RemainComm

One More Lesson: Commitment

Yesterday, my good friend Steve Borsch wrote, as he always does, a very insightful piece on Connecting the Dots. Lessons From Our First "Social Media" President highlighted many aspects of the Barack Obama campaign for President and it's obvious social media strategy.

One lesson learned that went without much notice was that of the need to commit to social media fully. Make no mistake, the Obama campaign was a well oiled machine in it's use of social media. However, I noted a few lapses in the execution of that well thought out plan.

The biggest lapse, that of inviting people to sign up to receive a text message when Obama chose his running mate, implying being "the first to know". I still feel a sense of betrayal when that text was received...around three in the morning. We may have been some of the first to know, but 3am? Sounds like executing an obligation rather than telling a friend.

Steve also shared the email that 'Barack' sent just prior to his Grant Park acceptance speech. It was a wonderful note that should be shared by all involved...yet it hasn't been posted on the Facebook page. In fact, as of this writing, the last note on Facebook says, "There are still a few hours to make a big difference in this election." while the MySpace page is current. As Steve pointed out, "you can’t let a friendship wane and then call on that friend in your time of need and expect them to be there for you."

Admittedly, these are some incredibly minor issues. Ones easily overlooked and overcome. What I'm trying to point out is that any kind of organized social media involvement requires a huge committment. To do it right, and I think the Obama campaign did it pretty damn right (they could have shortened their list of target applications), a committment of time, money and human resources must be made.

The social web never sleeps. People are always coming and going. The conversation continues and that means you have to participate...often.

Steve also notes, "Don't stop the conversation." The battle may be won but the war continues. Is this truly the beginings of an ongoing conversation or the end of a marketing campaign? The coming days, weeks, months, and years will determine if Barack Obama truly is the first "social media" President or just the first "social media" Presidential candidate.

One last thing. I would be remiss if I didn't applaud Steve for noting how much the election of the best candidate to the highest post in our country was not about race. Like Steve, I paid little attention to the color of now President-elect Obama's skin, thankfully, much as the rest of the country did the same. We continue to make incredible strides against racism in this country. It's ultimate conquering will be signalled by our ability to talk about accomplishments by anyone without making a reference to their skin tone.

Social Media Reality Check

I’ve become more and more enamored with the concept of “social” media and the natural extension of it…social marketing. As I speak to groups, approach the subject with potential clients, or discuss it with colleagues in the social media world, I have to keep reminding myself to be aware of who actually uses this relatively new medium. Please note that the “media” of social media is the new part. The "social" has been around a whole lot longer!

To give myself a social media reality check, and to give me some fuel for a presentation and discussion at a recent UnSummit, I decided to ask my community about their use, or even awareness of social media. In this case, “my community” is made up of the people in my neighborhood, my social circles, and those I see regularly through my kid’s activities; the soccer and baseball parents I see…often.

Being the research geek that I can be at times I decided to put together an online survey of 10 questions, which I then sent out to about 50 people. I received some 30 odd responses to serve as the basis for my reality check. Okay, this is far from scientific. It’s a brief overview with very little screening involved. Anybody who got the e-mail could respond regardless of age, social standing, or tech savvy. You can download a one sheet of the results here if you’d like but remember, these tables are a basis for discussion. Let’s take a look…

First and foremost, the group is predominantly 35 years old and over…ahhh, my peeps, but also a good representation of your average Joe Six-pack.

Ahead in the Cloud

Whenever I find myself getting caught up in the verbiage of an industry, I feel compelled to look at it from the "average Joe" point of view. Simply put, "Cool word, what does it mean to me?"

Much has been made about "Cloud" computing recently. The term refers to computing done via the internet. Think using software or a service that doesn't reside on your computer. (Perhaps you use Google Docs) But is this buzzword really the same s#@t in a different shovel?

This little bit of video featuring Frank Gillett from Forrester Research addresses it well.

I readily admit that I still get a bit of the heebie-jeebies whenever I think about creating a document, modifying an image, or even backing up my data on a platform that isn't sitting right next to me in a fan cooled box. But most of that is based purely on security and privacy issues. Afterall, it's not really a cloud, ya know. It's sitting on a server somewhere...yeah, I'm a bit paranoid.

But the fact is, "cloud" computing has been around for years and, because we Americans love to be mobile (now think cell phones, laptops, even portable radios and cars) it only stands to reason there is more interest in the "cloud". We also need to chalk it up to marketing. Cloud Computing...I feel hipper just saying it.

So, all of us will be spending more time working and playing in the "cloud". If you aren't, many of those younger than you are. So keep thinking beyond your desktop...at maybe get a faster internet connection.

Let the Games Begin...Please.

Serious(?) journalism comes to the Twin Cities!
(Billboard inbound from the MSP airport courtesy of Greg Swan)

As Minneapolis/St. Paul, where I live, gets set for the pending Republican National Convention it will be fun to see how "the media" will make it's presence felt.

As expected, all of our "traditional" news outlets (TV, newspaper, and radio) are posturing themselves as the place for the most complete coverage...as they should. The "new" media outlets (Citizen journalists, blogs, etc.) are also gearing up to make an impact.

So far though, there is very little tie-in to the "big event" beyond the news outlets. Okay, the "Minnesota get-together" or State Fair as it is better known, is a big deal each year. So that's where everybody is spending their time.  However if you want to get noticed on the world stage, this might be the year to downplay the corndogs and bacon on a stick and literally hop on the political bandwagon. Kudos to Comedy Central!   

Viral Video Where You're the Star

I came across this the other day and thought it was one of the better viral videos I've seen. It's timely, it allows you to become part of the video and it's fun. It also allows it's originator, Paltalk, to accopmplish many goals.

Not only does it brand PalTalk throughout the piece, it also enables users to forward it to a friend or many friends, embed it in a blog or website further spreading the name. Most importantly it harvests a multitude of names and e-mail addresses and offers users to opt in for info about Paltalk.

It's good to see a company adopting a relatively new marketing tactic and remembering it's about the user!

Now, if I can just find a way to be in a commercial with Britney and Paris...

Social Media: Get it or Don’t Get InPart 3-Sweet Success

I want to wrap up this series of posts on social media with a word about successes found in the social media space…and there are many. It’s important to note that though success might imply completion, in social media there is no completion. Like any relationship, this process is ongoing and while it may have struck a chord with part of the intended audience, there is plenty of audience still getting settled in…still waiting to let these marketers into their confidence. I guess it would be better to say I want to highlight some that are successfully on their way.

I made mention of Zappos and what they are doing with Twitter in my first post. There has been much written about the success they are having with social media. I’m guessing if you were to ask CEO Tony Hsieh if he felt that he was happy with the progress, especially internally with his employees, he’d give you a resounding yes! He is successfully mobilizing his employees as Zappos own army of fans and probably gleaning plenty of ideas and insight that will help him grow his company in the future. 

I’d also like to point to Threadless. Highlighted in Inc magazine, this company was doing social before anybody really knew what it was. In short, artists and designers become members of the Threadless network and submit designs to be voted on by fellow members. The winners receive a cash award, now around $2500 plus reprint fees, and the top picks are printed on a limited number of t-shirts and then sold, usually selling out rather quickly. 

Launched in 2000, t-shirt sales surpassed $100,000 by 2002. The user base has grown from around 70,000 in 2004 to well over 700,000 today. In 2006 sales clocked in at $18 million with profits of $6 million. 2007 show growth of 200 percent with similar margins. Only one word describes that kind of success, niiiiiiiice!

Social Media: Get it or Don't Get In Part 2-Running(?) With the Big Dogs

Here it is...the second post on the topic of Social Media and where it fits with what you are doing.  As I mentioned in my previous post a busy week of Social Media centered gatherings really highlighted the level of understanding and involvement by individuals and companies in using it for a marketing tool.

A panel discussion facilitated by the Minnesota Interactive Marketing Association and moderated by Gage Marke ting brought together representatives from General Mills, Target, Fingerhut, and Best Buy to talk about what their companies are doing in Social Media. The short answer? Not much. Beyond providing a system for "Ratings and Reviews" most were taking a fairly wait and see approach.

That's not to say that these guys aren't incredibly knowledgeable, they are. They are in that frustrating positon of trying to turn the battleship that is a big company to be able to react to a rapidly developing conduit to their customers.

Social Media: Get it or Don’t Get InPart 1-Twitter

Yep, there is a real need for traditional media and marketers to understand what social media is really all about. The point was proven to me on multiple occasions last week. As I work with and listen to companies that have done the same thing the same way for so many years, many of them touting themselves as forward thinking or even cutting edge, I am amazed at those that just don’t get it!

The “it” is how you build a relationship with people and then turn them into customers. It is not how you can bombard them with messages that they have no desire to take in. It is moving beyond sheer volume of audience to quality of audience. Nope, measuring it is not given to you in a box with a bow as it is with the incredibly imperfect system from Arbitron or Nielsen. It’s measured by success. Did you draw the people, make the sale, and start a relationship that lasts beyond both?

Over the past week I had multiple opportunities to see where the art of marketing via social media is falling down as well as where it is reaching new heights. There is quite a bit of info so, hating long posts, I’ll address this in the next few days…making it  all a bit more digestible.

You Speak. Who Hears? Who Listens?

As I spend more and more time peeling back the layers of communicating in the new millennium I’m always impressed at the amount of tools available to send a message or start a conversation. With so many gadgets and applications pouring out of the cloud it’s clear you need to investigate using some of them to reach your audience. Whoever that audience is, customers, friends, relatives, even pets can be reached in so many ways.

But, as exciting as it is to see all of these innovations develop, if you want to be truly effective in your communication, you can’t get swept up in the buzz of it all. Remember…remain calm.

The fact is that you need to have a clear understanding of who your audience is and what tools they use. If you try and reach them through a medium they don’t use…well…the point would be?

For example, my wife and I are spending more and more time texting each other throughout the day. It’s a great way for us to juggle the ever changing plans between our work, kids, and friends. It’s quick and unobtrusive. In fact, it has saved my butt more than a few times. See, I tend to space off phone messages and it’s easy for me to just text my bride as soon as I hang up the phone. The point is that we are starting to text so much I’ve thought about using Twitter or AIM or some other service. Then I realize my wife has no desire to use any of the tools. Because a) she doesn’t sit at a computer all day and b) her cell phone doesn’t have a data option. Yeah, I know all these services have a SMS option but the fact is…why bother if SMS works just fine?

And that’s the point; your audience has the same attitude. Unless it will profoundly improve their lives they’re just fine with where they are right now. Unless what you are trying to communicate is really revolutionary, you must reach them through the channels that exist and the ones they use. Don’t start the process of building a relationship with someone by introducing a new technology or changing their habits. They will better listen to your message in the environment they are comfortable in. 

Your path of least resistance is to find out what they use. Who are you trying to reach? How old are they? How interested in your message and how do they hear about it? Believe it or not, adoption of new things is a relatively slow process. In most cases slow enough to date your message if you try using the “next big thing”.   

That means…research...at what ever level you can. It’s better to spend the money and the time to get to look at the habits of your audience than spend the time and money whizzing in the wind.  Over the next weeks, as I continue to try and keep up, I’ll start tearing into many of these tools and we can find out some of the best and worst ways to reach your audience. Do remember, what may be ineffective today may be the “text messaging” for next week. Our goal is to use the right ones at the right time…now. 

Converting to a new “Metrics” System

If you’re over the age of 45 you are probably thinking about the movement to convert the U.S. to the metric system. Remember, we were going to measure stuff just like the rest of the world? (Try as we might, us wacky Americans just couldn’t seem to get the hang of the whole x10 deal.)  

What I’m referring to is the new media and online business “metrics” system. The metrics we use to measure the success of online advertising. As I’ve addressed many times in this blog, new media needs to offer proof of its success in generating traffic for advertisers. I have always maintained that we are enjoying a buzz factor resulting in substantial amounts of money pouring into online advertising. It’s vital to get a better handle on how we measure the results because it’s only a matter of time before those advertisers want proof that their investment works. Who knew that time would be…gulp...quite so soon. 

In an October 22^nd New York Times article titled, “How Many Site Hits? Depends Who’s Counting.” author Louise Story points out the disparity in the site visit and page view numbers provided by the different companies supplying metrics (Nielsen, ComScore, etc.). Say hello to the first drop of what could result in a flood of media buyers pointing out “reasons we shouldn’t spend so much on web advertising.”

The numbers in question continue to be based on the way we measure TV, Radio and Newspaper. “How many see it? How many hear it? How many read it?” I would submit that we need to focus on “Who uses it?” New media advertising offers something to the consumer that no other media does…instant interaction. Clicking on a banner, downloading a video or podcast, that’s something you can measure. In fact, I think that if a new media ad inspires someone to take immediate action its worth more than a TV, Radio, or Newspaper ad.  

But, this goes beyond even “clicks”. Let’s invest the money and go a step further. Do the research and go beyond quantity. Take the opportunity that a new advertising medium is laying out to us. Provide information on the quality of the users and the experience they have. Start training media buyers now on how new media consumers take advantage of the advertising they interact with. Mass media is OK but, commitment and loyalty (brought about by the user experience) is so much better. We need to start working now on establishing a new style of metrics (just as organizations like the ADM is earnestly working to do). 

New media offers us a chance to advertise and market in a whole new way. Let’s stop trying to measure it in a whole old way.