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Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Social Media Books & Experts
One thing that has always puzzled me is the sheer number of books about social media. When your industry changes almost daily - not to mention that it's one rooted in the digital space - is it helpful to read (or write) books about it?

At the same time we've seen the rise of the social media "expert," we've seen a proliferation of books on the topic. From a business perspective, it's not surprising: it's a hot topic; everyone is trying to make sense of it; and people will cash in while they have the chance. But someone new to this space needs to be aware of who's the true leader and who is the charlatan.

Calling oneself an expert does not an expert make;
that label is usually granted by peers who recognize talent.

A good place to start as you try to figure this stuff out is to see who's following whom. While the social media space tends to be filled with a lot of people who are reciprocal in their follows, you can easily see who some of the stand-outs are. Check the blogrolls (links to other blogs) that are recommended by your favorite bloggers. See who pops as a thought leader. See who resonates with you.

Another way is to see how many of them have written a book. There's a great list of the Top 100 Best Social Media Books Ever (well at least as of the writing of that particular blog post) that I can recommend. But again, that's quite a list. And some of the newer books don't appear on it.

Here are six of the latest titles by people whom I respect, with links to their blogs:

Chris Brogan, Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust. Chris is a prolific writer, cranking out multiple posts a day, all while running New Media Labs and tweeting until his fingers are raw. There's a lot of common sense in his work. And his book is all about trust. I trust Chris and can recommend his work highly.

Shel Israel, Twitterville: How Businesses Can Thrive in the New Global Neighborhoods. Shel has been in the communications field for a long time. But his insights are as fresh as ever. He co-authored Naked Conversations with Robert Scoble and his latest book is all about Twitter. Fair warning: it's longer than 140 characters.

Mitch Joel, Six Pixels of Separation: Everyone Is Connected. Connect Your Business to Everyone. Mitch is a super smart guy who has been chronicling the development of the online vs. offline world for quite some time. His blog and podcast are always thoughtful and inspirational. And he's one of the four bald guys who seem to haunt the new marketing world, yet whom we never see all in one place at one time. Weird, I know.

David Meerman Scott, World Wide Rave: Creating Triggers that Get Millions of People to Spread Your Ideas and Share Your Stories. David is probably one of the best public speakers I know. But his talents don't stop at the spoken word. He clearly demonstrates his ideas with case studies - and ones that aren't expected. After reading his stuff, you'll rave too.

Seth Godin, Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us. If you don't know Seth Godin, you should. Or perhaps I should say, you will. He has rocketed every one of his books to the top of the charts in creative and innovative ways. His blog is filled with observations about Marketing and marketing - by that I mean the craft as well as daily thoughts about how companies and individuals can differentiate themselves. And yes, he's one of those bald guys.

Gary Vaynerchuk, Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion. Say it with me: VAY-ner-chuk! Gary is a force of nature. Host of the amazing Wine Library TV, Gary has amassed a mini empire on his way to eventually owning the New York Jets. His keynotes and speeches are filled with the fire that comes straight from his belly, and his book will no doubt inspire the same level of commitment that his appearances do.

If anything, the takeaway from these authors is: if you want
a successful book, make sure you've got a colon in the title. ;-)

Feel free to click around and check out their writing in whichever format appeals to you. And pass along those that resonate with you. Share them with you coworkers, your boss, your friends. Have you got other reading recommendations? I'd love to hear from you in the comment section below.



Photo credit: Patrick Gage (Flickr)

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Friday, May 08, 2009

Oh, Mama!
There's no question that so-called "mommy bloggers" are an interesting demographic. Recent statistics show that there are more than 36 million of them online, and they definitely wield influence in purchasing power. Which is why many companies think this community can be a key in their word of mouth efforts. 

A few key facts:
  • Of the 36.2 million women actively participating in the blogosphere weekly as either publishers or readers, 46% -- or just over 16.5 million -- have children at home.
  • 67% of moms online look for help making a purchasing decision.
  • Overall, full-time working moms use technology at the highest rates.
  • The cell phone is the technology used most often by moms to communicate with their kids, and 80% say it is the direct line to their child and babysitter.

But I think the notion that all mommy (or daddy) bloggers are the same is extremely shortsighted. They're just as diverse and different as any of us. And while it's tempting to think they do things in lock-step, there are many different niches and interests that can be explored - lifestyle, safety, green, frugality, parenting, sports and family issues are just a small set of the many segments you'll find. 

And aside from the blogs, what are moms actually doing online? Here's a chart that breaks down the top 10 activities of moms online:



Looking at the points of transaction, it opens up an opportunity for conversation and engagement with moms on other sites & platforms as it relates to those activities. And let's not forget those cell phone statistics - busy moms are on the go and use their handheld devices more.


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Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Putting the 'Social' in Social Media
The more time I spend in the digital world, the more I realize that it's real-life connections that matter. Sure, it's amazing how easy it is to connect with people on Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc., but to me, what matters is building relationships in person. There's just no substitute for a face-to-face meeting.

When I was at SXSW recently, I noted that I was meeting people for the first time, but I felt like I had been part of their lives for a long time. With presence applications and frequent blog posts, we end up sharing so much of our lives with our online communities. The result is that we're forming what I like to call prelationships - meaningful interactions with people before we ever meet them. Then of course, when we do meet, it's a preunion.

So as you can imagine, I'm really looking forward to heading to New York City this weekend for Blogger Social. Among the 80+ attendees will be many of my co-authors from The Age of Conversation (Volume 1), not to mention fellow Twitterers, bloggers and podcasters. There's a harbor cruise on Saturday afternoon, a nice dinner on Saturday evening, and plenty of meetups in between. I can't wait to meet so many of these people that I've admired and respected for quite some time.
If you're interested in seeing what kinds of people participate in this kind of activity (maybe to convince you to attend something similar some time), take a look at the list of profiles that Steve Woodruff has compiled. Not only are the participants impressive, but Steve's effort is worthy of admiration as well.

And if you're more into the visual arts, you can check out the video that Mark Goren created:



I suppose this is a great reminder that, no matter what business you're in, it's important to get up from behind the desk, get out of the office and meet with your clients, customers, prospects and fans. Business is inherently a social business. Are you making it so?


The Blogger Social '08 attendees:
Susan Bird Tim Brunelle Katie Chatfield Matt Dickman Luc Debaisieux Gianandrea Facchini Mark Goren Gavin Heaton Sean Howard CK Valeria Maltoni Drew McLellan Doug Meacham Marilyn Pratt Steve Roesler Greg Verdino CB Whittemore Steve Woodruff Paul McEnany Ann Handley David Reich Tangerine Toad Kristin Gorski Mack Collier David Armano Ryan Barrett Lori Magno Tim McHale Gene DeWitt Mario Vellandi Arun Rajagopal Joseph Jaffe Rohit Bhargava Anna Farmery Marianne Richmond Thomas Clifford Lewis Green Geoff Livingston Kris Hoet Connie Reece CeCe Lee Toby Bloomberg Seni Thomas Darryl Ohrt Joe Kutchera Paul Dunay Marshall Sponder Chris Kieff Tara Anderson Jason Falls Paul Soldera Roberta Rosenberg Saul Colt Todd Andrlik Nathan Snell Ryan Karpeles Mike Sansone Jennifer Laycock Neil Vineberg Cam Beck Mike Arauz Matthew Bailey Heather Gorringe John Rosen Cathleen Rittereiser Tamar Weinberg Rita Perea Linda Sherman Matthew McDonald Kaitlyn Wilkins Terry Starbucker Jennifer Berk Jane Quigley John Wall Scott Monty Kevin Horne Virginia Miracle Amanda Gravel Susan Reynolds David Polinchock Shashi Bellamkonda David Berkowitz Vahe Habeshian

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Thursday, September 20, 2007

How PR Professionals Can Avoid Bad Blogger Outreach in 3 Easy Steps
Bad blogger pitches. We've all been on the receiving end. Or if you haven't, you will be. It's almost a mathematical certainty.

I recently wrote about a pitch that I received that generally was very good; the only problem was a gaffe the PR executive made when she called me by the wrong name. All in all, it was a minor error, but it was enough to put me off. But something remarkable happened in the wake of that post and I'd like to share it with you. It's resulted in what I call a recipe for success from a blogger's perspective.

First of all, the reason I say a bad pitch is inevitable is simple: blogger outreach is not immediately scalable, so mass emailing is commonplace. But every blogger is different and needs to be personally courted. I'm not talking about a deep and abiding romance, but rather a simple relationship that is forged between PR executive and blogger, through genuine engagement and conversation between the two. It's a matter of establishing a 1:1 relationship - of showing the blogger you understand his writing or that you care enough to respond to one of her posts.

And this is difficult to do when a PR professional - who, let's face it, is used to mass mail-merging press releases and pitches - is trying to contact maybe 100 different bloggers. To spend a couple of weeks of lead time following, reading and responding is a major commitment. But I think it's crucial.

So, here's what happened in the wake of my post They Almost Had Me and why I think it's so compelling to share with you.

Before I do that, I'd like to recommend a couple of resources that you might check out. The first is a well thought out Blogger Outreach Code of Ethics from Ogilvy's 360 Digital Influence. It's a great effort that will likely evolve over time, but in my mind is a cornerstone. The other is a thoughtful post from the always thoughtful Todd Defren of SHIFT Communications' PR Squared blog.

After I wrote my post, I received a comment and an email from Kristen, the PR executive who had originally contacted me. This demonstrated a couple of things to me: that she was monitoring the blogosphere for mentions of her client and that she wanted to make a personal connection regarding the error. It took courage to admit to her mistake, and I admire that kind of selfless conviction.

As part of her email, Kristen mentioned being new to social media and still having a lot to learn. I used that as an opportunity to write back and offered to speak with her specifically about the pitch and more generally about social media. So, we had a phone conversation.

During the call, I learned a little more about the client she was representing (and I'll review said company in another post) but I also had a chance to take a look at blogger outreach from the other side - something that I think we bloggers are sometimes too quick to dismiss. During the course of our call, I came up with a few interesting ideas that might be worth considering if you're a PR professional doing blogger or influencer outreach.

Kristen said that she much preferred the 1:1 interactions that build trust and establish engagement. Of course, this just isn't achievable in a mass outreach program. She mentioned that she's more of a phone person. Again, kind of difficult when you're dealing with writers who ply their trade online. And they're not likely to call a PR person back if given a phone number in an email pitch.

Quite the conundrum. What to do? Taking crayon's model of community, dialogue and partnership, I've developed a simple three-point plan that will allow any PR executive to have a better shot of engaging with the blogosphere.

Establish Your Credibility (Partnership)
One of the mising links in blogger outreach is a personal connection with the PR executive; while there's an opportunity for the PR person to understand and connect with the blogger after reading so much of his writing, the blogger ends up having to deal with a faceless person connected with a corporate or client interest. One way to avoid this is for the PR executive to set up a page about them. Tell us a bit about who YOU are, who you work for, how long you've been doing what you do.

Take it a step further to outline the goals of the outreach, tell us about your client, post some interesting links or existing press. In short, be transparent with us.

This page can take the form of a landing page, or, more to the point, it can be set up as a blog. It doesn't have to be extensive with lots of posts. A single entry about you and about your client, along with a sidebar containing additional information and/or links is all that it will take. The result will show the blogger that you've got some skin in the game and are willing to immerse yourself in the blogger's world.

Find Common Ground (Dialogue)
If a phone conversation is a key element to your communication style, then use the tools at your disposal to make it that much easier. I use a service called GrandCentral (now owned by Google) that gives you a single phone number that can ring through to all of your phones. But one of the features on their site is the ability to post a button on your blog or page that will automatically dial your number when someone clicks on it. How much easier could that be? You direct the blogger to your site, they read about you and simply click on a button to talk with you a little more.

"Great," I hear you say. "But what if I don't want to rely on bloggers to contact me?" Another way to approach this is for you to reach out to them. A service called Jangl allows you to fill in an email address for your contact, after which Jangl will give you a Jangl phone number to call them and leave a personal message. Jangl will then email your voicemail and provide them a local number to call you back on. Head over to their site to check out the full explanation of how it works.

But done right, with Grand Central or Jangl, this can change the way you're doing your blogger outreach. Creating a dialogue with your

Create a Sense of Community (Community)
In retrospect, this idea seems to obvious that I'm surprised I hadn't thought of it (or heard about it from others) before. With Facebook being one of the fastest growing social networks for 25 year-olds, it is the place to be. And if a PR professional (who typically has a strong network) isn't part of Facebook yet, shame of them.

It's fairly easy to establish a group for your client, linking to their web site, sharing posts that have been written by them or about them, posting videos or photos of their product or their customers, etc. The key is that once you've established the group, you need to invite your network to join it. Browbeat everyone at your firm, your client, their contacts and the bloggers you're reaching out to join your Facebook group. The idea is that if Facebook members see their friends joining a group, they're more likely to join too. Voila! Instant community. And again, use that personal page to place a button, badge or link to your group.

Another option is to have a Facebook application created for your client. This may not work for everyone - check out the applications (some 4,000+) in Facebook to get an idea of how apps can be viral. Indeed, Facebook is now starting a $10 million fund that will reward and support development of the most innovative applications.

While you can't create an application for a group, if you come up with something that's truly inspired (and tied to the brand), the app will spread across the entire Facebook network quickly and benefit your client.


So there you have it. Connecting with bloggers is all about the personal connections through conversation, offering a compelling reason to act, and making them feel like they're truly valued as part of a larger effort. If you try an end-run around it, your mass mailing mentality will be easily spotted and you stand less of a chance with bloggers.

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Monday, September 17, 2007

Truly, Madly, Deeply
When I first heard about AMC's series Mad Men, I was going to pass. I thought, "Uh oh. Here's a chance for a network to unleash all that's unholy on the industry that it already forces to bend over and take it in the upfronts every year."

I've seen Hollywood try to recreate the Madison Avenue scene before - from Darrin Stevens on Bewitched to Bruce Willis' role in Perfect Stranger, the ad man goes from bumbling to evil. And somehow, the TV and movie industry doesn't understand the divide between creatives and account executives.

So it was with great trepidation that I programmed the DVR for Mad Men. But I was pleasantly surprised, for a number of reasons.

First off, it's fair to say that the production value is top-notch. The wardrobe, props, setting, etc. are all genuine, so that it really feels like you're looking through a window to 1960. Even the title sequence is vintage 1950s-60s, echoing a homier yet hipper time. While the smoking may be overdone, the habit of drinking in the office leaves me feeling a little nostalgic...

And the writing - from a former Sopranos executive producer - is stellar. There's lots going on underneath the shiny surface of this period piece, and you can tell it's going to get pretty dark.

So much for the nuts and bolts of the production. Let's move on to advertising and social media and how those come in to play.

As I began to fast-forward through my recorded episode 30 seconds at a time, I noticed an interesting feature. Done in the same font and style of the title sequence, there are little 10-second facts and trivia about many of the advertisers for the show. Things like:
  • Jack Daniels took the meaning of 'Old No. 7' to the grave
  • More dollars are spent on drug advertising than soda advertising
  • Bud Light debuted nationally in: 1982
And then they throw in some industry wisdom such as:
  • "The enemies of advertising are the enemies of freedom" - David Olgivy
  • "I'll put the accuracy of the average ad in this country up against the accuracy of the average news story any time" - Jef I. Richards
  • "An advertising agency is 85% confusion and 15% commission" - Fred Allen
Let me tell you, as someone who typically tries to avoid the 30-second spot in my TV viewing, this innovative approach is really getting me to stop. I may or may not watch the ads after the trivia, but I'm more likely to, just to see how they're following it up.

I'm also impressed with the interactive / social media components on the show's web site. Clearly, they're looking to make themselves part of their viewers' everyday lives, with the likes of typical downloads such as wallpapers and screensavers. But they go one farther with offering instant messaging icons.

And while many shows feature a discussion board or community forum, Man Men has decided to build its community via...a blog. There's typically a summary of each show, as well as announcements or interviews, and the commenting started out slowly. But the last two posts about the episodes garnered 300-400 comments each, as of this posting.

I'm looking forward to the story arc and to seeing more of a glimpse into the past of the storied Madison Avenue game. Just call me a mad man.


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Monday, September 10, 2007

There Are Worse Habits
This probably isn't a surprise to anyone reading this blog, but according to a poll I recently took, I have a problem:

90%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?


At least it's free.

What's your score? Click on the image above to take the poll yourself. Come back and tell me about it, or let me know on Twitter.

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Sunday, September 09, 2007

They Almost Had Me
I don't know what it is, but I find that I always begin to succumb to blogger outreach efforts. Maybe it's because I like the attention.

But when it goes wrong - and it doesn't take much - I get turned off pretty quickly. About a month or so ago, my colleague Scott Greg Verdino wrote about his experience with a less than buttoned-up blogger outreach effort.

Well, I recently received an invitation to check out Flektor, a site that allows you to host all of your photos, video, music and text and to essentially create multimedia scrapbooks to share with friends. An interesting site, one that I might be tempted to review. What made it even more attractive is that the pitch was actually one of the smoothest ones I've received. Here are some things they did well:
  • They were specific - they named the blog that linked to my site (and it happened to be one that I know and respect)
  • Did their homework - they noted that I write about social media and innovation
  • Clear goals & objectives - they were very upfront about being in the midst of a social media campaign and wanting to connect with influential bloggers
  • They were empathetic - they noted that unsolicited emails can be a turn-off, so this would be the only one I received
  • Offered a two-way dialog - more than just a one-way pitch, they wrote they'd be open to comments, feedback, interviews and specifically stated their methods were "purely one-on-one interaction with people who like" the service
  • A decidedly human approach - they requested that I let them know if I decide to write something about the service, noting "we monitor, but nobody's perfect"


Sounds like a lock, right? Well, I got to the end of the email and it said:
I look forward to hearing from you!
Many Thanks, David!
'Doh! Looks like I won't be participating. Maybe they'll have better luck with David.

In this day and age - especially with form letters (which it turns out this was), such an error is inexcusable. The technology should be able to merge databases with forms. And if it's a personalized approach, then it shouldn't be happening. With a little effort and attention to detail, these errors can be eradicated, saving clients a lot of money in wasted outreach efforts. And maybe it even makes sense to put together something like Ogilvy PR's Blogger Outreach Code of Ethics.

Bottom line, this is more than PR 101 - it's common courtesy in any social environment: pay attention to people you're talking to, make them feel like they're important to you, and for God's sake, get their names right.

Has this happened to you?


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Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Where Does the Time Go?
Happy Birthday, Social Media Blog! I can't believe it's been a year - almost to the minute, as I look at the clock - since I started this little project. And to think that I had the foresight (?) to choose the bland but very distinctive title "The Social Media Marketing Blog."

A lot has happened in a year - a new job, being asked to co-author a book, being ranked one of the top 150 marketing blogs - in some ways it feels like I just started last month, but in other ways, so much has changed that I feel like it's been much longer than a year.

What's kept me going when the times were rough was the knowledge that I've had the support of fellow writers and marketers out there. Your comments and email have been an inspiration and I thank you for participating in the conversation here.

My only hope is that I can continue to create and discover content that resonates with you. If I'm failing you in that regard, please tell me. If I'm succeeding at it, I wouldn't mind hearing from you, either.

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Friday, August 17, 2007

There's a Write Way and a Wrong Way
I was reading an e-newsletter (well, it's actually an emailed blog entry) today from Mobile Insider called My iPhone Needs a Gun, when I noticed something.

I actually read the entry in its entirety.

It may not seem like a big deal to you, but I consume a lot of information every day, which means I do a lot of scanning - headlines, first sentences of paragraphs. And if the copy or subject matter doesn't grab me, I'm outta there.

But this article was different. Why?

Put very simply: it was written the way I like to listen. That's not a typo. I mean that if someone was reading the article to me - or telling it to me as a story - I'd want to listen. And it made me keep reading.

Now I'm not an iPhone user, nor do I really care about what apps are working or not working for it - which was the point of the article. What had me entertained and focused was that this guy was talking as if we were joking in the hallway or sharing a beer after work. He used attitude infused with humor as a way to tell a compelling story about some iPhone features (or those he'd like to see). An excerpt:
I also get to spend time with the iPhone now at the beach, because lo and behold my 15-year-old daughter has evolved into the nightmare of every father — the cutest thing on the sand. The first time she walked into the water I actually saw teen boys point and move towards her like shards of metal towards a magnet, like puppies towards food, like detestable vermin towards a 5-star kitchen.

And another:
Luckily, the iPhone has a good camera and loads of memory, so I was able to take snaps of all these little felons just in case we need to run them with the FBI. I dug into the Safari browser in search of online sign-ups for the NRA. No one delivers firearms same day to the north beach of Cape May, I discovered.
And finally:
My daughter...was more interested in SeeqPod Music (seeqpod.com/iphone), which is a very nice index and front end for the thousands of MP3 tracks that are accessible for streaming directly from the Web. I am not sure about the legality of the rights management here, but the app uses the familiar iPod interface to slip through catalogs of artists and search for tunes that stream well into the Quicktime player. There are no ads here yet, but clearly there could be, and with people declaring their musical tastes so precisely, there should be some very targeted ad possibilities. "Ooh, look, they have Slipknot's 'Do Nothing Bitchslap,'" my sweet young girl said.

You know, when the mail-order gun arrives here at the beach, just shoot me with it.

Not the kind of writing you get from your friendly neighborhood traditional journalist, and certainly not the style you'd get from the typical marketing department. But informative and useful nonetheless. Which is a powerful reminder as to why blogs are becoming more and more legitimate and important in the media mix.

When you're preparing the copy for your blog, corporate website, brochure or direct mail piece, what style do you typically effect? Having worked in the b2b space previously, I can tell you there's a lot of dry, dull and seemingly overused copy out there. Corporate standards must be upheld, you know.

But what if you took that website or brochure and really made it sing? What if you wrote it the way people would listen to it? What if - just for a moment - you did something that was completely unexpected and out of the ordinary?

It might be slightly "off-brand," but you know what? The people that work for your company aren't all "on-brand," are they? What makes Corporate Communications think every microsite, every tri-fold, every newsletter has to be devoid of personality and as antiseptic and emotionless as a Stepford wife? Aren't rules made to be broken once in a while?

I'm sure no one is monitoring how your sales team interacts with customers in one-on-ones. They get to use their personality to persuade, inform and relate. Why shouldn't you?

Think about it. Don't make Steve Smith get the gun for his iPhone.


How to Market Your Company with a Blog handbook features:


  • Practical advice on how to create, manage, and get lots of readers for your blog.
  • Details of how Macromedia, Barbie, MSNBC, Shell, MailBlock, Jones Soda and 39 more companies use blogs to grow business.

Get your handbook today:

http://www.sherpastore.com/c/a.pl?9403&p.cfm/2124

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Thursday, August 16, 2007

Putting the "Know" in Innovation
Simple question: how would you define innovation? Sure, we hear the word bandied about on a daily basis, but what does it really mean to you?

Is it a matter of simply doing something better or different? Or something that's never been done before at all? Is it simply insight, or is it practicality meeting ingenuity? There are about as many ways of looking at innovation as there are to innovate.

Jon Burg over at Future Visions wants to know how you define innovation in a single phrase or a single sentence. He'll be compiling all of the answers he receives via email or commenting on his blog on Monday.

Think you can help him out?

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Saturday, July 14, 2007

This Could Be the Start of Something Big
We're closing in on the launch of The Age of Conversation. This amazing project, the brainchild of Drew McLellan and Gavin Heaton (or Drewvin, as I like to call them), is a result of over 100 marketing authors banding together for a great cause.

The book will be available on Monday, July 16 in three formats:
Hardback $29.99
Paperback $16.95
E-book $9.99

And in addition to the power of 100 bloggers, the book has begun to receive mention in some of the trade publications: Advertising Age and Social Computing Magazine have both done pieces on the project. Add to that an Age of Conversation Contributors + Friends group on Facebook, and we're off and running!



The Age of Conversation - Teaser from mindblob and Vimeo

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Monday, July 09, 2007

Everybody's Talking About It
"It" being The Age of Conversation. Back in April, I made one of the smartest decisions of my blogging career - I accepted Drew McLellan's & Gavin Heaton's kind invitation to be one of the authors of a book about conversational marketing. And that project, with over 100 influential marketing authors behind it, is now a reality.

On Monday, July 16, you'll be able to purchase your very own copy of the entire volume. While I'm only familiar with one of the chapters, I can assure you that you won't be disappointed with what my colleagues have to say. I plan to buy at least one copy.

After a lot of debating and deliberation, the organizers decided to price the book as follows:

Hardbacks $29.99
Paperbacks $16.95
E-book $9.99

All of the proceeds from the publication will go toward Variety, the Children's Charity and you'll have the opportunity to give more to the charity if you so desire. Keep your eye on this space for developments.

And just in case you wanted a refresher as to who the contributors are, here you go:

Gavin Heaton
Drew McLellan
CK
Valeria Maltoni
Emily Reed
Katie Chatfield
Greg Verdino
Mack Collier
Lewis Green
Sacrum
Ann Handley
Mike Sansone
Paul McEnany
Roger von Oech
Anna Farmery
David Armano
Bob Glaza
Mark Goren
Matt Dickman
Scott Monty
Richard Huntington
Cam Beck
David Reich
Mindblob (Luc)
Sean Howard
Tim Jackson
Patrick Schaber
Roberta Rosenberg
Uwe Hook
Tony D. Clark
Todd Andrlik
Toby Bloomberg
Steve Woodruff
Steve Bannister
Steve Roesler
Stanley Johnson
Spike Jones
Nathan Snell
Simon Payn
Ryan Rasmussen
Ron Shevlin
Roger Anderson
Bob Hruzek
Rishi Desai
Phil Gerbyshak
Peter Corbett
Pete Deutschman
Nick Rice
Nick Wright
Michael Morton
Mark Earls
Mark Blair
Mario Vellandi
Lori Magno
Kristin Gorski
Krishna De
Kris Hoet
Kofl Annan
Kimberly Dawn Wells
Karl Long
Julie Fleischer
Jordan Behan
John La Grou
Joe Raasch
Jim Kukral
Jessica Hagy
Janet Green
Jamey Shiels
Dr. Graham Hill
Gia Facchini
Geert Desager
Gaurav Mishra
Gary Schoeniger
Gareth Kay
Faris Yakob
Emily Clasper
Ed Cotton
Dustin Jacobsen
Tom Clifford
David Polinchock
David Koopmans
David Brazeal
David Berkowitz
Carolyn Manning
Craig Wilson
Cord Silverstein
Connie Reece
Colin McKay
Chris Newlan
Chris Corrigan
Cedric Giorgi
Brian Reich
Becky Carroll
Arun Rajagopal
Andy Nulman
Amy Jussel
AJ James
Kim Klaver
Sandy Renshaw
Susan Bird
Ryan Barrett
Troy Worman
S. Neil Vineberg

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Tuesday, June 05, 2007

WIIFM?
Yesterday, I noted the six entries on my blog that were the most popular based on a single metric - traffic. Two of my "taggees" immediately took the bait joined the conversation and noted their own popular entries, but with a twist.

Greg Verdino, in a Herculean effort to overcome his anti-meme streak, rose to the challenge by choosing three entries, each based on a different factor: traffic generated to his blog, and most conversation generated and most attention from other bloggers.

Both he and Doug Haslam also went further by selecting which past posts they liked the most themselves. I was initially thinking of doing that as well, but I decided against it because my feeling was that the blog exists more for you as my reader, rather than for me as a writer. As a marketer, I was trying to be sensitive to this perspective, because at times the marketing profession gets too wrapped up in its own message and seemingly ignores the customer. It becomes a game of "Look at me!!" rather than "What do you need?"

As much as any marketer's positioning, branding and message are essential, let's remember that customers are constantly wondering WIIFM - "what's in it for me?" To that end, it's our responsibility as marketers to ensure that we're delivering something of value to them, whether it's a 30-second spot, a product that meets their needs or a service that exceeds their expectations.

The point of this post isn't to pontificate - it's to share a perspective. And my perspective changed a little after reading Greg's and Doug's posts. Here's how they rationalized their decision to post their own favorite entries:
Doug: [my blog] is here to help me “create with the mind”– that is what “Gischeleman” means– and work on my writing and thinking by doing it regularly.

Greg (a little more unabashed): these are some of the posts that have given me the greatest satisfaction, that I feel are most consistent with my general views on new media and marketing, that come closest to nailing my vision for this blog. These are just a few of the posts that rank among the most popular with my favorite audience of one, ME.

Even though Because they were up-front about their desire to share their own (high) opinions of their work, I was forced to rethink the position I had taken. Although my readership has grown over time (albeit slowly) and I have the utmost respect for you as a reader (hey let's face it, if you've made it this far in the post, you have my thanks as well as my admiration), here's something that sets a blog apart from other marketing vehicles:

While a blog depends on good content, it thrives based on a good relationship.

You've come to know me through my writing style, the images I choose and the content I choose to post. I've come to know you through your comments or links you've made to my site - or even better, by meeting you in person. That represents the overall evolution of a blogger-reader relationship.

So at this point in our relationship, I guess I feel more comfortable sharing my own favorites with you. You can humor me - or you can move on to your next to-do. Either way, I hope you find value out of my work.

Twittermeme - ironically, one of my favorites is a meme, in this case "What Would Sherlock Holmes Twitter?" The reason I like it is that it allowed me to tie in another interest and it actually generated some minor conversation among a limited group of friends (including that good sport Verdino).

It's All Geek to Me - this was my first interaction with David Armano, in which he commented on my blog. It was my first "big blogger" reaction to anything I posted, and it was the beginning of great relationship with David - and eventually the connection to Greg Verdino.

What Is the Face of Your Brand - hey, any post in which I can mention Calvert DeForest / Larry "Bud" Melman is a winner in my mind.


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Monday, June 04, 2007

Popularity is All Relative
I feel like I've been asleep at the wheel here over the last week or so. Having some time off between gigs has been therapeutic and invigorating, but it had the unintended side effect of making me less engaged with my blogging, rather than more.

Sometimes it takes a colleague or a good friend to give us a dope slap and get our butts in gear. In this case the honor goes to Patrick Schaber at The Lonely Marketer. Patrick is currently enjoying a positive flux in his subscriber numbers, so he put together a list of his most popular posts that some of his newer readers might have missed. He invited me to do the same. While I don't always jump into the meme thing, I do so when I think there's some value to be gained for my readers.

It's funny how a simple exercise like this allowed me reminisce about what I was thinking or what was going on in my life at a particular time. In addition, it also made me realize that my blogging ability - from interacting with others to my depth of analysis and my writing - has improved with time. Kind of makes me wish I could edit some of those earlier entries! (Well, I could, but I shouldn't.)

So here are my most popular posts, as determined by traffic volume, from the last 10 months or so:
I'm Lovin' It
On Corporate Blogging
When Should a CEO Blog?
If Ancient Rome Had the Internet
What Would David Ogilvy Twitter?
Quick Thought on Being Different

As I read those posts, I realized that the level of popularity is directly related to the style that I affect on my blog (and in real life, for that matter). It's a combination of informed intelligence, opinion and humor. I hope you'll enjoy them, if you haven't read them yet.

And continuing the tradition, I'd love to see popular posts from:
Greg Verdino
Bryan Person
Doug Haslam
Donna Papacosta
Paull Young

What's popular on your blog?

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Thursday, May 24, 2007

Sometimes "Thank You" Is All That's Required

After yesterday's big announcement, I was greeted with a number of comments, emails and tweets from a variety of people in the social media world - some of whom I've met, with whom I've corresponded and in some cases, some whom I've never heard of or heard from before.

And to all of you - if I haven't said so individually yet - allow me to simply say:

Thank you.
I have continued to find and I firmly believe that the positive energy that one expends in a social network is returned in multiples. My friend Greg Verdino thinks so too. (Hey wait, didn't I mention this before?) This week I have been humbled by the outpouring of support and thoughtfulness, not to mention the congratulatory messages that they've extended to both me and my future employer.

I've been writing this blog for nearly a year, and I feel that in so many ways I'm still a novice, with much still to learn. And despite knowing my subject matter, sometimes I wonder if any of the material is resonating with my readers, either on a personal level or for business practices.

For that reason, the kindness you have shown and the confidence you place in me have inspired me with even more positive feelings about my job change and my writing. Even though I'm sure there are some heavy workloads ahead, it is my hope to continue to bring you valuable insights, candid commentary, frank assessments and humor on a regular basis - all designed to further the conversation.

It's the least I can do in return for your praise and respect.

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Wednesday, May 23, 2007

My New Social Media Job
We interrupt this marketing blog to bring you a purely personal post. Well, that's not entirely true. It's a personal post with a marketing twist.

If you stop by my desk, you'll find an assortment of fountain pens, usually kept on a pen holder or in a mahogany and glass display case that my colleagues have deemed the "pen humidor." I prefer to use fountain pens because they're distinctive, elegant and they require me to really focus on what I'm writing.

For about 2 1/2 years I've been at an award-winning traditional agency - in some ways a fountain pen of the marketing world. Staffed with incredibly intelligent and talented people with distinctive personalities, the agency has given me an opportunity to help clients address complex problems for sophisticated audiences.

But as you know, I've been writing about marketing in the social media space for the last year or so and have craved social media marketing projects at every turn. As my agency is small and focused on B2B clients, the opportunities have been limited. So I've managed to educate myself on the subject and to interact with some intelligent, creative and well-connected new media people, both online and in person.

My initial interest in the space was instigated from a keynote presentation at the 2006 Boston Ad Club symposium where I heard Joseph Jaffe speak. From then on, I had the bug, leading to an inexorable flow of RSS feeds and podcasts as well as the formation of my blog (I have still kept my other blog as a social media laboratory of sorts).

So when Jaffe & Co. launched crayon last October, I watched the whole thing unfold. The initial announcements, the various podcast plugs, the launch in Second Life - I was excited that new marketing was being given a boost. I even closed that October 20, 2006 blog post with "Talk about a dream job!"

Fast forward to this March, when I heard Joseph speak at the Ad Club Symposium again, this time with C.C. Chapman in tow. I was much more prepared - so much so that C.C. and I were exchanging Twitter messages across the floor of the event. Joseph, C.C. and I connected briefly at the event, followed up with a wave of emails, tweets and phone calls, and finally came to a mutual decision:

On June 4th, I officially join the crayon team.

Dream job, indeed. I'll be working with crayon clients to help them understand new media opportunities and, with the help of the crayon creative & strategic team, to help build new marketing campaigns and social media outreach programs for some major brands.

As you can imagine, I'm incredibly excited about the opportunity - not only do I get to do what I love on a daily basis, but I get to do so with some people I really admire and respect. So now, rather than being filled with lustrous fountain pens, my pen humidor is going to look something like this:
There will be a follow up post on "how social media helped me land my new job," in which I'll detail the steps that I took - some of which led to very interesting conversations, others which didn't pan out - all of which were directly linked to being part of the larger new marketing social network. It may even be something of a case study for putting social media to work as a tool in your career development.

Over the next two weeks, I'll be spending time with my family (in particular prepping for Drew's 1st birthday), accomplishing some tasks around the house, getting my home office organized and continuing to delve into this amazingly fertile and fluid world of new media.

Happy coloring!


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Saturday, May 19, 2007

When Marketing is Gross
I'm usually not one for crowing about my own abilities, but I've come to realize that in social media, if you don't speak up, you're apt to be ignored. Unless you raise your hand and join in the conversation, there's enough going on online that you stand the risk of being missed (or ignored).

To wit, I'm taking a page from Sherlock Holmes:
"I cannot agree with those who rank modesty among the virtues. To the logician all things should be seen exactly as they are, and to underestimate one’s self is as much a departure from truth as to exaggerate one’s own powers."
Today, I discovered that I made it to #144 - that's right a gross - on the Power 150 Top Marketing Blogs list, a global ranking of top English-language marketing blogs. Not that it's a completely scientific analysis of the space; but it is at least a comparative ranking of where marketing blogs rank with respect to each other.


The reason I'm making such a big deal out of this is
because exactly 8 weeks ago, I finally switched to my own domain name - but it was not without consequences. I lost all of my Technorati links and rankings and knew it was going to be a slog to regain them.

I realized that the only way that I'd get back in the game was to get noticed. I contacted Todd And, the keeper of the Power 150 list, to let him know that my blog existed. He put in through the And-0-meter and I debuted at #240 on April 3. Admittedly, this was below the fold and in the Honorable Mention category, which was respectable, but certainly shy of my goal of being in the top 150.



I began commenting on a variety of blogs, plus my Twitter network began driving traffic to my site and providing links. I joined 2K bloggers and was invited to participate in an ebook. All of this, plus contextual links that fellow bloggers shot my way based on the content I created, lead to where I am today.

That's a long way of saying I couldn't have done this alone. I have personally witnessed the true power of a social network by its collegiality and cooperation to encourage all its members to improve. I'm perpetually amazed, encouraged and humbled by the willingness of my new media colleagues - many of whom I've never met in person - to go the distance to help out a fellow marketer.

As Mr. Holmes said, "I am lost without my Boswell."

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Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Book Me, Danno
Earlier this month, I mentioned an eBook project with which I am associated. The Age of Conversation is the brainchild of Drew McLellan and Gavin Heaton and I'm happy to say that it has really gained some steam. Articles are due to the editors by April 30, and the book is due to be published in early May. Look for more details here.

In the meantime, here's the roster of authors who originally committed to the project:

Gavin Heaton
Drew McLellan
CK
Valeria Maltoni
Emily Reed
Katie Chatfield
Greg Verdino
Mack Collier
Lewis Green
Sacrum
Ann Handley
Mike Sansone
Paul McEnany
Roger von Oech
Anna Farmery
David Armano
Bob Glaza
Mark Goren
Matt Dickman
Scott Monty
Richard Huntington

Think that's impressive? Now take a look at the rest of the crew:

Cam Beck
David Reich
Mindblob (Luc)
Sean Howard
Tim Jackson
Patrick Schaber
Roberta Rosenberg
Uwe Hook
Tony D. Clark
Todd Andrlik
Toby Bloomberg
Steve Woodruff
Steve Bannister
Steve Roesler
Stanley Johnson
Spike Jones
Nathan Snell
Simon Payn
Ryan Rasmussen
Ron Shevlin
Roger Anderson
Bob Hruzek
Rishi Desai
Phil Gerbyshak
Peter Corbett
Pete Deutschman
Nick Rice
Nick Wright
Mitch Joel
Michael Morton
Mark Earls
Mark Blair
Mario Vellandi
Lori Magno
Kristin Gorski
Krishna De
Kris Hoet
Kofl Annan
Kimberly Dawn Wells
Karl Long
Julie Fleischer
Jordan Behan
John La Grou
Joe Raasch
Jim Kukral
Jessica Hagy
Janet Green
Jamey Shiels
Dr. Graham Hill
Gia Facchini
Geert Desager
Gaurav Mishra
Gary Schoeniger
Gareth Kay
Faris Yakob
Emily Clasper
Ed Cotton
Dustin Jacobsen
Tom Clifford
David Pollinchock
David Koopmans
David Brazeal
David Berkowitz
Carolyn Manning
Craig Wilson
Cord Silverstein
Connie Reece
Colin McKay
Chris Newlan
Chris Corrigan
Cedric Giorgi
Brian Reich
Becky Carroll
Arun Rajagopal
Andy Nulman
Amy Jussel
AJ James
Kim Klaver
Sandy Renshaw
Susan Bird
Ryan Barrett
Troy Worman


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Wednesday, April 18, 2007

How One Big Media Entity 'Gets It'
It looks like things are starting to come around - big media is joining the modern movement and starting to embrace social media as part of their overall communications strategy, not just as a perfunctory move.

For example, USA Today has a Twitter page and has seen a readership jump of 380% since doing a social network makeover. On my local 10 o'clock news and news radio station, I hear them mention their blogs and encourage online feedback from listeners.

But the big media social network that has my attention right now is none other than...

...NBC. Yes, that's right. The peacock network. The network that once boasted "Must See TV." The network that is now #4 in the ratings war and has 22% less revenue than last year to show for it. In addition to some new shows, their social network strategy is one way that they're hoping to gain some loyal viewers.

They are currently previewing the NBC.com Social Networking site and are calling for fans to get involved. "What exactly does NBC feature in the way of a social network?" I hear you asking. Here are a few examples:

Message Boards
Yes, it's very 1997 of you, NBC, but it's a basic component of any TV network's infrastructure. Get the fans to your site and let them chat about whatever excites them about your shows and sponsors. Only this time, monitor the hell out of it and figure out how to respond.

Video & Photo Galleries
The idea is simple: keep 'em here rather than give up the content to YouTube. Just make sure you enable sharing features and embedded video, so your fans can put the content on their blogs to share with friends, if they wish. Don't keep them tied to your home-grown social network. If you do, you'll lose them altogether.

Blogs
Here's where someone got creative. You've got the expected blogs: Jay's Garage by Jay Leno and Late Night Insider by Conan O'Brien. But then you get blogs from some of the popular characters on top shows, such as Dwight Schrute's blog - Schrute-Space (The Office); the Banker's Blog (Deal or No Deal), which takes the faceless, voiceless powermonger and gives us some insights to what makes him tick.

Other features to be rolled out include a personal profile, buddies, groups and widgets. I'll be interested to see how NBC brings this to life, wraps it into the shows, and engages with their fans. It probably helps that they have an Executive Vice President for Digital Entertainment and New Media, Vivi Zigler. It shows that NBC is willing to invest in the latest method of communicating with customers.

But will it result in higher revenue? If NBC can justify the traffic to advertisers, that might be a way to stem some of the lost revenue. And if they're able to effectively integrate advertising efforts into their widgets, they may have a new network advertising revenue model that they can help to pioneer and define.

And just to bring this back to a B2B focus for a moment, that last phrase - pioneer and define - seems to be what's holding so many B2B companies back as they sit on the sidelines and contemplate their corporate navels. They're waiting for proof that social media works in their space, that other companies are doing it and succeeding.

This may or may not be the right strategy. It probably depends on the organization. But they do risk a couple of things: at worst, being left behind and at best, being an also-ran. The point with new media is to get out there and experiment. Joseph Jaffe makes a geat point (#10 in his list to Bud.TV):
Above all...experiment experiment experiment and be prepared to make mistakes. Your reported $30-40 million investment will be well worth it if you learn from your mistakes and innovate intensely.
This is no time for timidity. It's time to get out there and see what sticks.

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Tuesday, April 17, 2007

On Corporate Blogging
A recent article on BrandWeek.com highlights the challenges and successes in corporate blogging. There are a number of notable corporate blogs mentioned, David Neeleman's JetBlue Flightlog (which had a bit of a hiccup after their canceled flights), to McDonald's focus on corporate social responsibility on Open for Discussion, to the infectious Southwest Airlines' Nuts About Southwest, to Bill Marriott's ambitious and very personal approach on Marriott On the Move.

The bottom line: each one of these blogs serves a purpose, reflects positively on the brand it represents, and aligns with a larger corporate communications strategy. Blogging itself is not a strategy.

An observation from the article: larger companies are less likely to have CEOs blogging; these are typically run by PR and product management types. I can't say this is surprising - what Fortune 500 CEO has time to blog full-time? Nor is it a negative thing. As long as good content is being provided (and by "good" I mean something that is considered valuable by readers), it doesn't matter who writes it.

People want to know what goes on inside their favorite companies; they want to know what employees - from the CEO to the administrative assistants - think about the company they work for.

Why this need for near-voyeuristic information? Because to some customers, everything a company does reflects on its brand. Think this just applies to your most loyal customers? Think again. Look at what's happening to Wal-Mart because of the way they choose to handle healthcare.

We all know the buzzwords that are echoing in the marketing space right now: authenticity, transparency, responsiveness. All of these should be addressed as part of a marketing strategy, and a good corporate blog is one way to start.


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Tuesday, April 10, 2007

What Do YOU Have to Say?
Andy Warhol once famously intoned, "In the future, everyone will be famous for 15 minutes." Based on the activity in the blogosphere and podosphere today, that number seems ludicrously low, as there are some individuals making names for themselves on a daily basis.

If I had to write it over, I'd say "In the future, everyone will be famous as long as they provide quality content." That is, as long as they have something meaningful to say. Well, the time has arrived. If you have something meaningful to say, here's your opportunity to make an impact.

Drew McLellan and Gavin Heaton have developed a truly remarkable idea: a collectively penned eBook - 100 authors, 100 pages all about The Conversation Age. The book will be dedicated to a colleague who recently lost her mother; the proceeds from the publication will support Variety the Children's Charity.

I am proud to be part of the contributors to this very worthwhile cause. The good news is there's still room for others. Please email Drew (by clicking on the image above) by April 11 to reserve your spot.

Here are the contributors to date:

What do you have to say? Quick, join the conversation!

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Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Have You Updated Your Pitch Lately?
When you look at the social media space and the way that agencies are choosing to get in the game (or not!), it's clear that PR is way ahead of their brethren in advertising. There's no surprise there: advertising is more of a design-based practice, while PR is more about content and communicating directly with those who can help tell your story. Social media and PR are made for each other.

But social media doesn't come naturally to everyone. Bloggers are (sometimes) being lumped in with journalists as simply another mouthpiece. Bloggers are a different breed and they need to be thought of differently. Bloggers can be influencers who have committed audiences - and this is the important part - who trust the bloggers and believe what they read on blogs. But in some cases, agencies don't understand the nuances between pitching a journalist and pitching a blogger.


Chip Griffin at CustomScoop has written a white paper called The 7 Deadly Sins of Pitching Bloggers (pdf). You should look at the file for the full scoop, but the main takeaways are:
  1. Failing to be transparent - Wal-Mart learned this the hard way
  2. Appearing to bribe - Microsoft and their laptops-for-bloggers campaign comes to mind here
  3. Lacking your own blog - blogging is as blogging does. You need to connect with the people in their world
  4. Making a bad pitch - personalize your pitch, understand the space, don't overpromote
  5. Being scripted - be natural and conversational in your approach
  6. Forgetting everything is "on the record"
  7. Making claims that can be easily disproved - especially in this digital era, where every tidbit of information is available on the Web.
The bottom line is: it's all about common sense: be authentic, know your audience, engage them they way they prefer to be engaged.

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Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Try It, You'll Like It
What would David Ogilvy do? That's the question I've been asking myself, and I think I've got the answer.

First, a little background. One of the social media colleagues I've had a chance to meet over the last couple of weeks was Greg Verdino. His recent blog post mentions his attendance at Virtual Worlds 2007 conference, in which he noted how few marketers and agency executives were present. So profound was it that David Armano made it his Thought of the Day.

Far from surprising Greg (or me), it reinforced what we both discussed when we met: the majority of marketers are trying to figure out ways t harness the field of new marketing strategies (blogging / podcasting / Second Life / social network) without the benefit of actually using the technologies. When did this - giving advice on something you don't understand - become the hallmark of a successful marketer?

Think about it for a minute: would an agency exec work on a television commercial without ever having seen one? Would any good creative director design a print ad without looking through a magazine to see what the surrounding material is like? Not on your life. Yet they throw the social media terms around as if they just represent another channel.

If you've ever read the seminal book Ogilvy on Advertising, you'll know that David Ogilvy made two very important points in the book - points that defined his career:
  1. Research is crucial. Understand the client, understand their customer and what motivates them. This was so important that he named himself Research Director at his agency.
  2. Live the brand. It didn't matter if the client was Rolls Royce, Schweppes or Sears, Ogilvy always bought his clients' products and experienced them just as any customer would, which made him much more effective when he wrote about them.
So, if David Ogilvy were to counsel a client on the social media space today, would he have a blog? A MySpace profile? Would he listen to podcasts? You bet your life he would.

While social media is considered as just another facet to an integrated marketing program (and rightfully so), it's a more complex than most agency execs and marketers think. This is a conversation medium, one that requires understanding and finessing. You wouldn't show up at a sophisticated cocktail party dressed poorly and proceed to interrupt a conversation, grab a handful of hors d'oeuvres and smash your face down in the punch bowl, would you?

Well that's the equivalent of a marketer inexperienced in the field of new marketing / social media showing up to Second Life, starting a blog, etc. without having taken the time to participate in and understand the space.


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About Scott

For hi-res, click here

The best way to describe Scott is "Renaissance Man." Friends and colleagues that know Scott from one facet of his life are very frequently surprised to learn of his interests and talents in other areas.

Scott is a marketing and communications professional focused on the digital industry — specifically on social media. His career spans a number of industries such as healthcare, pharma, biotech, travel, automotive, tech, and communications, and includes a wide range of clients, from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies.

Currently on the staff of corporate communications in Ford Motor Company, Scott heads up the social media function and holds the title Global Digital & Multimedia Communications Manager. He is a strategic advisor on all social media activities across the company, from blogger relations to marketing support, customer service to internal communications and more, as social media is being integrated into many facets of Ford business.


Prior to joining Ford, Scott served as Consigliere for crayon and spent a number of years with PJA Advertising + Marketing, a boutique BtoB agency specializing in health sciences & high tech.

In addition to his consulting and agency background, Scott is an active blogger and podcaster. He writes about the intersection of advertising, marketing and PR at The Social Media Marketing Blog and also writes The Baker Street Blog, a literary undertaking. Scott has been featured in numerous news and business publications, on a variety of podcasts, and on national television. Scott is a recognized thought leader in the social media industry and frequently speaks at industry events.

Scott received his Master's in Medical Science from Boston University's School of Medicine concurrently with his MBA from BU's Graduate School of Management. He lives in the greater Detroit area with his wife and two young sons, golfs all too infrequently, and has a hidden talent for voice over work.

Oh, and one last little-known fact: Scott coined the term "tweetup."

You may download a headshot here, courtesy of C.C. Chapman and a PDF version of Scott's bio here.


Books in which Scott's work is featured:
The New Rules of Marketing & PR
Twitterville
Six Pixels of Separation
Monkeys with Typewriters
Read This First
World Wide Rave
Get Seen

Disclosures/Relationships

Speaking Events

Scott speaks on social media at events, seminars and conferences around the world. His topic generally focuses on corporate use of social media, becoming an online spokesperson, and specifically on the progress that Ford has made in the recent past. If you're interested in booking Scott to speak at your event, please send an email to speaking [AT] scottmonty [DOT] com. Scott's bio and headshot can be found in the "About Scott" tab above.






Some previous engagements include:

BlogWell - How Big Companies Use Social Media - Minneapolis - August 13 Keynote at OMMA Global Sept. 21, 2009

MIMA Summit

Brand Camp '09 "I am Speaking at" Widget 135px Direct Marketing Association International conference, Oct. 18-22, 2009



What I like

Facebook

TOOLS

  Trailfire
  MOO
  CrazyEgg
  ShareThis
  StumbleUpon
  Twitter
  Jott

The Webware 100 for 2008

BLOGS
bub.blicio.us
Mashable!
TechCrunch
Read/WriteWeb
Web Worker Daily
Lifehacker
Global Neighbourhoods
Community Guy - Jake McKee
/Message
The Engaging Brand
Web Ink Now
PR Squared
theshortestblogintheworld
How to Change the World
CatchUp Lady
WOMMA
Digital Influence Mapping Project
Logic+Emotion
[chrisbrogan.com]
Adrants
Web Strategy by Jeremiah
indexed
The Buzz Bin
Citizen Marketer 2.1
PR 2.0
Influential Interactive Marketing
The Viral Garden
Marketing Profs Daily Fix
Conversational Media Marketing
Servant of Chaos
Conversation Agent
Seth's Blog
Social Media Explorer
Six Pixels of Separation - Marketing and Communications Insights Blog and Podcast - By Mitch Joel at Twist Image
Marketing Over Coffee Marketing Podcast
 Media Bullseye
Doug Haslam
Marketing Edge
gary vaynerchuk
Jaffe Juice
Copyblogger
Advertising Age - DigitalNext
The Marketing Minute
Pistachio Consulting Inc.
The Marketing Fresh Peel
The Social Organization
Greg Verdino's Marketing Blog
Church of the Customer Blog
Forrester's Marketing Blog
Twitter Facts
ThirdWay Advertising Blog
Paul Gillin's blog - Social Media and the Open Enterprise
Bryper's Blog
Social Blogworking Magazine
Note to CMO:
Citizen Marketer
Groundswell
MediaJoltz
Vlog Soup
THE AD-VOCATE
The Lonely Marketer

 

Podcasts

For Immediate Release
HBR IdeaCast
Knowledge@Wharton
Manager Tools
Managing the Gray
Marketing Edge
Marketing Over Coffee
Six Pixels of Separation
TrafCom News Podcast

Contact Scott





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Who is Scott Monty?

Hi, I'm Scott. I'm the head of social media for Ford Motor Company. This is my personal blog, where I share my perspectives on social media - the convergence of marketing, advertising and PR on the Web - for marketers, agencies, the enterprise and the individual. This blog contains my personal views.

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