How a non-profit can use Twitter: A real-life example
An interview with Danielle Brigida of the National Wildlife Federation on their use of Twitter. Danielle discusses how she first got going – “I didn’t really know how to start the conversations yet-but I knew that NWF could be a reliable resource for anyone who wanted to follow us,” and its applications within the organization. In a testament to its value: “We use it as one of our top listening tools because we get to join in the conversation and also get a glimpse of how we are doing our jobs. We have mended relationships because of Twitter, we have made new friends because of Twitter, and we have helped spread important messages and increased our online activism all because of the way this social media tool leads people to things that interest them.”

How to tell if your social media consultant is a lemon
Suw Charman-Anderson, a longtime observer, practitioner and sage advisor on social media, weighs in on the countless consultants who’ve declared themselves social media experts in recent months. Suw: “We all have to start somewhere, after all, but social media is experiential, which means if you haven’t experienced it then you really don’t know what you’re talking about…” She goes on to share an excellent list of questions to ask of social media specialists your company is considering hiring, e.g., “How do you measure success and recognise failure?,” and red flags that should give you pause, e.g., ‘Facebookitis’ and “Too much focus on technology.”

BtoB Marketers, The World Is Your Web 2.0 Oyster
Christina Kerley, a marketing specialist in both BtoB and BtoC, describes how she’s increasingly incorporated social media into her both her professional services and personal interests. “While I certainly don’t view social media as a panacea to all BtoB marketing challenges, I do see exciting opportunities and sound reasoning for leveraging these tools and technologies to improve market share, brand awareness and customer relationships.” She continues, before laying out helpful points about business cases for business marketers: “The challenge of this environment for marketers is not only adjusting to customers being in control of messages-it’s learning what they want now that they’re showing us (and telling us) who they really are, vs. our perceptions of them.” Amongst those business case recommendations you should click through to the piece to read:  “Don’t think Evangelists. Think Credible Recommendations” and “To Claim First-Mover Advantages, One Must Get A Move On.”

Data Dump

US Trust in Business Hits 10-Year Low; Only 17% Trust CEOs
The latest Edelman Trust Barometer survey, which looks at how “informed publics” between 25 and 64 view business, government, media and NGOs, found that 62% of Americans polled place less trust in corporations than they did a year ago, and that only 17% trust information from a company’s CEO. As the piece says, those numbers reflect a lower level of trust than previous surveys that looked at the wakes of Enron, the dot-com bubble, and 9/11. Other numbers worth nothing: 77% of those surveyed say they refuse to buy products or services from companies they distrust, and 72% say they have “badmouthed a distrusted company to a friend or colleague.” The most trusted purveyors of information, according to the survey: independent specialists – “an academic or expert on a company’s industry or issues would be extremely or very credible.” See the article for more on different countries’ views of government intervention, different readings on trust in business in China and Brazil, and more.

The Vitrue 100 – Top Social Brands of 2008
Vitrue, a social media advertising solutions company, has released its list of the top social brands of 2008 lists, according to its Social Media Index (SMI), a measurement system they launched in 2008 to help track brands’ share of voice on the social Web. The top 100 here, which range from the iPhone, CNN and Disney at the top of the list, to Jet Blue, Puma and Sears at the bottom of the list, were drawn from Vitrue’s daily analysis of more than 2,000 popular brands mentioned in blogs, social networks, microblogging services, and photo and video-sharing sites. Interesting enough to see the list and a useful addition to the other such lists bouncing around these days.

Who Should Own Lead Generation? And Who Should Run It?
Trish Bertuzzi shares a few basic findings of the 2009 Lead Generation Metrics & Compensation Report, a survey that looked at how 125 North American technology companies manage their lead generation activities. One such finding: 74% of lead generation groups report to Sales, not Marketing. The piece: “We believe this transition is occurring as the role evolves: From qualifying inbound leads & setting meetings… to taking more ownership of the front end of the sales process.” The piece includes a few other bits of data as well as proffers advice on how companies might better run their lead gen activities.

Marketing 2.0 Blog + Community

Be sure to check out CMO 2.0 Conversations, our new companion to our Marketing 2.0 activities. The site houses the archives of past discussions we’ve had with leading practitioners of social media marketing such as Barry Judge of Best Buy and Paula Drum of H&R Block. As you’ll see, the site includes the audio recordings of past interviews, available for download or playing in place, and will soon include transcripts and other related materials. Please check it out and let us know if there are other executives and companies from whom you’d like to hear.

Reminder: We’ll be interviewing Beth Comstock, the CMO of GE, on March 6th from 10:30-11:30 a.m. EDT. Register now!

Finding: 8 patterns in social media ecosystems
Lois: “Many, including me, have talked about the value of listening to social media conversations.  I’m starting to think listening is too passive – and pays short shrift to what you can find when you really study your company or your industry’s social media ecosystem.” She explains that while immersing herself in clients’ social media ecosystems recently she identified eight types of topic patterns that frequently turn up. The first: “What makes people love your company – and hate it. Sounds basic, but ‘you suck/you’re amazing’ make up a huge proportion of the conversations around most businesses.   Where to focus on your resources?  Leveraging the love and figuring out how to stop the hate are good places. (And not just in the social media environment.)” See the blogpost for the seven others and her tips on how to address them.