Highlighting the Social-ness in Social Media this Holiday Season

Posted on December 23, 2010 by marc meyer

A few weeks ago I was selected as one of the Top Social Media Strategists to Watch in 2011. That was cool in that it’s nice to be recognized, but then a few days later I got the following email.

We’re excited to have you on our list of “Top Social Media Strategists to Watch in 2011.” We admire your work and look forward to seeing what you come up with in 2011! Our partner, Dancing Deer Baking Co., would like to send you a sweet treat to congratulate you on our accomplishments. Please let me know where Dancing Deer should send the gift! Thanks.

I initially thought what a nice gesture and in normal times I would have taken them up on it, but these ain’t normal times. Upon further reflection, it seemed better to give that treat to someone who could really enjoy it this holiday season. Not that I didn’t want it, but isn’t the essence of social media as much about the realtionships and connections as it is about conversation? Sure it is. So here’s how I responded.

Hi Christina, Thank you but there’s no need to. Do me a favor and send my sweet treat to a homeless shelter or a boys and girls club-I’m sure they could, or someone could really enjoy it this week.

And then they responded:

Hi Marc,

Dancing Deer is a philanthropic brand at heart and donates to charities year round, especially during the holiday season. We’ll make sure that a donation is made on your behalf.

Happy Thanksgiving!
Cristina

So What Happened? I got this email.

Hi Marc,

I wanted to let you know that Dancing Deer made a donation on your behalf to the Pine Street Inn. Attached is a picture you can use for your post. We will post this to our social media channels this week. Thanks!

Cristina

Cristina Lepore, Marketing Coordinator

451 Marketing, LLC
www.451marketing.com

Not only did Dancing Deer make a donation on my behalf but they brought a little more holiday cheer than just a “cupcake”. Here’s more about what they do from a philanthropic standpoint with a project called the sweet home project. To me, this is what social media is all about, or at least what it’s capable of being. It went from someone recognizing someone for one thing, to a group of people realizing that there was more that could be done for others with the smallest of small gestures of human kindness. A cupcake. Thank you 451 Marketing and thank you Dancing Deer-You 2 are getting it right!

Makes you wonder what we could really do, doesn’t it?

The Takeaway from Social Media in 2010

Posted on December 14, 2010 by marc meyer

Online privacy means a lot to us, but for a majority of us, it’s only important when we know our privacy has been invaded. In social networks and social media, every time we join a new shiny network, or register for something online, we give up a little piece of our privacy, like a sculptor chipping away at a piece of marble. Sometimes knowingly, sometimes not, we’re giving up who we are to marketers and brands.

You see, every time we create a profile we are allowing someone to glimpse a little bit more about us than most might really be comfortable with; but we do it because that’s what’s asked or required of us in order to “play”; and like I said, some of you might not even know it. Some of you might not care, because hey, “we’re living in the age of uber transparency”!

Yes we have a right to know what information is being gathered about us, how it is used and whether it is gathered at all, yet most of us are too busy trying to get on the other side of an app to be bothered with reading a EULA or a TOS agreement. Why is that?

I have a feeling that the reason is similar to when you are hearing a radio spot and at the very end of the spot you’ll hear a guy talking so fast, you have no idea what he just said, so you ignore it, Because all you really care about is the deal that was mentioned in front of the fast talking man-The carrot, the offer, the opportunity. Privacy be damned. Most marketers and companies assume correctly that making the TOS’s and EULA’s so ridiculously convoluted, that we as consumers will just get tired of reading and will click the agree button. And the devil…is buried in the details.

Facebook did the same thing when it came to compromising our privacy the first time. How many times has it changed it’s privacy policy? Most of the 500 million users probably don’t care what is happening to their data-and that’s a scary thought; but enough of them care to call Facebook out for assuming that we are ready to alter our perception of what is acceptable in data mining- and thus we’ve able to somewhat keep them in check. I am still not comfortable about the purported data leaks, or satisfied that Facebook is doing all it can to value my privacy, but then again it’s a 1000 times better than it initially was.

So let me ask you something. As we head into 2011, are you cool with giving up snippets of your personal data for the sake of playing Farmville? Or being part of Groupon? or Foursquare?Are you comfortable with that? Are you truly prepared for radical transparency? I’m not sure I am just yet.

30 Social Media Sites, Tools, Posts and Articles that I Bookmarked from 2010

Posted on December 3, 2010 by marc meyer

2010 was a heck of a year in so many ways wasn’t it? I know it was for me. One of the things that I do throughout the year though is, I stockpile sites, blog posts, articles, tools and things that just catch my eye-Oh yea that’s called social bookmarking isn’t it? Well, rather than have you sort through the 14 thousand bookmarks in Delicious, I saved you the trouble and am sharing my favorites of 2010. Let’s get to it.

1) It’s all about networking and sharing isn’t it? But it’s also about learning and growing too. So it starts with this resource: 100+ Upcoming Social Media & Tech Events

2) Turn what people post in social media into compelling stories with Storify

3) I liked the premise of this but always questioned whether it was sustainable beyond the this is cool stage? Groubal

4) A ridiculously long Directory of Social Media Monitoring and Analysis Tools

5) Let’s think in a forward fashion-Greenopolis is doing it, now we need to. And you thought the green thing was just a movement…

6) When I saw this, it reminded me of Blame Drew’s Cancer…sorta. And I have no problem with it…Hey Cancer…F off!

7) How The Average U.S. Consumer Spends Their Paycheck from Visual Economics would seem to really connect with all of us these days and thus I loved this infographic: How The Average U.S. Consumer Spends Their Paycheck –

8. Sometimes blog posts resonate in different ways. For me, I want to lead in a way that resonates in the space that I play in. This post from Don Bulmer titled 13 Rules of Leadership for Communication, Influence and Social Media Strategy, did just that-it resonated. I apologize for using the word resonate 3, 4 times…

9) The Hierarchy of Digital Distractions just makes sense and probably needs to be revised every 6 months.

10) What The F*!# is my Social Media Strategy is hilarious if not for the fact it’s very very accurate.

11) Along those lines Marta Kagan from Espresso has really found her niche with these decks-this one from 4 months ago oozes the words explosive and growth.

12) From March of 2010, David Armano, from Edelman, rolled out a pretty good deck himself about the need for the uncommon in social media. What is the uncommon? Common sense silly.

13) Not only was the Old Spice social media campaign the big wow for me in 2010, I thought this was pretty fun too. The Old Spice Voicemail Generator.

14) This article in July from Wired really touched on a lot of truths in social media that we all know about and in some cases actually do, but don’t admit. Gaming the System: How Marketers Rig the Social Media Machine

15) One of my favorite posts on Facebook marketing came from my amigo Tamar Weinberg in May-How to Use Facebook for Business and Marketing

16) Stick this QR-Code Generator in your back pocket

17) One of the most important issues to come out of 2010 was about cyber bullying, I thought this June article from the New York Times really brought the issue front and center-How Should Skills Handle Cyber Bullying?

18) This pretty sweet image tagging tool from Tangelo was another one of those “this is cool but will people use it type of applications”.

19) Another Google product Follow Finder analyzes public social graph information (following and follower lists) on Twitter to find people you might want to follow-Did you even know about it?

20) One of the key lessons in 2010 was, watch what you say and where you say it-Need I say more from Openbook?

21) Regretsy was one of my favorite sites of 2010-where DIY meets WTF.

22) In March of 2010, Altimeter came out with a great report that I have referred to more than once, The 18 Use Cases of Social CRM, The New Rules of Relationship Management

23) One of my favorite tools of 2010 came from Flowtown

24) I absolutely loved this post from April, but I’m partial because of my SEO background. So it might not mean much to you but I loved it anyway because it was so dead on accurate. 36 SEO Myths That Won’t Die But Need To

25) I always forget to use this Tagxedo

26) This is another I want to try and use more in 2011 Tinypay.me

27) PPC gone awry at your PPC sucks.

28) 35 great social media infographics was a really cool post. We all love a good infographic and here are 35 of them all in one place!.

29) I love time lapse videos, and this one is no exception. One year walk/beard grow time lapse

30) and lastly one of my favorite articles from 2010, Branding and the ‘Me’ Economy from the New York Times.

As we hurdle into 2011, first, I want to thank those who made the content that I consumed and you consumed in 2010, but now it’s time to start thinking in a more altruistic, giving way. People need our help, and for a lot of us we have the ability to use our knowledge, skills and attributes in social media and technology to make things happen. We can do it, I can do it and you can do it. Let’s make it happen through design, through action and through our words and our vision.

Social Media: What’s Right, What’s Wrong, and What’s Next?

Posted on November 24, 2010 by marc meyer

They’re coming. The lists are coming, the predictions, the opinions and the trends-all those juicy posts that populate the month of December, they’re coming. So I wanted to get this out there while it could still mean something.

What’s right in social media?

Or better yet what went right? For me it was a mashup. It started with an eye catching commercial developed by Wieden + Kennedy and ended with videos that have been viewed more than 40 million times and total brand views on the web that have been estimated to have surpassed 110 million. What am I talking about?

And for those that are wondering whether it was worth it, sales for Red Zone(the actual Old Spice product) hit $1.6 million for the four-week period ending July 11, 2010. That was a 49 percent jump over the four-week period ending Feb. 21, 2010 according to SymphonyIRI. The other four Old Spice Body Wash products also showed a lift as well. Overall sales for Old Spice Body Wash rose 105 percent for that period.

This was a seminal moment in the worlds of social and traditional media. It was cool, different and most of all it was viral which is the holy grail for all digital marketers. As much as some people are apt to point out the #FAILS in social media, this was the big win of 2010.

What’s wrong with social media?

The semantics of social media education. Collectively I think we are continuing to focus on constantly rehashing what the definition of social media is. As an industry we keep redefining what social media is so much, that it’s causing some to go back and redefine what social media is to them. Is it tools? Is it a platform? Is it a mindset? A movement? What day is it?

We are influenced by influencers who are influenced by influencers…

Some are focusing on what it could be and what it can be, instead of belaboring the effort of trying to understand what it is. The barriers in social media are not so high that it is an exclusive club. Yet some want to create that mystique. I fear that we are getting caught up in the semantics of social media to an extent that it is bogging down not only us, but also companies of all sizes struggling to make money. It’s creating an air of impossibility, and we need to do a better job of removing that notion. It is still an effort, and rightly so, to show companies how to use social media effectively, but please, enough with the definitions of what social media is.

At some point we have to quit focusing on “What is it’ and focus more on the “What the heck, let’s try it.”

What’s next in social media?

One thing that is safe to say is that Google will make another play in the social space. Why? Because Google understands that if you can keep your people in network, then you can market to them, you can sell to them, and they are that much more valuable to you and your partners. Now add the mobile element to this and what you will see is a continuous explosion of mobile apps, mobile marketing, and mobile sites all geared towards our escalating migration away from the desktop.

Mark this down as well: As Facebook rolls out their Facebook email, look for there to be issues around privacy and data collection. I know, not much of a stretch… But, this move will further propel Facebook front and center as a legitimate threat to space previously occupied by Google, Yahoo and MSN. And it makes sense. Keeping the users of your social network “in network” with their own email, makes complete sense.

Lastly, our online social connections will continue to become more ubiquitous and less assumptive. They may become more platform specific as we continue to search for our tribes but ubiquity we reign in 2011 and beyond.

So what about you?

What’s right in social media?
What’s wrong?
What’s next?

Our Shifting Notion of Search, Social and Mobile.

Posted on November 23, 2010 by marc meyer

10 years ago seems so 10 years ago in the world of search, social and mobile.

We’ve definitely evolved and rightly or wrongly so depending on your point of view. Take for example search. In 2000 Google was a 2 year old start-up still trying to create an identity and compete with Yahoo and MSN. We all marveled at the simplicity of their interface and as a starting point for our queries, it simplified and created a less cluttered entry into a sometimes messy and confusing search result. Little did we know what was on the horizon.

How do we use search now? Search is and has been woven into the fabric of our daily lives thanks to Google. It is a utility that drives our online and offline interactions. We use it for online transactions, travel decisions, job searches, purchases, research, and a dozen other activities. We use search the same way we use our lights, drive our cars and brush our teeth. Google has changed and redefined what search is for you, me and all the companies that rely on it for business.

What search will ultimately be, is as much for us to determine as it is for Google to create and beta test. We will define it.

Online social networks are redefining our offline relationships both casual and personal. What drives that redefinition? search? The barriers for connecting with someone are next to none. Social networks are not what they used to be. Looking back at MySpace, it almost looks like pre-Y2k web Dev. doesn’t it? If you think about what made MySpace popular, it wasn’t as much about the conversations as it was about creating your own content, your own page-it struck a nerve. Facebook has taken that aspect of MySpace, and simplified and reduced the ability to create, and amplified the ability to connect and share- and 500 million people have embraced it. Where does it go from here?

Social continues to evolve into something devoid of privacy and chock full of transparency with authenticity caught somewhere in the middle.

In the world of mobile, the evolution has been nothing short of dramatic. 10 years ago we were an evolving world of mobile adoption, the mobile handset was a utility for and an extension of the land lane. Now the mobile device is an extension of our desktop. The ratio of mobile handsets to people is approaching one to one. Search and social have migrated to the mobile device. SMS drives conversation and just as search has become somewhat of a utility for the desktop, the smartphone is now the defacto device for driving purchases, for buying tickets, for research, for email, for being social and oh by the way…making phone calls.

So what does this all mean? The same thing that has happened to all great inventions and milestones in history-Their original intent looks nothing like their eventual outcome.

I’m pulling for Detroit

Posted on November 20, 2010 by marc meyer

This post really doesn’t have much to do with social media but it could, easily. You see, I’ve been in Detroit for the last 2 weeks and I want to let you know as well as the people of Detroit, that I’m pulling for them. As we all know the city has been hurtin and it shows- it’s been taking some pretty heavy hits from the auto industry over the past few years though the recent GM IPO is certainly a shot in the arm.

In the 2 weeks I was there though, I’ve been in sections of the city that you really don’t want to be caught walking around in after dark. As well, these same parts of the city, can even be somewhat dicey during the day.

Parts of the city don’t look too good. Other parts are not much better. They’re shells of their former selves. There doesn’t seem to be much of a rush hour anymore and the downtown area is not a thriving metropolis like it should be. Bleak picture right? But, what you haven’t heard from me yet is anything about the people and you know why? Because that’s what’s going to pull Detroit through all of this. The people.

The people I’ve met could not be more resolute. They are strong, kind, understanding and realize that what is at stake here is the fate of their city. Their city. They get it. So do I. They are optimistic and so am I. Why? Because I felt it, I heard it and I believe them. These people know the task at hand. The Detroit that we all once knew, it’s gone. The new Detroit is going to need to reinvent itself and I firmly believe it will. It make take some time, but I believe it. I saw it in the eyes of the people that are still there-they are beaten but not broken. They still smile, they still laugh and they are still friendly and they are still blessed. That’s why I have your back Detroit and that’s why I’m pulling for the Motor City.

P.S. You Still have the best radio stations in the country…

Does Engagement Equal Action? Should it?

Posted on November 16, 2010 by marc meyer

Yesterday on an early morning flight to Detroit, I watched as the flight attendants went throughout the cabin pushing food and drink on the passengers. The passengers were prompted to look on page 26 of the inflight magazine to view what was available and what the cost was. When the flight attendants came to each row, the passenegers either looked up and told her no, looked up and told her yes and what they wanted, or never looked up. So how does the apply to social media marketing or even digital marketing?

Example #1. Let’s say you got the passenger to view what was on page 26 by tweeting the link. They clicked through but they didn’t buy. You now have some customer data so you know they were interested but they still didn’t buy. Would we call that enagagement? Through social media? Were there KPI’s that were met?

Example #2. The passenger views a YouTube video on what is being sold inflight. An hour after seeing the video, they buy a Coke. Engagement through social media? Measureable?

Example #3. The passenger here’s the message, reads the magazine, sees the tweet and views the video, and does nothing. Were they engaged?

I think sometimes we confuse social media impressions as a KPI. In social media, Engagement should be better defined with some type of actionable, measureable outcome. If someone clicks on a tweeted link and reads a blog post that prompts them to buy, but they don’t buy right away-Was it an actionable event? It’s actionable and measureable but generally it’s not measured because the action did not take place right then.

The waters in social media are warm and inviting to marketers but if they don’t better define what a successful outcome is and don’t better understand the subtle effect of an engaged action that takes place “later”-then they are going to always be dissapointed.

The Customer Experience Revisited

Posted on November 8, 2010 by marc meyer

Recently I had 3 conversations with a cab driver, a plumber and a CEO. Each conversation revolved around the customer experience. I want to share with you the gist of each conversation.

The Cab Driver: I actually had 3 cabbie’s but it was the 3rd one who had really understood the customer experience. Look I get it, if you take enough cabs, you’re going to get the gamut of drivers, but I think it’s interesting to see how some know how to engage the customer and how others could care less. I’m just a fare. It’s those that “get it” who will make more. I actually had the cab driver who explained to me how he reads the customer to see how he should “deal” with the customer. His goal? Not only to engage, but to provide a positive experience that could result in repeat business as well as referrals and a higher tip. Insights from a cab driver.

The Plumber: Let me preface this vignette by saying that “The Plumber” is a very good friend of mine. But the conversation I had with him was as much enlightening as it was a relative fact with all SMB’s. They not only have to do what they are good at but they also have to manage their people and manage their business. However what really opened my eyes was when he told me what was the key to growing his business. Was it more people? More trucks? More resources? Better technology? Nope. He told me it revolves around word-Compassion. Compassion for the customer and walking in their shoes. Good stuff coming from-A Plumber who get’s it.

The CEO-I had about as bad an experience as could be had at a local restaurant. I was so mad that I blogged about it. Of course I used the company name with a map and hyper links because I was so angry but never really expected to hear from anyone within the organization. I even sent an email to the GM of the local franchise but still, I never expected to hear from anyone I just figured it was another FAIL.

About a month or so after the blog post I received an email from the CEO of the entire company expressing regret and essentially saying that I was right, they were wrong and what can he do to make the situation right. He even offered to take me to lunch to prove that his restaurants do get it right when it comes to customer service. He didn’t have to do any of that did he? He’s the CEO-He could have had his area managers handle it, someone in customer service, or basically half a dozen others, but he chose to handle it himself. A CEO.

So what’s the story? It’s not social media. It’s about the customer. It’s always been about the customer. But ironically, it doesn’t matter what your business is, what your job is, if you understand that in whatever you do, the customer experience is priority one. You’re ability to win, to succeed, and to do great work will always be achievable.

Out of the three, who get’s it the most? How would you rank their approaches? I love the cab drivers approach. The Plumber understands what and who is driving the business and the CEO? I’m just one customer but he still took the time to reach out. This doesn’t mean that each will succeed in the end, but it does mean that in some instances, they can impart that wisdom on to others within their respective businesses.