Marketing Roadmaps

Social media

Defining Social Media Success, Part III

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Yesterday I did a webinar on Blogger Relations with David Meerman Scott and Vocus. Looks for links to the replay and Q&A tomorrow.

Afterward, I started thinking about the definition of success for blogger relations. Not how you measure it. That’s a topic for another day.

But quite simply, what is effective blogger relations? I came up with three critical things.

And, as I looked at my list I realized that these three things define successful marketing, full stop, not just online. Not just on/with blogs. Probably why I’ve embraced social media so strongly 🙂

  1. It’s all about making friends. Treating people like you would your friends. With respect. Paying attention to what they need, what’s going on in their lives. Realizing that good, true friendships take time to mature.. That it’s about both parties getting something out of the deal.
  2. Be relevant. Tell interesting stories to the people who care. If they don’t really care, the story won’t be interesting. Even when it is.
  3. Put the bloggers (customers) first. Think about their WIIFM not yours. Really. Pay attention to theirs and yours will follow. Think about ways you can help them, make their lives easier… and not just if they accept your value proposition and buy your product. That’s table stakes. Doesn’t count.

What are your three critical measures of success?

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Following up: Vocus and CBS

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More on CBS. As I wrote last week, I think CBS is making some smart moves in the blogosphere. BusinessWeek columnist Jon Fine agrees. Not with me, of course. I doubt he knows who I am. But that they are doing some smart things. Check out his column in the June 25th BusinessWeek, Not Bad, for a TV Network.

Next week David Meerman Scott and I will be joining the folks at Vocus for a webinar, The Inside Scoop on Blogger Relations. I’m sure we’ll discuss the mis-steps some companies have made, but we’re planning to spend more time talking about good blogger relations — including some practical advice on how to do it well.

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PR/Marketing Links, 18 June

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This week I am going to be focusing on my Snapshot Chronicles blog, but wanted to share a few links from this month’s reading that just didn’t fit into any of my posts.

Brian Solis has written a very comprehensive Manifesto for Integrating Social Media into Marketing. It’s an excellent summary of the state of social media and marketing, but I recommend it with a caution. Do not share it with clients, bosses, staff or colleagues that haven’t at least taken a sip of the social media koolaid. Among other things, his 20+ item list of what you need to do will scare the shit out of someone who isn’t ready to take the plunge. Or at least dip more than a toe in the water.

Todd Defren ruminates on the one year anniversary of the social media press release with two posts.

Toby Bloomberg covers two new blogs from pharma companies, GlaxoSmithKline and Johnson & Johnson. 

David Parmet on Why PR Still Works.

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