The Social Marketing Blogosphere Continues to Expand: Welcome Mike Newton-Ward

I am excited to announce the addition of a great social marketing voice to the blogosphere, Mike Newton-Ward at Social Marketing Panorama, where he hopes to offer a 360-view of social marketing.

My first encounter with Mike was when he graciously helped me with my graduate project this past Spring. Though we’ve only ‘met’ through phone, email and now blogging, he is a very knowledge, helpful and passionate voice for the social marketing field.

Mike outlines a few reasons why he entered the blogosphere:

• Exchange ideas about social marketing
• Extend the discussions from Georgetown’s social marketing list serv
• Create community
• Share resources, as well as his personal observations in the field

Mike’s addition to the blogosphere is a special treat for all of us as he invites us to:

“to observe the world around you, listen to what people are saying, reflect on your experiences, and share them.”

Social marketing’s presence in the blogosphere continues to expand and gain traction. Join the metamorphosis. Come fly with us in this growing movement called social marketing.

• Spare Change, Nedra Weinreich
• On Social Marketing and Social Change, Craig Lefebvre (**Did you check out Lefebvre’s recent post about medical and health bloggers? I suggest you check it out for a link to the free research report!)
• Subject to Change, Vanessa Mason
• Health Marketing Musings, Jay Bernhardt
• Social Marketing Panorama, Mike Newton-Ward
• SocialButterfly, Yours Truly 😉

For more social marketing-related blogs, my links page offers many more resources and listings!

Liked what you read? Feel free to share with others:

The Bookshelf: 15 Essential Social Marketing Feeds

Going off of Ogilvy PR’s “Essential 15 Pack” of RSS feeds to follow, I’ve developed the “Essential 15 Feeds for Social Marketers.” To follow the feed, just click on the name and the link. Enjoy!

Blogs

1. Spare Change, authored by social marketing expert Nedra Weinreich (Link corrected*)
2. On Social Marketing and Social Change, authored by social marketing thought leader Craig Lefebrve
3. Public Sector Marketing 2.0, authored by Canada’s up and coming social marketing and social media marketing professional Mike Kujawski
4. Osocio, the number one spot for all things social advertising and social change relataed
5. Beth’s Blog, authored by nonprofit tech guru Beth Kanter
6. Health Marketing Musings, authored by CDC’s National Center for Health Marketing Director Jay Bernhardt
7. Have Fun * Do Good authored by Britt Bravo, informing you on all nonprofit related news items
8. Ogilvy’s 360 Digital Influence Blog covers social marketing topics occasionally.
9. Social Marketing Blog, a newly discovered blog just started this month by a man named Jack. So far, there is only one post, but if the rest of his posts are anything like his first, then the social marketing field is in good shape. Welcome Jack!
10. Getting Attention blog, authored by Nancy E. Schwartz offers insights and tips on nonprofits communications and programs.
11. Subject to Change, authored by Vanessa Mason, a young and up-and-coming social marketer currently doing AIDS relief work in Mozambique.
12. Socialbutterfly, authored by yours truly, and highlights the movement of social marketing as well as related social media stories.
13. What Do You Stand For? authored by Cone Communications Inc. Though this blog is linked to a cause marketing firm, the blog covers a range of social marketing related topics, offering fresh insights and useful resources.
14. Getting to the Point, authored by Katya Andresen, talks about all-things nonprofit marketing and what she deems in her book – ‘Robin Hood Marketing.’
15. Pulse and Signal, authored by Andre Blackman, who writes about the intersection between health and technology. DavidRothman.net is another one stop shop for all you need to know regarding the health 2.0 developments.
16. YOU. That’s right. Your blog, whether current or in the works, can become the essential blog. In the arena of social marketing, we NEED more voices to galvanize the field further. If anyone would like to start a social marketing blog, please feel free to contact me with any questions, brainstorming or for support at socialbutterfly4change@gmail.com. The more of us the better. =)

Note: There are many, many more helpful blogs out there that I currently subscribe to, and I wish I could have named them all. Many of the 15 essential also cross boundaries with others fields beyond social marketing, mainly because, there aren’t that many social marketing based voices within the blogosphere.

For more ideas about which blogs to follow, I suggest you check out my links page, the ChangeBloggers wiki, the NonProfit Blog Exchange and the Kivi Leroux Miller’s Carnival for Non-Profit Consultants.

What’s Your Social Media Ritual? Sharing My Own 15-Steps

At work, we’ve been talking a lot about the information scans we all do on our own…who we refer to, which sites are the best, the most useful feeds, etc. So, now, out of curiosity and from inspiration gained from Chris Brogan’s recent post: “Where I Learn More,” I’m asking: Where do you go to learn?

Brogan’s article is great, as in it, he talks about the role of influence and asks us to reflect on what influences what we learn, think, behave and believe….so close to a social marketing (the real social marketing) question my buttons were popping with techy-excitement.

Here is my average, daily, social media ritual.

Please share me yours, and perhaps we can both expand our horizons a little. =)

1. Check my work e-mail account. Its true fellow co-workers.
2. Check my regular Gmail account. I get various e-newsletters and feeds here such as the Ad Council Creative E-newsletter, emails from the Social Marketing listserv, Chris Brogan’s new e-newsletter and others.
3. Check my blog email account. I get various e-newsletter and feeds here that help me stay up to date on the social media, nonprofit, and social marketing arena. Some of my favorite includes Nedra Weinreich’s Spare Change Blog, Beth Kanter’s blog/wiki, and Ogilvy PR’s 360 Digital Influence blog.
4. Check my Bloglines feeds, to see what good posts are up and published.
5. Check out both the nonprofit and the social media categories on Alltop.com
6. Do a scan of: TechCrunch, Trendspotting, Read Write Web, Osocio, Non-Profit Times, NextGov, BrazenCareerist, Social Times, and others. This can depend on the day and the topic I’m currently investigating.
7. Check old Twitter feeds I may have missed. Especially key feeds from @GeoffLiving, @Nedra, @chrisbrogan, @scobleizer, @rww, @abfdc, @allllll the others I follow on Twitter. Really, it’s a community working together and sharing. It. is. awesome.
8. If it’s a Monday, I check out the Carnival for Non-Profit Consultants.
9. Check in on Linkedin to see if anyone new I know has joined or connected. The homepage on Linkedin is becoming increasingly fun.
10. Surf around the NonProfit Blog Exchange if Emily has posted some great new posts.
11. Then, it’s on to the social bookmarks. I check my delicious, both my networks and my subscriptions. Oftentimes, those I am connected to are in a similar field or have similar interests, so thank you everyone on del.icio.us.
12. Then, I spend a little time on Digg, and may occasionally check in on StumbleUpon. I’m really liking Mixx more and more too, though, there doesn’t seem to be as many people on it.
13. I check up on the scoop of my work’s internal wiki.
14. Check meetup.com for upcoming events and opportunities to take online connecting –> offline.
15. More scooping that I probably, and I apologize, didn’t list. Though, if I remember more, I will place in the comments. There’s always MORE to learn and MORE resources to discover. =)

Important note to make: This is just the listening phase.

About the listening phase. I might do some or all of this ritual depending on the day and the time. The point is though, that my ritual is…I am always listening. Always checking in. Always asking questions. Always working to seek answers.

The FUN part, is taking it all in, reflecting, and creatively organizing the content and information in your head to implement innovative, effective communications. And, when I really want to *get wild,* I reflect further, beyond the field of communications, social media or marketing…but more to what Chris mentions, about influence. About change. About society. About trends. About what it all means.

Photo Credit: Flickr, Elias Pirasteh

Who is SocialButterfly? An Interview for BlogHer as the Interview-ee

Beth Kanter, of the Beth’s Blog, who I featured last month as the second member of SocialButterfly’s Blogger Neighborhood, interviewed me for BlogHer. My first official ‘professional’ interview as the interview-ee!

1. Tell me a little about you.

I am a social marketing believer, blogger, researcher, practitioner and enthusiast. Social marketing for good – not to be confused with social media marketing. Currently, my day job is a graduate student at the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism where I will graduate this month. In June, I will start full-time at the social marketing firm I’ve been completing a fellowship at in Washington D.C., working on the client team representing the National Institute on Drug Abuse. As of this moment, I am defending my thesis, graduating and taking a moment to breath, =).

Academics and work aside, my passion is working with and on behalf of nonprofits. My family, myself and a small group of dedicated and committed individuals started a non-profit in Arkansas that benefits multiple sclerosis and works in partnership with the MS Society. In one year, with about eight people, no budget and two main events, we’ve raised over $275k.

2. Tell me about your thesis.

Just the word ‘thesis’ seems to make eyes glaze over, so I’ll try to keep this interesting. What influences you in the actions you take? the opinions or attitudes you hold? What shapes how you feel? Is it CNN broadcasting live, yahoo news feeds, a blog, your next door neighbor, or a guest lecturer? I’m supposing that it’s all the above and more. My research looks at the media landscape and the concept of influence and how this affects the public agenda….and within this mess and shades of gray, how and where the practice of social marketing fits in. I suggest social marketing offers us an opportunity to work collaboratively, erase divisions and provides a platform for those with similar motivations – doing good – to unite across industry fields, and thus, be more effective and successful.

I’m looking forward to hearing feedback and insights when I present the paper at the World Social Marketing Conference in Brighton, England this upcoming September 2008.

3. You’re a digital native (I am guessing ..:-) Millennial or whatever .. so, from your perspective in seeing various campaigns launched by nonprofits that use social media strategies, what are they doing right? What do they need to improve to appeal to folks like you?

Understandably, there are many questions about branching into social media and concerns about it being unregulated. But, I suggest, to just jump in. If not your organization, then you as the marketing/communications/outreach person. You, yourself, need to be familiar with new communication channels. I appreciate the digital native label….but I am constantly finding new applications and new strategies that online technology offers. So new or accustomed, there’s always more to learn.

When you’re open to learning, you’re open to opportunity.

4. Why do you think it is important for nonprofits to embrace social media?

For the same reasons why it is important for you to get to know your neighbors. Or, to teach your child how to change a tire. It just makes sense to know what’s out there and how it can be used.

5. What practical advice would you offer a nonprofit just dipping their toes in the social media waters?

Best practical tip, create a relatively simple, but not hackable password and keep it the same for all the accounts you are going to create. This stays true for the ID/name you create for your accounts. You’re identity still needs to be consistent, and practically, it helps you keep track and manage your online relationships.

Next, do a social media scan of your non-profit and/or cause using Technorati or a Google blog search. There are also social media apps that help you track keywords in the blogosphere. How can you know how to help further a cause, meet needs, etc., if you do not know what people are saying or how people currently perceive your organization/message?

6. Your 5 favorite social media or nonprofit blogs are:

There’s so many good ones out there, that it’s hard to choose. Narrowing it down to best blogs by women helps though…some I love include:

1. Spare Change by Nedra Weinreich (social marketing)
2. Have Fun * Do Good by Britt Bravo (nonprofit)
3. Trendspotting by Dr. Taly Weiss (social media/marketing trends/research)
4. NonProfit Communications/Carnival for Nonprofit Consultants by Kivi Leroux Miller (nonprofit)
5. Lorelle on WordPress by Lorelle VanFossen (social media/wordpress help) She gets back to you very quickly with questions/comments too!

…and this one isn’t necessarily nonprofit or social media, but it’s a great break from the routine, work and provides good insight and entertainment: My Cool Job, by Carrie Lowery, where she interviews someone with a cool job multiple times a week and posts the interviews.

Thanks for the interview Beth!

Social Marketing Association Petition

Have you always felt like you spent more time cultivating your online relationships than your real ones?

With applications like: Twittr, Facebook, LinkedIn, del.icio.us, Flickr, your work email, your personal email, your blog, Huddle, MySpace, Listservs, newsletters, Google Analytics, Digg, BlogLines, RSSFeeds, Sitemeter, Technorati, ETC.!

Managing and connecting with people online takes a lot of time, and at times, remains fragmented and disjointed. So, here is what I suggest: Merging the Two Worlds.

***

Social marketing circles have largely debated the creation of a social marketing association, whether or not we should be under the American Marketing Association and whether the Social Marketing Institute should be revived. But while I research that history, I’m seeing the UK and Canada formulate public sector marketing associations, centers, programs, and institutes. At least in Massachusetts, they have a Massachusetts Social Marketing Association.

So, I’m beginning a petition. If you would like to see or join a “Social Marketing Association,” please join me in signing this ipetition. Reversing the Field of Dreams philosophy, if the people come, it will be built. =)

For more information about this issue, refer to Nedra Weinreich’s posting about her shared frustration.

Again, join us by signing the ipetition here. Feel free to pass along the petition.

An Open Market: Social Marketing Resources

10 Quick SM Start-Up Resources

Due to the roadblock that there aren’t very many full social marketing graduate programs existing in the United States (to my knowledge)(sound the deans, I think there’s a gap in the market up for grabs), as a fellow student, I wanted to offer some insights on educational opportunities for gaining social marketing expertise. And, some of the resources I myself have employed to keep learning, keep growing…

1. Own your education.

2. University of Southern Florida: Graduate Certificate, Social Marketing in Public Health

3. Numerous Workshops, one of which is Social Marketing University.

4. Contact working social marketing professionals. Read their blogs, websites, etc.

5. Subscribe to the SM Quarterly.

6. Currently, social marketing is rooted in public health, so many practitioners get a MPH or masters in public health communications, etc. (John Hopkins, George Washington both have these programs. I’ve also heard that the following schools have great health/social focuses in their research: Georige, Florida, UNC-Chapel Hill, Penn, and UT-Austin.) So, there’s more options.

7. However, social marketing continues to grow in other areas: civil issues, social issues, international issues, environmental behavior, etc. So, taking related coursework is helpful. Click here for a full listing of social marketing educational programs known to date.

8. The CDC has a great list of programs for those interested in professional development in the health marketing department.
9. Subscribe to the social marketing listserv run by professor and SM researcher Dr. Alan Andreason. Or, subscribe to the ‘Social Marketing in Higher Education’ list serv, run by Jim Grizzell from Cal Poly Pomona.

10. Nedra Weinreich, of the blog Spare Change and Weinreich Communications, has a full listing of resources and shares her story on how she entered into a SM career. She also offers more resources and information on how to prepare for a SM career.

Feel free to add more! =)