Field Notes Inside an Integrated Communications Agency

I wanted to give a shout out to the podcast Marketing Over Coffee . In this weekly podcast, Christopher Penn and John Wall discuss online marketing, social media and tech trends. The podcasts are short (under 30 minutes) and I always learn something new. I like listening to them on my way to work to help get me mentally pumped for the day.

Are there any marketing podcasts you like to listen to?

I will admit, if you are a company, it's really hard to get me to follow you on Twitter or sign-up for emails, let alone tell someone else to follow or email you. Like everyone else I am bombarded and inundated with digital marketing, most of which are irrelevant to me. Two fairly new concepts that I not only happily follow, but also recommend to people are Groupon and Twongo. They are on the elite list of the few sites I visit daily.

Similar to Woot!, both websites provide a crazy good deal for a limited amount of time, usually a gift certificate sold at 50% or less of face value. Twongo has the added bonus of being based on the Chinese concept of Tuango, where the more people that buy the deal, the more they save.

Groupon and Twongo both focus on local small businesses. Groupon is available in many cities and is only a recent additional to the Triangle and Twongo solely focuses on Triangle area. I would tell every small business owner to partner with one of these sites. There have been several businesses that I would never had tried or even heard of if they weren't featured on these sites.

Why these sites work? Aside from the obvious price discount there is a good lesson here for all marketers. These sites are highly targeted, updated with relevant content and create a sense of urgency and immediate call to action. Twongo's additional concept of the more people buy, the more they save encourages word of mouth promotion, which is a difficult even under the best circumstances.

Are your marketing efforts are timely, relevant, targeted and promote word of mouth dissemination?

I probably would not have my current position at Capstrat if it weren't for Twitter. How did I achieve this magical and mystical feat, especially in this economy where the odds of getting a new job seem akin to winning the lottery?

First, I made the very conscious decision to leverage Twitter to promote myself and my personal brand through Tweeting about marketing, branding, social media mixed with some local and fun things. Secondly, I started to follow and engage with local companies and influential marketing people by RTing and responding to their tweets. Finally, the most important component, I went to A LOT of in person networking events where I could meet these people IRL (in real life). Since they already "knew" me on Twitter, I found it to be much easier to talk and engage with them in person and I became known by my Twitter name (@mbagrrl). In addition, going to these events, I would meet people IRL first and then they we would start following each other and expanding our networks. Along the way I met a lot of smart interesting Tweeps that I maintain professional and personal relationships. Cord Silverstein was one of those people. We met through my RTing and responding to @Capstrat and then eventually met in person. When a position became available that matched my skillset with Capstrat's needs, I was top on the list for an interview. I still had to rock the interview and dazzle them with my marketing knowledge, but I would not have gotten in the door without Twitter.

However, a word of caution, in my social media endeavors I was always open, transparent, and genuine. If you are not prepared to represent yourself or your brand accurately, you are not ready for social media.

So there you have it, real life proof you can get a job on Twitter.

The options for social media seem endless nowadays. The ability to connect with the broader world - as well as the groups you really care about - is becoming easier each day. Every new device we get comes loaded and geared for making just those types of connections. But as pervasive as they are, as much as they are part of my everyday life and those I interact with, I can't take for granted everyone cares or even understands.

I recently tried to convince a client to run targeted ads on facebook to support a public affairs project. My thinking was this is part of the suite of services we should be using for this project. Their response was this is not relevant. The connection seemed so obvious and targeted, how could they not see this? But, digging a little deeper I find out they're not using facebook. Matter of fact, they've never even seen it in use. So instead of convincing them about the benefits of facebook and other social media, I am now offering an introduction to social media.

The point is they - and many of our contacts - are very busy people. Their work continues as it has for many years, regardless of blogging, facebook ads and fan pages, or Tweeting. Sometimes it's not about communicating the value of a specific tool from the social media toolkit. Instead, it's communicating what social media is and why it is valuable.

As options and the number of sites continues to grow in a seemingly exponential way, maybe it is time to dial back the clock and reassess what people really understand about what we think everyone already knows. This was a great learning experience for me because it reminded me that we need to not only think about what's next, but help ensure the people we touch know what's here.

Twitter is a part of my daily life - work and play. So is "The Associated Press Stylebook."

The AP  announced today on Twitter that they will be providing assistance to folks with style questions.

For me, this is a big deal. Oftentimes, the AP Stylebook isn't clear on some items. So all I have to do is send a tweet and include the hashtag #apstyle and my question will be answered.

Beautiful... 

BTW, I'm @Lilyn on Twitter.

L. 

 

Have you ever wondered how many unknown geniuses came before Einstein? Or how many Elvis Presley's out-danced and out-sang the star in the privacy of their own homes? How many explorers "discovered" America before Columbus?

The truth of the matter is, there have been many "greats" that came before the people that we regard as legends. These individuals were never "discovered" or properly recognized for their talents or contributions; they somehow got lost in the crowd and probably ended up wistfully shaking their heads at the news while thinking, "I thought of that years ago."

These unsung heroes were not recognized because of a lack of resources or outlets to share what they possessed, whether it be talent or information. In the end, self-promotion through effective communication and exposure is what led to the reverence that many such as Einstein, Elvis and Columbus receive today.

Luckily, social media is opening up a brand new, accessible venue for individuals to share what they've got. Last week, a star was born in Australian computer programmer Anthony Wesley. While partaking in his frequent hobby of stargazing, Wesley became intrigued by a large spot on Jupiter that he had not previously seen. He said he immediately recognized its significance and he uploaded images of the planet onto Flickr, a popular photo-managing social media site that allows one to share images with the world.

With his $400 telescope, Wesley was the first to make the ground-breaking discovery of an Earth-sized scar caused by an asteroid or comet collision to the planet. He is now being revered by NASA and astronomers around the world. The once unknown computer programmer is now the first result in a Google search of his name. Wesley is describing his discovery as a dream come true.

Social media is allowing many individuals to gain the fame and fortune that they only dream of. YouTube has served as an open karaoke stage for many singers who have been signed by huge record labels. Soulja Boy, a platinum-selling hip-hop artist from Atlanta, was discovered through the social networking site in 2007. Many others have been discovered through the site, including Canadian YouTube sensation, Justin Bieber, who is on his own rise to fame after being signed to a record label this year.

Whether you're an aspiring writer, singer, dancer, amateur astronomer or circus clown, there is no longer a reason to not be recognized for your talents. Social media is an accessible resource for everyone and by sharing your talents with the world, you could be the next big discovery.

Don't let the Internet get you in trouble.  Sounds easy enough, right? Well, in most cases it's easier said than done.

Take the Governor of South Carolina, Mark Sanford, for instance.  His private e-mailed love notes to his Argentinean mistress became public banter for us all.  One quotation from his letter lovingly states:  "I could digress and say that you have the ability to give magnificently gentle kisses, or that I love your tan lines or that I love the curves of your hips, the erotic beauty of you holding yourself (or two magnificent parts of yourself) in the faded glow of night’s light — but hey, that would be going into the sexual details we spoke of at the steakhouse at dinner — and unlike you I would never do that!"

Well, Governor, you gave us all enough details for a lifetime.

What Governor Sanford failed to realize is that the Internet is not as private and secure as we may think it to be.  Gone are the days of storing clandestine love notes in tightly sealed glass bottles to send off into open waters.  While you may think your online message may be deleted or "hidden," you are taking the chance of it being shared in a variety of online arenas.  We can all remember numerous cases of inappropriate celebrity photographs or videos that were "accidentally leaked," and then spread lightning-quick into an area too vast to clean up.

The truth is, information that is put on the Internet is practically fair game for anyone to see, use, share and manipulate. Celebrities aren't the only victims of this solemn truth.  Last week, when explaining her reasoning for not being on Facebook, a friend's mother told me that Facebook is not for married couples.  "Facebook can get you caught-up!" she told me.

After some thought, I understood her reasoning.  I have seen much tension derived from social media sites such as Facebook.  Whether someone tags you in that picture of your wild weekend in Vegas or writes something a little too friendly on your Facebook Wall- it's likely that your significant other will eventually find out; but is this really a legitimate reason for not participating in such a social phenomenon?

Social media and all interactions on the Internet should be approached responsibly. You don't want the Supreme Court (or better yet, the "Court of Public Opinion") coming after you saying, "I know what you did last summer!" So, in the words of my friend's mother, "Don't get caught-up!"

Do you really need a degree to report the news? According to the past week's coverage of the protest rallies in Iran...not really. For the past week and for the first time ever, CNN, The New York Times, BBC and other big news corporations have been reporting based on the updates of Twitterers and other social media users. Some broadcasters have deemed this phenomenon the "Twitter Revolution;" but personally, I'm seeing it as the "Social Media is Taking Your Job- Revolution."

This past week has been a week of unrest in Iran, following the presidential re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. With claims and accusations of election fraud, Iran's Supreme Leader ordered a halt to the protests and a ban on international media coverage. This ban led to international news networks depending on civilian eyewitness reports received through social media sites.

Because of the rapidness of status updates and tweets, many are relying on social media sites for news. However, the fact that some of the most influential news giants are turning to Twitter to find out the news is ground-breaking.

But what are the downfalls of this increasing dependency on social media for information? People are depending on social media sites for news increasingly, every day; yet these same people are taking the chance of being misled. This past semester, there was a shooting at my university. The shooting happened on a Sunday at around 12:30 am; however, in a public relations disaster, school officials did not notify students until hours later. The local news station did not broadcast the story until the next afternoon and still had little information to share with viewers. Their mistake.

Students and parents were enraged. The only way people could find out what was going on was through reading random status updates on Facebook. By the time the school sent out the "emergency" alert, everyone and their mama already knew the information...

Sort of.

One downfall to depending on social networking sites for breaking news is the authenticity of what is being reported. Because of Facebook, I was under the impression that the shooter was on a rampage around the campus, hiding in bushes and wreaking havoc on random dorms for hours. Locked in my room, my friends and I stayed on Facebook until the university's "emergency" alert finally went out. (Much) later, we found out that the incident was not as severe as we had thought.

Reporting credible information is the chance that reporters are taking by depending on social media. Because Iranian authorities wouldn't allow international journalists to report on the violent rallies, CNN depended on "iReports" all day. Almost all of CNN's staff was monitoring Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flikr, Blogger and other sites that were being used by Iranians to share the events with the world. While this allowed for thorough coverage of the events, the CNN news team was unable to authenticate its findings. With reports of hackings and deliberately misleading reports on social networking sites, no news network was able to confirm statements from twitterers.

So, what does this mean for Journalism, as we know it? The same way that CNN gained viewers by becoming the nation's first 24-hour news network, the Internet is taking over, and now social media is taking over. People want to know what's going on and they want they want the information quickly. But can 140-character tweets on social networking sites compete with relatively fast, detailed articles published online?

Well...I'm not even sure if it's a competition anymore. Social media is taking over, so I guess the real question could be: is your job next?

I have been toying around with LinkedIn for a year or so now, and it seems to be a valuable networking tool. The value, like all other tools both online or offline, being dependent on the time and energy one puts in to developing and utilizing that avenue. I'm sure that I have yet to unlock the full potential of something like LinkedIn. Aside from listing my job positions and connecting to a reasonably good sized selection of co-workers, business associates, classmates and friends, I haven't done much to expand my network.

Over the past few weeks I have noticed an increase in the number of connection requests I have received. Too bad for me it is not my growing popularity – the requests are not coming from people I know or have ever heard of, and they are seemingly generic requests. My guess is these are mass requests – sent out to entire groups or networks in hopes of simply increasing ones number of contacts. So I have been thinking… is this common practice? My personal philosophy – in terms of social networking – has always been more of a focus on quality rather than quantity. This might be due to my paranoid parents refusing to list our home phone number and address in the local phone book when I was a kid (so the crazy people didn't bother us.) Ultimately, I have seen social networking as a way to remain in touch with people I value in my real life – simply an extension of what goes on offline. Sorry – but if I don't know you, I am not "friending" you on Facebook. I'm not sure I want you to know any of my personal information! I have taken this same approach with LinkedIn.

My question is… am I going about this all wrong? In order to achieve my personal best results with LinkedIn, should I be connecting to everyone and their grandmother in hopes of finding that special person who might help me later on in life? I guess I just see these mass connection invites come across as petty. These people don't really want to know me, they just want my connection. Is this not the same thing as a man climbing up on a table at some networking event and announcing to 300 people, 'my name is John Doe, and I am a valuable person for you to know. Come sign up now to be my friend – don't miss out!'