Techno//Marketer - Matt Dickman on Digital Marketing and Social Technology

Five simple guidelines for social engagement

2009-12-14T12:07:07-05:00

I have talked about the importance of developing and implementing social media policies within organizations previously on this blog. These policies not only protect the company, but go a long way to educating its employees on what the implications and ramifications are of engaging in social channels.

I've seen a number of instances where seemingly harmless information is posted on blogs, Facebook, Twitter, etc. and that person was not aware of the connectivity of the medium. Soon, people find out what they said and share it. In an age when the "delete" button means nothing (everything is stored forever in most cases even if you do delete) it's crucial to have informed employees.

In college, I had a professor who suggested that when making a tough decision that we look in the mirror and see if we believe what we're saying. Here are the five guidelines that I think are the core of social engagement when you are working within a company. They are my mirror test.

Five guidelines/questions before posting:

Assume your Mom reads/sees everything that you post
Assume your boss reads/sees everything that you post
Assume your biggest client reads/sees everything that you post
Assume your biggest competitor reads/sees everything that you post
Assume your children will read/see everything that you post

I run through these filters myself when I post things as a final checklist. If something doesn't pass, then it's out the window.

What guidelines would you add to the list? How do you make content decisions?

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Technorati Tags: Marketing, Matt Dickman, Social Media, Guidelines, Policies, Corporate

Search + social media, the evolving landscape

2009-12-10T12:39:36-05:00

You have undoubtedly heard about Google and Bing announcing partnerships with Twitter/Facebook/et. al. to include real time social media results into their search indexes. However, even if you did hear about it, I think few people have seen what it looks like in Google's environment, so I recorded this short video for the search term "Copenhagen". Have a look. (Bing takes a slightly different, segmented approach.)

Key Takeaways:

These results are pulled into the first page of Google, there are substantial reputation issues to consider
These updates are not listed like other webpages/fan pages/primary Twitter accounts, they are in a separate area on the page (fairly contained...for now)
The searcher will see what is hot at that point in time
It seems like this would be very susceptible to fraud and Tweet bombing, would love to get your opinion on that

What does this mean for you and your brand(s)? How are you preparing/sharing and engaging around this? One of the keys to social media gaining the traction it has is its uncanny way of tapping into the power of search and this is taking that to the next level.

Let me know what you think.

[UPDATE 12/11]: It seems that Yahoo has also added in-line Tweets to search results. This model pulls in three recent (not sure the exact algorithm here) Tweets to the bottom of the result page. Screenshot below.

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Technorati Tags:
Matt Dickman, Search, Google, Social Media, SEO

Can Google's weight give momentum to QR codes?

2009-12-08T12:25:32-05:00

I was reading through a post today on the Ad Age Digital Next blog by my colleague Allison Mooney and wanted to share it with you. The post is on Google's support of QR code technology through a program called Favorite Places.

In short, Google is tapping into their local search data to find the top local establishments. They then send them a sticker for their door which has a QR code printed on it and takes the person to that business' listing on Google. It's an interesting way to tie live search data to a physical location and then back to search again.

The trick here, as noted by Allison, is that the QR reader software is an add-on to devices. There are some free versions around, but many people will have to pay for it, not to mention the level of education that needs to happen around this to make it successful.

Here is a quick video overview that Google produced to explain the program:

(Does anyone else find it weird that they used the iPhone throughout the video and not a Google Android device? Oh well.)

If you're interested, here is more information on QR codes from a previous post I did.

So what does this mean? Not much at this point. It's great to have a giant like Google throw their weight into it, but there is a lot of education that needs to happen first. If and when device manufacturers start installing a reader standard on all handsets (Nokia does on some handsets) we can talk more about it as a solid marketing option.

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Technorati Tags: Matt Dickman, QR, Marketing, Technology, Search

Dickman does Dallas

2009-12-07T22:47:17-05:00

So, there it is. Over the past couple of months I am sure that you have noticed the fact that I have all but disappeared from speaking, blogging and Tweeting. I've had a lot going on and I have needed the time to get my legs under me and dedicate the necessary time to this blog before jumping back in. Nonetheless, there are a lot of updates to give you, so let me start from the top.

On Dallas:
A couple of months ago an incredible opportunity came open with Fleishman-Hillard here in Dallas to lead the digital team for the Southwest region. Some phenomenal FH colleagues here had the faith in me to do this job and I haven't looked back. I've been working across the region (Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio) and floating back and forth to Cleveland.

I am very lucky to have a great, growing team of individuals here who make this job fun and very rewarding. We're firmly concentrated on digital marketing, advancing social media thinking and tapping mobile to deliver killer brand experiences. Yes, this is a PR agency...well maybe.

If you're in Texas and want to meet up, drop me an email. I'd love to get together and learn more about what you do. Also drop me a line if you're looking to join one of the best digital agency teams anywhere.

On Cleveland:
To all of my fellow Clevelanders, I will miss you guys a lot, but it's an opportunity I could not pass up. But, hey, this is the digital age. I am just a Skype call, IM, text or phone call away from you. Cleveland is an amazing, underrated city filled with extremely talented, passionate people. I am an advocate and always will be.

On the Future:
During my brief hiatus I've done a lot of work in the space, done some heavy thinking on its future and how digital/social/mobile will go next and what that means for marketers. Look for the same multimedia content you've come to expect here, but also look out for even more thought pieces on what this means and where we're going.

Thank you for reading!

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Technorati Tags: Matt Dickman

Shopping by Mobile Phone Picks Up on Black Friday [del.icio.us]

2009-11-30T07:51:39-08:00

650% increase in mobile purchase y/y. Is a 650% increase from zero significant? Still a very long way to go.

iPhone Apps Put Brands in Hands [del.icio.us]

2009-11-30T07:48:43-08:00

A look at iPhone apps which work and those that do not.

Behind the Work: Jack Schulze goes deeper into Nearness [del.icio.us]

2009-11-18T07:26:29-08:00

RFID Rube Goldberg machine

MySpace Strives to Recover Its Cool [del.icio.us]

2009-10-15T09:21:35-07:00

Interesting move, but is it too late? MySpace still is the leader in music, but can they get traction again?

Where you at, Matt?

2009-10-15T11:09:50-04:00

A number of you have noticed that I have been scarcely around the blog and Twittersphere over the past couple of months. I have a lot going on and wanted to step back and gather my thoughts. I just wanted you to know that I am not gone, I am just on a short hiatus. I have a couple of big announcements coming up as well as a little branding overhaul for Techno//Marketer.

Long story short, I'm going to be back soon, better than ever (I hope), so thank you for reading and I'll be back in the conversation with you very soon.

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Technorati Tags: Matt Dickman

Facebook Connect Goes Mobile [del.icio.us]

2009-09-04T06:54:12-07:00

Facebook is extending its Connect data portability technology to developers of mobile sites and applications, following its launch six months ago for iPhone developers, the company announced Thursday in an official blog.

Financial Times Confirms Apple Tablet for September | Gadget Lab | Wired.com [del.icio.us]

2009-07-28T11:30:44-07:00

Interesting. Competes with iPod and Kindle.

Twitter Outsources Ad Model Development [del.icio.us]

2009-07-13T09:23:48-07:00

Trendrr [del.icio.us]

2009-06-29T06:04:14-07:00

Rebuilding corporate reputations - The McKinsey Quarterly [del.icio.us]

2009-06-19T09:55:59-07:00

newsmap [del.icio.us]

2009-06-17T09:50:09-07:00

How Apple's New iPhone Changes Mobile Marketing - Advertising Age [del.icio.us]

2009-06-09T08:57:47-07:00

Twitter launches verification service to protect celebrities [del.icio.us]

2009-06-08T08:20:05-07:00

monitter : real time, live twitter monitor [del.icio.us]

2009-06-02T11:33:28-07:00

Search for Twitter within a certain distance of a location.

YouTube - BooneOakley.com - Home Page [del.icio.us]

2009-06-01T15:51:47-07:00

Agency using YouTube's interactivity to create their website in video.