On the Record...Online with Social Media Author Paul Gillin

Paul Gillin goes On the Record...Online with Eric Schwartzman to talk about new influencers of popular opinion. What motivates them, what they value and what marketers can do to engage with them.

PAUL GILLIN has been reporting on the impacts of technology and media for 25 years. Before focusing full-time on social media, he was the founding editor-in-chief of Tech Target, one of the most successful new media entities to emerge on the internet. Prior to that, he was editor-in-chief of Computerworld. He now advises marketing executives and CEO's on how to turn the new social media to their advantage. Gillin's latest contribution to the business world is a book titled, "The New Influencers: A Marketer's Guide to the New Social Media." It is part of the "Books to Build Your Career By" series published by Quill Driver Books and profiles among others, the host of this podcast as a "new influencer."

SHOW NOTES:

06:15 - Gillin describes his new book, The New Influencers: A Marketer's Guide to the New Social Media and explains how building credibility, audience and power in a market have changed with the proliferation of social media tools.

09:43 - Small markets count. Marketers should not underestimate the value of a small, focused audience in terms of click-through rates.

11:18 - Marketing to social media markets is not the same as marketing through the mainstream media. In the world of social media, the audience defines the message and marketers must engage the audience in a meaningful dialogue. Gillin illustrates how knowledge of this can make or break a company's reputation.

12:00 - Gillin highlights an important, "unstoppable trend" that every marketer needs to recognize.

13:22 - Gillin discusses last year's AOL customer service debacle and how the power of social media can turn one event into a PR crisis.

15:00 - The benefits of viral media through a brief case study of the Mommycast.

17:42 - Schwartzman points out that the new influencers aren't limited by geographical boundaries and their value to advertisers can be measured more by psychographics than demographics.

19:26 - Ethical considerations marketers should be mindful of when entering the world of social media marketing.

20:17 - Gillin discusses the ethical standards of the blogosphere.

22:35 - Gillin addresses the common complaints concerning the lack of journalistic standards in blogging but shows how marketers can become comfortable with the format by focusing on its strengths.

23:50 - Gillin explains why newspapers are failing and why he thinks most metropolitan dailies will be out of business in twenty years.

26:44 - Gillin opines on the shortcomings of traditional journalistic standards.

28.08 - About Gillin's own podcast series for PR professionals, Tech PR War Stories.

30:10 - End.