Signs that this is the end of the PR world as we know it.

Signs that this is the end of the PR world as we know it.
How social media is changing our lives

Social Media is indeed making changes in our lives.  Even Time Magazine, a bastion of old media, hailed user generated content as the single most influential change in 2006.

I caught Katie Paine's session at Executing Social Media in Atlanta yesterday - here are some indicators that your world is changing forever:.

• You spend more time on Facebook than on email
• Deadlines don't exist anymore - it's a 24 hour news cycle
• You don't need the media to get your messages out
• It's possible to create your own podcast or video for just a few hundred dollars and reach more people than you would with mainstream media
• Companies like P & G are learning to let go control and co create marketing material with customers
• People believe what's in Wikipedia and it gets page one position in Google for practically any search term
• Google has replaced dictionaries, the thesaurus, encylopedias and yellow pages - it's become much more than a search tool
• Measurement is easy - in a digital wolrd you can track most anything
• Size no longer matters - it's who you reach, not how many
• Screaming at your audience no longer works.  You have to start listening.

Her take away tip:  the most important thing you can do to succeed with marketing and PR today is listen and build trust. Be transparent, don't lie and don't fake it.

The one theme that was heard throughout the day was learn to listen.  It's no longer a mass media. one way dialogue.  Markets are conversations. The new media landscape is littered with campaigns that used old PR and marketing methods and failed.

But if you get it right the rewards are astounding.

See Also

• Learn how to listen to the online conversation
  Online public relations success depends on tapping into online conversations. Read the November issue of The PRoactive Report. Request a complimentary copy.

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Seth Godin Says Most Marketers Are Out of Sync
Keynote at SES Chicago is food for thought.

If you thought you had Marketing 101 down pat, it's time to think again.

Seth Godin's keynote at SES Chicago lived up to the promise and certainly gave the audience some new ideas to chew on. He started with a new look at the origins of marketing - the story of Josiah Wedgewood, a potter in England in the 1800's at the start of the Industrial Revolution. 

Wedgewood was the first to create a factory environment and a production line with specialized job functions.  He built a showroom and shipped product around the world.  He made millions and his name is still famous in ceramics and china today.  His brother Thomas stuck to the 'tried and true methods.'.  He did it the way it had always been doine before.  He died poor.

The point of this history lesson?  Wedgewood took advantage of changes in society and technology and changed the way he structured his business.  Marketing is not just the whipped cream you add on top, says Godin.  It's a core function of how you operate.your business.  It's a high level decision about how you're going to create, promote, distribute and deliver your wares. If you're smart you adapt your business model to the forces in the marketplace.

Another revolution is upon us, he warns.  And this one will be the biggest yet. If we don't realize this we are going to the Thomas Wedgewoods of our age.

His new book due out in December called Meatball Sundae - is your marketing out of sync? covers the 14 trends that are causing this revolution.

I covered these trends in a previous post.

These are not new ideas or trends. What makes this book different is that Godin gives us direction on what we need to do to take advantage of this revolution in the marketplace.

It's no longer just a BtoB or Bto C world.  It's BtoCtoCtoB.  ther is direct contact between producer and consumer. Poele are connected and they are talking to each other.  Online publishing tools have given consumers the power of voice.

The smart way to do business today is not to look for customers for the products you make, says Godin. Create products your customers want.

YouTube did it and made billions.KIVA is a non profit that is getting ir right.

If you figure out what these trends mean to your business you could be the next success story. 

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Landing page techniques are changing. Often we hear them called "lead capture pages", "lead generation pages", "opt in pages", "name squeeze pages" or simply "squeeze pages". No matter what you cho... [Author: Jeffrey Wyrick - Site Promotion - December 09, 2007]

Actionable Social Media SES Chicago
Social Media step you can take right now

The complaint I hear most often at search and social media conferences is that while the content of the sessions is excellent, it's at a high-level and very general.  They want specifics. What can I do right now, how do I get started? is the question I often get asked.

This session was perfect for folk who want the nitty-gritty, tactical view.

Todd Parsons of BuzzLogic, one of the main players in the field of online reputation management, was the first speaker.

He set the stage with these stats:

• 65 million Americans read blogs every day
• 60 percent do it explicitly to  get an opinion
• 65 pecent of 'power shoppers' spend at least 10 minutes prior to purchase getting online opinions. 
• 3.5 billion brand-related conversations take place online every day.

First and foremost listen to the conversations and be aware of what is being said about you.

Action:  Get an RSS reader and subscribe to searches on your brand name in Yahoo News and Google Blog Search

Linking is what connects all these conversations and you need to initiate and foster good links

Action:  Create good content with authentic stories - engage your audience. Syndicate this content and add links that lead back to your website.

Action:  Track the conversations and see who links to whom. Buzz Logic does this very well.

(I used BuzzLogic for the case study in the November PRoactive Report, which covers online reputation management. It gives you the exact picture of how the  conversation is developing and spreading and the best place to engage.)

Next up was Adam Lavelle of iCrossing.

We're living a connected lifestyle now and we have more and more devices at out fingertips to access content. And it's driven by content.. By 2010 70 percent of content will be user generated.

Your users are shaping the perceptions about your brand.

Action:  Listen.  Be useful

Some brands no longer own the conversation about their brands. He cites 3M and PostIt notes as one example.

Action:  Join forums where people talk about your brand. Become an active member and answer their questions. Offer useful input and support. Use it to build links back to your website.  Do not be overtly commercial.  Be helpful.

Jennifer Laycock of Search Engine Guide spoke next.

Jennifer's actionable tips focused on using Flickr. Images are very important online - they do get people engaged. And in Image Search Technorati pulls from Flickr and so does Yahoo, particularly for 'long tail' phrases (those with more than a few words in the phrase.)

Action:  Add images to your site and set up an account at Flickr.  Tag all images with keywords and phrases.

Flickr has a very active community. 

Action: Get engaged in niche groups relative to your market.  Ask questions. Encourage any brand evangelists you find on Flickr.

Flickr has feeds.  You can use the feeds from your Flickr images to drive traffic to your blog.

Action:  Use your Flickr images in your blog posts 

See Also

• Join the PRoactive Mastermind Group on Facebook
  Be a part of discussions about social media and online reputation management

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