After a rather tumultuous time for American car makers, Chevy is doing something to engage the buzz makers of our time. And they're doing a rather good job of it. The annual South by Southwest(SXSW) conference is being held this month. It's an conference of innovation in interactive, music and film. It was at this conference that innovations like Twitter and FourSquare have been introduced in the past.
Leading up the interactive portion of the conference, Chevy is sponsoring road trips from eight different parts of the country to SXSW. They are providing the car and having a four[person team from each city's social media scene drive it to the conference. Along the way, they must complete as many of 50 challenges as they can, which were crowd-sourced out to the followings of each team. The Chevy social media team, headed by Chris Barger, then chose the 50 challenges from all those submitted. (They didn't use my "find a ugly bug from each state" suggestion - but then that would be hard here in Michigan). Each team also get points for how much their social media communities interact with them along the way. The prize for the winning team is that Chevy with throw an "epic tweetup" in the winner's city for their social media community. How much good will and online buzz is Chevy creating from this one social media promotion? It's huge. And it's spearheaded by the leaders in each community, the early adopters with lots of followers. I think it's a brilliant way to get your product and brand name out there and generate positive feelings.
I've been following Team Detroit all day today, which is the first day of the road trip. I'm friends with three of the four members of the team, through various local social media functions. They're all great people and are making following them a lot of fun. They've had a steady stream of photos, videos, tweets, Facebook comments, blogs and more as they've gone. The local community has responded with comments, retweets and more on a large scale. Now, maybe it's not like that in all the team's cities (last I looked Team Detroit had a commanding lead), but the buzz is pretty great. You can follow Team Detroit on the Twitter hashtag #DETChevySXSW or on Facebook. It's fun. I'd recommend it. But, in the end, I think it's Chevy who's the real winner.
Mike McClure, Exec Creative Director & Social Media Guy
As social media explodes in popularity, both on an individual basis and as a marketing/PR/HR/customer service tool for companies, a lot of legal issues are popping up. It's such a relatively new field that there isn't a lot of precedence yet. Should employers monitor and regulate employee use of social media? Do they even have the right to? Last year ESPN told their on-air employees they could only tweet about ESPN related materials on their personal twitter accounts. What about copyright infringement? It seems to run rampant in social media - so is a Napster-like crackdown coming? And what about privacy issues? Google's new social network, Buzz, got hit with a lawsuit from G-mail account holders upset that the new network broadcast personal information without their consent. And these are just a few of the issues.
While many of the legal questions don't have definitive answers yet, I did get some answers at last week's Social Media Club Detroit meeting. Karen Evans, an attorney who also is a professor and program director at Lawrence Technological University, gave a presentation called "Law and the Social Web." While she did say that actual answers would vary depending on specific cases, she gave great general info on what you can and can't do on the social web.
As far as regulating employees, Evans says companies should let their employees talk, but they should monitor what's being said. For instance say there's a twitter conversation between an employee and her friend (or another employee) that reveals that someone in the company made a remark that could be construed as sexual harassment. Even if it's in jest, the company should look into it, so they can't be accused of ignoring a possible infraction. And even worse, if you say you're monitoring your employees and you actually aren't - a situation like this could come back to bite you.
Another problem for employers? If employees inadvertently relay trade secrets over social networks. This gets tricky for the company, because once trade secrets are out there, they're really hard to get back. And you could lose them. For instance, if your process of doing something is what sets you apart, once it's out on the social web, other companies can see it and start doing the same processes. You can't really stop them and your advantage is lost.
Evans told a story about using a company's name that's not your own in social media. She told of one person who took the twitter handle HJ_Heinz, mostly as an experiment to see what happened. He wrote tweets about ketchup and ketchup recipes and the like - nothing derogatory towards the Heinz company. This went on for awhile until one day he came in and found his twitter handle had been changed to NOTHJ_Heinz. Think this is a violation of his free speech rights? No, say Evans, only the government can violate your free speech rights. Corporations aren't held to that same standard. Plus, perhaps you were violating their trademarked name.
These are just few of the tidbits that Evans imparted to the crowd at our SMCD meeting (which are open to anyone, if you're interested). For a full set of notes on what knowledge she imparted, click here to go to the notes page on the SMCD Facebook page. And if you're a Detroit peep, consider becoming a fan. You'll get info on other upcoming speakers - all for free!
So, what social media legal issues have you encountered so far? What did you do? What were the results?
Mike McClure, Exec Creative Director & Yaffe Social Media Guy
Yesterday was the day, I don't move for 3+ hours. Being a huge football fan and a huge advertising fan, Super Bowl Sunday is one of the most anticipated days of the year. Yesterday lived up to the hype. For the third year in a row, we had a great game. And although we don't see the true wow factor in the commercials as we did in the good old days, it was a pretty good crop of ads this year - with the usual smattering of clunkers. So, let's look at what made my top ten list and what made me ashamed to be an ad man. First the good:
Number 10: Tru TV:"Punxsotawny Polamalu"
This commercial isn't getting the buzz around the agency as some of the others, but I thought it was pretty funny. Set up to look like Ground Hog's Day, the crowd is gathered around as the head guy in tux and top hat is pulling on this rat nest of hair. Finally, he pulls up a little Troy Polamalu by the hair. Polamalu sees his shadow and it's declared we'll have 6 more weeks of football, on Tru Tv's new reality show. Bonus chuckle: Polamalu's flexing at the end.
Number 9: Bud Light: "T-Pain"
Another one that just made me laugh out loud. Some random guy's wife brings home a 6-pack of Bud Light and all the sudden he's talking in the electronic T-Pain voice. He gets 3 buddies on the phone, all in the middle of doing mundane things like brushing their teeth, and they all start talking in that same electronic voice, about how they're gonna party now. At the end the actual T-Pain is at the party speaking electronically and looking for some guacamole.
Number 8: Flo TV "My Generation"
Flo TV did real well, this Super Bowl. I liked a lot of their spots, including some good ones with football announcers Jim Nance and Jim Brown. But the best of the bunch was a montage of highly charged events from the last half a century set to Will-I-am's remix of the Who's "My Generation." The base idea is nothing new, but the execution was done really well.
Number 7: Kia Sorento Toy Fantasy Life
With the Big 3 automakers pretty much out of the Super Bowl this year, we saw a flood of innovative ads from the foreign car companies. My favorite was the Kia Sorento spot featuring a hip gang of toys out for a night on the town in their new Kia. Turns out they belong to a kid who's mom drives a Sorento. Fun, cool spot.
Number 6: Doritos "House Rules"
Doritos was all over the place, producing some of the best and some of the worst ads on the Super Bowl. This one was the best of the best of them. It features his mom's date showing up, checking out the mom as she walks away and then taking a chip from the kid's bowl. The kid is having none of that and lets him know in no uncertain terms.
Number 5: Denny's Chicken campaign
Denny's had three spots featuring chickens screaming in terror in response to free Grand Slam breakfasts and how many eggs that was gonna require. The first, announcement one was only so-so, but the second two "Chickens Across America" and the :15 second "Chicken Birthday Ad" were classic. I knew it was a hit when the chicken in space floated by doing a silent scream and i could hear my son's group of 20-something friends all laughing from the other room.
Number 4: Vizio "Forge"
First of all, it's featuring a pretty cool looking product a flat screen TV enabled to run all kinds of Internet apps. It opens with Beyonce' singing and a huge mechanical arm snatches her mid-song, dumping her into a whole. It continues to grab all kinds of things including the Chocolate Rain guy and the Numah-Numah kid, dumping them all into the whole that apparently is the way into the new TV. Showcases cool product features in a very cool way.
Number 3: Bud Light "House"
The high point of the Bud Light stuff this year. Crazy house where everything, including the house, is made of Bud Light. There's even "Bud Light in this fridge made of Bud Light." Thirsty friends start to destroy everything to get at a can or bottle of the beer.
Number 2: Volkswagen "PunchDub"
Loved this ad. They took a simple, brandcentric game we've all played, Slug Bug, and turned into a great ad about their whole line. The spot features all kinds of people in all kinds of situations slugging someone and say, "there's a red one" or whatever color. From to Amish guys in a buggy to two partied out guys in the back of a limo. The spot has a great kicker at the end featuring Stevie Wonder and Tracy Morgan.
And my number 1 Super Bowl spot: Google "Parisian Love"
Great first effort by Google. It's simple. It's engaging. It's compelling. And it tells a story. All through simple googles a guy does over time in the process of wooing a French girl to become his girlfriend, wife and mother of his child. All done by simple product demonstration that highlights the key benefits without them getting in the way of a good story. Best one of the bunch.
Honorable Mentions:
I did have a hard time cutting this down to just 10 commercials. The ones that just missed the cut are a Snickers ad where Betty White gets drilled in a backyard football game, a touching but funny Simpsons ad for Coke, Monster's Beaver Violinist was a scream, as was their pre-game Boogy Man ad, The Letterman ad with Opera and Jay Leno at his lousy Super Bowl party, the Audi Green Police spot, the new eTrade baby spots and the Doritos "Snack Attack Samuria" spot where a guy who stole a bag of the snacks from Tim's locker finds mild mannered Tim garbed in a Dorito suit of armor.
And the Worst of the Bunch:
There were still those that made me want to make sure nobody knew I worked in Advertising. The worst offenders, in no particular order are: The Charles Barkley ad for Taco Bell. It was a lot of build up for nothing. I had a feeling from watching the teaser ads that it would be bad, but it was way worse than I thought it would be. The Go Daddy spots are now not just sexist and full of empty titillation, they're just plain stupid. The woman tries to outdo Danica Patrick and whips off her outer wear to reveal a skimpy Go Daddy beater shirt. The ad then hits us with instructions to go to the website to see what happens next. There's no real indication as to what might happen next other than to warn it's for mature adults. Why Ms Patrick does these is beyond me. Another clunker was the guy who faked his death to be put in a coffin filled with Doritos. He's inside it watching the game on a mini TV while his funeral is going on, He then gets exited and knocks the casket over spilling out him and his Doritos. And maybe the worst of the worst is the Boost Mobil Chicago Bears spot bringing back these old pros to reenact their Super Bowl shuffle. Problem is half the audience has no idea who these guys are and why they're dancing around. They just know it's awful, and it is.
What are your thoughts? Did I miss your fav or one you hated?
Another good company, Snyder’s Drug Stores, announced a couple of weeks ago that it is closing. I know because we sent out the press releases. Each press release listed my name, Michael Morin, as the contact for more information. We do crisis management for our clients, but this is one you hope you never have to do – going out of business. It resulted in a grueling couple of days on the phone with radio, TV and newspaper people throughout Minnesota, the US and Canada.
The whole ordeal was physically draining. But, it was more than that; it was sad… really sad. Snyder’s was a vital part of the neighborhoods where they had stores. Some of the calls I got asked me where the local seniors were going to turn to for their prescriptions. Another call talked about how Snyder’s had been delivering prescriptions to a paraplegic veteran. Now, what was he going to do?
In most of the areas, Walgreens bought the prescription lists and will take care of those who were loyal Snyder’s customers. In many markets, Walgreens is even taking over the existing store and will convert it. But, some neighborhoods will be without. And the big national chains won’t deliver the kind of personal service that took care of a local vet who couldn’t make it to the store. Many people won’t have the trusted pharmacist they’ve had for years. It’s a sad story that’s told over and over these days as regional chains fall by the wayside.
So, how did this happen? Was it a product of the recession that has hit small to mid-size companies especially hard this last year? Or was it part of the trend this past decade with larger competitors gobbling up the smaller chains all across the country? We’ve seen this happen to many Yaffe & Company clients the past 10 years. Michigan based Perry Drug Stores, a Yaffe client, was bought out by Rite Aid and then their local competition Arbor Drugs was bought up by CVS.
Snyder’s Drug Stores were founded by Max Snyder in downtown Minneapolis in 1928 and grew to become a formidable player in the drugstore category with over 80 stores in the Twin Cities, plus dozens of franchise stores in many other states. A merger 8 years ago turned out to be a bad move, resulting in bankruptcy. Then, in the past five years, three big competitors (Walgreens, CVS and Target) opened 60 new pharmacies in the Twin Cities. So, the weakened Snyder’s now had to compete against the big national players who opened stores at all the best intersections.
So, if Snyder’s had been able to stay relevant, adapt and remain financially strong, would they have been able to overcome these obstacles? It’s hard to say. If they had been strong enough to weather the economic storm that was 2009, who’s to say they might not have still been bought out by one of the big players like so many regional chains before them. The end result would have been better for the Snyder’s people, but would have been the same for the neighborhoods who believed in their local drug store chain.
Small and mid-size chains are disappearing all over the place. Is it the economy, the homogenization of America, merger mania or some combination of all? I’d be interested in hearing what you think.
We all witnessed an interesting phenomenon last week. The U.S. rallied it’s political strength, emotional celebrity clout and its spirit of giving to raise close to 54 million dollars for Haiti. In one week the U.S. orchestrated this massive relief effort: raising funds, getting water, food and supplies, medical doctor expertise including surgical theaters and expediting delivery of orphaned children who were mid-process of the adoption process.
Our participation in the Haiti disaster over the last week was truly remarkable.The U.S. television media organized multi-channel interactive access in presenting the real time situation, the pleas for help, the organizations where money should be sent and summarized how the money would be used, in graphic detail.Through the on-going media exposure using the most heart felt, engaging reportage, a stabilizing effort of relief and medical care was brought about out of complete chaos and disaster.We were even able to witness how the aid was beginning to repair the overwhelming damage.
But it wasn't just about mass media. The organization of new media channels for reaching out to each and every U.S. household with compassion and dignity brought the disaster vividly into all of our lives in a whole new way. Social media and the Internet have personalized the involvement among all of us. By connecting through these online channels, all of us could feel we were personally a part of the relief efforts and the aid given. Even children and young teens were establishing organized efforts for relief.
This event crystallized in my mind the future role of the United States in a global community. Utilizing our creativity, intellect and technological reach, as a nation we have the capacity to lift third world communities into self-managing democracies by empowering individuals with the tools for on-going sustenance.
Whatever one has to say about the all-encompassing and imposing nature of technology and media in our lives, we clearly saw how we can use our creative assets to further the benefit of global mankind.Technology allows for distribution of wealth in the most specific one-on-one terms.The scope of audience privy to the information is so vast because of technology, the burden in no longer on a select few.
As marketers, it is our responsibility to harness this power in the most effective ways for building brands and making a difference. Cause related marketing is such a powerful magnet with the appropriate strategic partners.It takes creativity, imagination, intelligence and humanity.It can only serve to make all of us look good and feel better - about ourselves and about the companies we do business with.
Guest blog by Joanie Abraham, Partner at Style Branding.
This week we're sending a little love out for a video Coke produced for the web, called "Happiness Machine." It features a "special" Coke machine they set up in a New York college campus that interacts with the student body by giving out extra Cokes, Pizza, a 6 ft. sub, by handing out flowers, making balloon animals, going off with bells and whistles like a Vegas slot machine and other things.
Hidden cameras catch the students reactions - which are the best part of the video. They really get into it, cheering, sharing the free Cokes and food, hugging and thanking the machine. It's a very simple concept that is well done and fun to watch. At this posting they already have nearly 708,000 views on YouTube in their first 8 days since posting.
Coke's Viral Video: "Happiness Machine"
According to an article inMarketing Daily, this is the first video they've done strictly for the web with no TV exposure and first Coke video to go viral globally. The video ends with a line "Share the happiness, share the video" and "Where will happiness strike next?" - which leads you to believe that they may set up other machines and shoot other videos in more locations. The Marketing Daily article said that Coke hopes this video is successful enough that they shoot many, many more. So far, they're off to a good start.
Got a suggestion for Ad of the Week? Leave your comment here, send us an email atfans@yaffe.com, send us a tweet or post on our Facebook page.
There are a lot of self-proclaimed experts and gurus out there,claiming to be able to help you navigate the web 2.0 world. Social media's been around for awhile, but the concept of companies using social media as part of their marketing mix is one that's just now really starting to take off. Most companies, especially small to mid-sized ones, don't know how to use it and are looking for experts. But how can you tell if the expert you're talking to truly knows what he or she is talking about. Are they able to practice what they preach? Finding out who really knows their stuff and is capable of creating measurable ROI was the idea behind Blog Off II - a contest that pitted bloggers against each other for 12 days in December. created by Andrew Ballenthinand theCommunity Marketing Blog.
I had the pleasure of being on the panel of judges who formed an international"Dream Team" of social media and digital marketing practitioners for the contest. We had 28 contestants from the U.S., Canada, England, Italy, India and the Netherlands who wrote over 110 blog posts. This created over 27,700 page views and generated over 1,260 comments. Those are good, hard number, and pretty amazing for a 12 day period. The entrants were judged on these numbers and then we (the judges) looked at qualitative characteristics such as writing quality, how well they engaged in conversation with their audience and other similar issues. The top 3 winners split $45,000 in prizes, including a new logo and branding package designed by The Yaffe Group.
In order to do well, Blog Off II contestants needed to use all their social marketing skills to drive traffic to their posts. They needed to write good content about things people wanted to know more about. They had to engage them to get them to come to the blog and then engage them further in an on-going conversation once they got there. In the end, thewinnerswere those who had already created a strong enough social network that they could tap into it and drive traffic. They were also those who had the strongest personal brand, so people were interested in what they had to say and trusted them enough to engage with them. In return, each blogger's social network was expanded by the contest and blog readership. And their personal brands were enhanced by being a part of it. That's the kind of results you want for your company's brand. It's also the qualities you want in a social media expert/guru.
Unfortunately, not everyone has been able to be a part of something like this that proves they truly understand how to use social media and leverage their own personal brand for marketing purposes. However, you can look at who excelled in this contest and watch for the upcoming Blog Off III. You can also look at the dream team and the community marketing blog team. Each of us has our own twist to offer and, since we've all built communities of our own, can likely direct you to someone who's the perfect fit for your needs, even if we're not.
The most important thing you can do when looking for someone to guide your company through the new social marketing landscape is to take the same care you would if searching for a new marketing firm, PR company, HR resource, employee trainer or any other professional service. Because, social media has parts of all those functions rolled into one and you need to make sure the person or firm you hire doesn't just talk a good game, they play it well, too.
Mike McClure, Exec Creative Director/Social Media Director
If you’re an entrepreneur or smaller business looking to get more business on a small to miniscule budget, there’s good news and bad news. The good news is that with all the free and low cost tools available in the digital and social media world, you can be quite effective without spending a lot of money. The bad news? To make it work, you do need to invest a lot of time sprinkled with inspiration and innovation. Having a personality helps, too.
More good news: many individuals and companies are finding a lot of productive leads and connections through these channels. More bad news: it’s not a quick fix. It’s something you need to commit to and keep at. That doesn’t mean it will take you a year or two to see any results. But, it does mean you can’t just post a brilliant blog or open a Twitter account and expect the new business to start flooding through your doors.
Here’s 5 ways you can start improving your business without seriously hurting your bottom line:
1. Connect, connect, connect.
Use all the social networking tools available to you. Social networking is a great way to connect with people who may need your product or services. Just make sure you don’t start by broadcasting how great you are or trying to sell something. It’s like a cocktail party. Start with small talk; find out where you have common interests and where you can help them with their needs. It’s a good way to get to know someone you’ve never met before. Once they like and know you, they’ll be much more likely to want to do business with you.
I would suggest starting with LinkedIn if you haven’t gotten into any network. It’s the most business oriented site. Here’s a good post on how one business owner used LinkedIn to get a board of directors seat. From there, it’s a matter of preference and what type of business you’re in. You may want to start a Facebook fan page or personal page next. Or you may find the immediacy of Twitter is more to your liking. Here’s a good post by Lara Galloway on how she uses Twitter as one of her main new business tools.
2. Answer Questions on LinkedIn
One the best features on LinkedIn is the Q&A section. Why? It gives you a chance to meet people out of your network, help them with a problem they have and display your expertise. Just go to the sections where questions are being asked on subjects that fit your business offerings and your area of expertise.
Here’s just one example of how that’s worked for me. I saw a question from a guy writing a book on social media. He was looking for examples of social media success stories. I told him about a campaign we’d done for one of our clients that had worked well. He liked it, we linked together and over the next 6 months had several conversations through LinkedIn messaging. This fall he was looking for judges for a big Blog Off competition his company was having. I volunteered and became part of an international "Dream Team" panel. Besides the publicity of the contest itself, I will be listed in an upcoming book as one of the world’s top social media people, will be talked about on a Blog Talk Radio show that reaches millions and in video shows by one of Europe’s top providers of online content. Not bad for a small business owner in Detroit.
3. Use Blog Talk Radio
This is a free, easy way to create podcasts for your own enterprise. There are two ways you can use Blog Talk Radio to help your business. One is to sign up at blogtalkradio.com and host your own show. This way you can have your own radio talk show. You can invite guests who will speak on subject matters relevant to your audience or you can invite guests who represent companies you want to do business with. Or you can sometimes just speak on subjects you’re knowledgeable about and make those podcasts available to your potential clients. For an example of doing your own show, you can look at the Mom Biz Coach show.
The second, and easier, way to use Blog Talk Radio is to volunteer your expertise to someone who has a show. Our head of Yaffe Direct, Michael Morin, went on the Chuck Talks Business show and had an hour long interview. It went well and, with Chuck’s permission, we downloaded the podcast and posted it on our Yaffe Tidbits site. We then edited a 2-minute teaser of some of the best parts of the interview. We emailed the two minute version to a list of prospects along with a link to the full podcast. Within a few weeks we got several inquiries from potential clients who we never would have gotten to talk to otherwise.
4. Buy a Flip Camcorder
You can get a really nice Flip Camcorder for around $125; I’d also pop for the small tripod that’s about $20-25. The Flip is an extremely easy way to shoot, edit and post videos to your site, blog, Facebook fan page, YouTube channel or wherever you can add video to your online presence. Video is a way to really put a face on your business. You can simply set it up on the tripod, point it at yourself and record a video blog. You can also record and post client testimonials. It’s also small and portable that you can carry it with you when you go to a conference, meeting, seminar, tweetup or wherever. At these events you can ask people’s opinions on whatever issues you’d like to cover for your clients/potential clients. It takes nothing to plug the Flip into your computer and use the included edit system to string together the comments you like and post that video to one of your sites. All this adds to both your content and your credibility.
5. Blog about potential clients
If you have a blog for your business (if you don’t, start one now), you can meet potential clients simply by asking them if you can interview them for an upcoming blog post. It’s a great way to meet and get to know someone in a non-sales environment (important note: don’t try and sell yourself or company during the interview). Who doesn’t like the idea of someone wanting to interview them for their expert opinion? More often than not, you’ll be able to find someone willing to talk about their business for the free publicity for both their company and themselves.
Even if you don’t get an interview, do research on the company and write a blog post about what they’re doing right as a company. Here’s an example of a post I wrote about Biggby Coffee. After creating it, send the post to them. Even if it doesn’t peak their interest in you, they may link the post to their own site or blog. We still get traffic to our blog from companies that have linked to a post about them from many months ago.
There you have it. Five ideas that should get your business some attention without spending an arm and a leg. I’d say good luck, but it really is just a matter of good hard work.
Originally posted on the Mom Biz Coach Blog as a guest post by Mike McClure, Partner, ECD
Welcome to advertising in the consumer conversation age. This ad isn't Ad of the Week because it's stellar creative. It's featured because of what it represents in this new digital world where consumers have a say in your brand's story. I saw the :30 TV spot, titled The Pizza Turnaround, over the weekend and immediately said to myself, "you wouldn't have seen an ad like that a few years ago."
These days, brands have to pay attention to what consumers are saying online, in chats, in comment boards, on social networks, in blogs and so on and so on. And you need to be able to add to the conversation and adapt to whatever feedback you're getting. Domino's has long had a reputation as a "cheap, fast" pizza. We've all heard someone say bad things about their pizza. Well, Domino's did too. And they did something about it. They changed their product and then they put all the bad feedback right out there for everyone to see. You might think that's a bold move for a brand. It is in the old way of thinking. But, as we've already noted, the criticism's not something we didn't already know about.
Posted below is the long web format version. It opens up by showing comments on a computer screen from consumers that read things like "mass produced, boring, bland pizza," "wet and flavorless" and "microwave pizza is far superior." Bravo to Domino's for listening, participating, doing something about it and being transparent in the process. To take their brand to the next level, they really didn't have any other choice. But, that still doesn't make it an easy thing to do. Check it out for yourself below or visit their website dedicated to the processwww.pizzaturnaround.com
Domino's Pizza "The Pizza Turnaround"
Got a suggestion for Ad of the Week? Leave your comment here, send us an email atfans@yaffe.com, send us a tweet or post on our Facebook page.
It's a question asked more and more. Businesses and individuals are putting more time into blogs, podcasts and other digital media. And they want to know how this is going to make them money. You know it's something you should be doing in this digital age, but you wonder just how are you going to monetize it.
The short answer: you don't. At least not in the traditional media/marketing model. Sure you can add Google Ad Words to your blog and when you get big enough, have sponsors and paid ads on your digital material. But that's not going to get you the value you put into your company's blog or podcasts. The real value is in increasing your company's and your personal standing as an expert - the kind of people that other companies want to do business with.
In his book,Six Pixels of Separation, Mitch Joel says, "Anyone who creates content is creating media. That is the advertising. Everyone keeps searching for the ad model in blogs and podcasts, not realizing that the content and the individual producing it are the media. People see you as an expert and want to work with that expert."
That's the point. How you monetized your digital content is through the business that results from people knowing you, your expertise and wanting to work with you as a result. There are countless examples of companies getting business through this method. We ourselves had two potential clients call us wanting to know more after listening to a recentpodcastby the head of Yaffe Direct, Michael Morin.
You don't ignore ROI. To the contrary, you need to think about it - a lot. You just need to look at it differently. In her blog post"10 Crucial Roles of a Social Media Director" Liz Strauss puts "be about ROI" fourth on her list. She goes on to say, "ROI is so important. If we don’t sell things, no one has a job. For years, we’ve known the value of conferences and trade shows, yet no one knows exactly how to measure their return. I’m thinking a certain similarity applies."
The long and short of it is this: you need to be out there in the digital space building your expertise. You just need to look at the value of doing it differently. What do you think? Have a success story of your own? I'd love to hear it.
