Category Archives: Audience Engagement

Posted on

Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling Mastered by American Authors and Georgia English Bulldog Rescue

by


English Bulldog and Chihuahua

English Bulldog and Chihuahua

 

Introduction

The Social Media ReInvention Community knows how much my family loves dogs.  My family is blessed with two loving German Shepherds utterly devoted to our young daughters.  And, one German Shepherd is a rescue.  

One of this community's most popular posts, 3 Social Media Tips for Oogy: The Dog Only a Family Could Love, shares the story of how a generous and caring family rescued a loving and affectionate dog from the direst and most hopeless circumstances.

If the Following Video Is Not Remarkable and Compelling Storytelling, I Don't Know What Is

Note: My apologizes for the brief commercial in the video's introduction.  I couldn't locate the commercial-free version.  But, I promise it is a moving and soulful content marketing example.

Full Disclosure: I donated literally minutes ago to Georgia English Bull Dog Rescue via their website, and I purchased the song "The Best Day of My Life" by American Authors via iTunes because I support, believe in, and respect their video's unselfish call-to-action.

Spoiler Alert: WATCH THE VIDEO FIRST before reading further!!  Resisting that temptation is worth the wait …

 


 

 

A Page Torn from Pixar's 22 Rules of Storytelling


This past Friday, Fast Company published Pixar's 22 Rules of Storytelling–Visualized.   Several of these storytelling rules are inherent in this moving video.  Highlighted in blue are the storytelling rules I quickly recognize.

For your reference, here are Pixar's 22 Rules of Storytelling shared by former Pixar storyboard artist,  Emma Coats:

1. You admire a character for trying more than their successes.

2. You gotta keep in mind what's interesting to you as an audience, not what's fun to do as a writer.  They can be very different.

3. Trying for theme is important, but you won't see what the story is actually about till you're at the end of it.  Now rewrite.

4. Once upon a time there was ____.  Every day, ___.  One day ___.  Because of that, ___.  Until finallly ___.

5. Simplify.  Focus.  Combine characters.  Hop over detours.  You'll feel like you're losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.

6. What is your character good at, comfortable with?  Throw the polar opposite at them.  Challenge them.  How do the deal?

7. Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle.  Seriously.  Endings are hard, get yours working up front.

8. Finish your story, let go even if it's not perfect.  In an ideal world you have both, but move on.  Do better next time.

9. When you're stuck, make a list of what WOULDN'T happen next.  Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up.

10. Pull apart the stories you like.  What you like in them is a part of you; you've got to recoginize it before you can use it.

11. Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it.  If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you'll never share it with anyone.

12. Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind.  And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th — get the obvious out of the way.  Surprise yourself.

13. Give your characters opinions.  Passive/malleable might seem likeable to you as you write, but it's poison to the audience.

14. Why must you tell THIS story?  What is the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of?  That's the heart of it.

15. If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel?  Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations.

16. What are the stakes?  Give us reason to root for the character.  What happens if they don't succeed? Stack the odds against.

17. No work is ever wasted.  If it's not working, let go and move on — it'll come back around to be useful later.

18. You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best and fussing.  Story is testing, not refining.

19. Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.

20. Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike.  How would you arrange them into what you DO like?

21. You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can't 'cool'.  What would make YOU act that way?

22. What's the essence of your story?  Most economical telling of it?  If you know that, you can build from there.

Also, here's a SlideShare presentation / document with Pixar's 22 Rules of Storytelling created and shared by James Caswell of Caswell Design:

 

 

BRAVO and THANK YOU to Joshua Mikel, American Authors, and Georgia English Bulldog Rescue for Touching My Heart

Joshua Mikel is The Man!  A few hours ago, Georgia English Bulldog Rescue's Facebook Page informed me how Joshua Mikel is the creative/driving force behind this remarkable art.  Thank you for creating and sharing your art — it's genius!

Rule 16 is Highlighted Differently for Obvious Reasons.  When the video ended, a lump entered my throat and tears filled my eyes.  I don't know what else to say …

The Content We Should Create / The Stories We Should Tell.  I'm currently reading / studying Mitch Joel's wonderful book, Ctrl Alt Delete.  Mitch makes a valuable and insightful point about committing the common mistake of "creating content just for the sake of creating content or telling stories just for the sake of telling stories … "  

Direct quotes from page 196 of Ctrl Alt Delete:

"Marketers often will often say that the best ads are the ones that tell stories.  While you can easily shoot back with a 'Duh, tell me something I don't know,' take a cold hard look at all of your marketing collateral and ask yourself if you're telling a story worthy of being told—-or are you just telling a story to get something sold?"

It's not all about content.  It's all about stories.  It's not all about stories.  It's all about GREAT stories.

 

Your Turn.  How did this video / art affect you?  Which 22 Pixar Rules of Storytelling do you recognize?  How about comparing notes?  Please let me know in the comments.

 

Tony Faustino is a marketing and corporate strategist.  He writes about how The Internet reinvents marketing strategy for organizations and individuals in his marketing strategy blog, Social Media ReInvention.  Follow his tweets @tonyfaustino or circle him on Google+.  

 

Photo Credit by Jeff Hill Photo via flickr

Related articles
3 More Lessons In Writing and Blogging From Fast Company's Leadership Hall of Fame
Does Malcolm Gladwell, Author of The Tipping Point and Outliers, Use Marketing Research?
Pixar's 22 Rules of Storytelling – – Visualized
A great list for many aspects of life – Pixar's 22 Rules of storytelling
Pixar's 22 Rules of Storytelling as Image Macros
Pixar's 22 Rules of Storytelling. {images}
Posted on

Part 1: 10 Reasons on Why Freedom Is Blogging In Your Underwear

by

Freedom Is Blogging In Your Underwear 1
Freedom Is Blogging In Your Underwear When You …

1. Can't Wait to Wake Up at 5 AM to Write.  It's your moment of zen.  It's your time to express what you love, hate, makes you laugh, admire, respect, wish you could be, and continue striving to become.  It's SACRED TIME. 

2. Know You're Steering the Ship.  Sitting behind a keyboard means complete control.  The published words on your personal blog are yours (not somebody else's spin).  No watered-down mess requiring  corporate approval or a committee's sign-off.  

3. Pick Yourself.  You didn't seek the approval of Random House or another member of the New York City publishing dynasty.  You write. You publish. You promote.  The daily, weekly, and monthly results are there to measure and interpret.  And, the immediate audience feedback (or lack thereof) is a constant lesson in humility.

4. Press "Publish" Even When You Fear Your Content Sucks.  Blogging teaches you how to address and deal with personal fear.  Notice, I didn't say overcome it.  The "F" in Freedom Is Blogging In Your Underwear stands for "Fear."  

Rejection looms close by when you're a blogger.  But, so does opportunity.

You learn over time that subscribers and readers who believe in your art stick with you. These audience members who vote with their precious time know you won't hit a home run with every-at-bat. 

But, they expect you to consistently publish. Your subscribers expect you to show up. That's part of the deal.  That's part of the mutual bond.

It's why I can't wait to repeat Reason #1 for as long as I humanly can.

5. Want To Hug Your Blog Subscribers (But, Not Necessarily in My Underwear, Or Theirs).  The Social Media ReInvention Blog Community and subscriber base continues growing.  I want to hug you and thank you for teaching and reinforcing how trust is earned one-person-at-a-time.  

You've sent me emails with praise (especially at times when I really needed it), tweeted my posts on Twitter, "liked" them on Facebook, shared them on LinkedIn, and linked my posts to your respective blogs.  It means so much to me — Thank You From the Bottom of My Heart!

6. Can Continuously Iterate and Experiment.  21st century self-publishing means everything is "a working draft."  You can keep shaping, condensing, adding, or deleting. It's taken me three years to realize perfection is not the goal.  

It's about continuously building, measuring, and learning with a minimal viable product (MVP).  It's about permanent beta.  Even though you don't live in Silicon Valley, you can practice the principles of the Reid Hoffman's, the Ben Casnocha's, the Mark Zuckerberg's, the Amazon's, and the Google's.  It's not life or death (although it feels like it at times — see Reason #4).  

That's an invaluable life lesson.

7. Trust Yourself to Write With Your Heart (Versus Type With Your Brain). Writing doesn't come naturally to me.  I work at it every day (which I was I love it).  I'm still learning when/how to write and structure my position in traditional, MBA-analysis mode (and when to just let'er rip and flow).  

This is what the blogging community refers to as "finding your voice."  I'm still searching. And, this self-discovery journey is empowering. 

8. Realize There Are No Rules — There Are Only Guidelines.  Great blog posts can be less than 140 characters or as long as 4,000+ words.  You can use text, audio, video, and images (or a combination of all four).  What makes a blog post great is in the eye of the beholder.  It's art.  Coloring outside-the-lines is encouraged.

9. Love Something So Much You Do It for Free (Sort of).  I receive zero financial compensation for blogging.  But, I consider blogging a valuable and significant time investment  

It's not about getting paid.  It's the joy and challenge of telling a story.  It's about sharing.  It's about saying thank you. It's about reminding yourself why you love it so much even on the days when you're struggling personally and/or professionally.  It's about Reasons #1 through Reasons #10.

10. See and Embrace The Like-Minded.  Google the phrase "blogging is dead" (without the quotation marks).  You'll receive close to 57 million search results.  

When I see that number and the different search headlines, here's what I see:

* I see opportunity.  

* I see people who give didn't give up on their blogging / writing in the first six or seven months of launch.  

* I see people who voraciously read books, periodicals, blog posts, newsletters, and all content in-between to learn ideas and insights they can deliver to and share with their subscribers.  

* I see people who acknowledge this is a difficult and long-term endeavor.

* I see people proudly displaying, reading, and investing in this book:

Freedom Is Blogging In Your Underwear Cover 3

 

Tony Faustino is a marketing and corporate strategist.  He writes about how The Internet reinvents marketing strategy for organizations and individuals in his marketing strategy blog, Social Media ReInvention.  Follow his tweets @tonyfaustino or circle him on Google+.    

Link to Photo Credit by Hugh Macleod

Posted on

Google’s Marketing Reinvention: Tell Stories that Make Us Cry

by

Coffee Heart

I loved reading the January 1, 2012 New York Times article by Claire Cain Miller: Google Bases a Campaign on Emotions, Not Terms.  Her article explains Google's distinctive philosophical change towards marketing and advertising.  For Google to acknowledge investing more time and resources to actively promote its products and services stands in stark contrast to the image of "cold engineers" hating anything related to marketing, advertising, or public relations as described in Ken Auletta's great book, Googled.

Why Google Reinvented Its Marketing 

"A Remarkable Transformation."  What's driving this "remarkable transformation for Google" as noted in the article by Peter Daboll, chief executive of Ace Metrix, a firm that evaluates TV and video ads?

Ms. Cain Miller's article cites two business drivers:

Finding New Revnue Sources Beyond Search Ads.  Google needs new businesses like the Chrome browser and the Google Plus social network to succeed.

Focusing, Paring Down, and Integrating Google's Offerings.  This is part of Larry Page's mission as CEO to pare down Google's product offering and make these products more attractive, intuitive, and integrated with one another.

Does This Sound Like The Voice of a Cold Engineer?

Marketing Emotion.  Even more revealing is that Google acknowledges both a change in marketing strategy and increased advertising investment.  Here are two direct article quotes from Lorraine Twohill, Google's vice president for global marketing:


"As we got bigger, we had more competition, more products, more messages to consumers, so we needed to do a bit more to communicate what thse products are and how you can use them."

"If we don't make you cry, we fail.  It's about emotion, which is bizarre for a tech company."

Sounds Like Marketing From the Heart.  But, make no mistake Google still bases its decisions on rigorous, fact-based data analysis. And, the article further describes the significant data analyses and testing that went into planning its first Super Bowl commercial (e.g., dozens of tests) and a 140-tab spreadsheet used in location planning for Google Zeitgeist (the company's annual conference for it's biggest advertisers).

Don't Pitch. Tell a Story.

The Google Video Advertisements Cited in the New York Times Article.  The article mentions the following successful advertising videos because Google uses storytelling versus product pitching.  I've pulled them all together in this post.

It's Not About Features and Benefits.  Notice how we can all relate to each of these stories.  In particular, the two (2) Google Chrome videos mention nothing about Chrome as the world's fastest web browser.

These stories are moving, emotional, and entertaining.  What's their emotional impact on you?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tony Faustino is a marketing and corporate strategist.  He writes about how The Internet reinvents marketing strategy for organizations and individuals in his marketing strategy blog, Social Media ReInvention.  Follow his tweets @tonyfaustino or circle him on Google+.  

Photo Credit via Flickr by thepinkpeppercorn

Related articles
Part Two: 4 More Gurus and Their Books Helping Marketing and Communications Graduates Land that First Job
Pixar's 22 Rules of Storytelling Mastered by American Authors and Georgia English Bulldog Rescue
Google 'Reunion' Video
Google moves beyond functionality with a wave of emotional Advertising
Open letter to Tim Cook: Apple needs to be more like Google
Posted on

Tom Peters’ Personal Branding Lessons, Part 4: YOUR Thank You Note Matters

by

Thank You Multiple Languages

This is the final post in a four-post blog series on personal branding lessons inspired from Tom Peters, The Brand Called You.

The Deepest Human Need is the Need to be Appreciated

Insightful Advice from William James and Tom Peters.  Watch this Tom Peters video about the power of Thank You Notes (specifically time stamp 1:20 to 2:34).  In addition to the William James quote,  Mr. Peters shares:

"Recognition and Appreciation.  Nothing gets you further in your career.  And, it also makes you a better human being."

 

 

Digital Thank You Notes.   When someone links to your blog, tweets your post on Twitter, or shares your work on LinkedIn News, do you say thank you?

If someone cites your content in his/her blog, show appreciation and demonstrate listening by:

* Commenting in their Blog Post.  Doesn't it feel good when someone leaves you a blog comment?  When someone takes the time to find your post, read it, evaluate it, and share it in their work, they are giving you a generous gift.

* Tweeting This Person's Blog Post.  Publicize this person's blog post to your Twitter followers.  Help drive readers to this person's blog.  Sharing builds community on The Web.  Isn't building community the goal?

* Tweeting A Quick Thank You Note.  Thank you notes are important on The Web.  Why?  You show you're listening.  You show your appreciation.  You show you're human.  

Demonstrating humanity and humility in 140 characters (or less) is a good thing.

Mitch Joel's Golden Rule

Advice from Six Pixels of Separation.  On pages 41 to 42 and 210 to 212, Mitch Joel reinforces the importance of (1) monitoring mentions of your product / service AND (2) expressing thanks to the people sharing your content:

If someone mentions you, it is now your duty — at the very least — to leave a comment back on their blog (or email them directly), letting them know you are reading, paying attention, and most importantly, appreciative of their mentioning you.

As much as you physically can, respond and be thankful to everyone who takes the time to mention you.

Make this your golden rule, and make a commitment that you will never break it.

Conclusion

Success Requires the Help of Others.  Achieving successful outcomes is a team sport.  Teachers, mentors, coaches, teammates, family members, colleagues, clients, or someone else helped us accomplish something really worthwhile.

The Digital World Is Different.  Why?  Everyone I previously mentioned is someone I know personally.  In the digital space, there's a higher likelihood that you don't personally know the people who spread your content. That's a key difference.   Folks from any part of the world may have linked to your blog post, liked your content on Facebook, or tweeted about your service on Twitter.

Whenever you can, recognize these people and express your appreciation. 

A Final Thought.  I've thoroughly enjoyed publishing this four-post blog series on Tom Peters' Personal Branding Lessons.  Readers shared these posts on LinkedIn News, curated them on websites, and tweeted the posts to their followers.

I appreciate you taking time to read these posts.  And, you're so generous to share them.


Thank You — It means so much to me.

 

Tony Faustino is a marketing and corporate strategist.  He writes about how The Internet reinvents marketing strategy for organizations and individuals in his marketing strategy blog, Social Media ReInvention.  Follow his tweets @tonyfaustino or circle him on Google+.    

 

Photo Credit By woodleywonderworks via Flickr

Posted on

The Bin Laden Announcement and Mobile Devices’ Power in Real-Time News Consumption

by

IPad and iPhone

This is the second post in a series describing how the Osama bin Laden announcement virally spread in real-time. 

In addition, this post represents installment number three (3) of a blog series on real-time capabilities and its impact in online media.  In case you're interested, the other related posts are: 


In today's comScore Voices Blog, Andrew Lipsman of wrote a great article titled: Seeking Osama – Anatomy of a News Firestorm in a Cross -Platform Environment.  His post focuses on the influence of type of digital platform in consuming news about Osama bin Laden's death (i.e., computer, mobile, or tablet).  

The data analysis describes our digital news consumption habits particularly by time-of-day.  Here are some key insights (particularly pertaining to mobile and tablets).

Mobile Internet and Tablet Consumption Dominated When News Coverage Spiked on Sunday, May 1st

Shifting Viewing Habits?  The breakdown by digital device during the Sunday evening, May 1st news cycle peak (e.g., 10 PM ET) is as follows: 

  • Mobile Internet: Approximately 30% 
  • Tablets: Between 20% – 25%
  • Computers: Around 10%

Mr. Lipsman portrayed the data graphically:

Comscore hourly-news-traffic-obl

Mobile Internet and Tablet Traffic Continues Peaking During Our Morning Commutes

But Computer Consumption Won During Our May 2nd Workday.  First, I hope none of these people were driving.  Second, notice how the mobile internet activity peaks again from 7:00 AM – 9:00 AM.  Third, look how computer news consumption accelerates around the same time (i.e., steepest slope of curve).  Fourth, computer consumption primarily takes place from 10 AM to 4 PM.

Comscore hourly-share-news-traffic

Conclusion

If the Content is Important, We'll Find a Way to Access It.  Mr. Lipsman's analysis provides consumer insights applicable to not only news consumption but also content consumption relevant to marketing and public relations activities:

* We're multiple device consumers.  We may not necessarily be seeking a one-device-does-it-all-solution (at least not yet).

* Content loading speed / page loading speed will make or break you with mobile internet devices.  Optimizing the content for fast loading and optimization on any type of screen is a competitive differentiator (e.g., hand-held, tablet, etc.).  The lack of page loading speed in my plodding, iPhone 3G is already causing me cravings for the rumored iPhone 5.

* Tablets are ALREADY a major consumption platform.  Their influence will increase.  Today's Nielsen Wire article, Connected Devices: How We Use Tablets in the U.S., provides data showing we're using our tablets more and our netbooks, laptops, and desktop computers less.  And, to think I wanted an iPad2 so I could have a more travel-friendly personal computing device.

* Business professionals are more accessible early morning or late evening.  Reaching targeted consumers (i.e., business professionals) is optimal during the early AM or late evening (e.g., no work distractions).  Unless, you can deliver something earth-shattering to divert their attention.

 

Photo Credit: By Yutaka Tsutano via Flickr

Posted on

5 Competitive Advantages in Studying Real-Time Marketing & PR by David Meerman Scott

by

Real Time Marketing & PR book cover Members of the Social Media ReInvention Blog Community understand I'm an enthusiastic student and fan of David Meerman Scott.  In numerous posts, I've referenced David and his latest book, Real Time Marketing & PR.  

Bottom Line:  I studied Real Time Marketing & PR from cover-to-cover.  And, I highly recommend purchasing it as a key resource in your digital marketing library.

 

1. The New Competitive Advantage is Speed & Agility

Leverage and Respond to Real-Time News Events.  Companies and individuals who leverage current news events to instantaneously communicate with customers (as these events unfold) hold a distinct competitive advantage over larger, bigger budget rivals.  These larger rivals value size and scale (not speed).  And, that distinction provides significant opportunity for competitive differentiation.

Real-Time Responsiveness Differentiates Important Service Capabilities.  Applications of real-time competitive differentiation include:

  • Using direct and swift communications in customer service 
  • Preparing for and moving quickly in crisis communications (aka disaster recovery situations)
  • Developing and testing new products / service offerings
  • Creating an organizational culture valuing speed and open communications 

The Link to Important Business Objectives.  All of the aforementioned capabilities achieve one or several of the following business objectives:

  • Driving sales revenues
  • Saving money (i.e., lower customer acquistion costs)
  • Acquiring new customers (e.g., enabiling additional lead generation)
  • Strengthening existing customer relationships

2. A Mindset of Real-Time Competitiveness 

The Real-Time Mindset Means Thinking Differently.  Here's my graphical interpretation of David's description of the real-time mindset (page 34):

Real Time Mindset 


Blink and You've Lost the Advantage.  Gaining (or losing) the competitive advantage depends on WHEN you react/respond to breaking news events.  Pages 29 thru 31 explain why ultra-fast, first movers win in real-time deployment: 

  • The Real-Time Marketing & PR Power Law
  • The Real-Time Law of Law of Normal Distribution

3. Select Your Real-Time Platforms Carefully 

Real-Time Differentiation and Capability Isn't Always Obvious – Just Ask Twitter Co-Founder Evan Williams.  I conducted a back-of-the-envelope analysis of the real-time tools most often cited in Real-Time Marketing & PR.  Hands-down, the real-time winner is Twitter. 

But, Twitter's differentiating niche wasn't always obvious from its beginnings in July 2006.   From FastCompany.com in November 2010, I Want My Twitter TV! (by Ellen McGirt), Evan Williams says on page 3:


"We didn't know what we were at first.  I think it's pretty clear now that Twitter is a real-time information network (e.g., any previous confusion about Twitter being a social network or Facebook is now over)."

Throughout his book, David provides several examples describing how Twitter,  TweetDeck and HootSuite are used for important real-time functions:

  • Monitoring conversations
  • Responding directly to current customers or new, potential customers
  • Directing Twitter audience members to long form channels (i.e., the company blog or YouTube) for more details

The New Media Life Cycle Helps in Evaluating the Right Real-Time Platforms (and Avoiding the Wrong Ones).  Pages 131 to 135 highlight input and data from Andrew Davis, Chief Strategy Officer at Tippingpoint Labs.  Davis explains the New Media Life Cycle as the adoption of any platform (blogging, microblogging, photo sharing, or live video streaming) or content distribution channel (YouTube.com, Slideshare.com, Flickr.com, or Twitter.com). 

The New Media Life Cycle openly tracks and analyzes an online platform's current life cycle phase in seven (7) distinct phases:

  1. Experiment
  2. Adopt
  3. Gestate
  4. Escalate
  5. Monetize
  6. Consolidate
  7. Maintain

Early Adopters / First Movers Win.  Early adopters understand The New Media Life Cycle, and exploit it to their competitive advantage.  They know participating early in an emerging social network matters.  Page 134 expains the secret to becoming well known on a social media network is to participate in one that's growing quickly, but is still in the early stage.  A perfect example is the fast-growing Empire Avenue – The Social Media Exchange.

Remember Second Life? They're not a Real-Time Player (but Twitter is).  Tippingpoint Labs and Google Insights provide data driven examples showing why Second Life is already past its prime (page 134).  But, Twitter continues growing and is an outstanding real-time platform (page 135).

4. Managing Crisis Communications Means Real-Time Speed  

The Money Insights of Real-Time Marketing & PR.  The insights shared on crisis communications and disaster recovery are worth the purchase price alone.  Why?  The situations described in the book can happen to all of us.  No one is immune in a digital age.

In my opinion, these sections require careful study:

  • Chapter 7: Crisis Communications and the Media (pages 71-81)
  • Chapter 8: What are People Saying About You This Instant? (pages 92-94)
  • Chapter 10: Real-Time Customer Connection (pages 124-126)

Build Your Media and Journalist Contacts NOW.  David explains how too few organizations (particularly the larger ones) fail to build media and journalist relationships before they need them (i.e., contacts with analysts, editors, and reporters). 

Credibility and Trust with Media Contacts Requires Time.  A communications crisis requires speed and focus (so you have little to no time).  In addition, you compound risk by introducing yourself to your media contacts for the first time. 

Five Ways to Build Media and Journalist Relationships.  Build your media and journalist relationships before you need them.  David provides the following suggestions:

  1. Follow the Publications and Its Journalists
  2. Comment on Their Stories and Blog Posts
  3. Introduce Yourself Via Email
  4. Follow Journalists on Twitter and Engage Them in Conversation
  5. Earn Their Respect by Providing Valuable Content and Information (e.g. No Spam)

When Disaster Strikes, Refer to the Real-Time Communications Checklist.  David provides a 9-Point Crisis Communications Checklist.  All of his suggestions should be implemented before the crisis hits:

  • Assigning a crisis communications team
  • Gathering and storing key contact information inside and outside your organization
  • Delegating who's the organization's lead communicator
  • Responding through multiple real-time, online channels (i.e., company blog, Twitter, Facebook, etc.)

IMPORTANT:  Respond in the same online medium spawning the crisis.  If the event happened in YouTube, respond with your own YouTube video.

5. Real-Time Organizations Have Communication Guidelines

Developing Real-Time Communications Guidelines and Roles in Your Organization.  Pages 171 -172 provide an 8-Step Checklist for creating and implementing guidelines.  In addition on pages 175 – 176, David introduces his take on a new senior executive position: Chief Real Time Communications Officer.  On page 176, he explains the job description in a 14-point bulleted list.

IBM, The U.S. Air Force, and Telstra Succeed as Real-Time Communicators.  Pages 161 – 173 describe how each organization uses real-time communications, empowers their employees, and publicly shares their guidelines.  IBM's guidelines are shared on pages 162 – 170.

Here are hyperlinks and titles of the communications guidelines for these organizations:

Telstra even created YouTube Videos introducing their 3R's of Social Media Engagement to their employees: Representation, Responsibility, and Respect:


 

 

 


BONUS SECTION.  Here are additional resources for social media guidelines:

* Social Media Governance's database to 100+ publicly published real-time / social media guidelines

* Econsultancy Blog: 16 Social Media Guidelines Used by Real Companies


Conclusion

Fortune 500 Executives Please Read This Book.  Real-Time Marketing & PR is essential and required reading for C-Level executives, communications, marketing, and public relations professionals.  As stated earlier, the disaster recovery and crisis communications advice shared makes it a worthwhile investment (especially if you hold that responsibility for a Fortune 500 organization).

Leaders of Small or Medium-Sized Can Outflank the Fortune 500.  David describes how small and medium-sized businesses are practicing real-time communications and ringing their respective cash registers.  Their commitment to real-time marketing and PR is how they're outflanking their larger Fortune 500 competitors.

Have You Read This Important Book?  If you haven't, you're at a key disadvantage relative to competitors.  If you have, I'd love to read your comments.  Please let me know what you learned (especially the points I failed to capture in this review — there are so many)! 

 

Tony Faustino is a marketing and corporate strategist.  He writes about how The Internet reinvents marketing strategy for organizations and individuals in his marketing strategy blog, Social Media ReInvention.  Follow his tweets @tonyfaustino or circle him on Google+.   

  

Real Time Mindset: Photo Credit 1 by dirk schaefer via Flickr

Speed: Photo Credit 2 by Randy Le'Moine Photography via Flickr

iPhone Stopwatch: Photo Credit 3 by dyobmti via Flickr 

Posted on

Flushing Away Credibility With Veiled Sincerity

by

SPAM graphic 1 
 

What's The Inspiring Salman Khan, Founder of The Khan Academy, Doing on a Blog Post Discussing Spam and Insincerity?

Recently, Mitch Joel published this great article, Why We Should All Respect The Internet (Just A Little Bit More) in his Six Pixels of Separation Blog.  The post highlights  Salman Khan's 2011 TED Conference presentation on the The Khan Academy. 

The article included the following video: 


 

Making a Difference by Leveraging the Internet's Power.  Doesn't this video make you feel good about truly making a difference in other people's lives?  Isn't the audience's standing ovation and Bill Gates' appearance at the end of the video uplifting?

Salman Khan's passion and vision to reinvent and reimagine education (e.g., "create something of social value") inspires tremendous possibilities.  What he's currently achieved took courage, passion, and blind faith because he initially financed the entire operation himself. 

All That's Good About The Internet.  The TED / Salman Khan video highlights all that's good about The Internet.  Khan's actions represent the values Mitch Joel discusses about online media in his Six Pixels of Separation book:

  • Being Helpful and Being Sincere (pages 168 – 169; a repeated theme throughout the book)
  • You Can't Fake Sincerity / Passion (pages 130 – 131; another important repeated theme)
  • Online Digital Channels are All About Transparency and Trust (a quote snippet from page 126)


What's Got Me Worked Up: This Spammer's Veiled Sincerity

Flushing Away Your Credibility (in 23 Words or Less).  The article generated and attracted a number of comments.  And then, this comment appears … 

Spam Comment

When I read this, I thought "doesn't the commenter realize the Salman Khan he's referring to is not the person in the TED video?"  I clicked on this commenter's name (the hyperlink was enabled at that time), and up pops a spammy website for some shady, loan business.  

Spam Ready for Table 5!  Apparently, the spammer did a Google search on "Salman Khan."  But, he quickly and mistakenly decided the first two results are the person in the TED video. 

Apparently, he didn't have time to click on the search results and read the extra details.   I guess that happens when you're too busy cooking spam and serving it while it's still hot!

Salman Khan Google Search 

 
Conclusion 

Justice is Served.  I checked Mitch's article a few days later and he disabled the hyperlink to this person's website — VINDICATION!  And, I'm glad Mitch published the spammer's comment to expose his real name and uninformed comment so others can witness and promote this person's credibility loss FOREVER.  If you go to Mitch's article, you'll see this commenter's inbound link is the only one disabled.   

Attention Does Not Equal Trust.  Mitch explains this concept on page 167 of Six Pixels of Separation.  This spammer did catch my attention (and for all the wrong reasons).  And, I know better now not to trust him in the future. 

More, importantly, I hope others will spread the word about this person's lack of credibility.

Am I Overreacting?    Maybe, I'm taking this too seriously.  Please tell me what you think.  I'd like to know.

 

Photo Credit: by arnold | inuyaki via Flickr

Posted on

Blog Commenting and Online Reputation, Part 2: Three Lessons From Adam Singer, Author of The Future Buzz

by

Keyboard

Social Media ReInvention Community Members know I'm a student and fan of Adam Singer, author of The Future Buzz. Study Adam's About Page and you'll quickly see he's a globally-recognized and peer-nominated thought leader in media, marketing and public relations (pr).

The following organizations recognize The Future Buzz among the finest resources in online marketing and pr:
Why I Read and Study Adam Singer

I subscribe to and study The Future Buzz because I respect his point-of-view on:
  1. The future of media, marketing and pr
  2. What works in social media strategy execution
  3. Career and personal development
  4. The difference between career security vs. job security
  5. Blogging, writing, creating / promoting content
  6. Simplifying (in life, career, and writing)
Imagine My Surprise and Joy When I Read This Post
8 Smart Comments From The Future Buzz Community (Feb, 2011). Adam cites 2011 comments he thinks are highly worth reading. In his post you'll see this:
Adam Singer Comment 1

Seeing my name cited in The Future Buzz is HUGE! According to Adam's About Page, The Future Buzz receives 30,000 to 200,000 unique vistors per month. I smiled for days because I'd just won the lottery.

Here's my thank you to Adam in the comments section:
Adam Singer Comment 2
Conclusion

Lesson 1: Be Generous. Adam's gesture to recognize contributions in his posts exemplifies "sharing the wealth." Plus, he took the time to promote the online reputations and individual credibilities of others.
Here are the Twitter profiles he included in his post:

Lesson 2: Be Differentiating. Good things happen when you contribute valuable content. Adam's feedback — Provide additional data to the conversation. Now, I know how to continuously improve and differentiate my comments.

Giving readers actionable feedback on what makes a comment differentiating is a gift. This not a common standard practices of A-List Bloggers.

But it is to Adam.

Lesson 3: Build Community Via Engagement and Inclusion. Here's what I learn from Adam:

  • Provide detailed feedback and examples on what makes a comment differentiating
  • Include your community by doing more than responding to their comments
  • Promote the reputations and credibility of others

** Building Community by Engaging, Including, and Sharing **

* Isn't Building an Online Community The Ultimate Goal?

  • Not burning up valuable time to measure ROI ad nauseum to cover-your-corporate-butt.
  • Or, creating some complicated multiple regression model to justify how social media activity and investment creates more shareholder value.
  • Not screaming hey look at me! Go follow me on Twitter and Facebook so I can build a high Klout score (another topic of discussion coming soon).

* It's Not That Complicated. But, we make it complex. We get in our own way. We should simplify instead.

And, that's why I'll continue reading and studying The Future Buzz by Adam Singer.
Posted on

3 Lessons on Reinvention, Trust, and Commitment from Peter King, Author of Monday Morning QB

by

HBO Sports recently televised an interview between Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel correspondent, Mary Carillo and Peter King.  King is the author of the popular, online Sports Illustrated column, Monday Morning QB. 

The embedded video previews the longer Carillo-King interview televised by HBO in late January 2011.  I enjoyed this interview because it provides relevant lessons on:

  • Personal Reinvention Via Social Media Technologies
  • The Significance of Trust and Reputation (Professional & Online)
  • The Power of a Relentless Work Ethic

Lesson 1: Reinvent and Adapt to Change

A Traditional Print Journalist Who "Gets" Online Media.  King started Monday Morning QB (MMQB) with SI.com 13 years ago.  He told Carillo he's better as a new media journalist because he understands:

1. Real-Time Marketing & PR: The importance of immediacy because speed wins

2. Content Quality: Volume is great but it's worthless without quality

3. Content Volume: The Internet rewards high volume (but always remember #2)

Bonus: Read Mitch Joel's great article, The Answer to a Dilution in Attention.

He Understands Social Media's Hub-Outpost Model.  King's Monday Morning QB functions as his online home base while Twitter and Facebook serve as outposts.  Both Twitter and Facebook point his readers back to Monday Morning QB.  Here are links to his social media channels

Bonus: If you want to learn more about the benefits of the "hub-outpost model" for online publishing, I highly recommend Debbie Weil's latest eBook: Why Your Blog is Your Social Media Hub.   

Here's an image of Debbie's eBook (with the download link) from the Why Your Blog is Your Social Media Hub Homepage:

 

Debbie Weil eBook Cover 

Debbie knows what she's talking about.  Plus, Debbie's THE industry authority on corporate blogging.  Here's the Amazon link to the latest, Kindle edition of her best selling book, The Corporate Blogging Book. 
 


Lesson 2: Trust is Everything 

If You Want People to Trust You, Directly Engage Them.  King inspires a loyal, tribal-like audience.  As I write this post, here are the latest online stats on Peter King and Monday Morning QB (and counting):

  • 503,193 Twitter Followers
  • 5,902 Facebook Fans
  • 3 million weekly page views (according to the Real Sports longer interview)

Study how King converses with his audience in MMBQ Mail: Packers Owe Lions, Eagles Thanks for Super Bowl Run.  This piece shows how much he loves talking NFL Football with everyday fans (because he's a fan too). 

Look how he answers selected readers' email questions with their names.  The selected readers seeing their names and questions published in King's column must feel great!  

In the embedded video, King shows Carillo how he alerts his 500K+ Twitter Followers via TweetDeck when the latest edition of his column goes live.  It's Social Media Engagement and Content Promotion Strategy 101!

Relationships Founded on Trust and Respect.  Former Super Bowl-winning NFL coach and NFL executive, Bill Parcells, described to Mary Carillo why NFL coaches, players, and executives want to work and engage with King.  They Trust Him.  

In the longer interview, Parcells explained how he respected and admired King's work ethic and integrity.  He witnessed how King would do anything to get a story but not at the expense of compromising himself personally.

King has invested 26+ years in building his professional network and reputation.  That vast network and stellar reputation provides access to A-List NFL coaches, executives, owners, and players.  This makes King's Twitter Feed the place for breaking, real-time news events in NFL Football.

Lesson 3:  Unrelenting Commitment

Be Relentless.  Peter King covered the NFL for New York Newsday from 1985 to 1989.  To succeed, he had to build professional trust with Bill Parcells (then the New York Giants head coach).  This was no easy task considering Parcell's sometimes antagonistic relationship with the New York sportswriters.

But, King persevered and won Parcells over.  How?  Parcells told King he'd be willing to help him if he'd come to the Giants practice facility before 6:30 AM.  After that time, Parcell's focused solely on Sunday preparation.  

King's solution?  Arrive at the Giants facility before Parcells.  Parcells remarked how King would greet him at 6 AM (sometimes earlier) at the facility gates.  King consistently demonstrated this work ethic and desire to Parcells.

And, he eventually won and earned Parcells' respect and trust.  That's why Parcells nicknamed King, "Relentless."

Be Commited.  The embedded video doesn't give full justice to King's required weekly, workman-like commitment in publishing MMQB during the NFL season:

1. Completes Sunday evening work on NBC Football Night in America around 10:30 PM

2. Works on MMQB's initial drafts from 11 PM to 5:30 AM 

3. Boards the 6 AM Amtrak train to Boston

4. Refines / Posts final draft before 8 AM SI.com deadline 

Wow!  And, that doesn't include all his other professional and personal responsibilities …

Conclusion

Inspiring Success Stories Like Peter King Don't Happen Overnight.  Members of this community know Successful Social Media Marketing Is Neither Free Nor Easy.  There's nothing free in social media.  There's nothing free about achieving success.

Peter King achieved his stature over the course of a 26-year career.  He's invested significant time in:

  • Adapting to change (i.e., building new skills to compete in online media)
  • Building professional and online trust (i.e. integrity and authenticity)
  • Working relentlessly (i.e., doing what it takes)

Competitive Differentiation.  Some traditional, print journalists aren't online media fans.  Here's a piece describing Frank Deford's opinions about traditional, investigative newspaper reporting versus the proliferation of online, citizen journalism (i.e., blogs).

King continues developing new technology skills married with hard-won journalistic instincts.  Every MMQB post represents how he sees and seizes online media opportunity. 

He epitomizes earning audience attention in a digital age.  He masters blogging, tweeting, and facebooking as both journalistic mediums and competitive differentiators. 

What are you doing to competively differentiate yourself or your organization?  How are you earning audience attention?