Posts tagged ‘New Media’
All Media is Social Media
I have been involved in social media for about the last 5 years, although it has gone by many names: grassroots, word of mouth, new media, Web 2.0, viral, social networking, etc. It seems like we have finally arrived at a term that everyone is comfortable with: social media. It appears that the reason why most are satisfied with social media to describe the blog/podcast/MySpace/Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn phenomenon is that what all these technologies have in common is that they are all about conversations. They encourage people to engage with each other.
I think that is a great way to describe the explosion of conversation technologies. However, I would argue that based on this definition, all media is social. All media encourages conversation, good or bad. However, social media simply captures that conversation in a nicely oraganized format online.
There are many who think of social media as a tactic only and fail to realize that it is, in fact, a cultural phenomenon. Much the same way that you feel frustration when you can’t fast forward through a commercial on a DVR because we have become accustomed to controlling our content, we feel frustrated when a brand does not have the proper tools for discussion online when we need to react to what they are doing. The conversation will take place, online or off. Wouldn’t you rather have take place in a way that you can faciliatate and participate in that conversation? This is what made shows like American Idol so popular is the ability for the audience to engage with the brand.
So while I praise the industry for arriving at a standard term for all of the online mumbo jumbo, let us remember that all media, when used correctly, should be social. So why not use social media to capture the conversation?
What should I blog about?
This seems to be one of the most oft asked questions I receive. It typically comes right after, “I want to start a blog.” Most often this comes from the fact that this person has heard the term “blog” so many times, they feel like they are missing the bandwagon and need to get on board. “Bobby has a blog so that means I need one too.” Well Bobby may just be more interesting than you!
Having a blog is one of the easiest things to do, but one of the hardest things to do well. The first shocker I give people is to tell them it is not a marketing tactic. Blogging is a way to create transparency and, most importantly, start a dialog. It would be like asking someone ” would you like to chat” and then after they say yes proceeding to give a long lecture about how so dang cool you are. Simply maddening.
So why have a blog and how do you do it right? The first step is to first have a cause – a compelling reason to write. As I have often said to clients, customers buy products but evangelists buy causes. They buy into something. And no, selling more stuff is not a cause. Come up with a higher, holier calling about what you do.
Step 2 is to explore the cause. Make it conversational. Explore the different opinions on the topic. Ask for input and feedback. Make it stream of consciousness.
Also, remember the key rule of blogging – make it compelling. That means you need to piss them off, make them laugh, tug on their heart strings, or spark their interest in some way.
Don’t blog just because some marketing guy told you to. Blog because you are passionate about something. Blog because you have some expertise in a particular area. Blog because you want to change the world in some small way.
There are a lot of bloggers out there with some great success. What do you find makes a good blog?
Web 2.0 Media Use in Business
A new report just came out that talks about how new media and web 2.0 technologies are permeating the business environment. It is interesting to note that these technologies didn’t even exist 5 years ago. However, according to a new report released by Awareness (via Marketing Charts) titled “Trends in Adopting Web 2.0 for the Enterprise in 2007“, more than half (54%) of enterprise-size organizations use Web 2.0 technologies and an astonishing 74% of companies with fewer than 500 employees.
While Web 2.0 technologies have had several hiccups along the road to adoption, this study show that they are clearly past the tipping point, chasm, ignition point, or whatever other marketing analogy you want to use. The simple fact is people are using the technology and using it effectively.
The study goes on to say that 96% of those surveyed say all Web 2.0 technologies they’ve used have been successful with 83% reporting no clear failures. What? According to the critics, these were great for hobbyists but they had no real business value. I think we are starting to see otherwise.
The biggest obstacle to implementation? Most say limited internal resources. Part of this comes down to the fact that most companies are used to paying someone to place ads, run trade shows, or design cool brochures. However, new media, or Web 2.0 technologies, are engagement tools that require your personal time and attention.
The last tidbit of info I will share with you are the benefits of external-facing social media. The top 3 are:
- Increased customer engagement: 68%
- Increased brand awareness & loyalty: 64%
- Effective market research: 58%
I hate to be “Mr. I-Told-You-So”, but the facts are clear. Web 2.0 is becoming pervasive in business. It increases awareness, engagement, and loyalty with your customers. It provides an effective feedback mechanism on your company and its products and services. Last of all, it is a powerful tool in your marketing arsenal. You simply can’t get a better return on investment for your marketing efforts. Combined with other marketing tactics, Web 2.0 tools can change the way you interact with your customers.
I encourage you to read the report.
A Collection of Coffee Shops
I have given several seminars on this topic, but I wanted to share it on this blog so that everyone can understand the power of online marketing as it exists today. I often receive requests to speak on web 2.0 or new media. It is often the same question, “can you teach us how to use web 2.0 to get the word out about us?”
To answer this question, I need to step back and do a quick overview of how the web has evolved and why they use the term web 2.0 (vs. web 1.0). To begin with, in the initial heyday of the Internet, it was all about getting a web site. If you had your own web page on the world wide web, you were a star. The process was difficult and the result was a collection of online brochures. Companies like Tripod and Geocities came along and simplified the process of putting up your own web page, but it was still static.
Then came a revolution in how people used the web. They began to congregate on the web. They began to use nascent tools to create communities around specific topics, whether it was a blog, podcast, wiki, message board, or full fledged social network. You can read the Wikipedia definition of Web 2.0 here.
Today, the best analogy I have come up with for the way the web works today is this:
Walk into any coffee shop in America these days and you will find a collection of small communities in full gossip mode. They could be talking about relationships, personal trials, or business transactions. However, they are all engrossed in what is going on immediately around them.
The web works the same way today. Think of the web as a giant collection of coffee shops (or one giant coffee shop if it is easier to picture). There are groups of people all over the world meeting and gossiping about everything from cancer to cars. The web has gone beyond a collection of static brochures to become a gathering place. Unlike a coffee shop, where the conversation wanders from topic to topic, most online communities are built around a very specific topic.
For example, one of the most well read blogs on the Internet is one by Leroy Sievers a journalist for the last 25 years and current cancer patient. His emotional posts receive no fewer than 45 comments per blog, with some receiving upwards of 170. There are communities created around a love of cars, such as CarDomain.com, with close to 2 million registered users. Even tree huggers have their own coffee shops at places like TreeHugger.com or Care2 Make a Difference, which has over 8 million registered users. Looking to build your biceps? Boise-based company BodyBuilding.com has one of the web’s largest online communities for advice on that perfect calf workout. There are even online coffee shops, like Pronetos, for Professors and academics to get together and dish about their research.
The key benefits to tapping into these online communities is that they are a targeted group gathered around a central theme, they are passionate, and they are influencers. This group is a collection of thought leaders in their field.
What is tricky about using these communities to market, however, is that they have a high BS radar and a long memory for those that try to shamelessly promote themselves in the middle of the conversation. It would be much the same way if you walked into the middle of a group huddled together in a coffee shop and pronounced loudly, “Have you tried my brand of wiper blade? It will change your life!” I guarantee you that the same looks you would receive from that group would be the same ones you would receive from behind the monitors of the online elite.
You have to get involved and become engaged. While it is an incredible opportunity to have this group of influencers gathered together in one place, you have to become a part of the group in order to succeed. It is not quick and you can’t just pay someone to run a few ads for you. You have to genuinely be a part of the conversation.
Blog Neglect
First of all, I have to apologize. I feel like I am at a confessional, “Father, I have sinned. How long has it been since your last confession? 2 weeks!”
For someone who preaches consistency to his clients, I have been a poor example. However, there is a nugget of wisdom in there as well. Many of my clients have complained about the time constraints of blogging. The reality is, however, that it takes 15 simple minutes out of your week. The problem isn’t time, it’s scheduling and prioritization.
Blogging is not only a brain dump, it is cathartic as well. I could give you an excuse like I was out of town for the last 2 weeks or that I started my MBA program, but the reality is that I need to blog as much for me as well as anyone else who reads my rants (hi Mom).
So take it from someone in rehab, don’t neglect your blog. Your audience is waiting!
An Ad Campaign I Actually Like
There has been much written on the effectiveness of the Mac vs. PC campaign. Both critics and supporters alike have lauded the campaign for its effectiveness in highlighting the differences between the two products. It is entertaining, informative, and hip.
Enter Whopper Freakout. While I am not particularly a huge fan of fast food, this ad campaign did an incredible job of showcasing impassioned fans of the Burger King Whopper. Part reality show, part testimonial, this campaign does a great job of exhibiting real customers in a situation where their favorite burger is taken away from them.
In an interesting twist, the producer of the campaign has begun switching the Whopper with burgers from various competitors. This solicits even more passionate pleas. Some customers can be heard shouting things like “I hate Wendy’s!”. The agency who executed this campaign has even implemented a new media campaign by creating a microsite at whopperfreakout.com and have even posted extended versions of the hidden camera segments on YouTube.
It’s real, it’s raw, and it’s passionate. It also ties the viewer into an online community. That is the way that advertising was meant to be done. Kudos to Burger King.
The Mystery of a Blog – Revealed
Brian Brown over at the Pajama Market Blog did a great job of producing a video that explains the basics of what a blog is. For those of you who wake up at night in a cold sweat with the word “blog” falling weakly from your lips, this is a good overview.
In summary, here are the basics:
- It’s a Web site. This might seem too obvious, but for technophobes it might need to be said.
- Adding articles is like writing an email. It’s as simple as writing a title, writing a message, attaching an image and hitting send.
- Readers can post comments. This interactive element differentiates blogs from many other Web sites.
- Readers can subscribe. They don’t have to check in all the time since they always know when new content goes up.
Thanks to the MarketingProfs eNewsletter for the summary.
Blogging is Not a Marketing Tactic
There has been a lot of publicity given to new media technologies like blogging, podcasting, wikis, etc. These technologies have been wholeheartedly embraced by the marketing world as additional avenues for spreading a carefully crafted message.
The reality is that blogging is not a marketing tactic in the sense that marketers are accustomed to (i.e. controlled message with a controlled delivery). Some marketers have gone as far as starting a “blog” that looks like nothing more than a press release or brochure. Take the “blog” on CBH Homes‘ website. I would be hard pressed to find a more carefully thought out message than in a White House press briefing. The biggest red flag is the inability to leave a comment. To steal from the political lexicon, I would call this a BINO (Blog In Name Only).
What marketers need to come to understand is the 3-fold mission of new media:
- Education
- Transparency
- Conversation
I would throw Entertainment in there as a fourth one if we were talk consumer to consumer, but we are talking either business to consumer or business to business. In either case, entertainment has been way over done and is largely irrelevant in driving a brand.
First, new media is the new form of education.Stephen Covey has said before that by reading more books, you are able to get inside some of the greatest minds in history. I would say the same is true today, only that the medium has changed from books to blogs. I have heard the criticism that this form of social networking is all based on opinion and hearsay, however, the same could be said of every book ever written (and I have read some very well researched blogs). More than anything blogging and podcasting have given marketers a “value-added marketing” medium to be able to provide value in exchange for time and attention. That value, more than not, is often in the form of education.
Second, in a commodity world like ours, everything begins blends together so that the only thing left to compete on is price. Take the real estate world for an example. I can buy the same house from any of the thousands of real estate agents locally for the same price. The only true differentiation is relationships in that world. By using new media, I can more easily build a relationship with my readers by allowing them inside my head to see how I think and how I approach problems. When I consult with professionals on blogging, the first thing I tell them is “don’t think, just write.” The best blogs are stream of consciousness. They are simply getting what is in my head down on paper (digitally, of course). Transparency drives familiarity which drives relationships and, no matter what business you are in, you can always use more relationships.
Lastly, carrying the relationship theme through, new media is ideal for conversations. Real, raw, conspicuous conversations. The negative comments are as valuable as the positive ones. It gives you the chance to show the world how you handle pressure. It also allows you to hone your own ideas.
I have heard the criticism that blogging and new media are a lot of hype, that they are not truly effective for marketing. I would agree and disagree. Are they another medium for your 30 second spot? No. Are they an avenue for building a relationship with someone and providing value to your target market? Absolutely. If you try to pitch without first earning the right, you will get “run”. The blogoshpere has a very high BS radar. If you truly want to see a benefit for your business from blogging, educate, be transparent, and start conversations.
