I believe in Word of Mouth (WOM) marketing. It is insanely effective. If you don't believe me, just look at your Facebook. That is the ultimate in online word of mouth.But there is another group pioneering WOM as well. BzzAgent is a group that solicits everyday people to try products and talk about them. It is amazingly attractive even without the rewards. I have tried a Sonicare Toothbrush, food, cosmetics, all sorts of different products.Lately, I have started working on a campaign for SniqueAway. It is a luxury getaway site. Think Groupon or JDeal for lux hotels and resorts. Now, I know what you are thinking... I can't afford that. But here is the opportunity for two things.
1. Book a staycation by finding a deal in your town for a hotel that you would never go to because it is WAY too expensive.2. Plan a big out of town trip and upgrade your hotel to a fancy resort through SniqueAway.Basically, I am super excited to plan a vacation now and these hotels look amazing. Check it out here - SniqueAway
Social Media Plan Template
I have been asked what social media plan template I use by several colleagues and students. Here is one that I found online and have modified for my own use. It is a great jumping off point for social media practitioners.Social Media planYou are welcome to use it and I am happy to share but I would love a shout out or link to my blog in exchange. Remember me when your CEO gives you a raise! :)
REVISED 8/21/12:
Some folks have 'kindly' pointed out that the linked social media plan above is from Marketo and have (very unkindly) call me some nasty names for 'stealing' it. The reality is, yes, I used Marketo's plan as inspiration for my social media plan. I also used several other companies. At the time, I could not recall their names. However, when I uploaded it to my blog, I attached the wrong link. The above link was to a PDF version of Marketo's plan. That is not the plan I use. In the rush of everyday life, I neglected to check the link and it has existed for over a year on my blog mistakenly attributed to me. For that I am deeply sorry.This has given me the opportunity to present to you an updated version. My previous version was focused a lot on content delivery companies (which is what my Masters thesis was on) however, I am doing less of that these days. Here is my actual, real, and current template and plan which I use in my social media adventures.
Updated Social Media Plan
Thank you all for your interest and visits!
Dear Egypt
Dear Egypt:Please stop looting your museums and for goodness sake, DON'T destroy your pyramids or the store-cities of Pithom and Ra'amses. We refuse to rebuild.Love,The JewsP.S. Great-Grandpa Moshe wants us to remind you that it was only through the good grace of God that we stopped at the number '10.' Don't get any funny ideas about real estate to the east...It's been all over Facebook and Twitter but I had to include it here. Look, it's a funny joke but Israel is really in an awkward spot here. On one hand, we can take in the people who are getting beaten by the government and help protect them but on the other hand, this government was the only one who sought peace with Israel. How do we keep our southern ally and help the people?
Back from the Holy Land
Okay... I get the point... I stink... I am sorry. I have been back to America for 20 days and to Colorado for just over two weeks and I haven't posted a blog. Very not cool of me.But you see, I have been so overwhelmed with this reentry/transition back to my regularly scheduled life... It was like I froze Talia and took a trip in an alternate universe. Now I've come back to find out that the world has moved on but not only was regular Talia frozen, she has this added wealth of knowledge and perspective.I have been putting off writing for a while now. Even before I left. I found some excuse (usually relating to being exhausted or too busy) to not force myself to face the experience I just came home from or the special people I left in Israel.And I guess I am going to put it off again. Not indefinitely, in fact, I am working on it right now... but the more I think about it, the more thought it will take to write. Not one of my usual off the cuff blogs. And then this blog will undergo a renewal, back to my odd eclectic self of social media and Jewish ideas. With some Sherlock Holmes tossed in for good measure.But I felt I owed it to you all, my blog readers and fans, to tell you where I am and why I have been so noticeably absent. I promise to rectify that very soon!Thanks for sticking around!
Welcome Denver Hebrew High Students
I see you found my blog. Nice work. Leave me a comment here to get your prize on Sunday.And since you made it this far, here are some funny videos for you to enjoy. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPq5oIz7Mro][youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsWwb5gFla0&]
2010 in review
The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here's a high level summary of its overall blog health:
The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow.
Crunchy numbers
A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 5,200 times in 2010. That's about 13 full 747s. In 2010, there were 113 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 157 posts. There were 137 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 108mb. That's about 3 pictures per week.The busiest day of the year was September 17th with 917 views. The most popular post that day was We have to walk?! Where?.
Where did they come from?
The top referring sites in 2010 were twitter.com, wordpress.com, facebook.com, taliashewrote.blogspot.com, and frumsatire.net.Some visitors came searching, mostly for ransom note generator, zeev orenstein, talia she wrote, funny ransom note generator, and france after ww1.
Attractions in 2010
These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.
1
We have to walk?! Where? September 201056 comments and 12 Likes on WordPress.com
2
About Talia July 20103 comments
3
The Laws of Sukkah According to Dr. Seuss September 20107 comments and 2 Likes on WordPress.com
4
Totoro goes to Israel September 2010
5
Zivug vs Beshert October 20102 comments
A New Year, A New You
I wrote this post for MetroImma and we couldn't run it but I really liked it so I am going to post it here, enjoy! (Thanks to Cindy, who got the piece started.)
New Year, New You?Some Jews get offended if you refer to January 1st as The New Year, as if recognition of it somehow undermines the legitimacy of Rosh HaShanah. It doesn’t have to be a huge celebration or even a nod to secularism or other faiths. But there’s also no reason why we shouldn’t use every opportunity to take stock of our behavior, achievements and goals. I don’t know about you, but the heart-felt fervor I feel in Tishrei tends to wear off a little by the time Kislev rolls around, so I for one am not too proud to use this opportunity for yet another fresh start. It’s pretty easy to act like you mean it with Yom Kippur looming around the corner, so when you’re buttressed between feel-good Hannuka and sweet ole Tu B’Shvat, is a little non-Jewish, non-religious reckoning such a terrible thing?On New Years Eve we hope that this will be the year we stick to our diet, earn that raise and be a better daughter or parent. New Years resolutions are certainly not a bad thing, that is, if you remember where you wrote them down. On Rosh Hashanah, we don’t just cross our fingers and hope for the best, but spend time looking back, taking stock, and accepting responsibility for all that we have done, and not done. More than just the beginning of a new Jewish year, it’s another revolution in an unbroken cycle connecting us to those who went before us, dating back thousands of years.So on the secular New Years, we are given a three-month performance evaluation with the boss. On Rosh Hashanah you really were sorry for not spending more time with your kid after dinner. You wanted to fix that. Have you? What have you done so far this year that you might need to do teshuvah for? How can you prevent yourself from doing these things again?Yes, the secular New Year isn’t something that is distinctly Jewish but it is certainly something that impacts our lives. (Just try writing 13 Adar, 5771 on your checks in America and see the stares you will get!) We can take this day as a post it note reminder, a pop up alert on your Google Calendar, a last minute text message to keep refining who we are. It is easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day details. However, when the world seemingly screeches to a halt between Christmas and New Years, what better time for a personal check up and check in?
Totoro Heading Out With the Ladies of Mayanot
The Mayanot ladies and I went out the other night. We were just going to a farbrengen but we took the bus.I must say, these ladies are so sweet. They take such good care of me and are so kind. Here are a few pictures of our outing...
