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Diva Marketing: A Chat with Toby Bloomberg of Bloomberg Marketing

April 1st, 2009 by AV Flox in marketing

Diva Marketing Blog, A Chat with Toby Bloomberg

The web has become a crucial aspect of marketing in past years. Recently, immediately after stumbling on her blog, I asked Toby Bloomberg of Diva Marketing Blog to sit down and tell me a little about how she got her start and the role that blogging has come to play for her company since she began in 2004.

How did you get into blogging?

If truth be told, I never had any intention of blogging. I often conduct marketing workshops for small business owners and in 2002 or 2003 I came across this cool website thing called a “blog” that was free (Blogger). You didn’t need to know how to code, there was something called “comments” where people could actually talk to you in real time and you could talk back to them. I thought: perfect for business owners on a limited budget with no technical skills!

Diva Marketing was launched because a friend told me I couldn’t talk about blogs unless I was personally blogging. Well, girlfriend, I told him he was daft and I could talk about any marketing topic without a lot of experience as long as I knew the basics. He told me this was different. Since I really did need to understand the logistics I agreed to play around with a blog for awhile. I had not a clue that it would turn into a long-term passion. I had a (boring) website so what did I need with a blog, right?

I was so wrong! Within days I realized that blogs were way far different than any website I’d ever seen. I also was wrong about talking about blogs without actually “doing it.” This is one marketing tactic where credibility is derived from experience. If anyone tells you they can teach or consult about blogs or social media without participating in the space, I suggest you run in the opposite direction.

What do you try to achieve with the blog?

Diva Marketing began with a focus on branding and general marketing information. However, as my interest and passion for social media grew, the focus of Diva Marketing changed.

As I’ve seen many times over, if you’re not passionate about what you’re writing about, it’s tough to sustain a blog long-term. I was also asked by many people to explain how to use blogs as a marketing initiative and Diva Marketing seemed the logical place to hold that information. Over that last almost five years, the blog has grown into a rich educational resource for marketers from Fortune 100s to small business to nonprofits and government agencies.

In addition to the typical marketing blog opinion posts there are interviews with industry leaders who generously share their learnings.

If you could impart three tips to other niche bloggers, what would it be?

First, begin with understanding what makes social media different from other marketing strategies. Social media is the only marketing strategy that I know that is built on a culture that is based on transparency, authenticity, honesty–and throw in some passion, too.

Second, since social media impacts how you conduct business, it’s important to create an umbrella social media direction for your organization. As you’re thinking about all, that begin to listen to the conversations of your customers and people in your industry.

Third, develop your strategy based goals and objectives and a determination of what would be success for you. Success in social media may extend further than traditional metrics. Keep an open mind. Also, as you would do in any marketing strategy keep your customers top of mind.

Has social media always been a focus for Bloomberg Marketing? How did it start?

Social media came about after Bloomberg Marketing opened its virtual doors in 2007 as a boutique strategic marketing firm with a focus on interactive marketing. We helped organizations use, at that time, innovative web-based tactics weaving in traditional tactics.

Would a Fortune 100 company use social media differently than a small business or are the principles the same? What about governments and non-profits?

Let’s go back to the belief that social media is a credible marketing strategy that helps “people” within organizations create and nurture closer relationships with customers/clients and other stakeholders. I call this developing ‘corner grocery store relations’: the old-fashioned relationships where the shop owner was part of the larger community, knew and cared about the people that purchased her products or services and were built on a foundation of trust. On that level the answer is the same no matter if it is for an Fortune 100, small business, government or nonprofit.

However, it is the objectives and the execution of the strategy where organizations take different paths. This can depend, for example, on where your customers are hanging out (are they on Facebook or Twitter?), the culture of the organization, the resources available (human capital, financial and time), and regulations (such as HIPAA in a health care situation).

How does Bloomberg Marketing use social media, if at all?

My goals are to reinforce my positioning as a thought leader in this new emerging industry who “gets it” and can help other people incorporate social media into their marketing plans. The outcomes that signal my strategy is succeeding include: new client opportunities, of course, but also speaking engagements, serving as a resource to mainstream and online media.

Another benefit is the personal relationships and networking that I’ve developed with other people–like you!

In addition to Diva Marketing I’ve extended the brand through a BlogTalkRadio show called Diva Marketing Talks. The concept is 30 minutes with a focus on one social media topic with two rock star guests. Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are also part of my social media tool box.

What companies are using social media right and why do you think so?

Keep in mind that social media is evolving by the nano second and we are learning together what works and what does not. Pioneers are experimenting in this new media. One factor that those that do it right always have in common: they maintain transparency, authenticity and honesty.

As for who is doing it right? In government, take a look at how Queen Rania of Jordan is using YouTube. She’s created a branded channel and is talking directly to the world. Her personality shines through as genuine and caring.

For me Dell is the poster child for how a company can get blown-up for doing it wrong and then, by understanding their customers, learn to do it right. By not only listening to the conversation happening in blogs, on Twitter, in Facebook, etc., but actively participating in those discussions, Dell has created a stronger, more positive brand experience. In addition, its use of social media is creative and innovative as Dell’s Social Innovation Competition shows.

Goodwill of Washington is a wonderful example of how to strategically use social media in an integrated marketing plan. Brendan Hurley, vice president of marketing, is leveraging multiple tactics such as blogs, Twitter, YouTube to reposition not as a thrift store but a vintage shop.

In the consumer world, please allow me to brag on a client who is a true pioneer when it comes to blogs, and holds a piece of social media history. In 2005, GourmetStation was one of the first eCommerce companies to launch a blog. Delicious Destinations, a character blog, colored outside the lines when it used its icon as the voice of the blog. A huge fire storm erupted but we knew the direction was right for the brand and staid the course. Four years later the blog is successful and still going strong. We’ve included ‘real’ people such as the owner of a B&B in Tuscany, a travel writer living in Paris, a wine consultant to expand the content.

Social media is one form of marketing that we can use to get to know our customers better. One of the exciting benefits are they get to know us too! If I had to give one last piece of advice I’d say, don’t be afraid to experiment. If you have a quality brand that your customers like even if the initiative doesn’t work as intended you’ll be admired for trying. If your brand is weak because of poor customer service of quality, fix it before attempting this at home!

Of Possible Interest:
Toby Bloomberg is currently writing and crowdsourcing a book about social media on Twitter. You can can tune in to watch it unfold by following the #SMGPS hashtag on Twitter Search.

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