Web Business Woman

By Guest Blogger, Donna DeClemente, Donna’s Promo Talk

Last Sunday, after a full NFL season, we learned by watching the NFC and AFC championship games who are the two teams that get to face off against each other in this year’s Super Bowl XLIV game.

We finally saw two exciting games while the rest of the playoff season had been quite boring, especially when your team didn’t make the playoffs again for the 10th year in a row. (There’s only two teams that fit that criteria so take a guess which one I’m referring to!) First we watched the Indianapolis Colts beat the New York Jets, which to everyone’s surprise the Jets were still in the running and held the lead during most of the first half. But my man Peyton Manning came through who deserved to be named MVP for a record fourth time. As a woman football fan I wonder how anyone could you not like Peyton Manning? He’s a great player and seems like a great guy.

Next we had the Minnesota Vikings vs. the New Orleans Saints which ended in a Saints win and a hard lose for the Vikings and Brett Favre. He made a mistake and should of kicked a field goal, but instead he tried for a couple more yards and lost the ball. Pretty heartbreaking for him and all of us cheering for the old guy. Yeah he’s now playing for the team that was his arch rivals, but love him nonetheless (except if your a Packers fan).

Advertising Age reported yesterday that the Saints vs. Vikings game was the most watched event on TV yet this season. Can you believe that? Fox definitely made out in this case. So that implies that this year’s Super Bowl game should again pull in some big ratings. For the past three years now since I started blogging I’ve been writing about the Super Bowl ads and promotions. For marketers it’s a great way to take a look at what each other is doing and what resonates with consumers.

Last week I started my coverage with this post: Super Bowl XLIV Welcomes back the Doritos Brand Contest  for 4th Year. This year we will also see some familiar faces, some new ones and one big one that’s decided to not participate. For the first time in 23 years, Pepsi will not have ads in the Super Bowl telecast. You recall some of their past ads that included some well known celebrities such as Cindy Crawford, Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake? Instead it is putting their multi-million dollar budget on the Internet with a social media program it is calling The Pepsi Refresh Project.

The Pepsi Refresh Project launched on Jan. 13 and invites people to submit their ideas online for their projects that will refresh their communities to make a better world. Visitors to the site can start voting on Feb. 1. Pepsi estimates they will fund thousands of projects spending in excess of $20 million dollars and hopes to start a movement where others will begin funding community projects in the same manner.

So we’ll have to follow how Pepsi does which their Refresh Blog helps to do that. Pepsi will be engaging a large groups of bloggers, texters and tweeters as it attempts to redefine marketing. They’ve already gotten much PR just from the fact that they aren’t advertising during the Super Bowl telecast. Doritos brand is actually owned by Pepsi-Co. so that will be their only brand on TV. Of course Coca-Cola will be back this year along with Anheuser-Busch (even though they are now owned by Belgium company, In Bev) with their Budweiser and Bud Light brands.

We have some new controversy that’s already brewing and getting some buzz. A Christian family-support organization called Focus on the Family has purchased a :30 spot and is using college-football star Tim Tebow, and his mother, Pam, to deliver a message that highlights how the group supports families. Mother Pam is known for her anti-abortion message and will supposedly be telling the story in the ad of her son’s risky birth and how doctors had recommended that she terminate her pregnancy at the time. Many women’s groups are asking CBS to pull the ad which CBS seems not to be backing down.

It is too bad that we have to take something as fun and entertaining as the Super Bowl and instead of it bringing Americans together can cause us to split apart. With all the bi-partisan politics going on right now and the devastation in Haiti, we could use a break for a few hours on a Sunday.

But either way millions of us will be gathering together to have Super Bowl parties and watch the game. The football story is actually the one we should be focused on. Peyton Manning’s father Archie was the head coach of the Saints for most of his career and never made it to the playoffs. Now his son is in the Super Bowl again and this time playing against their home team. So there will be many that will have a hard time deciding who to cheer for. Me, I’m cheering for Peyton and the Colts! 

Would love to hear from some of my fellow lady football fans on who their backing and what they thought of the NFL season.

by guest blogger Robbi Hess

You’re writing for the Internet so the rules are more lax,right? Wrong! Whether your words will be read on paper or on a computer screen, it’s important to always put your best word forward.

“It seams they’re aren’t enough ours in a day to do everything that your convinced you have too, right? So, taking short cuts hear and their can be forgiven; it is the internet after all. ” (Corrected version: It seems there aren’t enough hours in a day to do everything that you’re convinced you have to, right? So, taking shortcuts here and there can be forgiven; it is the internet after all.)  

Of course you can read this sentence and maybe you’d even run it through spell-checker. Remember, spell check is NOT your friend. Spell check makes lazy writers out of us all and it will not always catch words that are used incorrectly, ie: they’re, their, there; you’re/your; and the biggie, its/it’s. These may be terms whose rules you forgot as promptly as you learned them, in grammar school.

As the former editor of a magazine and a couple of newspapers, I discovered that freelance writers turn in copy expecting the editors to clean it up and make it readable. Those writers were not invited to submit articles a second time.

If you want to be taken seriously as a writer you need to hone your craft and that, bottom line, begins with your grammar. Sure, Strunk & White is a valuable resource but I have discovered a quick thumb-through of Annette Lyon’s “No Tears Guide To Grammar From the Word Nerd” a quick resource to all things grammar.

Before you put fingers to keyboard and dash off a blog post, a Facebook entry or even a Tweet, look at your work with a critical eye. You never know who will be reading it. Imagine that a potential editor is looking at your work. Believe me, first impressions count and misspelled and incorrectly used words count against your professionalism.

by Guest Blogger, Lena West, Chief of Social Media Strategy at xynoMedia

“…They say I’m hopeless, as a penny wit a hole in it
Penny wit a, penny wit a hole in it, yeah, yeah, yeah
They say I’m no less, no less, no less, no less, no less
Than up to my head in it…”

Uber-songstress Dionne Farris sings a song called Hopeless. It’s a melancholy jam from the movie Love Jones. I fell in love with the song, the moment I heard it and it’s been a self-introspection-over-a-cup-of-tea favorite since. This song is where the above lyrics originate.

But, the lyrics from this song that strike me the most , especially as I think back on 2009, are these:

“…Hello yesterday, I sure need you now
Goodbye yesterday, I just can’t stay around…”

I guess it’s my turn to say something about 2009, eh?

As many of you know, due to various circumstances, I’ve been off the grid for weeks and am now just getting back to “business”. It is said that as long as it’s still January, you can say “Happy New Year”, and after that, it’s no longer the New Year (trumpets and horns), it’s just the new year. Feel me? Well, I happen to know that the Feng Shui New Year doesn’t start until Feb 4th, so I feel perfectly comfortable treating Feb 1st as my personal calendar New Year (my personal New Year starts at another time during the year). Gosh, I just LOVE how I make up my own rules as I go along – no wonder that hasn’t gotten me into more trouble over the years.

So, before I start my personal New Year, I wanted to share what I learned in 2009 in hopes that it will save you some time, energy, money and heartache, because 2009 certainly taxed me all the way around.

1. Tell people you love that you love them. You hear this all the time. Just f’ing do it finally, ok? Life is funny. One minute you’re talking to someone on the phone and then next minute they’re in ICU breathing through a tube. Even if you think they won’t say it back, all that matters is YOU said it. This will be a comfort to you when life’s eventualities occur.
2. Self-publish or find a publisher and agent that won’t treat you like author #853709. You don’t have to prove to anyone that you can get a “traditional publishing” deal. For most of 2009, I thought this to be true and I preached it from the mountaintops. I was WRONG. And, the definition of “traditional” is changing so what does it really mean? You know what DOES matter? That you can SELL books. Period. Build your tribe. Offer good, helpful content from your soul. And, then sell. You can do it.
3. Charge what you’re worth starting right now. You don’t have to have more/bigger clients, know more about your area of expertise, have more media attention, more unique visitors to your blog, etc. Raise your rates today, you deserve it and chances are, you’re seriously under-charging.
4. Take a chance on hiring yet another assistant. Yes, again. Put your heart on the line again. Suck it up and do it. In 2009, I went through four assistants and then hired the best assistant of my life and she has been very instrumental in helping me prepare to take my business to the next level. (I never miss a chance to tell or show her this, by the way. ) I say “prepare” because it’s taken almost a year of her help to get me in the right frame of mind. I’m not saying it will take you that long, but you do want to get started on this right now.
5. Stop running from your seat of power. This is a new decade – literally. Claim yourself – the good, the bad, the indifferent — and especially claim the parts that need work, that’s where the j-u-ice is. Know thyself. Take the time to figure out who you are and sit with her for a minute. Once you know who YOU are, you can clearly see who other people are (invaluable when figuring people out). And, more importantly, knowing the seat of your power helps you to see where they end and you begin. This is critical.
6. Invest in self-care. Majorly. If you don’t know how to do this, start here. I did. Budget for it. Add it to your monthly living expenses. There’s absolutely no glory in looking and feeling like sh*t.

Did 2009 teach you something profound? Do tell.

See you in the New Year.

(Subject line in an email that showed up in my in-box)

HOW ABOUT YOU STOP YELLING AT ME?  And, please stop sending me cold PR emails about “women’s issues!” (I’ve repeatedly asked 5W PR to take me off their email blasts lists, to no avail, so I’m using them as an example of how NOT to do PR for the “women’s market.”)

5W PR obviously does no qualification before blasting out emails. (They’ve also sent me hot news about everything from sexual aids to attracting a mate. All with cheesy, blaring come-ons.) 

So, moving onto the actual message.  Even I were interested in writing about plus-size clothing, the message needs work. Here’s how they tried to engage me: 

“Try to shop at a major store? They have all the size 4 and size 8 you want, but don’t hold your breath to find a 12 or 14.”

Uh – has the person who wrote this shopped lately?  Speaking as a size 8 (sometimes a 6) – I can find lots of 10s, 12s, 14s…but have to almost be there right when they unpack the boxes if I want an 8. (And, who are we kidding?  Today’s 6s and 8s are cut very generously; I can’t fit my left leg into a size 12 from the 1950s).  

Then there are the photos they sent (example to the left). This is a plus size??!  This  is what I’d aspire to after I lose 15 pounds.

5W PR – if you’re going to play in “marketing to women”  – here are 5 fundamental rules (which are applicable to any target): 

1. Qualify your targets.

2. Don’t send out junk in cold email blasts.

3. Don’t insult your audience’s intelligence.

4. Make sure your message is relevant.

5. If you use images, make sure they fit the message.

So – 5W PR – that’s your story. 

2010 – it’s a new world, a new century, a new decade in the new century of the new world.

No, it isn’t. Here’s the scoop – business has not changed that much. HOW we do business has changed and those who dismiss the tools of today’s world (blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Ning, etc) are doomed to ultimate failure. On the other hand, those who embrace these new tools, who are flexible and resourceful and embrace innovation, will also fail if they do not harken back to the days of yore when “the customer was always right.”

You’ll hear it on news programs, in blogs, on major media sites, and all over the net: it’s a customer-centric world. The New Rules demand customer interaction. Your brand is now being held hostage by consumers. Blah, blah, blah.

Truth is: the customer was always in charge. Truth is – while it’s easier than ever to get word of mouth moving, the act of using word of mouth has always been the most powerful marketing tool in your toolbox. Ask any real marketer – they’ll openly tell you that a customer’s recommendation or referral is worth more than gold.

So, where does this put your marketing to women online budget and focus? Smack dab in MY lap. And the laps of all the women who read this blog. They may only count in the thousands (not hundreds of thousands) but their reach is in the millions. Why? Because they’re engaged and valued. Because they care. Because they know I care.

Get back to your roots. The customer is always right. Even when they’re wrong. Me – I value Discovercard, they’re customer service reps treat me right. I value Bob Clarke who sold us our car – he has never steered us wrong. I value Kevin Burke – he knows how to treat customers and colleagues, alike. I value Andy Sernovitz who is a major voice in word of mouth.

And, I value the women who I’m connected to online and off – too numerous to share but sure to be a Link-love focus in a future post.

Who do you value? What rules do you abide by?

As this week’s news of the horrendous Haiti earthquake unfolded it solidified the fact that social media has become an invaluable tool for keeping the lines of communication open between people around the world especially when hit with a natural disaster such as this. The Internet, social media and mobile have helped to bring people emotionally and visually closer to this event like never before which resulted in a huge outpouring of financial support.

Making a donation to the Haiti relief funds has never been easier through text messages, Twitter posts, blogs and social networks, such as Facebook. Microsoft, Yahoo and Google also donated resource as well.

Texting donations emerged as the quickest and easiest way to donate money. We all have gotten emails or seen tweets urging us to donate money to support the relief effort in Haiti. The American Red Cross has been working with mobile donation company mGive and said on Monday that it has received $22 million in donations via text messages. All you need to do is
simply text “Haiti” to short code 90999, and a $10 donation to the
group’s Haitian relief fund gets added to your next mobile
phone bill.

So does this response show that we now have a new comfort with making financial transactions via mobile devices? Donating money through SMS may be the way fund-raising is done from now on. Events may now include a simple short code in which various causes can be tied to. Just think of the upcoming Olympics games and how teams may be able to raise funds by just including a short code. The possibilities are endless. 

Of course in order for this to be successful it means getting all the carriers to waive their messaging fees for donation texts. This is not like American Idol or Deal or No Deal where there was money to be made from the SMS traffic. A group called the Mobile Giving Foundation coordinated all the mobile money-raising for the Haitian relief fund with the four major U.S. carriers, Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile. So it’s not that easy of a solution. 

I also just wanted to mention that Wegmans grocery stores, which is locally headquartered here in Rochester, NY, had announced on Monday that it collected $564,000 from customers and employees from all of their 75 stores that will go to the American Red Cross International Response Fund Haiti Relief. The program began last Thursday and will run through this Saturday. Cashiers just ask all customers when they check out if they would like to donate any amount and it simply gets added to their grocery bill. Wegmans is a very generous company and has done this for local charities before so it was great that they put this program in place so quickly.

So now we watch and listen to learn how quickly all these donations will actually get to the people of Haiti in order for the healing to begin. It will be a long, hard road. But at least we now have the Internet and social media to keep the communications going.

 When I heard a colleague call social media a "consequence free environment" one word came to mind: Chaos. Dictionary.com defines choas as: a state of utter confusion or disorder; a total lack of organization or order. In the business world, where order and analysis are the basis of strategy, it's a small wonder why many marketers think of social media as their worst nightmare! 

However, as is often the case of a Google search I saw something else .. another spelling - Khaos - and followed the links. Khaos was the Greek Goddess of the space between heaven and earth. Some ancient writers believed that she was primary source of all things. 

Okay .. I promise not to leap into the gaping void and propose that social media is the source of all new marketing. If we think of social media not as Chaos, but as Khaos a new way to breach the void of customers and company, then perhaps we shed light on what is scary in the night but finds purpose in the day.

What do you do if you find your brand in the midst of a 'consequence free environment' where the conversation is more of nightmare than a pleasant dream? Here is a model to help breach the gap. For best results, of course, it should be part of your Social Media Enterprise Plan and dovetail into "In The Moment Marketing."

3 Steps to Khoas Social Media

Step 1: Determine Extent of Influence

 a. Follow the conversation

b. Identify the people who are posting and who is commenting

c. Determine viral impact e.g., retweets, blog links, forum discussions, etc.

d. Monitor for main stream media mentions

 Step 2: Analyze Meaning 

a. What aspects of the brand resonated with customers?

b. Where are the emotional ties to the brand?

c. What is the impact on customers about the brand and the
company?

d. What is being repeated/RT’ed?

e. Is there offline impact e.g., customer call center?

Step 3: Determine Opportunities for Engagement

a. Tell your story in the same platforms

b. Co-create with your customers and fans

c. Join the conversation before it occurs!

Now I ask you, where else can you find social media served up with Greek Mythology?

Sometimes someone comes along that lights up your day like a torch. Coree Silvera is one of those women. Since meeting her and reading herMarket Like a Chickblog, I’ve become more convinced than ever that women are going to change this world, for the better. Women like Coree Silvera.

Coree wrote a fab article about women in social media, and included the writers of this blog, and it got picked up yesterday by ForbesWoman. Now, if you’re not aware of ForbesWoman, you should be. Here’s a brand that has finally embraced its feminine side – well, they’ve opened their eyes to recognize that women have power. Not only “women” but the women of “social media.”

I like what I see at ForbesWoman, and I hope you will, too. It has a bit to do with being recognized by Coree and being included in the Forbes Woman article, but it also has to do with their Facebook page, and the fact that they don’t patronize us. This is not a “let’s jump on the marketing to women band wagon”… it’s a sincere focus on powerful women, on women out to accomplish big things, on the very kind of women who read this blog. On you, readers.

Among the 20 women mentioned are @NatalieMacNeil of She Takes On The World , without fear, I might say, and my own BBFF @TobyDiva from Diva Marketing, one of the TOP women marketers in social media. And, someone I have to put as #1 in my book, the ever talented @MicheleMiller from WonderBranding. You’ll also find and @ConversationAge (Valeria Maltoni) who unravels the social media business knot some folks get themselves into, as well as @SusanGunelius of Women On Businesswho shares some thought leadership with her readers, and @ShellyKramer, who along with Laura Lakes, offers great blog and social media tips at V3 Integrated Marketing.

Also included are @BernadetteDoyle of Client Magnetswith advice on attraction marketing, and @JillFoster, editor for Women Grow Business (part of Network Solutions), then @Sheconomy ‘s Stephanie Hollandwho writes about the women’s marketplace, followed by @LynnTerry – a powerhouse online at ClickNewz, and @StartupPrincess – Kelly King Anderson, one of the smartest women online today (love you Kelly!)! Then there’s @cbensen, Connie Bensen, Community Strategist, a leading authority on communities, and cause marketing’s own @Kanter, Beth Kanter, whom I read almost every day!

Onward to @GwenBell who “knows social media” according to Coree, and “her posts will make you stop and think.” Can’t wait to learn more about her! @MissRogue, Tara Hunt, another community marketing specialist is worth your time writing at HorsePigCow, and the incomparable Ann Handley- I consider her one of the best writers I’ve ever known - follow her at @MarketingProfs, and then… Rae Hoffman @sugarrae, who with Rhea Drysdale and Lisa Barone, founded Outspoken Mediato give expert advice in SEO, link mapping and more. What about Amber Naslund, otherwise known as @AmberCadabra, of Altitude Branding- I just have to believe everyone knows her! A new one to me is @IttyBiz, and though I think I know that name, I certainly plan on learning more about her – Naomi Dunford- who, according to Coree, is “loaded with wisdom, wit and an occasional F-bomb.” (condolences on your step-dad, Naomi)

You can see why I’m so flattered. You can see why Forbes Woman couldn’t resist sharing this. And you can see why all of us use social media. To meet each other, to meet you, and to make sure we have the best news and information at our fingertips – the better to serve our readers and clients.

Enjoy.