If you’ve happened to come across this site or are a reader of these blogs, please know this site has been transferred to http://barnraisersllc.com
I sincerely appreciate your spending time here and thank you. I hope the blogs have been helpful and of value to you. That’s why they’re written; it’s my goal to exceed those expectations at the new site.
Please stay in touch.
Rob
7 Steps to More Effective Facebook Fan Pages. 5 Tips to Develop a Twitter Following. 11 Sure-Fire Ways LinkedIn Generates Business Leads. 8 Rules for Building Brands with Blogs. Do these type of headlines sound familiar? Do they get your attention? I confess to sometimes writing them myself.
Unfortunately, we often pay more attention to tactics than our voice. Too bad because your voice in social media is your brand equity.
Social media marketing is different from advertising, sales promotion or direct marketing. It’s a conversation, not a monologue. It won’t work if your constituents don’t believe you always have their best interests at heart. Just try to tell someone to “Buy This Now” and see what happens.
So it’s not what you need to make someone do. It’s how you have to be. Here are 16 Be’s for finding a social voice that works for your brand.
The list is as long or as short as the authentic qualities you have when you relate to others.
So the next time you see someone or some business brag, boast, bring nothing to the party other than an endless stream of press releases and company news either in a blog, tweet, comment or through a bit.ly link, feel free to remind them of this advice.
Do you have any “Be’s” of your own? Send them my way. I’d like to hear so we can keep a running list together.
A frequent comment from businesses and people new to blogging is: I have a website, so why do I need a blog?
Here are 5 reasons blogs pay off.
I go to blogs, before websites, for inspiration, ideas and help. Bloggers I admire keep me in the know and have graciously helped me, either directly and indirectly, be a better communicator, business person and blogger. I also feel like I have a relationship with someone which is always preferable. Just a dozen of the many I turn to are:
A blog I also admire for its business acumen is http://www.singleservecoffee.com
The blog’s creator has smartly identified a topic that is also be a niche business in a big, crowded, competitive category. The brand name/URL establishes category authority and comes up #1 on search engines for “single serve coffee” and “single serve coffee makers.” The blog reviews products, has relevant ads (that generate revenue) and sells single serve coffee makers and accessories direct to consumers. On the site, there is also social community on the subject. The ROI must be extraordinary.
Does this help you see the value of blogs?
The New Music Seminar is rolling across the country this year. It might not have come up on your radar screen, but it came up on mine. The seminar’s creator and producer, Tom Silverman, founder of Tommy Boy Records, is a friend from college.
Tom (on the left) made a seminal contribution to hip hop when he discovered Grandmaster Flash and recorded the hip hop classic, Planet Rock; then came Queen Latifah and Naughty by Nature and others.
The purpose of the New Music Seminar, which began in 1981, is to give aspiring artist in all music genres the knowledge and tools they need to succeed in the music business which, according to Tom, is in a period of profound change. No longer do new artists need to focus their time, attention and energy on getting signed by a record label and the slim chance they will be funded and made into a star.
Today, record labels rarely take chances on new artists. Instead, digital technology, the internet and social media now make it possible, sometimes even free, for artists to do it themselves. Wikipedia covers the history of the New Music Seminar in detail at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Music_Seminar
More people want to become professional musicians than ever. In fact, the number of records from new artists has risen from 79,000 in 2007, to over 110,000 in 2008, to an estimated 145,000 in 2009 – almost double in 2 years. Although competition has increased significantly, online tools are so readily available, if someone has 1000 loyal fans and tours throughout the year, they can now make a living doing what they love. But the key to doing what you love, according to Tom, is you’ve got to know your fans.
Anyone who owns or manages a business or brand, or is thinking of starting one, can benefit from this lesson in the music business; especially if you thought you needed to focus time and attention blasting the word out to as many people as you can.
How well do you know your 1000 most loyal fans?
The New Music Seminar is rolling into New York City from July 19-21. For more information, go to: http://www.newmusicseminar.com/blog
If you happen to be in the vicinity of Stamford CT Tuesday night (4/27) from 6pm to 9 pm, we’d welcome you to an “advanced” social media workshop at UCONN. Here are the directions http://www.stamford.uconn.edu/visitors.htm
When we were asked by US Small Business Administration to do an “advanced” social media workshop, we thought: What is “advanced” social media anyway? Someone who has built up thousands of fans and followers on Facebook and Twitter? A brand with a You Tube video viewed by millions? A business using proprietary social networking technology, widgets and apps?
This didn’t do it. We defined it as: A business or brand that has used social media to the benefit of their bottom line; saw clear business growth, proved an ROI, communicated consistently with their customers and, as a result, has the know how, insights and understanding to do it again and again.
When we thought about in these terms, a lot of case studies came to mind. Some from business owners who happened to be our friends, colleagues and clients. We thought it would be more interesting for them to tell you what social media did for their brands. Here’s the list of brands that will be discussed:
For AJ Bombers and Diva Marketing, owners Joe Sorge and Toby Bloomberg will be live (courtesy of Skype) from Milwaukee WI and Atlanta GA. After all, it’s called social media for a reason.
If it’s nearby for you, we’d love to have you. There is a $25 fee; $35 for two. It doesn’t go to us (or the presenters) but back to the US Small Business Administration. We and they believe social media is a competitive advantage for small businesses who play a vital role in our economic recovery. And we’d rather see our administration spend money on small businesses, not big banks.
It’s our 2nd of 2 workshops at UCONN this spring. The 1st was a “beginners” workshop. What is social media for “beginners?” That’s a much easier question and that presentation is below.
What are net promoters? Consumers who rate products on the internet? Mommy Bloggers? People who Tweets about brands on Twitter? Fans on Facebook? Hold that thought.
For students of relationship marketing and CRM, net promoters are the driving force of Fred Reichheld’s book, The Ultimate Question. Fred studied and surveyed the customers of 100’s of companies and came to a singular conclusion: The most admired and profitable companies are the ones with the greatest percentage of net promoters – people who enthusiastically answer in the affirmative the question, “How likely is it that you would recommend this company to a friend or colleague?”
Fred developed the Net Promoter Score (NPS). The NPS is the percentage of people who are “promoters” of a company minus the “passives” and “detractors” (NPS = P – D). Reichheld’s work is known for its statistical significance and high correlation with business success. In 2006, the companies with the highest NPS were:
By 2008, Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, in Groundswell, delivered research showing 80% of people rate and review products favorably on the internet and their social networks. If companies with an NPS of 80% rank among the highest in Reichheld’s work, Li and Bernoff’s research is particularly good news for businesses and brands.
It means companies that use interactive ratings are reviews are likely to have a higher NPS, be more admired and have greater profitability. Li and Bernoff’s research also showed:
So, from Reichheld’s, Li’s and Bernoff’s viewpoints, we’re in the “net promoters era.” If your company isn’t taking advantage of it, shouldn’t it be?
This quote comes from Jim Farley, Group VP of Marketing at Ford, who this year moved 25% of his marketing budget out of traditional media and into digital marketing and social media. According to Jim, when new products like the Ford Fiesta are pivotal to company growth, “the company must rely on others to tell the story.” That’s Jim’s company up in the left and his constituents on the right. Who would you trust? For Ann Handley’s full interview with Jim, go to http://ow.ly/1n3g9O
In a related move, Pepsi, for the first time in 23 years, did not have commercials on the Super Bowl. Instead, the company is spending $20 million on a social media campaign called, The Pepsi Refresh Project, where users give ideas to Pepsi for ways to refresh their communities.
Maybe these moves reflect the facts that:
I think Pepsi’s Super Bowl commercials are some of the most iconic advertising, ever, and believe their effectiveness was probably much greater than average. I was sorry and sad to see them exit the Super Bowl, altogether.
But, for those 86% who don’t trust advertising, now they hear about Pepsi from who they do trust, their friends.
I’m seeing a business principle take shape in social media called the “Goldilocks Rule.”
What happens is a business starts using a number of social networks (Twitter, Facebook, etc.). Maybe they use video or an app too. Pretty soon, one social networks starts working better than all the others. It’s the one that’s “just right” because it:
While it’s not apparent at the outset what social network it will be, it is apparent, once it starts to happen, it’s the one that best reflects the uniqueness of the brand. Let’s look at a few examples.
1. BLENDTEC (BLENDERS): On YouTube, the blending of an iPhone has been watched by 8,002,192 viewers. Videos of CEO Tom Dickson blending golf balls and hockey pucks have over 1,000,000 viewers each. By contrast, Blendtec has 17,145 fans on Facebook and 2,266 followers on Twitter. For a product whose benefit needs to be seen to be believed, videos and YouTube are the medium for the message. For an investment of around $1,000, company sales increased +500%. And they still grow in direct proportion to YouTube viewership.
2. AJ BOMBERS (RESTAURANTS): Ask owner, Joe Sorge, what took his Milwaukee burger joint from $12,000/week to $17,000/week in sales and he’ll tell you Twitter, a video from Chris Brogan and great burgers. Numbers support this because the video on YouTube has 3,047 viewers and AJ Bomber’s Twitter page, which Joe uses like a virtual host, has 3,107 followers. By contrast, AJ Bomber’s Facebook page has 1,028 fans. Maybe that’s why Joe now has a book called #Twitterworks (http://twitterworks.tv) to go with the great food.
Both Tom and Joe’s videos are in previous blog.
3. COLGATE (CONSUMER GOODS): We put social media into Colgate’s marketing mix by creating a social media app for their promotions and events so friends could share Colgate news with friends. We put the app on their web site. It gives greater details on specific promotions and events and allows for sharing on over 20 social networks. We find 80% of response comes from Facebook. We also find the response rate is 4X industry norms and people spend 3X more time on the app than the web site. Since the average Facebook users has 130 friends, that’s a lot of people and involvement.
Facebook proved to be the best vehicles for conversations about Colgate brands. All of us like to talk about brands. Did you know we talk about brands on average a dozen times a day? Now, social media makes it easier for those conversations to occur and for us to learn from them.
So that’s the “Goldilocks Rule.” We see it for brands we observe. Do you see in your industry or brand?
The U.S. Small Business Administration is giving social media workshops at UCONN campuses this March and April.
52% of people in the U.S. work at businesses with 20 people or less. Small businesses have led the country out of every recession. Many believe, including comScore, social media will be a big asset this time around.
Since I’m one of them, I’m grateful to contribute along with Mike Rogers of Brainloaf, http://www.brainloaf.com and other small business owners (featured below) that have used social media successfully. Here are 7 social media tips to build brands.
If you’re in the area, the next workshop is April 27th at UCONN in Stamford from 6pm to 9 pm. Details will be at: http://bit.ly/bW22Ml
In November, Warren Buffet bought Texas-based Burlington Northern Santa Fe for $26.3 billion dollars. His analysis shows in our lifetimes trains are going to be the most effective, fuel-efficient and green means available to transport cargo from point A to point B. For anyone investing in railroads, trains are going to be a source of “steady and certain” growth.
“Steady and certain” is more than an economic valuation for trains. Their familiar sound is one of purpose and flow.
I’ve always lived in towns where trains pass through. In Croton-on-Hudson NY, where I once lived, their sound was particularly melodious. Trains travelled right alongside the Hudson River and the hills on both sides brought out a deep, rich sound.
If you search YouTube for Croton-0n-Hudson, what appears is an entire page of videos devoted to trains. Apparently, from the comments, I’m not the only one to find something comforting and reassuring in their sight and sound. Here’s one of those videos. See if it has the same effect on you it has for many of us.
Thank you Warren Buffet and YouTube for something steady and certain.
BarnRaisers 
