Posts Tagged: Ideas in Action

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7
Apr 10

Poll: Readers skeptical on use of location-based social networks

SmartPulse — our weekly reader poll in SmartBrief on Social Media — tracks feedback from leading marketers about social-media practices and issues. Last week’s poll question: Are you currently using location-based social networks such as Foursquare, Gowalla or MyTown? I haven’t started using them, and I don’t plan to.  43.84% I haven’t started using them, but I’m interested. 25.36% Yes, I regularly check in to places I go. 15.94% I’m using them, but not frequently. 14.86% I’m somewhat taken aback by the strong response from those who say they have no plan to use location-based social networks such as Foursquare or Gowalla. It causes me to wonder if the response is based on a lack of knowledge about their use in a business context, whether the respondents represent more of a business-to-business orientation, or whether it’s a lack of interest in newer forms of social networking altogether — or none of the above. My take on these new platforms is that they can have great relevance for retail-oriented bricks-and-mortar businesses, and perhaps that’s stating the obvious. Less apparent are the soon-coming benefits to using geolocation, many of which have yet to be discerned. As participation increases and people adapt the use of  these apps to better suit their needs, I expect to see more benefits accrue, within the retail and business-to-business spaces. As Daniel Ionescu puts it : “Facebook wants to know, ‘What’s on your mind?’ Twitter asks, ‘What’s happening?’ But that’s getting old already. The burning question for the next wave of social networking is, ‘Where are you?’” We don’t yet know the impact of that question on business, but I’m betting it’s significant. Perhaps a good follow-up question to the one above should be, “What business benefits do you see location-based social networks providing?” Why don’t you go ahead and respond now by leaving a comment. Paul Chaney is the Internet marketing director for Bizzuka , author of “The Digital Handshake,” and a member of the SmartBrief on Social Media Advisory Board .

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Poll: Readers skeptical on use of location-based social networks

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2
Apr 10

Dear Nestlé: Social media is a double-edged sword

Today’s guest post is from Mark Story. Mark is the CEO of Intersection of Online and Offline, LLC and has served as adjunct faculty at Georgetown University . Recently, Nestlé found themselves the victim of a social media “protest” by Greenpeace.  The aim of the online movement is to “register their concern that the palm oil used by Nestlé is driving deforestation in Indonesia.” I don’t know much about deforestation, but I do know a social media/online reputation screw-up when I see one. Urged on by Greenpeace, activists began flooding Nestlé’s Facebook fan page with a slew of negative comments. Nestlé’s response?  Snarky retorts.  When activists began changing their Facebook fan page logo to the Nestlé logo, whoever was monitoring the FB account responded with comments like “Oh, please, it’s like we’re censoring everything to allow only positive comments,” and “Thanks for the lesson in manners.  Consider yourself embraced.  But it’s our page, we set the rules, it was ever thus.” These comments threw gasoline on the fire.  The responses spurred on the activists — crossing over into print media. Whoever was posting the comments later apologized, but the damage was done.  Lessons (hopefully) learned by Nestlé? If you encourage people to become a fan of your company through social media, it is a double-edged sword.  You have to take the positive aspects of Facebook fans and accept negative consequences. Monitor your social media outlets — especially on weekends (when this controversy erupted). Make social media part of your crisis communications plan.  Be ready at all times to respond.  Rule #1 of crisis communications is avoiding crises. Put an adult in charge.  When responding  to negative information, make sure that a seasoned communications person posts comments and responses. The outcome?  Nestlé has now been listed by The Atlantic as a “Social Media PR Disaster.”  Ouch. Given the Nestle fiasco above, what additional strategies or tactics do you think Nestlé should have taken?

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29
Mar 10

Does social media change your agency relationships?

Trust, authenticity, engagement and transparency — four key tenets of a successful social-media strategy — are not the kind of things that can be farmed out. That’s why we were not at all surprised by the results of a recent Forrester study that show brands reluctant to entrust either traditional or interactive agencies with their social-media activities. There are strong opinions on this topic, ranging from those who believe firmly in DIY social media, to those who use agencies or consultants to get up to speed before taking over themselves, to companies who find social media bringing them closer to their agencies. Some even moving their agencies in-house. In Sean Corcoran’s opinion , “marketers should own their social-media strategy, since it is about creating direct conversations with consumers, with agencies playing a supporting role helping develop strategy, identify influentials, build out communities and infrastructure and help with analytics (to name a few).” What do you think? Do you handle all your social media in-house? Has your organization found the right balance with outside help? Do you feel like social media has the potential to change the relationship between companies and ad/creative agencies? Image Credit, thesuperph , via istock

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29
Mar 10

Twitter for beginners

Today’s guest post is by Mark Krasnow, CEO of BullsEye Resources . BullsEye specializes in making conferences and live events more valuable by creating executive summaries that capture an event’s essence. Can senior leaders use Twitter to fundamentally change how they communicate with the people they lead and, in doing so, improve their relationships? Twitter Co-founder and Chairman Jack Dorsey says he believes Twitter gives leaders this capability– and much more. I recently heard Dorsey speak at the annual meeting of the American Council on Education, held in Phoenix on March 7. Dorsey’s audience included college presidents and other senior education leaders — a self-admitted group of late adopters. Dorsey focused on how Twitter can be used to engage students. But in answering a wide range of questions, he conveyed the basics of what Twitter is and how those who lead organizations can leverage it. Dorsey’s comments focused on education, but the main ideas are broadly transferable. Some of Dorsey’s key points included: Twitter is a “communication utility.” Dorsey compared Twitter to water and electricity, calling Twitter an always-on utility. As with water and electricity, people can use Twitter for unlimited purposes. But unlike water and electricity, having a Twitter account is free, which surprised many in the audience. Twitter is i mmediate, real-time and global. From almost anywhere in the world, using a basic mobile phone, a person can use Twitter to convey what they are doing in 140-character posts. They can use the platform to immediately communicate with family members, friends, co-workers or other followers. This provides immediate communication and is the ultimate in transparency. Twitter is a conversation starter. Twitter provides users with a new way to share and gather information. At its core, Twitter is a form of a conversation and a starter of larger conversations. One person comments, another responds, and soon numerous people are all participating in the same conversation. Often conversations that begin via Twitter will continue over the phone or in-person. Twitter humanizes leaders. Leaders can tweet to their followers. They can share what they are doing and thinking in an informal, off-the-cuff manner. This humanizes a leader and provides a real-time glimpse into their world. A university president can share with students (or an executive with employees) what they are doing. The leader can ask questions and get immediate feedback. This increases access, decreases barriers, sparks relationships and leads to sharing of ideas. Twitter has the potential to change how everyone communicates — educators and students, governments and citizens, companies and employees, and companies and customers, he said. Dorsey encouraged late adopters to give Twitter a try. It is simple, free, and can change relationships and cultures. A video of Dorsey’s presentation is available at the ACE Web site. Image credit, Sander Crombeen , via Shutter stock

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26
Mar 10

What might Twitter’s monetization plan mean for you?

We were packed in among thousands — not to mention those relegated to spillover telecast-viewing rooms — last week for the now-infamous South By Southwest Interactive keynote interview of Twitter c0-founder Evan Williams. Instead of the much-anticipated announcement about his company’s monetization plan, Williams unveiled in the first few minutes of the session @Anywhere , an app that allows people to access Twitter from anywhere on the Internet. Kind of interesting, but not what everyone was hoping to hear. In short order, the egress began, and by the end of the session the ballroom was a big black cave filled with armies of empty chairs. Considering that the audience did not actively revolt as it did during the Mark Zuckerberg debacle of 2008 , I’m not sure if  I’d go so far as FastCompany’s Alissa Walker, who said that it “was likely the most horrifically devastating keynote presentation in SXSW history.” But, man, was it boring. So much, in fact, that “as bad as an Evan Williams keynote” became the simile of choice among presenters and attendees for the remainder of the conference. Given all this drama and buildup, the Twittersphere was abuzz again yesterday when Williams’ co-founder, Biz Stone, dropped a few breadcrumbs in a CNBC interview at CTIA Wireless 2010 about the soon-to-be-revealed plan to make Twitter a sustainable business. Click here to view the embedded video. Granted, there’s no real news yet. Still, what hopes and fears do you have in advance of Twitter’s big announcement?

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