Personal Branding Tweet Up

On December 9th, I attended the Personal Branding @ Work Tweet-Up presented by Dan Schwabel with a panel of guests. I expected a similar presentation to the one I had seen Dan give at Emerson College. However, I was pleasantly suprised when I learned of a social media panel that would take place at the Tweet-Up. Listening to the panel gave me more insight specifically into the personal branding in a work situation.

Such issues like personal Facebook and Twitter accounts were discussed along with individuals in charge of an entire company’s social media presence. What happens when this person leaves the company? Does the company own the rights to all the individuals Tweets? All of these issues were addressed and perspectives were given by a range of professionals in the industry. Here’s a sample video of Schawbel speaking at the Tweet- Up:

Now that I have experienced this type of panel discussion Tweet Up, I was amazed at how many people were on their Iphones, Tweeting during the panel and checking in with Foursquare. It seemed almost as if half of the people weren’t listening to the presentation and so focused and updating their Twitter accounts about being AT the event instead of participating.  Having experienced this type of Tweet Up, I would like to expand and try out Steve Garfield’s Boston Media Makers.

Boston Media Makers seems like a much more intimate and relaxed atmosphere where personal conversation and interaction would come through.

Personal Portfolio

As my social media course at Emerson comes to an end, I’m putting together a portfolio of sorts to reflect on my learning and see where I want to expand this in the future. This is such an exciting time in the marketing world with the inclusion of social media and I’m eager so see where the future takes us. A recap of some of my favorite blogs from the semester are linked below:

Whole Story- My review of Whole Foods Blog  where the impressive amount of fan interaction is discussed along with directly taking input from the customers.

Social Media Homerun for Boloco- Highlighting the impressive social media tactics of a small chain of New England based, inspired Burrito restaurants.  As an Emerson student, Boloco has become part of the campus culture, and it is hard to enter a class and NOT see someone enjoying Boloco food.

What if Bubblicious was launched today?- A look into what social media tactics could be utilized if Bubblicious was launched in today’s world. It’s amazing to dive back into the past and see how drastically product launches could change when modernized with today’s changing technologies.

Take a look at this video explaining social media in the most simple of terms to get a greater sense of this powerful conversation :

I plan to continue my learning to further explore the concept of crowdsourcing, which is fascinating in it’s ability to cater so specifically to what is demanded by audiences. Many companies are utilizing this technique and agencies are being created such a Victor and Spoils that deal directly with crowdsourcing.An intriguing position in the social media world would be to further explore crowdsourcing and its new impact in the market. Being able to deliver exactly what consumers want is something which is of great merit. I’m currently helping a start- up jewelry business explore the marketing world and have begun to utilize forms of crowdsourcing to further define merchandise and new product options. This is further described in detail on my LinkedIn Account.

However, as much as one can praise social media, not everyone is aware of its vast benefits yet. Skepticism still remains. It is important for social media guru’s to be able to explain the benefits and rationalize why money should be spent on it. Take for example addressing a CEO to explain why investing 10% of their budget of social media this year is crucial:

1. Investing a budget for social media will undoubtedly increase sales. Social media creates conversation and more presence for a brand online. The more easily your brand is seen and involved directly where the consumers are, the more success your company will have.Social media can gain crucial insights from consumers increase customer experience and sales.
2. Social media can gain crucial insights from consumers increase customer experience and sales.Take a look at this case to see how something such as Twitter integration can uplift sales.
3. Social media can help to create new ideas and stay top of mind among consumers. Take a look at Starbucks and what they are doing to become a top company in the social media sphere.
4. Social media can increase overall awarneness and reach the consumer right at the moment of need
5. Social media can be analyzed and measured so results of a social media campaign are justified and repeated. Take a look at this article to see how to track your social media analytics.

Seth Godin emphasizes the importance of social media conversations saying:

Conversations among members of your marketplace happen whether you like it or not. Good marketing encourages the right sort of conversations.

It’s also always important to keep up on the newest trends, so take a look at what social media gurus say the next big thing is: Social Media

Social Media Kings: Ed Boches & Chris Brogan Provide Insights

Taking a look at some influencers in the social media community, my entire social media class  at Emerson is exploring the blogs of Ed Boches, Chief Creative Officer and Chief Social Media Officer of Mullen, and Chris Brogan, President of New Marketing Labs.  I have seldom come across a marketing student at Emerson who isn’t familiar with these two because there is no reason you shouldn’t be. If you want to be in the know about social media, these are your guys.

Both blogs skew to a similar audience, which ultimately includes those interested in social media or wanting to learn.  stay up to date on the next big thing. However, Brogan’s straight to the point and upfront blogging appeals brings in a slightly different audience who want a no frills take on ideas.  From reading posts and listening Brogan speak to our social media class at Emerson, Brogan isn’t afraid of sometimes challenging and controversial posts. Boches provides a hub for a community of learning often uses the inclusive “we” when posting and invites a sense togetherness flowing in posts. Both styles are necessary in the blogosphere to gain a range of opinion and gain differing perspectives.  One aspect I highly enjoy from both bloggers is the constant use of questions to the readers, engaging and asking for a conversation. Boches and Brogan both want to know the insights of their readers and have a conversation rather than just giving an output of information. Boches explains his blog as a place to “Explore new ways to engage, inspire and motivate consumers when they’re the ones who are really in control.” Whereas Brogan, “Advises businesses, organizations, and individuals on how to use social media and social networks to build relationships and deliver value. In evaluating these two, both blogs honestly deliver on the stated goal and offer relevant, engaging, and trending information and opinions that effectively live up to both goals.

I found Boches’ post about approaching clients differently on social media to hold great value. Social media is still on the rise, and unfortunately isn’t accepted a giant force in marketing to everyone yet. Boches offers intriguing and alternative topics that will most definitely engage a client to listen rather than just shrug of social media as a trend. With that being said in another post, Boches asserts “In another year, every company will post on Twitter, collect fans on Facebook, broadcast on its YouTube channel, and share content on a blog” I fully agree with how quickly social media use with expand, but I’m not convinced every company will become engrossed in these outlets. It will be interesting to see where the new year does take us and how much social media will explode in the future.

A particular post I found intrguing is where Brogan offers ways in which events can use social media, which can help boost attendance and create a lot more buzz. This is an interesting topic as it approaches the challanges that social media really isn’t social because everyone is always on their computer or phones. I think the new boom in Tweetups also shows just how social media promotes personal interaction and brings people together. Also offering insights into actual time spent on social media, Brogan offers a breakdown for time management how much time to dedicate to different facets. As a student it is always hard to gauge how much time individuals and companies should dedicate to social media. I’m not sure I can put an actual breakdown on personal usage as  it seems like a more organic process at this point.  It is essential to dedicate a good amount of time, but how can we gauge each individual section when new updates contstantly occur?

Both Boches and Brogan shed light on the most relevant and vital information on social media, and I highly recommend checking out both if you want to be in the know and gain valuabel advice!

Get a creative variety with the Vimeo community!

When it comes to online video sites, YouTube is obviously a force that has taken the web by storm, being a main source for online videos for a long time. However, as video began to be such a huge impact, many other sites caught on to the enormous possibilities of online video sharing. A site I regard highly in this category is Vimeo. Vimeo presents itself as “A respectful community of creative people who are passionate about sharing the videos they make. We provide the best tools and highest quality video in the universe.” This seems like a huge statement to make, but there quality is by far the best I have come across as far as video sharing goes.

Entering the site, I immediately notice it has a much cleaner visual appeal than Youtube. The site is further split into categories, groups, channels, projects, and high def to make it easier to take find specifically what you are looking for. Vimeo uses social media perfectly, connecting users through not only comments, but also through groups, channels, recommendations etc. There are over 24,000 groups, which  brings a sense of a mini communities within a larger community to fit users specific interests. When entering the specific group you can view videos, contribute to the forums, see new members/ member profiles. The profiles don’t get overly personal such as a Facebook, but let you give  detail about yourself, what videos you’ve uploaded, what you liked, who you are connected to. This brings a more personal appeal rather than a profile just involving age and location.

I think Youtube could directly benefit from this mini community idea of connecting users with similar interests. Vimeo has groups ranging from music, animation, science & tech, to activism. No matter what your interests are, Vimeo allows you to find other users with similar interests and connect to their videos and comments. As reviewed on Oneupweb, Vimeo gave an avid snowboarder plenty of high quality videos where YouTube couldn’t offer this. YouTube has so many videos that it’s so hard to connect and sift through spam comments and low quality  in order to get the experience you are looking for. YouTube currently has channel, but there isn’t a real sense of community and connection such as with Vimeo. Vimeo gives the feel of a greater community even through something as simple as staff recommendations. Sharing content from the site to other social networking sites is also seamless and embedding to a blog is simple as well. I personally find Vimeo a much greater outlet for creative work where I know I can find interesting and unique videos by simply entering one of the groups in one click. Vimeo is personalized and tells who was involved in the video, the director, music etc. I have noticed, especially at Emerson, more students using Vimeo to share videos on other networks such as Facebook and Twitter. YouTube needs to find that personalization between users in order to be more of a social network that creates conversation.

As for quality, Vimeo definitely stands up to its promise as the highest quality video, take a look for yourself.

heart from laurent clermont on Vimeo.

Amazon puts YOU in the sales position.

Social media is no longer just a means of connecting friends through the internet, it has expanded into so much more now to include sales. It’s no suprise that companies have caught on to the great potential of utlitzing these networks to sell products. One company I found using a unique method of refferal selling is Amazon. They not only use Twitter to get sales, but now they also have Amazon users doing the selling for them. Through the new feature from Amazon Associates called “Share Through Twitter” the Amazon user posts a link to their Twitter account, and if the link is clicked and item purchased, the user gets refferal rewards. Amazon is putter their customers in the drivers seat and creating a win win situation for both parties, a smart and somewhat controversial move. Anyone can take advantage of this simple way to gain a little extra money and here’s how.

Emerson Needs to Step Up to the Social Media Plate!

As a student at Emerson College currently taking a social media class, it is interesting to analyze Emerson’s use of social media and interaction on these networks. Much to my dismay, it seems that the college isn’t as involved in these new media networks as I would have expected from a Communications school. There does seem to be a foundation on which the college could grow and create much greater interaction between the college, students, perspective students, alumni and parents. However, significant effort must be made to improve this basic foundation in order to continue to represent the college as innovators of communication. Staying up on technologies and new means of communication is essential for Emerson to stand out and keep the claim as innovators of communication, especially to those interested in the college. If I were a senior in high school interested in Emerson, I would be a little put off if I found out the college’s Twitter page had no updates and no communication. Emerson is a prominent college in Communications, but so many others schools have already established a huge presence on social networks. Why is Emerson lagging in this department and what can be done? Well, let’s take a look at the good and the bad.

Here’s the bad news first:

• Emerson DOESN”T have a blog. This is a huge problem as blogs are a great way to connect and create open communication. Emerson could be updating on things happening on campus and trying to gain insights from students. Guest blog post from students or even student highlights would create a greater sense of community.
• The Twitter account is inactive. Emerson has a good amount of followers, yet they follow no one and have not one update. This is in no way benefitting Emerson or its students. A company that has an inactive Twitter account distorts brand image in the mind of the consumer, and this is doing the same for Emerson. Twitter is an easy and quick way to keep open communication and update everyone on important information. This is an essential outlet Emerson isn’t taking advantage of that in the end will hurt the school if it isn’t built up.
• The Emerson Facebook Fanpage doesn’t add any connection of communication with fans. The updates are the same as those on the website and there is conversation between fans and the school. Half of the tabs on the page are blank and the other half have virtually no content on them. How is this supposed to engage fans and make them come back to the page?

Now for the good news:

• I am a personal fan of Emerson’s Tackboard system that allows students to post info on roommates, films sets, selling etc. This is at least a step forwards in creating a hub of student communication and networking where there was none before. This also used to be only assesible from a link on the website, but now there is a feed on the main website. This can be greatly expanded upon and revamped, but it is at least a step in the right direction.

 

• The addition of a social media class to the cirrriculum is also a great step in the right direction. Giving students the opportunity to learn and be able to implement the new technologies in social media is critical. The college should take a hint from this semester’s social media class,  and learn a thing or two about open communication and coversation.

• The Emerson Facebook Fanpage in my opinion doubles as good and bad for Emerson. The good being the establishment of a solid amount of fans and fan contribution to the page. With this already established fanbase, Emerson has the perfect opportunity to grow and expand through interaction and engagement on the page. Being able to gain a fanbase is half the battle, and Emerson has been able to do that with a very basic page. Improving this page will create a much greater prescene for the college and remain relevant to the lives of perspective students who use social networking as a main means of communication.

Customization in the Age of Crowdsourcing

With the rise of social media and its expansion throughout all media platforms, there has been a wonderful increase in connection between customer and consumer. Whether it be an @reply directly to a customers question or complaint, interaction on blogs, or posts on facebook fan pages, consumers are now able to get a more personal connection than ever before. As it goes with the saying, “The customer is always right,” many companies have jumped on the crowdsourcing bandwagon to gain insight or ideas directly from their customers. Crowdsourcing is a relatively new term coined by Jeff Howe in an article in Wired Magazine in 2006. Crowdsourcing, according to Howe is defined as “The act of taking a job traditionally performed by a designated agent (usually an employee) and outsourcing it to an undefined, generally large group of people in the form of an open call.” There has been some controversy over the subject on how this can be threatening to a business , but I think it is a beneficial practice for both a business and customer. Having a say and seeing the direct results definitely brings loyalty in my personal opinion. One of my favorite businesses based entirely off of crowdsourcing is Threadless, where all the designs are submitted by customers and rated by users of the service. This is a great way to utilize the talents of a customer and create a two way benefit in the process.

Now, most companies don’t utilize crowdsourcing to the extent of Threadless, but still have it incorportated into the business. A few examples that particularly peaked my interest were those involving personal customization and seeking creativity from customers. Jones Soda label customization as well as Adidias shoe customization puts the design in the hands of the customer and can bring about some great ideas. In today’s market, customization is on the rise as everyone wants their individuality to show and bring a piece of their personality into the products they use, especially in clothing. For a company such as Zappos, utilizing this customization option could create even more word of mouth and bring in a flood of new users, especially from the younger demographic. They could set up polls on the company blog and gain initial feedback on ideas to see what customers would be looking for most. Also, with the Zappos Twitter account gaining mass attention, the company could use this as a main platform for idea generation for a customization effort. Asking questions directly to bloggers and followers about customizing products/ making customized products available could further increase Zappos’ standing in the social media world.

This idea of crowdsourcing and individuality even expands into viral video through YouTube as many Threadless submissions such as this one are posted:

Putting some of the power in the hands of the customer will effectively create loyalists and feel a deeper connection to a brand.