Posts tagged as:

Social Media

Is Voicemail Becoming Obsolete?

by Tom Williams on March 2, 2010

in Social Media, YouTube

No Gravatar

I admit it - I still leave voicemails.  However, I have found myself hanging up on voicemails more and more lately.  I don’t do this because what I have to say is unimportant…just the opposite usually.  I have information that is too urgent to drop it into someone’s voicemail box.

Voicemail Monster

Voicemail Monster

So, instead of trying to call again and again or simply giving up on the first try, I hang up on the automated voicemail and  immediately employ any number of OTHER communication vehicles to reach my target.  These could include cell phones or text messages; emails or twitter!

One more thing about voicemail… It’s been around for a LONG TIME folks.   You don’t need to be all polite and thank me for calling.  You definitely don’t need to tell me to leave my name and number after the freaking Beep, and I assume that you will call me back at “your earliest convenience” - so scrap that line too.  If you actually want me to leave you a message, just say “This is [insert name here]  please leave a message”.  Done.

I decided to do a little experiment on myself recently.  I counted how many different ways someone can get in touch with me.  Depending on how well you know me, there are a huge number of ways to reach me, should you get the dreaded voicemail.

  1. My physical office (you could stop by)
  2. Direct Office phone
  3. The InnoGage 1-800 number
  4. Home phone
  5. Cell phone
  6. Google Voice Number
  7. Fax
  8. Text message
  9. AOL IM
  10. Facebook IM
  11. Facebook message
  12. Twitter @me
  13. Twitter DM (which also sends me an SMS on my phone)
  14. InnoGage Email Account
  15. Gmail Account
  16. Yahoo Email Account (yes, I have one…had it since 1994…can’t give it up)
  17. GoogleTalk
  18. Foursquare
  19. LinkedIn
  20. Skype call
  21. Skype IM
  22. Comment on the InnoGage blog
  23. ‘Contact’ form on the InnoGage website
  24. Message via YouTube Channel
  25. Message via Vimeo Channel
  26. Message via Flickr Channel
  27. Message via SlideShare account
  28. Message via my Delicious account
  29. GoogleWave
  30. GoogleBuzz

So, drop me a voicemail if you must, but if you really need to reach me…you know how to find me!!

Tagged as: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

{ 1 comment }

Marketers walk the line between Social Media and Data Privacy

by Tom Williams on February 4, 2010

in Conference, Social Media, Social Media Marketing

No Gravatar

DataAs a marketer, you dream of data.  With data you can deliver more relevant information.  You can deliver more timely information!  You can Micro-Market directly to those who are most likely to buy!

Which brings us to the issue of privacy.  You see, privacy and social  media are inherently at odds with one another.  Marking matters more complicated, consumers are completely schizophrenic.  We want relevant information immediately but we don’t want marketers to have the information they need to deliver it to us.

privacyWith this complex dance in mind…the social media rule for Marketers is TAKE IT SLOW.  You are building a relationship with social media.  If you move too fast, you can creep people out.  Imagine the following situation:

You go into a store to buy a new suit.  You’re going to make a large purchase and you want to get it right.  The store manager who has data-mined you on social networks greets you and already has several suits and shirts laid out.  You are amazed at how he  has matched your style.  He then tells you that he recommends the blue shirt since you just ruined your old blue shirt at Mama Mia’s restaurant when you dumped spaghetti down the front of you. “And besides”, he says, “it’s your girlfriend’s favorite color!”  He then mentions that the suit will look very nice at the conference you are attending in San Fran next week and that you’ll enjoy your stay at the Marriott.

Would you be creeped out?  Indeed!  However, if you combined your Facebook + Twitter + Foursquare + Tripit…and a few other sources, that information is likely in the public sphere.

The point for marketers is: you have access to a whole new range of data - use it wisely.

Tagged as: , , , , , ,

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

AMA Social Media SIG Presentation

November 19, 2009

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to co-present at the American Marketing Association Special Interest Group on Social Media (AMA SIG for short).  I worked with Steve Bell, Founder and Principle at Strategic Marketing Innovations Consulting.  It was so much fun working with Steve, who is one of the smartest guys I’ve ever [...]

Read the full article →

Tom Williams Spotlighted on the eduWEB Conference website

November 2, 2009

Hey gang!
I was honored to be recently spotlighted by the eduWEB Conference.  The eduWEB conference is an “annual, internationally recognized event for the higher education community, attracting those who are involved in online strategy, marketing and technology”

I had the privilege of speaking at the conference this past summer in Chicago.  It was at this innovative [...]

Read the full article →

InnoGage Releases Feature Rich Business Class Blogging Platform

August 3, 2009

Businesses, Schools and Organizations who are serious about using blogging as a strategic tool are likely missing out on features and functionality critical to winning in our social-media driven society. InnoBlogs is a cutting-edge Business Class Blogging platform designed to overcome deficiencies with the leading blog tools. Powered with freshness reminders, editorial management functions, workflow [...]

Read the full article →

Getting Creative: Sponsoring Social Media at the eduWEB Conference 2009

July 14, 2009

I love conferences.  They are a great place to network and you can learn a ton from the sessions and panels.  Not to mention they are usually in a pretty cool location.  However, most conferences have this uncomfortable vendor / patron thing going on.  The vendors sit around in their booths hoping someone will actually [...]

Read the full article →

Companies invest dollars in themselves instead of advertising

July 6, 2009

I recently read a statistic that blew me away. According to Outsell’s Chuck Richard, “In 2009: $65 billion will be spent on enterprises’ own sites, dollars NOT spent on TV, magazines, newspapers, billboards, etc. To scale that, compare 2009 total U.S. TV ad revenue (cable + broadcast) at $66 billion, and total 2009 U.S. Newspaper [...]

Read the full article →

Social Media Marketing – how big is it and how to use it

June 18, 2009

By now most of us have heard the term “Social Media Marketing”. Some of us are probably even using it, hopefully a good amount effectively. But there are still some that say that it’s just not that important or not that big. But the sheer numbers may surprise you.
Twitter grew 3,000 percent in April [...]

Read the full article →

Social Media in today’s society – Obama proves it works

May 22, 2009

Social Media has become quite a buzz word lately. It seems that everyone has or wants to jump on the Social Media bandwagon and hopes their sales skyrocket. But there is a lot more to Social Media than just writing a few blog posts and holding your hands out to collect the money. There needs [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries