Thriving in a Blog Eat Blog World (Presentation)

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Thriving in a Blog Eat Blog World Everything you want to know about blogs and social networking, but are afraid to ask your kids… Presenters Melissa Kuhl Director Ecommerce Sales & Marketing Century Marketing Group mkuhl@cmcgp.com Jeremy A. Dixon Ecommerce Copy & Social Network Editor Century Marketing Group jdixon@cmcgp.com What is A structure Networking made up of individuals or organizations linked by Friends Values common Visions Kinship traits. Idea Trade Via Wikipedia.com Social ? Important Note: This is not new, the internet has only facilitated the expansion of our social networking capabilities beyond the physical, geographical, and cultural boundaries. What is Social you My Friends Networking ? My Organization me Customers My Company Types of Social Networks • Chat/Messaging • Content Sharing • Photo • Video • Information • Discussion Groups • Forums • Message Boards • Community • Blogging Chat/ Messaging Networks Chatting & Instant Messaging are normally one to one communications with people who are known to each other. Features & Benefits •Instant communication •See who’s online anytime •Only add people you know/want to communicate with. •Documentation of conversations •Easy to setup/use/maintain •Quick answers to questions Content Sharing Networks (Photo) These networks are designed to facilitate the sharing of media and discussions directly related to the creation and/or quality of the works Features & Benefits •Most offer free hosting of content •Allows for quick & easy sharing of files publicly or privately •Printing services are commonplace for inexpensive photo books, prints, and many other products with your pictures on them. • Tag your images so others can find yours and other similar images. Click the image to goto Flickr.com Content Sharing Networks (Video) This isn’t just for fun and goofing off…Real Profits are being realized… BlendTec is a company that manufacturers commercial grade blenders. They created a marketing campaign (willitblend.com) solely by producing videos of their blenders…blending things. Everything from TV Remotes to Iphones to magnets, they have blended many of today’s popular consumer products. Web Stats •9 Million total views of their videos, 2 million just for their iphone video •Web Traffic is up 650% since the first video Click the image to goto the Will It Blend YouTube Video •Millions of dollars worth of brand exposure/PR Content Sharing Networks (Information) Information sharing networks goal is to accumulate knowledge by allowing users/visitors to the site to create, edit, change, or confirm entries. Features & Benefits •Millions of users/viewers contribute content daily •Creates starting point for research & information gathering •Stays current (usually articles are updated the day an event takes place) •Stats(Wikipedia.com) • • 75,000 active contributors working on more than 10,000,000 articles in 250 languages. 684 million visitors to site since creation Click the image to goto Wikipedia.com Discussion Group Networks Forums and Message boards are an online environment for specific topics, organizations or other characteristics that allows users to communicate with each other Features & Benefits •Many free tools for creating your own forum •Makes group communication easier and less time consuming for the individuals •Each member’s involvement depends on their desire to participate in discussions, answer questions, assist others in the group Click the image to goto the Corvette Forums. Online Community Networks Online Communities seek to combine many if not all the main types of social networking into one website that satisfies as many communication needs as possible. Features & Benefits •One website for multiple communication needs •Allows people to find each other, discuss, stay up-to-date, share photos, & post interesting items. •Friends meet each other and create networks of the people they know and trust. Click the image to goto Facebook.com •For business, these work a lot like a tradeshow, minus all the travel. Click the image to goto LinkedIn.com What are they? Blogs Why are they so popular ? Why do I need one? it?) (how would I use Blogs What are they? Types of Blogs Personal blogs The personal blog, an on-going diary or commentary by an individual, is the traditional, most common blog. Personal bloggers usually take pride in their blog posts, even if their blog is never read by anyone but them. Blogs often become more than a way to just communicate; they become a way to reflect on life or works of art. Blogging can have a sentimental quality. A Few personal blogs rise to fame and the mainstream. Corporate blogs Used either internally to enhance the communication and culture in a corporation or externally for marketing, branding or PR purposes are called corporate blogs. By media type A blog comprising videos is called a vlog, one comprising links is called a linklog, a site containing a portfolio of sketches is called a sketchblog or one comprising photos is called a photoblog. By genre Some blogs focus on a particular subject, such as political blogs, travel blogs, fashion blogs, project blogs, education blogs, niche blogs, classical music blogs, and legal blogs. Click the image to goto PMTVoice.com Blogs What Are They? A Blog is a website with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events or other material such as graphics or video. These are usually displayed in reverse chronological order. (Source: Wikipedia.com) Features & Benefits •Shows a more personal side to you, your company or your group. •Blogs are very quickly updated multiple times daily. •Search engines constantly index blogs as they are updated. (Example: Thanksgiving Day Race Posting) •You can have your own…FREE! Click the image to goto PMTVoice.com Blogs Why are they so popular? "The blog is the best relationship generator you've ever seen.“…"It's all about openness," says chairman Bill Gates of Microsoft's public blogs like Scobleizer. "People see them as a reflection of an open, communicative culture that isn't afraid to be self-critical.“ ( Fortune Magazine January 10, 2005) Reasons for Popularity •Using tools like Technorati.com, you can easily find 100s or even 1000s of articles on any topic. •Many corporations are using blogs to involve themselves in their user communities, further establishing themselves as industry leaders. •It’s like giving people an inside look at the inner workings of your business or organization. •Content, Content, Content. Click the image to goto scobleizer.com Blogs Do I need one? Blogs provide another method of getting involved in the world. Tradeshows allowed face to face contact with customer and competitors. Blogs do much the same without you leaving your desk. Pros & Cons •Pro: Get and Stay connected with your customers, competitors and others in your industry/market. •Con: Time commitment may become a burden as blog survival depends on content that is regularly updated. •Pro: Present yourself as an expert in your field, and build your online reputation (See number of internet users stat) •Con: Blog ROI has proven difficult, some companies instead see it as a customer relations management (CRM) tool. Blogs Do I need one? Traditional public relations techniques help to create a reputation, blogs are the same just in a new media. Pros & Cons, Cont’d •Pro: Easy to Setup (You can be up and running in minutes) •Con: Easy to Setup (Everybody can have one so it becomes more difficult to distinguish yourself) •Pro: Can create a relaxed environment for visitors to read and not feel a “High Pressure” sales pitch. •Con: You leave yourself open for criticism both rational and irrational. •Pro: Blogs allow you to respond to any criticism in a constructive, meaningful way. Blogs Let’s Make One!