Archive for Blog

Just as I suspected

// October 14th, 2009 // No Comments » // Blog


Prospective clients have been knocking on Digital Influence Group’s door in record numbers this year. As much as I’d like to claim it’s solely due to the impressive expertise and experience we’ve accumulated, even a brilliant message can fail to be heard if the timing’s off. These SmartBrief poll results seem to indicate that many clients are ready to take out the ear plugs. According to SmartBrief, customer advocacy of their brand is on the radar screen of 83% of the 864 participants in this poll.

YouTwitFace Frankenstein

// September 23rd, 2009 // No Comments » // Blog

I’m too busy working on social marketing projects for clients to write blog posts these days. So I’ll be brief. Has anyone else noticed in the last few weeks that alll of the Social Media channels are starting to mush together? Facebook has @replies; YouTube is adding a “do you know these people” button. If each of these social media channels has a distinct purpose, why are they all starting to look and act alike? Will this stitching together of body parts be a good thing? It didn’t work out so well for Frankenstein…

Social media metrics that matter

// September 3rd, 2009 // No Comments » // Blog


How should clients measure the impact of social media, given that it doesn’t necessarily create, as experts are fond of saying a straight line from A (your product/service) to B (your audience) to C (the cash register)? According to the Smart Pulse poll above, featured in the August 26th SmartBrief on Social Media eNewsletter, the metric that matters most to advertisers is “virality”, or how much their message is shared. “Sentiment” or how people feel about your brand, came in a close second. Interestingly enough, the effect Social Media has on a company’s bottom line came in third.

Boston Twestival

// September 1st, 2009 // No Comments » // Blog

SmallCanBeBig.org


The results are in. Boston Twestival will support one of my favorite non-profits: SmallCanBeBig.org with a fundraising event on September 10, 6:30-10:00PM at OM Restaurant in Harvard Square.

SCBB is a Boston charity that uses micro-donations to help families on the verge of losing their homes, their health, their livelihood, or mobility because of a shortfall in their income. Local charities nominate the families for consideration, and SmallCanBeBig acts as a pass through for all donations.

It is an awesome cause!

Ticket sales will begin once the Twestival Boston folks confirm the details with the “mothership”. In the meantime, save the date.

Facebook for fun and profit

// August 10th, 2009 // No Comments » // Blog

Facebook for business? Ridiculous! NOT. It may not be the appropriate social networking channel for every business or industry. But it might be for yours. Assuming it is, how can you best leverage Facebook? Check out this Duct Tape Marketing post by John Jantsch to find out. Then check out the Inside Facebook blog for examples of how businesses like Visa are creating a social network within this social network.

Twitter for busy people and other oxymorons

// July 9th, 2009 // No Comments » // Blog


For those of us who Twitter, Tweetdeck seems to be the leading tool of choice. It lets you follow thousands of people at one time by segmenting them by keywords or phrases. What Tweetdeck lacks, however, is the ability to see at a glance if your favorite tweeps are twittering at this very moment. “Twitter For Busy People” though poorly named, lets you see who’s saying what, rather than what is being said by who.

Sweet social media roots

// June 18th, 2009 // No Comments » // Blog


Before there was Facebook or Twitter, there were knitting circles, book clubs and recipe exchanges. It’s no coincidence that these modes of connecting with others around common interests are now more popular than ever. In the spirit of sharing the delicious things in life, I offer a strawberry rhubarb pie recipe that I recently shared (with great success) with my colleagues at Digital Influence Group. Enjoy!

Rebecca’s Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

2 deep dish pie shells (buy the commercial ones, the natural ones just don’t taste that good; thaw one shell for the filling, lay the second one flat on a piece of wax paper — you’ll use it for the top of the pie later). Note: if you put your pie shell in a glass pie dish everyone will think you made the crust from scratch. This is not cheating, just good presentation.

Filling:
2-4 tablespoons of butter, depending on your cholesterol…
4 sticks of rhubarb, diced into 1/2 inch bits
2 cups of fresh strawberries or more
1/2 cup – 3/4 cup of brown sugar (I like to mix raw sugar and brown sugar)
1/2-1 teaspoon of cinnamon (depending on how much you like cinnamon)
1-2 tablespoons cornstarch (depending on how firm you want your filling)
2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed orange juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Bit of salt

Step 1
Thaw and prick your your deep dish pie shell. Bake for about 10-12 minutes or so at the heat the package specifies, bearing in mind you’ll be baking the filling in it later, so don’t cook the shell all the way.

Step 2
While the pie shell is cooling, saute the rhubarb in butter (in a medium saucepan) for a few minutes until it starts to soften. Add the strawberries, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. Cook on medium heat for a few minutes, stirring gently. Stir in some cornstarch a bit at a time. Cook another few minutes. Add orange juice at the end and a bit of salt and give it a few last stirs.

Step 3
Let the filling sit for about 5 minutes. Then pour it into the cooled pie shell. Lay the additional pie shell over the top of the pie. Cut off any extra shell. Then crimp the edges of the top and bottom shells together with your fingers. Poke some decorative holes/vents in the top shell.

Step 4
Bake for about 20 minutes or less — until the filling is bubbling a bit. I baked mine at about 385 degrees because I hate it when the bottom of the pie gets burn-y.

Refrigerate at least 4 hours. Ideally, refrigerate overnight.

Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream to each piece of pie.

Here’s a link to another recipe on a site called visual recipes.
NOTE: The image above is from their recipe.

The canary in the coal mine

// May 27th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Blog

I’m thrilled that social media is the “hot topic” of the day. And that major brands are moving more and more of their marketing dollars into social media. I love engaging in social media. I also love being employed.
But, what if social media is the canary in the coal mine? The alarm system warning all marketers who still think they can tell us what to think and buy that we’ve had enough?
If that’s true, then social media is more than just a new consumer behavior. It’s a marketing tipping point. Which means the genie is SO out of the bottle.
Since we consumers now know that we have a right to share our opinions and the power to shape the products we will consume, marketing of any kind – traditional or social – that tells us otherwise is “for the birds”.
Marketing that makes an honest effort to engage us in a real dialogue and tries to find out what we actually want and will use – now that’s the kind of marketing that has wings.

No secrets

// May 26th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Blog


You’d think the so-called experts would want to keep their trade secrets, well, secret. In fact, everything you need to know about social media is readily available, free of charge. Talk about transparency. Aaron Strout, for instance, just posted the outline of a presentation that he’ll be giving in a few weeks to a prospective client.
Thought I may as well share the wealth. So, here without further ado, is his post entitled “Getting Started With Social”. Enjoy.

  1. What social isn’t:
    - One way conversation
    - Just another PR tool
    - Technology
    - A fad
  2. What social is:
    - Vehicle for Many-to-many conversations
    - Way to deepen customer relationships and create referrals
    - Great feedback mechanism
    - The phenomenon that happens when you bring content AND conversation together
  3. Uses for social within a brand:
    - Customer service (reduce phone/e-mail costs)
    - Marketing/sales (generate leads, deepen loyalty, lengthen customer tenure, increase referrals)
    - Market research (ongoing vs. episodic)
    - Product innovation (co-create w/ your customers)
    - An early warning mechanism (canary in the coal mine)
  4. Brands that are doing social well:
    - Zappos (Twitter, blog)
    - H&R Block (Twitter, Facebook)
    - Dell Inc. (Ideastorm, blogs, Twitter)
    - USAA (Facebook, Twitter)
    - Best Buy (Blog, Twitter)
    - American Express (Open Forum community)
    - Allstate (Twitter, blog, Youtube, Facebook)
  5. Key considerations:
    - Create a strategy (make sure it ties in with existing business goals)
    - Pick an audience/customer segment
    - Start listening (Google alerts, Twitter Search, Get Satisfaction, Radian6, Cymphony, BuzzGain)
    - Identify executive sponsors (an individual or small committee)
    - Plan to “give before you get”
    - Measure, measure, measure
  6. Twitter
    - What is it?
    - How is it different than LinkedIn or Facebook?
    - Why is it gaining momentum?
    - How are companies using it?
    - List of top companies/brands using
    - Best practices (from Tim Walker of Hoovers)
    - Pitfalls
    - Who “mans” the account? Who needs to be involved?

As always, additions/subtractions/corrections are welcome.

Photo Credit: Robert Scoble

No Comment

// May 14th, 2009 // 9 Comments » // Blog


My colleagues are never at a loss for words. My friends and family? Don’t get me started. At my aunt’s funeral on Tuesday, the door to the viewing room had to be closed because we were making such a ruckus. Why, then, are people who have an opinion on every agenda item, dinner topic, or subway conversation, reluctant to comment online? I find this fascinating.
More people now use social media than email. Yet most social media users tend to engage on a more passive level. Take this blog, for instance. I write it mostly for friends and family seeking a trusted guide to all things social media. I know you’re visiting and reading because you tell me so via Facebook, Twitter, email — and the rare blog comment.
While I’d love to know if you agree or disagree with what I write, I don’t take it personally if you don’t comment. I get that a lot of you are here to gather information on subjects you’re not yet confident discussing. And I’m flattered that you think I have something worth learning. Still, feel free to weigh in on anything written here. And to share your thoughts wherever you go on the “social web”. Because as much as we all enjoy sharing our thoughts, we also love hearing yours.