The ethics of traditional journalism forbid the practice of trading favorable copy for money, goods or services. Should the same code of ethics apply to bloggers? Blogger Ben Kunz offered a lighthearted take on this question in BusinessWeek. On his blog Thought Gadgets, Kunz makes the case that it’s not purely an ethical proposition — the perception of independence is essential for a blogger who wants to appear credible to his or her audience. Kunz writes, “[I]f your intended reader or constituent or client thinks your mind is being bought, that recipient will think less of your opinions. In the long run this erodes trust in you, trust in the advertiser, and may limit futur
e, larger business opportunities.”
For Kunz, this rules out pay-to-post as a blogging business model. Does this mean that bloggers can only rely on search and display ads as a revenue source? Not necessarily — blogging expertise itself is becoming salable as more and more corporations. (read more…)
Grouchy customers are quick to complain on review sites. But the happy customers–the other 99%–don’t think to do it. Create a program to systematically ask them to post a review. Make it easy by sending links to review Web sites. Don’t insist on positive reviews (that’s sleazy), but don’t worry, because most people are happy to help. The biggest benefit: Your fans want to help you, and they’ll appreciate you asking.
What To Do:
- Monitor. You should know what is being said about you every day. Track customer reviews as closely as any other marketing.
- Ask. Happy customer will be glad to post a review–if they remember. Ask it in the receipt, at the cash register, in follow-up emails.
- Thank. Every time you see a positive review, send them a quick thank-you. Reward behaviors you want.
Today we continue our primer series with an excerpt from the IAB’s User Generated Content, Social Media, and Advertising – An Overview.
Widgets, portable applications that allow both users and sites to have a hand in the content, have recently become a popular form of brand or news distribution. The publisher is able to control the content and the user is afforded the luxury of placing that content on his or her page, be it a blog or social networking profile. Users can also simply pass the widget on to friends.
Publishers have started to recognize the value of this new type of content syndication. Widget distribution platforms, such as Clearspring, provide the publisher with the infrastructure and distribution channels in the form of a plug-and-play system, rendering lengthy contracts and syndication partner deals unnecessary.
A publisher who has created a widget can upload the widget onto Clearspring and elect to which sites and formats (e-mail, social networking sites such as Facebook or MySpace) they wish to make the widget available. (read more…)
It’s funny to watch big companies struggle with a social media strategy–because one-third to one-half of your employees are already using Facebook, MySpace, and blogs. Trying to figure this out inside an isolated marketing meeting doesn’t make sense, because your most experienced social media people are scattered throughout the company. Your employees are the engine that is going to drive your new corporate project to a much bigger audience.
What To Do:
- Tell everyone it’s OK. Your best social media experts are probably hiding their blogs from you because they think you won’t approve. Let that talent come into the open by inviting widespread participation.
- Create a simple policy. A basic disclosure policy tells everyone the ground rules, increases comfort, and decreases risk. Use the Blog Council’s toolkit at http://www.blogcouncil.org/disclosure. (Disclosure: I’m the CEO).
- Have an audition. Invite the entire company to audition to be official bloggers. It’ll be fun, it demonstrates your commitment to social media, and you’ll find that receptionist who is your next great marketer.
It’s funny to watch big companies struggle with a social media strategy–because one-third to one-half of your employees are already using Facebook, MySpace, and blogs. Trying to figure this out inside an isolated marketing meeting doesn’t make sense, because your most experienced social media people are scattered throughout the company. Your employees are the engine that is going to drive your new corporate project to a much bigger audience.
What To Do:
- Tell everyone it’s OK. Your best social media experts are probably hiding their blogs from you because they think you won’t approve. Let that talent come into the open by inviting widespread participation.
- Create a simple policy. A basic disclosure policy tells everyone the ground rules, increases comfort, and decreases risk. Use the Blog Council’s toolkit at http://www.blogcouncil.org/disclosure. (Disclosure: I’m the CEO).
- Have an audition. Invite the entire company to audition to be official bloggers. It’ll be fun, it demonstrates your commitment to social media, and you’ll find that receptionist who is your next great marketer.
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