Please blog this reading here @ our course blog by Wednesday, March 27th's class.
No exceptions without Dr. W's consent.
Read THE DRAGONFLY EFFECT, Wing 1.
Blog THREE specific observations you wish to share re: Wing 1.
Aim for 3-4 sentences for EACH observation, combining author's quoted text with your own analysis and experience.
Finally, pose A SINGLE QUESTION you would like to ask the class and Dr. W, once you finish and blog the entire reading.
Be prepared to share this blog post in class with our PComm posse.
Finally, pose A SINGLE QUESTION you would like to ask the class and Dr. W, once you finish and blog the entire reading.
Be prepared to share this blog post in class with our PComm posse.
The Dragon Fly Effect, Wing 1.
ReplyDelete1. "Achieving more, smaller successes (as opposed to fewer, larger successes) works as positive reinforcement and sustains momentum. We all think we want a big win, but the reality is that big wins can have unexpected negative consequences. Looking over the top of the mountain can create uncertainty about what comes next and nostalgia for the journey that's now in the past," (30).
-I love this point. It never occurred to me that too much so-called success could be a bad thing. I think the best example of this happening in real life is a drug or alcohol relapse experienced by a reformed addict. Sometimes a little grey area is necessary and this goes for marketing as well, especially along the social lines.
2. "Using the media to allow people to get to know Obama in this personal way made him more accessible- and that made all the difference for his campaign," (41).
-The key word in this passage is "accessibility". I think it sums up the positive components of social media and specifically, what sets social media aside from all other forms of media, especially traditional platforms. It is the human connection created through social media that makes social media so powerful.
3. "And, some final advice: personality is a powerful asset to work with, but approach it with caution. (There's always a risk of revealing too much, which hazards landing you on one of the internet's many walls of shame, such as regretsy.com). Think carefully about who you are and the ideas and messages you would like to convery," (42).
-What is considered too much information? I think there is a very fine line between being personable and in exposing yourself too much and putting yourself in a vulnerable position. This can also be a difficult distinction as many of us are first exposed to social media for personal usage. Turning social media platforms into professional tools can be a difficult adaptation.
Wing 1:
ReplyDelete1) Setting macro and micro goals help “achieve balance” and make your overall goal (macro) more narrow and actionable for participants (26). Based on my own personal life experiences, I find the statement, “too big a gap between the current state and the desired state often leads to discouragement and goal abandonment,” to be very true (27).
As a student I find myself creating micro goals that make my macro goal of completing all of my homework on time more achievable. If I set a macro goal of doing all of my homework without small steps, I end up procrastinating.
2) The Obama campaign was so successful because it “created an energy of involvement of participation, and a sense of purpose in its supporters, each of which was funneled through social networking technologies” (45). This shows that, in order to be successful, it is important to engage participants so that they feel like their actual contribution is making a difference. It is easy for participants to not do something because they rely on others to do it or because they believe that their single contribution will not affect the overall outcome.
This method of involvement and empowerment of participants reminds me the strategy Kiva uses in order to be successful. Participants are involved because they are able choose where their loans go and who receives their loans, they are given a purpose which is to help these small business owners, and they are empowered by their contribution, knowing that thy are actually making a difference.
3) I believe that the statement, “achieving more, smaller successes (as opposed to fewer, larger successes) works as positive reinforcement and sustains momentum,” is very interesting (30). The book states that milestones help to motivate people, help people learn better, and help the way they perceive things.
I think this can be applied to many aspects of life, but I think that the best example of this applies to childhood development and the way babies learn. Milestones such as crawling, walking, and saying their first words, are positively reinforced by parent’s reactions, which encourages babies and helps them to achieve new milestones as they get older.
QUESTION: When applying these approaches to a social change campaign, what if your target audience is not in the contemplation phase, and they do not care enough to become involved even if they understand why the campaign is important?
Dragonfly Effect Wing 1
ReplyDelete1.Striking the right balance between visionary and realistic goals is key to maintaining focus. Goals that are too easy to reach will not satisfy participants and will underdeliver for your cause. (26) This worked for Team Saleem and Team Viray and will work for any marketing campaign. Have your long term (macro) goal in mind, but chip away at small term (micro) goals to keep participants interested.
2.The Obama campaign of 2008 was a huge success due to mixed social media tactics, but the best tool used was his website MyBarackObama.com (MyBO). By using this tool, this enabled voters/participants to become involved in the campaign, ask questions, donate, build groups and raise funds. What an incredible strategy! One of the smartest campaign strategies was inviting four donors of any size who shared their stories to have dinner with the President and discuss why they were motivated to donate. This brings it down to reality and that is a huge seller. I also like the idea of the power of one, focusing on Obama. The strategy of Obama’s facebook having such personal information about him, his music, his basketball teams and what movies he likes brought him down to a level with the people, a real person that we can all relate to.
3.Today’s story can make changes for the future, so keep in mind what is written today, how it is written and what impact it will make for years to come because “small changes can have ripple effects”. To keep them interested on facebook you want, virality, so keep tagging those pictures, offer videos to watch on the site and fan page metrics. (43)
Where do you find the right balance for using a good mix of media strategies to meet your macro goal and how do you measure your success combining that mix of media strategies?
“ A decade ago, it would have been technically impossible for ordinary citizens to respond publically to global events and share their opinions easily with such a wide audience” (20). The social networks we have today can be utilized for the expression of so many different beliefs and allows one person in New York to effect life across the world. It is interesting to think about how these connections could have effected past history such as the Holocaust and how it can be used to stop genocides of today.
ReplyDelete“Striking the right balance between visionary and realistic goals is key to maintaining focus” (26). Pretty much ever social marketing campaign has an end goal whether it be to help make saving prematurely born babies’ care more inexpensive or reducing meth use, but these end goals will only be reached if there are other smaller goals in place. Weekly and monthly project goals will be effect in keeping the campaign on pace and to maximize efficiency.
“Although your goal should be specific and concrete, you need to be able to tweak it along the way based on what you learn as you monitor your progress.” Goals are important to any strategy, but as time progresses you may realize that the one goal you set in the beginning is not the best goal or simply unachievable. In these instances you need to reevaluate the situation and adjust your goals.
How will the use of social media in future political campaigns, as Obama has been the only one able to harness its power, reshape the way campaigns are run and organized?
Wing One
ReplyDelete1. “Although design has historically been associated with creating aesthetically attractive products and technologies, leaders are increasingly app;ying design thinking at all phases of development as a means of gaining competitive advantage.” (pg 22) If a company follows this form of development, it will ensure that the product, or desired behavior change, is well thought out and reaches maximum effectiveness. Also, by following this procedure, an organization or business has more control and thought allocated to inputs, which can lead to higher sustainability or lower costs.
2. “Pursuing actionable micro goals reduces a complex problem into something that is manageable. In other words: small micro goals not only mark progress but also keep you sane and reduce stress. “ (pg 26) If an organization approaches venture solely with long-term goals, it might lead to inefficiency and unnecessary workloads. By setting “short-term goals for yourself or your organization, you can allocate concentration on the more important objectives and minimize disorganization.
3. “The goal you chose needs to be personally meaningful. The mere thought of achieving it should, at some level, make you happy. If you aren’t motivated by something fundamental, others are not going to be, either.” (pg 31-32) This is one of the most important aspects in choosing a goal. If you are passionate about the topic you will be inspired to try your hardest and your attitude will rub off on your team.
Question: To what degree can organizations “Exploit Existing Tools” without merely copying a previous campaign?
I. In order to reach a goal without discouraging you and your team, you should break the goal down into parts where there is a “single long-term macro goal and a number of short term process goals.”(pg. 26) It is a lot easier and efficient to work towards smaller goals. When they are met, you feel like there is progress being made and will most likely stay positive about your campaign. Keeping focus on one thing at a time ensures that you are thoroughly committed to all aspects of the cause, and are making sure that the best possible techniques are used in delivering your message.
ReplyDeleteII. “A key design in criterion is clarity.”(pg 30) By being as clear as possible about what your goal is will be much more effective than setting multiple or conflicting goals. By clearly stating what the intended results are, all the energy expended in the campaign will be focused on achieving that. If the goal is more specific, it will find better results than that which is more general.
III. It is important to truly believe in what your campaign is about. “The goal you choose needs to be personally meaningful.”(pg 31) If you can’t even believe in what you are doing, then how will others. Plus, you need to be excited and motivated in order for that to rub off on the rest of your team. For your campaign to be successful, you definitely need a highly motivated and passionate team.
Question: To increase the chances of success in your campaign is it not ok to have more than one final goal in case one is not met?
Wing 1
ReplyDelete- I wholeheartedly agree with the authors' recommendation on being "Actionable" in your focus when trying to complete a goal. They say, "To achieve balance, break the goal down into parts: a single long term macro goal and a number of short-term process goals or micro goals." pg 26 This will help keep you motivated individually and as a group. People often get lost in the process when they try to take on a grand plan all at once.
- Another important aspect to focus is having "Testable" goals. They say, "Establish metrics to ensure progress. Combining goal setting and feedback is more effective than goal setting alone." pg 29 When one does not step back and examine their progress/steps every once and a while, they run the risk of missing easy mistakes. Also, their strategy could be completely not working for the audience and they would never know without periodic examination and adjustment.
- Yet another aspect of the authors recommend on the focus approach is "Clarity." They say, "Research shows the reason why many people don't achieve their goals is not that they don't try hard enough or think strategically enough, but simply because they embarked on too many goals or set conflicting goals." pg 30 The authors stress the importance of focusing in one one specific goal versus a multifaceted set of goals. A great example they gave was the Obama campaign having the sole purpose of getting people out to vote on voting day.
Question: The Obama campaign's audience consisted of many relatively young Americans who are literate with social media. How does a candidate with a largely older, and less social media literate audience like Mitt Romney connect with his audience in such a profound way?
Wing 1
ReplyDelete1. Setting one ultimate goal is ideal for a marketing plan. Although smaller goals are good to have to achieve smaller tasks, having one large goal for the project as a whole keeps the project organized. If you have too many goals your project can get lost in trying to achieve all of the goals rather than putting all effort into the project.
2. Making sure you set the right type of goals is just as important. Setting small goals is useful. They can motivate you to keep up the moral of the project. However, setting too small and simple of goals defeats the purpose of a goal. Setting a goal is all about having some sort of challenge to achieve it. It is not a goal if it doesn’t take some time and effort to achieve it.
3. The most important aspect of the marketing project process is keeping up the morale of the project. This can be seen (in the book) in Happiness on pg. 31. Setting goals that create a happy outcome will make the achieved goal ten times more worth it, or ten times more worth it to achieve
QUESTION: how do you decipher between what is a macro and a micro goal? Because everyone has different qualities and ways of getting things done.
Wing 1: Focus
ReplyDelete1. Focus was the major focus of this wing. “Before you involve your audience members, you need to understand them and connect with them as individuals.” (25) One can determine this by answering some simple questions about the audience, what they are like, what are their interests, and what might they resist? It is easy to get off track with all of the variables that are involved in social marketing. The acronym HATCH was created to help create stability and focus.
2. The role of social marketing in the 2008 election is truly eye opening. The Obama campaign was able to use these free tools to create their target market and those beyond they target market. “The Obama campaign not only excelled at creating its own site but also mastered using the free tools that were already available.” (36) Obama’s campaign was able to make people feel not only involved but also empowered in his run for office.
3. Creating a presence on Facebook can be done with three tips; virality, video and insights. The use of tag (virality) makes your content appear on multiple pages at once depending on the post/image/video/etc. The use of multiple tags allows you to drive traffic to your page easily. Live footage and “back stage” videos often help in making others feel connected. Use the insights or metrics to help you understand where you market is, what they care about, and how to reach them. “You never know when some small thing you do could have an impact many years from now (43).
Question: What are the future impacts of using social media in political election; how do you help citizens understand that they are electing not only the person they see on social media but also the candidates values, morals, constituents, platforms, etc?
Wing 1
ReplyDeleteIn the past ten years, social networking has connected individuals around the world. Allowing them to discuss and support issues they feel passionate about. As a result, “we are living in a dramatically smaller and more interconnected world.” The process of getting involved with social networking is extremely simple and free, which describes the high levels of interest.
The Obama campaign was able to harness the power of social networking to generate support and interest to get candidate, Barack Obama elected in 2008. “Obama won by ‘converting everyday people into engaged and empowered volunteers, donors, and advocates through social networks, email advocacy, text messaging, and online video.’ The approach to getting support included a variety of mediums so that the campaign could reach the greatest number of people.
“If you are not motivated by something fundamental, others are not going to be, either.” It is extremely important to focus on something that you feel passionate about. If firms and organizations are able to connect with the audience on another level besides simply asking for money they will be much more successful. The ability to ‘inspire’ is something firms should strive to do.
Question: Out of the five design principles; humanistic, actionable, testable, clarity and happiness, which one should be focused on the most?
1. Create campaigns that resonate with your particular target audience, like they did for the Montana Meth Project, “The team developed a number of ads with different characters and messages and tested them with teens. It immediately became clear that the target audience didn’t want to hear from adults sharing statistics or their stories. They wanted to hear from kids their own age, people who looked like their friends (p. 34).”
ReplyDelete2. Choose a goal that actually means something to you, you’ll get better results. “People are unlikely to help unless they know why you’re doing what you’re doing. People who set goals based on personal interests and values achieve those goals more often because they’re continually energized and thus stay more focused (p.32-33).”
3. Stick to the initial goal, and let the ripple effect run its course. “The Obama campaign offers a particularly compelling case study in how its focus on inspiring mass involvement or winning people’s time (over money and votes) resulted in winning time, money, and votes. The secret to this seemingly impossible equation was in staying true to the initial goal as the team evolved its program. The team knew involvement would lead to further commitment, which would create a movement (p. 44).”
President Obama’s social media campaign for the White House was obviously very successful and well implemented. Were there any mistakes at all that he made during this campaign?
Wing 1:
ReplyDelete1. Staying focused on your target audience is harder than it sounds. The Meth Project is an example of a campaign that researched and got to know their audience. The campaign conducted focus groups and interviewed meth addicts, families who have been affected by meth and drug counselors. “Their research uncovered something critical: their anticipated target audience, eighteen- to twenty-four-years-old, were too old, as most teens were forming opinions about drugs around the age of thirteen.”
2. In order to be balanced, a campaign must break down their goals into one long-term macro goal and various short-term micro goals. A macro goal should, “define the brand behind the project, and what types of connections the team is seeking to create.” A micro goal includes, “developing the brand, defining specific audience segments, creating a dialogue with end users.”
3. Being clear and concise is essential. But, clarity isn’t always easy. “Research shows that the reason why many don’t achieve their goals is not that they don’t try hard enough or think strategically enough, but simply because they embarked on too many goals or set conflicting goals.”
Question: Would it be possible in today’s society to have a successful social marketing campaign without using Twitter or Facebook?
Wing One
ReplyDelete1. When I read about a Human-Centered Approach for social change in Wing 1, I was instantly reminded of something I learned this past year. Recently, I’ve become friends with a few missionaries in the Burlington area and one of them was telling me about the summer training they go through to prepare for the year. At training, they heavily emphasized engaging people one on one, and “meeting them where they were at”. I hadn’t thought about social media campaigns to be highly individualized, but now, I realize that can be how they work. A human centered approach includes “empathy, understanding, shared experiences, shared values, and shared goals.” Sounds like social marketers aren’t the only ones practicing this theory.
2. I’ve read about the ripple effect before, but until I read about Carolee Hazard and the supermarket story, I never fully understood that it can be a powerful force for social change. When paying Carolee back, Jenni Ware (who lost her wallet) gave her an extra $93 dollars as thanks. Then Carolee matched her $93 and donated the money. She posted on Facebook, and it launched a movement that has so far raised over 30,000 to benefit a local food bank. Who knew the devastating impact of one small random act of kindness!
3. “The first ‘Internet President’ changed the way elections will be run in the future.” The Obama campaign showed us that the Internet “was not just a tool in the arsenal but a transformative force.” I understood that President Obama utilized a campaign that relied heavily on social media, but I never knew the scope. He had over 5 million supporters on 12 different social networks, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, all at least doubling that of his opponent John McCain. The success of the campaign was due to “converting everyday people into engaged and empowered volunteers, donors, and advocates through social networks, email advocacy, text messaging, and online video.”
Question:
Will the GOP ever figure out how to use social media to win the campaign or does losing again this past year have to do more with their policy?
Wing One:
ReplyDelete1) "A decade ago, it would have been technically impossible for ordinary citizens to respond publicly to global events and share their opinions easily with such a wide audience. It would have been unreasonable to expect that their ideas could inspire that audience to take action and achieve results. Yet that's exactly what happened" (20). It is amazing to think that in just a tiny fraction of human history technology has advanced to the point where people can reach out to total strangers across the world in a matter of seconds. I would like to think that this privilege will only be used for the benefit of society, but as we talked about in class, our culture has shifted to that of surveillance.
2) "It immediately became clear that the target audience didn't want to hear from adults sharing statistics or their stories. They wanted to hear from kids their own age, people who looked like their friends. The message 'not even once' resonated the most. The team focused its entire campaign on that slogan" (24). This message 'not even once' is an incredibly powerful statement. I am positive that just about any teenager with access to television as well as social media will have heard the slogan at some point in their lives. In places where meth addiction is common, adults are already exposed to the drug, but teenagers have not. This is where the campaign really had success--they realized that stopping meth use before it begins is the most effective way to lower abuse rates.
3. In order to truly be successful, a social marketing campaign must have a clear, concise goal. "A key design criterion is clarity. Indeed, a clear goal may have multiple dimensions, but pursuing multiple goals is counter productive, as it causes people to lose focus" (30). It may seem like a good idea to tackle many problems at once, but in reality, this will just make things more confusing and lower your chance of finding success.
Question: How can social media reach out to at risk adults in drug effected areas?
ReplyDelete1. With so many resources at hand, it is important to set a single focused goal to be most effective in providing “direction, motivation, and operational guidance” (20). When developing and focusing a goal it is important to remember “HATCH”—the five design principles. Humanistic, Actionable, Testable, Clarity, and Happiness.
2. During the design process it is important to always keep your audience in mind. In order to connect with your audience, you have to understand them. The following questions are one way to start to cultivate a human centered approach: “What is she like?... What keeps her up at night?... What do you want her to do?... How might she resist?” (25).
3. Focusing on long term goals in the beginning can be overwhelming and stressful. Set tactical micro-goals on your way to the long-term goals, so that you can focus and have a clear sense of progress. “Although your goal should be specific and concrete, you need to be able to tweak it as necessary along the way, based on what you learn as you monitor your progress” (29).
Q. So you’ve used HATCH—you’ve made your focused goal and developed a personable internet personality—but what’s the best way to get people actually to your page?
- Corin Vallee
Wing 1: Focus
ReplyDelete1. There are five design principles meant to focus your campaign that can be remembered with the acronym HATCH: humanistic, actionable, testable, clarity and happiness. The design process is a very important step of the development process of any campaign, and each component of the HATCH model is absolutely vital to successfully creating an effective campaign. "If one or more is missing or deficient, your task will be that much harder," (p. 33).
2. Facebook and other social platforms can contribute greatly to your campaign by leveraging its reach. They are valuable tools for both personal use and to promote famous figures and causes. The Obama campaign is a prime example of this type of media in action because it "demonstrates that even in the most traditional endeavors, new media matter," (p. 36).
3. This chapter revisits the ripple effect, citing multiple case studies where ideas become powerful social changes. People can be doubtful of their ideas, worrying that it lacks importance among many other causes and problems in society. But big change has to start somewhere, "just as the focused goal of Team Sameer to save one life has saved hundreds of lives. Just as precise research for the Montana Meth Project cascaded to other states and reduced teen and adult meth abuse and meth-related crime. Just as the clearly targeted effort of the Obama team has rewritten political history," (p. 44).
Question: At what point is a message considered to be viral?
1) “We are living in a dramatically smaller and more interconnected world. Practically anyone, anywhere, can capitalize on the incredible networking tools that are both free and easy to master...Although social networking tools are widely used to incite action, the people who have used them most effectively have one thing in common: a laser-like focus.” (p. 20) This first wing of the Dragonfly Effect explains the importance of operating with a focused set of goals in mind, HATCH (Humanistic, Actionable, Testable, Clarity, Happiness)- by usefully and authentically incorporating these objectives into one’s own marketing campaign, the road to success will be much more effective in terms of taking advantage of the social media world in which we currently live. Some successful examples of this initiative range from include Barack Obama’s 2012 Presidential Campaign to Montana’s anti Meth Campaign- ‘Not even once.’
ReplyDelete2) “To achieve balance, break the goal down into parts: a single long-term macro goal and a number of short-term process goals, or micro goals...In other words: small micro goals not only mark progress but also keep you sane and reduce stress.” (p. 26) This section of the wing is found under the Design Principle 2: Actionable. By splitting up the larger and final objective into various, more easily attainable parts, the efforts towards said objective are more reasonably organized, and furthermore they provide validation in terms of gaining momentum towards the end result. Short terms goals lead to success because they can promote our own feelings of competence. This format also allows participants to feel as if they really have an impact on the campaign itself, by not being overwhelming and sensing a clear line of progress, but still moving forwards towards your initial, larger focus, effecting big changes on small step at a time.
3) “The mission, design, and execution of the site echoed the single goal of the grassroots effort: to provide a variety of ways for people to connect and become deeply involved...(“involvement through empowerment”). (p. 34) This example is found under Yes We Can! How Obama Won with Social Media section of the book- it references Obama’s success through their effort to FOCUS in on one goal throughout the entire procession of the campaign, which was involving citizens on a personal and local level to facilitate immense support and change. In terms of honing in on this mission, the campaign was not only able to ‘execute fast, but also execute right’. Obama’s electoral win was based largely on this foundation of community support tied with national initiatives around the country- but even as his numbers grew in historic amounts, the experience of his supporters remained the same: personalized, and this was the main differing factor between the MyBo initiative and the not so impressive success of his opponents, particularly John McCain at the time. Obama used this first Wing to solidify himself as the first Internet President, changing the way elections would be run in the future, and as one reporter was quoted, ‘Were it not for the Internet, Barack Obama would not be President.’
QUESTION:
How can a social media marketing campaign best incorporate efforts to take advantage of theories such as Jocan Kounin’s Ripple Effect? As we've learned thus far, small changes have been proven to be effective in creating larger, more profound impacts but where is the balance between not promoting enough change and overwhelming your audience and potential supporters in the process?
Wing 1: Focus
ReplyDelete1. “ A decade ago, it would have been technically impossible for ordinary citizens to respond publically to global events and share their opinions easily with such a wide audience” (P20). If a company follows this form of development, it will ensure that the product, or desired behavior change, is well thought out and reaches maximum effectiveness.
2. “A key design in criterion is clarity.”(P30) By being as clear as possible about what your goal is will be much more effective than setting multiple or conflicting goals. Setting a goal is all about having some sort of challenge to achieve it. It is not a goal if it doesn’t take some time and effort to achieve it.
3. “The goal you chose needs to be personally meaningful. The mere thought of achieving it should, at some level, make you happy. If you aren’t motivated by something fundamental, others are not going to be, either.” (P31-32) A great example they gave was the Obama campaign having the sole purpose of getting people out to vote on voting day.
Wing 1 – FOCUS
ReplyDelete1. “Striking the right balance between visionary and realistic goals is key to maintaining focus.” (26) Goals are important to maintain throughout. A Macro Goal is a long-term goal. Tactical Micro Goals are short-term goals that are small and, therefore, measurable.
2. Social marketing and the use of social media can play a very important role (as seen in Obama’s 2008 campaign). “Edelman Research say that Obama won by ‘converting everyday people into engaged and empowered volunteers, donors, and advocates through social networks, email advocacy, text messaging and online video.’”
3. Rippling off of the original goal is key. Small changes can eventually lead to big impacts on these changes. Being clear and concise in the beginning will ultimately help in the end.
QUESTION: Are president’s becoming more like celebrities in their use of social marketing for campaigns? Is there a bigger presence of a younger demographic due to the use of social media for campaigns?
Wing One:
ReplyDelete1. When you get right down to it, the center of a huge social operation begins with something so small: an idea. “Although social networking tools are widely used to incite action, the people who have used them most effectively have one thing in common: a laser-like focus. As big, daunting, and impressive as some of their movements seem-citizens rallying against guerillas, a once-voiceless population protesting for women’s rights-each started small, with a few people and a goal.” (page 20)
2. I love the first part of Wing 1. It is so simple and straightforward, yet I think it is something that so many people overlook when designing a mission---which ultimately leads to failure. “getting everyone on board is paramount; deviation from the plan is discouraged. This type of strategy assumes an ability to predict and navigate al potential outcomes. This problem is, it rarely works. Some uncomfortable truths: you can only guess what will happen in the future; you cannot control outcomes. Those who are willing to test their hypotheses before committing to a detailed approach are more likely to succeed.” (page 21)
3.“striking the right balance between visionary and realistic goals is key to maintaining focus. Goals that are too easy to reach will not satisfy participants and will underdeliver for your cause. Goals that feel out of reach can discourage people, leading them to quit easily or not try at all. To achieve balance, break the goal down into parts: a single long term macro goal and a number of short-term process goals, or micro goals.” (page 26). Organization is so important, even in outlining what exactly you want to accomplish. I feel like so many people today do not know how to organize and prioritize their goals and what it is they want to accomplish. This causes them to set unrealistic and unattainable goals which also leads to huge failure and disappointment.
How do you know when you are out of balance?
1. “A focused goal comprises several elements, which we’ve broken down into five design principles that can be remembered by the mnemonic HATCH.” H stands for humanistic and the Montana Meth Project is a good example of this type of design thinking. The Montana Meth Project focused in on their audience and what they needed in order to create change.
ReplyDelete2. “Combining goal setting and feedback is more effective than goal setting alone.” It will be hard to determine your successes if the goals you set are not measurable. Goals will provide milestones and serve as positive reinforcement.
3. “Research shows that the reason why many don’t achieve their goals is not that they don’t try hard enough or think strategically enough, but simply because they embarked on too many goals or set conflicting goals.” Aside from making sure your goals are measurable it is important to make sure that they are clear and concise. If your goals are specific there is a higher chance of performing better.
Question: are micro and macro goals interchangeable?
1. In the beginning of "Wing 1," our authors talk about participatory opportunities in social media campaigns. They write, "A decade ago it would have been technically impossible for ordinary citizens to respond publicly to global events and share their opinions easily with such a wide audience." This is the culture we have moved into. Social media platforms allow for community participation which creates a new found sense of universal efficacy.
ReplyDelete2. The book calls a "human-centered approach" what we call researching your target audience. Both of our books touch on a very important necessity in social media marketing. The influencer must understand their target audience so that the message is easily received. The Dragonfly Effect takes this a step further by encouraging the influencer to find commonalities between the audience and the message-tailor, like shared experiences, values and goals.
3. Most often I think about social media campaigns as the means to an end. I think about the end being the happiness or health or welfare of the intended individual. I never think about a social media as requiring the happiness of the individual trying to exact change in a community. The Dragonfly Effect says that if your happiness needs to come into play. They write, "If you aren't motivated by something fundamental, others are not going to be, either." This connects the personal story to the social media marketer. They need to be the story, not the audience.
Question: In a media culture where you can say and do what you want without consequence, are people also using the guise of the internet to undermine social change campaigns?
1.When it comes to launching a campaign, it is human nature to become overly excited and ambitious, which is why Wing 1 emphasizes “the importance of setting a single focused goal to provide direction, motivation, and operational guidance (p 20).” If too many goals are set at once, it becomes difficult to perfect each one. Social marketers will benefit in the long run by maintaining focus on one goal at a time. The results will be proven true when the campaign is launched.
ReplyDelete2.The Five Design Principles to Focus are suggested guidelines marketers should follow to ensure their campaign has a focused idea. Remember HATCH: Humanistic, Actionable, Testable, Clarity, and Happiness. It is important, however to remember that “if one or more is missing or deficient, your task will be that much harder (33).” The HATCH technique is a simple and easy set of guidelines to help marketers keep their team focused on the campaigns goal.
3.The Ripple Effect is something to keep in mind post launch of a campaign. The idea behind the ripple effect is that “you never know when some small thing you do today could have an impact many years from now (43).” It has become a part of American culture to expect instant gratification and results, but that is not always the outcome once a campaign is launched. The ripple effect demonstrates that results may not happen instantaneously, but in due time, the work done will have made an impact.
Question:
Do you think future Presidential Candidates should use the power of social media to connect with voters on a person level?
1. It is important to have a goal that is easily attainable and visionary in order to achieve a realistic, productive balance and categorize goals into long-term and short-term. “To achieve balance, break down the goal into parts: single long-term macro goal and a number of short term-process goals, or micro-goals” (26). This provides organization and makes the goal achieving process more manageable.
ReplyDelete2. Having a focused goal is key to campaign success. The 5 design principals are HATCH: Humanistic, Actionable, Testable, Clarity and Happiness. “Humanistic. Focus on understanding your audience rather than making assumptions about quick solutions. Actionable. Use short-term tactical micro goals to achieve long-term macro goals. Testable. Before you launch, identify metrics that will help evaluate your progress and inform your actions. Establish deadlines and elaborate small wins along the way. Clarity. Keep your goal clear to increase your odds off success and generate momentum. Happiness. Ensure that your goals are meaningful to you and your audience” (32).
3. Using social media effectively in order to get individuals involved with a campaign can create a sense of personal involvement and purpose, as well as establish a connection between the supporters and the campaign. The Obama campaign was a revolutionary example of how technology can be used in order to reshape the campaigning process. “The Obama campaign illustrated the massive, meaningful impact that social media can have on getting young people engaged and involved. How exactly did the organizers use technology to change the face of campaigning? The campaign didn’t simply create a Facebook fan page and YouTube account and expect things to take off: the team created an energy of involvement, participation and a sense of purpose in its supporters, each of which was funneled through social networking technologies” (45).
4. Question: If one were to add a design principal to the five design principals of HATCH (humanistic, actionable, testable, clarity, happiness), what would it be and why?
1. "Before you involve your audience members, you need to understand them and connect with them as individuals." (pg25) By understanding your target audience it makes it easier for you to be able to connect with them because you will know what they are looking for. If you fail to do this you run the risk of your target audience not responding in the way that you had imagined.
ReplyDelete2. "To achieve balance, break the goal down into parts: a single long term macro goal and a number of short-term process goals or micro goals." (pg26) it is important to create a long term goal that you wish to strive for, but having short-term goals can help along the way. By breaking down the long term goal into smaller ones you can make sure that all steps are taken and that nothing is missed along the way to reaching your long term goal.
3. "The team developed a number of ads with different characters and messages and tested them with teens. It immediately became clear that the target audience didn't want to hear from adults sharing statistics or their stories. They wanted to hear from kids their own age, people who looked like their friends." (pg34) When creating an ad it is important to know who your target audience is because not all topics can be directed at a very broad audience in the same manner. More often than not it is necessary to address different audiences in different ways in order to grasp their attention, even when discussing the same topic.
Question: How many micro goals should you create in order to reach your macro goal?
1. The mnemonic device HATCH helps to fulfill the greater goal. "...a focused goal comprises several elements, which we've broken down into five design principles... Humanistic, Actionable, Testable, Clarity, Happiness." These five principles break down the goal into more manageable sections, which can be used to create a clear focus.
ReplyDelete2. The idea of a human-centered approach is important in learning about the target audience. "Before you can involve your audience members, you need to understand them and connect with them as individuals." We have to understand their interests, fears, concerns, passions, and what is standing in the way of them adopting our message. or using our product. It is important to also be aware of any shared experiences, values, and goals, as that is another way to successfully connect with our audience.
3. Obama's online campaigning was crucial to his success in the 2008 election. "Obama's team effectively utilized new social media tools - and according to some experts this bold move secured him the presidency." By using many different social media platforms he was able to reach millions of people. Once he reached these people, he used social media as a tool to make people feel involved, and part of a greater goal that wasn't merely winning the election, but a positive future for the country that everyone could play a role in, no matter how small.
Would the same social media campaigns work for other presidential candidates, or did this just worked particularly well with Obama? Would this resonate with a Republican candidate?
“High stakes attached to big goals often induce people to feel stress, and in turn they do nothing to achieve the goal (and hence seemingly abandon their rationality.)” “Too big a gap between the current state and the desired state (being unhealthy versus becoming healthy) often leads to discouragement and goal abandonment.” Although macro goals are important, micro goals are needed to maintain sanity and keep the project moving as well as the people motivated to reach their desired goals. “Narrow, proximal (short term) goals lead to better performance because they can promote our feelings of competence and increase the chance that we will enjoy tasks.”
ReplyDelete“Noting that people often make suboptimal decisions in reality, behavioral economists have pointed to the role of choice architecture, or how you set up a choice, to affect which decisions are made. With the right approach, we each have the power to help people make better decisions – and effect big changes one small step at a time.” This concept proved itself time and time again when I worked at a high-end café. People can often be lead in the direction you want them to go (as far as what to order.)
“… Youtube videos were more effective than television ads because viewers chose to watch them or received them from a friend instead of having their television shows interrupted for something they had no say in. According to Trippi, the 14.5 million hours that viewers spent watching clips on Youtube would have cost $47 million had the content been delivered via broadcast TV.” Clearly, taking advantage of free media platforms such as Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, etc., can prove to be the most effective way to reach your target audience.
Q: How do you avoid the temptation of wanting to expand your goals and audience before you even reach your original goals, especially if your strategy appears to be successful thus far?
The authors present a clear plan of how to focus in on your campaign. The HATCH acronym they describe stands for Human, Actionable, Testable, Clarity, Happiness. All of these factors are necessary in creating the best campaign possible.
ReplyDelete“Highly specific goals promote better performance than general, do-your-best goals. The beget greater satisfaction and ultimately a stronger commitment.” It is human nature to create a long goal list for ourselves and our marketing plans but the authors stress the focus of one goal as detrimental. In the long run the goal, once achieved, will create a ripple potential for other aspects to come into play.
MyBarakObama.com and the social marketing team for Obama’s campaign shows the perfect and most effective use of the technological shift that has left our media personal and participatory. The Obama team used different media outlets to promote members to become their own activists without the step-by-step push from the team, but instead with creative and innovative participatory uses of media…. Genius.
How to you create a personal and participatory setting without “over sharing” as the authors warn? Is it a case to case problem?
WING ONE- FOCUS
ReplyDelete1. HATCHed Goals: These goals provide focus and strategy to the campaign, consisting of the following elements: Humanistic, Actionable, Testable, Clarity, and Happiness. “People who set goals based on personal interests and values achieve those goals more often because they’re continually energized and thus stay more focused.” The goals of the campaign should be meaningful, which will encourage others to participate in the cause.
2. The Power of One: Successful campaigns are often focused on one theme or individual, which provides authenticity and allows for the audience to connect with the cause. For example, with the presidential campaign, “Using the media to allow people to get to know Obama in this personal way made him more accessible—and that made all the difference for his campaign.” “They had a very talented candidate who was a great communicator and they had a campaign philosophy that matched and mirrored very well with the Internet—openness, inclusiveness, self-organizing, grassroots.” “[…] personality is a powerful asset to work with, but approach it with caution. (There’s always a risk of revealing too much, which hazards landing you on one of the Internet’s many walls of shame”.
3. Small Acts Contribute to Big Changes: The ripple effect can have a significant impact when it comes to social media, which can be used to a campaign’s advantage for spreading the word about the brand and cause. The three tips for Facebook presence include: virality, video, and insights. “[…] if successful, your goal has ripple potential that could bring about powerful social changes . . . just as the focused goal of Team Sameer to save one life has saved hundreds of lives.” “The team knew involvement would lead to further commitment, which could create a
movement”. “The campaign didn’t simply create a Facebook fan page and a YouTube account and expect things to take off: the team created an energy of involvement, of participation, and a sense of
purpose in its supporters, each of which was funneled through social networking technologies.”
Question: Obama used social media and seemed to make ‘celebrity appearances’ during his campaign, is this professional in terms of running for president of the United States?
1. "A decade ago, it would have been technically impossible for ordinary citizens to respond publicly to global events and share their opinions easily with such a wide audience.” It is incredible to see how the way we communicate has changed due to social media in such a short period. Anyone can access any of the SM platforms for free and the message that they choose to convey can reach people that live in opposite sides of the globe.
ReplyDelete2. “Before you involve your audience members, you need to understand them and connect with them as individuals.”It is extremely important that you indentify your target audience. By tailoring your message based on their interest and the way they think about certain issues, you will have a greater effect on them because they will be able to relate more to you and what you are trying to achieve.
3. "To achieve balance, break the goal down into parts: a single long term macro goal and a number of short-term process goals or micro goals." Maintaining a bigger goal helps you keep sight of the "big picture", but breaking down a big project into smaller achievable goals makes it easier for you to focus and stay on track because it helps to keep you motivated.
1. Although population growth is on the rise we are living in a dramatically smaller and more interconnected world because of the Internet and social media. These outlets make it possible for ordinary citizens to respond publicly to global events and share their opinions easily with wide audiences. Because the spectrum of the Internet is so dauntingly large it is important to have a “laser-like focus” when using social networking to incite action. This laser focus can be broken down into five design principles “Humanistic, Actionable, Testable, Clarity and Happiness).
ReplyDelete2. “Striking the right balance between visionary and realistic goals is the key to maintaining focus” (26). This actionability design principle is important to consider because goals that are too easy to reach will not satisfy participants and will under deliver for you cause, while goals that are out of reach will discourage people which leads them to quit easily or not try at all. This fine line in an extremely important idea to take into consideration and can be made easier if you campaign has a “laser-like focus”.
3. As obvious as it may sound the end goal of a campaign is success and when working with social marketing this is usually seen in the form of behavior change and subsequent happiness. That is why “happiness” is #5 in the design principle. Also, for said campaign to be success you yourself have to passionate about the end result; it has to be personally meaningful to you. “The mere though of achieving it should, at some level, make you happy. If you aren’t motivated by something fundamental, other are not going to be either.” (32)
Question: When beginning a campaign and narrowing down your focus is it important to set numerical goals. In other words, should you predict that your “campaign will decrease meth usage by 10% in 5 years” or is it efficient to simply say, “the campaign will decrease meth usage”?
ReplyDeleteObservation 1: Social networking tools are used to incite action. When developing a social networking campaign it is important to set a single focused goal. This will provide direction, motivation, and guidance.
Observation 2: Staying focused on your audience is one of the most imperative design principles. Having a clear focus on the audience will help to gain what the author calls “competitive advantage.” One key method to ensure staying focused on the audience is to develop a detailed Plan of Action. Understanding your audience is heavily revolved around connecting with them as individuals. This includes listening, observing, and asking questions. It’s important to evaluate the shared experiences, values, and goals.
Observation 3: Maintaining focus is a challenge when it comes to creating a balance between visionary and realistic goals. Breaking down goals into one single macro goal and a number of short –term or micro goals will help to ease this process. Within the goals it’s important to set a deadline. Using these practices will ensure better performance. Having a large number of bigger goals can lead to a high stress environment, which in turn could lead to quitting and failure. Aside from goal setting, feedback is imperative in order to ensure progress.
Question: How do you evaluate how reasonable a goal for a project is and what a reasonable deadline would be?
The Dragonfly Effect: Wing 1
ReplyDelete1. It is important to set a "single focused goal" in order to give people a good reason to participate in your campaign. By doing this you will provide "direction, motivation and operational guidance". There are five "design principles" that are needed to achieve a focused goal.
2. The five design principles iinclude the "mnemonic HATCH". This stands for "humanistic, actionable, testable, clarity, and happiness". Each of these principles play an important role in creating a successful single goal.
3. In Vinay and Sameer's case, their campaigners were able to achieve the HATCH goal setting. The people running the campaign focused on them as "people who have interests, similarities and lives that the audience can relate to". They were able to get others to register and host events for their campaign. They had a clear goal of getting "20,000 South Asians into the bone marrow registry".
Question:
What if the target audience is a generation such as the elderly or extremely young generation not invested in social media? How can you really be sure that you're reaching your largest audience possible?
Wing 1:
ReplyDelete1) “Although social networking tools are widely used to incite action, the people who have used them most effectively have one thing in common: a laser-like focus… the importance of setting a single focused goal to provide direction, motivation and operational guidance.” I believe focus is your number one tool for success – without focus you can’t provide the leadership your campaign needs.
2) By using the “…five design principles that can be remembered by the mnemonic HATCH (Humanistic, Actionable, Testable, Clarity, Happiness)” will create a concrete “plan of action.” Involving your audience is the first step – you need to understand their needs. Asking questions such as; “What is she like? What keeps her up at night? How might she resist?” Building these bridges with shared experience, shared values, and shared goals will further your direction and help build the rest of your HATCH principles.
3) Social media is the new age tool to exploit anything and everything but you need to know how to use these tools. “Just creating a profile or fan page isn’t enough. It’s how you use these tools.” Obama’s campaign is a extremely successful story on this approach. His social media produced more than 3.2 million followers/users. Even as successful as this social media campaign was the Obama campaign never lost sight of the MACRO goal… One way the Obama campaign stayed motivated was celebrating those MICRO goals along the way which kept his team feeling good.
QUESTION:
What happens when you feel you’re making all the right decisions and your social media plan fails… Do you ditch all that work and drive on with a new approach or use that material and try to keep pushing it into your target audience?
Week 10: Dragonfly Effect Wing 1
ReplyDelete1) HATCHed goals need to be actionable. It’s important to set one long term goal (macro) and many specific short-term goals (micro). This approach can help programmers manage complex issues that may arise. An example of this is, “If a micro goal is set—for example, to run thirty minutes a day around the lake—it’s more achievable, and the person who pursues it will be working toward the macro goal of becoming healthier… Narrow, proximal (short-term) goals lead to better performance because they can promote our feelings of competence and increase the chance that we will enjoy tasks” (27-28).
2) Being able to test your goals and gage the outcomes is essential to success. This enables progress to be made and works better than goal setting on its own. However with deadlines and testable goals and positive outcomes its important to remember, “we all think we want a big win, but the reality is that big wins can have unexpected negative consequences. Looking over the top of the mountain can create uncertainty about what comes next and nostalgia for the journey that’s not in the past” (30).
3) The Obama campaign utilized existing tools like facebook, twitter and YouTube however they focused on new and non-traditional ways of gaining followers. “One effort in particular, the Dinner with Barack fundraising event, stands out because it tapped many different technologies to achieve its goal—making people feel empowered and involved” (37). This showed followers that they were important in creating change and helping get President Obama to the White House.
Question: The Obama campaign was obviously so successful as compared to other candidates use of social media, what is the second largest political social media campaign to date and what are the differences between campaigns?
Wing 1: Focus
ReplyDelete1. My first comment is that I love how this chapter started out with a Jimi Hendrix quote, and I love the quote. “To change the world, you have to get your head together first.” What a fly fella.
2. It is important to set a single, focused goal to provide direction, motivation, and operational guidance. This goal can be broken down into 5 design principles, which can be remembered by the mnemonic HATCH: Humanistic, Actionable, Testable, Clarity, Happiness (20)
H-Focus on understanding your audience rather than making assumptions about quick solutions
A- Use short-term tactical micro goals to achieve long-term macro goals
T- Before you launch, identify metrics that will help evaluate your progress and inform your actions. Establish deadlines and celebrate small wins along the way.
C- Keep your goal clear to increase your odds of success and generate momentum
H- Ensure that your goals are meaningful to you and your audience
-- I completely agree that one goal to focus on is a good idea because it would be easier to utilize HATCH if there are not multiple goals.
3. It is important to exploit existing tools, and at the same time, understand your audience and connect with them as individuals. You may be able to relate to your audience by initially trying to identify shared experiences, shared values, and shared beliefs. For example, using the media to get to know Obama in a personal way made him more accessible—and that made all the difference for his campaign.
Question: Although I think having one goal is a great idea, what if there are multiple goals that need to be met with a similar deadline? Do we merge the goals into one, or employ the HATCH principles separately for both?
1) When working towards a large, over-arching goal, it is important to focus more on smaller, more obtainable goals. These small goals are called “Tactical Micro Goals,” which The Dragonfly Effect defines as, “a short-term goal that is small, actionable, and measurable. It can be an approximation or first step for achieving your larger goal” (page 27). Larger, “Macro Goals” are often too overwhelming to try and tackle all at once. Focusing on smaller, achievable goals is effective because one can see checkmarks being obtained.
ReplyDelete2) I found the 5th design principle to be the most important, which is “Happiness.” The Dragonfly Effect explains that, “The goal you choose needs to be personally meaningful. The mere thought of achieving it should, at some level, make you happy. If you aren’t motivated by something fundamental, others are not going to be, either” (page 32). I’ve personally experienced that the more passionate a person is about a cause, the more people want to jump on board and support their enthusiasm. The happiness one feels towards their purpose is also the drive to keep them pursuing their ultimate goal.
3) In order to get people involved, they must feel as though they have a purpose and are making a change. President Obama largely won the election due to his online social media campaign. “The campaign didn’t simply create a FAcebook fan page and a YouTube account and expect things to take off: the team created an energy of involvement, of participation, and a sense of purpose in its supporters, each of which was funneled through social networking technologies” (page 45).
Question: Did President Obama use www.MyBO.com in his 2012 campaign?
1. Establish a single goal for your movement. Above all, keep it focused and specific. Remember the importance of “setting a single focused goal to provide direction, motivation, and operational guidance.” In order to get into a focused mindset there are five “design principles” to remember: humanistic, actionable, testable, clarity, and happiness.
ReplyDelete2. The size of your goal can have a big impact on the participation, motivation, and moral of your teammates. “Goals that are too easy to reach will not satisfy participants and will under-deliver for your cause. Goals that feel out of reach can discourage people, leading them to quit easily or not to try at all.” Given that, it is important to find a balance between easy and out-of-reach. In order to achieve that balance set one long-term “macro goal” and a series of short-term smaller goals or “micro goals”
3. Make sure that your goals are meaningful. If your goals are not meaningful to you, how can you expect to motivate those helping you? You need meaningful goals with the potential to inspire because “if people really care about your goal, they will be more willing to work longer and harder” Establish a meaningful goal that goes beyond anything financial.
Question: The book claims that Obama’s campaign has changed the way candidates will interact with the internet, but do you really see other candidates, who may not be as skilled of communicators, being able to replicate his internet success?
1. "Design is not how things look; it's how they work." This is an interesting way to think about design, when usually the goal of good design is to solve a problem. This thought differs design should encompass a resolution; a design is not complete until the problem is solved.
ReplyDelete2. "meth may be an illegal substance, but like a consumer product, it is readily available, affordably and efficiently distributed." From the marketing perspective, it's interesting to think of meth addicts as consumers rather than abusers. I think that with this mentality, it is easier to reach a target audience, because the concept of a consumer is so basic.
3. The current importance of empowering the audience tends to distinguish successful campaigns from the unsuccessful. "They [the Obama Campaign] had a campaign philosophy that matched and mired very well with the internet - openness, inclusiveness, self organizing. If they didn't have that campaign philosophy they wouldn't have gone anywhere.
Question: Are there dangers in letting people express themselves about your campaign through social media?
Wing 1
ReplyDelete1.) "To achieve balance, break the goal down into parts: a single long-term macro goal and a number of short term process goals, or micro goals" (page 26). I think this advice is extremely important because it allows one to focus on both the smaller and bigger picture. By focusing on the smaller goals first you are able to achieve more just focused in smaller steps. This idea also sustains momentum by allowing you to have more smaller successes.
2.) Happiness is among the most important aspects of creating a business. If you are happy with the messages your products are creating and what your business plan is all about then you are more likely to continue to work longer and harder on its successes because of your belief in it. "People who set goals based on personal interests and values achieve those goals more often because they're continually energized and thus stay more focused" (page 33).
3.) "Analysts at Edelman Research say that Obama won by 'converting everyday people into engaged and empowered volunteers, donors, and advocates through social networks, email advocacy, text messaging, and online video'" (page 34). Obama kept his mission clear: "involvement through empowerment." This allowed his campaign to stay focused and ultimately execute successfully and fast. Through my own experience of seeing Obama's campaign unfold, i was very impressed to see how active he was in terms of social media. He targeted young audiences and voters through the use of Facebook, Twitter, and other social media resources and this was very effective.
Question: What are some examples of micro and macro goals??
1. When setting goals you should make sure that they are actually attainable and not too out of this world, but at the same times the goals should not be too easy to complete. A good strategy is to set smaller goals within the one big goal, that way people can strive towards something that will be effective. “At the beginning, don’t focus on that long-term macro goal, instead focus on your tactical micro goals.”
ReplyDelete2. It is important to have a goal that you will be able to verify and see if it has succeeded and been received. So it is important to make sure that your goal is something that can be tested. By establishing measurable metrics you are able to combine goal setting and feedback, it also enables you to mark any achievements made. “Set specific deadlines. People perform best when working towards a deadline.”
3. The goal being set should be more than ‘increase sales’ even if that will result in being the final outcome, others outside of the board room are not going to be motivated by that, so it is important to set a goal that is meaningful and will make people happy. “people who set goals based on personal interests and values achieve those goals more often because they’re continually energized and thus stay more focused”
Question: Other politicians use Facebook, is the amount of Facebook friends attributed more to the social marketing team behind the page, or the man the page is for, does the page get more or less likes depending on Obama’s view in the public eye regarding current politics?
“A focused goal comprises several elements….HATCH: humanistic, actionable, testable, clarity, happiness.” (48) This phrase reminds me of the term we use often, known as “SMART goals.” Just like SMART goals, HATCH goals keep the focus, provide direction, motivation, and operation guidance.
ReplyDelete“Cultivating a human-centered approach. Before you can involve your audience members, you need to understand them and connect with them as individuals.” (54) Sending a message without thinking about the listener, may prove to be a poor choice! In my job, I find myself constantly tailoring my messages to the audience. Often times I’ve learned that my previous tactics of getting message to people have not worked, so I’m always coming up with new plans and tactics. But, I always learn something about my audience even when my messages fall on deaf ears.
“Small changes can have ripple effects, creating larger, more profound changes… The ripple effect means that you never know when some small things you do today could have an impact year from now.” In my role as a communication specialist for the last two years at a non-profit, I witness this “ripple” effect often. Some of the small changes we’ve made as an agency to gain more presence in the community, has really started a snowball rolling. Right now we are spending a lot of time understanding our web presence. Taking advantage of SEO is something we’ve never done before, but now that we’ve begun to make small changes, we’ve noticed that our site has been getting more and more hits. More hits on our website turns into more families connecting to our agency. That’s one example but there are many more!
Q: How do you know when you should just give up completely on utilizing a certain communication tactic?
Wing 1
ReplyDelete1. One of the questions you must ask yourself when cultivating a human centered approach is: How might she resist? (p.25) When attempting to answer this you must identify three bridges you can build. These bridges are: shared experiences, shared values, and shared goals. This way you can come to a mutual understanding.
2. Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign is an example of how social media was used extremely successfully to leverage social change. The key channel was MyBarackObama.com. This website was similar to Facebook in that it allowed supporters to “create a profile, build groups, connect and chat with other registered users, find or plan offline events, and raise funds.” (p. 34) this provided a variety of ways for people to become connected and involved. It definitely had a lot to do with the fact that they hired the cofounder of Facebook Chris Hughes to help develop their strategy.
3. The power of one is an extremely effective aspect to a social media campaign. Initially focusing in on one person place or thing will in turn benefit you and bring power and authenticity to your project. “One thing that really strikes me about Obama’s Facebook page is how authentic he is. He has his favorite music up there…” (p. 40)
Question: what is an example of another campaign that used social media as effective as Obama in 2008? Does one even exist?
1.Many social responsibility campaigns have problems because they focus too much on goals that can be attained easily and do not strive towards goals that are not so easily obtained. “Striking the right balance between visionary and realistic goals is key to maintaining focus.” In order to keep your following engaged with your campaign its necessary to find a plausible balance in order to create a goal for your campaign that is a healthy mix between a romanticized goal and something more realistic. Doing this, your development and success will be much more visible, making people want to support your campaign.
ReplyDelete2.Smaller steps in a campaign can be more self fulfilling. The book uses an example of running around a lake for 30 minutes as the smaller step and being healthier and the larger goal. Using smaller steps can be more fulfilling and give the impression that the larger goal is attainable. This is important especially for supporter of campaigns who may not see the day to day struggle but are only looking at the accomplishments to gage success.
3.Wing 1 explains the concept of Focus. The flow chart used helps users dissect where the strengths and weaknesses lie within their focus. Wing #1’s focus concept explains that in order to achieve the ultimate balance between an immediately achievable goal and a goal that could represent the larger picture that you are trying to highlight. The difference between them are “macro goals” and “tactical micro goals”. Both of these tie into the concept of smaller steps versus larger picture.
Question: Which prototype is most beneficial to gaging the amount of feedback you get. Are there better ones based on different types of campaigns or the demographic your trying to reach?
Although social networking tools are used to incite action in a “mass” social setting, the tools are used most effectively when they have a “laser-like” focus. “As big, daunting, and impressive as some of their movements seem- citizens rallying against guerrillas, a once-voiceless population protesting for women’s rights- each started small, with a few people and a goal.” (p 20) “A focused goal comprises several elements: HATCH (Humanistic, Actionable, Testable, Clarity, and Happiness).
ReplyDeleteYou have to find the right balance between visionary and realistic goals. “Goals that are too easy to reach will not satisfy participants and will underdeliver for your cause. Goals that feel out of reach can discourage people, leading them to quit easily or not to try at all.” (p 26) To achieve this balance it is best to break down your goal into parts with a single long-term (macro) goal, and a number of short-term (micro) process goals.
The goal that you choose needs to be meaningful. If you are motivated, then you will have a much better change at getting other motivated to help support your goal. “People are unlikely to help unless they know why you’re doing what you’re doing. People who set goals based on personal interests and values achieve those goals more often because they’re continually energized and thus stay more focused.” (p 33)
How would you measure clarity? How do you know when you have enough information without causing your followers to lose focus on the goal?
ReplyDeleteSean Parker
Wing 1
Humanistic
I like how the book broadens the concept of design to encompass more than just visual appeal. Design is a skill that should be integrated in all aspects of creating a social media platform because it develops a more clear understanding of what message you are trying to construct. “Although design has historically been associated with creative aesthetically attractive products and technologies, leaders are increasingly applying design thinking at all phases of development as a means of gaining competitive advantage.” (22) In today’s social media arena which has numerous was of using social media, finding the more effect way about using them is key.
Actionable
This section of the chapter I felt was the most important thing to remember when designing a campaign. I think we have all experienced too many times where we have highly anticipated goals and don’t know how to reach them. Or we know how to reach them but the tasks look overwhelming. “At the beginning, don’t focus on the long term macro goal. Instead focus on your tactical micro goals so that you will have a clear sense of progress.”(26) Breaking up the goals into micro goals I feel is the best way to ensure that progress in the long run is guaranteed.
Clarity.
I felt this section was a good follow up to setting micro goals. I think it’s important while in the designing stage of creating a media campaign to get out all of the ideas you may have and then review over which of the goals really matter. Being true to yourself about what can realistically be accomplish and what has to be sacrificed or take precedence over the other. “Research shows that the reason why many don’t achieve their goals is not that they don’t try hard enough or think strategically enough, but simply because they embarked on too many goals or set conflicting goals.” (30)
Question: How do you know how to limit the goals you create so that it can be truly attainable instead of spreading yourself too thin?
Wing 1
ReplyDelete1) “To achieve balance, break the goal down into parts: a single long-term macro goal and a number of short –term process goal, or micro goals (p.26).” This is apart of the actionable break down. It describes the necessity of having goals that are reachable but still create motivation. I feel that this quote is very applicable to the way in which our lives run, in terms of finishing school, working up the corporate ladder, and to simple tasks at home. I also feel that this is applicable to metal state when things are too easy they are not as interesting which can cause a lack of motivation to completion, which then can cause the macro goals to suffer or not be completed.
2) Your goal should be something that you are passionate about and take deep interest in. It is a strategy that will gain support and bring personal meaning to the task at hand. “ People who set goals based on personal interests and values achieve those goals more often because they’re continually energized and thus stay focused (p.32).” I feel that an example for this is Obama’s campaign slogan “ Hope.” Throughout his campaign he made sure that his audience understood his passion in the change he wanted to bring to America if elected President. I feel that through his passion he really resonated with young people and the peoples vote as a whole for people who were starving for change he was the hope for that.
3) “The campaign didn’t simply create a Facebook fan page and a Youtube account and expect things to take off: the team created an energy of involvement, of participation, and a sense of purpose in its supporters, each of which was funneled through social networking technologies (p. 45).” Another example of this would be my marketing groups nonprofit Charity Water. Their campaign to raise funds to be able to bring clean water to those in need around the world and in doing so they made sure that their donors felt connected to the project by showing them where their donations were going toward.
Question: The way in which the Obama campaign carried out “HATCHed Goals in Action”, is their campaign one to basis future campaigns and products off of?
The Wing
ReplyDelete1. " design has historically been associated with creating aesthetically attractive products and technologies" Design thinking takes a more holistic approach, emphasizing understanding the needs of the user. This brings in a whole new set of things to worry about, yet builds a better end result weather it be a product or message, ect.
2. "Striking a balance between visionalry and realistic goals is key to maintaining focus" tactical micro goals are most effective, getting caught up on big things are a waste of time, easy goals will not satisfy. Small, actionable, and measurable*
3. The power of one: Approach that keeps audience focused. Utilized by the Obama campaign. Using Facebook to be authentic really made viewers connect "Using media to allow people to get to know Obama in the personal way made him more accessible". These secondary forms of media were also out of control of the campaign staff, making them more authentic.
Q: Will Obama's successful utilization of social media in his presidential campaign be a challenge for future candidates to follow?
1.) Being able to understand and connect with the target audience is essential when attempting to cultivate a human approach. “Before you can involve your audience members, you need to understand them and connect with them as individuals”. I found this concept interesting and accurate. It is apparent that almost all advertisements and campaigns use this approach.
ReplyDelete2.) Achieving a balance between visionary and realistic goals will help you and your team maintain focus. By breaking down goals into a single long-term macro goal and a number of short-term micro goals, balance can be achieved. Focusing on the smaller goals not only allows you too keep track of progress, but it reduces stress as well.
3.) Having a personally meaningful goal will help you thrive as a business or campaign. Establishing an emotional connection with the audience is essential to ensure that they will contribute. Allowing people to see that a group has values and have an additional goal other than being financially successful will retain people.
Question: How many short-term goals should be set? Is it possible to set too many short-term micro goals?
The Dragonfly Effect
ReplyDeleteWing 1
1. “We all think we want a big win, but the reality is that big wins can have unexpected negative consequences.” I think this is a very important and valuable point. In another class I have learned about reaching the break even point on sales, which at first may seem like a good thing, but reaching break even is a daily process for most entrepreneurs, and in this example business they didn’t reach break even for another year and a half. It’s important to celebrate success but not let that success make you overconfident.
2. I believe one of the hardest design principles is staying focused and connected to your target audience. It is imperative to listen, observe, and connect with your audience if you want to have any effect on them. You must develop a strong audience point of view (POV). This is the Humanistic aspect of the design principles.
3. I loved the part of the design principle involving happiness – “Ensure that your goal is personally meaningful such that the thought of achieving the goal would bring happiness to you and your audience – in some way.” This is an extremely important factor of social change, because this employment can often be discouraging. If you are personally invested and rewarded by achievements – even small ones, it will help you stay motivated.
Question: When assigned to work on a social marketing campaign that you're NOT personally invested in, what is the best way to develop a connection with it? According to Wing 1 it's important to be happy with success and connect with the target audience, but what do you do if this becomes difficult?
1. Successful focus doesn't necessarily mean drafting a pre-action plan, and sticking to it throughout the entirety of your campaign. "Those who are willing to test their hypothesis before committing to a detailed approach are more likely to succeed." (21) By approaching social marketing campaigns with a more holistic 'design thinking' approach groups like The Montana Meth Project strategically focused on their goal by first exploring a variety of plans, to find out what strategy would be most effective for their target audience. "The Montana Meth Project succeeded in its goal to unsell meth, illustrating the importance of focusing on the needs of your audience to create broad change."(26)
ReplyDelete2.When designing and implementing a social marketing campaign you not only need to focus on your audience, but focus on your goals. Focusing on your goals means determining which goals are easily attainable, "micro goals", and which are more long-term, "macro goals." Micro goals are "short-term that are small, actionable and measurable. It can be an approximation or first step for achieving your larger goal." (27) A macro goal is long-term and "identifies the problem, the 'gap' you intende to close. A macro goal carries belief and feeling." (27) Effective focus means setting effective macro and micro goals, and maintaining their completion in an orderly fashion.
3. After determining your goals, clarity is essential for reaching audiences and achieving success. "Highly specific goals promote better performance then general, do-your-best goals. They beget greater satisfaction and, ultimately, a stronger commitment." (31) Barack Obama's 2008 campaign used the element of Clarity by maintaining a consistent and clear call to action for audiences, "Every action in the Obama campaign was geared toward getting people to vote. The purpose of online activity was to create offline activity." (46)
Is there a concrete/quantitative way to effectively measure the results of the ripple effect?
Wing 1
ReplyDelete1. “A focused goal comprises several elements… humanistic, actionable, testable, clarity, [and] happiness.” Each element is important to achieving your goal, while encouraging support from others. “You might worry that the single focused goal you have in mind, even if you achieve it, is so narrow that it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. Think again, because if successful, your goal has ripple potential that could bring about powerful social changes.”
2. “Business leaders, nonprofit organization directors, and political officials usually draft a ‘plan of action’ that is finalized before any action is taken, and it is typically viewed as the silver bullet for success. Getting everyone on board is paramount; deviation from the plan is discouraged.” Unfortunately, this assumes that all outcomes have been planned for, which is not always the case.
3. “Striking the right balance between visionary and realistic goals is key to maintaining focus.” “To achieve balance, break the goal down into parts:” a long-term goal and multiple short-term goals. This makes it not as intimidating to reach your long-term goal, without feeling like you’re wasting time or not doing much with small goals.
Question: I feel like having too many smaller goals and few larger goals would discourage people from getting onboard. Is there a balance between long and short-term goals that you should try to achieve?
Wing 1
ReplyDelete1. “To achieve balance, break the goal down into parts: a single long-term macro goal and a number of short-term process goals, or micro goals.” Short-term goals are helpful because when you complete one you feel like you’ve actually made progress. Without short-term goals the long-term goal can seem much more intimidating and even undoable.
2. “Establish metrics to ensure progress. Combining goal setting and feedback is more effective than goal setting alone.” Without feedback you could think you have completed a goal but without any feedback or measurable information you could be moving onto another step with a false sense of accomplishment. Having this happen at the beginning of a project could end up hurting you in the long run.
3. “If you aren’t motivated by something fundamental, others are not going to be, either.” If your goal isn’t personally motivating to you there is no way you are going to be able to convince others to help you. Your goal needs to be something that you can express passion for so that hopefully some of that passion will rub off on people around you.
Question: How many micro goals should you set compared to how large your macro goal is? (How should you break down the macro goal?)
ReplyDelete1) “It sough tot publicize the dark side of this product and to “unsell” it.” This is discussing discouraging meth use. I think look at my commodities as a product being sold would help many toxic substances use go down including legal ones like alcohol.
2) “small micro goals not only mark progress but also keep you sane and reduce stress” In this context they are focusing on behavior change goals however I think as a college student we should all keep this in mind. We are often so busy and small measurable change is important for staying motivated.
3) One section discusses that a goal must be personally meaningful. I also think this is important I find that products that speak to me on a deeper level make me involve myself and really give my all. It’s like class, if you are invested in a professor you participate if not you don’t. You have to truly care about your challenges and goals.
Q) Rock the vote also uses internet bases so I wonder how much they impacted Obamas success when using social media to draw in voters?
1) When developing a goal it has to be realistic and achievable. "Striking the right balance between visionary and realistic goals is key to maintaining focus." If this balance is met it makes working for the goal that much easier by being able to see progress and a feeling of accomplishment by setting sub-goals.
ReplyDelete2) “The importance of setting a single focused goal to provide direction, motivation, and operational guidance." The focuses on this allows the target audience to take in one clear message, rather then try and decode the message. This allows for a smoother adaption to the message that is being transmitted.
3) In the Edelman Research it was said that Obama won the election by "converting everyday people into engaged and empowered volunteers, donors, and advocates through social networks, email advocacy, text messaging and online video." Obama was the first president that really took to social media and ran with it, understanding that the youth was a huge target market for him to become president. The use of social media allowed the president to reach the proper audience for his campaign.
Question: The use of social media in political campaigning has proven to be successful. What social media outlet is the next big thing you can see impacting political campaigning?
Wing 1:
ReplyDelete1.Striking the right balance between visionary and realistic goals is key to maintaining focus. Goals that are too easy to reach will not satisfy participants and will underdeliver for your cause. (26) This worked for Team Saleem and Team Viray and will work for any marketing campaign. Have your long term (macro) goal in mind, but chip away at small term (micro) goals to keep participants interested.
2. In order to be balanced, a campaign must break down their goals into one long-term macro goal and various short-term micro goals. A macro goal should, “define the brand behind the project, and what types of connections the team is seeking to create.” A micro goal includes, “developing the brand, defining specific audience segments, creating a dialogue with end users.”
3. This chapter revisits the ripple effect, citing multiple case studies where ideas become powerful social changes. People can be doubtful of their ideas, worrying that it lacks importance among many other causes and problems in society. But big change has to start somewhere, "just as the focused goal of Team Sameer to save one life has saved hundreds of lives. Just as precise research for the Montana Meth Project cascaded to other states and reduced teen and adult meth abuse and meth-related crime. Just as the clearly targeted effort of the Obama team has rewritten political history," (p. 44).
Question: At what point in the process is the message considered to be viral?
1) what we are looking at on this wing is focus ““Before you involve your audience members, you need to understand them and connect with them as individuals.” To do this all you need to do is to ask simple questions about what the audience members want to see, what they might see
ReplyDelete2) accesability is key, if people think that they can get to know you then they are more likely to vote this is one thing that was talked about with the Obama campaign "Using the media to allow people to get to know Obama in this personal way made him more accessible- and that made all the difference for his campaign," (41)
3) we need to concentrate on the first goal and let what happens take its course, “The Obama campaign offers a particularly compelling case study in how its focus on inspiring mass involvement or winning people’s time (over money and votes) resulted in winning time, money, and votes. The secret to this seemingly impossible equation was in staying true to the initial goal as the team evolved its program. The team knew involvement would lead to further commitment, which would create a movement (p. 44).”
Question: have there been other political campaigns that have used social media as effectively as the Obama Campaign and will we be seeing more of this in the future
1. Hatch defines the 5 design principles: Humanistic, Actionable, Testable, Clarity, and Happiness. These design principles help to guide individuals while making and setting attainable goals. “Hatch” was developed as an acronym to help create focus and stability.
ReplyDelete2. A successful campaign will divide their goals into one long-term goal (a “macro-goal: define the brand behind the project””) and multiple and achievable short-term goals (“micro-goals: developing the brand, defining specific audience segments, creating dialogue with end users”).
3. A successful campaign requires its creators to take ownership and personal belief in what they are doing, “the goal you choose needs to be personally meaningful.” You cannot ask other to believe in your campaign if you do not as well.
Question: Which political party, currently uses the most effective social media platform to engage with their party members and recruit new members?
Wing One
ReplyDelete1."Achieving more, smaller successes (as opposed to fewer, larger successes) works as positive reinforcement and sustains momentum” (30). I find this to be very interesting because it shows how progress can make individuals much happier. When you are constantly doing something correctly, and seeing results, there is a good chance that the positive behavior of the person will continue.
2.The Obama campaign “created an energy of involvement of participation, and a sense of purpose in its supporters, each of which was funneled through social networking technologies” (45). This shows how when social marketing is done correctly, people can get involved. If people believe that they can take action in a campaign, they will most likely do it because they are doing more to get their voice heard.
3.“If you aren’t motivated by something fundamental, others are not going to be, either” (pg 31). Your work needs to be based of previous information and research to gain credibility. With that comes excitement, and motivation to keep the progress of working towards a goal. If neither of that is there or you can’t bring it forth to others, then there is no way that others will help or be willing to make a difference.
Question: How do we find a single definition for happiness in social marketing?
Wing 1:
ReplyDelete1) In order to achieve maximum participation and support, your goal should be to break down parts of the marketing strategy into “single long-term macro goals…and a number of short term process goals.” If you work with smaller, more attainable goals, it will make you feel like you are making progress, which will make you stay positive about the campaign. “Pursuing actionable micro goals reduces a complex problem into something that is manageable.”
2) Being as clear as possible will make your campaign a lot more successful because it will have a concise goal you want your audience to meet. “A key design in criterion is clarity.” If you have more specific goals, the easier it’ll be reach your results instead of more general ideas.
3) “The goal you choose needs to be purposefully meaningful.” If you don’t believe in the campaign message, it’s going to be very hard for others to believe in what you’re trying to sell them. Being excited, enthusiastic, and motivated about your campaign will have a positive impact on your team and your target audience.
Question: Where do you draw the line between borrowing existing campaign strategies and tools and copying them?
1. The campaign conducted focus groups and interviewed meth addicts, with the families who have been affected by meth and drug counselors. There are staying focused on the target audience is harder than it sounds. “The team developed a number of ads with different characters and messages and tested them with teens. It immediately became clear that the target audience didn't want to hear from adults sharing statistics or their stories. They wanted to hear from kids their own age, people who looked like their friends.” pg.34
ReplyDelete2. A micro goal is includes, developing the brand, defining specific audience segments, creating a dialogue with end users. “People are unlikely to help unless they know why you’re doing what you’re doing. People who set goals based on personal interests and values achieve those goals more often because they’re continually energized and thus stay more focused.” pg.32
3. Being stick on the initial goal, and being clear and concise is essential. “Research shows that the reason why many don’t achieve their goals is not that they don’t try hard enough or think strategically enough, but simply because they embarked on too many goals or set conflicting goals.”
Wing 1
ReplyDelete1. Staying focused on your target audience is crucial to your marketing plan. “Before you involve your audience members, you need to understand them and connect with them as individuals.” (25). Before you can sell and advertise to customers you must decide who your customers are and fully understand their desires and needs.
2. In the Obama campaign, social marketing was used as a more creative and powerful tool than ever before. “Obama won by ‘converting everyday people into engaged and empowered volunteers, donors, and advocates through social networks, email advocacy, text messaging, and online video.” By engaging people through social media, voters felt more connected and involved in the actual campaign.
3. It is extremely important for a social marketing campaign to keep a clear and concise goal throughout the campaign. While this end goal might have smaller steps or goals beneath it, they should all generally work to gain successful of the ultimate goal. "A key design criterion is clarity. Indeed, a clear goal may have multiple dimensions, but pursuing multiple goals is counter productive, as it causes people to lose focus" (30).
Question: Is social media making Presidents celebrities and Is what their campaigning becoming gossip?
1. I'm learning more and more as our this course and my education at UVM progresses that as a marketer you have to value the consumer. The humanistic design principle only deepens that realization. Targeting an audience and tailoring your message to achieve its call to action is just as important as the creative itself. As marketers we have to put our client's customers before our clients. If we don't put the consumer first then the message will be less likely to succeed.
ReplyDelete2. A balance between a high level, overarching goal and more attainable realistic goals can help to ensure success. Think about weight loss. If someone is told they have to lose 40 pounds and it a month they've only lost three they might completely give up. But if they are given mini goals within the larger goal there is a satisfaction of completion and progress. The same can theory can be used in developing social marketing messages.
3. The happiness design principle is all about passion. Lets move beyond direct social marketing. In no matter what we do in life is not the projects that we are most passionate about that garner the most thought, presentation, and time? For example I've recently worked with a few energy efficiency minded clients and it is definitely easier promoting the money you will save with energy efficiency than the energy you are saving.
Q: Whats the best way to find passion in a project that isn't innately there?
1. The most important thing is to focus your message, and design it according to audience. By making your message "human-centered". We learn to ask questions like "What is she like? What keeps her up at night? What do you want her to do? How might she resist?" By getting to know who we are marketing to, we can create content that is valuable to them and their lives.
ReplyDelete2. I've learned how important setting goals are in my professional life, and it holds the same importance in marketing. Goal setting in marketing can take two different forms, "macro goals" and "tactical micro goals". Micro goals can start the behavior changes necessary to achieve a larger scale, more important and long term macro goals. We need to take steps to make crazy goals come true. These small behavior changes are necessary to achieving them.
3. "Facebook Boot Camp... 5. Be yourself and use your voice. Authenticity is essential to genuinely engage with your community." THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART. As marketers, we can't just spit brand-speak and useless calls to action at consumers. We must first gain their trust, make them think we have their best interest at heart, and most of all, be authentic. In my work in social media, I've come to the realization that creating content that I would like to read, and that adds value to the consumer's day is the stuff that is well received.
Q: As a consumer, I like brands on facebook all the time, but it's less likely that I would "like" a small business. Their content is simply not as well curated as some of the larger brands. How can small businesses build a following with really great, well produced content??
Wing 1:
ReplyDelete1. “Although social networking tools are widely used to incite action, the people that have used them most effectively have one thing in common: a laser-like focus. As big, daunting, and impressive as some of their movements seem- citizens rallying against guerillas, a one voiceless population protesting for women’s rights- each started small, with a few people and a goal.” (p. 20)
This section of the book is not only incredibly valuable and true, but it is extremely relevant to this book and real life. When people look back 30 years from now, whether Facebook is around or not, people will remember how the Arab Spring was started via Facebook. Even today as I’m righting this, the red and pink equal sign picture went viral as people showed their support for equal rights in sam sex marriage. When people are passionate about a cause, social networks give them the power to channel that passion into a certain medium to reach the broadest audience possible.
“Striking the right balance between visionary and realistic goals is key to maintaining focus. Goals that are too easy to reach will not satisfy participants and will underdeliver for your cause. Goals that feel out of reach can discourage people, leading them to quit easily or not to try at all. To achieve balance break the goal down into parts: a single long-term macro goal and a number of short-term process goals, or micro goals.” (p. 26)
This quote resonates deeply with me. I had a friend who had to drop out of school because he got this wild and crazy idea about starting a music festival/ social network that would donate to charity. It was a great though and he had a good heart, but got so overwhelmed he got committed to a mental facility. He had no clue how to go about starting this project, but maybe if he had read this book and made microgoals he wouldn’t have spent all of his savings account on a project that would eventually fail.
“Personality is a powerful asset to work with, but approach it with caution. (There’s always a risk of revealing too much, which hazards landing you on one of the Internet’s many walls of shame, such as regretsy.com). Think carefully about who you are and the ideas and messages you would like to convey.” (p. 42)
This is very true, because the internet has a way of easily manipulating what people say because how they say it is so vague, in that it is not oral. Anyone can easily be offended, and rumors or bad info spread on the internet like wildfire these days. Take the guy that ran the Kony 2012 campaign for example. His whole campaign was debunked and discredited because he was caught publicly masturbating in the nude because he went crazy.
1. People what trust what other consumers have to say much more than they trust traditional advertising. While I know this isn't one of the major points of the chapter, it is one of the most prescient. In the age of the consumer reviewer and the brand advocate developing places where your brand or idea can shine has become incredibly valuable and integral to social marketing success.
ReplyDelete2.As marketers we have to do something to separate ourselves, our brands and our goals to have any "stickiness" in the minds of our audience. After reading about Bonobos I tried to remember the last clothing company whose emails or social media presence had any stickiness. I think the way that Bonobos named the colors of their products falls into the do the unexpected category of being memorable without being too unexpected.
3. The section on visualizing your message really resonated with me. I believe that anytime you can show your audience something without having to tell them it the message is much more successful. This can be said for writing as well. Think about promoting apples as a way to get kids to eat them. Which would be more effective telling the audience that "apples are delicious" or showing them that apples are delicious through words like "sweet," "juicy," "crisp," and "crunchy."
Q: About stickiness, how do we make something sticky that isn't inherently exciting? Like funding programs with donations through the Women's fund?
Wing 1:
ReplyDelete1) “Practically anyone, anywhere, can capitalize on incredible networking tools that are both free and easy to master.” (20) Though access to the Internet and social media has drastically altered our lives I’m not certain that “anyone, anywhere” truly has equal access to voice their views. Broadband access has simply not made it throughout the US let alone rural areas in other countries. Which leads me to wonder if those social economic inequalities also translate into social media networking inequalities.
2) “Obama’s team celebrated milestones, and basked in the wins along the way.” (38) By setting micro goals and celebrating the achievement of those goals you keep those participants focused and enthused in reaching the long-term goal. By doing this any minor setbacks can be easily overcome by refocusing on the next milestone. By keeping the people engaged with celebrations, is it blog post, emails or events you keep momentum and enthusiasm building. You also get those curious onlookers wondering what they may be missing out on; they too may then join the cause.
3) “It immediately became clear that the target audience didn’t want to hear from adults sharing statistics or their stories. (24) Remembering who your audience is and the message they want to hear is essential in achieving your goal. Use social media as a tool but do not forgot about utilizing other forms of media and advertising to get your point across. Never forgot who, why, how and what you want from your audience, as their buy-in is essential to a successful outcome.
Question
Has social media reached a point that we feel comfortable that all those potentially affected by a “cause” can voice their concern? Are there still some in our society that are still disenfranchised?
Wing 1
ReplyDelete1) "Staying focused on your audience may sound basic, but in practice, most of us are easily distracted." Making a plan of action before any action is taken is a key to success and it is paramount to get everyone on board with the same strategy.
2) "Striking the right balance between visionary and realistic goals is key to maintaining focus." Easy to reach goals won't keep you satisfied or encouraged. Making micro short term goals and macro long terms goals is the key to keeping your progress in check.
3) "The goal you choose needs to personally meaningful." When you have a goal that you are personally involved with that has meaning to you, the thought of achieving it will only push you to work harder, as it will make you happy in the end.
Q - Can too many micro goals delay a campaign to a point where the macro goals never get achieved?