December 2008 Archives

You've probably seen "JanetatExxon," the brand jacking of ExxonMobil's corporate identity on Twitter. The message to brands and brand marketers ought to be clear: Start monitoring the Social Web, and take a minute now to at least secure if not invest in your social presence as new networks and services open up. OK, maybe you can't be in all of them...but places like MySpace, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn...are all big and mainstream enough that you should be paying attention to these.

Which brings me to this post about a recent Facebook episode that is still unfolding. You can read the details by following the link: The short story is that a bunch (make that a big bunch) of college alumni pages on Facebook have been co-opted for potential use as forced marketing platforms. Check it out, especially if you are involved with higher ed marketing.

Again, the message is clear: Take the time now to sort out your social presence, and begin securing the many references to your brand, ideally before they are used by someone else for something you;d have never done, much less want associated with your brand as if you had.

Driving in to the office this morning NPR's feature focused on the use of social marketing and the role that social content plays in changing behavior and encouraging smart choices by instilling confidence. A timely topic, no doubt.

To be sure, no one has money to waste on poor products: good time or bad. In challenging times the need to make smart economic choices is all the more important for an larger share of your audience, and therefore it's all the more essential that you provide your customers with the information they need to make a smart choice.

What's the easiest way to do this? Participate in social media, and help your customers put your own best foot forward. In Chapter 10 and Chapter 11 of my book, "Social Media Marketing: An Hour a Day" I provide practical and hands-on steps for doing this along with the industry best practices and links to proven resources.

Check it out, and show your customers the way to the confidence they seek.