Posts filed under 'Blogs'
Posted February 24th, 2009 by Rebecca
Twitter is one of the most popular and least understood social media vehicles. This micro-blogging service is the equivalent of sending a 140-character SMS to upwards of 3,000,000 people at once.
Of course, some companies are concerned that as products become part of a customer conversation, some control may be lost. The trade-offs are that the dialogue with real, live customers can help you refine or improve your products to meet your customers needs. Not to mention Twitter lets you keep up with what your competitors are up to in real time.
Some of the most well-known uses of Twitter by advertisers include Zappos, Dell, BestBuy, Pepsico (Tropicana) and Amazon who are using Twitter to brand build without breaking the bank.
Other high-profile uses of Twitter include a Twitterer aboard the ferry headed to rescue the US Air passengers, a global Twestival event that raised money for clean water, Lance Armstrong staying connected to cycling fans and the LiveStrong community, and Democrats mobilizing to help elect Obama.
To fiind out more about the possibilties Twitter offers, check out this SlideShare presentation called “How Twitter Changed My Life”. It’s good food for thought about how Twitter can help you or your company expand your social network, stay on top of trends, have a genuine 1×1 relationship with your customers and ultimately spread the word.
Posted March 28th, 2008 by Char Lyn
In the world of social media, we often hear of the wisdom of the crowds—present a problem to the masses and they are likely to find the best solution. Today, Justin Wolfers suggests that rather than supplying wisdom, the masses may be crowding out the true wisdom of the experts in his Freakonomics post on the lack of academic commentary on the current state of the economy.
Crowding out: The wisdom of crowds is at its heyday and experts have lost market share in the public square. Everyone with a blog and ten minutes to spare is offering a view (including yours truly), and this is crowding out thoughtful discussion.
It seems everyone is talking about the current economic situation in the US and the world. And when everyone is talking, how do you as an individual identify the truly relevant information? Do you rely on the masses by getting your news from DIGG, Reddit or another aggregator with user rankings? Do you rely on some secret sauce coded algorithm such as Google’s page rank or Technorati’s blog rank that balances the crowds voice with hidden metrics? Or, do you rely on an influencer to tell you what is really happening?
The truth is, it’s easy for your message to get “crowded out” without the right influencers behind you. At DIG we emphasize a marriage of marketing and outreach to get a message to the masses so they can share it with the crowd. Then the crowd gets the chance to see the wisdom you share.
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?
(Update: See the Comments section for details on the Joffrey’s Java beta test)
Posted February 15th, 2008 by Scott
With so many restrictions and guidelines in place for the media during the Olympics, I thought it was interesting to see this announcement made today by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) allowing competing athletes the ability to blog. The IOC considers blogging as “a legitimate form of personal expression and not a form of journalism.” This is interesting to see because I feel that blogging is absolutely a form of journalism; especially since we live in a world where companies are now reaching out to their PR agencies more often to “leak” new product information to consumers online.
I think that allowing blogging is a great idea and could potentially generate more of an audience for the Olympics (which equals more brand exposure for sponsors). People have the ability to develop a personal interest in athletes if they choose to follow them via their blog. At least they can get the athlete’s take on events prior to NBC’s report hours after the events occur.
This definitely adds another notch to blogging’s belt 
.
Posted February 12th, 2008 by admin
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General Motors first delved into social media with the GM Fast Lanes Blog, a success by most standards of corporate blogging. GM is posting, podcasting and even Twittering regularly, and people are commenting. But apparently all this is just a warm up. Recently they’ve decided to build upon the open dialogue principles of their first blog by creating GMnext, a new online community focused around technology, innovation and collaboration.
Adding Your Story
Once you register you can participate in the GMnext community in many ways. GM invites people to help them tell a story by contributing content through guest posts on the blog, videos, photos and even the GMnext Wiki. Frank Oresnik, a Chevy truck owner, reached the million mile mark on his 1991 Chevy Silverado and posted his compelling stories on the GMnext blog. The story was recently covered in CNet, NPR, AP and several other news sources.
The community is divided by Stories, Thoughts, Videos, Photos, Events, Chat, Podcasts and Feeds. Content within these sections is labeled by categories aimed at communicating automotive innovation: Design, Technology, Green, Ideas and Reach.
Bob Lutz, Chairman, GM North America recently introduced a rather unique community feature called Our Thoughts/Your Thoughts in which a GM executive offers his thoughts along side a post by a third party source. Larry Burns VP, GM R&D and writer/director Chris Paine went face to face about GM’s approach on global energy issues in the first dual post. There are 120 comments so far.
The video section is designed similar to YouTube with a way of sorting through clips by Most Viewed, Highest Ranked and Newest. You can rate and comment on videos, bookmark them and explore links and other multimedia related to the video. You can tune in for a live talk through the Chat section with Carl Zipfel HUMMER Director of Exterior Design on February 14th at 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. EST.
GMnext shows a true commitment for taking the corporation-to-consumer conversation to the next level. After seeing success with Fast Lanes, they identified an opportunity to further leverage social media to involve the masses in the creation of the GM story. I learned tons about GM and their proactive position in innovative technologies while writing this post – more than I have from the years of commercials and Transformers product placements. Hopefully their commitment to innovation and their ability to communicate it will turn around this classic American company from its 2007 losses.
Posted February 8th, 2008 by Neha
Fashion Week in 2007 was the year for the celebration of staple institutions in the fashion world. Lacoste was applauded for 75 years of defining timeless and Ralph Lauren took a much deserved bow at the end of the runway for 40 years that have reshaped the industry.
As last year applauded the traditional, Fashion Week 2008 has embraced the new. New media that is. In 2006, bloggers were handed the much vied for press passes among the Anna Wintours of the industry. 2008 sees another first on this front. IQONS.com, a social networking platform that has connected some of fashion’s premier young talent with the industry’s superstars, was enlisted as a media partnership, alongside longtime traditional media partner The New York Times.
I find the most compelling aspect of social media to be the ability for a community to contribute their own thoughts and build upon one another’s ideas. It gives everyone a voice, even those who don’t get those prized seats at the runway. So I find it fitting that with the induction of this new media partnership, IQONS will circulate the first issue of its user-generated magazine among the jewel tone clad fashionistas perched under the white peaks of the Bryant Park tents. Meanwhile I will shiver in Boston, and try to live vicariously through some of my favorite fashion bloggers (Fashion Tribes) who were given the ultimate nod from the industry by getting press passes to arguably, the most glamorous week of the year.
Posted January 10th, 2008 by Char Lyn
Mack over at the Viral Garden had a post yesterday that gave a great tip for using Google to monitor your brand in the blogosphere. He also underlined the importance of corporations leveraging the free market research available through blogs. However, I disagreed with the underlying message of his post, which implied that corporations don’t monitor the blogs and should always respond to blog posts about them.
Good marketers know when no response is the best course of action. Here are some examples:
- A truthful, transparent response will incite more negative posts.
- Responding may expose the company to legal action or increased regulatory oversight.
- Entering the conversation opens a floodgate that requires continued involvement beyond the resources of the company.
Still don’t believe me? Then you probably also think the customer is ALWAYS right. Now I do believe that you should do everything within your power to make a customer happy, but there are some customers whose happiness would drive you out of business. When those customers blog, no response is the best route.
Do you have other scenarios when a corporation shouldn’t respond? I’d love to hear them. Also feel free to comment about your vehement opposition to the content of my post. Just be aware that I may not respond.
@Jennifer Laycock Please don’t misconstrue my post in any way. I loved your post and subsequent comments. In your specific case, Panera’s best response may be to allow each franchise location to determine the log in time interval, in which case you could get the local manager to give you unlimited access.
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 January 4th, 2008 by Scott
2008 has finally arrived! Now it’s time to get up off the couch and commit to your resolutions. My first and foremost commitment is dedicating more time to my footprint in social media. Yes it’s true, I work for a social media marketing company and KNOW the value and necessity of taking part in the everyday blog-to-blog discussions and infamous social networks. But the truth of the matter is in 2007 I did the same thing that many others out there did, I OBSERVED. The start of 2008 is the perfect time to act on our “research” from last year.
I know what I need to do. Do you? If not, here are a few ways that you can get yourself and your business involved in online conversations:
1. Monitor the conversations going on about you, your company and your products. Utilize RSS feeds like Google Reader to help you monitor the day-to-day conversations.
2. Contribute to blog posts via comments, participate in online communities and forums, and share your own opinions within consumer review sites. Monitor your brand (Technorati and Google Blog Search can help with that) – if you’re being talked about, whether positive or negative, get involved in the conversation. Let your customers know their voices are being heard. Often enough some of the biggest critics will become advocates because you acknowledge their complaints.
3. Sign up and create profiles for all the major social networks (Myspace, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.). Since we live in a world where it’s not what you know but rather who you know, expand your network and reconnect with old friends and colleagues.
4. Take the plunge and START A BLOG! There are loads of platforms available (Wordpress, TypePad, etc.) where you can sign up and have your own blog up and running in minutes!
Keep in mind the web is rapidly evolving – putting off what you could do with social media today until tomorrow could leave you up to your neck in catch up work .
Best of Luck in ‘08!
Source
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?
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