In case that you forgot or that you are unaware, Google Reader is shutting down July 1st, 2013. It has been a while since I opened Google Reader when I recalled that I should do something. Even though I stopped using it, I transfered everything to Feedly out of fear to lost forever all the work that I put in building and organizing my subscriptions. To my surprise, Feedly made me fall in love with my RSS feeds again.

Here is why I became a fan of Feedly.

Painless Transition

You simply connect to your Google reader account and in a matter of seconds, Feedly will have imported your subscriptions organized the way you did it in Google Reader. I didn’t lose my feed categories, nor where I was in my reading.

Awesome Experience

The clean Feedly interface not only looks ten times better than Google Reader, it is more efficient and delivers more options to tailor how I browse the feeds. You can browse your subscriptions in 4 views: title only, magazine (my favorite), card and full post.

More than that, the interface provides a seamless experience. Navigation is simple for the users. For example, Feedly automatically remembers how I like to view each feed category, instead of selecting my preferences through a setting form like I need to do in Facebook.

I start by reviewing the “Today” section, then move to the feed category that most interested me.

Synchronized Mobile Apps –  for iPhone, iPad, Android, Kindle and more

Having a mobile version that enables me to browse, read and sharing posts quickly is important to maximise what I do with my free time while I am on the run.

Like in Google reader, what you read, save and do is automatically synchronized between the iPhone and the Web version. The design of the interface is thought for the screen format.

More Sources of Inspiration

With Flipboard and Pulse that present us the most popular online destinations, we tend to forget other sources, including the smaller blogs that produce quality content. Why go to the trouble to add them to another platform if they are already in your RSS subscriptions?

If you still have to find a replacement for Google Reader, consider Feedly. I don’t think that it will disappoint you.

I buy a lot online from Gap since I became a mom. I bought basics for me and a lot of clothes for my son. To keep me informed of what’s new, I subscribe to their marketing emails. But they are doing something that bugged me. It is the fact that Gap often sends me emails featuring toddler girl’s dresses when a quick look as my purchase history statistics would have shown, without a doubt, that I’m looking for toddler boy’s clothing. I expect that level of automatic email customization when it comes to big chain retailers.

And it is not that they are shy to send you emails. Subscribers to Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy emails know that they will receive a few weekly emails. In an attempt to limit what populates my inbox, I decided to update my email preferences at Gap. To my surprise, the Gap marketing team didn’t think that it is relevant to segment their emails by gender when it comes to babies and kids. I say to my surprise since their catalog already separates them.

Restricting the gender only for men and women is a mistake. And it is not just for the lack of consistency in the way that they segment the emails. It shows that they don’t value my time. Or it sends the signal that they don’t really care about these categories. Either way, it is not what a brand should tell its paying customers. From my viewpoint, I subscribe to these promotional emails to make my life easier. I expect the brand to deliver on that.

Bring Ideas and Tips, Not Just Products, to Your Customer’s Inbox

In case that you haven’t notice, the days of simply pitching your products are coming to an end. My advice to retailers is simple. Make sure that your marketing emails deliver something useful for your consumers. For a fashion retailer, it could take the form of a small lookbook or it could done by showing the different ways to assemble an outfit. Forget your marketing message. Instead, look at it from the consumer’s perspective.

• What type of information would they value? 
• Why not tell them how they could wear the hot items of the season with past season clothes that they bought from you?
• Why not talk about fabric care?
• Why not include curated links from fashion bloggers who show people how they could wear their clothes?
• Why not add relevant posts, activities or places that fit the lifestyle depicted in the lookbook that you pitch in your emails?

On the fly, I can think of plenty of ideas that would fill your editorial schedule. I will leave you with that thought. If you want your customers to read your emails, become a relevant source of information for them.

Instead of boring you with lengthily explanations, I will tell you a little brand does it right. Australian-based Bellroy makes wallets for men. Their niche goes deeper than that: they make stylish slim leather wallets. Their range fits different lifestyles. They sell them.

I shopped around the Web for men wallets before writing this post. Believe me when I say that the way that Bellroy presents its products set them apart. For the record, the stylish girl in me deeply wishes that my husband would use one of them.

The three lessons to remember here are:

1. They don’t waste my time

They use geo-location detection technology to inform me right away that they ship in Canada at a reasonable rates. If it was my site, I would have taken it a step further and posted what would be my (fixed) shipping rates.

The homepage directs the visitors to their featured wallets, their entire catalogue or to their simple “Slimming your wallet” guide.

2. The pictures provide useful information

They show me guys using the wallets so that I can identity with them. Most importantly, I quickly get an idea of how big each wallet is. On the product page, Bellroy uses pictures and made videos that show me how much I can fit into each wallet. In short, they answer the key questions not just with words but my nice images.

3. They value their retailers

This is my pet peeve with most manufacturing brands. Frankly, I never understood why so many don’t take the time to tell me where I can buy their products.

Bellroy not only provides me with a long stockist list but it also puts the spotlight on a few retailers. A manufacturer could either uses it as a reward program for retailers that buy over an amount and hot boutiques for the targeted market, or charge a promotional fee to be spotlighted.

The next time that you browse your online store, look at it from a buyer viewpoint. It will help you to see what could be improved.

photo credits: Bellroy

Edit History on Comments on a Profile Page

It as been a while since Facebook allows us to edit our comments on a profile page. But, today marks the first time I see the word “Edited” below a comment that a friend edited. Everyone can see what you changed. They simply have to click on “Edited” to view the Edit History pop-up screen.

Hiding Spam Comments on your Facebook Page

Until today, I never had to use this function on my Facebook page. In the past, I always dealt with spammers by banning them from my page.

When I moved my cursor towards the little X at the right top corner of every comment, I noticed that Facebook gave me to option to “Hide as spam”. If I feel that hiding as a spam is not enough, I have the choice of deleting the comment, reporting it as abusive or banning the user from my page.

If you leave it as spam, people, including the page administrator(s), will see … (3 little dots) instead of the comment.

I feel this is a valid feature since there might be occasions where a brand would prefer to hide the spam comment and give a chance to the user.  As for this particular incident, I would at worst ban the company, or at best delete the spam comment.

For more information about the Hidden as Spam function, read this tutorial by Social Media Today.

As I will show you how three lifestyle blogs — that I respect and follow — handle sponsored posts for their respective blogs, I will point out key elements to consider the next time you partner with a brand for a sponsored post. In each case, the blogger was able to create original content that appealed to the targeted audience.

1. Lookbook / Stylebook

One popular form of sponsored posts is a lookbook where the blogger coordinates items available at a retailer to create an ensemble that fits their style. This concept works best in fashion, home decor and tableware where bloggers often produce photo collages. See here how Nicole of Making it Lovely uses her personality to trigger engagement with her readers. This is typical of what she does in her blog.

Nicole Balch captured the essence of what is a proper sponsored post when she writes at the  end of her sponsored post the following message:

Sponsored posts are purely editorial content that we are pleased to have presented by a participating sponsor. Advertisers do not produce the content.

2. Series

The well-established Apartment Therapy has an extensive experience with sponsored posts. Like with ads, a brand can build more awareness if they sponsor a series of posts instead of just one. For the Moving Week coverage on Apartment Therapy, Penske Truck Rental booked a week long of posts designed to appeal to long-distance movers. The posts were written to encourage readers to get involved. And it worked! The posts generated lots of engaging comments.

The Moving week posts were a mix of practical tips, tricks and fun stories. Each post includes a call to comment and a link to Penske Web site.

3. DIY projects

For this post for Glad, Jordan of Oh Happy Day created a DIY project that is so typical of her blog. Jordan showed people how to to print on lunch bags. Although her design has no mention of Glad, the brand received great exposure since a nice DIY project is always a popular topic. Plus, the post is right in time for the back-to-school season. I believe that a brand can get more from a sponsored post when the post relies on a skill that the blogger has.

Note that you should budget more money if the blogger creates a tutorial, sets a scene and must take lots of pictures for your sponsored post. The production time and the creative process of the blogger have a price.

4. Judging a Contest

This goes further than a sponsored post but since the brand taps into the blogger’s social network to promote the contest, I include it as one option. I am currently a judge to find the Quebec Creative Ambassador for Michaels, the craft store chain that is arriving in Quebec. This is a huge contest. My job involves speaking for videos in top of the three judging events. It is a fun experience as you can see from the semi-finals video. The finale will be this Sunday.

As a blogger, you should factor in that being a judge is time consuming. From my experience, it takes longer than what you and the PR agency expect. I also received questions by email, on Twitter or on Facebook about the contest or the store. When the contest is the right fit for you, you should go for it.

This list is not meant to be exhaustive. I am sure that I forgot to mention other rightful way to do sponsored posts. It is your turn to talk.

Have you seen a great sponsored post lately? If you are a brand or a blogger, what are your expectations when it comes to sponsored posts?

The hardest thing to imagine for most people is what constitues a newsworthy media event for influential bloggers. For that reason, I will revisit media events that failed and share some ideas about what they transform it into awesomeness. For the first of my Blogger and Media Event Case Study series, we will dissect an ice cream taste test event that I attended a couple years ago.

Before we pass from theory to practice, I want to address two key issues for success. You will better understand where I come from if you read first my top hosting a blogger event tips.

First, let’s talk budget. This is the argument that I heard the most as an excuse. It may be true that  budgets are not large enough but if the typical mom can host a birthday party for her little kid that is more polished and better designed than your bland event, you are in trouble. What you need to do is rethink the priorities. I have seen, event after event, good money that was spent on the wrong thing.

Second, put entertaining first! Forget what they teach you at PR schools. The classic media conference format, or even the basic cocktail party, doesn’t cut it if you reach bloggers. I strongly believe that having on your team a person who follows the latest entertaining trends is an absolute must. Remember that lifestyle bloggers are ahead of the curve. Think about style and provide fun activities.

The First Case Study: An Ice Cream Tasting Event for Influential Local Bloggers

A few years ago, I attended one of the most boring media event to introduce Breyers 1/2 the Fat light ice creams. Sorry Breyers, you are still my favorite store-bought ice cream but the event that you hosted in Montreal was horrible. I will tell you at the end how you could have made it wonderful without spending more than you did.

Instead of making a fun tasting event, the PR agency that handled that account put together an event where they simply served us the ice cream at a bar. No party decorations. They had a standard freezer from which a guy served us a scoop of one of flavours in a none descriptive ice cream container. Next to it, the Breyers 1/2 the Fat light vertical banner told us the name of the product. That was it! No set up for photos, no fun props (they just use boring corporate images), no activities were planned. They spent more on the bar tap than on featuring the product!

Ice cream screams entertaining and fun. Why limit the choices to the ice cream flavours? What about the standard “in a cone or a cup” option? Plus, there is nothing wrong with using ice cream as an ingredient if it is an essential ingredient! Why not set up a sundae bar or a s’mores bar? Some may tweet about their personal preferences or the ones of their fellow bloggers.

Why not take the time to create an amazing ice cream parlour scene filled with cute props. This is where the time you spent reading the best wedding and entertaining blogs will pay off. If you make the vignette a part of your official photo booth, instead of a background covered your name, you increase the chances that I want my pictures taken and be happy to share it with your hashtag.

You could add a virtual party to your blogger/media event. Get the bloggers (the ones who wish to participate) and your community more involved with a real-time contest. Ask the bloggers to upload a photo of their ultimate sundae in your Facebook page for a chance to win something that bloggers will value.

Look at my suggestions as food for thought. I will continue to explore ways to bring your media event to the next level in order to maximize your chances of getting the words out. Do not hesitate to share your thoughts. When it comes to great ideas, the more the merrier.

I read earlier this week a strong post by Dee Brun of Cocktail Deeva where she told bloggers that they should try to get off guest lists because Dee felt that brands are only using us and that they do not deliver their end of the bargain. I have to side with her.

Over the last 3 years, I became very selective. I only accept invitations when I think that they will deliver something for me: whether it is in form of blog material, get closer to a brand or to mingle with my peers. I raised my concerns before. Last year, I shared 5 tips on how to host a successful blogger event. My tips are still valid today. I have more to say about the question.

More than the event itself, I want to address what PR agencies and brands need to do before and after the event to maximize their chance of coverage. I know that organizing an event requires a lot of work — remember that I’m an entertaining expert. But you must never neglect the before and the after steps of hosting an event. They play a huge part in building good memories.

Before the Event

A lot of time is passed to compiling the guest lists, sending invitations and collecting RSVPs. I am amazed by the fact that the PR world  still rely on the inefficient email method to collect the RSVPs. It seems that they never heard of online services that manage RSVPs and that put the event time and location in the attendee’s calendar. Even something as basic as creating a Google form would bring a productivity boost. My favorite tool remains Eventbrite. See why here.

Sadly for you, sending me a pretty (image) invitation is not enough. As a mom, I need to know how long to book my babysitter. This need to know how long the event should last is not just for moms. Everybody wants to know if they can fit your event in their busy schedule. Ideally, attach a detailed agenda or a description of what should I expect from your event. This will show me that you value my time. It will go a long way with building a relationship with bloggers and influencers, even if they decide that your event is not for them.

Include the hashtag of your event in the reminder email that you send me the day before. If you are hosting an event with celebrities or speakers, include their Twitter handles in your email. This way, I can mention them and your hashtag on my way to your event. It may be the only tweet that you will get from me, but at least you can count one for your results.

During the Event

Design your event to provide many angles to story. We don’t want to publish all the same stuff. You need to create a newsworthy event that provides opportunities for unique photo sharing.  If you have a demonstration, make sure that the attendees have enough time and space to take their own pictures. Supply props to style our pictures. You will increase our chances to tweet pictures of your event or to create an album on our Facebook page.

If you can afford it, hire a professional photographer and/or cameramen to shoot small videos. I attended the annual Bombay Sapphire Montreal event this month. Each blogger got their own set of photos taken by a professional photographer. I styled my photos and worked with the photographer to get the feel and look that fits my blog. That alone assured that they got coverage on my stylish living blog. Now, they received coverage on both of my blogs.

Allow time to mingle. A chance to chat with our peers could lure more bloggers to your event. So, make sure to mention in your invite.

After the Event

Most opportunities are lost at the follow-up stage. I stopped counting the number of events where I made a formal request for more details or images and where my requests have been unanswered. I saw them when they wrote down my request. So what happened? From the outside, I feel that the PR people stopped working on that project the minute the event ended.

What is worst for brands is that they not only waste a chance of coverage, but most importantly, they lost me. I feel that I lost my time. Unless you include expensive and desirable items in your gift bag or that my readers are craving to hear from you, chances are that I will decline any new invitations from you.

At other times, I get an answer one or two weeks after the event. Bloggers are impulsive; for the most part, we care about what is hot today. After a week, your event has lost its appeal. Chances are that my post, if I still go head in writing one, will show less enthusiasm.

In Summary…

My three-fold advice is:

1. You need to build and keep the excitement level before, during and after the event for bloggers and influencers to stay excited.
2. Producing a newsworthy event that can be shared by many bloggers maximizes your chances that we will talk about your event or product. Make sure that are plenty of opportunities for unique pictures and content.
3. The next time that you budget how much it costs to organize a media event, don’t forget to account time for these important before and after tasks.

Since 2007, I received my share of press releases. At meetups and blogging events, I often voiced my lack of satisfaction for the materials that I received. I hoped that things will get better with time. Sadly, I still wait for that to happen. I decided to help PR professionals by sharing here what bloggers expect from you.

I wrote in 2009 a post about the need for bloggers to have easy access to product images. This post is still valid today. But our needs go much further than that. If you thought that it is hard enough to compile a list of influencers, I am sorry to tell you that it gets more complex than that. I compile a checklist that will guide you in the right direction.

What you should do or have on hand before you pitch any blogger

First of all, let me tell you that it takes a lot these days to grab the attention of most bloggers. Our inbox is clogged with unwanted pitches. I will tell you a little secret. I doesn’t open about 98% of the pitches I received. You need to be someone that I know or to find a way to grab my attention. To continue on the right track,  you need to provide me the information I need quickly.

Assess if The Blogger is a Good Fit

1. Target well. Don’t assume that because I’m a woman, a foodie or a mom, I would be interested by this or that.
2. Get to know me before you send me your pitch. Start by looking at the categories of my blog. If your pitch seems to fit, take the time to actually read several of my latest posts before you contact me. Dont’t stop there. Read my About page, look at my tweets, visit my Facebook page. Yes, this requires more work from you but this is what it takes to assess if a blogger could be a good fit for your pitch.
3. You will improve your chance that a blogger opens your email if you commented/connected before on Twitter or Facebook.

What You Must include In Your Pitch

1. Address the blogger by his/her name.
2. Tailor your message to the blogger’s writing style or favorite type of coverage.
3. Mention the best feature or why should we care on the email subject.
4. Your pitch should be short and sweet. Go to the point. If you don’t grab our attention by the first sentences, chances are that we will move on.
5. Don’t tell us what our readers will love to know. We hate that!
6. Large images are the norm on blogs these days. You must provide us with big pictures. We have absolutely no use of 200 pixels wide images. In fact, we can’t even see the product properly and determine if we like it or not.
7. Be ready to respond quickly to special requests (more pictures), samples, questions and interview requests. Think about the process and what you will need before you send your pitches. Remember that what is in today may lose it appeals tomorrow for a tons of reasons. When it does, you can try to reheat the love but there is no guarantee that you will get a second chance.

I was last Thursday in Toronto to attend Social Mix, a social media conference. The two keynotes presenters, Amber Mac and Gary Vaynerchuk, were a treat. I expect that  level of performance from these established speakers. Someone else impressed me a lot with his passion and common sense.

The surprise of the day for many of us was Sergeant Tim Burrows from the Toronto Police Service. I did not know him at all and did not check his Twitter account before the conference. I did not expect to hear someone so genuine and down to earth talking about the issues and challenges that a Canadian Police organization faces on a daily basis. I have a deep appreciation for what Tim does.

For the benefits of business people and bloggers, I will share what I consider to be the best lessons of the day or my twist on them.

All your actions should serve your ultimate business goal. Do not kid yourself, social media requires a lot of time and efforts to succeed. But growing any business takes time. Social media is where your audience and customers spend a lot of their time right now. So you should be there and be a part of the conversation.

Companies are still do traditional marketing. You will be more successful if you coordinate your efforts over all channels. You will need to create a marketing round or at least, establish an effective internal communication system that breaks the silos like Geoff Livingston and Gini Dietrich told us.

Tailor your message not only to each medium, but also to the social network and their specific audience. To the dissatisfaction of the people who are driven by efficiency, the human touch wins over the automated route.

It takes time to build relationships. You should give before you receive from someone. Share your knowledge, be useful, genuinely connect with people over a good period of time. Amber Mac said “Using social media is like going to the gym. To see results, you’ve got to be consistent”. Gary Vaynerchuk said that he looks at his career as a marathon. It took him years to gain the level of trust that he now has. Still, he continues to be generous and to invest a lot of time and efforts in what he does.

The great thing about the Internet is that you can measure the effects of your initiatives. You must measure it! All members of a business contributes in its own way to sales. You do not necessary need to track fancy formulas nor invest a lot of money. For example, Facebook gives you access to plenty of statistics.

One last thing

Images sell your story. Across all social networks, posts with beautiful, lovable or funny images are shared the most. Why do you think Facebook increased the size of the pictures that you published on your timeline? Because their metrics show them that they generate more likes and comments.

We all love to look and are happy to share cute infographics. But before you write a blog post based on an infographics, make sure to check the hyperlink that it points to and that you can find the data source.

Best practices suggest that you include in your post a link to the data sources. This way, you and your readers will be able to decide if the statistics are reliable or not. You can also explore other aspects of the surveys that were not depicted. I believe that the data sources should always be written on the infographics.

I also want to point out a trend where some use the appeal to infographics as a bait for link building. So be careful and check first.

If you are looking to know more about the design of infographics, you can visit Cool Infographics, a blog dedicated to the topic.

With summer vacation being in full bloom for most, it seems natural to talk about work life balance. My advice is as appropriate whether you are a blogger or an entrepreneur. Schedule your time off. This way you could plan ahead of time what will happen in your absence.

I recall when I started blogging full-time. I passed my day in front of my screen. I wrote several posts a day, commented on other blogs, tweeted and was on Facebook. Plus, I attended many blog-related events a week. This is what bloggers thought was necessary to become an established personal brand. We all did it! I loved every minute of it because it didn’t feel like work. I was surrounded by what I was passionate about; therefore, I did not see the time flies.

Although I have no regrets, I stop doing that. I learned that they are better ways to be as successful.   Not long ago, I met a ex-consultant who told me how happy she was since she found a permanent job. Being her own boss was not for her because she was unable to set work related boundaries. She was unable to say no to clients. She answered, before going to bed, emails that clients would send her at 10 PM. We teach our entrepreneurs and business owners that they must work harder and longer. I say that it is true up to a certain point. Just like bloggers, entrepreneurs must have a life.

In my quest for a better work life balance, I learned that weekends are for me. I am still not good at planning vacation ahead of time. But at least, I have made progress. For one, I do not care that my Klout will go down during my absence. It know that my Klout will raise it again at my return.

+ photo: pretty calendars at Paper Source

Tomorrow will be Mashable’s third annual Social Media Day! In 2010, Mashable proclaimed June 30th to be Social Media Day as a way to recognize the digital revolution happening right before our eyes.

The reason I am telling you this is that it fits with this week topic. A neighbourhood, who arrived from France earlier this year, currently seeks a job in retail. She is not always familiar with the store chains that are in town. As I helped her to compile a list of potential employers, I mentioned that job seekers should follow on Twitter and on Facebook the brands before sending their curriculum vitae.

The same way as employers can learn about applicants, job seekers can learn about the brand culture, what customers say about the brand, how the brand respond what products people likes and what is going on in general. I think that you could learn more by following brands online than from visiting their Web site.

My advice to job seekers is to have an account on Twitter and Facebook. Do not stop at Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn. Read the blog of the brands before you apply. Take the time to connect with their bloggers. If it is open to the public, attend their events. It is also a good idea to subscribe to their newsletters. Knowing this information will help you to be better prepared for your interviews.

And this is without mentioning the people who found out about a job opening or that received job offers because they are active participants in social media. Job hunting is another way that we experience the digital revolution.

+ To follow Social Media Day on Twitter – use the hastag #smday for your tweets.