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Just because you can use a hammer, it doesn’t mean you’re a car
2009-09-23 05:23:00
Do you ever wonder why “entry level” jobs pay less than middle management and higher level positions? Do you ever wonder why internships are often unpaid (whether or not it’s legal) or paid very little? If you’ve never wondered either of those things, than I’m ecstatic and you can pretty much stop reading because I’m probably not talking with you in this post. If you’re still reading…then you probably recall when Pizza Hut received a lot of buzz when it sought a “twittern” in April 2009. But, Pizza Hut is not alone. Take a look at this Craigslist.org ad for a “social media coordinator.” (If the ad is gone, see this screen shot.) Here’s part of the ad: This position will begin as a part time position, potentially leading to a full time position within the organization. We would like to recruit a third year or fourth year college student for this position. Description: The ideal candidate is a savvy and cre...
More About: Hammer

Looking at price versus value
2009-09-09 16:34:00
I’ve read a few articles and comments about all the free tools online. While free is great, it may not offer the best value. In the below vlog, I bring up some points about price versus value, and focus on social media monitoring tools as an example. As always, I appreciate any and all feedback. -Mike
More About: Price , Versus

Social Media Monitoring: EVERYONE Must & Its Value (X-post)
2009-08-25 17:39:00
(NOTE: The below is a cross post of a post I wrote for the Techrigy Blog from Aug. 7. It’s not exactly the same as I use a different image here than I did at the Techrigy Blog.) You don’t really need to be active in social media. Twitter? No. Blog? No. Facebook Page? No. Social bookmarking? Nyah. Second Life? Forget about it. Social media — like any other tool for marketing — should be researched and evaluated based on how best to reach and communicate with your audience. But (you can tell it’s a big BUT), you do need to be monitoring and listening in to social media. Do you have comment cards available for customers and prospects? Do you have a suggestion box in your location(s)? Do your sales people listen to customers? Do you have a customer service department or person? Do you have your company name in Google News Alerts or have a paid clipping service for news releases and such? Have you ever conducted a focus group or other similar market researc...
More About: Media , Post , Monitoring

Help determine SXSW 2010 program
2009-08-24 06:41:00
I first heard of SXSW in 2007 when Twitter was the rage of the interactive-music-film festival. In fact, because of all the buzz, I joined Twitter and have been using it since. Since being on my own, professionally, I’ve enjoyed the freedom of getting out and about: being one of many others who are helping develop the social media community in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan, attending a couple conferences, and even being involved in some presentations. And, “being out and about” means submitting proposals like the one I did for SXSW 2010 on social media monitoring. Lo and behold, mine was one of 2210 selected for public voting for Interactive 2010. The neat thing about the SXSW voting process is that, it’s not just a popularity contest. It’s not just determined by a small, select group. It’s both. The votes for determining the final 300 panels and presentations for the final program comes from three key groups: 40% SXSW Advisory Board 30%...
More About: Program

An anniversary I’d rather not have — I think
2009-08-20 06:14:00
As I said, Aug. 20, 2008, stunk. In writing that post, I remember my original word was that it sucked. But, I resisted from letting emotions get in the way. Being laid off from a job — whether you are single or married with four children to support — really does suck. At the time. The emotions of fear, worry, self-doubt, anger and countless other negative ones the minutes and hours afterward collide like the line of scrimmage of a Sunday afternoon football game. It ain’t pretty. You can either wallow in that quicksand of emotions and sink, or you can be thankful for what you do have and get determined. You also can rely on what faith you may have. My wife, Amy, and I were already strong in our faith in God. And then that faith grew when she became pregnant with our fourth child. And, it grew yet again during the past year. The past year has definitely been a tremendous learning experience. Severance. Freelance work. Unemployment. Food stamps. Plenty of job intervie...
More About: Anniversary

Please don’t do a ‘naked launch’
2009-08-17 16:02:00
Okay, if you’re an individual, naked launches are okay. I mean, just go already and do it. No planning really required. But, if you’re a business or a similar organization, naked launches are not needed. Planning and work are required. I define naked launches as a business or organization starting/publishing a blog, Facebook Page, YouTube channel, Twitter profile, etc., in name only. No or very little content, or solid thought as to what the heck to do with it. I’ve seen many companies and organizations publish Facebook Pages with little more than their name, URL and logo. Before moving on, let me say that I understand the need of businesses to protect from name squatters. Okay, save your name even if you have no plans for it — but then state your corporate ID/brand protection intentions so it is clear, and visitors know that it’s not a dead account or that you don’t know what to do with it. So, what can you do to prevent naked launches? Here&rsqu...
More About: Launch

Is your agency organization a circle or a stick?
2009-08-10 06:36:00
Since leaving the field of full-time journalism many years ago, I’ve worked at a couple agencies, have applied for jobs it many others and have talked with folks at, again many others. So, I’ve gained some knowledge about how agencies can organize their client teams. I’m no expert, but know what I like and what seems to work. At one agency I worked at, the client team was structured pretty much like a circle: The client was in the middle and the entire account team around the client with each person having first-hand knowledge of client needs and access to the main client contact. At another agency, there definitely was a hierarchy — kind of like a stick in the mud: Most of the information came flowing down from the top level account person to the rest of the team. Sure, there was some client contact via meetings, but not much — unless you were in account management. Any questions I had, had to go up the line. One time, I emailed the client contact &mda...
More About: Organization , Agency , Circle , Stick

Public Relations 101: Know the basics
2009-08-07 21:31:00
Public relations* is often associated with strumpetting (sorry couldn’t completely resist the linkbait opportunity) and can have a negative connotation. There are several reasons I suppose for PR’s own poor image, including: The low cost of barrier for the profession. Anyone can set up shop with a low price laptop. Hey, you can write, right? Yes, but not everyone can really write. The fact that PR professionals are paid to communicate with others and the inherent potential for conflict of interest. While I don’t fully agree with Wikipedia’s COI policies, I can understand some of the rationale behind them. So, there’s a perception — born in reality by the crappy work of a few — that we’re not always the most trustworthy As part of the pay for services, PR pros are tempted to focus on short-term results at the risk of most everything else — like long-term relationships and burning bridges, and the potential harm on their reputatio...
More About: Public Relations , Public , Relations , Basics , The Basics

Social media blurs the lines — and that’s a good thing
2009-08-05 06:54:00
Facebook is where most every aspect of my life collides. There, my friends include people from grade school, high school and college; people I worked with at three of the five post-college jobs I’ve had; people who I have met via social media and some I have worked for as a contractor; and my immediate family and extended family like cousins. My professional and personal lives. Twitter is similar to Facebook in that the lines are blurred between professional and personal in who I follow and who  follows me. But, hey, that’s social media, right? So listen up all you companies: You can’t really have your employees tweeting, facebooking, blogging, etc., just about your company. Personal aspects will naturally flow into those messages. And that’s a good thing. Sure, go ahead and have guidelines and policies to try to ensure that those tweets are not bashing the food you serve or other potentially negative social media mentions. But, do know and trust that it won...
More About: Social , Media , Good , Lines , Thing

Traditional and Social Media: The same, yet very different
2009-07-28 06:22:00
The below is a cross post of a recent Very PR column I authored for TalentZoo. It’s a bit long, but hopefully still offers some good comparison between traditional media relations and outreach in social media. As always, I welcome your feedback. There are a lot of tactics that fall under the public relations umbrella, but media relations more often than not first comes to mind when you talk PR. Similarly, when you talk social media marketing, blogs are one of the first things that come to mind — though social media marketing is so very much more. A lot of focus during my nearly 15 years in PR has been in media relations. Similarly, a lot of the focus of my social media marketing experience during the past four years has been in blogger relations. While media relations and blogger relations are similar, there are nuances in each approach to make them different enough. Let’s compare and contrast the main components of each – and, hopefully, help ensure your next outre...
More About: Social , Media , Traditional

What is the role of value in business — and relationships
2009-07-18 07:00:00
Value is an interesting concept, and has many sides to it. Among other factors like price and quality, social media plays a role in determining the level of perceived value in business, an organization, etc. Whatever it is or how you define it, ultimately, nothing is purchased unless high enough value is perceived in that product or service. And, in relationships, you’ll really get no where — or you won’t get far — without contributing value to the personal and professional relationships you have. So, being inspired by Charlie Wollborg’s own thought-provoking and inspiring videos, I offer up my own brief commentary on value and its connection to business and relationships. I am no way comparing my video thoughts to his — Charlie’s are more inspiring, more fluid, more entertaing and more informative. As always, I welcome — and really want — your feedback. Thank you for stopping by. -Mike
More About: Business , Relationships , Role

PR pros want — should demand — purity
2009-07-15 21:29:00
Maybe it’s because of my journalism roots, but I never did like rags. In my POV, rags are newspapers and magazines that run every news release you’d send them, mostly verbatim. Yeah, sure they were easy “hits” and helped make me look good to clients (not that I needed help — hardee har-har ). But, I figured they did not provide quality coverage, and their circulation numbers were not really “real” (though I did include them in client reports). Solid media coverage comes from media outlets that take their journalism* responsibility seriously. They don’t publish everything you send — and you don’t send them everything you have. A real PR pro has solid news judgment, knows his employer or clients’ objectives, knows or can find the appropriate media outlets needed to meet those objectives, and knows those media outlets. That goes whether you’re talking traditional offline media, online media or social media. So, I...
More About: Demand , Purity

Free is not really free; or How much is your time worth?
2009-07-13 06:52:00
The generally free availability of information on the Internet and the technology that makes a lot of it so useful and efficient is both very positive and deceiving. Yes, there are a lot of great time-saving tools and a wealth of information to make many aspects of your life better. But don’t think that, just because they’re free there is no cost. There’s always a cost. And, when there is no charge to use something, then you pay with your time. Your time is not free. There’s always an opportunity cost. In a LinkedIn question I answered, John Ettore also answered and seemed to go on a rant when he questioned why would anyone spend money on a service that develops a media list for you. I can’t for the life of me imagine why anyone would have to use a paid service for this task in 2009, 15 years into the Internet era. All of this material is free online. You may have to spend a little time assembling it, but paying $2K for a list that someone laboriously c...
More About: Time , Free , Worth

Doing contests & events right in social media
2009-07-12 06:31:00
During the past several months, I’ve been professionally and personally involved in and have watched online contests and events that one way or another involve social media. During that time, I’ve learned a thing or two about what to do to help make them successful. Before Contests : As with any outreach project, plan how to promote your contest to help others spread the word. Include promoting the contest on your own online locations (blog, Twitter, Facebook Fan Page, etc.). Research those bloggers who have a passion and blog about the subject or geography connected to your contest. Also, there are A LOT of contest blogs — some bloggers I’ve gotten to know a bit include ContestforMoms (@PetiteMommy) and AContestBlog (@Valmg). As with any other blogger you engage, be sure that you know their audience, know them and DON’T OFFER THEM JUNK PR. Also, if Twitter is any part of your contest promotion, decide on and promote the hashtag. Finally, as you start to...
More About: Social , Media , Events

What is social media?
2009-07-02 14:26:00
That’s definitely a common question — with a complex answer. And, I thought I’d publish my first ever video blog — vlog — to try to answer it. (I have a vlog — whodathunkit!) As I noted in the video, during one of the first meetings of Social Media Breakfast-Toledo, Patrick Giammarco asked other committee members to define social media. He recorded his own answer. I balked at giving my $0.02 then, but didn’t forget about it. Here’s my brief answer to, “What is Social Media?” (And, yes, I did record it in my basement, where I have my home office. Other than the ceiling, it is finished, and I sit right next to our egress window — which is more window than I had at my last job. So, watch the video again, and stop looking past me.) -Mike

A brief on ‘blogger outreach 101′
2009-06-30 05:21:00
I’ve been involved in social media since reading my first PR blogs in spring 2005. Of the social media marketing activities I’ve been involved with, I’ve probably been involved with blogger outreach the most, starting back in late 2005. Doing blogger outreach came up during a recent email conversation with a friend, during which it was inquired and I relayed how I do blogger outreach. By the time I finished, I thought, “Hey. That could make a good blog post.” So, below is my take on how to do blogger outreach right. Please have a look. I definitely welcome your comments, criticisms and questions. Note that, the below assumes that you are working with bloggers that you do not already read and have no prior connection with. You’re working in a new market, new niche, new client or employer. Conduct a search using Google BlogSearch, Technorati, Techrigy (which is the service I mostly use), etc. to discover those blogs talking about your topic: your is...
More About: Blogger , Prime , Outreach

Inforum Social Media: Top-notch speakers in our own backyard
2009-06-26 07:42:00
On Thursday I had the great opportunity to take a short drive north and attend Inforum Michigan’s Jump Start! Social Media Event in Detroit (specifically, Dearborn). More than anything, the half-day event reaffirmed that there is great regional social media talent right in our own backyard. Who needs Boston, Austin or the West Coast?! While those locales have their own talented professionals, Detroit and the Midwest — including Toledo — can easily hold our own. Ford’s Scott Monty, global digital and multimedia communications manager for the automaker, was the keynote speaker. I had heard Scott talk at the Module Midwest Digital Conference (a/k/a Module 09) in April, and again, he did not disappoint (not that I was expecting it!).  He talked about his role and that of social media with Ford. He reaffirmed that social media is so much about connecting with people, communicating with them (not to them) and proper upfront planning with goal-setting. I was fortun...
More About: Speakers , Backyard , Notch

Media Relations Commandment: Know thy audience
2009-06-24 18:09:00
I’m seriously thinking of doing a series of blog posts about “Media Relations Commandments.” (Or, maybe Public Relations Commandments for the majority who primarily think of trying to generate editorial-type exposure when they think PR. But, that’s another post.) I — like a bunch of other PR bloggers — received a piss-poor pitch from a large PR agency. The image is the email header and pitch I received. Clearly, by sending yourself the email, you BCC’d the list. With so many tools available to at least personalize emails (I’ve used GroupMail in the past), that’s a entry level or small-time budget effort. And, there’s no tie in the pitch that the topic has anything to do with what I blog or tweet about. That’s a lazy effort. If you take 20 minutes to scan my blog, you’ll be able to tell that my blog is primarily opinion. My opinion. For the most part, posts are tips, ideas and links to other items of interest. I ...
More About: Audience

You are entitled to NOTHING — and you’ll like it
2009-06-16 13:21:00
I was reminded at least a couple times the past week or so of what I like to call the “big Internet ruse” — namely that, if it’s on the ‘net, it’s free. You’re entitled to it. For disclosure, a month or so ago, Mike Brice and I got into a Twitter back and forth* when I ranted that I wished professional and other photographers would not restrict rights on their photographs — I’m not going to pay for a photo for my blog. For other professional services, yes. My blog, no. Mike had a good argument that quality photographers should be paid for their expertise — and I agree. However, I can also see value to those photographers for getting additional exposure through blogs, etc., as long as full and proper credit is given. That’s a marketing decision on their part. I don’t think I’m entitled to free images; I just see more value for the photographers in allowing free use in certain circumstances — given tha...

We would appreciate help in winning a Merillat ‘Good Life’ kitc
2009-06-15 04:23:00
If you’re any where near a regular reader of my blog, you know I hardly ever use this platform for personal reasons. (Though, in reality, aren’t all blog posts some how personal?) Anyway….My wife and I (mostly my wife, Amy) entered the Merillat Good Life $30,000 kitchen contest, and we are among the 10 finalists. We’ve passed the internal selection process, and now our fate is up to the general public. We would very much appreciate your vote for Amy Driehorst on the Merillat contest Facebook page. You don’t need a Facebook account to vote, and you can vote once a day throughout the run of the public voting process — which ends July 7, at 11:59 p.m. You are not allowed to vote more than once a day. In otherwords, YOU CAN VOTE ONCE A DAY, EVERYDAY. To see all of the 10 finalists (including ours), go here. To just see our entry on my YouTube page, go here. For video credits, most of the credit goes to Amy. The focus of the video, script, etc., is ...
More About: Winning

To reach social network members, don’t advertise; engage
2009-06-08 14:47:00
In the local Sunday paper, there was a Bloomberg News Service story about Facebook’s recent influx of cash from Russia-based Digital Sky Technologies, and what that means to Facebook’s total valuation. (I couldn’t find the exact story on line, but here’s a similar one with the below tidbit.) In that story, there’s this tidbit: “Facebook and MySpace may have a combined $820 million in combined sales this year, a fraction of the $45.7 billion online advertising market, according to New York research firm eMarketer Inc.” In that same story, there’s this forecast: “Facebook generates sales through advertising. The company expects revenue to climb 70 percent this year.” While that sounds positive for Facebook and I would think advertising on social networks in general, I can’t see where advertising on social networks is the best bang for the marketing buck. CTRs stink on Facebook. And, overall, social network ads get littl...
More About: Social , Network , Reach , Social Network , Advertise

What makes for a good marketing message?
2009-06-04 05:53:00
A worthwhile ad, slogan, headline, etc., has three key ingredients: It has to be memorable. It has to easily convey its message — no lag time in understanding it. Its message has to have some type of selling aspect to it — influences your purchase decision. A lot of the Bud Light TV commercials are great — but they’re little more than entertainment. If that’s what Bud Light is trying to achieve — make you think well of its beer — fine. If that’s not Bud Light’s intend, it’s lost on me. If it is, funny beer commercials don’t make me want to buy beer. If an ad, tagline, etc., easily conveys its message but it does not have a lasting impression, you have to keep seeing it to keep it top-of-mind when you are ready to purchase (assuming the message registers positively with you). But, like many things, repetition causes us to gloss over things. Go numb to the purpose. Many years ago, a former employer worked with the Tol...
More About: Marketing , Message , Good

A sign of the times? I hope not
2009-05-23 04:43:00
I don’t have a lot of experience in signs. I know some of the basic guidelines, like for billboards (simple message, under five words) and a few others. What I am pretty comfortable with is the English language — especially in writing (okay, typing). If you are into signs or any type of similar public display, let me offer a little PSA with a couple “don’ts” for you. The first one (right) is a simple improper use of apostrophe. Use apostrophe s — ’s — only to show that something possesses something else. Don’t use an apostrophe because you don’t like the way an s looks at the end of a word. Unfortunately, there are plenty other examples of apostrophe abuse. The other one (below) also is pretty basic mistake. Even my 2nd grade son knows that when you write or read, you do so left to right, or up to down. Not, bottom to top. (If you happen to recognize this one, please know that it was done by a volunteer parent, not the scho...
More About: Hope , Sign , Times , The Times , Sign of the Times

Social media marketing: The ultimate in non self-promotional marketing
2009-04-21 07:48:00
(And, when I say non self-promotional, I mean for yourself, your company and/or your client.) Think about it: In traditional, one-way marketing communications, companies showcase the features and benefits they offer. Tell you how great they are — or have others to do it via paid or unpaid testimonials. News releases are one-way showcasing company news, a new application or a new product. No matter how subtly it’s done, traditional advertising, direct mail, media relations, and other marketing communications is chest-beating. But in social media marketing (using social media as part of an organization’s marketing efforts), it’s not about you or your company or you client. Look at the negative out-cry over Matt Bacak’s self-promotional news release in December 2008. In fact, “expert” is a dirty, four-letter word. A few weeks ago, Damian Rintelmann seemed a bit uncomfortable when he thought I called him an expert on Twitter. (I wasn’t cle...
More About: Marketing , Social , Media , Ultimate , Promotional

Domino’s delivers…to mixed reviews
2009-04-17 05:32:00
We know about the now infamous “Disgusting Domino s People” video. Finally, Domino’s responded publically about mid week. After reading some of the stories on the timing of and what Dominos did in response, I’d give the company a C. And, hopefully, as with my previous post, it’ll learn from its mistakes and do better next time — because there will be a next time. Let’s look at what Domino’s did right, according to a New York Times article and from what I’ve found: The company took immediate action and fired the employees Tuesday after first learning about it Monday evening and finding the location of the store Tuesday morning. The company had one of the culprits send a company-wide email to apologize Tuesday morning. (I assume the email was “encouraged” by the company; not of her own doing.) It contacted the local health and other officials in the store’s community. It created and posted a video response on YouT...
More About: Reviews , Mixed

Learning from our mistakes (hopefully)
2009-04-15 15:56:00
When my kids try something new, I tell them ahead of time that you rarely do it right or perfectly the first time. But, do keep trying; it’ll be worth it. It seems like there have been a lot of very public mistakes of late involving social media. And, that’s okay — as long as people learn from their mistakes. Take Jeremy Epstein/NSM for example (hat tip to Lara Kretler). He even blogged about it, and included what he learned: What the social media era is about is not pretending to be perfect and impersonal. It’s about being real and authentic. It’s about recognizing that, although people are trying to do their bests, sometimes they make mistakes. But, if they apologize, understand, and learn from those mistakes, then, as humans, it is our responsibility to just move on…and go ahead and make new ones. While Jeremy clearly learned from his goof, I hope a few other people will as well. For example, please do not betray others’ trust nor thei...
More About: Learning

Quotable Quotes: Connecting
2009-04-09 17:27:00
“If you provide the resources, then people will see value, and will want to support that. That’s a whole different aspect than just sell, sell, sell.” -Connie Bensen SMB-Twin Cities Event March 18 (About 32:58 mark) While each marketing communications medium, strategy and tactic has their own strength, I see social media (yes, social media marketing) as a great way to keep a “top-of-mind” awareness and connection with your audience. Connie’s quote perfectly exemplifies that social media isn’t necessarily about “asking for the sale.” It’s about developing some level of connection, value and just awareness that makes people more open to buying from you, than from your competitor. There many products and services that we do not buy on a regular basis or often. Therefore, when consumers are ready to buy, your chances of being bought are better if you are fresh in their minds. And, social media is a great way to do that. -Mike
More About: Quotes , Connecting

If it’s online, it’s in the public eye
2009-04-05 04:07:00
NOTE: The below is a cross-post of my March 2009 TalentZoo.com Very Public Relations column. From January 2008 through January 2009, I wrote a regular MarketingMoxie column, and shifted over to Very Public Relations starting in March. The only changes in the below are links to me on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. By coincidence, my first Very Public Relations column is about a very public incident that happened recently in Toledo, Ohio (where I live). Maybe you heard the flap recently in Toledo about some “private” blog comments from the mayor’s spokesperson. The gist of the story is that, on a MySpace blog set to private (meaning only his friends could view it), the mayor’s spokesperson wrote some unflattering commentary about his boss – and those comments got out. The operator of a Toledo discussion board posted them, and the story took on a life of its own as several local traditional media outlets covered the story. While the spokesperson is still performing his dut...
More About: Online

Social Media Breakfast-Toledo: Follow in-person & online
2009-04-02 19:27:00
It looks like we’ll have about 100 people at the inaugural Social Media Breakfast -Toledo Friday — that’s TOMORROW — April 3, 7:30 - about 9:30 a.m., at the Elks Lodge #53, 3520 Holland-Sylvania Road, Toledo. If you’re going: To get directions, click here. To get a run down on the four local professionals — Victoria Kamm, Allen Mireles, Damian Rintelmann and Dave Rigotti — who’ll be offering their social media insights during the discussion, click here. Moderator Michael Temple also will be taking audience and even online questions (that’s the plan, at least). If you haven’t paid yet, you can do so at the door. Just $10 for a breakfast buffet, with a mix of hot and cold stuff, plus coffee and etc. The Elks Lodge does have WiFi, and it is a secured network. You’ll get the password there. Please be sure to fill out the brief, one-page survey prepared. We want to know what you think about social media in the area. If y...
More About: Online , Person

The value I’ve found in Twitter
2009-03-20 05:10:00
Some, actually only some one may say I Twitter or tweet too much. And, though I do belong to Twitters Anonymous, I say to each his own. While Twitter can be a time suck, there is a lot of personal and professional justification and value I’ve found in Twitter. I would hazard to guess that new users to Twitter naturally are caught up in the phrase the service is known for, “What are you doing?” If you look at most people’s early tweets on Twitter, they are really answering that question. While that is fine and it’s part of the process of “finding their voice” on Twitter, if that’s all they are doing on Twitter, they won’t have much of a following and won’t find much value (unless they are a celebrity who uses Twitter to broadcast, not converse). So,  below is the value I’ve found in Twitter. While some is self-focused, a lot is not. I would appreciate your feedback and what value you’ve found in Twitter (and be ...