23 November 2008

Posted at 14:57h in adspace pioneers, broadcast, julian cole, response, social media by

"Social media is more than just advertising", said Julian Cole at the Digital Marketing & Media Summit on Friday. So quotable that I wrote it down to blog about. I realised that without even intending to, I accidentally drew the line as to what is and isn't advertising when it comes to social media marketing, based on my two social media strategies. The first is Broadcast, which is in a sense advertising and marketing focused. The second, Response, however is simply customer service. Not everyone needs to market and advertise their product. But everyone should be engaging in and developing good customer service....

14 November 2008

Posted at 16:02h in blogging, remarkable, social media by

I guess this post is somewhat of a disclaimer.The way I write, I think many readers often assume one of both of the following points. Firstly, that I believe everyone should have a blog and secondly, that social media marketing is the answer to everything. This is not the case.I believe the potential a blogger has is incredible, but it would not be appropriate for every single person to write one. Just like some brands would have no benefit in writing one either.And social media marketing isn't the answer to everything. I hate traditional and interruption media and in five years your average marketing mix will have their roles very much minimised. But I'm the first to admit there are some amazing television spots, print ads and radio commercials out there and hey, once a year, I get a spam email that is actually useful. Traditional media can only get away with interrupting me if it's remarkable, and very rarely is this the case.So dearest readers, these two points are the grain of salt that my blog should be taken with....

04 November 2008

Posted at 20:24h in adspace pioneers, blogging, julian cole, social media by

Juju Cole wrote a pretty neat article a few weeks about about how awesome the Australian social media marketing bloggers are. The article talks about the ridiculous amount of free content and resources available to brands wanting to establish themselves in this space.The only problem, of course, is that brands need someone to tell them they should be adding these bloggers to their RSS Feed in the first place. Just like someone needs to tell them they should have a Google Alerts account set up.Both are free, but to know about them you already need to be inside the social media circle. Getting there isn't hard, but the majority of brands need someone to push them in.So perhaps social media marketers, agencies and consultants should be looking to pull clients inside that circle?...

15 October 2008

Posted at 20:37h in bloggers, broadcast, facebook, social media, youtube by

After identifying two approaches when it comes to social media marketing, yesterday's post discussed the first strategy of Response. The second strategy, discussed below is Broadcast. Above the line is from marketer's point of view. Below it, is from the consumer's. Produce Before anything, the marketer must firstly produce content. Ideally this should be of something remarkable and with a high social currency value. This could be a video, Facebook application, podcast, blog or any even a press release. Publish In order for the content to be seen it is published on sites such as YouTube, Blogger or Facebook. In some case a microsite can be as effective. Ensure the barriers of viewing are low and that the content is easily spreadable. This can be done through a number of means such as allowing embed links for videos or giving consent for consumers to mashup your content. Seed Seeding your published material should not be done in an interruptive manner. Spamming is definitely not an option here and one step wrong here could ruin a whole campaign. It is vital that this is done in a way that adds value to a conversation, do not seed where you are not welcome or even encouraged to do so. And most importantly, be transparent, open and honest. Pull New media is not about pushing content onto consumers who don't want it. Ideally you want them pulling it from you. The Internet has allowed this to become a easy and automated process with technology such as RSS, email newsletters and even YouTube subscriptions. After seeding the content, consumers should have the option to subscribe to a feed or service. This should be consented and with the ability to unsubscribe. You know those consumers who sign up to your feed will be among the most loyal and passionate. Spread Once the consumers are pulling your content, it will begin to spread. Buzz will be generated and depending on the medium you might even some get some consumers producing user generated content. Blendtec used this approach in October 2006 and it continues to remain a success with over 114,000 subscribed users on YouTube. If I ever decided to get a blender, I know which brand I'd purchase. If you're interested, also take a look at Julian Cole's Social Media Marketing Framework and Laurel Papworth's definition of Social Media. Be sure to check out my other approach Response. Please feel free to offer any thoughts or critique. ...

14 October 2008

Posted at 17:15h in blogging, framework, new media, response, social media, social networks, twitter, youtube by

The way I see it, new media is the umbrella that encompasses everything from social media marketing to viral marketing to mobile marketing. Essentially, anything that does not interrupt a consumer with a great focus on consented, engaging and value providing content. So what is social media? A few days of research, thinking and graphics work have lead me to two key strategies that can be undertaken when it comes to social media marketing. The first, which I'll be covering here is Response and the second, which I'll be posting tomorrow, is Broadcast. Above the line is from marketer's point of view. Below it, is from the consumer's. Monitor Before jumping into the pool it is important to test the water. Observe your consumer and community in focus from afar. Before posting a comment on someone's blog, you must first understand what they're talking about. You should be scoping the scene out to see if you can firstly join the conversation and secondly add to the conversation. Identify There are too many blogs, social network profiles, YouTube videos and tweets for you to respond to them all. After monitoring your consumer and community it is important to identify the most influential people within this niche. Using these opinion leaders and those with loyal audiences (not necessarily large), you will be able to more effectively and efficiently target your key customers. Engage After monitoring and identify the influential consumers within a community, you can now engage with them. This relationship might be a short or long but either way it should be a case of providing meaningful and relevant value to consumers and their community. UGC You have now engaged with the consumer and started a relationship which has been built on the mutual exchange of value. Here the marketer gives up control of the message and the community takes over with the creation of user generated content. It could be something small like establishing and spreading buzz online (or offline) through social networks or something much more involved like writing a blog post or publishing a video on YouTube. The Body Shop do this extremely well. Not only do they have a blog (see Broadcast), but actively respond to influential bloggers. As a result, I'm creating content about them right now. This is one of two strategies I have identified that could be used when approaching social media marketing. The other is Broadcast. Please feel free to offer any thoughts or critique. Edit: I have since updated this model here. ...

07 September 2008

Posted at 18:21h in apple, dr horrible, ipod, karl pilkington, podcast, radiohead, ricky gervais, social media, steve merchant by

Just like the Apple iPod launched the MP3 market, The Ricky Gervais Show launched the podcast market and later the audio book market.For anyone who hasn't listened, it is well worth the $50 or so for hours and hours of entertainment. Originally launched as a free podcast, they have since commercialised it at a very cheap price and made millions from it. It turned from podcast to audio book and established two whole new markets along the way. "Podcast" became Word of the Year in 2005 and people are now starting to realise the potential behind audio books...

04 September 2008

Posted at 19:23h in defintion, internet, new media, social media by

The Internets.Social media would not exist without it.Let me explain.I had an interesting conversation last night about this very topic and thought it would be swell to blog about. In a few days I'll be preparing another post discussing the difference between new media and social media but I thought I'd get this out the way first.There are numerous definitions of social media and all of them rely on the Internet. While certain elements existed long before Al Gore was punching away at his keyboard, its full extent and potential had not been realised until recently (although some foolishly still have their doubts). As technology developed over the past twenty years, we were able to identify, engage and ultimately build a relationship with niche targets of consumers.Yes this was possible before. But not on this scale. Not this measurably. Not this easily. Not this effectively. And most importantly, not at this cost.Blogging, podcasting, social networks, image, video and file sharing and the uptake on user generated content all happened because of the Internet. Some of which still haven't hit critical mass.Without the Internet, the term "social media" would never have been coined. And people working in this area would be looking for a new job.What do you think? Does social media exist without the Internet?...