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Posted February 29th, 2008 by Kevin
“Submit the URL of your blog and we’ll let you know whether or not you qualify to blog about our products and receive a free sample!”
Huh? Is this some sort of joke?
“We won’t send just anyone a sample of our product. If you have a significant audience that will help generate awareness of our brand while limiting the loss we would experience by allowing just ANY blogger to participate, then submit your URL and we’ll let you know whether you’re worthy.”
Ok…so these aren’t actual quotes, but they might as well be. Notice that I have not included the company name. This was intentional, but clearly not designed to protect the innocent. It’s missing because I am very curious to hear what everyone’s first reaction is.
Let’s take a look at some previous outreach campaigns and the associated risk:
Nikon D80 – Risk Level: High
As most know, Nikon offered the new D80 to popular bloggers for 3 months at no cost with an option to buy at a discounted rate at the end of the trial period. Nikon took a big risk as these camera’s (worth approximately $800) could have been damaged, stolen or “lost” during the initiative. However, as everyone knows, the campaign was a huge success and most likely worth the risk if you ask anyone at Nikon.
(UNM2PNM) Join the Conversation by Joseph Jaffe – Risk Level: Low
Sending out copies of your book to interested readers is a smart idea and something authors have been doing for decades. Asking them to review it once they are done is very “conversational.” Asking them to then post that review on Amazon.com is covering your bases! As the copy of the book costs $30 retail and Joseph offered it to 130 interested people who may have bought the book anyway, he essentially lost about $4,000 (after postage).
- Side note: I still owe Jaffe a review…which means I have yet to hold up my end of the bargain…which means I need to start reading…which means I’ll do it and I apologize.
These are two great examples of activating a community. Now, how would you do the same thing if your product was food? Does it matter?
Even if your product can’t be returned, it can be shared and should be shared. For examples on how to do this activity right, read Hugh Macleod’s post on Stormhoek. They sent out 100+/- cases, doubled sales in less than 12 months and received significant reviews in the blogosphere.
Now, take a look at this recent campaign by Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Company called Java Beta Test. It’s getting some pretty good buzz from Mashable and CNET, but when I signed up; I wasn’t thrilled with the response I received:
Hi Kevin,
You have successfully submitted (email address) for inclusion in the Joffrey’s Java beta test invite list.
If your blog is chosen to participate, we will send you an invitation!
Thank you,
Joffrey’s Coffee and Tea Company
What exactly do they mean by “chosen?” What are the criteria for being chosen? If you’re wondering what my first reaction was, refer to paragraphs one and two.
Posted January 8th, 2008 by Kevin
Last week, Mack Collier, popular Social Media Blogger at The Viral Garden, continued his discussion on How to Launch a Successful Blogger Outreach Program in One Day. This edition of the conversation focused on how companies can approach bloggers if there is currently little to no online chatter about the brand. As Mack states, adding value for your audience can have an immediate impact on conversations about your brand. Some of you may be scratching your head and wondering what that means. How can you add value beyond the value your product or company currently provides?
Your first instinct may be to utilize traditional PR materials and redistribute them to the blog to increase exposure and drive traffic back to company news. Another idea may be to take previously distributed content and post it up on the blog to see if it generates a conversation. Don’t be disappointed when your audience doesn’t get excited about materials they can find elsewhere on your site or have seen before in the past.
Adding value means providing content, materials and conversation that expands upon your existing brand presence. Use this venue to let people inside the operation and understand what makes the company tick. I’m not suggesting that you give away the company “secret sauce,” but be passionate about the industry and ask yourself, “what do our customers need to know?”
If your company makes performance apparel for athletes that keeps you cool in hot weather, blog about all of the sports that could benefit from your offering. I’m much more likely to talk to you if I believe that you use the products and they work. Ask me what products I’d like to see you develop using your “state of the art technology” and you’ll have me hooked! Don’t paint yourself into a corner by focusing solely on the technology that makes your clothes superior and news from the company. Your customers don’t really care how it works; only that it does.
There will always be an opportunity to mention a new product, discuss the addition of a new team member or even announce that you had a great quarter, but the primary focus should be on getting the people to your blog and keeping them involved in the conversation. And most importantly, the conversation needs to come from a real person.
*Important Note: Start thinking about who you want your customers and potential customers to be conversing with before you launch the blog.
Posted October 25th, 2007 by Kevin
Over the course of the last couple of weeks, there has been some discussion as to whether or not CEO’s should blog (including ours). For the most part, people seem to be falling on one side or the other. Here at DIG, from the top down, we know that this is not a black and white issue and that recognizing the shades of gray will lead to the appropriate answer on a case by case basis.
Not everyone should be a blogger, or can be for that matter. Sure, the technology exists to allow anyone the opportunity to participate, but that doesn’t mean they should. It’s important to understand the motivations for a blog from a CEO perspective – Raise awareness of the company? Generate Leads? Motivate Employees? Provide Thought Leadership? These don’t sound like CEO responsibilities to me and apparently some people agree, like here. These initiatives are primarily the responsibility of other executives who may be more appropriate when considering who should author the organizations blog.
Back when social media was just starting to form, pioneers like Seth Godin and Steve Rubel found plenty of reasons to why CEO’s should think long and hard before blogging. Rubel made a great point in stating that CEO’s need to be conversational if they plan to blog. As most bloggers know, it’s about the conversation not just generating content. I for one would rather have my CEO talking with potential customers and creating corporate strategy then writing thought leadership posts to educate and entertain the industry or commenting on posts about the latest shiny object and how it will lead us to the Web 3.0 promise land.
The social web is about creation and consumption. Considering the popular theory of “The 1%” often discussed at Church of the Customer, 99% of people interacting with Consumer Generated Content aren’t content creators themselves. To suggest that they don’t recognize the power of the space because they don’t create content themselves is absurd. Isn’t it quite possible that the content being produced by that 1% could be a result of conversations with people like…I don’t know…CEO’s?
Posted July 30th, 2007 by Kevin
Will JK Rowling kill Harry Potter? Will the iPhone levitate? Are the cast members of “Lost” in purgatory? If you want an answer, you can find plenty of them in the appropriate community. Today, anyone can be a Super Sleuth and find facts and data to support a desired theory to the questions above. The most recent example of this phenomenon is 1-18-08.
If you’ve seen the movie trailer, your first reaction was probably “WTF?!?!?!” Followed quickly by, “What was that called? I didn’t see a title.” Paramount Pictures released the trailer prior to Transformers and the blogosphere has been buzzing ever since (you can see the trailer here). There was no story mentioned. It looked like an earthquake, until something roared. There was no title. Just 1-18-08.
Now, just three weeks later, you can find countless theories and a huge foothold online. Have a theory about the movie, visit the wiki. Want to get some additional clues, visit blogs like this. Want to follow the breadcrumbs that Paramount is leaving you, then check out the official site at www.1-18-08.com where you can view four still images they’ve released to date and check back often as there are more to come.
So…what is the community saying about a movie with no title, characters and confirmed plot line?
“I just watched the trailer to 1-18-08 and it looks like its going to be one hell of a movie. I have no clue what it’s about.”
“…Along with the date (1-18-08), we see a time of 12:36 A.M on one of the pictures. I did a google search for 12:36 (with the idea of a biblical verse) and here’s what it came up with. “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak…” Matthew 12:36
“Supposedly he told Ain’t It Cool News that it’s about a giant worm that falls to Earth. Sigh…Viral Marketing works I guess.”
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