DISQUS

I want the Diigo toolbar for Chrome.

Hi Chris. When I advise my advertising agency clients about their content strategy (which usually includes blogging) I try to help them see how their firm's positioning can really help with maintaining the content strategy. For example, a generalist design firm can come up with a bunch of initial post ideas (designs they like, cool typography, new projects, etc.) but soon they run dry and slow way down--or stop. In contrast, a highly positioned firm (ex. one that specializes in credit union marketing like currencymarketing.ca) will rarely run dry on ideas, in fact the hard part is for them to find time to write them all out.

Not only are post ideas for generalist firms hard to maintain, but they are also usually less impactful. They tend to be similar to most other designer blogs, and the content interesting mostly to their peers rather than to clients. Blog posts from specialized, well positioned firms, on the other hand, flow freely and are often more compelling and helpful. Like yours.

Thanks!

I found SlimTimer via delicious and I like it a lot.

Hi Chris. I mentioned your decision in a comment on Nick O'Neill's post "The State of Social Advertising" (http://www.socialtimes.com/2008/08/the-state-of...). I think it's the right one. It shows respect to the advertiser and the reader.

Thanks Nick, for consolidating your thoughts for us. You've hit the nail on the head, that advertising just isn't the same in social media as it is in other forms. Click counts don't measure the true impact of engaging in social media. Impact on reputation is more to the point. Of course that's hard to measure. I'm sure this capability will mature, Radian6 seems to be doing a good job at this.

I also think advertisers fail to consider one important aspect of online advertising--intent. They get context, and both contextual ad networks and social media can deliver that. But meeting consumers at the corner of context and intent (when they are explicitly looking to find and act) seems to only occur consistently in search marketing. I think that's why your conclusion is right on.

Chris Brogan just decided to table his consideration of adding an ad banner to his blog in view of this reality. I think that's noble. He could get a few bucks, but he knows the value to the advertiser is so low (and that there is a small inconvenience to the reader) that it's not worth it (http://www.chrisbrogan.com/the-old-advertising-...).

Hi Chris. I totally agree. One of the reasons I'm so hopeful about web strategy and social media is the balance of power it creates between brands and consumers.

While hyperbole and creative exaggeration (not lying) may still be a necessary component of mass media print and broadcasting--in the online world advertisers can quiet down, get to the point, and talk like real people.

I've found that the advertising agencies I consult, the ones that have been doing all the "shouting" and overstating (at best) are themselves refreshed by the more human interchange of social media--once they understand it.

An article by Lynn Upshaw last year in AdvertisingAge expressed the impact of conversational media on traditional adverting. (I think you have to register to get this-- http://adage.com/cmostrategy/article?article_id...).

Thanks for your post!