Filed under: Affinity Groups, Altruism, Authenticity, Blog Messaging, Blogger Influence, Book Reviews, Brand, Brand Advocacy, Brand Ambassador, Brand Intelligence, Brand Promotion, Brand Protection, Brand Reputation, Branding, Branding Online, Business Intelligence, Buzz Marketing, CRM, Consumer Generated Media, Conversation, Conversation Marketing, Customer Ratings, Customer Reviews, Customer Service, Customer Supprt, Guerilla Marketing, Honesty, Influencer Identification, Influencers, Influencial Bloggers, Influential Brand Advocates, Influentials, Integrity, Internet Culture, Managing Conversation, Market Research, Marketing Conversation, Markets are Conversations, Media Virus, Memetics, Messaging Online, New Media, Online Advocacy, Online Brand Reputation, Online Communities, Online Community Outreach, Online Conversation, Online Engagement, Online Evangelism, Online Messaging, Online Monitoring, Online Outreach, Online Participation, Online Reputation, Online Reputation Management, Online Reviewers, Online Reviews, Online Virtual Communities, Reputation Management, Social Intelligence, Social Meda, Social Networking, Viral Marketing, Viral Media, Viral Propagation, Word-of-Mouth, Word-of-Mouth Marketing

The culture of participatory social media is having some surprisingly significant effects on both the way satisfied customers play a role in contributing to the marketing message development of products and services. And it is also playing an increasingly important role in defining the key touchpoints that customers use in the deciding factors one what to purchase. What makes this all the more noteworthy is that much of this is rooted in offline purchases. I’m putting this together from two recent studies…

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1 Comment » Posted on December 2nd, 2007 by Jonathan Trenn

Filed under: Abraham Harrison, Abraham Harrison LLC, Astroturfing, Authenticity, Black Hat Marketing, Black Hat PR, Blog Counter-Messaging, Blog Messaging, Blogger Effect, Blogger Engagement, Blogger Influence, Blogger Outreach, Blogger Relations, Brand Advocacy, Brand Ambassador, Brand Promotion, Brand Protection, Brand Reputation, Branding, Branding Online, Citizen Generated Media, Citizen Journalism, Client Service, Cluetrain Manifesto, Conversation Audit, Conversation Marketing, Counter Messaging, Crisis Management, Customer Ratings, Customer Reviews, Customer Service, Customer Supprt, David Weinberger, Defensive SEO, Domain Name Registration, Domain Name Strategy, Domain Registration, Edelman, Flogging, Flogs, Google Gaming, Google PageRank, Google Search, Guerilla Marketing, Hate Speech, Honesty, Industry Reputation, Integrity, Internet Forensics, Internet Strategy, Managing Conversation, Marketing Conversation, Marketing Hubris, Marketing Industry, Marketing Language, Marketing Strategy, Markets are Conversations, Messaging Online, New Marketing, New Media, New Media Blogs, New Media Marketing, New Media Strategy, New PR, New Public Relations, Online Advocacy, Online Brand Promotion, Online Brand Protection, Online Brand Reputation, Online Branding, Online Communities, Online Community Outreach, Online Conversation, Online Crisis Management, Online Engagement, Online Evangelism, Online Influence, Online Marketing, Online Media, Online Messaging, Online Outreach, Online PR, Online Participation, Online Public Relations, Online Reputation, Online Reputation Management, Online Reviewers, Online Reviews, Online Strategy, Online Virtual Communities, Open Kimono, PageRank, Passion Chamber, Personal Brand, Pitching Bloggers, Professional Blogging, Promotional Blog, Promotional SEO, Promotional Strategy, Propaganda Warfare, Protective SEO, Public Relations, Public Relations Bloggers, Public Relations Blogs, Public Relations Industry, Publicity Blog, Publicity Blogging, Relationship Marketing, Reputation Management, Reputation Rehabilitation, SEM and SEO, SEO, SERM, Search Engine Optimization, Search Engine Reputation Management, Search Engine Strategy, Search Engines, Search Reputation Management, Strategic Consulting, Viral Marketing, Viral Media, Viral Propagation, Web Strategy, Word-of-Mouth, Word-of-Mouth Marketing

Check out the article in last Thursday’s Times, Dealing With the Damage From Online Critics, that addresses how to handle consumers who develop a personal vendetta against your company. Well, you could send lawyers but legal cease-and-desists generally just make the customer madder than hell and it isn’t hard to just start yet another attack site.

I hate to say it, sucking less always helps. Start with treating your customers better. Also, be sure to register lots of domain names and work on your online reputation aggressively before it becomes a problem.

Online, the best defense is a good offense and an ounce of online promotion is worth a pound of cure. Here are some great commented-by-me excerpts from the article, Dealing With the Damage From Online Critics, so you can get a gist:

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3 Comments » Posted on October 8th, 2007 by Abraham Harrison

Filed under: Abraham Harrison, Abraham Harrison LLC, Black Hat PR, Black Hat SEO, Blog Counter-Messaging, Blog Strategy, Blogger Code of Conduct, Brand Protection, Brand Reputation, Business Intelligence, Character Blogging, Chris Abraham, Competitive Intelligence, Controversial Marketing, Corporate Blogging, Corporate Responsibility, Crisis Management, Defensive SEO, Emergent Pattern, Emergent Patterns, Emergent Search, Emergent Web, False Flag, Flogging, Flogs, Guerilla Marketing, Hate Speech, Hearts and Minds, Honesty, Influencers, Influencial Bloggers, Messaging Online, New Media Strategy, Online Advocacy, Online Attack, Online Brand Protection, Online Brand Reputation, Online Influence, Online Intelligence, Online Reputation, Online Reputation Management, Online Strategy, PR Blogging, PR Blogs, PR Hubris, PR Industry, Proactive Support, Propaganda, Propaganda Warfare, Protective SEO, Public Affairs, Public Affairs Blogging, Public Policy Blogs, Public Relations, Public Relations Blogs, Real Life, Reputation Management, Reputation Rehabilitation, SEM, SEM and SEO, SEO, SEO and SEM, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Search Engine Reputation Management, Search Engine Strategy, Search Engines, Search Reputation Management, Social Meda, Spycraft, Strategic Consulting, Viral Media, Web 2.0, Web 3.0, Web Strategy, Word-of-Mouth

Over the next 13 months, we’re going to have to endure yet another campaign season here in the States. Two primaries and then a long, drawn out general election. One way to deflect these attacks is through defensive SEO. It helps suppress concerted attacks by depressing negative search results while increasing positive ones. And I think it will be vital. Hopefully, others will listen.

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1 Comment » Posted on October 3rd, 2007 by Jonathan Trenn

Filed under: Ad Buys, Ad Sales, Advertisements, Advertising, Branding Online, Facebook, Facebook Apps, Google, Google AdSense, Google AdWords, Google Search, Internet, Internet Culture, Internet Strategy, Jaiku, Market Data, Market Research, Marketing, Marketing Industry, Marketing Strategy, Media Consultancy, Media Purchases, Microblog, Microblogging, MySpace, New Media, New Media Strategy, Online Ads, Online Advertising, Online Advocacy, Online Avertising, Online Brand Promotion, Online Marketing, Online Strategy, Pownce, SEM, SEM and SEO, SEO, SEO and SEM, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Search Engine Strategy, Search Engines, Social Meda, Social Networking, Social Networks, Streaming Video, Twitter, Web Ads, Web Advertisers, Web Advertising, Web Applications, Web Strategy, Yahoo!, YouTube, YouTube Marketing

ZenithOptimedia is predicting that the percentage share of online advertising to advertising on a whole will increase from 7.5% in 2007 to 9.5% in 2009. I’m betting it’s going to be higher. And in part for the similar reasons they do.

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No Comments » Posted on October 2nd, 2007 by Jonathan Trenn

Filed under: Activating Bloggers, Conversation Marketing, Online Advocacy, Online Brand Promotion, Online Branding, Online Community Outreach, Online Engagement, Online Messaging, Online Outreach, Online Pitch, Pitching Bloggers

It is not good enough to just pitch bloggers. It is also important to target your audience (and also target your message), be willing to offer a gift (it doesn’t have to be swag, it can be anything: arcane knowledge, help, support, or access), and to actually be an active social media participant (people will check up on your story, that’s for certain).

“The team’s thinking was that any blogger they pitched would go searching for more information on the contest. ” Via Search Engine Guide

I do a pretty good job at all of these things and even I find myself up the flag pole periodically, too.

No Comments » Posted on October 1st, 2007 by Abraham Harrison

Filed under: Ad Budgets, Ad Buys, Ad Sales, Advertisements, Advertising, Affiliate Marketing, Attention Marketing, Attention Profiling, Behavioral Targeting, Blog Strategy, Blogads Advertising, Blogger Outreach, Broadcast Advertising, Business 2.0, Circumadvertising, Click-Through-Rate, Commercials, Conversation Marketing, Defensive SEO, Direct Marketing, Extreme Advertising, Extreme Publicity, Google AdSense, Google AdWords, Guerilla Marketing, Mainstream Media, Marketing, Marketing Blogs, Marketing Conversation, Marketing Hubris, Marketing Industry, Marketing Language, Marketing Strategy, Markets are Conversations, New Marketing, New Media, New Media Marketing, New Media Strategy, New PR, New Public Relations, Newspapers, Old Marketing, Old Media, Old PR, Online Access, Online Ads, Online Advertising, Online Advocacy, Online Brand Promotion, Online Brand Protection, Online Brand Reputation, Online Branding, Online Marketing, Online Media, Online Outreach, Online PR, Online Public Relations, Online Strategy, PR Industry, Public Affairs, Public Relations, Public Relations Industry, Social Meda, Social Networking, Social Networks, Social Utilities, Targeted Advertising, Traditional Journalism, Traditional Marketing, Traditional Media, Traditional PR, Viral Advertising, Viral Marketing, Web 2.0, Web 3.0, Web Ads, Web Advertisers, Web Advertising, Web Services, Web Strategy, Word-of-Mouth, Word-of-Mouth Marketing,