Notice the peak of the hype cycle. That’s the wishful thinking stage: “Twitter and facebook will give us the edge that finally tips our business success! We can reach millions of people for free!”

Then the plunge down into the trough of disillusionment: “No one is commenting or retweeting. Is anybody out there? This sure takes a lot of time. There’s been no spike in sales. This isn’t free after all…”

The bootstraps get hoisted: “This takes work and money, but we’ve learned a lot and had a few wins. There’s some light at the end of the tunnel.”

The real work begins: “The game has changed. We’re in this for the long haul. Let’s see how we can realistically incorporate social media into our business.”

Looking at this chart, where are you now?

It’s become painfully apparent that social media is NOT a stand alone marketing strategy. It’s unlikely to save your flailing business or magically launch you to success. But social spaces ARE inhabited by people that matter to your business. The tools DO have useful applications for you. I’m personally very glad to move past the social media hype peak, through the disillusionment and into the “plateau of productivity.”

As Esteban Kolsky says in his original post that I pilfered (with permission of course) for this one:

… no technology is what we think it is, and it takes time to figure it out and even more to do it right after learning the lessons of those who failed before us…

Read his original post here: The Best is Yet to Come in Social.

Would love to hear your feedback and comments.

]]> http://www.socialnature.ca/social-media-hype-and-adoption-cycles/feed 0 http://www.socialnature.ca/shit-marketers-say-trend-jacking-and-the-s-bomb http://www.socialnature.ca/shit-marketers-say-trend-jacking-and-the-s-bomb#comments Sat, 31 Dec 2011 19:17:36 +0000 admin http://www.socialnature.ca/?p=1677 Unless you live in an offline puritan bubble, you’ve probably at least seen a link for the latest viral video on YouTube “Shit Girls Say.”

• 7,704,212 views in under a month
• 7,495 comments
• 53,730 likes

David Meerman Scott talks about news-jacking: piggybacking your message on a popular current news topic. My immediate thought when I saw this video was “Wow, this is brilliant. Who’s going to jack it first?” (Shit Girls Say isn’t exactly news, so I’m going to suggest the term “trend-jacking.”)

Laughing it up around the living room with my family over the holidays we predictably started riffing on lines for “Shit Guys Say.” (Two highlights: “How big is Cujo?” “BROWNIES!”)

Then I saw Shit Boys Say (note the Budlight.com logo).

Then came Shit Vegans Say and perhaps most notably Shit Yogis Say.

Shit Yogis Say is notable because it’s an example of trend-jacking by Lululemon. And because they say shit. Can brands say shit? Apparently Lululemon thinks so. The video was just posted yesterday and yes, there’s been some backlash. It’s edgy. It’s risky. I think it’s funny as hell. I bet it hits a million views by the end of the weekend.

The same is true online. Natural health bloggers and online journalists review products and report on innovations and ideas that directly support your brand. But how do you achieve this outcome? How do you get featured in online media?

1. Know WHO to pitch.
Make a list of the bloggers and online journalists that are likely to be interested in your company’s products and news. Use google search, twitter and other online networks and resources to find the influential writers in your niche.

2. Know HOW to pitch.
Just like traditional media, bloggers are interested in providing content that their audience cares about. To successfully pitch them, you need to understand their style, their audience and their needs. Be respectful of their time and of the value they provide you. Look for ways to bring value to them. The crucial mistake that PR people make when trying to reach out to journalists (online or offline) is one of relevance. Your pitch needs to fit the needs of the publisher. They’re not there to do you favours. They have their own priorities. Do your research before you reach out. Read their blog. Know their name. Customize your pitch.

3. Follow up.
It takes perseverance to get results. Keep careful records of who you contacted and how/when you followed up. Don’t be pushy, but don’t be shy. These folks are just as busy as you are. Ideas, even good ones, often slip through the cracks. They often appreciate your follow-up efforts.

Want to get your brand and products noticed online?
Wish you could outsource your online PR to a pro without breaking the bank?

Hire me to do the digital PR and blogger outreach for your natural health brand. I provide big results at a fraction of the price that the big PR firms charge. CLICK HERE to learn more.

Hey Justice, what do you think about Social Shopper? It is similar to groupon. Do you think a business would be wise to spend their advertising dollars with them?

Bottom line: I think Groupon and similar social deal sites can provide opportunities for generating new customers, but the model won’t suit every business.

How it works:

1. Business offers a DEEP discount (at least 50%) on a product or service through Groupon (or one of the many knock-offs).

2. Groupon helps you design the deal. They write the copy and promote the offer through their network.

3. Groupon takes approximately HALF of the sale price (brand ends up making 25% of regular price). There are typically no up-front costs.

With margins that low, Groupon can be considered a loss leader. The value is in the exposure you get to the Groupon “community” of buyers: ie – customer acquisition. This could work well for driving traffic to a new retail outlet, for example. I also think there are opportunities for vendors to partner with retailers on Groupon promos.

If you’re considering a Groupon-like promotion ask yourself the following:

What is the right Groupon-like company to work with? There are many options now. Some focus on market niches or have unique propositions. The commission percentage is usually around 50%, but can be negotiable.

How many units to offer? You can set a limit. You don’t want to make promises you can’t keep, or that will ultimately hurt your bottom line. If the number of new customers is suddenly so large that your service suffers, you lose.

What’s your “fine print?” Although you’re limited to the restrictions you can place on a Groupon, there may be fine print you need to put on the deal to suit your business. Groupon will help you with this.

How can your company maximize the benefit? Make sure your web presence is optimized to convert all that new traffic into customers or leads. Be sure to capture the contact info of your new customers. Offer an upsell (but not too pushy or it might backfire). Whatever you do, make a good first impression! Sounds obvious right? Many companies blow it. I’ve personally redeemed Groupons with businesses who give me an attitude like “Oh, another Groupon customer (rolls eyes)”. You will be inundated with customers redeeming their Groupon. That is the entire point. Treat them like gold, not like a nuisance.

Along similar lines, it occurred to me this morning that I’ve seen just about everything (and anything) tied to the “Occupy” movement now. Dozens of Occupy this and Occupy that photos have come across my facebook news feed. (An important note about facebook photos in a moment.) Some are cute. Some are profound. But nothing so far about natural health.

So I grabbed a couple free images from a stock photo site and created two “Occupy Your Health” pics. It took me about 15 minutes. Obviously I’m not a graphic designer, but hopefully you get the idea.

My question: Why aren’t any natural health brands jumping on this? There are obvious real connections between the Occupy message and the natural health movement. OK, the topic is too edgy for many brands, but really… not a peep?

[A note about facebook photos: The reason you're suddenly seeing so many is because a new facebook algorithm apparently gives them higher ranking. Now you know.]

When Fred Haynes asked me to write a piece on social media for this publication, I thought hard about an angle. Curious, I googled ‘social media expert.’ 23,600,000 results came up. Seems like everyone wants to tell you how to do social media these days. The problem is, I can say without hesitation that just like every other aspect of business there is no social media manual that will guarantee success. So rather than another social media booster article or 101 instructional, I decided to share some ideas, see if I can poke some holes to let the light in, and hopefully inspire you toward some worthwhile action. Consider the following:

It’s all social now. Forget about your twitter or facebook page being separate from your website, your brand and your reputation. It’s all connected in this new social web. When someone searches for you online there’s no guarantee that your carefully crafted company website from 2005 is going to be the only thing on the page. A Yelp review, google places page, facebook post or blog post from god-knows-who could all show up, defining who you are in the eyes of the beholder. And it’s all sharable. You can’t control this, but you can influence it. One of my favourite quotes: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today.” Better to start managing your online reputation sooner than later.

Make friends with google. If you’re a brick and mortar retailer, claim your google places page. Like, today. Know which search terms (keywords) are most valuable for your business. Optimize your online content for those keywords. Install google analytics on your website or blog. It will tell you who is visiting your site and where they came from or what words they searched to get there. Plus a lot more. I especially like to know who is linking to my site so I can reach out to them and build alliances. Plus, google is a great tool to learn about the social web. Search “How do I set up a YouTube channel?” and you’ll get over 30 million results, including step by step video tutorials. All for free. (Why on earth would I bother writing an article on how to set up a social media account?)

It doesn’t need to be complicated, but it can be as sophisticated as you are. As the social web grows, grow with it. Be where the people who matter to your business are. This isn’t limited to customers. What are the online spaces where your community leaders, writers, bloggers, allies and competitors hang out? Be there. Where will they be in 6 months? Be there.

Create content. And if you can’t create it, curate it. “Content” just means stories, articles, opinions and news that your community cares about. It can be blog posts, videos, media releases, web pages, facebook posts, articles and more. Make it something that your audience cares about. Optimize it with your keywords, but don’t be obvious and annoying about it. Not all content needs to be yours. Are your customers, vendors or industry associations doing anything interesting? Use your social media channels to share their content.

Lead. Your customers are part of a social movement. Probably lots of movements. Choose which movements align best with your business. Lead those movements. Consider your business as a hub or headquarters for the movements you lead. Create or curate web content that feeds the movement. Think “community.” More than ever, your customers are calling the shots. Let them. Give them a forum for expression. Amplify them. Champion them. Good leaders inspire, empower and get out of the way.

Be customer-centric, not product centric. Build your message on a people platform, not a product platform. No one cares about products. They care about themselves, their world and their communities. Orient around the needs, values and desires of your customers.

Be reachable. Participate online. Respond to comments on your company facebook page. Consider a company or CEO blog. And at risk of sounding trite – be human. It makes people more comfortable.

Flaunt your differences. Too many companies in this industry are competing for the prize of most ordinary. Rock that boat. Make some waves. Dump the stock photos of perfect people. Stop trying to be like every other company, but somehow better. Figure out what makes you different… REALLY different… GOOD different. You’re not the product/store/solution for everyone. Find your biggest fans and please them. Ignore everyone else. (Even Walmart isn’t for everybody.)

Understand your sales cycle and use social media to support it. What’s your customer acquisition strategy? How do you retain those customers? Align your social media activities to amplify and expand what’s already working.

Success favours those who show up. Stop bemoaning change and embrace it. If you  don’t understand the web, learn it. Kids are learning it. Grandfathers are learning it. Stay at home moms are learning it. If you can’t learn it, hire someone who understands it. The alternative is to build a business model where the internet doesn’t matter.

It’s not a fad. The tools will evolve, but they won’t disappear. It’s a cop-out to avoid learning facebook because a new site might replace it in six months. The telegraph didn’t die. It evolved. You can bet that the people who understood and leveraged telegraph technology had an advantage when telephones showed up.

It’s about people. Focussing on the technology misses the point. Sure, you need to have a working understanding of the technology – that’s the price of entry. The ART is all human.

1. Are still wondering how to use facebook, twitter and the rest of the social web to help grow their business.

2. Have started social media accounts but need ideas for using them.

It’s great to get ideas from other businesses and from marketing gurus, but for the most valuable insight you need to look at your own business.

It’s like one of my favourite parables – the Indian one about the blind men describing the elephant. To a sales person, social media is about sales. To a customer service department, social media is about customer service. And so on.

The point is, social media is simply communication. And communication is used in lots of ways. Hence the problem: “How should our company use social media?”

It’s a question that many companies continue to wrestle with.

And here’s the place to start: Assess your real life brand.

Your company currently focuses on certain markets and demographics. You choose certain strategies over others. You have a brand “voice,” a way of showing up in the world and in the marketplace – of shaping perception.

Your online brand should reflect and amplify your real life brand.
Check this out -

Do you use expert spokespersons or authors to promote your brand?
Carry that over to social media. Create a blog or forum. Share their content.

Are coupons a big part of your marketing?
Bring them online and share them via social media.

Is expert advice and service the foundation of your brand?
Answer questions through your social media channels.

Bottom line: You don’t need necessarily need a whole new marketing strategy just because you’re suddenly on facebook.

That thing that your business success rests on… Your greatest strength… Your primary focus… Identify THAT and find a way to translate it online.

<Update: I just read that 85% of Whole Foods’ tweets are simply responses to customer comments. 10% of their tweets are content-based and 5% are promotional. see the article here. Clearly this works for Whole Foods because they have such a well-known real life brand.>

Q: Many natural health businesses seem to use social media like free advertising. Is that what social media is – free advertising?

Not in the traditional sense, no. Social media can support your sales cycle in many ways, but advertising or blatant pitching in social spaces is rarely successful and can alienate the people you want to reach. (Paid advertising on social media sites – ie Facebook ads, promoted tweets – is a different topic.)

Q: How can I be sure to get a return on my social media investment?

Understand the medium. Know your audience/community. Connect your social media goals and activities to your business goals and activities. Monitor results.

Q: Look, I just want to improve my bottom line. I want to sell more product. Can social media help me do that or not?

If a good reputation in the marketplace affects your bottom line… If word of mouth marketing helps you sell more… If customer service and engaging your target market are part of your business success, then, yes, social media can help.

Q: How are leading businesses in the natural health industry using social media?

In addition to marketing and sales, smart business people in the industry are using social media for customer service, publicity, product testing and development, marketplace intelligence, HR, strategic partnerships, lead generation and more.

Q: Facebook and Twitter get a lot of attention. What are the best social media sites for a company to use?

There are literally hundreds of social media sites, each with its own characteristics. Deciding which sites to use requires matching the needs of your business with the benefits that a site offers. This is where expert consultation is valuable.

Q: How do I keep up with the rapid changes in social media?

The technology changes, but the principles persist. Align your social strategy with an understanding of these principles and you will be better equipped to deal with the changing landscape. Read The GIVE Principles here.

Q: How much money are companies spending on social media?

Many companies allocate a percentage of their overall marketing budget to social media. This percentage varies widely from 5-30+%. A search for “marketing budget social media” will give you current (and illuminating) results.

Q: Is it best to manage our own social media? Or should we use an outside specialist?

Managing your social media in-house certainly has benefits, but it doesn’t suit every organization. If you hire out, make sure the manager or agency understands your business and your market.

Q: What skill set does an in-house social media manager need?

Communication + Good with the tools. The rest depends on the focus of your social media objectives.

Q: It’s hard to know where to start. What do you recommend?

Get a professional assessment. Consult with an industry specialist who can audit your brand, who understands your needs, and will deliver custom recommendations. I provide a one-month custom audit/consulting package starting at $1500.

Q: How should social media fit into our company personnel structure?

Some companies are creating new positions like “Social Media Director” and “Community Manager.” Other companies integrate their social media into the marketing department. Sometimes the intern is given the job. How you fit social media into your company should reflect the purpose and scope of your social media program.

Q: Should we have a “branded” social media presence or personal accounts?

Both. For example, you might have a branded twitter account that is the face of your company AND team members might have personal accounts where they interact with customers. You might have a personal LinkedIn account AND a company page. Or a company facebook page AND a personal facebook page.

Q: Is social media useful for natural health B2B companies too, or just consumer brands?

Their strategy will be different from a consumer brand, but B2B businesses can equally benefit from social media.

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Bioclinic Naturals' Student Voices Page

While the Student Voices section of the site might not fit your expectation of what a “blog” is supposed to look like, it basically serves the same function. The articles are well written and support the brand. They’re on-topic and lend a sort of third-person credibility to the site.

Student Voices works for one primary reason: It’s interesting to read the perspectives of naturopathic doctors in training. There’s a personal, inquisitive, transparent quality that’s attractive and refreshing.

Bioclinic shares their Student Voices articles via Twitter and Facebook, although I don’t see them generating a lot of traction. I think Bioclinic Naturals is on to a good idea with Student Voices, and I’m looking forward to seeing if they’re able to take it to another level of brand interaction. I’d like to see the authors themselves interacting with readers via comments and their own personal social media accounts. In fact, that will probably attract more visitors to the site than just about any other single tactic.

"Whaaat... you didn't like my email?"

My name is Justice Marshall and I was a spammer.

I didn’t mean to do it. I just didn’t know better. (For the record – I wasn’t one of THOSE spammers. I didn’t pretend to be a Russian businessman with a once in a lifetime opportunity or a bored hottie looking to chat with strangers.)

My intentions were good. I had a product I believed in and I wanted the world to know about it. My mistake was that I didn’t understand the nature of online communications. I thought that “leveraging” the internet meant that I could simply send my message to lots of people quickly, easily and cheaply. Luckily, a colleague set me straight early on before I could do much damage to my reputation.

The technical definition of spam relates to email and can be found here:
http://www.spamhaus.org/definition.html

Spam is putting people on your mailing list without permission or recourse. But it’s also when you misuse permission or get it under false pretense. If you promise a “newsletter” then send out a series of pitches, that’s spam in my books.

And spam isn’t just for email (or the internet for that matter) anymore. All communication can potentially be spammy.

In my opinion spam is when you interrupt someone with irrelevant information because you care more about what you want than what they want.

Spam is when you push your business card on people.
Spam is when my phone company calls me at dinner time to sell me a TV/internet bundle after I tell them repeatedly I have no interest in televison (I know, incomprehensible) and my high-speed internet connection is currently free.
Spam is billboards.

Spam is syncing your social media accounts so you tweet from facebook and don’t even notice (or care) when someone responds to you on twitter.
Spam is junkmail.
Spam is some guy (or gal) shoving a free newspaper at me downtown.
Spam is a job application from someone who hasn’t read the posting.

“Are you saying that all advertising is spam?”

I’m saying all advertising risks being spam. Is it relevant and valuable to your audience? More to the point, do THEY consider it relevant and valuable? That’s the defining question.

Does spam work? Presumably it does… sometimes. For some businesses. But it can hurt too. Spam erodes trust. It’s impersonal and selfish by nature. If you’re building a business based on credibility and rapport, be careful not to spam your prospects and customers… even by accident.