BeforeTheWalls.com

I’m reading a book written by a friend & fellow Austinite (or at least former fellow since I’m now in Germany), Dave Evans. The books was published last fall - called Social Media Marketing - An Hour a Day.

First, if you don’t know Dave Evans - @evansdave - you should. He’s a top tier marketing guy, author, blogger, previous agency exec - and he really gets it. And, don’t let the simple name of this book fool you. There’s no question this can be a great guide either for those who are new to Social Media as a marketing approach or marketing departments who are trying to integrate SM. But, even for those of us who make this New Marketing realm our profession, this book is tremendous. Dave provides history, foundation and context to why word-of-mouth/social connections and influencing conversations is the way we connect with constituents now.

One of the sections that I found fascinating was the discussion of Network Value - including Sarnoff’s Law, Metcalf’s Law and, most relevant to our world now, Reed’s Law. I won’t go into depth, so either buy the book - (page 50) - for great analysis. Or follow the above Wikipedia links.

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Great EMarketer.com article called “Social Network User Demographics” has the following to say, “The share of adult Internet users who have a profile on an online social network site has more than quadrupled since 2005, from 8% to 35%, according to a November–December 2008 Pew Internet & American Life Project survey.”

Now, I’ve been involved in Social Media professionally for years - mainly because I’ve been watching the shifting world of consumer demand for deeper engagement and resistance to traditional advertising, etc. Engaging consumers on behalf of brands is how I make my living - so even though I’m late 30’s, I’ve been involved with many social networks/social media apps for years. (Plus I’m a bit of a geek!)  But, I have noticed this interesting trend where I’m having 3-5 new connections a day from people my age or older - just now taking a dip into things like Facebook and Twitter.

This upward-age trend is not just about software, social networks, or how people are spending their time. It speaks to a much larger societal shift first presented to me as “The 40 Year Pendulum” by the amazing Roy Wiliams at Wizard Academy.

Side Note: If you ever get a chance to hear Roy or attend Wizard Academy - drop everything, sell the car, boat or house to get there - it will change your perspective on the future of business human communications.

I’ve included part of their Survey Chart here, but go check out the full article on EMarketer.com…

UPDATE:

Interesting new stats of Facebook usage increasing with older, wealthy Americans - supports some of my ideas here…

http://www.insidefacebook.com/2009/02/11/facebook-growing-amongst-older-wealthier-americans/

Tags: social networks, Wizard Academy

I’ve made the classic mistake that I preach to my clients never to do - I stopped regular updates on BeforeTheWalls. While I think I have a really good excuse - (see above) - my readers (or your readers) don’t really care. They are looking for great content - in our case insights into New Marketing Strategy and interviews with people who are truly successful implementing these new approaches. I’m sure I’ve not hurt anyone’s feelings - they have simply moved on and I’ve lost momentum. So, if you ever become a client and I preach to you, know that I say it from experience! 

OK - now for my really good excuses…

My partner Chuck and I launched the company that we’ve been brewing for the entire past year. 2008, as it turns out, was one long, boot-strapping hell-ride. But, the end of the year brought the beginnings of what we believe will be a bad ass company and a hell of a lot of fun… which I personally think we deserve after that year of ‘finding ourselves’. Check us out @vibe media - a Branded Media Agency.

My other excuse is that I’ve literally moved across the world. It took no small effort, but we’ve simplified our life down to the core essentials - Amy and I, our animal children (no, they’re actually animals - Izzy(dog), Wolfie(cat) and Maya(bird), and the bare essential stuff. We are now living in the wonderfully amazing city of Hamburg, Germany. Yes, if you can’t tell, I love it here. Cold and blustery, lakes and canals, riding the train or walking everywhere… oh, and have I mentioned the German beer??

I find that most don’t know a lot about Hamburg - check it out - I think you’ll dig it and I definitely recommend you come for a visit. The startup scene is thriving and really open and social media professionals are changing the way German/European companies think of marketing.

More to report soon - I’m back, no more excuses.

Tags: @vibe media, Branded Media Agency, Germany, Hamburg

Today’s interview with David Mullings of RealVibez.tv came from my request for sources on how video is being used to enable PR & media placements. Actually however, David has become more of the “poster child” for why this topic of New Marketing - encompassing Social Media, PR and Content Marketing - can be the most powerful solution to hit the business world since the fax machine.

Read this comprehensive use of all things New Marketing and you’ll begin to understand the power of these approaches.

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Tags: Content Marketing, media placements, Reggae festival, Social Media Marketing, social networking site, Video & PR, video mini-site, YOuTube

Have you seen Wordle yet? We love it! Here is the Wordle of our agency @vibe media. Not only is it beautiful, but captures what we are all about in one single picture! Well, I guess they do say a picture is worth a 1000 words (no I didn’t count)!

Tags: agency @vibe media, Word Cloud, Wordle

So TV commercials are less effective these days than they used to be, so say all the industry pundits and analyst reports. Hmmm, no kidding.

In the wake of this groundbreaking news, brands are diverting marketing/advertising dollars at a record pace to branded entertainment projects in hopes of connecting brand with content people want to watch. The question becomes how to go about it. Obviously brands can simply sponsor existing programming. PBS has sustained itself for years in part to this model. And then there is product placement, which is nothing new, but does having a brand X server in the background or holding a Pepsi can really work? Most examples I have seen are so ridiculously gratuitous as to render the result ineffective. Or least I think it is ineffective…I suppose it could be working subliminally, but let’s not digress into that can of worms.

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Tags: brand marketer, media professionals, New York Magazine, web publisher

How many people really pay attention to press releases? Answer this question: Which has a better chance of getting a story?

A standard press release for a new biography done in the typical fashion or an online documentary series featuring the author and an on-location, behind-the-scenes look at the making of the book? (read: foreshadowing for the second part follow up to this post)

The answer is as old as time. Everyone loves a great story. From the day of the caveman to the modern day movie it is a form of communication written into our very DNA. Journalists have a need to create compelling stories and the easier we make it for them to accomplish the better chance of success our topic has of becoming news. Ford Kanzler, managing partner of Marketing/PR Savvy in El Granada, CA, believes

“gaining effective publicity value often comes from bringing something new, fresh, newsworthy and interesting to an interest group or online network, while subverting the brand marketing message in favor of ‘sponsor or contributor identification only. The promotional benefits accrue from the fact that your organization or company is the one that made or helped make the story come to be seen. Too many marketers and sponsors don’t get this.”

This is precisely where social media, PR2 and content marketing converge.

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Tags: Brian Solis, journalist, media agency, online documentary series, online newsroom, social media newsroom, Todd Defren

A friend of mine is part of a family-owned small group of restaurants. These places are an institution here, the original having been around since the early 1990’s. The newest is in a mid-to-high end suburbs and appeals to well educated, high-tech-oriented 30’s - 50’s something demographic.

He’s trying to grow and make this successful restaurant into an ultra-successful restaurant. Now, he’s also a traditional-marketing-thinking kind of guy. But, he’s realizing, like so many other companies, that his traditional advertising and marketing are no longer having the impact he wants. This target audience does not subscribe to the local paper - they get their news online. They are heavily impacted by social-review sites like Yelp.com. They are Internet-centric people and he has been doing non-Internet-centric marketing.

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Tags: Content Marketing, content synergy method, Social Media Marketing, Transparency

Or does it? Does incorporating multi-media into a press release really make them more effective? The general consensus here is that inclusion of video and other media assets into a broader social media news room format creates a more three dimensional view of a story and company.

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Tags: Content Marketing, Video & PR

All PR firms have their go-to relationships in the press – this is how it works, right? But a logical question pops up given the tectonic shift in information flow from Citizen Journalist or one of a thousand blogs where your audience may consume information. So our question is how can you effectively reach out to all these?

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Tags: Content Marketing, Video & PR