Some may have noted that one of the SMM blogs, BPWrap, is now at a new location. A more fundamental change is that SMM has also moved its online location. Again a 301 permanent redirect was used so this maintained search engine visibility throughout the switch and ensures continuing high rankings in keyword searches.  However the move does illustrate some aspects of choice of company name and associated domain, so we will cover those aspects here.

Our very long-term friends may remember that the predecessor company to SMM was BPW & Associates.  You can still see the online traces of BPW & Associates in the WayBackMachine.  The web pages there date back to September 1998.

That company name was satisfactory before the Internet but only the 800 Lb. Gorilla companies could rely on being found once Google and the other search engines swung into place.  What was then important was to make sure the company would stand out from the crowd while being associated with keywords that described its field of activities.

Thinking along those lines produced the name, Strategic Marketing Montreal, and the associated domain, strategicmarketingmontreal.ca, was acquired in December 2001. The short version, SMM, had some important competition on the Web, but by now SMM ranks quite well in a search for the name.  It is only outranked in a search  for SMM by three heavyweights:

• Science Museum of Minnesota (SMM)
• the international SMM Fair covering shipbuilding, machinery & marine technology, and
• the Society for Marine Mammalogy (SMM)

In 2007 however, another SMM came on to everyone’s lips: that was Social Media Marketing (SMM). Since Social Media Marketing has become an important part of Internet Marketing, it was natural to use the SMM short name for the company and rely on its by-now natural online visibility.

Late in 2007, SMM moved to British Columbia. Since the online presence was unaffected, the old domain continued to be used for a time, given its acquired good standing. However it was only a matter of time before a change had to be made. The name of the company was changed to SMM Internet Marketing Consultants and of the possible domain choices the strongest candidate was smmbc.ca. A search for SMM BC will bring you right there.

If in your blog or your website, you linked to any of the SMM Newsletters or articles, it would be most helpful if you would ensure the correct URL is now showing. Visitors do not get lost in using the old URL but this will help confirm the switch with the search engines. Just replace strategicmarketingmontreal.ca by smmbc.ca. We look forward to many more years of providing insights and revelations on the Internet marketing world from this new home.

Update

A Search Engine Journal article, URL Structure: The Closer to the Root – the Better?, provides a pleasing confirmation of the wisdom of this move. .. and of course the new URL is very easy to type in.

Post from: The Other Blokes Blog

SMM Is Now SMM BC

Technorati Tags: Google, Social media marketing

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It was an article from the Huffington Post entitled The Future Begins Thru You.  Here is how it starts:

Every now and then comes something that is a perfect expression of what the Internet is about.

The latest, if you haven’t already heard, comes via Kutiman, an Israeli Web impresario who mashed and mixed video clips of amateur YouTube musicians to create a near-flawless overture to the Twittering masses, ThruYOU, his resulting record (if you can call it that), has taken the Web by storm, garnering more than a million YouTube views in the seven days since its release.

The article goes on to point out that our rapidly evolving Internet culture is toppling old regimes and handing over control of popular information to people like you, me, Kutiman and his YouTube orchestra. The DNA of our media system has mutated so completely that it’s only a matter of time before our society changes as well.

It is happening already.  In politics, economics, arts and culture, an era of privileged access is giving way to something that is much more decentralized, participatory and personal.
…

We no longer limit our political involvement to television ads and the polling booth. This means organizing via Facebook, “Googling” candidates to learn more, joining text-messaging lists and creating Twitter hash tags to stay ahead of our issues.

Sir Tim Berners-Lee’s invented the World Wide Web with the view that the freedom to connect to anyone, anywhere was the Internet’s First Amendment. This openness, known to many as Net Neutrality, leaves ultimate control over your online experience with you, the user.

The old media (namely, phone, cable, recording and film companies) seek to remove that Net Neutrality as a way of supposedly enhancing everyone’s Web experience. The US Congress will soon have the opportunity to stop old media’s latest plans to remove Net Neutrality.  Thankfully Net Neutrality has the support of several key members, the White House and the incoming FCC leadership so the signs are good that the Internet will continue to be a community of communities Thru-You.

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Post from: The Other Blokes Blog

Internet, the community of communities

Technorati Tags: Huffington Post, net neutrality, Tim Berners-Lee, World Wide Web, YouTube

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Rather this is news about Tweets, whereof the BBC declared there was a Tweet smell of success over Digg.

Use of Twitter, the mobile phone-based micro-blogging service, rocketed nearly 1,000% in the UK over the past year, according to industry analysts HitWise.  For the first time, the site has seen more visits than “social bookmarking” site Digg, which allows users to share links to sites.

Now the journalists and politicians are beginning to ask To tweet, or not to tweet?  Apparently almost anything goes on Twitter.

What are socially acceptable rules for when — or when not — to use Twitter at all?

Case in point: President Obama met in a “closed door” session with House Republicans this week. The press was not invited in order to allow the president and congressmen to have a frank conversation outside the glare of media scrutiny. But Republican U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra twittered his impressions of the president’s presentation in real time.  Was that OK?

Let’s be clear this is not a fringe activity. According to Mathew Ingram, The Reuters editor-in-chief now Twitters.

David Schlesinger, Reuters News, has a fascinating post up at his blog, Full Disclosure — a fitting title, given the topic of the post. Schlesinger writes about how he has been Twittering from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland and how his Twitter messages (or “tweets,” as people insist on calling them) actually beat his own wire service, as described in a post at Silicon Alley Insider. The news? That billionaire financier George Soros believes the current economic downturn could be worse than the Great Depression, and that as much as $15-trillion might be needed to save the banking system.

If it is good enough for Reuters, then why should the rest of us stand back.  If you would like to be in touch with a friendly face, why not follow me on Twitter. Or perhaps you would like to check out some books on Twitter.

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Post from: The Other Blokes Blog

Tweet News

Technorati Tags: Mathew Ingram, reuters, tweet, Twitter

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The first rule of networking is to express what you do clearly and concisely.  … Yep, this is the dreaded elevator speech – your introductory line that encapsulates what you do and what benefits you create for your customers – in 15 seconds or less.  …  It’s the basic tool of networking, but it’s the one most abused.

You will find lots of help on Elevator Speech Do’s and Don’ts.  However it is really a somewhat archaic expression.  I would think the percentage of elevator speeches that are used in elevators is miniscule.  Many more networking opportunities now take place online.

Perhaps the place where most online meetings are taking place is now Twitter.  So you no longer have 15 seconds to make your pitch. It is 140 characters and spaces, that is all you have got.  It may seem short but it is long by the standards of Guy Kawasaki with his Mantra. 

Creating a powerful twitter intro is a major challenge but it will produce something that is more relevant to today’s world than the elevator speech.  Why not try it?  You may find you learn something by the exercise.

Rick Spence’s other message was that International Networking Day is Feb. 3. 

International Networking Day was founded by Business Network International, the company that runs networking groups across North America with the motto “Givers Gain.” In his book Endless Referrals, Bob Burg (who will be headlining the International Networking Day event in Pittsburgh), admits putting other people’s needs first can be frustrating early on.

But the best way to network is to help others first. If someone you meet asks for a referral, give it serious thought. Most business people want to be known as professionals who help others, so live your reputation.  Maybe you can provide a referral, or you know other people who can help this person– say, an understanding accountant or an affordable Web designer.

You have almost a month to get your Twitter Intro right.  Why not start today?

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Post from: The Other Blokes Blog

Make That Elevator Speech A Twitter Intro

Technorati Tags: elevator speech, intro, networking, Twitter

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A moment’s reflection will confirm why videos are proving to be much more Google visible than images, where Google seems to be struggling.  Perhaps the easiest example is that people use Captcha items to try to stop bots (computers) that try to enter websites and leave malware or inappropriate content.  That’s because character recognition is fairly tough.  When you think images, sometimes it’s only the surrounding text that allows computers to know what the image represents.

On the other hand videos often have a high audio content and speech technology is advancing very fast.  This allows such content, if someone is speaking, to be converted to text.  Text of course is food and drink to the search engine algorithms.  That explains why Google was so eager to acquire YouTube.  Video watching is something that appeals to a very large audience.  It’s no wonder that Google puts a priority on being there, with the opportunity to serve up its advertising.

Given the way the various media are interrelating now, it is important for any Internet marketer to be visible in the more important ones.  imBroadcast provides a real opportunity here.

Post from: The Other Blokes Blog

Why Google Loves Videos

Technorati Tags: Internet marketing, social media, YouTube

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It’s no longer true that one person will tell 3 people about their service experience, they may tell 15,000 people – directly! And you won’t even know it’s happening.

Good customer relationship management does require that you get any customer feedback that you can. However people are often venting their frustration on Twitter rather than sending a message.

Twitter was suggested earlier in the year as a tool for getting that elusive customer feedback although Joshua March, a customer service pro, expressed reservations:

I know that when customers have a problem, they want to speak to a real person, as easily and quickly as possible, either immediately by phone or via a quick response by direct email.

Some customer-service departments are provided merely to act as a punch bag. It is a place for customers to vent their frustration. At first glance Twitter, which connects with no one, might appear to be just an online punch bag. However you can search Twitter. Now some influential customers are signaling that Comcast for one is listening to Twitter. Michael Arrington even sees Twitter As An Early Stage Warning System For Brands And Companies.

Frank Eliason, known in Twitter as ComcastCares, is the one who does the listening for customer feedback. From the tweets he receives, I would rate this as customer relationship marketing at its best.

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Post from: The Other Blokes Blog

Twitter For Service

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White Rock is looking for a new identity as Pete McMartin tells us in the Vancouver Sun this morning. Perhaps the City of White Rock could do more to sell its charm but the reality is beloved by many already.

White Rock Beach is famous for its 1,500 ft. long pier, its 2.5km long beach promenade and of course the large white rock which weighs in at 486 tons and is a glacial deposit from the coastal range.

In some ways it reminds me of a place close to my birthplace. That was Seaton Carew on the North-East coast of England.

A splendid promenade connects the Marina with one of the Victorian’s favourite North-East resorts. Seaton Carew with its miles of broad golden sands and safe sheltered bathing is still the perfect venue for a traditional family day out at the seaside. Enjoy good flat beaches to fly kites and build castles, rock pools to hunt shrimps and amusement arcades that flicker and sing.

In those days marketing was all about getting the right slogan or tagline. Seaton Carew proudly proclaimed that it was Canny For The Bairns. For those unaccustomed to the lingo, that translates as ‘the kids will love it’. Seaton Carew seems to have lost the slogan on the Web according to a Google search for the phrase, since the bairns now seek more excitement, to be found only at Flamingoland, Yorkshire in the UK.

The standard Vekoma corkscrew coaster. Dated, and dull, the ride is notoriously rough on necks. It is nevertheless a classic, worth a ride.

Certainly White Rock does not want to appear in any way dated or dull.

Buy Me

This whole business of new identities is really about marketing. How can White Rock get a new brand? That is what Montreal has been struggling with in recent years. How can you rebrand something as complex as the city of Montreal? What is really needed is a reason for people to buy – what the experts call a Unique Selling Proposition (USP).

David Taylor of the brandgym works with some great brands like T-Mobile, Hellmann’s, Bertolli, Top Gear, Peroni and Mars and he today is suggesting a brand should communicate a RTB. That’s Reason To BUY, not Reason to Believe. It all sounds like USP by another name.

Hear the Buzz

White Rock now has a re-branding report funded by a $70,000 grant from the Union of B.C. Municipalities. It was prepared for them by Whisper who are Brand Strategy Consultants. Perhaps the report will help them define a new Reason To BUY. However it may be that Whisper has more to offer than just a new RTB. Perhaps White Rock needs a whisper campaign.

As it says on the Whisper Home Page:

Brand strategy boils down to eliminating the need for advertising and PR. By establishing an engaging brand that consumers are drawn to, you can stop chasing them.

Creating that level of engagement requires that you change and take ownership of the conversation in your industry. Own the conversation. It’s the only brand strategy you need to focus on.

It is what people are calling Buzz marketing now. Find ways of getting into the news. Spread the word. Use the social media. When people on Facebook or in their blogs are telling their friends about White Rock BC, then the City Council will know that $70,000 has been well spent.

Related: Unique Selling Proposition or Point (USP)

Post from: The Other Blokes Blog

White Rock, BC – Canny For The Bairns

Technorati Tags: BC, brand, buzz marketing, whisper, white rock

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Everyone is now talking about word-of-mouth marketing. Many businesses are trying to figure out how they can best use this to their advantage. Jakob Nielsen has pointed out the difficulties of getting More Users To Contribute. In general only a tiny fraction of people do get involved and the majority are lurkers.

As Suw Charman suggests, given the ease of communicating on the Internet, it would be a real problem if too many people got involved. The challenge is to strike the right balance and generate messages that will circulate. Lois Kelly has suggested that stories are the ideal vehicle.

Today’s Guardian has such a story that will certainly generate a good deal of ongoing word-of-mouth commentary . It combines three of the themes that she thinks important:

• David vs. Goliath.
• Personalities and personal stories.
• Glitz and glam.

The headline is The latest gastro dish? Batter scraps go ? la carte

In the ubiquitous fish and chip shops in the UK, it has always been the custom to give away for free odd scraps of fish covered in batter with fish and chip meals or even with a purchase of chips. When you remember that the first chippie opened in Mossley, Lancashire, in 1863, you can see that we are dealing with a long tradition here. Now a restaurant in Leeds is intending to charge for these scraps.

Already the word-of-mouth process has started with a vengeance. It’s clearly the kind of story that will circulate for some time to come. If Andy Capp were still around, he undoubtedly would have taken up the cudgels in his blog.

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Post from: The Other Blokes Blog

Word Of Mouth and Scraps of Conversation

Technorati Tags: SMM, word of mouth

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Social Media is a hot phrase currently. It’s an extension of the idea implicit in that Times Magazine selection of YOU (that’s all of us) as Person Of The Year in 2006. The World Wide Web (www) or the Internet is a superior way for individuals to connect with, to communicate with and to interact with other individuals. Some of course are using it to create other cyber-worlds where they can have a Second Life or even merely Twitter with their buddies. Others see the immense power it gives to support their activities in their First Life. For example it gives communities a way to strengthen their identity and provide a welcoming portal to encourage others to participate.

That was the theme of the Community 2.0 Conference held in Las Vegas last week by the Community Management & Marketing Council. This was billed as the inaugural event for forward-thinking organizations that recognize the need to harness the network effect of community to make smarter, faster, and better business decisions. Although it had a business focus, the same principles can apply to any organization including NGOs and indeed any social communities. Those interested can find a flood of interesting blog posts about the goings-on at this event.

Here in Montreal, the Gazette this morning points to a most welcome Community activity.

The Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) is a not-for-profit organization bringing together 24 English-language community organizations across Quebec for the purposes of supporting and assisting the development and enhancing the vitality of the English-language minority communities, as well as to promote and support the use of the English language in Quebec. This is undertaken principally through cooperation in the prioritization and development of projects and through the promotion of an effective coordinated approach.

On March 13th, the QCGN launched the Greater Montreal Community Development Initiative (GMCDI). Recently volunteers from the community have been hard at work consulting greater Montreal area residents on the issues that affect us the most by way of a series of community forums. The next major event is a public forum at the Hotel Hilton in downtown Montreal from 6:30 to 9:30 on the evening of Wednesday, April 11. You can keep up to date on what the Community is doing by subscribing to their Quarterly Newsletter.

Any business that is serious about Internet Marketing should be making sure that its Social Media Marketing (SMM) is developed with a constant attention to the communities it serves. It will turn out to be a win-win arrangement for both the business and the communities.

Tags: SMM, social media, community

Post from: The Other Blokes Blog

Social Media Support Communities

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We’re not just talking blogging here, although that’s included too. As Wes Raynal of AutoNews mentions, the directive from road test editor Natalie Neff said, “Take the new S80 for a coupla days and write a blog about it.” That’s fine but it isn’t the only way to tap into these Social Media.

I received a call from Jesse Ship of Matchstick and he followed up with an e-mail, which started off:

I work for Matchstick, Canada’s leading word of mouth marketing company. I am looking for people who are enthusiastic and knowledgeable about luxury cars to whom we could potentially loan a 2007 Volvo S 80.

Provided among other things, that I was looking to purchase a new car within the next 12 months and was socially active and a source of information amongst friends, then it might well happen. That new car within 12 months ruled me out, but I found the approach most intriguing.

Matchstick bills itself as Canada’s word-of-mouth marketing company. They believe that the most powerful selling of products and ideas takes place not marketer to consumer, but consumer to consumer. They state that their innovative Product Seeding programmes leverage the power of consumer networks. The result? A natural groundswell of consumer buzz. They certainly have the clients to prove that it works: for example adidas, Motorola, Unilever, Palm, Reebok, Bootlegger, Perfetti Van Melle, Diageo, Campbell’s, Molson, Fujufilm, Panasonic, Toyota, DaimlerChrysler, AOL and Starbucks. Now it’s Volvo.

Word-of-mouth marketing has now morphed into Social Media Marketing (SMM). Spreading the word in cyberspace is clearly much more powerful than directly going bouche ? l’oreille (mouth to ear) as the French say. Certainly if the loan of a luxury sedan car cannot get those social media buzzing, what will?

Related: The All New Volvo S80
Volvo is looking for enthusiasts for its S80 sedan

Tags: social media, SMM, Volvo S80

Post from: The Other Blokes Blog

2007 Volvo S80 Uses SMM To Spread The Word

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