Online Marketing Takeaways

Brands: Where are we?

I just got done with a conference with many of my colleagues; folks who do Social Media for large brands. I'm always amazed and comforted by how similar our experiences and challenges are. It's been a year since I last saw them, but here's what I take away from this check-in:

1. We're wearing too many hats. It's a wierd thing. Those who show initiative and seize the social media roadmap for a company, tend to take on many disciplines: Recruiting, PR, Marketing, Customer Service and psuedo-brand spokesperson. We're much too far along for this to be the case. By now we should have more of the owners of the recruiting/PR/customer service function taking on the social aspects. You just can't have a social media expert playing the role of customer service extension even if somewhat familiar with the role.

2. Please stop promoting "Listening". It's such a broad, fluffy term. Agencies, vendors and snake-oil salesman sold this concept "Listening" as the starting point. It's not that listening to the consumer is wrong, it's that we need to be more specific. Are we listening only to engage in customer service in the public realm? Or are we listening to co-create with users to adapt our product/service selection? Anyone who has "Listened" knows that if you don't act on the customer service end it does no good to just "listen". It's like if my wife says "honey, please rinse out your dishes before putting in the dishwasher", and I don't act on it and said "I heard you". Not effective. Or if you have great expectations that the public chatter reveals a large vein of insight, I just don't see it. At least nothing beyond a good Google Alerts can offer.

3. We need to accept the web is "social" and that it's imperative for every dept to understand and incorporate the social web into their business-as-usual processes. Less platform specific and more broad digital.

I'd be remiss if I didn't vent my own pet peeve. I still think brands overvalue Twitter. Especially for customer service. Twitter is still a 13% web user penetration platform. It's not a social network, it's an information distribution technology. If you choose to address this market, please do it after you think of the more broadly used Facebook. And worry about Google+ later when they prove it's not Buzz or Wave.

Finally, I'm on my second hotel-bar cabernet, so factor that into any of my snap judgements. I still feel pretty solid about my analysis, but like to leave an "out" for when I run into you folks.

Facebook Business Pages: Don't let others edit your info

Hey, you got your Facebook Page in my Facebook Place! Hey, you got your Facebook Place in MY Facebook Page. If you're setting up a Page and including the map of your location, you may be allowing others to edit your Page.

So here's the value proposition. You enable the map on your local business page on Facebook, and Facebook will generously create a mapped location your fans (a.k.a. "likes) can check into and notify their social graph. But it appears by doing so, you leave the door open for the public to edit the place info, thus editing your Page.

Basics: As the Page owner, you can set your "Basic Information" to include the map of your location. By doing so, it appears you are claiming your Facebook "Place". As Places are editable by the public, your Info tab is open to edit those fields. See the "Edit" option in the tab and off to the right.

 

 Now this might not be the biggest deal to some, but it can create havoc for brands. Especially regulated industries where you must list accurate info. Or if troublemakers wanted to come in and mess with you.

 

Funny thing is even if you disable the map to your page, the EDIT button on the upper right remains. Although it appears to be benign.

I guess it's now up to all of you to decide if claiming your Place within your Page is worth leaving it to others to define.

The Rules of Happy Hour

As an elder member of the workforce (18 years now, holla back!), I'm in no position to disperse philosophy that will guide your career to the top. However, as a veteran of multiple happy hours, Christmas parties and random work functions, without EVER getting so drunk I have any embarrassing stories that can usurp my work dignity, I do feel in a position to pass on my wisdom. Please share this with the youngins'.

Rule 1: Beware of the "second bar"

All Happy Hours start somewhere. Meet at Eli's at 5:30. People partake in the 2-for-1 specials, chat, come-and-go. As the people with lives drift off to leave you and your hand-to-mouth friends alone, eventually someone will suggest to go to another location. DON'T DO IT! Once you walk into that second location, you've invited the vampire into the room. There are no rules or protocol in locale #2. East is West, North is South. You've made a mistake my friend.

Rule 2: Smoke'em if you got'tem

Look, even if you just casually smoke, as soon as you see a senior member of the organization sneak off for a smokey treat, follow them. That's where the Glengarry Gossip happens. The enterprise caste system does not apply here. You're both dirty smokers. CEOs and HR Directors alike will spill there guts to a fellow dirty bird as a way of bonding.

Rule 3: Wait for the card...wait...wait.

Even if it's not an official company-sponsored event, if there is a senior member around, eventually the company credit card will come out. Do not split early. You will be forced to spend your own hard earned money that could be going to Limp Bizkit tickets (they're still hip with the youngsters right?). Once you see the glow of acceptance on the face of the otherwise defeated individual, you can expect they'll soon throw the plastic on the table and tell the waitress to keep it open. That's your cue to order mozzarella sticks and buffalo wings like you're hanging with Snooki.

Rule 4: When the vibe turns, RUN!

There's a moment in every night of group drinking, regardless of age or work/personal setting, when the vibe turns creepy. Happy hours, weddings, time-share presentations, you name it. Normally passive individuals get this look in their eyes like they don't realize they're beer-bellied, Homer-hairlined creepsters and start scoping the room for trouble. If you're a lady, RUN! If you're said creepster, BAIL! Much like nothing good happens after midnight, nothing good happens after the vibe turns.

Please share your added rules.

Case Study: Tempur-Pedic gets the conversation going

With the deserved attention Old Spice received from the twitterati for their well-coordinated campaign, you'd think the new press would be more psyched about Tempur-Pedic's use of social media. Maybe they needed a shirtless actor with six-pack abs (sorry, I'm not available).

If you're not familiar, Tempur-Pedic has done a nice job incorporating social principles into their broadcast media (see TV Spots) and then create infrastructure on their owned media including their .com site and social platforms (Facebook and Twitter).

Look, if you don't see the "sexy" in this, you must not be a digital marketer. This is plenty sexy. There's nothing sexier than practical implementation of today's social tools. For a considered purchase such as a bed, the word of the crowd is very valuable. Notice how they not only enable client stories, but they encourage and facilitate prospects to reach out to others to get their thoughts. And in most of those threads, both happy clients and Tempur-Pedic participate in the conversation.

Unlike the Old Spice campaign, when I did a search on this case study, I was shocked to realize they've been doing this over a year. And I could only find one blog post from IMediaWorks.com and one more from The Super Group. I hope others find this post too. BTW, I'm on a horse...on a foam bed.

2012: Social Media Dissolves

I was struck by a blog post awhile back and it came back to mind. The basic premise is Social Media shouldn't be its own discipline in a few years if the corporate stewards of Social Media do their job right.

I tend to agree. However, I think the timeline will stretch out as there's too much hype around SM to stop companies from dedicating a title or sometimes a department to it. Ultimately, I believe Social Media is simply a significant evolution of the web, but not a specialized channel. Here's how I see the all-encompassing term "Social Media" breaking down over time. 

Platform: Social platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have consumed all the press oxygen out there. At their core, they are platforms that enable social behavior. Brands have been quick to setup their Facebook Fan Pages and Twitter Accounts. Much of their benefits allow for the control of seed content by the brand, but have the additional benefit of allowing fans/followers/users to contribute to the content. As .com sites also continue to allow consumers to contribute to their site experience either publicly (reviews, posts, etc) or personally (Facebook Connect, Google Open API, etc), it is not unreasonable to expect the site owners (owned media) will own the Social Platform experiences. So the team that owns acme.com, will own facebook/acme and youtube/acme.

Communication Vehicle: The email address is now being usurped by the connection, friending or follow. It's the permission-based communication channel that allows Brands to reach consumers in a direct fashion. I would think this could become the world of the Email Marketing teams now. Plus, it's time those email marketers learn something new. They're getting tired of explaining what a good open rate is. They'll also need to get their PR buddies involved, as they'll be co-owning that element in some fashion.

Source of consumer research: Odds are if you're the "social" person at a large company, you were the one who owns the Radian6, Cymfony, Buzzmetrics, etc., relationship as well have setup Google Alerts that clog your RSS feed. Be you're probably not a Market Researcher, in Product Development or have access to the panic room during a PR crisis. Thus, these tools should be handed over to the folks who need them to do what they get paid to do. Understand consumer sentiment, get ahead of PR events or enhance products.

Don't worry SM folks, there will be something new tomorrow. Actually, at the break-neck speed of digital evolution today, there's always something new. You probably were the one assigned Social Media because you're good at understanding technology implications on business & marketing and you have a pulse on change. Try not to build to large a fiefdom of your own and lay too strong a claim on Social Media. Bring your company along, then look for what's next.

MN 2009: Amazing Year Nationally and Locally

I haven't blogged in awhile. Blame Pinot Noir and good TV (Dexter, House, History Channel) on that. So I have a backlog of topics (real-time web, socialization of the web, curation, and assorted other buzzwords) that I'm ready to write on. However, I got distracted tonight with answering email, twitter, etc. But another theme came to mind. The grateful feeling of being part of this community. Since 2009 is the year "community" became mainstream in the digital world, I feel compelled to speak of my community.

My community is the ever-growing MN Interactive Community. We go by many acronyms; MIMA, SMB, MNAMA, and many others. I cut my teeth on the MIMA circuit. In the 90s, that meant strange get-togethers at the Walker with about 10 "webmasters" and 10 other random web-centered professionals. We didn't have sexy titles like "User Experience Managers" or "Community Ambassadors". It literally was "webmaster" or "the web guy".

However, 2009 saw a huge growth in not just the web but in trade groups, local weblebrities and growing pains for the advertising/digital agencies.

First off, it seems like any given week there is at least one trade event. MIMA is an absolute monster (full disclosure: I'm a board alum and long-time member). Now about 1,200 members and over 900 at this years Summit. Social Media Breakfast sells out faster than Ben Folds with a TV contract in front of him (Sing Off). i612 and other groups have taken to the scene. It's great to see so many sectors of online organized and energized.

There's no "i" in "team" but there are standouts that must brave the speaker circuit to bring the midwest message out. In addition to SEO man-about-town Lee Odden, Kristina Halvorson took the content strategy story to the masses with the release of her book, Content Strategy for the Web and the trail of empty Scotch glasses to promote it.

And the once-proud Advertising industry is undertaking some growing pains as they redefine themselves in this changing digital landscape. Martin-Williams and Fallon saw some nice wins this year. Smaller, emerging shops like ZeusJones, The Nerdery and Mono got some press. 2010 hopefully will bring some more wins to the market to take advantage of all the talent here.

Ultimately, I felt very proud to see where the state of our local industry is at. I see so many smart, younger folks at the industry events and I can't help be glad the road has been paved for them to be recognized. My ask to you is to do the work at your core craft (PR, direct marketing, brand marketing, etc) and not get carried away with being a "guru" or "rockstar". Tactics are tactics. Nothing more. They are the means to an end. Business objectives.

So I'll leave the other topics for another night when TV is in reruns and my wine rack is empty. I hope to see old friends at the MIMA Holidy Party. And I look forward to meeting many new ones in 2010.

Twitter Week in Review: What's Happening?

Busy week for the twitter folks. While no major bombshells, you can see their gradual evolution taking shape. Here are some notes from the past week:

• They no longer care "what you're doing", but now wonder "What's happening?". Moving away from personal status.

• Going geo-loco. Yes, the world is going crazy for location based information. Now I'll know where you are when you're boring me.

• And here come the ads. But they're cool right? Much like french horn players, ads are incapable of being cool.

• Along with that announcement, was verification commercial accounts are on their way.

Enjoy your last days of non-commercialized twittering.

Business Models Being Redefined: AOL, MySpace and Yahoo

I was rummaging through my storage and came across a sealed version of Monopoly.com I got as a gift when I worked at the company that owned Monster.com. In addition to Monster, many stars of the Dot Com bubble were highlighted. Most survived, some didn't. But even the ones that did, morphed into something more defined than their original incarnation.

Turn the clock to the end of the first decade of the millennium. I'm sure many of the entities you know now, will look very different in 10 years. Here's some quick reading on the direction some of these companies are taking.

AOL: Part of the original cornerstones of the web, AOL has become all-but-obsolete as an ISP as dial-up went the way Hootie and the Blowfish. Now they're looking to become a Content Management System. Hey, at least they'll be able to manage all that Britney content on TMZ now.

MySpace: The darling of the social networking sites a few years back, MySpace has lost market share, employees, and brand. Now it looks like it'll just concede to Facebook and become a traditional content site. You don't need to be Tom's friend to listen to some tunes.

Yahoo: Content, content, content. Bye search.

I won't even get into Twitter, who have begun manifesting into a real business. Or Facebook, who is like the hip trend (see Twilight) you can't stop hearing about, so then decide to start hating arbitrarily. In the meantime, I'll keep watching eBay to see how valuable a shrink-wrapped Monopoly.com becomes.

Google's Local Play

Google has made some recent advances in local services that shouldn't go unnoticed. These releases advance Google's agenda in Local Business presence, mobile search and local advertising.

Mid-September Google launched Place Pages within its Maps offering to compete with Yelp. Google had already offered reviews and basic info withing the Maps bubble, but Place Pages provided additional information within a self-contained page for the business.

Then, still in September, they launch Local Search for Mobile. Now you can bookmark favorites, then access through you mobile device.

Finally, they make it easier for businesses to advertise on Google. Duh, make it turnkey for these 4 person small businesses to understand advertising on Google. Instead of devising a PPC strategy, Google created a flat-fee structure and included a Google Voice account to track referred calls. So smart, it seems dumb it wasn't introduced earlier. See more below.

With these moves, it's clear Google is looking to own the very furtile online small-business space. I'm sure this is disconcerting for companies such as Yelp, Localeze and CitySearch. Keep paying attention to these fragmented announcements. There is a bigger strategy at play.

How LinkedIn Can Monetize the Social Web

Social Networking Sites (SNS) are growing faster than Alec Baldwin’s midsection or Kanye mentions on twitter.  Facebook alone is so ubiquitous that it has 300 million users and I had to convince my mom not to join so I could have a little space of my own. Point is, human social networks are forming online.

Why not? Free tools that allow us to socialize, stalk ex’s, and share experiences? But Facebook and Twitter have real costs to keep the sites up and provide that functionality. For social networks to keep the momentum, they need to find ways to generate revenue. Could LinkedIn hold the secret to creating these streams, even if they themselves aren’t maximizing it?

Let’s consider a few facts (at least what suffices for facts these days):

• Advertising revenue seems to be the only tried and true model. Facebook is estimated to make $550 million in 2009. A lopsided $475 mil of that is expected to come from advertising revenue.

• Twitter, the darling of social society, is still mulling ideas for revenue models. And they’re clear to not rule out advertising.

• LinkedIn, the Jan of the virtual Brady family, is reportedly in the black via their three-prong revenue approach.

Although ads are part of LinkedIn’s revenue stream, it’s a fairly benign placements that don’t interfere with the user experience. LinkedIn also makes money through enhanced user accounts and recruiting products. But are they missing a golden opportunity?

What asset does LinkedIn have that the other social sites don’t? Robust graphs of connections between people. The value isn’t the profiles it contains, but rather the grid of connections that help you understand how you’re linked to other people. And because it’s a professional site, people are more apt to link into a wider graph of people than say Facebook, where more personal information is stored.

But in my opinion, LinkedIn does not leverage this asset. Their widgets allow for you to show connections keyed on specific companies or to link to the public profile of the individual, however the connection to them is hid behind a login or at least one click away.

What if an API or widget allowed developers to leverage the social graphs stored within LinkedIn to help encourage peer-to-peer recommendations or conversations?

Examples:

• You go to a realtor site where you have normally look at pictures to see who looks like someone you can work with. But with the super-duper LinkedIn integration, you can see how you’re connected to each realtor. Oh, Sally knows my friend Jake? Well maybe I’ll work with Sally.

• Or you want a new dentist and can run a reverse-lookup that brings all your friends dentists (that they self-disclose) back in a search result. Oh man, Joanna has nice teeth, I’m going with her dentist.

• Take it a step further where Facebook Connect could be cross-bred with the LinkedIn API so a user could post a request to know what insurance people use not only to their Facebook friends, but reach two or three degrees beyond.

If LinkedIn loosens up their API access policies (right now they have set widgets with the ability to request new ones) and developers of other sites look at creative ways to integrate the social graph, the could be an additional revenue model for LinkedIn (licensing) and online networks. Huh, Reid? Can it be done?