The Blog of Hans Eisenman

What is "Social Media Optimization"?

The definitions of words are important.  The tell us the boundaries of our ideas and actions--where things start and end in the world. 

Here's a definition I'd like to share with you for "social media optimization". (And if you find yourself yawning and going a bit mentally blank READ ON.  That's what happens when you go past a word or symbol you don't fully understand.)

Definition: Social media optimization is the process of improving the volume and quality of conversations about your brand or website by distributing content to social networks. It's also about making it easy for people to share your content with others around the web, for example, helping your readers share your post with their Facebook network by simply clicking a link on your blog. -Typepad (the company that hosts my blog)

As you can see there are two things happening here: increasing conversations about your brand and making it easier for people to do the same by helping them spread your good word.

Of course, if you don't have much in the way of "good words" going out about your or your brand, it's going to be kind of hard for others to spread them in this Sharing Revolution we are experiencing right now.  So first step is, jack yourself and your company brand into all the chatting that's going on out there.  Start some conversations if there aren't enough of them happening already. 

This might mean you have to take a step back and formulate a message that's worth talking about.  And that's important too.   It might take some huddling and whiteboarding and whatnot.  Just because it's easy to spread ideas now doesn't mean you don't have to be deliberate about the ideas themselves. 

If you are a dentist, maybe that message is the virtue of brushing or how much $ we can all save by flossing regularly.  Or if you're a holistic dentist, it's about how you can help your entire body by taking care of your teeth. 

From there you have a million possibilities for quality conversations that can be had about your message.  If you take the time to start and/or have them, you may as well have them on the web where others can share them easily with others providing, of course, you've taken some simple steps to optimize your social media portfolio.  Doing so generates a certain amount of good vibes for your brand and that increases the chances of obtaining more attention which is, of course, a prerequisite to revenue.

So there you have it, the definition for the day.  Hope it's helpful!

Lead Management - Turning Google's Gmail Into CRM

CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software is all the business rage these days and for years I have been looking for systems that would easily work with Gmail, since that is my chosen weapon.  (It's far superior to other tools for mail management and I will have to cover that in another blog post at some point soon.)

Eventually if one is getting anything done in this world (vs. just making noise), some emails become leads (the people do, but you get what I mean) and opportunities and so on.  This would be where a CRM comes into play.

I can't tell you how many I have been through from Saleseforce.com to ACT! to the online applications like Highrise, Heap and so many, many others.  None of them really do what I need them to so I'm always left thinking I'll have to just keep trying new ones or eventually design my own (which is a little side project I have been working on for years in fact).

Meanwhile, a search for "gmail crm" lead me to this article which is a whole new look at this for me. 

As an avid Gmailer, maybe the thing to do is try using the plethora of features within Gmail itself to manage Leads, Opportunities and so on.  The other features like managing Contacts and the emails themselves are already being handled swimmingly well by Gmail so maybe I just need to relook at how I use it to do a little more.  Perhaps I have been looking outside when all the answers have been within all along (isn't that so often the case in life?).

If this strikes a chord with you, maybe take a moment to click to and read the short article below.  The author makes a good case with real examples of features that could be used to make contact management easier without having to look to other applications, at least until things get really, really busy and you need multiple people working on the same information (and you probably wouldn't want to give them access to your Gmail account).

Lead Management - Turning Google's Gmail Into CRM

Today's internet is clear that Google plays a major role in developing some of the top software around. Google continues to distinguished itself as an innovator in software. If you are looking to accomplish a personal productivity task chances are Google has or is working on a solution.

The growth of email over the years has brought out the good and the bad of features we like to see when using our e-mail. Google' GMail is prime example of leading the way and being a top choice of many users today. Google' GMail has taken a very mature technology in our email and made us look at how we process, manage, and retrieve our electronic communications. Taking a closer look at a key feature that GMail has potentially touched on is it's versatility in creating custom management strategies or processing ques. This flexibility is what makes GMail an ideal platform to use as a personal contact management system or as a simple CRM.

Sunbelt Blog: “10 million people will you computers are perfectly safe”

This is how far bad guys will go to hack your PC or computer network.  In case it's not abundantly clear what's happening here, Sunbelt (maker of highly competent anti-virus and other security software which won't slow your PC down) is showing a "rogue security product" maker's website.  Note that their website makes them look like a real company and even has stolen the exec bios from a real company (AVG). 

Best to use known entities when looking for protection for your computer(s).

Sunbelt Blog: “10 million people will you computers are perfectly safe”.

New rogue borrows massively from AV company sites Our friend M.N. Bharath drew our attention to this web site associated with the new System Adware Scanner 2010 rogue security product. Although the group claims 10 million users world-wide, oddly enough their site was only registered Nov. 25. It seems they also have recruited the entire management team from AVG anti-virus company as well. Right!

City of Los Angeles Adopts Google Documents

If it's good (secure, available, functional) enough for an entity as big as the City of L.A., it's good enough for me!

Official Google Blog: Cloud apps, big city: LA goes Google.

This fall we've seen lots of government agencies decide to make the switch to cloud computing, joining the many businesses already using Google Apps for email and collaboration at work. Today we'd like to officially welcome another customer to the mix: the City of Los Angeles. Starting today, Los Angeles will be equipping 34,000 city employees with Google Apps for email and collaboration in the cloud. ...

Google Real-Time Search Is Here!

Google's real-time search feature means every business should be doing social media (Twitter and Facebook at least) and sooner than later.  They should also be using online press-releases (preferably SEO'ed ones like ours :), because Google is going to put all that kind of information at the top of search results from now on.  Check it out:

So all this means it's time to get on the good foot folks--the social media good foot! If you need help with a strategy or a press release or just plain need answers to some burning questions, drop me a line: heisenman AT gmail.com

Sir Branson: If you can't afford one, be your own PR person.

Dell Outlet Made $3 Million Through Twitter

Here's some ROI (return on investment) data from Dell regarding their use of Twitter.  I think this is more money than Twitter itself has made from Twitter!

How Dell Outlet utilizes Social Conversations to generate revenue « Random Thoughts of a Boston-based CTO: John Moore’s Weblog.

What return on investment have you seen for Dell Outlet by investing in social channels? In addition to revenue (we announced in June that we surpassed $3 million from @DellOutlet Twitter links alone), we have also benefitted greatly from the increase in awareness. The press we’ve received has helped us put Dell Outlet on the radar of many potential customers that would not have otherwise know about us. While it’s not something we can replicate, I think it illustrates the importance of always looking for innovative ways to approach new media and new technologies. There are many opportunities to be “first” or “best” if you keep your eyes peeled. Combine that with a great Corporate Communications team, and enjoy the ride!

SEO expert says that participation in Social Media and sending "daily press releases" will be key when Google rolls out their new way of managing search results (Google is releasing a new version of their search engine, dubbed Caffeine, and it's coming very soon).

The Google Phone Is Coming to Change the Game

If this is true, it probably really is "huge".  Apple knocked the cell phone ball out of the park due in no small way to the fact that they take developmental ownership for the whole enchilada--hardware and software.   This is their m.o. in everything they create really. 

Contrast this with Microsoft.  They just do software and some would say not all that well.  I've often wondered what would happen if Microsoft built hardware to go with their software.  Would the whole package be more stable - as stable as the Mac typically is?  Would there be as many nooks and crannies for hackers and their ilk to exploit?

In any case, I look forward to Google's phone, assuming it sees the light of day at all and this whole rumor us true to begin with.  My prediction, based on Google's track record in general and what my techie friends are saying about the Droid, is that Google's cell phone with bill a huge hit.

The Google Phone Is Coming to Change the Game | Technomix | Fast Company.

If Google is, as TC thinks, paying even more hands-on attention to how the phone works than they allegedly did with Moto's Droid, it'll be the most pure, unadulterated Android experience out there--something akin to the marriage between hardware and OS that makes the iPhone tick. With Google's giant name behind their own phone, and Android OS garnering much positive attention from users and developers, the phone could have a similar impact on the smartphone market as the iPhone did.

Making Programming Ideas A Reality