New Marketing Summit 08: A Twitter-like pace and many a familiar face

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Although more than a week has already passed, I am only now reprocessing information from the New Marketing Summit (NMS) held on October 14-15 in Boston, where I was also lucky enough to vacation afterward. There was and still is quite a bit to take in.

Content Marketing

Over two days, attendees were treated to a flurry of 32 bite-sized presentations and panels while tweeting questions to the Social Web stars on stage and tips to the Twitterverse (#nms08). Topics ranged from Web 2.0 for Internal Communications to SEO to SocMed Monitoring to Personal Mobile Technology to Millennial Marketing to Community Management, and also included some very cool case studies.

I was particularly excited to meet and see the faces of folks that have become familiar to me online such as Todd Defren, Chris Brogan, Christopher Penn, and David Meerman Scott. Although I didn’t get to meet Ann Handley (who was there on the first day), it still felt good just knowing she was in the room somewhere with me!  🙂  Yep, I was thrilled to participate in an event with so many social media Rockstars all under one roof!

The rapid-fire, breadth-of-info conference format was perfect if you had at least a working knowledge of and personal experience with social media and digital marketing. However, if you were seeking a “quick immersion” into the world of social media, it may have felt a little bit more like baptism by fire (as one of the attendees hinted). Either way, there were plenty of eager conference consumers and plenty of content to go around (unlike the food on the first day however!).

Although I didn’t have the chance to talk with all the vendor sponsors, those I did speak with were of a high caliber and a great match for the conference:

The best and worst part for me was the networking. It was the best because I appreciated and enjoyed the people I met, some of whom included:

And it was the worst because there wasn’t more time to meet more people.  🙂

Thanks all. It was indeed a pleasure.

p.s. Of course the absolute best part of my trip was visiting with my dear friend Robin Greisdoff Moore after the conference. It was the first time we’ve seen each other IRL in over a decade!

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15 steps to developing blogger relations (with a capital “R”)

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Blogger relations and traditional media relations are not entirely uncommon. Of the following steps, which ones may also be applied to traditional media relations? And what other blogger-relations steps or tips would you add to this list?

  1. RESEARCH and identify the blogs relating to your space
  2. READ, read, and re-read those target blogs
  3. RETRAIN yourself to listen more and talk (broadcast) less
  4. RESPOND with thoughtful comments posted to target blogs
  5. RELATIONSHIP is key, so start to develop one with the blogger before you pitch
  6. RECIPROCITY in the relationship matters. So let the blogger get to know you as a person (and you should have some sort of online presence, too)
  7. RELEVANCE is highly relevant. Your pitch content must match interest of the blogger and his/her community
  8. REALLY SHORT pitches. Brevity counts! A three-liner is great. Shoot for the ultimate goal: 140 characters or less. Teaser pitches are OK.
  9. REVIEW target blogs for Pitch policy icon or Pitch policy; if no icon or policy, then ask (a great way to introduce yourself)
  10. RELEASES need to be social, as in template and tone
  11. RESPECT bloggers – as most don’t get paid; so in reality, their time is even more precious
  12. ROLE REVERSAL. It’s not about you or your company. Put yourself in the blogger’s shoes. What’s in it for the blogger?
  13. REALIZE that – like PR – Social Media (e.g., blogging) is based more on the Social Sciences, not technology
  14. RESOURCE. Be one for the blogger and blogger’s community; bring value (even if it means connecting blogger to another PR person) to the community and conversation. Be helpful and human.
  15. REAL. Be transparent and authentic. No B.S.

Thanks to the following folks for inspiration:

Renee Blodgett
Jennifer Van Grove
Brian Solis
Todd Defren

And last but not least…
Toby Bloomberg
In particular, I am especially grateful for Toby Bloomberg’s leadership in developing and sharing this most excellent series about blogger relations.

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Sustainable fires still burn under our cooling economy

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Green building, also known as sustainable building, is growing like weeds. “The global green building market is projected to double in size…over the next four years,” according to State of Green Business 2008, a report by Greenbiz.com.

With the promise of even bigger payouts and benefits, the green building market is also attracting impressive seed money. Global venture capital investment in clean technologies, a core component of green building, jumped 43 percent last year according to Dow Jones VentureSource.

As an economic powerhouse, green building will cross-pollinate many secondary and tertiary industries, making rain for business owners and sun for its inhabitants. For example, a research report by Clean Edge projects that Solar “will grow from a $20.3 billion industry in 2007 to $74 billion by 2017.” And a report by the American Solar Energy Society says that by 2030 the renewable energy and energy efficiency sectors could generate up to 40 million jobs and $4.5 trillion in revenue. 

In addition, a report released by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation called Green Building in North America says: “In the United States, the annual cost of building-related sickness is estimated to be $60 billion. According to researchers, green building has the potential to generate an additional $200 billion annually in worker performance improvements by creating offices with better indoor environmental quality, including air and natural light.”

With much at stake and much to gain, the race to secure the sustainability leadership edge among the States is on. To maintain its competitive advantage, Oregon – a nationally recognized leader in green building – is successfully securing its frontrunner status by planning, preparing, and promoting its green future. Oregon’s 2008 Policy Initiative and Playbook lays it all out: “Economies built on sustainability…will better navigate emerging constraints in resources and regulation by reducing their environmental footprint, making better use of raw material, producing products more efficiently, and reducing costs and improving margins.”

But, more importantly, Oregon is executing on its plan to lock down the green edge. A big part of that plan is ensuring that there’s enough skilled labor to support its rapidly growing green industry. So Oregon, like other states around the country, offers green certificate programs at its colleges and universities – some in conjunction with the Cascadia Sustainability Academy.

This week, I begin a nine-month certification program to become a “National Sustainable Building Advisor.” As a seasoned marketing communications professional, why would I want to become certified in sustainable building?

I’m passionate about sustainability and its power to stimulate local-to-global markets, and positively impact professional and personal lives. For me, I believe that obtaining a green certificate will complement not only my career but also my retirement – particularly when I build my own sustainable home one day.    

The grass really is looking greener on the other side.

NOTE: Here’s more information about the National Sustainable Building Advisor program and its intent: “To build a community of Sustainable Building Advisors who can confidently and knowledgeably promote sustainable building to the industry and the public.”

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Does your business blog need life support?

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Only five percent of the 133 million blogs tracked by Technorati were updated in the last four months. So maybe some bloggers have been on extended vacation and perhaps others just abandoned their blogs altogether. And maybe a few are business bloggers who aren’t getting the proper support for maintaining oxygen flow into the lifeblood of their company blog. 

If you’re a business blogger, here’s important advice to consider as you strive to evolve your blog and fulfill your business objectives by leveraging the wonders of Web 2.0:

How your company perceives its own blog is just as important as how others view it.

  1. Don’t be tempted to think of your new blog or any other social media resources as “technology” tools; think of them instead as communication vehicles or brand extensions for creating conversations, building relationships, and generating new, highly qualified business.
  2. A blog by itself does not a social media strategy make. Please continue exploring multiple online channels and creating multiple, synchronous touch points in the Social Web Sphere – all of which are necessary to leverage the boundless opportunities associated with Web 2.0. Your blog is just one component of a much larger universe of opportunity.
  3. The hardest part about joining the blogosphere is not deciding whether or not you should blog, learning how to blog, launching the blog, or even generating traffic to the blog (although this is definitely not easy, it is also not the hardest part). The hardest part is engaging readers, inspiring loyalty and building relationships, and this comes from the quality of conversation you create – not only on your blog, but also throughout the blogosphere. Many companies prefer to maintain the “built it and they will come” perspective when it comes to blogging. But even if “they” do come, what matters in blogging is whether or not they’ll stay.

Ultimately, your company’s perceptions can make or break whether or not you leave a meaningful brand mark in the blogosphere. So, how does your company perceive blogging?

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Top 5 signs that you may be a lazy music person

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What’s a lazy music person (LMP)?  One who loves music, but doesn’t actively seek out new music and hardly ever changes what he or she is currently listening to.

The top 5 signs that you may be a lazy music person:

  1. If you have 2 or more unused iTunes gift cards at any point in time. And you’re a chronic LMP if they are over a year old.
  2. If you ever stood in a store transfixed at hearing a new musical sound over some cheesy loudspeakers and then ended up racing to the nearest cashier to say “what CD is that playing now?”
  3. If you know every song on your iPod by heart and mentally begin the start of a song in the queue – whether by artist or alpha sequence – before the previous song ends.
  4. If you stare at your unused iTunes gift cards and try to talk yourself into shopping on the iTunes store: THE site-from-usability-hell (Non-LMPs don’t think twice about the crappy user experience on this site.)
  5. If you get regular emails from the iTunes store telling you that you have unused iTunes cash sitting in their store.

I’m a lazy music person and so is my husband – this is probably one of our least favorite common denominators.

Anyone who knows me would never guess that I’m an LMP because I love music. People I’ve danced with and gone to concerts with and just hung out with have seen me in the music ZONE. My friends who’ve driven with me in my car have also seen me in the zone, much to their chagrin, as I sang at the top of my lungs to the songs on the radio. So, knowing all this, how can I still be an LMP?

Well, I’m not sure if it’s genetic or what…but here are some real-life examples of how a lazy music person operates and may eventually end up embracing new music:

  • MUSIC IS LITERALLY HANDED TO YOU

Friend creates a cool mix CD called, “Girls Night Out” and hands it out at a Bachelorette Party.

RESULT: Easy transfer of different music – I wore out the CD because I finally had something new to listen to (and the mix also featured some “classics!”).

  • NEW MUSIC IS ACCIDENTALLY DISCOVERED

Same friend (who happens to be a Non-LMP) tells me that if I want to get better support from the IT Department, then I need to approach (a Non-LMP) fellow colleague and mention how cool Depeche Mode’s latest album is.

RESULT: (In addition to getting the IT support), I realized I hadn’t listened to Depeche in a bazillion years and checked out their new album online – saw there was a Touring the Angel concert in town and went…turned out to be one of the top 3 concerts I ever attended (and I’ve been to…hmmm…way more than you can imagine). The next time I was “passing by” a music store, I went in and bought Depeche’s CD.

  • NEW MUSIC IS WITHIN REACH “WHILE” YOU ARE LISTENING TO IT

I walk into a small boutique in Chile and hear the most amazing music…my eyes get moist (for some reason, my eyes often get moist whenever I hear awesome music)…the young lady at the cash register sees la loca norteamericana getting misty while looking up at the speakers. I say in stilted Spanish, “Who am I listening to?”  Young lady: “Myriam Hernandez.” I say, “Cuento cuesta, por favor?”

RESULT: I paid $28 USD for a used CD (it was the young lady’s personal CD). SECRET: I probably would have paid $40. Because it was there and it was available and I loved it. And because I’m an LMP.

Are you a lazy music person? Do you have an LMP story or comment to share? Tell me…what do you think the size of the LMP market really is??? If Starbucks can sell 4 million music CDs per year – not bad considering coffee is their core business – then I’m thinking there are many more LMPs out there than care to admit it.

At least the next time I get the courage up to visit the iTunes store, I won’t feel so alone.

FOR YOUR READING PLEASURE:

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