By Barry Lawrence


When launching a social media engagement strategy, to pull consumers into brands, it’s important that companies begin to appreciate the many styles, tolerances and expectations that consumers bring to social networking. If your social media program is stuck in the mud, it may be that you are turning some customers away with a one-size-fits-all engagement strategy.


To help marketers account for different social media behaviors, Forrester Research created a Social Technographics®, classification system that places consumers into six overlapping levels of preferred participation (see Forrester’s Groundswell site and book for more details — highly recommended by BrandCottage). This week, Forrester announced a seventh rung, the Conversationalists, to account for “the very active communication style that has arisen recently within social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook,” said Forrester Analyst Emily Riley in her blog post, A New Rung on the Social Technographics Ladder.


To clarify, the bottom of the ladder represents the most passive level of social media participation; at the top of the ladder, we find the Creators, the most active social media participants. With each brand and social media program, marketers are wise to account for the predominate style or, more likely, styles of their target consumers.


Here’s how consumer social media styles break down, from top to bottom in terms of levels of engagement, according to data from the groundswell blog (note that Forrester has placed Conversationalists between Creators and Critics.:

• Creators, 24 percent of adults.
• Conversationalists, 33 percent.
• Critics, 37 percent.
• Collectors, 20 percent.
• Joiners, 59 percent.
• Spectators, 70 percent.
• Inactives, 17 percent.

In practice with our clients, rather than getting too hung up in the profile percentages of a company’s target consumers, BrandCottage thinks it’s best to account for all the styles in creating a well-rounded social media program. The goal of any social media program, when done correctly, should be to move consumers as far up the engagement ladder as possible, while still leaving room for spectators and joiners to get value from their social media interactions with your brand.


However, we most certainly need to account for the growing number of Conversationalists on sites such as Twitter and Facebook.


“Conversationalists intrigue me,” said Josh Bernoff in the groundswell blog. (Bernoff, along with Forrester’s Charlene Li, are the authors of Groundswell. ” They’re 56 percent female, more than any other group in the ladder. While they’re among the youngest of the groups, 70 percent are still 30 and up.”


“By following Conversationalists, you get free consumer insights,” noted Riley in her blog. “Conversationalists are your customers and they are talking about you. Listen to them.”


Indeed. Listen and begin to engage with your consumers. Participation on the high end of the ladder will continue to grow. If you haven’t already, now is the time to build a solid social media foundation.


Related BrandCottage posts: Why I’m a Power Tweeter on Twitter and The Essential 7 Ps of Social Media Relations. Also, see PR Squared’s blog post on Forrester’s Social Technographics Ladder.


Barry Lawrence is a BrandCottage partner in charge of public relations and social media relations.

By Patricia Wilson


Friends, family and even business clients ask me all the time:


“What in the heck do you get out of all your tweeting and twittering?”


I’ll admit, I am addicted to my @BrandCottage Twitter account. And as the head honcho of BrandCottage, I believe it has been time well spent.


Many people GET IT. Others still don’t see what all the Twitter fuss is about. For the latter, I explain that you have to really use Twitter — and use it a lot — to understand its full value.


Here are the Twitter business benefits I see:

• I’m more informed. My fellow Twitterers provide me with updates, knowledge and thought leadership about my field. I am educated daily about emerging media technologies, shifting consumer trends, best brand practices, marketing challenges, new social media ideas and other trends.




• I’m more networked. For me, Twitter is by far the furthest reaching networking tool I have seen in my 20+ years as a professional. Next to personal relationships, it’s the single most important new tool for maintaining business relationships.




• I’m never out of the buzz loop. Twitter search  and its trending topics tools make it easy and fast to view the hot buzz of the day — both within my industry and through the World Wide Web. This helps our agency in the work we do for our clients, giving us the ability to take advantage of new branding or social relations opportunities.




• I’m building a voice and brand personality. The added benefit here is that BrandCottage can engage its clients and future customers by sharing valuable information with them. In addition, these conversations have become two-way and far reaching.




• I’m building trust with influencers. We’ve seen our partnerships and status in the media industry grow immeasurably with Twitter. It’s helping us find new opportunities and new ways to help each other — benefits that we return to our clients as added services and improved return on investment.

If you want to see what all the Twitter fuss is about, don’t just dip your toe in the water. Dive in, completely.


See you @BrandCottage.


Patricia Wilson is the founder of BrandCottage, a media marketing company with offices in New York, Atlanta and Washington, D.C.

By Barry Lawrence


We have all heard of the “4 Ps of Marketing:” Product, Price, Placement and Promotion (many would also add Positioning to this mix). BrandCottage would like to suggest the “7 Ps of Social Media Relations.”


More on each of these 7 Ps of Social Media Relations in the weeks ahead:


Participate: Old media relations meant sending out a press release — a top-down message that the company controlled — and hoping for the best: positive news coverage that gets the word out. Today’s public relations, including social media, means dynamically collaborating with and exchanging ideas with customers. It’s a two-way conversation environment and today’s customers place more value on other consumer comments than on top-down driven company messages.


Pamper: Social media relations is the greatest customer relations tool ever invented, yet few companies are taking advantage of its power. Encourage customers to provide feedback on products and services, give them tools to develop new product features — even marketing strategies. Respond promptly to customer questions, comments and concerns. And reward customers who participate.


Platform: Most of the company social media content we see is only about the company and products and services. In short, boring. While this is important, the most successful social media communities are built around platform or themes that are more attractive to generating audiences and keeping them coming back for more. Support a bigger issue or cause — related to your products and services, of course — if you want to take your social media program to the next level.


Pollinate: Don’t get stuck in the quiet car on the social media train. Social media is also the greatest networking tool ever invented. Reach out to blogs and link to related community content on other social media sites as often as possible. Grow your sphere of influence.


Prime with PR: Media relations isn’t dead. It’s just changed dramatically over the last decade. Media hits are still valuable goals — providing third-party testimonials and serving as powerful vehicles that encourage audiences to seek out more information about your company. Search spiders love media stories that link people to your company Web site and social media properties.


Promote: That’s right, promotion is not a bad word when it comes to social media. Promotion combined with engaging content are powerful duos. In fact, your customer audience will expect promotional rewards in return for their dedicated social media community participation. Of course, promotions should not outweigh the community’s purpose. Strike a good balance.


Prompt: Lack of consistently updated content is a social media killer. As a PR consultant, I’ve talked with many companies who have done a great job of starting a social media program, but somewhere along the line they lost steam and (thank you) they call BrandCottage for help. Social media requires a lot of planning and perseverance. (Two additional Ps, perhaps?).


What Ps do you think are important for a successful social media relations program?


Barry Lawrence is a BrandCottage partner in charge of public relations and social media relations.

By Patricia Wilson


If you’re a media planner with experience (especially 10-plus years) you have undoubtedly sat in a room with the self-righteous digital or social media guru. You know them. They’re the ones who frown on you and your old-school media ideas as out of touch.


Of course, traditionalists are not without their own biases. After all, these new media mavens, you might think, have little real knowledge or experience with how media really works. And how do these new media gurus plan to scale their media plans — with small click-through rates — to come anywhere close to the reach of traditional media campaigns?


Which then prompts the digital and social media experts to claim: “You just don’t understand all the tools.”


And on it goes.


Please. Let’s stop the nonsense.


Clients need us to engage all the tools available to help impact marketing at the most efficient level possible. The truth is most seasoned media planners are excellent at examining all these tools and crafting an integrated plan that performs. Media planners set measurable goals and build plans to achieve them.

And digital planners do have experience and knowledge of engaging consumers with measurable effectiveness.


There is, for example, still no more powerful medium than TV for reach and entertainment. TV viewership has never been higher, although distribution to computer and mobile devices add many new dimensions. Direct mail and e-mail still work to drive short-term offers and promotions. In contrast,the Web is highly measurable. Behavioral targeting, ad serving and optimizing are very compelling.

In short, all media — both new and old — play vital roles in today’s marketing mix.

it is time to move beyond the us vs. them argument of old and new media and serve the clients and the brands with all the tools and intrinsic values of the full range of media offerings.


Patricia Wilson is the founder of BrandCottage, a media marketing company with offices in New York, Atlanta and Washington, D.C.

by Patricia Wilson


Social media is like the Wild West to many marketers. It often feels like a runaway train rather than a tool we can neatly harness, apply data against and measure. It takes many traditional marketers out of their comfort zone. Yet, social media cannot be ignored in the marketing mix and it is likely here to stay.


According to a March 2009 Social Media Success Summit survey (white paper) of nearly 900 marketers, 88 percent said they are currently using some form of social media. However, 72 percent have only been doing so for a few months or less. Worse, the majority of marketers say they really don’t understand social media.

72 percent of marketers have either just started or have been using social media for only a few months.

— Social Media Success Summit 2009, March 2009 Survey

In the work BrandCottage does with marketing professionals, 100 percent of our clients are using some form of social media. But most are still struggling to figure out just how to use it best. Marketers most often stake out claims on Facebook and Twitter, creating plots of digital space to help broadcast their promotional messages. But such strategies miss the mark.


Creating a promotional-only social media experience is like forcing viewers to sit through an entire television day of only commercials. Or picking up a magazine that only contains ads. Can you imagine riding in the car and hearing ONLY commercials on the radio? This is the opposite of what our customers want from us as marketers and the polar opposite of the intrinsic benefit of social media.

Most used social media tools by marketers, according to the Social Media Success Summit report:

• Twitter: 86 percent
• Blogs: 79 percent
• LinkedIn: 78 percent
• Facebook: 77 percent
• Youtube or other video: 41 percent
• Social bookmarking (i.e.; Del.icio.us): 38 percent
• Forums: 38 percent
• StumbleUpon: 28 percent
• Digg, Reddit, Mixx or similar site: 26 percent
• FriendFeed: 18 percent

Social media is different than traditional media because it offers us a two-way conversation. It has the power of the crowd. It has the benefits of being able to put something out to a crowd to see how they respond, how they make it better. If we’re successful, the crowd does most of the talking, not us. If all we do is push our goods, consumers will reject us, they will block us, hide from us and stop following us . . . with one click of the mouse.


Marketers, however, still need to sell stuff, right? Of course. But there are smart ways to use social media, to create connections at a deeper level and to give customers value:

1. Do a lot of listening and then create content your audience wants and values.
2. Say things they want to hear . Yes, sometimes it’s a deal on your product , but not always.
3. Be a storyteller. Get others to tell stories that relate to your core values. REI does this well.
4. Invite industry experts to blog on behalf of your brand.
5. Track trends and create lists. For example, a clothing retailer should provide style tips and the top fashion trends.
6. Include images to keep people interested.
7. Be genuine. Be a real person behind the brand.
8. Create content for your audience they can use, even if its not directly attached to your brand. Dell, for example, has a small business blog and they are a huge success with Twitter.
9. Ask questions and seek input from your audience. They want to talk with you. They want to contribute.
10. Respond to your customers. Social media impacts customer service as much as marketing. Whole Foods does this well on Twitter.

Patricia Wilson is the founder of BrandCottage, a media marketing company with offices in New York, Atlanta and Washington, D.C.