Rachel Levy: Social Media & Marketing

I had coffee this week with a fellow marketing consultant like me, with one big difference: she’s an SMS (Social Media Skeptic). We spent much of the hour we were together talking about the merits (or lack thereof) of social media. Since I’ve already written a similar post about Twitter, Why You Shouldn’t Use Twitter, I thought I’d focus this time on blogging.  So, here are some of the objections she had, along with my thoughts on the topic.

• SMS: Blogging takes too much time — it’s a full time job.
  • Me: It doesn’t have to be a full time job… if you commit to write one post per week, that’s a great way to get started, and that will only take a few hours per week.  If you have a few people blogging on a rotating schedule that shares the workload across people.
• SMS: Even if you only write one post per week, you still have to respond to all the comments.  Who has time for that?
  • Me: Yes, it’s important to make time to respond to comments, but think about it in a positive light… if your customers (or potential customers) are engaging with your brand and what you’re blogging about, isn’t that worth the additional minute you spend responding to them?  What other form of marketing can you engage customers like this? (a lot, but many of them are in social media!). Isn’t the point of marketing to engage with your consumers?
• SMS: Not everyone is a good writer, so they shouldn’t be blogging.
  • Me: There are so many ways to blog.  You can use video, audio, photos, short paragraphs, etc.  Not all of these require 4 hours to write a post, or good writing skills.  In addition, you can rotate your bloggers on a schedule so not one person is carrying the load, or also use guest bloggers on occasion to mix it up a bit.
• SMS: I’m not technical, so I could never figure out how to put together a blog.
  • Me: Just over a year ago, I didn’t even know what WordPress was (it’s a Content Management System that allows you to easily put together a blog/website in a very user friendly way), and now I know it very well, and even train others on using it.  Sure, occasionally I get stuck, but 95% of the time, I can manage it on my own.  In addition, there are some VERY user-friendly WordPress themes out there, such as Headway, that allows you to drag and drop boxes, and edit the design elements by just clicking.
• SMS: Blogging (and social media) are fads, and will not be around for much longer.
  • Me: I do agree that there are some social media tools that might not be around in a few years.  But, I think that the overall categories such as blogging, micro-blogging, etc. are here to stay.

Once I had responded to all of her objections, I pointed out some of the other positives of blogging:

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) - The more you write, the more activity and comments you get on your blog, and the more inbound links you get.  This is exactly what the search engines look for when analyzing websites.  All of this activity is viewed very positively, so will positively affect your search engine rankings.
• Interact with customers – As mentioned above, isn’t it a POSITIVE thing to be able to interact with your customers?  To hear their feedback, get them engaged, get them asking questions?  All of that happens on a blog, and it’s all on YOUR website.
• Establish yourself as an expert in your area - Writing blog posts in your area of business allows you to establish yourself as an expert, and display what you know in your area.  It may or may not be directly related to your product, which opens people up even more to hearing your message.
• Low cost - For the cost of $10, you can buy a domain name and build a blog.  If you want a premium theme such as Headway or Thesis, that will run you $90. So, for $100 you can have a blog.  True, the biggest cost with blogging is time, but the actual budget outlay is less expensive than most other forms of marketing.

(Photo credit: No social media, Blogging sucks)

So, what do you think?  Is blogging a good idea?  Are there any other objections you’ve heard?  Or benefits I haven’t mentioned?

Selecting your handle is an important step when starting out on Twitter. It’s not that you can’t change it whenever you want, it’s just that as people start to recognize you as your Twitter handle, your brand and your reputation, it becomes harder and harder to move away from that.  There are a few handle options you have, so I thought I’d go over the pros and cons of each:

Your Real Name (first, last, initials, business name or some combination of the those)

Examples – @lizstrauss, @loic, @chrisbrogan, @DaivRawks, @jbruin, @pistachio

• Pro – You’re branding your own name, so people will recognize you
• Con – It’s harder for people offhand to know what you do or what interests you

A Description (who you are, what you do, what you’re interested in)

Examples – @BostonMarketer (that’s me!), @SEOSEM, @BostonTweet, @thebrandbuilder,  @skydiver

• Pro – People automatically know what you do, or what interests you.
  • I can speak from personal experience on this one… I get quite a few referrals through Twitter for Marketing and Social Media Consulting work.  I attribute that to a lot of factors, but one of them is that my name makes it clear what I do.  So, if someone is trying to think of a referral for Marketing in Boston, I come to mind.  The same thing happened to me on the other side last week, when someone asked me for a recommendation of someone who is good at SEO. The first person I thought of was @SEOSEM because of his name.  I follow close to 4,000 people, so remembering specific people is difficult.  Having an obvious name, makes remembering you easier when it comes to referrals, or just finding someone in a particular area of interest.
• Con – You’re missing out on an opportunity to brand your own personal name.  I joke sometimes that people don’t actually know my name — I’m @BostonMarketer to them.  But, I do think it’s somewhat true.
• Con – If you’re not focused in what you’re interested in, it can pigeon hole you into one area

A Random Name (probably not obvious to everyone why that’s your name)

Examples – @lmzadi1, @NoOneYouKnow

• Pro – CAN be memorable
• Con – You’re not branding your name, or what you do, so it’s a missed opportunity
• Con – Oftentimes difficult to remember

(of course, there are also combinations of the types above, i.e. @pamelawella, @JessicaKnows, @LauraLovesArt)

Overall, my personal recommendation is to choose a name that describes your interests, as long as you are focused in the reason you are on Twitter.  If not, then go with your real name!

Other miscellaneous tips:

• Names I find difficult are ones where it’s A name, but not the person’s real name.  For example, @BstnMelody — I find her name VERY difficult… because her name is NOT Melody, but rather, Robin.  So, when I see her, I keep wanting to call her Melody.  Another one is @Admore, whose last name is not Admore, but rather Damore. (Sorry Robin and David, I needed to use you as examples to make the point.)
• Regardless of what your Twitter handle is (unless you share an account with multiple people), you definitely should have your real name onyour bio as well (see image — you see Rachel Levy, although my Twitter handle is @BostonMarketer).  It puts a real name to your handle, and makes you more personable.
• The use of underscores makes typing the person’s name more difficult.  On a laptop keyboard, it’s just pushing the shift key.  But, on the iPhone it’s an additional two strokes to get the underscore.  I would recommend staying away from underscores if you possibly can.
• Having a long Twitter name makes it difficult to get retweeted — the longer your name is, the more characters your name takes up to RT you.  My name (@BostonMarketer) is 14 characters, and I think it’s a bit too long… my recommendation is to keep your name under 10 characters.
• Don’t use a lot of random numbers or strange spellings of words in your name, as it’s difficult to remember.

(Photo credit: Follow Me, Twitter Handle list)

What do you think?  What are the best naming conventions?  Any other pros/cons I’m missing?

On Wednesday and Thursday of this week, I attended the Inbound Marketing Summit conference put on by New Marketing Labs at the Gillette Stadium. Attending this conference was an interesting milestone for me, as it is where I really got my start in social media last year.  Day 1 of the conference last year I showed up without a computer and barely any knowledge of Twitter (I was registered but wasn’t using it, and didn’t “get it”) and much of social media.  Day 2, I showed up with my laptop, and started tweeting.  I haven’t stopped since, and have learned so much since that time about other forms of social media, and have put them into practice at work and through consulting projects.  A lot changed for me in that year.

Anyway, the conference was even more incredible than it was last year, so I thought I’d share some of my favorite quotes/learnings. (Not necessarily quoted word for word; and if you know who said some of the unknown quotes or if I made any errors, please let me know!)

Day 1

• How do you engage customers without pissing them off? Just need to listen. And then figure out WHEN in the conversation it’s right to jump in. ~Citrix (name?)
• SM needs to get out of the corporate communications group. It should be spread throughout the company ~Innovative marketing panel
• In terms if marketing, it’s not about the thickness if your wallet, it’s about the thickness of your mind. It’s a great time to be a poor marketer. ~Justin Rasmussen, Coffee House Ideas
• Who will own social media in the future? PR agencies, interactive agencies or ad agencies? Answer: The companies. ~Brian Halligan, Hubspot

• PR is dead. ~Brian Halligan, Hubspot (I couldn’t disagree more.  I do believe PR is changing, but it will never be dead.  The big difference I see is that rather than companies finding press, the press will be finding them.)

• People turn to social media traditionally to solve 3 problems: 1) sales 2) get the word out , 3) need to make a relationship better or change it.” ~Katie Delahaye Paine, KDPaine & Partners
• You need to look at your “share of suckiness” vs. your competitors. “We suck less” ~Katie Delahaye Paine, KDPaine & Partners (it’s important to look at what your detractors are saying, but also keep in mind industry norms for sentiment.)
• PR = helps groups communicate with one another and facilitate discussions. What is PR2.0? A new approach to PR (PR isn’t just media relations) — it’s about building long term relationships, and now we can do it directlly with the customer. ~Katie Delahaye Paine, KDPaine & Partners
• What is a social media press release? Integrating keywords, SEO, interactive content, links to SM sites, enabled for social media. ~”Getting the Word Out” panel
  
• Measure engagement (not impressions), which will then lead to sales. ~”Getting the Word Out” panel
• Marketing = getting people to know, like and trust you. ~Rich Ullman, Ripple6
• What do you say to the people that say they don’t have time to create good content? Tough! ~Valeria Maltoni, Conversation Agent
• If you’re doing SM, and not email, you’re insane. It has a $44 ROI per dollar spent, on an email campaign. ~Email panel
• Using purchased email lists is just spamming. The people didn’t sign up for the email. ~Email panel
• “Rented list” – means using another list to communicate your message (i.e Daily Candy). ~Email panel
• 20% of tweets mention brands (source http://bit.ly/MVSlV). Twitter users are twice as much likely to engage with brands than on other platforms. ~Jesse Engle, CoTweet
• For a company with multiple tweeters, it’s best to have logo as avatar, twitter background with faces/names of tweeters, and use cotags. ~Jesse Engle, CoTweet
• Kodak’s blog is not about the actual product, it’s about HOW we use our products. ~Jennifer Cisney, Kodak
• Cool free listening tool www.socialmention.com ~unknown
• How to get your video to go viral? Story, spectacle, emotion, conflict, questions. ~Tim Street, APE Digital

Day 2

• Listening helps you find ppl who are passionate about what you do, out on the web. That’s how you build a comunity centric way to market. ~Listening and monitoring panel
• Email’s role in the marketing mix is more important than ever. Email is a main DRIVER of social web activity. ~Greg Cangialosi, Blue Sky Factory
• The blog is the ANCHOR of our social media efforts. ~Paula Berg, Southwest Airlines
• Where else can you get immediate and passionate feedback from your customers other than in social media. ~Paula Berg, Southwest Airlines
• Social Media optimization created the findability of social objects – keywords, titles, descriptions, tags, syndication. ~Christopher Carfi, Cerado
• If there are a bunch of kids in a playground, and there are no toys there, they’re going to leave. (referring to making your Facebook and website interactive). ~CC Chapman, Campfire
• Everyone needs a CMS (even if it’s just WordPress), in order to update site,keywords, tags, etc. ~CMS panel
• Whereever you are finding the most uncomfortable information about you, look there 10 times harder! ~Tim Walker, Hoover’s
  
• What are Social Media Influencers (SIM)? Harnessing social media and social influencers to achieve a goal. ~Shiv Singh, Razorfish
• Market to the community not just the individual. ~Shiv Singh, Razorfish
• Social engagement results in purchases 24 days later on average. ~Shiv Singh, Razorfish
• Focus not just on the platforms, but on the relationsips… focus on WHO is influencing your customer. Research influencers. ~Ken Chow, R2 Integrated
• Great Marketing = Convince people to SELL. ~Dharmesh Shah, Hubspot
• Google’s ranking algorithm = context (does it match what they’re looking for?) + authority (how much does Google trust you?). ~Dharmesh Shah, Hubspot
• Titles are the most important piece of information you’re giving to Google about what the page is about.The MOST important is the one on your home page. Earlier words send a stronger message to Google. So, your title keywords need to be ordered appropriately. Don’t make your Home page titled HOME (even if you sell homes!. ~Dharmesh Shah, Hubspot
• Don’t buy ads on Facebook. Use it to look at the demographic info to find who meets your target profile (brilliant!). (I don’t agree about not buying ads, but the target demos are great!). ~Dharmesh Shah, Hubspot

If you want to see even more highlights from me or others during the Inbound Marketing Summit, check the #IMS09 hashtag on Twitter Search.

Overall, an incredible conference!! A few suggestions for IMS next year. Include people’s Twitter names in the program, on their nametags,  and on the screen while their speaking. Improve the wireless.  Add a case study component… so many great minds together in one room!  We can break into a group of 10 and all work on a different case to put together a social media and marketing strategy and tactics.  Do short presentations so we can all learn from eachother.

(Photo credits: Group, Chris Brogan, iPhone, CC Chapman)

Anything important I missed?  Feel free to add or comment on the above!

Being out of work, I can tell you that the weekly check I receive from unemployment leaves me with a huge shortfall every month. In order to help cover my bills, I have taken on some odd jobs and projects.

The first thing to get over, is how little you may be making doing these odd jobs versus what you used to make in your prior job.  It’s a tough mental block to get over, but I try to look at it that “something is better than nothing.”  If I can make $500/month doing odd jobs, it’s better than nothing, even though I could have made that at my prior job in no time.  The challenge is to balance your time with also having time for your job search!

Here are a few ideas I have, but would love to hear your thoughts in the comments:

• Babysitting – Rates for babysitting vary widely – I’ve seen anywhere from $10/hour to $20/hour.  If you can give the parents the confidence that you are good at what you do and you are responsible, you can command a higher rate (although some will still balk at the higher rates).  What I like about babysitting is that the hours can vary.  You can either pick up random jobs, or find something regular that works for your schedule.  I happen to love kids, so it’s a nice break from networking or sitting at my computer.
  • The best service I have seen for babysitting is Sittercity. It’s like a dating service, where you list your profile and other information about you.  The parents email you with their requirements, and you email them back if you are interested.  They also send you a daily email with the prior day’s new jobs.  They even do background checks on the babysitters.  It’s free for the babysitters, but not for the parents, so I felt a little safer on this site.  I found one job I have been doing 2 afternoons a week for $17/hour… $136/week – not bad!
  • And, of course, there’s always CraigsList.  I haven’t used CraigsList for babysitting though… I have found more than I can handle through Sittercity.
• Housesitting and Dogsitting – These are great jobs if you can find them!  Sittercity also has modules for these services as well, and I have found opportunities through the site.  The great thing about these jobs is that it doesn’t take up much of your time (especially if you already have a dog like I do!).  I would say for the dog sitting, it’s an hour more of my time a day… extra love to the new dog, extra love to my Stella so she isn’t jealous, more feeding, more walking.  But, for $35-40/day, it’s a great source of additional income!  A while back, I sat for 2 dogs for 10 days, and they paid me $60/day… $600, great!  It was fun for me, and also fun for Stella.
• General odd jobs – I also scan Craigslist (and sign up for an RSS feed) in the Jobs section to see if there are any odd jobs that are being offered.  And, why not post ads on CraigsList for things you’re good at?  You never know what someone needs… help moving, organizing their office, filing their paperwork, etc.  If you can do it, put up an ad and see what happens!
• Focus Groups – Being in Marketing, I usually get screened out of being able to participate in focus groups.  But, if you spend a couple of hours and find the local marketing research companies in your area (or follow @focusgroups on Twitter), you can register with them, and they’ll email you or call you when they have something appropriate for you.  Depending on the study, you can make $100 or so for a 2 hour focus group.  They’re often quite interesting to participate in (at least the ones I’ve watched behind the glass are interesting!).
• Consulting – this is a whole other situation, so I’m going to cover this in a separate post.

Do you have any other ideas for making additional money while out of work?

Last week was my brush with fame. I am a member of a networking group called the Boston Salty Legs Career Club, which was started by Susan Kang Nam as part of Tory Johnson’s Good Morning America Job Club.  A couple of weeks ago, Susan called me and asked if I’d be willing to be on a GMA segment about being unemployed.  Um… yes, of course I would!  She then sent me a few questions I had to fill out for GMA, all of which were about being unemployed:  the challenges I faced, what have I been doing to find a job, etc.  After I completed the form, a couple of days later I got a call and an email from the producer asking me to come last Monday for the taping.  Wow, I couldn’t believe I might be on Good Morning America!!

I showed up on Monday ready for the taping, and was excited!  It was supposed to be a 5-10 minute interview 1:1 with Tory!  I was brought into the room, and was told I would be taped as soon as I walked through the door.  Instead of seeing two chairs next to each other like in morning news shows, it was more of a job interview setup…. Tory on one side of the table and me on the other.  We introduced ourselves, and she asked the standard interview question, “Tell me about yourself”.  I started with “I’m unemployed, and am looking for…” As soon as I started, I thought to myself, “why did I start with the fact that I was unemployed??”. I never start with that.  But, she let me continue, and then asked exactly what I was thinking: Why did I start with that?  At the time, I didn’t really know, but looking back, I think it’s because every piece of information I got about this taping was that it was going to be about being unemployed, so I had it on my mind.

She then told me the secret… the segment was not about being unemployed, but rather, “First Impressions”.  Oh boy, clearly I failed the test!  I started thinking, “Great, if I get on GMA, I’m just going to be the example of ‘what NOT to do’!”  Her message is, you should lead with the positive (i.e. your experience) and put the fact that you’re unemployed (or better said as “looking for a new opportunity”) at the end.  She asked how I would revise my statement and I said “I am a marketing professional with experience in consumer products and non-profits, with strengths in strategy, consumer promotions and social media.”

Anyway, I felt really set up (which of course, they had to do, in order to get a true “first impression”.  I would never normally answer the way I did, except for that I felt this segment was going to be on the topic of unemployment, so I had it on my mind.  But, the next day, in talking to a fellow salty-legger Robert Padgett, he encouraged me to look at the learning here.  Even if it was supposed to be about unemployment, no matter what, I should start with the positive. Great point, and I think I did learn something here.  I need to stay positive, although I might not always feel that inside.

This actually came up again for me when I was out last night.  The question I got was even more direct… “Where do you work?”  I couldn’t help but laugh, given my GMA experience.  I told her why I was laughing, but then that I also realized I need to give some thought as to how to answer that direct question, especially when it’s in an informal setting (my revised answer above is just too formal).  I think what I would say is “I am actually doing some marketing consulting right now.  My background is in Marketing, and I have worked in consumer products and non-profit.  I am looking for a new position now.”

Anyway, I didn’t get my 10 minutes of fame on the final GMA segment, but I did learn a valuable lesson about first impressions… no matter what situation you’re in, don’t start with the negative!

What do you think?  How do you answer the question “Tell me about yourself”?  How about in an informal environment?  Please let me know your thoughts in a comment below!

In today’s economy it’s a common, and understandable, fear that you might get laid off (sorry for the dose of reality). So rather than being stuck like a deer in the headlights if it happens, here are a few things you can do to get prepared, in case it happens to you:

1. Get involved with networking groups

Find a couple of networking groups in your area, and start attending the meetings. Overall, many people only network when they are actively looking for a job, but it’s a good idea to keep up your network even when you are not looking. Be sure to find general networking groups that cover a wide variety of people and industries, as well as industry specific groups. You never know who knows who, so your next job could come from the most unlikely person.

In Boston, I recommend the following: Boston Young Professionals Association, Downtown Women’s Club, Boston Salty Legs Networking Group (small group, so it may not be open) or American Marketing Association, Boston.

2. Connect through online social networking

Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are key ways to network in this day and age.  Now is the time, to start connecting with everyone you know through these websites.  Have each site scan your email address book to find people you know.  Look at the people you are already connected with, and see who you know that you can also connect with.  Update your profile so it’s current as of today.

Now is a good time to decide how you are going to use each of these sites.  For example, I use Twitter to connect to people with whom I have similar interests.  I use Facebook for friends or people I know on more social basis.  And LinkedIn is more for networking, but only for people I have met or spoken to.  Everyone has their own personal style on these sites, but it’s a good idea to decide your plan ahead of time.

Another way to use LinkedIn is to find groups that interest you or you are somehow affiliated with, and join them. For example, I am part of Innovative Marketing, PR, Word-of-Mouth & Buzz Innovators, Social Media Pros, and 7MBAClub.  You should also reach out to people you have worked with in the past and ask them to write recommendations for you on LinkedIn.  When applying for jobs on the site, it helps to have recommendations.

3. Start looking online at job postings

Even if you are not ready to apply for jobs yet, it  never hurts to start looking.  You will have a better sense of who is hiring, what the market is like and what the current salaries are.  Set up RSS feeds now to start getting the job postings coming to you.

You can also never start too early in applying to jobs.  The application and interview process can take a long time, so you might benefit from being ahead of the game.  Just be careful with confidentiality related to your current employer.

4. Update your resume

Start writing your resume early, so you’re not rushed and stressed about updating it, and so you have time to have other people in your industry review it.  You are also in a better position to access numbers and information from your current employer to show the impact you have made in your job.  You can create your resume in MS Word and/or use a program like Visual CV.  An example of someone I know who uses this is Ari Herzog and his virtual resume looks great!

5. Get back in touch with recruiters

Scour your contact list for recruiters you may have been in touch with.  Send them your resume, and tell them you are not actively looking for a job yet, but to keep you in mind if they come across something that would be appropriate for you.

6. Take on consulting projects

Start putting the word out to your network that you are willing to take on consulting projects.  This will help you make some money the short term, and will also keep a flow coming in the event you are laid off.

7. Start a blog

A blog is an important way to communicate with people who are interested in finding out about you.  A potential employer will most certainly look for information on you online, so why not give them something that you have written that interests you.  It makes you more human, and adds personality to your resume.  If you start early creating a blog, you will hopefully build up your readership prior to the lay off news.

It’s really much easier than a lot of people thing to start a blog.  You can use WordPress or  Blogger or many of the other blog writing programs out there.  You should also be sure to use the Blog Link program on LinkedIn, which will update your contacts when you write a new blog post (this has led to great exposure for my blog!).

(Photo credit: Nicole Sunday)

Do you have any other ideas for how to be prepared for a layoff?  Please leave a comment below!

This is my first Blog EVER. I never thought I would actually have a blog, nor be writing about being unemployed for 5 months! Anyway, I have my friend Josh Fialkoff to thank for helping me set up my new website in one night. Thanks Josh! (Check out his site on online marketing, Getting Things Done and WordPress)

Anyway, today’s topic is about babysitting. I will need to backtrack at some point to explain how I got to where I am now, but for now, I’m just going to do a quick overview. I got laid off from my job as the Director of Marketing at the Jewish Community Centers of Greater Boston in July. I have been looking hard for a job since then, with no luck. I really treat my job search like a full time job. Obviously given the dismal state of the economy, the fact that I am bringing in no money, and that I have a HUGE mortgage to pay on my own, I started thinking about other ways to make some money.

Today was my first babysitting job. I love kids. I don’t have any of my own yet, but definitely plan to some day. I have 3 nieces, and love spending time with them. I spent 6 hours at this family’s house today (twin girls who are 4, and a 2 year old buy), and came home with a check for $102. Great! That will buy me 2 mani/pedi’s (letting my nails dry as I write this). Or 10 Super Chicken burrito from Anna’s Taqueria (licking my lips clean right now!). Or a couple of dinners out with friends. But, is it worth spending 6 hours away from my job search for a day? Or, a better question is, how do I reconcile the fact that I can get around that doing an hour of consulting work?? Oy, that’s a tough one. But, end of the day, I just have to look at it as, it’s cash in my hand, and I need to balance paying my mortgage, with actually getting what my background deserves in this economy.