Blog o' RAMA

Social Media Builds both Business and Personal Relationships

Consumers today expect a steady supply of fresh content on the Internet, as well as the ability to participate in content creation. Social Media is the strongest component of Web 2.0 and according to Wikipedia, it “describes the online technologies and practices that people use to share opinions, insights, experiences and perspectives with each other.” These include blogs as well as social networking platforms like MySpace, You Tube and FaceBook. Through these technologies, consumers are sharing their experiences through words, photos and video.

Earlier this year I joined the social media network and became a blogger. My background is in promotional marketing so my blog, Donna’s Promo Talk, is targeted to marketing professionals. I first did what the experts recommend which is to browse, read and comment on other people’s blogs before starting your own. This helps to find your “voice” as well to create relationships with other bloggers in your field.

This past July I attended my first blogging conference to learn more and meet fellow bloggers. BlogHer 2007 was sponsored by BlogHer.org, an on line community founded in early 2005 by three women bloggers whose mission is to provide opportunities for women who blog to pursue exposure, education, community and economic empowerment. Already in its third year it was their biggest to date with about 750 attendees who took over the Navy Pier in downtown Chicago over a two day period. "A World of Difference" was this year’s theme.

I was inspired by being with so many women who were sharing their experiences, knowledge and wisdom with each other. Each session had a panel of lboggers who opened up the room for participants to ask questions, which is how you got the most information. It was pretty amazing to find technology being spoken about and taught to you by women (not men)!

There were many bloggers at the conference that have been doing it for several years and were reuniting with women they had met either in person or online. There were also many women like me still new or just starting out. I got introduced to many women by Yvonne DiVita, President of Windsor Media, who has a pretty well known blog, www.Lipsticking.com, Smart Marketing to Women Online, and who also made the trip from Rochester to attend. Yvonne is on the RAMA board and was a catalyst in getting this blog going (as well as my blog, Donna's Promo Talk) and she continues to be a regular featured blogger on RAMA.

Yvonne says "Social media and social networking isn't about the technology. It's about the people. People are a connecting force in both business and life and while the Internet has given the people a louder voice, social media has encouraged more people to speak up. Businesses that learn to participate will discover a world of opportunity at their fingertips."

Other bloggers I met at the conference in Chicago included Jenny Cisney who I learned lives just a couple of blocks from me here in Rochester. I overheard Jenny talking about Rochester during one of the sessions so I introduced myself. Jenny works for Kodak and blogs on Kodak's blog A Thousand Words while also maintaining her own blog, ljcfyi.com. I also met Breanne Boyle who works for AskPatty.com, an incredible blog written by women automotive experts who give automotive advice to women.

Blogs are becoming the voice of the customer and all businesses need to start paying attention to them. They can obtain great feedback from some things that people write in their blogs as well as just in the comments section. Traditional market research is changing. Businesses today need research based on consumer behaviors that are gathered and reported quickly and social networks are quickly becoming the best source for this.

So, I encourage everyone, not just marketers, to visit blogs, read them, leave comments and perhaps start their own. You may choose to focus on your business, release your personal passion or perhaps a little of both. Either way, everyone needs to become familiar with what social media is all about.

This is my first post on the RAMA blog and I'm honored to be invited as a guest blogger. My plan is to continue the conversations around social media as well as keep you up to date on what's going on in the industry as far as interactive promotions. Any comments and suggestions are of course welcome and encouraged.

Donna DeClemente, President - DDC Marketing Group

What's New With Corporate Blogs?

It's time to check out a couple of corporate blogs that have been active in the blogosphere for over 6 months.  Eastman Kodak and Dell are incorporating new ideas in their blogs.

In a previous post, I wrote about Kodak's A Thousand Words blog which made its debut in September 2006.  Kodak created a second blog called A Thousand Nerds in January 2007.  A Thousand Nerds blog is a place where Kodak scientists, researchers, and inventors share ideas and knowledge about digital imaging technology.  The post topics include cool new technology, innovation, employee experiences, and customer successes.  What is new on A Thousand Nerds -- Kodak's CEO, Antonio Perez became a blogger and wrote a post titled Notorious Decadence .  Kudos to Kodak for using the blog as a way for the CEO to join the conversation with customers.

Direct2Dell is Dell's blog which has been in existence since July 2006.  Dell continues to improve conversations with customers.   Recently Dell created Ideastorm an online community where customers can submit input and ideas on products and services.  Once they are posted others can vote to promote or demote these ideas.

Also Dell introduced a Spanish version of Direct2Dell called DellenDirecto in April 2007.  According to Dell, they created the blog for several reasons: Spanish is spoken by 330 million people around the world as a first language, Spanish has become the fourth most important language in the blogosphere, and Spanish speaking customers around the globe have a channel to communicate with Dell in Spanish.  Some of the posts are global and are the same as posted in the English version.  Others speak about Latin American operations and activities in Spain.  Kudos to Dell for reaching out to customers in another language. 

What are other bloggers saying about Kodak and Dell's blogs?  Mack Collier from The Viral Garden has initiated a new feature called Company Blog Checkup.  He reviewed Kodak's blogs and Dell's blogs recently.  What company blogs have you enjoyed reading lately?

As the Blogosphere Turns

Blog o'RAMA is one of many marketing and business blogs in the blogosphere.  Do you ever wonder how many other marketing blogs exist in the blogosphere universe?  I used several search engines to check marketing blogs.  Technorati results-over 67,000 blogs and Google- over 978,389 results that mention marketing blogs.  These numbers continue to grow as you read this.  Ahh - so many blogs, so little time, what can one do?  I found several blogs that caught my attention.  In this post I will share some and in the future I'll share others.

One way to check out the popular marketing blogs is through the Viral Garden blog.  The Viral Garden lists the top 25 marketing blogs each week.  The list is written by Mack Collier and focuses on blogs that cover traditional marketing news and commentary, word of mouth ,and social media coverage.

Marketing Profs:Daily Fix is a group blog featuring news and commentary on marketing, advertising, and business related issues.  It is published daily and more than 50 industry experts contribute regularly.  Xerox, a Rochester based company, was featured in a post called Xerox:Walking the Walk with 'Customer Led -Innovation' written by Ted Mininni.

Forrester Research is an independent technology and market research company.  Forrester has half a dozen blogs.  Depending on your interests, some of the blogs may catch your attention more than others.  Two that caught my eye are Forrester's Marketing Blog and Charlene Li's Blog.  Charlene Li's  blog is the forum for an upcoming book written by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff from Forrester. The book is titled The Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies. 

Of course as you use these blogs, you will find a collection of links to other blogs called blogrolls.  Typically blogrolls are found on the front page sidebar of most blogs.   This is a great source to find other interesting marketing and business blogs.  Before you know it you will be caught up in an infinite universe of blogs.  What are you favorite marketing and business blogs?

Innovative Online Market Research

**note: this post contains updated information added today, May 2,2007***

Gathering "the voice of the customer" through market research is key in developing new products as well as enhancing existing products. A focus group is one traditional way of obtaining customers' needs.  But what novel market research is happening online?

Del Monte Foods  Pet Products Division is using two types of online market research to gather pet owners' needs. No doubt that pet owners become the voice of the customer for those adorable dogs and  cats that cannot voice their opinions.

Del Monte and other companies are using blogs to monitor what topics are important to customers.  Blogs provide a forum for pet lovers to talk about important topics.  Two blogs caught my attention.    Scratchings and Sniffings is a blog written by Yvonne DiVita who is "a pet lover hoping to share stories with other pet lovers." There are funny and serious stories about cats and dogs and expert advice from the online veterinarian, Dr. Larry.

Dogster's For the Love of Dog Blog is written by Dogster's editor Joy Ward.  The blog is about "dog lovers that thought it was about time there was a fun blog to stay up-to-dog about everything canine".

The second type of online research Del Monte Foods is conducting is through an online community called the I Love My Dog Community.  Pet owners are invited to join this password protected site. Del Monte market researchers observe interactions, stimulate discussion on specific topics, and lead collaborative solution building. According to Gala Amoroso, Sr. Market Research Manager at Del Monte Foods, "The online community helps us anticipate and identify opportunities and allows us to collaborate with our target market to develop solutions that truly meet their needs."

As marketers we need to keep up to date on new ways to reach our customers. Perhaps an online community might be a useful way to understand your customers' unmet needs. If you would like to learn more about Del Monte's online community check out a free American Marketing Association on demand webcast, Putting Thousand of Consumers to Work: Communities for Collaboration and Creation and a MarketTools case study, "Del Monte Foods Turns to Millions of Customers to Unleash Innovation."

Here at RAMA, we're going to be experimenting with audio and video, in the coming months. Stay tuned!

I Link, Therefore I Am

On Tuedsay, February 27, 2007, RAMA and WME Blogs will present
2 seminar/workshops in 1 day!

Entitled "I Link, Therefore I Am: Using Blogs and Social Media Proactively," the morning session will cover many blogging and social media basics and the afternoon session will get into the nut-and-bolts of building a Presence online using blogs and social media. For more details on the programs visit the EVENTS page.

Blogging 101 Morning registration starts at 8:30. Session starts at 9:00 and includes continental breakfast. Session ends at 11:30.
Cost: $69 for AMA members. $99 for non-members.

Blogging 201 Afternoon registration starts at 12:30. Session starts at 1:00 and includes refreshments. Session ends at 4:00. Presenters will be available until 4:30 for extra Q&A, if needed.
Cost: $139 for AMA members. $169 for non-members.

Cost to attend BOTH sessions: Members - $188. Non-members- $238. Includes ALL.

Board Members: $75 for the day. No student or volunteer discounts.

Join us the Airport Holiday Inn for the morning, the afternoon, or both!

For more information, visit our Events page. To register, click here.

The New Blog Year Begins

It's a new year at RAMA. Rochester is gearing up for great things. We have a new Board - look for changes in our sidebar - and a continuing focus on Power Marketing. The most exciting thing happening in our area is that we're up for Chapter of the Year! We sent out our paperwork more than a week ago.

Being up for Chapter of the Year is a huge accomplishment. Not only did RAMA increase membership dramatically - we outdid ourselves last year in our event planning, our event attendance, and our recognitions. Rochester knows we're here!

We are determined to keep this blog updated, so be sure to check back on a regular basis. Add us to your regular blog reading - watch for posts from other board members, and maybe even a guest blogger or two.

Don't forget to join in the conversation. We are here to serve the Greater NY marketing community. Our mission statement: "Rochester AMA is the premier organization for marketing, education, programming and networking among marketing professionals in the Greater Rochester, New York, area."

But wait - don't let it end there! We're willing to reach out to Syracuse and Buffalo, too. If you live in either of those metropolitan areas, please let us know how to serve you better. We can send you our quarterly newsletter, add you to our mailing list for announcements, and make sure you receive invites to our outstanding events.

This year - well, I don't want to get ahead of myself but...we have a BIG celebrity coming to Rochester to talk marketing. Yes, I mean BIG (and bald).

Stay tuned!

Blog Marketing: The How and Why with Jeremy Wright

Jeremy Wright wowed an overflow audience at Rochester's Hyatt Regency last Thursday.(okay, a couple of people remarked on his youth, and the fact that - he didn't wear a tie, but...he's a blogger, for gosh sakes!)

Interestingly, though he might have, he did not promote his book, Blog Marketing - but instead focused on the 'conversation' of blogging and how businesses need to be a part of that. During his presentation he told the story of 'James' - a blogger who just wanted to get his taxes done, but couldn't get Quickbooks to work properly. James got not joy from contacting Intuit's helpdesk (gee, we're sorry, they said, but, it's your problem not ours!). So, he blogged about his unhappy experience...and lo! an executive at Intuit saw the post (and the dozens of comments) and contacted James to put things right.

That's just one instance of a blogger having the power to make your company look -- good or bad, depending on his or her experience.

Sunday's D&C also ran a nice story, thanks to Joy Davia, on the event and on blogging. Seems that Rochester just might be ready to become a city of bloggers! We'll see.

Anyone interested in more information can visit the RAMA website. [if Jeremy's presentation is not posted when you visit, stop back later this week and check again.]

Stay tuned for more exciting RAMA events in March, April...and a spectacular one in May! [posted by Yvonne]

Word of Mouth Marketing

Word of mouth marketing has always been recognized as not only simple and effective, but as a good way for any business to get noticed - without spending a lot of cash.

For small and mid-sized companies, this method of marketing can be tricky and mysterious. How do you get people talking about you - and spreading the 'good' word?

Well, WOMMA, the Word of Mouth Marketing Association was developed to teach you just how to do that. Their premior training event is being held in Orlando, Florida January 19-20, 2006. They've labelled it: WOMBAT: Word of Mouth Basic Training.

This event is being held at Colorado Springs - and promises to be not only a fabulous training event, but a good time, also! The WOMMA executives have gone all out to provide 16 How-to's and over 60 Amazing speakers - including one of RAMA's own, Yvonne DiVita, who will be on a panel discussing, "How to Get Women Talking."

One of the focuses at this training event will be how to use a BLOG to get valuable word of mouth. Master blogger and author, Jeremy Wright, isn't scheduled to be part of the WOMBAT, but he is scheduled to be HERE on February 9th, to give a presentation on Blog Marketing: The Revolutionary New Method to Increase Sales, Growth and Profits.

If you're within driving distance of Rochester - you need to attend this event -- or sponsor it! Get some word of mouth marketing going for yourself. Visit the RAMA website for more information TODAY!!!

Blogs and Marketing: A Match Made in Heaven

While many people still give blogs a sidelong glance -- not sure what they are or if they're worth the time and energy they take to maintain -- the business world is fast becoming blog-educated.

Blogs, or web-logs, for those who find the term 'blog' to be too ugly, are slowly being recognized as great marketing tools for small businesses. Actually, blogs are great marketing tools for all businesses, but for small and mid-sized businesses this new form of community building can be a true cost-effective marketing tool.

How? That's the 64,000 dollar question. Everyone remember that old show from the early 20th century? Very similar to today's show on ABC-TV, Who Wants to be a Millionaire. Contestants are asked a series of questions, each one more difficult than the one before, and each one worth more prize money.

For our purposes, the 64,000 dollar question is: how does a small company use a blog as a cost-effective marketing tool? We hope to answer that question on this blog, over time. Other questions will, no doubt, arise, and we will tackle them, also. One way to begin is by checking out Susannah Gardner's book, Buzz Marketing with Blogs for Dummies.

This blog supports the local Rochester, NY chapter of the American Marketing Association. We hope to reach out to the entire Upstate NY region, including Syracuse, Buffalo, Ithaca, and all the small towns in-between. We invite visitors to write to us, post comments, and visit weekly for event updates. We will be providing more About Us information in the weeks to come, and adding board members' logos and contact information.

Marketing, in and of itself, is anything but a solitary task. It's a collective endeavor. Blog O'Rama embraces the community aspect of marketing. The people part of it. The conversation. The creativity. Join us in uncovering new ways to market to your community.

To Market, To Market, to buy ...

A fat pig. That's how the nursery rhyme goes. In its day, a fat pig was the equivalent of a really big account. If you got one, you were set for the winter, maybe longer. Of course,there wasn't any true marketing involved -- the farmer made sure the pigs were well-fed, and the folks needing something to hold them through the winter were happy to shell out a few shillings (or whatever) to buy meat for the cold days ahead.

It would be fun, on this blog, to explore marketing as a business tool. When did it start? What was it like, in those early days...before there was the Internet and blogs? And, how has it changed?

Just a suggestion for future posts.

Alternatively, we can put links from Marketing Power, or from our own websites or from Google. All is good. As long as it pertains to our mission and vision.

So, what is our mission and vision for this blog?