Tomorrow morning, Strutta.com will launch. It will be the glorious apex of over five months of work (in my case) to prepare for opening the doors to the general public. Not to mention the year or so of prep by our founders and our extremely talented development team.

When I took the job, I promised to publish a few tips about community building here based on my experiences. Two things have prevented me from doing that until now: the fact that the site has been in private beta, and that preparing for a launch like this keeps you pretty busy. Even without a place for us to officially congregate, save for our Facebook Page and our blog, we’ve been busy getting ourselves involved with the people that matter most- the “future” Strutta community. I’ve prepared a list of values that I knew we had to hold near and dear to our hearts before we even began, and examples of how I put those in action. Using our own work as a marketing case study, if you will.

Joining the Community

Taking a page out of Mack Collier’s book, I knew that our staff had to show that we were willing to play our own game, long before it was ever released. In the spirit of that, we started publishing staff videos on YouTube just a few days after I first sat down at my desk, and we haven’t let up since. We made a conscious decision to produce all of our videos with tools that are accessible to most people: consumer quality digital cameras, web cams and iMovie. Since our site is all about video, I’ve used it for lots of purposes: event coverage, outreach, shameless self promotion, recruiting and more. One of our more recent efforts has been something of a hit:

Office Lip Dub - Blister in the Sun, by Strutta.com from Jordan Behan on Vimeo.

Sidebar: Empower Your Best and Brightest

This is where I pat myself on the back for finding the director of the above lip dub video, Mark Freeman- I originally hired him on a very short contract to give us a hand with researching content, but he is now a key member of the product team, handling QA and assisting with community outreach. I’m taking credit where it’s not due though; of the two of us, Mark is the genius.

We also sponsor a lot of local events in the Vancouver tech community. The founders of Strutta, Danny Robinson and Maura Rodgers are the driving forces behind Launch Party Vancouver, a bimonthly event that helps bring exposure to local tech startups in a social setting. We’re also sponsoring the upcoming Drupal Camp Vancouver, an “unconference” for the open source CMS platform that our site is based on. At Christmas time, we headed up a “Hardware Drive” here in Vancouver, donating the booty to Free Geek, a non-profit that recycles and redistributes used computer hardware. Perhaps most importantly, there is nary a tech event in Vancouver that doesn’t have a strong turnout by members of our staff. My doing? Not at all- again this one should be credited to our founders, who hired a bunch of passionate and talented people that love to get involved and show their support, myself included. Here are just a few of their many blogs and other sites.

Tell the Truth

Until we had all of our ideas for Strutta fleshed out, we were in top secret “stealth” mode, so it wouldn’t be accurate for me to say that we have always told the whole truth. But we have been very upfront with people about everything that we were ready to talk about, and started getting community feedback early. When we launched our Alpha product several weeks back, we invited a group of trusted friends and bloggers to come in and test the product. They may be our friends, but these folks weren’t shy about telling us exactly what they thought needed changing, and what parts they wanted to see more of. We listened and responded, and the new site reflects many of those requests. We’ve had to admit to a small number of mistakes along the way as well, and we’ve done so graciously.

Getting the Word Out

Even before I started this gig, our founders were in talks with Voce Communicatons, the Valley PR firm that is helping to dispatch the message on our behalf. After many talks with Tiffany and Shanee and even some crazy nights at SXSW with VP Matt Podboy, I am quite comfortable saying that these guys “get it,” and have been extremely helpful. More on that later when some of the resulting stories hit the many tech community sites and blogs. For my part, I have done some local outreach- some private video pitches for bloggers that we especially love, and even some video responses to some of the folks we are big fans of on YouTube.

Tomorrow morning, we find out what kind of effect these efforts will begin to have, and personally thank anyone who says a kind word. Where challenges are made or questions asked, we answer with grace and efficiency. After the site is public, our marketing efforts turn to promoting the people that matter most to us: the players of the game. The content creators whose brilliant content are what makes the game so fun to play and vote on. People like Freddie Wong, who proved his status as a Guitar Hero demigod when he demolished our CEO in a head-to-head battle at SXSW this year. Or like Piotr Walczuk, whose celebrity impressions are both plentiful and accurate. Is he the Rich Little of a new generation? First and foremost, we care about these folks, and we will continue to improve the product based on their feedback and suggestions.

If you like what you’ve read and you’d like to give us a little boost in the form of a link or even better yet, by dropping by and checking out the site or commenting on the blog, I for one would be genuinely grateful .

You may recall that a few months back I received a pitch in the form of a comic strip, asking if I’d like to test-drive and review a Brother printer.
I agreed to do so, and the timing was great as I was able to set it up at our new headquarters at Strutta, and let everyone have a chance to try it. What follows is my review of the unit that we chose to have as a guest in our offices. We haven’t really put the MFC-9440cn through its paces per se, but we did run several tests and try most of its features.

Here’s a quick list of pros and cons, followed by a video review as well:

We Liked:

• Scan to network, wirelessly. Options to scan to file, image, directly to email etc. Very handy.
• It does it all: print, scan, fax, copy and the aforementioned scan to email.
• Does all of the work of a much larger unit with a reasonably small footprint.

We Also Noticed:

• Still needs to be hardwired to access network, although it can transmit wirelessly
• Noticeably poorer print quality for color prints when compared to other (more expensive) color laser printers

Thank you again to Darren of Capulet Communications for a great blogger outreach campaign, and to Brother as well for trusting a gaggle of geeks like us with their equipment.

I’ve just finished reading “Getting to First Base; A Social Media Marketing Playbook” by Darren Barefoot and Julie Szabo. In spite of the fact that I was given a free copy and I know the authors (transparency is a lesson you’ll learn in the book, btw) I think I can truthfully say that it it is the most comprehensive, up-to-date and well-written ebook on the subject of social media marketing that you’ll find anywhere.

That might come across as a little gushy, but consider the fact that it was completed less than two weeks ago and includes some examples, strategies and tools that didn’t even exist before November of this year. With the way the web changes, this is the only way to go of course, staying abreast of changes like the addition of Facebook Pages and Beacon, just to name a few. Plus, the authors have committed to keeping it up to date, with supplementary downloads for purchasers as the ways of the web inevitably change.

Darren and Julie are great (and funny!) writers and have a wealth of experience in the social media space, as co-founders of Capulet Communications, a Vancouver-based PR and marketing firm. What they do well is exactly what they teach in the book; connecting and engaging individuals, using the tools of the web to spread the word on behalf of businesses. Please note the operative term the preceding sentence: individuals. The ebook is intended to teach people how to connect with individuals that will help spread the word on your behalf, a topic that I’m obviously pretty passionate about, if you’ve been following along. If the names sound familiar, yes it is the same Darren that pitched me recently with the unique idea of using a quickly composed comic strip with some of my own photos in it. They cite that campaign in the book of course, and even show another example of one of the funny and (and very successful) comic “pitches.”

If you want to learn the do’s and dont’s of online marketing in the current web space, then this ebook is for you. As they point out in the introduction, most of the strategies and tips will cost you little more than time, as most are cheap or free. You won’t learn how to burn through a massive marketing budget, and for that matter you won’t exactly break the bank to afford the book either, as it’s priced at $29 USD. I think that’s a bit pricey for an ebook, but not for the wealth of knowledge contained within.

In my opinion, the best feature of this book is the fact that no tall claims are made and no advice is given without specific and detailed examples, attributed to real people and accompanied by external links (galore). It features some prominent web thinkers of the day, mixed with anecdotes from Darren and Julie’s own experiences, some of which are meant to help the reader learn by their mistakes. They practice what they preach, and aren’t afraid to tell you about the times when they had to falter just to learn some valuable lessons.

If there’s a weakness in the virtual pages of this handy reference guide, it’s that it leaves the reader wanting more. I have read it just once, scanning through the text while chuckling to myself and nodding approvingly, and it seems that a second read is in order, this time following all of the many links they include to support their advice.

If you’re not ready to take my word for it, read some of the other online chatter about it, or even read a few sample chapters to get a feel for it. Better still, check out this word from the authors themselves, from their working vacation on the small island of Gozo in Malta:

Now that you’re sufficiently convinced, get on over to the site and order yourself a copy. Do it. Do it.

Step aside Jeff Francis, because Darren Barefoot might be Canada’s best pitcher.

For those of you who have already put two and two together; yes, I am referring to his ability to pitch in the PR sense of the word. See what I did there, with the baseball reference? Sorry Google, but this post ain’t about baseball.

A few months back I referenced Mr. Barefoot’s pitching abilities when he emailed me about a video campaign he had put together. Later I saw that he was using video to pitch bloggers individually (yes, a separate personalized video for each of his chosen publishers) about a photo contest for one of his clients. Obviously he understands that it takes time and care to connect with bloggers and enlist their help when campaigning. And at the moment, he’s doing it all from a quaint villa in Malta on a working vacation.

Well, now he’s outdone himself yet again. And I’m not just saying that because he’s pitching me. Just moments ago I received an email from Darren asking if I’d like to demo a product for one of his clients, Brother Printers. In addition to a short personal message, the email included this comic strip:

Yes, those are a few of my own Flickr photos in the strip, and yes, I did chuckle aloud when I saw it. Nice work Darren.

And now, as an example of pitches gone horribly wrong, I point you to an item published on Darren’s site, where he touches upon the recent Chris Anderson (of Wired magazine and “the Long Tail” fame) dust-up. Anderson published the email addresses of hundreds of PR “professionals” and email newsletters that had (in his opinion) spammed him. I don’t want to get into whether the punishment of such a public outing is fitting of the crime, but I will say this: If you’re on Anderson’s list, you can learn a lot from Darren and Julie at Capulet Communications.

The episode of The Lab that we taped last month will air on August 7 on G4Tech TV (news about the Google Video “release date” coming soon), and I have been invited back to tape another segment on July 12, on the subject of using social media to promote your business.

So, in the true spirit of community, I’m polling everyone (rather informally, just use the comment form below) to find out what social networking sites you like, and how you use them to promote yourself (or your company, where applicable).

I’ve already drafted some notes on:

• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Virb
• Flickr
• and Bebo (which I actually know very little about. Erno? Can you help?)

Any tips or hints you want to share? Any others that deserve top billing in a lightning-fast, six minute talk on social networks? Linda, I’m counting on your input here.

I welcome any and all comments and suggestions.

I’ve been pretty silent about it until now, but I was selected as one of the 50 bloggers to receive a Nikon D80 DSLR camera for a review period of six months. The camera arrived yesterday ( coincidentally on the same day as a scheduled Gastown Photowalk- photos below), and now I’m finally going public about my involvement.

I suppose it’s likely that I was chosen because of my photography hobby in part, but I assure you that nobody is expecting any photographic magic from me. It’s more likely that I was selected because I’ll take an active interest as much in the campaign as in the camera itself. Or maybe they just didn’t want the list too heavily stacked with talent .

I’ll go into my take on all of this in a second, but to avoid any confusion, here are the facts, as I understand them:

Nikon hired the MWW Group to create a blogger relations program that they’ve called “Picture This.”

50 bloggers were chosen, 48 (To date, 46) of whom opted to participate

The trial period is six months, after which the camera can be purchased (at a discount, with the funds going to charity), sent back or kept for an additional six months.

There is no obligation or even expectation to blog about it, the only rule being that if we choose to, we must disclose that we are part of the program. Already, there’s some controversy over the program, which critics say is unethical. They wonder how a blogger could possibly be objective with such a generous loan in the equation?

It’s possible that sending me a camera will make me go ga-ga and cause me to start singing the virtues of Nikon, sure. But that is why there is only one rule: that I disclose my involvement, so the reader can take my opinions and feedback with the proverbial grain of salt. This mandated transparency is what separates this campaign from many of the others that have been under fire for avoiding this extremely important factor. As always, it’s up to the readers as to whether anything that I write rings true for them, and as long as they have all the facts they can make an informed decision one way or another.

I suspect that the dissenters share this one in common with me; we both wish we’d thought of this campaign first. But whether I had been selected or not, I would agree that it is a great way to spread the word online and is perfectly legal and ethical. The only thing that is different in this case of this campaign is the middle man has been cut out. The middle man in this case being the MSM (main stream media).

This time, the consumers are having their say, and have been contacted directly for their opinion. This has rattled the feathers of a few PR types, mostly because the model that they’ve “always used” has been abandoned. After all, what kind of future is there for the PR industry if there’s no need to kowtow to the media anymore? We’ll have to address that one another day, but for an example of how to adapt, start reading this post again from the beginning.

Now that I have been completely up front about my involvement and my feelings about all of this, I can move on to why we’re here; the camera in question. But first, a few more short words about the campaign. The box arrived via courier, accompanied by a hand-written letter on Nikon letterhead from a Senior Director at MWW. In the letter, they offered to give me a walk through of the camera’s features at my convenience. Even if I were being extremely critical (which I often am of attempts at blogger outreach) I have yet to find fault with the way they’ve conducted themselves.

Now, the camera. As I mentioned, I am a bit of a hobbyist photographer, and I used to shoot sports on the weekends while still in high school and between semesters of college. Since getting a new Olympus Evolt E-500 for Christmas, I’ve been trying to relearn the art, this time in digital. So although I’m not completely uninformed, running out on a Photowalk with nary a clue as to how to use this new tool was an interesting adventure. I took a bunch of shots, and I published them in their unedited form, in a set made specifically for my involvement in the program (equal parts disclosure and evangelism). Check out my first attempts with the D80 on our Photowalk by clicking this image:

I will continue to disclose my involvement each time I blog about this subject, and the meta data on my Flickr photos is all the disclosure I feel is necessary as to what camera took what shots (including my webcam, we now have four cameras in the house).

I welcome all feedback in the comments below. There are obviously a number of differences of opinion on all of this, and I’d like to hear them all.

That is the question asked by a new series of funny videos from Elastic Path, a local e-commerce software developer here in Vancouver. Here’s a sample:

Full disclosure: I am an acquaintance of a few of the Elastic Pathers, and the firm that produced the spots as well. That being the case, it should be noted that the email I received containing the link was a terrific example of blogger relations. Here’s an excerpt from the email from Darren Barefoot:

Hi Jordan,

How goes the Barcamp organizing? If that date is secure, I’m optimistic that I’ll stick around for a week after Gnomedex to attend.

I’ll spare you the usual pitch, but I thought you might be interested in these videos we made for Elastic Path.

We’ve done our best to make ecommerce funny (a tall order, I think). There’s a nifty jingle, and the second video prominently features a turnip. I have a bit part as the search engine in the first video–I apologize in advance for my dodgy performance.

Doesn’t sound anything at all like the emails that one usually sees from PR companies pitching bloggers does it? Exactly.

I’m pretty excited to report that Tell Ten Friends is in The Viral Garden’s Top 25 Marketing Blogs (Week 58)!
We’re just in, with our 521 links. Too bad we’re not measured by the links to the home page here: www.telltenfriends.com. To that address, we have 1091 links as of today on Technorati. Note to friends: link to the blog!

It’s great to be recognized, especially among so many other talented and insightful marketing thinkers.

Here’s a little link love for the list:

1 - Creating Passionate Users - 8,460
2 - Seth’s Blog - 8,452
3 - Gaping Void - 3,728
4 - Logic + Emotion - 1,406
5 - Daily Fix - 947
6 - Converstations - 914
7 - Drew’s Marketing Minute - 800
8 - The Viral Garden - 742
9 - Jaffe Juice - 736
10 - Church of the Customer - 710
11 - Diva Marketing - 706
12 - Duct Tape Marketing - 701
13 - Servant of Chaos - 671
14 - What’s Next - 666
15 - Influential Interactive Marketing - 651
16 - Hee-Haw Marketing - 648
17 - Brand Autopsy - 618
18 - Community Guy - 571
19 - Flooring the Consumer - 563
20 - CrapHammer - 560
21 - Customers Rock! - 547
22 - Shotgun Marketing - 534
23 - Coolzor - 532
24 - CK’s Blog - 525
25 - Tell Ten Friends - 521

Cheers!

Without getting into the specifics of a good press release, PR strategies and all that jazz, let’s skip ahead to the part where you’re about to ring that reporter back for the interview you have scheduled.

Just reminder, we’re addressing a “soft news” approach here, where a member of the print media has agreed to do a profile or article on your company or service, or you’re being cited as an expert in your industry on a topic that is making news. Damage control and strategy are lessons for another day, and should probably come from someone more qualified, like Joe Thornley.

To craft a good story, the writer will need plenty of info to cover the who, what, when, where, why and how. Be prepared for this, and make your responses both factual and forthright. They’ll also be on the lookout for a dynamite quote or two, and it wouldn’t hurt if you thought about that ahead of time. Just make sure that you sound natural and sincere, and there’s a better-than-good chance that you’ll see those words immortalized on the printed page. Believe it or don’t, most writers are looking for exactly that; the perfectly crafted pull-quote to build a story around. Call me opportunistic, but I don’t see any harm in having a few ready, and delivering them at the first opportunity. After all, you’re a professional, and you are prepared.

I should have included this in part one, but here will have to do: If you don’t like a question that you are asked, don’t ever say “No comment.” This applies to radio and television as well. If you can’t talk about it, explain that you can’t and if possible explain why. “No comment” gives the media nothing to work with but speculation, and that’s not going to help you any.

-Bend your mind around this image: a screenshot of Flickr, as seen in a scan of Vancouver’s Metro, in a story about Flickr, borrowed from striatic from…you guessed it, Flickr. 10 points if you can count the number of media involved in this one

Additionally, when it comes to the print media, visuals help a lot. Have a flattering profile shot of you at the ready should someone request one, and if it happens to be for a magazine, make sure it is of decent quality. 200 or 300 dpi will be fine for most.

If they want to arrange to send a photographer, don’t resist but rather be very cooperative. And don’t feel guilty about getting a haircut, wearing your best shirt or mopping the office floor on picture day, either. Be mindful of their (often tight) schedule, too. Arrive on time and be ready to say cheese, or help to stage photos of your shop/product, or whatever is needed.

There’s no need to write pages and pages about this stuff; it really boils down to common sense. The overall theme of this series is simple; the media have a job to do, and if you are cooperative and help to make it easier for them, they are more likely to keep calling you in the future.

Next up is radio. Stay tuned…

In our quest to become a “one-stop shop” marketing and PR firm, we have attracted clients with all kinds of needs, including public relations and media training. As a small-business firm, the clients we attract are not those who require spin or disaster management, but rather are just looking for a little more exposure; a bit of free ink or TV time to boost their visibility.

My own experience in the world of PR has taught me a few things, but it is my experience as a reporter and TV producer that has been especially helpful in teaching me the do’s and dont’s of handling yourself around the media. I don’t profess to have all of the answers, but a few simple tips will help you portray the image you want to put out there, and even help the media choose you when it’s time to put someone in the spotlight.

(”The Press,” by jimfrazier)

And so begins a four part series on how to prepare yourself to deal with the media. In this first installment, an overview of general best practices, with parts two through four touching upon print, radio and television. I’ll keep it light, as these tips are meant for small business owners who just need a few hints to point them in the right direction. If you’re a politician on the campaign trail, and you have a spotted past, you probably need another firm.

Cooperate, and Though Shalt Be Chosen

The first thing that I would remind you of when dealing with the media is that they have a job to do. Each day, or week, or month (depending on their deadlines), they are charged with the task of creating compelling content for their audience. Recognizing this fact before anything else is paramount. You are in just as much position to help them as they are to help you. The secret is in making sure that you are indeed helpful.

For starters, the key word in that last paragraph is compelling. Ask yourself whether your message, press release or cause matters to anyone other than you before you assume that it will put you on the front page. Rather than flooding an editor’s inbox with releases that nobody cares about, contact a specific reporter or producer directly, and ask if there’s any way that you can help them out. It is especially helpful if you have a bit of background on that person first, and you are 100% sure that their beat is relevant to your industry.

Keep in touch, and be ready to provide value to them when they need it. At the 11th hour when they need a quote, a photo or a sound-byte that pertains to your industry, you want them to call you. More often than not, they will appreciate the sentiment. Make sure to call in the morning, as most media deadlines happen in the afternoon, and nobody wants to chit-chat when they are on a deadline. (Radio and TV morning shows are an exception here, of course) If you have a time sensitive item, and a prepared release, that is as good excuse as any to make that first call and start a relationship.

Be Prepared

If and when you get asked to participate in an article or show, have a game plan. Don’t assume that you can be your usual charming self when faced with answering a question into a microphone, or even over the telephone to the sounds of a reporter’s frantic scribbling. Even with all of my experience around microphones, cameras and crowds, I still freeze up a bit when a camera is turned on me. And that, dear friends, is why I’m Jordan the online marketer and not Jordan the famous Sports Broadcaster. Rehearsing your answers, whatever the medium, is not a crime. You were asked to be interviewed because of your expertise, and no one will fault you for being a prepared and polished expert, with answers at the ready.

More to come; the next part in the series will cover print specifically, and then we’ll cover radio and finally television. I know many of my readers are more qualified PR experts than I, so feel free to add your tips in the comments. Where applicable, I will add them to the original articles as updates.