"There's a distinct difference between perceived expertise and acquired expertise."   -- Tom Jenkins, Social Media Club Kansas City

I remember Tom's insight 2+years ago during a small breakfast meeting at La Peeps Restaurant in Overland Park, KS.  Our discussion centered around the burgeoning cottage industry of books and seminars touted by self-proclaimed social media experts, gurus, ninjas, and evangelists.  

More importantly, his statement summarized both the opportunity and barrier to entry for people pursuing social media as a profession or as a credible vehicle for personal reinventions beyond a current job description.

I remember asking if he copyrighted this wisdom.  He said no.  But, he smiled and said if I ever use his quote,  I should assign him credit and attribution (which I hope I did here).  

Because I knew I'd reference his statement in a blog post someday.  That day arrived. 

The Inspiration for This Post

On January 20th, I read this Forbes.com article, Want to Become Known as an Industry Expert?  3 Tips to Get You Started.   Here's screen shot of one part of the article:

First, This IS NOT a Bash-the-Author Piece.  It's quite the opposite.  Please read the entire Forbes article because Cari Sommer (the author) offers valid advice on building one's online credibility, reputation, and visibility the right way.

Second, This Post Describes Why Cari Sommer Is a Great Example of Personal and Professional Reinvention.  Cari Sommer transformed her professional career and trajectory by reinventing herself into a bona fide communications expert and entrepreneur.  A major portion of this post explains why I believe she's a credible and successful expert in her field. 

Third, It's About My Cynicism Towards The Great Pretenders and Their Self-Proclaimed Expertise.  I respectfully take issue with the literal interpretation of "calling yourself an expert."  Why?  There are hundreds of thousands to millions of self-proclaimed experts with no content or experience to substantiate their claims.   

Check out these Google results on these infamous keyword phrases:

• "Social Media Guru" = 2,160,000 results
• "Social Media Evangelist" = 1,090,000 results
• "Social Media Expert" = 1,060,000  results
• "Social Media Ninja" = 281,000 results

Based on this quick analysis, I wonder if:

• There really are that many people who can credibly make those self-proclamations?
• "Ninjas" have a better long-tail chance of being found via search than "Gurus"?  
• "Evangelists" and "Experts" are interchangeable titles (give or take wading through 30,000 results)?

Expertise Is Earned, Not Self-Proclaimed

Ms. Sommer's Provides and Shares Credible, First-Hand Expertise Earned From Her Personal Experiences.  I buy-in to Ms. Sommer's generously shared advice on building a solid online reputation and positioning oneself as a social media expert (or an industry expert).  It's credible and emphasizes a learn-by-doing attitude:

• Self-publishing content on social media channels (i.e., a blog, LinkedIn industry groups, etc.)
• Attending and speaking at industry conferences
• Identifying and building relationships with industry bloggers and journalists
• Pitching one's expertise to the industry influencers

But, The 3.5 Million Self-Proclaimers Haven't Practiced or Applied Any of Ms. Sommer's Advice   The sad fact is so few have consistently performed (or even attempted) any of her recommendations over the long haul.  Why?  Because, the advice she imparts requires major time investments in:

• Focus
• Practice
• Patience
• Experimentation
• Creativity
• Hustle
• Hard Work (aka Malcom Gladwell's Rule of 10,000 Hours)
• Commitment

Want to Be Really Good at Something?  Invest 10,000 Hours.

Malcolm Gladwell on 10,000 Hours.  Here's Malcolm Gladwell in a CNN interview describing the significance of the 10,000 Hours Rule (timestamp 2:30 to 4:00):

Ms. Sommer Earned Her Expertise -- She Didn't Just Proclaim It.  An influential, global media organization like Forbes didn't just hand her an outstanding personal branding opportunity because she proclaimed her industry expertise.  

Unlike the aforementioned millions of great pretenders, she:

• Earned this gig by executing her own advice
• Earned her position as a communications expert through professional experience 
• Earned her expertise by being relentless (e.g., she wasn't afraid to fail)

And, if she hasn't already invested 10,000 hours to achieve her current success, I bet she's committed thousands of hours just to reach this point in her career.  Why? Because at some point in her 10,000 hours, she confronted and fought through The Dip. 

See these excerpts from her Forbes Contributor bio and her communications consultancy homepage.  She made it happen.  She didn't just proclaim expertise.

A Case Study in Personal and Professional Reinvention

Ms. Sommer Reinvented and Transformed Herself Into a Communications and Public Relations Expert.  Look further down her Forbes Contributor biography.  She professionally reinvented herself from being a former litigator at an international law firm to becoming an entrepreneur and CEO of her own communications consultancy:

Where's The Cari Sommer's Substance?  You can study it first-hand in this CBS News.com video.

Conclusion

I wish more people like Cari Sommers had the substance and experience to back up the "I'm An Expert" claim.  Otherwise, I probably wouldn't be so cynical.  

I look forward to her future contributor articles in Forbes and other media sites.  Until then, I've started following her on Twitter because I want to continue learning from a bona fide expert.

Photo Credit by John Hritz via Flickr

Advertising Age published the following article on January 12th:  Julie Roehm Resurfaces in Senior Marketing Post at SAP.

I started following Julie Roehm's marketing career when Fortune Magazine profiled her in its August 2005 article: Yahoo's Brilliant Solution.  As Chrysler's Director of Marketing Communications (at that time), she clearly understood online advertising's emerging impact as a necessary and vital part of a brand's multi-channel marketing strategy:

(Direct Quote from the Fortune Article): "Here's the scary part: Roehm rarely misses a chance to talk about how delighted she is with online advertising. Last year she spent 10% of the budget online; this year she is allotting closer to 18%; next year, she says, she will allocate more than 20%. Do the math: In 2006 roughly $400 million of Chrysler's money that used to go into TV, newspaper, and magazine ads will be spent on the Internet. Says Roehm: 'I hate to sound like such a marketing geek, but we like to fish where the fish are.'"

A 34 Year-Old Marketing Executive Publicly Declares a $400 Million Bet on Digital Marketing ROI. Wow!  Here's a gutsy, young, rising, marketing executive superstar who's publicly stating her $360 million and $400 million bets to achieve digital marketing ROI in the next two years!  Not only did this quantitatively trained University of Chicago MBA convince a highly conservative executive management team to think and invest differently but she also commanded their $2 billion global marketing budget.   

And, Ms. Roehm achieved this with an uprecedented style and flair.   

Fast Forward to After a Highly Publicized Departure at Walmart in December 2006. After numerous high profile promotions and industry accolades, Ms. Roehm abruptly found herself at a personal and professional crossroads. Starting in 2007, her short tenure as a Senior VP of Marketing at Walmart was her last full-time, executive marketing position for the next five years.  

While looking for her next opportunity, Ms. Roehm started her own marketing consulting practice. And, to say she encountered daunting challenges and setbacks during this time is an understatement. A July 2009 Fast Company article, Behind the Rebranding Campaign of Wal-Mart's Scarlet Woman, and a Fortune Magazine "Where Are They Now" segment discuss her obstacles in regaining a full-time executive position during that five-year period.  

She wanted back in the C-suite.  But, as articulated by Fast Company, Corporate America wasn't willing to take on "damaged goods."

How Did Julie Roehm Recover and Reinvent Her Personal Brand? 

The Governing Question.  And, here's how I will attempt to answer it:  

• Examine how Ms. Roehm leveraged social media technologies to reinvent her personal brand
• Offer my opinion on her multi-channel social media strategy and individual channel tactics
• Conclude why I think her move to SAP fits from a social media perspective

What This Post WILL NOT Attempt.  A lot of content exists online about Ms. Roehm's departure from Walmart.  I couldn't avoid it while conducting the research for this post.  

Therefore,

• I will not rehash any of that online content and provide my personal opinions on it
• I will not pass any personal judgment on Ms. Roehm in relation to that online content

If you're looking for a sensationalistic piece, please click to a different website / blog. Because, you're wasting valuable time by staying here.

If you're interested in answering the previously stated governing question, I hope you'll please stick with me for just a little while longer ...

1. Roehm Crafted a Personal Social Media Strategy First

It's About Focus.  Here's a great article illustrating this point from one of my favorite social media authorities, Lee Oden of The TopRank Online Marketing Blog.  He cites Ms. Roehm as one of "the 40 friends, colleagues, and others," he consulted for advice on this topic.  Here's her direct quote from Lee's post:

A Home Base Personally Branding Julie Roehm.  juliearoehm.com is her personal website where she controls every positioning aspect of her personal brand:

• Brand Persona Attributes: C-Suite Executive, Marketing Expert, Smart, a Likable Personality
• Targeted Buyer Persona: C-Suite Executives in Marketing, Branding, and Public Relations
• Target Industry Expertise: Retail, Financial Services, Automotive, New Media

Online Assets Focusing on a Cohesive Brand Message.  And, she showcases these personal brand attributes by delivering and linking a cohesive and consistent marketing message among each of these online, personal branding assets:  

• Her Personal Blog: "I'm an authority who publishes insights on marketing strategy."
• Videos (especially from Fox Business News): "A major news network has me regularly comment because I'm a marketing strategy authority."
• The Julie Roehm Twitter Feed: "I read, study, and share interesting content on marketing strategy."
• LinkedIn Profile: "I've held several marketing strategy authority positions or consulted for large organizations as a marketing strategy authority."

A Multi-Channel Hub and Spoke Model with Both Long-Form and Short-Form Context.  The multiple channel strategy executed here is worth highlighting in this age of real-time streams via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+:

1. The Marketing Pull.  Her website, blog, and videos contain the long-form context demonstrating her expertise to the target audience.  These online properties give her the runway to provide more details and examples of why she's a bonafide marketing authority in her target industries.

2. The Marketing Push.  Her LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter contain the short-form context to share content she's provided on her "pull assets" (i.e., a recently published blog post or tweeting an article link relevant to a specific industry or area of marketing expertise).

2. Roehm Leveraged Online Video to Her Advantage 

The Julie Roehm Personal Branding Killer App.  Ms. Roehm leverages online video brilliantly.   These videos demonstrate her personal strengths as well as different views of her personality:

• Articulate and Smart
• Subject Matter Expert
• Thinks Quickly on Her Feet 
• Confidence: e.g, she knows this stuff cold
• Humor: e.g., she pokes fun at herself and doesn't take herself too seriously

Plus, notice how each video positions her as one of the following:

• Julie Roehm, Consumer Analyst and Marketing Expert
• Julie Roehm, Marketing Strategy Consultant
• Julie Roehm, Marketing Expert

* Example: Leveraging Online Media in Branding Strategy

CATFOA 2011 - Julie Roehm 2.28.11 from Ech03 on Vimeo.

Additional examples from Fox Business News highlighting Ms. Roehm's diverse expertise in multiple industries, public relations, and branding strategy.

Note: I provided the Fox Business News videos this way because (1) Fox doesn't allow the use of video embedding in external sites and (2) The URL in one of the videos produces funky-looking "duplicates" on my published blog post.  Sorry for the inconvenience.

3. Roehm and Her SAP Senior Marketing Executive Colleagues Share a Common Ground: Think Like a Publisher 

Both Her New Boss and a Senior Marketing Executive Colleague Self-Publish a Blog and Use Twitter.  Ms. Roehm, her new boss, and one of her senior marketing executive colleagues agree on an important aspect of a global brand's marketing strategy: self-publishers win in social media.

How can I make that type of a statement?  Her SAP senior marketing executive colleagues also actively self-publish online content:

• Jonathan Becher, SAP's Chief Marketing Officer: Manage By Walking Around Blog
• Michael Brenner, Senior Director of Global Integrated Marketing: B2B Marketing Insider Blog

And, during the interviewing process, I'm sure Ms. Roehm showed this online content portfolio to her SAP colleagues to make the case for her knowledge, expertise, and creativity in executing a successful social media strategy.  

Thinking Like a Publisher Means Creating "Show-Me" Content.  Ms. Roehm started actively blogging in March 2009 and opened her Twitter account in May 2007. That's given her significant time to create, publish and build a sizable online content portfolio.  To her credit, she aggressively self-published content for the past five years to position herself for senior marketing executive positions.

Conclusion

In the July 2009 Fast Company article cited earlier, Ms. Roehm made the following observation:

"She now ranks cultural fit -- geographic and corporate -- at the top of her list, adding that her 'aggressive-aggressive' personality, as she describes it, doesn't jibe with the 'passive-aggressive' politeness of the South. 'I wanted to be able to show that I can adapt anywhere, I can do anything. The thing I learned about myself is that I'm not a full-on chameleon, and there's nothing wrong with that."

I have no knowledge of SAP's corporate culture.  But, I do know these three (3) things after analyzing her personal social media strategy:

1. Julie Roehm maximized her online personal branding opportunities.  

2. She strategically self-published content that's tactically distributed via multiple social media channels.

3. Her content delivered and reinforced a consistent brand message highlighting her marketing strategy capabilities and expertise.

Did her online activities alone win her this new professional opportunity?  Of course not.  

But, her online content strategy significantly contributed to winning her new senior executive postion at SAP.  I look forward to tracking Ms. Roehm's progress because she's always been someone to watch.

And, I wish her good luck.

Photo Credt by Alyssa L. Miller via flickr

Sony will release the DVD for Moneyball, starring Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill, on January 10, 2012.  The 2011 film recounts how Billy Beane, the Oakland A's general manager in 2002, employed sabermetrics statistical analysis and research in his player evaluation and acquisition strategy.

Moneyball's Unsung Hero: Bill James.  Mr. James is the creator of sabermetrics who now works as a Senior Adviser of Baseball Operations with the Boston Red Sox.  His self-published Baseball Abstracts from 1977 to 1988 influenced Billy Beane's decision to operate on a different competitive dimension: identifying undervalued and overlooked talent from non-traditional baseball metrics (i.e., on-base percentage) and data analysis versus traditionally accepted baseball scouting methods and metrics (i.e., batting average).  

However, the 2011 film makes only passing references to Mr. James.  Fortunately, Michael Lewis's book on which the film is based provides a chapter titled "Field of Ignorance" sharing:

• Bill James's Background (e.g., he wasn't always affiliated with the Red Sox)
• Why / How He Questioned Conventional Baseball Talent Evaluation
• His Motivations as a Writer

Inspiring Lessons in Leading, Self-Publishing, and Questioning Conventional Wisdom.  James inspires me as an aspiring blogger because of how he started and cultivated the influential and powerful sabermetrics tribe before the benefits of the modern-day Internet.  And, he continues leading via his work at Bill James Online and several published books.  

His determination, passion, and resourcefulness resembles how today's bloggers, entrepreneurs, consumer advocates, or leaders of a cause now cultivate influential online tribes by:

• Questioning and disrupting the status-quo establishment 
• Self-publishing to spread ideas (i.e., social media: blogs, social networks)
• Writing about and sharing what moves you
• Leading a tribe that flourishes into an industry-wide movement
• Ignoring the limits of a "current" full-time job description

1. Write About What You Love 

You Can't Fake Passion.  The Bill James Baseball Abstracts are famous for their quality and quantity of statistical analysis and data.  But, more importantly, James made this new form of baseball knowledge interesting and accessible to all passionate, hardcore baseball fans.  

And, his love of writing and baseball is why he explains both the science and art of sabermetrics better than anyone.  That's why Bill James is the sabermetrics authority.  Here are direct quotes from Moneyball (the book) describing his passion for both writing and baseball:

"I think about baseball virtually every hour of my life."

"I'd probably be a writer if there was no such thing as baseball, but because there is such a thing as baseball I can't imagine writing about anything else."

"I learned to write because I am one of those people who somehow cannot manage the common communications of smiles and gestures, but must use words to get across things that other people would never need to say." 
 

Emotion Drives Content Development.  If you love writing about your subject, readers know it. Readers sense it. In my 2011 recap post, I shared how I struggled regaining my blogging and writing rhythm after my daughter's birth in August 2011. 

Adam Singer defines it best in Lesson #18 from his post: 50 Blogging Lessons To Know If You’re Starting Today:

"If it doesn’t move you emotionally, don’t write it (realize emotion is relative – it doesn’t have to move every member of your audience, but if it moves you then you’ve done it right:  it’s going to impact someone else that way too)."

2. Write Because You Love It (Not to Get Paid for It) 

For Bill James, It Was Never About Getting Paid.  Daniel Okrent interviewed Bill James for this May 1981 Sports Illustrated article: He Does It By The Numbers.  Here's a direct quote from the article explaining how money was NOT THE motivating factor to self-publish:

"The first Abstract, in 1977, sold 75 copies, at $4 a copy.  In 1978 sales edged up to all of 325 copies.  Undaunted, James slogged ahead, checking the boilers, working on his numbers and producing editions of the Abstract.  Sales passed 600 copies in 1979 and 750 last year, but the readership, while small, is enthusiastic, and James has become something of a cult figure.  Esquire magazine assigned him to do season previews, and he even received an order of for the Abstract from Norman Mailer, which left James, a literary hero-worshipper, feeling both honored and abashed.  He sent Mailer a copy but returned the writer's check.  Mailer sent it right back with a note saying, 'If ever an author earned his five dollars, you have.'  The price has climbed since then (to $13 for the 1981 edition), but James has yet to break the $10,000 barrier.  'It's been discouraging." he says, 'but not as discouraging as having to get out of bed in the morning and go off to work.'"

How Are You Going to Monetize Your Blog?  One of my closest and most trusted friends posed this question when I started blogging two years ago.  My response: "I don't know, yet."  

But, after publishing 100+ posts, I know now.  I Plan Making Zero Money (Ever)

Do It For Love.  If you love it, you'd do it for free any way.  Blogging benefits my mind the way exercise benefits my body (and between you and me, I need to increase the latter especially after the holidays). 

Ask these questions about whether or not you really love blogging or writing:

* Are you willing to invest the significant time required to research and write individual posts either before or after putting in a full-day's work at your "real-world" job (and usually at a time when the rest of your family is asleep)?

* How much do you enjoy commenting on other blogs to build relationships and add to the conversation?

* Are willing to confront and push through The Dip after the initial excitement of starting your blog ends (i.e., around the first six (6) months?

* Is getting paid how you'll ultimately measure or determine whether or not you're a successful writer or blogger?

Discipline, Conviction, Belief, and Courage.   If you answered "No," "I don't or not a lot," "I'm not," and "Yes" to any of the aforementioned questions, invest your scarce, valuable, free time in something else.  Why?  Because, blogging or writing is a long haul endeavor.  Individual discipline, conviction, belief, and the courage "to consistently put yourself out there" drive the long-term outcome. 

3. Lead a Tribe by Expressing YOUR Point-of-View

Because That's The Unmet Opportunity.  James's research and scientific sabermetrics analysis challenged major league baseball's conventional wisdom in player and talent evaluation.  But, it's his writing and unique point-of-view (e.g., his art) that distinguishes him as THE trusted sabermetrics authority (aka The Sabermetrics Tribal Leader).

Here's a direct quote from  Moneyball (the book):

"But once again, the details of James's equation didn't matter all that much.  He was creating opportunities for scientists as much as doing science himself.  Other, more technically adroit people would soon generate closer approximations of reality.  What mattered was (a) it was a rational, testable hypothesis; and (b) James made it so clear and interesting that it provoked a lot of intelligent people to join the conversation."

A Tribal Leader Lurks Inside Us All.  Study this Ted Talks Video from Seth Godin.  In February 2009, Godin introduced his ideas on Tribes.  His points describe how James built and led his tribe.  And, how the same leadership opportunity is available to all of us:

• 6:50 to 12:09 - The Concept of Tribes and Leading One that Becomes a Movement
• 12:10 to 14:17 - Heretics Look at The Status Quo & Say I Don't Like It
• 16:00 to 17:27 - The Common Traits of Tribal Leaders
  1. They Challenge Everything
  2. They Build a Culture
  3. They Connect People to One Another
  4. They Commit to The Cause

4. Define Yourself Through Your Art (Not Your Full-Time Job)

A Former Night-Watchman Became Major League Baseball's Foremost Authority in Scientific Sabermetrics Analysis and a Senior Adviser of Baseball Operations With the Boston Red Sox.  When Bill James started self-publishing the Baseball Abstracts, he worked full-time as a night-watchman in a Stokely Van Kamp pork and beans factory in Lawrence, Kansas:   

(From Moneyball (the book) "It was while guarding Stokely Van Kamp's pork and beans that James stumbled seriously into putting his thoughts down on paper, in response to having things he absolutely needed to say that he was unable to convey any other way."

(From Daniel Okrent's Sports Illustrated article) "Later, he worked for a time as a boiler attendant--a watchman of sorts--in a food-packing plant in Lawrence, which turned out to be an ideal job for James. 'I'd spend five minutes an hour making sure the furnaces didn't blow up,' he says, 'and 55 working on my numbers.'"

An Entire Industry Catches Up 25 Years Later.   In this now-famous interview segment from 60 Minutes, Mr. James commented about how major league baseball executives didn't take him and sabermetrics seriously because he was a night-watchman.  But, 25 years after publishing his first Baseball Abstract, The Boston Red Sox hired James as Senior Advisor of Baseball Operations in 2002.

And, The Boston Red Sox ended an 86-year championship drought by capturing World Series Championships in 2004 and 2007.

Technology and The Internet Don't Care About Your Current Job Title.  Anyone reading this blog post has the same opportunity to lead, influence, and access a global audience.  In the following interview, Seth Godin states the case for why technology levels the playing field:

* Your Laptop Is The 21st Century Factory (0:40 - 1:56).  Now, you own the means of production. But, the driving question is what are you going to do with your laptop to make something that changes the world?  That "something" could be:

• A Web Page or Website
• A Blog
• An E-Commerce / Online Retail Site

* You Can Globally and Directly Connect (2:17 - 3:54).  The Internet enables your global connections to promote your work and do business (and vice versa).  Marketing is no longer a game of who shouts loudest.  It's a game of competing for and earning "the whisper-time" of your target audience in their social networks.  

* You Can Spread Ideas Via Social Media Connections (3:55 - 4:58).  Developing these connections (or knowing people who have them) is vital.  Why?  Because, social media influencers determine: 

1. The ideas that get a head start
2. The ideas that spread 

It's Our Turn To Lead.  We’ve all got something inspiring inside of us.  Share it in your blog, your column, a self-published eBook, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, or Google+.  

Start blogging. Start writing. Start creating. Start self-publishing.  

Start Questioning Conventional Wisdom.

Start Leading.

And, don’t look back.

Link to Photo Credit

I loved reading the January 1, 2012 New York Times article by Claire Cain Miller: Google Bases a Campaign on Emotions, Not Terms.  Her article explains Google's distinctive philosophical change towards marketing and advertising.  For Google to acknowledge investing more time and resources to actively promote its products and services stands in stark contrast to the image of "cold engineers" hating anything related to marketing, advertising, or public relations as described in Ken Auletta's great book, Googled.

Why Google Reinvented Its Marketing 

"A Remarkable Transformation."  What's driving this "remarkable transformation for Google" as noted in the article by Peter Daboll, chief executive of Ace Metrix, a firm that evaluates TV and video ads?

Ms. Cain Miller's article cites two business drivers:

Finding New Revnue Sources Beyond Search Ads.  Google needs new businesses like the Chrome browser and the Google Plus social network to succeed.

Focusing, Paring Down, and Integrating Google's Offerings.  This is part of Larry Page's mission as CEO to pare down Google's product offering and make these products more attractive, intuitive, and integrated with one another.

Does This Sound Like The Voice of a Cold Engineer?

Marketing Emotion.  Even more revealing is that Google acknowledges both a change in marketing strategy and increased advertising investment.  Here are two direct article quotes from Lorraine Twohill, Google's vice president for global marketing:

"As we got bigger, we had more competition, more products, more messages to consumers, so we needed to do a bit more to communicate what thse products are and how you can use them."

"If we don't make you cry, we fail.  It's about emotion, which is bizarre for a tech company."

Sounds Like Marketing From the Heart.  But, make no mistake Google still bases its decisions on rigorous, fact-based data analysis. And, the article further describes the significant data analyses and testing that went into planning its first Super Bowl commercial (e.g., dozens of tests) and a 140-tab spreadsheet used in location planning for Google Zeitgeist (the company's annual conference for it's biggest advertisers).

Don't Pitch. Tell a Story.

The Google Video Advertisements Cited in the New York Times Article.  The article mentions the following successful advertising videos because Google uses storytelling versus product pitching.  I've pulled them all together in this post.

It's Not About Features and Benefits.  Notice how we can all relate to each of these stories.  In particular, the two (2) Google Chrome videos mention nothing about Chrome as the world's fastest web browser.

These stories are moving, emotional, and entertaining.  What's their emotional impact on you?

• Parisian Love: The 2010 Superbowl Ad
• Dear Sophie: Google's Advertisement for Google Chrome
• Lady Gaga's Edge of Glory: Another Google Chrome Advertisement
• Circles Love Story: Advertisement for Google+
• The Muppets Rock Out in a Google+ Hangout: Advertisement for Google
• Search Stories: An Introduction

Photo Credit via Flickr by thepinkpeppercorn

2011 was an important year for this blog.  A few months ago, I published my 100th post. And, each post represents an opportunity to learn, improve, and experiment.

Social Media ReInvention Blog's Most Popular 2011 Posts

1. Public Relations Strategy: Integrating Digital and Traditional Patient Advocacy Tactics

2. 5 Competitive Advantages in Studying Real-Time Marketing PR by David Meerman Scott

3. HubSpot 2011 State of Inbound Marketing: Long Live Blogs!

4. The Business Value Behind Social Media: Part 6 - Disaster Recovery & Crisis Communications

5. Tom Peters' Personal Branding Lessons, Part 1: Why YOUR Blog Matters

6. 8 Takeaways from Mashable's Mondern Media Agency INFOGRAPHIC

7. 7 Reasons to Study Newsjacking by David Meerman Scott

8. LinkedIn Today Personalizes News With Your Social Graph

9. The New York Times: Self-Appointed SEO Police?

10a. LinkedIn's Maps: A Cool Way to Visualize & Understand Your Professional Network

10b. Using LinkedIn to Land on Google's Front Page

This Blog Continues Steadily Building Credibility 

Inbound Links Citing Social Media ReInvention Blog.  Inbound links from high Google authority sites included:

• Tom Peters Media Sightings Page (the author of In Search of Excellence)
• PR Newswire (for the post I wrote on digital PR strategy and patient advocacy)
• SEOmoz (for my post on the use of blogs in inbound marketing)
• Webbiquity B2B Marketing Blog (for my post on Wal Mart's social media mistakes)

Comments / Citations From Bloggers in the Advertising Age Power 150.  These bloggers included:

• David Meerman Scott (David left several comments. Here's one from my Newsjacking book review).
• Mitch Joel (Mitch wrote a nice comment in my Six Pixels of Separation book review)
• Adam Singer (Adam left a nice comment in my post about blog commenting and online reputation)
• Adam Singer (Adam also cited some of my blog comments in his February and May posts)
• Valeria Maltoni (Valeria mentioned my name and posted my tweet in one of her posts)

Here's a screenshot from Valeria's post: You do That, Too and the tweet cited in her post:

A Life Changing Event in August 2012

And, She Weighed in at a Happy and Healthy 6 Pounds, 9 Ounces. From mid-August to early November 2012, I literally dropped out of sight from any new blog posts or social media participation (you may or may not have noticed).  The birth of my daughter is the reason why.  My wife and I also have another daughter who's seven (7) years old.

Our family grew.  And, we are so blessed.

But, Little Blessings Can Be Mentally and Emotionally Consuming. Fatherhood with a newborn is both humbling and rewarding.  You learn quickly how sleep deprivation makes it difficult to construct a coherent thought or sentence.  

It took four (4) months / early November to start feeling normal, productive, and effective.

The Epiphany: Blogging Really Makes Me Happy

A Newborn Quickly Imposes Prioritization (Whether You Like It or Not).  During that four-month time frame, I realized I couldn't maintain my past routines in working on this blog.  And, that frustrated me a lot.  

I Missed the Process.  I felt something missing.  And, I had to keep reminding myself this sacrifice and setback is temporary.  

I missed everything about the writing and blogging process:

• doing the research
• recording ideas / thinking of an inital angle
• mapping out a post's structure on paper
• typing / revising the drafts
• learning what content readers responded to

Putting Things in Perspective.  Valeria Maltoni shared Stephanie Booth's post on Google+ titled: Measuring a Blog's Success: Visitors and Comments Don't Cut It.  After reading this piece, I revaluated why I invest the time and energy into this endeavor:

• It's to share something I really care about
• It's a great way to practice writing (which is important in my full-time work)
• It's introduced me to interesting, smart, like-minded people 
• It's not to make money (because I make no revenue from blogging)
• It makes me happy

Yes, It Makes Me Happy.  And, I hope the time you spend reading my blog makes you happy (or makes you feel like it's time well-spent). With each new post, I hope you feel the content is improving.  

And, I hope you'll continue sharing the content with others.  When something I write is shared on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook, I'm always surprised (and humbled). 

Thank You.  Thank you indulging me in sharing a memorable year.  Thank you for subscribing to this blog and sharing its content with your social network connections.  And, thank you for sticking with me when I temporarily dropped out of sight.

Here's to a safe, healthy, and happy 2012 for all of us. 

Photo Credit via Flickr by Sam Churchill

I don't receive a lot of comments on my blog.  But, when I do, I'm so grateful when someone takes the time to stop by.  And, I do my best to reply quickly to the comment.  Here's a reader comment from my post / book review of David Meerman Scott's latest book, Newsjacking:

And, look how I responded.  After reflecting, it makes me cringe!

 Because here's what this reader saw.  And, I've been completely blind to it for 2+ years:

I Study and Write About Social Media.  And I Couldn't See This!

Why?  Because My Crap = My Blind Spot.  A humbling, eye-opener indeed.  A real "Eureka" moment.  Here was a reader who wanted to share my post on Facebook.  And, I lost the opportunity.

So, Here's What I Did.  I checked my TypePad Content Settings for Page Footer and Post Footer.  Look how every item is selected:

Too Much Crap?  Then, Get Rid of It.

Prioritize to Simplify. I prioritized only a few social sharing icons.  And, I kept the FeedFlare social sharing hyperlinks active at the end of each post:

Less Is More.  Why Couldn't I Clearly See That?

I Got Complacent By Buying Into My Own Crap.  Look at the difference.

• Less clutter  
• Less crap
• More impact

Thanks for sticking with me (despite 2+ years of my crap).  

Photo Credit: Via Flickr by Gabriel Amadeus

Last week, I purchased/studied in Kindle format David Meerman Scott's latest book: Newsjacking: How to Inject Your Ideas Into a Breaking News Story and Generate Tons of Media Coverage. 

Newsjacking reinforces and expands the content from David's most recent book, Real Time Marketing and PR: How To Instantly Engage Your Market, Connect with Customers, and Creat Products That Grow Your Business Now.  Here's my review of Real Time Marketing and PR in this blog.

Bottom Line:  I highly recommend studying Newsjacking.  It's informative, quick-to-read, and filled with insightful how-to-examples.  In fact, both books are required reading for any marketing/PR executive, business owner, or brand manager who wants to capitalize on media opportunities generated by the real-time Web.

1. Clever Newsjacking Generates Media Bonanza Opportunities

And, We All Can Do It!  David defines "newsjacking" as publishing your personal angle, ideas, or perspective into a breaking news story / event to earn media coverage for your company, brand, or products / services.  

Help Journalists Write Their Second Paragraphs.  When hot news strikes, journalists scour the Internet via search engines (i.e., Google) and social media (i.e., Twitter, blogs, etc.).  Why?  They're seeking additional content (e.g., details, opinions, etc.) that can differentiate the point-of-view in their individual news stories.

That differentiating point-of-view or compelling content is the "second paragraph."  Journalists seek second paragraph material that:

• Delivers credible, authoritative, and valuable information / perspective
• Describes "why" something happened
• Interprets the event's impact and future implications 

Credible Second Paragraphs Can Earn Massive Media Attention.  Be fast, use targeted keywords, and provide valuable context in your Tweets and blog posts so journalists can find your contribution to a story with Google searches.  Quickly writing an informative blog post and shrewdly publicizing it with Twitter may take an hour or less.

And, the impact can be huge:  
 

"With a single hour's work many people manage to generate more media attention than a whole year's return on a substantial PR budget."

"I've been a marketer for two decades now, and I have never seen a technique as powerful as newsjacking."

2. Newsjacking Favors Faster, Smaller Players  

Real-Time Speed is a Newsjacker's Bread and Butter.  Speed, decisiveness, and execution drive successful newsjacking. And, you must respond within the hour of a breaking news story.  That's why fast movers are great newsjackers.    

David Can Trump Goliath.  Plus, smaller firms can outplay their larger competitors.  The Fortune 500 has the same opportunity to successfully newsjack as any other organization or individual.  But, their corporate hierarchies and approval processes are handicaps.  

Therefore, smaller firms can outplay their larger competitors:

"What's abundantly true is that newsjacking is easier for nimbler players than its is for the lumbering giants of the corporate world."

"To successfully newsjack or fend off a newsjack, you can't wait for approval.  You just have to do it."

Newsjacking Lives and Dies by Speed.  The graphic below describes the newsjacking process.  Notice how speed drives the entire newsjacking process:

• Tracking and staying on top of breaking news
• Deciding quickly on your response
• Publishing / Publicizing the response instantly

3. Chapter 6 - Ka-Ching: CEO Bags a Cool Million with a Single Blog Post 

A Classic, Must-Read Newsjacking Blog Post.  Joe Payne is the CEO of Eloqua, a company specializing in marketing-automation.  When he learned and verified Oracle entered his industry space, he quickly wrote this blog post:  Oracle Joins The Party.  

There are multiple reasons why this blog post and the surrounding circumstances make it a classic, newsjacking case study:

• The post provides a valuable and quotable industry perspective
• Payne crafted and posted this blog post quickly
• The blog post contains verifiable details and statistics
• Oracle buried this news story in their website
• He outflanked a larger competitor (e.g., Oracle) using new media tools   

Payne's Blog Post Earned Major Media Attention, Credibility, and $1 Million.  When industry analysts and journalists searched Google for news about Oracle, they found Payne's content-rich blog post.  And, they quoted it verbatim.  

In the following examples, I attached the hyperlink to the actual media coverage if the page still exists: 

• Business Week - Eloqua Guarantees Success for Market2Lead Clients Affected by Oracle
• PC World - Oracle Buys IP Assets of Marketing Automation Vendor 
• InfoWorld - Oracle Buys IP Assets of Market2Lead
• Customer Think - Oracle Buys Market2Lead
• Experience Matrix - Oracle Buys Market2Lead Intellectual Assets

The aforementioned media coverage (and other coverage) increased Eloqua's credibility.  In addition, Payne and his team combined the blog post's media coverage with immediate, next-morning business development follow-up.  These combined activities brought Eloqua software deals worth $1 million in new revenue among six (6) new clients.

That's a great outcome especially without the luxury of a multiple phase PR campaign or massive advertising budget.    

4. Chapter 7: Become the Go-To Gal (or Guy) in Your Industry

Blogs Are Powerful Newsjacking Assets.  Long form content achieves four (4) things:

• Provides keyword rich content for search engines to index
• Increases the probability journalists will find your blog post when searching Google
• Delivers context rich details (hard to do in Twitter and Facebook)
• Positions newsjackers as reputable and credible reputable industry authorities

Here's a direct quote from David: "If a blog develops a reputation for serving up informed, insightful, authoritative, articulate, quotable and timely commentary on issues in your industry, journalists will learn to seek you out when issues arise."

Knowing Your Issues / Topics Cold Leads to Long Term Credibility.  Newsjack the issues and topics in which you are well-informed.  That knowledge will make your newsjacking perspective valuable, credible, and authoritative.  

Long term credibility is vital in building an authoritative reputation and relationships with journalists.  Even more importantly, that credibility and reputation dictates why journalists may or may not seek your input in future news stories.  

Why Amdocs and Jeff Barak Are Telecommunications Billing and Customer Care Industry Authorities.  In Chapter 7, David describes how Amdocs and Jeff Barak used their company blog to comment on regulatory changes in their industry.  Barak wrote this blog post, No Need to Be Bill Shocked, while the FCC conducted meetings in late 2010 to discuss legislation about bill shock.

Journalists searched Google for the latest news about this FCC legislation and found Barak's blog post.  His post earned coverage from industry publications (like this one from Penton Media's Connected Planet blog post -- Not Being Shocked by Bill Shock).

5. Learn from Newsjacking Mistakes: The Golden Rules 

The Kenneth Cole Twitter Blunder.  Remember, this infamous tweet from Kenneth Cole during the 2011 Egyptian Revolution:

Unfortunately, Cole used poor taste and judgment when he tried to newsjack this news event.  And, massive public relations backlash resulted.

To prevent a social media blunder like this occurring at your organization, David provides these newsjacking objectives and guidelines:

The Golden Rule Objective (Direct Quote).  "When intervening in a news story you should add value - information or insight that contributes to the public's understanding of the situation."

The Four (4) Golden Rules.  Kenneth Cole didn't have the benefit of David's advice before sending out that tweet.  We now have that luxury:    

* Be dignified and statesmanlike.  See the Joe Payne / Eloqua Case Study Above (#3)

* Be positive and upbeat, never mean or vindictive.  Again, see the Joe Payne / Eloqua Case Study Above (#3)

* Write articulate text in full sentences without chatty slang, industry jargon, corporate-speak (i.e., mission-critical or cutting-edge) or social media shorthand (e.g., IMHO)

* Don't get too cute or clever -- especially where human suffering is involved.  See aforementioned Kenneth Cole tweet

6. Newsjackers Monitor News 24/7 Via RSS Feeds

 
RSS (Real Simple Syndication) Feeds Are a Newsjacker's BFF.  David describes how setting up RSS feeds to your favorite news sources, analysts, industry publications, and blogs enables real-time news monitoring.  And, staying abreast of leading news events gives you the competitive advantage to respond fast.  David mentions these RSS services in his book:

• Google Reader
• Newsfire

Fast Responders Earn Attention.  Here's a how-to video I made two years ago on using RSS (e.g., your iGoogle Home Pages) to monitor postings of your favorite blogs to increase your chances of being an early commenter on new posts.  Why? Early commenters earn the author's attention (especially if you're the first commenter).  

The same principle applies when monitoring news sources in real-time and responding quickly to capitalize on a newsjacking opportunity:

7. Learn How to Maximize Twitter's Real-Time Capabilities 

A Newsjacker' Must-Have Weapon For Monitoring News Flow.  Twitter's real-time capabilities make it the ultimate rapid response, news monitoring tool.  You can find great second paragraph content and breaking news stories by:

• Catching key phrases by creating columns in Tweetdeck and HootSuite
• Using Twitter's search function
• Setting up a "news" column in Tweetdeck or HootSuite (i.e., a dedicated news column focusing on all the news sources you follow)

A Powerful Fast Response Distribution Channel.  When it comes to publicizing and "pushing out" newsjacking blog posts quickly, Twitter rules.  Remember, journalists search Twitter to find differentiating second paragraph content.

Use Twitter Hashtags (#).  Therfore, include hashtags (the pound key - #) in your tweets to mark them with the unique identifier about a particular subject (i.e., #Cairo).  Remember, the hashtag, makes it easier for journalists to instantly locate in Twitter all references to a particular topic.  Plus, tweets with hashtags are curated in reverse chronological order (i.e., most recent first).

Twitter Can Help You Directly Contact a Journalist.  Most journalists provide or publish their Twitter ID (i.e.@firstnamelastname).  Verify their Twitter ID with a quick Google search.  Then, include his/her Twitter ID in your tweet so you can directly point him/her to your blog post.

Miguel Helft and Jessi Hempel wrote a great Fortune Magazine article, Facebook Vs. Google: The Battle for the Future of the Web, in the November 2011 issue. It's an insightful article filled with many interesting facts / statistics describing each company's operations, financials, online performance, and rivalry:

Facebook Statistics 

1. 3,000 Employees.  Facebook's estimated number of employees in 2011.

2. $4.3 Billion.  Facebook's projected 2011 revenues.

3. 800 Million Users.  Facebook has 800 million users / members.

4. 81% Revenue Increase.  Facebook's display advertising revenue is expected to grow by 81% in 2011.

5. 50% Increase in 2011 Overall Revenue.  Facebook's overall revenue is smaller than Google's.  But, Facebook's overall 2011 revenue is expected to grow by 50%+ (compared to 2010's $2 billion overall revenue).

6. 30% of App Revenues.  Facebook takes 30% of the reveunes app developers (i.e., companies like Zynga) make on its online platform.

7. $80 Billion IPO Valuation.  Facebook is expected to top an $80 billion valuation at its much anticipated initial public offering (IPO).

8. 155 Million Monthly Unique Visitors.  Facebook's estimated number of U.S. monthly unique visitors.

9. 400+ Average Monthly Minutes.  Comscore says Facebook visitors spend an estimated 400+ average minutes on Facebook.com.

10. 27 Years Old.  The age of Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's CEO.

11.  60 Days.  Mark Zuckerberg called on Facebook engineers to work nights and weekends for 60 days when word leaked in summer 2010 Google was developing a "Facebook Killer." 

12. Four (4) Facebook Executives.  Four (4) of Facebook's to 11 executives are ex-Google employees.

Google Statistics 

13. 31,353 Employees.  Google's estimated number of employees in 2011.

14. 2,600 Employees.  In third quarter 2011, Google added nearly 2,600 employees.  That's just 400 employees short of Facebook's entire workforce.

15. $38 Billion.  Google's projected 2011 revenues.

16. 41% of $31 Billion (or $12.7 Billion).  Google currently captures 41% of the $31 billion U.S. online advertising market.

17. 34% Revenue increase.  Google's display advertising revenue is expected to grow by 34% in 2011.

18. 30% Increase in 2011 Overall Revenue.  Google's 2011 overall revenue growth is predicted as 30% on $38 billion in forecasted overall revenue.

19. 180 Million Monthly Unique Visitors.  Google's estimated number of U.S. monthly unique visitors.

20. 250+ Average Monthly Minutes.  Comscore says Google visitors spend an estimated 250+ average minutes on Google's sites (e.g., Google.com, YouTube, Gmail, Google Maps, and other properties).

21. 40 Million Users.  As of the publication of this article, 40 million people signed up for Google+.

22. 4 Months.  Google+ acquired 40 million users during its current 4-month launch period.

23. 100 Features. Google has introduced 100+ new features since Google+'s June 2011 launch.

24. 598,000 Google+ Followers.  As of this article's publication, Mark Zuckerberg has 598,000 followers on Google+.  

25. Four (4) Previous Attempts.  Google made four (4) previous attempts to launch and establish a successful social network before succeeding with Google+ in June 2011.

• Orkut (2004)
• Open Social (2007)
• Google Wave (2009)
• Google Buzz (2010)

26.  5% of App Revenues.  Google takes 5% of the revenues app developers make on its online platform.

27. 38 Years Old.  The age of Larry Page, Google's CEO.

28. $10 Million in Equity and Cash.  Google offered its top engineers and executives $10 million in equity and cash to remain at Google.

29. 20 Years of Government Monitoring.  Google accepted 20 years of government monitoring after Google Buzz exposed Gmail users' contacts to others.  This public misstep triggered a Federal Trade Commission investigation forcing Google to revamp its privacy policies and accept the government monitoring.

Photo Credit by Alan Tippins via Flickr

This Wall Street Journal article, German Merck to U.S. Merck: Get Out of My Facebook, presents a prime example of why a platform agnostic digital marketing strategy decreases the risks of relying on a single social media network.

Here’s a video from The Wall Street Journal providing a synopsis of the situation:

A B2C Battle for Facebook Real Estate

The article describes how both companies sharing similar names are fighting for the URL:  “www.facebook.com/merck”.  The case is currently under review by the New York State Supreme Court.

Facebook's Consumer Reach Matters.  The court battle demonstrates Facebook’s importance in each company’s digital marketing mix and pharmaceutical marketing consumer reach.  Key quotes illustrating this point include:

“Merck KGaA said it entered into an agreement with Facebook for the exclusive use of the Web page in March of last year, but last month the drug maker discovered that it no longer had administrative rights to the page, which was filled with content related to Merck & Co.”

“Because Facebook is an important marketing device, the page is of great value, and its misappropriation is causing harm to Merck," the German company said. The spokesman said he couldn't estimate the actual costs involved in the loss of the Web page.”

 

Ownership of the Merck Facebook Vanity URL is TBD 

Merck & Co. Last Had The Facebook Vanity URL.  Here are pictures of both company’s respective Facebook pages on November 26th and November 30th: 

November 26th: Merck & Co. Facebook Page:

November 29th: Merck & Co. Facebook Page:

November 26th: Merck KGaA Facebook Page

November 29th: Merck KGaA Facebook Page

Neither Side Currently Has Use of the Vanity URL.  According this ZDNet blog post by Emil Protalinksi, Facebook will not allow either party to use the www.facebook.com/merck URL until both companies agree who can use it.  This explains the November 29th versions of each company’s Facebook pages.

Conclusion

Platform Agnostic Is the Best Web Marketing Strategy.  If you’re a subscriber and regular reader of Adam Singer’s blog, The Future Buzz, you’re probably familiar with Adam’s posts on creating and executing a platform agnostic web strategy. 

Content from these Future Buzz posts reinforce this credo relative to this news event:

• Platform Agnostic Is Still The Smartest Web Strategy
• 19 Reasons You Should Blog And Not Just Tweet
• Why You Should Plan to Self-Publish Pretty Much Forever 

From Platform Agnostic Is Still The Smartest Web Strategy:

“You don’t rely on any single network, search engine, ad campaign, email list or other organic (or even paid) asset for attention. Rather, smartly, the mix you rely on for awareness is distributed.”

“Your long-term path for digital success is simple: don’t be lured into banking all your equity in someone else’s platform. Continue to embrace a platform agnostic approach, and thrive.”

From 19 Reasons You Should Blog and Not Just Tweet (for the purposes of this discussion substitute “Twitter” with “Facebook”):

“Remember, you’re essentially contributing to someone else’s network on Twitter – certainly there are returns, but make no mistake they profit from your attention.  I know you might not have a problem with that because you gain something too, but it’s good to be conscious of that fact.”

“These are all just tools to share content and ideas, no more, no less.  You need a cohesive strategy for all of them to drive conversions in one spot.  A blog is the perfect place for that if you want focused attention and to build an interested community.  What if any one network you don’t control falls out of favor or changes the rules?  At the end of the day, self-hosted blog owners control the vertical and the horizontal, whereas on Twitter or any external network you’re at the whim of someone else.”

“Careful of how much time you devote to Twitter instead of contributing to your own channel.  Spend the most time nurturing that – time spent in Twitter comes at the opportunity cost of fresh content to your blog.  You can use Twitter and other micro networks to draw subscribers and interest, but the premier value is in working on your own material in a unique space.”

From Why You Should Plan to Self-Publish Pretty Much Forever:

“Self publishing lets you become platform agnostic. You aren’t limited to one single network like Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or anything else. Rather, you effortlessly plug into all of them, including reaching unloved but extremely valuable RSS and email users. Not everyone will ever use every single platform, but everyone can share, comment and subscribe to content that is published via a domain you own. In fact, more platforms makes self-publishing more valuable, because independent content can easily be shared anywhere on the web.”

“By having a self-hosted blog or publication you control the design, calls to action and user experience. Change is not up to some external entity (whether for benevolent reasons or otherwise). Rather it is up to you. If you plan to build a community that stands the test of time it is far too valuable to place this ability in the hands of another.”

Are Both Firms Too Dependent On Someone Else’s Platform? Both firms participate in social media.  But, neither Merck & Co. nor Merck KGaA maintains a company blog. 

Maybe, this presents an opportunity for each company to develop a blog as the central hub for each organization’s web marketing strategy.  And, the other social networks like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, et. al. take on the role of social media outposts / distribution channels.

Otherwise, what's to prevent any of the social networks from "changing the rules" where Merck & Co. or Merck KGaA currently invest their social media participation ...

Merck & Co. Home Page (November 30th):

Merck KGaA Home Page (November 30th):

Photo Credit by Casey Lessard via Flickr

Compelling Marketing Shows Us Something:

• What Something Can Do
• Why Something's Different
• How Something's Simple 
• Why Something's Emotional 

The new Google+ tv commercials are all-of-the-above.  

Looks Familiar Doesn't It?  And, it's not coincidental how these Google+ commercials resemble the "show us something" marketing philosophy of another successful Silicon Valley company:

Photo Credit: By copepodo via Flickr