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Post-BlogHer Recap: In Which I Contemplate the Woodshed

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This summer, BlogHer was a completely different experience for me than in past years. It was the first time I wasn’t speaking, although I did end up volunteering at the Birds of a Feather sign-up, which was a great way to see everyone, if only for a few moments. It was also the first time I went as both a marketer and a mom. In previous years, including this past Spring at BlogHer Business, I went to the conference with pretty much with just my marketing hat on. Don’t get me wrong – I was a mom then too, but I didn’t have a personal blog.

I do now. Snapshot Chronicles is all about taking pictures of and with my seven-year old son. A major reason to attend BlogHer was to talk about SC and a photo contest for kids I am co-sponsoring this summer with a couple of other women bloggers, Tracey Clark and Sheri Reed.

But I also had my marketing hat on.  I’ve developed a project for a client that I truly believe mom bloggers with a specific interest will want to participate in. I knew quite a few of the women on my "possibles" list would be at BlogHer, making the conference an ideal opportunity to quietly sound them out. How did I know they’d be there? Because I read and comment on their blogs. And for a lot longer than a week before BlogHer.

What does this have to do with the woodshed? Patience, grasshopper, I am getting there.

BlogHer itself was great, especially the unconference on Sunday (more on that in my next post), and I felt like I accomplished what I set out to do over the three days. However, I was a little disturbed by the anti-PR sentiment at the state of the momosphere panel on Friday, and my feelings of unease have only intensified over the past few days as the posts, and comments, have been flying fast and furious about taking PR people to the woodshed and how much we (marketing and PR folks) suck.

I’m not taking it personally, mind you. At least not too much. Helping companies do blogger relations right has become a large part of my professional work. I write and talk about it all the time,and work very hard to make sure that my clients’ programs are a win-win for everyone. In fact, I advise clients if they aren’t willing to do it right, don’t do blogger relations at all. Spend your money on advertising or trinkets & trash.

So even though I know it is not personal, it’s hard not to take offense at the blanket statement that "we know you don’t read our blogs."  I do read the blogs. I read about 500 blogs on a regular basis — mom blogs, food blogs, military blogs, tech blogs, travel blogs, health blogs, film blogs, marketing blogs, PR blogs, education blogs, and more. Sure, I enjoy the mom, marketing, photo and PR blogs the most because that is where my personal interests lay, but you cannot do blogger outreach well if you don’t get to know the people behind the blogs. Because it isn’t about inanimate things called blogs. It’s about people.

And getting really personal here, I think the momosphere has forgotten that there are people, real people, on the other side, trying to do this right. And a lot of them are women. An awful lot in fact. PR as a profession is well known to be a female-dominant industry. And by that I mean there are a lot of women in it, most often at the lower and mid levels. No matter what anyone tells you, PR is still male-dominated; men run most of the big agencies. And we sort of kept that meme going at BlogHer, since Jory only had time to call on two people from PR, both men.

Today, I feel like you want me to apologize for my chosen profession. And I just don’t feel like apologizing. Not for what I do for a living. Not for corporate America. Not any more. Women do that way too much for things they didn’t do.

So, my friends, readers and fellow BlogHers, I ain’t going to the woodshed. Not today.

Many of us want to get this right. And for outreach to all bloggers that our companies and clients might want to talk with, not just moms. Because those of us that "get it," get that there are much better ways to reach out to our customers. Not mass, generic, white-bread messages designed to appeal to all, offend none, and end up doing nothing much for our companies or our customers. 

Simple stories that speak directly to people, not at them. Programs that give the bloggers access to people (Gloria Steinem), places (backstage at Sci Fi Network) and things (umm "toys") that in turn provides fodder for posts and podcasts. Not to mention the possible other benefits 😉

Programs that donate both goods and dollars to charity, often chose by the bloggers themselves. Outreach that focuses on the bloggers and their needs/wants, not just the company’s. There are good blogger relations programs, and good PR/marketing folks. Really, we aren’t all assholes. At least not all the time.

So judge me, judge us, on what we do. Not on what others do. Or don’t do. As I said, I try hard to get it right. If I fuck up, tell me. If you have suggestions, tell me.

But don’t assume that every PR outreach will be lame and impersonal. Some will be, but some will be interesting opportunities that you’d want to do. But you won’t get the chance if you completely close your mind to the possibilities.

One last comment, and then I will step off my soapbox. There is a diversity issue, no question. Mainstream media is pretty white bread, white man, and much of that has crept into the blogosphere as well. It’s why BlogHer exists, my friends; remember guys don’t link?.

How do we change it? Talk about it. Educate. Maybe even reach out to companies with products we’d like to evaluate and see if they come through.

I have some other ideas, which I am noodling around as I contemplate, but refuse to enter, the woodshed. And I may just be calling on you for advice.

So please don’t delete my email before you read it.

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Not So Random Observations: Nikon and alli

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I’ve been thinking quite a bit about Nikon and alli. Not because I am considering becoming a customer of either because, in order, not now and not likely.

Because the blog campaigns of both have taken a few hits lately. Some deserved and some not so.

Let’s start with Nikon, which loaned expensive digital SLR cameras to about 50 marketing and PR bloggers this spring. No obligation to write, and a promise of a discount if they decided to keep the camera after the review period. Doesn’t sound like a bad program, does it? Seems to respect the bloggers. Not that different from other sampling programs the company has done.

Many bloggers, myself included, didn’t have any major problems with the campaign. The outreach was well within recommended guidelines, and the recipients of the loaner cameras all disclosed their participation in everything they wrote about the camera.

Well, Chicken Little, get out of the way and NEVER underestimate our collective ability to navel gaze.  In the eyes of some marketing bloggers, there were serious flaws with the program, and recipients of the loaners couldn’t be objective about the program, let alone the camera. [Note: I am not a camera recipient.]

Did the value of the camera, far more than the usual product sample, create the problem?  Perhaps, but readers are smart enough to filter what they read, provided there is full disclosure.  Which there was.

Another criticism was that the 50 or so chosen participants were people with whom Nikon’s agency already had relationships. Uhmm. This is one of the key recommendations we make in blogger relations — know your customers. If marketing types are likely prospects for a product, which in this case they are, why shouldn’t you reach out to them? If your goal is to get people talking about your product, why wouldn’t you select a group that would be highly likely to try the camera and then tell others?

Some bloggers felt strongly that blogger relations programs should always benefit the larger community, not just those selected to participate. They asked, how does giving cameras to some benefit all? This is a lovely thought, but not terribly practical, and not really necessary. We cannot expect every outreach, from every company, to benefit every member of the community. It’s nice when they do, and I am a firm believer in companies giving back. But sometimes, they just want a little talk about their products, so they reach out to influencers. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

The one thing I would fault Nikon on is not getting more involved with the people trying the camera. Hands off is one thing. No engagement is another. If the recipients are part of a community you want to reach, you ought to at least talk with them….Doesn’t have to be a focus group or even structured feedback. I’d also like to see the company do some sampling programs with other bloggers that would be equally interested in Nikon cameras. Not just this group of marketers.

But these are quibbles. Overall, I still put the Nikon campaign into the "good" column.

Now to alli. My oh my, what a blogstorm Debbie Weil set off with her request for comments on GlaxoSmithKline’s blog for weight loss drug alli. Read all about it and then come back.

Was asking for comments wrong? Maybe. But that’s not what I want to talk about, and that horse is pretty dead anyway.

It was the wrong question. The right question, as I left in a comment on Debbie’s blog, was Why wasn’t the blog getting comments? If Debbie had asked this question, the response would have been far different.

I don’t think the alli blog and bloggers are fake in their concern or desire to help people lose weight. Sure, they have commercial imperatives, but they really seem to believe in their product. So why no comments?

Quite literally, because nobody wants to talk about this shit.

I commend the folks at GSK for their frankness about the side effects of alli. But, let’s face it, how many people want to read about "treatment effects?" Or write about their own, assuming that is even allowed. When we keep reading about how potential employers are googling us to find out about our pasts, who would want to admit that they depend on Depends?

 The problem with the alli blog, and the conversation or lack thereof, is that it focuses on the product, not on people. And that’s the wrong focus.

People may consider taking this drug, but not because they want to be alli users. Not because there is any cachet in being an alli user. I think we are all quite clear on that. They’ll consider this drug because they want to lose weight and other alternatives either haven’t worked or don’t appeal.

That’s your community: people who want to lose weight. So if you want to serve the community, you provide information and resources that meet the needs of the community. Sure, you can provide information on your product. It would be silly not to. But everything can’t be branded, sanitized, corporate-approved alli content. That’s a bit dull. And doesn’t inspire comments.

So let me step into my monday-morning-quarterback chair and share some thoughts on what I think might work better. And perhaps start a little conversation.

A big part of the alli message is that you have to change your lifestyle, not just pop a pill. Exercise more. Eat better. So, find some experts, preferably people who are already blogging on these topics, and ask them to write for you.  Find a food blogger who writes about low fat cooking and ask her to write a food column. I am certain that a major worry for many considering alli is how they can continue to eat well with their families. Offer a recipe makeover that takes a family favorite down to reasonable fat levels.

In other words, give back to the community before you ask them to buy from you. And make sure that what you are offering is useful whether a person ever takes the drug or not.

Link out to other reputable weight loss sites and resources. Do you run the risk that the dieter might go with South Beach instead of alli? Sure, but you run that risk anyway. By being open, by providing access to alternatives, you move away from simply being a corporate product site to becoming a real resource for the community.

And that’s how you become part of the community.

Now, a company, GSK or any other, doesn’t have to do any of this. In which case, I’m not sure it really needs a blog.

If all you want to do is push information out, stick to a Web site. Nobody really expects to talk to you there.

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Sci Fi Channel boldly goes where no network has gone before: the Digital Press Tour

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Star Trek, x5.  Battlestar Galactica, x2. Babylon 5. Farscape. Firefly. Dr. Who, x10 (Doctors that is). V. Red Dwarf. Blake’s 7. Lexx. Andromeda. Stargate SG1. Stargate Atlantis. Buffy. Angel. Lost.

No TV fan  is more loyal, more devoted than the science fiction/fantasy fan. So loyal in fact that many of them start Web sites and blogs devoted to covering their favorite shows and favorite genre. And not just fan sites and spoiler sites. News sites that rival the mainstream media for their depth and breadth of coverage.

But quite often, these sites find  it difficult to get access to the TV shows and stars they cover.

Until the Sci Fi Channel boldly went where no network has gone before and invited the digital press to Vancouver, where many of the network’s shows are filmed, for a special press tour.

I’m one of the sci fi fans who regularly reads these online sites for the latest news, and spoilers, from my favorite shows. I’ve also been covering the topic of blogger relations quite heavily here on the Roadmap so this story is kind of a dream come true. Or at least a two-fer.

One of the problems with most coverage of blogger relations is we tend to obsess over what is wrong with blogger outreach programs. Wal-Mart’s ill-advised RV trip. The Microsoft Vista laptop snafu. Even criticisms of programs that really weren’t bad at all, at least in my opinion.

We spend a lot of time telling businesses what they shouldn’t do and not nearly enough time talking about programs that did work, that did achieve their objectives, for both the bloggers and the companies.

Well, beam me up, folks, because that’s going to be the focus of Marketing Roadmaps this summer. Starting with Sci Fi’s successful outreach to the digital press.

Earlier this week, I spoke with Michael Hinman, founder and site coordinator of SyFy Portal about the digital press tour. Michael was one of the online editors invited on the tour, along with representatives from UnderGroundOnline, IGN, Sci Fi Meshes, Monsters and Critics, TV Addict, TVaholic, DVD Verdict, TV Squad, GateWorld,  Eclipse Magazine, TV.com, Zap2it, TeeVee, Media Blvd., ACED Magazine and in-house network news service SCI FI.com.

The basics

Sci Fi Channel invited the online editors and bloggers to Vancouver for a two day blitz during which they attended cast panels and toured the sets of Battlestar Galactica, Stargate Atlantis, Eureka and a new show for the coming season, Flash Gordon. The network organized some deals on hotel rooms and provided some meals, but the editors were basically responsible for their own expenses, which Michael welcomed:

"I’m a journalist in my regular, "offline" job, and SyFy Portal is a news site. If they had offered to fly us out, I would have turned it down. We went because we wanted to go."

Overall, Michael was very pleased with the event. It was his second trip to Vancouver. The first time he went, last year to visit Battlestar Galactica, he had to pull quite a few strings to get near a filming site, and only succeeded when he made a connection to Edward James Olmos. As a result,  he was able to spend a day on set as EJO’s guest, but that is a very different thing than being welcomed as a member of the press. [Note: as Entertainment Weekly was prior to the start of season 3 last fall.]

This time, he felt like the network rolled out the red carpet to connect with the digital media. One of the things that really impressed him was how accessible Sci Fi executives Mark Stern and Bonnie Hammer were – leading and participating in the cast panels, attending the dinner and so on. Having the chance to sit down and meet with them gave him a better respect for them as people, not just network faces.  He said that does make a difference, given how heated online exchanges can become.

For him, the biggest draw was getting access to filming sets:

"I really like to see what it looks like behind the camera. When I was there before, I was able to visit the New Caprica set while they were filming the scene in which Apollo finds out that Starbuck has gotten married."

While it would have been nice to have some of the bigger names like EJO and Mary McDonnell on the Battlestar panel, he was impressed that Sci Fi got Michael Hogan (BSG, Colonel Tigh) to participate, as he rarely talks to the media. Overall, he thought the Eureka panel was the best one, and mentioned that the Stargate Atlantis panel suffered from the fact that the series was on hiatus so not as many stars were available. Battlestar, not surprisingly, was the big draw for most of the editors.

Michael and I chatted quite a bit about why the network decided to do the digital press tour [Note: I have sent email to the network’s PR rep at New Media Strategies asking for an interview, but haven’t heard back yet.  Update 13 July: heard from agency, interview is on, just need to find a mutually convenient time.] He commented that up until this tour, outside of a few times or for a few outlets, by and large, the network has ignored the online media. I asked him what he thought had changed:

"They are starting to realize how much people are using the Internet, especially for entertainment news. Sites like Monsters & Critics have huge readership and Zap2it is syndicated in print. Our site is getting huge traffic- 40-50 thousand visitors per day — as more and more people get their Sci Fi news from us. "

Although, he admits it is still tough to get attention.  For example, in early June, at the same time the network was inviting the digital media to the special event in Vancouver, the news broke that Battlestar Galactica would be ending after the upcoming 4th season, but to Michael’s knowledge only one Web site (not his) was invited to the special teleconference with the show’s producers Ron Moore and David Eick.

But, in Michael’s opinion,  the digital press tour was a good first step to improving the situation. He told me that the network is planning to provide a dedicated contact person for the online media which will go a long way toward putting them on an equal footing with the mainstream press. It’s not set up yet, but Michael is willing to give the network a little slack as the tour was just a couple weeks ago.

"It’s still not perfect, but it is getting better. Everything they did, and everything they promised as follow-up, showed that they recognized that online media not only exists but also has a significant audience."

As we wrapped up our chat, Michael told me that he appreciated that they were treated both as journalists and as fans:

"They made it really easy to get pictures of ourselves on the sets, in front of key props like the Viper and the Stargate. Something that perhaps a less invested journalist might not care about, but we did. They treated us the way we wanted to be treated."

They treated us the way we wanted to be treated.

That pretty much boils it down for me. As you develop your blogger relations programs, if you remember nothing else I or anyone else writes or says on the topic, remember that, and you stand a pretty good chance of being successful.

Now, strictly speaking, the Sci Fi press tour isn’t blogger relations in the "pure" sense. Many of the sites are Web sites with RSS feeds, not blogs in the generally accepted definition.While some of the sites are famous for their point of view, many of the invited editors are or consider themselves to be journalists and certainly, most approach their writing in a journalistic fashion. That means this is just PR, right?

So why am I writing about this press tour as a positive example of blogger relations? Other than the obvious excuse to write about Jamie Bamber, Tahmoh Penikett and Aaron Douglas?

Because it is about relationships, whether it be with bloggers or reporters. In its courtship of the online press, Sci Fi used some of the very best practices that I recommend for engaging with bloggers.

Give bloggers access to exclusive content and company principals. Bloggers need content for their blogs. Give them something good and juicy. Let them try your products. If you have interesting execs, give interviews. This in particular gives your company a more human face, just as the participation of the Sci Fi execs in the tour did for the network. But don’t force-feed the execs. Give ’em what they want, not what you want.

And don’t just approach the bloggers (or the media for that matter) when you have something new. Stay in touch and be sensitive to their needs, feed them material when they need it too. One of the reasons the Sci Fi tour was so successful was that it met important needs of all the parties. There was something in it for everyone. Including the fans.

With the exception of Eureka, which had its season premiere this week, and BBC import Doctor Who which just started its 3d season run in the US, most of the top Sci Fi shows are over for the summer. Which means there isn’t a whole lot to review. And the shows are filming, which makes access to the cast a bit harder. You can of course dig for spoilers, but other than that, not a lot going on. The digital press tour gave the online Sci Fi press material in the dry-ish spell  running up to Harry Potter month (formerly known as July.)

And  it serves the needs of the network. The coverage, which was pretty extensive and generally good, keeps the shows top of mind for the audience, even as we wait months and months and months for the return of Galactica. And it introduces us to a new show, Flash Gordon, which might not have gotten anywhere near the play without being surrounded by the other three. Most importantly, when the new season starts, Sci Fi has built a better foundation for its relationship with the online press which should pay dividends in the long run.

Treat them with respect and treat them the way they want to be treated. I cannot repeat this enough. If you don’t know, ask. In the case of the online Sci Fi press, they wanted, and were enticed by, the same level of access that mainstream media get. Sure, they are fans, and many loved the little fannish touches like photos in front of Vipers and so on. But I doubt they would have flown to Vancouver from as far away as New York and Tampa for a few photo opps and a t-shirt. It was the cast panels, set tours and respect for their publications that drew them North.

It’s the same with bloggers. Understand what they want, what interests them. Don’t assume that just because they are your customers, that they will want the same things you do. They might, but your product, while of central importance to you, is only important to them in its ability to fill a need or desire. Your outreach must be grounded in what they want, not what you want. The good news is, if you do this,  if you stay focused on what is in it for them,  you are far more likely to get what you want than if you try to forcefeed your approach, your product.

Bottom line: I was impressed by Sci Fi’s digital press tour and hope the network continues, as it has promised, to reach out to the online media. Hhmm, maybe I should start a science fiction blog in time for the Battlestar premiere in January 2008…..

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Should companies blog?

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Yesterday, Web useability expert Jakob Nielsen distributed his weekly alert, in which he advised corporations to NOT blog. Like many others, I disagree with most of his points.

However, there is one small bit of truth in his column to which companies should pay heed. He argues that the short, "bursty" form of blogs is not the best vehicle for corporate stories.

This in fact may be true for many stories a company wants to share with its constituents.

However, that doesn’t mean the company should reject blogging in favor of  long form articles on the company Web site as Nielsen suggests.

Blogs can take many forms, from short bursty with lots of links, to long, more thoughtful essays. Amazingly <insert sarcastic grin here>, you can even use both styles in the same blog depending on the circumstances. 

As with any communication, the company needs to identify its objectives and then select the tool that helps it achieve them.

If you want to have a conversation with your customer, consider a blog.

If you just want to talk at them, go ahead and follow Nielsen’s advice. 

My money’s with, and will be spent with, the companies having conversations.

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Blogger Relations. Help!

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Readers, I need your help.

I am starting a series of blogger relations case studies, and I am interested in what you think are the three best blogger relations programs of the past few years. And the three worst.

I’m aiming for something similar to what I did last month with the CBS New Adventures of Old Christine outreach —  interviews with the participants, both the bloggers and the promoting firms/groups, combined with third party analyses and of course my own take on the effort.

I have my own candidates for good and bad examples, but want to make sure I cover the cases you would like to read about. Leave a comment here or email me at sgetgood@getgood.com

Thanks!

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