Digital Marketing And Social Media PR – The Future Buzz

For big, larger than life plays, successful web PR is based on great content and pull ideas that tell a story. But what about the less obvious yet more frequent daily mentions, links and endorsements that are a regular part of the web? They’re not about buzz so much as they are about relationships.

Buzz is a vital element of digital PR, however that’s just half the equation. The other half is relationships, something the web lets you form organically over long periods of time. Buzz is the first step, the introduction, the way to get on the radar of those you are looking to connect with. Without buzz you have nothing, but buzz without forming relationships puts you at the same spot.

There is one commonality among every successful web publisher or influential web personality: persistence. It’s so simple, yet so effective.

In networks, we find self-reinforcing virtuous circles. Each additional member increases the network’s value, which in turn attracts more members, initiating a spiral of benefits.

–Kevin Kelly

Techdirt is running a great experiment on a business model concept that is applicable to anyone who produces digital content. It would be useful for musicians, photographers, video producers, bloggers or anyone in between to take notes here.

The formula is simple:

Connect with Fans (CwF) and give them a Reason to Buy (RtB).

or

CwF+RtB=$$$

Two quick links for today.

First up, check out my new post on TopRank’s (my employer’s) blog on Web Community Building: Making It Thrive.

Next, Mike Fruchter who took over my previous digital strategist position at Pierson Grant wrote a social media case study on International Dairy Queen, a former client I helped guide into the social web.

Looks like some of the early adopter crowd are waking up from their Twitter-induced dreams.

There are several conversations around the web about it this week, but I’ll sum the reasons you should blog and not just Tweet simply: microblogging (or any social platform where you don’t control the rules) doesn’t replace the power of an independent web publishing platform where you control the vertical and the horizontal. Rather, if used properly it actually makes your independent outlet that much more powerful.

Psyblog recently shared 10 rules that govern groups in the physical world. Interesting stuff for sure and raises the question – how many of these 10 are true on the web? My sense is all of them, as the way we function online in collaborative settings is not all that different from how real-world groups interact.