Here we are at the High ROI Social Networking session at the Type-A Mom Conference featuring Angela LoSasso and Lindsay Maines.
Thanks to WorldWinner for sponsoring me at the Type-A Mom Conference!
How do you define success? What do you want to accomplish?
Companies like HP do not always work with the top echelon of bloggers, but they can certainly help bloggers become part of the top echelon.
Don’t undersell yourself. Don’t be like, “Oh, I just have this little site…” Enough people will run you down without you doing it to yourself.
Just heard the story about how Lindsay Maines had lunch with Jessica Smith… and she ended up talking with Dan from Lifetime… and thus was born Lifetime Moms. ( <— Hey look, I have their ad banner right over there!)
How do we define ROI in social media? We all have to define it for ourselves. @AngelaAtHP says she’s in the business of storytelling and helping other people tell their stories about how HP products work for them. (Angela, I’d like to point out that I’m liveblogging this session on my HP Compaq Presario F700 laptop!)
As moms, we “give it away” a lot, don’t always understand the value of what we do for companies. Place value on your work!
I’m not on the panel, but someone was asking if companies are actually paying attention to what people are blogging or tweeting about them. Yes, they do! Peter Blacklow, the president of WorldWinner saw me tweeting about playing games on the site… He friended me on Facebook and struck up a conversation with me. He then talked to the marketing department and got me invited to their Player Summit, where I went last week… and in the process, he was the one who gave me the go-ahead for my Type-A Mom Conference sponsorship! Social media networking works. I don’t have enough good things to say about WorldWinner – I’m practically addicted – and they’re utilizing me as a brand advocate, for which I’m being compensated both as an affiliate and by having them pay for my conference expenses. (You guys are awesome, by the way!)
Being digital consumers provides value to companies as well. Not just for the reviews and such. Serving as an advisor or a consultant for companies with a product launch, etc. is a valuable service!
You need to be proactive on the social media networks. Follow other people. Meet people offline. You can’t just join a service and expect things to happen. It may help to make a schedule so you’re not overwhelmed by Twitter, Facebook, email, etc. Lindsay loves Chris Brogan’s schedule.
Angela says to be genuine. Authentic. She says she’s kind of shy – I’m just like you, Angela! You’re shy, but it doesn’t show this weekend! She enjoys reaching out and helping new bloggers. Share content.
Build a platform where other people can shine. Use the Linky giveaways. Let other people come to your site to show off. People want to see their friends. If you’re asking for a favor (Digg this, RT this) make sure you pay it forward tenfold. Foster your relationships with other bloggers, and you’ll find opportunities you never thought possible.
I think Lindsay has a crush on Chris Brogan, but she’s also plugging the book The Tipping Point, which Chris didn’t write. 😉
“Rarely do you have an overnight success in social media unless you’re Oprah.”
Facebook Groups are really helpful for learning about who is interested in your brand. Insights on the backend will tell you about your demographics. (Interesting. I did not know about that!) Quantcast is good for that, too. (I use Quantcast.) “It’s a little creepy, but it’s a really powerful sharing tool.”
“There’s a really big power for networking outside of your little circle.” There are whole other groups of people out there. Of course, she just mentioned a bunch of Internet Marketers who I socialize with as @ChristinaGayle, so I totally get what she’s talking about. @CutestKidEver and @ChristinaGayle do run in completely different circles, even though I’m the same person!
Follow up when you make pitches, because things can go wrong. Your email may go into the spam folder, or it could get overlooked when someone makes an inbox purge. Follow up once. If you still don’t hear back, “screw them.” LOL.
The more specific the pitch, the better. Let them know if you’re doing a holiday gift guide, or a baby shower guide. Lindsay goes even further by saying you should mention specific models to let the company know you’re serious about working with them, and you’re not sending the same pitch to them and all of their competitors.
As an end note, don’t blackmail companies in pitches!
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Excellent synopsis of the session! I am completely jealous that you’re there getting all this great information without me but I have to say that this is one of the best live blogs of a conference that I have EVER read.
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