Blog Consulting, LLC.

A meeting with Maryellen Gleason, President and CEO of The Phoenix Symphony

This business of consulting, in the social media/blog world, is great fun.  This morning we had a cup of coffee with Maryellen Gleason, the President/CEO of The Phoenix Symphony, to talk about their social media strategy.  

Maryellen is a most delightful person, very full of spirit, and we look forward to getting to know her, and The Phoenix Symphony, over the coming years.

Meanwhile, why not check out The Phoenix Symphony's upcoming season.  Their whole catalog is listed below for your convenience.  Who knows, perhaps we can sip something bubbly together, during intermission.

Open publication - Free publishing - More orchestra

Question for the Blogosphere: Are 75% early blog subscription rates normal?

Blog Consulting, LLC. - one of the beautiful characteristics of a blog/social media channel is that you have the ability to speak to several different audiences at one time.

In a recent consulting call, I was teaching a client (a trade association) this very thing.  In their case we considered the following prospective subscribers:

• their immediate membership
• their potential new members
• the consumers whom their members serve
• • in their city
  • in their state
  • in the country
• the main stream media
• • in their city
  • in their state
  • in the country
• the legislators
• • in their city
  • in their state
  • in the country
• their affiliate, a potential affiliate members
• • in their city
  • in their state
  • in the country

I have begun to see a trend emerge with new blogs regarding their early subscription rates, and I wonder if this is a normal trend.

When I started my first blog, back in 2005, I found that within the first month I had 800 of my 1200 clients subscribed to my blog.  It dawned on me, that with my most recent client the same percentage held true.  75% of their membership numbers were subscribed within the first month.

Now, I know that a great many factors go into early subscription rates.  Certainly chief among them is the depth of the relationship currently maintained.  But I wonder:

Is is normal to find 75% subscription rates, in the first month, for an established organization?

I would love to hear from some other social media consultants, and/or organizations in this regard.

The #1 Hallmark that must characterize your Blogging/Social Media Strategy

Blog Consulting, LLC. - one of the most critical decisions to be made, when contemplating a blog/social media strategy, is determining who is going to produce your content, what you want to say, how often are you going to say it, and in what format your content be delivered (i.e., video, audio, text, or a combination thereof).

Certainly every organization is different, and possesses differing talents, therefore there is no "one size fits all" answer to this question.

The most important thing to guide your path in these discussions much be this:  who ever is going to lead your social media strategy must possess, and be able to communicate, the heart of your organization.

Without the heart, the passion, the drive, the entrepreneurial spirit, the leadership, the dedication, and the vision, your social media strategy is likely to be very dry, and will likely wind up on the dust-heaps, in the land of failed blog attempts.

This does not mean that only Ben, or Jerry, might blog for Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream.  But if not Ben, or Jerry, then certainly a impassioned tour guide, a social media community manager, who can find the heart, and get it communicated to the world.

No heart, no passion = boring social media!

The Phoenix Symphony - A Social Media Case Study

Blog Consulting, LLC - social media case studies are a regular feature on this blog, as we can learn a great deal as we peek into the heart and soul of an organization, through their on-line presence.

Today we will turn our attention to The Phoenix Symphony.

The Phoenix Symphony, like many organizations, primarily uses e-mail to make its patrons aware of its various events.  However, a close peek at their most recent e-mail reveals an invitation to a far more personal relationship.

If you look closely, and you happen to know what they are, those six buttons, at the bottom of the e-mail, are an invitation to join them in their social media channels.

Here we find the Phoenix Symphony is communicating in 8 different channels

• snail mail - I will likely get a very nice (expensive) brochure shortly.
• website - they have a very functional website to inform, and transact ticket sales.
• SoundPost blog - I subscribed immediately, after reading only a few posts.  I also noticed that they have been blogging since May of 2006.  It shows!  There is a LOT of heart in this blog.  I felt an immediate, deeper connection with them, and as a result subscribed. 
• a Facebook page - although it appears that they haven't applied for their shortened vanity URL.
• they are dabbling with Twitter.
• still maintain a MySpace page.
• they provide a wonderful YouTube page.
• and finally a video page on Vimeo.

In the business world, we used to talk about "buying brain cells" when we communicated with our clients.  That is, communicate in a way that would leave us parked, permanently in their brains.

It is glaringly apparent that the Phoenix Symphony desires a heart relationship with their patrons.  They have gone way above, and beyond, the call of duty to this end.  When I received their e-mail, I clicked on one of the buttons, and for the next 30 minutes I was whisked away into all that is the Phoenix Symphony.

Congratulations Phoenix Symphony!  You grabbed my heart, a few brain cells, and left me clearly with a deeper desire to participate in all that you do!  Mission accomplished.  Social media rules!

For those of you who may be doubters in the crowd, watch this very tender, and loving remembrance to one of their fallen members, Ioana Dumitriu:

Charities outpace Business World in Social Media Utilization

Blog Consulting, LLC - the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research recently completed one of the first statistically, longitudinal studies on the usage of social media by United States charities.

There were a number of very interesting findings:

• Charities still outpace the business world, and academia in their use of social media.
• Video blogging, blogging, and social networks (Facebook, Twitter, etc) made huge strides in the charities communication channels.
• 81% of charities claim that social media is "somewhat important" in their future strategies, with 45% of those claiming social media to be "very important".
• 75% of charities are using social media tools for listening to conversations, buzz, and/or news about their organizations.

This study concurs with my findings, in face to face dialog with nonprofits, and charities.  They are ravenous to find more productive, and hopefully less expensive, ways to communicate with their patrons.

If your organization would like to discuss the benefits of a social media strategy, we would be honored to discuss this with you, and help your organization find its own solution.

HT [Paul Gillin]

Top 22 Significant Benefits your Blog/Social Media Strategy must employ

Blog Consulting, LLC - have you ever wondered why most people log onto the Internet?  If you hope to have a successful blog, and/or social media channel, this would be a very good thing to know.

Thankfully, the fine folks over at RudderFinn have just given us a wonderful graphic that displays the results of their findings to just this very question.

Certainly our intuition brings us suspicions, but now we can see some hard data.  Here are the top reasons:

1. Learn - educate, research, keep informed
2. Have fun - pass time, be entertained, escape
3. Socialize - connect, share, discuss, be part of a community
4. Express  yourself - opine, entertain others, emote, be creative
5. Advocate - influence others, activate support, join a cause
6. Do business - work, manage finances, sell
7. Shop - purchase, compare

These touch-points should be at the forefront of everything that we do in social media.

HT [Darren Rouse]

I am a screaming, raving fan of Google Docs

I remember experiencing great frustration each month, when we owned our business in Michigan, at the amount of money we would spend on network technicians each month.  With Google Docs, a great deal of those network applications are now on the web, completely sharable internally, and at $50/year, an amazing deal!

They have finally added tasks to their product offering, and now I am a most happy man!

With Social Media: Read the Philosophers, Hire the Generals, and Ignore the Sheep

Blog Consulting, LLC - I have been doing a lot of reading, over the past years, regarding this business of social media, blogs, and such.

One of my personal maxims that holds true in this industry, as in any other, is that you should read the philosophers, hire the generals, and ignore the sheep.

Social Media Philosophers

These are the people who tend to pontificate, and many times with great wisdom, about the merits of social media.  Hear them speak at conferences, read their books, and blogs, but by all means, don't hire them for a result orientated project.  They tend to shrink, in the heat of the battle.

Social Media Generals

These are people who thrive in the world of results.  They love the heat of the battle, and are always thinking, and working towards a very specific result.  These are the people you must seek if you mean to have a social media consultant.  Make certain, however, that they possess the skills to bring your desired result.

Social Media Sheep

These are the most plentiful in the social media world.  They make the most noise, promise the sun, the moon, and the stars, yet back it up with only a dream.  Never have they accomplished a result, but merely tout their dreams of success, riches, and stardom.  For example, "Make $10,000/day on Twitter".  There seems to be no short supply of people who would feign to teach you these skills, yet a quick glimpse at their personal  savings accounts would reveal nothing but a charlatan.

Before you consider an investment in a social media consultant, you might want to read my article:  "5 Critical Questions to ask before you hire a Social Media Consultant".

An investment in social media is a "must do" task in my opinion, but make certain to hire a general to get you to the finish line.

Scottsdale Client Blogs from Argentina

My consulting with Scottsdale Bible Church's Blog continues along with blog posts now coming from Argentina!  Scottsdale Bible Church has a very active summer short term missions program, where literally hundreds of folks disperse around the globe giving back to humanity in various ways.

Austin Hamilton is the church's website coordinator, my liaison with the church, and is also currently in Argentina, blogging his experience.

What a wonderful way to share this amazing experience with all the folks back home.  Wonderful job Austin!

Welcome TypePad Services Visitors!

I have noticed a new stream of visitors from TypePad "Independent Experts", after it was announced that our company was added to their list.

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