Social Media Sits in the Palm of Your Handset: Get People Talking About Your Business
Posted on 27. Aug, 2010 by admin in Cool New Media, Social Networking
Mark Brouwer
Humans are social creatures, and we have a natural desire to broadcast our experiences to our audience, whoever they may be. Social media allows us to be the producers and stars of our own reality feed. So how can businesses facilitate mobile media interactions in a way that will benefit their overall marketing strategy?
Savvy business leaders are taking advantage of the fact that people love sharing mobile media. Smartphone software is making social media integration incredibly seamless on the newest mobile phones. Take a picture. Click “upload.” That’s all you have to do. Using a mobile phone to stay connected online gives you the advantage of instant upload; you can send emails or use Facebook, Flickr or Twitter to post an update in a few seconds. That content is now part of your feed, your social media news stream. Smartphones can make anyone a mobile media journalist.
Social media networks distribute content more like an organism then a telegraph. Wall posts on Facebook, re-tweets on Twitter and social bookmarking sites like Digg and StumbleUpon play an important role in deciding which content is viewed often and what is largely ignored. Encourage people to play an active role in sharing your business online and you create enormous word-of-mouth opportunities for your brand.
Groupon is a company the offers group buying discounts online. Their social media campaign is characterized by humor and updated regularly to keep people interested and connected to their product offerings. On Twitter, Groupon writes a “Thank you” to each new connected customer.
Use mobile media as free publicity and reward customers when they spread the good news:
“Want to win $100? Email creative pictures (or videos!) of you redeeming your Groupon to pictures@groupon.com. We’ll post them to our Flickr stream, and each month we’ll award $100 in Groupon credit for our favorite photo!”
Spice up your call to action with humor or a bad pun:
“Send us your Saab stories, pictures
Do you have fond (or not so fond) memories of a Saab in your life? How do you feel about the news that the brand might be disappearing for good? Send us a photo of you and your Saab. Old photos welcome! We will publish a selection of the best photos and comments.”
News outlets have leveraged mobile media content generation ever since the first camera phone was developed. Reuters relies on user-generated pictures for their “Your View” section:
“I was there when it happened.
Join our award-winning photographers to share the newsworthy events you’ve witnessed. If your images are selected for the Reuters professional wire, we will arrange to pay you for their use.”
“Are you on Facebook?” is one of the first things Web 2.0 adults ask when meeting a new friend. As more social interactions occur over social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, businesses that connect to their audiences online are better connected in the real world.
Take a hint from these examples and add your own personal twist. Be playful, honest and sincere. Read “Brand Damage: Coping with Bad Press in the Digital Age” for tips on how to deal with brand backlash in your social media campaign.
Brand Damage: Coping with Bad Press in the Digital Age
Posted on 31. Jul, 2010 by admin in Cool New Media, Social Networking
Mark Brouwer
The media is buzzing over the story of Brad Manning, who released 92,000 pages of war documents showing failures to preserve civilian life in Afghanistan and previously undisclosed ties between Pakistan and the Taliban. These documents are now hosted on Wikileaks.org, the whistle blower protection platform founded by Julian Assange. The White House has condemned the leak of classified documents as endangering lives and breaking federal law. But they are undoubtedly also be upset that Wikileaks has dealt a powerful blow to the marketing campaign behind the war in Afghanistan.
Brand image is created through marketing. It is the collection of feelings and images that a consumer associates with a company or product. Since the invasion of Afghanistan in 2003, we’ve seen a brand develop out of the narrative surrounding the war.
The current buzz phrase is “Winning their hearts and minds.” However, a quick search on youtube for this phrase leads to a video of a tank crushing a taxi driver’s car because he was “stealing firewood.” The brand image of the Afghan War is hurt by soldiers misbehaving on camera, whistleblowers leaking documents and publishers providing safe-havens such as wikileaks.org, not to mention the rapid dissemination vehicles that social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook have become.
The BP oil spill is another example of extreme brand damage exacerbated by the power of social networking. Follow BPGlobalPR on Twitter. You won’t regret it. Here’s a recent Tweet:
“Can’t believe it. @bpTerry got drunk on his tugboat last night and ran over ANOTHER oil well.”
BPGlobalPR has 188,053 followers. Wikileaks.org’s servers soon overloaded after releasing the Afghan War Diaries. These Major third party online publishing platforms hold the attention of a fairly large segment of the population.
You can’t always control what gets published about your brand, but here are a few tips to help you prevent and minimize long-term damage.
1) Be as transparent and forthcoming as possible with your audience. Make sure they know you are working for their best interest and value their feedback. Establish channels of communication between your marketing team and your target market. Establish some of your content in the public domain. Wrap some of your work around a Creative Commons license and let your audience remix your work. Social media should be a part of your comprehensive marketing campaign.
2) Authenticity is more important than perfection. B.P. wrote in a full page NYTimes ad, “We understand that it is our responsibility to keep you informed and to do everything we can so this never happens again.” Compare that to the White House’s comments on Wikileaks’ hosting of classified documents: “In addition to breaking federal law, the leaked documents pose a real threat to be harmful to both US military and those cooperating with our military efforts.” The White House didn’t address the issue at hand. Currently, B.P. is doing a better job of damage control.
3) Be human. Respond to the emotions of your audience. If you made a mistake that hurt your brand image, apologize and explain what you are doing to correct the situation and ensure that it doesn’t happen again. If you haven’t made a mistake, reassure your audience that you are doing everything right.
4) Don’t be a tattle tail. B.P. tried to froce Twitter to reveal the identity of the user tweeting as BPGlobalPR, claiming “copyright concerns.” Twitter did not comply citing freedom of speech and B.P. ultimately hurt its own image by appearing vulnerable to parody. Likewise, the White House will only hurt its own credibility by chasing after Julian Assange and silencing publishers like Wikileaks.
Be brave in connecting with your audience. They may support you more than you think. Your audience will be more sympathetic if they understand where you are coming from. Be open and playful. Watch out for media “spills” and “leaks” so that they can be managed appropriately. Most importantly, admit when you’re wrong.
Study Shows E-Readers are Greener than Traditional Books
Posted on 21. Jul, 2010 by admin in Cool New Media
Heather Duncan
We’ve covered the emergence of e-readers in the book market from a couple of different angles, but this one is news to us. According to CNET News, a recent study shows that e-readers like the Kindle have a less negative impact on the environment than printed books. Apparently, even when one considers the mining and manufacturing required to produce an electronic device, e-readers still come out on top.
So why are traditional books so bad for the environment? Mostly because of wasteful practices on the part of publishers and book sellers. The Cleantech Group, the company responsible for the study, states that, “In 2008, the U.S. book and newspaper industries combined resulted in the harvesting of 125 million trees, not to mention wastewater that was produced or its massive carbon footprint.” The idea is that replacing printed books, magazines and newspapers with electronic files will eliminate the need for cutting down trees and pulping materials that are returned to publishers.
Of all printed paper products, Cleantech has found that books are the worst offenders, with the highest per-unit carbon footprint in the publishing industry. In calculating their results, Cleantech “[took] into account the fossil fuels necessary to deliver to the bookstore and the fact that 25-36 percent of those books are then returned to the publisher, burning more fossil fuels.”
The key, though, is that users would have to give up reading printed books in order for e-readers to make a positive environmental impact. In addition, companies like Amazon must establish good recycling practices for the devices and their batteries.
Are you willing to give up reading printed materials in order to live a more environmentally friendly lifestyle? Does this study influence the way you feel about reading e-books?
Sources:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10320334-54.html
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/31/are-e-readers-greener-than-books/
E-readers Drop in Price
Posted on 24. Jun, 2010 by admin in Cool New Media
Emily Hadorn
This past week e-readers like Amazon’s Kindle and Barnes & Noble’s Nook dropped below $200, a first for the increasingly-popular devices. The Kindle now retails for $189, while the Nook is currently pried at $199.
The push to lower costs may have resulted from Apple announcing its new operating system for iPads, iPhones, and iPods: iOS 4. The new operating system reportedly increases battery life during multitasking and opens up the iBooks application to all these devices, among other things.
In particular it is the new widespread availability of the iBooks app that might worry Amazon and Barnes & Noble. When the iPod first debuted, it was just one among many portable mp3 players. However, the iTunes store quickly helped make the iPod the most popular player. Although the iPad already had a possible advantage over the Kindle and Nook with its ability to do much more than simply display books for reading, the proliferation of the iBooks app to Apple’s other portable devices could pose even more of a significant threat to Kindle and Nook sales.
In addition, the new Google electronic bookstore could steal market shares from all three of these devices. The bookstore would allow customers to read books in their browser windows, similar to how Google Books works now.
E-reader sales have been way up this year, nearing three-quarters of a million sold between the Kindle and Nook alone. These new lower costs seem to bode well for consumers and authors. More affordable e-readers on the market means more potential customers for self-published authors of e-books.
Sources:
http://mashable.com/2010/06/07/ios4-iphone/
http://www.mediabistro.com/ebooknewser/bookselling/ebook_sales_up_127_in_april_164853.asp
Avoiding Social Media Overwhelm
Posted on 22. Jun, 2010 by admin in Cool New Media, Social Networking, Technical Tips
Suzanne Murray
Feeds. Widgets. Trackbacks. Pingbacks. Tweets. Posts. How is a person supposed to keep up with social media and still hold down a day job?
No doubt, building a presence on social networking sites and in the blogosphere can be overwhelming. There’s so much to learn, and so much content to be generated that a person could get lost in the maze trying. Here are three tips for staying in control.
1. Take Your Time
As Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu once said, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Instead of worrying about doing everything all at once, give yourself permission to build your social media platform over time. Sure, there are benefits to doing a full-out launch of tweets, posts, and blog entries all at the same time, but if this isn’t realistic given your time and resources, consider starting small and building from there.
Which aspect of social media most interests or excites you? Maybe you’re a blogger at heart, just waiting for the opportunity to share your opinions, expertise, and perspective in 500 words or less. Or maybe the brevity of tweets fits your writing style and availability. Everyone has to start somewhere. Why not focus on an area that feels most accessible and engaging to you, get comfortable with a routine, and grow your social-media presence from there, adding a new area when you’re ready? Slow and steady can still win the race.
2. Use Technology to Your Advantage
If technology has opened up a myriad of new opportunities for communication—leading to the potential for overwhelm and overload—technology has at least also managed to provide us with some shortcuts as well.
First, the quickest and easiest way to get bang for your buck when building a social media presence is to link your Twitter and Facebook accounts so that all of your tweets get automatically posted to Facebook. In this way, you can be on two social media sites for the “price” or time of one. (Visit http://mashable.com/2009/05/25/twitter-to-facebook/ for options on how to do so.)
Second, consider taking advantage of software and services like Hootsuite or Ping.fm that allow you to schedule your tweets and posts in advance so you can stay organized and ensure that updates go out on time. (Check out http://www.socialoomph.com/ or http://techie-buzz.com/featured/schedule-future-twitter-tweets.html for more ideas.)
Third, don’t underestimate the value of a smart phone—whether it be an iPhone, a Blackberry, or similar product. Phone apps for social media sites make it easy for you to share up-to-the-minute tweets and posts with your fan base by typing a few sentences into your phone while you are taxiing to the airport gate or cabbing it to the conference center. You can even post blog entries from your smart phone, which can be useful when you’ve got something time-sensitive to share.
3. It Takes a Village
Professionals often fall prey to the mentality that they have to do everything themselves. But keeping up with all of the social networking sites by yourself may not only be overwhelming, it may also be ineffective. Consider this. While it’s true that some celebrities and corporate all-stars like to create their social media posts themselves, far more hire others to help them stay on top of things—not only to make sure that relevant posts are shared on time but also to ensure that spontaneous opportunities to reach out to one’s network are capitalized upon. Like any area of your business, a well thought out strategy will be much more effective than a knee-jerk or shotgun approach.
Start small and begin where you’re most comfortable, take advantage of technology to simplify your life, and be open to bringing others on for support in the future. Social media offers a whole new point of contact for hundreds of potential customers and there is no better time than the present to start reaching out to them.
5 Tips for Building and Maintaining Social Networks
Posted on 17. Jun, 2010 by admin in Cool New Media, Social Networking
Heather Duncan
So you’ve established a social media presence, but you aren’t quite getting the response you had hoped for. Now what?
There are a number of things you can do to take full advantage of the social networking tools out there. We’ve all heard the saying, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know,” and this is just as true in the realm of social media as it is in real life. Start thinking of social media way as a way to connect rather than a way to communicate or sell a product. Building connections can have a major impact on the amount of business you do and on the quality of your reputation.
Here are a few tips to remember that will help you maintain and expand your networks.
1) Provide quality content. Don’t constantly tout your product or services; in fact, this type of posting should be kept to an absolute minimum. Instead, give your connections a reason to revisit your page. Post tips, articles, blogs, anything your audience might find interesting and/or useful. A post reminding your connections of the services that you offer every now and then is reasonable, but remember that you need to provide your target audience with something meaningful to them and a reason to keep coming back to you.
2) Keep up with your comments, Tweets, friend requests, etc. If you don’t, your followers will assume you don’t care and they will quickly lose interest. Stay engaged with your audience; if someone posts a comment on your Facebook page, be sure to follow up with a friendly response. If a question is asked, provide a thoughtful answer. Engaging your audience in a helpful manner will not only foster good will, it will also go a long way in establishing you as an expert in your field.
3) Find your niche by joining online communities. Join Facebook groups and contribute to discussions, look for blogs related to your industry and submit comments, sign up for newsletters and updates, etc. This will give you a better idea of the climate of your market, help you keep abreast of news and events in your field, and provide you with greater visibility. As you make connections in various communities, you are likely to increase traffic, friends and followers.
4) Keep contact consistent. Don’t forget about your connections once you’ve made them. Consistent contact is essential to social networking. As your network grows in size, you may find this more of a challenge. However, by consistently reaching out you are more likely to hold your audience’s attention. Pay attention to what your friends and followers are posting and tweeting, and respond accordingly. You don’t have to respond to every single person every single time, but a little goes a long way.
5) Don’t be overaggressive. There’s nothing worse than seeing your Facebook news feed absolutely filled with posts from a friend or organization. This sort of online behavior turns people off. If you start to bombard your connections, they are likely to tune you out.
Don’t be afraid to experiment when it comes to social media. As you become more comfortable with managing your presence, you will begin to see what works and what doesn’t. It’s a trial and error process. And don’t forget to have fun! Everyone appreciates some lighthearted humor or a funny post every now and then.
Happy networking!
AP Stylebook Embraces Social Media Terminology
Posted on 10. Jun, 2010 by admin in Cool New Media, Social Networking
Emily Hadorn
The most recent edition of the Associated Press (AP) Stylebook includes many new entries, including several related to social media and networking. Among its most exciting changes, AP has decided to use “website” instead of “Web site,” though when referring to a shortened version of the World Wide Web, “Web” is still capitalized.
In addition, according to the AP press release, the 10th edition of the AP Stylebook has entries on the terms app, blogs, click-throughs, friend and unfriend, metadata, RSS, search engine optimization, smart phone, trending, widget, and wiki. Prior to releasing the new edition of the Stylebook, AP asked its website readers for suggestions on what should be included in a “new section to the AP Stylebook on new media and social media,” and respondents overwhelmingly recommended adopting the usage of “website.”
Such changes to the AP Stylebook are important for writers to note, as they signal a cementing of worldwide understanding of new media and the Internet. Because the AP Stylebook is used across the globe, its changes are more universal than those of, for example, the Modern Language Association (MLA) or the American Psychological Association (APA). These new entries signify that there is an obvious trend toward legitimizing social media and networking. It is now more important than ever to have a working knowledge of services like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, especially for news reporters.
In addition to the new entries in the AP Stylebook, there is also a section devoted to journalists which addresses proper use of social media as a reporting tool. With journalism icons like Anderson Cooper and Katie Couric tweeting regularly on Twitter, AP could no longer ignore the prevalence of social media in news reporting.
The AP’s changes reflect a larger movement to standardize the language of new media in the writing and publishing world. For those who frequently write or blog about social media and networking, these changes are likely to be welcome signposts in the frequently shifting landscape of technological development.
To purchase the latest edition of the AP Stylebook, click here.
Facebook Introduces New Q&A Feature
Posted on 03. Jun, 2010 by admin in Cool New Media, Social Networking
Heather Duncan
Facebook is currently beta testing a new application that will allow users to ask questions and receive publicly posted answers from experts, much like Q&A sites such as Wiki Answers, Aardvark, Yahoo Answers and AnswerBag. For businesses and organizations, this app will provide yet another way to generate traffic to your page and to showcase your strengths to potential clients.
Most of us have already had the importance of social networking in marketing and branding drilled into our brains, but in case you haven’t already heard it touted enough, Facebook says that “Your expert writing will be seen by tens of millions of people — including job recruiters,” or at least has the potential to reach a fairly large audience if the app gains in popularity. And it seems likely that it will, based on the enormous popularity of Q&A web sites and the fact that Facebook.com currently claims the second highest traffic of any site on the Internet (Google.com holds first place). It’s hard to imagine the application’s addition to the social networking site being anything but a perfect marriage.
To become a beta tester, you must first submit three questions and answers to Facebook for approval. If approved, this will provide you with your initial content.
Further official details from Facebook are pending, but if you or your organization would like to become a beta tester, this link will take you to the application page.
The Q&A feature could be a great way to generate credibility quickly and build goodwill between your organization and prospective clients. Of course, generating quality responses takes time and effort, so make sure you have the resources to keep up with demand if you choose to jump on board!
Further reading:
http://mashable.com/2010/05/27/facebook-q-a/
http://www.blogherald.com/2010/05/28/facebook-announces-questions-answers-application/
Sources:
Three Tips for Smart Social Networking
Posted on 02. Jun, 2010 by admin in Cool New Media, News from the Front, Social Networking, Technical Tips
Suzanne Murray
Twitter. Facebook. LinkedIn. The social networking tools are out there. Now how do you make the most of them as an author? In panel discussions and breakout sessions at last week’s BookExpo of America in New York City, the following wisdom prevailed.
Don’t Advertise, Add Value
Sure, you want to highlight events you’re attending, milestones you’ve reached, and awards and achievements you’ve earned, but if that’s all you put in your social-networking posts, people will learn to tune you out quickly. What is your domain of expertise? Zero in on the areas where you can generate interesting discussions, and create some buzz that way. Ask thought-provoking questions, share controversial news, and post interesting links. People will follow you if you offer them real information relevant to their needs and interests.
Share Your Personality
Words on a computer screen don’t have to be boring. In fact, in today’s world of electronic and information overload, words have to have some dimension to get and hold readers’ attention. How will you make your words come alive on the page? In the social-networking sphere, you have to go beyond content. Messages need to be crafted in a way that entertains, moves, or inspires readers. The most effective tweets and posts showcase an individual’s style or personality. How can you funnel your personality into the micro-blogosphere? In what order should you say something and what words should you use to say it? All posts are not created equally. Some are better at making us smile, or think, or click a link than others.
Post When Your Audience Is Listening
The virtual world of micro-blogging moves at lightning speed. If you want your followers to read your stuff, post it when they tend to be at their computers. Unless your audience is insomniacs or midnight ritualists, plan to post during typical business hours or in the after-dinner time slot. One industry expert at BookExpo suggests that the start of the workday may be an ideal time, when people are settling into their desks and catching up on email. You can also test out different time slots to see which tend to yield the most replies.
It’s true that successful social networking goes beyond these simple tips, but these three can get you started. When you’re ready for more, look outward. One of the best ways to learn more is to follow others who are already successful on the social-networking circuit. In the mean time, apply these simple guidelines to engage your audience, build followers, and maybe even inspire real loyalty or desired action.
IBM Releases New and Improved Social Media Analytics Tool
Posted on 21. May, 2010 by admin in Cool New Media, Social Networking
Heather Duncan
A few days ago, IBM released an updated version of its data mining and text analytics tool, the SPSS Modeler, which will now gather data from multiple social media sources such as Facebook, Twitter, and blogs.
The software now uses natural language processing (NLP) to interpret the context of words and emoticons and also has the ability to understand slang and industry jargon. Data gathered from social media is then combined with internal data to produce more accurate results than ever before.
According to the IBM press release, the software “allows users to monitor changes in consumer, constituent and employee attitudes, uncover deeper insights, and then predict key factors that will drive future customer acquisition and retention campaigns.”
So what does this mean for businesses? While the SPSS Modeler doesn’t come cheap, its results are likely to be well worth the expense. The type and range of data that can be collected and processed with this product is unprecedented. Companies can use the data to make much better decisions about the nature of their products and how they are marketed to consumers.
Many large companies have already jumped on board, including Rosetta Stone, Money Mailer, and Navy Federal Credit Union. While the investment may not be worthwhile to small businesses due to its price tag and complicated user interface (which requires an expert to navigate), medium and large companies are likely to benefit immensely from this tool.
Consumers, however, may not be as excited about the unveiling of the SPSS Modeler’s new features. To some it may feel like an invasion of privacy, especially when one considers the fact that political organizations may also employ this tool. At any rate, the release of IBM’s product serves to underscore the elevated role that social media now plays in marketing. Social networking sites have been a major revenue generator for several years now, and this trend is unlikely to come to an end anytime soon. Even if you can’t afford a tool like the SPSS Modeler, creating a social media presence for yourself or your organization is fast becoming mandatory for financial success.
To read IBM’s press release, click here.
To read Mashable’s article, click here.