The End....and...New Beginings....

It's time to say goodbye.

This blog has been a wonderful place for me to post things I found interesting and to explore the world of Marketing and Social Media.

But it is time for the blog to end.

My new site is located at http://www.ejyoung.com

As this part of my professional life ends, the new site will pick up and take you along with me on my new journey as Mom (I know, that hasn't changed), Professor (yep, that hasn't changed either) and Assistant Dean (oh! There it is!).

Join me there?

Ji Lee: The Transformative Power of Personal Projects :: Videos :: The 99 Percent

via the99percent.com

This is great -- emphasizes just what it means to be creative, the power of collaboration and the challenges that come with the status quo.

Posted via web from Elaine's Posterous

2010 Brings Big Change

I've watched lately as colleagues and people I follow online in the Marketing and Social Media space make dramatic changes in their professional careers.  It seems that a new decade brings new opportunity.

The same holds true for me.

Today I became the Assistant Dean for the Division of Business.

I'm still digesting it myself as I consider the implications for my teaching (I had to stop teaching a class that I was pumped to teach -- but have an AMAZING person who is stepping in to take over) and for my day-to-day duties at Champlain College. This semester will be a time of transition and adjustment with lots of unknowns.

But....

What do I know?

I know that I'm 100% committed to seeing the Division of Business of Champlain College continue to be innovative, successful and getting students ready for the careers that are hungry for individuals who are thinkers, doers, movers and shakers.  I know that I'm 100% committed to the students: my students in the Marketing classes I'm teaching, my students in the class that I had to let go of, and to all the students within the Division.

So today I take a deep breath....or two....and tomorrow I dive in!

As part of the transition to my new job my old blog at http://champlainprofessor.blogspot.com will be going away.  I have made the decision to blog differently so this is my farewell post on Champlain Professor.  A new blog will show up sometime soon with a different focus.

In the mean time as I get my sea legs for the ride ahead follow me on twitter (@ejyoung67) and most importantly follow my amazing students through our class hashtags: #mkt250 (Internet Marketing), #mkt340 (Non-profit and Social Marketing), #mkt420 (Marketing Management) and #ebc460 (Internet Issues and Strategies -- which will now be taught by the amazing @karlynm).

Posted via email from Elaine's Posterous

To teach or not teach SEO -- it's seems that is the question...

Thanks Google. Really. Without you my job might be boring or at least mundane.  I might actually be able to take content that I'm teaching and "set it and forget it". But no. You have to keep evolving and offering up nifty little tools that create these interesting dialogues out on the intertubes.

The current plethora of "predictions" posts have spawned a particularly interesting debate that actually has a big impact on my lessons plans for my Spring semester Internet Marketing course -- does SEO matter anymore?

Back in the day when I first started teaching Internet Marketing I went over the different search sites and directories describing to my students how to get your site listed. We would talk about Yahoo! and Microsoft and Google and DMoz and DogPile.  We'd explore who acquired whom and the changes in the rules.  White Hat and Black Hat. Link Farms. Meta Tags, Keywords, Key phrases, Alt-tags...OH MY.

Now, we talk about content, content, content. There is discussion about what you have control over and what you don't. We focus on top properties with the most traffic, emphasize conversion and the importance of analytics in understanding which search properties garner you the best leads. We talk about inbound and outbound. We talk about tags, and keywords and relevance. We've been talking more and more about the impact of social media on SEO as well.

But, if I listen to Robert Scoble in his recent post: 2010: The Year SEO Isn't Important Anymore I can just get rid of that whole focus on SEO. Ok, well not really. His point is that things are changing so fast between Google and Bing that the small business can't really keep up (frankly not many people can) and that so many search results are served up now based on personal search behavior and location that well...you just don't need to focus so much on making your site SEO friendly because they'll find you anyway. Of course his real message is that anyone engaged in utilizing online tools to market their business must look at a holistic approach. This is probably the most important part of his message.

Enter in Danny Sullivan (without whom I could NOT teach my class anything about Search. Danny, you might not know this, but you have been in my class since 2000 when I first started teaching!). Danny wrote a great post today over at SearchEngineLand in response to the Scoble POV. His post, entitled, "Is SEO Dead? 1997 Prediction, Meet 2009 Reality" shows just how challenging these "predictions" can be -- SEO is not "dead" says Sullivan.  As a matter of fact it, just like everything else on the web, is evolving, and more importantly if you are talking about a holistic approach to your online marketing strategy you must consider the important aspects of SEO -- regardless of what Google and Bing roll out tomorrow. Another post by Lisa Barone of Outspoken Media entitled "Ignore Robert Scoble, SEO Still Matters for SMBs points out that for the small business it's vital that they be found when people are looking for them.  Ignore SEO at your own peril because " ...search engine optimization will remain important to your site until the days that people stop searching."

What's a simple College Prof. supposed to make of all this debate (insert what's a simple SMB, or student, or agency...)? Well from my perspective I think they are all right.

Ain't that just like a professor!

Scoble highlights the holistic approach and addresses the key changes that are influencing search results.  We MUST be aware of these as consumers and as marketers. They will continue to influence search results and most importantly how people search.  But Sullivan and Barone are also right. They point out how important SEO is and continues to be because of people's reliance on the search engines to find what they are looking for.  You MUST be there and you must be aware of ways in which you can get found on the terms that are most relevant in order to provide your customer with the most valuable experience.

So will I keep teaching SEO in my class in the spring? Ayup. Will I bring up both POVs in class?  Ayup.

And I'm sure my students and I will have great debate about the whole thing as well.

Posted via email from Elaine's Posterous

Here we go! Google Launches Real-Time Search

via mashable.com

Wow. I knew it was coming. But seeing the video and waiting for it to actually get turned on really brings home how very important this will be for brands.

I used to say, don't hop onto Twitter, etc until you are really ready. Well, I still say that...BUT...you can't wait now either. Batten down the hatches folks and get your strategy ready for real time social search.

Oh, and for those of us consuming information...yeah. Good luck with that.

Thank GOODNESS it is the end of the semester. It gives me a few weeks to figure out how to incorporate THIS into my class in the Spring.

Posted via web from Elaine's Posterous

This look into my classroom brought to you by my students and TWITTER

Yes I use Twitter in the classroom. I even ask and expect that my students will Tweet during class.

Today was a special day though. We covered a lot of ground. Turns out now all you have to do is go to the Twitters to find out what we did!

It started here....

JamieMarieHenry:
RT @EricaViscio: Just got my first look at augmented reality in #MKT250. Ho-ly crap.

Then here...

EricaViscio:

Do you know about the Graffiti Geo?" "No." "OH MY GOD I KNOW SOMETHING YOU DON'T KNOW." Conversation between @ryanfitz124 and @ejyoung67

And then it went here....

BrewBetterWorld

- Student @ryanfitz124 takes over @ejyoung67 's #mkt250 class

And then here...

gracespain

love #mkt250 and our prof... @ejyoung67 "i am so playing world of warcraft, in front of you, IN CLASS."

And then...

KWamser

@ejyoung67 is playing WOW in class, ohh man this school #campchamp #mkt250

So now you know that in my class today we looked at Augmented Reality, a student took over the class and I played WoW.

Typical day in Internet Marketing.

Posted via email from Elaine's Posterous

Will you hire me?

The biggest challenge I face as a college professor who teaches online marketing is staying current.  I read a lot.  I engage a lot. I try to get my hands dirty but I'm not always successful.

Big changes have been happening over the past few months in the online space -- connections, new services, continued growth of mobile -- and if I am going to do my job and get students ready for what's out there, it has become quite clear that I have to get out there too.

So, with that in mind ... will you hire me this summer? Or, if you cannot would you pass this on to someone who might?
 

College professor who teaches Marketing, Internet Marketing and Online Communication Strategies seeks opportunity with Burlington, VT based Communication Firm. Requirements include fast-paced environment where there is ample opportunity to work on Analytics, CPC Campaigns, Social Media Strategy and Online Branding. Big plus if there is mobile, augmented reality and social gaming in the mix.

 

Salary Requirements: NONE. I work for free.

 

Availability: Summer 2010: June 1, 2010 - July 30, 2010.

 

My skills can be seen at http://www.linkedin.com/in/elainejyoung. References are available on request. Contact me at eyoung@champlain.edu or on twitter at @ejyoung67.

I don't take up too much space and I actually do have work experience. I can even bring my own lunch.

Now that's a bargain!

Posted via email from Elaine's Posterous

How To Sell Social Media To Your Client Or Boss - Twitter

via slideshare.net

A great video from Danny Brown (@DannyBrown on Twitter) that shows WHY a business should use a tool like Twitter. Emphasizes the importance of starting with a TARGET MARKET audit -- is your audience using Twitter? If they are, what are your next steps?

The integration with your call center, using Twitter as a customer service tool, helping drive sales opportunities, getting feedback on new products, engaging with sponsored tweets and then there's the HR options -- asking for recommendations, cross promote your business, use your Twitter contacts. Finally focus on using Twitter as a research tool to connect with experts, ask questions, monitor trending topics and LISTEN (brand sentiment).

Thanks Danny for another GREAT information piece!

Posted via web from Elaine's Posterous

The Tweet that Broke Me

I follow @breakingnews on Twitter.

I've followed them since they first started Tweeting.

I LOVE BREAKING NEWS.

Why?  Because they have been, what in my opinion is a TRUE NEWS ORGANIZATION.  They were global, only sent Tweets when there was news and didn't bother me with silly things that don't really matter.

This all changed on Tuesday, December 1st.  That was yesterday.

Yesterday the @breakingnews feed was taken over by MSNBC.

Today I UNFOLLOWED @breakingnews.

Why?

Because the value to me in following @breakingnews has disappeared.  Sorry folks, but I don't care about Tiger Woods, John Gotti, White House Gate Crashers, That Obama has Landed, That He Waved, or left the building to "Jaunty band music", nor that there are ecstacy pills in the shape of Obama.

In the past 24 hours, a news channel that provided information on earthquakes, world events, H1N1, politics has become everything I can't stand about main stream media. All fluff and no focus. Too U.S. centric. Hey, I get that Tiger Woods being in a crash is news.  And yes, @breakingnews DID send out that tweet when it happened.  But, the follow up tweets are just too much.  I had planned on giving them a week and then last night I saw this tweet:

Another woman surfaces in Tiger Woods kerfuffle http://bit.ly/6NSeD0

That was when I started to get frustrated.  Today, this is the tweet that broke me:
 

A traffic stop in S. Texas yields illegal drugs including Ecstasy pills in the shape of President Obama - AP

So now to find another news outlet to follow on Twitter besides @shaytotten who is local and ROCKS!  Um...Shay...how about widening your scope a bit?

Posted via email from Elaine's Posterous

Social Marketing vs. Social Media Marketing

I had a recent Twitter exchange with @rnadworny and @mjayliebs about Social Marketing that has prompted me to write this thought post about Social Marketing vs. Social Media Marketing.

Rich kicked it off with this tweet: Interesting distinction RT @tedrubin: Social Media is what you call the platforms, Social Marketing is how it is leveraged by brands.

As I read that in my Twitter Stream I had a quick reaction so I (of course) fired of a reply to Rich:

@rnadworny Except that "Social Marketing" already has a definition: it's about behavior change NOT social media tools: http://bit.ly/4uP1go
@ejyoung67 That looks like an old definition. Time to dust it off and modernize perhaps. Oral rehydration?
@rnadworny disagree. There's a whole field for social marketing -- all about making behavior change. I teach a class in it ;-)

Which then prompted @mjayliebs to post his thoughts in posterous. His final point in that post was, "Social Marketing, IMHO is simply Marketing using Social Media through a Social Network Service."

I then wrote: Well @mjayliebs and @rnadworny, you might want to check out @nedra 's blog: http://www.social-marketing.com/blog/ I have used her book. AND  @rnadworny @mjayliebs Social Mkting happens today. Hospitals, non-profits, governments. It's marketing for social good. Not same as soc med.

Rich then posed this question: @ejyoung67 @mjayliebs Does the social business use social marketing? This definition predates social media, so does it need an update?

So what follows is my response to that question -- What is Social Marketing and is a definition that was set forth in the 1970s now out of date because of a new type of technology communication toolset -- namely "Social Media"?

According to Nedra Kline Weinreich, author of "Hands On Social Marketing", a text I have used in my Non-Profit and Social Marketing class,

Social marketing was "born" as a discipline in the 1970s, when Philip Kotler and Gerald Zaltman realized that the same marketing principles that were being used to sell products to consumers could be used to "sell" ideas, attitudes and behaviors. Kotler and Andreasen define social marketing as "differing from other areas of marketing only with respect to the objectives of the marketer and his or her organization. Social marketing seeks to influence social behaviors not to benefit the marketer, but to benefit the target audience and the general society." (What is Social Marketing?: http://www.social-marketing.com/Whatis.html) 

Time may have gone by, but I'm still a strong believer in this definition. Social media is about making CHANGE.  Positive change.  Change for social good.  It's using corporate marketing techniques in a way that moves away from profit to the improvement of society.  Would I use social media to help me in my social marketing? Yep I would. Check out Network for Good (an organization where the author of another book I use in my class, Robin Hood Marketing by Katya Andresen, works) to see how they are leveraging a host of online tools to help them accomplish what they do.

I really like how Nedra breaks it down over at her Social Marketing Squidoo:

What social marketing is not:
- Viral marketing
- Word of mouth marketing
- Dating or matchmaking services
- Public service announcements
- Focus groups
- Cause marketing (companies adopting a cause to improve their image and get more sales)

What social marketing is:
- A process that uses commercial marketing techniques to promote the adoption of positive health or social behaviors
- An approach that benefits the people who are adopting the behaviors or society as a whole, rather than the organization doing the marketing
- It may include some of the items in the "not" column above (okay, not the dating service) but those activities in and of themselves are not social marketing.

As the tools we use in Marketing and Communication have changed due to technological innovation and the advent of so-called "social" networks, I am seeing more and more people us the term social marketing when what they really mean is social media marketing -- in other words they are using social media tools as part of their marketing strategy.

Take a look at some of these amazing Social Marketing campaigns:

• The Montana Meth Project: http://www.montanameth.org/
• Go Red for Women: http://www.goredforwomen.org/
• The Truth Campaign: http://www.thetruth.com/
• The Population Media Center and their Soap Operas for change: http://www.populationmedia.org/
  

There are so many others where a myriad of communication tools, from Radio, TV and Print, to social networking, blogging, and tweeting have all made a difference and helped people to make positive changes in their behaviors.

Finally, Beth Kanter who writes a blog on Non-profit marketing has provided a guiding definition of social media that I believe fits well within the context of this post.  She wrote that,

"Social media is … a way of using the Internet to instantly collaborate, share information, or have a conversation ideas or causes we care about. It’s a world where anyone can be a publisher, a reporter, an artist, a filmmaker, a photographer or pundit …. Even an activist or citizen philanthropist!”  (Institute for Sustainable Communities, Social Media Tools http://tools.iscvt.org/tech_tools/socialmedia_tools/start)

There you have it. A clear definition for Social Marketing and a clear definition for Social Media. So no folks, it's not time to change the definition of Social Marketing -- it's time for marketing professionals to re-acquaint themselves with the term and what it really means. Social media tools have provided a huge opportunity for all marketers to connect, engage and empower -- for Social Marketers these tools have added even more power to their messages of making positive changes in society. Let's not confuse a tool (social media) with a well grounded marketing process that has stood the test of time and made a difference in people's lives.

Do you have other examples of great and meaningful Social Marketing campaigns that may or may not have utilized social media?  Send them my way.

Posted via email from Elaine's Posterous