Posts Tagged Social Media

Making Social Sense of It All

Feb 20

Posted by Robert Stinnett in Tech Stuff | No Comments

Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest – and that’s just my most frequently visited social media hangouts . I don’t know about you, but I’m so damn social that I don’t have time to sleep anymore! It seems that every time we start to settle into somewhere on the web another social network pops up and we’re all creating yet another hangout. I know I got hooked on Pinster in less than 4 hours and before I knew it – bam! – people were following me and I was engaged with yet another audience.

The problem with being social is that unless you have a unique message, people really don’t need to see that you are “Going out for pizza at the new place” on 10 different social networks. For one, it gets to be a chore to update them all and second, if you have time to post the same thing to all 10 different networks I’m going to start to question just how much free time (and creativity) you have! Pretty soon people really get tired of seeing your message repeated your message repeated your message repeated. Not to mention the fact that some networks are there for professional/business opportunities, and that potential employer or your current boss probably doesn’t need to know that you are “kicking it at the club” every Wednesday night.

This is the dilemma I found myself in. I had a lot of great social networks going with various folks – some that overlapped, but many were becoming unique to that particular community – and I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t just copying and pasting the same information over and over. So I decided it was time to segment out the social networks and take the strengths of each to define what I wanted to use them for.

Facebook – It’s the social gathering spot for your friends and family. The beauty of it is you can control your social circle, but still it’s meant to be more of “what’s happening” network instead of something you probably want to build up a professional resume on. Interesting articles I read about social issues, what I’m doing (as if anyone cares), and where I’m going all end up on here.

Twitter – Used mostly for interaction with companies I do business with and as a broadcast tool at conferences. Twitter has a unique ability to “evolve on the spot” to whatever situation you are in thanks to #hashtags, etc. It’s not unusual to get a bunch of new followers that are all at the same event you are, and then to have them unfollow the next week. That’s cool – I consider that one of its strengths.

Linkedin – This is a no brainer. Professional references and colleagues only. If I don’t know you, you aren’t a thought leader in professional areas I am interested in, or someone who I have worked with then I don’t add you. I consider Linkedin to be the professional side of me and not a catch-all.

Google+ – I used this for my more professional social networking. I tend to post more technical stuff here, things I’m working on or researching at the moment. I keep all the “fluff” and social/economic stuff off there. It’s open for all, but definitely more geek-tech-business oriented.

Pinterest – This social network exploded out of nowhere and really is burning up the social atmosphere right now. This is a place where I share what interests me visually. I tend to connect to folks on here that I may not know, but who share my same tastes in home décor, clothing, etc. The few friends I do know on here I follow because we share similar tastes and/or backgrounds.

Flickr – I use Flickr as my primary photo album. It’s open to all, and can be pictures of anything I have personally taken about things that interest me. It also makes a good place to store pictures that I don’t want to lose. I’ll also use it for a place to find Creative Commons licensed pictures I can use in my blog and other places.

My Blog (this website) – I don’t blog quite as much as I used to, only when I have something I feel needs saying. I use my personal blog and web space for promoting things that interest me – such as hobbies, interests and professional material. It’s my “index” on the web.

There are of course other social sites that I use on a less frequent basis such as Foursquare, Tumblr, etc. It seems like each week a new social startup is launched. The problem is that I simply don’t have enough time – or interests – to be active on all of them. By narrowing down each one to a specific purpose I feel I can get my “brand” (personal image if you will) out to more people more effectively. In the end, that is what social media should be all about – your brand, whether you are a person or a business promoting a product. You have to use the tools available to communicate most effectively in a voice that people want to hear in order for your message to ever be heard.

One last thing before we call this blog post quits. No matter which social site you are on I always recommend that you use a consistent username. As long as your content is safe for public consumption, and you want to build up an online reputation, I always recommend grabbing your own name as a username. You’ll find that on most sites I’ve used my name (Robert Stinnett) as my public ID, or a variant close to it. Keep in mind that as long as you are conscientious about what your posting, this has a lot of benefits because it allows you to build up a presence and following online. However, the drawback is that if you are trying to keep stuff private and not linked back to who you really are then this isn’t the answer. Of course, remember, no matter who you are or what you say, the Internet has a way of unmasking us all…

See you on the social channels!

Tags: online, reputation, Social Media

The Numbers Don’t Lie with Google+

Nov 7

Posted by Robert Stinnett in Social Media, Tech Stuff | 1 Comment

Not too long ago a professional acquaintance sent an e-mail asking my thoughts on Google+. After we kicked the can back and forth the general consensus was that it’s more of the same; and try as we might neither one of us could come up with a selling point to get any of our other friends or colleagues interested in making the switch from the social network leader, Facebook, over to Google+. Sure, many of our friends tried it out for a few weeks – but as time went on very few us kept returning or using it on a daily basis.

Now let me be straightforward here and say that this isn’t meant to be a Google bashing post. Even though I argue that Google has lost its innovative spark over the past few years there are still products of theirs that I use on a daily basis – like Google Voice. What I really wanted to find out, to ask of others, was not so much “Why didn’t Google+ succeed?” but rather “Why aren’t you using it?” – of course you can’t have one without the other, but for each question there are different answers.

So I e-mailed a few friends and talked to a few colleagues who had used, or are still using, Google+ and asked them their thoughts. The answers I received back pretty much followed a single thread, mainly they saw nothing “exciting”, “different” or “new” about Google+ compared to their usual hangout (Facebook for almost all of them). One colleague of mine put it this way, “It’s like driving a 2010 Toyota Camry with 20,000 miles on it and the car dealer calling you up and asking if you want to trade it in on an identical 2010 Toyota Camry with 20,000 miles – what’s the point?”

Google+ never had anything that differentiated it from Facebook. The one thing it did have going for it was the Google name – and true enough when it was first released we saw this massive frenzy of people who wanted to get in on the ground floor. Nothing says prestige like exclusivity, and Google did a great job of making it a “you can only get in if you know someone who is already in” type affair. This kept the initial momentum for the service high for a period of time, but people soon found out that once you were “in” there really wasn’t anything “cool” to keep you around. Worse yet, the majority of your friends were still hanging out over on Facebook and a party of one gets very lonely after a while.

Meanwhile … In grocery stores marketers use a variety of techniques to watch what you buy and how you decide what brand of peanut butter to purchase. They use everything from hidden cameras to researchers just blending in with other shoppers to observe your behavior. I decided to borrow a page from the professional market research playbook then and sort of wandered the aisles of the Internet to see just how much people were using Google+. It soon became apparent that this was one brand of peanut butter that people weren’t buying.

First I went seeking out popular news articles from some of the major news sites that have Google+ tie-ins. My first stop was MSNBC where I checked out a number of popular news stories and decided to use one about the death of Andy Rooney as my example (full MSNBC article located at http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45173371/ns/today-entertainment/).

Just take a quick look at the social media share statistics listed for this article. Over 27,000 Facebook recommendations; 4,700 other shares (e-mail, LinkedIn, Newsvine, etc) – and only 58 Google+ shares. Compared to Facebook that represents just two-tenths of one percent. Not exactly a rip-roaring testament to the popularity of Google+.

It was recently announced that Google+ is throwing the doors wide open for everyone – including businesses to set up their own pages. The exclusivity factory is now moot. However, again I have to ask – where’s the innovation? Sure, I can put my business page on Google+ but why? What are you going to offer me that the other guy isn’t? And why should I do it at all if all my customers are hanging out on another site?

It’s sad to see Google lose its way with innovation and become a “me too” player. If you look at the history of both AOL and Yahoo you can see the same fate pretty much played out the same way with both of them. Yahoo created a lot of firsts for the online world, but then they started slipping. Instead of innovating they started to copy, acquire, play the “me too” game. Now, they are pretty much known for only two products – Yahoo Mail and Flickr. Some argue that these two pieces of Yahoo are the only real saleable assets they have left. Sad.

What’s the future hold for Google+? Without innovative new features I don’t see the need for Facebook to get worried about the competition anytime soon. The problem is that people have already tried it out, kicked the tires, and left. It’s going to be hard for Google to get them come take a test drive again. It’s going to be even harder for them to convince people to try their brand of peanut butter.

Tags: facebook, google, Social Media

Sears Buys a Search Engine

Mar 8

Posted by Robert Stinnett in Marketing, Retail | No Comments

When you think of Sears, what comes to mind? Craftsman tools, Kenmore washers, DieHard batteries … search engines? Buried in the news today was a small announcement that is being largely ignored my the mainstream press. Sears Holdings Corporation (SHLD), the parent company of Sears, Roebuck and Co., Kmart and Land’s End has purchased Israeli based search engine Delver for an undisclosed amount.

Never heard of Delver? Don’t feel bad – I haven’t either. So wondering what the heck Sears is doing getting into the search engine business I took it for a spin. What I discovered was interesting to say the least. I think I see where Sears might be going with this purchase.

Delver is a search engine with a twist – it puts emphasis on your social networks recommendations and connections to deliver search results. According to their about page, they are harnessing the indexing power of your social network and what they are referencing to deliver search content that is, in theory, more trusted because it comes from your inner circle.

Ok, so they are a search engine that is hopping on to the social networking bandwagon. That’s great, but the question comes back to why is Sears buying them?

It’s my opinion they are being bought by Sears for three reasons:

Sears “gets it” when it comes to social media.
Sears understand the marketing landscape is changing because of social media.
Sears has to be relevant. Times have not been good for them, and they can’t afford to be a follower anymore – they need to be a leader.

It all boils down to basically one statement … it’s all about the social media.

Sears Holdings has been one of the best retailers out there (aside from Amazon) to embrace social media. They are on Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. They interact with their customers (both the good and the bad, positive and negative reactions) through an online community they setup last year called SK-You (which stands for Sears, Kmart and You). Click-to-Brick shopping? They do it better than any company out there.

Sears and Kmart both have suffered badly in the past few years because of negative perceptions and their inability to execute in a changing marketplace. They have run afoul of the blogosphere a number of times, and the complaint jar is running over for both companies. They are on the brink of becoming irrelevant – jus like Circuit City. That is why I believe this purchase is an attempt to be a leader again, to be innovative and stay relevant in a challenging retail atmosphere. Why take Sears word for it that the Kenmore refrigerator is the best value when your social network can tell you?

Some people may not see the newsworthiness of this announcement, and some may question the move altogether. However I think this is another clear indication that Sears “get it”.

Tags: delver, sears, Social Media

My name is Robert Stinnett, and this is my brand

Feb 26

Posted by Robert Stinnett in Marketing | 3 Comments

I came home from work today to a bunch of boxes piled up at my front door from Amazon. It’s always great to come home and see those brown boxes with the “smile” on them. I can always tell just pulling into the driveway that its another delivery from Amazon just by recognizing that brown box with the smile. It’s a great example of how Amazon’s brand has turned into sort of a cultural icon – there probably isn’t a person reading this that wouldn’t get excited about seeing one of those boxes on their own front porch.

Of course, I already knew what was inside the boxes which is why I wanted to be vain and talk about myself. You see, I realize that like a lot of companies my personal brand is tarnished. I don’t believe in my own brand – so why should someone else?

Let me explain…

I’m a YOUNG 35, but I feel my life has been pretty boring and routine. My day job is in IT, which I enjoy, but really isn’t what I want to do in life. I’m fat (yeah, I said it) and need to get in shape. I wear boring clothes. My idea of fun is watching the History Channel.

If I was a brand, the company would be bankrupt by now!

Lately I’ve been preaching the social media gospel where I work at CARFAX. I think my co-workers are ready to put cotton in their ears if they hear me yap on about how the old ways aren’t going to cut it anymore and we have get involved in the social networking sphere. Luckily, they agree, and we have a very visionary CEO who agrees not to mention a Vice President who shares the same vision. Never let it be said that CARFAX is a company that doesn’t have great leadership. I can honestly say not only do we have a rocking product that helps consumers make informed choices about their next car purchase, but we have at least two of the strongest leaders I have had the privilege of working for.

So here I am, talking about social media this… blah blah. Social networking.. blah blah. Brand and marketing.. blah blah. When I realized I wasn’t practicing what I preach.

With any brand, even in the social sphere, you have to present it properly. Nobody is going to be an evangel of your brand if you don’t believe in it yourself. The tweets and Facebook peeps of the world aren’t going to fall in love with your brand if your brand is nowhere to be found, or looks like a 3rd grader is in charge of it.

So, the question became, what the heck do I do about my personal brand – you know, Robert Stinnett.

Step #1 is to lose the darn weight – what I like to call presenting the brand. I’m happy to say I’m down about 18lbs since January 1st and got a lot more to go. However, this 35 year old guy is tired of being fat and is fixing that.

Step #2 is to be myself – or build the brand. I want my brand to be one where people look at me, or what I do and think to themselves “cool”. No more lifeless, bland, dull clothing. It’s time to put some red hot chili pepper into my brand!

Step #3 is to promote the brand. This one I’m proud to say I’m already doing through my blog, tweets, Facebook, Bebo and getting involved in the online and offline communities that I have an interest in (SEO, Marketing, Automobiles and Non-Profit work).

I hope in a few months I can come back and report back some great metrics for my personal brand – heck, at least some sort of uptick in the response rate if nothing else!

So, for those that read this far – would you like to know what was in the boxes? Well remember I said it was time to get rid of the dull clothing and start being myself? I picked up two pairs of C1RCA sk8 shoes from Amazon. Now I can hear some of you out there now — “Now I’ve seen it all, this 35 year old guy thinks he can skate board and dress like a 18 year old!” Unfortunately, no I have no intention of trying to skate board anywhere (well who knows—never say never!); and who says you have to be a teenage sk8r to wear these shoes? I may not be C1RCA’s target audience, but I’m pretty sure they don’t mind me plopping down the money to buy their shoes!

Besides… I like standing out. It helps me be me. It helps me build my personal brand.

Tags: brand management, Social Media

Forget Research Polls, We Have Twitter

Feb 25

Posted by Robert Stinnett in Marketing, Social Media | No Comments

Last night I was busy watching, along with millions of other people from around the world, President Obama’s State of the Union address. Not only was his presentation inspiring and a call to action for every American, it was also the most heavily Twittered State of the Union ever. At one point, by my count, over 700+ tweets were rolling in every second about the speech. Even members of Congress were in on the act.

Regardless of what you think of Obama (and for the record, I’m a big O-man fan), what took place last night – and all throughout the 2008 election – is a sign of how the social landscape has changed. In years past it would take hours, sometimes days, for researchers and survey firms to tabulate how people felt about an event such as this. Even then, they were highly limited in what they could measure. It was impossible to measure second-by-second response, and you only got a few people which (you hoped) represented the masses. It was time consuming, inaccurate and limited.

Fast forward to 2009 and the social networks have transformed how we view any event, political or not. Almost instantaneous reaction to the different parts of Obama’s speech flew through the Twittersphere. Facebook and CNN provided a direct link so you could not only watch online, but also provide real-time feedback of what you thought. Responses and reactions by the masses were available within seconds, not days. The Whitehouse blog (let’s not forget this is the first Administration with a blog!) was updated with video and transcripts of the speech within minutes of it ending. You just know that Obama’s administration was keeping tabs on what worked – and what didn’t.

We now live in a digitally connected world in which our social networks are a part of us just as much as the networks we form with our family, co-workers and “offline” friends. No longer is it acceptable to “wait for the data” or to claim that you aren’t sure of how something played out in the marketplace. We no longer need the polltakers or the research firms to tell us how the world reacted – we know how they reacted, and we are a part of that reaction.

The transformation to social media is still in the early stages, but nobody can deny it has already crossed the point of no return – and let’s be honest, who would want to return to the old way? We know the value of being active in the social media; and we know what happens if we aren’t. This is the golden era for the 3rd generation of marketing – and it’s exciting to watch it all unfold.

Think I’m off base or right on the money? You could leave a comment, but how about dropping me a tweet instead?

Tags: blog, facebook, obama, Social Media, social networking, twitter

Secure Your Place in the Social Networking Line

Feb 24

Posted by Robert Stinnett in Marketing, Social Media | No Comments

On occasion I’ll be talking with a friend or co-worker and the conversation will wander to talking about the various social networking sites (Facebook, Bebo, Twitter, etc.) and online presence in general. On occasion they will even ask me what’s the best way to get their name “out there”. To which I reply that it is vitally important that you get your place in the social networking line as soon as possible. Wait too late and you have lost a golden opportunity to market yourself.

So what do I mean by this? Start by looking at the URL for my blog. You’ll notice it isn’t being hosted at some 3rd party blog service, or being run off a commercial site. Instead my blog is being powered by my own domain – robertstinnett.com. I’ve also setup my email and Messenger programs to all tie back through this domain. It is important that you register your name as a domain as soon as possible before someone else gets it and does “who knows what” with it. Even if you have no skills whatsoever in domain management take 5 minutes to go to Godaddy.com and search for and register your name as a domain. You want to make sure that you retain the power of your name and securing your domain is an important first step – if you are not already too late.

Next, let’s hit the social networking sites. Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Bebo, etc. Here you want to practice the same thing as above, except you want to try and secure as your username your real name. On almost every social networking site I belong to my username is my real name. Again, the philosophy here is you want to make sure you control it before someone else does. Plus, by by securing your name you are forming a 1:1 relationship between searches for you and results pertaining to you. You are, in essence, helping to build your own rank. Call it SEO for peeps like me!

Next, integrate! By this I mean that don’t make each social networking site an isolated island in the middle of nowhere. Use the tools provided to integrate and share between the sites. This is an excellent way to make sure that all your social sites stay up to date and it also helps make your personal brand stronger in search! See the pattern here? It’s the same techniques we’d use for commercial clients, just applied to you!

Finally, be yourself – but remember on the Internet it lasts forever. You don’t have to be afraid of posting. Living your life in a vacuum is going to hurt your personal brand. You may be the world’s greatest auto mechanic, but if I can’t find you in Google then you don’t exist. Participate in forums, be active in the social networking communities and know when to eat a piece of humble pie. Before you know it, your personal brand will sing your praises for you – all thanks to the 3rd generation of marketing and social networking.

Tags: personal brand, Social Media, social networking

Ford Understands Social Media

Feb 23

Posted by Robert Stinnett in Marketing | No Comments

I’ve been reading a lot of good things about Ford lately, and I’m not talking just about the fact they didn’t have their hand out for a bailout. In fact, I’m beginning to think one of the reasons they aren’t asking for a bailout is because “they get it”. What’s “it”? Connecting with their customers in today’s society, aka Social Media.

I started hearing more good things about Ford, and checking them out, after I read about their upcoming presentation at Web Expo 2.0 on how they set their content free and connected with their employees, customers and suppliers. Just reading this presentation outline makes you want to sit back and go “ooh” and “aaahh”. A company the size of Ford making the leap to social media is just amazing – but shows that Ford does indeed “get it”.

It wasn’t long after I read that article that I stumbled upon Scott Monty’s twitter page. Scott is the head of social media for Ford. Now there is a job title I’d love to get! Twitter is quickly becoming one of the more popular way for our mobile society to interact with each other. The fact that he’s using it not only to interact with Ford customers, but also to present a face of Ford, is what makes it such a worthwhile venture in my opinion. I feel that by being able to “tweet” him a message that I’m actually interacting with Ford on some level.

Ford doesn’t stop at Twitter, though. Facebook, Myspace, Second Life. These are all Ford media outlets. I feel I can get more information about Ford products through these outlets than I could ever get before. The beauty of it is that I’m getting information from all sides, and not just what traditionally would have been pushed to me by Ford. The information is when I want it, where I want it and how I want it. I’m in control of the content delivery!

I have to think to myself is it no wonder why Ford is weathering this economic storm much better than Chrysler and GM when they have forward-thinking leaders who see the value of social media. They understand the value in connecting with their customers and hearing the good, the bad and the ugly. They aren’t trying to make us buy a Ford or tell us how great they are – through their efforts they instead create evangelists, fans and enthusiasts who buy a Ford because they feel connected to the brand. They feel they know more about Ford and its cars through the community and not just one-sided conversation.

Folks, you can’t buy better marketing then this. When will other companies get it?

Tags: Marketing, Social Media, social networking, web 2.0

Robert Stinnett

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Posts Tagged Social Media

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