Convince and Convert Blog: Where Social Media and Email Collide

Ann Handley is kinda busy. She’s the Chief Content Officer of Marketing Profs, crack editorial overlord of Marketing Profs’ Daily Fix blog, contributor to the Huffington Post, author of the Annarchy blog, and a mother. She also co-founded the digital marketing portal ClickZ.

In addition to her lengthy resume, she’s truly one of the best people in the digital marketing business. Like Brogan with cool librarian glasses, I’ve never heard or read a single negative word about her. You’ll see why below, as her wit and insight shine in this Twitter 20 interview. (thanks as always for the great comments and questions from those of you who watched it live)

1. @jaybaer: Did you always want to be a writer? Was it something you started very early in life?

• @marketingprofs: Yes. I always wanted to be a writer, even before I could spell it. I wrote in my diary when I was 7, “I want to be a writter.”
• My idea of a good time at that age was spending an afternoon in my room penning the family “newsletter.” (Early geek).

2. @jaybaer: How was it making the move from traditional writing to the Web (at ClickZ, circa 1997)? Weird? Scary?

• @marketingprofs: The web was a different place in 1997. Online pubs didn’t look that much different than print docs. So it wasn’t a huge leap.
• At the same time, there was a sense that the web was something big. So that was definitely cool. Not weird. But different.

3. @jaybaer: ClickZ was ++ influential in those days (and still good). With content explosion, can anyone have that kind of impact?

• @marketingprofs: It’s definitely harder to have that kind of impact, because blogs & other social platforms make ANYONE a publisher. Which I like. 
• And the universe online is bigger, too. When we sold ClickZ, we had just over 50,000 subscribers. (& that was impressive!)

4. @jaybaer: Why did you name ClickZ like Boyz 2 Men, and does that still haunt you? Or was kewl misspelling de rigueur in 1997?

• @marketingprofs: “Z” was a cool letter in those days. Along with anything starting with “e” or “i” or cyber. Now it’s cool NOT to have an “e.”

5. @jaybaer: You like that anyone is a publisher. How has that changed the game for Marketing Profs and other professional publishers?

• @marketingprofs: It challenges MP to consistently produce good content & always be innovating. There’s a lot more competition, for sure!

6. @jaybaer: (via @djwaldow) Lots of talk about Twitter and micro-blogging killing blogs and long-form online content. Your thoughts?

• @marketingprofs: Twitter is just another platform, suited to certain kinds of content & communication. Quick stuff, comm interaction & goofiness.
• I don’t see Twitter & blogs and longer forms of content as either-or. I see it as “in addition to.”

7. @jaybaer: What about video content? Do you see it really taking off? Plans for Marketing Profs to do more of it?

• @marketingprofs: Absolutely to both. When you can buy a Flip for $119, it’s kind of hard to ignore video as a growing force.
• You couldn’t swing a cat at our Digital Marketing Mixer w/o bumping someone with a video camera & we’ll be doing more in 2009.

8. @jaybaer: You’ve been online long enough to have seen other epochs. Is social media the next fad, or something bigger?

• @marketingprofs: Social media is a game-changer. Even after the excitement/hype about it dies, it still has changed behavior/expectations.
• SM generally is a lot like the early dot-com days sometimes, because of the polarizing way people feel about it (love/hate)…
• …as well as how its fans are so excited about it. 

9. @jaybaer: Companies are sometimes fearful of creating SM content because of possible criticism. Easier to be quiet. Thoughts?

• @marketingprofs: Well, I’ll validate that. It’s scary to put yourself out there. But SM doesn’t grow critics-the critics are already there.
• It’s better to hear the complaints or critics and be able to respond to them, isn’t it? To fix problems, rather than let fester.
• And really, if you are a good company & the critics are just unfair, your community will defend you.

10. @jaybaer: Some people (like you with http://annhandley.com) have multiple blogs or profiles. Best practice, or hard to maintain?

• @marketingprofs: It’s a little tricky, sometimes. On Twitter, for example, is it ok for me to talk about a new post on www.annhandley.com?
• But having two blogs (www.mpdailyfix.com and annhandley.com) actually works easily, becuz the content/focus are really different. 
• But in the end I balance it by respecting the audience of each, becuz I am grateful for anyone who reads or interacts with me.
• Which maybe sounds like Bull-Oney, but I really mean it.

11. @jaybaer: Speaking of multiple personalities, is it true that you were back-up plan to play Palin on SNL, if Tina Fey bailed out?

• @marketingprofs: I wish you could hear me say, “You betcha!!…” in my folksy, hockey-mom kinda way there, droppin’ my g’s! Twitter needs audio.

12. @jaybaer (via @lorenmcdonald):How do you feel about companies paying for posts, sponsoring bloggers. Death of “real” journalism?

• @marketingprofs: I don’t have a problem with the notion of companies paying bloggers, providing there’s full disclosure. That said…
• I’d rather see companies doing more interesting things, rather than paying bloggers and calling it their “social media program.”

13. @jaybaer: Absolutely. What about agencies? Do they pitch you differently these days?

• @marketingprofs: Yes, they do pitch differently. And actually, I’ve appreciated getting to know a number of PR people here & elsewhere, via SM.
• So I’d also say that I receive them differently. At least, in my B2B world. 

14. @jaybaer: As everyone’s favorite digital marketing editor, what do you think is most lacking in the writing/content you see?

• @marketingprofs: Hmmm…”most lacking…” Well, I still get stuff from execs who talk about themselves/their products.
• There’s still a tendency to not consider the audience/customers you want to attract.
• To talk about solutions for THEM, rather than yourself and what you company does.
• In marketing & in good content, it’s always better to talk less about yourself than it is to talk about your customer. Less is more. 

15. @jaybaer: If journalism survives, who pays the journalists? Profs, Huff, etc. work because you eliminate content creation expense.

• @marketingprofs: Well, we actually do pay for some content, although Arianna doesn’t pay me. True.
• I’m not sure what the new model will be in journalism. Advertising? Sponsored content? Paid content? Both?
• That’s the very thing folks smarter than I am are wresting with now…Who sustains journalism? Like NPR & audience funding…?
• All I can say is, I would pay a lot more than 50 bucks a year to keep The New Yorker coming. 

16. @jaybaer: Social media encourages (requires?) always-on in ways prior eras didn’t. How do you balance it all? Job, SM, family?

• @marketingprofs: Sorry - I just had to tell my kid to go away. (KIDDING!) I seriously sleep less & watch less TV. I work a lot, but it’s okay.
• And I try to keep weekends pretty normal. I’m online, but not constantly like I am during the week.
• And can I just say, I love my iPhone? I don’t feel chained to my desk any more. Chained to a device, yes. But it fits in my pocket. 
• Crazily - I hate the iPhone phone part. I carry two devices - cell + iPhone (Which is a little nutty.)

17. @jaybaer: What Profs initiatives have most surprised you with their success? iphone app? conferences? Daily Fix?

• @marketingprofs: The iPhone app has been a pleasant surprise. Obviously it’s not a money maker, but it’s a cool service.
• Personally, conferences have surprised me the most. I resisted us going into them, but wow am I glad I was out-voted there!

18. @jaybaer: Other new plan for Profs you’d like to let us in on, live on Twitter?

• @marketingprofs: New Profs plans ‘09 include a virtual event in April with 2 tracks (b2b, b2c) - free. I’m kinda excited about that. 

19. @jaybaer: That sounds nifty. You’re writing a new book. What’s it about? (please not another teen vampire story…)

• @marketingprofs: LOL. I am putting together a book proposal, that’s true. Not about marketing, but based more around my essays. 

20. @jaybaer: What do you read or listen to for fun? You’re a David Sedaris fan, right? Who else?

• @marketingprofs: God yes. It’s almost unhealthy. (I saw Sedaris in Arizona in October). I also love Orhan Pamuk. Jhumpa Lahiri. Joan Didion.
• Gregory Maguire. Jonathan Franzen. (Music: Lyle Lovett. Patty Larkin.) Storytellers. I fall hard for whoever I’m reading, usually. 

Thanks again to Ann for a great job. Who would you like to see on Twitter 20 in 2009?

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Welcome. If you liked that, there's plenty more. Please subscribe to my RSS feed. You can also find me on Twitter @jaybaer

BL Ochman, author of the What’s Next blog, and a veteran of digital marketing since 1996 and a public relations powerhouse before that, agreed to withstand the crucible of a Twitter 20 interview (20 questions live on Twitter).

Here are BL’s thoughts on blogging, email, social media, and getting the job done right online.

1. @jaybaer: You were a long-time PR genius. What’s the role for public relations in a digital, social media connected world?

• @whatsnext: I still meet PR peeps who don’t know the basics of social media. There is no excuse for that. They need to get up to speed.
• @whatsnext: PR can play an impt role in social media, providing information, concepts, and putting people together. Mostly, they need to educate clients.

2. @jaybaer: You’ve been critical of press releases for years. Do new social media release services like PitchEngine change your mind?

• @whatsnext Nope. It’s the content, no the format of press releases that matter. 

3. @jaybaer: What’s the viability of PR connectivity services like HARO and the new @micropr?

• @whatsnext HARO is a great service. I haven’t tried @micropr - but anything that helps connect sources and media is good. 

4. @jaybaer: Speaking of content, you do Web site content overhauls and creation. What’s the big mistake people make with their Web content

• @whatsnext Biggest website mistake is not making it clear what the company actually does. And not spending to drive traffic to the site.

5. @jaybaer: How much stock do you put in SEO-optimizing site content? Or blog content for that matter?

• @whatsnext I work really hard to optimize site content and very blog post. I still find natural SEO works great. So few blogs do it!

6. @jaybaer: What are some of the search phrases for which you optimize your own content?

• @whatsnext I optimize my blog posts for online marketing strategy, for my name, What’s Next Blog, & do similar for client blogs & sites

7. @jaybaer: You’ve written about circumstances when companies shouldn’t blog. Advice for how can they actually do it well?

• @whatsnext 9 great reasons companies should blog here http://tinyurl.com4exrj9 #1 is talk about what people want to hear & share

8. @jaybaer: There’s been some chatter recently about Twitter killing the blog. How do you see the future of full text vs. micro-text?

• @whatsnext Twitter isn’t going to replace blogging. I’m sick of stories about the death of blogging.
• @whatsnext The death of blogging is an annual prediction. Those of us who love blogging do it because we like to share info. Twitter is also great.
• @whatsnext Blogging was also declared dead in 2004, 2006 and again in 2007 when @gapingvoid noted, “of course you realize this is all crap.”

9. @jaybaer: Why do you say that? Because Twitter can’t convey fully formed thoughts, or because it’s ephemeral? Or something else?

• @whatsnext Twitter “can” convey fully formed thoughts, but not the reasoning behind them. Blogs can do that better. 

10. @jaybaer: Staying on this evolutionary theme, what impact do you see social media messaging, text messaging, Twitter having on email?

• @whatsnext I check DMs before email. I think a lot of people do. Email is a broken idea now. I wish I had a replacement!

11. @jaybaer: I check DMs first too. If we’re moving toward social media messaging for 1:1 what can brands do? Make email more relevant?

• @whatsnext I def read email from people who contribute interesting content on Twitter. I like @chrisbrogan 12:1 rule for soc media give n take

12. @jaybaer: You’ve written about mobile. How can it be used effectively? A lot of cynicism about it among U.S. consumers older than 25.

• @whatsnext Slow to catch up in U.S., but mobile’s an essential component. I need to get more informed about using mobile. Do NOT pitch me!

13. @jaybaer: I’m glad you mentioned pitching. What are the rules of engagement for PR pros reaching out to journalists and bloggers now?

• @whatsnext I’ve written maybe 20 posts on how to pitch bloggers & MSM. nothing has changed! read what we write. Don’t say Dear Mr Ochman &…

14. @jaybaer: You were digital b4 digital was cool (1996?) How does SM fit into the big ditigal tent of search, email, banners - or does it?

• @whatsnext Yes, I’ve been doing online marketing since ‘96. Social media is just a fantastic new tool set, an evolutionary process.

15. @jaybaer: I loved your post on the Motrin controversy. Does social media create crises or solve them? SM crisis management services?

• @whatsnext Thank you! Social media shouldn’t create crises, but it certainly can be helpful in solving them just ask Dell

16. @jaybaer: With so much content being created today via blogs, twitter, videos, ebooks, etc. is it harder or easier to be a consultant?

• @whatsnext It’s much harder to be anybody today trying to keep from drowning in the information firehose. It’s a bit much some days!

17. @jaybaer: Was just discussing with @conniereece today, as a consultant is it better to teach clients to fish, or to fish for them?

• @whatsnext @conniereece Interesting ? some clients you can teach to fish, others just don’t want to. the latter are not my faves.

18. @jaybaer: What’s the most over-hyped social media tool or trend?

• @whatsnext Viral video is the most over-hyped soc media tool. It ain’t viral til it is. I got a pitch this morning about a viral video launch

19. @jaybaer: You’ve lived in NYC your whole life I believe. What keeps you there?

• @whatsnext I’ve live on a farm in CT, but NYC is my home. I love that you can see something you never saw before every single day.

20. @jaybaer: What’s your 140-character summary advice for digital marketing success?

• @whatsnext My advice for success in social media: play nice with others, be responsive to ?, and follow the 12:1 ratio of giving to taking

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Many companies are reluctant to fully dive in to social media, either because they are afraid of losing control, or because they believe their customers aren’t using social media. The latter is especially prevalent among B2B companies, and when viewed from a purely numerical perspective they may be right. (photo by The Dana Files)

An agency client of mine - Bliss PR - works with many large financial services companies whose customers are established CFOs. Are there 50-something CFOs using social media? Of course. Do most of them congregate in typical social media outposts? Probably not.

Consequently, my advice in these circumstances is to abandon an outpost strategy in favor of a humanization strategy. Find a thought leader in the organization, and make them the star, instead of the company itself. Chris Brogan calls these folks Trust Agents, and cites Frank Eliason from Comcast, Scott Monty from Ford and others as examples.

Related: Twitter interview of Scott Monty about social media at Ford.

I mostly concur, and I think for many brands it’s smart marketing (even beyond the huge potential customer service benefits).

9 Ingredients of a Humanization Campaign

For agencies, your role in a humanization campaign is almost like a publicist. Find ways to make the designated star a thought leader:

• 1. Build and optimize a blog
• 2. Reach out to other bloggers in the category for guest posts
• 3. Syndicate content to vertical aggregation sites
• 4. Publish white papers and ebooks, and/or conduct Webinars
• 5. Create a few killer presentations and get them on SlideShare
• 6. Do at least a little video blogging to make him/her three dimensional
• 7. Hustle for speaking engagements
• 8. Get on Twitter and make sure he/she sets aside time to really engage people
• 9. Make sure current company customers know all about the initiative and are invited to partipate

By making a real person in a company the social media outreach vehicle, you can at times bypass potentially thorny legal and corporate confidence hurdles, and give the organization plausible deniability if it for some reason goes horribly wrong. “He went rogue!” they can cry.

Simultaneously, you get almost all of the benefits of a corporate-branded social media program. Honesty. Transparency. Engagement with customers.

Forrester is the king of this strategy. When was the last time you went to the Forrester Web site? Contrast that with the last time you went to Jeremiah Owyang’s site (or Peter Kim or Charlene Li before they left). See what I mean?

Does this humanization strategy work? Do you have other examples? 

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Featuring Jason Falls, the head of social media at branding agency Doe-Anderson, author of the Social Media Explorer blog, and all-around social media nice guy genius. Jason submitted himself to the rigors of the Twitter 20 interview (20 questions live on Twitter) on November 14, 2008. Excellent questions and comments from viewers throughout, too. Thanks to everyone who participated.

(photo by Shashi Bellamkonda)

From Jason Falls’ Keyboard to You: Interview Transcript

1. @jaybaer: How do you describe your role at Doe-Anderson (branding agency in Louisville)?

• @jasonfalls: I advise our clients on social media strategy and educate them on using social media tools to communicate more effectively.

2. @jaybaer: How does your social media department intersect and interact with other parts of the agency?

• @jasonfalls: We are integrated within the interactive department but with a strong tie to PR. However, Doe-Anderson cross trains and pollinates.

3. @jaybaer: You’ve expanded the team over time. What do you look for in a social media professional? Conversation ability? Tech skills?

• @jasonfalls: You can’t be strong in social media programming and strategy without strong writing and conversation skills. Tech can be taught.

4. @jaybaer:(? from @geekmommy) Louisville doesn’t leap to mind re: social media/tech hotbeds. Easier or harder doing in from there?

• @jasonfalls: @geekmommy is just jealous she doesn’t live in Silicon Holler. The Internet dissolves geographic barriers. I do what I do anywhere. 
• @jasonfalls: And Louisville/Kentucky is responsible for @peterkim @mattcutts @pearsonified Drew Curtis, @robmay Profilactic, etc., etc., 

5. @jaybaer: What type of reporting and metrics do you focus on with your social media programs? Do you sync with interactive analytics?

• @jasonfalls: We do sync with interactive analytics but try hard to set expectations to match the goals. Reach, relationships, conversations.

6. @jaybaer: Lots of discussion around where social media belongs. PR, marketing, customer service, etc. What’s your opinion?

• @jasonfalls: Social media is an extension of good public relations, but should be a company-wide approach PR helps manage and facilitate

7. @jaybaer: Some say “listening” is an agency function, but “engaging” needs to be done by the client. Can the agency be the voice in SM?

• @jasonfalls: Tough one. Depends on the client. If they can’t communicate well, then Dear Lord, don’t let them do it. 

8. @jaybaer: What do you say to clients that are afraid of really communicating via SM, and ONLY want to listen? How do you conquer fear?

• @jasonfalls: The best way is to prove it to them - find a negative conversation and correct it. Show them how to turn the tide. Proof works.

9. @jaybaer: What’s missing then from most corporate social media programs you see today? What makes you say d’oh!

• @jasonfalls: Strategic thinking. they just throw “viral” crap out there and call it social media. GTive your fans something to talk about, do.

10. @jaybaer: I hear you there re: lack of strategy. Conversely, what’s the most overrated aspect of SM today? 

• @jasonfalls: Most overrated aspect is No. of followers. If you can’t get them to do anything, then what good are they…or what good are you?

11. @jaybaer: Do you advocate distinctly different outreach methodologies for bloggers and traditional journalists?

• @jasonfalls: Absolutely NOT. Problem with most PR is they’ve been reaching out to traditional media wrong. Bloggers are teaching us that.

12. @jaybaer: Very interesting. You’re saying treat journalists like bloggers, not the other way around? Relevant, focused pitching, etc.?

• @jasonfalls: Damn straight. Key to blogger outreach is relationships, same as traditional media. Why is this so hard for people to understand?

13. @jaybaer: Best examples of programs you’re really proud of? http://www.thestuffinside.com is legendary work. Others?

• @jasonfalls: Wish others thought so (StuffInside). A lot of my good work is internal coms. But the Beam Baja Twitter Tracker was good thinking. 

14. @jaybaer: Were you a bourbon guy before coming to Doe-Anderson and Kentucky, or is that just an occupationally-acquired taste?

• @jasonfalls: I’ve been a bourbon guy for a while. Raised in Kentucky. My father introduced me to Elijah Craig about 10 years ago. 

15. @jaybaer: A toast to you, sir. How did you gravitate from sports communications to PR and social media at an agency?

• @jasonfalls: I’m schitzophrenic. Heh. I’m a communicator. It doesn’t matter what about. Do your homework, build relationships, talk. 

16. @jaybaer: How does the agency world compare to client side marketing (or university side in your case)? Resources? Pace? Juggling?

• @jasonfalls: Agency life puts you behind the 8-ball for multiple clients at a time. It’s mind-boggling how much is expected. Not enough hrs. in a day.

17. @jaybaer: You did a lot of work in the education arena previously. What do you see from .edu in SM? How can they do it right?

• @jasonfalls: Education and social media? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. They’re so anal about “protecting” students I’m shocked they have Websites.
• @jasonfalls: Of course, I worked in college athletics. The NCAA is the biggest censor and fascist regime on the planet. SM and NCAA? Nope.

18. @jaybaer: You mentioned your kids (2 for me as well). Social media take a ton of time - often unpaid. How do you balance it all?

• @jasonfalls: I’ve gotta pretty damn cool, hardworking and tolerant wife, first of all. But you just have to put it down.
• @jasonfalls: I go dark some weekends and evenings until 8 p.m. because my kids come first. It’s not easy, but I don’t need to be big on Digg.

19. @jaybaer: Can you tell us a bit about http://www.twit2fit.com your social media wellness community?

• @jasonfalls: Twit2Fit started as a lark and is now motivating and supporting over 200 on the Ning site, countless others here.

20. @jaybaer: Last one. What’s your summary 140 character advice for social media success?

• @jasonfalls: Produce good content, treat people with respect, understand what goes around comes around and grow your network off-line, too.

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As discussed recently in “Why Are We So Scared of Our Customers?” and “Presto, How Social Media Makes Bad News Good” I’m seeing the fear of negativity preventing more companies from embracing social media. 

The typical social media objection is that if the company has a conversation with consumers in a public forum, the company will be forced to respond to inadequacies, and doing so will just make it worse. Consequently, many large brands are now engaged in social media “listening” campaigns, but not engaging with consumers directly. 

Sometimes Letting Go Allows You to Steer

Of course, listening is better than ignoring, but actually getting involved with your customers online doesn’t give you less control, it gives you MORE control. If you give customers a legitimate, easy-to-use mechanism for interacting with you and amongst themselves, a large component of the feedback about you is likely to end up within that mechanism. And then you can do something about it. 

Consider Comcast. What is a better circumstance for the company, listening but not engaging while customers post videos like this (which you’ve probably seen since the original has been viewed 1.35 million+ times on YouTube), or engaging and actually encouraging customer feedback and complaint via Twitter (@comcastcares)? (read bottom up for killer customer service on Twitter from Frank Eliason at Comcast)

Control Via Facilitation

Dell has a Project RED application on Facebook. Within the forums, there are several consumer complaints about Project RED and how much it actually helps Africa, versus being a craven marketing ploy. While Dell itself doesn’t appear to be engaging in the dialog, it is facilitating the conversation (with other consumers defending Dell vociferously).

And because all of this is happening on an official Dell production, they have MORE control over it than if it was happening on a blog or some other Facebook page. They could comment officially. They could take down the forums. They could reach out privately to negative commenters. 

If this conversation was taking place on some other blog, Dell’s options would be greatly curtailed.

Creating a mechanism for customer feedback using social media is the post-modern equivalent of the suggestion box. Brands that don’t do it because they don’t want to loose control don’t understand that facilitation provides control, it doesn’t eliminate it. 

What do you think? Do you have examples of brands facilitating customer dialog using social media? Your comments are my food.

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Many companies and even agencies are reluctant to engage in social media because they are afraid that some sort of consumer backlash will occur, doing damage to the brand.

Certainly, there are a few noteworthy examples of social media missteps from brands like Wal-Mart, Coca-Cola et al. But in most cases, those shortcomings were due to overreaching “let’s make something like Facebook, but all about Coke” and no lasting brand damage has occurred.

What I see is that most companies know they have some sort of operational or customer satisfaction skeletons in the closet, and fear a customer that has had a genuinely inadequate experience pointing out those shortcomings to an audience that is far larger than one.

But isn’t it possible that those same customers will shine the light on truly excellent facets of the company? Now that they have their social media program rolling, does Comcast fear feedback from it’s customers? No, because that feedback is an opportunity to improve.

Don’t Assume The Worst, Here’s Why

In the spirit of not assuming the worst case scenario, I’m sharing the story below which is both seasonal and a shining example of how fear can seem so reasonable, but be so wrong. I hope you enjoy it.

My wife woke me late at night in mid-October. “Did you hear that noise?” “What noise?” I answered groggily. But then I heard it too. Perhaps best described as a mild ruckus, it sounded like muffled conversation mixed with opening and closing of cabinets.

I listened attentively, now very much awake and with the building sense of unease and dread that makes our fingertips tingle. I scanned the room for a weapon. Seeing none other than a clock radio, I quietly opened our bedroom door and crept out onto the second floor landing. The noises were definitely coming from below, on the first floor living area.

Not really sure what to do next, I shouted out “Hey, who is that? What’s going on?” in a tone that attempted to be menacing but came out warbly and meek. The noise stopped. Uh oh.

I darted back inside the bedroom, and grabbed the phone. “I’m calling 911,” I said to my wife. “We’re being robbed.” A flash of panic across her face as she ran quietly down the hall to the kids’ bedrooms, scooping them up and returning to our room, trying to keep them quiet and unpanicked.

I explained to the 911 operator that we had a home intruder. She said that the police were on the way, and asked if I could see the street. From the landing, I could see out of a high second floor window and watched as the police vehicles approached. My heart was beating so hard it felt like my sternum was breaking, but I’d never been happier to live in the house on the corner – right by the main road.

I lost sight of the police when they turned into our development, and the phone was unsettlingly quiet for a long time when the operator said “please stay on the line and I’ll relay instructions to you from the officers outside.”

A minute went by. Then five. What was going on? Was there a driveway altercation? A foot chase? My mind was filled with Tasered bad guys lying sobbing and unremorseful in my plants.

Then finally, the operator spoke. “Sir, the officers are unable to come to the front door.” “Oh my God. Why not?” I said, reaching a crescendo of paranoia. “Your house is surrounded by a pack of javelinas,” she said.

(Note: Javelinas are wild pigs with tusks that live in the desert southwest. Also known as peccaries, they run in packs and can be quite unpleasant. However, they are not typically thieves)

Five or six moments of confusion later, the whole family was gathered at the front door, looking outside as the police engaged in a vehicular roundup of approximately 15 javelinas who had ventured down from the mountains near our house to absolutely annihilate our pumpkins that we had preciously placed near the front door. It looked like grenades had been detonated inside the pumpkins, as our entire yard was covered with fleshy, orange debris.

Evidently, it had been quite a party for the javelinas, who had snorted and moaned and bumped against our front doors, sounding like a band of smash and grab burglars looting and pillaging.

After hanging up with the operator and resuming a mostly normal pulse, the doorbell rang. I opened the door and the police officer said “We’re happy to look around inside, but we’re pretty sure it was those pigs.”

Smart ass.

That night actually began a reign of javelina terror, as they visited our neighborhood many times in the next few weeks. A dead one was found by the neighbors. Plants were eaten. Roses destroyed. Meetings conducted. Eventually, they moved on. Many local residents were visited by the javelinas, although I was the only one that called the cops.

Do you have a story of expecting the worst? Please share it in the comments

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Live from Marketing Profs Digital Mixer

Scott Monty, the head of social media for Ford, participated in a Twitter 20 interview on October 23 and answered a wide range of questions about social media at big companies, and his ideas for the future of conversation marketing.

Scott and myself and 248 other lucky folks were in Scottsdale for the Marketing Profs Digital Marketing Mixer.

Scott Monty Interview Transcript

1. @jaybaer: How do you describe your role at Ford?

• @scottmonty Strategist, evangelist and advisor within the the entire organization. My job, ultimately, is akin to a conductor of an orchestra.

2. @jaybaer: This is a new role within Ford? How did they handle social media before you arrived?

• @scottmonty It’s a new role; previous SM work was handled by Social Media Group, our agency of record. Their CEO @maggiefox is my #1 advisor.

3. @jaybaer: A lot of talk at this #mpdm conference about setting social media objectives. Do you have one for Ford, or several?

• @scottmonty We’re creating a global corporate social media strategy to guide us in everything we do. All depts, audiences, regions = complex!

4. @jaybaer: Auto is a many layered business. How do dealers view your work? Are they aware? Can and do they do their own social media?

• @scottmonty Dealers are at every level; some barely understand email, others want to use social media. They’re busy, but SM could boost CRM

5. @jaybaer: Interesting point about CRM. Do you feel social media is more an acquisition tactic or retention and brand loyalty tactic?

• @scottmonty Depends on how you want to use it. I’m more of a purist - I value creating awareness, changing perceptions, building relationships

6. @jaybaer: Ford is of course a large company. How does that help or hinder your social media efforts? It sounds like they’ve given you a lot of rope

• @scottmonty To hang myself with? Good news: I’m the sole appointed expert. Bad news: I’m only one person and I’m in constant demand.

7. @jaybaer: The company has a lot of agencies and other marketing programs. Do you actively coordinate the social media efforts with them?

• @scottmonty Yes. I sought out the Digital Marketing team early on and have connected with their agencies. International efforts are up next.

8. @jaybaer: You were at Crayon, a social media strategy firm previously. Differences in the in-house and out-of-house SM process?

• @scottmonty It’s much more complex internally than I had assumed as an external consultant. IT, legal, and general corporate politics abound.

9. @jaybaer: What social media programs/plans are you rolling out for Ford that have you excited (other than free Ford Flex rides at #mpdm)?

• Lots of stuff I can’t tell you about. Wide-reaching Twitter strategy; http://www.the2010mustang.com; bloggers at Media Drive Day

10. @jaybaer: In terms of your Twitter strategy, is it de-centralized? Several people, several accounts? How do you staff it?

• Our Twitter accounts will be distributed across departments, and in some cases will have teams on each account. We’ll ID who they R

11. @jaybaer: There’s talk about companies cutting SM budgets because it’s “experimental”. How do you balance SM and today’s auto climate?

• @scottmonty We’re committed to social media and building relationships - can’t go dark on that. Borrow against media budgets 4 low-cost SM programs

12. @jaybaer: Some say (including here at #mpdm) “Sure he can do it, he’s at Ford. I’m a small biz, I don’t even know the 1st step.” What is step 1?

• @scottmonty Step 1 is to find where your customers are online, and become part of that community. Listen, listen, listen. Then jump in.

13. @jaybaer: In today’s #mpdm luncheon @garyvee talked a lot about passion. Why are you passionate about social media?

• @scottmonty I’ve seen it as the future of marketing & communications for some time. And it’s all about talking with people, which I enjoy.

14. @jaybaer: I agree that SM is the future of marketing, but when will that future arrive? Still people not online, much less Soc Media.

• @scottmonty My best guess is some time within the next 3 years. I’d watch what happens in the newspaper industry as an indicator.

15. @jaybaer: Are you more of a Ford Flex guy or a 2010 Mustang guy? What else do you have coming out?

• @scottmonty I’ve enjoyed driving the Flex over the last 2 days, but I’m waiting for my Mustang to be delivered. We’ve got 2 new hybrids in 2009

16. @jaybaer: Your travel schedule is onerous. Is that helping or hurting your social media outreach efforts? Wi-Fi in the new Mustang!

• @scottmonty Now that would be dangerous! Ford & I both view my conference speaking gigs as a chance to tell Ford’s story & connect with people.

17. @jaybaer: You apparently have a Sherlock Holmes blog?http://bakerstreetblog.com Can you elaborate on that please?

• @scottmonty Another passion. I’m a member of the Baker Street Irregulars, the 75 year-old literary society. I merged my SM passion with that.

18. @jaybaer: It’s Elementary. You also have a co-blog with@cc_chapman on diners and dives (@diners). Recommended diners or go-to items?

• @scottmonty Diners are like politics - everyone has their preference, and all diners are local. I like the old Worcester diner car types.

19. @jaybaer: I imagine it’s been a bit of a whirlwind since you started at Ford (3+ months). What’s been most gratifying to-date?

• 1) The excitement of my arrival at Ford; 2) Seeing the faces of bloggers as they’ve had access to super-secret areas at events.

20. @jaybaer: The rules are still being written. What bugs you? If you could outlaw one component of social media, what would it be?

• @scottmonty Tough question. I suppose the general level of snarkiness & excoriation that happens on some sites. But that’s just human nature.

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To celebrate its 10th Anniversary, PR Week has launched a “Best PR Blogs” contest with YOU the agency community as the judge and jury.

PR Week nominated 16 well-known PR blogs, and asked each blogger to nominate another blog for the contest. The result is a 32-blog, March Madness-style blog off.

Each week, blogs are pitted head-to-head and the field is narrowed until a grand champion is crowned.

Voting couldn’t be easier. Just click. That’s it. Technology from buzzdash.com enables it, and prevents you nefarious PR types from voting 2,132 times for your friends.

There are several solid blogs in contention. My personal favorite among them is Todd Defren’s PR Squared - but that may be because I’m more familiar with him via Twitter.

Any predictions for winners? Other blogs that should have been considered?

Vote here now

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In a major announcement yesterday, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) provided new guidance to public companies stating that corporate Web sites and blogs are a suitable means for official information dissemination to investors, provided those sites are a “recognized channel for distribution.”

This apparently means that if the corporation has an openly available and accessible Web site and/or blog, that posting information to that blog satisfies legal disclosure requirements. WOW.

Entire industries (including financial services PR and wire services) have been built at least in part on the SEC’s long-standing requirement for public companies to proactively “push” information to investors via press release distribution.

This new guidance changes the game, and creates clear winners and losers.

Public Company Corporate Blogs - 4 Winners

If companies are not required to push information, then any type of alert or notification system that would make investors away of new data posted to a blog is a huge winner.

- RSS systems like Feedburner (which is really Google)

- Possibly enterprise email service providers like ExactTarget

- Blog software entities like Wordpress, and especially enterprise blog systems like Compendium Blogware

- PR firms that understand blogging, blog management, and social media

Public Company Corporate Blogs - 3 Losers

The new SEC decision will put a serious squeeze on some, as the distribution of official press releases is an expensive and lucrative business. Losers in this new scenario include:

- Any sort of wire distribution service like PRWeb, Marketwire (which we’ve used at Convince & Convert for social media release distribution), and BusinessWire (which is a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary

- PR firms whose current service mix includes a healthy dose of financial disclosure releases

Any other winners and losers? Add a comment!
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The Roar of The Crowd

As appeared in bizAZ Magazine July/Aug 2008 edition

Unless you’re selling specialized rivets to the military industrial complex via no bid contracts, chances are your customers are talking about you online. And not just via email, in a “hey mom, I think your accountant totally messed up your taxes” way, but in a massively public forum, using social media.

Imagine you run a coffeehouse. Imagine your regular morning barista calls in sick due to a tragic tattooing mishap. Imagine the replacement guy is the Bill Bidwill of coffee pouring. Imagine a regular customer goes to Facebook and posts a message to the Arizona Coffee group about your inadequate beverages. Those people then repost to their friends. Within 10 minutes, hundreds of your customers and prospective customers are chipping away at your brand with every keystroke.

Welcome to the present, where every citizen is a journalist, and listening to online conversations is a requirement for every company.

The fact is people need to communicate. Along with inventing new and exotic flavor of Doritos, it’s what we do. The other fact is people don’t have much time (or gas money) to communicate face-to-face any longer. Been to many 2.5 hour business awards luncheons lately? Me neither. Technology has filled the vacuum of human connectivity, whether it’s social networking sites like Facebook, review sites like TripAdvisor, or group bookmarking sites like StumbleUpon.

American Idol drew an average of 29 million users this season, making it by far the largest show on television. In contrast, MySpace has more than 110 million users, and Facebook has more than 65 million, more than half of whom are older than 25. Take the number of people that read the New York Times online every day. Multiply them by 26. That’s the number of daily YouTube users.

Social Media - Not Just For Kids

Social media is big, and it’s not just for kids. How can you make it work for you?

First, you have to fundamentally embrace the concept that communication between your company and its customers must be a conversation, not a monologue. Consumers don’t want just the two paragraphs of boilerplate pabulum that your PR firm crafted. They want insight. They want humanity.

Are you going to be exposed to less than rosy perceptions of your company? Probably. But unless you currently inhabit the White House, isn’t the ability to know your weaknesses and do something about them superior to ignorance? If indeed your replacement barista sucks, that knowledge is useful. In many ways, social media and consumers’ conversations within it is the canary in the coal mine for your company’s operations and marketing.

Second, you have to decide whether you are in listen mode or proactive mode. Listen mode entails monitoring a wide variety of online sources to determine where and when your brand (as well as your competitors’ brands) are being discussed, and using the texture and tone of those comments to improve your company operations. Listening mode is sometimes called Online Reputation Management, and often includes a program whereby members of your staff (or your agency partner) will jump in to social media conversations to put out fires and provide assistance.

Proactive mode takes the program one step further, and involves the creation of social media content to facilitate (not just react to) conversations between consumers and your company. Creating videos, blogging, building a Wikipedia page, a Facebook application, encouraging consumer reviews. This type of envelope pushing is especially effective when deployed by brands that are not known for inciting customer passion. The less than sexy H&R Block has deployed a very broad and terrifically nuanced social media program for many months, and its customer base among social media users has soared.

Ultimately, if you don’t reach out and become part of the online conversation about your brand, the social media community will define the attributes of your brand without your input. And while that may work out just fine, a cursory review of what’s on YouTube these days makes me want a seat at the brand definition table pretty badly. So take your fingers out of your ears, and use what’s being said about you online as an opportunity, not an albatross.

Ahhh YouTube

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