How Can Marketers Attract Pre-Teens with Social Media?
Social media has largely been an adult playground for businesses as many of the most popular social networks have age limitations that prevent young children from creating profiles. The reality is that there are definitely pre-teens on Facebook and Twitter, but it is inappropriate for businesses to try and create marketing strategies to attract them there because they are violating... July 13th, 2011 by admin
Taking Things Personally
The single hardest thing in the world for a person to do is disconnect emotion from experience. It rips the fabric of human nature to do so. This big world we live in hurts an awful lot because we can’t do this well. Whether it’s criticism from a boss or co-worker, someone giving you the stink eye in traffic or just the fact your spouse rolls over and goes to sleep without... July 11th, 2011 by admin
Four C’s for Community Cultivation
I have a friend who is building a nice niche community around natural hair. While not entirely new to communications or even blogging, she was new to the concept of building an intentional audience. She asked me for suggestions, and this is what I shared with her: Four C’s to build a community 1) Content If you don’t have content, you won’t bring any new value. Concentrate... July 7th, 2011 by admin
The First Step In Creating A Social Media Content Strategy
A question that new users of social media often ask is, “I hear that content is king, but what kind of content should I be producing?” The conventional wisdom in marketing is: first figure out your objectives, then plan a strategy and finally develop the tactics. Then, the theory goes, you get customers — and that’s when you take care of them. After all,... July 6th, 2011 by admin
Managing Social Media In A Small Shop
My first director’s position as a public relations pro was as the Sports Information Director at Georgetown College, a small, NAIA-affliliated, liberal arts college in Kentucky. While my job was primarily to publicize the school’s athletics athletics teams, being a sports information director is so much more than PR. You are the official historian, web master, graphic designer,... July 5th, 2011 by admin
Let’s Put The Expert Topic To Rest, Shall We?
I’m awfully tired of the “expert” conversation. It first popped up in early 2009 and hasn’t died since. Social media echo chamber sounding boards rant and rave about who’s qualified to help companies with social media and who isn’t. A fair amount of the conversation is ego driven with consultants and agency types puffing out their chests and client... July 4th, 2011 by admin
Southwest Airlines and Social Media Strategy: 5 Lessons for Marketers
One challenge I’ve had with many corporate clients is getting employees to blog. Most corporate folks feel like they don’t have the time or skills. So it piqued my interest when I found out Southwest Airlines has a slew of employees writing their Nuts about Southwest blog. I was drawn in by the energy and spirit of the blog: All homegrown. Curious, I sat down (virtually)... June 30th, 2011 by admin
That Website Ain’t Gonna Visit Itself
If you build it, they will, well, probably go somewhere else. Your target audience probably doesn’t share the same level of enthusiasm that you have toward your new website/redesign/mobile app/digital venture. More than likely, they won’t even notice. They’ll go about visiting their normal destinations online; checking Facebook, maybe Twitter, and dipping into their... June 28th, 2011 by admin
Hiring a Social Media Agency? Read this First!
News Flash: Not everyone who says they understand or have used social media actually knows what they are talking about. I know, that’s not much of a news flash for many of us. We’ve been watching as this tremendous growth of social media has created a mass-market of companies selling huge lines of BS to brands who honestly don’t know the right questions to ask. They are like... June 24th, 2011 by admin
Parents Can Fight Summer Learning Loss On Twitter
Did you know that summer break produces an average of one month learning loss in average children? It’s even more pronounced in lower income families. That’s according to a study by Harris Cooper, a psychology professor at Duke University, formerly of the University of Missouri where his research took place. Parents today juggle a thousand things and while summer has to... June 23rd, 2011 by admin
6 Components of a Successful Digital Marketing Audit
As digital communication continues to explode more organizations are recognizing its importance within the marketing mix. In order to develop strategy and allocate resources business leaders need to understand the effectiveness of their existing digital initiatives. A great way to do this is to conduct a digital audit – a study of your brand’s digital presence (on its own and... June 22nd, 2011 by admin
The Voice: On The Cutting Edge of Social Media Engagement
For some, the argument can be made that NBC’s new hit The Voice is a little too much like American Idol to differentiate itself and remain a true primetime player. Sure, the rules are different. Contestants are broken down into … June 20th, 2011 by Josh Wolford
Proof Of The Gap: An Infographic
As you know, I’ve been talking a lot lately about the gap between most people — struggling with computers, technology and social media — and the enthusiasts and evangelists in the echo chamber that is the social media industry. While Silicon Valley and Austin are all abuzz about “social business” — an etherial concept few regular business owners understand... June 20th, 2011 by admin
Should We Be Un-Integrating Our Marketing?
Ever notice that there are always two camps: One that wants to split things down the center and be all things to all people, and the other that is radically on one side or the other sucking down the Kool-Aid with a giant straw? As of late I have found myself trying to be closer to the center, saying such things as you need an integrated marketing approach. I think that is a mistake.... June 14th, 2011 by admin
What Inliers Think About Social Media
If an outlier, by Malcolm Gladwell’s definition, is someone that exists and acts outside the normal experience, then an inlier would be one who exists and acts as part of it. I propose we refer to an inlier as someone in a mainstream user base … the majority … someone who is, statistically at least, like most other users. By this definition, social media adopters to... June 13th, 2011 by admin
