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Your Check-in or Like Just Became More Valuable
Do you like to “like” stuff on the web? Or check-in at your favorite coffeehouse in the morning? If you’re anything like me, it’s as much a part of your daily routine as brushing your teeth. Facebook is rolling out a new way for marketers to harness that information and use it as advertisements on the social networking behemoth. From Ad Age:
The unit will give brand-related action such as a “like” or a check-in a lot more visibility on Facebook by adding them to an ad unit in addition to users’ news feeds.
For example, if Starbucks buys a “sponsored story” ad, the status of a user’s friends who check into or “like” Starbucks will run twice: once in the user’s news feed, and again as a paid ad for Starbucks. Though clearly marked with the words “sponsored story,” the ad — which will include a user’s name, just like the news feed — is not optional for Facebook users.
First of all, this is sure to raise the chorus of voices saying Facebook continues down the shadowy path of privacy. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: your privacy on Facebook, and the Internet in general, is not Facebook’s responsibility. Don’t want your info on Facebook? Then don’t BE on Facebook.
Secondly, this is an incredibly valuable tool for marketers. Imagine being able to harness all that word-of-mouth about your brand from all over the country and then TELL people about it; in those people’s own words. Obviously, the danger here is that some negative comments get through, which is bound to happen. However, common sense would dictate if someone is checking into your brand, the three most likely outcomes are: no comment, positive, or neutral. In other words, the benefit of the positive check-in’s far outweighs the potential for negative check-in’s. If you’d rather not take that chance, simply buy the page likes instead.
This is word-of-mouth marketing 2.0. Any REAL comment about your brand is infinitely more valuable than anything you can put in a standard Facebook ad. Or any other kind of ad for that matter.
What do you think? Will this change the face of marketing on Facebook, and potentially the Web, or will this slide by mostly unnoticed?
The future of #cookchat
Today’s chat was the last one I’ll be co-hosting/moderating. I had wanted to have Aurora Meyer take over for Sam, but both of us are just not able to commit to doing the chat at this time for a number of reasons I won’t bore you with.
However, #cookchat will live on as Kate and Jessica will be taking over. I have every faith that #cookchat will grow and flourish under their watch. They both have the drive and passion for cooking and food to take #cookchat to that next level. To be honest, I like to cook, but it’s more of a hobby, less of a true passion. And that’s what the host(s) of this chat really need to have. I look forward to participating in their version of #cookchat in the future and wish them both the best of luck.
Mr. Lipton’s Questions For Marketers (From @TheBrandBuilder)
I was introduced to Joey Strawn on Friday by Gini Dietrich. The first post I saw on Joey’s website was a marketer’s take on James Lipton’s famous 10 Questions from Inside the Actors Studio he got from Olivier Blachard of The Brand Builder. I love this idea, and as I told Joey in the comments, I am stealing it and posting my answers to the 10 questions, but from a PR rather than marketing viewpoint:
What is your favorite public relations word?
It is quickly becoming overused/abused, but engagement.
What is your least favorite public relations word?
Impressions/views
What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally about public relations?
The opportunity to tell a story. Sometimes it is a story that the client didn’t even know was there.
What turns you off about public relations?
I hate how talking points often take precedence over actually communicating. I believe this comes from assuming the audience isn’t intelligent enough to understand what you are talking about, which is a very dangerous assumption.
What’s your favorite curse word when you see really bad PR?
I prefer the time-honored classic, “shit”.
What sound or noise do PR people make that you love?
I absolutely love the sound of others sharing in celebration of friends/colleagues successes.
What sound or noise do PR people make that you hate?
Any sound that implies any coverage a journalist is able to give them isn’t good enough. Be thankful for what you get.
What profession other than PR should PR pros attempt – to become better at public relations?
The obvious one is journalism (which you should try), but I’ll throw waiting tables in there. There is no harder deadline than someone yelling for their food, or ruder when you are late delivering a pizza. The lessons learned doing those jobs are invaluable in PR and business.
What profession should PR pros never try?
Lineman. Not the football kind. The electrical kind.
If PR heaven exists, what would God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
“Well done.”
Let’s have your answers in the comments! Or tell me how wrong my answers are. If you’d like to steal this idea, I’d encourage you to do so, as long as you give credit to Joey and Olivier.
Your Ego Is Nothing To Be Ashamed Of
Having an inflated ego is generally regarded as a bad thing in American society. We love self-confidence, but when someone begins to think of themselves a bit too highly, we rush to take a safety-pin to their ballooned ego. For example:
I mean, the AUDACITY!!!!! 7 months later, that still makes me upset. I digress.
Make no mistake, your ego can get you into trouble, but I contend it is nothing to be ashamed of, and is actually quite important to develop if you want your career to develop along with it. The cruel, harsh, unvarnished truth is this: If you don’t believe in yourself, and know, deep down inside, that you can succeed in whatever your chosen path in life is, you’ll never get to where you want to go.
I think as human beings, we tend to find it easier to believe negative things directed at us, rather than positive. Think about it. How much easier is it for you to process when your boss, or your spouse, or whomever, has a criticism of you? Now think about it when someone compliments you. Personally, it’s easier to accept the negative criticism of myself than any praise I get.
It is so important to remember that you DO know what you’re talking about. You CAN do the things you want to do in your career. The only way you can do that is to develop a strong ego that is able to bounce back and not take the negative to heart, but rather use it as fuel to correct your mistakes, or a desire to prove the one criticizing you wrong. An ego won’t turn people off. However, not keeping it in check will. Take the hype with a grain of salt. Know that you are good because you work at it, not because it’s easy. Self confidence and a healthy ego is one thing. Being LeBron James is quite another.
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