JitterJam® Social CRM

The Inbound Marketing Summit is an annual conference where the online marketing community gathers to solve today’s marketing and business communications challenges. This event features the brightest minds in the business, including world-renowned authors and practitioners, as well as leaders from some of the companies already using the new tools and strategies. This fast-paced and information-packed event is your check-up on your existing business communications strategies, and your prescription for the coming months.

Using Social CRM for Rich Customer Engagement

Ric Pratte, President & CEO of JitterJam (@ricpratte), gave this presentation on Using Social CRM for Rich Customer Engagement at the Inbound Marketing Summit in Boston. Thanks to @ActiveEdgeTeam for recording and publishing the presentation!

IMS Podcast

Also check out the Inbound Marketing Summit podcast including an interview of Margaret Donnelly (@mwdonnelly) JitterJam VP Marketing & Business Development, by @berniebay of Find and Convert.

Did you attend IMS? Did you find it valuable? Let us know what you think!

Video is perhaps the most powerful tool available in our multimedia toolbox. And, if you’re not already putting video up on your Website, blog, or Facebook Fan Page, here are a few ideas on what you might do with the medium.

Product Demos

This is a pretty obvious one, and lots of companies are doing this, but what about pushing yourself go in a different direction here? Back in the summer of 2008, Squarespace garnered a fair bit of attention for a series of time-lapsed product demos that showed how they were able to replicate well-known blogs with their platform in twenty minutes or less. There were no voiceovers, only an instrumental soundtrack powering along beneath the frantic on-screen action. And these things worked. Internet television network Revision 3 soon picked up Squarespace as a sponsor, and they are now sponsoring several of the Web’s most influential tech podcasts.

Personality Pieces

It doesn’t always have to be about the company or the product either. Sometimes it’s quite alright to put together a video that’s all about the personalities behind your business. Last month, EllisLab CEO Rick Ellis posted a video of himself playing “All Along the Watchtower” in what he described as his “most ridiculous hat.” This was filmed for “Do Something Silly Tuesday” on Twitter and highlighted his guitar playing chops, an aspect of the executive’s personality that isn’t particularly well known. Fan site EE Insider then picked it up and ran with it.

A Little of Both

Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV excels at using video to market his brand, and he manages to make his videos do a little of both of the things I’ve already mentioned. An episode of Wine Library TV is always chock-full of personality, but every episode is also a product demo. Gary’s store may not sell every wine he tastes, but his knowledge and expertise in his subject area are a strong selling point for the store in general.

Got any tips on how to best use video online? Leave a comment below! And make sure to get out and so some fun stuff on this Fun Stuff Friday.

Of all the various bits of multimedia we can add to our blogs and Facebook Fan Pages, it seems to me that audio is the least used. We could debate endlessly about why that is, but I don’t think we’d come to any consensus. The one thing I don’t think we can say anymore, however, is that there aren’t any options out there for hosted audio.

AudioBoo, a service that’s been used in the past by actor and comedian Stephen Fry and by tech podcaster Leo Laporte, provides an easy option for recording audio directly from an iPhone or from the Web. Just like YouTube, it provides an easy cut-and-paste block of code to help you embed an episode into your Website. And, just like nearly every social site in existence, it provides an opportunity to network with other audio bloggers and podcasters.

Cinch is an up and coming rival to AudioBoo that’s currently hyping contributors such as Bill Cosby and technology writer Robert Scoble. It allows users to record via an iPhone app or a computer, just like AudioBoo, but it also offers a dial-in option that can be accessed from any phone.

Utterli, though once a reliable option, is currently quite buggy. I can’t recommend it as a service right now, but I would keep an eye on it, in the event that they sort out their issues. It also offers a dial-in option.

So, now that you have some choices, the big question is: Why audio? Well, here are three reasons:

1. Audio requires less prep. Yes, a good microphone (if you’re recording at your computer) is important. But, you don’t need to look your best if you’re recording audio only. And you don’t have to worry about lighting either.
2. Audio can be consumed easier on the go. Audio is a perfect way to target customers and prospects when they’re running or driving. It’s also easier to consume in the background, while other work is getting done.
3. Audio can be recorded just as easily as video. With the rise of the apps mentioned above, it’s now just as easy to record an audio program as it has been to whip out a Flip Cam and capture a clip for YouTube.

So, what do you think? Are you going to give audio a try on this Fun Stuff Friday?