Sep 10 2008

The Awareness of Online Contact

September 10, 2008 – 9:41 am

Clive Thompson’s latest article in the New York Times has caused many to consider the good and bad of the almost "incessant" contact and growing number of contacts that people now have online. The idea of "ambient awareness" (which they say is "very much like being physically near someone and picking up on his mood through the little things he does — body language, sighs, stray comments — out of the corner of your eye.") is making people who are active online more conscious of the decisions they make and what their goals and purpose for creating an online persona really are.

The Personal Touch

persona The idea that we can have a glimpse into others’ lives through Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and other means provides both a somewhat false sense of "knowing" another person (the parasocial effect) and the ability to create, develop and maintain current "real life" relationships.

(Image Credit: Student Doctor)

Most people who are active on social networks are generally more extroverted themselves. Or, online contact leads the more introverted to form a connection and familiarity with others that they might not have connected with before. This then translates into the real world as people organize planned or impromptu meet-ups and events.

Many who foray into the online world have developed an acute awareness of the image they are projecting online. As younger generations grow up, they are continually toeing the line of appropriateness as related to the potential eyes of future jobs, relationships, and general maintenance of their persona online. People certainly have control over what they share online, and what image that projects. The Internet provides a cache of information that will most likely exist far beyond your lifespan, which is both good and bad.

One of the most interesting things about this boom in online contact is the affect it has when tragedy strikes. Another article in the New York Times gives reflection to 9/11 and the closeness that many people felt to one another. People seemed to reach out rather than withdraw.

Maybe such closeness thrived partly because of what now might seem like deficiencies in technology. In retrospect, this was the last time a significant number of people didn’t own cellphones. The Internet seemed primitive: blogs were in their infancy, social networking sites were still to come, nobody Twittered. You had to make an effort to connect, and people made the effort.

So what does that mean today? People can be connected even more in times of crisis. Your cell phone may not work to call a loved one, but you may be able to access a number of social networks to get a message out that you’re safe. The ability to stay in contact and stay informed is greatly increased when social networks come into play, even if it’s not through "official" channels.

This is not to say that online contact should replace real human contact (especially in troubled times), but rather it can help to boost relationships and serve as an alternative method, perhaps even as a call to action for others for additional support.

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(Picture Credit: Now Sourcing)

The Corporate Touch

Amanda Rooney at Adrants also points out the customer service and branding aspect to this constant online contact. In essence, we’re going back to the "fundamentals of building relationships" by following and engaging customers.

For brands, there’s never been a time or technology that allowed the needs, wants and lives of its stakeholders to be grasped on such an intimate level. Through the mundane "what I’m having for lunch today" updates, surface invaluable anecdotes and feedback that can inform a brand’s decisions better than any traditional target profile.

More and more companies are being noted not only for using blogs to connect with their customers, but Twitter. Many people have discussed the benefits (and potential pitfalls) to engaging customers online in a two-way discussion, gathering feedback, establishing their brand, or building their reputation. Some companies are going beyond blogs and Twitter to incorporate video, social networks, and much more. The only problem for some is the time commitment involved in being active and limitations to how many people you can connect with on Facebook or Twitter.

What’s Your Touch?

We all have limits to social media interaction.

Sure enough, psychological studies have confirmed that human groupings naturally tail off at around 150 people: the “Dunbar number,” as it is known.

Some users thrive on it, while others prefer to keep it close and only allow existing relationships. Social networks are used to keep in touch with family, find lost friends, or maintain your corporate brand and image. Not everyone has to participate, and true relationships are built offline with face-to-face communication. But in a world where we are so busy and often feel isolated by hours in front of a computer and endless travel, it’s somewhat comforting to know that human interaction is a mere click away.

 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Larissa Fair | Posted in Digital Marketing | Comments (4)
Sep 9 2008

Big Hairy Audacious Goals

September 9, 2008 – 9:34 am

Much of a marketer’s job depends on working out from a clearly defined measurable objective. Then massaging, fine tuning and scaling to get to Point B. Business objectives and strategy keep us well within spheres of influence but often prevent coloring outside the lines.

Where’s the guts in that? The glory of creativity and innovation behind all the pragmatic strategy. A driving force that’s worth fighting for on the marketing home front. A daring target that keeps your team – and you – poised for brilliant execution at a moment’s notice. The big hairy audacious goal. [Image credit: DP&d]

BHAG

The BHAG is a term from Good to Great, but our clients own it. When they name the BHAG, marching orders crystallize. It’s messy and non-linear, but voracious. Just the ticket for a little magic.

We were given a bold BHAG last week. After confirming several measurable targets for community engagement and development, our marketing contact laid down the cards: “We want to be the leading social media case study for nonprofits.” It’s big, it’s hairy, and it’s audacious. Something we can sink our teeth into.

It took a chain of BHAG’s to arrive at this particular juncture with this particular project. From my perspective, it started with personal determination.

For years, my own mission has been to help nonprofits and social causes communicate more effectively – most currently through social media. Livingston Communications is taking this vision seriously on a more powerful scale. As a firm, we have decided to become more socially focused. Our aim is to become a social enterprise – one part traditional accounts, one part social causes.

The only expectations we’re worried about are our own. And we set the bar pretty high.

Big Hairy Audacious Goal Setting

  • Set your own mission. A personal BHAG.
  • Challenge your marketing department and leadership to set a big hairy audacious goal. Realistically, your BHAG must drive core objectives, so set the goal within reach. Nobody ever said the stars are off limits, just brush up on the Hedgehog Concept.
  • Build your team with people who thrive on the same BHAG. Fire feeds fire.
  • Say ‘yes’ to periodic gut checks. Appoint people who are smarter than you to help get your head out of – or back in – the clouds.
  • Let the world know when you’ve met your BHAG. Aim even higher next time.

[Image credit for big hair: unknown]

 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Qui Diaz | Posted in Digital Marketing | Comments (5)

Goodness Gracious, Great Blogs of Fire!

September 9, 2008 – 8:59 am

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Do old marketing advertising tactics work with new forms of media? A recent post on Chris Baggott’s Guide to Blogging blog argues that they don’t. So what is the job of today’s marketing professional? Chris says it’s to listen, and it’s to be there to solve a customer’s needs when they conduct a search. Business blogging is a great way to increase “organic search,” and Chris suggests focusing blogging efforts at related and popularly searched keywords.

Amanda Mooney of Ad Rants considers a piece by Clive Thompson in Times Magazine. In Clive’s article he suggestion that “incessant online contact” creates an “ambient awareness.” This, Amanda says, can greatly impact a brand, allowing the brand to be grasped on a more “intimate level.” Building real relationships no longer means the 30-second million-dollar promotional spots. It is a two-way conversation where companies can listen to stakeholders and receive feedback on a micro level about their brands.

Comparing the use of social media during Hurricane Katrina with its use during Hurricane Gustav, Paul Chaney of Conversational Media Marketing reminds us how far social media has come in a few short years. Web 2.0 tools such as Twitter and a FEMA widget made it easier for people to stay informed and communicate with friends and families. However, Paul says, “None of Louisiana’s emergency sites offered any type of social media tools.” Clearly there is still a long way to go.

Frontline employees often function as “brand ambassadors” for their companies while online. Richard Becker of Copywrite, Ink. tackles the debate of how companies should handle separating an ambassador’s personal and professional online brands. It is Rich’s opinion that “trying to separate personal and professional brands is like arguing that you are a different person when you wear jeans or a suit.” And he also notes the importance of acting with good common sense. Rich says that it is important for companies to educate these ambassadors, because they can greatly and positively impact a company’s image.

Gareth Kay offers his “two cents” on the best practice of social media on the Brand New blog. Simply, Gareth wants “brands to stop being so narcissistic and to start being generous.” If it were up to Gareth, a brand would reward customers with something special or unique. He warns, “Don’t think that social media is the silver bullet – you need to be a social brand, not a brand that ‘uses’ or ‘buys’ social media.”

 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Mike Nelson | Posted in Digital Marketing | Comments (2)
Sep 8 2008

Good is the Enemy of Great

September 8, 2008 – 8:10 am
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This weekend, I had the great privilege of giving five, highly interactive unconference sessions at PodCamp/SearchCamp Philly. For me the biggest takeaway was the need to train social media marketers about traditional communications theory.

It reminded me of a Jim Collins quote in Good to Great, “Good is the Enemy of Great.” There are many good social media experts out there. They have proven they can build personal brands, but they are not great.

The social media expert’s inability or unwillingness to learn traditional PR and marketing strategy and skills causes them to frequently fail. In essence, their security lies in their good community skills, but their lack of formal marketing and PR training (and real PR, not media relations) makes them painfully inadequate for business-oriented social media.

Yes, networking skills are paramount to messaging skills. Yet without understanding a businesses’ core objectives, and how those create a value proposition for the marketplace, social media initiatives often fail to deliver measurable ROI, much less a tangible affect on a company’s communications effort. As Jonny Goldstein noted, you need both bleeding edge social media savoir fair AND “old school chops” to build a program that works.

In one session on business blogging, we ended up spending more than 30 minutes alone on how to build a value proposition, and then how to map it to a social media effort. For those social media engaged who are struggling with this problem, I created a social media content process on the Now Is Gone blog which should enable a basic content strategy. However, I will caution that publishing content does not yield eyeballs, rather it keeps them coming back after you’ve engaged them. Community participation is paramount to delivering content.

 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Geoff Livingston | Posted in Digital Marketing | Comments (9)
Sep 5 2008

The Value of Events

September 5, 2008 – 8:15 am

search-camp-philly-logo.jpgThis weekend I will be a part of five different sessions at SearchCamp Philly, an unconference coinciding with PodCamp Philly. Like many events, I am sure there will be skeptics who will decry the usual self congratulatory echo chamber back slapping. In fact, I’ve often criticized the star stuck uber-attendee. Yet for the business-oriented, events can yield great value.

Normally, I try to speak at or attend events where prospective clients will be, association conferences or private and public business-oriented events. My second preferred type of event is often university-based — preferably local — both for giving purposes and for recruiting. Last comes the echo chamber events. While I try to avoid intra-social media crowd events, sometimes business takes me there and that’s OK. Regardless of event type there’s always some positive benefit of going.

First of all — regardless of Internet fame — speaking can yield great business opportunity. Speakers often receive a halo of subject matter expertise, unless they muff their session. In turn, such events can yield leads, additional earned media opportunities, or just great contacts. Speakers bureaus have been a hallmark of well designed PR programs long before the latest 2.0 craze.

Secondly, we are so dependent on the Internet social scene to find like minds and thought leaders. Yet, my experience has been that events like these deliver substantive relationships. If you don’t act like a tongue-tied, star struck babbling fool, what was an admiration for someone can turn into a substantive contact or acquaintance.

BlogWorldJoinME08_160pix.gifFor example, BlogWorld Expo in Las Vegas on September 20-21 can be viewed as an echo chamber event. Or it can be viewed as a business opportunity. For me it’s the latter, and I have a significant project taking place there. In fact, I’ve already got more than 15 meetings set up for the weekend with some of the Internet’s top minds. I’ve admired several of these people for a long time, and look forward to meeting them in person, and seeing how I can build value for them. At Gnomedex, I had three new business meetings.

Lastly, the educational content can be very good at conferences. Personally, I find that most of my time is spent in the hallways networking. But there are always sessions I plug into just to learn. Beth Kanter’s session at Gnomedex was a great example of a worthwhile 40 minutes.

There’s always something to learn, and those who can’t see that, well, that’s too bad. You cannot underestimate the value of remaining teachable.

 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Geoff Livingston | Posted in PR Industry Trends | Comments (9)
Sep 4 2008

Buzz Meter: AwayFind

September 4, 2008 – 9:30 am

awayfind60 Do you spend a majority of your work day going through emails and wished that you could just review the important ones now, and then view the rest later? AwayFind, created by Set Consulting and inspired by Timothy Ferriss’ best-selling novelThe 4-Hour Workweek, offers users a solution to the flooded email inboxes and encourages the review of emails only twice a day.

How does this all work? How is this possible? AwayFind works with email servers that provide auto-response messages. Colleagues, family and friends use your personal AwayFind online contact form to reach you. The form documents the name, company, email address, phone number, message details and even includes a spam filter question. Once the form is filled out, an automatic message is sent to the email you provided as your user ID; you can also add more email address and categorize which emails go to which addresses or delegate certain emails to you colleagues. SMS notifications of important emails are available when you’re on vacation or out of the office.

Additional features include:

  • Customizable auto-response messages that caters to you different categories
  • Online access to your email messages
  • Adding your company logo and website to your contact form (for brand awareness)

Buzz Meter Ranking: 4 out of 4 Buzz Bees

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Positive: Who doesn’t love the idea of checking their inboxes only twice a day and having peace of mind that the urgent messages will reach you? AwayFind enables users to prioritize their emails and increases productivity during the work day. It only takes five minutes to sign up, set up your contact form, and let you ease into a less-stressed workday or vacation.

Negative: You do have to pay for this innovative tool to grasp AwayFind’s potential, unless you’re enjoying their private beta. One issue that users might experience, which is totally out of their control, is that those sending email messages have the ability to state the urgency of their email message. For instance, you can have the same person email you over and over again stating that their message is urgent – when in reality, it’s just a regular email that doesn’t need immediate attention.

Conclusion: Email is probably the number one concern for those trying to escape the office. Whether it is for vacation or if you’re in the midst of a deadline – leaving you unable to check your email frequently as you’d like – AwayFind is the solution.

 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Marinel Mones | Posted in Digital Marketing | Comments (5)
Sep 3 2008

Google’s Chrome Shines On

September 3, 2008 – 9:52 am

As with any shiny new object (especially from Google), Chrome has burst onto the scene with a flurry of feedback and is looking at a bright future.

Perhaps it is the comforting familiarity of the browser that increases its popularity. Unlike Google-esque rival search engine Cuil (which suffered an early launch with a ton of buzz and negative reaction earlier this summer) and social media savvy browser Flock, Chrome feels natural in its look and feel. The search engine and application experience that you are comfortable with using Google, now translates into your browser. What could be better?

Well, of course there are still a few kinks to work out.

Shiny Notes

Newav_normalleeadkins: Memory usage in Chrome is looking good so far (try about:memory in the Omnibar when you have Chrome and IE/Firefox open)

Dscf0001_normalxtopher1974: Seems like a good idea. Glad to see the competition heating up and people rethinking the concept. Now, where’s my OS X version?

Dull Notes

  • Chrome is only available for Windows XP and Vista right now. Mac and Linux users (generally the more technical people, no?) have to wait.

Cjd-twitter_normalcdorobek: there isn’t a Mac version yet, so… Survey says: BZZZZZZ

Avatar5_normalextra_ketchup: As much as Google uses Linux, you’d think they would be better at supporting Linux. Google Chrome, cough cough, for Linux anyone?

  • No application extensions available. How can web-savvy users integrate delicious and other daily plug-ins into Chrome?

Swhitley_normalswhitley: @NancyWhite Chrome doesn’t offer ‘plugins’ yet (what they refer to as extensions). They support standard plugins like Adobe Flash, etc.

  • What about the mobile issue? Will Chrome be available on the iPhone? What about the Nokia N95?

Chrome may take a little getting used to, and some customization and upgrades will have to be made. But, a little test drive and some tweaks are to be expected with any shiny new toy.

What do you think? Do we need another browser to choose from? Do the benefits of Chrome outweigh those of Firefox, IE, and Safari? And, does the general public and average Internet user REALLY care about the impressive (or, unimpressive) capabilities of Chrome?

Allan_s_avatar_normalallanwhite: I haven’t seen this much talk about something (#Chrome) since an iPhone release. What’s so important about Chrome?

 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Larissa Fair | Posted in Digital Marketing | Comments (4)
Sep 2 2008

Goodness Gracious, Great Blogs of Fire!

September 2, 2008 – 10:10 am

2008blogsoffire3 Lewis Green of Buzsolutionsplus Featuring Solutions to Grow Your Business offers his advice on “the issues that must be faced, responded to and carried out for a successful merger.” Being personally involved in two mergers, Lewis’ experience is demonstrated in his suggestions. Beyond being open and honest with employees, Lewis says that it’s important to consider corporate culture for fit.

“What does the world look like when social media becomes a commonplace, everyday activity for 100s of millions of people in the world?” asks Shel Israel. Interestingly, Shel predicts that advancements in technology such as aviators, enhanced virtual reality, and globalization will continue to open the world. Check out Shel’s post and make your own predictions at Global Neighbourhoods.

Considering Shel’s post (mentioned above), Jason Fall of Social Media Explorer says that social media has promise in the long term, but is less so in the near future. Jason suggests that social media technologies have an “explosion of hype that soon turns to a massive free fall as early-adopting businesses fail to see the promised profits or productivity improvement.” The true value of social media will be realized, says Jason, as companies see the value of providing customers a “human connection” to a brand.

David Armano of Logic + Emotion presets an intriguing prospective of “our own social solar systems.” The planets of your personal solar system are Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc, where people spend many hours developing their personal brand. David suggests, “We are the center of our own Micro-universe,” but with limited resources, we can only meaningfully maintain a limited number of “social systems.”

Social media savvy professionals are continually using their talent to improve the lives of others. Beth Kantaer of Beth’s blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media, posts a list of top recourses, including the Gustav Information Center to help coordinate volunteers helping with Hurricane Gustav. Check our Beth’s post, and see how you can help.

 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Mike Nelson | Posted in Digital Marketing | Comments (2)
Sep 1 2008

The Barack Effect

September 1, 2008 – 6:11 pm

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Exciting 2008 Brands: Barack Obama and the 3G iPhone

On Saturday night my wife and I bought an Obama stand-up photo and walked around the mall with the Democratic Nominee. The effect was stunning. Entire stores turned around and applauded us, people stopped to get their photos taken, and the Apple store turned into something like the FAO Schwartz scene from “Big.” Barack Obama has superseded your average candidate to become an uber-hip brand, partly because of his intelligent communications strategy and partly a product of the time.

It’s hard to argue how powerful the Barack brand has become. A Democratic nominee who struggled to get non-urban, lower-middle class white party members to support him has stormed the nomination. He has struck a chord, igniting a wave of fervor surrounding the need to Change. The strong fervor caused the opposition to try and co-opt the candidate of change meme with moves like the Sarah Palin nomination.

At the heart of the Barack Effect is a deep seated dissatisfaction with the current administration and the state of the nation. Obama’s young, exciting style, minority voice, and message of change serves as a lightening rod for the left and those most down affected by current policies.

But great brands rarely fly without brilliant marketing and communications. And Obama’s campaign gets word of mouth. From the traditional community meetings to cutting-edge social media, Obama’s campaign utilizes viral principles to create change evangelists and a resulting pop appeal… The Barack Effect.

For those of us on Communications Edge, perhaps the most remarkable aspect of this phenomena has been the first successful mass usage of 2.0 tools. As the Wall Street Journal notes, the Obama campaign has used social networking technology to ignite his supporters. The resulting wav of support and micro-donations has created a powerhouse campaign that triggers word of mouth with direct messages, RSS feeds, text messages and emails. Conversely, McCain has suffered through stops and starts.

A presidential campaign has many dynamics that cannot be oversimplified: Religious right versus the liberally educated, conservative radio versus free social networks, female veep candidate versus minority presidential candidate, mavericks versus agents of change, support versus ending the Iraqi war, etc., etc. It’s a wide open battle that will shape the United States’ future.

Yet one must wonder if intangibles like the Barack Effect will carry the day. In his monograph, “Good to Great for Social Sectors,” Jim Collins said:

…a key link in the social sectors is brand reputation — built upon tangible results and emotional share of heart — so that potential supporters believe not only in your mission, but in your capacity to deliver on that mission.

One candidate has long-term legislative experience, the other emotional mindshare. Neither has delivered a turn-around. Inspiring faith in the ability to deliver that change we so desperately desire may be the secret sauce to attain the White House.

P.S. As a company, Livingston Communications will not openly endorse either Obama or McCain. Individually, I felt compelled to endorse Obama on my personal blog. This is an important election, and we all need to openly discuss the issues that matter to us. Don’t turn a blind eye in 2008!

 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Geoff Livingston | Posted in PR Industry Trends | Comments (2)