Social Media & Digital Marketing in Singapore

Shutesbury Library Uses Social Media For Fundraising

While the world has been engaged in some form of slacktivism for the last two weeks over Kony12, a lesser-known (but no less important) video has been making its rounds on the internet.

Introducing the Shutesbury Public Library

The Shutesbury library in Massachusetts was built in 1902, has no running water and almost no space. They need a new library and the state will fund 60% of it, if they can raise the other 40% ($1.4 million) on their own.

So what does a small library in a town of less than 2,000 people do to try to raise that staggering amount of money?

Turn to social media, of course.

In their 2:14 minute video, brilliantly titled “Where would you be without your library”, viewers are quickly introduced to the current situation and how they can help out. See for yourself

The humanising effect of social media

I think this video works because it puts a face to the Shutesbury library. It’s not a faceless, emotionless organisation raising $1.4 million dollars. You see real people, children and families who use the facilities every day and how their lives can be improved with better facilities. It’s much easier to act on a call to action in these kind of situations.

I made a small donation to the fund-raising efforts, I hope you’ll consider doing so too via their website at the M.N Spear Memorial Library.

Tags: #kony12, fundraising, massachusetts, mn spear memorial library, shutesbury library, slacktivism, social media

No Comments | Posted in » case studies, social media

You’re A Publisher Now, Whether You Like It Or Not

Are you taking control of telling your story, or are you leaving it up to someone else to tell your tale?

This is something that has been on my mind a lot lately, and not just because of the Remy Ong incident.

Just yesterday, the whole #Kony12 movement is going on (video here). People just like you and I are able to publish thoughts to raise awareness about the issue, or talk about why they oppose it, or whether they want to raise related issues and concerns.

Over what?

Over a video that a group of people decided to produce (aka publish) by themselves.

If you watch the video, they basically said the mainstream media wasn’t interested. Governments weren’t interested. So they made people interested.

And yet here we are in our own organisations spending money to get chummy with journalists so that they will write a flattering piece about us in the papers?

Why do that instead of spending that money into creating our own messages for ourselves.

Without this blog as my own publishing platform, I wouldn’t have been able to offer up my views on fake social media campaigns, mainstream media quoting bloggers out of context, and respond to another blogger asking me to elaborate why Gen Y doesn’t read the newspapers.

At the same time I keep meeting people in organisations who moan about a bad piece in the papers, or in the blogosphere or in a forum and wring their hands over their inability to do anything about it (or worse still, issue a press release).

Remember when there was a Whatsapp message going round earlier this year about the service starting to charge? Whatsapp didn’t take out an ad in the papers or issue a press release. They blogged about it within hours.

You can be your own mouthpiece. You can publish your own story. You can tell your point of view.

You just have to want to, and get used to the power and responsibility that comes with it.

[image credit: cheezburger network]

Tags: #kony12, blogosphere, fake social media campaigns, forum, gen y newspapers, journalists, mainstream media, quoting bloggers out of context, remy ong, social media, telling your story, whatsapp

No Comments | Posted in » social media

Agencies, Stop The Bullshit. Clients, Hone Your Bullshit Meter

Warning: a bit of a rant.

I had a heck of an experience yesterday.

This agency came in to make a pitch, arrogantly declared they knew the best solution for our project, and then began to give their spiel.

Midway through someone asked: So how long have you been doing digital work?

The mumble was something like in the last year or two.

Then the spiel continued. At this point I realised that every other agency we’d seen that afternoon had proposed a social media initiative. Something we invited the agencies to quote for in the specifications, as an optional requirement. I asked why they hadn’t submitted anything.

Them: “Oh we thought it was optional, so we left it out”

Me: “So, you don’t think it’s something we require?”

Them: “No, we just didn’t know how to put a price to a social media programme.”

Me: “No other company had a problem with putting a price to their services.”

Them: “No problem, we can go back and cost something for you.”

Me: “Why don’t you just show us what you’ve done before?” (detecting bullshit already)

Them: “Sure we can show you something we’ve done in [insert other country]”

Me: “How about something in Singapore?”

Them: “We can show you something in [some other Asian country].”

Me: “Does it have social media?”

Them: “Well we built for them a website and a mobile site and…”

Me: “Does it have social media?”

Them: “No.”

Me: “Do you have -any- social media case studies you can show us?”

Silence.

Them: “No.”

The bottom line

Dear agencies, it’s 2012. Cut the bullshit out. If you don’t have any social media experience, stop trying to pretend you do. If you want to grow your experience in that area, then go do some free work for a charity before trying to pull a fast one over potential clients.

And clients, please, for the love of everything good, bring in someone on your team who can smell the bullshit a mile away.

Otherwise you’ll be throwing valuable dollars down the drain to an agency who, in the best case scenario will help you tread water while your competitors move ahead, in the worst case scenario, completely blow up your brand name online.

Your choice.

Tags: agency bullshit, digital work, pitch, social media, social media experience, social media initiative, social media programme, spiel

2 Comments | Posted in » social media

Learning From Remy Ong – Tell Your Side Of The Story

On Sunday, news broke that one of Singapore’s national bowlers, Remy Ong, was involved in a hit and run accident with a dog, who subsequently died.

Needless to say, the public and the internet is in an uproar. “Remy Ong” has been a trending topic for three days straight and shows no sign of dying down.

I was curious what his side of the story was, and did two quick searches for “Remy Ong blog” and “Remy Ong twitter”. Here’s what I got:

Not one of these search results is his side of the story.

From a communications point of view, it’s a disaster. Even if the media (or in this case, numerous bloggers) are telling your story for you, you always need to have your side expressed and at least have it out there. That way, no matter how mutated the story becomes, you at least have something to refer people to and say “I know what you’ve read about me, but this is what really happened”.

What if this happens to you?
This lesson goes further than what happened with Remy Ong. It could happen to any one of us on an individual level, or it could happen to one of the organisations we work for.

Write a press release, you say? Sure, but you’re at the mercy of the newspaper editor. And even then, the effect is fairly transient. If your target audience didn’t pick up the papers that day (or doesn’t read the papers), then your message is reaching… no one.

Better to have your message hosted on your “stronghold” (I recommend your blog), and then publish the same information out via a press release, on Facebook, Twitter and any other social media channels.

How else do you think one could handle a similar situation?

3 Comments | Posted in » Singapore, case studies, social media

Is Social Media A Fad?

I was having lunch with one of my professors and he asked “Do you think social media is a fad?”.

My answer was an adamant “no” (I mean, this is my career we’re talking about here).

There are many people who have cynically looked at the evolution of platforms like Friendster and MySpace and Facebook and now Google Plus and think it’s a waste of time investing either time or money (or both) into any of these platforms, because they will eventually change.

By that logic we should have stopped advertising in the newspapers when radio and television came along.

They key that these cynics are missing, is that what is changing is the platform, not “social media” as a whole.

If we peel back the layers to when email and bulletin boards first existed, the main use of the “internet” (not even social media) was to communicate (emails to friends overseas) and share (anything from photography tips to fan fiction on various bulletin boards).

In that sense, nothing has changed. Maybe we don’t email picture attachments of a new baby to relatives halfway across the globe anymore, but you can be sure they’ll see those pictures on Facebook, or Flickr, or Instagram, or Path.

Social media taps into a form of human nature that can’t be changed – the desire to communicate, share and connect.

Maybe there isn’t one central place to talk about comics like an rec.arts newsgroup anymore (hands up if you remember those), but now you can do it on blogs and share links on Twitter and exchange ideas on Facebook and the trend continues.

Once upon a time we may have expressed this nature by clipping out an interesting magazine article and sending it to a friend via snail mail for a one-to-one interaction. Now we look for the one click “share” button on the blog’s website and publish it to Facebook where one share can reach many.

Social media isn’t a fad. It’s evolving to be smarter and more sophisticated and perhaps more importantly, easier than ever before, and in doing do fulfilling out need to reach to people like us to be and feel connected.

What that desire goes away, maybe then social media will fizzle out and die like previous fads like pogs, disco and poofy hair.

Tags: advertising, bulletin boards, email, facebook, flickr, friendster, google plus, instagram, internet, is social media a fad, myspace, newsgroup, newspapers, path, radio, rec.arts, share, social media, social media fad, television

No Comments | Posted in » social media

2012 – The Year Of “Better”

As 2012 begins to roll along in full force, many of us are thinking (or have already thought) about our digital and/or social media strategies in 2011, and how we can improve on them this year.

Let’s face it, since the launch of the iPad and mobile apps, there hasn’t been anything “groundbreaking” the way Twitter, Facebook and to some extent location-based services have been.

So how else can we make a splash?

I think the short answer is “better”.

We need to have better engagement on social networks, better content that matches customer needs, better applications that are more relevant, better analytics to identify strengths and weaknesses, better email campaigns that convert.

They key really, I think, is going to be consistent, constant effort, engagement and interaction with our communities who actually care about our message, and leverage their interest and passion/energy to reach others.

With “better”, we can reach out to people who perhaps haven’t heard of our community and help them become aware of us.

With “better”, we can connect with those who do know us, and begin to build relationships.

With “better”, we can strengthen those relationships that already exist, and create advocacy.

Will you be better in 2012?

Tags: 2012 predictions, better analytics, better applications, better content, better email campaigns, better engagement, build advocacy, build relationships, community, digital strategy, facebook, ipad mobile apps, location services, social media strategy, twitter

1 Comment | Posted in » social media

Top 10 Posts Of 2011

It’s the time of year to share what resonated with you and what didn’t in 2011. As usual some of them are surprises, but that’s one thing that’s really fun and exciting about social media – you never quite know what’s going to pop.

#1 - George Yeo, Aljunied GRC, the Singapore Elections and social media – I’m not surprised this is the most popular post given that this was the first election in which social media had an active role to play.

#2 - 3 reasons why Foursquare should succeed in Singapore, and 2 reasons why it hasn’t – A post made early on in the year when I still thought 2011 might be a big year for location. Sadly, that pretty much fizzled out, though I think the 3 reasons why it should work are still valid.

#3 - Health Promotion Board says “F You” in a tweet, and why it matters – Wow this case study feels so long ago, but still relevant. Can we look forward to a 2012 where these negative case studies don’t feature as often?

#4 – Yet another fake social media campaign – Another case study. I think there were more examples this year, but this one got the public fairly outraged. Again, looking forward to a time when both clients and agencies understand that social media is about being authentic, not fake.

#5 – Campaign tracking for Google Analytics – A “how to” post and one that I’m glad people liked. Struggling to understand campaign tracking was something that bugged me for a long time and I’m glad I finally wrapped my head around it.

#6 – QR codes in Singapore – opportunity or dead end? – Let’s put it this way, I’m a believer in QR codes. I don’t think it should replace anything, but it’s a great option for the segment of your audience that knows how to use them.

#7 – Mobile advertising – where’s the ROI? – Big issue that’s only going to get bigger as mobile gets more and more important.

#8 – You’re only hired because you’re on Twitter – I’m slightly surprised this got the traction it did, with lots of long tail traffic. I think it’s a great reminder for all of us to keep current with the trends that are developing in our space.

#9 – Thoughts on social media and Gen Y in the organisation – I think the Gen Y shift at the workplace is going to be more and more pronounced. Individuals born between 1998-1990 are starting to join the workforce and I think managers are going to be in for a difficult culture clash. How many are ready?

#10 – 3 things I love about eBooks – I think I really fell in love with reading on my devices in 2011, as did many people with their new Kindles and Kindle Fires. Need I say more?

Those were my top posts for the year, and they were really diversified from social media to case studies to how to guides to general musing. I didn’t blog as much as I wanted to in 2011, but I hope that will change in 2012.

Happy new year, everyone.

Tags: aljunied grc, campaign tracking, ebooks, fake social media campaign, foursquare, Gen Y, george yeo, google analytics, health promotion board, mobile advertising, QR codes, ROI, singapore elections, social media, twitter

No Comments | Posted in » social media

2011 Predictions – Hits And Misses

Last year there were 5 digital marketing and social media predictions I made for 2011 and it’s time to look back and see how accurate they were (or weren’t).

1 – Mobile will be more important than ever

I said: Of course, mobile doesn’t just refer to the web but apps as well. It’s no doubt that apps are big business but I think organisations are slowly going to discern between having an app for the heck of it, and having one that really helps contribute towards an objective.

What happened: No doubt 2011 was a big year for mobile devices (including tablets). I think the more innovative apps are still coming out from smaller organisations than the big brands, but one can hope this will change soon. Additionally, it’s still incredibly hard to access many sites on mobile phones, much less try to buy something from them. I can only imagine the millions (billions?) of dollars in missed opportunities here.

Verdict: Let’s face it, a blind monkey could have hit this one. I’m calling it a hit, but the industry has a fair distance to go.

2 – Accountability will be more important

I said: In 2011 I think the results of these experiments are going to be challenged. If we as digital marketers can’t demonstrate the value of our engagement strategy or our email marketing or our social media efforts, those dollars are going to be channeled right back to print, television and radio and we’ll only have ourselves to blame.

What happened: I think the visible effects of this particular trend have gone under the radar in the form of cut budgets and/or personnel or time. Maybe a Twitter or Facebook account is less active than it used to be, or blogs are updated less frequently.

My gut says many organisations haven’t had the patience to follow through with initiatives they started in 2010, or they haven’t figured out how to take it to the next level. Either way, this is still a huge deal with the higher ups of organisations not understanding the returns from social media, and again, that’s our fault for not being convincing.

Verdict: Not enough data to be conclusive, but I think the problem is still there.

3 – Location will grow

I said: Location is still a niche service, but Facebook Places might change that. The question is again whether marketers will be ready to capitalise on opportunities that arise from location.

What happened: Admittedly I didn’t pay much attention to this area, but from what I’ve noticed, nothing much happened. Facebook Places didn’t become the game-changer I thought it might have been, Foursquare has lost a lot of the buzz it had in 2010 and organisations still haven’t figured out how to make local (or hyper local) relevant. I still think the opportunity is there, though.

Verdict: Miss. Whether a result of lack of innovation from organisations or from the platforms themselves, location didn’t really progress in 2011.

4 – Content will be the new marketing

I said: Rarely do we consider buying a product or service without doing some research first. Brands that are able to use content to both humanise themselves and deliver utility will have the edge over those who don’t.

What happened: I could point to a lot of examples of this working this year. I think companies are slowly learning that generating content online creates engagement with their audience. Whether it’s simple content like a Facebook status update or something more complex like a blog post or video, there has definitely been a trend.

I could point to things like the Singapore Memory Project, Nylon Singapore’s interactions on Twitter and Instagram and efforts by Frank by OCBC and special mention to Best Denki on Twitter as examples of this in action.

Verdict: Hit. Not gaining traction on the level I’d like to see, but there’s some positive movement on this front and I think this momentum is going to continue going into 2012.

5) Integration and syncronisation will be a growing concern

I said: From eBooks to documents for work to games to messages to pictures – we as consumers are going to want it to be readily available anywhere, anytime. Will platforms be able to deliver?

What happened: I think organisations involved in the delivery of these products and/or services are realising that this is definitely important. Stuff like Amazon Cloud Reader shows a big step in the right direction, same with iCloud. I’ve personally chosen to make most of my eBook purchases with Amazon instead of Kobo because Amazon’s syncing performance is superior.

The big question: will these services be revenue generators in the future? Or merely the price to be paid to keep customers happy.

Verdict: Hit. If anything, we got more connected in 2011 thanks to various facets of our lives being replicated across multiple platforms and devices.

There you have it. I think I was pretty spot on in 2011, but which points do you particularly agree or disagree with?

Tags: 2011 predictions, accountability, amazon cloud reader, best denki, content marketing, digital marketing, ebooks, facebook places, foursquare, frank by ocbc, icloud, instagram, location, mobile, mobile devices, nylon singapore, singapore memory project, social media experimenting, social media predictions, tablets, twitter, web apps

2 Comments | Posted in » social media

The Content Frustration

At a recent social media breakfast, almost all the attendees agonised over how hard it was to get the resources to create content and get others (read: upper management), to realise that content creation (or at least curation) is an important part of digital strategy.

Show them any blog post or article saying that content is important and they’ll say “of course the people you read/follow think so!”

So where are the people who think your website should be a giant “about us” page flooded with press releases?

And why is it when you ask them what’s the last thing they read on a website, they don’t say “press releases”, but insist that’s the most important thing to put on yours?

It boggles the mind.

Bonus: check out this video with CC Chapman, author of Content Rules to get a little more insight to why content creation is important for you and your organisation.

Inbound Now #14 – How to use Content Marketing & Curation for Business with CC Chapman from HubSpot.

[image credit: Cheezeburger network]

Tags: about us, bog post, content creation, content curation, content frustration, digital strategy, frustrated cat, press releases, social media breakfast, upper management

1 Comment | Posted in » Content, Digital Strategy

3 Things I Love About Ebooks

As mentioned in a recent post (Thoughts on social media, ebooks and Gen Y in the workplace), I’ve reading more ebooks recently and wanted to share three things that I really love about them.

1) Synced bookmarks & annotations

There really is something to be said about booting up your reading app and being immediately directed to the “page” you last read, even if you last read it on another device. Same goes for accessing your highlights and annotations across all devices.

I’ve always wanted the ability to flip through a book that I’ve already read and re-read the best parts that I might have noted down previously, with the ability to flip through highlights, it’s finally here.

Oh, and the ability to search within a book is useful too. No more “which page did I read that case study?” accompanied by frantic page-flipping anymore.

2) No waiting

I actually hear a lot about books while on the internet. Either someone mentions a good read in a tweet or I read a positive review in a blog post. Instead of having to wait till I get to the store (which is a rarity with more of them closing), I can download the preview instantly and decide if I like the book enough to buy – also instantly.

Julien has a great observation that this can also lead to starting more books, but not necessarily finishing them:

you naturally get many more unfinished books than you’re used to seeing– that is to say, readers not bothering to finish books. You don’t see the unfinished books at the bottom of your Kindle list, so you never finish them, and the price point means you didn’t waste much. New books on the top of the pile end up being tried out instead of old ones getting finished.

Read more at: The 6 shifts of a Kindle dominated marketplace.

3) Portability

I kid you not, I used to stare at my pile of 5-10 books in the morning and wonder which to carry with me depending on whether I intended to take the bus or train, how much potential reading time I had, if the books were paperbacks or hardcovers, etc.

Now, they all just come along with me, and while waiting in line I can quickly flip through 10 pages and generally clock lots of short bursts on the move. I get a lot more reading done than if I was carrying a physical book.

Bonus: Amazon Cloud Reader

I’m doing almost all my reading on Amazon Cloud Reader because Kobo just doesn’t match up in terms of services (though I love the social aspect of it). The other day I was flipping through a book on my iPad and wanted to take some notes, instead of having to squint on my iPad, I opened Cloud Reader on my desktop monitor and could easily scroll through my highlights and notes and write at the same time. If only I had this in school!

That said, there are still drawbacks to the digital format. I posted 3 things I’d change about Ebooks and digital distribution over a year ago, and the issues still exist today.

There are many pros that ebooks have over physical books, these are just three of my favourites. Amy Leigh Strickland has a fun post 10 improvements eReaders have made on the conventional book – what are some of yours?

[image credit: goXunuReviews on Flickr]

Tags: amazon cloud reader, amy leigh strickland, blog post, conventional book, digital distribution, ebook distribution, ebooks, ereaders, Gen Y, hardcovers, highlights, julien, kindle, kindle dominated marketplace, kobo, paperbacks, physical book, positive book reviews, reading app, social media, synced annotation, synced bookmarks, tweet

1 Comment | Posted in » Books, eBooks