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Run to Google+ to Engage!

07/11/2011 By Jayme Soulati

I would be remiss if I did not share my thoughts about Google+ after a weekend of playing. Here’s the upshot…RUN to Google+ and reserve your profile and nickname before others, especially if your name is common or there are duplicate names to yours.

The site is intuitive, addictive, fast, and organized. My network is not just being built from Twitter and Facebook, thank goodness, it’s coming alive with people I don’t even know.

* And, that’s what’s cool. Google+ is organized in circles. You can put peeps into a circle of friends, social media types, PR, family, following, or any other category you create and name. I found that I have pretty much three circles only; not sure I need to skew them deeper than that. If I did, it would be a simple click with a really cool interface to make it happen.

*As for content, I’m a bit unsure about posts up there. The weekend was full of banter; ahem, Ms. Dietrich was scamming the poor system in search of “free beer.” I think she found it.

*What people are saying, and I fully agree, is they don’t want to see content being cross-posted from Twitter and Facebook. Because so many of us are connected on all channels right now, the cross pollination of content and repetitiveness would become unruly. This remains to be seen…how folks will elect to share.

* The jury is still out how to best use this channel. What I’m hoping for is a more professional channel of business folks that would create a hotbed of learning, testing, and challenging/useful content. Again, if you follow those types of peeps and organize others into circles, that is highly likely to happen.

* Here’s one critical tip — secure your nickname. Here’s the link and it appears like this when you’re done In box one, type in the name you’d like to use to identify yourself. In box two, copy and paste just the numbers from your current Google+ account (found in the url in your browser). Click “add” and voila. You can use this to identify yourself rather than a cumbersome set of numbers and unwieldy url.

* When people you don’t know add you to their circles, add them, too. In this beta phase, all peeps should be safe (not spammers yet unless her name is cough, Gini, cough).

* Re analytics, there’s a lot of banter about whether this channel will help drive blog traffic. Why wouldn’t it? I already had an alert for my profile here; I know that Google, being the search engine it is, is going to be monitoring traffic inside and pushing attention to the outside.

* One thing that is slightly disturbing to me, though, is the amount of data being transmitted via Gmail, to Crackberry and to iPad2, plus other mobile devices. Think about it…how will we keep data plan charges down when the mobile providers are all going to fee for usage plans? Anyone else have a thought on this? I got the idea after seeing the huge spike in Gmail traffic to my iPad and Blackbery; that’s a bit worrisome.

What’s your first impression, folks?

Momaraderie is Erica Allison, North Carolina PR Pixie Peep

07/10/2011 By Jayme Soulati

I had the pleasure of meeting Erica Allison at Social Slam in Knoxville in April. What a big-hearted woman and someone you should know. As a PR colleague, she’s tops; she has a successful blog, called Spot On, (which I successfully blogjacked last week whilst she was away); she runs Allison Development Group, her PR and social media outfit; she is a fab writer (I know this first hand); and, she’s a mompreneur with two little ones trying to make a go of it in summer with the regular issues with sitters, holidays, etc.

You can follow her everywhere – via Skpe (funny, she just popped up on my screen that she’s online…or maybe it’s the kids); via Google+, via LinkedIn, via Twitter, Facebook, her blog, and my goodness, she also has a mobile phone number.

Twitter has changed my life; period. I have developed some of the most incredible friendships and business relationships evah. There’s no way anyone can expand their horizons without the marvels of social media, and meeting Erica Allison has been a highlight of mine.

So, if you take nothing away from today’s Momaraderie, I encourage you to take this…Erica is absolutely a must-follow, must-engage because:

*She’s continually supportive and offers sage counsel to anyone she meets.

*She’s not one to let her hair down all the way (cough, ahem, unlike some writers you may know), and that’s a good thing.

*She’s got a buoyant personality with a kick-ass charm and professionalism to boot.

*She’ll nurture you on the social media pathway, so tag along.

*She’s a hot-rod public relations practitioner, and is ready for hire.

*And, she’s simply a fab friend.

Erica Allison…I’d be surprised if you don’t already know her.

Google+ Will Social Media Fall?

07/06/2011 By Jayme Soulati

This post first appeared July 16, 2010, and what prompted me to head back through the archives to find it again was this post by Antonia Harler about Google — A Successful Road to Failure. She shares all the write ups about Google + that we all have seen. And, she hit on what I suggested a year ago — no one has more time to develop yet another social network, do we? (Thanks, @GiniDietrich, for the link there.)

See if this resonates from a year ago with you…I felt pretty strongly about developing more networks a year ago; I may be less against it today, but my time is more limited. Share your thoughts!

It’s all about community, connectivity and social networking, and people are joining in droves. Apparently, 96 percent of GenY have joined a social network. The fastest-growing segment on Facebook is women 55 – 65 years old.

The more cool social networks, publishing networks, and professional networks that launch to accompany Stumble, Posterous, YouTube, Friend Feed, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIN and the like, the more consumers will weary. No one has time to find friends to add to a network. Do you?

I learned today that Stumble requires a network of Stumblers who share cool sites with one another. I’m always interested in seeing cool sites, but I’ve no time to develop a network of connected Web site lovers. When I launched Friend Feed, I thought I could consolidate my social media into one platform (which I can), but it, too, wants friends to connect on the same platform and be networked. On Twitter, new followers invite me to join them on Facebook. Why? I don’t even know them.

And, that’s it.

That’s the reason social media will fall flat on its pitoot. People cannot spend eight hours a day creating community and populating it with more and more friends. There are only six degrees of separation from all of us, but seriously, folks, who has that many “friends” for real?

Not I.

Brand Your Blog Or Name?

07/05/2011 By Jayme Soulati

Read this headline from a recent Ad Age — The Big Winners at Cannes: Emerging Markets and Not Just for Bagging Lions.

Two words in that headline, Cannes and Lions, conjured two brands for me, John Falchetto and Marcus Sheridan. John writes Expat Life Coach and lives in France ( thus the Cannes assimilation), and Marcus writes The Sales Lion. Obviously, you can understand how I thought of Marcus.

Neither of them know me well, but each of us appears in one another’s houses on occasion to contribute to comments. The fact is I lurk on their blogs more than I comment; their brands are significant in my opinion, and I glean from content other perspectives than mine.

Which leads me to my point. Are you a brand or is your blog?

In the case of the two gents I referenced above, both have branded the name of their blogs well. When Reading Cannes in the Ad Age headline, I thought of John first who lives in France and then segued to the name of his blog and his recent video interview with a PR professional in Costa Rica. All of this happened within seconds of course, but the thought patterns were definitely real and in sequence.

As for The Sales Lion, this blog shares content about family, a small business, customer stories, social media, and marketing. Powerful stuff with a community to boot. Marcus does a fab job with it. The fact that a word, lions, prompted my recollection of the name of Marcus’s blog is exactly what he wants that word to connote. As for Marcus’s business, he’s in the swimming pool business. I don’t get the correlation between lions and swimming pools, but it obviously works for him and his customers.

Here’s a great example to build on what I’m talking about…John tweets using his name and Marcus tweets using TheSalesLion (both Twitter links are above). My brand recall for John and Marcus is John’s name (not his blog title) and the title of Marcus’s blog rather than his name.

How have you branded your blog? Is it your name or a key-word rich title that draws people in to learn more?

Triberr Means Business

06/30/2011 By Jayme Soulati

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

06/29/2011 By Jayme Soulati

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

06/28/2011 By Jayme Soulati

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

06/27/2011 By Jayme Soulati

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?

06/21/2011 By Jayme Soulati

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.)

What Is A Refugee?

06/20/2011 By Jayme Soulati

Today is World Refugee Day, and there is an organization, called USA for UNHCR that is working to raise awareness for the plight of refugees from across the globe. They’ve been fund-raising with the sale of $5 #BlueKey(s). Together the power of cause-related marketing is being executed to promote the fund-raising and sale of blue keys — I bought four and donated more to their cause. Cost is merely $5 each sold in the U.S. only.

An admirable woman I know, Shonali Burke, has begun working this this group and has implemented the broadest, most impressive social media campaign strategy I’ve seen in awhile. (I must give kudos to colleagues’ work.)

But, what is a refugee?

This word conjures up Angelina Jolie, Oprah, Madonna, George Clooney and Bono, among other celebrity faces hitting Sub-Saharan Africa and other poverty-stricken regions of the world to raise awareness of the problem that is so far removed from other corners of the world, yet so critical.

It’s truly easy to ignore this situation, isn’t it? To turn your cheek and resume remoting the channel changer? Do you remember Sally Struthers? No greater humanitarian back in the day, and she asked us for our money all the time. Who gave to her? Now’s your chance to rectify that and help the United Nations. You can convince yourself that the plight of these people does not affect you in the least. But, you’re wrong. Refugees come in all shapes and sizes and from all countries of the world.

Violence is an overriding factor that causes people to be uprooted from homes, villages, and comfort zones. Invaders, dictators, war, and poverty become issues for women and children who are victims of rape, violence, kidnap, and murder while husbands, fathers and sons watch helplessly the slaughter of their families.

The victims of the Haiti earthquake now living in shanty towns; are they considered refugees? Probably not, but their choice is to leave poverty and seek refuge in the Dominican or the U.S., but they can’t. Semantics.

For those people seeking asylum from various homelands, such as Iran, for example, to escape a dictatorial regime operated on the theme of Islamic fundamentalism, how shall we define them? Is asylum seeker a higher-end, more affluent and non-poverty oriented moniker for refugee? Semantics.

The UNHCR is one of the most respected not-for-profits across the globe. Its brand and credibility are second to none. America is the land of the free. So, free your vision from your immediate surroundings and open your heart to help and give. When you spend $5, those 500 pennies will be shared with people who believe $.25 is a treasure.

Please consider buying your #BlueKey right now, and when you do, look around. You do know a refugee you can touch in your life today; it’s just that you’ve never wrapped your head around how to define that word — migrant, immigrant, illegal alien, asylum seeker, refugee. It’s semantics, and regardless of the label you put on one another; we’re all human and each of us deserves a safe place to make a home.

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