Moved to TypePad

The blog has moved to TypePad. Hope to see you there.

TypePad Blog.

Looking Ahead

AS more and more individuals catch on to the social wave, what will this mean for the early leaders? Enjoying the early success generally creates two categories. Some continue to envision what is next while others take the rewards, if they in fact were realized financially, and step away.

Since its inception commercially, the web has relied upon those that continue to push. At the heart of progress in this area is also the return on investment. Today's Web 2.0 tools and expectations are providing the greatest metrics the industry has ever enjoyed. This is a key enabler.

So where does this all lead to? Businesses will continue to experiment with blogs, AdWords, PPC programs and tinker with all these social tools. Those that figure it out and take the risk are those that will reap the rewards and then move on to the next phase of the Web. Sign me up for both. Exciting times.

Content is King

The great blogs, the great websites, the great e-letters and the great information sources have a very simple strategy - develop and share content. This should not be news to anyone, but it is unfortunately.

Do you have an editorial team or a patchwork effort? It seems patchwork is the 80 of the 80/20 rule these days. This is backwards for companies recognizing that content is king, or as Gerry McGovern and Rob Norton put it "Content Critical".

A great example of the 20 of 80/20 is SAS. They have a "Marketing Editorial" team that develops, are you ready, CONTENT. They have it right and will benefit greatly from this effort.



What is your 80/20? As more companies look to the web for returns or success, content is critical. The development of it must be king.

Blogs and Intranets

In many companies the intranet serves as the primary window the executive voice. In most of these companies it is likely a text on an LCD display.

Isn't there something better? Yes. Yes. Yes.

Blogs are safe to a large degree inside the company. If you are willing to listen to some feedback from employees, and let others read it alongside you, blogs are a viable solution. In a time when many employees get their information from the company notebooks they carry round the world or the local office, why not put your message in front of them using a medium that resonates with them?

You won't engage everyone. Some employees like to read long laborious memos. Some like to print them and save them for future reference. Blogs may not reach these folks. They DO reach the percentage of your population that wants to move forward, engage in the dialogue and get behind something that moves them forward as part of something bigger. Blogs are for these employees.

Take a tour of a few videos and vendors.




TypePad

Wordpress

Corporate Blogs

Is the interest in corporate blogs an oxymoron in general? It seems that way. Here is why.

Corporations are notoriously faceless (bad branding), and many that have a face/personality are still so concerned with keeping the secret sauce within the walls of the company. I appreciate why having worked in large corporations for 11 years.

Here's how they can find the balance between keeping the secret seasonings for KFC (formerly the large corporation known as Kentucky FRIED Chicken- good branding move) and reaching the growing audience looking to corporate blogs, also more broadly referred to as (shhh), social media.

1. Stop cranking out just press releases about corporate earnings and new executives - instead talk to your shareholders and customers in a blog that describes what you are doing that makes customers happy and coming back, which in turn makes more money, which....makes shareholders happy. Start here with David Meerman Scott's book.
   
2. Create a voice for your company through your interesting employees. It does not have to be only the CEO - especially if he/she is dull and predictable. Instead, put the blog software in the hands of your marketing team and give them access to the product development or franchise owners. This is where the customers are closest, and where the relevant content will be found. This is what your customers may be looking to hear about. Try Sun's employee blog.
   
3. Keep going. This is not a fad. This is how media is evolving. Pick a generations letter, X, Y, Z - they are going to be interacting in some ways online. They are cancelling newspapers and buying computers and mobile devices. Yes, your mom and dad are getting online. They are realizing Word is not what you make but the program.
4. Speak to the problems your customers are seeking answers. Corporate communications teams are great at times for running what football commentators call the "reverse". They (I) have you look the left long enough to forget what is happening to the right (the runner heading toward the end zone). Instead, speak to your woes. People are looking for transparency. If they don't find it with you, they find it elsewhere. We are creatures of basic needs, fulfilling our need for honesty is becoming a foundation of our lives.

This is not easy. I am not convinced of the best methods. The take away is to start. Start now. Keep at it. The people around you are turning on to these new tools and the momentum will help carry your ideas along. Be the prepared one, instead of the researcher when your company or organization steps in the arena of social media.

IBM came to this realization 3 years ago. Aren't you ready?

Chinese Proverbs - Wisdom for Social

Some wisdom is timeless. Chinese proverbs generally fall into this category as they have been tested over time for soundness.

A foundation of social media is sharing. Marketers provide some information valuable to the public in return for their contact information. On the surface it is a fair exchange. Prospective clients are qualified at a basic level and the client gains the information that interested them.

A fool judges people by the presents they give him.

So how does someone ensure they are connecting with the right company or individual? At times the contact info is harmless ,but at times it can be a long process to break when the "wrong" person gets your information. The calls and email are persistent, at times even after a "not interested, thank you". This breaks the foundation of why social media is so exciting.

Please resist the urge to hand out contact information to just anyone. A rule of thumb is to provide it only to those that you would like to speak with by phone. Don't be fooled by charm and "too good to be true" nature of free downloads and white papers. Some are genuine, some are not worth the hassle.

The "Fairness" Doctrine and Social Media-Impending Collision

In the wisdom of Ronald Reagan, the original Fairness Doctrine was vetoed as a largely unfair statute in 1987. Since then it has found little support, until lately. The premise of the statute, read for yourself, is outdated and does not support free speech. This is especially true in a mainstream media climate where liberal programming outnumbers conservative programming by approximately 10 to 1 (Fox News being the sole conservative broadcast). Reintroduction of this statute walls in a single set of ideas as fact. The foundation of the statute is based on a media landscape of 60 plus years ago, a virual eternity in terms of media development.

Social media, the greatest expression of free speech and connectivity, is built upon the premise that people and organizations can reach out to one another in the pursuit of common ideas. As this new medium grows, free speech and the expression of diverse ideas (from both sides of the aisle).



Social Media in Plain English by Common Craft

Passage of such a short-sighted and limiting statute is not good for technology development and the growth of American culture.

Social Media for dummies

I have so many questions about social media, and more importantly about the web as it continues to evolve. Common Craft has provided a very easy to understand tutorial about a few of the answers to these questions.

You Tube

The great thing is that as many questions that I had a year ago, they are easily answered with some work. So many new questions...

Tribes

Several years ago Tim Sanders a book entitled "Love is the Killer App". At the time it seemed like just a great idea. I realized recently that this book was a prelude to why social networks are succeeding. People have a basic desire to connect. Technology has made this possible in a way never before available to such a wide net (the world).







Seth Godin has captured this movement incredibly well in his new book and social network - Tribes. Image downloaded from www.triiibes.com to promote the idea.

Pepsi and the Impending Presidency

How to popular brands evolve with the direction of the wind blowing?

Take Pepsi. A proposed logo bears a striking similarity to the Obama campaign logo.

Compare.

Pepsi logo on Seth Godin's blog



Obama logo






Patriotism or pandering? Call it as you see it. My candidate is gearing up for 2012.

Your social media solution is calling

I have not figured out Twitter for business. I see how it works, but I am trying to find a good way to utilize it. My Twitter account is not getting me very far. I can follow a few colleagues and peers. Try this video and recommendation. You Tube.

I turned to Yammer. This is more robust and has potential. It will take some time to be sure. Security is a concern.


Then comes along Basecamp. Another intriguing idea, but more time is needed to dig in. Seems like a great project management tool for the web 2.0 crowd.



Social media is here. Have you figured this out yet? The world is opening up while shrinking at the same time.

Free does not exist in most cases

"Receive your free gift with your first order", "Get back $200 free", "Free with your paid order". These are all gimmicks by marketers to sell you something else. They work. If they did not, marketers would stop using the word free.

We all want something for free, but it does not exactly exist in commercial settings. The free is a convenient way of packaging the "free" item or service with the paid item at a price that covers both items. A second method is the "loss leader", a basic concept every business student learns in the Business 101. The marketer offers an item below cost to draw a customer in with the hope that they will buy the actual targeted item, thus making the sale and absorbing the loss on the first item. This may seem complex, but you see it regularly. Does a supermarket advertise a sale on regular Twinkies (discounted) and display it with a new "improved" version with 1/3 less fat (at the normal price)? This is a loss leader to get you to buy the new Twinkies. Some call this "bait and switch" made famous by less than car dealers who are less than honest - not a wise marketing plan overall in the long run.

Free is for me? As long as you realize you are not usually getting something for free. Once in awhile you may. More often than not free is full price. Your choice is to decide whether you wan the packaged deal.

Social Networks- What's the value for B2B

As we all hear more and more about social networks revolutionizing business, we may think back to the late 90's when the original web (Web 1.0) promised the same thing. What is different this time around is that we have learned a thing or two about optimism and hype. We are not all dumping money into the latest idea to sell ice cream at skating rinks via the web.

Businesses are now staring to connect the dots that make up the social network puzzle. I have not figured it all out, not even close. I am leaning toward the wealth of information available to "join the community". This is the beauty of Web 2.0. The web is welcoming you in to learn and get involved.

Take a look/listen to a few sources leading the way:

Seth Godin

Internet Strategy Forum

Tribes

Seth Godin has recently published a book about the onset of social networks. A must read for those that appreciate Seth's work and those that are eager to put all the Web 2.0 questions in one book.

http://www.triiibes.com/ to learn more about the idea

http://www.squidoo.com/triiibesbooks - to see the book

Web 2.0 - What?

Web 1.0 or just the "web" is the foundation of the commerical web as most folks know it. Web 2.0 is simply the evolution of the web to include a social networking tools and greater functionality.

I am one of the majority of web users that had "the web" in hand when its big brother arrived. Web 2.0 is an exciting evolution and a tremendous opportunity.