My market tips

Archive for November, 2009

Answering The SirenS Call: Hopscotching Social Media

At virtually every turn recently I am asked to recommendways clients can utilize social media marketing as a means of message delivery. Until recently I read and heard a great deal about this new phenomenon but resisted the siren call of such sites as Facebook MySpace Twitter et al for fear of a replay of the severe addiction I succumbed to about 15 years ago when a friend hooked up my first home Internet connection. It was dialup connections were lost frequently and without warning and it was slowbut I was quickly hooked and couldnt get enough of mere surfing researching every subject I could think of and of course chatting. I sacrificed a great deal of sleep chatting into the wee hours of the morning with folks I knew and folks I didnt know. That is why despite the growing professional necessity to be knowledgeable about social media I have been trying to avoid it for personal use.

However as I continue to investigate social media as a marketing tool for my clients as well as my own business not to mention personal curiosity I find it is nearly impossible to make informed recommendations without firsthand experience. So this weekend I took the plunge and began by spending a fair amount of time on Facebook and MySpace and just today I ventured on to Twitter. And although Ive already had the great pleasure of communicating with dear old college friends and colleagues I havent seen or spoken to for years I have taken a solemn vow not to allow social media to become more important than sleep or equally as important as ice cream! My goal is to keep it all in perspective..

Before I go any further let me explain that my purpose here is in part to share some of my observations and comparisons of the most popular social media sites. But more importantly it is to generate observations comments and recommendations about the social media sites you use and why. Ive included a few questions at the end that I hope you will respond to.

Thus far from my limited exposure MySpace still seems to be primarily youth oriented despite the research that show its increasing popularity with all age groups. I have to say that I’ve found it is much easier to navigate than Facebook. I prefer the drop down menus on MySpace that are very clear and help the user move from one application to another with complete ease. On the other hand MySpace has a good deal of annoying advertising and flashing animations that are rather distracting. In addition movement from one application to another seems to take a quite a bit of time. But Ill reserve judgment on this until Ive visited it a bit moreperhaps my initial visits were during high traffic times.

As to Facebook Ive found that if you want to move beyond reporting where or what you had for dinner it pretty much leaves it up to the user to figure out what tools it offers and how to use them offering very little explanation or assistance. For example since registering with Facebook I have received notices that someone is throwing a shoe at me that various folks have sent me a throw beads request a sea garden request a cupcakes request and more. I have no idea what these are what they signify or why I warrant such lovely sentiments! The navigation is not as clearly organized as MySpace or easy to follow and demands a greater time investment on the part of the user to become proficient in using the site. This may be why at least in part after several visits I still get confused trying to find specific applications beyond reading status updates reporting what Im doing at that very moment and writing on walls.

That said Im a little intrigued that so many people are willing to share the mundane details of their lives Suzy is getting ready to eat a big salad with grilled chicken. And I find it even more intriguing that so many people seem to crave being the recipients of these details. My guess is that these tidbits provide a kind of bridge a comfortable means of reaching out and approximating facetoface communication across the miles. Similar short personal messaging appears to be the sole purpose of Twitter nothing more than very brief updates of ones daily activities. Well I figure if Al Gore and Jimmy Fallon use Twitter there must be something to it besides lunch so I will investigate further.

And so my research continues. Today I created a Facebook page for my business www.IBZGROUP.com; I became a fan of several Facebook pages; and I posted a note. I also sent a friend request from MySpace and registered with Twitter where I will be following Al and Jimmy and receiving messages from NPR Politics! Thats a lot of socializing for one day!

As mentioned above Id truly appreciate your responses to the six questions below to help me begin to better understand and develop recommendations on this subject. Shortly I plan to post a full survey on Survey Monkey to gather more information on the ins and outs of social media as a marketing tool. If youd like to participate in the survey please let me know and send your email address to me through Facebook or to adminibzgroup.com. I will send links to the survey as soon as it is posted.

How many social media sites have you tried and which ones do you continue to use or prefer?

What site has been most effective in linking you with old friends colleagues or other people in your life?

What do you like about your chosen social media siteswhat would you like to see changed?

On average how much time do you spend each day communicating with friends reading and/or commenting on Facebook MySpace Twitter or other social media?

Have you ever followed a posted recommendation? Tried a restaurant seen a movie checked out a political candidate based on the posting on one of these sites by a friend or acquaintance?

Do you pay much attention to advertising that appears on these sites?

About the writer:  Gayle Wiegand heads up a business and marketing communications consulting group IBZ Group http://www.ibzgroup.com . She has directed marketing communications projects for private industry notforprofit and government contracts. With an M.S. in Communications and a B.A. in Theatre Ms. Wiegand has an extensive background in education healthcare entertainment retail and hospitality. Recent projects include writing crisis communications and continuity of operations plans primary research on emergency preparedness secondary research on multigenerational audience message delivery preferences audio/video production and management/writing of government proposals.

Liability And User Generated Content

Social media platforms and applications are dependent upon communal participation. Members of the community share everything from names professions and scholastic and corporate affiliations to names and photos of family and friends as well as uptotheminute updates on current events. Little is too personal on social media and the greater the extent of the sharing the greater the personal reward for all involved.

As in the nonInternet world people often do and say things that are not always appropriate whether intentional or not. Examples include a personal opinion a piece of confidential information about oneself one’s company or an acquaintance. Such communication can take the form of a written comment photos videos or other form of communication. The result of these communications can result in claims of defamation incorrect statements of fact harassment etc.

Unfortunately for social media operators those adversely affected and their representatives tend to include social media operators on the short list of culpable parties typically based upon some form of contributory negligence. Fortunately for social media operators operating in the U.S. there exists some form of protection to the extent that certain procedures are maintained.

COMMUNICATIONS DECENCY ACT

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 is a landmark piece of Internet legislation. Section 230c1 of the CDA provides immunity from liability to providers and users of an “interactive computer service” that publishes information provided by others e.g. usergenerated content. Courts generally apply the following threeprong test to determine whether a defendant is subject to the protections afforded by Section 230.

1. The defendant must be a “provider or user” of an “interactive computer service;”
2. The cause of action asserted by the plaintiff must treat the defendant as a “publisher or speaker” of the harmful information at issue; and
3. The information must be “provided by another information content provider” i.e. the defendant must not be the information content provider of the harmful information at issue.

This section of the CDA was enacted to enhance free speech by making it unnecessary for Internet service providers and other service providers to unduly restrict customers’ actions for fear of being found legally liable for customers’ conduct. This law effectively protects social media operators since it covers computer services that involve usergenerated content

As a result of its effective protections Section 230 is considered quite controversial because courts have interpreted Section 230 as providing complete immunity to Internet service providers and other service providers with regard to torts committed by their users. Critics of Section 230 are primarily concerned with its effectiveness at leaving victims with no hope of relief in instances where the true tortfeasors cannot be identified or are judgment proof.

Courts have upheld Section 230 in a variety of factual contexts and on numerous legal theories including posting of:

• Defamatory information;
• Opinions;
• Private information;
• False information;
• Pornographic information;
• Harassing commentary; and
• Discriminatory and/or illegal advertising.

Section 230 however is not absolute protection. For example plaintiffs have successfully argued in a handful of cases that an “interactive computer service” was not entitled to Section 230 immunity because the person or entity in question was an “information content provider” with respect to the information at issue thereby failing the third test noted above. Notwithstanding certain plaintiff successes generally the social media operator is protected against liability for postings made by others so long as the operator does not contribute in whole or in part in the creation or development of the content and provides a mechanism for detecting objectionable content.

As such in order for social media operators to obtain the maximum protection under Section 230 of the CDA the operator should strictly adhere to the following:

• Do not alter any contribution of usergenerated content. To the extent that usergenerated content is repackaged no matter how insignificantly the social media operator potentially voids one of the three tests and risks exposure. Competent legal counsel should opine on the risk to the social media operator to the extent that any usergenerated content is repackaged or reformatted.

• Maintain the ability for users to alert the operator of questionable content. Users should at all times be provided with the ability to report usergenerated content that violates the terms of use or is generally considered offensive or specifically offensive. Additionally users should be provided with the ability to promptly delete usergenerated content that is directly posted to their profiles or personal space within the social media platform.

• Maintain formal policies and procedures for addressing complaints of questionable content. The policies should include both external terms of use policies and internal policies and procedures for the timely management of complaints. Periodic audits and compliance with recommended corrective actions should be performed and well documented to serve as support in the event of legal action.

• The Terms of Use should explicitly state that the user is fully responsible and liable for any legal action attributed to their user generated content and the TOU should include indemnification language that contractually indemnifies the social media operator as a result of usergenerated content. Any subsequent changes to the TOU should require the user to accept the changes prior to permitting the user access to the social media platform.

About the writer:  Jesse Torres is President and Chief Operating Officer of Security Savings Bank in Henderson Nevada. He is a regular speaker at banking industry conferences and seminars he serves on the West Coast AntiMoney Laundering Forum and is a former Chairman of the Los Angeles Junior Chamber of Commerce. Prior to joining Security Savings Bank he was a regulator with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency OCC a Senior Consultant with KPMG Peat Marwick and a senior officer at several banks in the Los Angeles area. He is a graduate of UCLA and the Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington. Jesse can be reached by email at MrJesseTorresgmail.com. He can also be found on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/jessetorres and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jstorres.

Viral Marketing To Improve Sales

Viral marketing is so aptly named because the idea when promoting a product is to allow for brand recognition to spread quickly like a virus. In the case of marketing naturally the end result will not yield illness but sales. For the author viral marketing or word of mouth campaigns is an essential method of promotion.

When one thinks of viral marketing as a means to promote books music or other items more than likely it is believed that such techniques are limited to the Internet. This is not necessarily the case. Viral marketing refers to the use of exist social networks or communities for promotion and while the Internet lends a good amount of convenience here there are ways to spread “the virus” beyond cyberspace if one is creative enough. By establishing recognition of your book within a small network you have the opportunity to expand your audience as people engaged in that network move outward and employ word of mouth to recommend your books.

Here are just a few examples of online and offline viral marketing techniques designed to raise awareness:

EMail signatures: Every time you send an email to a friend relative or to anybody you should take the opportunity to promote your work. You need not send a fullblown pitch with every message but it is imperative to include your URL and catchy oneline slogan in your signature. You would be surprised how a few carefully chosen words can remain fresh in a consumer’s mind for years. Slogans are the core of advertising and to include a tagline in your email signature can entice readers to click through to your website.

Having worked with a number of romance authors with regards to promotion I find a number of them have effective email signatures designed to lure readers:

Bridget “an author who never goes” Midway

Do you dare? Ellwood…If She Could. Leigh Ellwood Romance Author

Where spicier romances are concerned a reader is going to want to know exactly what Leigh dares and how far Bridget goes in her writing. Such a slogan however does not have to be limited to a body of work. If you have only one book to market think of a phrase or line relevant to the story that will attract readers. Sell your book in ten words or less and offer visitors incentive to click through to learn more.

Forums and Messageboards: Depending upon the subject of your book you can find readership in the many online forums available to you. While some forums may not allow direct advertising equating such blatant promotions to spam techinques employed by robots there are ways to steer around restrictions.

If you have written a nonfiction work it is highly recommended to spend some time each day patrolling any message boards relevant to your topic. Whether you have authors a sports biography or selfhelp work there is certain to be one or two forums where potential readers exist for your work. If you write fiction there do exist a number of readers forums related to many genres from romance to science fiction to fantasy. If your works are in similar vein to popular books and movies a fantasy novel akin to Tolkien or a hardboiled private eye story seek out those forums as well. Readers of a certain fandom may be willing to broaden their interests if they are duly enticed.

Depending upon the forum signatures are permitted. Use the opportunity to create a signature as with your email designed to encourage forum members to click through to your site. As you become a part of these communities you also have the opportunity to establish yourself as an expert on forum subjects. Post and reply to posts and increase awareness of your brand. Employing such a subtle viral technique can be helpful in bring people to your website and your book.

Articles: Similar to the concept of being a forum expert writing articles relevant to your book’s topic is a useful method of viral marketing. Whether your write fiction or nonfiction poetry or plays supplemental articles for distribution enhance your credibility and allow for the increase of traffic to your website.

Concise short articles of about 300400 can be submitted to thirdparty article databases for distribution. With each article you write include a biography and URL link to your site. As website owners needing content pick up your material for use they are obliged to use your links. This method of viral marketing sets you up as an expert on the subject at hand and also increases opportunity for higher link popularity on your website.

Article writing as a viral marketing technique is also effective in print. Find periodicals and journals relevant to your book’s topic and submit articles for publication. For mystery and romance authors in particular there exist opportunities to write anecdotes on the writing process and story inspiration. Mystery Readers Journal and Mystery Scene Magazine are two such outlets that welcome author input.

Mailing Lists: Similar to the message board the topic mailing list brings the conversation and information directly to the readers’ mailboxes. Visit a database for mailing lists such as Yahoo Groups or Topica and you will also find a number of authors have mailing lists set up to promote their works. Some lists are employed purely for newsletter distribution while others allow for readers to interact with each other and the author.

Whether you decide to maintain your own list or join lists relevant to your books viral marketing comes into play through your posts and signatures. Try not to be an overt advertisement but maintain some degree of visibility and authority on relevant subjects. Build trust among the readership and eventually you will find readers clicking through to your site to learn more.

Signage: Perhaps while driving you have seen the a window sticker on the care in front of you advertising a URL. It might have been a commercial vehicle or a mom’s van promoting an inhome business for cosmetics or other goods. You might have it thought it amusing at first but such signage can be useful in imprinting a brand into the general consciousness. Billboards would not exist otherwise if there was not some proven effectiveness.

The good thing about a sticker on the back window of a car or truck is that it does not have to be too obnoxious just large enough to be seen. Shop around for a custom design then you have a traveling advertisement for your book everywhere you drive.

Just as word of mouth advertising helps promote books music and other items so can viral marketing be as effective. Plant seeds of interest throughout the Internet and watch as your traffic and sales bloom.

About the writer:  Kathryn Lively writes for CINIVA Systems website design for Virginia Beach.