Social Media

Social Media: Dunked

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cross-posted from YouShouldOnlyKnow.com
Social Media is one of these super weird disciplines where – if you’re at the right company? It’s awesome. It’s creative, nimble, respected and is intelligently integrated into an overall marketing strategy with concrete, deliverable goals. When it’s not done well? Well, it’s the worst.

This? This is done very, very well.

OreoKitKatTwitter

What I Love About It:

1. It’s orchestrated without being TOO scripted. The timestamps show a delay in responses, so it’s possible whomever did this had to get approval for it. This may have gone through some upper-level admin (legal, brand managers, etc.?) but it didn’t try to get the full, complete tagline in there, or include a coupon offer.

2. It’s to a real person, who presumably was caught unaware. No celebrity promo here. Just someone mentioning their favorite treats.

3. Whomever found the tweet and decided to respond obviously had the ear of not only whomever had to approve it, but also creative resources. Whether they were edited, or given free reign – this was done by a trusted marketing professional, on both sides. This is likely not an intern who is give some vague objective to “get more followers.”

4. It’s win-win-win. Sure, it looks like Oreo took this round, but Kit-Kat gets major points for the first volley, and for playfulness. And LauraEllen is a minor internet celebrity for all the right reasons. And — I bet you she gets some free chocolate! (a girl can dream…)

Don’t do anything an exec wouldn’t do.

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People get excited about social media. Finally, executives have stopped thinking that digital engagement is just a crazy fad, or hiring their teenage nephews to launch platforms and strategies. The pendulum has started to swing in the opposite direction!

There appears to be a perception of “If we build it, they will come.”  And for many brands – that may be true. Because of an overall, effective, integrated marketing strategy – there are some companies that are almost guaranteed some digital engagement on their Facebook pages, and blogs. Tweets will be re-tweeted, and and there will be comments on updates.  But for others? Simply starting a blog or releasing a podcast or video just isn’t enough.

And executives remain baffled. They’ve bought in, they’ve heard the success stories – so why isn’t anyone creating new “viral” videos to promote their medical supplies? Why isn’t anyone blogging about their new pencil, or entering the essay or photo contest about sock research.  Why isn’t community spontaneously forming around our product?

And alas, the poor, beleaguered digital strategist tries to engage.  “Well, you see – we need content.  Real, authentic content. Can I film you using the new product? Or can you respond to some of the tweets in a livechat?  Have you signed up for the community and blogged about your experiences with the product?”

And so often, the answer is “no.”  No, the executives don’t have time to tweet, or blog or create a profile. They are busy people, it’s not “worth their time,” or they can’t figure out how to participate.  

So, the idea dies on the vine. And the community fails, and everyone scratches their head. Where are all of the promoters and fans creating content and engaging?

Why is that senior management expects that their fans have the time to tweet and engage and create content around their product, when they don’t have the time to do so themselves?  Why aren’t more executives leading the charge around social engagement?

Now, this doesn’t mean that in order for a campaign to be successful that the execs need to be involved – far from it! But what I am trying to say is that in order for a campaign to really take off, the expectations need to fall in line with reality. Sure, executives and senior management are often comprised of very busy people. But, so are your end-users. They are single parents, or caregivers, or executives of their own organizations. They have scheduling issues and different levels of digital-savvy.

Create campaigns that people want to be involved in. Be authentic and real, and don’t ask more of your customers than you would ask of your biggest internal fans.

Stop Blaming Social Media

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I get it, social media is the new kid on the planet. He wears his pants a little tight, and why the heck are his glasses so big? But do we really have to blame poor social media for every bonehead public relations move?

It seems like celebrities  and businesses alike have a nasty habit of saying something incredibly stupid and then when the inevitable backlash comes, there’s a half-hearted apology and then they go kickin’ the new kid. “We’re just learning how to use social media” or they take their ball and go home  … and hire a firm? (I’m lookin’ at you Ashton @aplusk!)

Take the recent horror show that is Boner’s BBQ. A restaurant complains about a customer on their Facebook page in a particularly nasty fashion and then gets called out on it. And what do they do? Blame Facebook, of course. They need to learn how to “better use social media.”  As if they forgot to read the  training manual that comes with new social networks that explains to business owners not to publicly trash their clientele.  Perhaps they explained to their employees that yelling at customers isn’t okay, but forgot to give the marketing guy that memo?

And then there’s celebrities like Ashton Kutcher who say dumb things on Twitter about child abusers, and then when he gets called out on the idiotic comment, he evaluates, takes himself off social media and then hires a firm to tweet his most authentic thoughts. Methinks the point got missed.

Sure, there’s lots of things to learn about how businesses and personalities can best use social media tools, and a lot of things aren’t intuitive. But, if you are prone to making dumb decisions or saying things that will bite you in the butt – it’s not social media’s fault, it’s your fault for giving yourself such a broad platform.

Why User Testing Matters

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I was in a Lane Bryant the other day, trying on some stuff and I was actually doing pretty well in terms of finding stuff.  I could almost see the dollar signs adding up. Luckily, the insert on the dressing room door was about ways you can get coupons.  In addition to becoming a fan on Facebook, and scanning a QR code, you could also text them. I decided to do that. I whipped out my trusty iPhone and texted the code they provided.

And then … I cracked up. Like, laugh out loud in the dressing room, cracking up.

On the iPhone?  LBTXT autocorrects to ….

Rub it in, why don't ya?

Obese.

Not the smoothest move for a store catering to plus-size women.

Once I recovered, I brought up my purchase to the register. The cashier was very friendly, and I told her about my crackup in the dressing room. She also thought it was hysterical, and while the code they texted back (in a double opt-in!) was generous, she was even more generous with the discount she gave me.

See? Every once in awhile it pays to be friendly and engaging.

And as I write this, I just remembered something else Lane Bryant did that made me raise my eyebrows. I was recently emailed a code for 40% off. The code? GET40LB. Obviously, LB was meant to stand for Lane Bryant, but I couldn’t help but think they were trying to fatten me up so I’d stay in their demographic.

Hey Lane Bryant, if you need an extra set of eyes for your marketing team – let me know! I need some new suits. Let’s work something out!

That’s the sound of my forehead hitting the desk.

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“Any press is good press,” right? Wrong.

I am sure someone will prove me wrong and post all sorts of graphs and figures and numbers that show that even when a company makes a really bad PR move or says something really, really stupid – numbers go up. And they may be right. But … there’s got to be more to it. And if there isn’t, there should be. At least, that’s how I’m going to play the game.

Kenneth Cole recently tweeted. Great, he’s using social media, he’s using hashtags, and from what anyone can tell, because he’s “signing” his posts, the posts may actually come from him. Doesn’t really make a difference to this particular incident, but at least it speaks to an attempt at authenticity, if not actual. There’s a personality behind the social media campaign. So far, so good.

But then, he tweets this:

And then my heart hurts. Sure, he made an apology and tweeted it and deleted it and posted the apology on his Facebook page (integration!) but even the apology was kind of a nightmare. First it said he didn’t mean to make light of the situation in Egypt, then it said that the joke was in poor taste, which implies that he did intend to make light of it and it’s just … It was a bonehead move.

I can’t boycott Kenneth Cole any more than I already do, in the sense that I don’t think I own anything by Kenneth Cole, so it’s not as if he lost me as a customer. But it was just an unsubtle reminder that there are real people behind any marketing campaign. And sometimes those people are really, really stupid.

Sometimes authenticity means letting the world realize you are kind of an idiot.

How To Pitch a Blogger

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Bloggers get product and promo pitches from just about everyone. Most of the time? The pitches are really, really bad. As in – has nothing to do with the blog, calls people by the wrong name, or really, really, really oversells the product. You end up either deleting the emails, or messing with the sender.

And it’s a bummer. Because there are responsible, great people who really want to engage. Companies know that bloggers are a great way to get the word out, and a product or service into people’s hands. Today, I got a great pitch email and I wanted to share it with you.

The Pitch Email

Here’s what I received:

Dear Pale Nerd (Dear Pale? Dear Ms. Nerd?):
I’m writing to you because about a year and a half ago you wrote a very positive review of Allyson Beatrice’s Will The Vampire People Please Leave The Lobby?, a collection of essays on fandom, fundraisers, and the improbably enduring friendships and communities that can flourish between people who’ve never met face to face. As her editor, I want to alert you to the fact that Ms. Beatrice has just published her second book. In a surprising and satisfying left turn, she’s jumped into children’s fiction with The Amazing Adventures of Sam the Bat, a chapter book for ages 7-11 with a mix of photos and original illustrations by Eisner Award winner Dave Dorman, about the life of a Mexican Free-Tail bat named Sam, orphaned by an earthquake in the Sonora Desert, who travels around the world to find a way back home.

Like you, I enjoyed Vampire People tremendously, but I think Sam is even better. A completely different sort of book, but beautifully and entertainingly written and amply displaying Beatrice’s trademark combination of sharp wit and willingness to be bowled over by unexpected beauty and kindness.

If you think you’d like to review Sam, or could recommend a critic interested in YA and children’s lit who may be interested, more detailed information is available at http://www.plusonepress.com/0984436219__SamTheBat.htm

Here are the pre-press blurbs it’s gotten:

Sam the Bat is a delightful book that manages to at once teach children about a fascinating and greatly misunderstood species, while holding them under the spell of a touching – and often very funny – story with an appealing hero. I’m sorry I didn’t get to read it to my own children. – Peter S. Beagle, author of The Last Unicorn and Mirror Kingdoms

Sam’s story is a great introduction to the lives of bats around the world, and is a thrilling read. It’s a great challenge to imagine life through the eyes of a bat (I’ve tried), and Allyson Beatrice does so beautifully. Through Sam, Beatrice explores the kindness of strangers, the importance of friends, and the value of family. I would recommend this book to any young person curious about the world and the animals living in it. – Daniel K. Riskin, Assistant Professor of Biology at the City University of New York, and from Animal Planet’s Monsters Inside Me and Discovery Channel’s Curiosity

Beatrice has written a book that parents and grandparents will have to wrestle out of the hands of youngsters so that they can read it, too. Sam’s great adventure takes him from California to South America, Europe, Australia and beyond. He meets bats with no tails, bat as big as dogs, and even bats that scurry along the ground. He learns about fear and courage, love and longing, and like the little girl of the Oz story, he learns that your friends can be your greatest strength (and you can, too) and there truly is no place like home. The Amazing Adventures of Sam the Bat is a book in which the whole family can delight. – Sunny Solomon, Bookin’ With Sunny

As the editor I’m obviously more than a little biased, but I truly believe Sam is a terrific story that deserves a wide audience; I want everyone to love him as much as I do. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

What Makes This Pitch Great

  1. She bothered to  address me personally. She even used a little humor – that let me know it was personalized. Sure, my real name is somewhere on my blog, but that’s okay. She’s probably sending out a ton of these. I’m appreciative of the effort.
  2. The publicist/editor actually read the blog or the post that caught her attention.
  3. She considered the content of my blog. She even reminded me of a previous connection to her client.
  4. She gave clear instructions on follow up.
  5. She really sold the product. She gave reviews from other authors I love, as well as her personal opinion.
  6. It helps that she’s a solid writer.

I no longer blog about what I’m reading at Pale Nerd, and this book skews young for even a YA lover like me, but because of her great email, I’m happy to mention the new book (and the original one, which I enjoyed) on this blog.

Facebook Memes and Armchair Activism

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You’ve seen this meme going around Facebook, right? “Change your profile picture to a cartoon character and raise awareness of child abuse.”

As a marketing professional who specializes in social media, I should be fascinated by this. Thousands upon thousands of people engaging in this small act of internet solidarity. I could look at reasons why it spread so successfully (showing off your own “brand” of your favorite cartoon, nostalgia and making people feel good about themselves by supporting a cause), but instead of making me excited and intrigued, I’m just … annoyed. As usual, someone on the internet said it first (and better), so let me direct you to Kerry Scott of the Clue Wagon’s post about why it makes her want to poke her eyes out with a fork.

The whole thing just feels so disingenuous to me. Sure, I guess just talking about child abuse raises awareness, and maybe people may remember to look for the signs of abuse, or donate to a charity, or just remember that it’s still a problem. But I kinda doubt it. It just feels cheap. It’s kind of like when people were buying knockoff Livestrong bracelets. The money wasn’t going to cancer, but at least you got to be trendy! When my grandma started wearing a blue one that she bought off a sidewalk vendor, you knew it kind of jumped the shark.

And maybe that’s part of the problem with social media and armchair activism. Sure, there’s lots of incredibly genuine, wonderful people with great ideas and social media activism that’s getting stuff done. And to say that social media can’t have incredible success with a cause is just foolish. You can help get a president elected, or find a kidney and I’m curious to see how Jumo works–but stuff like the cartoon thing? It dilutes what I can consider to be some of the real power of this kind of connection. It cheapens it.

We can do better than this.

I’ve donated to the Family Violence Prevention Fund. Consider the same?