Jonathan Kochis

Sometimes I find interesting things on the interwebs, sometimes I find them in my head. They all exist together here.

Drive vs. Draw

My inspiration for this post comes from hearing the expression 'drive traffic to your web site' a little too often.

The phrase is used everywhere and has become common in web marketing vocabulary.  I don't take issue with the 'traffic to your web site' part -- it's the word 'drive' I'm not particularly fond of.

Think of things that are 'driven' in this manner.  Cattle come to mind.  Typically cattle aren't interested in going in the direction they're being driven but are encouraged to, by among other things, prodding and fear of what's behind them.

Is this how we should be treating valuable human beings as they navigate the digital channel (or any channel for that matter)?  With prodding and push tactics?  I don't think so.

The solution could be as simple as replacing the term 'drive' with 'draw.'  Think of the real value we can provide on our web sites, social networks, and mobile applications and use that as a mechanism to draw traffic, fans, and followers (more on this later).

It's a simple concept, but one that's all-too-often overlooked.

How not to follow the bitter example of Nestle | Bristol24-7

It’s worth also mentioning that Nestlé shares dropped significantly during the first six hours of this event. How’s that for ROI on social media – and not the kind any business wants to replicate.

Threatening to delete amended Nestle logos? Deleting comments posted on the Nestle fan page? Sarcastic comments by the Nestle social media coordinators on Facebook? Whomever is behind the Nestle Facebook fan page is extending the failure of a company to social media. Pro tip: don't follow this example. Ever.

Comcast and the Personal Approach to Social - SxSW 2010

via vimeo.com

In my opinion Comcast has it figured out. Frank Eliason uses a touching personal story to make a great point about why it's so important to represent businesses on social networks with real people. Hiding behind a logo and generic bio is contrary to the reason social networks exist...to allow real people to connect with others they know or are interested in.

Presentation: Simple Tactics - Social Media

Yesterday I gave a session on social media tactics at a great eMarketing conference put on by Fanshawe College.  Quite frankly, I've heard enough confusing stats and witnessed the fear that some presentations (unknowingly) deliver one too many times.  It's time to get started -- a step that doesn't have to be confusing, scary, or time-consuming.

Thanks for all the positive feedback so far.  If you see anything that needs further explanation feel free to email me at jonathan@resolutionim.com 

Note: my presentation includes some content from here and here (via Slideshare).

Michigan's Million-Dollar Facebook Mistake

The state of Michigan is currently building a custom social network called the Michigan College Access Portal, at a cost of $1.5 million, to help students looking to transition from high school to college and beyond.

One point five million dollars of public funds. To build a Facebook knock-off.

via ohmygov.com

What ever happened to meeting your audience where they already exist online? I think this initiative is going to be a painful waste of $1.5M for the State of Michigan and its taxpayers.

What If There Was No Twitter?

via outspokenmedia.com

I like this article from Outspoken Media. In the uptake of social media don't forget about the digital platform you own....your web site(s). It's really the only one you can control and have ownership of indefinitely.

Study: Ages of social network users

via royal.pingdom.com

The average age of social network users always makes for interesting discussion. This study by Pingdom and others conducted by the Pew Research Centre make it quite clear that those in the 35-44 bracket use social networks the most. Even the average age of Bebo users, the youngest of all, is over 28.