Philly Marketing Blog

There are many things I love about social media and social networking. Simply being connected to people I know, admire, or can learn from is a good thing.  But it’s also more than that.  Through online networks like LinkedIn, Twitter, Ning, Facebook, and others, I am continually developing strong relationships and allegiances with people, personally and professionally.  My days are filled with sharing information and partaking in conversations with my ever growing network.  These quality connections and exchanges allow me to take in new knowledge and enrich my life every day.

While these online conversations can be short and sometimes indirect, they can still produce powerful effects.  The constant trading of information can sometimes feel overwhelming, but with smart filtering, the input from others through these channels can be educational and actually increase productivity.  Not only that, but the encouragement and support from even mere acquaintances can be inspirational, rewarding, and promising.

Here are just a few prime examples of how I use social media to partake in conversation:

Twitter: I am following various industry professionals and enthusiasts.  On a daily basis, I get quick alerts and links to blog posts or other resources of interest.  I can respond (by typing “@person”) to start a discussion with the person OR I can share the link instantly with others by re posting.  The sharing of information and ability to converse in this fashion is quick, deliberate, and productive.

Facebook: Most Facebook users have a comment “Wall”.  I often use it to engage new friends in conversation.  Additionally, Facebook also offers an application for topical groups, each of which has a discussion forum.  If a group does not exist for a topic you are interested in, you can easily create one and invite people to join. Engaging in conversation with others about the topics that interest me on these groups is often enlightening and I learn valuable information.  They can also be used for subtle promotional purposes as well.  FYI: LinkedIn and Plaxo also offers topical groups with discussion capabilities.

Ning: Sometimes I think Ning trumps all of the social networking tools.  Not only can users join and/or create social networks based on common interests, activities, or even geographic locations, they can also connect to other users across the Ning platform.  I belong to approximately twenty (20) Ning-built social networks on a variety of topics.  I also have created four (4) Ning communities on interests that I’m passionate about.  As a result of these communities, I have met, connected, and conversed with quality individuals I might not otherwise have.

Sure, for the social media savvy person, these are all no brainers.  But for the business person who is still asking themselves “What is the value of social media and social networking?” I felt a need to relay my personal experiences and results of using these social web tools. It is becoming increasingly evident that businesses and companies need to not only join these social networking sites for the exposure, but be active participants in conversations and build real relationships with their target market on the major social networking sites.

The Conversation Prism
Originally uploaded by b_d_solis.

I was just chatting back and forth with Vincent Hunt of Surface Burn about the “art” of conversation in Social Media. As Social Media Evangelists, we’re continually seeking new ways to use new media for Marketing, PR, and Networking purposes. It seems there is a new social web tool being unveiled everyday. This visual to the right, The Conversation Prism, will give you an indication of how many we already have!

Do you think there are TOO many Social Media and Social Networking sites and tools?

Over on the Philly Marketing & PR Pros social networking group, I have set the date for an upcoming meetup in Philadelphia.

Date: Thursday, September 18, 2008
Time: 6:00-8:00
Location: The Raven Lounge
Street: 1718 Sansom Street
City: Philadelphia, PA
Website: http://www.ravenlounge.com
Contact Info: (215) 840-3577

Strategic Marketers, Direct Marketers, Internet Marketers, Social Media Marketers, Event Marketers, Public Relations Pros, Media Relations Pros, and others who work in a marketing-related jobs in the Philadelphia area are welcome to this social/business networking event!

Join the Philly Marketers group to RSVP.

This event is also listed on:
Eventful.com
Upcoming.com

I have to admit, I had had a love-hate relationship with Facebook.  As a MySpace user since 2003 (and Friendster before that!), I signed on to Facebook in 2006 with little enthusiasm quite honestly.  All I knew about it was that it was populated with a younger, more academic crowd.  Many of my friends, who were students, were there and buzzing about it.  “Why aren’t you on Facebook yet?” they would ask.  “I like it much better than MySpace.”  They pointed out there was little to no spam or annoying ads, the networking capabilities were better, and they had cool features like applications.  Many starting using the other social networking sites less and less, so I figured I’d follow the flock.  I was also curious to see how it stacked up against the others.

I was underwhelmed at first.  I think mostly because it was something new and different.  I just didn’t get it at first.  But as more and more friends started joining (thanks to the buzz that it was the “next best thing to sliced bread“), I began to get a little more interested in it.  Then came along Scrabulous!  I started spending most of my free time playing multiple Scrabble games with friends.  That is until Hasbro shut it down.

Anyways, before I knew it, my time was consumed with adding friends, adding applications, playing games…. WHOA!  It got to be too much so I started to back off on that stuff.

Blog Marketing on Facebook

I decided to crack down and start focusing on using Facebook as an effective marketing tool again.  One of the nifty applications I found is called “Blog Networks“.  It’s a lot like Blog Catalog’s Neighborhoods.  You can search for your favorite blogs and join its network of readers.  There’s a ratings system, so if you’re a big fan of a blog, you can give it a high rating.  Each network also has its own Wall for readers to leave comments. If you have a blog, it’s simple to create a network for it, and others can join, rate it, and comment on it.  I’m really digging this a lot.

Click on the image or click here to join my Blog Network on Facebook!

Looks like I’m back to loving Facebook again.

What a fun trip this has been from full-time employment to officially becoming a freelancer.  It’s exciting, but it’s really scary, too.  I have been toying around with different names for my “business”.  While “Philly Marketing” is pretty straightforward and easy to remember, it’s also too ambiguous.  Admittedly, I started using it simply because I could – nobody else was and it’s a great target.

Sure, I want my business name to reflect marketing, but it should also be more personal and catchy.  For the life of me, I couldn’t come up with a name I was 100% happy with.  I even came across this nifty Web 2.0 name generator.  It creates business names (based on domains that are not taken yet).  Pretty cool, huh?  I actually found some of the names quite amusing and interesting, but none of them really struck me as, well, “me”.   So back to the think tank I went.

Then it dawned on me.  Why pick a buzzword that I think describes me.  Why don’t I just use my name and be done with it?  That way me and my freelance business are one in the same and there is no confusion.  Yeah, that’s the ticket!  I mean I’m all about ensuring consistent voice and messaging.  This is about “me” or “I”, not “our” or “we”.   So what would it be then?

“Marketing by Marilyn”
“Marilyn the Marketer”
“Marilyn’s Social Media Strategies”
“New Media by Marilyn”

Those were some ideas bouncing back and forth in my head.  Still not good enough.  I eventually settled on, simply, Marilyn Marketing & Media.  My name and the two areas I will be focusing my services on.  Easy to remember and to the point!  There ya go!

I’m currently working on a basic website and setting up promotional and networking stuff for it.  And I obviously need a logo!  The fun of branding never ends.

I just read on Read/WriteWeb that a report has been released that claims half of U.S. adults are now using “Social Media” in some form or another.  The new data shows:

• 1 out of 10 U.S. adults now publish blogs (up from 5% last year)
• 1 out of 5 18-34-year olds publish blogs (up from 10% last year)
• 22% of U.S. adults use IM (up from 9% last year)
• 21% of 18-34-year olds use IM (up from 14% last year)

They also say that these findings “should probably be taken with a grain of salt”.  As I noted on a previous post, I predict blogging and social networking will peak in a couple of years.  The internet will be so saturated with blogs, that the novelty and demand will wear off.

That aside, I still think, as more and more people join the social media sites, there will be a demand for Social Media jobs.  I’ll save that for a future post, though.