The Power of Social Media meets the Press Release

Is the press release dead?

Well not really. But there certainly is a new wave out there – the social media press release, or SMPR, spawned by Todd Defern and the folks at SHIFT communications.

What does this mean for you? Well, when newspapers, magazines and other media go online, they are trying to create a conversation around a given article or topic they have written about. Why shouldn’t that be the case for press releases?

So I decided to get a podcast together with Todd so he could shed some light on success stories using the SMPR. Enjoy …



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About Todd

Todd Defren leads client services and business development efforts for SHIFT Communications, a $10 million agency with offices in Boston and San Francisco.

Working in high-tech public relations for approximately 15 years, Defren currently specializes in social media strategies and is widely noted for creating the first template for social media news releases in 2006. He followed up with a template for social media-optimized online newsrooms in early 2007.

Prior to SHIFT, Defren was at Sterling Hager, joining in 1994 as an account manager and reaching the level of managing director of the San Francisco office in August 2000. His earlier experience included managing the strategic and tactical corporate communications at ENTEX Information Services, a $2 billion New York-based systems integrator, now part of Siemens AG.

Defren has served as a visiting professor at Emerson College in Boston, lecturing on marketing and public relations on the Internet. In 2006, Defren was named a Research Fellow and member of the Advisory Board of the Society for New Communications Research.

Full Disclosure: I have hired SHIFT Communications to help BearingPoint with our Social Media PR

 

Media Buying Needs to Evolve!

Thinking about buying media? Well, it’s no longer just about ad space or traditional print. Today media has to “sing and dance.” It has to have a tight connection to the brand at the same time it distributes the brand with rich experiences online through social media – social networks (like Facebook), videos, podcasts, RSS feeds, and maybe a widget.

Traditional media is still part of the mix. But only to the extent it’s needed to help create awareness of the online experiences waiting to be had with the brand. Just focusing on traditional, one-way awareness ads will surely make your brand seem stiff and too inwardly focused.

Today’s media buyers need to recognize that prospects no longer move neatly from one media touch point to the next. They move around, snacking on video, scanning a print ad, reading their RSS feeds in a feed reader, checking into their favorite social network, or just reading a few new blogs.

How users engage with your brand through digital channels will ultimately define your brand!

Where is the buzz? Agencies that provide traditional media buying need to radically change their approach to servicing clients. Going forward, think in terms of three tiers – traditional, to online, to social.

Try not to interrupt what people are interested in. Instead, BE what people are interested in!

 

Niche-o-nomics for Technology

More and more these days it seems that the raw material for technology firms is less and less the silicon chip (oh so 1990). Instead, the startup has replaced those tiny wafers in the 21st Century.

This leads us to a much more specialized type of startup company – one that can form around discrete aspects of a very narrowly defined segment. Its founders create it, own it and then manage their risks accordingly.

Think about how many startups long to be bought out by Google. Not because they are in trouble, but because that is their mission in life. Seriously. Their mission statement is “to be purchased by Google” or Facebook.

How did this happen?

I think the starting point for me was when Cisco bought Stratcom back in the late 90s for $3.7 billion dollars. And then Cisco’s market cap went up roughly the same amount! This flew in the face of the notion that all innovation had to come from within. Acquisition was now a viable strategy in tech, as it had been in other industries for years.

What’s a marketer to do? Well, there is money to be made in being niche. So if you are in a small technology firm, try owning as defined a niche as you can – such as LinkedIn’s advertising operation. This company’s brand promise delivers on what it says while focused on a defensible position. Just don’t forget to can manage the risks.

Perhaps niche is the new black!

 

Is Social Media more difficult in B2B than B2C?

I submit that it is! Please hear me out.

When I say Ralph Lauren, Nine Inch Nails, Vineyard Vines, GAP – or even Apple – you get a sense of a very homogeneous type of person. You get a picture of exactly who I mean and the “lifestyle” that brand portrays. When I say Ralph Lauren, it’s like reading the preppie handbook.

But what happens when I say Unisys or Delco or even Oracle? What mental image, what picture of homogenous people comes to mind, if any? Probably nothing, right?

Now, consider Nine Inch Nails and their use of social media. The band printed tour shirts with different, seemingly random boldface letters that, when strung together, spelled out a website address – iamtryingtobelieve.com. The tactic engaged an audience that was totally in sync with their brand and lit up their community site, Spiral.

Sure a B2B company can launch a microsite any day. But can it launch one that speaks to the company’s audience so perfectly that it resonates with a vast majority? I would submit the answer is no.

Yes, I know microsites aren’t social media. My point is that out in social media land if you know exact who your audience is, what will resonate with them and how to tap into it, you are home free. B2B audiences are more fragmented, with internal employees, external partners, channel partners, third party vendors, and, oh yeah, customers and prospects.

What’s your take? I’m interested to hear from you …

 

Radically Transparent Reputation Management - a podcast with Andy Beal

Brand building and reputation management are two sides of a coin. What brand managers do to build their company’s reputation can come crashing down overnight with the keystroke of an angry blogger.

Managing a company’s reputation used to be a back-channel activity, known only to a few. Today, company reputation is available to everyone. It is radically transparent.

Fellow blogger Andy Beal of MarketingPilgrim just released a book with Dr. Judy Strauss titled Radically Transparent. It’s a how-to guide for anyone needing to manage a reputation, whether B2B, B2C or even C2C. To complement the book, Andy has launched a service called Trackur that can help you monitor and manage a reputation.

I managed to grab Andy on his way to SXSW to discuss what’s changing in reputation management. Enjoy ...



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About Andy

Andy Beal is an internet marketing consultant specializing in search engine marketing, online reputation management, and business blogging. Considered one of the world’s most respected online marketing experts, Andy has worked with many top companies such as Motorola, GlaxoSmithKline, SAS, Lowes, Quicken Loans, and NBC.

Highly respected as a source of internet marketing advice, Andy Beal has had articles published around the world, including BusinessWeek Online, Search Engine Watch, Search Engine Guide, and Web Pro News. He is the co-author of an online reputation management book called Radically Transparent which can be found on Amazon.com.

 

Get a “Social” Life

You can run but you can’t hide for long from social networking. At some point or another you will have to sign up for one or probably more social networks. But recently some early adopters have said they want out completely – the equivalent of unplugging entirely from social networking. To them I say – Get a “social” life!

Take Mr. Das. He joined Facebook on a whim after receiving invitations from friends. He then tried to leave after realizing that most of his coworkers were also on the site.

“I work in a small office. The last thing I want is people going on there and checking out my private life,” he said. “I did not want to be on it after junior associates at work whom I have to manage saw my stuff.”

But Mr. Das is missing the point. A “social” network is about being “social.” It’s about being transparent in who you are, your likes, your dislikes. It humanizes you for the rest of us. Sure, there are things you may not want to be public, so just use common sense about what you post.

Managers like you should welcome social networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Plaxo into the workplace. Not only are they tools for colleagues to interact with you and build relationships with one another, but having them viewable by the public makes your company seem more approachable and engaging.

To a certain extent, having a Facebook page is like allowing others to see your desk at work. No, not the pile of papers, but the “stuff” that is unique to you – the pictures of your wife and kids, the shot of you and your buddies skiing in Park City last year. You know, the things that make your space your own!

If the problem is too many requests, well Facebook hears you. The site just launched a feature that will allow you to “ignore all” request made. Now I am not suggesting you go that far, but that might ease your pain.

Where’s the Buzz? By now, everyone reading this should at least have a personal Facebook or LinkedIn page. If you don’t, get to work. It is beneficial to you, your company and your network to do so. Participate as much as you wish. There are no rules for how many posting you should have or not have. And be smart. Don’t post things you wouldn’t want your mom to see or read.

Social networking is not that hard. But like the lottery, you have to buy a ticket to win at it.

 

Sales is from Mars and Marketing is from Venus – a CEO’s Perspective

Nothing focuses the sales force on sales like a quota. But what does a CEO use to focus Marketing? Can Marketing really begin to source leads for Sales? And how can you really optimize the relationship between Sales and Marketing?

This podcast is the first in a series we’ve set up along with B2B marketing software provider Marketo to examine the classic sales vs. marketing debate. To start things off, we’ve brought together Marketo's chief executive officer and his VP of Marketing to discuss the differences in Sales and Marketing as seen from the perspective of a CEO whose company is focused on aligning sales and marketing to create a single revenue funnel, as well as what that looks like day to day from the marketing trenches.

Nothing could be scarier to a marketer than having to answer to the CEO. So I give a lot of credit to Jon Miller, who sat in the hot seat in front of his company’s top executive just for this podcast! Enjoy …




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About Phil Fernandez
President and CEO, Marketo

Phil is a 26-year Silicon Valley veteran and has the scars (and a couple of successful IPOs) to prove it. Prior to Marketo, he was President and COO of Epiphany, a public enterprise software company known for its visionary marketing products. Before this, Phil was COO and SVP of Products and Services at Red Brick Systems, a pioneering data warehouse vendor. Earlier, he held leadership positions at Metaphor Computer Systems, Stanford University Medical Center, and Masstor Systems. Phil holds a BA from Stanford University.


About Jon Miller
VP Marketing, Marketo

Jon has the unique challenge of leading Marketing for Marketo, a company whose mission is helping other B2B marketers drive revenue and improve accountability. Jon explores best practices in demand generation, lead management, and online marketing in his popular blog, Modern B2B Marketing, and is a frequent columnist and speaker at industry events. Before co-founding Marketo, Jon was a vice president at Epiphany, a CRM strategist at Exchange Partners, and a strategic consultant for Gemini Consulting. Jon graduated Magna Cum Laude in Physics from Harvard College and has an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.