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Listening to as Well as Influencing the Conversation

11/3/2010

6 Comments

 
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Learned in class today about social media strategy and why it's a new way of marketing. Introduced to Jason Kintzler, who describes himself on his blog, New Media Cowboy, as "a former anchorman turned PR guy" who is founder and CEO of PitchEngine, "a social PR platform that's putting an end to the 'word doc PR' era."

Love PitchEngine's website! Anyway, a key question posed in the discussion is how do you become an influencer, a trust agent? Seems the answer is being sure to listen to conversations, especially tapping into those online (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) to find out what's being said about you or someone or something you care about.

Another key step is setting goals and benchmarks in developing a brand reputation, increasing its awareness and share of the voice (or SoV for short). We're told this will not only increase sales for a company or business venture, but also reduce the costs for research and development. Finding bloggers and online communities focused on the subject matter is crucial. Don't just lurk. Engage and facilitate the discussions. Create and deliver content for others to comment on and share with others. This is easier said then done, believe me, I know. I'm certainly nowhere near tweeting morning, noon and night. But it's cheaper to do it yourself then have to pay someone else to do so. Right?

Who knows, perhaps you can become one of those online influencers – say like David Pogue of the New York Times. His opinion with respect to technology and software is unbelievable because of his reach and credibility. We can only hope to someday have so much influence on matters we care about deeply. For now, let's just get into the conversation. It cannot hurt to not only listen, but speak up, too. Right?
6 Comments
Mark Strotman
1/20/2011 10:29:23 am

It seems like this one could go either way. Yes, sometimes badgering people with your material/ideas/products will make them more likely to purchase it, but at the same time it can really bug people and completely turn them off. Just the other day DeJuan Blair of the San Antonio Spurs filled up my entire news feed with stupid tweets, so I unfollowed him. Maybe I'm in the minority here.

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Joshua Arter
1/23/2011 08:06:45 am

Another great site for monitoring your Twitter influence is Klout.

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Jodi Denk
1/24/2011 05:29:36 am

I agree with Mark, you have to walk a fine line with this one. As your post said, it's about finding those bloggers or communities that want your product. But just because someone is interested in the same topic doesn't mean they want you to reach out to them. It's finding the right people and talking to them in the right way that's appealing.

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Elizabeth Heebink link
1/24/2011 11:44:10 am

PitchEngine looks like a great website to get your message across without having to pay the high costs!

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Ashley De La Torre
1/24/2011 01:15:07 pm

I agree with Elizabeth. The last statement in the blog was great and I hope people can do this more for things they truly care about as well.

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Trey
1/24/2011 01:24:09 pm

I also agree with Mark. From my own experiences as a reporter for the Marquette Tribune I've learned through my interaction with PR representatives for athletic teams that constant badgering can sometimes lead to annoyance and disregard for your message. People don't like to be constantly hit over the head in any circumstance.

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