Michiel's Blog

This blog has moved!

2010-07-19T10:26:00.007+02:00

New blog: Social media tactics you can Trust

Great tips, tricks, insights and practical advice on how to develop the skills and knowledge you need to be a successful marketer on the social web.

Please visit: http://www.michielgaasterland.com

Looking forward to seeing you there!

All the best,

Michiel Gaasterland

New Twitter followers: do you follow them back?

2010-05-25T09:40:00.004+02:00

9 Cross-check questions to evaluate new followers

So, you are now on Twitter and you are welcoming your first followers. You must be thrilled with all the self promoting DM’s (Direct Messages) you receive every day. Sure, there are a lot of gold diggers on Twitter.

What you are after is building a qualitative network of followers. People that actually value what you have to contribute to the online conversation, and vice versa.

Read full article here: "New Twitter followers: do you follow them back?"

Looking like a schmuck on Twitter

2010-05-20T14:22:00.006+02:00

The courtesy of your Twitter profile

Currently more than 300.000 people a day, register an account on Twitter. Registering an account is easy. Basically Twitter only needs your full name, user name, and email address.

So before you know it “John Doe (john_doe_67) is now following your tweets on Twitter” rolls into people’s mailbox. I often get these kind of followers. Sigh.

Read full article here: "Looking like a schmuck on Twitter – The courtesy of your Twitter profile"

Exclude internal web traffic from Google Analytics

2010-05-18T16:39:00.004+02:00

Start measuring your actual results

Measuring traffic and behavior on your website or blog is one of the cornerstones of online marketing. Without a measurement tool like for instance Google Analytics, you’re a sailor without a compass.

Read full article here: "Exclude internal web traffic from Google Analytics: start measuring your actual results".

‘The more the merrier’: old mass marketing habits die hard

2010-04-29T11:41:00.006+02:00

Being followed by the right people

Last Monday I was writing about ‘Twitter eyeballs on valuable content’. The essence of the story was that if your content is valuable and if you make sure the right people can find it, you have a much better chance of converting them into readers, followers or buyers.

Read full article here: "‘The more the merrier’: old mass marketing habits die hard".

Twitter eyeballs on valuable content

2010-04-26T09:58:00.004+02:00

My own little bi-monthly experiment

Last year July my business partner Steve published a document on Scribd called “Business leaders and social media: a 4 step strategy framework”. It’s a useful little document for business leaders who need to direct their teams in setting social media strategy.

Read full article here: "Twitter eyeballs on valuable content".

Are you helping your customers create more customers?

2010-04-21T11:45:00.005+02:00

A personal little story about customer service...

I’m constantly amazed how many companies are still living in the old world.

A few days ago my HTC S740 phone broke down. Pretty good news, because I wasn’t happy with it at all. The thing is running on Windows Mobile 6 point something, and well… it just ain’t working.

Since I’ve been a client at Vodafone for many years, I called them up to renew my contract and get a new phone. I had my eye on the Google Nexus One with Android operating system. Unfortunately Vodafone couldn’t deliver that phone.

Read full article here: "Are you helping your customers create more customers?".

More than 50 bookmarks of Social Media Case Studies

2010-04-18T20:44:00.008+02:00

A selection of case studies that all mention clear results

Everyone likes a good social media case study: marketers or communications people trying to get internal buy-in or business leaders looking for ideas, entry points or examples of where the industry is. But they can be hard to come by.

Read full article here: "More than 50 bookmarks of Social Media Case Studies".

B2B services & communication on the social web

2010-01-23T21:53:00.007+01:00

Free presentation and article for PR & Marketing folks

View more presentations from Steve Seager.

Last week, we do communications’ PR & Strategy director Steve Seager gave a presentation the Dutch Architecture PR Group in Rotterdam.

Read full article here: "B2B services & communication on the social web"

Targeting one instead of many

2010-01-13T15:00:00.006+01:00

Power to the Retweet

Last night my business partner Steve Seager and I finally cleared some time to study the analytics on our blogs. We usually do this every day, but the last few weeks have simply been mad busy. When we took a closer look at Steve’s stats for December we saw a huge spike in traffic on December 7. A bit like a whale in a fish pond.

Where in the name of Zeus did those people come from? Did we post a great presentation? Send out a press release? Publish a ground breaking blog post? Got a mention in the New York Times? After some research we found the answer.

Read full article here: "Power to the Retweet. Targeting one instead of many".

Building a website? Start with your content!

2010-01-06T12:18:00.005+01:00

The perks of creating a website content plan

If you have ever been involved in the process of developing a website, you are probably familiar with terms like navigation, functionality, interaction design, css design, use cases, flow charts and so on.

No matter how well designed & executed your website or application, it’s the content in them that determines your success. It’s your content that drives people to click, download, subscribe, & buy your ideas, products or services.

So why is it that in 9 out of 10 cases, content is the last thing that is attended to when creating a website?

Read full article here: "Building a website? Start with your content!".

My last blog post of last year (is this one)

2010-01-02T17:41:00.008+01:00

Taking the best of 2009 into 2010

Typical. I intended to publish this post on December 31st 2009 but didn’t manage to get it out in time!

Publishing meaningful, valuable content is one thing. To keep on publishing is another.

Yes, blogging takes time and so does building a new business from scratch. Sometimes the two don’t blend very well. Also, I was busy building a snowman with my two year old sun Rijk, aka The King of Construction.

Read full article here: "My last blog post of last year (is this one)"

Most products are like tampons

2009-11-18T10:02:00.006+01:00

A social media case study

“Most products are like tampons”. Nice quote. Unfortunately it’s not mine. It’s Josh Bernoff’s, author of the bestselling book “Groundswell – Winning in a world transformed by social technologies”. Josh is also Sr. VP Idea Development at Forrester.

Read full article here: "Most products are like tampons".

Mexican flu goes viral in social media. Dutch style.

2009-11-10T23:47:00.004+01:00

To vaccinate or not to vaccinate?

Way back in early July the Dutch Ministry of Health started their campaign to inform the general public of the vaccination on the Mexican flu. It’s now November and the outbreak is classified as mild. But in the meantime, on the internet, the virus is even more potent than ever.

Read full article here: "Mexican flu goes viral in social media. Dutch style.".

Pleasing Google… & journalists too!

2009-11-06T00:19:00.008+01:00

The importance of RSS feeds

In a recent post on the Google Webmaster Central blog, the world’s #1 search engine now confirms that content in RSS feeds gets special attention and gets indexed quicker than normal web pages.

Read full article here: "Pleasing Google… & journalists too!"

Shameless blog promotion

2009-10-26T22:29:00.006+01:00

Seven + 1 ways to start promoting your blog

Try typing “Promote your blog” into Google. Wow! Lots of interesting stuff.

Interesting: yes. But also: lots.

So, where do you begin? Where do you start promoting your blog?

Here's my little ritual to shamelessly promote my blog:

Read full article here: "Shameless blog promotion".

Bloggers are not media!

2009-10-21T11:02:00.004+02:00

An important tip to make bloggers write about you

For many people plugged in to social media, the headline of this blog post is quite obvious. But for many just getting their feet wet in social media, it may well not be.

Simply put, if you want bloggers to write about you, don't send them your press release! It's a common mistake many traditional PR agencies seem to make when they expand their press lists with blogger names.

Read full article here: "Bloggers are not media!"

New at Twitter?

2009-10-19T13:26:00.005+02:00

Getting the basics right

I see many businesses getting their feet wet with social media. I guess it is natural for businesses to discover new channels.

Many businesses I see on Twitter, embrace it as a broadcast channel. Wrong. People don’t care what you’re doing, what your products do or whether or not you have made it to the newspapers.

Read full article here: "New at Twitter?"

They are talking about you. Now what?

2009-10-13T18:38:00.005+02:00

How to pro-actively manage your online reputation

Recently I was talking to a rather large brand who had just been sold on an Online Reputation monitoring system. They were looking for a solution to start responding to people’s questions online.

The first word that came up in the conversation was ‘web-rep’. These are folks who go online and respond to comments on behalf of the company. But as you get more visibility, more market share of voice, it’s not economical to keep scaling up the number of web reps.

Read full article here: "They are talking about you. Now what?"

The pros & cons of social media pilot programs

2009-09-17T18:12:00.003+02:00

Getting started in social media

In an interview with PR Week, John Bell, from Ogilvy’s 360 Digital Influence, notes that more and more clients are asking for pilot programs rather than ‘full scale’ marketing campaigns.

So, is a pilot program a good thing? It’s a valid question. I’m often being asked this as well.

Read full article here: "The pros & cons of social media pilot campaigns".

The value of content publishing

2009-08-17T14:42:00.005+02:00

How to give great content away. Without being a charity!

More and more companies are starting to see the value of publishing great content such as tutorial videos, white papers, how-to guides, case studies, trend reports or market research documents.
However, I notice that many managers and marketers are not comfortable with giving this content away for free online. Usually a lot of time and resources have gone into creating it. I therefore often hear the argument that this content is too valuable to give away for free.
Read full article here: "The value of content publishing".

Free paper for business leaders

2009-07-29T13:46:00.005+02:00

4 Step social media strategy framework

In his latest blog post my business partner Steve Seager provides a basic four step framework for business leaders to set social media strategy.

Steve had his first taste of strategy when he was rock climbing as a kid with his stepdad. There he learned to think about his finishing point, set direction and plan the moves needed to secure success step by step.

Read full article here: "Free paper for business leaders: 4 Step social media strategy framework"

Moving at the speed of culture

2009-07-26T21:25:00.008+02:00

Twitter 101 Guide offers insightful case studies

Twitter is one of today’s most successful social media channels. Having said that, many marketers and companies are skeptical of Twitter. They find it hard to understand how people use Twitter, how active people are and why people use it.

Read full article here: "Moving at the speed of culture"

Getting a grip on the metrics of social media

2009-07-23T11:36:00.006+02:00

Break it down into easy chunks

Many marketers are hesitant to start investing in social media, because they struggle with the metrics. Before they start they would like to know what the potential ROI is of their Facebook group, Twitter chats, blog posts and activities in forums and discussion groups.

Read full article: "Getting a grip on the metrics of social media"

Do the Wordle!

2009-07-20T18:26:00.005+02:00

Visualise your proposition

In my blog post ‘It’s all about them, not you’, I suggest a little check to see how consumer oriented your website is: just by grabbing a pen and counting the number of times you use the word ‘we’ on your website as oppose to the word ‘you’. It really helps you get a feel of how consumer centric your organisation is.

Read full article here: "Do the Wordle!".

Public Relations sells!

2009-07-16T17:35:00.008+02:00

The art of selling through informing

Throughout my career as a product marketer I tended to view Public Relations as a promotion activity. And with promotion I mean free publicity in media. As such PR is usually seen as a welcome addition to advertising.

Read full article here: "Public Relations sells!".

Did I mention mass communications doesn’t work in social media?

2009-07-15T16:59:00.005+02:00

Getting in a targeted messaging headset

Many businesses see the biggest advantage of social media as simply reaching more people. Is it true?

Well, yes, you do reach more people, but if you don’t also adapt your messaging for these people, you end up with what Seth Godin calls a ‘meatball sundae’: an unfortunate mixing of two good ideas.

Read full article: "Did I mention mass communications doesn’t work in social media?".

First impressions

2009-07-09T13:27:00.006+02:00

The fundamentals of B2B Marketing

I’m often being asked by friends why I dedicate so much time to writing my blog, maintaining my Linkedin profile, getting Twitter contacts, crafting presentations to publish on the web, commenting on people’s blogs et al.

This video answers all these questions:

Read full article here: "First impressions".

Smarter marketing: don’t advertise, help inform!!

2009-07-02T12:08:00.012+02:00

McKinsey change the purchase funnel!

Everyone knows the purchase funnel gets narrower towards the end, right? The entire marketing process has been aligned to this principle for more than forty years.

Well, now we can think again. McKinsey’s recent global study shows a definite change in the way consumers research and buy products. And that opens up ways of smarter marketing.

Read full article here: "Smarter marketing: don’t advertise, help inform!!".

It’s all about them. Not you.

2009-06-24T17:10:00.013+02:00

A quick check to see where your company head is at

Depending on which source you prefer, the average person is exposed to anywhere from 2 to 3,000 advertising messages each day. That’s an awful lot of noise, an awful lot of people shouting about their product.

Read full article: "It’s all about them. Not you.".

Harvesting emails the social way

2009-06-22T16:08:00.006+02:00

Using online content to build relationships

Want to harvest emails? Then don’t ask for people’s email address. Not just yet. Instead, try giving them some great free content first.

It’s pretty amazing to see how much valuable stuff one can obtain via the World Wide Web. I’m talking not only about valuable content you can find on websites, blogs and forums, but also downloadable documents such white papers, e-books, case studies, trend reports and market research to name but a few.

Read full article here: "Harvesting emails the social way".

Is email marketing better than social media marketing?

2009-06-18T18:28:00.013+02:00

Comparing apples and pears

Recently a press release was put out by e-Dialog, a leading provider of email marketing solutions, which stated: “E-mail trumps other direct marketing channels for driving sales conversions”.

Unfortunately some media outlets especially in The Netherlands all gave it their own spin, leading to misleading headlines such as ‘Consumers are more sensitive to email marketing than to social media marketing’.

OK. Now I’m angry. Let’s look at the facts here:

Read full article here: "Is email marketing better than social media marketing".

Independent blog helps to keep corporate website on Google page one

2009-06-10T15:02:00.008+02:00

A successful case study on ‘Crisis Management’ SEO

My last blog post talking about the benefits of an independent blogging platform and url as opposed to putting your blog on the root corporate web domain. My advice was catered towards small business blogs with a desire to establish thought leadership, build links, gain advocates and encourage conversations.

Read full article here: "Independent blog helps to keep corporate website on Google page one".

Should I host my blog on my company website?

2009-06-08T10:39:00.009+02:00

The benefits of an independent blogging platform

OK, you decided to start a blog for the benefit of your business. While you are developing your blogging strategy you will hopefully stop and think for a moment about where to host the blog. I sometimes have the feeling that many companies automatically place their blog on the domain of their own corporate website. But is this the right choice?

Read full article here: "Should I host my blog on my company website?"

Not convinced about Twitter yet? Why not start by listening?

2009-06-03T22:48:00.007+02:00

New service offers hourly Twitter alerts

Twitter. Some love it, some hate it. Some say it’s a great platform to share your interests, reach new customers, promote your blog or voice your opinion. Others don’t see the value of telling the world what they’re up to in 140 characters.

Read full article here: "Not convinced about Twitter yet? Why not start by listening?"

Getting your organisation on the same page

2009-06-01T15:59:00.009+02:00

Great primer for the new rules of marketing and PR

In nearly all the organisations I visit, I hear people actively debating a more effective use of online communication as a means to reach business objectives. One of the biggest challenges here is to convert the collective ‘mass communication’ headset to a headset that embraces the new communication rules of the web.

Read full article here: "Getting your organisation on the same page".

Choosing the ultimate online agency

2009-05-29T10:09:00.007+02:00

Their skills versus your needs

In my previous blog post I talked about the difference between Online publicity and Online PR. I argued it had to do with the difference between making noise and building relationships.

Read full article here: "Choosing the ultimate online agency".

Making noise or building relationships?

2009-05-25T11:48:00.012+02:00

The difference between online publicity and online PR

Once upon a time marketers had two main ways of getting their product or services noticed by consumers: advertising and publicity.

The principle of advertising is based on interruption. In order to get people’s attention you need a large degree of creativity or even humour. This helps people absorb your message and makes it stick.

Read full article here: "Making noise or building relationships".

The Power Of Scale

2009-05-15T10:21:00.010+02:00

1 + 1 = 11

The last few posts, especially the ones on Dell made me realise that engaging in online communications on the social web is not something you do on a late Friday afternoon. It takes effort and commitment.

Read full article here: "The Power Of Scale".

'Dell Hell' and the $1 million Twitter revenue

2009-05-12T09:04:00.006+02:00

Social media and direct revenue

Hmmm. Still talking about Dell. And this time it sounds like a Harry Potter title. The only difference is that this actually happened!

The company that initially got engaged in social media to repair the Dell Hell reputation damage, has now produced $1 million in revenue directly through Twitter! Dell’s Twitter followers receive messages when discounted products become available in the company’s Home Outlet Store.

Read full article here: "'Dell Hell and the $1 million Twitter revenue".

Best job in the world at errr… which Island?

2009-05-08T16:49:00.010+02:00

PR should always be driven by business objectives

The ‘Best job in the world’ story broke on January 12, 2009. As a result, more than 30.000 people posted their one-minute job application video in a bid to become caretaker of Hamilton Island, a tropical Island off the coast of Queensland, Australia.

But how many people will remember ‘Hamilton Island’ in a few months from now?

Read full article here: "Best job in the world at errr… which Island?"

The 'Dell Hell' wake up call

2009-05-07T23:17:00.010+02:00

Or why brand building beats crisis communications

Now here’s a company that learned about engaging in online communications the hard way. This is a classic case study that dates back to 2005/2006.

What started with a blog post of one person, caught fire on the Internet and ended up with ‘Dell Hell’ as the most highly ranked Google search term associated with Dell for some time.

Read full article here: "The 'Dell Hell' wake up call".

Educating the antibodies in your organisation

2009-05-06T00:43:00.003+02:00

Creating buy-in through education

Last month Ad Week reported on the departure of Dell’s Social Media Chief Bob Pearson. He left the company to take a position with the Blog Council, an industry group focused on social media.

Read full article here: "Educating the antibodies in your organisation".

Wii, blogger pitches and building exposure

2009-05-05T22:54:00.002+02:00

A golden case study

It’s an old story now, but a great example of how you can build exposure cheaply and effectively using online PR. Nintendo Wii, the fantastically popular home gaming console, used the blogosphere to it’s advantage when they pitched influential blogger Heather Armstrong.

Read full article here: "Wii, blogger pitches and building exposure".

Getting a grip of online pr and communications

2009-05-05T22:51:00.008+02:00

First blog post! Hello and welcome!

My goals of this blog are to inspire and offer more insight into how you can make online communications work for your business.

My posts will go beyond the buzzwords and the hype of the social web, and will be all about the practicalities of adopting and implementing online strategies.

Read full article: "Getting a grip of online pr and communications".