Disqus - Latest Comments for edh

Re: The Social Media Platform Lifecycle (Part I)

EdHartigan — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 07:26:41 -0000

Nice post, Charles.

Absolutely right that putting all your eggs into one basket as a long term strategy is foolish. Also spot on with the advice from a social media marketing perspective that you need to keep monitoring the social web for communities where cleints' customers are hanging out and be nimble enough to divert resources to them. Also important to remember what the point of using these channels is - how it will help the business (eg as a way to drive traffic, for lead generation, for customer service etc etc).

On your other point - I think the problem with many of the networks we have seen get huge and then start floundering is when they move out of their initial niche and try to be a network for everyone. Admittedly, Facebook aren't doing too badly ;-) but I think eventually, we will see more and more niche social networks built around a context which should get easier to participate in and navigate between with ID portability (hopefully). While they won't become the Trillion dollar company, the chances of staying relevant and useful to the user is much higher.

Nice one!

Re: COMMS corner: There is no such thing as a 'social media campaign'

EdHartigan — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 08:58:26 -0000

Hi Adam - Nice rant ;-)

I agree, you can't (or shouldn't) have 'social media campaigns'. As you say, social should be an ongoing process with customers that, if done correctly, yields all sorts benefits for a business (research, product development, customer service etc etc).

But...I think you can have 'social media marketing campaigns', where social activity augments traditional marketing practices (Old spice). And, yes...this all semantics!

Back to work!

Re: You don’t always need to ‘own’ the community

EdHartigan — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 14:26:22 -0000

Elise - I'm aware of eCairn...you do good stuff, so I hear! I will certainly check out one of the webinars.

Re: You don’t always need to ‘own’ the community

EdHartigan — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 09:13:19 -0000

Cheers, Sheldon. Glad we're on the same page! Even though its a bit of communications culture shift for a lot of companies (some still see unofficial forums and networks as places to avoid because they have no control), those that have reached out to communities and individuals have seen good results.

Re: You don’t always need to ‘own’ the community

EdHartigan — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 03:36:42 -0000

Hi Elise, thanks for the comment. I agree with the need to have a clear strategy for any outreach program and do the research on which communities will be most effective for your business. I think finding the influencers is the toughest part as it is very subjective. The most vocal or seemingly influential member of a community may not be the best brand advocate for a company, for example. However, if you can find the right ones, as you say, the output can be very effective.

Re: Thoughts on Social CRM

EdHartigan — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:14:09 -0000

Hi Lauren,

Thanks for stopping by and the insightful comment! I agree, many businesses are already practicing sCRM through their existing channels and technology. Not many are using centralised software like yours to give them an end to end solution and I get the feeling its all pretty fragmented for the majority of businesses. I am also with you on the need to do the listening and research piece and make that part of the fabric of the comms strategy before launching any engagement program otherwise you are kind of 'flying blind'. It will be interesting to see how it all develops over the next 12 months...I have a hunch you guys will be busy!

Re: How You Can Scale Your Social Media Program

EdHartigan — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 10:41:19 -0000

Hi Jim,

You nailed it! What social has opened up is the ability to find the 'connectors' quicker and easier than ever before as they have already begun mobilising like minded individuials on niche websites, forums and the social networks. Brands shouldn't be scared of these people (as many often are!) and instead empower them to continue spreading the message about the product or industry and build lasting relationships.

Thanks for stopping by. Much appreciated.

Re: Ambush Marketing or Good Integrated Marketing?

EdHartigan — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 05:10:33 -0000

Thanks for stopping by. I'll take a look at your survey...

Re: Why You’re the Key to Social Media Success

EdHartigan — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 06:37:40 -0000

This is a good one, Jay!

There seems to be a catch 22 going on in that if the CEO isn't sold on social media (as many aren't yet) then they won't approve the staff to spend the time learning about integration and measurement...which would give them the tools to prove its worth. I like the idea of secret or stealth programs, but won't these be hamstrung a bit by the fact they have to operate under the radar and won't be getting the resources or time to make them work?

Having said that, I am seeing more C suite execs wanting to learn about social media which is encouraging, but I get the feeling we are still very much in the education phase with most organisations.

thanks for sharing

Ed

Re: How to “win” with social media

EdHartigan — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 07:10:46 -0000

Hi Trey,

Hadn't seen the video before...thanks for sharing. It would be awesome if more people and businesses got into the 'giving a crap' game!

Re: Don't Let Strategy Be An Excuse

EdHartigan — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 08:49:36 -0000

Interesting points, John.

I think there absolutely does have to be a strategy so you know what your are measuring success against, but it shouldn't be distributed as a long winded, restrictive play book to the staff on the front line. The old military saying " No plan withstands contact with the enemy" rings true, and I think if all the 'stakeholders' understand the overall objectives and are given enough freedom to make tactical decisions based on that then you get a much more innovative programs.

cheers

Re: A Social Media Scoreboard That Works

EdHartigan — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 16:10:24 -0000

Thanks for bringing this one to light, Jay - The lack of Facebook integration is a downer but its not too much of a stretch to have a FB insights report as a 'bolt on'..until they find a way to incorporate it.

Re: Scaling Social Media

EdHartigan — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 13:15:02 -0000

Hi Chris - a very useful breakdown of the various social media 'buckets'.

One question - Do you see measurement as its own 'bucket' / discipline or a core requirement of all the above and so should be done individually by customer service or marketing or sales etc?

thanks

Re: Our Social Media Obsession by the Numbers [STATS]

EdHartigan — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 05:28:21 -0000

16% will let a message interupt sex??!! How bad is the sex they are having? and what about if you are having cyber sex? can that be interupted by electronic messages? Conundrum...

Re: The Making Of Heineken’s Amazing Soccer Swindle [VIDEO]

EdHartigan — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 05:42:04 -0000

I think this is one of the best campaigns I have seen in a while! Fantastic word of mouth, online buzz and a huge level of human impact. Most awesome!

Re: Friday Social Media Round Up

EdHartigan — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:04:12 -0000

You're welcome Murray. Thanks for stopping by.

Re: What is the iPad for?

EdHartigan — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:17:09 -0000

Hi Erik, thanks for stopping by. Socialnomics is on my reading list and I will be sure to drop you a line. Thanks for your kind words.

Re: Tower Block Of Uncommons

EdHartigan — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 06:25:43 -0000

Hi Scott - I agree on a couple of levels. First it was an excellent series, one of the better things I have seen on TV recently. Second, the issue of understanding.

For me the best example of this was on the Orchard Park Estate in Hull where Austin Mitchell was placed. I can't remember which episode it was, but he visited the youth club (which eventually was closed) and initially was unimpressed that there seemed to be no purpose to it. There were no organised activities, no training, no supervised 'help', only pool tables and a place to socialise. What he came to realise, was that he was setting the bar way too high and merely having 'somewhere to go' was what the young residents wanted. They explained that there was nothing to do on the estate so without the club they would be on the streets...and that leads to gang life, drugs, violence etc. They didn't need help directing their lives (yet) they simply needed somewhere to go that would take them out of the 'firing line'.

Re: Viralheat Plants Stake As Affordable Social Media Monitoring Solution

EdHartigan — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 08:47:50 -0000

Hi Jason,

Thanks for highlighting Viral Heat. I checked them out a few months ago and was impressed with the interface but thought the results were very heavily focussed on video...which I thought was cool but a bit unnecessary! I will check them out again as I am keen to see the Facebook results you mention. The price is attractive to a small business such as mine, but having trialed R6, SM2, ScoutLabs, SentimentMetrics plus others...I am no nearer knowing which will be the best solution as they all have pros and cons which either fit or don't fit a clients brief...the search continues.

thanks

Re: Google Goes Social with Google Buzz

EdHartigan — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:56:10 -0000

So, does this work with Wave?, separate to Wave?, nothing to do with Wave?

Re: The State of Social Media Around the World 2010

EdHartigan — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 05:50:32 -0000

Thanks Brian, excellent analysis.

Interesting to see how much growth potential there is in China, India and Russia given the user numbers vs total population. Access is still obviously an issue (and in many other countries) but assuming that continues to increase it will be fascinating to see these numbers in 3,4,5 years time.

Re: Friday (Saturday) Round Up

EdHartigan — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 07:54:28 -0000

You're welcome, sir! I enjoyed it. Thanks for the comment

Re: Friday Round Up

EdHartigan — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 11:49:51 -0000

Hey Danny - You're welcome and thanks for stopping by.

Re: 5 Social Media Lessons the NBA Can Teach Businesses

EdHartigan — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 04:36:52 -0000

Nice one, Jalen.
Over here in the UK, the leagues and teams should take a leaf out of the NBA's book. Some are making some decent strides but it is a shame when the biggest football (soccer to you guys!) team in the World, Man Utd, have made the decision to ban all player - fan interaction through social media. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/...

cheers

Re: World’s Most Valuable Soccer Team Doesn’t Get Social Media

EdHartigan — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 06:21:38 -0000

Hi - Good post.

Football clubs, and sports teams in general in the UK are in the dark ages with social media adoption which is a real shame as the potential is massive. Sports fans are the most brand loyal people and for them to able to feel more connected to the team and players would be invaluable. For me, the PR angle is the one they should be focussing on. The common complaint from fans is that "they don't know what is going on at the club" when they hit financial trouble, might be selling a star player or some disruptive story errupts in the mainstream media. Social media would be a great way for them to manage the groundswell.

But, we are talking about organisations who still use the fax machine to do player deals!