Archive for the ‘Social Media’ Category
We love Facebook because it makes it easier to share information with more people at the same time than any other tool we have. Why is that so revolutionary?
Because a family photo, an event you’re attending, an accomplishment you’re proud of, something that drives you crazy, your latest purchase, the song you’re listening to, the meal you’ve cooked, the photo you’ve taken, the news story you find interesting, the cause you’re involved in, the day you’ve had…now can be shared with everyone you’re connected to, instantaneously.
Nowhere else is that possible. Not by email, not by text, not by chat. Nowhere.
And, this is the key: after a while, it feels weird to do anything without sharing it with your audience of family, friends, co-workers, classmates, friends of friends, etc.
That’s what makes Facebook so powerful. 500-million-people powerful. What the founders have tapped into, albeit accidentally is: humans are natural performers….we crave attention from the minute we’re born.
So, if you are wondering why Facebook is such a hot topic, now you know. But you already knew that, right? (Please share this article!)
Next: Why Businesses Love Facebook
Tags: Facebook, Social Media
Posted in Facebook, Social Media | 1 Comment »
July 29th, 2010
When the now-infamous LonelyGirl15 began sharing her video diaries to the world, she became an unlikely YouTube star—until it was     discovered that the seemingly-average girl-next-door was actually an actress hoping to get noticed by site’s millions of users.
LonelyGirl15 has since disappeared off the pop culture radar but more and more budding young artists are getting noticed on the Internet, first by the public, and then by entertainment execs.
With nearly 90 million channel views at the time of this writing, the Fred Channel is one of YouTube’s biggest stars among younger audiences. The channel is the creation of Lucas Cruikshank, a Nebraska teenager and is videos are centered on Fred Figglehorn, a fictional 6-year-old with a dysfunctional home life and “anger management issues.”
MTV Network’s subsidiary Nickelodeon picked up on the hype, and created a movie featuring Fred that will air later this year; they have already committed to a sequel that they expect to be part of a larger franchise.
The 16-year-old singing sensation Justin Beiber also began as a YouTube star. Hip-hop manager and marketing exec Scott Braun discovered the young Canadian’s singing by accidentally clicking on one of his YouTube videos, which Beiber’s mother posted for family and friends.
Braun arranged a meeting for R&B singer Usher, who helped Beiber sign with Island Records. Beiber’s first album went platinum in the US and Canada, coming in at #1 on the US Billboard Hot 200; he was the youngest artist to do so since Stevie Wonder.
In 2003, after graduating from college, Justin Halpern moved to Hollywood to work as a screenwriter, without much luck. He was forced to move back home. He decided to keep a record of his dad’s quick one-liners, and began posting them on Twitter under the handle Sh*t My Dad Says.
The Twitterverse embraced him and after only a few weeks, his account had over 100,000 followers. Result: a bestselling book and a television series starring William Shatner airing in the fall.
This is what is so cool: Today the possibility of success is more accessible to artist, regardless of whether they are in Hollywood, NYC, or in a basement in Nebraska.
Before the Internet, how could a talented kid like Lucas (Fred) ever get noticed? Well, first he’d have to graduate from High School, move to California, invest money in expensive headshots and agents, and wait on tables while hoping to get in front of the tiny handful of heavy hitters who control the entertainment industry.
Justin Beiber may have spent years trying to get noticed, and Justin Halpern may have ended up living at home for the rest of his life.
Today, the measure of success is talent and mass appeal, rather than who you know or what you can pay.
I wonder how big stars of the past would have been judged by the commenters on YouTube, or which talented people would have made it if they had the ability to be in front of the public instead of just a few casting directors.
Ultimately, opening the entertainment industry up to social media’s influence makes for a more transparent entertainment industry, where the public becomes the arbiters of taste, rather than a few studio execs in a closed room.
As Justin Halpern knows, even when the executives take a pass, they’ll think again when the masses disagree.
It’s a win for performers, it’s a win for the public, and I believe it’s a win for the entertainment industry.
Tags: Entertainment Industry, Fred, Justin Beiber, Justin Halpern, Lucas Cruikshank, Twitter, Twitterverse, YouTube, YouTube Stars
Posted in Social Media, Twitter, YouTube | 1 Comment »
July 19th, 2010
The other day I tweeted this about the fact that I had waited too long to book a Zipcar for the Memorial Day weekend:
@BeVisible no cars left for mem day at Zipcar 
Well, guess what? I got a call from Todd Lieberman, the fleet manager for Zipcar in NYC. He said that he understood that I wasn’t able to get a car for Memorial Day and he would like going try find one for me if I was still interested.
I was floored! I didn’t even remember sending that Tweet! Kudos for Zipcar!
This is a perfect example of how Social Media works so well for business.
1. Customer Care: Todd made me feel like the most important customer Zipcar has. And I don’t even use the service much these days!
2. Reputation: It showed that Zipcar really cares about their company’s reputation.
3. Authenticity: Now Todd personifies Zipcar in my mind. I have his phone number and email address if I need help later on.
4. Graciousness: When I couldn’t get a Zipcar. I reserved a car from a traditional rental company for the weekend. In spite of that, Todd still found a car for me, and gave me the option to take it or leave it. He even placed it in my reservations for me!
What does this do for Zipcar’s bottom line? What’s the ROI? Well, I am tweeting and writing about how great they are! I have 6,000 Twitter followers. You figure out what the ROI is on the one phone call from Todd.
So, Zipcar, keep up the great work and I’ll continue to be a brand ambassador for ya!
Tags: Social Media, Zipcar
Posted in Social Media | 3 Comments »
May 23rd, 2010
Social Media is Sexy
By “sexy” I mean alluring and enticing. And Social Media is just that for marketers.
- It’s immediately accessible.
- It can give you instant feedback.
- It enables you to touch your customers individually.
- Public usage is growing like wildfire.
- It’s fun!
In the past year I have attended countless workshops, seminars, and programs to educate myself on how I can help my clients use Social Media effectively to reach their goals. I have set-up profiles and pages, developed campaigns, and coached my clients on blogging, using Facebook Fan Pages, LinkedIn and Twitter. And we are seeing good results (even my dentist is getting new patients from his Social Media effort!).
But…last week one of my clients told me that he was encouraged by a friend in marketing to discontinue his Paid ads on the Search Engines (which have been responsible for a huge increase in his revenues) in favor of Social Media marketing. Hang on a minute there!
Paid Search is still the only guaranteed way for many types of businesses to be in front of their target market on Search Engines. Yes, Social Media can increase your company’s Internet footprint, but it can’t substitute for Paid Search for:
- Having control over where your message appears.
- Having control over when your message appears.
- Being where your competitors are (remember, your brand can be used as a search term).
- Reaching the most targeted ready-to-buy customers.
Social Media IS sexy. So, my advice is: incorporate Social Media into your marketing plans, but take a deep breath and think about what’s working now before you throw away the baby with the bathwater.
Your thoughts?
Tags: Internet Marketing, Managing Time Social Media, Paid Search
Posted in Internet Marketing, Marketing, Paid Search, Social Media | 1 Comment »
December 14th, 2009
How can Social Media help my business grow? This is a question I get asked a lot. And I can quote lots of examples of how businesses are successfully using Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. But use Social Media to grow a medical practice? That may seem a little far-fetched, right?
I have a client who is a dentist. Not only is he a great dentist, he’s also a lot of fun. His personality combined with is skill is the reason why his patients (myself included) love (and don’t dread) going to the dentist.
I helped him develop a website, and now create a blog. For many months, he asked me over and over, “I don’t understand what blogging is going to do for me”. I really felt, and so did his friends, that my dentist’s natural love of conversation and pontificating on any subject is the perfect combination of traits to make a great blogger!
So, finally, armed with a laptop, the doctor began to blog, usually on train on his way home. In the meantime, I set up a Facebook Fan Page for him and invited all his personal friends to become his fans (of course, his children were his first fans!).
The first blog was posted last week and simultaneously appeared on the doc’s Facebook Fan Page. Lo and behold! On her wall, some of his daughter’s Facebook friends saw the post and said “Hey! I didn’t know your dad is a dentist! I need a new dentist!” Guess what? New patients!
So, what’s the moral of this story?
• Blogging increases the visibility of your business, even if you are a medical professional.
• Your friends’ friends are a great source of new customers (patients).
• Social Media works!
Do you have any similar experiences you can share?
Tags: Blog, Blogging, Facebook, Social Media
Posted in Blogging, Facebook, Local Business, Social Media | 4 Comments »
December 3rd, 2009
More Insights from The Gravity Summit in NYC
“The key to WOM (word-of-mouth marketing) is NOT to make the brand look good – it’s making someone look good to their social network while they are talking about your brand.” explained Mike Lundgren from VML at last week’s Gravity Summit in New York. “Consumers trust other consumers more than they trust us” and your customers can make your brand look “more hip, socially responsible, smart, caring, in-the-know, funny…” etc.
“Consumers influencing consumers “(word of mouth” marketing) is playing a larger and larger role in brand marketing than ever before. That’s because Social Media makes it possible for companies to “listen-in” on real conversations as people engage with their brands and with each other. Your brand is not what YOU say it is, it’s what YOUR CUSTOMERS say it is. This was a common thread as the speakers at Gravity Summit shared their insights from their own experiences with Social Media marketing.
So how do small to medium sized companies make customers look good when they are talking about their brand? Here are some examples:
- Ramon De Leon, whose winning personality and innovative ideas has won him a huge following, owns numerous Domino’s Pizza franchises in Chicago. He’s a master at promoting his brand by promoting his customers. Ramon became a media superstar when he handled a mistake on an order with a “Videoapology” which became an immediate “cyber sensation”. Ramon prints his tweets on his pizza boxes. He runs online contests. He makes videos starring his customers. In turn, his customers promote his pizza.
- Kyra Reed and Nic Adler saved Nic’s family’s Roxy Theater on the Sunset Strip by collaborating with other clubs on the strip (who in the past never even talked to each other) to create an online community that enabled them to rally their fans and revitalize a dying area. And, after 20 years of banning the use of cameras in the club, they now encourage audiences to take photos during performances and post them on Flickr and Twitter, thereby promoting The Roxy to all their friends and followers.
- Brian Morrissey from Adweek encourages smaller brands to employ Social Media by attaching themselves to something larger, such as a charity, an event, a community, etc. The key is to align your brand to something relevant that people already feel good about in a way that everyone benefits. Making a donation when a customer makes a purchase and posting that on your website, blog, Facebook page, and if the customer agrees, thanking them by name, promotes your brand, your cause and your customers.
So, even if your company is not a well-known national brand, you can use Social Media to listen to what customers and potential customers are talking about in the online communities where they hang out (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc.). Instead of simply marketing your brand to them, figure out ways to engage them and make them the stars of your brand.
Want to learn more?
Follow these folks on Twitter:
On Twitter: @mglundgren, @Ramon_DeLeon @nicadler @kyrareed @theroxy @bmorrissey
Check out the Gravity Summit
And here’s a great blog with great tips for attaching your brand to a cause: http://causemarketing.biz/
Posted in Marketing, Social Media, Word of Mouth WOM | 3 Comments »
November 22nd, 2009
Insights from The Gravity Summit in NYC
I hear this all the time: “If Twitter doesn’t start making money soon, it won’t be around for very long.” Yes, Twitter is a great tool. I spend hours upon hours using it for my own company and for clients. But I don’t really care if Twitter is here to stay.
What is important is that Twitter represents the most significant shift in the way we communicate since the telephone was introduced. Twitter is short, real-time messaging and is changing the way we will get and share information in the future.
Twitter isn’t for just geeks; it’s being used by businesses to market, by fire departments to get to emergencies faster, and by charities to reach donors. Twitter is a breaking news channel. It’s the Yellow Pages on steroids. It’s a social networking site. It’s a research tool. In fact, it’s so content-rich that Google and Bing are now including Tweets in their search results. But, if Twitter disappeared tomorrow, not much would change.
There are hundreds of other platforms (some just as good, some even better) that are ready to replace Twitter in the blink of an eye.
So if you have been standing on the sidelines hoping Twitter will just “go away” it’s time to dip your toe in. Twitter may not be around forever, but this new form of communication will. Get started!
Tags: Gravity Summit, Social Media, Twitter
Posted in Social Media, Twitter | No Comments »
November 17th, 2009
Today Chris Brogan, one of my favorite people, posted a short video called “Small Talk is Big.”
It’s about the rewards that you get from showing interest in the people you meet every day. I totally agree with him. I’ve met Chris and he’s a natural. His genuine interest in people shows through in everything he does; from his best selling book, “Trust Agents” to the way he engages people in social situations. For me, learning the art of Small Talk was not easy. Unlike Chris, I wasn’t a “natural” so it was hard work for me to get there. But I can say without reservation that it is the most valuable skill I have ever learned for business and for my personal life.
So, if you are like I used to be, here are some tips to help you come out of your shell:
Pretend you are Oprah.
Really! Watch some talk shows. Talk show hosts are masters at making people feel comfortable and open up by asking them the right questions at the right times. And they do it without losing themselves in the process. Try it. Next time you are in a social situation (business too) pretend it’s your job to interview people for a living. You’ll be really surprised at what happens.
Be inquisitive in a nice way.
There’s a good possibility that the people you meet are just as uncomfortable with Small Talk as you are. It’s easy to make people feel comfortable by showing an interest in something about them (people love to talk about their jobs, their families, etc.). You will find out that you have a lot more in common than you ever guessed and by focusing on them; you will not be focusing on your own anxiety.
Leave your “salesman shoes” at home.
There is a fine line between showing genuine interest and simply looking for “sales signals,” and believe me, people can perceive the difference. Understand that developing relationships is a process. Don’t only work to get to “Yes”.
Don’t be scared to share.
Don’t be afraid to share a bit of yourself even with strangers. A personal story or anecdote opens up a whole world of possibilities of great exchanges and conversation whether you are talking to a clerk in a store or to your biggest client.
Developing the art of “Small Talk” has enabled me to become fast friends with many people who at first meeting seemed to have nothing in common with me. These relationships have helped me grow my business and have expanded my circle of friends exponentially…most of all have enriched my life. And, what’s more, our Social Media activites are the digital version of in-person Small Talk. So learn, enjoy, and share with me your experiences.
Click here to watch Chris Brogan’s “Small Talk” video (it’s really short).
Tags: Chris Brogan, Conversation, Sales, Small Talk, Social Media
Posted in Networking, Social Media | 1 Comment »
November 8th, 2009
I was very fortunate last week to attend The Cool Twitter Conference in Brooklyn at The MoCADA (Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts).
I have attended a lot of Social Media Conferences lately, and at this one I spoke about how Social Media is changing the way businesses do business with each other. This conference really stood out as being something uniquely special.
Instead of the attendees being mostly from the business sector as is usually the case, there were people there using Twitter and Social Media in many inventive ways beyond business. Here are some of the speakers and what they are using Twitter for (follow them!):
(more…)
Posted in Social Media, Twitter | 2 Comments »
October 27th, 2009
All the marketing data we have points to the reality that most people buy what their friends or acquaintances recommend. That’s why online stores find it so helpful to have consumers write reviews on their products and why sites like Yelp are so popular. The same concept applies for B2B companies, too.
Case in point: today I decided to research some of the companies that provide detailed Social Media Measurement services for companies who are running campaigns using Twitter, Facebook and other Social Media platforms. I did a Google search, and discovered that there aren’t a lot of players out there. I knew that if I inquired directly to any of them, I would get a salesperson who needed to make a sale. I respect that, but I need to know that I am getting the best choice for my clients.
So, after I signed up for a demo with one company, I decided to find out how actual businesses were liking the services they offered. I did what any self respecting Social Media professional does…I tweeted about it! I asked if anyone is using a Social Media Measurement service and if so, how did they like it?
Guess what? I got a lot of responses. I asked a lot of questions, and I was able to identify the one service that seems right for me. Only one of the responses was from a salesperson, the rest were clients. The company’s clients were actually doing the selling for them.
How can you make this happen for your company?
- Treat your customers better than you want to be treated.
- Under-promise and over-deliver.
- Monitor what people are saying about your company.
- Engage your customers whenever you can (this doesn’t mean sending them an email blast every day!)
- Never assume their business, always earn it.
This is a lesson learned…there are conversations going on about your company that you don’t ever know about. Do your best to make sure they are positive!
Posted in Sales, Social Media, Twitter | 1 Comment »
October 19th, 2009
Just Ask Betsy....The Be Visible Blog
