What B2B Marketers Can Learn From the Crocs Catfight
Call it the shoe heard round the world.
Recently, there's been a bit of a hullabaloo raised online about a Crocs social media guy who had a run-in with a Mommy blogger and blogged about it. Who knew shoes could be so inflammatory?
On the surface it's a case of a blogger threatening a company with bad press if she doesn't get free product, in this case, shoes; and the Crocs employee in turn getting up on his high horse and threatening to hurt the blogger's reputation.
On a very minor scale, it reminds me of the Gates-Crowley imbroglio. Not because race was involved - there was none that I am aware of here - but that it was a power struggle between two different authorities. Here, the blogger thought she had the power of her blog to demand free shoes. Meanwhile, the Crocs social media guy, George Smith Jr, feeling unfairly attacked quickly asserted his power to reduce the blogger to a "nobody." Can't you hear the egos battling in the conversation?
It all reminds me of the fact that as the blogosphere continues to expand its influence, we are entering a wild west in terms of behavior and professionalism. Anything goes. Unlike mainstream journalism where there is an implied agreement that both public relations professionals and the media will adhere to certain rules. Certainly, any mainstream reporter would be penalized, if not promptly fired, if he or she bribed a source. Similarly, a company PR representative who threatened to damage a reporter's reputation would not remain unscathed.
Meanwhile, bloggers, unless they are paid to blog for someone, have no higher authority than themselves and the court of public opinion.
To help you navigate these unchartered waters, here hare some standards for b2b marketers to follow:
Treat bloggers respectfully. But don't sink to the level of tit for tat - where you bribe bloggers in exchange for a favorable review.
Don't expect bloggers to act as traditional journalists. Many journalists operate under a code of ethics that among other things forbids their accepting gifts. Bloggers won't necessarily honor embargoes and other traditional public relations-mainstream media practices..
Listen to bloggers and engage them. Don't simply ask a blogger to do something for you but first read the blogger and develop a relationship.
Remember the street goes both ways. If at the end of the day, you don't like what a blogger said, feel free to comment/respond. Unlike traditional media, we all now have megaphones. Just be sure to use yours judiciously.
What B2B Marketers Can Learn From the Crocs Catfight - To learn more about this author, visit Wendy Marx's Website.
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Joe DagerJoe Dager is President of Business901, a progressive coaching company providing no-nonsense direction in areas such as Lean Six Sigma Marketing and organized referral marketing. What others say: In the past 20 years, Joe and I have collaborated on many difficult issues. Joe’s ability to combine his expertise with “out of the box” thinking is unsurpassed. He has always delivered quickly, cost effectively and with ingenuity. A brilliant mind that is always a pleasure to work with.” - James R. If you want to learn more about Business901, start a conversation with us. We can be found @ Web/Blog: Business901.com Web/Blog: FundingYourNonprofit.com LinkedIn Profile Follow me on Twitter - Visit Joe Dager's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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