Browsing Month April, 2009

First let me be clear, I know people have died from the Swine Flu. I am in no way taking that lightly, this is a serious issue. Nor am I an expert in the subject of the Swine Flu or anything similar to it.

That being said I was doing some beta testing today on a search application  for a friend and decided to use the keywords “Swine Flu”. I was blown away by what I found. Let me share some of the observations I made. I will do it in list form, as people like lists:

-Its one of the top trending topics on Twitter

-By my estimate the term  it is being used an average of 50 times  ever 5- 10 seconds on Twitter

-Twitter has more updated, current and correct information then any news source…. or does it?

According to posts I have read, the Swine Flu is in:

Oregon

Florida

Washington

North Carolina

and almost everywhere

(I was going to repost these tweets, but decided sharing them would be passing on possible incorrect information)

How accurate is the information we are getting, sharing and posting on Twitter? Better yet how about any social networking site?

Now for the states I mentioned there was no link back to a major news source, like CNN, ABC, Fox, etc.  I did check a pretty cool map thing on USA Today that did not show any cases of the flu there as of this post be written. On top of that these posts were being retweeted. A retweet is when someone passes on your post, to share with others. Is Twitter, are we, passing on incorrect information and causing people to be misinformed? Is Twitter causing things like the swine flu to become bigger then they are? Are we using social networking sites to increase panic, hype and  worry where there is no need?

I know Im getting deep and ask more questions then I have answers to.

What are your thoughts? Am I way off and should just chill out?

For what its worth, I do follow the CDC Emergency Twitter, which I believe to be official. It gives links to sites and information that comes from the CDC official webpage.

UPDATE April 26 10:30ish : Before I put this post up on Tuesday afternoon, CNN posted:

Swine flu creates controversy on Twitter

Seems someone else was thinking about the same things as myself.

UPDATE: April 26 12:33: From Todd Scott Macissac Florida Hospital Denies Swine Flu Case Has Been Confirmed hmmm does this mean the person who posted the tweet had inside info?

(Note: This post is pretty much off my usual subject of Social Media)

First, I know I am not cool. So, let us take those jokes off the table right away. I know I am a geek. I get it. I can live with it. It works for me.

A little background information on my family and let me  answer the common questions I get, when I tell people I have 5 kids:

-Yes, I said 5

-Yes, with the same woman

-Nope, we did not plan it that way

-… no medicine or help was involved

-3 boys, 2 girls.. last set is boy/girl twins

- Let me see, they are 10, 8, 7, 3, 3 going on 16

-Yep, it is a lot of work, my wife is a rockstar

Okay, now moving forward.

The oldest kids are now easily embarrassed by the things I say and do. Especially when they are with their friends.  On different occasions, I have threatened to stand up in their class and dance or sing. They do not like that idea at all. It works great to get them to make their bed.

So, the other day I was in the car with them and one of them asked: “How was work today Dad?”

After the shock of being asked this simple question wore off, I explained I had been speaking at the Netroots Nation: Bay Area New Media Summit.

After the shock of hearing people actually wanted their father to stand up and speak on a subject, I was asked: “What did you talk about?”

After the shock of the kids being interested in something other than, what was for dinner, when we are going to see then Wolverine movie, or if their friends can sleep over, I replied stunned: ” How to Socialize Your Video”.

I then quickly continued before they could lose interest or notice the billboard ad for Cold Stone Creamery, ” I was on a panel with Hooman from the local radio. As well as a person from YouTube.”

“Youtube!!! No way! Can we go to YouTube? Can we make a video to put on YouTube? That is so…COOL!” (okay so they did not say I was cool, but its the best I can get, Ill take it) Then one of  them said ” I cant wait to tell Susie you know someone at YouTube. ”

Trying to keep this open line of communication going on, I tried to think of what they would consider “cool companies” I added “Yep, I also know people  at Club Penguin and Google too!” They were still in awe. They looked at me with, well… Pride! Not like an ATM like they normally do.

This is the point where I should of quit, while I was ahead.  I stupidly said,” Lets see, I know people who work at Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter…” the look of pride quickly changed to a look of “What is the fat old guy talking about? Why is he not giving us McDonald’s?”

The oldest quickly said, “That is great Dad. My birthday is coming up in July, I want to discuss what plans you are putting together… ”

So, thank you social media for allowing me this moment of feeling..cool. Now back to being the geek I am.

Just an observation to add to this. I am shocked somewhat  that companies are becoming “cool”.  I recently went to SXSW and brought the kids back a ton of swag. They weren’t interested in the shirts, the Frisbee, the squeeze balls or even the candy. They all wanted the items with the logo.. Google.

Times are changing.

The quilt..it weighs heavy on my shoulders.  I did not put up a blog post last week. I suck. I know. So maybe I am the only one who cares. Most people probably could care less about what I blog about. So, to that one person who cares…fine…..to my Mom.. I’m sorry.

So, on that high note, this is not going to be much of a post, but a bunch of links and information about things that are going on or up and coming. I thought it would be a good idea to share several things with you. Yes, some of it is me doing shameless plugs. I am, sorry in advance. I will share this information with you in list form, as people like lists:

-This Friday, April 17th I will be speaking at the Bay Area New Media Summit at Bently Reserve. I will be on the panel “How to Socialize Your Video”.

-On April 23rd there is a “Peninsula Twitter & Facebook Meet-Up” at the Dutch Goose in Menlo Park, California. This is my first time organizing such an event, so I hope don’t mess it up. Please pass this information on, all our welcome to attened this 7:00 pm event.

-The Project 100 is a project I was flattered to be part of. It is  100 Marketers who are allowed 400 words each to write a collaborative book on “Project 100: Marketing in the Social Media Era“. All profits go to support Susan G. Komen for the Cure. You can get a preview of the book here.

-The Community 2.0 Conference is May 11-13, 2009 ath the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. Myself,  Connie Bensen and Kellie Parker will be leading an all day workshop called “Getting Started with Community” on May 11.

-I was very humbled to be excepted as on of the first members of the Social Media Club Editorial Board. Each week the board is given a question to examine, dissect and respond to. This weekly event is all recorded on a podcast and lead by Chris Heuer.  Learn more about the Social Media Club Question of The Week and the podcast/blog here.

Alright, that is all for now. I will get a “real” post up here shortly.

Thanks!

Wait..time out your thinking. Isn’t the site suppose to be about “New Media and Social Media”?

Yes, it is. Though I think it can be about anything really, so don’t let the name fool you, ok?  Good we are on the same page, so lets move forward…

I have had several clients ask me about email marketing in the past few months. These questions include:

-What email marketing service should I use?

-What should I include in the emails?

-How often should I email people?

-Do I just gather emails and starting sending to people?

Then there is the big question “Does email marketing work in this day of web 2.0 and social media?” One can come up with many arguments either way I believe on this subject. So, instead of reading what I have to say, I decided to reach out to my community for the answer. Here are some of the many great answers I got:

-Jonathan Dunn, Business Development at eLink Media, Inc.:

Absolutely email marketing works, if it’s done correctly. The question is the cleanliness of the IPs, the segmentation of the data, and the QA of the data (scrubbing, unsubs, complaints, etc.). Email “blasts” are just that. Well-thought, strategic email campaigns that are executed correctly are invaluable part of an integrated online campaign with multiple touch points to the consumer.

-Charlene Ragsdale, Internet Marketer:

Define “work”? It is a means to engage in conversation. I know of no one who has ever bought from an email they have received.  I hear it everyday – because I work heavily on the Internet to market my business, most assume I never speak with anyone on the phone or have face to face meetings. That is incorrect. Email is a way to introduce yourself and your business, but I have never seen it as an effective way to market and “buy me now” approach. In fact, I believe the opposite is true. If I receive the “buy me now” emails, I move on.

-Michael Hoffman, Digital Doorknocker:

All marketing works, but the trick is making it work for you. I have created email marketing campaigns that would consistently generate between 500%-1,200% ROI on a weekly basis. The list consisted of customers and previous inquiries made to the company. When working with email, it is very important to consider:
• having a strong subject line as that will dictate a lot on your click-through rate
• the sender’s name recognizable to your audience
• clear concise marketing for the body of your email
• tracking to be able to evaluate the results so you know what to repeat and what not to for next time
• A/B testing is a crucial. Think about whether you want to test subject line, time of day email is sent or day email is sent as your first items to test. I like to start with subject line. If possible, using the recipient’s name in the subject line is great.
• that you are CAN-SPAM compliant

-Boris Mahovac, Email Marketing Coach:

Yes, email certainly does work, if
- you don’t send spam (in the broadest definition of the word)
- follow best practices
- have something interesting/meaningful/entertaining/valuable to offer
- use proper tools to test and track your results, and adjust your campaign based of your test results.
among other things…
The Direct Marketing Association survey results show that email marketing still boasts the highest ROI of all marketing channels.

-John Joyce, Entrepreneur, Small Business Consultant:

Email marketing should be an integral part of an overall inbound/outbound strategy. Keep the following in mind:
* Marketing to the disinterested is counterproductive so make sure your list is qualified.
* If you are segmenting your audience/message, make sure you have supporting landing pages that offer tailored messaging with quantifiable value and a clear call to action.
* What is the goal? Lead gen? Customer acquisition? Customer Retention? Branding?
* Use a system that allows you to set triggers and utilize drip marketing tactics.
* Make sure your messaging is consistent across all mechanisms – Email, website, landing pages, blog, microblogs, etc.

-Chris Uschan, Director of Online Marketing at Ominpress

Is this a trick question?
LOL
I have found no better way to get in front of thousands of our contacts.
I can post weekly blogs for months, twitter all day, contribute to industry blogs/listservs, exhibit at a tradeshows…. but nothing compares to the leads generated from a single email campaign. Now mind you that you must follow the rules of good emailing… be personal, keep them short, send from a known rep and the KEY –> provide content that helps your audience solve a problem (white paper, tip sheet, best practice, etc.).

-Scott Hemmons, Marketing Director

Yes. Don’t always go for a direct response/sale in your e-mails. Build a relationship and offer value to the readers. It helps define you as an authority figure and keep you in the recipients mind.

Overall to the responses I got from my different communities is “Yes, it works if done properly from beginning to end.”  Also the theme seems to be its part of a bigger marketing picture as well.

What are your thoughts?