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Posted on March 12, 2010
Social Search Optimization
BY JASON CORMIER
I had the pleasure of talking with Charlene Li from the Altimeter Group last night - and she brought up the point of how search engine optimization is completely changing.
At the risk of paraphrasing, she basically indicated the importance of optimizing web pages is going away. If you consider how referral traffic is migrating from search engines to social networks, I'd say it's easy to agree.
Of course, what we are seeing is search engines staying relevant by indexing social content. Case and point: I do a quick search on Google for "iPad" - and what do you know: My friend and business partner, James Clark, shows up on the first page of the search results. 
Wow, over 48 million results, and his mug comes up on the first page? Yes, because Google is now recognizing and leveraging the relevance of social connections.
And although the optimization of web pages may be bearing less weight, I'm not throwing out the baby with the bath water (ugh, I used that phrase). Keywords, for example, remain foundational to online visibility from both a topical search, and monitoring perspective.
There is a great deal more to the social search discussion recently written by Brian Solis. One of our (Room 214's) responses has been to create a formal Social Search Optimization program for our customers.
What are you doing to optimize for social search?
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Posted on December 22, 2009
Social Media: Joining the Conversation Is Not Good Enough
BY JASON CORMIER
Social media experts are commonly asked where the market is going, or, "what do you believe the future of social media is?"
I notice most offering answers are quick to disclaim "we are all learning, and nobody is really an expert" - then reasonably expound upon topics such as the integration of customer relationship management (CRM) within social media, online monitoring tools, Facebook, ROI models, etc.
All worthy topics of discussion, but as one who will be humbly referring to himself as an expert among many, the topic I'm bringing to your attention now is that of brands starting conversations. "That's it," you say? "What's so meaningful about that? Isn't that what they are already doing?"
Well, I'd say most are not. There is certainly a lot of listening going on - but many companies engaging in conversations about their brand are predominantly reacting, or at best, joining conversations (not starting them).
Cluetrain Revisited
10 years ago, when the Cluetrain Manifesto book was written, marketing and communications pros were introduced to what is now a core principal of social media: Markets are conversations.
To many in our industry, "markets are conversations" has become cliché - a standard phrase used in every presentation describing or introducing social media. And over the years, additional catchy phrases, theories and practices have sprung from this principal. Even the name of this blog was inspired from it in 2006… as was the bolded statement below...
It's Easier to Join a Conversation than to Start One
Most of us recognize how and why this statement is true - but in the context of social media strategy, I say it enables companies to rest on their laurels.
I'm not devaluing the importance of contributing to existing and often well-established conversations about your world. Your 2-cents (or at least your presence) is a required variable in the credibility equation. But let's face it, if you want to be a leader, just joining conversations won't cut it. At some point, you must also start them.
What's Next
Tomorrow, I'll be posting an introduction to what we at Room 214 refer to as the Conversation Maturity Model - a simple point of reference illustrating the path from listening to leading. I'll also offer some top line consideration on the value of starting a conversation.
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Posted on November 19, 2009
Choosing the Right Agency for Your Social Media - Notes from Day 1 at WOMMA
BY JASON CORMIER
As WOMMA 2009 kicked off today, I wanted to share some notes from the last session I found extremely interesting. As one who runs a social media agency, I am of course completely captivated by a session dedicated to giving insight as to what big brands are thinking when choosing to work with agencies in this space. 
The panel discussion included three individuals with an incredible amount of online and offline marketing experience. Each is a recognized leader within their own organization, and was kind enough to share some candid thoughts regarding their opinions on working with agencies. The background and highlights from each participant's discussion is as follows:
Steve Knox, CEO, Procter & Gamble Tremor: When I first met members from the Tremor team last year at WOMMA, I was surprised to hear that Procter & Gamble was already aggressively working with an agency to engage in WOM and social initiatives. I then learned Tremor was actually P&G's internal agency, working exclusively to support the brand(s).
Over time, Tremor has developed a community of about half a million moms through its Vocalpoint platform, and now successfully leverages the data, learnings and continued engagement to help brands outside of its own. Pretty impressive. The following are some of the things Steve had to say in consideration of working with potential partner agencies:
- If there is zero unique IP that a potential partner agency brings to the table, then anything they can provide is essentially a commodity.
- A successful agency is able to demonstrate that they care about the brand, and have a real understanding of its core equity.
- I don't want to talk to agencies overly focused on digital and tactics. Agencies need to demonstrate they get how offline conversations are going to be activated.
David Witt, Manager, Brand Public Relations, General Mills: David brought a different angle to the conversation, along with a level of humility and humor I think most in the audience recognized quickly. Here are some of the items I noted from his participation:
- From an agency, David is looking primarily for the emergence of creativity and execution
- The first focus should be on customer loyalty, then word of mouth and brand advocacy
- Ideas are power, and are of greatest value when they sustain engagement over the long haul.
- For brands to be social, they must realize it is about giving (example: General Mills just launched tablespoon.com, featuring over 25,000 recipes for consumers to engage with, ratings, coupons, etc.)
Christine Morrison, Social Media Marketing Manager, Intuit: I have followed Christine on Twitter almost since she began her most recent marketing position at Intuit. She has lead award winning efforts (including a Gold WOMMY Award today) for Intuit, and continues to demonstrate what success with social media looks like. Here are the highlights I outlined around her input:
- We look at the hows and whats of social media - and are interested in social marketing assets that are user generated and can be used in conjunction with advertising assets.
- We like agencies that are ahead, out in front, trying new things and have thought through why they are trying them.
- I like to ask, "do you know something I don't know?"
The main theme I pulled from each of the panelists viewpoints is the value they place in people who get the big picture. Social media and word of mouth marketing are a component of a larger marketing mix. These kinds of professionals (and brands) are past the point of "buy in" when it comes to social media. The more relevant questions pertain to how it social media most effectively fits and benefits their customers and business goals.
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Posted on September 11, 2009
Job of The (Near) Future: Social Media Administrator
BY JASON CORMIER
David Meerman Scott had a great extension to Jim Stewart's post on the role of a Social Media Administrator today, actually offering a first cut of a Social Media Admin's job description. My abbreviated version of his more detailed job description is as follows:
- Knowledgeable of social media tools, techniques and philosophies
- Maintenance and consistency for company accounts on social media sites
- Evaluation, guidance and implementation of social media analysis and monitoring tools
- Maintenance and distribution of social media guidelines
- List maintenance and applicable display of work related personal blogs of employees
I'm sure this description will be updated as comments continue streaming in on David's blog. As I commented to this post, Jeremiah Owyang began talking quite a bit about the need for a Social Media Strategist in early 08' - as well as the need for a Community Manager to be the online face of the company.
I think the SM Admin role David defines bleeds into both of those roles - but one of the greatest values in my mind relates to the ongoing research and evaluation ultimately required to stay "fully knowledgeable on the tools."
One of the sustained demands on Room214 (our social media agency), is staying on top of the tools - and monitoring tools are only a subset of social media related applications we must pay attention to.
When you consider other emerging technologies like social CRM solutions, it is easy to conclude the evaluation and implementation of those kinds of items will likely be far more demanding than monitoring tools. I'd say the area of evaluation alone could justify the hiring of a Social Media Administrator. Obviously, there are other highly relevant duties, as listed, that further build the case.
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Posted on July 10, 2009
The PPLE Social Media Framework
BY JASON CORMIER
How do you make social media systematic? One way is by utilizing a comprehensive framework as part of your planning and execution. At Room 214, we are often asked about our methodology for social media, so the following post is dedicated to just that.
First, I would like to state that we are big fans of Forrester's POST (People, Objectives, Strategy, Technology) approach to social strategy. The components represent a linear model that I'd argue holds true for any online marketing efforts. You can dig deeper into this by reading Groundswell by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff.
The Figure below illustrates Forrester's POST approach.
How the POST approach is actually integrated from a social media planning and execution perspective is where our own PPLE (Plan, Pilot, Launch, Extend - pronounced "people") framework becomes relevant (see figure below).
The practices behind PPLE are outlined as follows:
Plan: Addresses six core program elements (Workflow, Marketing Strategy, Content, People, Technology and Data) in the context of research and Forrester's POST methodology. This typically includes technology evaluations, social media monitoring, creative ideation, and development of strategies and tactics.
Pilot: Leverages a limited number of platforms with which to engage the market. Reduces risk, uncovers problems and provides data and feedback - flying "under the radar" to validate efforts prior to launch. This typically includes technology integration and development.
Launch: Uses additional marketing tactics to extend awareness and participation within chosen social networks. Re-aligns with business objectives and earns multidisciplinary team and public support.
Extend: Extends efficiencies and insights to other social networking models, technologies, and customer-specific initiatives.
The PPLE framework offers a proven structure to follow while providing a unique and holistic client preview for social media campaign development and strategy. It is complimentary to Forrester's approach, and helps to facilitate the communications and execution of work, ultimately enabling the value of our company.
Have you seen similar frameworks or methodologies? What does your experience tell you about this kind of asset?
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