A SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDE FROM THE EDGE ppt

   www.pr‐squared.com 0     www.pr‐squared.com 1 Hi. IthinkIknowwhyyou’rehere.Letmeguess? You’realong‐timemarketer,andyouareherebecauseyou’veheardalotofrumorsabout“thatSocialMediastuff”and wonderifit’stimetoexploreitforyourcompany? Or,you’realreadywayoutinfrontoftheSocialMediawave.Youarehopingthatthise‐bookeitherhassomethingnewinit foryou,orisatleastgoodenoughtoforwardalongtoyourcuriouscorporatecolleagues?Maybewithapersonalnotealong thelinesof,“Checkthisout…weshouldtalkaboutsomeofthepossibilities?” Yes,TraditionalMarketer,youshouldprobablybeexploringSocialMediaforyourcompany.Andyes,SocialMediaSmarty‐pants, theremaybesomechoicenuggetsinhereforyou,andyoucandefinitelyforwardalongthise‐book.I’lltrynottoletyoudown. MygoalistotouchonsomeofthefundamentalconceptsrelatedtoSocialMedia,butinatacticalwaythatwillhelpyougetyour handsdirtyrightaway.Allinunder40pages.(YouprobablyjustskimallthoseSocialMediaMarketingbooksanyway,right?So we’lljusthitthehighlights.) Beforewegetstarted:whoamI?MynameisToddDefren.IamabloggerandaprincipalataPRagency,SHIFTCommunications. I’mcreditedwith“inventing”theSocialMediaNewsReleaseandtheSocialMediaNewsroom.AndSHIFTisa100‐personagency thatworkswithtechclientslikeQuantumandwithconsumerbrandssuchasCanadianClubWhiskyandVirginMobile.Allofour clientsengageSHIFTforahybridofPublicRelationsandSocialMediaMarketingdesignedtoengagethemedia,theircustomersand prospects.Theytrustus.Youprobablycan,too. Ready?Let’sgo.    www.pr‐squared.com 2 Firstlet’stalkaboutthebasicprinciple:"ParticipationIsMarketing" Ifyounoticedthatacompanythatwasknownforitsbarelynavigablewebsiteand/orhellaciousphonesystemwassuddenlytaking anactive,helpful,humanroletowardsconsumers,wouldyoubeimpressed?Wouldyoubemorefavorablyinclinedtotheirbrandif youcouldtelltheywerelisteningtoyou?Ofcourseyouwould. Butbeing“human”towardscustomerswas,ifnotimpossible,thanatleastnot lucrative:beforetheSocialMediaera,being“human”didnotscaleverywell.Ifa bigcompanyofferedsuperiorservice,theirhappycustomerswouldappreciateit, butthey’dbeunlikelytospreadthegoodwill.Onlyunhappycustomersare particularlyvocal.Butinanonlineworld,acompanycanbeseenandnoticedas beingresponsive,evenbynon‐customers(a.k.a.prospectivecustomers).This makesthepursuitof“goodkarmathroughgoodservice”moreworthwhileand lucrative. AndthesamegoesforMarketing.SocialMediaMarketingisultimatelyabout creatinganenvironmentwheregoodkarmaprevails.Thisisanunprecedented opportunitytobeveryvisibleinyourcare&feedingofyourcustomers.Howhelpful canyoubetothepeoplewhocareabout,detest,or,arejustbeingintroducedtoyourbrandforthefirsttime? Thisisanimportantquestion.Intheonlineworld,yourbrandisexposed.Youractions,interactions,andreactions(nottomention inaction)arebeingwatched,critiqued–andcatalogedforeverbyGoogle!WhenFrankEliason(alsoknownas@ComcastCareson Twitter)helpsoutacustomer,hedoessoinaverypublicforum:hispatienceandsticktoitivenesshasengenderedinfluentialfans worldwide.Likewise,whenalocalvideographerdocumentsratsscurryingacrossthefloorofaTacoBelloutlet,theproblemsofthat singlefranchisecanbecomeaphenomenonthatwallopsthefastfoodcompany’sglobalreputation. Butdocompanies“getit,”yet?Lastyear,Idecidedtodoaquickspotcheckononemajorbrand:ifIcouldidentifyasituationin whichitwasobviousthatthebrandwouldbenefitbyparticipatingwithengagedconsumers,wouldtheyalreadybedoingso?    www.pr‐squared.com 3 IchoseBMWatrandom.Herewastheprocess… Atthetimeofmyresearch,aGooglesearchon“BMW”broughtuporganicsearchresult#8:AutoBlog.Specifically,“Postsfromthe BMWCategoryatAutoBlog.”(Pleasenotehowsurprisingitisthatablogpoppedupinthefirst10Googlesearchresultsforamajor brand.Thisoccurswithincreasingfrequency.) Regardlessofitsimpressiveorganicsearchranking,isAutoBlogworthpayingattentionto?Let’scheckTechnorati.“There are285,004linkstothisURL”(rank56).Outofover50,000,000blogs,AutoBlogis#56?That’sprettydarnedgood. Atthetimeofmysearch,themostrecentpostintheBMWcategory atAutoBlogreferredtoa“spyshot”regardingtheBMW1‐Series Coupe.Thearticlehadover20comments,andseveralinboundblog links.Notavastwaveofconsumerinteraction,but–given AutoBlog’soverallsitetraffic–it’snottrivialvolume,either.Aquick scanofsomeoftheotherBMWpostingsatAutoBlogshowedafairly consistentamountofuserinteraction… ClearlythereisanactivecommunitycongregatingatAutoBlog’sBMWsite, evenifatfirstglancethenumberofactiveusersisrelativelysmall.Wecan extrapolatefromthesite’sexcellentGoogleplacementandTechnorati rankthatanyonesearchingfor“BMW”onthewebmightquicklyfindthis site. Thustheopportunity.Ireadthroughseveralpostsandcomments,anddidnotnoteanyonefromBMWparticipatingin thiscommunity.Buthowcoolwoulditbeforthesebrandenthusiaststointerfacedirectlywithareal‐live‐humanBMW representativeonaregularbasis?HowgratefulwouldregularvisitorstoAutoblogbe,iftheyoccasionallyscoredsomeexclusive content,tosharewiththeirfriends?Wouldn’tthisnotonlycementtheloyaltyofcurrentfansbutalsoshowthethousandsof randomvisitorstothehighly‐traffickedblogthatBMWtrulycaredaboutitscustomersandprospectivebuyers??    www.pr‐squared.com 4 Ofcoursetherearechallengesforanycompany–evenofBMW’ssize–to scaleandtrainandmonitoragroupof“communitymanagers”thatcould serveasadjunctstothemarketinggroup.AlsoIacknowledgethatthiswasan unscientificapproach.ForallIknow,BMWisengaging“big‐time”inother partsoftheblogosphere. BMW’s“failure”inthisexperiment,wasnottakingadvantageofaneasily‐ identifiedopportunitytoengage,consistently,inaplacethatissoprominently impactingtheirbrand. Ifyou’renotpayingattentiontowhat’sbeingsaidaboutyourbrandwithintheTop10searchresults,howcanyouclaimtobe “engaged?” Googleiseverybrand’snewhomepage.JustaskSpiritAirlines:the#5organicsearchresultatthetimeofthiswriting?Ablogpost thatsays“DoNotFlySpiritAirlines,”whichwassopoorlyhandledbythecompanythatitspawnedallkindsoftrouble. ParticipationisMarketing.Thebettertheparticipation–intermsoftone,responsivenessandfrequency–thebetterthemarketing. Thinkaboutwhatthecustomerswanttohear,notwhatyouwantthemtohear.(Andcertainlynotwhatyouwantthemtobuy. SocialMediaisnottherightforumforasalespitch.Ifyouworkonbuildingloyaltytoyourbrand’spersonality,saleswillfollowin duecourse.) So,if“participation”isthegoal,howdoyougetstarted?     www.pr‐squared.com 5 MakinganEntranceintoSocialMedia Itusedtobethatconsumerstriedtoimpactbrandsvialetter‐writingcampaigns,boycotts,etc.Notethattheseactivitiestendedto beactivistandnegative:that’sbecauseittookaconcertedefforttogainanyattention.Thus,onlythetrulydisgruntledgaveitago; happycustomerstendedtojustkeepquietandgoabouttheirbusiness. ButintheeraofSocialMedia,everyonehasasay.Thiscanbegoodorbadforthebrand…it’snowjustaseasyforfansasenemies togetinvolvedonline.Eitherwaythebrandhasnochoiceinthematter:whetherthebrandmanagerparticipatesinthe conversationhaslittlebearingonwhetherornotaconversationisgoingtohappen. Smartcompaniestendtodecideit’sbettertoparticipatethannot.Someofthese companiesdecidetogetdolled‐upfortheconversation;ratherthanengageconsumers inalow‐key,value‐orientedway,theirOldSchoolmarketingmindsetsuggeststothem thattheyneedimmediateawarenessandROI.Thustheytrytoenterthefraywitha strategythatturnsheads.Maybeit’swithabrandedsocial‐networkingsite;oraglitzy FacebookorMySpacepage;oraswarmoffreshly‐mintedcommunitymanagers… Theproblemwiththisapproachisthatitbegsforimmediateattention,andanyone who’swatchedablowhardburstintoacocktailpartyknowsthatsomefolksare attractedtothealphapersonality,andsomefolkscringewithdistaste. Whenyou’reonline,thosereactions(goodandbad)areinstantlyvisible.Somefolkswillapplaudthebig,noisySocialMediadebut. Butsomewillcarpabout“whattookyousolong?”…“whysofancy‐schmancy?”…“whothef**doyouthinkyouare?”…“wholet thefreakin’marketersin?”…etc. Areyoureadyforthatkindofunbridledcriticism?Wouldyoubedisappointedtofindthatyourgoodintentionswerecompletely lostinthefrenzyofcommentsaboutyourwayward,self‐interestedSocialMediapolicies?    www.pr‐squared.com 6 ThisisnotacallforbrandstodefertheirentryintoSocialMediaspheres.Therearemanylargecompaniescurrentlyresearching anddevelopingplansforSocialMediacampaigns.Iapplaudtheirenthusiasm. But,goslow.Listenfirst.Then,listenagain.UsefreetoolslikeBlogPulsetoascertainwho’stalkingaboutyourbrand(andsimilar industrytopics).YoumayfindthattheBigPlandeveloped6‐monthsagoisnolongerrelevant,sincethisspacemovessodarned fast. Findoutwhereyourlikelyfriendsandskepticsare…figureouthowtheir opinionsandtonechangedoverthepastfewmonths…takeaninterestinwhat theytalkaboutwhenyou’re(ostensibly)notaround. Figureouthowyoumightaddvaluetotheircommunities,withoutexpectingan immediateReturnonInvestment.Itmaybeanathemaforamarketerto discountROIconsiderations,but,it’spoisonoustoyourplansifregularfolks figureoutthatthatROIequationisallyoutrulycareabout. It’snotaboutmakinganimpression.Andit’snotabout“impressions”intermsofwebsitetraffic.It’saboutmakingfriends. Friendswhowilltellyouthetruth.Friendswhomightsomedaybuyyourproduct,andtelltheirfriendsaboutit.Friendswhomight rallytoyourdefensewhenyouhitaroughpatch. Listen.Think.Listen.Act.(Slowly.)     www.pr‐squared.com 7 ThoughtsonBlogging Alongthosesamelinesof“makinganentrance”inSocialMedia,Igetalotofquestionsaboutblogging.“Shouldweblog?”isthe mostcommonquestion.Thesecondmostcommonquestionis,“ShouldourCEObeblogging?” Theanswertothefirstquestioniseasy.Asyou’llseelateroninthise‐book,IamahugefanofContentMarketing,and“blogging” easilyfallsintothatbucket.AsforCEObloggers?That’strickier.Therearepoliticalissuestoconsider.MaybeshowtheCEOthis “openletter”below,first;seehowtheyreact,thendecide? OpenLettertotheCEOWhoWantstoBecomeaBlogger DearCEO, IttakesalotoftalenttorisetotheCEOspot.Youneedtobeconfidentandcharming,smartand articulate.Theseareexcellentqualitiesinablogger,too! AsaCEO,Icanunderstandwhyyou’dbeinterestedin“joiningtheconversation.”It’san conversation–afterall,it’saconversationabouttopicsofinterestto interesting youandtoyourcompany, andthepeopleyou’llinteractwithwillself‐identifythemselvesasbeinginterestedinwhatyou’ve gottosay.  Donewell,you’llgetbothpersonalsatisfactionandbottom‐lineresultsfromyourforayinto blogging. Ha!!Caughtya.Wereyounoddinginagreementallthewaythroughmyli’lspeech?Sorrybutit’snotthateasy.Youneed toexploreyourmotivationsandtimecommitmentsbeforeyouconsideradualcareerasaCEO‐Blogger. Toomanywould‐beCEObloggerstreattheirnewtoyaslittlemorethanaweeklynewsletter;awaytobroadcasttheir thoughts,ratherthanawaytocreateadialogue.Theyexpectthatsimplybecause theyaretheCEO,naturallypeoplewillbe    www.pr‐squared.com 8 magneticallydrawntotheirwords.Andthentheyarecrushedtosee“Comments(0)”aftereachpost,andaremortifiedto seeawanTechnoratiranking… Andthentheygiveup,poo‐pooingtheballyhooedblogosphereastheymunchonsourgrapes.Becausetheycouldn’ttame theblogosphere,theylostinterest.Now,allotherblog‐relatedprojectsatthecompanybecomesuspect–afterall,ifTHE CEOcouldn’thackit,whodaresthinkthattheycoulddobetter? Andthusacompanylosesagoldenopportunitytoengagewiththeircustomersandprospects. Butyou’renotlikethat?Youtrulywanttoengage?Cool.StartbyNOTblogging. Don’tblogforatleastonefullmonthfollowingyourdecisiontostartblogging.Instead,spendthattimefindingOTHERblogs inyourindustry.Readthem.Commentjudiciously.Leaveyour“agenda”onthecoat‐rack.Justgettoknowafewfolks. Introduceyourself. AstheCEO,you’reprobablyaccustomedtobeingnoticedwhenyouwalk intoanindustryfunction.Youmayevenhavehandlerstosquireyouto thecentersofpowerinaconferencehall.But,youwouldn’tpresumethat levelofrecognitionandcloutifyouwalkedintoablockpartyinanew neighborhood,eh?You’dhangbackalittle,insertyourselfmildlyintoa wedgeofconversation,andingratiateyourself.You’dbeagentleman. Andyettheremightstillbemomentsofawkwardness.Alltheneighborsalreadyknoweachother.Therearecliques. There’scontext,politicsandin‐jokestofigureout.Youwouldn’texpecttobethelifeofthepartyrightaway.But,youknew thatgoingin…so,tohelpgreasetheskids,youbroughtsomenicebottlesofwineandsomeofyourkillerBBQribs. Samewithblogging,Chief.Thinkofbloggingasanextendedblockparty.You’recertainlyinvited,butpleasedon’texpectto beMr.Popularrightaway.Givingfreelyofyourattentionintheformofcommentingandlinkingliberallytoyourpeers’    www.pr‐squared.com 9 blogsistheequivalentofhandingoutyourBBQgoodies.ItcouldtakeYEARS,butsoonerorlateryourneighborswillcometo respect,expectandloveyourcontributions. Upforit?Awesome.Coverupthekeyboard,layasideyourambitions,startreading,andjointhefun.  See,theCEOtookitprettywell,eh?ThegoodnewsisthatthesameadviceofferedtoyourCEOisjustasapplicabletoanyoneelse inthecompanywhomaybeuptothebloggingchallenge. Butwhataboutreachingouttoexternalbloggers?That’swhatMARKETINGisallabout,right?BloggerRelations!Gettingsome virtual“ink!” OK,sure,fine,yea–wecandothat.Buttherearesomerulesoftheroad.Thoserules willbediscussedinthepagesahead,butFIRST,doyourselfthefavorofmakingsurethat your“BloggerRelations”programisacoordinatedone. Inlargecompanies,“outreachtothebloggers”mightmeandifferentthingstodifferent people,andyouruntheriskofaverypublicembarrassmentifyouallowBloggerRelations programstospringupwilly‐nilly.Itiscoolthatyou’rereadytoengageinBlogger Relations.Butareyousurethatnooneelseinthecompanyisn’talreadydoingit? Forexample,it’snothardatalltoimaginetheounceofnaivetérequiredforamarketing managertoconsiderapaidBloggerRelationscampaign.Theymightnoteventhinkto check‐inwiththecorporatePRdepartment–theymaygivesuchacampaignnomore weightthaniftheywerecraftinganewpieceofdirectmail!Totheunsophisticatedmarketerwho’sbeendoingCorporate Marketingfor20years,this“bloggingstuff”maysimplyrepresentanewchanneltoexploit.  Doesthatprospectmakeyoufeelnervous?Good,itshould.Soherearesomequestionstogetyoustartedinyourinvestigation: [...]... I don’t suppose I could write an e‐book about Social Media Marketing without mentioning my “baby,” the Social Media Release  (SMR).  What is a Social Media Release, in essence?  A Social Media Release converts the 100‐year old text‐heavy press release into a blog  post, with all of the cool functions of a blog – including multimedia, the ability to comment and aggregate inbound links, etc.  SMRs  can power a direct conversation with stakeholders about your news, and give them the content elements to carry your message ... Further syndicate the content by offering it to the online versions of mainstream media sites (in this case, AARP.com, etc.); to  any bloggers who do start tackling the eldercare issues; and via  Social Media Releases.  Start a blog that showcases these content assets.  Become the advocate, the expert.  Provide the best‐of the web (pictures,  advice, stories, links) so that the Spectators who find the blog know  that they need look no further for both content and a relevant, ... (men’s blog) and Popgadget  (a tech‐focused women’s blog).  We even got significant mentions of slydial on The Today Show and The View!  And last but not least, because Howard Stern’s bride is a Perez Hilton devotee, the radio shockjock discussed slydial as well, to  his millions of listeners!  These myriad posts (as well as traditional media coverage) hit consumers from all angles.  The combo  of mainstream PR and Social Media results boosted  slydial’s base of 5,000 private alpha users to more ... While there are some good resources available online, virtually all are currently static, “1.0” sites  that will only be found via a typical Google search.  Even where message boards are available,  they tend to be scattershot, redundant, and/or the “authority” of the moderators is  questionable.    Meanwhile, the blogosphere appears to be very quiet on these issues.  (Why?  Cuz the folks  facing these challenges are Spectators!  They are looking for content, not creating it.) ... Share this content all along the way, and monitor responses; interacting directly with users; answering questions, etc.  Note again that these “tactics from tomorrow” are not necessarily targeted to  the media. ”  They are aimed at sharing fresh  content, using it to empower “passalong sharing” and spur conversation and reactions across all sorts of interested stakeholders.  Such a “content engine” creates ongoing opportunities for attention and dialogue, plus, the constantly‐updated content stream aids  in Search Engine Optimization. ... Here’s what @AmazonMP3 should NOT tweet about (at least, not too much): the Amazon MP3 service.  Rather, the Amazon rep  could use the “@AmazonMP3” account to microblog about music.  If this becomes an Amazon commercial in execution, it’s a campaign that deserves execution – as in “death.”    Will MP3 sales soar at Amazon.com?  Not clear.  But will more and more people begin to think of Amazon.com as an authentic  community member, worthy of their support, and sales?  No doubt.    There is one more Web 2.0 service worth your consideration if you are jazzed by this “edgework” concept... the Social Media News Release template, they shouldn’t get the generic note used above!  We could ignore them, or try a softer  approach.  Now what?  Once the outreach has been made via the “for:username” function, some folks on the receiving end of our campaign will elect to  “accept” this link by actively saving it within their account  (a metric you can track).  Some folks will take further action: they might  blog about it (measurable); they might download the template (measurable); they might comment at the original Newsroom’s debut ... everything from rippable multimedia (video, audio, graphics, etc.) to moderated comments.   Additionally, with each news item posted as a blog entry, you can aggregate all conversational  elements about that news in one spot, via trackbacks and other social media tracking tools.    This approach offers the added benefits of being a lot less expensive; maintaining full control of  brand identity; and turns your newsroom’s “version” of the release into the truly official version.   ... Speaking of “human” … Ideally there’s a true human personality behind the “AmazonMP3” account.  It would be nice to introduce  them, by name, via this beefed‐up landing page.  What’s their background?  Favorite musicians?  Last concert they attended?  What  “backstage pass” do they dream about nabbing one day?         www.pr‐squared.com  28   Now, what should “AmazonMP3” tweet about?  Because once “AmazonMP3”  has started “following” a few dozen (or few hundred!) twitterers, we can ... follow and share.    It’s probably easiest to just provide some examples.  I’ll start with a personal example, but then extrapolate it to a more generic  example.  Look here and you see that 165 people used del.icio.us to save the news release we originally issued re: the Social Media News  Release template.  Look here and you see that you can add another 224 del.icio.us users who saved the template (pdf) itself.  Likely  .    www.pr‐squared.com 0     www.pr‐squared.com 1 Hi. IthinkIknowwhyyou’rehere.Letmeguess? You’re a long‐timemarketer,andyouareherebecauseyou’veheard a lotofrumorsabout“that Social Media stuff”and wonderifit’stimetoexploreitforyourcompany? Or,you’realreadywayoutinfrontof the Social Media wave.Youarehopingthatthise‐bookeitherhassomethingnewinit foryou,orisatleastgoodenoughtoforwardalongtoyourcuriouscorporatecolleagues?Maybewith a personalnotealong the linesof,“Checkthisout…weshouldtalkaboutsomeof the possibilities?” Yes,TraditionalMarketer,youshouldprobablybeexploring Social Media foryourcompany.Andyes, Social Media Smarty‐pants, theremaybesomechoicenuggetsinhereforyou,andyoucandefinitelyforwardalongthise‐book.I’lltrynottoletyoudown. Mygoalistotouchonsomeof the fundamentalconceptsrelatedto Social Media, butin a tacticalwaythatwillhelpyougetyour handsdirtyrightaway.Allinunder40pages.(Youprobablyjustskimallthose Social Media Marketingbooksanyway,right?So we’lljusthit the highlights.) Beforewegetstarted:whoamI?MynameisToddDefren.Iam a bloggerand a principalat a PRagency,SHIFTCommunications. I’mcreditedwith“inventing” the Social Media NewsReleaseand the Social Media Newsroom.AndSHIFTis a 100‐personagency thatworkswithtechclientslikeQuantumandwithconsumerbrandssuchasCanadianClubWhiskyandVirginMobile.Allofour clientsengageSHIFTfor a hybridofPublicRelationsand Social Media Marketingdesignedtoengage the media, theircustomersand prospects.Theytrustus.Youprobablycan,too. Ready?Let’sgo.    www.pr‐squared.com 2 Firstlet’stalkabout the basicprinciple:"ParticipationIsMarketing" Ifyounoticedthat a companythatwasknownforitsbarelynavigablewebsiteand/orhellaciousphonesystemwassuddenlytaking anactive,helpful,humanroletowardsconsumers,wouldyoubeimpressed?Wouldyoubemorefavorablyinclinedtotheirbrandif youcouldtelltheywerelisteningtoyou?Ofcourseyouwould. Butbeing“human”towardscustomerswas,ifnotimpossible,thanatleastnot lucrative:before the Social Media era,being“human”didnotscaleverywell.If a bigcompanyofferedsuperiorservice,theirhappycustomerswouldappreciateit, butthey’dbeunlikelytospread the goodwill.Onlyunhappycustomersare particularlyvocal.Butinanonlineworld, a companycanbeseenandnoticedas beingresponsive,evenbynon‐customers (a. k .a. prospectivecustomers).This makes the pursuitof“goodkarmathroughgoodservice”moreworthwhileand lucrative. And the samegoesforMarketing. Social Media Marketingisultimatelyabout creatinganenvironmentwheregoodkarmaprevails.Thisisanunprecedented opportunitytobeveryvisibleinyourcare&feedingofyourcustomers.Howhelpful canyoubeto the peoplewhocareabout,detest,or,arejustbeingintroducedtoyourbrandfor the firsttime? Thisisanimportantquestion.In the onlineworld,yourbrandisexposed.Youractions,interactions,andreactions(nottomention inaction)arebeingwatched,critiqued–andcatalogedforeverbyGoogle!WhenFrankEliason(alsoknownas@ComcastCareson Twitter)helpsout a customer,hedoessoin a verypublicforum:hispatienceandsticktoitivenesshasengenderedinfluentialfans worldwide.Likewise,when a localvideographerdocumentsratsscurryingacross the floorof a TacoBelloutlet, the problemsofthat singlefranchisecanbecome a phenomenonthatwallops the fastfoodcompany’sglobalreputation. Butdocompanies“getit,”yet?Lastyear,Idecidedtodo a quickspotcheckononemajorbrand:ifIcouldidentify a situationin whichitwasobviousthat the brandwouldbenefitbyparticipatingwithengagedconsumers,wouldtheyalreadybedoingso?    www.pr‐squared.com 3 IchoseBMWatrandom.Herewas the process… At the timeofmyresearch, a Googlesearchon“BMW”broughtuporganicsearchresult#8:AutoBlog.Specifically,“Posts from the BMWCategoryatAutoBlog.”(Pleasenotehowsurprisingitisthat a blogpoppedupin the first10Googlesearchresultsfor a major brand.Thisoccurswithincreasingfrequency.) Regardlessofitsimpressiveorganicsearchranking,isAutoBlogworthpayingattentionto?Let’scheckTechnorati.“There are285,004linkstothisURL”(rank56).Outofover50,000,000blogs,AutoBlogis#56?That’sprettydarnedgood. At the timeofmysearch, the mostrecentpostin the BMWcategory atAutoBlogreferredto a “spyshot”regarding the BMW1‐Series Coupe. The articlehadover20comments,andseveralinboundblog links.Not a vastwaveofconsumerinteraction,but–given AutoBlog’soverallsitetraffic–it’snottrivialvolume,either. A quick scanofsomeof the otherBMWpostingsatAutoBlogshowed a fairly consistentamountofuserinteraction… ClearlythereisanactivecommunitycongregatingatAutoBlog’sBMWsite, evenifatfirstglance the numberofactiveusersisrelativelysmall.Wecan extrapolate from the site’sexcellentGoogleplacementandTechnorati rankthatanyonesearchingfor“BMW”on the webmightquicklyfindthis site. Thus the opportunity.Ireadthroughseveralpostsandcomments,anddidnotnoteanyone from BMWparticipatingin thiscommunity.Buthowcoolwoulditbeforthesebrandenthusiaststointerfacedirectlywith a real‐live‐humanBMW representativeon a regularbasis?HowgratefulwouldregularvisitorstoAutoblogbe,iftheyoccasionallyscoredsomeexclusive content,tosharewiththeirfriends?Wouldn’tthisnotonlycement the loyaltyofcurrentfansbutalsoshow the thousandsof randomvisitorsto the highly‐traffickedblogthatBMWtrulycaredaboutitscustomersandprospectivebuyers??    www.pr‐squared.com 4 Ofcoursetherearechallengesforanycompany–evenofBMW’ssize–to scaleandtrainandmonitor a groupof“communitymanagers”thatcould serveasadjunctsto the marketinggroup.AlsoIacknowledgethatthiswasan unscientificapproach.ForallIknow,BMWisengaging“big‐time”inother partsof the blogosphere. BMW’s“failure”inthisexperiment,wasnottakingadvantageofaneasily‐ identifiedopportunitytoengage,consistently,in a placethatissoprominently impactingtheirbrand. Ifyou’renotpayingattentiontowhat’sbeingsaidaboutyourbrandwithin the Top10searchresults,howcanyouclaimtobe “engaged?” Googleiseverybrand’snewhomepage.JustaskSpiritAirlines: the #5organicsearchresultat the timeofthiswriting? A blogpost thatsays“DoNotFlySpiritAirlines,”whichwassopoorlyhandledby the companythatitspawnedallkindsoftrouble. ParticipationisMarketing. The better the participation–intermsoftone,responsivenessandfrequency– the better the marketing. Thinkaboutwhat the customerswanttohear,notwhatyouwantthemtohear.(Andcertainlynotwhatyouwantthemtobuy. Social Media isnot the rightforumfor a salespitch.Ifyouworkonbuildingloyaltytoyourbrand’spersonality,saleswillfollowin duecourse.) So,if“participation”is the goal,howdoyougetstarted?     www.pr‐squared.com 5 MakinganEntranceinto Social Media Itusedtobethatconsumerstriedtoimpactbrandsvialetter‐writingcampaigns,boycotts,etc.Notethattheseactivitiestendedto beactivistandnegative:that’sbecauseittook a concertedefforttogainanyattention.Thus,only the trulydisgruntledgaveit a go; happycustomerstendedtojustkeepquietandgoabouttheirbusiness. Butin the eraof Social Media, everyonehas a say.Thiscanbegoodorbadfor the brand…it’snowjustaseasyforfansasenemies togetinvolvedonline.Eitherway the brandhasnochoicein the matter:whether the brandmanagerparticipatesin the conversationhaslittlebearingonwhetherornot a conversationisgoingtohappen. Smartcompaniestendtodecideit’sbettertoparticipatethannot.Someofthese companiesdecidetogetdolled‐upfor the conversation;ratherthanengageconsumers in a low‐key,value‐orientedway,theirOldSchoolmarketingmindsetsuggeststothem thattheyneedimmediateawarenessandROI.Thustheytrytoenter the fraywith a strategythatturnsheads.Maybeit’swith a branded social networkingsite;or a glitzy FacebookorMySpacepage;or a swarmoffreshly‐mintedcommunitymanagers… The problemwiththisapproachisthatitbegsforimmediateattention,andanyone who’swatched a blowhardburstinto a cocktailpartyknowsthatsomefolksare attractedto the alphapersonality,andsomefolkscringewithdistaste. Whenyou’reonline,thosereactions(goodandbad)areinstantlyvisible.Somefolkswillapplaud the big,noisy Social Media debut. Butsomewillcarpabout“whattookyousolong?”…“whysofancy‐schmancy?”…“who the f**doyouthinkyouare?”…“wholet the freakin’marketersin?”…etc. Areyoureadyforthatkindofunbridledcriticism?Wouldyoubedisappointedtofindthatyourgoodintentionswerecompletely lostin the frenzyofcommentsaboutyourwayward,self‐interested Social Media policies?    www.pr‐squared.com 6 Thisisnot a callforbrandstodefertheirentryinto Social Media spheres.Therearemanylargecompaniescurrentlyresearching anddevelopingplansfor Social Media campaigns.Iapplaudtheirenthusiasm. But,goslow.Listenfirst.Then,listenagain.UsefreetoolslikeBlogPulsetoascertainwho’stalkingaboutyourbrand(andsimilar industrytopics).Youmayfindthat the BigPlandeveloped6‐monthsagoisnolongerrelevant,sincethisspacemovessodarned fast. Findoutwhereyourlikelyfriendsandskepticsare…figureouthowtheir opinionsandtonechangedover the pastfewmonths…takeaninterestinwhat theytalkaboutwhenyou’re(ostensibly)notaround. Figureouthowyoumightaddvaluetotheircommunities,withoutexpectingan immediateReturnonInvestment.Itmaybeanathemafor a marketerto discountROIconsiderations,but,it’spoisonoustoyourplansifregularfolks figureoutthatthatROIequationisallyoutrulycareabout. It’snotaboutmakinganimpression.Andit’snotabout“impressions”intermsofwebsitetraffic.It’saboutmakingfriends. Friendswhowilltellyou the truth.Friendswhomightsomedaybuyyourproduct,andtelltheirfriendsaboutit.Friendswhomight rallytoyourdefensewhenyouhit a roughpatch. Listen.Think.Listen.Act.(Slowly.)     www.pr‐squared.com 7 ThoughtsonBlogging Alongthosesamelinesof“makinganentrance”in Social Media, Iget a lotofquestionsaboutblogging.“Shouldweblog?”is the mostcommonquestion. The secondmostcommonquestionis,“ShouldourCEObeblogging?” The answerto the firstquestioniseasy.Asyou’llseelateroninthise‐book,Iam a hugefanofContentMarketing,and“blogging” easilyfallsintothatbucket.AsforCEObloggers?That’strickier.Therearepoliticalissuestoconsider.Maybeshow the CEOthis “openletter”below,first;seehowtheyreact,thendecide? OpenLetterto the CEOWhoWantstoBecome a Blogger DearCEO, Ittakes a lotoftalenttoriseto the CEOspot.Youneedtobeconfidentandcharming,smartand articulate.Theseareexcellentqualitiesin a blogger,too! As a CEO,Icanunderstandwhyyou’dbeinterestedin“joining the conversation.”It’san conversation–afterall,it’s a conversationabouttopicsofinterestto interesting youandtoyourcompany, and the peopleyou’llinteractwithwillself‐identifythemselvesasbeinginterestedinwhatyou’ve gottosay.  Donewell,you’llgetbothpersonalsatisfactionandbottom‐lineresults from yourforayinto blogging. Ha!!Caughtya.Wereyounoddinginagreementall the waythroughmyli’lspeech?Sorrybutit’snotthateasy.Youneed toexploreyourmotivationsandtimecommitmentsbeforeyouconsider a dualcareeras a CEO‐Blogger. Toomanywould‐beCEObloggerstreattheirnewtoyaslittlemorethan a weeklynewsletter; a waytobroadcasttheir thoughts,ratherthan a waytocreate a dialogue.Theyexpectthatsimplybecause theyare the CEO,naturallypeoplewillbe    www.pr‐squared.com 8 magneticallydrawntotheirwords.Andthentheyarecrushedtosee“Comments(0)”aftereachpost,andaremortifiedto see a wanTechnoratiranking… Andthentheygiveup,poo‐pooing the ballyhooedblogosphereastheymunchonsourgrapes.Becausetheycouldn’ttame the blogosphere,theylostinterest.Now,allotherblog‐relatedprojectsat the companybecomesuspect–afterall,if THE CEOcouldn’thackit,whodaresthinkthattheycoulddobetter? Andthus a companyloses a goldenopportunitytoengagewiththeircustomersandprospects. Butyou’renotlikethat?Youtrulywanttoengage?Cool.StartbyNOTblogging. Don’tblogforatleastonefullmonthfollowingyourdecisiontostartblogging.Instead,spendthattimefindingOTHERblogs inyourindustry.Readthem.Commentjudiciously.Leaveyour“agenda”on the coat‐rack.Justgettoknow a fewfolks. Introduceyourself. As the CEO,you’reprobablyaccustomedtobeingnoticedwhenyouwalk intoanindustryfunction.Youmayevenhavehandlerstosquireyouto the centersofpowerin a conferencehall.But,youwouldn’tpresumethat levelofrecognitionandcloutifyouwalkedinto a blockpartyin a new neighborhood,eh?You’dhangback a little,insertyourselfmildlyinto a wedgeofconversation,andingratiateyourself.You’dbe a gentleman. Andyettheremightstillbemomentsofawkwardness.All the neighborsalreadyknoweachother.Therearecliques. There’scontext,politicsandin‐jokestofigureout.Youwouldn’texpecttobe the lifeof the partyrightaway.But,youknew thatgoingin…so,tohelpgrease the skids,youbroughtsomenicebottlesofwineandsomeofyourkillerBBQribs. Samewithblogging,Chief.Thinkofbloggingasanextendedblockparty.You’recertainlyinvited,butpleasedon’texpectto beMr.Popularrightaway.Givingfreelyofyourattentionin the formofcommentingandlinkingliberallytoyourpeers’    www.pr‐squared.com 9 blogsis the equivalentofhandingoutyourBBQgoodies.ItcouldtakeYEARS,butsoonerorlateryourneighborswillcometo respect,expectandloveyourcontributions. Upforit?Awesome.Coverup the keyboard,layasideyourambitions,startreading,andjoin the fun.  See, the CEOtookitprettywell,eh? The goodnewsisthat the sameadviceofferedtoyourCEOisjustasapplicabletoanyoneelse in the companywhomaybeupto the bloggingchallenge. Butwhataboutreachingouttoexternalbloggers?That’swhatMARKETINGisallabout,right?BloggerRelations!Gettingsome virtual“ink!” OK,sure,fine,yea–wecandothat.Buttherearesomerulesof the road.Thoserules willbediscussedin the pagesahead,butFIRST,doyourself the favorofmakingsurethat your“BloggerRelations”programis a coordinatedone. Inlargecompanies,“outreachto the bloggers”mightmeandifferentthingstodifferent people,andyourun the riskof a verypublicembarrassmentifyouallowBloggerRelations programstospringupwilly‐nilly.Itiscoolthatyou’rereadytoengageinBlogger Relations.Butareyousurethatnooneelsein the companyisn’talreadydoingit? Forexample,it’snothardatalltoimagine the ounceofnaivetérequiredfor a marketing managertoconsider a paidBloggerRelationscampaign.Theymightnoteventhinkto check‐inwith the corporatePRdepartment–theymaygivesuch a campaignnomore weightthaniftheywerecrafting a newpieceofdirectmail!To the unsophisticatedmarketerwho’sbeendoingCorporate Marketingfor20years,this“bloggingstuff”maysimplyrepresent a newchanneltoexploit..    www.pr‐squared.com 0     www.pr‐squared.com 1 Hi. IthinkIknowwhyyou’rehere.Letmeguess? You’re a long‐timemarketer,andyouareherebecauseyou’veheard a lotofrumorsabout“that Social Media stuff”and wonderifit’stimetoexploreitforyourcompany? Or,you’realreadywayoutinfrontof the Social Media wave.Youarehopingthatthise‐bookeitherhassomethingnewinit foryou,orisatleastgoodenoughtoforwardalongtoyourcuriouscorporatecolleagues?Maybewith a personalnotealong the linesof,“Checkthisout…weshouldtalkaboutsomeof the possibilities?” Yes,TraditionalMarketer,youshouldprobablybeexploring Social Media foryourcompany.Andyes, Social Media Smarty‐pants, theremaybesomechoicenuggetsinhereforyou,andyoucandefinitelyforwardalongthise‐book.I’lltrynottoletyoudown. Mygoalistotouchonsomeof the fundamentalconceptsrelatedto Social Media, butin a tacticalwaythatwillhelpyougetyour handsdirtyrightaway.Allinunder40pages.(Youprobablyjustskimallthose Social Media Marketingbooksanyway,right?So we’lljusthit the highlights.) Beforewegetstarted:whoamI?MynameisToddDefren.Iam a bloggerand a principalat a PRagency,SHIFTCommunications. I’mcreditedwith“inventing” the Social Media NewsReleaseand the Social Media Newsroom.AndSHIFTis a 100‐personagency thatworkswithtechclientslikeQuantumandwithconsumerbrandssuchasCanadianClubWhiskyandVirginMobile.Allofour clientsengageSHIFTfor a hybridofPublicRelationsand Social Media Marketingdesignedtoengage the media, theircustomersand prospects.Theytrustus.Youprobablycan,too. Ready?Let’sgo.    www.pr‐squared.com 2 Firstlet’stalkabout the basicprinciple:"ParticipationIsMarketing" Ifyounoticedthat a companythatwasknownforitsbarelynavigablewebsiteand/orhellaciousphonesystemwassuddenlytaking anactive,helpful,humanroletowardsconsumers,wouldyoubeimpressed?Wouldyoubemorefavorablyinclinedtotheirbrandif youcouldtelltheywerelisteningtoyou?Ofcourseyouwould. Butbeing“human”towardscustomerswas,ifnotimpossible,thanatleastnot lucrative:before the Social Media era,being“human”didnotscaleverywell.If a bigcompanyofferedsuperiorservice,theirhappycustomerswouldappreciateit, butthey’dbeunlikelytospread the goodwill.Onlyunhappycustomersare particularlyvocal.Butinanonlineworld, a companycanbeseenandnoticedas beingresponsive,evenbynon‐customers (a. k .a. prospectivecustomers).This makes the pursuitof“goodkarmathroughgoodservice”moreworthwhileand lucrative. And the samegoesforMarketing. Social Media Marketingisultimatelyabout creatinganenvironmentwheregoodkarmaprevails.Thisisanunprecedented opportunitytobeveryvisibleinyourcare&feedingofyourcustomers.Howhelpful canyoubeto the peoplewhocareabout,detest,or,arejustbeingintroducedtoyourbrandfor the firsttime? Thisisanimportantquestion.In the onlineworld,yourbrandisexposed.Youractions,interactions,andreactions(nottomention inaction)arebeingwatched,critiqued–andcatalogedforeverbyGoogle!WhenFrankEliason(alsoknownas@ComcastCareson Twitter)helpsout a customer,hedoessoin a verypublicforum:hispatienceandsticktoitivenesshasengenderedinfluentialfans worldwide.Likewise,when a localvideographerdocumentsratsscurryingacross the floorof a TacoBelloutlet, the problemsofthat singlefranchisecanbecome a phenomenonthatwallops the fastfoodcompany’sglobalreputation. Butdocompanies“getit,”yet?Lastyear,Idecidedtodo a quickspotcheckononemajorbrand:ifIcouldidentify a situationin whichitwasobviousthat the brandwouldbenefitbyparticipatingwithengagedconsumers,wouldtheyalreadybedoingso?    www.pr‐squared.com 3 IchoseBMWatrandom.Herewas the process… At the timeofmyresearch, a Googlesearchon“BMW”broughtuporganicsearchresult#8:AutoBlog.Specifically,“Posts from the BMWCategoryatAutoBlog.”(Pleasenotehowsurprisingitisthat a blogpoppedupin the first10Googlesearchresultsfor a major brand.Thisoccurswithincreasingfrequency.) Regardlessofitsimpressiveorganicsearchranking,isAutoBlogworthpayingattentionto?Let’scheckTechnorati.“There are285,004linkstothisURL”(rank56).Outofover50,000,000blogs,AutoBlogis#56?That’sprettydarnedgood. At the timeofmysearch, the mostrecentpostin the BMWcategory atAutoBlogreferredto a “spyshot”regarding the BMW1‐Series Coupe. The articlehadover20comments,andseveralinboundblog links.Not a vastwaveofconsumerinteraction,but–given AutoBlog’soverallsitetraffic–it’snottrivialvolume,either. A quick scanofsomeof the otherBMWpostingsatAutoBlogshowed a fairly consistentamountofuserinteraction… ClearlythereisanactivecommunitycongregatingatAutoBlog’sBMWsite, evenifatfirstglance the numberofactiveusersisrelativelysmall.Wecan extrapolate from the site’sexcellentGoogleplacementandTechnorati rankthatanyonesearchingfor“BMW”on the webmightquicklyfindthis site. Thus the opportunity.Ireadthroughseveralpostsandcomments,anddidnotnoteanyone from BMWparticipatingin thiscommunity.Buthowcoolwoulditbeforthesebrandenthusiaststointerfacedirectlywith a real‐live‐humanBMW representativeon a regularbasis?HowgratefulwouldregularvisitorstoAutoblogbe,iftheyoccasionallyscoredsomeexclusive content,tosharewiththeirfriends?Wouldn’tthisnotonlycement the loyaltyofcurrentfansbutalsoshow the thousandsof randomvisitorsto the highly‐traffickedblogthatBMWtrulycaredaboutitscustomersandprospectivebuyers??    www.pr‐squared.com 4 Ofcoursetherearechallengesforanycompany–evenofBMW’ssize–to scaleandtrainandmonitor a groupof“communitymanagers”thatcould serveasadjunctsto the marketinggroup.AlsoIacknowledgethatthiswasan unscientificapproach.ForallIknow,BMWisengaging“big‐time”inother partsof the blogosphere. BMW’s“failure”inthisexperiment,wasnottakingadvantageofaneasily‐ identifiedopportunitytoengage,consistently,in a placethatissoprominently impactingtheirbrand. Ifyou’renotpayingattentiontowhat’sbeingsaidaboutyourbrandwithin the Top10searchresults,howcanyouclaimtobe “engaged?” Googleiseverybrand’snewhomepage.JustaskSpiritAirlines: the #5organicsearchresultat the timeofthiswriting? A blogpost thatsays“DoNotFlySpiritAirlines,”whichwassopoorlyhandledby the companythatitspawnedallkindsoftrouble. ParticipationisMarketing. The better the participation–intermsoftone,responsivenessandfrequency– the better the marketing. Thinkaboutwhat the customerswanttohear,notwhatyouwantthemtohear.(Andcertainlynotwhatyouwantthemtobuy. Social Media isnot the rightforumfor a salespitch.Ifyouworkonbuildingloyaltytoyourbrand’spersonality,saleswillfollowin duecourse.) So,if“participation”is the goal,howdoyougetstarted?     www.pr‐squared.com 5 MakinganEntranceinto Social Media Itusedtobethatconsumerstriedtoimpactbrandsvialetter‐writingcampaigns,boycotts,etc.Notethattheseactivitiestendedto beactivistandnegative:that’sbecauseittook a concertedefforttogainanyattention.Thus,only the trulydisgruntledgaveit a go; happycustomerstendedtojustkeepquietandgoabouttheirbusiness. Butin the eraof Social Media, everyonehas a say.Thiscanbegoodorbadfor the brand…it’snowjustaseasyforfansasenemies togetinvolvedonline.Eitherway the brandhasnochoicein the matter:whether the brandmanagerparticipatesin the conversationhaslittlebearingonwhetherornot a conversationisgoingtohappen. Smartcompaniestendtodecideit’sbettertoparticipatethannot.Someofthese companiesdecidetogetdolled‐upfor the conversation;ratherthanengageconsumers in a low‐key,value‐orientedway,theirOldSchoolmarketingmindsetsuggeststothem thattheyneedimmediateawarenessandROI.Thustheytrytoenter the fraywith a strategythatturnsheads.Maybeit’swith a branded social networkingsite;or a glitzy FacebookorMySpacepage;or a swarmoffreshly‐mintedcommunitymanagers… The problemwiththisapproachisthatitbegsforimmediateattention,andanyone who’swatched a blowhardburstinto a cocktailpartyknowsthatsomefolksare attractedto the alphapersonality,andsomefolkscringewithdistaste. Whenyou’reonline,thosereactions(goodandbad)areinstantlyvisible.Somefolkswillapplaud the big,noisy Social Media debut. Butsomewillcarpabout“whattookyousolong?”…“whysofancy‐schmancy?”…“who the f**doyouthinkyouare?”…“wholet the freakin’marketersin?”…etc. Areyoureadyforthatkindofunbridledcriticism?Wouldyoubedisappointedtofindthatyourgoodintentionswerecompletely lostin the frenzyofcommentsaboutyourwayward,self‐interested Social Media policies?    www.pr‐squared.com 6 Thisisnot a callforbrandstodefertheirentryinto Social Media spheres.Therearemanylargecompaniescurrentlyresearching anddevelopingplansfor Social Media campaigns.Iapplaudtheirenthusiasm. But,goslow.Listenfirst.Then,listenagain.UsefreetoolslikeBlogPulsetoascertainwho’stalkingaboutyourbrand(andsimilar industrytopics).Youmayfindthat the BigPlandeveloped6‐monthsagoisnolongerrelevant,sincethisspacemovessodarned fast. Findoutwhereyourlikelyfriendsandskepticsare…figureouthowtheir opinionsandtonechangedover the pastfewmonths…takeaninterestinwhat theytalkaboutwhenyou’re(ostensibly)notaround. Figureouthowyoumightaddvaluetotheircommunities,withoutexpectingan immediateReturnonInvestment.Itmaybeanathemafor a marketerto discountROIconsiderations,but,it’spoisonoustoyourplansifregularfolks figureoutthatthatROIequationisallyoutrulycareabout. It’snotaboutmakinganimpression.Andit’snotabout“impressions”intermsofwebsitetraffic.It’saboutmakingfriends. Friendswhowilltellyou the truth.Friendswhomightsomedaybuyyourproduct,andtelltheirfriendsaboutit.Friendswhomight rallytoyourdefensewhenyouhit a roughpatch. Listen.Think.Listen.Act.(Slowly.)     www.pr‐squared.com 7 ThoughtsonBlogging Alongthosesamelinesof“makinganentrance”in Social Media, Iget a lotofquestionsaboutblogging.“Shouldweblog?”is the mostcommonquestion. The secondmostcommonquestionis,“ShouldourCEObeblogging?” The answerto the firstquestioniseasy.Asyou’llseelateroninthise‐book,Iam a hugefanofContentMarketing,and“blogging” easilyfallsintothatbucket.AsforCEObloggers?That’strickier.Therearepoliticalissuestoconsider.Maybeshow the CEOthis “openletter”below,first;seehowtheyreact,thendecide? OpenLetterto the CEOWhoWantstoBecome a Blogger DearCEO, Ittakes a lotoftalenttoriseto the CEOspot.Youneedtobeconfidentandcharming,smartand articulate.Theseareexcellentqualitiesin a blogger,too! As a CEO,Icanunderstandwhyyou’dbeinterestedin“joining the conversation.”It’san conversation–afterall,it’s a conversationabouttopicsofinterestto interesting youandtoyourcompany, and the peopleyou’llinteractwithwillself‐identifythemselvesasbeinginterestedinwhatyou’ve gottosay.  Donewell,you’llgetbothpersonalsatisfactionandbottom‐lineresults from yourforayinto blogging. Ha!!Caughtya.Wereyounoddinginagreementall the waythroughmyli’lspeech?Sorrybutit’snotthateasy.Youneed toexploreyourmotivationsandtimecommitmentsbeforeyouconsider a dualcareeras a CEO‐Blogger. Toomanywould‐beCEObloggerstreattheirnewtoyaslittlemorethan a weeklynewsletter; a waytobroadcasttheir thoughts,ratherthan a waytocreate a dialogue.Theyexpectthatsimplybecause theyare the CEO,naturallypeoplewillbe    www.pr‐squared.com 8 magneticallydrawntotheirwords.Andthentheyarecrushedtosee“Comments(0)”aftereachpost,andaremortifiedto see a wanTechnoratiranking… Andthentheygiveup,poo‐pooing the ballyhooedblogosphereastheymunchonsourgrapes.Becausetheycouldn’ttame the blogosphere,theylostinterest.Now,allotherblog‐relatedprojectsat the companybecomesuspect–afterall,if THE CEOcouldn’thackit,whodaresthinkthattheycoulddobetter? Andthus a companyloses a goldenopportunitytoengagewiththeircustomersandprospects. Butyou’renotlikethat?Youtrulywanttoengage?Cool.StartbyNOTblogging. Don’tblogforatleastonefullmonthfollowingyourdecisiontostartblogging.Instead,spendthattimefindingOTHERblogs inyourindustry.Readthem.Commentjudiciously.Leaveyour“agenda”on the coat‐rack.Justgettoknow a fewfolks. Introduceyourself. As the CEO,you’reprobablyaccustomedtobeingnoticedwhenyouwalk intoanindustryfunction.Youmayevenhavehandlerstosquireyouto the centersofpowerin a conferencehall.But,youwouldn’tpresumethat levelofrecognitionandcloutifyouwalkedinto a blockpartyin a new neighborhood,eh?You’dhangback a little,insertyourselfmildlyinto a wedgeofconversation,andingratiateyourself.You’dbe a gentleman. Andyettheremightstillbemomentsofawkwardness.All the neighborsalreadyknoweachother.Therearecliques. There’scontext,politicsandin‐jokestofigureout.Youwouldn’texpecttobe the lifeof the partyrightaway.But,youknew thatgoingin…so,tohelpgrease the skids,youbroughtsomenicebottlesofwineandsomeofyourkillerBBQribs. Samewithblogging,Chief.Thinkofbloggingasanextendedblockparty.You’recertainlyinvited,butpleasedon’texpectto beMr.Popularrightaway.Givingfreelyofyourattentionin the formofcommentingandlinkingliberallytoyourpeers’    www.pr‐squared.com 9 blogsis the equivalentofhandingoutyourBBQgoodies.ItcouldtakeYEARS,butsoonerorlateryourneighborswillcometo respect,expectandloveyourcontributions. Upforit?Awesome.Coverup the keyboard,layasideyourambitions,startreading,andjoin the fun.  See, the CEOtookitprettywell,eh? The goodnewsisthat the sameadviceofferedtoyourCEOisjustasapplicabletoanyoneelse in the companywhomaybeupto the bloggingchallenge. Butwhataboutreachingouttoexternalbloggers?That’swhatMARKETINGisallabout,right?BloggerRelations!Gettingsome virtual“ink!” OK,sure,fine,yea–wecandothat.Buttherearesomerulesof the road.Thoserules willbediscussedin the pagesahead,butFIRST,doyourself the favorofmakingsurethat your“BloggerRelations”programis a coordinatedone. Inlargecompanies,“outreachto the bloggers”mightmeandifferentthingstodifferent people,andyourun the riskof a verypublicembarrassmentifyouallowBloggerRelations programstospringupwilly‐nilly.Itiscoolthatyou’rereadytoengageinBlogger Relations.Butareyousurethatnooneelsein the companyisn’talreadydoingit? Forexample,it’snothardatalltoimagine the ounceofnaivetérequiredfor a marketing managertoconsider a paidBloggerRelationscampaign.Theymightnoteventhinkto check‐inwith the corporatePRdepartment–theymaygivesuch a campaignnomore weightthaniftheywerecrafting a newpieceofdirectmail!To the unsophisticatedmarketerwho’sbeendoingCorporate Marketingfor20years,this“bloggingstuff”maysimplyrepresent a newchanneltoexploit.