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Last Wednesday, Mike Moran our Chief Strategist hosted a WOMMA Webinar on Listening 2.0.  The webinar featured presentations from Mark Kovscek, Senior Vice President of the VivaKi Nerve Center and Pauline Ores, Pricipal Analyst, Social Engagement Strategy of IBM.

If you missed it, don’t worry we’ve got you covered.  Below you’ll find  a the Cliff’s Notes version of the webinar, an audio recording of the session and the program slides.

Major Themes:

• What marks a good Listening 2.0 solution?
• How companies should use Listening 2.0?
• Where is the future of listening technology?

What marks a solution as Listening 2.0?

What the technology and service should provide:

• The ability analyze sentiment, particularly complex commentary such as sarcasm
• The ability to note complex and multiple mentions of a brand within a consumer conversation
• The ability to identify key topics and subtopics for your brand’s conversations
• The ability to demonstrate how topics and conversations are connected to each other and to the brand
• The ability to integrate multiple data types and imaging to create new more holistic views of the world
• The ability to create a global and scalable methodology

How companies use should use Listening 2.0

• Listening should be done at an enterprise level. To be effective it needs to cross over the silos of business units and lead to shared solutions
• Commit to “being in sync” with the market – be willing to reconsider marketing approach, content development and offerings, it can be about joining and taking their lead
• Be ready to take action, whether that is internal change or external engagement. To find ROI brands must be ready to take consumer comments to heart

Where is the future of listening technology?

• Technological improvements in computer translations
• Advanced tracking of message consumption and how it relates to purchase behavior
• Predictive modeling of  conversations and conversions

Resources: Twitter commentary , Audio Download, Slide Share

Tomorrow, Wednesday June 24 at 12pm EST our Chief Strategist Mike Moran will lead a free webinar for WOMMA titled ‘Listening 2.0: How the Web is Changing the Way Companies Listen to Their Customers‘.

Here’s the full introduction, courtesy of WOMMA:

Listening 2.0: How the Web is Changing the Way Companies Listen to Their Customers

12 pm Noon EST, June 24
Free for Everyone!

The Internet has added new ways for companies to listen, augmenting surveys, focus groups, and other traditional market research. But the first generation of Web listening tools were heavy on automation and light on real insights and actionability. Learn how Web listening is changing, and how your company can take advantage of it now. You’ll also get a sneak peek into what you should expect in the future, so that your company is ready.

Mike Moran is the author of the acclaimed book on Internet marketing, Do It Wrong Quickly, on the heels of the best-selling Search Engine Marketing, Inc., which is now in its second edition. Mike frequently keynotes conferences on Internet marketing for marketers, public relations specialists, market researchers, and technologists and serves as Chief Strategist for Converseon, a leading digital media marketing agency based in New York City.

Prior to joining Converseon, Mike worked for IBM for 30 years, rising to the level of Distinguished Engineer. Mike writes marketing columns for Revenue Magazine, Search Engine Guide, and WebProNews. Mike can be reached through his Web site (mikemoran.com), which is also home to his Biznology newsletter and blog.

Register for the Webinar!

The Aberdeen Group has released a new research study called Brand Reputation Management: Using Online Monitoring to Protect the Company’s Crown Jewels

As a leading company providing social media monitoring we support the growth of the research and sharing of information in the field of online brand monitoring.

Here are a few tidbits from the study:
*Class determinations for this study are based aggregate web performance scores. Best-in-Class companies consistently use more monitoring services.

• Best-in-Class companies are 2.4-times more likely than Laggards to improve year-over-year performance in customer retention rates. On average, Best-in-Class companies improved customer retention rates 11%, compared to 1% for Laggards.
• Best-in-Class companies are 400% more likely than Laggards to improve year-over-year performance in return on marketing investment (ROMI). On average, Best-in-Class improved annual ROMI rates 16%, compared to a 1% improvement amongst Laggards.
• Best-in-Class companies are 16-times more likely than Laggards to improve their ability to protect online brand reputation.
• Best-in-Class companies are 2.7-times more likely than Laggards to improve customer satisfaction. On average, Best-in-Class improved year-over-year customer satisfaction levels by 14%, compared to a 3% improvement amongst Laggards.

Results like these add proof to the pudding we’ve been dining on for years, that listening to customers and responding to their need leads to a more engaged, satisfied and loyal customer base.

Access to the report is free until July 3 (just requires a registration), simply click here to download your copy.

This week I was lucky enough to attend my first Society for New Communications Research event at the NewCommForum in San Francisco and came away energized, impressed and exploding with new ideas. I go to quite a few of these type of events these days, and the quality and depth of thinking here was well beyond the norm.

My panel on blogger relations was first cab off the rank Monday morning as I presented on Converseon’s work with Graco as the thorn amongst the roses alongside the super-smart Susan Getgood, Julie Crabill from SHIFT and Laura Tomasetti from 360 PR. Susan led the panel and chose each of our case studies from those recently honored in the SNCR awards so there was some top notch knowledge sharing amongst the examples (I hope ;)).

Here’s some of my key takeaways from the event:

Opening Key Note - Charles Best from DonorsChoose.org

Donors Choose have a brilliant model, this was the first I’d heard of their approach to micro-funding of educational efforts and I know I’ll be a supporter in future. Best presented on the success of their model and had a wealth of tips for marketers, as I shared with PR Newser:

- “Donors want a more meaningful connection. To become philanthropists, not just cheque writers” - likewise consumers will want a deeper connection with a brand, if there is the right underlying cause

- “A-List bloggers didn’t drive the most donations, smaller blogs that had a greater level of connection and engagement with their readers had better results’” - Forget an ‘A List’ top down approach to online communication, find the people who matter to you/your brand and build a meaningful relationship with them.

- “Individuals who made a real world effort for the charity (like growing a mustache for a month) and documented it online drove a great deal of donations“ - the best WOM marketing will connect the online and off-line worlds.

More significant though, is the amazing results from a partnership between DonorsChoose and Crate & Barrel. Check out this WSJ article for an in-depth analysis of the amazing (rigourously measured) results. This presentation touched on an area of passion for me in social media for social good, while also giving me even more hope that the best marketing approaches moving forward will revolve around mutual benefit for the brand and community.

Geno Church on Brand Ambassadors

Geno’s presentation on brand ambassadors was probably the best session I attended at the conference. I’ve been familiar with Brains on Fire’s excellent Fiskateers brand ambassador work for a while, and enjoyed hearing more of the thinking behind it and other great examples.

It was great to see some projects that produced truly impressive business results through an approach focused on relationship building with passionate supporters of brands. Even a (relatively) small number of engaged supporters can make a difference for a brand if the brand rewards, encourages and supports their dedication.

Shel Holtz on Crisis Communication in a Social Media World

My entrance to social media came about years ago after coming across Shel’s excellent textbook ‘PR on the Net‘, now I’m proud to call Shel a mate but this was the first time I got to see him officially present - and I wasn’t disappointed.

Shel’s energy and encyclopediac knowledge of relevant case studies shows why he’s such a highly regarded speaker. Shel’s littany of case studies of online crises were great proof points to me of why brands must, at the very least, listen to the online conversation and have the correct internal processes and infrastructure in place to be able to quickly respond.

In crisis after crisis Shel went through, brands won’t able to react quickly enough to influence the conversation. Listening is the first step, but there’s also a need to have the internal policies, processes and culture in place to be able to quickly jump into conversations - and that’s a lot easier said than done.

I was also happy to connect with Joe Thornley again, one of the wisest peeps in our space, and Clemson’s own Dr Mihaela V who was kind enough to give me a Clemson Tshirt that I’ll wear with pride next time I have a chat with her smart students.

Wherever you are I’d advise following the SNCR’s work and research, and if you get a chance to go to one of their events (the next one will be in Boston in November) be sure to do so!

This post is cross-posted at my personal blog Young PR.

Update: If you missed the presentation or want to study up, You can access Rob’s slides on Slide Share.

Rob will be speaking at PRSA’s  Digital Impact Conference taking place on Thursday April 30, 2009.

Rob will be speaking on:

Listening to the Conversation — The New Communications Imperative: New Listening Techniques to Gather Intelligence for Communication and Product Strategies

He will discuss how the use of listening technologies can help companies learn how people are relating to their brand, product and customer experiences.

The Digital Impact Conference was created to bring Digital Thought Leaders to demonstrate how to:

• Build a business case in the boardroom for public relations-led online communications and ensure ROI for your company from online initiatives.
• Assess your risk and successfully navigate the often rocky rapids of Web-based communications channels for public relations purposes.
• Ensure your future in the realm of digital communications.

The conference be held at:
Conference Location
101 River View
101 Sixth Avenue
New York, NY 10013

You can catch Rob on Thursday from 1:45 - 2:45 pm in Grand Hall B.

If you’d like to join us Register Here
You can also check out the Conference Blog for more information from some of the speakers

On Wednesday, April 22, 2009 Rob Key will leading a Vocus webinar on “Monitoring the Social Media Conversation from Twitter to Facebook.” With Jenna Petroff, manager of PR for Hardee’s at 2:00 p.m.

Together they will cover:
• How to positively impact your company’s online reputation
• Monitor your online reputation – and that of your competitor’s
• Uncover potential sales opportunities for your company

You can join us for the Free Webinar Here

Secondly, Paull Young will be speaking at the Society for New Communications Research NewCommForum on Monday, April 27 2009.

He had this to say about it on his blog:

“I’ll be appearing on a panel led by Susan Getgood discussing blogger relations with a focus on my work with Converseon client Graco (who received a commendation of excellence for blogger relations in the 2008 SNCR awards).

We’re also going to cover the FTC’s proposed regulations on online testimonials & blogger outreach, while I’m planning on ranting a little bit about my concerns about the ethics and sustainability of all the blogger bribing I’m seeing out there, along with my thoughts that blogger relations shouldn’t be carried out by agencies to generate ‘coverage’ - all to often the PR 2.0 solution I see getting sold to brands.”

If you’re interested in more information about why you should attend NewCommForum09 check out Paull’s post on 10 Reasons Why You Should Attend NewCommForum.

Or you can register here and save $100 with the code SNCRFREIND.

We hope to see you soon.

Re:think 2009 ARFConvention

On March 30 and April 1st 2009 Converseon is participating to the prestigious Re:think 2009 - The Annual Convention and Expo organized in New York by the Advertising Research Foundation. The conference provides brands an unprecedented opportunity to understand and evaluate the industry’s leading and newest solutions, and it’s bound to be a crucial event in the research industry’s effort to reinvent itself and regain its relevance in the social media age.

At Re:think we’re presenting our solutions and process for establishing an effective “listening zone”, based on our proprietary technologies. If you’re at the conference please come and meet us at our booth in the Expo hall. We’ll be happy to meet you and discuss about Converseon’s “next generation” Conversation Mining™ solution that is rapidly being adopted by leading brands around the world.

Early this morning New York time Converseon partner Vivaki launched their Real Social Suite for the EMEA region in London.

Converseon is proud to be at the core of this service offering alongside brands like Facebook and strong Publicis agencies such as Digitas. Converseon’s UK lead was in attendance at the London event and we’re looking to provide more updates about our continued expansion in EMEA throughout the year, be sure to subscribe to the blog for updates.

Brand Republic covered the launch in depth, here’s the highlights from their report:

LONDON - Vivaki, the Publicis Groupe strategic media unit, has partnered with a number of social media firms, including Facebook, as part of its launch and plans a range of tools of its Real Social Suite launch.

The launch of the Real (Reach, Engage, Amplify and Listen) Social Suite brings together social media firms from across Publicis Groupe and in the wider world.

The social media partners, including SocialMedia.com, BzzAgent, Converseon, GoViral and Techlightenment, will combine with a number of Publicis Groupe agencies, namely Denuo, MS&L, Digitas, BlogBang and Performics, to help clients engage with social media and work out how best to talk to consumers.

At the heart of the Real Social Suite are the three steps (reach, engage, amplify and listen) each of which focuses on a specific step in social media.

The various partners will each plug into one of the three steps other than Facebook, which will work with across all three areas through its Facebook Ads system and marketing tools.

The three steps of the Real Social Suite:

Reach - Publicis agencies will tap into the mass reach of social media across brand and performance marketing, and working with partners to expand both CPM and CPC buys.

Through partnerships with Socialmedia.com and Techlightenment, VivaKi agencies will have the ability to access social performance media at scale for their clients.

Engage and Amplify - The VivaKi partners enable clients to participate directly in the social web through the development engaging social experiences.

Techlightenment and Digitas develop social campaigns across social environments that it is hoped will increase and extend a brand’s reach through consumer engagement.

BzzAgent, Performics and MS&L will seek to deliver outreach services across the blogosphere and other consumer generated content.

Through partnerships with GoViral and BlogBang we are also able to offer highly effective video seeding in social environments.

Listen - Using proprietary tools developed in partnership with Converseon, Vivaki will frame social media content alongside search, traditional media and UGC data.

Nick Burcher, VivaKi’s social lead in EMEA, said: “We are effectively helping to build the social media marketplace with the help of premier social media partners and some of the top thinkers in the space.

“We will continue to welcome other social media leaders and pioneers, as we continue to create solutions that allow for engaging conversation with consumers.”

This Thursday the Twitter world is coming together under a single banner: Social Media for Social Good.

The cause? charity:water, a non profit that brings the simple essential of clean fresh water to places and people who don’t have access to it.

The social media? Twestival is collection of events created by twitter users from all over the world. Taken from the idea of tweetups, a gathering of twitter users who meet in real life, Twestival will see over 175 cities around the globe hold these events on February 12 with 100% of money raised going to charity:water.

We at Converseon applaud the mission of Twestival and are active supporters of the NYC event. Our social media strategist Paull Young is a part of the planning committee and wrote this guest post on Mashable that gives some background on the vision of charity:water and New York Twestival’s 20/20/20 vision for the event: Donate $20, Raise $20, and tell 20 friends.

A large contingent of Converseon’s New York office will be attending Thursday’s NYC Twestival, and in support of their 20/20/20 Vision Converseon will be matching all donations from our employees making their donations go twice as far.

How can you Help?

If you’re in NYC you can still buy tickets (currently $40, soon to be $60 and VIP tickets for $100) to attend the fabulous party at M:2 with live music from Eclectic Method - 100% of ticket sales goes directly to charity:water.

In another city? Check the official list to see if yours is one of the 175+ participating cities

To addicted to Twitter to leave your computer? You can donate via TipJoy, it even provides a tweet for you to share with your followers.

Please join us in using social media for social good by supporting Twestival’s astounding global efforts!

Rob will be speaking with Sandra Fathi, President, Affect Strategies on Social Media & Multiple Personality Disorder at SocComm09 on February 10, 2009 at the 3LD Art and Technology Center in New York.

SocComm09 is conference focusing on “Social Communication.”

So what exactly is Social Communication?

Jeff Pulver the founder and director of SocComm has this to say about it:

“It turns out that Social Communications is a pretty broad term which could mean many things to many people. [The goal of SocComm is] to bring together a gathering of people with a variety of backgrounds and industries and together explore the future of where things are going and what business models will be used to provide the dollar returns needed to get us there. I expect to bring together people from across the worlds of: Media / Internet / Communications / Entertainment. Something I would call a “MICE” event.”

SocComm09 will have a mixture of individual talks, on-stage interviews / conversations and a number of “group chat” sessions. Including sessions with Jeff Jarvis, Chris Brogan, and others.

If you are interested in attending you can register here.