I received an email today from Eyal Sela, the author of the productivity and Internet blog ProductiveWise. He is a freelance Internet and social-media project manager.
Eyal took a look at our community's wiki of social media marketing examples, which is now up to 968 entries. Here's what he found...(click on either image for a larger view)
Thanks Eyal!
That was fun.
You may have heard about the P&G Digital Night and how it will might change the world. Hopefully we will, but probably not in the way it's been hyped in the media.
Over the weekend, I created a framework to port A List of Social Media Marketing Examples into a wiki. I also invited the 166 people who've left comments on that post to become the initial collaborators in the new effort. (At least I tried to...Google Sites seems to have had a delivery problem. If you think you should have a login, try your existing email address - it may already be setup.)
One of the benefits of doing so manifests in the framework, which allows users to sort information by different categories. In an early experiment, I had created an alphabetical directory by company name, with 26 pages. Continuing with that approach would've meant replicating efforts to relist examples by channel, industry, or geography.
There is one correct approach to calculate ROI. The result is a financial ratio.
And so the Emperor set off under the high canopy, at the head of the great procession. It was a great success. All the people standing by and at the windows cheered and cried, "Oh, how splendid are the Emperor's new clothes. What a magnificent train! How well the clothes fit!" No one dared to admit that he couldn't see anything, for who would want it to be known that he was either stupid or unfit for his post?
Since starting a list of social media marketing examples, I've seen some great work to frame content for specific uses:
It seems like a new ego trap gets sprung every month. This time, it's social media ranking tools.
What's an ego trap? In a nutshell, social technologies use game mechanics to get users hooked on participation. People often get addicted to ego-stroking system feedback, until they can temper their usage (addiction?) in terms of utility vs. serendipity. Self-promotion lies at the root of ego traps.
I don't think ego traps are inherently "bad." However, I believe that individuals should be fully aware of the implications when participating - particularly what they're trying to accomplish and why. Honesty with one's own ego is the key.
Some people are panicking after submitting their Twitter username and password to a site called Twitterank, which will "determine how worthy of a person you are in Twitterverse," while potentially stealing your password in the process. Clearly an ego trap in action. Why?
Influence: like Plinko?
I've typically thought of influence tactics as uni-directional, in a downward direction. I imagine that the traditional approach of getting a message widely disseminated consists of targeting a beacon and letting your message bounce down a pyramid of nodes, like Plinko.
A "good" beacon exhibits wide reach, in the media sense. Traditional media fit the bill quite nicely here. The better the beacon, the more widely your message will travel. The more beacons you seed, the more pyramids you'll sow.
Tom O'Brien's comment on influence has got me thinking about how beacons operate in social media. They get used in two ways:
No doubt, social media has democratized influence and both of these approaches work.
What if we turn the board upside-down?
But I wonder if there's another more surgical approach to outreach that doesn't assume a uni-directional downward message dispersion. What happens when you connect to beacons that will transmit upwards instead? Doesn't it follow that what goes up, must come down?
For example, I was recently emailed by an author who said that a certain trade publication wouldn't review a new book. I know the book has been sent out and been reviewed by some well-read bloggers, i.e. quality beacons. But wouldn't this have been more effective by targeting "influencers" who would be able to connect directly with traditional media? I know journalists participate in pyramids like everyone else - but I'm pretty sure no one wants to write a story two weeks after it's been kicked around in the blogosphere.
Maybe this is what professionals already do...
Maybe this is just PR 101 and I don't know it. I've never had any formal outreach training, which you can probably tell...so if I've offended the PR professionals who read this blog, I apologize - please enlighten me!
From the outside, it seems like today's blogger outreach should be happening at step two, preceded by a step one of more precise and surgical targeting of upward-facing influencers - and rarely, if ever make a noise within the echo chamber, let alone in public.
I've been reading the reactions to Pepsi's recent influencer outreach program, PR for The Pepsi Cooler. Have been thinking about it in the perspective of other outreach campaigns, like Nikon, Vista, HP.
"There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about." - Oscar Wilde
Times are tough, for sure - but that hasn't reduced the number of gratis opportunities available to learn and network for free. I've noticed more than a few events happening this week, offering free advice and education. Thought I'd pass them along, in case you're interested.
If you have anything to add to the list, please comment below and I'll include above.
I've been thinking about how ego traps operate in social media - which could also be called hero marketing (credit Seth Godin for suggesting the term). Social media focuses on individuals. Self-promotion lies at the root of ego traps, usually inclusive of helping and promoting others.
I don't think ego traps are inherently "bad." However, I believe that individuals should be fully aware of the implications when participating in a hero marketing scheme - particularly what they're trying to accomplish and why. Honesty with one's own ego is the key.
There's some chatter going on about "50 of the most powerful and influential women in social media."
Influencer lists are ego traps in action. Why?
(To Ron Hudson's credit, he comments on the digg story, "...digg this story so that they are discovered by more people. Keep in mind, you will also be contributing to my own popularity as well. With that in mind, digg or digg not.") Other influencer lists include people on Twitter, marketing bloggers, or the Silicon Alley 100.
Influencer lists are great for discovering new voices and recognizing well-done work. Let's just be aware of and honest about what everyone seeks in the process.
Previously - Ego Trap: Industry Awards
I don't like the Wikipedia definition of social media marketing, because it focuses too much on search and does not touch on corporate marketing or integration. So let's try a new definition by thinking through the phrase "social media marketing," backwards:
Producing a definition of social media marketing:
"Interaction between individuals in [digital] delivery channels, exchanging content related to consumer needs and company solutions."
That's theory. In practice, things start to break down and few marketers are operate in the conversational nirvana promised by social media evangelists. Why?
So social media marketing can be more precisely defined as:
"Interaction between a company and individual via [digital] delivery channels, intended to share commercial content that will lead to a sale and/or be passed along to others."
What am I missing here? This sounds pretty much like traditional marketing to me.
A month ago, I published a list of social media marketing examples. At the time, the list started with 131 brands that were involved in social media to some extent. (Sometimes not by their own choice.)
A month later, the list has added over 100 new brands due to the contributions of 81 community members.
Some interesting things happened along the way. Dion Hincliffe from Social Computing Magazine requested permission to republish the list, no problem. Almost 200 other bloggers have found the list helpful and I hope you do as well. Unfortunately, I also stumbled across a few cases of plagiarism - two that were coincidentally blamed on "assistants" blogging whose work had not been checked. (Really? Maybe I need to get a blogging assistant, too. But I'll be sure to equip that person with a copy of the MLA.)
As my way of saying thanks, here's a search engine shout-out to give credit where credit is due to everyone who has contributed to the list (either directly or through prior art):
Jeremiah Owyang, Mashable, Forrester, Mack Collier, Social Brand Index, Gavin Heaton, Philippe Deltenre, zeroinfluencer, Bruce Eric Anderson, Nick Ayres, Jeff Glasson, Luke, Mike, Robin Seidner, Tom Shea, Ed Nicholson, Stefan Halley, Tom Hoehn, Debbie Weil, Marta Kagan, Paull Young, Kevin, Paul Fabretti, Nick Huhn, dominic, Michael Pranikoff, Kyle Flaherty, Ed Terpenning, Chi-chi Ekweozor, Lisa, David Bressler, C.B. Whittemore, Torley, David Jones, Keith De La Rue, Sean Lew, Tom Cummings, Donna Tocci, Adam Singer, Yianni Garcia, Matt Cronin, Stephen Manning, Jim Dietzel, Clayton, Mike, Kira Wampler, Woody Meachum, Lee Aase, Toby Bloomberg, Adam Denison, Colleen Gatlin, Davezilla, Gina, Marcos Fargas, Marianne Richmond, Kevin Barenblat, Dan Entin, Bruce Ertmann, Sean Moffitt, Elana Bowman, Dan, Andrew, James O'Connor, Herve Kabla, Sachin Agarwal, Lou Cuming, Danny Urguia, Kathrin Lohmann, Rafa, John Galpin, Ken Kaplan, Kathy Mandelstein, BJ Cook, John Welsh, Nils Koenig, James Finnen, Miko, Yvonne DiVita, Juny Lee, Massimo Cavazzini, and Gunther Lie.
But seriously...234. Do you think that's it?
I've been thinking about how ego traps operate in social media - which could also be called hero marketing (credit Seth Godin for suggesting the term). Essentially, social media focuses on individuals and ego traps help promote individuals, not necessarily at the expense of helping/promoting others.
I don't think ego traps are inherently "bad." However, I believe that individuals should be fully aware of the implications when participating in a hero marketing scheme - particularly what they're trying to accomplish and why. Honesty with one's own ego is the key. (Or is it the id that's really the problem?)
Jeremiah has started a list of social media marketing awards. Self-submitted industry award competitions are ego traps in action. Why?
Award competitions work well when executed properly (i.e. focused topic, large sample of competition, critical judgment process), because they can be a quintuple-win situation for the participants: clients, agencies, judges, hosts, and observers. Let's just be aware of and honest about what everyone seeks in the process.
Last week, I shared a list of about 120 companies using and/or being used by social media marketing. Less than a week later, that list has almost doubled solely based on community contributions. Thank you for sharing.
The list seems big enough to support some analysis. What do you think about these three major criticisms?
1. Big companies are lagging indicators.
2. Are these examples really social?
3. Stuff is missing.
Your thoughts, reactions, and observations are appreciated.
Last week, I shared a list of about 120 companies using and/or being used by social media marketing. Less than a week later, that list has almost doubled solely based on community contributions. Thank you for sharing.
The list seems big enough to support some analysis. What do you think about this graphic?
(You can create your own at wordle.net.)
Thoughts?
Hello - if you're here's for social media examples, you've come to the right place.
Here are some related resources you might find helpful:
If you find this information useful, you can stumble, bookmark, or digg this page.
Background on why I originally did this:
I've been thinking about how social media works. For example, applying game mechanics to understand participation, thinking about users vs. customers, and deconstructing ego traps in PR campaigns. This analysis makes me wonder if social media marketing matters and if so, does it scale.
I thought you might benefit from some of my background research on these topics. And I'd appreciate your help in curating this list by providing more details and submitting additional cases.
>> Last update: 23 November 2008
>> Total brands: 324
Examples of companies using and being used by social media marketing:
[Notice anything missing? Leave a link and description in the comments below. I'll add to the main list on a periodic basis.]
--
1 Jeremiah Owyang's A Chronology of Brands that Got Punk'd by Social Media
2 Mashable's 35+ Examples of Corporate Social Media in Action
3 Forrester's Groundswell Awards, 2007 and 2008
4 Mack Collier's Company Blog Checkup Series
5 Social Brand Index - Twitter
6 Credit: Gavin Heaton
7 Credit: Philippe Deltenre
8 Credit: zeroinfluencer, David Bausola
9 Credit: Bruce Eric Anderson
10 Credit: Nick Ayres
11 Credit: Jeff Glasson
12 Credit: Luke
13 Credit: Mike
14 Credit: Robin Seidner
15 Credit: Tom Shea
16 Credit: Ed Nicholson
17 Credit: Stefan Halley
18 Credit: Tom Hoehn
19 Credit: Debbie Weil and her list of 67+ Big Brand Corporate Blogs
20 Credit: Marta Kagan
21 Credit: Paull Young
22 Credit: Kevin
23 Credit: Paul Fabretti
24 Credit: Nick Huhn
25 Credit: dominic
26 Credit: Michael Pranikoff
27 Credit: Kyle Flaherty
28 Credit: Ed Terpenning
29 Credit: Chi-chi Ekweozor
30 Credit: Lisa
31 Credit: David Bressler
32 Credit: C.B. Whittemore
33 Credit: Torley
34 Credit: David Jones
35 Credit: Keith De La Rue
36 Credit: Sean Lew
37 Credit: Tom Cummings
38 Credit: Donna Tocci
39 Credit: Adam Singer
40 Credit: Yianni Garcia
41 Credit: Matt Cronin
42 Credit: Stephen Manning
43 Credit: Jim Dietzel
44 Credit: Clayton
45 Credit: Mike
46 Credit: Kira Wampler
47 Credit: Woody Meachum
48 Credit: Lee Aase
49 Credit: Toby Bloomberg
50 Credit: Adam Denison
51 Credit: Colleen Gatlin
52 Credit: Davezilla
53 Credit: Gina
54 Credit: Marcos Fargas
55 Credit: Marianne Richmond
56 Credit: Kevin Barenblat
57 Credit: Dan Entin
58 Credit: Bruce Ertmann
59 Credit: Sean Moffitt
60 Credit: Elana Bowman
61 Credit: Dan
62 Credit: Andrew
63 Credit: James O'Connor
64 Credit: Herve Kabla
65 Credit: Sachin Agarwal
66 Credit: Lou Cuming
67 Credit: Danny Urguia
68 Credit: Kathrin Lohmann
69 Credit: Rafa
70 Credit: John Galpin
71 Credit: Ken Kaplan
72 Credit: Kathy Mandelstein
73 Credit: BJ Cook
74 Credit: John Welsh and list of UK SMM examples
75 Credit: Nils Koenig
76 Credit: James Finnen
77 Credit: Miko
78 Credit: Yvonne DiVita
79 Credit: Juny Lee
80 Credit: Massimo Cavazzini
81 Credit: Gunther Lie
82 Credit: Alan Edgett
83 Credit: Kelly
84 Credit: Søren Storm Hansen
85 Credit: dlafont
86 Credit: Greg Weinger
87 Credit: Katie Mingo
88 Credit: Patricia Romeo
89 Credit: Kate Elzer-Peters
90 Credit: Jason
91 Credit: Penny Schouten
92 Credit: Gillian
93 Credit: Valorie Luther
94 Credit: Shannon Swenson
95 Credit: Rachel Happe's Social Media Examples via @MadLid
96 Credit: vidarbrekke
97 Credit: Kylie Lewis
98 Credit: Guy Kawasaki
99 Credit: Mikael Lindecrantz
100 Credit: Alex
101 Credit: Steve Radick
102 Credit: NewTarget Web
103 Credit: Jason Dojc
104 Credit: Chrissie Hsu
105 Credit: Aki Spicer
106 Credit: Liza Hausman
107 Credit: Eric Hoffman
108 Credit: Kami W Huyse
109 Credit: Sean Hudson
110 Credit: Eric
111 Credit: Matt
112 Credit: Larry Gee
113 Credit: Urs
114 Credit: Harry Gold
Hi - since I left Forrester about six weeks ago, people have been telling me that this blog has gotten a lot more interesting. I hope you agree.
The main reason for this is an expansion of my thinking while building a new company. What I'm working on is reflected in part by what you read here.
I've been having a lot of fun with the conversations that have been playing out here as well. There have been many thoughtful comments and I wanted to say thanks for sharing and participating.
Over the next week or so, I’ll be digging deeper into some recent posts to learn more about what we agree and disagree on. I intend to highlight the insights that resolve critical points and others that open new questions. (Related to something I learned from this thoughtful piece on commentary from bond art + science.)
One last comment to you - thanks.
Seth Godin comments that words matter.
Consider the following text, edited from an earlier post:
Dave Balter is a word-of-mouth guru. He founded the word-of-mouth media network BzzAgent and has written two books on the subject of word-of-mouth marketing. Dave launched a great hero marketing campaign recently to promote his second book, The Word of Mouth Manual: Volume II. Dave reached out to a network of big thinkers and asked them to show some generosity in promoting the book. Who did Dave a favor? Seth Godin. Jackie Huba. Chris Brogan. John Moore. Greg Verdino. And 15 others. If you look at the related posts, almost all of these bloggers are promoting Dave's book out of generosity to a fellow big thinker.
So why did it work? The offer was limited. It was relevant to the bloggers and their readers. And it was a motorcade of generosity, from the bloggers to Dave and on to their readers.
Do you learn as much from a "hero marketing" example as an explanation of an "ego trap?" Do these words matter to you?
Let me give you something else to consider:
On July 29th, an invitation was extended to the readers of a prominent blogger to join a "members-only tribe." It's invitation only until this blogger's new book publishes in October and early members get "privileges and bragging rights" including "a chance to contribute to a new jointly-authored ebook, with full credit and links to the contributors." To join this tribe, you must pre-order the author's book three months in advance for about US$11 - but this isn't about selling more books; it's intended to filter out the tire-kickers from more serious community members.
Does this sound like hero marketing or an ego trap to you?
Know thyself, then you can create heroes and set traps, or decide to follow a hero or step into a trap - for whatever reasons make sense in your story, not someone else's.
Let's step outside of the echo chamber for a minute.
Does social media marketing matter?
What I want to know is, how does this stuff impact the bottom line? As a consumer (and apologies, biased towards the US - with our weak currency, these examples carry less efficacy when everything looks like it's discounted 30 - 50%), I'm curious to know if you have ever done any of the following. (Partial credit on examples to Mashable and Jeremiah.)
Add up points as you go:
+3 points:
+2 points:
+1 point:
-2 points for any of the following:
So how'd you score?
I think most people will score zero...which is why I asked the initial question. How did you score?
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