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Social Pollination

Ask questions and share your favorite resources, links, and tips about social media marketing for small business. Let's chat!

Network Leader: Monica O'Brien

Groups > Social Pollination

Timothy Johnson III I'm considering signing up for the Brazen U Social Media Boot Camp course and I wanted to know which fellow Brazens took the course. What was the real-world impact for you, post-Bootcamp? How did it the course improve your social media efforts and know-how for your current job or side-gig? I'd love to get some feedback from Brazen community and I'm looking forward to hearing about your experiences. Thanks a lot!

14 weeks ago from Freelancing, Generation Y Marketers, Social Media Marketing, Social Pollination and Brazen Bloggers 3 more

Kate Davids and karizmatikalem recommended this

Timothy Johnson III: Thanks for the recommendations, @Kate and @Kariz. I actually signed up for the Brazen Boot Camp within the last two weeks and I'm working through ...MoreThanks for the recommendations, @Kate and @Kariz. I actually signed up for the Brazen Boot Camp within the last two weeks and I'm working through all the material. So far, so good! I'm really looking forward to how measure the results of one's social media efforts and link that to dollars and cents.
12 weeks ago

Gian Hilario: I stumbled upon Hootsuite University offering the same (and it comes with a badge). I wonder how helpful these social media "courses" really are. ...MoreI stumbled upon Hootsuite University offering the same (and it comes with a badge). I wonder how helpful these social media "courses" really are. Has anyone here tried any of these? If they're any good, how are they closing the gap between social media theory and praxis ?
9 weeks ago

Rebecca Thorman If you had $10K for social media outreach, how would you use it? Would you combine with other forms of media/marketing/advertising? Would you create campaigns or contests? Pay bloggers? Buy into a word of mouth service? Invest in analytics? The sky is the limit! What would you do?

90 weeks ago from Social Media Marketers, Social Media Analytics, Social Media and Social Pollination 2 more

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Kristen Creager: Facebook ads, Twitter ads and viral videos.
55 weeks ago

JRandom42: Use it to leverage a buyout of Twitter and shut it down.
55 weeks ago

Timothy Johnson III I read this fantastic article in the Wall Street Journal, "How to Get a Real Education", by Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert: http://on.wsj.com/getarealedu - after reading the article, please answer this question in the comments: "How do you combine your disparate skills together to create value that sets you apart?" I can't wait to read your responses!

58 weeks ago from Creatively Inspired, Brazen Bloggers, Social Pollination, #HireFriday and Social Entrepreneurs 3 more

Deborah Rye recommended this

Ryan Healy So what do you guys think of the new Facebook "follow" option? http://tcrn.ch/9132AK I think it could have a huge impact on how much information is available and able to be viewed by people. I'm surprised Facebook didn't make a big deal out of it, but it makes sense because its probably not something that all people will be in love with and it obviously makes Facebook more useful to marketers etc. Wouldn't be surprised to see an increase in number of friend rejections...

87 weeks ago from Social Media, Social Media Marketers, Social Pollination and Entrepreneurs 2 more

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Bryon Ownby: Quite interesting. I agree @Patrick, a good move by shaping their privacy settings.
87 weeks ago

Elizabeth Marling: This strikes me as a way for FB to circumvent their own privacy options. Bottom line is they have to make money somehow. But the thing people ...MoreThis strikes me as a way for FB to circumvent their own privacy options. Bottom line is they have to make money somehow. But the thing people love about FB (or, have until now) was that it maintained some level of privacy and allowed for genuine communication. Myspace, for example, has become a series of one-page ads for bands, porn stars, movies, etc. The content has to be geared for mass public viewing, so what choice does one have but to create an ad for him/herself?
87 weeks ago

Timothy Johnson III Is your headshot on your business card or social media profile outdated? Get a brand-spanking new one taken by Elizabeth Williams, one of our fellow Brazen Careerists, on August 17th, at Launchpad Creatives in Woodbridge, NJ. Details here: http://ow.ly/d/5CL. And, as a bonus, you'll get to meet both Elizabeth and I in real life! How cool is that? Hope to see some of you next week!

93 weeks ago from Social Pollination, Social Media Marketers, Social Entrepreneurs, Brazen Careerists in New York City and Jersey Pride!3 more

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Timothy Johnson III: Hi John. Thank you for the fantastic comment, which is spot on! I just added you as a fan on Brazen! Definitely feel free to shoot me an email ...MoreHi John. Thank you for the fantastic comment, which is spot on! I just added you as a fan on Brazen! Definitely feel free to shoot me an email at tjohnson3@gmail.com
93 weeks ago

Darren Lott: Hi, I don't need a photo at the moment and it would be difficult for you to take it as I am based in Australia but you might like to enter our ...MoreHi, I don't need a photo at the moment and it would be difficult for you to take it as I am based in Australia but you might like to enter our photo competition - ends August. www.worldchangenow.com
92 weeks ago

Monica O'Brien Hi everyone! We read about how traditional media outlets are struggling to sell ads and digital media is the new way to reach your audience. My question is: What is the biggest challenge you face with marketing your products or services online right now?

104 weeks ago from Social Pollination, Advertising Professionals, Ask A Coach, Brand Managers and Government and Public-Sector 3 more

Sadya Siddiqui and Aamer Iqbal recommended this

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Kevin Garcia: Olivier Blanchard recently reposted a fantastic and slideshare presentation on measuring ROI for digital (and social) media: MoreOlivier Blanchard recently reposted a fantastic and slideshare presentation on measuring ROI for digital (and social) media: http://kgcr.co/dhMLLc
94 weeks ago

Kerry Kyd: I just facilitated a session with some pretty heavy hitters in digital advertising earlier this wk. There seem to be 2 major challenges: 1- sloppy ...MoreI just facilitated a session with some pretty heavy hitters in digital advertising earlier this wk. There seem to be 2 major challenges: 1- sloppy planning- people think that on-line marketing has different rules to traditional planning. It still requires great ideas, excellent execution, relevant content...In fact probalbly more than ever, because opting out is really a click away
2: marketers not truly comminiting to getting this right. On-line needs longer term planning to stretch the idea out over time & resource to keep a high qual chatter going
94 weeks ago

Timothy Johnson III Hi everyone. Curious if anyone here are still huge fans of podcasts through iTunes. And if so, what are some of your favorites? One of my new favorites is Podrunner, which provides fantastic workout mixes for the gym!

94 weeks ago from Social Pollination, Blogging Ideas, Brazen Foodies, Jersey Pride! and Brazen Careerists on Facebook 3 more

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Thelma: @Copper - Radiolab is amazing. I recently listened to "Oops", released June 28, 2010. The story about Harvard blew my mind. Moth Stories is ...More@Copper - Radiolab is amazing. I recently listened to "Oops", released June 28, 2010. The story about Harvard blew my mind. Moth Stories is another good one.
Thanks for all the other suggestions, including Podrunner. Here's the link to "Oops":
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/oops/id152249110?i=84450509

94 weeks ago

Melissa Breau: @Thelma - I didn't know there was a moth podcast! I've been to the live events and love the stories... I'll totally have to check out the podcasts.
94 weeks ago

Rebecca Thorman Maybe this is a stupid question - I get annoyed that I can get notifications about every little thing on my personal FB acc't, but on my company's FB fan page where it's super important? No notifications. Am I missing the place to turn these on?

97 weeks ago from Social Media, Social Media Marketers and Social Pollination 1 more

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Mehul Kar: i think that's just markey-mark being confused about the purpose of facebook. on a separate but related note, I think they should get rid of fan ...Morei think that's just markey-mark being confused about the purpose of facebook. on a separate but related note, I think they should get rid of fan pages all together now that you can "like" webpages...there's really no reason to have fan pages.
97 weeks ago

Mehul Kar: i take the last part, there are some fan pages out there that are building fantastic community. i must have not been thinking when i said that ...Morei take the last part, there are some fan pages out there that are building fantastic community. i must have not been thinking when i said that they were completely useless.
97 weeks ago

Timothy Johnson III Hi guys. I need some help. I'm currently handling the social media campaign for a few clients - namely updating their Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn pages via Hootsuite. The task in and of itself is easy. The hard part is that I feel "fake", instead of "authentic". How do you develop an "authentic" voice when managing social media updates for someone else? Has anyone else had this problem? How did you go about solving it? Thanks in advance!

98 weeks ago from Blogging Ideas, Social Media Marketers, Social Media Marketing, Social Pollination and Brazen Bloggers 3 more

Sadya Siddiqui recommended this

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Annabel Candy: Came to give my comment and see that everyone else has alreay left the same advice I was going to give. I don't think you should do it unless you ...MoreCame to give my comment and see that everyone else has alreay left the same advice I was going to give. I don't think you should do it unless you dig the company and/or products. I suppose that's the ideal situation and if you can't do that you'll have to do a little method acting so you can enthuse appropriately:) Good luck!
97 weeks ago

Sadya Siddiqui: @Timothy & @Paul - i've recently joined the bandwagaon ..its not that we dont care , its just that when we run our own 'personal" brands along ...More@Timothy & @Paul - i've recently joined the bandwagaon ..its not that we dont care , its just that when we run our own 'personal" brands along with these other brands , there seems to be some sort of dissonance. for me i'm actually jealous of my own work ! i think im doing so much better handling the corporate SM accounts than im doing my own. While I'm still trying to figure it out...I think its best not to do both simultaneously -schedule different times for your personal brand and for the corporates.
97 weeks ago

Monica O'Brien Hello! I'm working on a free product to help people market their products and services digitally. I think the product will be pretty substantial, like a series of hour-long videos or webinars with live Q&A at the end. In other words, lots of value! If digital media marketing is something that interests you, do you mind taking my survey? It's only three questions and takes less than five minutes: http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dEpwZ2NRSjBOdHFfQVdsUk90... Thanks!

101 weeks ago from Social Media Marketers, Social Pollination, Write a Book!, Entrepreneurs and Web Startups 3 more

Marian Heddesheimer recommended this

Marian Heddesheimer: That's a great idea. I just filled out the survey. Thanks for the offer.
101 weeks ago

Ryan Healy So what do you guys think of Zuckerberg's response to the privacy controversy in the Washington Post today? He didn't sound overly apologetic, but I think it was handled well. I'm still confused as to why he waited so long to talk though. http://bit.ly/cDJHBp

104 weeks ago from Upstarts!, Entrepreneurs, Social Media Marketers, Shotgun Startups and Social Pollination 3 more

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Ryan Healy: @zack good point, I have an ubelievable amount of respect for Zuckerberg, he's a genius and he knew what he wanted and didn't let anyone get in ...More@zack good point, I have an ubelievable amount of respect for Zuckerberg, he's a genius and he knew what he wanted and didn't let anyone get in his way. Somehow the guy held on to complete control of a company after raising more than $700 Million...I would love to know what goes on in his mind and behind closed doors.

@Megan - great point, he's not, and I don't think he should be apologetic for trying to open things up. He believes in it like you said. The only mistake was trying to force it on people a little too much.

@Teri - Agreed, he is sincere, but not sorry. And that's all you can ask for.

Thanks for the great responses everyone!

104 weeks ago

Angelo Recaman: @Ryan to being with, What is your definition for privacy? and What are you willing to hide from people? or more gently What do you think is the ...More@Ryan to being with, What is your definition for privacy? and What are you willing to hide from people? or more gently What do you think is the common "stuff" that people prefer to avoid in public view?
104 weeks ago

Ryan Paugh Check out these 10 brands that are using Foursquare for marketing: http://bit.ly/bPR0wS Have any of these campaigns been on your radar? I haven't stumbled across any of them except for in Mashable and TechCrunch articles? I'm wondering if any of these campaigns actually paid off or if they were total flops ... Maybe it's too early to tell. Anybody know anything?

105 weeks ago from FourSquare for Business, Social Media, Social Media Marketers and Social Pollination 2 more

Ryan Healy and Patrick Pho recommended this

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Ryan Paugh: @Elizabeth: Very interesting. I'm wondering if these big-name campaigns are only taking place in select cities. I live in Madison, WI and there ...More@Elizabeth: Very interesting. I'm wondering if these big-name campaigns are only taking place in select cities. I live in Madison, WI and there are only a couple business that I know of who have adopted Foursquare.

I feel so out of the loop! We JUST got Groupon which I consider a big win :)
105 weeks ago

Elizabeth Williams: Ryan, I think you really hit on why some people love Foursquare and others have no idea why: location.

Foursquare is favored in big, Midatlantic ...MoreRyan, I think you really hit on why some people love Foursquare and others have no idea why: location.

Foursquare is favored in big, Midatlantic cities, especially New York (though I'm closer to the Philadelphia area and it's all over here as well as DC. Harvard University has also officially adopted it and created some Harvard/Cambridge specific badges.) Foursquare was brought down to SxSW last year and made it's triumphant return this year, but if you're not the kind of nerd into SXSW, you wouldn't know that (and even if you'd heard, you probably wouldn't care).

Gowalla, by contrast, is practically an official city institution in San Fransisco, from what I understand. Most of the people I know in the SoCal and surrounding area (Vegas, AZ, etc.) favor Gowalla.

So, for me as a Midatlantic girl, everwhere I go there is Foursquare. My friends are on Foursquare. In the small, suburban town where I live, I was just thrown out of mayor office of my local mom and pop bakery today on Foursquare. It's huge here. But, I imagine, once you get away from the major cities in this area, it hasn't spread that far yet.
104 weeks ago

Ryan Healy Check out Zuckerberg's keynote live at F8 in about 5 minutes http://apps.facebook.com/feightlive/

109 weeks ago from Social Media, Social Media Marketers and Social Pollination 1 more

Mike Dammann recommended this

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: Ryan--thanks for the heads-up on the Zuck presentation--some exciting announcements--what did you think?
109 weeks ago

Ryan Healy: I thought it was great! Facebook is really doing some great things, and they are truly socializing the web. Granted, they are "Facebooking" the ...MoreI thought it was great! Facebook is really doing some great things, and they are truly socializing the web. Granted, they are "Facebooking" the web, but I think that's OK. Someone has to do it.
@Sean - thats a great question and something I have to look into, I don't think its that drastic of a difference for us, but there are probably some things we could do to encourage more activity via FB Connect users, especially with some of these new tools they rolled out today.
109 weeks ago

Rebecca Thorman So, what do you all think about the the new "Like" vs "Fan" on Facebook? Are you planning on changing your language on your site and in emails ("Like us on Facebook" from "Fan us on Facebook") Facebook says they hope the action will feel much more lightweight, and that it will increase the number of connections made across the site. Will it make a difference? Will it depend on the brand?

109 weeks ago from Marketing Psychology, New Media Marketing, Social Media Marketers, Social Media and Social Pollination 3 more

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Jenn Pedde: I miss the distinction between fan and like. I also don't like that facebook will now share everything me and my friends do. I've turned the ...MoreI miss the distinction between fan and like. I also don't like that facebook will now share everything me and my friends do. I've turned the feature off. I'm all for a social web and world, but too many people make decisions and judgments and facebook WAS the only place I felt I could be my stupid whacky self, and not the professional version of myself.
108 weeks ago

Gen Y Guru: Hey Rebecca,

If facebook will be doing this all over the web, then they will know exactly the types of things you look at, and "like" great from ...MoreHey Rebecca,

If facebook will be doing this all over the web, then they will know exactly the types of things you look at, and "like" great from a business perspective, scary from a life standpoint. So, I "dislike" that they will have these new "likes" because I know I will start liking everything!
108 weeks ago

Ryan Healy Alicia Keys is using monster to find a new blogger. Could be a cool opp! check it out http://bit.ly/d8A6U6

111 weeks ago from Blogging Ideas, Wordpress Bloggers, Social Media Marketers and Social Pollination 2 more

Mike Ambassador Bruny: Ryan: I was going to go for it, but I don't write much on woman's issues. It is pretty cool though. Keep 'em coming. Your Ambassador, Bruny
108 weeks ago

Tara Joyce My issue with social media is authentic engagement... what practices have you used to get your community authentically and sustainably engaged with your business? As well, how do you encourage the community to engage and learn from each other?

127 weeks ago from Social Pollination

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Monica O'Brien: To answer the other question about encouraging communication, basically just keep asking questions. Interactive content includes stuff like polls, ...MoreTo answer the other question about encouraging communication, basically just keep asking questions. Interactive content includes stuff like polls, short answers, contest entries - basically anything that has to do with asking interesting questions and voting. You will also get more people participating when you make it really easy to respond and interact. The more often people participate, the more likely they are to stay engaged.
127 weeks ago

Tara Joyce: @MonicaO'Brien Awesome. That's very helpful, thank you. I've subscribed to Rich's blog and I liked his thoughts. And I'm going to think over ...More@MonicaO'Brien Awesome. That's very helpful, thank you. I've subscribed to Rich's blog and I liked his thoughts. And I'm going to think over you're great idea about putting ppl in charge.
127 weeks ago

Emily Jasper There are companies out there adopting SM in a way that has nothing to do with their brand, culture, etc. I assume part of it is the peer pressure of "Everyone's doing this, we need to get on board." What are some good tips for perhaps starting slower and using SM to better fit a traditional culture? To still match the brand?

128 weeks ago from Social Pollination

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Monica O'Brien: The other thing is you have to look at your goals before your start. The seven that come up again and again are brand awareness, brand loyalty, ...MoreThe other thing is you have to look at your goals before your start. The seven that come up again and again are brand awareness, brand loyalty, lead generation, R&D, HR recruitment, customer support, and thought leadership. Pick just one or two goals to focus on - that will bring clarity to what the company is doing. Don't try to accomplish too much at once.

I also love what RP said - choose one SM medium and make it awesome! A good example is @foiledcupcakes on Twitter. Check her out!
128 weeks ago

Dustin Goerndt: Theory. SM is essentially be an extension of your office. Generally office conversations, whether with coworkers, customers, or partners, are on ...MoreTheory. SM is essentially be an extension of your office. Generally office conversations, whether with coworkers, customers, or partners, are on topic and about bringing or building value or off topic. SM is about conversation and brands that are good at it are good conversationalists. Where you start depends on what your goals are. Brands with strong SM goals will start where ever is needed or where ever the conversation takes them. Goals = keywords = Monitoring = Being nimble = Better Goals
124 weeks ago

Monica O'Brien If you are looking for up-to-date stats on social media to share with your superiors, Marketing Charts is probably one of my favorite sites to find them. Like this one about Facebook (http://www.marketingcharts.com/interactive/college-students-facebook-onl...) which probably tells us what we already know, but proves the point to clients or coworkers.

128 weeks ago from Social Pollination