TELL ME HOW YOU USE BOOKS, EBOOKS AND AUDIO BOOKS; BECAUSE THAT’S THE TOPIC WE’RE TALKING ABOUT TODAY.

I’m very slowly moving into the eBook world. However I use books and audio books.  I use them primarily to make a living [chuckle].

HOW BIG A ROLE DO AUDIBLE AND AMAZON PLAY IN THE AUDIO BOOK INDUSTRY?

They’re the 800-lb gorilla. Amazon is great for the industry. Audible is great for the industry. Amazon now owns Audible. there need to be other delivery systems as well.

It’s a great thing having them in the industry but it’s also kind of frustrating. They price their books so low that other sites can’t compete. I don’t think ANY industry can thrive when there’s only one delivery mechanism. In the same way, as much as I love Amazon, you know I’m always rooting for the ‘brick and mortar; stores. There’s just something about sharing the experience with others. For instance, I’m a lifelong comic book fan. There are some comic book subscription services that I could subscribe to. They would make sure that I never miss an issue. I would have them every week. But, I want to go into a store. I want to go in and meet other fans. I want to know that I can ask somebody an opinion who is leafing through an issue that I’m thinking of. It’s the same thing with the bookstores. I thrive on that kind of interaction.

There’s a very cool place in the audiobook community called ‘Audio Book Crowd’ (www.audiobookcrowd.com). On ‘ABC’ you can find a lot of audiobook narrators, producers, publishers, enthusiasts, and listeners. They’re all there. It’s easier to find your favorite narrator on ABC than it is on Facebook. ABC is dedicated exclusively to audio book enthusiasts. It’s a very cool place.

YOU’RE AN ACTOR AND A NARRATOR. IT’S RARE FOR AN ACTOR TO HAVE MORE THAN TWO HOURS WITH THE AUDIENCE. AUDIOBOOKS ARE OFTEN MORE THAN 20 HOURS. HOW DOES THE ADDITIONAL TIME AFFECT THE RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR AUDIENCE?

It creates an intimacy that movies don’t. Movies are two hours. Its ‘one and done.’ With audio books you’re spending a lot of time (a lot of days, even) with someone. It becomes a much more intimate experience. People e-mail me every day. They tell me it feels like we’ve been friends for years. Somebody e-mailing me this morning said, he told his wife that he has to stop listening to the audiobooks because the voice in his head has become “Scott Bricks’ voice.” That’s a lovely thing.

HERE’S A DEBATE THAT I’VE HAD WITH NON-AUDIO BOOK USERS: IS LISTENING TO AN AUDIOBOOK READING?

Oh God! What an excellent question! You can put me on the spot on this one. I think it is. When I experience a book that I’ve only experienced by audiobook I still feel it’s the right experience. I’ve experienced the book. I’ve experienced the story completely. Somebody was complaining on a website that I enjoy that an audiobook is not the same experience. He was insisting that it was not reading. He said there is no way that an audiobook can capture everything that the imagination can. And, he’s entitled to his opinion. But, do you turn off your imagination when you listen to an audiobook? You shouldn’t be. If you do then you’re doing it wrong. Far more comes to the process when you read it out loud. I think when you say a story out loud, it becomes better. Shakespeare’s work were meant to be read aloud not read to yourself. So, of course, I’m going to believe its reading.

WHEN YOUR WHOLE JOB IS REVOLVING AROUND AUDIOBOOKS AND READING, HOW DO YOU UNWIND?

I really want to curl up with a good book. I want to… but I don’t always because it’s kind of like a busman’s holiday. The one hard thing about narrating all your books is that when you are done, you are absolutely emotionally exhausted. I am not a construction worker, I don’t have a right to be physically exhausted like they do. But narrating books requires concentrating every moment, every day. After eight hours, oh my god, I’m absolutely wiped out.

When people learn that I spend 15-20 hours each week reading books, they tell me “That’s unbelievable.” When I tell them that more than half of the time is spent listening to audiobooks, they tell me “That’s not reading.”

According to the Audio Publishers’Association, audiobook customers are frequent book readers who leverage audiobooks to “read” while pursuing other lifestyle activities. They are well educated tend to be older (30+) and are attuned to book trends through reviews and bestseller lists.Children’s audiobooks are also a formidable part of the market, as many families choose them for in-car entertainment or an at-home hobby, as well as many teachers and schools using them for educational tools.

Like most listeners, I use audiobooks while traveling, commuting and  during lifestyle activities such as exercising, relaxing, cooking, cleaning, gardening, crafting, walking the dog, etc.

During the past 10 years, I’ve spend more than 5,000 hours listening to nearly 600 audiobooks.  I discovered audible.com five years before Amazon and I’ve been a dedicated listener ever since.  I’ve exhausted the fictional works of Ben Bova, Orson Scott Card, George R. Martin, Robert Jordan, Stephen King, Joe Ambercrombie, Dean Kootz, Christopher Moore, Kevin Hearne, Christopher Paolini, Jim Butcher, Patrick Rothfuss, Jonathan Stroud, S.M. Stirling, Angie Sage, Ken Follette, Dan Brown, Robert Heinlein and lesser-known fiction writers.  I’ve also explored physics, history, and foreign language and other non-fiction offerings.

What I learned is this: I enjoy (always unabridged) fiction in audiobook format. Non-fiction is better on paper.

Blessed are the Storytellers

With the right narrator, audiobooks are a good replacement for reading fiction for attentive listeners. It’s the real deal. Sometimes, it’s better. Unabridged fiction can be far superior to the printed page with the right narrator.  Audiobook publishers look for professional narrators or actors and actresses that have voice and dramatic training, are able to use dialects and accents, can respond to direction, have the stamina that being in a closed studio for many hours requires, and ultimately deliver the feeling behind the author’s intent of the book or project. Frequently, the author approves the choice of narrator. The role of the narrator is ‘cast’ as it would be for many other forms of drama, only in most audiobooks, the performer usually plays all of the parts (although there are also books performed by multiple narrators or a full cast).  Once a narrator begins working on a specific series, it’s unusual for them to be replaced.

There’s nothing worse (or more disruptive) than having a ‘change of narrators’ part-way through a series.  I nearly abandoned Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series for this reason.  After listening to 100s of hours, a new narrator took . His cadence, characterization and affinity for pronouncing names differently than his predecessor made the hand off almost intolerable.

It’s common to for audiobook readers to discover new authors by following the works of narrators they enjoy.  I’m as committed to the narrative works of Scott Brick, Roy Dotrice, Kay Reading, John Lee, Stefan Rudnicki, Stephen Hoye, and Luke Daniels as I am by the authors they represent — sometimes more so. A good narrator can soften the rough edges of a new writer — and a bad narrator can destroy the best works.  That is why authors and narrators tend to pair themselves off — at least by book series — to ensure a consistent experience for their listeners, aka ‘readers’.

For fictional works, I think unabridged audiobooks are akin to reading.  Although, I often purchase hard copies of my favorite audiobook experiences.  I do this to experience the books as intended. I also like to collected signed books — and to support the author.

Just the Facts

When it comes to nonfiction works, audiobooks are only a good supplement to the real deal.   Without the ability to review, underline, lookup, skip, write notes, or easily cross reference, I’ve had limited success listening to nonfiction books despite 100s of hours trying.  History books seem to be the easiest nonfiction works to digest. Books on physics, math, foreign languages  and work-related concepts that you want to revisit aren’t ideal.  In the past 10 years, there has been only one audiobook, Re-Imagine, by Tom Peters, where the audiobook was better than the printed copy.  In this rare case, it was because the book was over-designed to the point where it became unreadable and the audiobook alternative provided the consistency and structure that the printed version lacked.

The Real Deal

Still having doubts about whether an audiobook can be a better experience than the printed original? Experience this audiobook, as narrated by Samuel L. Jackson.

Credit: cartoon by Doug Savage of Savage Chickens.

It’s not enough to declare your expertise on social networks — you need to demonstrate it, regardless of the industry you work in.

Working in marketing over the past decade – I’ve seen a lot of companies try to position themselves as an ‘Approachable expert’ (show of hands). It sounds great, but too often it turns into ‘know it all’ because brands have to say everything themselves, or ‘expert of the obvious’ because brands hedge themselves by only talking about things at the very highest level.

This can be combated in simple ways. You just need to spend a little bit of time each week networking within your industry on social networks:

• Share content from influencers. Follow influencers. Engage with influencers.
• Find other experts and follow them. Like them. Share some of their stuff. Engage them in conversation. Be ‘seen’ having conversations.  Share links to any piece of good content that is relevant you can – even from competitors if it makes sense to do so.  Answer questions. Go out on a limb to the extent you can. (regulated industries need to be VERY aware of what can be done).
• Participate in weekly Twitter-based chats related to your industry, profession, and interests. Visit TweetChat to learn about Twitter chats and participate in real-time conversations with your peers.  (Some of my favorites chats related to social media include #mmchat, #blogchat, #smchat, #kloutchat, and #linkedinchat)
• Create good content. Blog. Blog regularly. Start a group on Facebook or Linkedin. Keep it general enough so that its more about the industry than it is just about your company. Unless, of course, your company attracts that many fans. Start a twitter chat.
• Provide Answers on LinkedIn. Do it well and LinkedIn will designate you as an expert.
• Discuss on industry-related topics enough and Klout will designate you as an expert.
• Consider leveraging the private accounts you, employees, distributors, and others have to spread the word.
• Many people work hard to separate their personal life from their professional life. I’m not convinced that that approach works anymore.  It’s too fragmented and impractical.

Bragging Rights

Growing up, I remember watching “The World of Commander McBragg” cartoons as part of the Bullwinkle show. In each episode, the Commander would buttonhole a hapless member of his gentleman’s club, and proceed to relate some story filled with unlikelihoods and outright impossibilities, always concluding with a hairbreadth escape.  Reminds me of many industry experts that talk a good game, but spend most of their time on the bench, or the sidelines.

Credits: Cartoon by @IDErmaux

Businesses can and should be active on social networks because they are the places where customers and prospects gather – and spend a crapload of time: more time than any other online pursuit; more time than watching TV.

Social media channels are marketplaces. However, they’re not the marketplaces that we’ve grown up with. They may be closer to the market places of yesteryear.. before mass media.. when most transactions were paired with personal relationships. Social media makes personal relationships scalable again.

Consumers now have unprecedented information, competitive pricing, and have become ad-adverse and difficult to reach through traditional marketing channels. With the consumer now in control of the buying process, companies need to understand how they buy and not force the consumer to learn how you sell. Many consumers like to create alternatives, preferring to select from a list. In the insurance industry, we see the growth of aggregators and retail sales as evidence. To usurp this, financial services companies need to build trust and develop referral systems which tend to trump comparison buying.

Marketers need to be done thinking that customers make buying decisions in a vacuum. The insurance companies that I’ve worked with and for tend to look poorly on comparative shopping sites. They feel that a side-by-side comparison puts them at a disadvantage. If that’s the case, comparison shopping sites aren’t the problem. Transparency in pricing is important. So is tranparency is ‘value.’ Customers will pay more for something that has more value. In the insurance industry, that might be a an effective, ‘no hassle’ claims process.

You want to part of the buying process and that behavior has changed dramatically. Much is the buying process is influenced by user generated content especially among the millennials. This group rarely buys without seeking advice from their peers, which they have instant access to through social media on a Smartphone.

To tap into the referral network, you first need to influence somebody in that network. To create influence, you need to engage in conversation but that cannot be about products, you need to raise awareness and talk about their perceived concerns, to create a need. This demands the correct content in both tone and substance and not just one piece of content, this is a conversation and not fact sheet. This approach will involve risk, you must allow for disagreement and negative comments, you want to wait for consumers to defend you and not jump into to control.

One critical constituency of influencers are your customers, they have a valid opinion about your company and products and feel duty bound to express that opinion. As key influences, you must focus on the socially connected customer to make that influence positive rather than negative.

Social media is about changing the value proposition from price to making the right decision, which requires rebuilding trust. Zappos, Apple, and Amazon sell at a fair but never the cheapest price but most consumers trust their product work and service will be good, even if you have never been a customer.

When worlds collide

This vintage video from Monty Python shows what can happen when the selling and buying mindsets collide.

Credits: Cartoon is courtesy of Tim Fishburne, Brand Camp.

I’m all about road tripping. So, when Infiniti offered to preview the 2013 Infiniti JX on a road trip thru Charleston-area lowcountry, I grabbed some Southern snacks (Bacon & Cheddar Seasoned Peanuts), loaded some Southern tracks (Carolina Beach Music via Pandora) and hit the the road with my friend Chris Parr in Infiniti’s newest luxury crossover vehicle.

One of the reason I’ve been such a Fanboy for the Ford Flex is that it provides the best combination of utility, economy and comfort needed for a 20-hour+ land voyage with the family — or, four ‘larger-than-average’ guys on a three-day weekend land voyage.   However, I’ve also been keeping my eye on some of the upscale crossover vehicles with three rows of seating from Acura, Audi and (now) Infiniti.

The JX is spacious throughout. It offers 38.3 inches of headroom and 41.7 inches of legroom in the 2nd row.  With three rows of seats, the vehicle has a lot of space, but rear visibility is a bit hampered by a combination of the vehicles smooth contouring and its ample seating and headrests. Luckily, the Infiniti surpasses other crossovers with its array of tech-driven safety features. The sonar and radar-equpped vehicle includes ‘blind spot warning and intervention’, ‘lane departure warning and prevention’, ‘intelligent brake assist with forward collision warning’ and ‘distance control assist’. Infinity’s ‘around view monitor’ provides a 360-degree view around the Infiniti JX and detects movement in the area.  The JX prevents backup collisions — literally — by slowing when it detects an imminent collision.

The JX drives more like a sedan than an SUV — particularly when the transmission is set in sport mode. The ride is smooth and relaxing. It’s offered in two models, the Infiniti JX35 FWD and Infiniti JX35 AWD. Each is equipped with a 265-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 engine and Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) with Sport mode.

The JX35 has a base price of  $40,450 (FWD) or $41,550 (AWD) and has five upgrade packages.This compares favorably to the Acura MDX ($42,930) and Audi Q7 ($46,250). The decked out FWD version (premium and theater packages) runs $48,050. The 7-passenger JX targets affluent, safety-conscious families. As a result, the JX boasts interior comfort and safety features that exceed my humble Ford Flex.  The Infiniti I tested featured a Bose ‘Cabin Surround’ 15-speaker sound system. The system is adapted from their home entertainment products and provides more bass output in less space.  For backseat passengers, the JX offers independent, dual 7-inch color monitor, a 120V power outlet and wireless headphones.

“It isn’t just about the driver, it’s about EVERYBODY in the car,” said Infiniti’s Kyle Bazemore.

Infiniti Connection

Infiniti Connection provides you with advanced convenience features and concierge services such as My Schedule or Drive Zone.

Connect. Share. Like. Comment. Favorite. Retweet. Give +K. Be first to do it. People watch those that connect with them in a meaningful way. When you’re the first to reach out, comment or connect, it generates a favorable exchange and a positive first impression. Recipients and observers will remember your activity and find ways to respond the in kind.

So many brands fail to connect with individuals and other brands on social networks that it’s staggering. It’s too-often used as a one-way channel of communication where you’re sending out a stream of one-to-many messages.

According to a recent information from Online Marketing Trends social media referrals constitute 71 percent of purchases. Consumers discuss brands casually 90 times per week on the average and 90 percent of consumers believe brand recommendations from a friend.  People also trust strangers over advertisements: 70 percent of consumers believe the opinions/reviews of other and 75 percent doubt the content of advertisements.

Ask for referrals. One of my former bosses used to tell me that ‘all feedback is a gift’ (negative or positive). As for feedback on all the content you share on social networks. Ask a lot of questions and be open to answers – even when they’re negative. If someone takes the time to provide it, it matters. Referrals look differently on social networks. ‘Liking’ or ‘Following’ something is an implied endorsement or referral. When I see that a friend of mine is ‘liking’ or ‘following’ a brand, I assume they do it for a reason.

“Millennial’s in particular are not only happy to, but almost feel obliged to pass comment on the services and products of brands,” said Terry Golesworthy of the Customer Respect Group. ” It is important to identify the brand advocates and reward them for participation while providing mechanisms to enable them to create referrals. This could be product reviews, the ability to comment or some promotion or campaign that encourages them to pass on their positive feelings. Generally all of the above is needed, make it easy to refer, enable all and every avenue.”

Reviews are a common element on social networks. If someone I know has had an experience with your company (good or bad) I want to know. That’s the reason I tend to use FourSquare and Yelp on my iPhone. Positive reviews on social networks (including shares and likes) can also boost your natural results on search engines. Google local search is the best example and its underutilized. (Show Google Local). Drive reviewers to your Google local search page. Add video testimonials. You’ll notice positive results in the quality of interactions you have — and, your Google local search results.

A Classic Referral

Credits: Cartoon is courtesy of Tim Fishburne, Brand Camp.

For the last six months, I’ve loved EVERYTHING about my iPhone 4S — except the provider, AT&T.

For the past four months, I’ve been traveling continuously between Stevens Point, WI, and Madison, WI.  In the Madison area, the phone works great. In Stevens Point? It might as well be a brick.  I couldn’t receive calls (they all went to voicemail). I couldn’t make calls (I got used to seeing the ‘no service’ indicator). I couldn’t keep a call in the RARE instance one got through.

All that changed recently, however, when a super-helpful AT&T rep named Bridget, took the time to fully investigate what was going on.  Bridget wasn’t the first AT&T rep to get my call, but she was the first to dig into it with a full sense of curiosity, persistence and vigor. Less than 90 minutes later, my phone had returned to the living in the land of dead air.  If fact, it returned stronger than ever — providing me with 4G service in areas that I believed were only covered by 3G.

I still run into poor coverage areas in central Wisconsin, but with less frequency than before.  According to Bridget, I can expect better service in my home area soon since AT&T is building a new tower in July that will be less than a mile from my home.  In the meantime, she suggested picking up a AT&T MacroCell if I run into problems in the meantime. MicroCells provide improved coverage for voice and 3G data without monthly fees.  The cost of a MicroCell is $150 — so I probably won’t pick one up. I’m not convinced that I should pay an additional $150 to get a level of service that I’ve already paid for.

I’m not a fan of AT&T… but Bridget — she’s a hero for AT&T.

Switched to AT&T

Greg Rogell (via Rooftop Comedy Films) shares his observations on AT&T’s coverage area.

Credits: image courtesy of CartoonDay.com.

Business cards remain one of the most effective marketing resources you can have.  However, that doesn’t mean you can’t leverage technology to manage your contacts — and your business cards — more effectively.  Over the past four weeks, I compared inexpensive and popular business card scanning apps for the iPhone.

Even in the age of smart phones, business cards aren’t going away.  Trading contact info by text or bluetooth is too time consuming and impersonal for most networking opportunities. It’s also less memorable and effective than using a well-designed business card.

Statistics show: your sales will increase by 2.5 percent for every 2,000 cards you hand out; sales will increase more from well-designed business card than poorly designed ones; and, prospects hold on to a color card nearly 10 times longer than a standard card.

To fill the gap between bluetooth and business cards, I decided to put business card scanners to the test. Specifically, I tested HW Bizcard (free), ScanBizCards ($6.99),  CamCard ($6.99), CamCard light (Free) ScanCard (Free, saves to contacts), eContact Pro,  Business Card Box (pay as you go), BizSnap (pay as you go) and BC Reader ($4.99).

I tested each application by scanning an array of 25 business cards.  Some with a with a simple layout. Some complex. Some in black and white. Others in color. The most accurate, affordable and full-featured application among these is ScanBizCards. It outpaced nearly every other application by 2-to-1 or better.  The application also includes the widest range of useful options such as:

• live scanning
• bulk scanning
• scan existing photos
• text scanning
• inline text editing/correction
• ‘Connect on LinkedIn’ feature
• Export to Excel
• Export to SalesForce
• Manual transcription (optional)
• Evernote Integration
• cloud backup
• Followup reminders

The ‘Export to Excel’ feature of ScanBizCards is insanely useful for networking events or trade shows where you want to collect and manage contact lists outside of the address book you use day-to-day. ScanBizCards also provides users with tips for scanning business cards effectively and leveraging product features.  For example, ScanBizCards supports two-sided business cards. They also recommend leveraging the second ‘side’ for one-sided cards to capture a photo of the person.

Using a business card scanner, such as ScanBizCards provides the best of both worlds: the personal touch and flair of a good business card AND the raw efficiency of your online address book or CRM system.

Note: I recommend avoiding business card scanner apps that implement a pay-as-you-go model or are limited to synching scanned business cards with you address book.

This guy means business…

You should always carry a few business cards with you no matter where you go. You never know when an opportunity will arise to find a potential customer — or when you’ll need to use one as a weapon like this guy:

This week, I’m highlighting another favorite, affordable bulk tea from Davidson’s: Green w/Lemon Ginseng.

The green tea blend, containing lemon myrtle and ginseng is light and tangy.  The blend is light and citrusy and is more reminiscent of ginseng than it is of lemon.  I brew most of loose tea and coffee using a French press. I paid $16 for a 4-cup French press at Starbucks. More recently, I found a 6-cup press via Amazon for $11.

This blend is among my favorites.  It’s tasty. It’s flexible. It’s inexpensive.  You can get a 16-oz bag (a half gallon jar) for less than $15 via Amazon.  It also makes a good, tart Kombucha.

Green Tea w/Lemon Ginseng Kombucha Recipe

This blend of tea uses my basic Kombucha recipe. I’ve included tips throughout that should be helpful to new kombucha brewers.  If you have questions, feel free to leave them in the comment area below and I’ll address them so that anyone reading this recipe can benefit.

Ingredients:

• Five teaspoons heaping Green Tea w/Lemon Ginsen tea from Davidson’s. (When I purchase tea in bulk, I store it using inexpensive Ball half-gallon jars with widemouth plastic lids.)
• One and two-thirds cup of raw sugar. (sold in your grocery store baking isle)
• One gallon of pure filtered water. (avoid tapwater chemicals)
• Kombucha starter colony. (Create one yourself, using the video below, or find a local brewer. (I obtained mine from the brewers of Nessalla Kombucha. They sell kits and you can buy bottles of finished Kombucha by the case for inspiration and bottle reuse.)

Supplies needed: Glass Gallon Jar; coffee filter(s); rubber band(s);  I typically use warm water with a bit of vinegar to clean supplies. Half Gallon glass growlers are perfect for bottling.  They allow for carbonation, but won’t burst if your kombucha gets aggressive.  I obtain growlers  from a local brew pub (filled with beer) or A&W restaurant (filled with rootbeer). Dark growlers work best.

Heat one gallon of water on the stove.  Prior to boiling, add sugar to heated water and stir to dissolve sugar.  Add 5 heaping tablespoons of the tea and bring to near boil.  Then, remove the tea mixture from heat and wait for it to reach room temperature.

Pour room-temperature tea mixture into a clean glass jar. Add your Kombucha starter colony. Place coffee filter over the top of your one-gallon jar and fasten with a rubber band.  This keeps rogue bacteria out of your Kombucha and allows the fermentation process to happen without bursting a tight lid.

Place your fermenting kombucha in a dark room or closet at room temperature and wait a week.  The Kombucha colony will float on the surface of the fermenting kombucha and may split into a second ‘baby’ colony that you can share or use for future brewing.  To taste the mixture, use a plastic straw — just insert it below the colony and place your finger over the top to extract your sample.  At this point, it will probably be slightly tangy and sweet.  It’s drinkable, but will take another 3-5 days at room temperature to get the right mix of tang, carbonation, and flavor.

Remove the kombucha colony for future use. Place it in a quart jar with enough fresh kombucha to feed it.  (This will be used as the starter for your next batch of kombucha.)

Bottle your kombucha in glass jars with plastic lids or glass growlers. I used a funnel and strainer to fill containers and capture the largest ‘globs’ of kombucha bacteria that are present in the mixture.  If the kombucha seems dry (unsweetened or lacking in flavor) now is a great time to add additional sweetness.  You can add raw sugar disolved in water or 100 percent fruit juice.  (I find that cherry, apple and cranberry juices work particularly well.)

Let your kombucha ferment for an additional 3-5 days at room temperature.  When you are satisfied with the flavor and carbonation, refrigerate it to slow the fermentation process.  As it ages, the kombucha will become more tart. If globs are present, you may want to strain it again before serving — however, a bit of wild ferment is expected at the end of each serving.

Repeat the entire process weekly to retain a healthy kombucha colony and an ongoing supply of kombucha.

For the past three months, I’ve been purchasing a lot of bulk green teas online to steep and brew in various formats.  In recent weeks. I’ve been particularly engaged with making Kombucha –  fermented tea using a visible, solid mass of yeast and bacteria which creates a healthy, carbonated tea beverage.  To help others who share this interest, and endeavor, I’m posting a series of tea reviews and related kombucha recipes. This is the second post.

Choosing a home security system for your home is a daunting task — let alone installing it yourself. That’s why I was surprised to find my home locked down in less than 20 minutes with a new system from SimpliSafe.

After investigating the installation costs, monthly fees, and contract requirements of home security system providers such as ADT over a few days, I decided to install my own system.  Contracts are too long, install costs are too high and monthly fees are unavoidable.  The first place I went for self-install options was HomeSecurityStore.com – where I identified a wide range of wireless security systems ranging in price from $100 to $300 (my budget) and beyond.

I also found two intruiging security systems at Amazon – the AAS 600 Wireless Home Security Alarm System Kit DIY for $340 (slightly above my budget, but with many extras) and the bare bones Skylink SC-100 Security System Deluxe Kit for $89.

In the end, I picked a wireless system from SimpliSafe. They have a basic/starter package that sells for $199. I was able to meet my personal needs for $100 (putting me at the outside edge of my budget).

The system doesn’t require any wiring to communicate with entry sensors, motion sensors and other components. The system includes cellular connectivity for monitoring… This is IMPORTANT if you want to get a 10 percent deduction on your insurance premium (mine is via American Family Insurance). Without cellular connectivity to a monitoring service, I’d only see a 5 percent insurance discount.

I was able to setup the SimpliSafe system in about 20 minutes, using the web-based step-by-step walkthrough they provided.  I also activated the (NO CONTRACT!) monitoring service for $14.99 per month. I also added on their $5 per month ‘Smart Alerts’ feature that sends me a text message when the system is triggered.

The site logs every time the system is armed and deactivated. It also allows you to utilize separate coded for different people so that you can add/remove access and monitor individual use. Downsides? The system doesn’t currently offer video surveillance — which can be important for monitoring indoor and outdoor areas. However, SimpliSafe has been working on adding full color, indoor video surveillance with near/total darkness capability. ETA is unknown. I’m also looking forward to add-ons for fire monitoring, flood monitoring and glass breakage.

I’m super impressed with the system overall. It’s subtle, stylish and affordable.  It’s easy to install, configure, expandability and move with you if you relocate.

Credits: “Home Security Innovations for Modern Living” art by lunchbreath.

This week, I’m highlighting one of my favorite, affordable bulk teas Green Chai w/Orange Peel from Davidson’s.  The green tea blend, containing cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, orange peel and other flavors is as fragrant and tasty as it sounds in nearly every format.  The blend is darker in color and heavier in flavor than most green teas. I only wish I had discovered in 7 or 8 months ago — at the beginning of winter.

In brewed form, it’s reminiscent of mulling spices, making it ideal for cold wintry nights.  As an iced tea, it remains strong and flavorful, but lacks the light character I prefer for iced teas.  The perfect way to use this tea, in my opinion, is to make Kombucha.  The fermentation process really compliments the spices and the added carbonation that results from the process lightens the flavor and highlights its citrus undertones.

This blend is destined to remain one of my favorites.  It’s tasty. It’s flexible. It’s inexpensive.  You can get a 16-oz bag (a half gallon jar) for less than $15 via Amazon.

Green Chai w/Orange Peel Kombucha Recipe

This blend of tea uses my basic Kombucha recipe. I’ve included tips throughout that should be helpful to new kombucha brewers.  If you have questions, feel free to leave them in the comment area below and I’ll address them so that anyone reading this recipe can benefit.

Ingredients:

• Five teaspoons heaping Green Chai w/Orange Peel tea from Davidson’s. (When I purchase tea in bulk, I store it using inexpensive Ball half-gallon jars with widemouth plastic lids.)
• One and two-thirds cup of raw sugar. (sold in your grocery store baking isle)
• One gallon of pure filtered water. (avoid tapwater chemicals)
• Kombucha starter colony. (Create one yourself, using the video below, or find a local brewer. (I obtained mine from the brewers of Nessalla Kombucha. They sell kits and you can buy bottles of finished Kombucha by the case for inspiration and bottle reuse.)

Supplies needed: Glass Gallon Jar; coffee filter(s); rubber band(s);  I typically use warm water with a bit of vinegar to clean supplies. Half Gallon glass growlers are perfect for bottling.  They allow for carbonation, but won’t burst if your kombucha gets aggressive.  I obtain growlers  from a local brew pub (filled with beer) or A&W restaurant (filled with rootbeer). Dark growlers work best.

Heat one gallon of water on the stove.  Prior to boiling, add sugar to heated water and stir to dissolve sugar.  Add 5 heaping tablespoons of the tea and bring to near boil.  Then, remove the tea mixture from heat and wait for it to reach room temperature.

Pour room-temperature tea mixture into a clean glass jar. Add your Kombucha starter colony. Place coffee filter over the top of your one-gallon jar and fasten with a rubber band.  This keeps rogue bacteria out of your Kombucha and allows the fermentation process to happen without bursting a tight lid.

Place your fermenting kombucha in a dark room or closet at room temperature and wait a week.  The Kombucha colony will float on the surface of the fermenting kombucha and may split into a second ‘baby’ colony that you can share or use for future brewing.  To taste the mixture, use a plastic straw — just insert it below the colony and place your finger over the top to extract your sample.  At this point, it will probably be slightly tangy and sweet.  It’s drinkable, but will take another 3-5 days at room temperature to get the right mix of tang, carbonation, and flavor.

Remove the kombucha colony for future use. Place it in a quart jar with enough fresh kombucha to feed it.  (This will be used as the starter for your next batch of kombucha.)

Bottle your kombucha in glass jars with plastic lids or glass growlers. I used a funnel and strainer to fill containers and capture the largest ‘globs’ of kombucha bacteria that are present in the mixture.  If the kombucha seems dry (unsweetened or lacking in flavor) now is a great time to add additional sweetness.  You can add raw sugar disolved in water or 100 percent fruit juice.  (I find that cherry, apple and cranberry juices work particularly well.)

Let your kombucha ferment for an additional 3-5 days at room temperature.  When you are satisfied with the flavor and carbonation, refrigerate it to slow the fermentation process.  As it ages, the kombucha will become more tart. If globs are present, you may want to strain it again before serving — however, a bit of wild ferment is expected at the end of each serving.

Repeat the entire process weekly to retain a healthy kombucha colony and an ongoing supply of kombucha.

This video features Heather Maves (@heatherm17), blogger & social media content writer for Sentry Insurance — and a mighty fine archer.

Despite it’s modest size (about 100 pages), Real Truth is filled with actionable insights that are easily understood by traditional marketing executives and business leaders, without time-wasting jabber or hollow social media evangelism.  Real Truth answers the most common question that business leaders have about social media: Why bother?It’s not about social media. It’s about customer service.

“If you deliver old-school customer service to your customers — if you care, listen, and have humility, and if you put people first — you will reap rich rewards from social media. You will build a volunteer army of passion-driven, newly-empowered marketers,” Harr said. “The brands that are winning in social media do it old-school.”

And he’s right. The most successful companies with social media are the ones that have put the greatest effort into customer service — and knowing their customer. Social media is just a method of reaping and measuring the rewards of doing so more quickly.

The book demonstrates to business owners how the balance of the business-customer relationship has changed — making it more important than ever for business owners to leverage the law of reciprocity by providing the highest level of customer service possible. Harr includes ‘actionable insights’ throughout Real Truth that help business owners test social media by putting simple tactics in action.  For example, he suggests that join the Twitterati by joining Twitter and putting four simple rules into action: 1) spend more time retweeting than tweeting; 2) Tweet about things that matter to you; 3) focus on getting others to talk (see #2 for topics); and 4) Have fun.

The book provides one of the best summaries on social media metrics that I’ve read. Instead of measuring your success on Twitter by counting the number of followers, Harr suggests monitoring more meaningful metrics: How far your Tweets reach; How often your tweets are shared; How influential people who retweet your messages are (based on their Klout score); and the click-thru rate on content that you share.

Real Truth is a good read that resonates with business owners and social media evangelists alike.

We don’t talk anymore

Recommended by Harr, “The Break-up” The Break-Up’ is a classic YouTube video about the relationship between an advertiser and a consumer. Enjoy!

We recently had the opportunity to interview Sam Espinosa, Director of Marketing for stickK.  Sam  is a Social Pro, so we wanted to share this entire interview with everyone.  Enjoy!

Stickk.com is a tool to help people meet their life goals.  Can you explain how stickk.com can help someone meet their goal?
Espinosa: stickK.com helps you reach your goal by utilizing the fundamental tenants of behavioral economics.  Put simply, money and reputation are powerful motivators, and we use both to positively influence your behavior.  By combining incentives and third party accountability to your goal, stickK nearly triples your chances for success.

To set your own incentive, stickK gives you the option to put your own money at risk. In a way, it’s betting on yourself, where you are fully in control of the outcome.   As long as you reach your goal, we don’t charge you a penny.  But if you fail to reach it, we will charge your credit card for the amount you put at stake, and send it to a person or organization of your choice.  Taking it one step further, you can even choose to send your money to an Anti-Charity, or an organization you hate.  Putting money on the line raises the price of failure.

And, to make sure you don’t fudge the truth, you can select a Referee to verify your progress, and you can invite friends or family to become Supporters.  Supporters find out about your success each week over email.  This way, it’s not just your money at stake, it’s your reputation, too.

What is a ‘commitment contract’ and how does it work?
Espinosa: stickK starts by turning your goal into what we call a Commitment Contract.  A Commitment Contract is a binding promise by you to reach your goal, personalized using your own incentives and third party accountability to increase your chances for success.

For any Commitment you create, you can pick the start and end date, the amount you want to put at stake (if any), and who gets that money if you are unsuccessful.  You can also pick your Referee, and your Supporters.

There are two types of Commitment Contracts, One-Shot Commitments, and Ongoing Commitments.  One-Shot Commitments are typically chosen for goals that must be completed by a specific date.   For example:  Run in the Boston Marathon.   Ongoing Commitments are chosen for goals that can be completed in stages, where each stage is measured independently in the form of weekly reports.  You chose the number of weeks you will need to achieve your goal.   For example:  Run 4 times a week leading up to the Boston Marathon.

What impact does weekly reporting have on meeting a goal?
Espinosa: Weekly reporting is important because it requires you to encounter your goal on a consistent basis.  Over time, that repetition and consistency lead to positive habit formation.  For example, you’ll start to remember that every Friday you are going to have to report your weight.  So Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, you are more conscious of your eating and exercise habits, knowing that in just a few days you are going to have to show progress.  It starts to influence your thought process and makes you more aware of the small choices you need to make all week if you want to be successful by the time your next report is due.

Reporting regularly also helps ensure that no matter how busy life gets, there is always a point each week when you stop to think about the goal you set for yourself.  That interaction is necessary to make any goal effective in the short and long term.

How important are the ‘stakes’?
Espinosa: Very. More than any other element of the Commitment Contract,  stakes make the biggest difference in determining the likelihood for success.  Users who make a Contract with stakes are successful over 70% of the time.

Consider our “Cheeseburger Example”.  Let’s say you are trying to lose 1 lb. a week, for 10 weeks, and you have $50 at stake for each week you don’t lose a pound.  If you have to weigh in tomorrow, and you are looking for something to eat for dinner tonight, a cheeseburger might normally only cost you $5.  But, if you eat it and that means you don’t make your weight the next day, that cheeseburger isn’t just $5 anymore, it’s gonna cost you $55.  And let’s be honest, would you ever really pay $55 for cheeseburger?

How important is having a ‘referee’?
Espinosa: A Referee is important to keep you honest.  Every time you submit a report, your Referee receives an email asking them for confirmation of the report’s accuracy.   And, we take the word of your Referee over yours. Without a Referee, when the going gets tough, it can be easy to slip back into your old ways.  But if you knew your friend, family member, or co-worker was going to be asked to verify your progress, it puts the pressure on you to do what it takes to meet the goal.

How important is having a ‘supporters’?
Espinosa: Everyone has faced peer pressure at some point in time, and it’s not easy to fight.  The concept of the Supporter is no different.  They are your cheering section, but they are also keeping an eye on your progress.  So, your reputation is at stake.  If your friends and family are going to find out about your progress each week, you are going to do what it takes to make sure you don’t let them down.

How many stickK users are there?  How many goals achieved?
Espinosa: There are nearly 150,000 stickK users, and over 120,000 Commitment Contracts.  As for success, that just depends on the type of Contract you create.  It can be different depending on the layers of incentives and accountability that you put in place.

How does it feel to be a change agent for so many people?
Espinosa: It’s inspiring to see people succeed, and it feels great knowing that we provide a service that helps people help themselves.  Because it’s not like this is magic.  We are just helping you approach goal-setting differently, giving you a new perspective. The rest is up to you.

What goals are most common?
Espinosa: Lose Weight is the most common, but a large percentage of the goals that people make classify as “Custom,”  meaning anything and everything under the sun.

‘Carrot’ versus ‘stick’?  What’s the role of each? When are each effective?
Espinosa: At stickK.com, it’s mostly about the stickK.  Using negative incentives (or loss aversion) to positively influence behavior.  But, the carrot is there too.  When you reach your goal, you get to enjoy it J

Anything else you’d like to add?
Espinosa: On that note, stickK has developed a separate version of its website for corporations and organizations to use for their constituents.  In this case, it’s more carrot than stickK.  Employers can use our private solution to provide a wellness or performance based program for employees, and reward them for reaching goals.

These are things that don’t come naturally to me. It’s been more than 30 years since I’ve balanced a checkbook, created a formal household budget, or given adequate attention to my family’s personal finances.

However,  I’ve been able to restore financial responsibility almost overnight with help from Mint.com — a free web-based from Intuit that allows you to connect all of your banking, credit card and loan accounts in one place.

Mint can connect and securely download transactions from virtually every bank, credit union and credit card account in the United States that has online banking capabilities. It can connect with more than 16,000 US financial institutions and supports more than 17 million individual financial accounts.

It’s no surprise that the site has more than 6 million users.  It took less than 24 hours for the site to connect all of my bank accounts, credit cards (including Kohls, Best Buy and other retail cards), loans, and investments. Mint imported 90 days of credit card  and checking transactions and categorized expenses to show me where I’m overspending and provide an accurate picture of my finances.  Mint’s web-based interface is ‘crazy easy’ to use — and so are its applications. Within 48 hours, I’ve become more attuned to my personal finances than at any other time in my life.

I feel like a grown up.

Mint also offers applications available for Android, iPhone and iPad that can help make financial decisions in real-time by viewing up-to-date accounts balances, checking your budget, and considering upcoming expenses.

The site also provides personal finance-related resources that I’m hoping to take advantage of in upcoming months — tips about personal finance, budgeting resources, alerts, trending resources and videos.

How much Stuff is enough?

George Carlin’s classic standup routine about the importance of ‘Stuff’ in our lives. This was from his appearance at Comic Relief in 1986.

The offer to purchase a home on the Wisconsin River, near Stevens Point, WI, is part of a change that I triggered 60 days ago, when I accepted a great new job at Sentry Insurance.  The new job is only 90 miles away– but its a whole new life for EVERYONE in my family: New home, new schools, new community, new friends, new opportunities — and a new cloud of uncertainty as we consider the good friends and the good life we’ll be leaving in De Forest, WI.

I’m the Christopher Columbus (“new world explorer”) of our small band. While my family finishes the 2011-2012 school year at home, I’m exploring the new community and laying the foundation for our move.  I’m currently leading two lives, in two places.

My current life transition “brings to mind” the 1711 Scottish poem by James Watson entitled Auld Lang Syne. The song is an uncertain celebration ”for (the sake of) old times” and unknown beginnings. It’s an anthem for funerals, farewell parties, graduations and New Year’s Eve parties.

Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot, and old lang syne ?

For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne,
we’ll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.

And surely you’ll buy your pint cup, and surely I’ll buy mine !
And we’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet, for auld lang syne.

We two have run about the slopes, and picked the daisies fine ;
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot, since auld lang syne.

We two have paddled in the stream, from morning sun till dine;
But seas between us broad have roared since auld lang syne.

And there’s a hand my trusty friend, and give us a hand o’ thine !
and we’ll take a right good-will draught, for auld lang syne.

Life pulls us apart in new directions. As it does so, we hold close to hands of friendship. We draw our strength from the familiar things around us before donning our coats, tugging our hats, gloving our hands and moving steadfast forward into darkness, wind, snow, and uncertainty.

Warmed by recent time among friends, our fears are (at least temporarily) set aside. We persevere with confidence.

A Sign of the Times (Square)

In 60 seconds the ball drops to change 2011 to 2012! Lady Gaga pushes the button to drop the glowing ball. The ball counts down from 60 seconds and when it is 2012 everyone goes insane and confetti drops!

 Credits: Written for the3six5. 365 days, 365 points of view.

‘Accountability’ can be the key to  eliminating bad habits — or achieving personal goals — especially when it’s combined with the power of social media.  stickK.com helps people use negative incentives (loss aversion) to positively influence behavior.  It allows you to pledge money that will be forfeited to friends, charities, or anti-charities (organizations you HATE) if you fail to meet weekly goals. Stickk boasts nearly 150,000 stickK users and over 120,000 Commitment Contracts.

I’ve been using the site since September to track my goal of losing 30lbs in 30 weeks.  So far, I’ve lost more than 20lbs with mixed success. I’ve reached 75 percent of my weekly goals.

“Putting money on the line raises the price of failure,” said Sam Espinosa of StickK. “Money and reputation are powerful motivators, and we use both to positively influence your behavior.  By combining incentives and third party accountability to your goal, stickK nearly triples your chances for success.”  The site encourages users to select a Referee that can verify your progress and you recommends that you invite friends and family to be Supporters.  Supporters find out about your success each week over email.

“This way, it’s not just your money at stake,” Espinosa said. “It’s your reputation, too.”

Social accountability is also a powerful disincentive. That is why some police departments, like the Deforest Police Department (the small midwest town where I live) are learning to leverage these ideas are starting to share traffic violation videos on Facebook and YouTube.

According to Lieutenant Dan Furseth, the Deforest Police Department has been sharing squad car videos of local traffic violations on Facebook for two years. He said that reactions to shared videos have been overwhelmingly positive — except among those featured in traffic videos.

While no one likes the hefty fine that accompanies many traffic violations, they often aren’t big enough disincentives to prevent unwanted behaviors.  A bigger disincentive for many of us, is the embarrassment associated with a traffic penalty. We don’t want to be seen on the side of the road or in the local newspaper’s police report by people we know.

Caught in the Act

This video from my local police department in DeForest, WI, (population 9,074 ) show a driver passing another vehicle on a residential street, into oncoming traffic at 45 mph in a 25 mph residential area. Driver stated that he was late for work. $380 in fines and a 9-point reduction on his driver’s license.

The laws of attraction, popularized by 2006 film The Secret (and the subsequent book) suggest that the the path to being liked is mastering ‘likeability’.  If you act like a ‘likeable person’ — or offer a ‘likeable brand’ — fans, followers and friends will flock to your door.  Using the laws of attraction, marketers seek success by creating a strong, likeable brand and promoting it with a large marketing budget (AKA mass marketing).

That doesn’t work in today’s world… where ‘likeable’ is akin to ‘forgettable.’ Actions speak louder than words– and that’s what the laws of reciprocity are all about.  Two concepts drive the laws of reciprocity: 1) Treat people well (the golden rule); and 2) perform likeable acts without specifically requiring an in-kind response.

When I recently changed jobs, I spent the last two days writing LinkedIn recommendations for the peers, employees and vendors I enjoyed working with.  I didn’t ask for any of these recipients to recommend me back — but some did.  For every five recommendations I sent, I received one or more recommendations back.

Collin Kromke of SocialPoser.com, exemplifies this when he participates in Twitter chats.  He filters all posts that include a question mark (“?”) and provides responses when he can. He’s less concerned with being ‘retweetable’ than being helpful. Collin’s likeability is based on his willingness to share his often contrary, sometimes unpopular opinions with others. When he participates in online conversations, they’re always the better for it.

In Contrast, Peg Fitpatrick attracts a large Twitter following and loyal fanbase by reaching out to others, making connections, and making everyone’s day a bit better. She has an infectious positive attitude.

Author Stephen Covey, describes this process as making deposits into the ‘emotional bank account’ of others.  When you perform likeable acts, you earn likeability back. The laws of reciprocity also drive sustainability.  It allows you to retain customers — even after they’ve had a bad experience. I’ve experienced this first hand while providing customer service for brands on Twitter.  When a customer complaint on Twitter attracts a company response (“you seem frustrated by our company’s actions. I’d like to learn more..”) , it shows a dissatisfied customer that the company is listening.  Oftentimes, it turns the scenario around.  About 20 percent of dissatisfied customers will engage with the company if asked to do so.  Of those that do, nearly 20 percent will come out the other end satisfied — transformed from a brand critic into a brand advocate.

In the insurance industry, customer service is unique because we often provide service to our competitors’ customers.  When someone insured by a competitor is in an accident caused by one of our customers, they’re dependent on us to restore the vehicle they own. What better opportunity is there to show them that our company provides great service?

One of the best tools at the disposal of every marketer is ‘trial.’  Let others experience it — and  let them be the ones shouting it from the mountaintops — instead of you.

Call it Karma

Each episode of the TV show, My Name is Earl, starts with the following premise: “You know the kind of guy who does nothing but bad things and then wonders why his life sucks? Well, that was me. Every time something good happened to me, something bad was always waiting round the corner: karma. That’s when I realized that I had to change, so I made a list of everything bad I’ve ever done and one by one I’m gonna make up for all my mistakes. I’m just trying to be a better person. My name is Earl.”

Credits: Image by Hugh MacLeod of Gaping Void. Kudos to Collin and Peg. Follow them both on Twitter. You won’t be disappointed.

One of the biggest challenges for all marketers is getting the right message… to the right people… at the right time.  Digital marketers have typically had the advantage meeting this challenge by leveraging pay-per-click advertising (PPC) and display ads triggered by keywords appearing in on line content.  While these tactics allow better targeting than traditional media, they’re still limited by the universe of individuals searching with the right keywords and finding the right destinations.

Facebook’s new timeline overcomes these limitations by enabling and encouraging Facebook users to share their life events with others.  Facebook’s new timeline allows users to share information when they move, buy a home, add a vehicle, have a child, change their job and so on. The possibilities are endless.

Life events, the important milestones of change that everyone experiences in life,  bring marketers fresh opportunities to build new customer relationships and strengthen the ones they have. People are most likely to make decisions about financial services and products when they experience common life events. Leveraging the timeline life events of Facebook users may be the quickest, least intrusive, and most effective way to reach customers and prospects during these times.

Relevance is one of the most powerful tools of social marketing and no one — not even Google — seems to wield it better than Facebook.

Dear Sophie – A Story of Irony

This popular Google Chrome commercial depicts a father using the web to share memories with his daughter as she grows up. Ironically, Facebook’s new Timeline may be the best way to do just that.

How did the idea to create ‘preparedness 101′ for a zombie apocalypse come about?
Silver: Our office asked users what emergencies they were prepared for through Twitter and we got responses that included what we considered “normal” emergencies (e.g., tornados, hurricanes, earthquakes), but we also got response that talked about being prepared for zombies. Hurricane Season was coming up and we wanted to spice up our usual messaging so we decided to run with the idea of “zombie preparedness” introduced by our Twitter followers.  

What risks did you identify, related to the idea?
Silver:  We realized this wasn’t the typically health message a federal agency like CDC might put out, but we really wanted to grab people’s attention because disaster preparedness is an important and simple way to save lives and property. To make sure people realized we were being tongue in cheek, we continually referred to “real” emergencies like floods, hurricanes, and earthquakes throughout the course of our blog and social media outreach.

What barriers did you need to overcome?
Silver: Luckily our Director was on board with the idea so we didn’t have to overcome any barriers. We were very careful the whole time to make it clear that we were using a pop culture icon (zombies) to draw attention to our real message about disaster preparedness.

Who wrote/contributed content?
Silver: The original blog post was crafted and edited by 3 members of the CDC Zombie Task Force. Other communicators from our office helped to promote and track the blog post and it’s media coverage as it began to gain steam.

Whats your favorite part of the content?
Silver: In the blog, we were able to get the across the basic preparedness message for an emergency, which is, “Get a kit. Make a Plan. Be Prepared.” This is the key to the whole campaign. You never know when an emergency situation will occur, but it is always better to be safe than sorry.

What was the reaction from others at CDC?
Silver: We got a great response from our colleagues. This project showed that the government could have a sense of humor and it also demonstrated the power of social media. I think it has opened the doors for future projects by showing people that a little risk taking can go a long way, especially when social media is involved.

What was the reaction from the general public?
Silver: We had an overwhelming response from the public, to-date there have been over 450 comments on the blog post and they are still coming. Feedback on Twitter and Facebook has been astounding as well. The number of zombie lovers out there is unbelievable and they all seem to get what we were trying to do and they love it. We’ve had a few nay-sayers post comments but all our fans stick up for us. People are usually concerned that the government is wasting money on this, but the post only cost $87 and it generated 3.6 billion impressions. We believe this is totally worth it since it got people thinking about preparedness and drove people to our site who otherwise wouldn’t have visited.

 What was your favorite reaction?
Silver: It’s been really fun reading all the comments left on Twitter, Facebook, and the blog. People are really into zombies and have seriously considered what they would do if there was a zombie apocalypse. It’s just funny to read through what they write. We also have enjoyed the comments from people who let us know that they are going to make an emergency kit and are going to learn what disasters they need to be prepared for in their area.

 How has this content influenced the’CDC brand’?
Silver: This was a great brand boost for the CDC, we trended worldwide on Twitter which was amazing and it showed the public that we aren’t stiff scientist; we can share a good laugh too. We’ve had people from the private sector reaching out to us telling us how impressed they are with our work and we’ve gotten a lot of opportunities for partnerships to further our message. The CDC was also honored as a finalist for the 2011 Platinum PR Awards on September 14^th. The five categories were Blog, PR on a Shoestring, Social Media Campaign, Wow, and Word of Mouth/Viral. We won in the Blog and Wow categories and Honorable Mentions in the other three (http://www.prnewsonline.com/platinumpr2011/ ).

What have you learned from this lighthearted approach?
Silver: We feel like we’ve really connect to the public. We didn’t just reach audiences that were already interested in disaster preparedness, we reached people who had never before thought about what they would do if their town flooded or was struck by a devastating earthquake. This is really important because this is the hard to reach population that we are always trying to get.

What would your recommend to others considering this approach?
Silver: Think things through, how will it be perceived by the public and what can you do to make sure people get what you are trying to do. Also, we believe the reason this campaign worked was because we used something with “combined relevance.” In other words we used zombies, which the public loves, and coupled it withpreparedness, something CDC finds important so that it was a win-win for both groups.

Anything else you’d like to add?
Silver: We had such an overwhelming response to the original blog post we’ve created some more zombie related items. Visit our Zombie Page (http://www.cdc.gov/phpr/zombies.htm) for more info on: Posters, Graphic Novella, Video Contest, and T-Shirts. Please see attached report for statistics on the campaign.