The Buzz Bin

Kami Huyse starts off the week with a great post showing how public relations is really customer service, and the disconnect between social media and conversation marketing. Public relations should now “serve as a champion for the customer and communities it serves”, and that speaks volumes for conversational marketing.

Paul Dunay at Buzz Marketing for Technology posts a question based on a panel discussion at BlogWorldExpo, where social media is compared to a political war room. He asks why more corporate communications firms don’t manage their departments as such. “Political war rooms have teams of communications people who monitor and listen to the media and the public, respond to inquiries, and synthesize opinions to determine the best course of action.”

Brief brands and messages are discussed on Unleashed on Marketing with Gary Bembridge. He points out the fact that marketers should cover the bare essentials, and what that details.

Often clients ask the question of what is the ROI for starting a blog? Drawing from personal and corporate experience, we as social media consultants and professionals are able to estimate that answer for them. James Durbin at Brandstorming provides a comprehensive list to determine whether or not a corporate blog is right for you, your client, or company.

Doug Haslam points out that in social media, face to face interaction is always going to be the best option. Based on some of Jeff Pulver’s presentations over the past couple of weeks, Doug shows us that there is no substitute for a REAL conversation.

The “grab and gab” approach to marketing does not cut it anymore, according to Ubereye Marketing blog. Using Seinfield as an example, Bill points us to the idea that mass marketing, telemarketing, and banner ads are no longer effective mediums for marketing. Instead, people want “authentic and engaging dialogue with businesses” about topics that the consumer finds important, not the marketer.