Curation Revolution

Brilliant Twitter Lists Idea
I'm blessed with brilliant friends. Earlier I shared my friend and Startup Factory founder Chris Heivly's new book. Build the Fort is a startups must read.

A few days ago another friend, @Kelly Hungerford, including my @Scenttrail twitter handle in a list. Twitter lists may be the coolest tool no on uses I know, but Kelly's use of the list to include me in something NEW was beyond brilliant. 

Granted Kelly is a "trusted source" for me. Whatever she says I should look at, review, write about and share there is a close to 100% chance I will. Kelly's use of an ignored tool should work "cold" too. By placing someone on a list you tweak their curiosity in a way almost guaranteed to get a click and a review. 

Compare the subtle grace of including people you want on your "beta" list to spamming emails sure to be ignored. Kelly's approach is graceful and such a tease I bet the approach generates a higher level of conversion and advocacy than spammy pitches. 

When you add someone's Twitter to a list they receive a notification with a link to your list. Here is a list I just created following Kelly's lead: https://twitter.com/ScentTrail/lists/curagami-beta-partners 

When people subscribe to the list in response to your added them following up with an email or call doesn't feel spammy. The person is part of your tribe. Even better is PEOPLE YOU DON'T KNOW but who may like to be part of your beta (or whatever) will signal their desire to join by subscribing to the list. 

WOW, now you get to have a WARM call or email conversation with someone who may invest, contribute content or become an advocate for your idea, startup or campaign. TOO GOOD. 

The future of social media is about just such brilliant applications. Many don't have lists. I've always been a big believer in lists, but seeing how brilliantly Kelly used Twitter Lists create a new dimension of awe and respect (for lists and Kelly :). Marty 

 

Steal This Survey To Post Idea
Had a great stay at the Courtyard by Marriott in downtown Charlotte during the Search Exchange conference. I NEVER fill out surveys since who has the time, but the service was so good I wanted to share that information with Marriott.

I broke my rule and completed a survey that was at least 2 pages too long. Started out looking all Net Promoter and then just went on too long. Glad I hung with it because if I'd bailed I wouldn't have seen one of the coolest ideas - use surveys to create web reviews.

The last page asked me to write a review TO GO TO THE COURTYARD WEBSITE. Now that is BRILLIANT. Bet they are smart enough to create a new webpage with the 100 words I just shared too adding to page spread and aggregating reviews on their property.

Why am I so confident Courtyard is that good? Look at their 7,000 follows on 43K following number (15%). IMPRESSIVE. Most big brands think social is about THEM talking to you. That's why I created Social Its About the Conversation Stupid on Haiku Deck (http://shar.es/LhQP2 ).

Don't have to teach Courtyard by Marriott to listen. They are and the experience in their hotel was pretty amazing as a result. Now all they need is our startup Curagami (http://www.curagami.com ) to take their community to the next level of excellence in listening :). M

Banksy, a grafitti artist, is a powerful social marketer. Banksy's art blew up New York teaching ten online marketing lessons for those wise enough to see including:

1. Live By A Single Rule: If Your Content Is Generating Shares DO MORE.
2. Other “Control Rules” Are Gone.
3. Use existing distribution systems, but turn them upside down.
4. Create EVENTS and content people will CHASE and SHARE.
5. Get THEM to do YOUR work for YOU.
6. Keep some secrets as long as possible.
7. Whatever happens is all good as long as Rule #1 still applies.
8. Use the Internet and social media to amplify content & events.
9. Define deadlines because deadlines heighten the web’s amplification.
10. Rinse & Repeat

Are people racing around NYC to see your latest work? If no then steal some social marketing tips from one of the world's best - Banksy.

Top 5 Reasons Today (5 more tomorrow)
This post got so good to me I had to break it into two. The top 5 reasons Amazon will be kicking ecommerce butt and taking names next year:

* Content Curation (they are better at riffing, snipping and spinning content than anyone). 
* Understand INFORMATION = more than half the "profit" of an online transaction. 
* Price Arbitrage (no prices is ever static on Amazon). 
* Arbitrage Everything (Amazon will trade anything and everything). 
* Amazon Thinks in web "scale" and that is BIG and BIGGER, Fast and FASTER. 

Don't despair. Yes Amazon will be kicking all of our butts for quite a long time online, but that doesn't mean we can't grab bull by horns and narrow the gap in 2014. Knowing what Amazon is so good at is a great place to figure what you can STEAL. 

Doesn't cost much to CHANGE your thinking and may win the day!