Social Marketing: Earned Media to the Max
I have been following the recent viral video phenomenon created by Evian. In case you haven't seen it (or them, there are a few iterations) you can check them out here. According to AdAge, the videos have gotten more than 14 million views, smashing all previous viral video records. Obviously the viral video phenomenon is alive and well, although it hasn't become more predictable with age. With millions of free video impressions so tantalizingly close, it's no wonder that more and more marketers are starting to take all sorts of "earned media" more seriously. I've seen a few great social media applications being created from companies who don't have a cool or sexy brand, so it's possible to jump in the game no matter what industry you come from.Comcast has a whole customer service team Twittering full time, for example, and Coldwell Banker lets you check real estate listings on Facebook and your iPhone. Your brand probably has a place in social, too, even if you haven't found it yet.
If you feel like you need to sharpen your social skills before jumping in with both feet, join Sean Corcoran and I for a social computing workshop on September 22 in Cambridge.