Category Archives: How to Go Social
June 26, 2009
Social Media Haiku
Conversations are
Earned through trusted engagement
Not purchased wholesale.
Posted in Branding, How to Go Social, Social Marketing
June 18, 2009
OBSM
Social media can sometimes feel more like outbound telemarketing. Sure, clients get to approve a script and listen in on calls, but they cannot predict the words that will come out of every customer’s mouth when an agent gets on that call. And worse, the whole world can see this conversation AND there is a written record of it.
Posted in How to Go Social, Zeitgeist & Coffee
June 17, 2009
What’s In a Number?
The number one activity of small businesses using social media is “responding to customer questions.” This shows me that many small businesses are picking up on something that the larger companies often miss – it’s about establishing and nurturing a conversation.
Posted in How to Go Social, Social Marketing
June 15, 2009
Social Marketing: It’s OK to Start Small
As we talk to more and more clients about incorporating social media into their marketing mix, we encounter a fair amount of anxiety – a lot of, “We know we should, but we’re just not ready.”
Posted in How to Go Social, Social Marketing
June 15, 2009
What We’re Hearing On the Streets
We recently offered a “social media audit” to our higher education clients – a customized assessment of their current social media efforts, those of their competitors and some initial recommendations on next steps. Many were surprised to learn that their competitors were actively using social media to, for example, create communities of accepted students, thereby impacting yield.
Posted in How to Go Social, Mine & Dine, Social Marketing
June 11, 2009
Cornell CCE Celebration: An Opportunity to Impact the Conversation
We’ve been having a great time working with one of our newest clients, Cornell Cooperative Extension, to help it prepare for its 100th anniversary celebration in 2011. Our partnership with CCE started with the development of a theme and messaging to excite internal audiences and the community at large about Cooperative Extension’s future priorities. Since then, we have launched a microsite, which will help lead the anniversary celebration.
Posted in Branding, How to Go Social, Social Marketing
May 20, 2009
Human Interaction and Personal Communication Cannot be Taken Over by Technology
Before we let the robots take over the world, we need to think about some very basic “human” essentials. Humans will always have a need to connect with other humans – to feel wanted and to build relationships with other like-minded individuals.
Posted in How to Go Social
May 1, 2009
Measuring Social Media
In a marketing world focused on ROI, social media present some fascinating challenges. HOW do we measure? WHAT do we measure? And ultimately, how do we prove social media’s importance to our organizations?
Posted in How to Go Social, Measure and Refine
April 20, 2009
A Few Social Points
1) Social media channels are not like traditional media channels. One cannot simply shift dollars from ad placements on TV to ad placements on Facebook and expect results.
2) Clients must coordinate and integrate their media strategies – fully leverage their “owned” and “earned” media in conjunction with their “paid” media – to drive interest and inquiries, and to drive the conversation.
3) Social media dictate a change in the style of marketing communication. More “tell,” less “sell.” Messages must be honest, even humble. Those deemed “inauthentic” or “constructed” or “hyperbolic” not only won’t be amplified, they may actually inspire active disparagement.
4) Finally, social media require an investment of time and talent by a client or a client’s close confidant (a dedicated PR resource or agency proxy) to maximize their potential.
Posted in How to Go Social
April 10, 2009
Give Me Some of that Social Media! Sure, What’s Your Point?
You have probably said, heard or at least wanted to say to your marketing department or partners, “Let’s go get some of that social media stuff.” On Twitter, we would call this #marketingfail.
Posted in How to Go Social