Social Media, Music and Millennial Marketing | Greg Rollett

Why Customer Service Matters

2008-07-23T11:30:00.000-07:00

Update:

After talking with a few more folks at AT&T, I understand why I could not do what I wanted to do. There are some great people in the organization who are trying to make it work and I appreciate that. Hopefully everything will get resolved and we will go on with our iPhone enhanced days! I just wish the people helping me could help their call center phone support reps realize that everyone is important. The following post was written out of frustration, without all of the facts. However it still holds merit as to treating your customers right, no matter the business or company. What goes up, well, it usually comes down and how you treat the everyday customer will have long-term effects on your business.

Warning: This post contains language not meant for small children or something like that!

Disclaimer: I love my iPhone, coolest invention ever!

Ok, got that crap out of the way. This post is a customer service post. Last time I checked, customer service provokes a real good value into Word of Mouth Marketing. When your customer service is bad, so is your buzz in the streets.

I had a battle with AT&T today over my wife's phone. No matter the battle, and who is right and wrong, the customer is always right, right? Well according to the highest person in their good old call center, the customer is not right, AT&T is not Burger King and they don't care what other, friendlier, services and carriers do. They have the iPhone and everyone wants one. They want them so bad that the local Sanford store is saying up to 21 days on pre-orders.

Basically my call with said supervisor ended in them saying,

yea go ahead and cancel your subscription, we have a 3 week backlog of people begging to get onto our network.

Ouch!

I posted my initial thoughts on Twitter. I was mad. Then I thought, is anyone else mad. In comes Twitter Search:

And there are pages and pages of others.

Why it matters?
If AT&T is looking to be in this for the long haul they are going to have to look past Steve Jobs and the iPhone. There is a bigger picture. Long term contracts are worth a hell of a lot more than a $199 phone that Apple eats anyway.

I am sure that with their Customer Support team being so efficient they have plenty of time to track Twitter Search and blog bashing. This is sarcasm, but really I bet they don't even care. People are lining up to sign-up to their service, so even though I thought I was in the right today, AT&T lost me as an advocate, all because they couldn't port over a number that we had active for over 10 years now.

When brands don't care
They rise fast and fall faster
They forget about the little man, who is the one who usually forks over the bill.
Short sighted - need money now mentality
Loss of advocates
Gives competition a chance when there should not have been
Short-sighted to product and service improvements
Dell syndrome (at least they finally got it right)

Oh hell, no one cares.
The iPhone is a hit, I love it, my wife will love it (even with a new number) and the millions who are waiting and got nothing in return will love it too. That is why AT&T doesn't care. They don't have to.

-Greg Rollett

Killer Relevancy for Your Ads

2008-07-22T12:32:00.000-07:00

You go to store to buy the new Mike Shinoda x DC kicks that you want to wear this weekend.
You read ProBlogger because Darren helps you get better traffic, write better posts, etc.
You eat pizza at the place on the corner because it is close and usually affordable.

I could go on and on on with things that we do everyday. We do them because we know what we want. I want those shiny new shoes, I want to get more readers and I want some pizza. I want them because they are interests that I have and that I know (obviously).

Online ads are clueless.
For how smart computers are, and that good old Google Algorithm that can't be cracked, added to the countless number of VC dollars that are being spent on ad networks and so on, they can not put the fact that my favorite band is Gym Class Heroes and I like pizza.

We are working with an ad network for the Facebook App we are launching at the end of the week and let's just say that, well, it's not looking good. With click through rates around 0.002% on Applications right about now, we are going to need some killer traffic to grab some nickel beers at Cheyanne Saloon on Wednesdays!

iPhone and Relevancy
One reason that I am loving the iPhone is the fact that some App Developers have given me relevancy. Take iWant. It looks for anything from food to bars to shopping and gas all based on my location. That is relevancy.

So, how can ad networks start serving ads that are as relevant as the free information that is available through Google searches or using Apps like iWant?

The sites, be it the Social Networks like Myspace and Facebook, need to let the ad platform look at the data in full. Facebook is doing better at this, but Myspace on the other hand keeps wanting me to click on Kottonmouth Kings ringtones. Sorry, already have all 10 albums and I am a music producer, so I can make my own, thank you.
We need better advertisers and more inventory of these better advertisers. The reason there are so many ring tone ads are because there is an influx of these companies that want to advertise and not enough quality, name brand advertisers that are available for the common blogger or website owner. With Myspace serving a billion or so page impressions a day, there are just not enough quality ads to go around.
While I am not opposed to CPC, CPM and CPA, they do NOT work in every situation. For our Facebook App, users are promoting concerts that they have attended or are going to. For someone like Warped Tour to come in and demand CPC is absurd. We can wrap-up our site for the advertiser and create a brand presence within the application. But we can also trigger people to search for their friends that are going to Warped Tour, maybe they already have tickets and they want to "share" it with their friends. Maybe they even buy a ticket from our affiliate partners. So they didn't get the click through, but they got people talking, and talking provokes action.

The problem with this method is that there is no direct relation to ROI for the advertisers. While Social Media tools like Radian6 have started to figure out the picture, there is simply no way to calculate how people made their decision and how they got there from Social Media tools and site sponsorships.

I am no algorithm genius, but I do know that if you are going to be showing me ads (Lord knows as this blog grows you will see some, I would like to buy my wife something nice for Christmas), show me something that I might like to action for.

4. Lastly, make better ads! 90% of banner ads suck, they just do. They turn us off visually and usually send us to a landing page that doesn't convert us for shit. Don't mislead me. Give me something worth clicking and I bet you will get more relevant clicks.

Now, I'm off to look for sexy singles in Orlando (watch my AdSense change because of this sentence) and download some sweet hip-pop ringtones. See you this weekend with my new Diploma from the University of Phoenix!

-Greg Rollett

Phone Saber

2008-07-21T11:51:00.000-07:00

Not only is it the number 3 downloaded free application on the iPhone platform, it also makes you look like even more of a nerd that you already are. Either way you look at it, it is super fun. Look for plenty of videos of Phone Saber Jedi's on YouTube in the next few days. Someone is bound to become internet famous for playing this application.

Look out Storm Troopers, the iPhone clan is coming for you!

-Greg Rollett

Proof that Pandora is Killing Clear Channel

2008-07-18T10:10:00.000-07:00

From AdWeek:

As of July 14, the company had registered 180,000 new users, and more than 200,000 new stations had been created on the iPhone. Pandora executives claim that the company has attracted a new iPhone listener every two seconds since the launch, with most users listening for close to an hour per day.

When is the last time Clear Channel had any excitement like that?

What kind of data is Pandora collecting to make their stations better?
E-Mail
Name
Type of Artists
If songs are liked or disliked
Popular artists and playlists
I'm sure many more

What kind of data is Clear Channel collecting to make their stations better?
Whatever their corporate headquarters and advertisers give them.

Who is going to win long term?
Yes, it is that obvious.

I am picking up my iPhone today at 5, as soon as I get off work and the 1st app being installed will be the last time I make an attempt to listen to a Clear Channel station. Sorry to be so blunt, but they just don't matter anymore.

(BTW - My co-worker, who happens to be 50 said the same thing. She is going to get an iPhone for the sole purpose of getting radio how she wants it and being able to listen to the music she wants, when she wants!)

-Greg Rollett

Can Clear Channel Be Cool?

2008-07-16T10:14:00.000-07:00

photo by kevincrumbs

Radio is dying. There is more and more syndication of shows and the localization is going right out the window. Here in Orlando we have CBS Radio and Clear Channel and they both pretty much suck if you want to hear ground breaking music.

Honestly the satellite radios are not any better. The music might be hot and fresh and there are more genres and channels, but still, it's not what we want in an iPod generation.

In order for these Clear Channel, Cox or CBS's to matter again, they need to give the users what they want, when they want it. I am not talking about calling in a request. I mean on-demand.

Here's the big ideas:
The iPhone can pretty much make both traditional radio and XM Radio obsolete. How? Easy, Pandora and 3G. Last.FM and 3G. When iMeem launches their iPhone App, forget about it. Clear Channel needs to be right up their backside developing an application that users can take where they want and listen to the music, news, talk that they want at anytime and any place. All your major shows are syndicated anyway, store em online, throw in a few advertisements and let the user go get em.

Create synergy between the community, your station and the online world. When having your big concerts, get local. EDBD does this with a Battle of the Bands but it does so on a 2nd rate stage in front of the hot dog stands. Get the community involved. Once you have them involved make them be a part of your brand and allow them to share that involvement with their friends, co-workers, etc. Then the idea is to get your online strategy to sync up with the community aspect. In today's world you cannot have one without the other.

Let your advertising sync between everything that you do. It will make the advertiser happy and the message just may get across to the viewer/listener. Create a total advertising package.

I dunno, these were just some thoughts I had today. Tomorrow I hopefully pick up my iPhone and one of the 1st Apps I'm grabbing is Pandora.

What do you think? Can radio even compete with these new cutting edge companies? Can Clear Channel become cool again and break out of their corporate b/s? The more I think about it, the answer is no. They move too slow.

Let the local markets do it themselves. Interesting. Can radio be local again? That's another topic in itself.

Come on, join in the radio conversation. I'd love to hear from ya!

-Greg Rollett

Warped Tour Orlando 2008

2008-07-11T13:33:00.000-07:00

Somehow, someone, someway I got to Warped Tour in Orlando this year and not only was I a vendor for Rock For Hunger, but I sneaked my way into a Media Pass as well. Below are some photos. More updates to come about how bands, labels and sponsors did as far as marketing and harnessing the power of cell phones and social media.

Check out the rest of my photos from the Orlando stop of Warped Tour on Flickr.

And for those that are looking for more beyond the band style things from Warped Tour 2008, we are doing an interview series over on SkatterBand, first up is the Briggs.

Oh and I have some video too, I took it with my Flip camera, looks good on the little thing, will put it on the big screen later tonight!

-Greg Rollett
(I'll be praying to get a pair of iPhones tomorrow, a day after all the fun of waiting in lines and sell-outs)

Google Knows Music...Or Do They?

2008-07-08T12:55:00.000-07:00

I might have really missed the train on this one, or maybe I am really observant and smart. Either way, this is powerful stuff for musicians and marketers to think about when working within Google and inside of keywords.

First, how I got there: I was writing an article on Girl Talk and Illegal Art Records for SkatterBand when I Google'd Girl Talk. Results below.

What was this I though. So I clicked through.

Wow. What information. Google sorted Girl Talk into their releases.

With the tabs on the left I could then:

See all tracks from all albums.
Buy "Unstoppable" on Rhapsody.
Buy "Secret Diary" on Rhapsody or eMusic (Google is totally using an Affiliate link too)
See all websites affiliated with Girl Talk (actually just links back to the initial Google search results)
See the latest news on Girl Talk via Google News
Get Girl Talk pics from Google Images
Talk about Girl Talk in already formed Google Groups

Not bad. All this information on an indie artist from an indie label. And this was returned as more relevant than their official website, Myspace page, YouTube videos and so on.

What happens if you look for a "bigger" band?

I chose Blink-182 and Linkin Park for the experiment. Same results. More information. Both Google versions came before official sites that have been online and building deep links for years.

With Blink the initial results page was even divided into 3 sections. One with the Google Blink-182 landing page, the official site, Wikipedia and a YouTube clip, the second featured Blink lyrics, and the 3rd had more search results from that good 'ol Google algorithm. See the image below.

One last observation was the terrible ads these landing pages displayed. Girl Talk had singles ads and Linkin Park had one for the official Lincoln car dealer site.

Google step your ad displaying game up! This comes after I read an article on Google displaying terrible results inside of Myspace.

My initial thoughts:

They are making money from selling your music through affiliate links - not terrible but read number 2
They are taking clicks away from your website, Myspace page or whatever, where you are serving ads and selling your own products
They have created these pages with no confirmations from the bands themselves, obviously, but have missed albums from Girl Talk and I'm sure plenty of others
They are serving disastrous content based ads on these pages

Google, this may be great in theory, but let's work out the kinks before we go further with it.

What are your thoughts, concerns and opinions on Google taking over music search?

-Greg Rollett

Why Do I Have to Eat My Vegetables?

2008-07-07T13:21:00.000-07:00

photo by justinhenry

You remember being at the dinner table when you were a child and your parents always said the same thing...

Just try it.

Now that Gen-Y is starting to take a stance in the workplace, we are uttering those same words to our parents and their peers. Millennials have taken the lead in this whole Social Media world, and we get it. We use it. We build with it and think our futures will be bright will more online networking, lifecasting, photo sharing and online life experiences.

In a recent article by Bea Fields on the Millennial Leaders blog, she throws out an analogy that really hit home;

I had a conversation last week with a leader who asked me why he and his company should be on Facebook? I then said “Why do you go to conferences, board meetings and networking events?” His response: “Well, to build relationships!” Relationship building is HUGE, and Gen Y knows this. Networking on Facebook, blogging, podcasting or sending tweets is just a smart move. If you want to be a leader, you have to be willing to use the most current tools and know how to use them to your advantage.

Gen-Y is stepping up to the plate and trying to get the X'ers and the Boomers, who are up the corporate ladder and have the decision making power, to understand that Social Media is not an unnecessary evil, but in fact a tool that can yield results, turn over ROI and increase brand awareness, customer base and future income.

As kids, we didn't want to eat our vegetables because we had a perception that vegetable were supposed to taste bad. Boomers and Gen-X have a preconceived notion that the Internet is bad and everything that comes with it, the YouTubes, Myspaces, Facebooks, Twitters and all the rest of the Community building applications that are considered time wasters by their biased opinions.

Well, now it's my turn. "Just try it."

Those vegetables turned out to be okay after some time and, well, I bet they consume a good part of your diet now. They do in mine. I think they may even be good for your health.

Social Media is in the same boat. Are you ready to swim?

-Greg Rollett
Follow my ramblings on Twitter, sure they don't make sense, but once you join the conversation, it only makes you wiser.

What Does Your Site Do?

2008-07-03T08:02:00.000-07:00

I wish everyone could say it like this, in fact, I am going to unroll a new Rollett Marketing site this weekend that will tell it like it is. Here's what Gnip (guh-nip) does:

Title: Gnip: We got $h*t to pop.
Headline: We make data portability suck less.

Sweet, bold and simple. I know what they do and hell, I am even going to give them a try.

Here's some screen shots:

-Greg Rollett

9 Steps to Kick Ass Productivity

2008-07-02T11:29:00.001-07:00

image by orangeacid

This week I have really buckled down and got things done. With more start-ups than I can count, new clients, plus a 9-5, it's really time to get down to business. With the holiday weekend coming even closer, I know that I need to get as much done by the end of today, because let's face it, no matter how much of my life is work, I'm still 25 and have a 3- (4ish) day weekend approaching.

So, what has been the key to kicking ass and making things happen?

Glad you asked, here's how I did it.

1. Remember the Milk - a Godsend. If you are not using RTM, at least use some sort of task manager. Recently I have really been taking advantage of noting times for completion and getting sent little Instant Message reminders to my phone when they are creeping up. Also, note the cool color features that help prioritize your tasks and make them stand out amongst the ah-not-supa-important tasks.

2. Not using e-mail like AIM - This has been huge. I was the dude who returned e-mails faster than you could send them. Not anymore. GMail is now checked in the morning, at lunch and 2 times at night. This clears up so many things and my time effectiveness has improved 10-fold.

3. Twhirl. Yea, so I am kinda old school and used Twitter on the web. I don't know why, I guess I was used to it. Now I am using a combination of Flock and Twhirl. I say both, well, because in the world that is Twitter, sometimes things don't work great. This keeps my browser free from having another tab open.

4. Less RSS. I'm still adding 5 or so Feeds a week, but I am also getting rid of sites that don't update or give any value my work. I have chopped out all the lifestyle blogs and even some of the new music blogs. The less time I spend in RSS land sifting through crap, the more time I can give to my clients.

5. Better RSS. Going along with the last point, I am really trying to learn things in my feeds. I want to engage in conversations and get better at what I do. If you can prove to me that you can teach me something, well then, you're good to go.

6. iMeem - Sometimes the iMeem playlists just put me in a groove and I can zone and and GTD. (Even when they are corny pop-punk tracks)

7. Seeing results. Nothing makes you work harder than seeing the results of your hard work. Seeing sites begin to develop, traffic show up for good posts and media attention for some of your clients always makes your day flow better.

8. Having goals. At the end of this week I have goals that I wish to attain, whether they be traffic, new users, new advertisers, pages written in this eBook that is looming over my head, or whatever. I think having an ending to celebrate makes me kick ass in the process.

9. AM Workouts. Over the weekend I was in Miami. I saw my dad for the first time in a few months and one of the first things out of his mouth was, "boy, look at you putting on a little pudge." Man, that sucked. So far, 2 days on the exercise machine and 1 day jogging with Mylie. Results, no pounds shed, but damn am I focused and energized. Even better, no energy drinks or Mountain Dew all week. That alone is kick ass productivity!

Alright, back to work. Before I go, I wanted to get your tips on how you maintain "Kiss Ass Productivity" day-in-day-out? Thanks guys!

(Related jamblr post: My Web Tool Kit)

-Greg Rollett

Live Music in Orlando

2008-07-01T12:09:00.000-07:00

In the busy land that is my life, I have somehow been coerced into playing some really cool shows with some really talented folks. First up is this Saturday night, amidst the 4th of July Hangover, I will make a return to the Social, the indie haven of Orlando. I will be playing alongside KG and the Band plus Atlanta recording artist Laura Reed. We are going by the 80's indie hair power pop inspired, 'G-Ro and the Skateboard Sneakers.'

Some great posts on KG and the Band:
KG and the Band | The Backbone of jamblr
Rock For Hunger Artist of the Week

Buy your tickets here or shoot me an email to get them without the surcharge. It's going to be an acoustic hip-pop offering from my alter-ego G-Ro. Listen to his rantings at his Myspace page.

Later in the month we get our hip-hop funk on at Central Station's Rock Bar with Fusebox Funk, Madd Illz and Daylight District.

Lastly, here is a super secret teaser of the logo for our Facebook App that should be done end of this week. If you want to be apart of our BETA testing send an email to rollettmarketing@gmail.com and I will be sure to hook it up.
Thanks guys and a more powerful and insightful Social Media or Gen-Y post will come sometime later!

-Greg Rollett

Relying on 1

2008-06-30T13:01:00.000-07:00

Tiger Woods is out for the season.

What star teams lose their star player midway through a season, it usually means regrouping and pulling in some talent from other teams or the minor leagues in hope of a spark in the player's absence. In the case of golf, no one can come close to replacing Tiger.

Forget the trophies and the prize money. Heck even forget the fans for a minute. The biggest losers are the sponsors. Tiger makes more money (over $100 million) on sponsors than any other athlete on the planet. When he can't wear his Nike visor and drive around in his Buick, those sponsors are throwing their money away. Without the star in a league of nameless faces, tv sponsors and advertisers are quickly leaving. Live event ticket sales are dropping. Golf is in trouble.

Golf's Problem
They relied on one man to carry their entire operation. Nike relied on one golfer to sell their golf clubs and advertisers only want to place big dollar ads when Tiger was putting on Sundays.

Golf is bigger than Tiger. Yea, he kicks ass and wins like no one Gen-Y has even seen (yes, he's better than Mike), but no one has even tried to compete in a way that rivals Tiger's popularity. Why doesn't Nike have a push for a 2nd golfer? They have an abundance of Basketball, Baseball and Football players all getting the same air time as Mr. Woods. And, actually their bigger stars in those sports don't win anything close to what Tiger does (A-Rod? Kobe? Chad Johnson?). Ok, maybe some MVP's, but no champions like Tiger's a champion.

The Problem With 1
As an entrepreneur, working one idea at a time puts you at a huge disadvantage. If that idea fails, then you have wiped yourself fresh out of the game. No more endorsements and advertisers. Financial backers won't rush to give you more money anytime soon. On the other hand, if you come into the game with multiple options, you have more room for more successes and ultimately more failures.

Even with one product, you need to have multiple layers for which you can get your fans, users and advertisers involved. We are launching a Facebook Application in the next few days (more to come later this week!!) and I'll break it down to you like this:

Monetization:
Affiliate revenue
Direct selling of sponsored placement
Ad Network
Cross promotion with interactive site

For Users:
4 levels of interactivity

What you do
What your friends do
What everyone does
How you compare

We are allowing for multiple layers to give an ultimate experience for everyone involved. If our affiliate revenue is not doing so hot this week, we have backups in the other forms of advertising. If a community member doesn't want to import their own data, they can see their friends data and integrate that into their profile and so on.

The idea of multiple streams of income is nothing new. Even the idea of spreading your message across multiple platforms - print, tv, internet, social media and so on is a marketing no brainer.

The more opportunities you give yourself to succeed, the higher that probability becomes.

How others do it:
Grooveshark - They not only came out with the Grooveshark platform and network, they then introduced Grooveshark Lite and now Tiny Song. In doing so, Grooveshark is effectively creating more opportunities for themselves to not only showcase Grooveshark but to service the different needs of music lovers.

Doterati - This is a new Central Florida Interactive Marketing and Tech association that is giving value to not only the members of the community, but also to the sponsors and companies that wish to be a part of this growing demographic. The value comes in the form of an online resource center including training, a job board, video archive, a Wiki, blog postings as well as traditional networking events, live speakers, meet and greets, panel discussions and other activities. It offers the community multiple points of entry and access.

Don't Follow in NIKE's Footsteps
Nike is left high and dry after losing Tiger for the season. If you lose a key component, player, developer or financial partner, what effects will that have on your business?

By creating 2 star players, you not only give yourself that back up plan, but you give yourself 2 chances to win the title. If Nike began to brand a Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh or whoever as a top tier player, give them the "Tiger Push," they would have double the coverage and double the chance for their hats, t-shirts, clubs and balls to be center stage on Sunday afternoons. As it goes now, they will have to rely on a comeback tour sometime next spring when Tiger's knee recovers.

Do you have a Tiger Woods project, that will kick ass, season in and season out? What happens when that no longer works, what do you do then? Are you waiting until it is too late? Let me know in the comments. I'd love to hear what you are doing!

-Greg Rollett

The Flip-Flop Kids and Project Management

2008-06-20T13:28:00.000-07:00

photo by jspad

Web 2.0 enthusiasts, start-ups and even early adopters are all heavily involved in their projects and how the web revolves around their world. That's cool. They have every right to be.

The rest of the planet, however, is using these tools is a completely different light, or may have not yet even seen the light. I admit to get caught up in the over analysis of new products nearly everyday. The buzz of product "a" is undeserved because product "b" does it better and faster and so on.

What about User A vs User B
In one of my latest meetings we were talking about integrating OpenID or some other form of log-in system that will make things easier for the user. I think this is brilliant, that may also be because I belong to more online communities than most everyone I know.

For User B, or the mainstream population, being a part of OpenID or Plaxo or whatever is still another site for them to manage and be a part of, keep updated and, well, know how to use.

My Wife as an Example
She has a Myspace account, posts photos on Photobucket and Flickr, built a community around our wedding (aww how cute), has log-ins for her computer at work, her work email, her personal e-mail, AIM, T-Mail (stupid Sidekicks will be obsolete on July 11th she says), and I'm sure possible others.

That's a lot of data to remember. But she does it. She is not a Social Media leader or influencer. She has never complained about password or Social Networking fatigue. In fact, she still signs up for stupid travel deals, and well some of them actually work.

Hitting Mass Appeal
Did you hear that I said Myspace is her number one thing. That's because it has reached mass appeal. Notice how I didn't mention Twitter. It hasn't to people like her and many others.

The problem
I think a lot of start-ups have a closed minded view of the overall assessment of their site, software, application, etc. Myspace is far from perfect, but it does everything most people want it to. It connects them with friends, allows you to look at pictures, comment on things, watch video and find and listen to kick ass bands.

Most early adopters hamper on little things like Friend Feed implementation, or Twitter integration as a sign of something being cool or uncool. They say that the interface is not clean enough or doesn't function like "website A."

Mass Appeal Reply
Who gives a shit. When I took a backseat today to look at some of the sites I was running I started to look at what someone like my wife was looking at. I took the view of someone that doesn't critique any and everything on the page, they just wanted to use the site, casually. What I saw on this particular site was a great place to do what the site wanted you to do. It didn't want to integrate with today's latest trend. It doesn't want an interface that rivals an iPhone.

It wanted to do one function and it does it good enough to where the average person can dig it. (No, not that Digg.) They can get involved, maybe tell their friends and be a loyal user.

I want those users like that
The user who understands and abuses my service until it can go no further and yet still produces the results it needs. Your product doesn't need to do everything. In fact I encourage your product not to do everything. It gets your focus and attention away from the thing that makes your product great for whatever reason that may be.

The next time you are getting into technical discussions on features, make sure to take the vantage point of your "average" user. Not the super user or Scoble type. I'm talking about the average 16-25 year old who wears t-shirts, jeans and flip-flops to class or work and casually uses your product enough that you don't have to work a desk job.

When you are in the "War Room" who are you thinking about? The early adopters or the flip-flop kids?

-Greg Rollett
Let's talk on Twitter or Pownce

How To Kill Your Own Buzz

2008-06-17T11:42:00.000-07:00

photo by leff

In today's over crowded world of everything from bands on Myspace to Applications on Facebook to Digg clones and beyond, getting your product to be truly "buzz-worthy" is not an easy feat. When a company does get the attention of the Social Media elite and possibly even mainstream media, they truly need to capitalize on the traffic, users and site maintenance to ensure that everyone who comes by has a great time and continues to funnel new traffic to the site.

As we have began the business plan situation for jamblr it has been difficult to gauge what our potential "buzz" is going to be. Will we be unhappy with only a few thousand users in the first few weeks/months? Will we have enough money to support a site that doesn't hit the "mass appeal?"

Then I take a look at some companies that had buzz in the last few weeks. Plurk comes to mind. Twitter was disastrous the last few weeks, just utterly bad. Some people started talking Plurk and all of a sudden, half the Tweets I was receiving were from people talking about Plurk. From how cool it is, to how awful it is, to how "not Twitter" it was.

Chickens With Their Heads Cut Off
I then started to think about what was happening at their offices. I would assume that they were running like chickens with their heads chopped off making sure their servers could handle the load. If they went down, well then, they would be no better than the service they were "supposed" to replace.

What about their PR and marketing people? Where were they? No interview with Scoble? Come on, that's a standard now.

All joking aside, doing a quick search for Plurk on Summize, which tracks Twitter queries, will show that there was indeed a demand, and Plurk users were using their competitor to get the word out. Free marketing via users, that's the best kind of marketing in my book.

So to get onto the theme of killing your own buzz, here are some things, tips and ideas that I have been pondering today:

Know how to make things happen for yourself - You get attention from attention. Get the attention of someone who matters, tell them about your product/service and then let your product deliver. Word will spread.
Prepare for the unexpected. - Plurk knew Twitter was going to go down again sometime. When a competitor goes down, a front page on TechCrunch happens or 60 minutes shows up on a tip, be ready.
Prepare in general - A few weeks ago I was interviewed by Jason at Wired Magazine. I wasn't used for the story. I had some interesting points and I think he liked what I had to say, but I couldn't come up with the specifics he was looking for because I wasn't prepared for the situation. Now I am sure that I am up to date and ready for every meeting, happy hour, web chat or video I shoot.
Don't Over-hype - I sign-up for enough of these web services that I know suck. Most were over-hyped by the media and some were over-hyped by the client. I really don't care about the services you are going to have, I only care about the services you have now, when I am logged in and you have my attention.
It's better to have something now - As frustrated as you can get with developers, sites take time. However there is a fine line between getting something up and making something perfect. When you have some attention, get something online. Gimme a blog, tell me how the site is coming along. Tell me your servers went down. If I am at your site, or you are at mine, I hope that you can find something that will tell you what we're up to. At jamblr we have a blog and a corny video. It should fly with most people long enough to get your email address.
Jump - Take chances, send blind emails and make cold calls. This goes back to the first point, but most people are cowards to make the initial contact that will get them closer to their goal or help them get their hype. I am a chicken shit sometimes as well. The end justifies the means every time though.
Admit your mistakes - When traffic comes pouring to your site and you have to have a "we're down page," find a way to explain it, for those that want to know. Own up to it.
Forgetting about "the list" - We have been taking in emails for jamblr for almost a month now. We have not sent out anything to the kind folks that are giving away information to be a part of a community that doesn't exist and might not until the end of the year. Knowing when to inform them of our status and get them re-involved is a huge aspect of our "buzz marketing" as our users are the focus point of our whole operation.

When you get your 15 seconds of Internet fame be ready for it. It can come at any moment. If you want to help me get a few seconds, please share this story on StumbleUpon or Digg or Facebook or something cooler that comes along in the future. Till next time...

-Greg Rollett

Gen-Y is NOT Your Average Blogger

2008-06-09T07:36:00.001-07:00

photo by: new-york-city

Are you surprised? I am not sure that I am. I think the targeted demographic of most blogs is focused on attracting the Internet savvy Gen-Y consumer base, however, eMarketer says the median age of bloggers is a precise 37.6 years old.

Yea, this is 2 straight posts mentioning eMarketer, but the stats and research they provide is awesome. It also lends to topics that make people think. Including me.

Upon reading this I took a look at my RSS Feeds to see who most of the authors were. I took out all the Brazen Bloggers for this study, sorry guys.

I won't go through the whole list but will show some of my favorites and my guess of their generational demographic (and for those bloggers that I make fell old, call me out, it's just a guess)

Brazen Careerist (Career Advice) - Gen-X
Cheezhead (recruiting information and SEO for HR) - Gen-X
Derek Sivers (CD Baby, Music Marketing) - Gen-X
Evolvor Media (Digital Music Marketing) - Gen-Y
Florida Venture Blog (Dan Rua, Florida VC Celebrity) - Gen-X
HypeBot (Digital Music News) - Gen-X
Mashable (All things Social Media) - Mix of Gen-X and Gen-Y
Matt Cuts (Inside the mind of a Google Genius) - Gen-X
Instigator (VC, Entrepreneurship and Social Media) - Gen-X
ProBlogger (Blogging Tips) - Gen-X
Rock For Hunger (Hunger and Homelessness Awareness) - Gen-Y
Scobleizer (Internet Celebrity) - Gen-X
SEO Moz (SEO tips) - Group of young Gen-X'ers
Seth Godin (Marketing Guru) - Gen-X
yPulse (Gen-Y Marketing) - Written by Gen-X with a new Gen-Y assistant writer

Number of Brazen Blogs in my Reader = 8

Assumptions that can be made, which is in no way official, is that Gen-Y may not be ready to lead or give advice for a larger audience. The authorities on the web are the people who have the jobs that Gen-Y wants.

We do not have the experience that most people in those shoes have. The Gen-Y and Millennial leaders who are reaching out with their voice to an influx of people are the ones who either:

Have worked under a great Gen-X leader
Work for a great Gen-X leader
Work with a great Gen-X leader
Have some great mentors, internships, etc with successful people and business professionals in Gen-X

This is not to say that Millennials do not have a voice that can impact change. It's just that most of this generation is not ready to be a leader. Gen-Y cannot bark out commands, hold crowds, be inspirational with their words, nor lead teams without the experience of working with those that have been there before us.

Yes, the business landscape is changing. Yes, Mark created Facebook at 20 or something close to that. But as a businessman, Facebook is NOT making money. Great ideas do not always equal money in the bank.
Great ideas + a great business strategy + great leaders = possible success.

This is why Gen-X is the median age of a blogger, because they are in a position to teach us something. They are in a position to share their experiences, failures, successes and so on. And we listen. In the eMarketer article it showed that 55% of millennials (ages 13 to 24) surveyed read a blog. We want to know what the leaders of today know so that when our time comes we will be educated and prepared.

Gen-Y will change the world, but Gen-X is changing it right now.

If you are Gen-Y, who are you learning from? Gen-X'ers, who do you want to teach, better yet what can you teach? We want to learn!

-Greg Rollett

Gen-Y Demographics

2008-06-06T06:49:00.000-07:00

Great stats on Gen-Y from eMarketer:

We spend a lot of money:

We shop online. Nearly half of Gen-Y bought something online in the last 12 months.

Gen-Y is ethnically diverse:

60% white
15% black (non-Hispanic)
18% Hispanic
4% Asian

To compare the baby boomers are:

72% white
11% black (non-Hispanic)
10% Hispanic
4% Asian

Millennials play video games. Nearly everyday. XBox owners do play everyday.

Quick observations:

Gen-Y will make more money and will spend more money. We do have a knack for material things and will spend and spend until we have them all.
Advertisers need to reach Gen-Y over multiple mediums, in a way that is not obstructive to what they are doing. Brand recognition is key and the more times we see something the more likely we are to remember it. This also has to do with Gen-Y being the ADD Generation.
Advertisers need to reach more and different backgrounds, household sizes, interests and cultural differences that ever before. Look at the Rachel Ray / Dunkin Donuts fiasco.
Make games. Make then funny, bloody and urban. We dig that stuff.

-Greg Rollett

How Fast Are You?

2008-06-05T12:58:00.000-07:00

image by josef.stuefer

Between instant messaging, Twitter, all the real time Social Media monitoring tools, mobile and even cable companies with DVR boxes and Smart remotes, how fast is your business?

How quick can you respond?
How fast can you engage your customer/fan/client?
How fast till the project is done?
How fast till you know someone is talking about you?
How fast till you do something about it?

I saw today that Verizon is showing off some tools at movie theaters, where you text in a reply, watch a commercial or video promoting a Verizon product and then all the results of the texting show up on the movie screen. That's fast.

I mentioned that Grooveshark answers their fans near instantly.

In a recent campaign, I wanted my client to play pop culture text message trivia with patrons while the waiter or server got their drinks and put in their order. You don't have to wait. You don't have to go home and enter codes. You play at the table with your phone. If you win you get a coupon that you can use instantly. Not on your next visit. Not on certain dates in the future, instantly.

Clients are impatient. They want to know when their product is ready, but they want it ready faster than you can produce it. Show them things. Make them feel the project is getting closer to having their hands on it.

Clients also want results. They also want them today. They want traffic and conversions now. Is the content you are creating Digg worthy? Is the traffic Digg brings results worthy?

Mark Krupinski and I have been talking about Social Media Measuring tools. We did this over a conversation and then on Twitter. Within minutes, Mark had set up demos with Radian6 and Techrigy.

On my end, Radian6 started following me on Twitter before I knew they existed. They proceeded to join Doterati, a Central Florida Interactive Marketing Community I am helping to build and market. The CEO then sent a direct Tweet to me.

Let's quickly add that I got a comment on my last post from someone at Collective Intellect, another Social Media monitoring too. It's good to see all these companies using FAST as a selling point.

That's fast!

How fast are you?

-Greg Rollett

Know the Social Media Audience

2008-06-04T13:14:00.000-07:00

photo by sadaiche

There are a lot of people jumping into Social Media. Setting up Twitter pages, Facebook groups, jumping into FriendFeed or whatever the latest gimmick or hot spot is. I like to think that they coming for the right reasons. To be a part of a community of like minded professionals, to chat with friends, to meet people that share similiar hobbies, interests, etc or even to talk about their accomplishments to people that opted in to listen.

The problem most companies, business or individuals face is that they enter the club without knowing what crowd is there.

Imagine walking into a night club expecting to see a rock band:

You get to the parking lot (the homepage | landing page)
You wait in line (get the super secret ALPHA or BETA invite code)
You pay the cover charge (Fill out their sign-up paperwork)
Walk inside and start ordering 2 for 1's, only to realize that they don't serve alcohol and play a style of music that you don't find too appealing. (SEO's on Digg, Pedafiles on Myspace, etc)
Instead of going somewhere more suitable you start talking to the girls at the bar, they walk away, you walk back up, they walk away, you walk back up and so on and so on (SPAM, SPAM and more SPAM)

This is my problem with a lot of the marketing going on with Twitter. My latest case in point is Music Marketer David Hooper. I think most of his articles are good and offer value to his readers. I had a problem though with his latest e-book on Twitter for musicians.

I value Twitter, and the relationships that I have on the site. I agree that being an early adopter gives you an advantage and extra vision before the bandwagon comes in. Where I disagree is the fact that Hooper is not a good Twitter user. In fact, he doesn't follow anyone. He does not participate in conversation. He does not use a tracker to see conversations about his own name, let alone music marketing conversations that are happening across the platform. Oh, and the link spam is just awesome.

If you do not understand the platform, do not tell others to abuse the system. It will destroy the community that Ev Williams and Biz Stone have created and that so many of us love. You cannot "master Twitter in 10 minutes a day." If you think so, you are missing the conversations. You are not getting to know your fans, your peers or witness the beauty of the site. It's just blind, waste of time promotions.

With all Social Networks and Social Media sites, you need a 2-way conversation. Where Myspace failed was not in its crappy architecture, it was in the users who abused it for promotion, and the bigger bands who never wrote back, kept their site static and had a 1-way conversations with their fans.

They pushed out news. They pushed out shows. They NEVER listened.

Before you walk in the club, find some people who go there. Find users who use the site and get results and conversions.

Grooveshark is a company that gets Twitter. Andrew Wise, their business relations partner, has his ears glued to every mention of the work Grooveshark, and is sure that within minutes there is a response made.

I remember saying that I was looking for an oldie on Grooveshark via a Tweet, and within seconds, a message from @Grooveshark asked if I found what I was looking for.

The key to Social Media is to listen. Are you listening?

-Greg Rollett

Lunch With Penelope

2008-06-02T18:58:00.000-07:00

I got to the hotel a little before 1. She didn't answer her phone. Oh crap, I got stood up by Penelope Trunk.

Have no fear, a few minutes later we were sitting in the hotel restaurant talking everything from the Brazen Careerist Network to my current and future goals and aspirations to employers and why they don't get Social Media yet.

Here are some key takeaways from the chat.

1. Penelope in real life is nearly identical to Penelope the blogger. The way she brands herself online and the way she presents herself in reality compliment each other to where one is an extension of the other. When companies or individuals look to blog or participate in Social Media they need to keep it real. Write how you talk. Be honest. Talking online and engaging in conversation with others through your blog and social media should come from a real voice and not someone that you made up or hide behind.

2. Narrow your focus. This was just the kind of straight up advice I would expect from PT and I got it. Paraphrased:

Greg, narrow your focus. Become an expert in one niche or industry and kill it.

While this advice sucks for all the madness that I find myself involved in, it makes more sense than I can argue against. It also makes sense for anyone or any business that is looking to get ahead fast. The advice is so obvious, almost everyone overlooks it and over works themselves. We take on as many projects as we can, spread ourselves super thin and hope that one takes off, instead of kicking ass and taking names in the one thing we are passionate about, building it up and becoming great.

Which leads into number 3.

3. Why can't we let our past go? Penelope has volleyball. I have the music thing. PT longed for a moment at the beach while in Florida to hit the ball around and be back in the mind frame of a pro volleyball player. As for myself, I keep playing shows, and hoping that one day I can use my connections and all that good stuff to have a career in the music business, even though I know I am past my prime and have developed into a better player behind the scenes.

It's tough giving up your past. Maybe sometimes its best to embrace it and build something around it.

4. There is a separation between companies that get Social Media and those that still can't check their own email. The Brazen Careerist Network is made up of over-achieving 20something bloggers who all long for something better than entry-level cubicle hugging opportunities. We all embrace Social Media in some shape or form. Some stop at blogging, others are early adopters using FriendFeed, Pownce, and the hordes of other sites sprouting up everyday.

Employers and companies have an even broader spectrum of knowledge of online tools. Some companies like McDonalds have integrated Facebook into their recruiting campaign. Others are jumping on the video wave to tell their story. There are others still that don't even have websites, and rely on job boards to tell the story of their company to job seekers.

Penelope's master plan:

Gen-Y will change the way companies recruit and communicate and Brazen Careerist will be on the forefront of that change.

If PT comes to your town, take her up for lunch or happy hour. It is one hour that you will never forget. Their was never an awkward moment and she was someone who actually listened, even if my ideas sucked or she thought what I was doing was stupid. Luckily, I do not think she thought either.

Plus she picked up the bill. What a date!

Greg Rollett

Twitter Sucks, But I Still Run Back

2008-05-30T11:56:00.001-07:00

I wasn't going to get into it. I'm not an A-lister or super Twitter member, like Scoble. No one writes articles saying that I am single handily breaking the damn site. Not even close. I got a head full of ideas, could use and extra 4-15 hours in a day and use Twitter to communicate with those that share similiar views.

This is my Twitter experience today:

Yup, a whale saying too many Tweets. The biggest problem with Twitter is upsetting their users. Or is it letting down their users. Either way it sucks. A service with so much potential and so much praise from so many places, can't get their act together.

They just raised another $15 mil.

The general public still doesn't get Twitter. Neither do some of its members who either:
a) only self-promote
b) don't follow people back or
c) never join the conversation (that little @ sign is actually a good thing on Twitter)

The 2 main problems for Twitter:
a) Crossing into mainstream popularity
b) Being able to support the mainstream popularity

Personally, the hype around Friend Feed as an alternate or replacement is not there for me. It took me almost a year to have "good" people to follow and "great" conversations to happen on Twitter. How long is it going to take before I can convince all the people I hyped Twitter to, to now go and join Friend Feed.

For me, I don't care what the platform is. I only care about the people on the platform. I still use Myspace daily because my people, connections and business take place on Myspace. I will continue to use Twitter as long as the conversation is happening there. Once the conversation stops, so will I.

And heck, the downtown gives me time to do productive things, like write this post about how much Twitter sucks, but is still one of the most valuable web tools there is.

Maybe they should ask Blaine Cook to come back, even remotely. I remember him speaking at FOWA in Miami and he could barely finish his talk because he was running a very in demand site. There was still downtime when he was there, but at least it got back up in a reasonable amount of time.

-Greg Rollett

Follow more of my Social Media madness on Twitter. It's like a Virtual and Geeky version of the Max (you know Kelly, Zack, Slater, Jessie, Lisa and Screech "cool" place to catch up on gossip and tasty milkshakes - mmm, if only Twitter had milkshakes then no one would care about the downtown)