Why Are America’s Fastest Growing Companies Killing Their Blogs?

Posted on February 10, 2012June 4, 2015 by Valentina Rosa

The article, “Why Are America’s Fastest Growing Companies Killing Their Blogs?” featured on B2C.com immediately caught my attention. As a Social Media Strategist for B2B businesses, the decline of corporate blogging is a topic that hits home. Why are America’s fastest growing companies discontinuing their blogs and what additional outlets are they using to connect with their consumers?

A study from the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth shows that blogging from INC 500 companies has been steadily increasing among businesses and was even considered one of the most successful social media platforms just last year. However, with the rise of Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, blogging may be falling off the social media radar.

Personally, I am a huge fan of Twitter because of the two-way communication that takes place between brand and consumer. Unlike blogging, Twitter enables its users to follow other users and directly connect through re-tweets, direct messaging and “trending” hashtags. Although blogging is an excellent way to become the thought leader of your industry by using a unique “voice”, unless you are revolutionizing the way you can connect with your target audience through blogging, it’s more of a one-way street. Yes, we all have those blogs we read on a daily basis and continue to come back to for more. But why? People trust the author of that particular blog that they read on a daily or weekly basis. They like what the author has to say and keep coming back for more. With a re-tweet here and a comment there, the mix of Twitter and blogging is a recipe for social media success.

In the end, there is no right or wrong answer if blogging is the greatest or worst way to stay connected to a brand. Rapidly growing companies may be killing their blogs because other social media platforms may be more effective communication methods. On the other hand, many companies are still blogging regularly and are being recognized as the thought leader in their industry because of their blogs. So what do you think? Are blogs on the decline or is this just the beginning of the blogosphere?

Crowdsourcing: You’re Doing It Wrong! And here’s why…

Posted on February 3, 2012June 10, 2013 by Valentina Rosa

On the surface it’s simple, you make an open-call to the world asking for help to solve a problem. Crowdsourcing enables a myriad of people to engage online and combine efforts towards a central purpose. From Wikipedia to Open-Source Coding, the effects of this wildly effective concept have been proven over the past several years. Now companies are emerging that revolve an entire business model around outsourcing tasks to their networks. The costs are relatively low and the rewards are high. Many are rising up through the ranks, such as the software testing go-to uTest, but many are not… and here’s why.

Before I get into the good stuff though, credit is due where a lot of these ideas came from. I attended a panel at the Microsoft Nerd Center this week where the topic was Crowdsourcing. Though many offered insights and tidbits, the moderator Jeff Howe, also known as the father of Crowdsourcing, was by far the most enlightening. I guess you have to know your stuff to be the guy who literally wrote the book.

First off, you need to set the rules for the crowd. Having a set of standards for what is acceptable through forums and the community makes it clear what those in control will regulate. It’s usually not advised to have an unregulated environment because of spam and malicious invaders, but on the flip side too many constraints and nobody will be able to collaborate. If you’ve ever seen a Wikipedia discussion thread, it’s a perfect example of how much effort goes into even small bits of the projects, and the rules help to organize the flow of the work.

Winners and Losers. There has to be something in it for the crowd. Though some are successful with a purely altruistic model, many companies are out to make money and the people helping you want a slice of the pie. How you divvy up the pie is your call, but rest assured there are many issues with contractors actually being an employee and it’s best to have professional legal advice before embarking and winding up bankrupt from a lawsuit. Having a winner take all method is great to spur competition, but it may sour a lot of the crowd who’s effort and diligence was for nothing.Figure out what works best for you and work with those who are an asset.

Hierarchy is another critical element of crowdsourcing. Many unknowingly believe that crowdsourcing is some idealistic meeting ground where everyone is equal. This is not the case. There is always some structure because controls need to be managed to keep the project moving forward. Whether it’s a top-down or a bottom-up approach, some people have to be steering the ship. Without leadership the project will amount to very little.

Though it’s still relatively new, crowdsourcing is shaking up the way business is being done. From encyclopedia to project management, many new companies are finding that it’s more cost-effective to utilize a crowd, and with the right controls, the results are superb.

Social Media Usage in the Corporate World

Posted on February 3, 2012May 20, 2013 by Valentina Rosa

What social media do you use for your business?

Over the past two months I have been working closely with Valentina Rosa, founder and CEO of TRA360, as a Social Media Strategist. After working overseas in Australia and writing my senior thesis on social media usage among brands across the world, I have developed a passion for helping businesses utilize social media to their benefit. The invention of social networking channels such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn have re-connected billions of people across the world and has created an entire new space of two-way communication. Skype is great for video chatting, Facebook establishes and builds relationships with friends and family, and Twitter is an outlet for micro blogging; but what do these outlets mean for businesses and building up a brand?

Social media, if used correctly and maintained constantly, can connect a brand with their targeted audience and customers, generate interest and increase website traffic. First, a company must identify who they are aiming to target. What type of demographics do your customers have? I am a firm believer that nearly every company, despite the industry, can benefit from social media in one way or another. Personally, I prefer to stick to Twitter, Facebook and blogging for corporate purposes. Of course that’s not to say if a client wants to establish video content, why not create a YouTube channel or Flickr for photo content? Knowing how to reach your customers is essential in social media marketing for a brand. By establishing these social media outlets you are becoming the voice of your brand; the thought leader of your specific industry. Give people a reason to visit your Facebook, blog, Twitter, etc. By continuously updating a brand’s social media on a daily or bi-daily basis, you are showing people that your brand has something to say that followers or fans could gain something from. Creating user generated content and using strategies like campaigns, promotions or contests will allow your customers to interact with your brand on a personal level. Social media is about establishing and fostering relationships with current clients, the general public, and even other businesses.

As a sphere that is constantly evolving and never static, brands need to distinguish themselves from their competition. By giving the cyberworld a reason to care about your brand, more overall interest will be generated. Social media has the power to help boost a brand’s image, reputation and overall credibility. Stay tuned for more blog, Twitter and video content from TRA360!

The Experts’ Advice on Viral Marketing in 2012 (Part 2 of 2)

Posted on January 27, 2012May 20, 2013 by Valentina Rosa

Okay so you want your content to go viral. You and everybody else. You have your blog, your RSS signups, you’re tweeting, posting and doing everything under the sun to create great content and pump it out to social networks. What’s missing you ask?

Rob Ciampa of Pixability has the answer. People like content that is easy to share. How often does a friend send you a link of something they’ve enjoyed or found value in? More often than not, that content happens to be videos- which is a booming trend.Youtube has provided a global medium for everyone from teenagers to grandparents to upload whatever content they choose. For companies, this is a huge opportunity. Just watch Mattress Dominoes World Record Attempt – HD, to see what creativity can do for a relatively unknown warehouse company called Bensons For Beds.That video was shared over 1,000,000 times and had a much further reach than any advertising campaign at such a low cost.You have to start your campaign with a marketing and sales strategy. Hoping for something to just “go viral” is ineffective, so have a strategy in mind that will resonate the value you are offering to the world. Develop a creative story around that value and combine it with efforts to have consistent content online. Before you know it, your small business could end up being the next Bensons For Beds. Once you have people’s attention, it’s up to you to keep it focused on your company to reap the benefits.

Laurel Ackerman of Zeo has been developing cost-effective ways to engage with her brand’s audience. She found that advertising through Facebook and Google didn’t have the Return on Investment that she was looking for. Instead, she focused on the silver lining of engaging the customers she already had. She started partnering with similar businesses for sweepstakes that built synergy between the brands. She also creatively came up with mommy bloggers to get her target customers actively promoting the brand. Your company has something to share with the world and your customers share a passion about your industry. Encourage your online pages and websites to become breeding grounds for discussions and content. Don’t just add “likes” and “followers” for the numbers, but really engage the viewers to talk about your company and the industry. Find out what they like and don’t like. Utilize their input and creativity and you just may find new ideas that can take your company in a whole new direction.

You will find that if you utilize all of the proven strategies in this two part series, that you will be on your way to success because of a customer focus that is easily amplified.