Eggblogg

And finally ... some social media workshops in Lewes

Rosie Sherry and myself have been talking about this for ages and we've finally got something organised - a series of 3 workshops in Lewes, aimed at small business owners/marketing managers and others who want to use social media for business, but aren't sure how.

We don't claim to be gurus but we're into plain talking, lots of examples and practical ideas. I've given a lot of talks this year to ProfitNet participants and I know this is a hot topic.

The 3 events are on September 24th, October 8th and November 12th, all Thursday evenings, and we've priced them just about as reasonably as we could.

Rosie and I have got quite different backgrounds so between us there's a goldmine of stuff for participants to pick at!

I'm sure I'll mention it again but for now let's just say that bookings are being taken online now and Earlybird prices end August 31st. Hope to see some of my blog readers there!

The interesting trend of de-branding

Last month Starbucks announced it was opening a number of stores under different names, in order to give them more of a 'community personality'.

Some have called these 'stealth stores', comments have been made that it won't take long for locals to see through the 'mom and pop' image to the fact that once inside, it's Starbucks.

Cynics might say it's a typically underhand (and even heavyhanded) marketing response to the trend for knocking big brands and supporting small, local outlets.

Just in the last week I read that Wyevale, the garden centre chain, is also 'de-branding', in order to 'return the business to its horticulture roots'.

What next... Tesco opening de-branded corner shops as a way of getting around planning restrictions and soothing local opposition?

Authority versus influence

Authority versus influence. It's an interesting distinction, isn't it? It's very common to see the two used almost interchangeably.

Someone might be described as 'an authority in her field', or 'an influential leader'.

Marketers have long talked of 'the influencers' - aka all the people we have to identify and then be extra nice to if we're hoping to persuade our audience to buy. In the 'old' media, people like journalists, celebrities & TV presenters hold sway. (And because everyone wants to influence the influencers, there are also layers of gatekeepers - but I digress.)

In other words, influencers are people with a large ready-made audience who trusts them. Are they important to marketers? Absolutely.

But an influencer isn't always an authority. A good journalist will be well researched, but that doesn't make them authoritative. Authoritative people don't just influence, they instigate change. Being an authority surely means being a thought-leader, not a disseminator of information.