positive disruption by: Tom Martin | New Orleans based Social Media Consultant

Why You Should Include Social Media Sharing Buttons on Your eMail Campaigns

This week I tested a new way to create more awareness and drive more traffic to my Talking With Tom, Interviewing 52 Digital Thought Leaders project. Since I have an email sign up form, I have a list of folks that get each week's update via email. 

You can see in the upper right hand corner that I always include Social Media Sharing icons for Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and eMail. It's quite easy, as the Emma eMail Marketing system I use automatically places them for me.

But today I went one step farther and actually shared this week's interview with Jason Keath via the LinkedIn sharing button on the social sharing widget.

This opened up an interesting dialogue box, one that I didn't expect to see but was thrilled to find.

The widget was pulling in all my LinkedIn groups and letting me share to those groups right from the widget. This is huge because it makes it very easy for you to start a viral effort on LinkedIn but more importantly, it makes it easy for everyone on your email list to do the same when they receive their emails.

Additionally, it will also allow your email recepient to share the email content directly with a single or group of LinkedIn contacts. Already this morning I've seen at least one member of one of my LinkedIn groups both share the content forward as well as comment on Jason's interview.

So if you're not including these social media sharing buttons in your emails, maybe consider changing that because by adding them you're making it just that much easier for your fans to help you spread your content.

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3 Reasons You Should NOT use a QR code on a website

A DM in my stream this morning asked if I knew of any posts that specifically talk about why you shoud NOT use a QR code on a webiste. I couldn't find any quickly, so allow me to create one for you.

I've been doing a lot of QR Code Campaign experiments over the last year and thinking about the kinds of content that work well with QR Codes. These thoughts are formed from my own direct interactions, examples of QR code usage I've seen in the real world (including the best examples of QR code usage I've seen). And based on all of this usage, testing and studying, I just can't see why you'd put a QR code on a website. And here is why.

• While QR codes can be "programmed" to link to emails, dial phone numbers, etc., the primary value of them is to instantly transport a consumer from a phyiscal place (ad, direct mail piece, location sign, etc) to a digital destination (contact page, map, menu, video, etc) in a thumb friendly manner. That is to say, QR's primary value to a consumer is it aleviates the need to type a URL into a smart phone.

• QR codes are still a nascent technology here in the US. Sure over in Japan and Asia they are widely adopted, often used and pretty much common place. But here in the US, folks are still discoving the technology, hence why you always have to explain what it is/how to use it in an ad, etc., to boost your scanning rates. 

• QR code scanning requires a dedicated app on the smartphone. Currently very few phones are being shipped with the required app, so if your audience isn't QR savvy, they likely don't have the app to scan the code on your website anyways.

Which leads me to the big payoff... the reason I think it's kind of silly to put a QR code on a website.

The person is already on your website via a computer, which is a far better tool to surf the web, find information and conduct eCommerce than a smartphone.

So, if a consumer is on your website already, why do you need to possibly confuse them with an icon/technology that they quite likely may not understand or be able to access without downloading an app? Why would you want to offload them to an environment that costs additional dollars to develop and is much harder to use (vis-a-vis a computer)?

Sure QR codes are trackable, but then so are websites, and I'm guessing you already have the website analytics tools. So that's not a good reason.

So is placing a QR code on a website ALWAYS a bad idea?

Actually, no. I think there are a couple of times where a QR code makes sense on a website.

• You're giving away a downloadable item designed to work on a smartphone. Things like apps, ringtones, wallpapers, etc. Here a QR code makes it quite easy to begin the process. No typing required.

• You want the consumer to add address/contact information to their address book. Again, no typing required... I scan, confirm and presto -- you or your company information is in my phone.

• You're offering some kind of mobile friendly information. For instance, tourism destinations might want to offer a mobile friendly PDF of their vacation guide. A hotel might want to provide a list of key locations near the hotel - restaurants, electronics retailers, bars, etc., in a simple downloadable PDF. Again, QR makes a lot of sense here.

In the end, the greatest value of a QR code is that it instantly transitions a consumer from a mobile/physical place to a digital/web place and vice versa. So if your goal is to transfer between the physical/mobile world and the online/web world (in either direction) a QR code could be the right technology.

But if all you're doing is putting a QR code on a website because its the cool, hot, trendy technology of the day... well, have fun but I honestly can't see how you're helping me move through the buying process, which is the goal of your website to begin with isn't it?

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My iPhone Video Tools

For the last six months I've been interviewing digital thought leaders for a pet project, Talking With Tom. Over the course of 2011, thanks to my sponsor, email marketing firm Emma, I'll interview a total of 52 digital thought leaders, asking each the same single question: What's next? 

But for me, what makes the project even more interesting is that the entire thing is done on an iPhone. All of the video is shot, edited and produced using the iPhone. And the blog posts themselves are authored and published via the iPhone. It's truly a 100% mobile video blog. And judging by the number of emails, DMs on Twitter and conference hallway conversations I've had with others, lots of you are interested in the technology behind the blog as much as the blog content itself.

So today, I'm going to share the tools of the trade -- my iPhone video tools that are powering the project.

Video Editing Applications on the iPhone

• iMovie: this is my primary editor. It's inexpensive, $4.99 in the App Store and works fine, allowing me to inserts a JPEG of my sponsor slide along with arranging and rearranging video segments. Lastly, it makes it easy to place a professional looking title throughout the entire video so that I can put the name and Twitter handle of each interviewee. My only beef is that sometimes I can't get iMovie to see the videos I've shot in my camera roll. So to be safe, I keep a 2nd editor on the iPhone.

• Vimeo: Yes, this app is from the video hosting site, Vimeo. It's rather new but unlike iMovie, this one is free. And yes, it can upload to other places besides Vimeo. In some ways it is better than the iMovie but it is also a lot buggier. It crashes often on me and doesn't always save the work as I go, so for that reason, it's my backup video editing app.

Microphones for the iPhone

• Brando Mini Directional Mic: this little gem is small, lightweight and easily lost. So keep it somewhere in a bag or something because it's greatest benefit is it's biggest downside -- size. I like this mic because it is small enough to comfortably fit in my pocket and you just snap it into to the headphone jack when you're ready to record. Point the mic in the direction of your subject and start recording. What you'll get is audio that is much better in terms of loudness and clarity. BUT -- what I find is that it amps up ALL of the audio. So, while it is directional, you still need a pretty quiet place to record. If you've seen any of my SXSW interviews, like this one with Mack Collier, they were all done with the Brando Mini Directional Mic. For $9.99, it's a great addition to your video capture toolbox.

• Any Spot Wireless Lavalier Camera System from Galaxy Audio: when you're ready to step up to the big time with better audio for your iPhone videos, grab one of these bad boys. It's a bit more pricey coming in around $330, but it's worth every penny. Your subject wears the wireless lav and you have a receiver that you wear and connect to your iPhone. Best of all, the receiver has an audio out too so you can hear the audio live and thus figure out if you're getting too much background, to loud or soft of audio, or interference. And because the unit gives you the ability to switch between 64 channels and adjust the Gain setting, you can fine tune your audio. Lastly, because it's wireless, you don't have to stand right up on your subject, like you do with the Brando mic, in order to get crystal clear sound. Tom Bonus: I do a lot of social media keynote speaking and I've been using this mic and my iPhone to capture some of those keynotes. Normally, when you video yourself doing a talk, you get a lot of table noise because the camera is on the closest table in the audience. But with this mic, that's all gone... you get nothing but crystal clear speaker voice - like I was able to get, even in an noisey hall at BlogWorld, when I interviewed David Murray.

• KV Connection iPhone Microphone Adapter: this is the secret weapon for iPhone audio. You see, the iPhone's connector port uses a special connector style and thus, if you just plug in a wireless lav like the one from Galaxy Audio, it won't work. Care to guess how I know this? This $20 lifesaver is exactly what you need to connect pretty much any outside lav (wired or wireless) to an iPhone.

Lenses/Tripod Mount for your iPhone

• External iPhone Lenses: these can add a bit of flare to your video (and pictures). The set I carry  includes a wide-angle (which I've used for a number of Talking With Tom interviews, like this one with Tim Hayden). The iPhone will shoot in 16:9 but with the addition of this lens, you pick up an extra 2 to 3 feet left to right of image. If you're using a directional mic to capture better audio, the addition of the wide angle lens lets you get up really close to your subject (for better audio) but the resulting image on the screen doesn't really reflect how close you are due to the lens. There is also a fisheye and macro (for really, really close up shots). The entire set is like $40 plus shipping. The only downside, these require you to attach a small metel circle (for the lenses to magnetically attach to) on your iPhone. Depending on the kind of case you use, this may not be doable. A nice workaround is to go get a cheap clip on case, attach the metal ring to that case and maybe cut it in half (to save room in your gear bag) and then just swap the "camera case" for your real case when you go to do a video. You can see my set up in the header image of this post... I call it my Borg iPhone.

• iPhone Tripod Mount: if you really want clean, steady video, you should put the camera on a tripod. I usually don't (shame on me) but I should. The problem is, the iPhone does not have a standard camera mount nor a place to build one. Enter the Glif. This little puppy lets you attach your iPhone to any standard tripod. It also doubles as an iPhone hands free mount, perfect for watching movies on those long, late flights where you're not in the mood to work.

 

 

 And that's about it folks. With these tools above, you can create high quality, social media content for use in your content marketing strategy.

So the only question left to ask is, what did I forget to buy? ;-) What great gadget did I miss? If you know of anything, please let me know in the comments section because I'm all ears.

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How I used social media to market against larger competitors

I caught up with Christopher Penn at BlogWorld New York as part of my Talking With Tom, interviews with digital thought leaders project.

Whenever I get a chance to meet the really big names in digital marketing, I always ask how they became what they are today. Unfortunately, I usually fail to record their answer... but not this time! Not only did I get the backstory on Christopher, he shared some really good thoughts on how smaller companies fighting huge competitors can leverage digital marketing to win the battle for consumers.

And if you're curious to hear what Christopher thinks is the next big trend in digital marketing, just visit his interview on Talking With Tom.

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How to create an integrated marketing development process

Have you recently been involved in any discussions around figuring out how to integrate social media marketing, digital marketing, and mobile marketing with your traditional advertising and public relations campaigns?

Is your company struggling with what needs to change in your integrated marketing planning process in order to develop truly integrated marketing campaigns?

Me too. 

Last month, I had a chance to suggest a few answers to these questions in a workshop -- Creating Integrated Marketing Programs. Below is the deck, along with a sync'd audio track.

I'd love for you to give it a listen/view and then let me know what you think. I'm pretty sure I probably missed a few things... maybe you could fill in the blanks and together we can both become a bit better at creating integrated marketing campaigns.

View more webinars from Converse Digital

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Is Facebook Your New Travel Agent?

Friends don't let friends take bad trips. Or at least that is what review site TripAdvisor is banking on with their Facebook integration.

Which begs the question -- is Facebook the modern day travel agent? Sure Zuck and crew won't book your trip for you (yet) but via their worldwide network, and yours, recommendations and travel tips are just a click away.

Personally, I find this quite interesting because of the helpful factor. Last spring when I did a few social media workshops in KL (Kuala Lumpur) I visited a city that only one or two of my friends had gone to previously. So, there wasn't a big network to ask for advice, tips, etc.

Well, except for the fact that my sister-in-law had lived their on assignment for over a month. Duh.

Too bad I didn't find that out until AFTER I got back.

Not only did this lack of information create more anxiety for me, but it resulted in a less than optimum travel experience for me too. I had precious little time outside of the workshops, so it would have been great if folks that really knew me (my friends) could have pointed me in the direction of restaurants, attractions, etc., that they knew I'd appreciate vs just what was considered a "must see" or "must do" kind of thing.

Enter Facebook. Now destinations, restaurants, attractions and such can rely on the good words (or bad) of your friends to help influence you. Which creates a host of interesting options for travel and tourism marketers of all shapes and sizes don't you think?

Think about it -- if you were a restaurant, hotel, attraction or destination... how is this gonna change your marketing efforts in the future?

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photo credit: Kristi Colvin