Here are a few recent examples of brands successful swimming in the social waters:

- Whitney Drake, Ford’s Global Communications Manager on using social media at Ford

- H&R Block using a wide variety of social media tactics

As more corporations warm up to the idea of social media in their marketing mix, the idea of community management seems to be spreading. Many fortune 500 companies are establishing the position of community manager in their organizations and formalizing how they monitor the online conversation. While I applaud this movement, there seems to be something amiss in the approach. The idea of managing a community feels as if it has grown out of a powerhouse PR agency. I keep imaging a wood paneled social media war room where managers spit out consultant buzzwords about managing the buzz. As an alternative, I think companies should approach working with the community like a concierge works with a guest at a luxury hotel. Listen and observe the customers behavior in order to meet their needs thus providing an enjoyable experience. Think less management and more service to the customers.

Question: What are some ways you can use existing online tools to better serve your customers?

I have a confession to make: despite what I may preach about the need to create useful websites, I have played my part in creating many microsites. Microsites are the flashy, long loading, award winning objects that brands love to buy and agencies love to sell. Their usefulness is mostly left unquestioned and ROI can be covered up in mixed cocktail of web metrics that no one really knows how to understand (time spent on site??). Which begs the question, what would happen if an agency had been asked to make Craigslist? Client: “ I want a bland white page of blue text hyperlinks that has a target limited only to those wishing to buy and sell.” I can see myself now, joking about the stupidity of another client that just does not understand the internet. So, what’s the lesson? Useful websites that help brands may not always be what you think they are. They may not use the latest tactics, be social, or have a rich media component. They may just be useful.

I have thought for some time that web analytics are extremely misunderstood and misused by most online marketers. Visits and page views rarely matchup between different analytics vendors and often become a completely different picture when compared to data from panel based metric vendors like comScore. It amazes me how many different interpretations of customer behavior can be made from the same set of data. While I by no means have a solution, I have recently discovered a whitepaper from Web Analytics Demystified guru Eric T. Peterson that sheds some new light. The whitepaper titled The Voice of Customer: Qualitative Data as a Critical Input to Web Site Optimization makes some very interesting points about incorporating more qualitative data with the quantitative data provided by web analytics. The point that really stuck out to me is that “Web Analytics systems commonly used to understand site visitors are limited by their inability to describe subtle human behavior.” I firmly believe that as more dollars move to the digital channel people are going to start waking up to the short comings of current analytics systems and the analysis of the data. There is a great competitive advantage to people and agencies that address this issue now instead of reactively when it’s too late.

I have been noticing that a number of luxury brands have recently gone down the branded content path in the form of online videos. Most recently I have seen creations for both Ritz-Carlton and Cartier. While this is no by no means new for luxury brands (think BMW films & No. 5 The Film , I do believe it is an effective use of the online medium. Luxury brands are by nature elusive objects. The stories being told in these videos brings to life a world that is drenched in fantasy and begs the consumer to dream. Call it engagement if you like, but what is really happening is that the brands are sparking dreams.

While most people online continue to only buzz about social computing, Forrester Research has taken some very insightful steps to help marketers develop a thought out social marketing strategy. Their newest tool from analysts Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff allows users to develop a social technology profile of their target market based on demographics. The tool segments the selected target into Forrester’s Social Technographics® which is a set of consumer classifications based on their level of participation with social technologies.

Recently I have been getting an increased amount of requests from colleagues to explain this whole “social media thing.” In effort to provide some real utility to people, I have suggested people read an excellent article from Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication. While very academic, the article provides much more depth to those seeking to learn then the surface level reporting of major media publications.

Enjoy: Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship

In this web 2.0 world of rich engaging experiences, it’s very easy to get caught in the hype of new media and consider all old media dead. The recent launch of CNN’s iReport is yet another example of a traditional media company racing to jump on the user generated content bandwagon. And while I applaud CNN’s move to be a part of a larger conversation with viewers, I don’t think this by any means marks the end of professionally created news content. The web has revolutionized the way content is distributed, but I don’t think it has eliminated the demand for professional content. Yes, there are hundreds of compelling stories uploaded to YouTube, but lets all keep in mind that the kids that made the Blair Witch Project are not going to replace Martin Scorsese anytime soon.

Ran across this great page of stats from the e-tailing group today. It’s a very comprehensive list of some great data.

Until recently, Linked in has served me as a digital rolodex of my connections and not much more. My activity on the site was limited to the occasional login and acceptance of new network invites. That has, however, begun to shift recently with the addition of new functionality to the site. Most important among the additions has been the improvement of the network updates feature (think Facebook’s newsfeed). Network updates on any social networking site (SNS) serve as a catalyst for a virtual conversation. A profile update, new picture, or post to a discussion is posted with the knowledge that they are being shared with ones network. Feedback to profile additions is both common place and expected. Users now post with the knowledge that their additions will likely appear as network updates and over time serve as a narrative about an individual’s online business identity. What will be interesting is as business SNS develop what items will become the shapers of identity in the way that music preferences and photos have been for the personal identity.