SoCon 10 was held in Atlanta this past weekend. Desiree gives us a recap of the sessions that she attended and some of the takeaways from the keynote presenters on this week's Bella Buzz. This fourth annual event was once again presented by the Center for Sustainable Journalism at Kennesaw State University.
The event provides great networking opportunities as well as the ability to share best practices among other social media specialists. We are going to embrace the use of the term since, in this field, it is challenging to achieve "expert" status. Small business owners and others with marketing responsibilities would find this conference helpful for learning where things stand in the world of social media.
Our first discussion on the podcast revolves around the presentation of Carol Kruse, the Vice President of Global Interactive Marketing for The Coca-Cola Company. She indicates that major brands are starting to let their customer-base have a voice in some initiatives. It is helpful for her that she has been given an opportunity by the company to test and experiment to determine what does and does not work.
Facebook has been the best platform for Coke, they have some direct access to developers at Facebook as a way to build and deploy apps very quickly. In the past we have mentioned that the Facebook Fan Page was created by two fans well before Coke even appeared on Facebook. Kruse also indicated that they are heavily involved in geographic targeting of customers as you would expect from a global company.
One of the applications that Coke hopes that you will interact with on Facebook is about the Happiness Campaign. Details of the campaign can be found through the web site Expedition 206, about 365 days, 206 countries, 1 mission. By digging around the campaign web site you can see some of the features that they have built using Facebook Connect as a login and posting mechanism. There is also a tab on the Fan page in Facebook to follow the route of the "ambassadors".
A great analogy that Carol made was "social media is like a puppy, everyone wants one ... but they grow up to be dogs and need constant care and feeding." This is such a true statement that we want to call it out here. If a brand were to just abandon a social campaign, there would be a tremendous backlash within the general community, generating serious damage and lots of dollars incurred trying to correct it.
A very interesting presentation came from Dan Siroker who detailed the Obama Presidential Campaign's social efforts during 2008. His key message was to have definable, measurable success metrics before starting any online effort. For the campaign is was obviously donations and fund raising as the goal. They used the web site, email campaigns, and social apps as the tools that they used to reach out to potential donors. In particular, the speed of using a tool such as email in response to the competition was a strong method for achieving their goal.
Dan is currently working with his brother on a company called Optimizely.com, which provides web site optimization analysis using multi-variate (or A/B) testing. This approach to analyzing how a site, email, or campaign will perform is preached in many successful marketing circles, and with the help of Dan's company could be a more achievable objective for companies. We will be looking closely at the launch of this company in the future.
Theme music for The Bella Buzz is Fallen by Digital Chemistry, available for download at the Podsafe Music Network.
You can subscribe to The Bella Buzz directly from ITunes by following this link, and we would be happy to receive listener feedback and ratings at The ITunes Store.
It is time to talk about Email Marketing as a topic on The Bella Buzz podcast. We take a look at the rationale for adding this distribution channel into the marketing strategy, some of the vendors who can provide the services, and even have a direct example of what email marketing can achieve.
We take a look at email marketing as another form of getting creative content in front of the intended audience. There have been numerous occasions when we have focused on the ability to consistently generate new pieces of information that will attract an audience, no matter how you might want to define audience ie. customers, new business, fans, etc.. It must be considered that different people will consume content in different ways, so it is imperative for any business to deliver content via numerous channels. We have discussed content published on a blog where the intention is to attract traffic to the site via SEO and PPC tactics. We have discussed having blog content available via RSS subscription where a visitor to the site can receive items in a feed reader. Finally, it is time to take a look at how email can be another way of delivering content to a target instead of the target having to navigate to the point of origin.
Email marketing has become more sophisticated as technologies have improved, development costs have been amortized and the CAN-Spam Act has been enacted. Using a software program like Outlook is not sufficient for complying with these regulations, nor does it provide analytics to help make a more successful email campaign.
Bella Web Design uses Constant Contact as the vendor of choice for distributing email newsletters, and recommends them to clients. In Atlanta they have a local rep, Pamela Adams, who attends conferences and assists in training aspects.
Some of the new features Constant Contact has added to the platform include an events module where invitations, RSVP, and followup are all managed from within the system. There is also a survey program that can be integrated into the web site and emails through the system.
At Fluid Media we use a service called AWeber. The dynamic form generation for collecting emails and the send message scheduling features are very attractive features.
One other company that we know of worth considering when researching for the most appropriate vendor is MailChimp.
In case anyone is thinking that email newsletters are yesterday's method of distribution, many of the "thought leaders" in the online space have reverted back to using email as the preferred format. Concerns about comment spam, a lack of intimacy with an audience, and inability to generate a dialogue have driven some to take a second look at email efforts. An email can easily be replied to, allowing for opening a conversation and it can easily be forwarded, helping to spread the information.
Some who have moved towards using email include Jason Calacanis founder of Silicon Alley Reporter, Weblogs, Inc., and Mahalo.com. Chris Brogan author of Trust Agents and Social Media consultant, and Christopher S. Penn co-host of Marketing Over Coffee podcast.
Desiree shares with us a response to the most recent email newsletter that arrived in her inbox as we were recording the podcast! It really brings the point home to our viewers that email marketing can be a very powerful communication tool.
Theme music for The Bella Buzz is Fallen by Digital Chemistry, available for download at the Podsafe Music Network.
You can subscribe to The Bella Buzz directly from ITunes by following this link, and we would be happy to receive listener feedback and ratings at The ITunes Store.
This Martin Luther King, Jr. day brings a special guest to the Bella Buzz podcast. Joining Desiree and Joe is Business Consultant and Author Tricia Molloy. She is here to share with us her CRAVE program and how it can be applied to social media practices.
It is a very relevant topic these days as many are trying to determine the ROI for social media and have literally jumped in with both feet without really knowing their personal goals. Tricia can attest personally that she had initially abandoned Twitter because of a lack of understanding the true opportunity. Desiree personally convinced her to return and she can be found as @WisdomDiva.
We talk about applying her CRAVE program to our own specific social media goals as we go through the conversation. Tricia has shared with us the pillars of her program and we use this guide to structure today's podcast.
CRAVE Your Social Media Goals!
Clean Out the Clutter:
Figure
out what tools work for you and what don't and focus on a few, instead
of spreading yourself too thin. For me, it's Facebook, LinkedIn and
Twitter. Use tools to make it easier without losing your personal touch.
We touch on Twitter as containing a lot of clutter when focusing too much on the numbers of followers. Desiree has an excellent suggestion to use Lists as a way to maintain quality content in the stream without limiting the numbers.
Raise Your Vibrations:
People
want to follow and engage with people who are positive and helpful and
generous. They also appreciate others who spend more of their SM time
promoting other people's ideas and services more than their own. These
practices raise our vibrations to attract other high-vibration,
successful people. (Being too commercial and boastful is a quick way to
lower your vibrations and theirs.)
We talk about it on the Bella Buzz a lot, but it is worth noting that many of the social media "rockstars" consider a re-tweet as a major factor in growing their online community. Having a positive approach to sharing makes this channel successful.
Affirm Success:
Most
of my profiles start with, "I love to remind people how wise they are!"
That's an affirmation that keeps me focused on why I engage in social
media. When I get apprehensive about technology, I affirm: "I embrace
technology!"
Tricia shares with us that humans have internal conversations approximately 10,000 times per day, and 80% of that tends to be negative as humans will look to protect themselves with "worst case scenarios". By taking steps to turn some of that negative into positive can have a great impact on success.
Visualize:
One
way to communicate your social media goals to your subconscious mind
(so it can seek out resources and opportunities for you) is by creating
a vivid picture in your mind, engaging all your senses and infusing it
with the emotions you would feel as if it were already true. A Vision
Board or Treasure Map is a great tool to accelerate the power of
visualization.
As many know, top athletes will use the power of visualization as a way of motivating for success. Tricia's nine year old son Connor even put the practice into his Little League efforts, when he "imaginated" catching the inning ending fly ball!
We also get to hear about the practice of using a Vision Board as a way to help the brain visualize. Desiree has shared her Vision Board in this YouTube Video.
Express Thanks:
Since
what you focus on expands and what you appreciate appreciates, take the
time to express gratitude for your social media successes and show
appreciation to those who engage with you and support your goals.
One of the most important aspects of all of these programs is to incorporate them as a habit more so than another task.
We need to end the podcast by diving into the question of how Tricia came to write these successful books and ebooks with the motivational programs that we discussed. In many ways, the universal principals of visualization and affirmation were something that she had done even as a child. Once she had moved into a marketing practice for herself she used these practices with her clients.
As a writer by trade, she realized that she could express herself well in the form of a book and then determined that it was a business itself, where she could mentor and speak about putting these principals into practice.
Tricia realizes that the work that she does "is her purpose in life". What a great situation to be in! Isn't it all anyone can really ask for?
To find out more about Tricia Molloy, visit her web site at TriciaMolloy.com and follow her on Twitter @WisdomDiva
Theme music for The Bella Buzz is Fallen by Digital Chemistry, available for download at the Podsafe Music Network.
You can subscribe to The Bella Buzz directly from ITunes by following this link, and we would be happy to receive listener feedback and ratings at The ITunes Store.
Its hard for me to take Seth Godin seriously in his new book, "Linchpin." I have the privilege of reviewing the book before its official launch on January 26th because I'm a member of www.triiibes.com, a group built around his last book Tribes. Don't get me wrong, I think Seth is brilliant. He's a marketing genius. He points out facts that support how we've been programmed by the media, government and school system to not stand out and share our genius with others and follow the status quo. It's a message he knows we're afraid to hear, but a message we so desperately need. It's about how we have a choice to ignore this mindset and make a difference in our world and to others. However, it's hard for me to relate to this message when I see his own lizard brain stopping him from using social media tools to connect with others and make a difference on a larger scale. This prehistoric resistance has caused his own credibility to waver and flies in the face of the main lessons in his book. (Just Google "seth godin and twitter" and you'll see I'm not the only one talking about Seth resisting Twitter and other social media platform.) In his introduction, he states, "Linchpins don't work in a vacuum." and, "...indispensible work is work that is connected with others." Isn't that what using social media tools like Twitter and Facebook are all about?
His new book, "Linchpin" is a case study about how indispensable we need to make ourselves because the world of being just another cog in the wheel (as we know it) is over. He talks about connecting with humanity in your work and being an artist--sharing your gifts with others. Yet, when you go to his Twitter page you see:
BOOM! This is a pretty high wall he set between himself and his followers. It smacks of "I'm protecting my identity. Nothing to see here. GO AWAY." The lock is a great visual exclamation point on this message. Nice touch. For a guy who talks about connecting with others and sharing wisdom and ideas in this book, this is a real shame and a roadblock to this particular book's true message.
Generously connecting with others is what his book "Linchpin" is all about. He states on page 235 in the Summary, "Every successful organization is built around people. Humans who do art. People who interact with other people. Men and women who don't merely shuffle money, but interact, give gifts, and connect." Yet Seth is not participating actively. Sure he connects on his blog every day, but he doesn't allow comments. No interaction.
The reason I call Seth a lizard brain is because he dedicates an entire chapter to it between pages 101-149 in a section called "The Resistance." In fact, the letter which came with the book encouraged us to bookmark that particular section in the postscript. What's funny to me is he's using the same worn out excuses to explain why he doesn't participate. Take a look at the 9:00 minute mark in the video interview between him and Loic Le Muir below and you'll hear Seth's lizard brain state:
I don't have time for more important things if I tweet.
I can't do it well or be "remarkable" at it like Chris Brogan.
I don't want to hear people yelling at me.
I'm too late to the party.
Nonsense lizard brain! (Pun intended.) Don't think I haven't heard these excuses before. A lot of other business owners feel the same.
However, please understand Twitter is so much more than what you posted about it on March 24, 2009:
Who likes me?
Is everything okay?
How can I become more popular?
What's new?
I'm bored, let's make some noise
For me, Twitter is the "good mornings" I share every day with new people and people I've followed from the beginning. It's a place for me to share ideas and learn from others mistakes and wins. It's instant answers to burning questions. It's research and testing ground. It's human connection on a very primal level, yet more advanced and prolific than you can imagine. It's keeping up with news and events which I might be able to share with others and wouldn't have found otherwise. Twitter has become a place for me to connect with human beings I would have never had the chance to connect with if it didn't exist. It's made my offline
connections even stronger because I've been able to shorten introductions, learn from others and share insights such as this post
instantaneously. Ready to be shocked? I do all of this in less than one hour per day and know a lot of others who do the same. (I won't even go into how quickly the Red Cross was
able to raise over $5 million for recent Haiti victims because word spread so
quickly (hours!) using social media tools like Twitter and the SMS platform.)
I think Seth's lizard brain is scared to death and a little selfish. (There, I typed it and lightning didn't strike me, yet.) Yes, he states in the video he responds to every email he receives. That's a wonderful thing, but if you read my post about the Flight Attendant Effect and how people observing one positive interaction creates a planeload of happy passengers, you'll understand why I think Seth is keeping his light under his hat. Email isn't a one to many interaction, its one to one. If he can respond to an individual and allow his wisdom to touch not only that person, but many people with a few keystrokes, that to me is a gift. Is there garbage out there? Oh yes and a lot of it, but the gold nuggets and positive interactions far outweigh the negative crap. (Twitter lists help sort through the junk a lot!)
So, Seth, I'm throwing down this gauntlet. If you really stand by the "Linchpin" premise of doing things that might be uncomfortable and ignoring your lizard brain, start Tweeting. Just once a day. I promise, it won't take you but 5 seconds to post something interesting, share an anecdote or say "good morning" to someone new. You'll even have time to comb your hair. Start sharing and connecting with others and take that silly message about protecting yourself your tweets off your page. Open up to the possibility that using this tool might change even one life and encourage someone to ship their art. Who knows? You might just enlighten a whole new generation of linchpins!
After all, I've put myself on the line and shipped a post which is probably going to bring a whole lot of interesting interaction my way. (Or maybe it won't.) Your book gave me the courage to resist listening to my own big, bad lizard brain say, "Don't post that. Seth is not going to like you. He'll avoid you at parties. Triiibes members will tear you apart. Its not popular to criticize someone of that stature. Stay safe and don't write the post."
Thanks to you and your book, I'm not afraid to point out something that has bothered me for awhile. Although you're right about our current state of affairs, we need more people like you interacting and sharing good things with others on all levels of engagement. I hope you will respect my view. I hope you'll see that you've taught me something important and your message got through loud and clear. Keep in mind the world won't change overnight once you start, but someone's world just might.
I'm just a business owner who reads your books and considers the possibilities of your message in my own world. Why should I really care about this? I'm excited by the possibility that, just maybe, I can give you a small gift today as precious as the ones you continue to give others through the wisdom in your blog and books. Open your world a little more. Don't hide your brilliance. Reach out and make an impact on people who don't know you yet but need to read your message. Be a even bigger linchpin. Your opportunity awaits and I think you know I'm right. (Just don't tell that lizard brain. He may not like it.)
It's all about Wordpress and the WordCamp Atlanta on this week's episode of The Bella Buzz. Desiree braved the icy roads of Atlanta to attend the Conference on Saturday for a chance to network with over 200 attendees interested in hearing about best practices and upcoming enhancements to WordPress.
The Wordpress platform can be called a blogging tool, a publishing platform or a content management system (CMS). Whatever the terminology, it has become a factor across the web for developing vibrant web sites.
The open source tool was first launched in 2003 by Matt Mullenweg, and according to WikipediA as of September 2009 is being used by 202 Million websites worldwide.
Bella Web Design and Fluid Media both use the Wordpress platform as part of the tool kit we use with clients who are looking to establish a solid web presence. Based upon the flexibility of design and functionality, it has become a logical choice when looking for ways in which to present content.
(Attention: Wordpress designers you can enter a contest the Bella Web Design is hosting, check this site for details and how to enter.)
When considering the use of Wordpress as your web platform, there are choices that you can make based upon needs. Plugins are available to add practically any functionality that you can imagine for your site, and from a design standpoint you can look into Themes. Themes are available for free that can be easily implemented into a site for a nice graphic feel for visitors, while advanced implementations can include custom themes designed to achieve specific graphic standard requirements you may have. It can be an interesting business model for a designer to focus exclusively on building and marketing themes via the "freemium" model. Freemium by the way is a term coined by Venture Capitalist Fred Wilson for when web services are offered at a basic level for free, with the intention of moving users into paid versions with additional features.
The WordCamp Atlanta Conference was a multi tracked event with beginner, intermediate and advanced tracks, with many quality presenters including locals such as Amani Channel, Dougal Campbell, and Rusty Tanton. As well as national figures such as Mitch Canter and Aaron Brazell.
We will update this post as the video presentations from all of the sessions are posted in a single location, but check out the Speakers page of the Conference web site to see who presented so you can search for presentations.
If you are interested in seeing what other people are saying about WordCamp Atlanta, search for the Twitter hashtag #wcatl.
Our discussion veers into a little segment about the changing role of "spec" creative in the design world. In the past, any client who asked a creative shop to provide designs prior to awarding the work was looked down upon or simply avoided. Today, the approach has changed to where entire web sites such as Template Monster and Boxed Art have sprung up to handle the demand of creative work distribution.
As we turn the corner on 2010 and get into conference mode, keep an eye out for the next Metro Atlanta event SoCon10, January 29 - 30, 2010.
Theme music for The Bella Buzz is Fallen by Digital Chemistry, available for download at the Podsafe Music Network.
You can subscribe to The Bella Buzz directly from ITunes by following this link, and we would be happy to receive listener feedback and ratings at The ITunes Store.
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