davidalston says Jul 10, 2008 05:56PM join us now - "Plurkshop" on social media monitoring/metrics - everyone welcome.
AmberCadabra Jul 10, 2008 05:58PM note: if you're on the plurk page above, you'll have to refresh manually.
AmberCadabra Jul 10, 2008 05:58PM You can also use the plurkify room (more like a chat room) here: rooms.plurkify.com/18etd Login with your PlurkID and pwd (it's safe)
davidalston says Jul 10, 2008 06:02PM hi all, the room seems to be blocking my posts as well. Will do this from the plurk page instead (yay, refresh)
Connie Jul 10, 2008 06:03PM If you load the Plurk page, you will have to manually refresh. If you follow it in your timeline, it should auto-refresh.
davidalston says Jul 10, 2008 06:03PM let's do this on the plurk page and abandon plurkify room as it's having troubles.
davidalston says Jul 10, 2008 06:05PM sorry pchaney - bad timing - we didn't know about the conflict in advance.
pritcharddesign is Jul 10, 2008 06:05PM wondering how I'm going to manage the plurkshop & webinar, too!
Connie Jul 10, 2008 06:07PM ROI is the magic word people are looking for and it is much harder to quantify/qualify with social media.
GHollingsworth Jul 10, 2008 06:07PM Measuring social media depends on what you're using it for, in the marketing world we measure for monetization
davidalston shares Jul 10, 2008 06:07PM something great I read - do you want to measure the "social" or the "media"
pchaney says Jul 10, 2008 06:08PM Measurement is not only about $, but about lending credibility to social media as a marketnig tool.
potsie says Jul 10, 2008 06:08PM the reasons are similar to why we measure traditional media - clients want to know "how they did"
GHollingsworth Jul 10, 2008 06:09PM there is a distinct need to measure social as it relates to media.
MackCollier says Jul 10, 2008 06:09PM I think the biggest source of confusion is that cos see Social Media as being marketing, and want 2 apply same metrics
davidalston Jul 10, 2008 06:09PM When we treat it like a "media" do we lean towards the ROI measurements?
giggey says Jul 10, 2008 06:09PM someone told me once that instead of thinking of return on investment, think about return on initiative to get the complete picture
storyspinner Jul 10, 2008 06:10PM trouble is coming from the "search" background, so many clients are thinking it's about links and measuring that.. when that's not it's goal
pritcharddesign Jul 10, 2008 06:10PM I agree with pchaney, as well. A history needs to be created to convince clients.
AmberCadabra Jul 10, 2008 06:10PM I think you have to measure SM more like you to BizDev, where not every interaction is going to have a tangible vlue
pchaney says Jul 10, 2008 06:10PM in order for it to gain wide acceptance social media will have to prove its value in terms of ROI
MackCollier says Jul 10, 2008 06:10PM the prob is cos want to immediately know what they will get back, but it takes time to get quantifiable results
MackCollier says Jul 10, 2008 06:10PM like it took Dell 2 years to see blog mentions fall so dramatically that they could tell their SM efforts were working
BarbaraKB has Jul 10, 2008 06:11PM found *vital* to determine measurement standards from start. Not always easy to establish. Try to keep simple.
storyspinner Jul 10, 2008 06:11PM so to a degree, the measurement, someone needs to be a cross between PR measuring & web analytics
GHollingsworth Jul 10, 2008 06:11PM The issue I see most often is trying to define SM in terms of direct marketing, it has to be able to show something in terms of ROI
MackCollier says Jul 10, 2008 06:12PM right, you make money with social media INdirectly, not directly. Many cos can't wrap their heads around that
pchaney says Jul 10, 2008 06:12PM yep, sm is not a "campaign," but an ongoing conversation. Got t b n it for the long term.
nowsourcing says Jul 10, 2008 06:12PM greetings all. My updates aren't showing up in the Plurkify room
AmberCadabra Jul 10, 2008 06:12PM davidalston YES. but then it's "ok how much time, and then still, how do you show me success"
contrapuntist Jul 10, 2008 06:12PM agrees with MackCollier most clients expect results ASAP, when they don't see results right away, frustration builds
MackCollier says Jul 10, 2008 06:12PM if used properly, SM leads to more connections with customers, more feedback, which means more efficient (costs less) marketing
pritcharddesign Jul 10, 2008 06:12PM absolutely. Companies want instant results. Social media is long term.
AmberCadabra Jul 10, 2008 06:13PM nowsourcing seems to be an issue there. we've all headed for the plurk page
davidalston Jul 10, 2008 06:13PM nowsourcing - just use the plurk page www.plurk.com/p/18etd Plurkify not working now.
pierrefar says Jul 10, 2008 06:13PM What about trends? If we can't use the absolute numbers, we can at least look at how they trend over time.
MackCollier says Jul 10, 2008 06:13PM cos want to think of social media as being marketing channels to monetize, not as communication channels
contrapuntist Jul 10, 2008 06:13PM the "indirect" impact MackCollier mentions is one reason why some orgs think SM is a waste of time
GHollingsworth says Jul 10, 2008 06:14PM trying to convince old school direct marketers of the value of social media can be very difficult in my experience
GHollingsworth thinks Jul 10, 2008 06:14PM that to do so you have to create very malleable goals that your SM cam[paign is trying to reach
karenswim says Jul 10, 2008 06:14PM contrapuntist the indirect is why some orgs don't "get" much of marketing
AmberCadabra Jul 10, 2008 06:14PM shorter sales cycle, maybe. more repeat clients/referrals. better customer service feedback.
Te-ge thinks Jul 10, 2008 06:15PM it's like Connie said once, How do you measure the usefulness of company get togethers?
Te-ge says Jul 10, 2008 06:15PM SM is just as useful (or more) and just as hard to measure accurately.
potsie says Jul 10, 2008 06:15PM storyspinner - it may be about links for some clients. Measuring social media means different things for different clients.
karenswim says Jul 10, 2008 06:15PM Greg, agreed or you are aiming at unclear target and effort is not results
Stephanator Jul 10, 2008 06:16PM So, how do you convince clients that SM will give them positive results?
karllong is Jul 10, 2008 06:16PM i think the problem is that social media has such a broad scope and affects so many aspects of business
danalookadoo wants Jul 10, 2008 06:16PM to understand how to capture data on relationships. And does anyone want to feel their relationship is being measured?
karllong is Jul 10, 2008 06:16PM SM in the context of new product development very different than PR around a product launch
GHollingsworth wishes Jul 10, 2008 06:16PM he could get DM people to understand that SM is the ultimate form of one-on-one direct marketing
AmberCadabra Jul 10, 2008 06:17PM maybe it's a goalsetting issue: not understanding really what the endgame should be from your efforts in SM aside from just revenue.
contrapuntist thinks Jul 10, 2008 06:17PM there needs to be a greater differentiation between engagement versus making the sale
karenswim says Jul 10, 2008 06:17PM as we blend the disciplines of SEO, SMO and SM it becomes more complex
davidalston Jul 10, 2008 06:17PM sweet2685 - convince them it's more about relationships than marketing (hard to do but key)
pritcharddesign thinks Jul 10, 2008 06:18PM SM is also potentially more effective purely due to access to people who are listening!
MackCollier says Jul 10, 2008 06:18PM Paul when you try to directly monetize SM, you run into probs, IMO. Have to provide value first, then connections come and then money
Connie asks Jul 10, 2008 06:18PM DavidAlston How can monitoring/measuring tools like Radian6 help us convince clients of the value of SM?
storyspinner Jul 10, 2008 06:18PM defining what the "R" is of the "ROI" is the true issue when it comes to social media
GHollingsworth Jul 10, 2008 06:18PM Karen, exactly. I had to figure ways to define success out of the normal CPA acquisition targets we run on
AmberCadabra Jul 10, 2008 06:18PM i don't understand why many folks embrace BD as relationship building, but not SM
sschablow asks Jul 10, 2008 06:18PM is customer satisfaction and loyalty a metric that has short term results that corp types understand?
potsie says Jul 10, 2008 06:19PM sweet2685 Define "positive results" with the client. How do they define success - more visitors, sales, links, etc.
Te-ge thinks Jul 10, 2008 06:19PM you also have to convince them that relationships are important, David
GHollingsworth Jul 10, 2008 06:19PM SM in marketing bears more resemblance to PR than to standard marketing, it's this shift that is hard to sell sometimes
giggey says Jul 10, 2008 06:20PM it's about relationships and can't put a price on the real relationships.If you build them with $$ as a bottom line, they aren't as valuable
bhamlibby asks Jul 10, 2008 06:20PM is social media similar to general branding by way of measurement? hard to quantify, but also crucial to engaging public perception.
davidalston Jul 10, 2008 06:20PM connie - mapping out influencers, tracking effectiveness of outreach over time, showing share of brand buzz vs. competitors etc...
karenswim says Jul 10, 2008 06:20PM Amber I honestly believe it is the labeling itself that delivers the perception
pchaney says Jul 10, 2008 06:20PM mackcollier - I misspoke with last statement. I'm not thinking of marketing specifically in DM terms.
GHollingsworth Jul 10, 2008 06:21PM sschablow, it depends on how the client already measures those things, it may be, but not an easy sell
karenswim says Jul 10, 2008 06:21PM if it were called BDM, people would not immed dismiss as a "time suck"
potsie says Jul 10, 2008 06:21PM thepunk So true. Coming from the PR side, some of our clients probably think "that's an ad/marketing function..."
davidalston Jul 10, 2008 06:21PM good point karenswim - we are starting to refer to social media as the social web (dropping the media)
AmberCadabra Jul 10, 2008 06:22PM karen davidalston but i almost think its the "social" that's the problem, not the "media"
GHollingsworth Jul 10, 2008 06:22PM it doesn't matter what you call it, DM people still want hard measurable stats that tell them what they're getting out of it in $
AmberCadabra Jul 10, 2008 06:22PM "social" has a casual connotation that undermines its credibility in the business world
pchaney says Jul 10, 2008 06:23PM As to need for SM, if our customer base is there (think Forrester technographics) how can we not be, regardless of direct monetary benefit.
pritcharddesign thinks Jul 10, 2008 06:23PM many marketers are also waiting to see if social media (web) will end up being more than a buzz word.
GHollingsworth Jul 10, 2008 06:23PM I think for many DM people they equate social media with social networking and see it as an ad space and little more
Connie Jul 10, 2008 06:23PM I remind ppl that "social" simply refers to people as opposed to "computer". They understand computer networks. Social media is people net
MackCollier says Jul 10, 2008 06:23PM but at the same time, the term 'social media' is what everyone is used to. If you change it, then it confuses and dilutes meaning IMO
MackCollier says Jul 10, 2008 06:23PM a lot of people hate the term 'web 2.0', but everyone is used to it, why change boats now?
AmberCadabra Jul 10, 2008 06:24PM contrapuntist i mean in the term "social media", it's the "social" part that throws people off
sschablow says Jul 10, 2008 06:24PM Greg Hollingsworth good point. Most of my clients do at least an annual brand awareness study. Only a few do cust satisfaction
danalookadoo thinks Jul 10, 2008 06:24PM storyspinner has point about R of ROI. R should be redefined - Relationships, Opportunity, Investment
Connie says Jul 10, 2008 06:24PM pchaney raises a good point. What is the cost of NOT being in the social media/web space?
AmberCadabra Jul 10, 2008 06:24PM mackcollier I don't think we need to change the term, i think we need to redefine what "social" means in this space
AmberCadabra Jul 10, 2008 06:25PM connie it depends on if your community is there or not. But if they are, you'll be left behind because your competitors are doing it.
MackCollier says Jul 10, 2008 06:25PM Connie that's the prob, many cos wont bother with SM till they see a competitor makin hay with it
giggey says Jul 10, 2008 06:26PM jowyang has a post today about the differences between social media and communities...there's another term for us
potsie thinks Jul 10, 2008 06:26PM consumer generated media morphed into social media will morph into another term...
AmberCadabra Jul 10, 2008 06:26PM age old issue of be a trailblazer or a follower. but being a trailblazer carries risk of failure, which turns companies off.
GHollingsworth Jul 10, 2008 06:26PM Community Building is the best description I can think of to describe how SM can be used as a marketing tool
GHollingsworth Jul 10, 2008 06:27PM SM is about community, trust, transparency and engagement. These are all things that good companies should be willing to embrace
Te-ge Jul 10, 2008 06:27PM giggey he also has one on the importance of conversation. LOL I don't think he appreciated my comments on Twitter.
AmberCadabra Jul 10, 2008 06:28PM agrees that we need to get vigilant with capturing and sharing case studies among this community
Connie Jul 10, 2008 06:28PM Goes back to similarity with PR - SM helps build good will. Cannot easily measure that, but you know when you don't have it.
Telemill Jul 10, 2008 06:28PM Until there are 'examples', clear examples of companies using social media for gain, there will always be this issue.
potsie feels Jul 10, 2008 06:29PM thepunk is right, but it's more than building communities - it's also listening/monitoring to gauge interests/likes/dislikes. Listen first
Telemill Jul 10, 2008 06:29PM I think its also an issue of education. College courses are remiss in teaching students the "need" the true effectiveness of networks.
MackCollier says Jul 10, 2008 06:29PM paul I thought it was very interesting how in Groundswell they broke down exact cost and money that GM made from its blog in first year
GHollingsworth Jul 10, 2008 06:29PM the problem with case studies is that they can't be readily applied across industry segments
AmberCadabra Jul 10, 2008 06:29PM connie you're onto something there. maybe it's not measuring the "what do we get" but "what are we missing if we don't"
davidalston Jul 10, 2008 06:29PM what are some good examples of companies listening and engaging in social media?
danalookadoo wants Jul 10, 2008 06:29PM to know if there is a good way to explain SM without using terms we, the insiders, use. Layman's explanation?
Telemill Jul 10, 2008 06:30PM Seriously, if we looked at companies and individuals that we deem successful . . . what do they have that others don't?
GHollingsworth Jul 10, 2008 06:30PM sorry, I meant across *all* industry segments, thus they aren't always useful
AbleReach asks Jul 10, 2008 06:30PM is sm more like the networking behind the scenes of face to face marketing, in that you need to know what's happening w/audience & friends
Connie has Jul 10, 2008 06:30PM anyone tried to use Stowe Boyd's formula for Conversation Quotient? It looks at comments/trackbacks in ration to # of blog posts.
AbleReach asks Jul 10, 2008 06:30PM and audience/friends need to know what's going on with you? (unlike straight SEO)
karenswim says Jul 10, 2008 06:30PM telemill agreed however think of other mktng efforts such as trade shows not always a 1:1 but cos understand need 2 participate in key shows
AmberCadabra Jul 10, 2008 06:30PM Greg in literal terms, maybe not, but we need to help companies understand the undercurrents that exist regarless of industry
karllong thinks Jul 10, 2008 06:31PM Plurk needs threading, that would make this much more usable for long discussions like this
MackCollier says Jul 10, 2008 06:31PM i polled my blog readers a couple of weeks ago, the content they most wanted to see was social media case studies
GHollingsworth Jul 10, 2008 06:31PM AmberCadabra agreed, there need to be more readily accessible success stories
davidalston asks Jul 10, 2008 06:31PM can you measure the importance of listening? OR is it the essence of what all biz's need to be doing?
MackCollier says Jul 10, 2008 06:32PM I think if Dell can ever directly tie a concrete growth in sales/business back to social media, that it will be huge
sschablow says Jul 10, 2008 06:32PM even the best case studies I've seen use involvement as the metric for success. Hard to convince corp to invest $$ w/o business case.
AbleReach asks Jul 10, 2008 06:32PM SEO relates to dominating a search result & demonstrating trust, not so much in a relationship that will make people search for YOU
potsie says Jul 10, 2008 06:32PM that Toyota is a good example: townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f0c20c4 They engage on the Edmunds boards.
giggey thinks Jul 10, 2008 06:32PM that once we see more empirical research in academic journals we'll have a better case. Need objective, empirical research
DaveWebb Jul 10, 2008 06:32PM Me too, bethharte. Trying to keep up. Plurk not refreshing live for me.
MackCollier says Jul 10, 2008 06:32PM and I know about dell outlet on twitter, i am talking about showing how their spending time interacting in this space = %growth
pchaney says Jul 10, 2008 06:32PM davidalston - not including Dell, there's Natl. Comp. Cancer Network
Connie Jul 10, 2008 06:33PM Dell can point to approx. $500K in direct sales from their Twitter account.
AmberCadabra Jul 10, 2008 06:33PM davidalston i think that's preaching to the choir, here. two ears one mouth and all that.
seerysm says Jul 10, 2008 06:33PM my focus is on employer branding and we assess & monitor the # of and tone of SM mentions related to a company and employment
sschablow says Jul 10, 2008 06:33PM davidalston good point on 'listening'. there are good cases of co's that listen and provide new/better prod/svcs that became profitable.
Telemill Jul 10, 2008 06:33PM MackCollier and there lays the problem. The method is really "too new" to have a variety of case studies that would satisfy their need
karllong says Jul 10, 2008 06:33PM mackcollier the content and examples are out there Dell, Threadless, Yelp, Fiskerters lots of case studies
MackCollier says Jul 10, 2008 06:33PM Connie, if they can ever point to sales from Richard and Lionel being on Twitter, then we have something HUGE
danalookadoo wants Jul 10, 2008 06:33PM to know if someone has put together SM case studies? Zappos is awesome. WholeFoods sharing food info on Twitter.
potsie thinks Jul 10, 2008 06:34PM yes, you can davidalston Show companies how they missed opportunities by not listening. Show them traffic #s on boards that matter.
AbleReach asks Jul 10, 2008 06:34PM so SEO = research serps, & sm = influencer of decisions that come after or parallel to research.
GHollingsworth Jul 10, 2008 06:34PM Southwest has done a fair job using the space, but I don't know if they could tie revenue to it.
Connie Jul 10, 2008 06:34PM NOTE: You will probably have to manually refresh your Plurk timeline or the Plurk page. www.plurk.com/p/18etd
AmberCadabra Jul 10, 2008 06:34PM sschablow I think the issue is in convincing the companies that they NEED the involvement. Many don't think it's necessary.
karllong says Jul 10, 2008 06:34PM I think the issue is cultural, in a big company the people responsible in PR and Mktg are the most threatened by loss of control
davidalston asks Jul 10, 2008 06:34PM mackCollier - Dell rev up 20% EPS up 29% but still need to find the "tie" to social media
seerysm says Jul 10, 2008 06:34PM and then we look at how that changes over time (the number and tone) as participation increases
MackCollier says Jul 10, 2008 06:34PM and speaking of Zappos, its great that they are all over twitter, now how has that increased sales? we all think it has, but numbers?
GHollingsworth Jul 10, 2008 06:35PM I know H&R Block claims to have seen a boost from their efforts, although I find it hard to believe they saw a significant increase
MackCollier says Jul 10, 2008 06:35PM David, exactly! We *think* their being in SM is working, but we need proof to convince the naysayers
Connie Jul 10, 2008 06:35PM Mack, how can you tie a great story in WSJ about your product to bottom line impact of sales? Same with SM.
davidalston Jul 10, 2008 06:35PM amberCadabra - funny eh - companies would never question "involvement" with incoming phone calls
karllong says Jul 10, 2008 06:35PM davidalston look at the amount of ideas on ideastorm over the course of time, tie that to rise in EPS
giggey thinks Jul 10, 2008 06:36PM we need to make the leap from correlation to causality. We have examples of succesful Cos, who also use social media.need to prove causality
DaveWebb Jul 10, 2008 06:36PM I agree, Amber. There has to be a demonstration of value. Common ROI metrics don't always do that
AmberCadabra Jul 10, 2008 06:36PM the prob is, the path of community back from SM channels to the company can be a winding one
sschablow says Jul 10, 2008 06:36PM H&R Block has stated that they are in SM for the long haul as a long-term strategy to build younger client base.
Beth Harte says Jul 10, 2008 06:36PM karllong those mktrs and PR folks need to learn that they lost control long ago.
karenswim says Jul 10, 2008 06:36PM mack w/Zappos I also wonder if the twitter participation has + impact on employee value which leads to greater customer satisfaction
davidalston Jul 10, 2008 06:37PM mackCollier - perhaps further integration of social media into all aspects of biz and systems can track the ties.
contrapuntist Jul 10, 2008 06:37PM wonders if the tie between SM and link to $$ is integrating as a support for other marketing efforts
AmberCadabra Jul 10, 2008 06:37PM davidalston no kidding. but they don't want their customers necessarily giving them feedback, just sales
pchaney says Jul 10, 2008 06:37PM I think it's undeniable that retail sites that have ratings and reviews exp. bump in traffic, engagement and....sales.
MackCollier says Jul 10, 2008 06:37PM David good point, like does letting employees use these tools increase morale?
Connie thinks Jul 10, 2008 06:38PM PR missed the boat by not taking the lead in SM. They are more accustomed to measuring "soft" benefits of their work.
GHollingsworth Jul 10, 2008 06:38PM sschablow, that's true. But they're approaching it with a definite DM approach, they're not listening unless they hear certain words
Telemill Jul 10, 2008 06:38PM sschablow points something out that is a problem in the US, well a problem with corps in the US -- long-term strategies
denise205 asks Jul 10, 2008 06:38PM karenswim, so is the measurement we need one of customer satisfaction?
AbleReach asks Jul 10, 2008 06:38PM remember those phone company ads where a busy signal symbolized losing business? We need a pr campaign like that for SM
Te-ge says Jul 10, 2008 06:39PM I wonder how many companies look at newspapers and say using SM didn't help them, why should we expect it to either.
Telemill Jul 10, 2008 06:39PM US corps are notorious for not engaging and taking seriously -- long-term strategies.
davidalston Jul 10, 2008 06:39PM mackcollier - or if someone is looking to buy "x" and you reach out and connect and end up with sale (tying this to the outreach)
AmberCadabra Jul 10, 2008 06:39PM connie you're so right. the irony is that my newest client is a PR firm because they now realize they've been left behind
GHollingsworth Jul 10, 2008 06:39PM Great point Connie. I've been trying to convince our PR people to get on board for over a year. Its as if they resent SM at this point
Connie says Jul 10, 2008 06:39PM Contrapuntist has good point about seeing SM as *support* for other marketing
potsie Jul 10, 2008 06:39PM Connie PR folks use ad equivalency to bring some sort of measure to WSJ stories and the like. Not perfect, but it's a $$ figure to report.
karenswim says Jul 10, 2008 06:39PM MackCollier and increase that connection they feel to the "value" of their job which is proven morale booster
Telemill Jul 10, 2008 06:39PM This is why Toyota is #1 now, because they make it company CULTURE to think 40 years down the line. Not tomorrow, not 5 years from now, 40.
potsie thinks Jul 10, 2008 06:40PM Connie needs to check out some of the PR-lead SM projects that are out there. Plenty of PR "gets" SM and uses it well.
GHollingsworth Jul 10, 2008 06:40PM good point Telemill. However, it's easier to plan long term when you have coffers the size of Toyota's
DaveWebb Jul 10, 2008 06:40PM Teeg re:newspapers True to those who don't get it, but no so for those who do.
Connie asks Jul 10, 2008 06:41PM DavidAlston Can you address potsie's point about PR using "ad equivalency" to measure. Any analogy to SM?
Beth Harte shares Jul 10, 2008 06:41PM PR uses impressions too. That might be a measurement that can be used in SM too that PR folks can relate to.
sschablow says Jul 10, 2008 06:42PM telemill with the average CMO tenure at 18 months, there is no reason to have long-term strategy.
Connie says Jul 10, 2008 06:42PM "potsie" agree that many PR people now "get" social media. But by and large PR has been very slow to adopt SM.
karenswim says Jul 10, 2008 06:42PM denise205 I think that is a part of measuring customer engagement
Connie Jul 10, 2008 06:42PM SHIFT communications is another example of PR company using social media tools.
MackCollier says Jul 10, 2008 06:42PM but I think as companies hire more younger workers that are more familiar with social sites/tools, cultures will become more open
Telemill Jul 10, 2008 06:42PM GregHollingsworth, see? That's the US thinking I was talking about. The funny part of that is they BEGAN with long-term thinking.
potsie Jul 10, 2008 06:43PM AmberCadabra Full disclosure that my employer put this together: www.imsaturn.com/
DaveWebb Jul 10, 2008 06:43PM Case for newspapers - mommy bloggers have had huge impact on Cincinnati Enquirer
davidalston Jul 10, 2008 06:43PM connie - good question - point to consider with SM is that it's more like 2 way communication device than a media. U agree?
Connie Jul 10, 2008 06:43PM When it comes to "impressions" to measure PR, that's where tools like Radian6, or even the standard Google Alert, can help quantify SM.
GHollingsworth Jul 10, 2008 06:44PM In my specific case, the issue has been trying to impress on DM folks the importance of brand expansion through SM as cost effective
contrapuntist Jul 10, 2008 06:44PM potsie what I am talking about is allowing a word of mouth strategy to dictate communications planning
bhamlibby thinks Jul 10, 2008 06:44PM from what i've heard/seen on the whole, most ad agencies are making SM part of PR.
pchaney says Jul 10, 2008 06:44PM to reflect on davidalston 's question earlier SM has given us the ability to make listening an art and science.
contrapuntist Jul 10, 2008 06:45PM ... that means incorporating all other marketing elements which include SM and PR and all others
AmberCadabra Jul 10, 2008 06:45PM contrapuntist Do you mean allowing the community to lead your strategy and allow it to evolve based on them?
epodcaster says Jul 10, 2008 06:45PM I'm late to this, but I have to agree with connie. The I is Involvement. Getting business to understand this is key
DebInAustin says Jul 10, 2008 06:45PM I am giving up. I wrote a number of PR related plurks and none of them showed up in the thread. Look forward to the recap.
pchaney says Jul 10, 2008 06:45PM and listening is the basis for everything else. Hence, if nothing else, SM has a place there.
GHollingsworth Jul 10, 2008 06:45PM In my specific case, the issue has been trying to impress on DM folks the importance of brand expansion through SM as cost effective
giggey thinks Jul 10, 2008 06:46PM it still comes down to obj of research. Lots of whitepapers and case studies from vendors. Great start, now we need more
AmberCadabra Jul 10, 2008 06:46PM bhamlibby but on the same front I see a lot of ad agencies using it to push content, but not to drive their clients to engage
GHollingsworth Jul 10, 2008 06:46PM In my specific case, the issue has been trying to impress on DM folks the importance of brand expansion through SM as cost effective
contrapuntist Jul 10, 2008 06:46PM what I mean is think about how SM as a tool supports what you hope to achieve
GHollingsworth Jul 10, 2008 06:47PM SM is about engagement, and Amber is right, too often it is used to push content, not to start discussions
davidalston Jul 10, 2008 06:47PM Things you can measure are social dynamics on posts (comment count, views, unique commenters, level of engagement) and relationships2 others
sschablow says Jul 10, 2008 06:47PM Chris Brogan and his guest now talking about SM and ROI in webinar.
epodcaster says Jul 10, 2008 06:47PM every business wants raving fans. SM is the way to not only find them but to connect with them.
DaveWebb Jul 10, 2008 06:48PM davidalston agree that it is more like 2-way communication, but also is means of distribution.
Connie Jul 10, 2008 06:48PM contrapuntist if I understand right, your point is that SM is distinct from all other disciplines in that it exists to support them?
GHollingsworth Jul 10, 2008 06:48PM another part of the problem is the integration of DM into SM spaces (e.g. Beacon on Facebook)
davidalston Jul 10, 2008 06:48PM sschablow - lets do a cross platform connection to them - that would be cool.
epodcaster says Jul 10, 2008 06:48PM So perhaps the Return on Involvement is the discovery of the raving fans?
GHollingsworth Jul 10, 2008 06:49PM doesn't SM have to be 2-way communication to be SM? One person speaking to an empty room isn't very social
Connie Jul 10, 2008 06:49PM Plurk is updating API and we may experience some technical difficulties. If necessary, log back in & go here: www.plurk.com/p/18etd
bhamlibby Jul 10, 2008 06:49PM AmberCadabra, that's def. true, I think many are using old techniques just puttin them in 'new media', which doesnt work.
davidalston Jul 10, 2008 06:49PM epodcaster - "the longtail" and influencer discover process is very valuable to any brand
potsie Jul 10, 2008 06:49PM agree contrapuntist but some companies aren't ready for it. Use WoM to learn interests if customers and then fold back into programs
GHollingsworth Jul 10, 2008 06:50PM I work for a small company that exists solely due to DM, we can't afford traditional "brand advertising"
GHollingsworth Jul 10, 2008 06:51PM SM has the ability to be a very cost effective form of brand advertising (minus the advertising portion)but they still see it in terms of DM
contrapuntist Jul 10, 2008 06:51PM connie my point is that because many orgs don't get it, perhaps thinking of it as a support for other activities might help biz understand
Telemill Jul 10, 2008 06:51PM Wait, wait . . . let's go back to the "engaging" statements. The 2-way communication idea.
davidalston Jul 10, 2008 06:51PM Greg, many other companies (Radian6 included) have primarily relied on SM and WOM for the same reasons to build their brand.
Telemill Jul 10, 2008 06:52PM Do you think THAT is the fear? This is a 2-way communication, that companies really don't want to "engage", they just want to
contrapuntist Jul 10, 2008 06:52PM connie has the distinct advantage that traditional media doesn't you can track response to what ever is out there
sschablow says Jul 10, 2008 06:52PM care to try and measure interaction? Quality of experience, time spent, attitude change?
pchaney says Jul 10, 2008 06:52PM in trad. media marketing ROI stands for "Return On Interruption"; now, that's not working so well.
GHollingsworth Jul 10, 2008 06:52PM but the more DM programs SM sites put it into place, the more it muddies the waters for DM folk, who see it as DM and not as engagement
Telemill Jul 10, 2008 06:52PM quickly make the product/service and move on to making more money. Because when you say 2-way, engagement, relationship that DOES
LaShae says Jul 10, 2008 06:52PM @ dave more than just 2 way communication it's a way to find out what needs to be *distributed* ie what information r those talking, missing
epodcaster says Jul 10, 2008 06:52PM MackCollier: Yes it is. ROI in the "Web 2.0" world is Return on Interaction/Return on Involvement which leads to Return on Investment
pchaney says Jul 10, 2008 06:52PM because shouting doesn't work, and people are talking to each other, SM engagement is a matter of self-defense.
GHollingsworth Jul 10, 2008 06:52PM DaveWebb of course, unless you've spent the whole of it's existence relying on DM
Connie Jul 10, 2008 06:53PM Contrapuntist your point is interesting; I do see how SM can serve a support function for various disciplines.
DaveWebb Jul 10, 2008 06:53PM Man, I have a serious delay. Making it almost impossible to keep up. have to refresh manually constantly.
davidalston Jul 10, 2008 06:53PM ambercadabra - definitely awesome ROI definitions coming out of today. Very cool.
sschablow says Jul 10, 2008 06:53PM MackCollier interaction would be great. It's like ad biz discussion of measuring 'engagement'
Te-ge has Jul 10, 2008 06:53PM a thought building that isn't fully developed yet, but what if trying to show a return is the problem.
GHollingsworth Jul 10, 2008 06:54PM SM can be an awesome branding tool for small business, but if your boss is an old school direct marketer it can be hard to sell to them
Connie Jul 10, 2008 06:54PM Teeg, I like that idea - but how do you quanityf the cost of NOT being engaged?
pchaney says Jul 10, 2008 06:55PM DaveWebb - I think it's hard for small biz to gain enough attention; depending on their prod/service of course.
Beth Harte says Jul 10, 2008 06:55PM GregHollingsworth, I am planning on using DM to promote SM. There is potential measurement in that to make folks who like numbers happy.
MackCollier says Jul 10, 2008 06:55PM i think cos need to realize that with social media, they have to get their hands dirty, they have to provide value
davidalston Jul 10, 2008 06:55PM Greg, as long as you can show a connection to potential customers each week you'll stay alive
karenswim says Jul 10, 2008 06:55PM Connie Teeg exactly, it still returns to concrete metrics, you lose X for NOT participating
Jane Chin says Jul 10, 2008 06:55PM I deal with the ROI problem in my niche segment (medical influence) and no matter what RO(x) you call it, it all comes down to:
epodcaster says Jul 10, 2008 06:56PM pchaney: I couldnt' agree more. I am so OVER being talked/shouted AT. Talk WITH me. Listen and interact.
Jane Chin says Jul 10, 2008 06:56PM I deal with the ROI problem in my niche segment (medical influence) and no matter what RO(x) you call it, it all comes down to
GHollingsworth Jul 10, 2008 06:56PM bethharte I've been down that road, it worked, just not well enough to continue down the path for our company
davidalston Jul 10, 2008 06:56PM mackcollier - good point. Imagine taking $millions from ad budget and employing 1000's of people to listen and engage?
AmberCadabra is Jul 10, 2008 06:56PM it just me, or do some of these companies seem downright afraid of conversing with their customers?
Connie Jul 10, 2008 06:56PM David, what can be measured to show engagement? Comments on blog posts? Links on Twitter? Mentions in online media?
Beth Harte says Jul 10, 2008 06:57PM ...but SM helps when not a lot of budget dollars are available. As well, it's easier for SMBs to give up control & welcome interaction.
GHollingsworth Jul 10, 2008 06:57PM davidalston can I get that in writing so I can show it to our VP of Marketing?
Jane Chin says Jul 10, 2008 06:57PM mackcollier I do think companies believe they are providing value with their "push" mentality. Perhaps need to define "what" value to "whom
pritcharddesign thinks Jul 10, 2008 06:57PM yes, they're afraid. They're used to preplanning their message.
epodcaster says Jul 10, 2008 06:57PM bethharte: Plurkshops are a great way to brainstorm concepts/ideas. I call it a "Braingasm" when it happens like this.
GHollingsworth Jul 10, 2008 06:58PM bethharte that depends on how you use the DM in relation to the SM
Te-ge Jul 10, 2008 06:58PM Greg, yes, it's different. Sometimes it's possible to prove someone isn't guilty without proving they're innocent.
Telemill Jul 10, 2008 06:58PM AmberCadabra "afraid of conversing with their customers" ding, ding, ding!
MackCollier says Jul 10, 2008 06:58PM BTW almost 400 replies in first hour in middle of the day is amazing
Jane Chin Jul 10, 2008 06:58PM pritcharddesign also any deviations in expected customer response means going back to square 1 and that's a lot of mtgs to attend again
davidalston Jul 10, 2008 06:58PM connie - inside SM - # comments, # posts, views, length of comments, on topic inbound linking etc...
GHollingsworth Jul 10, 2008 06:59PM Great point Connie, how do we measure "connections to customers" that we can't necessarily attach a $ to?
Jane Chin Jul 10, 2008 06:59PM why don't we use this plurkshop as an example and see what ROI could be? for ex. out 395 how much signal how much noise for whom to do what?
karenswim says Jul 10, 2008 06:59PM what about the service aspect of SM? One could argue it is an extension of customer service
LaShae says Jul 10, 2008 06:59PM Teeg Amber definitely corps are in the business of control and that is how they got where they are - engrained habit is hard to give up
davidalston Jul 10, 2008 06:59PM mackcollier - yes, awesome discussion all. I think we wanted to keep it to an hour. Shall we wrap up?
AmberCadabra Jul 10, 2008 06:59PM janechin that's why cos have to take off the lead boots and learn to be more nimble. trad marketing makes for a slower reaction
Connie Jul 10, 2008 07:00PM davidalston So there are a lot of things we can measure w/ SM, the question is assigning a $ value to it for those who insist on hard numbr
Beth Harte says Jul 10, 2008 07:00PM AmberCadabra, yes! They are afraid! I have seen it first hand...with sales folks. Won't ask questions as simple as 'do you have a budget?'
bhamlibby Jul 10, 2008 07:00PM AmberCadabra and Telemill, yes i think co. fear is one of the biggiest obstacles!
Jane Chin Jul 10, 2008 07:00PM AmberCadabra agreed, but logistically the size of the co./mrkg dept becomes the factor to agility.
davidalston Jul 10, 2008 07:01PM connie - yes, this is where the ability to analyze across a topic, time, against competitors, etc.. can help to quantify investment
Beth Harte asks Jul 10, 2008 07:01PM Could we do a PlurkShop on NPS and CLV? Are they viable? How have they been used, etc. Thanks for the PlurkShop! Excellent as usual.
pchaney says Jul 10, 2008 07:01PM got to go...thanks for great convo; can't wait for AmberCadabra 's wrapup.
Connie Jul 10, 2008 07:02PM Agree that it barely feels like an hour and we even had to battle the Plurk hiccups. Awesome conversation. We need a part 2!
GHollingsworth Jul 10, 2008 07:02PM the trick with many DM'ers is convincing them that they've already "lost control" and holding on tighter won't help
Telemill Jul 10, 2008 07:02PM We need a plurkshop on overcoming companies' fear of 2-way communication and letting go of the PUSH mentality.
AmberCadabra Jul 10, 2008 07:02PM all, pls email me at amber@altitudebranding.com if there's something you wanted to contribute but couldn't
davidalston wishes Jul 10, 2008 07:02PM everyone a great rest of the day - thanks for the great discussion all.
sschablow says Jul 10, 2008 07:02PM really enjoyed the discussion. Thanks to all for taking time and sharing.
GHollingsworth Jul 10, 2008 07:02PM great conversation, just wish there hadn't have been so many plurk-ups
pchaney says Jul 10, 2008 07:02PM many mini-convos going on at same time; need multiple threads to keep up. k, bye!
contrapuntist Jul 10, 2008 07:02PM janechin yes in a way, whenever I have drafted something for a biz in response, it has to go through approval process
AmberCadabra Jul 10, 2008 07:03PM I'd be up for a part 2, i think there's so much still to talk about
Jane Chin Jul 10, 2008 07:03PM contrapuntist agreed. I work with pharma companies (compliance is huge) and some have begun using adherence to compliance as a metric.
davidalston wishes Jul 10, 2008 07:03PM ambercadabra - I'm up for a part 2 as well if you'd like. Let me know. Glad to help out.
Connie Jul 10, 2008 07:04PM Amber, I think we barely scratched the surface. This is a very important topic to many of us.
Jane Chin Jul 10, 2008 07:04PM AmberCadabra I'd like to contribute some comments as knowledge-based work metrics is a study area of mine but want to first read the transx
Connie Jul 10, 2008 07:04PM Both AmberCadabra and I plan to do recaps. We will post the links when ready.
AmberCadabra Jul 10, 2008 07:04PM thanks to everyone for your incredible insights. i can't wait to pull this all together and will post a link ASAP
epodcaster says Jul 10, 2008 07:04PM I enjoyed finally being able to participate in a plurkshop. Great topic can't wait for the next one. Have a great day!
Te-ge says Jul 10, 2008 07:05PM jowyang's article today won't help Telemill. He writes that joining the conversation is outdated.
davidalston Jul 10, 2008 07:05PM connie - let's pick this up again in a few weeks and do a part 2 perhaps.
AmberCadabra Jul 10, 2008 07:05PM janechin I'll be working on the recap and hope to have it up by tonight
contrapuntist Jul 10, 2008 07:05PM janechin the only workaround I have come up with is drafting samples and a Q&A to make things more conversational
AmberCadabra Jul 10, 2008 07:05PM but you can always leave a comment - i'll post it on my blog - so the conversation can continue
davidalston Jul 10, 2008 07:05PM ambercadabra will be pulling together a summary of today - I look forward to it.
Connie Jul 10, 2008 07:06PM DavidAlston, that sounds great. Would love to have your assistance with part 2 on this topic. Thanks so much for doing this!
Te-ge Jul 10, 2008 07:06PM I look forward to reading the summaries. Thanks for leading it davidalston!
MackCollier says Jul 10, 2008 07:06PM would be great to have a plurkshop where we share/discuss social media case studies
davidalston Jul 10, 2008 07:06PM connie - you are very welcome and thanks for asking me to take part in this. Was a great discussion.
Jane Chin Jul 10, 2008 07:07PM ok. will content myself with reading your summary and commenting. contrapuntist ~scenario-based type of "training" it sounds like.
davidalston Jul 10, 2008 07:07PM teeg - thanks - markcollier - great idea - maybe we could comment on ambercadabra 's post on ones we'd like to talk about?
Connie Jul 10, 2008 07:09PM Weird. Plurk page shows only 377 responses. The timeline shows over 450. We are missing replies somehow.
MackCollier says Jul 10, 2008 07:09PM great idea David, we need to show 'real-world' examples as they help validate entire space to cos
AmberCadabra Jul 10, 2008 07:09PM janechin absolutely not, that's just the way they've been trending i think
DaveWebb Jul 10, 2008 07:11PM ConnieBensen Yeah I'm having problems following. Have to manual refresh constantly. Weird.
Te-ge says Jul 10, 2008 07:11PM it's supposed to do that now, Amber, was added yesterday...but didn't work earlier with all the typing.
Connie Jul 10, 2008 07:12PM That is weird. Plurk definitely having some hiccups today. And they updated the API right in the middle of our plurkshop!
Te-ge says Jul 10, 2008 07:13PM Connie benson comes up first on the name list, and she typed in this conversation
DaveWebb Jul 10, 2008 07:13PM If anyone's interested here's the link: missiondrivenmarketing.com/2008/02/21/measuring-intangibles-revisted-social-media-metrics-roi/
Jane Chin Jul 10, 2008 07:31PM (sorry MackCollier i need to go as i have baby poop all over my office now) emergency cleanup.
NancyFaye says Jul 10, 2008 08:50PM Coulndn't make the plurkshop live, but have read the posts. Great information. Hopefully I
vaxen_var thinks Jul 11, 2008 06:28PM Plurk needs a smoother interface. Got here but in a rather round about way. So... Hello Plurkworld!
vaxen_var thinks Jul 11, 2008 06:29PM Yeah, July 11th... one day too late! Better late than never? At least Amber tweets...
vaxen_var thinks Jul 11, 2008 06:30PM Guess I'll have to hunt up some plurk people on Twitter then just ask questions about usage. Not fun at this stage...