A recent article by AdAge highlights what women want on the Internet. The study shows statistics for smart marketers to help reach today’s online woman. In the past year, the number of unique visits to women’s community sites jumped 35% to almost 70 million from 52 million and women now comprise more than 50% of online users.

What are women looking for online? Women use the Internet for a wide variety of uses from shopping and videos to dating and healthcare information. Then there is the desirable demographic of “social singles” who basically live online.

These “social singles” consist of young, well-educated (48% with a college degree) women ages 25 to 34 who are interested in seeing entertainment online (TV shows and video clips) and often search local dining and entertainment. They also use instant messaging, visit social-networking sites, read blogs, and download music. Basically, the trifecta. Basically, yours truly.

The Internet appears to be a perfect advertising medium for women of all kinds. But, is this really the big picture?

Holly Buchanan has a couple of great posts on the problems of marketers stereotyping groups, particularly women. She says,

When analyzing data, surveys, focus groups, and other information we gather about customers, we may be more likely to focus on information that reinforces our stereotypes since, well, it just “feels right.”

This is wrong. Instead of really thinking about stakeholders and why they may (or may not) care about the offering in question, you’re making your message fit a societally accepted generalization. Research may reveal much more complexity.

Holly goes on to say that when marketing to a demographic, don’t look at the group as a whole and stereotype (i.e. mommy bloggers or soccer moms), but think about the differences and subtleties. Many marketers go for the “soccer moms” based on demographic information, not considering the fact that there are many kinds of “soccer moms” and women in general. Develop a persona to help break away from stereotypes and create an opportunity for success.

It appears that not only do marketers not listen, but they just don’t care. For example, do women really want to see more TV shows like Desperate Housewives? New shows such as Cashmere Mafia or Lipstick Jungle, which are warmed over versions of Sex & the City, feed stereotypes of smart, successful women to be on varying levels catty, lonely, selfish or cold. Is that a true representation of women today? Certainly not any that I know.

Maybe that marketing works because some people like to see themselves in that way, and enjoy the fantasy of a made-up story with attractive people, mega drama (or no drama) and an easy lifestyle. Good marketing can provide an “escape” picture for consumers.

At the same time, good marketing can also involve telling stories and commercial interactions depend on stories. Those stories only work if they match the stories customers are already telling themselves, through social networks, word of mouth marketing and viral campaigns.

When developing a marketing strategy or campaign, reaching into a social network, or pitching a women’s group, make sure to think beyond the stereotypes. Don’t assume that the same message works for everyone.

Many folks ask how to go about creating social media for their company or organization. As a service to the industry, on Now Is Gone find an open source version of a draft social media content development process.

This process is general enough to guide development of specific initiatives. It does not recommend blogging or video, per say. Rather the process allows content creation to move towards the market’s needs, and within the company’s resources. There are 14 steps in all. Check it out.

I’ve been thinking about the false assumption that there’s a PR blogger clique or a general hive mind in the PR blogosphere. It couldn’t be more wrong. Or if there is a clique, I’m not part of it.

Those of us who make up the PR blogosphere have a variety of motives.  For me, it’s marketing my business, and providing a service to my profession through a conversation about trends and best practices. If it was purely social, this would be a baseball blog.

That being said, I’ve made some great friends along the way. Too many to name here. But we disagree on individual matters in the PR conversation. We don’t see eye-to-eye, and we’re not afraid to call each other out. Because we’re adults, and it really is business.

This isn’t some juvenile teen-age game. It’s a group of individuals who are generally moving in the same professional direction. 

It’s no coincidence that these complaints come from some of the most negative bloggers in the space. What’s the value of this kind of blogging and commentary? Does constantly complaining really add to the greater conversation? There’s nothing wrong with pointing out issues or problems, so long as you offer a solution.  But just whining about cliques, lack of content or whatever the gripe du jour is? No thank you!

Please, add to the conversation with some sort of positive addition, new outlook, or create your own group of friends within the PR blogosphere. Another alternative: Just move along. Unsubscribe. I already have.

Luke Armour states that social media is NOT a free for all, and references Shel Holtz’s recent post to that effect. In the end, it’s all about the bottom line. Social media consultants should serve companies and enhance relationships between internal and external stakeholders.

Web 2.0 can teach us a lot about marketing, at least according to Interactive Marketing Trends blog. Giles Jones lists seven things that Second Life can teach us about marketing, including the fact that “we need to realize that as advertisers, we are no longer initiating the conversation with consumers – we are trying to become part of the conversation that these people are already having with each other.”

Tom Pick of The WebMarketCentral Blog offers his tips on the “Four P’s of Effective Business Blogging“, a useful guide for any B2B marketer. He ranks persistence, personality, passion and promotion as the top reasons that professional blogs prosper.

Are you a small business located in the Houston, Texas area? If so, check out Jennifer Laycock’s search marketing conference designed specifically for small business owners. The conference was created with the goal of bringing in-house marketers up to speed in areas of online marketing that are new to them as well as educating businesses on the benefits of SEM. Check out the YouTube video here for more details.

Brian Solis wrote an outstanding post that describes the recent trend of every marketer trying to capitalize on the social media boom. Brian commented, “What’s worse, and to be expected, is that we will only see more of this behavior and posturing each and every day.”

Most businesses, PR pros and marketers are currently focused on adopting the most basic aspects of social media: Blogs, blogger relations, and maybe contributing to YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn. I’m not. The evolution continues, and while business adoption remains a daily professional issue with clients, I’m concerned with the next generation of social media tools.

Some say this discussion is not worthy of reading. Wrong. It’s just good business.  Online communication tools continue to develop, and those of us who actually practice "PR 2.0"  instead of complaining about it have clients that need to communicate through these tools.  It’s a no-brainer to stay ahead of the game, discuss new developments, and learn best practices.

In my case, 60% of my clients are technology based. By their very nature they are the first ones to adopt these tools.  Innovation must continue for this boutique communications firm to maintain its competitive advantage.

Here’s a look at which trends I’m monitoring…

Video

This weekend I participated in the My ooVoo Day launch (this chat featured Kim Haynes, Jay Moonah, Joseph Jaffe and Robin Good), and really enjoyed it.  I could see instant applications beyond just having a chat with folks in my community.  How about blogger, analyst and journalist briefings?  Face-to-face meetings are always much more effective than teleconferences or even Second Life.  Now these briefings can be conducted with a much stronger, powerful tool.

ooVoo highlights a much stronger trend: Video. It’s much more than YouTube. Video continues to get hot as the next generation of visually-enabled social networks gather steam.

Video is getting so hot that in my opinion it’s become critical for the agency to educate itself on a deeper level.  It’s a new canvas, one that can be highly effective for storytelling and stakeholder interaction. Based on trends, client requests, and the same gut instinct that drove me into blogging, not engaging would be a mistake. And so investment in education and equipment has begun.

Mobile

A couple of posts were written on this last week. It’s going to take Verizon and AT&T opening their networks for mobile to really take off in the U.S.  But once they do, it’s only a matter of time before we rapidly catch up with the rest of the world.

For those of you who think the iPhone is a game changer, get ready. AT&T is in talks with Nokia to bring the high profile N95-6 series to the United States late this year.

Social Networks for Your Particular Community

One thing you can expect.  Facebook and MySpace will not be the end all be all for social network marketing.  It’s way to big and general for it to be an effective marketing mechanism, particularly for niche and B2B markets.  Instead expect further development of geographic, industry and demographic specific networks.

Here are a few examples:

• Hyves - Five million strong for this EU (and very Dutch-centric) social network
• MyRagan - Not a personal favorite, but an increasingly strong pooling place for marketing pros
• IT Toolbox - Two million IT pros get information here.
• BlogHER - It’s been around for sometime, and continues to be very strong and influential with women.

An interesting post from Marshall Kirkpatrick at Read/Write Web gives some pointers on where to research influencers. As Marshall acknowledged, the six recommendations do provide good starting points, but while they may yield top blogs, the picture will be incomplete. They won’t get you in front of the true conversation. To do that you have to find the back channel.

The six sites Marshall recommended for research are:

• Technorati
• Del.icio.us
• StumbleUpon
• Google Reader
• AideRSS
• Ask.com Blogsearch

Inevitably, any substantial subject matter area has a back channel where top bloggers and influencers chat. For example, PR and marketing bloggers and tend to connect on Facebook, Twitter, and to some extent, LinkedIn.  This back channel can yield powerful connections to highly influential minds who may not have blogs top statistical rank.

Consider Laura Fitton, a powerhouse Twitter member. Or Ike Pigott, one of the most respected minds in online PR. How about Shannon Whitley, a driver behind social media release development?

Marketers looking to find their subject area’s back channel should start with a basic search. Once your initial search yields important blogs, please visit them and note which social networks the bloggers use to connect. That’s how you will find the heart of your community. Join their communities.  Engage and participate in the conversation. And learn what your stakeholders really care about.

The World Health Organization released a recent report stating that tobacco use could kill up to a billion people in the 21st century, many of them in developing countries. Financed by Mayor Michael R Bloomberg Foundation, the report and the global anti-smoking campaign details a six-point strategy to fight the tobacco industry.

As PR Week reports the campaign is called MPOWER and it is the first report to compile global data on the number of tobacco smokers in each country. The six strategies are: monitoring tobacco use and control policy; enforcing ’smoke free’ laws; offering smokers nicotine replacement and counseling; warnings on cigarette packs of hazards; enforcing bans on tobacco advertising and promotion; and raising price of tobacco through taxes. The Bloomberg Philanthropies contributed $2 million to the report.

In New York, Bloomberg created one of the most comprehensive smoking campaigns in the country. The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported in June that the percentage of adult New Yorkers who smoke fell from 22 to 18 from 2002 to 2006 with the steepest drop of those 18-24 years old.

Yet some of Mayor Bloomberg’s statements have put him at odds with WHO, specifically mentioning that all 179 countries would be graded on performance. As it stands now, Uruguay does more than any other country to reduce smoking.

But the strangest aspect, according to The New York Times, is the report was presented as a campaign for menthol cigarettes, with the theme, “fresh and alive.” The Washington Post reports that the press materials came in a MPOWER brand box that resembles a pack of cigarettes and inside contains a pad and pen describing the elements of the campaign.

The elements sound intriguing. As a smoker for well over 15 years, quitting (I got hypnotized), was one of the hardest things I ever did. Children are the biggest concerns. Not starting in the first place. The global anti-smoking campaign sounds like it has the opportunity to reach them and make a difference.

On Tuesday, Tara de Nicolas, Director of Marketing and Communications and the Editor/Publisher of the Washington Humane Society (WHS) Blog chatted with us on social media. Tara discussed the WHS blogging campaign, and their five-year plan to find homes for adoptable dogs and cats through the program, Good Home Guarantee.

BB: What inspired the Washington Humane Society to engage in social media?

TD: When I first came on board in October of 2006, I was in awe of the heroic and inspiring day-to-day tales that the Washington Humane Society staff and Humane Law Enforcement Officers had to tell, and I wanted to create a way to get these stories out to the community regularly. I first started by creating a blog for our Humane Law Enforcement Officer’s on the MyFoxdc.com web site, and the Officers sent me blog entries weekly to post on the animals they rescued in the field, with stories of how each animal was saved, etc. It was not until I met WHS volunteer Isabel Wang this past August, who is a cyber guru that we decided to add this new Inside WHS blog, with me as the Editor/Publisher posting regularly, as well as posts by our staff and volunteers.

BB: How successful has the campaign been?

TD: Since launching the blog this past September, I secretly enjoyed logging in each day to check the stats to see how many page view we have had. The blog has been a great success, I think mostly because it has broken down the walls, and opened a window to the community, allowing them to see in and learn about who the people are behind WHS and the lifesaving work we do. Now, the community can read all of the exciting day-to-day activities and stories, and know the substance of the people who work on the front lines of WHS, saving the homeless, lost, abused and neglected animals of DC, and then getting the chance to meet everyone in person at our special events.

BB: What is your favorite story of a happy adoption as a result of the blog?

TD: There is no one story I can point to, as the results of this blog have reached far and wide, helping the animals in our care in a variety of ways, from introducing new potential adopters to WHS, to the media contacting me to follow-up and do a story on an animal we blogged about, the results are heartwarming.

BB: Is the Washington Humane Society engaged in any social networks? Which ones and why?

TD: Yes, Myspace, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, and soon will begin working with Monkeysee.com. We realized the world around us was changing quickly, and we needed to evolve with it, and engage the dynamic generation moving up the ranks.

BB: How has the community reacted in these networks?

TD: The community has welcomed us with a warm reception and open arms. The blog has been a wonderful tool allowing us to educate the DC community and beyond on the various programs and services we provide on a daily basis, that I do not believe the general public knew about. The part that has been most fascinating and surprising to me is that people follow it as much as they do, and take the opportunity to seek me out at our special events and introduce themselves, giving me their positive feedback on the blog in person. It has been so rewarding for me, as well as the rest of the WHS staff. In a age where everything happens so quickly and at such a fast pace, the blog allows us the instant gratification of writing a new post daily on the work we do, an animal we helped, or a community member’s whose life we touched, and having it read and released to the world in seconds.

BB: What’s next for the Humane Society blog etc.?

TD: We have a lot of exciting plans to take our blog to the next level, adding more guest blogs by WHS staffers and volunteers, as well as by our President and CEO, Lisa LaFontaine. Soon, we will be adding video blog posts, and for the rest of the exciting happenings we have in store… readers will just have to keep checking in to see them all unfold!

By now we know that Dell gets it. Southwest, GM and even Delta get it as well. Further proof of understanding social media comes from Southwest and Sprint who are engaging in campaigns for Valentine’s Day that match speed dating with social networking.

But there are still a few companies that could benefit from engaging in social media, if only just by using a corporate blog for customer relations. Why haven’t they made more of an effort to reach out to their users and listen to what they are saying?

BlackBerry

Recent outages (again) caused an uproar this week among loyal RIM users. The fact that RIM was unable to even address the problem and provide insight into reasons why the outage happened makes it even more of an issue.

According to CNET:

It’s safe to say that RIM has built a strong reputation as a reliable service provider that has attracted bankers, lawyers and lawmakers as subscribers. But if the outages persist or even become more frequent, the company risks losing some of these very valuable customers to competitors such as Apple and Microsoft, which also offer smartphones with e-mail capabilities.

Although the CEO of RIM did make time to break from Mobile World Congress to address the issue, social media could have served as a smooth way to reach users and share information addressing the issue in real time.

Facebook

Apparently it’s really hard to leave Facebook. Not because it’s a great tool and you’re enjoying all of the applications and advertisements, but simply because they make it hard to cancel and erase your account. Not great customer relations when you have to manually go in and edit/delete and clean up your profile when you decide you’re done with it.

Facebook does have a blog, but it’s rarely updated and often ridiculed. The decisions Facebook makes often misses the mark and opens up a world of criticism and controversy. Over the past year the company has dealt with everything from Beacon woes to competition of market share and even “Facebook fatigue“; the company could really benefit from having an official voice to communicate with the public.

Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook says, “We are here to serve communities, not create one.” However, isn’t part of serving a popular community, participating in it?

Apple/Mac

Apple may be a strong enough brand that it doesn’t need social media in the event of a crisis, however why not use it to engage the community? Many Apple and Mac users are already brand ambassadors, touting the technological advances and superiority of ipods, iphones, itouch and now MacBook Air. An official corporate blog or user network would be a great way to get that community to interact and correspond with Apple executives.

Twitter

Twitter downtime remains a problem for many users. For example, on Tuesday Twitter’s slow response time prompted some users to ask if Twitter wasn’t free, would you pay to use it? Is it a good thing it’s free? This is an issue that could be addressed through their corporate blog or even a Twitter corporate page with updated Tweets. It would help avoid seeing Tweets such as these:

kristiewells Looks like @chrisheuer broke Twitter.

batterista Twitter’s web interface just went to sh*t

jdcoffman If you had to pay for Twitter would you?

LewisG Has Twitter ever had one day when it consistently worked well? Geez! Good thing it’s free. We get what we pay for.

fleaSha Is it just me or is twitter acting like its slow ass self again?

spin Just did the paid upgrade to TwitterPRO.

BarbaraKB Twitter wonky today. Oh well. We’re used to it. Right? ((ggggrrrrrr))

Conclusion

What do you think? Could these companies benefit from engaging in social media and will it increase the success of their customer relations tactics?

For all of the differences that men and women have, a recent Pew study shows that we even read our news differently. Women are more likely to follow stories about weather, health and safety, natural disasters and tabloid news. Men generally stick to stories about international affairs, Washington news and sports. Stories of high public interest such as politics demonstrate little difference between men and women.

Note that more women report watching morning news shows (Good Morning America, The Early Show, etc.) or nightly newscasts, while men get most of their new information from the radio news or talk radio. Men are more likely to view online news sources than women, but overall 63% of men and women view news online.

Men and women are still turning to traditional methods (network TV, radio) over new innovative tools (online, cable news and interactive/citizen journalism) to get the important facts they need. Online news has evolved into a supplemental news source, rather than a primary source.

Jeff Jarvis had a thought provoking post about the future of the news industry, problems and solutions and steps that needed to be taken to ensure local and national news was reaching out to the right audience.

The gender bias report and Jeff’s thoughts are relevant in reaching specific communities across the gender gap. Factoring in content, innovation, and efficiency in a marketing plan will ensure success in reaching a varied audience. Looking at the demographics for the types of stories that are reported, popularity, and reach (local or national) will determine whether or not a marketing initiative makes sense.

Marketers always say it’s about getting the right pairs of eyes… information like this helps.