Posted by Rahna on April 23, 2009 under Social Media | 
Last week was a big week for Twitter. On Friday, April 17th, Oprah joined Twitter and sent her first tweet on national television. In addition, Ashton Kutcher got his millionth Twitter follower (beating out CNN). As a part of her show, Oprah had Ashton on as a (remote) guest, naming him the king of Twitter. The show represented a turning point for many social media proponents; they felt that social media had come of age and is now THE way to communicate…the only media worth considering.
Ashton talked about how media is now in the hands of the masses. You no longer have to wait to communicate. You can send messages out immediately to anyone willing to listen to you. In Ashton’s world, he appreciated being able to refute tabloid-type rumors right way, without having to go through a publicist or some other official spokes person.
There are those predicting that, like newspapers, all other media will soon be dead.
Hold on, there, Chief. Let’s take a moment to see who has gained these million followers…is it your Uncle Earl? No. It’s a celebrity, someone who reached stardom through that most traditional of all vehicles—TV! Yes, it’s another way to communicate, and there are definite marketing implications for anyone selling a product or service, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. There is still a primary place for “traditional” media. Social media is simply the toddler at the kids table at this point.
I’m not saying, “Don’t get a Twitter account.” I am on Twitter (@Rahna); follow me and we’ll talk tweet. I’m just saying, don’t eliminate your traditional media buy altogether.
Posted by Rahna on April 19, 2009 under Social Media |
Twitter isn’t “mainstream” yet—by any stretch of the imagination. The media is all abuzz about Twitter, and yes, tons of people are signing up all the time now, but a recent Harris Interactive research study showed that as of March 31st and April 1, only 5% of people are on Twitter.
TABLE 1 ONLINE SOCIAL NETWORK USAGE “Which of the following, if any, do you do?” Base: All Online Adults
|
Total
|
Age
|
Gender
|
|
18-34
|
35-44
|
45-54
|
55+
|
Male
|
Female
|
|
%
|
%
|
|
%
|
% %
|
%
|
%
|
|
Have a Facebook or MySpace account
|
48
|
74
|
47
|
41
|
24
|
45
|
52
|
|
Update Facebook or MySpace account at least once a day
|
16
|
29
|
17
|
10
|
3
|
14
|
18
|
|
USE TWITTER (NET)
|
5
|
8
|
7
|
4
|
1
|
5
|
5
|
|
· Follow people on Twitter
|
5
|
8
|
6
|
4
|
1
|
5
|
5
|
|
· Use Twitter to send messages
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
1
|
*
|
3
|
2
|
|
None of these
|
51
|
25
|
50
|
59
|
76
|
54
|
47`
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In the end, it all comes back to strategies for reaching your core target audience. If you are trying to reach the 18-34 year old, you better get a social media strategy in place, because according to this Harris Interactive research study, three-quarters of that audience has some sort of social media presence (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc). But if your target is the aging Baby Boomer, less than 25% have a social media presence.
Posted by Rahna on April 16, 2009 under Personal Branding, Social Media |
If you need to better understand the potential power of social media, just go ask Susan Boyle, a woman who’s become an worldwide sensation by appearing on the talent search show Britain’s Got Talent. All of Britain fell in love with her during the appearance, but it’s the internet that really catapulted her into super-stardom. In a matter of days, she has become an international media darling. Let’s examine the ingredients of the recipe for success. Susan Doyle is:
Talented: She truly has a gift. If you’ve watched the clip, you know she has an amazing voice that is worthy of all the buzz.
Unique: Her cheeky personal brand is endearing to people. The juxtaposition of her quirky looks and mannerisms with that rich voice startles and delights people in a lovely ways…we’re not used to hearing about people who are “gobsmacked.”
On-line: The secret sauce created by email, YouTube, and Twitter has resulted in media appearances, coveted brand exposure, and worldwide reknown.
What about you? Are you talented, unique, and on-line?
I already know the answer to the first two: yes.
Everyone has special talents to bring to their world, unique contributions to give. Realize that it wasn’t just her singing voice that delighted us. It was her quirky demeanor, the endearing vulnerability of admitting she’d never been kissed and her flippant responses to Simon Cowell that compels us to love her….In other words, it is her—her life experiences and personality that draw us in.
The last question (whether you are an individual or a corporate brand) is, “Are you on-line?”
If you’re not, wake up to the twenty-first century. Get engaged in the digital world—sign up for a Twitter account, post a YouTube video—do something! Those who contribute to the digital world benefit from its rich rewards.
Posted by Rahna on April 9, 2009 under Uncategorized |
“Who” versus “What” with Good to Great Jim Collins
In the excellent Inc. article of an interview with Good to Great author Jim Collins, there are two concepts that really stood out to me. One is an idea that Collins puts forth that companies move through four stages of development:
1. starting with a great idea
2. building an excellent business
3. developing a company,
4. being a catalyst for a movement.
The second concept that struck me is an interesting discussion about focusing on the “who” more so than the “what” of a company. In the course of the discussion, Collins talks about how important it is to make wise human resources choices: “Do you have a culture of people who A. share a set of values, B. have very clear responsibilities, and C. perform? Those who build a culture around those ideas are building upon something that is largely unchangeable.”
I kept reading, expecting to hear that the “who” focus should include the consumer—focusing on delighting the consumer with amazing products and services and inspiring them to engage in the larger “movements” that he talks about later in the article….He never got to it.
I contend that any entrepreneur—scratch that, any business professional—must include (at a foundational level) the consumer as a critical “who” element in the mix.
Check out the article here…a very interesting read.
Posted by Rahna on April 6, 2009 under Consumer Engagement, Social Media, Strategy |
I attended a workshop last week at the Simsbury Library, where Suzi Craig was talking about social media. It’s a topic I’m always interested in, and I always learn some little thing that I didn’t know before…. But sometimes what you learned has nothing to do with the topic presented. Such was the case for me.
Start With The Strategy
First, the mass of confusion surrounding social media continues to beg for a strong sense of strategy to be brought to every digital media discussion. Why are you thinking about engaging in social media? What are your objectives? Answering these two questions will drastically simplify any further conversation with any social media expert.
Understand Your Audience.
She told the audience that she had sent a “tweet” out to her followers:
hey Twitterverse: talking Tweets, Posts and more with Simsbury CT crowd. If you’re out there give us more cowbell at: #simsburycowbell
She was asking for people to send a tweet back to her so that, as she displayed her Tweet Deck on screen, messages directly to the audience would appear. The audience of mostly 40- 80-year-olds had been struggling all night to wrap their brains around the basic concept of Twitter…. and now, when she started talking about “cowbell,” the audience collectively cocked its head, puzzled, and asked “Cowbell?” One brave soul raised a hand and asked, “Is cowbell some kind of Twitter phrase?”
For the few in the audience who understood this classic Will Ferrell-era Saturday Night Live reference, this comment was comical. The presenter tried to explain her meaning and then deftly turned to the misunderstanding into an opportunity to have the novice audience learn how to use YouTube by giving a homework assignment: “You need to go home and search YouTube in order to find the referenced clip (when I went to YouTube, I found that the clip has been taken off!).
So what’s the lesson?
Remember your audience.
When you are with a theater full of octogenarians, you can talk about the 1950s in a very different way then you could with a general I audience. For one, the 1950s constitute the past–is in history, something to be studied, and for the other, it constitutes their past. As a marketer, you need to speak to your audience in a way that resonates with them.
And by the way, if you don’t understand the cowbell reference, follow the links I have provided for a cultural education, Saturday Night Live-style.
Posted by Rahna on April 2, 2009 under Branding, Personal Branding |
Check it out!
If you missed my talk on “Recession-Proof Your Career With Strong Personal Branding” at the Simsbury Libray last month, you can see it during the month of April on SCTV. It airs at 3pm and 10 pm every Thursday for the whole month! Enjoy!
