What Would Martin Luther King Do With Social Media?

Dr. King made a huge impact on the world with his passion, revolutionary ideas, inspiring vision and charisma. That combination alone got him and his movement earned media worth hundreds of millions of dollars on network television, major weekly magazines and radio. Many of you might not be old enough to remember, but in those days, if you got on the three major networks (FOX, MTV and hundreds of other channels didn’t exist), the two major newsweekly’s and syndicated radio you reached virtually 100% of the US population.

Creating a movement today is easier in some ways and a lot harder in others. The proliferation of media channels provides a much larger opporutnity to tell your message but the fragmented audience makes it harder to reach people at scale…with earned or paid media. The big plus in building a moment today is the ability, with new technologies and social media, to engage and have a relationship with people on a large scale. We’ve created a three legged stool using paid media, earned media and now social media. Together they make a very powerful combination for a movement as President Obama demonstrated in the 2010 election.

What would Dr. King do with social media?

• Have a blog with RSS and email options to chronicle his thoughts and experiences every day as he moved through the country
• Use an HD video camera to do interviews with world and political leaders he met with, and distribute them on his own social media platforms and video distribution sites like You Tube.
• Post times and dates for events he was having on Meetup.com as well as his website, blog and other media properties he maintained.
• Use Twitter to activate his followers into action as well as read/view his latest posts, videos and articles.
• Listen to the dialogue taking place in the country to identify hot-spots, emerging leaders in his movement and hone his messaging.
• Use his followers to crowd source video, blog posts, articles and other types of media
• Build a list and keep it active with fund raising and fresh ideas

What a man. What a movement!

What else would Dr King do?

Bra’s and Facebook: A Social Media Inspiration for Your Business

Black. Pink. Leopard…I will let your mind do the rest. For those of you who are not avid Facebook junkies, like myself, you probably have no idea what these words even mean.  Well, it just so happens, that Facebook has been in the center of a social media-marketing storm.

Female Facebook users, from all around the globe, decided to implement a small “game” to raise awareness for breast cancer. All women (starting with only a few) bombarded the live news feeds with the color of their bras. Who knew that something this simple could become a ‘Grass-roots movement?’

Talk about viral marketing…within two hours, the Susan G. Komen Facebook fan page increased from 135 fans to 700.

Now, if this story doesn’t motivate you to get out there and brand your business, than I don’t know what will. With the power of the social media community, the Susan G. Komen Foundation was able to raise awareness about their cause, thus, causing an increase in donations, volunteers and event participants. Think of all ways your business can use social media networking to create and establish a visible brand, while driving traffic to your business.

Whether it is a contest exclusive to Facebook fans, releasing a discount coupon for your product, or hiding an eBook on your website to have people search for-get people excited.

Use the story above to inspire your business marketing strategy.     Think: How can I get people energized about my product/service? Don’t be afraid. The Internet is more forgiving than your think. If your idea doesn’t exactly “take off,” don’t get discouraged…just keep trying.

So, with all of that encouragement, I expect you to all to go out and interact with your community in a fun and creative way.

What ideas do you have to maximize your Internet presence?

In the Midst of Haiti’s Tragedy, Social Media Prevails

At GenNext Media, our thoughts and prayers go out to the citizens of Haiti who were affected by the earthquake that devastated their country a few days ago. In this time of need, social media marketing has become the disaster relief of the future. The Red Cross has already raised almost $1 million for the country of Haiti through text message donations, Twitter outreach and Facebook groups.

Even in the face of disaster, social media has become the “go to” network for updates, donation information and pictures from the scene. Is this the tipping point of social media? Do you think that social media has finally gone main stream?

The viral outreach of the Haiti relief campaign has caused a break through in the way we are able to promote action and encourage outreach as fast as possible.  With the simplest process possible, the Red Cross, and other charitable organizations, took advantage of the popularity and simplicity of the Internet as a medium for immediate response.

Social media marketing has become the new wave of communicating and it will be interesting to see what the future holds. What do you think?

For a list of reputable charities taking donations for our friends in Haiti, check out this CNN article released this morning.

Want To Increase Your Leads…Add Channels!

One of the most common questions we get from clients is, “how do we get more leads?” Leads are the lifeblood for any business, and they are harder to come by in a tough economic environment.

The first thing we do is analyze where leads are currently being sourced? We also look at the number of leads by channel. Even better, what is the ROI of each lead as well as conversion by channel. Without tracking you will never know where your business should continue to invest and focus time. As important as tracking is, this post is not about tracking. We want to focus on making sure you are making use of all the possible lead sources online.

Funny thing is, in this new “distributed web” we have a lot more channels to explore. Let’s quickly look at the online channels your business will want to test and use:

• Natural Web Search (SEO)- SEO is the ante for any business. The key here is in today’s distributed, social web, all the content you are going to publish around the web will help your SEO rankings in a big way if you do it right strategically.
• Pay Per Click (PPC)- PPC costs are going up in a big way for competitive categories. But with the right buying strategy and optimized landing pages you still can make this an effective channel.
• Social Media Marketing- We are most excited about Social media because it is free and offers both huge reach and targeted marketing opportunities. Doing social media right takes a comprehensive strategy (not one off Facebook Fan Page or Twitter) and consistent presence but the payoff can be huge.
• Banner Ads- The online advertising stalwart, it is being renewed with new, niche ad networks and banners in some new social communities.
• Article Links- Article marketing is the new “black” in online business marketing. The reason is content is king for marketers in this new distributed web. Getting attention in the attention economy is done through content. And it’s viral!
• Directories- Directories play a great role in organizing the distributed web and are important for your website marketing plan. Don’t forget the vertical market directories that are targeted for your market.
• Partners- Find partners to promote your business, who are in related markets, have a valuable list of potential buyers. Social media can help here because you can meet more potential partners when you are involved in the online communities.

Offline channels are also effective and should be tested as well. For best results, offline and online channels should work together. Drive target customers from offline media like TV, Radio or print to your online owned media like your website, Facebook Fan page and other places around the web. Use your “link bait” as the reason for them to go there. Also, take your online conversations and relationships offline via phone meeting, seminar or conferences to bring your relationship to another level.

Anything I missed? What works for your business…

3 Most Challenging Aspects Of Social Media Marketing

Marketing in the distributed web takes a completely new set of skills than traditional business marketing.  We have been conduction a poll asking our audience (almost 1,000 on LinkedIn)of business owners and senior executives “What the most challenging aspect of implementing a social media marketing program is?”.

Here are some results:

Most Challenging Aspects Of Social Media Marketing

Unscientific LinkedIn Poll

By far, “strategy for a campaign” is the most challenging. Not surprising since we have so much information coming at us all the time and new ideas, techniques and media options emerge every day. I also suspect that many are confused between social media marketing and interactive marketing in general (the emerging distributed web).

Second runner up is content creation and distribution. Most companies are not set up to be publishers. They don’t have the skill set or workflow and systems to do it. In the distributed web, becoming and information publisher and educator in your market are critical to success.

The third biggest challenge to implement a social media program is time to implement. This is scary stuff for executives already overwhelmed with things they need to do just to get their current tasks done.

Company Size

We also looked at these same variables by company size and it sheds more light on this subject.

Most Challenging Aspects Of Social Media Marketing

By Business Size

Unscientific LinkedIn Poll

Larger organizations appear to be more focused on understanding the strategy and how it fits the overall marketing communications effort. This makes sense since there is more structure and moving pieces in a larger enterprise. Larger organizations also do not appear to have as much of a concern with the content piece of social media marketing as does smaller businesses where resources and skill sets are more limited.

Social Media Challenges By Age

Interestingly, we also looked at these same variables by age.

Most Challenging Aspects Of Social Media Marketing

By Age of Respondent

Unscientific LinkedIn Poll

Business owners and executives in the “middle” of a career seem to focus on strategy.  Younger respondents have the most concern about content development and distribution. Possibly because they don’t have the experience, contacts or perspective yet to consistently create content.  Older professionals find the time issue hardest to handle. This new marketing world requires a time commitment and attention that they are not used to.

In our judgment, this all points to an idea we have been playing with (and testing in our GenNext Media Labs) over the past year. We created a system to abstract away the complexity of implementing a social media program. Not that our “system” is easy, because the fact is doing social media marketing right is not easy and requires more time and attention than traditional forms of marketing. Our solution to these challenges is a process with, work flow and organization businesses of any size can understand and implement.

The key, however basic, is to have a plan using a proven set of actions to start with so your organization doesn’t get trapped. Look at businesses that you think are doing it right and model what they are doing.  Follow what is working and then expand once you get started.

We launch social media marketing programs for companies large and small using a proven template of content, distribution, and a website/blog that all works together to have an impact. The focus is getting some level of leads and/or traffic to our sites quickly. It’s amazing how much time people find to do things once they experience some success.

If you have not responded to the survey, please go to this link and tell us what you think…most challenging aspects of social media marketing

Please Don’t Use Social Media Marketing If You…

Please Don’t Use Social Media Marketing If You…

…have the slightest inkling you have torpor.

Torpor means “lack of vitality or interest”.

Creating a long-term relationship with consumers, clients and brand advocates via the distributive and social Web requires that you have, or are doing, something we’ll find interesting: a message, product or service possessing value and exuberance.

Too many businesses, sites and brands are defined by torpor.

They have no purpose, they clutter the world with more useless “stuff”, they are boring, cookie-cutter products, and are not worthy of our attention.

These same brands and companies jump into the distributive Web hoping to build fans and to connect with existing as well as new customers.

Where is the passion and purpose in your brand or product? Can we “feel” it when we click on your site, Twitter page or blog?

Figure it out before you fill us with apathy (another aspect of torpor).

Definition from Visual Thesaurus: (one of the best sites and best annual subscription for just about everyone).

WR-per\, noun:

1. Lacking in vitality or interest.
2. A state of mental or physical inactivity or insensibility.
3. Lethargy; apathy.

Harnessing Brand Advocates In Social Media

Prospects involved in online communities can have a multiplier effect on your marketing effort if you can convert them into brand advocates for your business.

In a recent eMarketer post we found a recent survey conducted by Synovate for word-of-mouth ad network PostRelease investigated just how likely Internet users are to talk about Brands and motivate consumers to become advocates. The study confirms that involved Internet users express this brand advocacy in many ways online and offline. This is called “earned media” in professional marketing circles…where brand messages get repeated in traditional media outlets, online in social networks or offline in recommendations and conversations. It’s free and very valuable.

The concept of earned media is important because it is the most powerful form of communication. Studies have shown for years that work of mouth communication is the most powerful form of motivating consumers. This study looks at (and confirms) how online brand advocates influence friends and family around them online and offline.

The most common word-of-mouth activity reported by respondents was helping a friend or family member with a purchase decision, but more than two-fifths also said they had shared advice offline about information they learned on the Web. Significantly fewer Internet users posted their own ratings and reviews online, and only about one-half as many shared links to articles or reviews about products.

As you might expect, participation in social media and word-of-mouth activities was highest among the younger set. Even more interesting, almost half of them gave offline (in-person) advice based on information they saw online. But the numbers are strong across age groups.

eMarketer reports that PostRelease also broke down respondents according to whether or not they participate in online forums, which about one-fifth of those polled did. Forum participants were significantly more likely to take part in all the activities queried. Notably:

• 65% of forum contributors give advice offline based on information found online, compared with 35% of noncontributors.
• 66% of forum contributors post online ratings and reviews, compared with 16.8% of noncontributors.
• 43.6% of forum contributors share links to articles and reviews, versus 12% of noncontributors.
• 20.6% of forum contributors publish a blog, compared with 2.1% of noncontributors.

Users of forums, who are already actively engaged in online social activity, make for “enthusiastic consumers and influential brand advocates,” according to a statement by Justin Choi, president and founder of PostRelease.

What does this mean for your business?

You know those fans you are collecting on Facebook, the followers you are collecting on Twitter and the readers you are engaging with on your blog? Those are people you want to make into passionate brand advocates. They will have a multiplier effect on your top line revenue that will give you the edge in your market. The key is to carefully and deliberately build your fans, followers and readers so that you have a real relationship with them. Nurture them and activate them.

What do you think?

Are You Using Webinars To Build Sales Leads?

Webinars are a great tool for building sales leads in the new social media marketing world. The question is, are you using them to get closer to your customers?

I know you are getting inundated with webinar promotions and I know what you are probably saying, why in the world would anyone come to my webinar? Well, if you have Fans, Followers, email lists and the like, you have a bunch of people that like you and want to get to know you better. Webinars are another way to get your prospects down the funnel to become a buyer!

Webinars should be a consistent feature to your social media marking program. Use your distributed presence on all those web 2.0 sites and your blog to promote your webinars. You have a big presence now. Use it to drive people to get more involved with your business.

Tips for Success

1. Sign up for a Webex or GoToWebinar account. You will be able to do customization of various forms and email templates that participants will see when you invite them or when they are waiting for the webinar to start. Make sure you have logos and pictures available so you can customize the webinar software for your business. It’s a nice touch and you will look more professional than the others.
2. Create a presentation that your target prospects will want to hear. Go back to your research about the most burning questions that they have. Maybe use a topic from an article or whitepaper that you have for “link bait”. Get comfortable giving that presentation. Most webinar software has a practice webinar feature that your can work with so you get familiar with the mechanics or using the software.
3. Follow the instructions for creating and sending invitations for whatever webinar service you are using. Make sure you are also familiar with all the tools and ticks like polls, answering questions, how to switch presenters and most important, how to record. Promote the webinar to all the audience you think are interested in the subject. Use your owned vehicles (blog, web 2.0 sites) and also go into other forums and blogs and make comments and invite people (be careful that you do not come off too much like you are selling; this is an informative webinar)
4. Get your audience to participate. Use polls, ask questions, get them to take action on your website. The idea is to get them involved with you and your business in a deeper way.
5. Follow up! You need to get these folks onto one of your auto-responders on your main list…not just the webinar software. That is why you want to get them to take an action on your website (sign up for something) so you can get a double optin and continue a dialogue with them.

Now go do it! You will get closer to your customers and enjoy the opporutnity to talk about what you love most…serving the market you are in.

Facebook Marketing: 5 Surefire Ways to Give Your Page Clear Visibility

Facebook has gone from a small, Internet-based college directory to an International business platform.  Facebook is a network that gives you the insight into your target community, more so than any other social media site on the web. That being said, what good are all of these features if your businesses page is going unnoticed?

As your social media expert, and friend, I am here to unwrap your lonely Facebook page and give you the necessary tools and advice to frame your market and form a solid community around your business.

Here is the top 5 Surefire ways to get your page out there and get your business on the Facebook radar:

• Utilize Facebook Apps. One of the best “perks” to having a Facebook page, over a Facebook group, is the availability of all the applications you can use to better your page’s visibility and community. The “Business” section of the applications page has some great tools to add to your page. For Contractors, I highly recommend the “testimonials” application and for small businesses, I recommend using “Static FBML” to create a landing page, or other customizable tabs, for potential fans to go to.

• Advertise. Whether you put a button on your blog/website or run a paid advertisement for your page on Facebook, make sure you are making your presence known. I put a link to both of our Facebook pages in my email signature, and I also advertise it in the blogs and forums I frequently participate in.  Remember: every little bit helps, so don’t hesitate to try something and see if it works.

• Post, Share and Comment. Don’t abandon your page! Being an admin on a Facebook page is like taking care of a newborn baby, it needs love and frequent attention in order to grow. Post article links, pictures, information, etc. about 3 times a day.  If someone posts a comment, you should be very proud of yourself, but don’t stop there. Keep the person engaged by responding in a timely manner to let them know that you are listening.

• Use Other Facebook Pages to Network. Many of our fans, and leads to our website, have come from postings in other Facebook pages. Do a search and find some popular, frequented pages and start hanging out there.  Introduce yourself and mention the name of your business and many people will check your page out. The more you frequent these groups, the more relationships and credibility you will build, and thus, more fans you will produce.

• If your friends really love you, they will become fans. Facebook is the mecca of viral marketing for your business. Every time you join, post, or reference a page, all of your friends see it on their “Live Feed.” Ask your friends to become fans of your page. It is ok if they are not involved in the same industries and niches you are. In fact, this allows your page to reach people that you might have never found on your own. So ask your friends to give you a hand…you can buy them a drink at happy hour to thank them.

I have found that Facebook is a tough place to get noticed (probably because of the millions of people surfing the site), but if you have patience and a strategy, you will be seeing serious traffic and increased conversion rates within 6 months.

So go out there and make Facebook your marketing platform, but before you do that…how about you become a fan of two more pages? We promise to return the favor!

Become a fan of GenNext Media and Surefire Social Marketing on Facebook!

How To Create An Economic Advantage Using Social Media Marketing

As we discuss in Digital Forensics, listening to your customers and observing your competitors can give you a big edge when it comes to business marketing using social media and the distributed web. Done right, your will get to the point where you are learning a ton about how you can improve your product, delivery and messaging.

If your at the point where you have a good pulse on your customers from listening and participating in blog and forum discussions, then it may be time to consider embracing this information and taking action to further your brand objectives. By incorporating some of this rich customer information and  feedback into your marketing campaigns or product design or service offering, you can gain brand advocates and improve your brand/business positioning.

Getting started is simple:

1. Figure out the best way to solicit ideas from customers. Where appropriate, use the blogs you are following and participating in to propose ideas/solutions you would like to test and solicit comments. Another great way to do this is using Yahoo Answers, LinkedIn Answers and other sites like them to ask questions directly and get a read on who is asking questions similar to yours. Don’t be afraid that competitors will be getting this information as well. They key is acting on the information, and the next three steps will put you way ahead of them.

2. Vet feedback. Not all information you get back will be good information or necessarily reflect the underline idea you are testing. Spend time sorting through the feedback and continue to clarify and hone the ideas in the communities you are participating in until you feel comfortable that you have a solid idea.

3. Structure internal communication and process to best incorporate these customer ideas. Ideas without follow through will not get your new customers or market share. You now have the knowledge, the key is working this information into your internal workflow so that you incorporate these new ideas into your business.

4. Communicate the changes and improvements you will be making to your communities. Use the communities that your developed your new product or service ideas with to become brand advocates. They are already pre-sold on what your product strategy is…find ways to empower them to let others know.

Implementing this strategy will create huge economic advantages for your business. By identifying and executing new ideas that will expand your customer base, and have them purchase more products from you more frequently, your business can expand margins because capital investment to implement these ideas is not high (in most cases).

Go try it and tell us what you think.

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