Web Ink Now: Social business beyond just the marketing department

Many will be aware of my keen following of David Meerman Scott – below is an excerpt from his blog relating to business social media – something that many people keep asking me… the distance between the US and Asia Pacific is only based on hours in flying time – yet even whilst many companies are checking out social media in Asia Pacific the steps are small.

Social business beyond just the marketing department – by DM Scott

It seems there are three phases of development as an organization matures its social business:

1 Fear and distrust of social networking and a culture of saying “no” to tools like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. I’d say this is where 25% of companies are right now.

2 Putting a few people in the marketing department “in charge of that social stuff.”This is where more than half of companies are today.

3 Developing a social culture throughout the organization, including social business in each department. Less than 25% of companies have matured to this stage. IBM is there. The U.S. Department of Defense is too. Many others have written on this theme.

Just this weekend, I found these posts: Jeff Bullas asks: Who Is Winning At Social Media Marketing: Ford or General Motors? Jeff talks about how Christopher Barger at GM and Scott Monty at Ford are leading the way in social media. I’ve travelled to Detroit to meet with both and have video interviews with Christopher and Scott. I can say with certainty that both of GM and Ford are pushing social business down into the organization.Also writing on this theme is Peter Kane who asks: Why You Don’t Need Your Communications Team? Peter asks who’s important on the communication front? Customer service representatives? Sales departments? The $10 per hour worker on my floors? Peter answers his own question by stating the obvious: All are. All are new marketers.

Read nore : Web Ink Now: Social business beyond just the marketing department.

Aiming Your Company at the Bottom of the Barrel – UnMarketing

Judging by the size of Yellow Pages they are still able to offer ROI – if not how do they sell – APLINK tends to think that like alot of activity I undertake in Social Media – some may look at the Yellow Pages as a meer Signpost to their door – that they choose to pay for, to some it is even irrelevant whether the ad results in any sales at all.

I (APLINK) sometimes forget that even though myself and people I know are very internet SAVVY – there remains a HUGE part of the global population that are not. I believe for the short to medium term this community needs to have traditional methods of living. In Australia some years ago BANKS tried to force everyone to use Internet Banking – was that realistic – no it was not then and is still not today.

But this post by UnMarketing is a worthy read – excerpt below

1. You’re aiming at the bottom of the barrel: No, I’m not saying people who use them are the lowest of the low, it’s that they’ve gone through every other resource that influences them to potentially buy before pulling out the directory. Have a look:

This is the Hierarchy of Buying I came up with 5 years ago after surveying a thousand or so people on how they hired a service provider. So your potential customer doesn’t already have a provider, doesn’t know anyone who could perform the service, doesn’t know anyone who knows anyone and hasn’t even heard of anyone in the field. So no relationships, no word-of-mouth. Nothing. (I should really make a new one, since Google would rank above Yellow Pages.)

2. Paper spam: Email spam works on the premise that if you blast it to a million people, a fraction of a fraction may be in the market for the product and a fraction of that may even click. Phone directories work on this same premise. 1.6 billion pounds of paper per year are used to produce the 500 million directories that go out in the United States every year in the hopes that you may be in the market for one of the 2,000 categories of businesses that are listed. It’s spam at its finest. You didn’t opt-in, the majority of people don’t use it, many not even taking it out of the plastic. Instead it ends up in landfill, might get recycled or thrown at random phone company trucks that drop them off. Sadly I don’t see them ever going opt-in, since like most things in the print industry, they charge due to bloated “circulation” numbers and I estimate the number of people who would actually ask for it at 14, give or take 12. Makes you want to go out and hug a tree and then go here to opt-out of them!

Read more via UnMarketing » Blog Archive » Aiming Your Company at the Bottom of the Barrel.

Web Ink Now: Social media marketing explained in 61 words

APLINK urges you to watch the video embeeded in David Meerman Scott’s post – follow the link below

You can buy attention advertising

You can beg for attention from the media PR

You can bug people one at a time to get attention sales

Or you can earn attention by creating something interesting and valuable and then publishing it online for free: a YouTube video, a blog, a research report, photos, a Twitter stream, an ebook, a Facebook page.

via Web Ink Now: Social media marketing explained in 61 words.

Review: Tough Love – Web in Travel 2009

WIT – 5 years on – Web In Travel celebrated its 5th birthday and even though it was my first WIT, I came away with the understanding that the conference has depth and sincerity that can only be achieved through trust.

Stage for WIT 2009

On arrival, I was handed a program guide and tucked inside was a list of what must be the who’s who of the online travel industry that were attending.

One of the Many Panels of Experts

I am now going to proceed and summarise my WIT 2009 journey in the best way I know – the social media way = keywords.

Enlightening, profound, humorous, creative, conflicting, old ways, new ways, homemade cookies, social media, engagement, search, entrepreneurship, mentors, students, Twitter, status, community, art, opinions, fear, deals, Facebook, style, value, graffiti, empathy, monitor, react, pre-emptive, classic, roses, luxury, budget, holistic, experience, destinations, in your face, google, to serve, passion, tough love, did I say Facebook?

NEW: Twitter Roost @ WIT

Special mention needs to be made relating to the events discussion I witnessed, even with prompting by distinguished moderator – there seemed to be no obvious understanding or relevance or decisive recognition of how social media might have an enormous impact on the events business. I can only direct those in the events business to a review of an event I was involved in that clearly shows how events can deliver superior results if you engage a community online in somewhere like Facebook.

David Meerman Scott speaks Tattoos – http://www.webinknow.com/2009/01/how-an-active-facebook-group-drove-15000-people-to-the-singapore-tattoo-show.html

[Yeoh Siew Hoon our Host]

My congrats to Yeoh Siew Hoon (SHY) and her team on Web In Travel 2009. Happy 5th Birthday. – APLINK.

Willy Foo - facebook guy... leads the crew

All images courtesy of Willy Foo – to see the entire set visit:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?page=1&aid=166745&id=719891275

Web Ink Now: How the Obama campaign worked with bloggers

On Election Day 2008, an amazing 25 percent of Barack Obama voters were already directly linked to him through social media, including blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and other social sites according to The Nation.

Putting aside politics and just considering the election from a marketing standpoint, I am absolutely convinced that Obama won the U.S. presidential election because he was the candidate who most strongly embraced new marketing. Way back before he even declared himself a candidate, Obama and his staff and volunteers jumped into the online world.

via David Meerman Scott’s blog Web Ink Now: How the Obama campaign worked with bloggers.

Ad agency vs. PR agency turf wars! – itsReal

Ad agency vs. PR agency turf wars! Pass the beer and peanuts! – Post by: David Meerman Scott

BattleOver the past year, I’ve had hundreds of opportunities to speak with people who work in the marketing and PR departments of large organizations about their online marketing and social media initiatives.

In discussing challenges, many marketers bring up their agency partners. They really do want to work with their existing agencies to help them with social media and online marketing. Honest, they do.

via Web Ink Now: Ad agency vs. PR agency turf wars! Pass the beer and peanuts!.

Do you dare leave a comment on someone’s blog or facebook

It’s not hard to know that I am probably one of the most active people on the planet in social media and hence my sometimes meaningful and informative based actions on the Internet can be confused with over zealousness or dare i say SPAM.

I prefer over zealous in short OZ – which is coincidentally short for Australia which is where I originate.

Getting back on Topic – Do you dare leave a comment on someone’s blog or facebook, I would have to say that thankfully most of us live in a civilized world and when you have an opinion whether it be business or personal you have a right to get your opinions heard and understood – I think many have an issue with Understanding.

If you are seeking ways for people to recognise you as an expert in what you do, who you are or want to be – then the Internet & social media will allow you to show your true colours – and let you stand out.

To combat over zealousness, (OZ) I would recommend you read, as I am, a new book I have picked up called the “social media bible” it’s a marathon of a read at 821 pages – but my friend David Meerman Scott has contributed to the book as has Robert Scoble so with these 2 recognizable names (and many more) you are in for quite an absorbing read & education. The book has an online companion site and social network, which is only available if you buy the book and input the right code. For those who would like to know, the book is co-authored by Lon Safko & David K. Brake and published by Wiley. I am also pleased to note that Virtual Worlds gets a whole chapter titled “Virtual Worlds-Real Impact” in the Book.

Getting back on Topic – With a little help from experts and your own instincts you must and should dare to continue to add comments to someone’s blog, Flickr, Youtube, facebook or LinkedIn accounts, fanpages or, the list is endless on where you can comment to stand out – BUT be prepared to manage the subsequent influx into your email inbox of praises or outrage and one worded thumbs up or down comments. – APLINK

What Is Content Marketing? | AJAX & RIA Journal

APLINK loves this post for it’s TRUE value and helpful suggestions – congrats to the author – Ambal

What Is Content Marketing?

Content Marketing – The Ultimate Cheat Sheet

By Ambal Balakrishnan

The axiom “Build it and they will come” has been changed to “Provide compelling content and they will come”. If you are creating or marketing a white paper, Ebook or any other type of content, you probably have already heard all the buzz about Content Marketing and are wondering

* What is Content Marketing?

* Why should I care about Content Marketing?

* Where do I get started?

* How do I apply “Content Marketing” concepts in creating and marketing White Papers or Ebooks?

via What Is Content Marketing? | AJAX & RIA Journal.

Clip this coupon for $1 million dollar off Ft Myers FL home

Homeowner Rich Ricciani created a fun and creative world wide rave by thinking up the idea of running a coupon for $1 million dollars off the price of his $7 million Ft. Myers, FL home in newspapers.

Unlike the vast majority of people who just think of ideas, Rich actually followed through.

This creative approach sure beat simply reducing the price of the home on the real estate Multiple Listing Service database.

Rich worked with Lani Belisle of VIP Realtors to list the home and book the advertising space for the coupon, which initially ran in last Sunday’s Ft. Myers News-Press.

Then it was time for Tina Haisman Public Relations to get the word out.

Tina used PRWeb to send a well-written, SEO optimized press release complete with photos, an imbedded YouTube video, and links to the coupon and home web site. “I also used PR MatchPoint to compile a list of real estate writers in the south and northeastern U.S. and I also personally targeted the big news outlets, such as CNN, Fox, NBC and more,” Tina says.

The story appeared front page of The Fort Myers News-Press, aired WINK-TV and WFLX-TV, and is being picked up by real estate blogs.

via Web Ink Now: Clip this coupon for $1 million dollar off Ft Myers FL home.

David Meerman Scott – his success continues to grow – itsReal

Wiley Launches New Series of Marketing Books Edited by Bestselling Author David Meerman Scott

Message from APLINK – Congrats David, you deserve this recognition for the inspiration you offer to people like myself, the new books I am sure will inspire and continue to engage people to keep Breaking the Rules – awesome !!!

HOBOKEN, N.J. – (Business Wire) To help readers navigate today’s daunting transformation of the marketing and social media landscape, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (NYSE:JWa) (NYSE:JWb) announced the signing of a new book series with David Meerman Scott, one of the most influential marketing strategists. The New Rules of Social Media book series will be based on Scott’s award-winning BusinessWeek bestseller, The New Rules of Marketing and PR, and will be written by leading online marketing and social media experts chosen by Scott in collaboration with Matthew Holt, Publisher, Wiley.

Grounded in the revolutionary marketing philosophy presented in The New Rules of Marketing and PR, each book in the series will provide executives, entrepreneurs, and marketing professionals with a deeper understanding of the changing online marketing landscape. Scott will provide a foreword to each title.

read more here: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/wiley-launches-new-series-of,836410.shtml