By investing time with the media the more likely they are to run your releases.

P- Press kits, puts forth key information about its business or product in a convenient, cohesive marketing package with the goal of attracting further attention.

Q- Questionnaires are a great way to conduct research on your target audiences.

R-Relationships with Journalists- very imporant to develop and maintain healthy relationships with journalists

S- Southwest Airlines, a truly unique airline who has mastered Public Relations

T- TQM, Total Quality Management, business management strategy aimed at embedding awareness of quality

U-University of Georgia’s Grady College, Public Relations is the hardest major to get into. Remember how all your hard work and be proud of your accomplishments.

V- Vs, Public Relations Vs. Journalism, an on going battle between the two majors, and jobs. Either way both professions need one another and its a good idea to develop healthy relationships.

W- Willingness, always have the willingness to participate and be effective.

X- X-Factor, when applying for internships or jobs show your potential boss that you are of value and will bring something different to the table

Y-You can do anything. Stay positive and be confident in all your work.

Z- Catch some zzz’s, sleep is very important in any profession it provides a practitioner with energy!

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Guest Post, LinkedIn

So you’ve joined a LinkedIn Group . . . what’s next?

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Photos by Howard Blum
Photos by Howard Blum

No matter what level of social media understanding you are at, you will ALWAYS find exciting new information and ways to get the most out of your online experience.

Sometimes it’s a matter of being READY to appreciate the information.

And I, personally, am ready to dive into Group conversations.

How about you?

  • Joined any groups yet?
  • Did you know what you were doing?
  • Are you in the right groups?
  • How are you participating?

All of the above are great questions, and I’ve now joined several groups on LinkedIn BUT I’m not so sure that I (a) knew what I was doing; (b) joined the right groups; or (c) knew what was expected of participants.

So when my SOCIAL MEDIA MAVEN group included a discussion on groups, I was really intrigued.

And then when I read Delores Wilson’s article, I thought “WOW, I have to share this.”

Delores was kind enough to allow me to re-post her article on my blog, so you can read her insights on HOW GROUPS WORK – AND HOW YOU CAN MAKE THEM WORK FOR YOU:

which oneI’ve Joined a Group….Now What?

by Delores R. Williams:

http://www.socialmediadiet.blogspot.com
You’ve finally set up all of your profiles on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and all of the other seemingly endless social media platforms. After wading through the plethora of applications, plug-ins, connections and friending, you suddenly find yourself in the world of Groups. You scratch your head, deepen your breath while you ponder this new social media frontier.
What the heck is this? Nobody told me about this “group” thing! Do I join a group? Host a group? Does this require more time? …I don’t remember signing up for this! Now what?

Understanding how communities REALLY behave is important to know BEFORE you either join or/and host a group.

People that join groups may have agendas/goals that may/may not align with those of the host or other group members. Making the mistake of assuming that community members are all on the same page – that once someone joins a community, they are going to abide by the rules & guidelines- could be further from the truth.

How do you get around the daggers that may put holes in the successful functioning of your group?

Best solution – a discussion of objectives, goal and rules for, both, the group and its community. In essence, what I refer to as – THE ROLL CALL. Short and sweet, this is it:

The Moderator:
aka, Host, Admin, Organizer. The Moderator is the ‘mayor’ of the community. It is the job of the Moderator to ensure that the goals, objectives and rules are abided by all of the community members. Monitoring and enforcing group guidelines ensures that the group runs smoothly and that community members feel ‘safe’ and have their basic needs met at all times.

The Influencers:
These are members who, naturally, take on roles like policing ‘bad’ behavior, welcoming new members, inviting other new members and attributing to group discussions. Influencers are self-motivated, enthusiastic community members who are invested in the success of the group.

Second Tier Influencers:
These are members who, through listening to the discussions and conversations from others in the community (usually The Influencers), are learning to appropriately utilize the group for its said purpose. Second Tier Influencers often times are converted into becoming Influencers themselves.

The Individual:
The individual, despite being aware of the guidelines, objectives and rules, has his/her own agenda for joining the group. Behavior is often times contrary to the rules set by The Moderator and results in creating discomfort within the community. These members push the envelope by constantly testing the rules (i.e., blatant product advertising instead of discussing brand/industry standards). The ‘Individual’ keeps The Influencers busy and definitely requires prompt intervention from The Moderator.

That’s it! Social Media Communities…in more than 140 characters.

Tell me your thoughts? Did I hit the mark? or am I way off?
I’d like to hear from the community….

Click on photos to link to other Howard Blum photos or go to his website

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