Danny Brown

podcaster - author - creator

Guest Posts

Are You Strategic? by Mark W. Schaefer

How are you trying to create competitive advantage for you and your company?

More advertising?

    More time on the social web?

      Work longer hours?

        Cutting costs?

          All of these tactics can provide short-term gains ? but they?re not really strategic. Your competitors are probably trying to do the same thing, aren?t they?? So if they are, how is this going to create ADVANTAGE for YOU?? There is only one way to create competitive advantage in the long-term:

          Listen to your customers more effectively and respond more rapidly than your competitors.

          That?s it.

          I?ve just saved you a ton of money on business books because every successful strategy is based on this idea and every great product innovation has this concept at its foundation. So if times are still tight and you’re looking to make cuts in your business, don?t jeopardize your relationships with your customers.? In fact, this is the time to embrace them more tightly.

          The social web provides a great way to connect more deeply with customers. Mastering that skill really can lead to competitive advantage.? So even when times are tough, keep listening, keep responding, keep innovating!

          About the author: Mark W. Schaefer is the Executive Director of Schaefer Marketing Solutions, and has more than 25 years of global sales and marketing experience as well as advanced degrees in business and applied behavioral sciences. You can follow Mark on Twitter or read his daily blog to learn more.

          It?s Not Rocket Science. A Retrospect at One Year of Community Building

          This is a guest post from Matt Cheuvront and is part of the Guest Blog Grand Tour over at Life Without Pants ? an epic journey of over 75 guest posts.

          Want to learn more about Matt & see how far the rabbit hole goes? Subscribe to the Life Without Pants RSS feed & follow him on Twitter to keep in touch!

          I?m still a newb to this whole blogging thing.

          Those of you who know me might think I?m talking crazy, but no, seriously, this is still a relatively new scene to me when I think about the fact that a year ago ? I wasn?t here, I didn?t have a blog, I knew none of you reading this, and I was at a completely different place in my life.

          But in the past year ? some pretty amazing things have happened both on and off my blog. I?ve met some amazing people, established a steady secondary income as a freelance designer and consultant, and have developed a fully interactive and thriving community of readers who genuinely push me to be at my best.

          Recently I?ve had the pleasure of sitting down with a couple of people I really respect who wanted to interview me as an ?up and coming? thought leader. It?s extremely humbling to be considered in that light ? and in each of our conversations, I?ve been asked one common question: ?How did you build your community??

          That?s the $100 question isn?t it? As bloggers we all want to know how to get people talking, how to get more RSS subscribers, more followers on Twitter, and so on. For most of us, we establish a niche, and they we start thinking about how to grow our community and spread our voice to a wider audience.

          Now first and foremost ? while flattered by what some may think ? I?m no thought leader in this area. I have no professional credentials to back anything up ? but a little bit of real life experience can go a long way. Looking back as I approach the one year anniversary of my blog ? here are seven things I?ve done to build and nurture my blog community.

          I set out to create ?more than a blog? from day one

          This was imperative for me. I?ve had my share of blogging flops in the past ? with Life Without Pants, in what was maybe a desperate initial attempt to not become TOO specific in my overall theme, I set out to create a platform that was free form ? much more than a blog ? but rather a pedestal for people to come and share ideas. My style of writing actively promotes discussion ? even going so far as to objectively ask questions in every post to get people thinking about a response. A blog should be a learning experience for both you and your readers ? thus the more you can promote that level of engagement, the better.

          I?ve found ways to relate personal experiences to applicable scenarios for my readers

          At the end of the day ? your readers care much less about your actual blog and much more about the person behind it (that would be you). I recently wrote a post on the topic ? but in a nutshell, while you need to find ways to relate your content to the audience, you should never forget the one thing that makes your blog unique ? YOUR perspective. Share personal stories, be opinionated, take a stance, use real life examples ? and then open the floor for discussion.

          I?ve replied to 99% of every comment received

          From day one I told myself that I would respond to EVERY comment I?ve received and, for the most part, I?ve stayed true to this mantra. Even on posts that have had 100+ comments, I?ve invested the time into responding (thoughtfully) to every comment. The goal? Not to say ?thanks for the comment? ? but to take things a step further ? ask another question, get people thinking even more. If you look through my archives ? the comments section is always much more valuable and interesting than the post itself.

          I actively promote the members of my community

          Promoting, appreciating, and thanking the people who take the time to visit your blog is so important, yet often forgotten. We are absolutely inundated with the amount of content that is thrown at us from every direction, so for someone to pick YOUR blog read out of the million other ones out there should mean a lot. Take time to go the next step OFF your blog ? send a personal email, follow up with your readers ? visit THEIR blogs and get involved in their communities. Building a community is much easier when you have a group of readers who know you actually care about them.

          I?ve gotten everyone involved with projects and ideas

          E-books, video projects, guest posting ? just a few of the things I?ve done over at my blog to involve my community. A community isn?t led by one dictator, but rather should be a place where many people can come and share ideas ? not only in replying to comments and being good readers, but in creating some of the content itself. Share the wealth and volunteer your blog as a place for community to assemble and collaborate. It?s a 100% win-win situation for everyone involved.

          I invent new ways to share content

          Traditional blogging is still the way to go most of the time ? people like to read and respond to blog posts ? but I have integrated new media into my scheme as well. By using video and podcasting, I keep the content fresh and offer unique ways for people to enjoy the things I?m doing. Plus it challenges me as the manager of my blog to think of new ways to share perspective.

          I see my blog as an investment

          This is THE bottom line when it comes to blogging. A blog is a commitment, a community is an investment. You get what you give. You can still have a life outside of these online walls, but building a community comes down to being present and engaged in what?s going on throughout this space. Budget time every day to work on blogging initiatives, without distractions. Make it a real investment and when you do ? the results will speak for themselves.

          Are You Online Right Now?

          This is a guest post from close friend and writer?Christina Kingston, who blogs over at CtKingston.com and is one of my 10 Bloggers to Watch in 2010.

          If you’re online right now then?

          Who’s watching rickety, old, near-death grandpa?
          Who’s feeding the children?
          Who’s French kissing the wife?

          I was chatting with good friend and fellow blogger, Danny Brown, randomly discussing a multitude of topics. We touched upon one that made us both laugh.

          The questions above, though harrowing, propelled a few snickers in regards to the “topic” we chuckled over, which boils down to web time spent versus real life squandered.

          Danny suggested I write it up as a guest post on his site, but as time passed and rough drafts got cranked out, scattering by my desk side, I began to feel this particular blog might be too offensive for many of my career-oriented, married-with-children friends. It might even be offensive to my very close single friends who are sadly barren, unloved, lonely, and all alone without a clue how to survive in the workplace. I love these people.

          Normally I have no problem being aggressive in prose or real life. I can easily blame my parents for this failing and that’s always a relief. Someone to blame. Once in a while I phone my folks, thanking them profusely for being such rotters. So rotten that their actions provided me with an infinite excuse. They hate those calls, but so be it, suck on it Ma and Pa! They know what they’ve done.

          But this blog thing? I thought maybe I could just soft-pedal the initial idea so as not to appear accusatory of anyone I personally know, the ones who give the web their undivided attention, meanwhile habitually ignoring their wives, husbands, bfs, gfs, friends, children, jobs?

          But no way, that’s what the whole piece was supposed to be about — the anti-social aspects of social networking as it pertains to the love showered on strangers, as opposed to the rampant disregard for those closest to us.


          Although I see this kind of neglect often, I certainly wouldn’t map out anyone’s Internet timeline to prove how nearly impossible it’d be to find space where they might have had a moment to ask, “Hi kids, how was school?”? Or even microwave a meal for themselves. And the married ones, do they ever talk with their spouses? They are online far too often to have sex with them, that’s clear.

          And is the company they work for paying any attention to their sloppy work ethic? How much longer can these people keep a job? How many of these human animals once had an active social life, solid relationship and successful career only to blindly watch it dwindle while they squander away the hours on a social networking site? This question seemed like a good, possibly very serious blog idea.

          But the more I spun it the more it felt potentially a tiny-bit rude.

          I’m sure others will and or have tackled this dilemma. However, this kind of dicey subject will probably never be written by me.

          But I’ll still wonder, “Who is feeding the children?” I also might think, “It’s no wonder your mate is cheating on you,” and occasionally imagine, “Of course your company flounders and you have zero job security.” I kinda might ponder such things every once in awhile, but I sure won’t be bringing it up in public.

          Maybe Danny will? You’ll have to ask him. Actually don’t ask him, I doubt either one of us has much interest in that sort of discussion.

          Please leave your thoughts below.

          Why Would You Bother to Comment?

          This is a guest post following a great chat I had with Valerie Merahn Simon, and is a nice follow-up on my recent post about Twitter and blog comments.

          If you?re like me, you read a lot of blog posts. Many of them are good posts. Some you?ll even share via Twitter or email. But only once in a while will you be motivated to comment. Commenting is a contribution. It requires time and effort and thought.

          So why are readers willing to invest themselves in someone else?s blog post?

          Controversy

          Sometimes it?s hard not to ?jump in?. When David Mullen & Lauren Fernandez asked Should Newspaper Have Outed an Intern for Plagerism? on Communications Catalyst, 107 comments ensued. A recent post on the Bad Pitch Blog regarding the controversial outing of the ?reverse bad pitch? of ?Mike Hendricks and the Laws of Shamelessness? resulted in 57 comments.

          Another Bad Pitch post entitled ?Simply put, thank you? about the very successful Bad Pitch Blog Night School garnered 0 comments. Of course controversy does not have to mean scandal. One of the most highly commented recent posts on Marketing Profs Daily Fix was Help! I Have Social Media Rejction Syndrome which inspired a spirited debate over whether it is appropriate to connect with those you don?t know on LinkedIn.

          Expertise

          Do you believe you can offer value and insights to the conversation? That the post needs your expertise? When Jeremy Porter posted The Best Schools for Journalism on Journalistics, his community was well prepared to contribute (28 comments). Whether they agreed with the schools on his list, or they felt he left off a school, his readers know journalism schools and felt compelled to share their opinions.

          Similarly when Lauren Ferenandez asked her readers The 1.2 Million Definitions of PR: What?s your take? a discussion including 50 comments emerged. Her community understood the question, had an opinion and felt that were well suited to make a contribution to the conversation.

          Questions

          Is the blog a conversation with the reader, or simply offering a monologue? Jerimiah Owyang does a fantastic job of integrating questions alongside valuable insights to engage readers. A great example of this is Owyang?s recent post How to Kick Start a Community- An Ongoing List. With 72 comments the list did become a community undertaking.

          Chris Brogan offers a similar example with his recent Simple Touch Points of Loyalty post, which offered 9 Simple Touchpoints of Loyalty and asked for help identifying more. Over 112 comments followed. One of his least commented posts Why I Will Promote Teaching Sells (just 8 responses) doesn?t speak to readers, so much as speak at them. In his words, ?I wanted to share that with you clearly, and tell you a bit about the program, what I like about it, and then, I?ll let you go take a look for yourself.?

          Does every post demand comments and interaction? Not necessarily.

          Many of my favorite bloggers, brilliant thought leaders such as Shel Holtz, rarely receive more than a comment or two per post. These posts may be viewed by hundreds and shared by many, yet fail to evoke the often elusive comment. There is a unique skill, an art even, to crafting posts that elicit a written reaction from readers.

          What was the last post you commented on? Why were you compelled to leave a comment?

          Valerie Merahn Simon serves as a Senior Vice President at BurrellesLuce media monitoring and measurement, and writes a national public relations column for examiner.com. She is also co-founder and host of #PRStudChat, a monthly twitter chat between PR professionals and students moderated by Deirdre Breakenridge. She can be found on Twitter or LinkedIn and once in a while, if sufficiently motivated, commenting or even guest posting on a blog!

          Blogger Outreach 2.0

          This is a guest post from Christina Klenotic. Christina is a vice president at Dix & Eaton who specializes in digital communications, media relations and guerrilla marketing. You can visit Christina on Twitter or visit her on her blog, Beyond Social.

          It?s been just over 30 days since Mom Dot launched its PR Blackout Challenge. The controversy was covered by a number of bloggers and mainstream media, including Danny Brown, Dave Fleet, Newsweek and PBS. So what have we learned?

          As a PR professional who routinely works with clients on traditional and blogger relations campaigns, my most important takeaway is that pitching media bloggers and working with indie/mommy bloggers are two very different things. Here are four reasons why:

          Not all bloggers are journalists

          Outreach to indie bloggers who are not tied to a media outlet, like mommy bloggers, should be much different than traditional PR pitching to media bloggers. Think of the word ?pitch? as a swear word. Instead, engage bloggers in conversation to forge a relationship and accept their honest feedback when they give it.

          For moms who write about their experiences as a mom and occasionally pimp out a brand they love, more often than not a giveaway in exchange for an unbiased review is the way to go. The benefit to a company is that an influencer of its target audience will serve as a one-woman focus group about its experience. Blog followers who chime in after a post with their own feedback are a bonus.

          Commercial blogging is here to stay

          The evolving commercial momosphere was a hot topic during July?s BlogHer Business conference. While the controversy over the concept of mommy blogging becoming too commercial is not expected to dissipate anytime soon, there is an audience of bloggers who embrace their mommy blogger label and also welcome working with PR pros.

          Transparency is non-negotiable

          Because mommy blogger endorsements are under the microscope, it?s paramount for both PR professionals and bloggers to disclose expectations and commercial ties up front. Following the FTC?s guidelines for blog product endorsements is the only option that preserves credibility on both sides and is fair to readers.

          Strategic targeting is essential

          More than ever before, PR pros need to be very savvy in helping clients select the right bloggers to approach who can make a positive impact on potential customers. Mommy bloggers are not homogenized. Some write about their experience as a mom related to a niche such as travel, home improvement, work/life balance, etc. It?s a no-brainer that reading and following a blog is the only way to get a sense of whether a blog?s target audience and your client?s are a good fit.

          Thoughts?