Social Media Marketing GPS: A Must-Read Guide

Leave it to Diva Marketing's Toby Bloomberg to deliver on the ultimate social media marketing experiment: an insightful business book written on Twitter, 140 characters at a time. She has just published it: Social Media Marketing GPS, A Guide to Social Media, 1 Tweet at a Time and I urge you to read it, savor it and learn from it.

Social Media Marketing GPS Background

The book is based on interviews that Toby conducted last summer 2009 via Twitter with 40 prominent marketers from Canada, England, India and the United States on specific topics relating to "how to leverage social media, not in terms of the technology, but as a vehicle to build and nurture stronger business relationships."

I'm particularly honored that she invited me to participate [check out Chapter 3 about listening]. I found the experience unlike any other Twitter interaction; it was intense and required deep focus. It was also exhilarating and I felt renewed appreciation for brevity and concise thinking.

Click here to download the 91 page eBook Social Media Marketing GPS. Toby has organized each chapter into a 'tweet intro' followed by the relevant Twitter interview[s], a review of key concepts and suggestions on how to continue the conversation.

The chapters and their contributors are as follow:

Table of Contents

Foreward: Shel Israel
Introduction: Toby Bloomberg

Chapter 1: Why Social Media?
Interviews with Paul Chaney, Ann Handley

Chapter 2: The New Enterprise Direction
Interviews with Geoff Livingston, Marc Meyer

Chapter 3: Social Media Research: The 1st Listening
Interviews with C.B. Whittemore, Joel Rubinson

Chapter 4: Social Media Ethics
Interviews with Wayne Hurlbert, Mack Collier

Chapter 5: Strategy First
Interviews with BL Ochman, Rajesh Lalwani

Chapter 6: Tactics Second: Blogs, Twitter, Social Networks, Podcasts, Vlogs, RSS, Widgets
Interviews with Julie Squires, Yvonne DiVita, Connie Reece, AV Flox, Nancy White, Neville Hobson, Jim Turner, Roxanne Darling, Bill Flitter, Nick Burcher, Marianne Richmond

Chapter 7: Social Media & Branding
Interviews with Dana VanDen Heuvel, Beth Harte

Chapter 8: Blogger Relations
Interviews with Susan Getgood, Elisa Camahort

Chapter 9: Sponsored Conversations
Interviews with Scott Monty, Melanie Notkin

Chapter 10: Metrics That Make Sense
Interviews with Peter Kim, Kate Niederhoffer

Chapter 11: Solving Business Challenges
Interviews with Lionel Menchaca, Frank Eliason, Donna Lynes Miller, John Maley

Chapter 12: Relationships 1st, 2nd & Last
Interviews with Tim Jackson, Liz Strauss, Lucretia M Pruitt, Kimberly Coleman

After Foreward: David Meerman Scott

Don't wait! Download your own copy of the book and please let everyone else you know about this must-read guide titled "Social Media Marketing GPS"!

Thank you, Toby, and Congratulations!

Simple News & Insights - Spring 2010

The latest issue of Simple News & Insights, Now Available!

Released yesterday 5/24/10, the Spring 2010 issue of Simple News & Insights from Simple Marketing Now. You can access it by clicking on this link to the 5/24/10 archive of Simple News & Insights. I'd love to hear your reactions.

The issue was inspired by my Social Media Club of North Jersey presentation that took place yesterday morning about customer feedback in a social world...

[I'll recap the presentation separately, but have to share with you that "I love you. I hate you. Customer Feedback in a Social World." was a resounding success with just the kind of intense discussion and sharing of perspectives that I had hoped for. Special thanks to Devon Valenti and Chris Kieff, too!]

If you like what you read in the Spring 2010 issue of Simple News & Insights, please consider subscribing. To do so, simply click on this link to subscribe or look for the eNewsletter subscription form in the right sidebar of this blog.

You can review archives of Simple News & Insights by visiting the Simple Marketing Now News page and scrolling down to the left sidebar.

Thanks for reading!

Press Release: Age of Conversation 3 Highlights Social Media Best Practices

For Immediate Release: May 24,2010

Age of Conversation 3 Highlights Social Media Marketing Best Practices
171 Authors, 7 From New Jersey, Contribute Global Perspective

Kinnelon, NJ – Age of Conversation 3 (202 pages; hardcover; paperback; Kindle; ePub), third in the one-of-a-kind global collaborative series, is now available through all major online retailers, as a Kindle e-book, and soon as an ePub for other digital readers. Published by new digital publishing company Channel V Books (www.ChannelVBooks.com), the book highlights social media best practices with perspectives from 171 authors from around the world, constituting a veritable “who’s who” of the world’s leading marketing bloggers. Seven authors hail from New Jersey. Sales of the book benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Age of Conversation 3 captures the distinct shift from social media as hypothetical consumer loyalty tool to staple in the modern marketing toolbox. Although the book covers more than just social media, the topic is ubiquitous among the book’s 10 sections: At the Coalface; Identities, Friends and Trusted Strangers; Conversational Branding; Measurement; Corporate Conversations; In the Boardroom; Innovation and Execution; Influence; Getting to Work; and Pitching Social Media.

“We have seen an incredible shift in the role of social media over the past three years. It has moved from an outlier in the marketing mix to one of the strategic pillars of any corporate marketing or branding exercise,” says Drew McLellan. “And it doesn’t end there,” adds Gavin Heaton. “As the many authors of this new book explain, the focus may be on conversation, but you can’t participate in a conversation from the sidelines. It’s all about participation. And this book provides you with 171 lessons in this new art”. McLellan and Heaton are co-editors and contributing authors of the Age of Conversation series.

The first Age of Conversation raised nearly $15,000 for Variety, the international children's charity, and Age of Conversation 2 raised a further $10,000 for Variety. This year’s proceeds will be donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Christine B. Whittemore, chief simplifier of Simple Marketing Now located in Kinnelon, NJ, has participated in the Age of Conversation series since its beginning. Her contribution to Age of Conversation 3, titled “Extreme Foreignness, Innovation and Execution”, appears in the Innovation and Execution section. Other New Jersey authors include: Steve Roesler, Eric Brody, Steve Woodruff, Mark Levy, Marilyn Pratt and Rick Liebling.

Whittemore has been immersed in social media marketing since 2006 – personally, for a brand and for her business. She is the author of Flooring The Consumer – a highly acclaimed weblog about the customer retail experience and marketing to women and an AdAge Power 150 Marketing Blog. She also writes the Simple Marketing Blog, a Junta42 Top 42 Content Marketing Blog.

For information about Age of Conversation 3 or to purchase a copy, visit http://www.ageofconversation.com/.

# # #

About Simple Marketing Now LLC
Simple Marketing Now is a marketing communications consultancy that provides organizations with the right combination of traditional marketing and social media marketing to improve the customer experience and build brand.

For more information, visit http://SimpleMarketingNow.com.

Simplifying Social Media. For Research, Connection & Differentiation

On 5/12/10, I shared with Right Management executives in transition the following presentation titled "Simplifying Social Media. For Research, Connection & Differentiation."

I described the session as follows:

"A social media revolution is upon us, with no sign of abating. Rather than ignore it, consider embracing it and all that social has to offer you for research, connection and differentiation. Come to this presentation for a perspective on how the social media revolution has changed the business landscape and how to make sense of the tools of social media for your job search."

It shouldn't come as any surprise that I care deeply about this subject. I have infinite respect for what the tools of social media offer business people. You see, I've had the luxury of having spent sixteen corporate years in a near-constant state of recessionary operations. As a result, I developed an affinity for discovering and making use of alternative, cost effective and creative approaches so I could continue to add value in my marketing and business roles regardless of whether my budget had been approved, reduced or slashed to nothing.

That's why I love sharing my experience in these type sessions. I've discovered that the larger, more successful and established an organization and industry are, the less likely their employees are to have been exposed to new and social approaches for research, connection and differentiation... Many in transition come from those large entities. My presentation, then, represents a practical introduction to the many possibilities available.

I promised my audience to share with them the presentation and the links within. I'm hoping they go explore and experiment.

Here goes...

The presentation:

Simplifying Social Media. For Research, Connection & Differentiation

View more presentations from Simple Marketing Now LLC.

The links:

Two video clips:
+ The updated version of Social Media Revolution
+ The Breakup

For more information about Social Media Revolution, I recommend that you read Social Media: Fad or Revolution?

Social Media for Research & Connection
Remember, Google is your friend. Definitely explore these tools:
www.Google.com
www.Google.com/alerts
www.Google.com/reader
http://blogsearch.google.com

These tools are valuable for researching words, themes and topics and the blogs that cover them:
http://alltop.com
http://www.blogpulse.com/
http://technorati.com

I strongly recommend that you read this article from John Jantsch, DuctTapeMarketing, titled 7 Insanely Useful Ways To Search Twitter For Marketing. Print it out and keep it for reference.

Twitter Resources:
http://twitter.com
http://search.twitter.com
Bing.com/twitter
@username, #eventname
www.twellow.com & www.twellow.com/twellowhood/ & http://wefollow.com
http://bit.ly/
TweetDeck: download to desktop
http://wthashtag.com

For more about Twitter and getting started with social media, I recommend: How to get started with Social Media: ‘How Do I?’ series and #TalkFloor radio interview series.

[Added 5/21/10: Top CMOs on Twitter]

On the subject of communities and patients taking medical information into their own hands, I came across these four sites:

– http://www.askapatient.com/
– http://www.medhelp.org/
– http://www.patientslikeme.com/
– http://exchanges.webmd.com/default.htm?

What they highlight is that end users [patients, customers, visitors, etc.] aren't waiting for legislators and legal organizations to find the health information they need. What other similar groups and communities exist in other industries? What can you learn from them? Who might you connect with as a result?

If you are interested in taking part in a Twitter Chat, here is a link to a spreadsheet that lists details on many of those taking place.

Social Media for Differentiation
I referred to the following examples:

+ Laura Gainor's presentation on how she used social media to be considered for a position at Comet Branding. Here is the link to her Comet Branding post [yes, she got the job!].

+ Absolutely Abby - aka Abby Kohut - shared her story at the . In April 2009, she launched 'Absolutely Abby' based on the concept of the never ending interview. Blogging everyday, with a different theme per day of the week, she posts links on LinkedIn, Twitter and her Facebook Fan page to drive traffic. As a result, she published a book in January 2010.

+ Social Steve - aka Steve Goldner - does a beautiful job using LinkedIn to promote his blogposts.

For additional perspective on marketing with social media, consider reading my e-book: Social Media's Collective Wisdom: Simplifying Marketing With Social Media.

Based on the comments I received on the presentation, I gave my audience something to think about and consider as they go about doing research, connecting and differentiating themselves.

Here are a few of them: "It's a great introduction to many social media platforms." "Great training about social media." "Great overview of value, purpose and navigation of social sites." "Best way to get intro to social media." "Good introduction to a whole new world for communicating and building relationships." "Go with an open mind." "Good overview and possible uses for a variety of web tools/social media."

Here is an article you may find of interest. My friend Linsey Levine brought it to my attention: Question of the week: How should I let my network know that I'm looking for work? I like the suggested alternatives that highlight how the tools of social media enable you to share value with and add meaning for others.

What you would you add to the list?

Many thanks to my audience for participating in my session and asking so many excellent questions.

All the best to you!

Social Media Club North Jersey: 5/25/10 Customer Feedback Event

Have you marked your calendars? Have you purchased your tickets? I'm talking Social Media Club North Jersey on 5/25/10 for an event you do NOT want to miss! It's titled “I love you. I hate you. Customer feedback in a social world.” I'm leading the discussion about the dynamics of engaging with customers via social networks.

Here's a link to the press release: How To Manage Social Reputation.

Here are the nitty gritty details on Customer Feedback In a Social World:

+ Date: Tuesday May 25, 2010
+ Time: 8am to 10am
+ Location: Houlihan's in Secaucus

Most important, here is a link to the EventBrite site so you can register to attend “I love you. I hate you. Customer feedback in a social world.” Click on it! You might even still be eligible for the Early Bird special!

To get you thinking about customer feedback in a social world [and there have been some terrific articles circulating, most recently from AdAge re: Boeing and The Right Way to Make Your Social-Media Mea Culpa -hat tip to Toby Bloomberg], here's a link to How Do I? Deal With Negative Comments...

I bet you have other interesting ones to share that you've either experienced personally or encountered. Some that come to mind include [from BRITE '10] Dave Carroll and United Breaks Guitars and Nestle and, from Coverings '10, The Main House which dealt with negative traveler reviews thanks to a groundswell of fan support - hat tip to Veronika Miller at Modenus.

Will you be there? Click on this link to register.

I can't wait to see you!

MarketingProfs B2B Forum 2010 Recap

I'm just back from the 2010 MarketingProfs B2B Forum in Boston and am, once again, in awe over the intensity of the experience.

The intensity comes from a confluence of marketing forces.

One: intellectual. Inevitably, MarketingProfs keynote presentations stretch my mind and imagination, have me reconsidering paradigms and dreaming of the impossible. David Weinberger and Mitch Joel both delivered!

Two: practical. MarketingProfs puts together some of the best quality, most relevant and practical case studies and presentations that I've experienced. [Check out the program schedule for this B2B Forum.] They do so consistently. New this year were pre-conference workshops and I had the honor to sit in on Christina (CK) Kerley's session on Integrating social media into your marketing plan to improve ROI. It was outstanding! Patrick Prothe has a terrific writeup in Showing the ROI in Social Media. What I learned at the Marketing Profs B2B Conference.

Three: social. MarketingProfs events offer so many natural opportunities for participants to have meaningful conversations, interact, learn from one another and deepen relationships developed online. I got to spend time with Sharon Mostyn and Donna Tocci, both Twitter friends, finally met Ron Ploof in person [the firetruck in the picture below is what interrupted his fantastic Video Hot Seat Lab session], reconnected with favorite conversationalists such as CK and Allen Weiss, didn't get enough time with Ann Handley, Deirdre Breakenridge, Beth Harte, Lee Odden and Aneta Hall, and also met new friends.

Four: serendipity. I was unexpectedly invited to offer One on One Twitter Therapy on May 4th. I had the time of my life meeting with four B2B Forum attendees and offering perspective, advice and ideas on how best to use Twitter for business. Thank you, Kathy Bushman!

I'll be covering in more detail several of the sessions I attended.

In the meantime, here are a few links that will give you a taste for this event:

+ Definitely read through Ann Handley's recap of the 2010 MarketingProfs B2B Forum: Overheard at the Forum: 30 Lessons for B2B Marketers.

+ Laurie Kinsman writes Why MarketingProfs and #mpb2b need to get their act together*.

+ Peg Mulligan offers MarketingProfs Cinco de Mayo Fiesta: A Case Study on Being Memorable.

+ Christopher S. Penn describes The State of B2B Social Media from MarketingProfs B2B Forum

+ David B. Thomas summarizes B2B case studies in MarketingProfs B2B: Proven Success Stories Integrating Social Media into Overall Strategy.

MarketingProfs, you rock!

Press Release: How To Manage Social Reputation

For Immediate Release: May 10, 2010

HOW TO MANAGE A COMPANY’S REPUTATION VIA SOCIAL MEDIA?
Social Media Club North Jersey Shares Crucial Tips

Kinnelon, NJ – Social Media Club North Jersey presents “I love you. I hate you. Customer Feedback in a Social World” to explore the dynamics of engaging with customers via social media and social networks on 5/25/10 at Houlihan’s in Secaucus, NJ, from 8am to 10am

“So many businesses are afraid to enter the conversation via social media marketing tools because they fear negative comments so they miss the opportunity to increase their digital brand visibility and connect with potential customers,” says Christine B. Whittemore, organizer of the event and chief simplifier of Simple Marketing Now LLC. “This session will explore the positives and negatives associated with engaging in social media marketing, and outline best practices so businesses can make the most of customer feedback and manage their online social reputation for the better.”

Whittemore will lead the discussion, which will feature perspective from her client, Devon Valenti, marketing manager North America, ALK Technologies. Valenti is responsible for marketing and promotion of CoPilot Live consumer and business navigation solutions. She has extensive experience across the marketing spectrum—from interactive and online to creative writing—and manages the social media presence for the brand--a smart phone and iPad based GPS application.

Whittemore has been immersed in social media since 2006 – personally, for a brand and for her business. She is the author of Flooring The Consumer – a highly acclaimed weblog about the customer retail experience and marketing to women and an AdAge Power 150 Marketing Blog. She also writes the Simple Marketing Blog, a Junta42 Top 42 Content Marketing Blog.

To attend the May 25th Social Media Club North Jersey event “I love you. I hate you. Customer Feedback in a Social World”, register at EventBrite. An early bird rate of $15.00 is in effect through May 18th, $20 from May 19th through 24th, and $25 at the door.

# # #

About Social Media Club
Social Media Club brings together journalists, publishers, communications professionals, artists, amateur media creators, citizen journalists, teachers, students, tool makers, and other interested collaborators. Essentially the people who create and consume media who have an interest in seeing the ‘media industry’ evolve for everyone’s benefit. We are more than just USERS, we are the reason the tools exist - we are the people who communicate our thoughts and ideas near and far. Join us and let’s shape the future together!

Become a fan of Social Media Club North Jersey on Facebook.

About Simple Marketing Now LLC
Simple Marketing Now is a marketing communications consultancy that provides organizations with the right combination of traditional marketing and social media marketing to improve the customer experience and build brand.

For more information, visit http://SimpleMarketingNow.com.