Leveraging Social Media: Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

by Ellie Brown on February 25, 2010

I missed American Idol last night because I decided last minute to go to a Social Media Club of DC event.  I know, 1) how will I know how Todrick Hall did and 2) serious nerd alert.  If only there was a way for me to set the DVR from my iphone…oh wait, DirecTV has that.  I think that’s pretty newsworthy, especially if it means not missing a minute of AI.  But according Charles Miller, Director Digital Care/Social Media Strategy at DirecTV, no one in the newsroom (or popular blogosphere) thought the launch of the DirecTV iphone DVR app was anything special and they said “no thanks” to covering it.

So instead of tearing up their press release and crying about it, Miller and the PR team at DirecTV decided to leverage their social media networks to spread the word about the launch of the app instead.   The promotion was done by reaching out to well-connected individuals who had relationships with DirecTV and had shown they were active, responsive and available to re-tweet.  Turns out, people did think the launch was special and 200,000 of them downloaded the app from itunes within the first week.  After 100,000 downloads, traditional news media took notice and finally covered the story – driving the social media conversation even more and contributing to the next 100,000 downloads.

As more and more brands begin to create and cultivate their social media networks, I think this phenomenon will be happening more frequently.  Brands will be turning to their consumer base directly through social media to get the word out in addition to traditional PR approaches.  The purpose of getting press coverage is to increase awareness and understanding of your product among consumers – so why not cut out the middle man (the media) and get right to business?  If the product catches consumers’ interest first, it will appear more newsworthy to the media and they will cover it and the conversation will continue to grow.

But will creating online buzz first become the only way to get reporters (and now A-list bloggers) to cover your brand?  I don’t think so.  The news media are just looking for a good story that will appeal to their readers.  Your media pitch needs some element that makes it different from the rest.  Another iphone app?  Great, but not that easy to craft a catchy story around.  Another iphone app that has reached 100,000 downloads in less than a week because of Twitter?  Pretty newsworthy in this day and age.

Social media is  a cost-effective, easy way to reach consumers, and as DirecTV’s example has shown us, a great avenue for attracting traditional media coverage.  But as all the experts keep saying (I am not an expert or a “guru” by any means…yet) an integrated (social media and traditional media) marketing and communication strategy is your best bet.  So keep the traditional PR channels open, but why not start out with some social media outreach to get the conversation started and generate interest in your product.  Journalists and bloggers are on Twitter, they’ll find you.

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Answers

by Phillip Rhoades on February 24, 2010 · 2 comments

Lee Odden over at Online Marketing Blog shared 15 Social Media Answers From OMS10 with the blogosphere recently:

What’s your advice for individuals just get started using Twitter?

Have some idea of what you want out of Twitter. Connect with people of similar interests and goals and engage with them.

What’s the #1 myth preventing companies from embracing social media?

To start when you’re ready. You’ll never be ready. But you need to do it anyway because it’s the only way towards progress.

What’s the best way to integrate social media with other marketing efforts like email, direct mail, etc?

Strategically. Learn what customers want and leverage social technologies across channels to make it easier for them to get it.

What’s the one social media skill set that you wish more potential employees had?

Honesty about skills. Social media user & expert are very different. Passion, curiosity and ability to really listen, learn and create value using social technology.

He goes on with some great advice and you should check out the original article and let me know what you think.

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How Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) Builds Social Media Relationships

by Susan Young on February 23, 2010 · 2 comments

One of the most exciting discoveries in business communication and psychology in the past 30 years has been the development of a communication and rapport-building tool called Neurolinguistic Programming.

If you’re not familiar with NLP, here’s the quick thumbnail. NLP was developed by Richard Bandler and John Grinder in the 1970s at the University of Santa Cruz in California. At the time, Bandler was studying for his master’s degree in information sciences and mathematics. Grinder was a professor of linguistics (language). The two discussed how some people are able to “get through to difficult people, and others can’t” and NLP was conceived. It examines the relationships between thought, communication, and behavior. One of the basic definitions of NLP that I like to use in my trainings is that it bridges communication gaps.

The core of NLP focuses on positive outcomes, body language and physiology, the words we use to communicate our experiences, and our mental programming. Top business leaders, politicians and athletes around the world use NLP to build trust and influence. They use it as an internal success tool to visualize positive results in advance. It’s fascinating.

OK, so where does Social Media play into this mix? Obviously you can’t read body language with written blog posts, texts, Tweets, LinkedIn group discussions or on Facebook walls. But the clues and cues to help you build relationships online, engage new people, and connect with your industry leaders and ideal clients are literally right in front of your face.

Here’s how it works. NLP focuses on our five senses, or learning modalities. The three main ones for communication are sight, sound, and feel. While we are dominant in one of these areas, there is always an overlap.

  • Visual – Most people are visual communicators. They learn by seeing and reading. They need to actually see how something is done in order to comprehend it. They use expressions like “Take a look at this” and “I get the picture.”
  • Auditory – Others learn by hearing. They can hear something explained once or twice and have full understanding. These are individuals who prefer audio books and are not couch potatoes who spend time with TV and movies. Auditory people tend to use phrases like “That’s music to my ears” and “That sounds good to me.”
  • Kinesthetic – These folks learn best through touch or feel. Artists and creative people are usually kinesthetic. They may say things like “I get the point” and “I feel comfortable with that plan.”

Think about what kind of communicator you are. If you are a visual communicator and have a face-to-face disagreement with a colleague who is auditory, you will clash. It’s as though you are speaking Spanish and he is speaking French. By listening closely, you can identify your colleague’s main modality and begin to use it in your conversation. You’ll soon be on the same page.

The goal of NLP is to bring people together by finding similarities instead of differences. It’s about positive outcomes and bridging communication gaps.

This holds true of the written/typed words in our Social Media activities. Consider these  examples of phrases used online:

“I love this video”

“Google blurs the line…”

“Let’s touch base”

“Quick overview of”

“UN Chief sees corporate profit…”

“Best advice I’ve heard in a while”

“Looks exciting”

“The way it sounds to me…”

If your ideal client Tweets an article link and writes “Best advice I’ve heard in a while”, he has dropped a clue (the word heard) that he may be an auditory learner. Take a quick minute to read his Profile or a blog post to discover more about his communication.  This is called doing your homework. You can then Retweet him and add “Sounds like a solution for marketing pro’s.” You can also try and engage him one-on-one with a similar auditory response. Another option is to send him a link to a podcast or Teleseminar (audio programs) on a related subject. Bringing the conversation off-line is the goal so you can continue to connect with him.

By being aware of other people’s modalities and shifting your communication to match theirs, you will build trust and a connection. People will feel comfortable with you because you are “like” them. In turn, they will “like” you. NLP calls this practice “modeling” or “mirroring.”

Even though Social Media and other technology often has us speaking in tongue or 140 characters, the basic clues of NLP and building rapport is present.

NLP is the subconscious tool of influence. Social Media is the vehicle to drive that influence.

Susan Young works with businesses who want to increase their publicity, credibility and revenues with public relations and social media. She’s a news and communication expert and President of Get in Front Communications, Inc. Susan also works with professionals and college students who want to improve their communication, leadership and self-confidence. She is a certified practitioner in NLP. Susan can be reached at www.getinfrontcommunications.com. Read her blog at www.getinfrontblogging.com.

Network with Susan:

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Levels of Communication

by Phillip Rhoades on February 21, 2010

Soren Gordhamer over at Mashable walks us through the 5 Levels of Effective Communication in the Social Media Age.

In this era of social media when we are reaching out and engaging more and more people, the question is not just “Should I communicate with someone?” but “How should I communicate with someone? How can I build engagement one step at a time?” The more we allow for and understand the importance of all the various levels of communication, the more we can skillfully and effectively use each one.

Those levels of communitcation happen to be according to Gordhamer:

  • Level 1: The Public Reply
  • Level 2: The Direct Message
  • Level 3: E-mail
  • Level 4: Phone
  • Level 5: In-Person (or Video Chat)

I think he’s got it pretty much on the mark.

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Social Ning

by Phillip Rhoades on February 18, 2010 · 2 comments

Bridget Carey over at The Miami Herald thinks we should all Consider Ning to broaden social networking strategy.

Your business Facebooks. It Tweets. But does it Ning? There are about 300,000 active groups on Ning — many of them brands and interest groups — and about 40 million users actively participating in them. If your business has a social media strategy (and there had better be a strategy) you might want to consider setting up a Ning network.

It’s where you can take any topic and make a social network community for it in less than 10 minutes. I spoke to Ning’s chief operating officer, Jason Rosenthal, who says that every month, there’s a 14 percent increase of active Ning networks. There are about 2.1 million networks, not all active. That’s about 40,000 new and active networks created a month.

I’d have to agree with her, Ning is a great platform to create very focused communities.

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Social Media Jackass

by Phillip Rhoades on February 18, 2010

(The following is a personal view expressed by Phillip J Rhoades formed under the influence of caffeine and annoyance)

  • Are you a blogger (aka citizen journalist)?
  • Did you put your contact information up for everyone to find?
  • Are people contacting you about news in the field that you report on?
  • Are you complaining because you’re being contacted?
  • Did you “friend” someone on facebook and then complain about what they post, suggest, or send you?
  • Did you follow someone on twitter and then complain about how many tweets they send out?

If the above sounds like you, then you are probably a Social Media Jackass. Buck up, shut up, and listen. You signed on for all of this. You made yourself a public persona and posted your contact information for people to find. You will receive pitches for both stuff that you actually think is cool and stuff that only the creators think is cool. You made this a part of your life and it’s time you owned up to it.

If you’re complaining about “spam” on facebook or twitter, shut up. You opted into those channels of information and you can opt out at any time. Just click unfollow or unfriend or whatever. Wow, that’s hard, so very hard, oh my god, how could I ever expect you to simply click on a link or a button. . . oh wait that’s not hard at all.

Look, stop being an idiot. Stop acting like receiving an email, or a page suggestion on Facebook, or a tweet (direct or otherwise) is some sort of personal violation. It’s not. It’s just simply not. You’re a big boy or girl and it’s time you started acting like it.

You don’t like receiving emails? Don’t put your contact information up. You’ll miss out on a lot of cool press releases, information, etc, but that’s what you want, right? To speak to the world, but to never have the world speak to you. See? Easy, just remove your contact information and no one will ever contact you again.

Don’t like the volume or quality of posts, statuses, updates, or whatever that someone on twitter, facebook, or social media website x has been posting, just unfollow, unfriend, or unwhatever it happens to be on that site. It’s pretty easy and saves everyone involved a lot of trouble. Plus you get to just quietly ignore someone who was annoying you instead of looking like a whiny little twit.

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Team Southwest vs. Team Silent Bob

by Ellie Brown on February 16, 2010 · 3 comments

Which side are you on in this Twitterrific customer service debate between Southwest Airlines and director Kevin Smith aka “Silent Bob“?  I can understand both sides of the story, but personally, I’m with Team Southwest.  But Team Southwest but only because I think their communications team handled the situation well, not because of their customer service. Let me explain. [click to continue…]

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Doing It With Buzz

by Phillip Rhoades on February 16, 2010

Gina Trapani over at Fast Company wrote a great article about How to Do Everything in Google Buzz (Including Turn It Off). The best piece of which I think is how to post a buzz so that only certain people can see it:

You can use Buzz like you would Google Reader–to just keep up with your friends’ social network streams from around the web. But you can also post status updates via Buzz, and limit who can see those updates. From the Buzz posting text area (which looks a whole lot like Twitter’s), add your text, links, photos, or videos, and from the drop-down choose Private to limit access to that post. Check off the Contacts groups who are allowed to see the update.

Make sure to read the rest of the article for the other great tips.

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The Old is New

by Phillip Rhoades on February 15, 2010 · 1 comment

Steve McKee over at Business Week says that Social Media Is Nothing New:

Who hasn’t recommended a product to a neighbor, received a tip from a colleague, or asked for a referral from a friend? From grocery store aisles to cocktail party asides, the “social media” we’ve commonly called word-of-mouth or relationship marketing have always been the most trusted form of outreach.

In the last few years, however, a dramatic transformation has taken place in this oldest and most effective form of media. It’s been a cause for celebration for many, confusion for others, and consternation for a few. What it should not be to anyone, however, is surprising. It’s the same transformation that has happened to industry after industry, from computers to cars, televisions to telecommunications.

Social media has gone digital.

He’s of course absolutely right. Social media has always been with us, but now the digital era has allowed everyone to speak across greater distances and to more people than ever. Social media and word of mouth have moved beyond the regional and have become global.

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Social Media Marketing Success in Latin America

by Chris Abraham on February 13, 2010

http://www.travelnotes.org/LatinAmerica/images/stham2.gifWith over 180 million internet users and 900% growth rate since 2000, there is no denying it; audiences in Latin America are massively moving into the online arena and what used to be predictions are now reality. Incredibly enough, this is not the main reason why we see an unbelievable potential for social media in these markets. The main reason is the culture.

We have invested our resources in finding a very diverse staff that is in touch with cultural trends in Latin America. We were moved to do this after watching numbers like mentioned above and the growth of Twitter, Facebook, Orkut and blogging amongst others. There are a few facets to the Latin American culture that present a great opportunity for social media. We fully understand the particular cultural differences within these countries, which is why we chose a diverse team that will work with the highest cultural knowledge whether it’s in Mexico or Brazil.

What they do have in common is the need to be part of the conversation. Generally, the whole web has grown to be this way, but what makes Latin America special is the way that opinions are expressed. The interaction surrounding blog posts is incredible. There are millions of blogs in the region and we are proud to be one of the first Social Media companies to explore the market and already have a track record of great success in Latin America.

Abraham Harrison has worked with international companies that expanded into this market and with local companies that needed professional assistance. The results were above even our own expectations and above what our clients could even imagine. As the information age progresses into an increasingly globalized world, our strong presence in Latin America is guaranteed by our strong engagement and conversation skills.

Via Abraham Harrison

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