Take Permission

The Right Tools & Mindset For Success

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Why Businesses Stink at Social Media – Permission

They don’t ask for permission.

Last week Old Spice showed the world how to use social media. They took one character who had been featured in less than five television commercials and produced over 100 commercials/videos in one day. It worked because they used tools and sites that require permission and options.  Here are their YouTube results as of 7/19/2010

Old Spice used Twitter (which requires you get someone’s permission before you can talk to them) to start their campaign. The videos they created were in response to Twitter messages and were posted on YouTube. That means that people had the choice to watch non-Old Spice videos when they arrived at their destination.  Old Spice resisted the temptation to change the surfing habits of users.  People like sites they’re familiar with. Businesses spend thousands of dollars to build a web site that very few of their customers go to. Old Spice understands that I’m already going to YouTube today so they showed up there.

Social media begins with permission. I see television, print and radio advertising happening like this..
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Your business could miss the whole conversation

According to a New York Times article it seems that Neilsen figured out that we spend 22% of our internet time on social networking activities.  I think that number is going to grow substantially.

In just one year the amount of social time has almost doubled from 3.5 hours to almost six hours a month.  

The momentum of social sites is unparalleled.  How can businesses take advantage of this growth?
How can your business position itself to be part of the future of the web (which has everything to do with “social” sites)?  Here are four fundamentals to move your business forward so they can be a part of the future of the web.

1. Stake your name or someone else will

BP learned this when they didn’t take the name of BPGlobalPR on Twitter.  This is what you find now when you search for “BP Twitter” in Google. The top four links are about the fake BP Twitter account.

Stake your claim to domains too. Get the .com, .net, .org and any other identity that could help or hurt your brand.  Get the YouTube channel name, the Facebook fan page name…you get the idea.  To see if they’re available use this tool [Read more…]

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If your business uses Twitter you probably don't suck

I was in Indianapolis in a very nice hotel and my kids had just gone to bed when I sent the above Tweet.  I was shopping for a hotel room in Des Moine, Iowa on Orbitz, Travelocity, Kayak and Priceline.  I got frustrated because for as many “deals” as I found I still felt like I was relying on computer algorithms and paid for placements than real people who had slept in the places I was sorting through.  I sent out the message and other than a link to a similar travel search site’s results the only other reply I got was…


(Click here or the Tweet to see their link)

Twitter isn’t for everyone and in fact a lot of research shows that Twitter (for all the hype it gets) is mostly made up of nerdy, techy, younger crowds of people.  That being said, I still love Twitter and I think it’s going to be a medium of communication for a long, long time.  If you’re a brand and you’re not on Twitter then you might suck. Your target market might not be on Twitter and that’s valid. Sitting on the sidelines because you don’t like the game isn’t going to make Twitter go away though.  When I got the above Tweet from Country Inns and Suites in Clive, Iowa I thanked them for their response and visited their web site.  Then I screwed up.

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Television advertising is the only way to go!

kid watching tv

(If you don’t like sarcasm then please stop reading now.)

Television advertisements are the ONLY medium I suggest you promote your business with for the following reasons:

• Consumers believe your claims automatically
• No one skips commercials
• People often send copies of tv commercials they like to their friends on VHS tapes
• It’s very affordable compared to creating excitement through on-line communities
• You have my attention because I am watching tv primarily because I want to see your commercials
• 30 second commercials give me plenty of time to remember your location, phone number and the details of your special.
• You can change your ad instantly!
• The #1 activity people do while watching tv is sleep so you’re guaranteed to penetrate their subconscious mind. (the sleeping part is true…subconscious mind penetration, not so much)

Social media isn’t the ONLY way or the BEST way to market all brands and services.  Television advertising is expensive for most and ineffective for just as many because of its limitations.  If you disagree with me answer this question in the comments section.  If you own a DVR how many commercials do you watch during an hour of television watching?  I’m just sayin’…