I got an email from Eric Edelstein, entrepreneur and Web guru, the other day. In it he highlighted one of his many online ventures, Mobile Q and A, a forum for all things cell phone in South Africa.
He encouraged me to check out the site and post on it. First I was a bit irritated, because I like to blog about what I like to blog about and don't like being 'leveraged', but then I visited the site and realised the only thing Eric had omitted in his mail was that this is part of a bigger viral campaign aimed at SA bloggers. The idea is simple - Eric is asking bloggers to give an honest take on his site on their blogs, in return for exposure in his 'blogger' hall of fame, regardless of whether the feedback is negative or positive.
He says, "Email us at [email protected] and let us know where you commented on MobileQandA, and we'll add you to the MobileQandA Blog Hall of Fame. (the dates and times are when i get the link live, as i'm sometimes - but not often - away from the Internet)."
My initial irritation turned to admiration as I realised that Eric is really showing his faith in and respect for the SA blogosphere with this move - something bigger, more traditional companies could learn for. As Dave says, this could be a model for engaging the blogosphere in a constructive way...
This got me thinking about the most basic and easily replicatable viral formula for online social media:
* Offer a prize in return for people linking to you from their blog or social-networking page.
* Set criteria - e.g. "Valid for first 100 mentions only"
* Tell the blogger to notify you when it's up.
* Follow through on your promise of reward.You can really get creative with this structure - for example, by asking people to create their own banner ads as links for the promotion/competition.
We (Dave and I - we work together) know just how powerful this kind of campaign can be. Our 27 Dinner meme (27 is a geek dinner born out of the SA Geek Dinner movement that tries to bring together geeks and non-geeks in a funky, progressive environment) has spread like wildfire because the online community buys into the idea and sees personal value being derived from it.
Now I haven't had much to say about Mobile Q and A itself, predominantly because I am not a forum type person - never have been. However, after being 'forced' to check this one out, I'm blown away at the amount of effort Eric and his partner have put into it - it's a slick outfit. The reviews especially appealed to me - their detail unprecedented even when compared to the providers themselves.
I might just go back
Tags: mobile, cellphone, South Africa, advertising, branding, blogging, bloggers, marketing
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