Archives for November 2010

317 Ways to Succeed in Social Media

The great thing about social media (and blogs that talk about social media and how it can be used for personal, business, blogging, marketing and more) is that there’s a ton of information available on how it can benefit you.

Hopefully, over the space of the last two years or so, this blog has offered you some tips, advice, strategy, call it what you will, that has helped you understand this cool toolset we call social media.

Just in case you missed any of these posts, here are some specific ones collected into one quick bookmarking option. I hope you find them useful.

Note: Each link opens in a new window, so you probably don’t want to open all at once.

Social Media

Blogging

Twitter

Facebook

Online Goodness

And as an added bonus, here’s a chat I had with the awesome David Siteman Garland yesterday over at his Rise to the Top show, where we talk about (amongst other things) social media “success”.

Enjoy!

(For more resources like these as they’re published, why don’t you subscribe to the blog? Choose your preferred method – email or RSS – from the options at the top of the sidebar to the right.)

This post contains a video If you can’t see it properly in your feed, you can view it directly here.

image: Leo Reynolds

Business Lessons from Theme Parks

When you go to a theme park, do you spend time waiting on the best rides and rollercoasters? Or do you bypass them and go for the more sedate ones with the lesser crowd? Or don?t you go for the rides, more the experience of an enjoyable day out with friends and family?

If you?re like me, you?ll happily wait for an hour (or more) for the fastest rollercoaster, or the one with the biggest drop, or any of the other thrillseeker-type rides. It?s a no-brainer, and if I have to wait to enjoy it, so be it.

Yet is it really a no-brainer?

Think about why you want to ride that rollercoaster, or go on that attraction that shoots you 150-feet in the air before bringing you crashing down to earth in a matter of seconds.

Is it because of your adventurous side, or is it because of the way the ride has been sold to you? Are the words ??death-defying?, ?ultimate thrill ride? and ?your fear is all that stops you? the real reason that you?re in the park?

Theme park operators are some of the canniest minds in marketing.

They know how to reach their target audience and they know exactly which buttons to press to get that audience into their parks. And with theme park technology advancing at such a fast pace, hitting your mark is what separates the must-visit theme parks from the sympathy stop-off when there?s nothing better to do.

Own Your Theme Park

How are you communicating with your target audience?

Do you offer the most exciting rides and the reason why customers should choose your business over the competing one? You need to make sure that your customers are happy to stay in your line ? you need to offer them an end result that blows them away.

You may not have the fastest ride; you may not have the biggest; but if you have the best (or at least the best in the eyes of your customers) then you?ll fill your theme park up regularly. So, how do you make your ride the star attraction?

Offer choices. A theme park would be nothing if there was just one ride, no matter how exciting it was. The ones with the most visitors get them for a reason ? choice.

Your customers are no different ? but are you catering to them, or excluding them? Do your products cater to left-handed people, for example? If not, you can knock 10% from your potential sales figures immediately. Are you excluding minorities? Are there different sizes or designs for the same product? If not, should there be?

Look at what you offer and ask yourself if you can offer alternatives for those that need it. Use analytics and market research to understand your audience and what they?re buying. More importantly, understand what they?re not buying and why.

There are thousands of theme parks all vying for your visitors. Are you giving a reason why yours is the best?

image: Carol Browne

Drinking From the Kool Aid

The phrase ?drinking from the Kool Aid? is a strange one. Originating from a cult mass suicide, it?s also used to describe belief in perspective. I still can?t decide whether I?m a fan of the term or not, but that?s neither here nor there.

Either way, if I was to drink from the Kool Aid and share with you, here are ten bottles of Kool Aid that would fill your creative juice needs anytime. I hope you enjoy.

How to Choose the Right Blog Tool. Informative post from Arik Hanson about how to decide which blogging platform to use for your business needs, with reasons why each of the covered platforms might be better.
The Mad Men Guide to Changing the World with Words. Okay, I’ll admit it – I still haven’t watched a single episode of Mad Men. But this post from Jon Morrow over at Copyblogger might change that – and it’s a damn fine post on the power of words.
Unethical Social Media at Its Worst. Uber-smart PR guy Dave Fleet shares a sordid tale of politics, social media and the recent Toronto mayoral elections. Interesting views in the comments as well.
Lessons Learned at a Parking Garage. Not as naughty as it sounds, this is a great post from Frank Dickinson on why businesses should think smarter, or end up with BMW customers (you’ll have to read the post for the acronym!).
Over 140 Marketing and Business Development Ideas for You. One of my favourite marketing bloggers is Jim Connolly. This post, and the resources in it, shows why. Read, bookmark, use.
Blogging Through Storytelling. We all know the power of a good story – but are you using that power in your blogging? Andrew Rondeau shares his storytelling advice over at Kikolani.
Will It Matter in One Year? Oftentimes, we let so many situations take control of us when we don’t need to. Andrew Weaver shows us how, in the long run, a lot really doesn’t matter after all.
Moderating Blog Comments. Always guaranteed to be a hot topic, the question of whether blog comments should be moderated didn’t disappoint over at Spin Sucks. Read the post, then join the great debate inside the comments.
10 Smart, Thought-Provoking Comments from the Future Buzz Community. I’m a big believer in a blog only being as good as its community makes it. Adam Singer clearly agrees, as he highlights some of the best from his.
The Boy with the Bread. Okay, I’m cheating a little here by sharing one of my own. But this might help you understand why size doesn’t always matter; it’s how you share bread that does.

Hopefully I?ve satiated your thirst with these drinks. But now I?m thirsty. So, what would you suggest I drink ? any recommendations?

image: dolmansaxlil

Teens and Social Media Bullying – Why Find Help App is So Important

Go to Google and type in anything about teen bullying and social media and you’ll find no end of results of tragic stories.

From “normal” school bullying (though there’s nothing normal about any kind of bullying) to being harassed for your sexuality, the ability to easily bully teens online seems to be at an all-time high.

Which is why a new Facebook app from SafetyWeb could be a key tool in combating the issue.

Find Help on Facebook

Conceived by leading web-based monitoring company SafetyWeb, the Find Help app makes it incredibly easy for teens to connect with the right channels for their immediate needs.

By installing the app on Facebook, any teen can report abuse, bullying, sexual harassment and other issues directly to Facebook officials.

Additionally, they will also be connected to professionals and counselors in the area of help they need, from drug abuse, alcohol abuse, cyberbullying, child sexual predators and more.

Teens will get access to the likes of The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline, as well as The National Suicide Prevention Hotline and Facebook’s own Abuse Reporting help centre.

Why Find Help Is Important

While we often look at social media as a great place for connections to business and customers, it’s easy to forget that there’s a huge teenage market out there too.

MySpace is a perfect example where teens can be easily approached, due to its demographic audience of teens and their favourite indie music bands. Facebook is also hugely popular with this audience, sadly highlighted by recent news stories about teen suicides as a result of bullying on Facebook Groups. Something not helped when school officials themselves are the bullies.

We’ve all been teens and remember how it wasn’t easy to talk to our parents about everything. Add to that the “shame” often felt when kids see themselves as different in any way, and you can see why so many teens feel alone online.

The new Find Help app for Facebook from SafetyWeb is a huge step in helping teens through what is often the most difficult time in their lives. It’s a shame that it’s needed at all, but sometimes the bad has to happen for the good to win out.

What’s your take – is this something you can see working? And what else would you like to see in place to help teens online?