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Digital Marketing Strategy, PR and Messaging

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Archives for June 2011

Triberr Means Business

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If you’ve not heard or seen anything about Triberr, you’ve been asleep, or just not circling in my circles. The Triberr founders are doing a bang up, and I mean bang up, job marketing their start up. In a recent Skype conversation with Dino Dogan, he told me they’re working hard and getting tired, but the fun is just beginning.

If you’ve been asleep, let me help you with some archived conversations on a variety of blogs. Some love Triberr, some don’t; others flip-flop and go back and still others are on the fence. This post really has nothing to do with that.

What I want to do here is recognize and deliver kudos to Dan Cristo and Dino Dogan for their business acumen.

*They launched a start up that was ill defined in the beginning and confusing for some.

*They took precious time to hear their critics and make changes to their app.

*Everyone who blogs gets a comment from one or both of them; everyone.

*Everyone who tweets with #Triberr or @Triberr in the 140 gets a response from one or both of them.

*When you least expect it, Dino is engaging tweeps and making hilarious sheep video with @DannyBrown and beating the +K Klout game.

Dino and Dan are everywhere; they live and breathe their brand; they are personifying their brand, and they’re recruiting new tweeps to come on board and try their product. And, you know what? It’s working.

These two guys today deserve entrepreneur of the year awards for their business acumen; for the diligence in marketing and branding they’re showing; for their dedication to their business and interest in making it perfect; for their openness to listening and improving their product; for their endless nights to make the green lights glitter.

I have no idea how well Triberr will fare in the future, but it really doesn’t matter. With these two go-getters at the helm, there’s no doubt in my book it’s already a success. Congrats, Guys, for being the visionaries you are and having fun while doing it. (Hey, Dino? Put the sword away.)

Q&A With Daddy Blogger JackB

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Here’s a Q&A with a newish member in my community, TheJackB. And, dang if I could find Jack’s last name to properly introduce his content below. I looked high and low on his blog and elsewhere on his pages; to no avail. So, you can call him The Jack (because apparently there was another Jack B, and this Jack B wanted to be THE, as in HRH Jack B. Uh-huh, you get my drift.

This piece below from THE Jack B stemmed from his comment on my post this week about Mommy Bloggers versus Mompreneurs. Jack wrote about his work as a Daddy Blogger and the work he’s gotten from some major brands. So, I spouted off a few questions, and here’s what Jack has to say. Neat experience; impressive. Thanks for playing, Jack!

Soulati: How did you get involved in parent blogging?

I would almost call it serendipity. I began my blogging career in 2004 on a whim. In the midst of my foray into posts that were generally foolish and insignificant my father had a major heart attack and ended up on life support.

It was a very scary time for me. I had a young son and a pregnant wife and was suddenly responsible for taking care of three grandparents. I felt like I had to be strong for everyone so the blog became my confidant. It was where I let my guard down and shared my fear.

In the midst of this I thought that it might be interesting to chronicle some of the things that my son did and the discussions we had.  I don’t think that I began to call myself a dad blogger until several years later. I was just a blogger who wrote his kids and parenting.

The ads on blogs have been around for as long as I can remember but the reviews/giveaways probably didn’t start until around 2006. Or at least that is about the time that I first remember hearing/seeing them.

Soulati: How’s the barrier to entry for dads?

There is a very low barrier to entry for bloggers in general. All you need is a computer and an internet connection and you can start blogging. It is part of the reason why the blogosphere is saturated with blogs, most of which die within 90 days.

Soulati: Do you have someone represent you to find opportunities?

No. I don’t have anyone whose job it is to do so. All of the work that I have done is either through referrals or because the brand/agency contacted me. For a long time I intentionally avoided getting involved in all of this.

Eventually I decided that since I love to write it might be worth trying to figure out how to monetize my blog so I opened myself up to the possibilities.

Soulati: Tell me about your experiences with PR people working on blogger outreach.

It is mixed. I have received a lot of pitches addressed to Dear Webmaster or Dear Mommy Blogger that I sort of roll my eyes at as it usually indicates that I got copied on a mass email.

I don’t automatically discard those emails the way that some bloggers do because if you don’t read the pitch you don’t know what sort of opportunity is being pitched. What bothers me is when I receive something that isn’t appropriate for my readers and doesn’t offer appropriate compensation for the work they are asking me to do.

Overall I would say that my experience is positive. Most people are pleasant to deal with and responsive to my questions. It is like anything else, sometimes you run into jerks.

Soulati: You’ve mentioned you’ve seen some pretty negative situations. What is the solution, Jack? What must happen for a cohesive working relationship from PR to blogger? From corporate marketing to blogger? From blogger to corporate marketing?

I suspect that many of the negative situations stem from misunderstandings between the two sides. Let’s start with the bloggers.

Many bloggers have unrealistic view of what their blog is worth and consequently are irritated when they aren’t offered appropriate compensation.

They would be well served to learn more about PR and advertising. If they had a better understanding about what the agency/brands are trying to accomplish it would help them. It is not hard to create a basic media kit, an ‘about me’ page, disclosure policy etc.

Another issue that has been created is the saturation of the blogosphere and the number of bloggers who negotiate and I use that term loosely ‘bad deals.’ Why would you work for 15 hours for the chance to give away a $10 gift card to company XYZ.

I suppose that you argue that the agency isn’t culpable and bears no responsibility for this happening but I think that is short sighted. Even though it is an inexpensive way to try and promote your client you are not building a good relationship with the blogger. It is just cheap labor that you are going to burn out.

Savvier blogger and agency reps will work together to build programs that add value for both parties. If you create more of a partnership between the two sides I think you will see better results.

Maybe I am the oddball here, I don’t know. But I spent a lot of years selling space, most of it for online publications so I always want to know details about the campaigns. I want to know if they are building awareness or engaging in lead generation.

That experience also taught me how much money the brands have to spend on their marketing/PR efforts. But even if it hadn’t all you have to do is look around and see what the brands are doing and it is hard not to want to try and grab a bigger piece of that.

I am not the only blogger who is cognizant of this which is why so many are pushing for compensation in dollars instead of just products/services.

On the brand/agency side they need to understand that it is not an unreasonable request. There are times when it is makes sense to pay bloggers in the aforementioned goods and services but it shouldn’t be the only way.

One of my pet peeves is being told that they’ll also provide a link back to my blog. Let me qualify that, if that link has real value and I believe that it will provide good exposure than there is merit in using it.

But if I ask you for demographics about the link I think that I am entitled to them. It really boils down to treating establishing a professional relationship between the two parties.

 

Don’t Despair; I Am Here

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This is a pseudo guest post pseudo intended for Lori Gosselin’s blog, based on her post yesterday, “Despair, How to Carry On.” After I so boldly suggested I’d like to write a guest post based on her article yesterday; and I pseudo invited myself to do that in comments; and Lori politely informed me there were many other peeps who have been in her community longer (so get in line, Jayme);  would I like to post something around Christmas? (I politely responded, “What came over me…sorry…what was I thinking; no thank you.”)

Because the inspiration struck me and I couldn’t wait for Christmas; I need to get this out of my head and in to yours for all to feel.

There are people who acknowledge life’s pathway and the obstacles on the journey. In fact, behind every blogger, there’s a personal story. Did you know Danny Brown tried to kill himself? Did you know Gini Dietrich was raised as a Mormon and had her bicycle tire tapped by the front of a car while biking over the weekend? Did you know that Shonali Burke has strong family values and features her parents and grandparents frequently on her blog? And, Michelle Quillin is a youth minister who adores her husband and business partner, Scott?

These are the things we’re permitted to see, and the things that remain private are the most powerful stories of all. Lori’s story about despair and how we pick up the pieces each day to carry on struck a chord. I begged her in comments to find me anyone who hasn’t despaired in life – whether from illness, death of a loved one or friend, loss, or just plain depression.

When I was in the dregs of despair, it was a black time. There was no end in sight; I lived in fear for what would happen, and I let ignorance and negativity control my every waking moment. There were times when I’d break down, sobbing uncontrollably until, spent, I was able to pick myself back up and carry forth.

For anyone in despair, I offer you this:

Never attempt to look for the light at the end of the tunnel; just look forward to each passing hour and get through one day at a time minute by minute.

When you seek support from others not living your situation, understand there is only so much other people can manage. Know you need to focus outward on them; ask after their health and family, and you’ll feel so much better.

Count your blessings. There is ALWAYS someone in worse condition than yourself; trust me. Such individuals are not hard to find, you’re just not looking beneath the surface.

Ask for help from Above. You may pray to whomever or whichever Supreme Power who guides you; it matters not. What matters is that you’re giving it up, releasing it for another to manage.

Find your inner strength and work daily on making yourself powerful; rise above others’ anger, hostility, and return that with kindness, generosity, and a smile. It won’t work until you truly let go of your own negativity, and then the pieces will slowly fall into place.

Write, write, write. Release all the bitterness and agony onto paper. No one needs to read anything; it’s for your benefit and no one else. If you’re letting go or closing a door, then burn the papers in a camp fire and free your spirit.

As I write this, the tears spring and flow. You see? For all the intensity of personality you get 99 percent of the time, there is 1 percent called sorrow that pops in and out when life’s obstacles burden. For me, I remember those downtrodden days and how they shaped me into a Goddess Awakening. I was meant to be on that path, and for all its agony, I’ve been given more gifts.

I listen well, I love you, and you’re my friend. Do you need me? I am here.

Mommy Bloggers Vs. Mompreneurs

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In the most recent AdAge, there is a story about a new talent agency for mommy bloggers who have had a category of their own for years. I wrote about their influence during the Pampers Dry Max debacle which shows moms’ influence at large and not just a niche blogger set.

Danielle Wiley, a former Edelman digital exec, launched Sway Group and expects to earn $1 million her first year. She invited 30 mommy bloggers to join her outfit and in one week had affirmative responses from them all. Sway Group will “broker” deals between PR firms and their clients who want the influence of that mommy niche. There are some heavy hitters, no doubt in the list if you read the story.

I’m wondering, though, why mompreneurs don’t get no respect?

I spent the last eight years trying to keep the fact I was a mompreneur secret. I have a successful business to run and what image do diapers and bottles conjure to a client who wants it yesterday? On the flip side, mompreneurs are one hot commodity. We have solid expertise in vertical industries; we run professional businesses; we have blogs with influential readers; and, we are parents experiencing the same crises other parents are.

Think about what corporate marketers are missing without professional mompreneur bloggers to tout product?  Some mompreneurs do this:

$ We are most interested in efficient products– those that work and do not break.

$ We need economical products yet we are willing to spend the extra dollar on a premium product.

$ We will outfit our kids in Gymboree from birth to size 12 (which I did) and an occasional Hannah Andersson outfit.

$ We will buy the organic fruits and raspberries out of season because the health of our kids comes first.

$ We are able to travel to family destinations on an annual basis (Disney, Disney) and we require high connectivity and technology while away from the office.

Granted, my blogs I write on and for small business, PR, social media, and marketing don’t have the subscribers of an established mommy blogger; however, when you tally the Klout scores of my community and network, that’s a heckuva lot of influence that’s being ignored.

Maybe I’m in left field and just missing the action…set me straight!

Do You Give Good Link Love?

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There’s an aspect of blogging rarely spoken about, and it’s a pretty influential component. It’s link love. You can have a blog, but when your links to other sites, sources, and blogs fall short, the content may be sub par in the eyes of a few.

One person stands out in my book as being tops. She shares link love all the time, and moreover, she hunts for the best complementary content to push her message. It’s guaranteed that her fastidiousness will produce extra citations you’ve likely never seen before. Davina Brewer at 3 Hats Communications, is about whom I speak. Check out her blog here, here, and here.

Neicole Crepeau recently launched Friday Fives; a series during which she interviews people on a topic, and they offer five tips. The link love is high-end for all involved, and Neicole is ensured of more traffic to her blog.

To be consistent with links, it takes time. I know I’m guilty when I’m strapped and sometimes will just put the main domain name of a site rather than dive into a blog. That’s just my laziness, too. Or, I’ll easily ad the Twitter ID because I don’t have to go and hunt.

I’ve noticed, however, that when I do take the time to seek out other sites to enhance my message, then people who comment often acknowledge with a “thanks for all the back links.”

My friend John Akerson is good for that; I know when he’s reading he’s all about what’s behind those links. Ray Andrews challenges me, too, when I’m writing, and my readers are always creeping around in my mind when I produce an article.

Earning that recognition for your content (when it’s linked to from others’ blogs) takes time, consistency, cadence, voice, relevance, and confidence.

Have you ever considered how cool it is when someone takes time to search your blog looking for just the right content to add to theirs? It makes me beam, and I vow to do more of that for you.

(Now, how long did that take me? 90 minutes to add all the links and 20 minutes to write the post.)