Ever wonder what strategy and tactics you should be focusing on to help rock your event planning world? Check out Katie Laird’s presentation to the Houston Chapter of Meeting Planners International (MPI-HAC) to find out how YOU can be leveraging online tools for your events!
Stonyfield YoBaby Yogurt: Don’t Neglect Mommy Bloggers!
Stonyfield Yogurt, in my opinion, is the company to model any business after if they want to not only make a nice profit but also make a difference. Stonyfield makes delicious yogurt, ice cream and milk, all while doing their part to save the world by using only natural and organic ingredients. In addition to being environmentally savvy, they’re also pretty astute when it comes to marketing and communicating with their audience online.
Stonyfield is no stranger to using the Internet and social media to reach out to their fans. They started their first blog in April 2004, way ahead of the curve for most businesses. Currently they have two blogs that they update frequently – The Bovine Blog and Baby Babble – and their very own social network, myStonyfield, that you must log into to see. Inside there is another blog which they use to generate feedback and conversation from their readers. This blog seems to get more comments than their public blog.
Recently Stonyfield launched the Who Loves YoBaby? video contest using YouTube – or as they like to call it YoTube. They asked YoBaby lovers to submit videos of their children eating YoBaby Yogurt. The winner received a $2000 U.S. Savings Bond for college. Over all it seems like it was a success, not to mention adorable! Cooper and Cohen from Alpheretta, Georgia were the winners:
While Stonyfield seems to know how social media can work for them to create community and conversation about their products and mission, I’m confused why they didn’t promote the contest and generate more chatter about it in social networlks. Obviously, they really needed to get the parents involved in this, but how did they go about reaching out to their audience? Aside from promoting the contest on Facebook, the YoBaby website, and YouTube, only a few mommy communities talked it up (Posh Little and Pajama Mommy).
So what could they have done differently that would make the campaign even more successful? I have two suggestions:
1. They could’ve engaged the mommy bloggers – There are so many fantastic bloggers out there that also happen to be moms that not only have a large network but are also quite influential. Then there’s the mom communities like OpMom where they could’ve reached out to members or maybe they could have participated in a conference like Mom 2.0.
2. Twitter it! – I know I talk about Twitter a lot, but just searching search.twitter.com for YoBaby I saw a lot of parents talking about the yogurt:
Stonyfield doesn’t have a Twitter account. How awesome an opportunity for them it would be to say thank you to these Twitterers and send them free samples for their children who obviously love the fruit and cereal YoBaby yogurt and then let them know about the video contest. I only saw that one person mentioned the contest and no one ever mentioned it again. I think they really missed out in connecting and engaging their network of Influencers buy not getting involved in Twitter.
While I am a true fan of Stonyfield and I know that their mission is to Do Good, I am a little confused why Stonyfield completely neglected an audience that could be their top proponents – parents. But maybe I’m missing something. What do you think?
Why Dale Carnegie Would Be an Awesome Blogger…
‘Did you ever stop to think that a dog is the only animal that doesn’t have to work for a living? A hen has to lay eggs, a cow has to give milk, and a canary has to sing. But a dog makes his living by giving you nothing but love.†‘Dale Carnegie
A few full moons and a gibbous ago, my boss Aaron Long handed me a book to read, How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie. My first thought was, ‘Does this silly elf think I have no friends? The nerve!â€
On that note, name-calling does not get you friends. Instead, it will give you a cafeteria table all to yourself, unlimited movie nights alone, and ample time to catch up with your imaginary friends named Toffice and Skidmore. Livin’ the dream right? But I digress….
Come to find out, elves have terrific taste, and I haven’t put the book down since the waning gibbous moon.
So who is Dale Carnegie and why do I believe that if he was still alive and kickin’, he would be one of the greatest bloggers of our time? Dale Carnegie is your classic rags to riches tale. Grew up on a farm in Missouri, walked uphill to and from school, became a public speaking teacher, wrote a book blah blah blah. Don’t get me wrong, the man’s life is one to be marveled at. But more importantly, he lived his life with a genuine interest in other people. He realized the value in this notion and put it on paper to benefit humanity. I kid you not, after reading his book I answered all my phone calls with a huge smile, listened attentively during conversations and proceeded to rescue every stray dog that came in my path. No cats though. I have built up animosity towards them due to all the ‘deposits†they leave in my backyard on a daily basis. I didn’t say Carnegie’s book made me perfect ok?
What I am saying is if Carnegie was still around, I would invite him to come have a beer, watch a Dallas Cowboys football game, and discuss his latest blog on why ‘a man without a smiling face must not open a shop.†So without further a due, here are the top 5 reasons why Dale Carnegie would be an awesome blogger:
- Even in 1936, Carnegie’s network of friends was unparalleled. Imagine discussing Pearl Harbor while sipping tea with Franklin D. Roosevelt, running lines with Clark Gable, sailing the Pacific with Martin Johnson or debating the manufacture of steel with Charles Schwab. Granted the locations are questionable due to my vivid imagination, but Carnegie’s connection with these prominent figures were real. A successful blog has an immense following…Carnegie had this following without [gasp] the internet. Carnegie discovered from personal experience that ‘one can win the attention and time and cooperation of even the most sought after people by becoming genuinely interested in them.â€
- Carnegie wrote stories…excellent stories. He knew how to ‘bait the hook to suit the fish†if you will. Aren’t blogs essentially a compilation of news, recent happenings, daily occurrences, and stories? Alright then, I rest my case.
- Remembering people’s names was of utmost priority for Carnegie. This leads me to believe that he would have done quite well on a network such as Twitter; @dcarnGmoney perhaps? Responding to people by their name, replying on Twitter, and commenting on blog posts once again reinforces Carnegie’s idea that if you take interest in someone they will take interest in you. Why not give a little smile and a wink while you’re at it, even if it’s only an emoticon. We all know Carnegie would have ;-).
- Dale Carnegie ‘hustled.†To put it simply, he worked his derrière off. Carnegie started with a set of rules on a note-card; evolving fifteen years later into a best-selling book and continues to influence people decades later. Over 15 million copies of his book have been sold and if there was a way to configure that into number of followers on a blog I would. I’m no scientist but I’m sure the data would be staggering. Modernly speaking, ‘…you too can have 70,000+ readers and write your own ticket to internet fame’ but it won’t happen by playing World of Warcraft every night.†‘Chris Guillebeau, ‘How to Be Awesomeâ€
- In the words of someone who truly understood the art of human relations, Carnegie said’…the royal road to a person’s heart is to talk about the things that he or she treasures most.†I don’t think I need to thump you on the head to understand this one. Carnegie would have been an awesome blogger.
*I also feel he had excellent music taste but I will leave that for another day.
Thanks Mexicanwave for the cool flickr pic!
Outliers: Outrageously Talented or Just Plain Lucky?
Malcolm Gladwell is a master storyteller; he leads readers down winding yellow brick roads and provides them with insight into the mystifying and foresight into their future. He explains those “simple truths” about life and society usually kept secret by Sociologists in a way that your average Joe can understand and embrace them. It is little wonder Time Magazine named Malcolm Gladwell one of their 100 Most Influential People in 2005.
He helped us examine the tiny things or the “levels at which the momentum for change becomes unstoppable” in The Tipping Point and he explored the power of the trained mind to make split second decisions in Blink. In Outliers, Gladwell irrevocably proves that there iS no magic apple you bite into to obtain success. Success is a beautiful balance of nature, nurture and a little bit of luck…. Combine those three things with the 10,000 hours Gladwell insists you need to obtain “expert status” and it looks like an insurmountable hill to climb.
Through various case studies and real stories (which this gal loves!) he highlights the “hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunists and cultural legacies” underlie that magical thing we call success. Is Gladwell content with these circumstances to remain the status quo? No, he is not.
Gladwell insists that “to build a better world, we need to replace the patchwork of lucky breaks and arbitrary advantages that today determine success-the fortunate birth dates and the happy accidents in history-that provides oppotunities to all.”
Outliers is DEFINITELY on our Schipul Suggested reading list!
Have you read Outliers but haven’ quite gotten your Gladwell fill? Join us Wendesday for “An Audience with Malcolm Gladwell” brought to you by the Greater Houston Partnership. We’ll be at the Hilton America’s Houston at 11:30 am! We hope you can make it out!!
Check out my personal blog for more MagsMac ramblings on Outliers. I am fascinated!
The Future of Breaking News Using Twitter and Social Media
I don’t own a TV so I get most of my breaking news from Twitter and CNN.com. Not owning a TV is a little weird I know, but I would never get anything accomplished because I’m such an information junkie and I have a little issue with doing things that don’t feel productive. That’s why Twitter is amazing! I can get my information fix quickly when I receive updates from CNN on my Twitter feed without the obsessive need I have when watching TV to switch from news channel to news channel. If I’m interested in the news that CNN has posted, I can click the link in the feed and read the article on CNN.com. Then if it’s major news I can go back to Twitter and read the posts from all my Twitter friends (Tweeps) on what they are thinking.
Yesterday was a little different though, because the first news I heard about the US Airways plane crash in the Hudson came from a friend who tweeted the news as soon as they heard it. I immediately went to CNN.com to see what was up, but they didn’t have any real information up yet. So to find out more I went to search.twitter.com and typed in “plane” and “hudson” and found a ton of information that kept me pretty busy. Had I searched even harder I might have found this tweet from jkrums:
This is amazing picture that he took from his phone http://twitpic.com/135xa of the plane crash up close.
Janis Krums was the first reporter on the scene of this miraculous event. CNN definitely did not have such a close up and personal shot! As the day continued, updates to search.twitter.com kept refreshing and the response from those on Twitter who had seen the plane crash or just those who were tweeting the news as they heard it poured into Twitter. I watched Twitter and went to CNN for confirmation of the chatter I was observing online.
It seems like no one really has an idea of how Twitter and micro-blogging will be used in the future, but it is quite obvious that this innovation is extremely powerful. The information we receive from Twitter and other social media sites is in real time, authentic and interactive. Unlike in the news world, there is no time for spin; the news is true and verifiable on the spot. The opportunity for using social media as a medium for improving the world around us is already happening and I hope that we will continue to see social media as a tool for “doing good.” Business will have no choice but to become transparent and candid about who they are and what they are doing.
It’s quite exciting to be a part of this innovative culture of social media and to really realize that our hard work and passion truly does have a future!
Do Good: Client NPTA helps craft and pass life-saving Emily’s Law
A major part of our Schipul company Vision is to Do Good. That’s why we love working and connecting with people and organizations that are as passionate as we are to make a difference in the world.
A great example of a Schipul client (National Pharmacy Technicians Association – NPTA) doing good for countless families after the tragic death of 2-year-old Emily due to a pharmacy technician’s error:
Kelly Jerry, the mother of Emily, became resolved to ensure that another family would never have to encounter such a tragic and preventable loss. In 2006, the National Pharmacy Technician Association (NPTA), based out of Houston, reached out to Kelly offering support, guidance and lobbying assistance. In 2008, with the support of Senator Tim Grendell (R), SB 203, now known as Emily’s Law, was introduced in the Ohio State Senate.
NPTA’s Chairman and CEO, Mike Johnston, CPhT, traveled on numerous occasions to Ohio to support Kelly Jerry and work with Senator Grendell in overcoming powerful, opposing lobbyist efforts and a few petty politicians. In a unique and unlikely series of circumstances, Grendell and Johnston were not only able to get all opposing parties on board with SB 203, but they were able to revise the bill, making it even stronger than the original draft.
“I am thankful for the assistance of the National Pharmacy Technician Association with the passage of Emily’s Law in Ohio,” explained Kelly Jerry, “due to their expertise, persistence and hard work, Ohio now has the most thorough and stringent laws regarding pharmacy technicians in the United States.”
Congratulations to the Jerry family, Mike and the NPTA team – your dedication and hard work have truly made a difference! Photo with thanks to NPTA from their Flickr stream
Tendenci sites up, running and updated! (1/9/09)
Hurray! We burned the late night oil last night getting your new Site Settings and other functionality going strong – but everything is back up and running this morning.
If you have any questions on any new functionality you see, be sure to contact our Support Team by emailing support @ schipul dot com or calling (281) 497.6567, ext 411.
We'll be sending out a full newsletter explaining the updates with handy help file links. Happy Friday!
1 or 100: How Many Social Networks Should You Join?
New Guy Courtney here! Since joining Schipul, I have learned you can not exist without a brand, well you can, it’s just not as fun. So being the risk-taker that I claim to be, I dove feet first into the wonderful world of social media.
Being a rookie to the world of social media, I found out very fast that your personal brand is just as important as your finger print. Trust me, it’s that serious. My first thought was I should snatch every social media network that crossed my path such as a fat toad to a fly. Unfortunately in this case, I was the fat toad and social media was the fly.
My epiphany finally came the other day when I joined the social network change.org; only adding to my growing list of networks with access to my login information…possibly even my finger print. As much as I respect the amazing people that devote their lives to the cause, I am sad to say I do as much for the cause as I take helicopter rides and play with trolls in my garden; they’re few and far between. I will briefly mention that I did some work with the Make-A-Wish foundation. This was extremely gratifying but I would be lying to myself if I thought joining a non-profit network would be beneficiary or even profitable for the brand I am trying to build. So that begs the question, how many social networks are too many?
Jack Humphrey is a professional blogger, author of ‘How to Make Money Blogging!,†a contributor to Blog Talk Radio and creator of Blogsuccess.com. I suppose it’s during Jack’s ‘down-time†that he offers his expertise to others by teaching them how to drive traffic to their social sites in order to become a profitable brand on the internet. In a recent blog post, The New Rules of Social Marketing, Jack offered his insights into whether it is better to be a part of many social sites or just a select few…
‘Putting in more time on fewer sites is absolutely better than trying to be on 100 social sites with no chance of having a meaningful presence on any of them…It is entirely possible for you to have a blog and a Twitter account and become one of the most popular and profitable in your niche.â€
It makes complete sense right? I log into Facebook and Twitter to post updates every single day. To me, these two networks would be the obvious choice to create a ‘meaningful presence†and even more so, tell my personal story. In a sense, the time I put forth to these two sites would be the most beneficial. Most likely resulting in a helicopter ride at least once a week. I will continue to hold my breath…wish me luck.
I assume by now you are thinking, ‘Courtney, I am not a poor, little social networking rookie like you are. I have a well- established brand…people know me.†I applaud your success; now let me introduce you to Sarah Lacy (Thanks Dwight for the link to her post!)
Sarah Lacy is a successful blogger, journalist, co-host of Tech Ticker on Yahoo! and author of the book, ‘Once You’re Lucky, Twice You’re Good: The Rebirth of Silicon Valley and the Rise of Web 2.0.†It also doesn’t hurt to say that she has impeccable fashion sense and is probably the most adorable thing in pigtails I have ever seen. Hey, I’m a girl and I notice these things and I am almost positive she would appreciate the endearing compliments.
Now for My Next Trick, I’ll Turn Brand into Cash is a recent blog post in which Sarah Lacy chronicles her quest to promote the ‘Sarah Lacy†brand. Her conviction and energy is almost contagious as she contemplates if synergy really is the best way to make your brand profitable. ..
‘…the synergy and the cross promotion hasn’t been as easy as it would seem on paper. I’ve been pretty aggressive about linking between things, and if you follow me on Twitter, you get a pretty clear day-to-day account of my life. Yes, I’m stunned by how many people read my blog, but never go to TechTicker…or watch TechTicker and have no idea I write a Businessweek column. Or how many people follow me on Twitter, but still think I’m on staff for Businessweek full-time. Or—I swear to God—the number of people who know me from any of those platforms and say, ‘You wrote a book?â€
Personally, I think it’s great so many people know the ‘Sarah Lacy†brand despite the platform that enabled their awareness. I mean let’s be honest, things could be a lot worse. There are only about 5 people familiar with my brand and one is my own mother. Even so, an acclaimed brand on several social networks can still hinder its ability to reach its utmost potential. Sarah Lacy can even realize the pitfalls…
‘On the surface, this sounds great for me. I’m leveraged across several platforms even if they aren’t working together as well as I’d hoped. But doesn’t it also mean that my ‘value†as a brand is diminished if I can’t pull fans and readers across platforms? After all, it’s supposed to be a two-way transaction.â€
Networks are supposed to be a two-transaction and even though I occasionally talk to myself, I don’t enjoy it as much as conversing with a friend or colleague. In order to maintain valuable transactions within networks, I believe it’s in your best interest to concentrate on a select few, and since my boss absolutely loves list, here is the top 3 reasons why you should brand for less:
- Trying to maintain a multitude of social networks can be stressful and time-consuming. Cut back and you might even save some of your hair in the process.
- If you concentrate on select networks that are geared toward your interest, it will be a more fulfilling experience and your brand will evolve naturally.
- The main goal of business is to make a profit. Whether your brand creates actual income or you benefit from excellent networking, there is still profit to be made. What would be more ideal…a brand with substance on a few social sites or a mediocre brand within twenty social sites? To me, the answer is simple…and I’m just a rookie.
Thanks to Jeff Bauche._. · ´ ¯) for the awesome Flickr photo!
Major Updates Starting Tonight at 10p (CST)
Tendenci powered websites will be intermittingly down between the times of 10p – 6a (CST). The major updates promised on our previous post are ready for lift off.
We'll make sure to post again and give you all the details of exactly what went out and how you can benefit from the updates. Thank you for your patience.
2009 Has Arrived! Upcoming Tendenci Updates for a New Year
We're starting 2009 off with a bang here at Schipul!!
We re-designed our Schipul website and now we're focusing on making your Tendenci software even more about you, dear clients. We've got loads of new updates to our Tendenci software that will help you better tell your story and customize your Web site in 2009.
You asked to be able to turn off modules or make your tabs disappear and now you've got it! You'll be able to contact our support team any time and we'll be able to whisk those mods away with a click of the button.
Do you have trouble navigating Site Variables? No worries. We're rolling out a brand new Site Settings user interface – we've re-organized your Site
Settings to correspond with the modules they affect, making it easier
for you to change the settings you need to on your site.
Our favorite update? The brand new Story Module! Check out the Schipul home page's orange Story box for an initial look. It gives you a super easy way to update your site with quick 'Stories', links and images. We want to whole world to know what you are up to! The Story Module is still in serious test mode but we hope to have it out early this year!
Stay tuned to the Tendenci Blog and Tendenci Twitter feed as we announce the live updates and dish out even more exciting new!