Marketing Roadmaps

Blog with Integrity

Upcoming… Blog With Integrity webinar, BlogPaws and New Comm Forum

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Back on the speaking circuit…

Tuesday April 6th is the Blog With Integrity webinar on best practices for blogger outreach. We’ve got a great blogger panel who will share their experiences working with brands — Beth Blecherman from TechMamas, Michelle Madhok from SheFinds and Tim Hurst from ecopolitology.

Saturday April 9th I will be at BlogPaws in Columbus Ohio speaking on a panel about best practices for doing reviews on your blog.

April 20-23 I’ll be out at New Comm Forum in San Mateo California. On the 20th, I’m teaching part of the full-day Intro to Social Media for Business pre-conference workshop, and later in the week, I’m doing two conference sessions — a panel on Social CRM and a session on the impact of the FTC Guidelines on Endorsements and Testimonials on businesses. Added attraction: Dave Carroll of United Breaks Guitars fame will be speaking at lunch on Wednesday!

I’ve got discount codes for all three events. Drop me a note at sgetgood@getgood.com or @sgetgood on Twitter with your email address and the event you are interested in.

Schadenfreude, blogger relations and a little fiber

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I am beyond busy trying to wrap up Professional Blogging for Dummies and prepping for some speaking engagements, including the April 6th Bridging Brands and Bloggers session.

But a few things crossed my desk this week that reminded me how far we STILL have to go in creating authentic relationships with our customers. Normally, I’d pull screenshots and stuff, but we’ll have to do without this week. Chalk it up to my overall exhaustion. And trust me, copies of the pitches referred to here ARE in my inbox.

Schadenfreude
That’s taking pleasure in the misfortune of others, and yes, we all do it to some extent. But seriously, issuing press releases and doing blogger outreach on the back of another company’s recall? Ambulance chasing. Gross. Don’t do it. Build your story on your features, not on another’s shortcomings. The saddest thing? The brand in question has a lot going for it. Good PR counsel? Not so much.

Fiber
If you represent a fiber cereal, or related product, you’ve got a tough road. No one really wants to write about bowel movements, not withstanding the stereotype that mom blogs are about pampers and poop. You’ve got to be far more creative than the average bear.

Alas, the pitch that hit mom bloggers this week wasn’t creative. In fact, it was disingenuous. More than one mom blogger I know was confused. Was the company looking for consulting services? Participation in a focus group? Or, as it turned out, simply looking to ship product and get reviews.

Be upfront. Don’t send a pitch asking for “insights” and advice when what you want is a review. Especially to bloggers who do not do reviews. Target appropriately and communicate clearly.

It’s not enough to know who to send the pitch to.

You’ve got to get to know the person.

These are the issues we are going to discuss in the April 6th Bridging Brands & Bloggers webinar. If you work with pr and marketing reps, tell them about it. If you are a pr or marketing person, tell your boss you want to attend.

We’ll give you the inside scoop on what works, and what doesn’t, when reaching out to bloggers.

Blog with Integrity news

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Between the book, travel and work, my blogs have been a bit neglected this year. So, I’m really glad that I can finally take the wraps off the Blog with Integrity projects we’ve been working on since the beginning of the year.

Advisory Board: We are honored to welcome Liza Barry-Kessler, Gwen Bell, Isabel Kallman, Lisa Stone and David Wescott to the team as members of the Blog with Integrity Advisory Board.

New website: We’ve updated the website with more information about the team, our mission and upcoming events. We also added an Organizational Pledge so companies can show their support for the principles of the pledge.

Bridging Brands & Bloggers webinar: We are very excited about this webinar for PR, marketing and advertising professionals to be held on April 6th from noon to 1:30 eastern. We’ll talk about best practices for blogger outreach and the impact of the FTC endorsement guidelines on brands and bloggers. Plus an exclusive panel of influential bloggers will share their experiences working with brands. More details and registration information are on the website. Please spread the word!

Bridging Brands & Bloggers is sponsored by the Council of Public Relations Firms, and we are very grateful for their support.

On the road: We’ve been taking the Blog with Integrity message on the road. In February, I spoke at BlissDom about best practices and disclosure, and at Mom 2.0, my colleagues Liz Gumbinner and Julie Marsh were on a panel about the FTC guidelines. In the coming months, I’ll be on panels at BlogPaws, TBEX and BlogHer talking about disclosure and ethical best practices. I’m also doing a session for for marketing professionals about the impact of the guidelines at New Comm Forum.

I have a discount code for BlogPaws so drop me a note if you are planning to attend. For New Comm Forum, register here using discount code NCF117.

And then there’s the book. Professional Blogging for Dummies (Wiley, July 2010). As my Facebook page says: “I used to have a life. Now I have a book.” If you have a few minutes in the next few days, I would so appreciate it if you would take the blogger survey for the book. I’ll probably close the survey next week. Here’s the link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/8GY3Z2F

BlissDom, Disclosure, Super Bowl ads and a new survey

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Apart from my rather hectic return North on Friday (which you can read about on Snapshot Chronicles Roadtrip), BlissDom was absolutely great, and I wish I could have stayed longer.

BlissDom and Disclosure

As promised, here is a PDF of the complete slide deck from the “You Should Know Better” general session on Friday morning. Kristen Berman from Intuit covered best accounting practices, Liza Barry-Kessler gave an overview of the legal issues facing bloggers in their small businesses, and I talked about disclosure as a best practice and the FTC guidelines on endorsements and testimonials.

We were lucky that Stacey Ferguson was in the audience. She is an attorney with the Federal Trade Commission advertising practices division and was able to help answer a few questions.

I don’t want to dive too deep into disclosure in this post but one thing most definitely bears repeating: the FTC does not dictate how you should disclose other than it must be “clear and conspicuous.” There are many ways to be clear and conspicuous. For example, put the disclosure at the top of the post, at the top of the blog sidebar or within the text of the post as you write about whatever it is. All pretty clear. You just have to be sure that the reader has an opportunity to see the disclosure without searching for it. But… there is no checklist that says the FTC approves these five ways to disclose and does not approve these other five.

That’s why best practices are so very very important. Also common sense. For example, if you have written a long, long blog post, putting the disclosure at the bottom of your post, and only at the bottom, isn’t too conspicuous. No one says you can’t put it there — not even the FTC —  but I will tell you that it’s not a best practice.

On the other hand, if you write snappy short product bits that fit in the first screen (“above the fold”),  a disclosure at the bottom of the post is pretty conspicuous. It’s simple common sense – just ask yourself, if I was reading someone else’s blog, where would I want to be informed about the endorsement or material relationship?

Stacey also made it clear to the audience that the FTC does not require that blogs have a disclosure policy nor does a blanket disclosure policy cancel out the need to disclose in your posts.

Best practices demand that you do MORE than the FTC requires. A disclosure policy is a best practice that helps your readers understand your point of view, your relationships and your biases.  Use best practices and common sense, and you should be fine.  The slides from the BlissDom session have some suggestions, and Blog with Integrity will have more free webinars on this and related topics like copyright and fair use.

Super Bowl Ads
Liked: Snickers, VW, Clydesdales [Updated 2/9 to add that I also liked the NFL, Google and HomeAway ads, all of which were spot-on in their branding]
Didn’t like: All the misogyny (Dodge, Bridgestone, Dove, Go Daddy), creepy eTrade babies, people acting like dolphins, stuffed animals acting like people

Survey for Professional Blogging for Dummies
I’m heads down most days on my book right now, and I’d like your help. A key feature in the book is case studies, anecdotes and tips from successful bloggers. I’d also like to have some trend data about professional blogs. How are people making money? Do they have a business plan? What sorts of opportunities have bloggers gotten as a result of their blogs? So, I’ve got a little survey up on Survey Monkey. If you write a professional or small business blog, I hope you will take it.

See ya, 2009

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Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

2009 has not been a banner year. The economy really impacted my business, as it has so many. Among other things, the competition for projects got quite fierce. When full-service agencies slash their fees to the bone, it is pretty hard for an independent to match it. And the projects that did come in tended to be smaller than in previous years.

Things seemed to pick up a little toward the end of the year, which makes me hopeful for 2010. I’m also always looking at all my options. If  you’ve got something in which you think I might be interested, whether a project, long term assignment or full-time job, please never assume I am too busy or wouldn’t be interested. I am always interested. Always.

There were some highlights over the year:

  • I have some wonderful clients, both long-term and recent, and  am tremendously grateful for the confidence they have in my work. I just want more like them! And fewer deadbeats who never pay their bills.
  • I am excited to be working on my first book, Professional Blogging for Dummies (Wiley, Summer 2010).
  • The community response to the Blog with Integrity initiative made me proud — once again — to be a blogger. We’ve got some exciting plans for next year, so stay tuned.
  • The trip to Africa with my mom and brother was the experience of a lifetime. Full reports on my travel blog and a dedicated site set up by my brother MashatuTiger.com
  • I started writing about Digital Parenting for BlogHer’s Family Connections project.

But no lie, I am ready to kick 2009 to the curb and say hello to 2010.  There’s a lot to look forward to. I’ve just started work on some challenging new client projects and as I mentioned above, we’ve got good stuff in the works for Blog with Integrity. And of course the book. I have to write a chapter a week every week until mid-March. Doesn’t sound like much until you start to do it, and then it’s a bit like having a term paper due every week. Worth it in the end though.

I’m also honored to have been invited to speak at a number of conferences over the next few months, starting with the Consumer Electronics Show next week in Las Vegas. Here’s the schedule, through April 2010.

CES, Las Vegas, January 8, 2010 —

  • MommyTech Summit – Mommy Power 101 panel. Moderated by Beth Blecherman of TechMamas.com, the panel will talk about how technology advancements have empowered moms and changed our lives.
  • Help, My Mom Friended Me on Facebook, part of Kodak’s in-booth television studio. Session will stream live over the Internet (January 8, 11 am PST). The panel, which also includes Jill Zarin from Real Housewives of NYC, will be talking digital parenting and the impact of technology on our children and our families.

BlissDom ’10, Nashville, February 4-6, 2010 —

  • Social Media & the Women Who Love It. Advanced Social Media Workshop (Feb. 4, 2010)
  • You Should Know Better:  A Blogger’s Guide to Legal, Accounting and FTC Guidelines. Session. (Feb. 5, 2010)

ETC 2010, Providence, Rhode Island, February 6, 2010 —

  • Navigating Social Media: A Hands-on Approach. Workshop.

Mom 2.0 Summit, Houston, February 18-20, 2010 —

  • Got Strategy? session (Feb. 19, 2010)

BlogPaws, Columbus, Ohio, April 9-10, 2010 —

  • Gulp! The FTC? What the New Guidelines Mean for You (April 10, 2010)

New Comm Forum, San Mateo, California, April 20-23, 2010 —

  • Introduction to Social Media for Business. Pre-conference workshop. April 20, 2010
  • Social CRM Stories: Case Studies, Challenges & Emerging Best Practices. Moderator. April 22, 2010
  • Disclosure: It’s Not Just for Bloggers. Impact of the new FTC guidelines on corporate social media programs. April 23, 2010

If you have a moment over the next few days, please take my blogger survey about marketing pitches and Facebook contests. Only 10 questions! Results will be reported here and on the Blog with Integrity Facebook page early next week.

I’d like to end the year with the lyrics from Louis Jordan’s holiday classic May Every Day Be Christmas (listen to it on Last.fm). Sums up my wish for all of us in the coming year:

May every day be Christmas
And every day be blessed
Let the end of every day be filled with happiness
And may the Lord be good to you with every rising sun
All through the day have a smile for everyone
[repeats] At night time comes a longing to be with ones you love
To sit around the fireside and dream of stars above
So may God bless you and keep you, come what may
Then every day will be a happy day [end repeat]
May good times come to you every day.