Disqus - Latest Comments for ScottHepburn

Re: Maryland vs Virginia On Solar Power (Infographic)

Scott Hepburn — Fri, 17 May 2013 09:19:41 -0000

Score one for Virginia. One of the things I love about the Virginia/Maryland rivalry is that you could look at a totally different set of metrics and Virginia would win. I feel like these two states push and challenge each other, which is good for both economies and good for the people who live there.

Re: Maryland vs Virginia On Solar Power (Infographic)

Scott Hepburn — Fri, 17 May 2013 09:17:39 -0000

I used to live in Virginia (Alexandria, Falls Church and Fairfax/Chantilly), and I was shocked when I saw the stats. I've always been proud of Virginia's progressiveness when it comes to tech, job creation, etc. Surprise: Maryland is stealing Virginia's lunch money when it comes to solar jobs!

Re: Instagram Followers – Do you need more?

Scott Hepburn — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 09:23:16 -0000

I like this point: "...with so many options for marketing online, Instagram probably should not be your primary method for marketing."

The size of your list has always been a popular marketing metric, from the prehistoric age of direct mail to email marketing and now to Twitter, Facebook, and other social media. Sometimes its a valuable metric, sometimes we inflate its importance. It seems like Twitter and Facebook fueled a "get more followers" bubble that has spilled into lesser platforms like Instagram.

Could there be a benefit to racking up Instagram followers? Sure. But I bet the number of companies winning the marketing game thanks to a massive Instagram following is pretty small.

Find your audience, understand them, deliver content that meets their needs, and engage them in conversation. Sound strategy stays the same, regardless of platform and regardless of follower count.

Also, please follow me on Instagram, Corey ;)

Re: Black Hat Social Media Is Here To Stay

Scott Hepburn — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 16:23:29 -0000

Three signs you're resorting to less than above-board methods:

1. You're a mommy blogger in Charlotte linking to "Tampa personal injury attorney" in your post.

2. Your blog post about Portable Swimming Pool Fences went live half an hour ago and already you have 17 comments.

3. The woman leaping to the defense of your embattled brand created her Facebook account yesterday. Her passionate defense of your brand is her first comment on Facebook.

I'm not talking JUST about the buying of Likes here. There's more to blackhat social media than buying Facebook fans. And let's make sure our language is clear here: There's a difference between "buying fans" (i.e., paying someone to Like your FB page) and buying Facebook ads with the sole objective of gaining more Facebook likes.

I don't support paying someone to Like you on Facebook, and I don't support any use of fakery, fraud or deception in support of marketing or PR.

Re: Black Hat Social Media Is Here To Stay

Scott Hepburn — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 11:51:03 -0000

I don't think Victor's saying the average person could look at a Facebook page and recognize an artificially high number of Likes. I think it's more that the number of likes is artificially high due to unsavory behavior and practices, which a person could detect. Spotting fakery isn't hard...the recent Chick-fil-A example is proof (though I'm not entirely sure who's culpable in that case).

Re: Black Hat Social Media Is Here To Stay

Scott Hepburn — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 11:47:25 -0000

I agree with Corey (I think we're agreeing here) that targeting ads at your competitors' customers isn't really black hat, per se. I'm not even sure it's bad practice. It's COMPETITION. The goal of competition in the marketplace is to show our company is better equipped to meet your needs than the other company.

Re: Black Hat Social Media Is Here To Stay

Scott Hepburn — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 11:43:36 -0000

Aren't you a Patriots fan, Corey? I thought you guys believed the NFL has only one team? ;)

Re: Black Hat Social Media Is Here To Stay

Scott Hepburn — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 16:01:53 -0000

It's like the NFL: The rules are there...it's up to the commissioner to enforce them. The commish turns a blind eye to rule-benders and rule-breakers until it starts to jeopardize the game (translation: Costs someone $$$).

Re: Black Hat Social Media Is Here To Stay

Scott Hepburn — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 15:59:40 -0000

Good stuff, B.

In addition to "black hat SEO" and "black hat social media," I think we should also acknowledge "black hat use of social media for the purpose of SEO." That is, companies that use misleading or deceptive social media tactics to build authority for ranking purposes. I may be splitting hairs, but as search and social become more intertwined, I'm more attuned to how the short cuts in one discipline are becoming short cuts of the other.

Re: Black Hat Social Media Is Here To Stay

Scott Hepburn — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 15:55:11 -0000

You make an important distinction here, Corey. Wrong in the eyes of Google vs. wrong morally/ethically are very different. The trouble is many people can't decide which compass guides their behavior.

It'd be nice if more marketers adhered to a Code of Ethics, rather than a "As long as FB or Google doesn't shut me down, I'll do damn near anything" ethos, but that's just wishful thinking.

Re: Networking, Learning and Connecting at Social Media Conferences

Scott Hepburn — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 12:49:44 -0000

Great job with your session, Sommer. It was nice to meet you -- and welcome to Charlotte!

Re: Marketing on Pinterest Requires a Plan

Scott Hepburn — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 10:50:17 -0000

Typo? Pshaw! Those ARE some "goon" articles ;) Thanks for the heads up, Dawn.

Re: When Should Brands Pay Bloggers?

Scott Hepburn — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 10:21:38 -0000

I think the "offer me something" and "make it worth it" phrasing is the challenge, Joel. What counts as "offering something?" What makes it "worth it?"

Obviously, that answer varies from blogger to blogger. Some enjoy writing about brands they love. They intrinsically enjoy sharing information about products or brands with their readers. Others write about topics that attract more. Some are willing to review a product in exchange for the right to keep the product. Still others want paid in cold, hard cash.

And in each of those scenarios, there are bloggers with reasonable expectations and some whose expectations are a bit ambitious.

There's no right or wrong on this. That'd be true 10 years from now, but it's especially true now when we (bloggers, brands, media companies, etc.) are still trying to make sense of a new landscape. I'm grateful to be among individuals from a wide range of backgrounds who are willing to shape the discussion.

Re: Marketing on Pinterest Requires a Plan

Scott Hepburn — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 08:17:04 -0000

Nice!

I think this illustrates how important it is for your marketing plan to be flexible and able to turn on a dime. If Pinterest is driving sales today, hit it hard. But by next month, it could fade and it'll be time to reallocate your resources. Marketers who stay agile will be best prepared to profit.

Re: Marketing on Pinterest Requires a Plan

Scott Hepburn — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 11:49:24 -0000

Thanks, Callie. As a photographer, I assume you could use Pinterest to showcase your work, find inspiration, share other photos you admire, etc. I also noticed that you work for an engineering firm -- Pinterest might be a way to create a visual showcase of projects the firm has worked on. You could then email a link to existing clients and prospects to help showcase your brand.

The potential is unlimited -- glad to hear you're keeping goals and objectives in mind.

Re: Deleting Negative Facebook Comments Makes a Bad PR Situation Worse

Scott Hepburn — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:48:37 -0000

That thought crossed my mind, but @Gini Dietrich knows this stuff inside-out and backwards, and if she and 10 friends can't find their comments, something's up.

Ironically, it doesn't matter -- the Komen folks could delete 24/7 and not keep up with the torrent of criticisms. Cut off one head, three more grow back...that old story. And honestly, if they choose to spend that much time deleting negative comments, they're ultimately paying for their choices. And that, ultimately, is the best way to test their commitment to those choices.

Re: Deleting Negative Facebook Comments Makes a Bad PR Situation Worse

Scott Hepburn — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:52:53 -0000

Excellent question. I'm gonna throw this out on Twitter to see if we can get some discussion started around this.

Re: Deleting Negative Facebook Comments Makes a Bad PR Situation Worse

Scott Hepburn — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:52:19 -0000

I love this, Lauren. @arikhanson recently asked whether we focus too much on PR failures and do too little to elevate PR and customer service wins like the one you describe. I think the approach of your former company is a model many more brands could use -- we just need to do a better job showing them and convincing them it works.

Re: Deleting Negative Facebook Comments Makes a Bad PR Situation Worse

Scott Hepburn — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:48:55 -0000

I wonder if we'll see a tightening of brands' Facebook comment policies in the future. Despite our belief in a more open comment policy, a huge contingent of brand reputation managers still believe in burying criticism by any means necessary.

As a marketer, I understand the impulse to bury negative comments. Still, it'd be nice if the default response was "How can we do better?" rather than "How can we make this go away?"

Re: Strawberry Banana Doughnuts – {TerraFest2012}

Scott Hepburn — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:58:27 -0000

I just love that you paired doughnuts with a chardonnay. It's like beer and bacon, 'cept for fancy people. ;)

Re: When Should Brands Pay Bloggers?

Scott Hepburn — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:02:05 -0000

Steve, thanks for stopping by and sharing your story. Lots to chew on there! I'll share my thoughts, and I hope others will as well.

The first question, as you've discovered, is to do some soul searching and decide if this blog is a business or a hobby. While it does allow you to combine elements of both, your goals may change based on your answer, as will your strategy and your perspective on the investments you make in the blog.

Providing a channel to write creatively about your passion is a perfectly acceptable goal. So is offsetting the expenses of your hobby. Generating profits is a good goal, too. As your blog grows, your goals might change.

My one rule of thumb: Be true to yourself and true to your readers. Once you let the money lead you, your relationship with (and appeal to) your audience begins to ever so subtly change.

Banner ads: If you can get some ad revenue from 'em, great. You'll need to consider your audience size, their niche-y-ness, and how engaged they are when you think about rates. Some advertisers focus on reach or impressions, others want to reach a smaller but highly targeted audience, and others look to see how engaged the community of readers is.

In my experience, you'll always attract less ad revenue than you think, and advertisers will always get weaker results than they desire. Set realistic expectations for yourself and your advertisers.

As for reviews: I'm not a fan of charging for reviews. There are some who argue otherwise -- after all, a review requires work -- but I find the practice distasteful. Would you eat at a steak restaurant, then charge the restaurant owner if you wrote a review? No. And if you did, I'd question the integrity of your review. Money has a funny way of influencing even when we think it doesn't, even when we have the purest of intentions.

Here's the thing: You can't have a blog, then complain that it's hard work and expect someone to pay you for creating its content. You're a publisher now. If you were running a newspaper, you'd have to write the articles, take the photos, design the layout. This is the work you do to produce a product that attracts an audience. You make your money by producing a quality product that there's strong demand for. Then you charge your readers (a la newspaper subscription), or you sell to advertisers, or you sell a product of your own via the publication. Its the same with a blog. Your content is the hard work you must do to attract the audience. Without your reviews, nobody would read your blog in the first place.

Now, if I you were writing reviews for the dealer's blog, that might be different. In that case, HE'S the publisher, and you're essentially a copywriter or journalist, creating content for him. He'd presumably be using that blog to attract an audience (web traffic). If you're working for him in that capacity, of course you should get paid, just like any other copywriter or journalist would. Just be clear about what you're writing for him: Is it a fair and objective piece, or is it marketing copy...something he's using to sell his products. Both are acceptable...just make sure you know what you're signing up for.

Hope this helps. Good luck with the blog. If I can be of service -- to you OR to the dealers -- don't hesitate to circle back to me. Cheers!

Re: Hey there, 2012.

Scott Hepburn — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 10:23:28 -0000

I love the idea of a memory jar! One of my goals this year is to treat you to Starbucks. Whaddya say?

Re: Tips for Successfully Repurposing Your Content

Scott Hepburn — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 14:46:17 -0000

Good tip. The tools are there for us to use it with relative ease...consistency is where so many of us struggle.

Re: Give Back to Create Holiday Memories

Scott Hepburn — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 11:36:44 -0000

Hickory Tavern will donate two $25 gift cards.

Re: Give Back to Create Holiday Memories

Scott Hepburn — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:55:55 -0000

Count me in for $100. I'll throw in Bill Voth's jump shot, too, though it ain't worth much. ;)