Specializing in social marketing and business communications training

12 insights from Seth Godin on the emotional marketing revolution

godinWant to learn from one of the best social media marketers and business leaders?

Today, best-selling author Seth Godin shared his thoughts on social media marketing, creativity, and business relationships. Godin was the guest on a webinar organized by Vocus, a provider of cloud marketing software.

Godin says the Energy, Industrial, and Mass Media revolutions have given way to the “revolution of our time, the revolution of connection.”

Here are 12 takeaways on the human connection in digital marketing:

  1. “The only asset you can build on the Internet is the connection to people. Connection, the idea that someone knows you, trusts you, and works with you, is not new. It’s 1,000 years old, but it’s new because the people marketing Burger King and Procter and Gamble in 1980 didn’t have this ability to hear back from customers.”
  2. “Highlight and cater to small groups of people who care desperately.”
  3. “Marketing and advertising are not the same things. Marketing is making a product or service that’s worth talking about it. Marketing is about telling a story that spreads and resonates with people. We need to think deeply about feelings.”
  4. “The essence of marketing today is to tell a story to people who want to hear it, in a way that resonates with them so they are likely to either respond or connect to you, or tell their friends.”
  5. “Don’t yell to the masses; whisper to a few. People will choose to talk about it. Give away your ideas. When your ideas are widespread and you are trusted, you don’t have trouble making a living.”
  6. “If you’re not ranked first, second, or third on search pages, you’re invisible.”
  7. “What products are you going to make that are worth talking about?”
  8. “Permission marketing is real permission—the privilege, not the right but the privilege—of delivering personal, anticipated, and  relevant stories to people who want to get them. Not to everyone, not by spam or exploiting your company’s privacy policies. But instead by earning one person at a time; it’s the privilege of showing up. Here’s the measure: If the recipient thinks it’s spam, then it’s spam…Here’s how you know if you have the privilege: ‘Would we miss you if you were gone?’”
  9. “The Internet takes word-of-mouth and leverages it by a factor of 1,000…every single day.”
  10. “Remarkable means worth making a remark about.  Not you making a remark because you work for the company. It’s about people making a remark because they choose to, they want to, because they can.”
  11. “We can’t sell everything to everyone. The market has fractured. Instead of radically shifting the way the media has, most companies and charities have only shifted a little. The fast-growing public or private companies who have made a huge impact in the last five years (e-Bay, Instagram, Facebook, and Amazon), are built around connecting tribes. Connecting people who share a passion and interest. All human beings want to feel like we are a part of something.”
  12. “If we expect to build connections, we have to expect to be generous. There are no secrets or shortcuts. No one wants to connect to the selfish person.”

Nos. 5 and 8 are among my favorites.

Which points can you relate to? Which ones do you need to improve?

 

(Image via)

 

10 PR and social media cheers and jeers from the Boston Marathon tragedy

boston marathon croppedMoments after the two initial explosions that rocked the finish line at Monday’s Boston Marathon, social media, bloggers, and traditional reporters took to various networks to ‘cover’ the unfolding story. Another opportunity for citizen journalists.  

I have watched the live coverage, video clips, tweets, and news broadcasts and have been struck by the following:  

Cheers to the people who immediately cancelled their automated tweets and postings.

Cheers to the ‘real’ PR pros that didn’t bother to call newsrooms, send releases, or pitch stories that have no obvious connection to the marathon. 

Cheers to people on Twitter who quoted their source or offered a link to a new development. Information without a source flies in the face of journalism. Well, it used to be that way. 

Cheers to people on the scene who used disclaimers when posting graphic visuals.

Cheers to the reporters who were running in the marathon for jumping into “media mode” amidst the chaos and fright.

Jeers to the chat organizers who plan to “carry on” as usual tonight.

Jeers to people posting non-related motivational quotes on Twitter. Really? 

Jeers to those playing up the Sandy Hook victims angle. Yes, there were relatives near the finish line and yes, the victims were remembered at the start of the marathon, but these folks have had enough. Leave them alone. 

Jeers to the reporters who complained on line that their assignments were changed at the last minute and they had to travel to Boston. 

Jeers to people tweeting about the Jodi Arias trial.  

Anything you would like to add?

Prayers and blessings to everyone affected by these senseless acts.

(Image via)

 

5 secrets to successfully pitch a Mediabistro editor

Patrick Coffee is the Editor of PRNewser, a daily blog published by Mediabistro.com.  Coffee and his team write about news, trends, and announcements in PR. He is based in New York.

Here are highlights from our recent conversation: 

On contacting him:  I get lots and lots of e-mail pitches every day. They come from most of the major PR firms, especially in New York City. Occasionally I’ll get phone calls, but it’s very rare, and that’s a good thing. I personally want e-mail. The more often someone calls me the less likely I am to run their story.

On subject lines: The most important part of an e-mail pitch is having an effective subject line. It has to get my attention without pandering or telling me, ‘I must read this.’ Writing subject lines is a subtle art form. It’s similar to Twitter, where there’s a limited space to get your message across. In terms of tone, convey to me there’s something interesting for me in the e-mail, without being too pushy about it.

On the e-mail pitch: The message has to be very clear and interesting to me.  Make it clear to me why my readers would be interested in the story, why does it stand out?  E-mail pitches should be personalized, beyond just copying and pasting my name and a greeting. A certain degree of personalization in the first couple of sentences is a very good idea. Tell me why you thought of me for this story and the people who may like this story. What is appealing about it? I always appreciate a quick summary of what the entire story is about in just a couple of sentences.

On building a community through blogging:  A lot of my readers come from my Twitter feed.  I tweet a lot and that attracts readers. For anyone who blogs, there has to be some degree of interaction. Everyone loves when someone responds to something they say. I’m not a big fan of people begging for attention. If you write a blog you’ll take some satisfaction knowing that people are not just looking at what you do, but that they are thinking about it and that they are responding to it in their own way. You can encourage that by retweeting what they have to say and following them back. 

On PR and social media: A lot of people in PR are very familiar and comfortable with social media. One concern is they are too comfortable. When working to promote a client or your own brand, you have to be disciplined in your message. It gets too casual sometimes, like with automated messaging. You want to be sure people know there’s a live person behind your account.

Final thought: Always think multimedia.  

PS: Do you want hundreds of tips on news pitches, PR, blogging, and content development? Get my new book, The Badass Book of Social Media and Business Communication. 

The revolution of people who report the news

miracle-of-the-hudson-plane-crash_625x352Today marks the fourth anniversary of the “Miracle on the Hudson.”

It’s also the day that citizen journalism and Twitter transformed the way news is covered around the world.  

In 2009, the U.S. Airways flight that “Captain Sulley” was piloting hit a flock of birds, disabling the plane’s engines. Captain Sulley and his crew managed to safely land the aircraft on New York’s Hudson River. Images of 155 passengers standing on the wings of the plane awaiting rescue on that frigid January day were splashed across the media and Internet. 

And this was the day a man named Janis Krums (Yanis Krooms) made the news media and ordinary citizens come to realize that the world no longer needed a professional news crew to report breaking news.

On January 15, 2009, every person in the world was given a press pass. 

It’s the technology, silly

Krums was on a ferry when Flight 1549 crashed on the Hudson. When I interviewed him about the famous picture he took moments after the crash, he told me others on the boat were taking pictures with their cell phones, so he took a few, too.

But it was Krums who knew how to use his technology and tweet the picture. His 300 Twitter followers helped the picture to go viral, bringing citizen journalism to a new level. Krums notes that he didn’t send the picture to any media outlets; he merely tweeted it to his followers. 

“At that moment, I saw the value in what it was, but I didn’t see the value of what it could become,” said Krums. ”I don’t think anyone could see that it could be spread around the world the way it was.”

Since that day, Krums has been labeled “the most famous citizen journalist of modern times.” 

The responsibility

During the past four years, we’ve seen the challenges that come with news that breaks real-time on Twitter and social media. We are grappling with the general public that uses their technology to capture breaking news. The problem is that most don’t understand the true responsibilities that come with a press pass.  

Consider these examples:

  • The capture of Osama Bin Laden
  • The Newtown, CT school shootings 
  • The Gabby Giffords shooting in Arizona  
  • Elections 
  • Hurricane Sandy and other natural disasters
  • The deaths of celebrities including Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston

 

Each of these has forced us to rethink the power of the Internet and the (hopefully) well-intentioned citizen journalists. People who are inexperienced in fact-checking and accuracy have brought a new layer to breaking news. 

Misinformation when reporting developing news stories is dangerous. 

As Krums told me, news will be reported, no matter what. ”The way it’s being reported is continuing to evolve. Traditional journalists will always be second on the scene from now on, especially in the developed world. That’s because more people have iPhones, smartphones, and video capability. If you have the ability to spread the message, you have the power.”

Let this serve as a reminder to each of us, including the mainstream media, that fact-checking and accuracy must be the priorities in covering the news. 

Anything less can not and should not be tolerated. 

(Image via)

What does social media mean to you?

fence graffitiCommunication, conversation, and connection.

These are just a few of the words used by 10 Twitter stars who I asked to define social media.  Don’t mind the abbreviations; the goal was to offer a definition in 140 characters or less. 

Feel free to comment below and share your own 140 character snippet.

1. SM allows me to participate in discussions about entrepreneurship that I hope will one day change the world. I also get to give back. @BrianMoran

2. Social=meaning friendly gathering. Media=form of communication. Reminding us to gather friendly when we communicate with others. @JessicaNorthey

3. SM has totally shifted the way that small & large businesses connect with audience. It is about the hand shake, conversation, relationship online. @MamaBritt

4. Social Media = Global Diversity – The ability to have a local, national or global & inclusive conversation. Do you have what it takes? @FleeJack

5. Social media is a great way to share insight & connect with people globally. It’s the perfect give & get communications medium. @Rieva

6. Welcome to the ‘Age of Influence,’ where anyone can build an audience, build relationships, effect change… and make a difference. @TedRubin

7. Social media is a great way to connect and inspire your target audience. It is also a great place to build real relationships with those you want. @RayHigdon

8. It’s an opportunity to ‘meet’ people you would have never met otherwise, to share what you know and learn some too! @LeadToday

9. SM is an unprecedented opportunity 2 elevate/expand ur influence. Each tweet/share is a chance 2B more informed, amazed & appreciative. @AngelaMaiers

10. SM gives me the ability to make wonderful connections with people that would be all but impossible in an analog world. @MackCollier

Be sure to follow these folks on Twitter and other social channels. They are smart, savvy, and succinct!

10 PR stars reveal secrets for social media success in 2013

Seats at a tableWant to kick-start your social media optimization in 2013? Of course you do. 

I asked 10 distinguished PR and social media pros to share their views on how it can be done. 

Here are their responses, with my appreciation for their insights!

Margo Mateas, Founder, The PR Trainer:  “PR pros need to remember to take time to become part of the communities they want to reach, and not just engage in ‘driveby’ social media. It only takes a second to ‘Like’ someone else’s post or to leave a supportive comment. This strengthens trust and makes it more likely for them reciprocate the next time you’re promoting something.”

Deirdre Breakenridge, CEO, Pure Performance Communications:  “Take the best of your communications past into 2013; your ethics, accountability, critical thinking and great communications skills. At the same time, be open to different types of engagement through social media, by experimenting and embracing new technology to build stronger relationships with stakeholders. You need to be 10 steps ahead to counsel senior executives about the changing media landscape, and on the same page with savvy, wired consumers to understand their preferences and to better serve their needs.”  

Brad Phillips, Mr. Media Training, author, The Media Training Bible: 101 Things You Absolutely, Positively Need to Know Before Your Next Interview: “Few public relations professionals can keep up with all of the new social networking sites that seem to pop up on a monthly basis. So as a New Year’s resolution, PR pros should try to familiarize themselves with each of the platforms—and then commit to participating in the one that is most likely to help them reach their audiences and accomplish their goals.” 

Amy D. Howell, CEO, Howell Marketing Strategies, LLC “Our firm will be measuring how the social posts are driving more traffic to client websites and how that is helping their SEO. We have completed upgrades to client websites to include integration of social platforms.”  

Jeff Domansky, The PR Coach & Principal, Peak Communications: ”I’m excited about 2013. It will be the year of the ‘visual.’ Whether you’re storytelling, blogging, content marketing, doing media relations or social PR, great pics and video will drive your success. And everything you do better work on mobile, too.”

Ann Handley, Chief Content Officer, MarketingProfs: “Focus less on what you think you ‘have’ to do to maintain a social presence. Focus more on what is meaningful for your brand.”

Stacey Acevero, Social Media Manager, Vocus/PRWeb: “Think about social media as a book, or a timeline of the story of your business. But it’s not storytelling, it’s telling a true story well–so write social media posts that inspire conversation, share thoughts and real outcomes that resonate with your audience. Be less ‘braggy’ and involve the insights of others in your PR story.”

Joan Stewart, aka The Publicity Hound: ”Recycle your content, create it in multiple formats, and share it on the social media sites. Example: Take a how-to blog post and turn it into an MP3, and then a video (record yourself offering 3 tips from the article), and then a slideshow for LinkedIn, and then a series of photos for a Pinterest board. Note to self: Do this in 2013 and stop creating content from scratch!”   

Michael Cherenson,  APR, Executive VP, Success Communications Group; 2009, Chair and CEO, PRSA: “Social media is public relations and today’s professionals, to better serve their clients and help advance their own careers, need to invest in training and learn how to re-learn the art of communications. Every public relations professional must become an active participant, native to various social media platforms. And PR pros need to recognize Google’s algorithm is now one of our most important publics; your content needs to entice your audience and Google’s search engine.”

Shonali Burke, Principal, Shonali Burke Consulting, Inc.:  “I see far too many PR pros functioning in a bubble. Offline, they live and work in the bubble of the agency world, and online they don’t interact with people from different industries and walks of life. One of the best things about social media is the way it can connect you with just about anyone else in the world who is using that platform. It’s amazing what we can learn from people so very different from us. So as we embark on 2013, let’s rediscover what makes social media so wonderful-the ability to converse with literally just about anyone.”

Which piece of advice will you be focusing on in 2013?

The fine line between news and humanity

“I didn’t read the paper today, but I saw the Post.”

That’s been a long-running joke in New York and New Jersey about the quality of The New York Post. I’ve been reading the paper since the early 1970s, before it tanked.

Call it crap, fodder, entertainment, a joke. But people still buy the rag sheet and it gets published every day.   

Another Day at Work

So what’s an editor to do when a freelance photographer comes back to the newsroom after snapping a picture of a man who was pushed onto subway tracks by a stranger? As the victim tries frantically to climb off the tracks, the train is barreling towards him.

Click. Click. Click. 

The photographer, R. Umar Abbasi, has to decide in a split second: Try and help this desperate human being or do my job. 

His choice made the front page of the paper on December 4th. (Photo via). And the decisions of both Abbasi and his editor have been blasted by many.  

Front Page News

How could another human being watch this horrific chain of events unfold and not try and help?

The man on the tracks who was killed, 58-year-old Ki-Suck Han, was someone’s father, husband, and co-worker.

Was his life worth something more than a cover story? Who are we to judge? 

Opinions from trained photojournalists, editors, and media consultants have been mixed. 

Verena Dobnik, a reporter for the Associated Press writes:   

“The moral issue among professional photojournalists in such situations is ‘to document or to assist,’ said Kenny Irby, an expert in  the  ethics of visual journalism at the Poynter Institute, a Florida-based nonprofit journalism school.

He said that’s the choice professional photographers often face in the seconds before a fatality.”

 Dobnik’s story continues:

“Another professional reluctant to reach conclusions was veteran photographer John Long of the National Press Photographers Association, where he is chairman of the ethics committee.

“I cannot judge the man,” he said. “I don’t know how far away he was; I don’t know if he could’ve done anything.”

However, both Long and Irby said that as a photographer, ‘you are morally obliged to help’ — if possible, rather than take a picture.”

The People’s Court

Social media has been buzzing with comments and opinions from the public.

On Facebook, Scott Freeman of Newtown, PA, posted:  ”I hope the editor of the NY Post burns in hell. Publishing a front page picture of a man left to die to sell papers is classless, cruel, and inhumane. What happened to humanity?”

For the record, there’s been no comment from the editors at the Post. 

Did the rag sheet go too far this time?  

(From my personal archives)

5 (more) things every social content marketer must know how to do

In business, 2012 has been a banner year for social content and marketing. How have you fared, and where are you heading in 2013?

The Content Marketing Institute’s latest report, B2B Content Marketing: 2012 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends concludes that marketing on the major social channels grew approximately 15-20 percent as compared to 2011. 

As more of us jump on the social content bandwagon, I wanted to share some thoughts and resources that can help.

Here are five things social content marketers must know how to do:   

 1. Repurpose and reimagine your content. This means curation, updating older posts, and much, much more. 

How to build and operate a content marketing machine

Two funnels, two types of content marketing 

2. Embrace visuals.  Prospects like to see things. Remember show-and-tell in grade school? Effective online marketers know that the ‘show’ element rules.  Think beyond infographics.  Consider video testimonials and fun images. And yes, charts and graphs with hard data are part of the mix, too. 

12 ways to visualize data, without infographics

 64 Pinterest marketing tips and tactics

Photo sharing for your B2B online marketing

3.  Use keywords to create quality content for your target audience. If it’s B2B or B2C, you must have a constant handle on the trends and challenges affecting prospects and clients. If conversion rates are on your mind, the following links will come in handy.

31 easy ideas to create content your customers want

Tools and resources for keyword search  

4.  Cross promote your content. Cross channel marketing, which includes online and offline, mobile, display ads, and e-mail campaigns, ought to be the centerpiece of your strategy. Businesses and brands that use this approach on a regular basis will lead the content marketing pack in 2013. 

6 steps to a cross channel marketing plan

Report: Cross Channel Marketing in 2012

5 lessons in cross channel marketing

5. Be sticky. Malcolm Gladwell covered this in his best-selling book, The Tipping Point. What makes some websites, blogs, products, and brands explode and stay on top for the long-haul?  

Let’s get sticky!

Is your website deliciously sticky?

5 secrets of shareable content

Finally, here’s a gem from Gary Friedman of Restoration Hardware. ”Great brands don’t chase customers; customers chase great brands.” 

 

8 tools to finding the content people really want

If you’re puzzled about how to determine the content and issues your target audience wants from you, you’re not alone.

Are you good at spotting trends? Do you have a forward-thinking vision? Do you outpace your competition in identifying hot topics and ideas within your niche? 

Sure you can watch trending websites.  

But consider these eight ways to help you create fresh content that people will be clamoring for.

  1. Pay attention to Google Instant. This is an autocomplete algorithm that is based on popular search queries by other users. Watch the phrases that appear in the drop-down box when you type the first few letters of your query. Here’s an example from Searchengineland.com: 

  

2. Look at webinar topics and conference registration sites. These are two strong sources for timely content as they address challenges and issues that professionals in your field want to learn.

3. Examine transcripts from Twitter chats. These records offer a plethora of information on specific topics. It will be easy to find out the obstacles that are front of mind in your niche market.  

4. Review your Analytics daily. WordPress and Google are among the platforms that can supply plenty of details about how traffic has arrived on your blog or website (search engines and referrals) along with pageviews, unique visitors, and more. Both tools also give you the keywords or phrases that people typed in their searches. Hint: These words and phrases are their challenges. This is your content.

5. Become part of your customer’s network. The website Predictocracy.org explains, “You can discover what they (customers)  want and what they are passionate about in online forums, social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, and also video hosting sites such as YouTube and MetaCafe. All these online networking and discussion sites can give you great ideas on how to predict and ride the next big trend.” 

6. Subscribe to HARO. Help A Reporter Out is a free repository that connects media outlets and authors with sources and experts. With a simple subscription, HARO queries are e-mailed three times a day, Monday-to-Friday. Reporters, producers, and writers have very specific requests as they are planning and producing stories and interviews. Use HARO to monitor what reporters are working on. 

7. Ask for help. Use Survey Monkey or another free tool and pose one or two specific questions to your database about what they would like you to provide. Going straight to the source leaves no room for guesswork.

8. Examine the comments posted to your blog. Carefully look for clues in the comments that people have posted. Feedback and insights can help determine what kinds of issues or concerns readers have. It’s likely there are lots of hints.

Have you tried any of these tools? Any suggestions to add to the list? 

In the end, the common denominator is relevance.

6 social tools for communicating in our new era

Have you noticed our collective world seems to be all about convenience, time, and social media? 

Based on this, I want to share a few social tech tools for efficiently communicating in our new digital era.

  1.  Headline Analyzer from the Advanced Marketing Institute -Need help writing psychologically powered headlines that compel people to read—and buy—from you?  Business communicators and sales professionals understand that buying a product, service, or idea, is based on emotions. That’s where this simple tool comes into play.

AMI explains the “emotional marketing value of a headline” on its website: “We have developed a software program which has access to our EMV impact words. The program uses special algorithms to quickly compare the words of your headline with the words from the EMV Impact list.”

What’s the importance of a high EMV rating?  “The key to communication is being able to reach the client at an emotional level. Involving them in your copy, and invoking their deeper thoughts,” states the AMI site.  “While many marketers ‘guess’ how people will react to various words and offers, we have determined a test which will give you an actual rating that you can use to judge how well-received your copy will be to others.”

2. Recitethis.com allows users to insert their own verbiage, quote, or phrase to create a personalized graphic in mere seconds. Users also have the option of pulling a quotation from the site’s library. “Turn a quote into a masterpiece” is the site’s mantra. Here’s an example: 

 

3.  Bottlenose.com  “We analyze and map the world’s attention in real-time. It’s live, visual, interactive and seriously smart.” That’s the homepage message from Bottlenose.com, a monitoring and analytics tool that’s been in beta for a while. Tech reporters say this newbie can give Google a run for its money. The $1 million in new seed funding should help. Christina Farr writes on Venturebeat.com: “Bottlenose infuses social elements into your search ‘stream’ — a term the company uses to refer to the sea of status updates and news. Search for a term on the website, and Bottlenose will surface what the world thinks, organized by relevance to you. Social search is Google’s greatest weakness…” This is a new, real-time dimension into who is paying attention to your company, brand, marketing campaigns, and competitors.

 4. Poll Everywhere- This has been around for a while, but not many communicators or speakers know about it, and use it. Poll Everywhere is an audience response tool that allows users to “gather live responses in any venue: conferences, presentations, classrooms, radio, TV, print — anywhere. And because it works internationally with texting, web, or Twitter, its simplicity and flexibility are earning reviews,” according to its website.

 5. Prezi.com seems to be the successor to PowerPoint.  With complaints about boring bullet points and excessive text, many communicators—myself included—are turning to Prezi. The tag line, “Make your presentations zoom,” helps us understand how this cloud-based software works. The analogy the company website uses is that the main point of your topic is in a graphic or image form, similar to the outside of a house. With each click and zoom, the topic is broken down into detail, or the rooms of the house.

6. Awesome Screenshot prides itself on capturing, annotating, and sharing screenshots. “Capture the whole page or any portion, annotate it with rectangles, circles, arrows, lines and text, one-click upload to share.” This can spice up your presentations, marketing materials, web pages, tutorials, and more.

Are you familiar with any or all of these? Is it time to start using them? Which nifty tech tools do you want to share with us?