Sheila's Guide To The Good Stuff

In a crisis, you need to move fast.

You need to communicate what you know, even if what you have to tell people is, “We honestly don’t know.”

The comfy, safe idea of communicating by committee and parsing every word for weeks has got to go out of the window.

Mostly, though, just follow some advice from U.S. General George S. Patton….

“A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week.”

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After a whirlwind week in Manhattan at the East Coast version of New Media Expo/NMX presented by BlogWorld (NMX is the new name for BlogWorld & New Media Expo) here are a few takeaways that you may find useful:

** From our Tourism Currents and Culinary Media Network panel about press trips and fam (familiarization) tours — destinations are opening up to bringing bloggers, podcasters and other online publishers on press trips, but there are still lots of questions about how to connect with bloggers and what makes us different from print-only writers.

We told the audience to start with their own local tourism organizations, that they may need to educate those people about online content and not to worry if they never thought of themselves as a “travel blogger” – every niche blogger/podcaster can find a destination that’s a good fit….food, birding, microbrewing, parenting, crafting….whatever an online publisher’s expertise, there’s a destination that fits.

The gap that needs to be filled is educating DMOs (destination marketing organizations) about how to work with online publishers – including the local bloggers right under their noses – and educating the online publishers that DMOs and CVBs (Convention and Visitors Bureaus) exist and are a possible content partner.

** From Chris Penn’s solo presentation on social ROI and measurement — be able to define, “What are the most valuable actions that someone could take when they come to my site?” Then, define your desired outcomes and measure via analytics whether people are actually doing those things. If they aren’t, adjust.

I liked Chris’ advice to “create routines around your practices;” a daily recipe for content across all channels, and consider how they all tie together and support each other.

Here’s a direct link to his presentation on SlideShare: Your Digital Marketing ROI

** Speaker advice from me after one egregious session: Not knowing your audience annoys everyone.  Filling the first part of your presentation with slides about “why social media is important and awesome” is a waste when you’re speaking at Blog – doggone – WORLD.

Hey, we GOT it already.

Also, when you keep saying “leverage influencers” to an audience of influencers, we want to smack you. We’re humans, not just objects of your crowbar “leveraging” initiatives.

** Expo floor advice from me: Here’s a hipster move that makes you look like a schmuck….the giveaway t-shirts from France-based blogging platform Overblog that said, “I’m on @Overblog, Bitch!”

Really.

Apparently it’s based on the “I’m CEO, bitch!” that was on one of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s early business cards. Yep, I’m always recommending Zuckerberg as the essence of maturity and social savvy.

As a woman, I do wonder why some think it’s cute to say, “bitch.”  Why is it never “bastard?” Or “dickhead?” Or even nonsexist “asshole?”

Eye roll. Moving on….

** I truly enjoyed Jay Baer’s session on 12 things you must do if you are serious about blogging, especially his self-deprecating opening line that “It’s actually scary to speak about blogging at BlogWorld” because the room is full of people who really know the topic.

I’ve embedded his slide deck below, but here are my favorites:

Number One: Be Patient. He said, “It was exactly 3 years before I made my first nickel” directly from his blog (it was from a sponsorship.) Also, “You can’t eat pageviews” so don’t get so obsessed about traffic numbers. You want the RIGHT traffic.

Number Two: Be Specific. He said, “You have to be somebody’s favorite blog” and “Say to yourself, ‘This is the blog for ______.” Know what you are about, and “everything” isn’t the answer very often.

For people who worry about giving away their “secret sauce” on a blog: “Giving someone a list of ingredients doesn’t make him/her a chef.”

Number Ten: Keep Score. Know what you want from your blog, and measure the data/analytics to ensure you’re getting there. If not, change what you’re doing.

He said, “There is no shortage of data points, but only some of them matter….even if you don’t sell directly online, there are behaviors that matter to your business/organization. Measure them.” For a destination marketing example, measure the number of visits to your newsletter landing page and the number of conversions, in addition to how people find that page.

Direct link to Jay’s presentation if you can’t see the slides below: http://www.slideshare.net/jaybaer/12-imperative-must-dos-for-the-serious-blogger

Summary of the Wrap-up

Finally:  I’ve known NMX BlogWorld co-founder Rick Calvert a long time. He’s a stand-up guy who rolls up his sleeves and answers questions in Facebook Groups, blog posts, on Twitter and in person.

He’s also a visionary who is pushing social communications into the future.  Even better, his organization now owns the TBEX travel blogging events worldwide, so I get to be around him even more.

Get to know Rick, and get yourself to an NMX BlogWorld event as soon as you can.

The next NMX?  January 6 – 8, 2013 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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In a previous post, I wrote pretty frankly about how to reach out to bloggers, and what makes us crazy.

Since I still get this question a LOT, it might be time to revisit the issue. Because the answer is simple in concept but somewhat time-consuming and difficult to execute, many won’t follow through, but here we go….

The magic bullets are these, from the perspective of one who has been blogging on various topics for almost five years now:

1)  Interact with bloggers on their turf, which usually means their blog, at a minimum, but often now includes Twitter, possibly Facebook, YouTube or Flickr if they’re an avid photographer.  You “interact” by being yourself, and leaving thoughtful comments on some of their blog posts, or bantering on Twitter, or leaving a comment on a few of their Flickr photos that you like. Be where they are, in their online neighborhoods.

Heck, get some cred and start blogging yourself, like savvy PR, marketing and communications practitioners Kami Huyse, Jason Falls, Liz Strauss, Valeria Maltoni, Tom Martin, Shannon Paul and Aaron Strout.

Don’t just parachute in and out of my email IN box or you’ll get nothing but Delete out of me.

2)  Interact with bloggers offline at the events they like to attend; it’s why tech conferences matter to non-techies.

Consider BlogWorld and New Media Expo, South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi), BlissDom, SOBCon, BlogHer, travel bloggers at TBEX, the Midwest’s I_Blog Conference plus numerous lower-key gatherings like Social Media Breakfast or local tweetups, Social Media Clubs and hacker groups.

We do that social networking thing IRL (in real life) too.

3)  Build a human relationship BEFORE you start lobbing pitches. Good practitioners have always known this; the social Web doesn’t change the need to “dig your well before you’re thirsty.”

Brands, think long and hard about why you want to “join the conversation” and how you want to connect what you offer and your company’s values with those “influencers” (getting really tired of this hackneyed term) who have painstakingly built independent voices online.

Bloggers, think long and hard before you let your voice and your blog become just another marketing mouthpiece.  Look for mutually beneficial relationships. Pam Mandel built one with TravelWild and several bloggers connected with G Adventures as “Wanderers in Residence.”

Want to know the glamorous story of how online influencers got so much, er, influence?

By busting their tails for many hours….often for little or no money in return….back when everyone thought they were nutballs (including most brands)….to create great content, be a helpful resource and do the networking necessary to become known and yes, influential, in the space you now seek to enter.

Welcome to the salt mines; here’s your pick-axe.

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Remember that old saying (maybe from your parents) that there’s a reason you have one mouth and two ears?

It certainly applies to online communications.  Try to listen more than you talk….I know, I know, rather strange advice coming from a talker like me, right?

The first thing to do before jumping into the social Web is to listen (one of our Tourism Currents newsletters has a few tips for better Google Alerts.) Pay attention to the chatter that relates to your destination:  the tweets, the Facebook Wall posts, the blog posts, the photo uploads to Flickr, etc.  Be a “lurker” for awhile, as you might at a party with unfamiliar people.

It’s still very important to continue listening even after you’re comfortable using social media tools.  A lot of hassles and embarrassments can be forestalled by paying attention.

Here’s a tweet that I saw from a well-known tech journalist about the Outrigger Reef Hotel in Honolulu:

“No one should *ever* stay at the outrigger reef in honolulu. We’ve been cheated and abused *daily.* outrageous. Full [blog] post to come.”

When I saw that, I figured that Outrigger management (although they’re on Twitter) probably had no idea that this person was angry and was going to get vocal about it.  So, I sent a quick Twitter DM – private direct message – to a friend in Hawaii who works in tourism PR, giving him a heads up that he needed to go warn someone at the hotel just in case they’d missed the brewing storm.

Funny how that works, because here is the next tweet about the issue from the angry journalist:

“just got a nice call from the Outrigger’s GM [General Manager.] Very responsive and nice about all the problems we had. i think he really cares.”

Here’s the takeaway:  part of the listening process is having your connections out there listening, too, and making sure that important information gets to your digital ears quickly.

You need an army of listeners who care about you.  It’s called a network, and you probably already have one.

Just make sure that they have their listening ears turned on and tuned in.

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PR practitioners, if you remember this, you’ll be a lot less frustrated….

Unless you have a signed contract with a blogger for advertising or some sort of goods/services exchange, bloggers owe you nothing.

Nada.

Zilch.

Not one tweet. Not one Flickr photo. Not one Facebook mention. Not one blog post.

They do not owe you “buzz” just because you fed them tacos or beer at some event.

You want a tit-for-tat arrangement, go buy advertising or set up a contract that they will tweet X number of times about your brand in exchange for Y sponsorship money (or whatever.)

PR folks are paid to figure out how to build relationships with bloggers.

Bloggers are not paid to figure out PR (um, they’re usually not paid at all for blogging.) They do not blog to build your brand. They blog for themselves and their readers.

I’ve been stewing on this since reading Amber Naslund’s excellent A Dear John Letter to PR Folks. My favorite quote in her post:

“My blog is an intellectual adventure for me, not a channel for you. (emphasis added) I intend to keep it that way.”

Yes, it’s a pain, but if you want what bloggers already have, then you’ll have to do what we did – work for it.

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Are you kidding me?

NINE images attached to this PR email blast that dumped (twice) into my IN box, with the subject line in ALL CAPS just to ensure I didn’t miss it.

Er, I never write about celebrities. Or Mexico. And I rarely cover resorts.

I would love to say that this is uncommon; that most emails in my IN box are well-targeted, thoughtful pitches or interesting news from PR professionals who have actually established relationships with me before pitching.

Nope. More negative experiences happen all the time, from folks who apparently bought my name and email from some database.

What would I like to see?

Communication from those who reach out to get to know me before asking me for something (and hey, Dale Carnegie guy, putting my business card in for a drawing at your speaking event does NOT mean I want your course announcement emails. Ever heard of double opt-in?)

Sometimes I think that smaller tourism organizations have an advantage when they can’t afford to hire the “big, expert PR firm.” Based on my incoming emails, they aren’t missing much.

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I almost didn’t take the time to write this post.

I mean, it is Saturday. The house needs major vacuum love (hey, four cats, two kids, what can I say….) and there are piles of things to sort, file, toss and put away. Laundry. Mail. Dishes.

Our weed collection on the front lawn is doing great, thanks.  The mower’s ready to go, but whoops, need to make a run to fill the gas can, first.

And so on….

But, you know, none of that is as important as supporting special people who do special things, and one of the most unique and special people I know is Boston-based Chris Brogan.

Yeah, Mom, he’s one of my “Internet friends.”

Sure, we’ve chatted in person at numerous geeky events like SOBCon (for Successful and Outstanding Bloggers, not that other SOB) and South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) but since we’re a half-continent apart, I mostly keep up with Chris through his Twitter stream and his consistently thoughtful and articulate blog. You’ve never met a more giving, friendly guy and he’s a dynamite speaker as well.

He’s also something of a travel/tourism buff; I’ll bet you’d enjoy his blog posts like Tourism Bureaus and Bloggers and Social Media Starter Moves for Tourism.

Chris and co-author Julien Smith have a new book coming out this week (which is a lot more exciting than dealing with my laundry pile, so I’m blogging instead.)

The book is called Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust.

What’s it about?  Breaking through the noise, essentially.  From the book’s inside flap:

“There’s no question that the Internet has changed the way we do business—especially when it comes to marketing. Consumer environments are short on trust and populated by consumers who are cynical, savvy, and informed. Though it’s easier than ever to reach your customers, it’s less likely that they’ll listen. Today, the most valuable online currency isn’t the dollar, but trust itself.

At the same time, social networks and personal connections have far more influence on consumers than your marketing messages ever will—unless your business knows how to harness them. In Trust Agents, two social media veterans show you how to tap into the power of these networks to build your brand’s influence, reputation, and profits.

Trust agents aren’t necessarily marketers or salespeople; they’re the digitally savvy people who use the Web to humanize businesses using transparency, honesty, and genuine relationships. As a result, they wield enough online influence to build up or bring down a business’s reputation. This book will show you how to build profitable relationships with trust agents, or become one yourself.”

I unequivocally recommend his work, and if you have a chance to hear him speak, be sure to get a front-row seat.  Here’s Chris talking to Book Expo America about the ideas behind Trust Agents…. (the direct link to the video is here for my RSS readers and anyone who can’t see the box below)

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I recently received an email from a senior executive at a mainstream public relations (PR) firm.  She said that she has clients in the travel industry and they’d like to know how to reach out to bloggers, and specifically how to get a mention on my BootsnAll Family Travel blog.

You know what’s next (bloggers are a different breed because we’re public, rapid and sharing) so to save myself from drafting an entirely new blog post when I’ve already written what I want to say, this is what I told her, shared here with you….

“In response to your question, the answer is yes, I do get a ton of PR/marketing emails and end up deleting most of them, and blocking those that are totally unrelated to family travel, sent to me 4 times or with giant attachments that clog up my life.

It is too hard (and not worth it for my [travel blog] readers) to keep up with the rising, ever-more-desperate stream of notices (desperate because of the economy) about hotel packages, good deals on ritzy, live-in-a-bubble resorts in Cancun (I’m not a resort kind of traveler, as any reader of my blog knows,) how CVS Pharmacy products can help my family road trip, blah blah blah.

The flood is really starting to impede my ability to see/respond to important emails that involve actual writing or consulting work for pay.

I want to blog about places I personally visit and things I do with my own kids, not regurgitate – for free – press releases about resorts that I’ve never been to and will never visit.  I write for two travel blogs, two blogs about social media and another about drag racing – I don’t have time to plow through all that junk.

The few emails that resonate indicate that:

1. The sender actually reads my blog, and not just to get my name to “personalize” their email blast. I particularly like the copy/paste of my name such that the greeting is one font and the press release pasted below is another.
2. The topic ties into a place that I’ve been to and written about. I’ll admit that the current template on my Family Travel blog is NOT search-friendly and I’m addressing that with BootsnAll, but my topic categories can be found through Archives at the bottom of the front page.  You can’t read my mind to see where I’m going that I haven’t visited before, obviously, so PR might get lucky and hit me with something about someplace I happen to be planning to go (but I doubt it, so why waste your time?)
3. The email topic ties to my focus of budget, independent, family-friendly travel. I’ve lived in the Middle East as a preteen and with my own kids in Asia and Europe, and have traveled all over the US.  I am so NOT the kind of person to stay in some all-inclusive package place in Cancun or Jamaica, so don’t inundate me with off-topic pitches.
4. I would much rather support state/county/city tourism organizations than more commercial travel businesses.
5. I’d rather deal with someone who has already “hung out” on my blog, by leaving a comment or two on some of my posts. Problem is, hardly any PR rep who’s blasted an email at me has ever stopped by and left a helpful comment and participated in the blog’s conversation BEFORE filling my IN box.

When I DO say “y’all come” to tourism organizations, they are often clueless. They’re so used to broadcasting, they don’t know how to interact in a two-way fashion.

For example, I’ve been running the 50 State Series on my family travel blog for weeks now, taking family-friendly suggestions from Twitter and Facebook for each state. I’m giving state tourism organizations a chance to toot their own horn, but I can’t believe how hard it is to get them to respond. Hel-LO!  Here’s the Vermont family travel 50 states post; that is the kind of stuff I want to blog about. Thank goodness for my Twitter followers; at least they know how to respond to calls for tips or I’d never get a post done each week.

Other insights:

1. I talked about this outreach topic in a podcast with travel writer and blogger Pam Mandel for Canadian tourism tech expert Todd Lucier: A conversation with bloggers about their craft.  Some of your clients might find it helpful.
2. They should also read this guest post by my Perceptive Travel editor Tim Leffel:  6 ways to improve your destination marketing (and why you’re toast if you don’t)

Sorry if any of this came across as excessively crabby, but there’s no magic bullet for blogger outreach. Good PR has always been about knowing your target journalist or writer, establishing a relationship BEFORE you pitch and not pitching blindly.

PR folks Geoff Livingston, Kami Huyse and Jason Falls have met and interacted with me on Twitter, on my blogs and in person at events like the South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) tech conference. I respect their knowledge, count them as friends and would now listen to most anything they have to say to me. They’re the gold standard.”

That’s all you gotta do, really….

Did I miss anything? Am I, in fact, just too crabby? 

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This morning I Stumbled a post on the Travels with Children blog; it’s a fairly negative review of the Crayola Factory in Easton, Pennsylvania.

Author Linda didn’t feel that the place met her expectations for a creative experience for her kids. There was no “wild blogger” ranting or digital spittle – she was simply disappointed in what visitors get there for their money and time.

Since she linked to the Crayola establishment (they should see that by monitoring inbound links/backlinks) and wrote about them as “Crayola Factory in Easton, Pennsylvania” (which any decent Google Alert should catch) I would expect a sharp PR/marketing person from the company to check out the post and leave a comment.

You know, at least something along the lines of “We’re sorry you were disappointed, we’ll take your ideas into consideration, we have a facility redesign in the works, blah blah.”

Figure the odds that anyone actually does that.

A quick glance would show anyone that Linda’s blog isn’t the home of some pajama’d nutcase. She has active and engaged readers who are interested in her family travel topic.

The business communications world often still doesn’t get it, so the review will probably sit there, unanswered.

To me, that’s a lost opportunity for Crayola to reach out to customers and possibly turn a negative impression into a positive one.

Your thoughts?

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So I’m invited on a blogger’s tour of a small town in Kansas.

I’d never heard of Hutchinson, and maybe neither have you.

Sure, I reacted with a skeptical, “Um, uh, what the heck is there?!”

So I went, and there’s a LOT there.

All of us on the trip blogged about it, photographed it, talked about it on Twitter and shot video, because that’s what wired writers do.

Here, look at what the WhatsUpHutch blog compiled, a mere snapshot in time….

My stuff (here)(here)(some Twitpics)(Video)(blogpost )(photos)(blogpost)
Bill Genereux’s (here ) (here )(photos here )
Deb Brown’s (here here)(pics)(Twitpics )
Becky McCray’s (here )(here )(here)(here )(some Twitpics )
Patsy Terrell’s (here)(blogpost )
Jeanne Cole’s (Twitpics)(blog)
Naomi Shapiro’s (blogpost)
Todd Vogts’ (blogpost)
Kim’s (Kim didn’t even make it to Hutch, but was excited about the idea and wrote a quick post) (blogpost)

If you’re at all involved in tourism and you don’t represent, you know, freakin’ Paris or New York, you might want to think about how your town, property or destination could benefit from Long Tail coverage by a bunch of blabby bloggers.

Or, keep doing lots of those billboard buys and putting stacks of brochures in the Hampton Inn lobby.

Jussayin’….

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