Category

Social Media

Feb 14
Love1

Giving Away The Now Revolution: The Social Media Seduction Contest

By Social Media

My friends Jay Baer and Amber Naslund have published a new book about the social web and how it has changed how we do business.

The NOW Revolution: 7 Shifts to Make Your Business Faster, Smarter & More Social

I’ve been excited about this book for a long time, since the first time Jay shared that it was in progress and the teaser previews he would “let slip” along the way. Jay’s excitement is always infectious.

I’m also excited because Jay and Amber happen to be two of the smartest social media strategists in the business. I learn from them all the time and enjoy their writing styles and personalities. I haven’t quite finished my copy of the book, but so far, I’m sold and I think you will be as well.

Oh yeah — and did you know that Jay and Amber met via Twitter?

I am lucky enough to be one of the 75 winners who were given a free copy of the book and a second copy to award to a reader.

That’s where you come in. I’m hosting a contest to provide that second copy to one of you, but you’re going to have to work for it.

Seduction Junction, What’s Your Function?

I’ve told you the story before, how Shel Israel once told me that to get people engaged in social media, you have to seduce them into it. (Since today is Valentine’s Day, it somehow seems appropriate to throw around the idea of seduction.)

Tell me, in the comments, what YOU have said, done or shown to other people in your office, clients or colleagues to get them excited about using social media for business. I will narrow down to the top three answers and then let you vote for the top response. All of the comments need to be on this blog to be eligible to win (if you learn about this contest on Facebook or via Twitter, your responses there will NOT count as contest entries.)

The deadline for this contest will be midnight (Eastern, USA), this Friday, Feb. 18, 2011.

I’ll narrow down the best comments over the weekend then host the poll to pick the favorite on Tuesday, Feb. 22.

GOOD LUCK!

CONTEST UPDATE: Comments have been closed. Winner will be announced Feb. 22.

WE HAVE A WINNER: CONGRATULATIONS TO DR. DOLLY GARNECKI!

Help choose the winner of The NOW Revolution  — enter the poll to choose your favorite comment below.

Feb 07
Love1

Superbowl, Black Eyed Peas, Groupon, Kenneth Cole, Aguilera and Social Media

By Social Media

If you’re not truly plugged in to social media, you’re missing more than half the fun. There’s nothing better than the full-on rants that happen via Twitter, Facebook and blogs while a nationally televised event gone wrong or PR snafu unfolds.

Last week’s Kenneth Cole tweet made mainstream news, so even if you’re not a Twitter user, you probably know about it, but found out much later than a good 12-20 percent of the population.

It has gotten so integrated for me that it is my strong preference to have Tweetdeck open and flying during something like the Superbowl (Inauguration, State of the Union and any disaster reporting have also been memorable moments in the twitterverse). All Sunday, Twitter helped fuel excitement for the game (and who am I kidding: the commercials).

A reported 4.5 million tweets were generated by the Superbowl.

The fast and furious response to that nightmare of a halftime show and Christina Aguilera’s goof in the national anthem were hot topics, rather than tweets about the game itself.

Marketing, advertising and PR folks were on fire about the tasteless Groupon ad. I missed the commercial when it aired but quickly saw that something was up via my Twitter feed.  Many of those I follow unsubscribed from the service in the middle of the game, which may teach Groupon, a company whose backbone is social networks, the ultimate lesson.

If you’re still unsure about the power of social media and think it has nothing to do with you and the world around you, I encourage you to experience the next national event with one eye on the Web; there are layers you are missing and some great additional content that will make you better informed faster and often, with much more entertainment than a Superbowl halftime show has to offer.

Jan 20
Love1

Social Media Motivation: The $100 Solution?

By Social Media
Jaggers Communications social media workshop

Photo credit: www.cramerphoto.com

Over the last few years, I have asked a lot of really smart people how they have inspired others to get on board with social media on behalf of their companies.  On the phone I’ve grilled both Gini Dietrich and Elizabeth Sosnow on this topic and they both had helpful advice.

One of the first answers to my question came from Shel Israel, who said “you have to seduce them into it.” He’s right, of course. But it is not always easy to identify what’s going to make someone get interested in contributing.

My friend Janet Driscoll Miller of Search Mojo was talking about this very topic recently and she noted the same approach endorsed by others in the field who have been successful.

The approach is this: when it comes to encouraging staff members to contribute to a business’s online presence, the only — and really the only — way to be successful in doing this is to make it part of each employee’s job responsibilities. Furthermore, everyone I’ve asked finds it necessary to tie bonus compensation to social media contribution. One firm rewards the employee with the highest ranked blog post for the month with $100 cash.

If, as one firm owner found, money doesn’t motivate, then pulling the hard-core card does; if someone’s not pulling their weight, it’s going to come up in performance reviews.

It’s too bad that for some employees they don’t “get it” and find their own passion, particularly if they’re marketers. It’s sad that some people have to be bribed to do their job well. The tide is bound to turn, however, as employers place a more and more significant emphasis on an employee’s role as an ambassador for the company.

If you’ve dealt with this issue within an agency or any company trying to develop content for the social web, what have you found to be a successful form of motivation? What have you tried that doesn’t work?