Archive for January, 2009
Is Social Media Just for B2C Companies?
Look around for social media case studies and you’ll find plenty of B2C examples.
Amber Naslund of Radian 6 recently showcased the efforts of P&G, Home Depot, Sharpie and H&R Block. We’ve heard the Comcast, Southwest Air, and WholeFoods stories countless times. And the Zappos story has skedaddled way past cliche.
But where are the B2B success [...]
Do You Own Your TinyURL?
File this under “Online Reputation Management”…
You know those handy URL shortening tools like TinyURL, Is.Gd and Bit.ly? Did you know you can also create a custom TinyURL? It’s another small way (pun intended) to stake a claim to your online identity.
As you can see in this image, TinyURL lets you create a custom alias. Just plug in [...]
10 More Twitter Users Who Deserve Attention
Back in October, I wrote a post spotlighting 10 Twitter users who deserve attention. My sole criteria — aside from adding value to the Twittersphere — was that they all had fewer than 1,000 followers.
Since then, I’ve met hundreds of fascinating new people and deepened bonds with others. It seems it’s time for 10 more [...]
Uncle! Why I Quit Following Chris Brogan
I give up! Chris Brogan is just too damn smart!
One of the most popular questions asked of Chris Brogan is “How do you find the time to follow so many people?”
I’ve been wrestling with another question: “How do I find the time to keep up with Chris Brogan?”
Chris is a brilliant man; that much is [...]
Is Your Marketing Pilot Light Lit?
The pilot light on my water heater went out the other day. Since I’m soooooo handy, it was no big deal. In fact, it was a great object lesson in marketing.
A pilot light is a pretty cool thing. The pilot is a small gas flame that ignites the main gas burner. A thermocouple — a [...]
Should You Have One Social Media Identity, or Two?
I had a fascinating conversation about Facebook today with PRstore’s newest franchise owners and marketing consultants (store employees).
The new graduates of PRstore University asked me to explain the difference between Facebook company pages and fan pages. This spawned dozens of questions about how PRstore uses (could use? should use?) Facebook.
My favorite was this: “Should I [...]
Why Companies are Slow to Adopt Social Media
I took my toddler son to Monkey Joe’s this weekend. He needed to burn off some energy. Who knew it would give me insights into why corporations are slow to adopt social media?
Here are some lessons I learned at Monkey Joe’s:
Lesson #1: Let them discover at their own pace.
Lesson #2: Get comfortable with the beginner [...]
Blogging is like…Classical Music
As Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony surges into the Fourth movement, cellos and basses draw us toward the breathless melding of orchestra and voice. A chorus of vocalists lifts us to a crest of optimism. Horns and piccolos warble the penetrating notes of a Turkish scherzo. With a whisper, the movement enters a contemplative bridge. Then, in [...]
Blogging is like…Jazz
Improvisation is the native tongue of jazz. You can hear it in the low, smoky wail of a Miles Davis trumpet or the silhouetted riffs of John Coletrane’s sax, in the throaty call-and-answer of Louis Armstrong or the seductive staccato of McCoy Tyner’s piano.
There’s no script for jazz. You gotta be in it. You’ve gotta [...]
Blogging is like…The Blues
“You play blues? That music is so sad.”
Blues legend Buddy Guy recalls the words of a couple who approached him in a hotel lobby while he was on tour. Guy gave the couple tickets to see that night’s show. After the set, the couple approached him again.
“You didn’t play one sad song,” they remarked with [...]
Scott Hepburn is a veteran PR and marketing professional. He blogs here about marketing, PR, advertising, journalism and social media.