AFTER MANY MONTHS OF DEVELOPMENT, we’re pleased to launch our newest product—a complete social media marketing solution for dental practices. We call it a “product” because of the unique characteristics of the program that allow us to take a semi-custom approach to helping dentists leverage community driven marketing to grow their practices. It’s an approach that keeps the costs very affordable for any size dental practice AND ALSO builds a one-to-one consultive, trusted relationship.

One of the most difficult things for small business owners (and particularly dentists) is finding the time to engage with customers (patients) and prospective customers. But even more frustrating than finding the time is knowing how to spend the little time they DO find. Most dentists feel overwhelmed by social media tools, and the learning curves to make them effective. Many simply get discouraged and end up doing nothing at all.

Our turn-key solution solves that problem. By having us 1) build and integrate the tools, 2) assist them in developing a long-term online marketing strategy, 3) provide the creative for 4 specific campaigns each year, and 4) support the marketing plan through a tight, blog post editorial calendar, dental practices can focus their efforts in one place. We take care of the rest.

You can read about all of the tools on the product blogsite.

And, take a look at how one dental practice is currently using the program:

Dr. Jared Theurer’s Blogsite

Dr. Jared Theurer’s Facebook Microsite Welcome Page

Dr. Jared Theurer’s Facebook New Patient Referral Program

Dr. Jared Theurer’s Twitter Page

Dr. Jared Theurer’s YouTube Channel

Last week, Laura Oppenheimer, Marketing Manager for Ning, contacted Jack about writing a guest post for their blog:

Hi Jack,

Your post was really interesting to me, for a couple of reasons:

1) We know lots of educators use Ning, but don’t always know how they are using it.

2) You included some great metrics.

I’d love to see a post that echoes the one you tweeted (and I retweeted)—namely, how to use Ning as part of a course and your experiences with it.

For readers of the NIng Blog, they probably want to know most “how could I do this myself”, or “what are the steps for me as a network creator/teacher”. How did you structure it? How did you initially get your students involved? What are your lessons learned.

Thanks.

Here is a link to the post, published on Ning’s site today, April 16th: Create A University Class Ning Network

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MAYBE I’VE BEEN LIVING IN A CAVE, but this morning was the first time I’ve seen this. I know that Google indexes tweets now, but I had never seen this little dynamically updating window before, based on a search term. I think it’s great. It makes Twitter a more powerful business tool. Had you seen it before? What do you think?

SHORT SUMMARY:

Powerful, intuitive social media tools aren’t just for marketing. They represent and facilitate fundamental shifts in human interaction—shifts that can improve university learning. The Ning social network we used in our BYU Comms230 class this semester was a useful tool that was wholeheartedly embraced and endorsed by class members.

>>> 43 out of 43 students said such a network would be helpful in ALL of their classes.

>>> The following few quotes represent hundreds of positive comments from class members:

“The network took class discussions and extended them into online conversations.”

“Seeing my classmates’ work sparked my own ideas.”

“The professor has talked a lot this semester about building a personal online brand. Blogging has helped me do that.”

“I got many more insights through sharing ideas on blog posts.”

“The network unified our class and facilitated communication.”

“I was motivated to submit higher quality work because I knew my peers would see it.”

“It’s simple. I don’t have to print assignments. I can get things done from anywhere. It’s quick. The communication is instant.”

“Everything I need for class is in one spot—the calendar, syllabus, class video stream, lecture slides, and quick ability to contact classmates, the professor, and the TA.”

“My questions are answered and my comments acknowledged much quicker than in regular classes.”

“Blogging forced me to think. I wasn’t just memorizing material.”

“Blogging has helped me feel like I have a jump on the industry because I’m actually in it.”

“It was really motivating to me to make my blog posts good so that others would respond to them.”

“Comments left on the posts unified the class, and we were able to bounce ideas off each other.”

“Blogging made me think, and put those thoughts into words. When you have to explain yourself to others it makes you dig deeper and find out why you think that way.”

“Yes. I recommend it for other classes. The world is more technologically savvy. Students must be too.”

“Blackboard is functional, but the Ning network is fun and so much more interactive.”

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FULL POST:

I JUST COMPLETED AN ENLIGHTENING FOUR-MONTH EXERCISE in the Comms230 class I teach at Brigham Young University.

At the beginning of the semester, I designed and built (with the help of our Lava7 team) a simple Ning social network as the foundation for class activities. My goal was to not only funnel day-to-day class functionality through the network, but to also better connect the students and enhance their learning experience.

There are 49 students in my class. Last week I asked them to pull out a piece of paper and answer three questions. It’s important to note that the students DID NOT put their names on their papers. I asked them to be candid and honest in their responses, as their feedback would be completely anonymous.

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The three questions I asked were open ended:

1. What did you like, or not like, about the Ning social network we used this semester for our class?

2. What did you like, or not like, about blogging on our Ning network this semester.

3. Do you think this type of social network would be useful in your other classes? Why, or why not?

43 students were in attendance that day and submitted their feedback below. I’ve also included some screen captures, with captions:

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Question #1: What did you like, or not like, about the Ning social network we used this semester for our class?

Nearly every answer to this question fell into one of the following two general categories:

>>> Responses that centered on subject engagement, class connections, and learning. Here’s a sampling:

“Seeing my classmates’ work sparked my own ideas.”

“The thing I liked best was that the network took the class discussion and extended it into online conversations.”

“I liked seeing other students’ posts. Normally, you only get to see your own assignments. With Ning I got so many more insights through sharing ideas on blog posts.”

“The network unified our class.”

“The Ning network motivated me to submit higher quality work because I knew my peers would see it.”

“I felt like I was always involved in an ongoing discussion.”

“I feel like the network gives me a connection to the students and to the professor outside of class.”

“I got to know people better in the class.”

“The Ning network helped me connect with the class and stay on top of things. It facilitated communication.”

>>> Responses that revolved around ease-of-use and practical application. Here’s a sampling:

“It’s simple. I don’t have to worry about printing assignments. I can just upload and get things done from anywhere. It’s quick. The communication was instant.”

“Easy to use, visually appealing, clean design, easy to save my work, customizable.”

“Makes it easy to turn homework in.”

“I only have to check the network to find assignment instructions, class notes, and when to turn things in.”

“I like that blog posting was so easy to do.”

“Everything I needed for class (except the textbook, of course) was in one spot. I knew where to go to always find the calendar, syllabus, the class video stream, the lecture slides, and to make contact with classmates, the professor, and the TA.”

“I liked being able to download the class slides.”

“Streaming the class is a very good idea.”

“The Ning network has been extremely useful.”

“The Ning network saves trees.”

“Everything was very clear and organized on the network, making it very usable.”

“My questions are answered much quicker and my comments were acknowledged faster than in regular classes.”

>>> There were four suggestions for improvement:

“With so many posts, ad files, and comments sometimes the main stream seemed disorganized. Maybe there is a way to divide that up.”

“I didn’t like that I couldn’t direct message someone inside Ning until they were a ‘friend’ on the network.”

“I would like it if Ning could send me a reminder when something is due the next day.”

“It was hard to go back and find a specific blog post without looking through a bunch of them.”

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Question #2: What did you like, or not like, about blogging on our Ning network this semester.

Nearly every answer fell into one of the following two general categories:

>>> Answers that centered around subject engagement and classmate feedback. Here’s a sampling:

“I loved blogging. It made me think creatively about advertising throughout the week. I noticed lots of things I wouldn’t have otherwise.”

“Blogging got me involved with the subjects.”

“Blogging forced me to think about what I was learning. I wasn’t just memorizing material.”

“Blogging helped me analyze the media around me.”

“The blog was a great way to get the class involved in advertising.”

“The blog made me think about what I was actually contributing—not just turning in assignments.”

“Blogging pushed me to think more about what we were doing in class. It helped me analyze things more.”

“Blogging has helped me feel like I have a jump on the industry because I’m actually in it.”

“It helped me synthesize what I’ve learned.”

“Normally, on my own blog, I feel like nobody is listening. On our Ning network I get responses and I like that.”

“It let me know what the class was thinking.”

“It was really motivating to me to make my blog posts good so that others would respond to them.”

“Comments left on the posts unified the class, and we were able to bounce ideas off each other.”

“I like the commenting that was done by classmates on my blog posts.”

“Blogging made the class more fun and interesting.”

>>> Responses related to personal branding and personal growth. Here’s a sampling:

“The professor has talked a lot this semester about building a personal brand online and I think the blog helped me do that.”

“I liked blogging because it made me think, and put those thoughts into words. When you have to explain yourself to others it really makes you dig deeper into your opinions and find out why you think that way.”

“Blogging helped me form personal opinions on many things.”

“It was great to learn firsthand how helpful a blog can be in building your personal brand.”

“Blogging made me think. It stretched me.”

“I liked blogging. Sometimes it was hard to think of something to write about, but it made me search around and think. Eventually I would come up with something cool, and then end up writing way too much.”

>>> There was one suggestion for improvement:

“One improvement, I think, would be to give a general topic each week for everyone to blog about.”

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Question 3: Do you think this type of social network would be useful in your other classes? Why, or why not?

>>> I think it’s quite remarkable that 100% (43 of 43) of the respondents answered “yes” to the question above. Here’s a sampling of the comments:

“I wish all of my classes used Ning instead of Blackboard or Brainhoney. It personalizes the class and provides an easy means to get information and communicate with others.”

“I helps me stay on top of things and is WAY better than Blackboard.”

“It’s more interactive than Blackboard. Easier to talk to people and stay up to date.”

“I liked it. I would implement it in other classes. Way better than Blackboard.”

“I wish all of my classes had this kind of network. It made my life a lot easier.”

“Yes. I recommend it for other classes. The world is more technologically savvy. Students must be too.”

“It could be useful in all my classes if the professor or TA keeps it up and does a good job of managing it.”

“Blackboard is functional, but the Ning network is fun and so much more interactive.”

“It was fun to use.”

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The following seven components of our Ning social network were especially useful in our class:

- Class Lecture Files w/ Video Stream

- Class Blog

- Embedded Calendar

- Syllabus Tab

- Assignments Tab

- Discussion Forum

- Project Groups

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Conclusion:

Powerful, intuitive social media tools aren’t just for marketing. They represent and facilitate fundamental shifts in human interaction—shifts that can improve university learning.

There are many other questions that would have to be answered before Ning could replace tools like Blackboard. And maybe it shouldn’t. Perhaps a better way to think about this is to use Ning networks for the things they do best, and leave other functions (such as managing class rolls, grades, etc.) to tools like Blackboard.

If you’d like to kick around the site, here is the >LINK.

I’m interested in your thoughts and opinions. Please respond in the comments section below. Thanks.

SEVERAL MONTHS AGO, I HAD THE PLEASURE of spending a little time with Jessica Hagy at the VizThink conference in San Jose. Bright, energetic, and engaging—I had been following her on Twitter and enjoying her clever blog for a long time prior to meeting her.

Jessica has perfected the power of the 3×5 card through her remarkably simple illustrations. If you love visual thinking, subscribe to her blog and/or read her book of illustrations. Each work of art will cause you to stop whatever you’re doing for a few moments to reflect.

Here is her recent posts:

THE PAST FEW DAYS I’VE BEEN CONTEMPLATING the way I communicate with other people. It used to be simple. I picked up my rotary telephone, dailed 7 to 10 digits and used my vast vocabulary to communicate. Now it is more and more difficult, and confusing. It isn’t just those of us who work in social media marketing or technology fields. In February of this year a movie came out where Drew Barrymore hits spot on what must be a universal frustration:

There is very little etiquette yet surrounding some of the new communication tools—things like DM’ing vital information on Twitter. I own a Blackberry and have yet to find a Twitter client that works for me. The result is that my Twitter participation is largely tied to my computer.

I tweet frequently from my BB, but often don’t see DM’s or responses to my tweets until I’m back at my computer. Truthfully, I haven’t spent much time looking. Between e-mail and text messages, I’m not that excited about adding my Twitter feed to my mobile. But that begs the question, if you are sending me a DM on Twitter about something really important, and I miss it, have I let you down and breached protocol or etiquette?

One reason this is top of mind is something that happened last week. I was responsible for getting speakers for an industry event. One of the speakers was running terribly late, in fact we weren’t sure she was going to show up at all. I tweeted her “we are looking for you”. Then I couldn’t get a good internet connection at the event. She DM’d  me back, but I didn’t have access to it because of the way I have chosen to establish that method of communication. Since I’m very engaged on Twitter, does that replace the formality of an e-mail I would have gotten on my phone to tell me you are late?

Things move so fast. It would be nice if someone slowed down and set some rules for everyone!

However, I suppose the same thing will happen that did years ago with e-mail. Remember when cc’ing a whole slew of people on an e-mail became very bad form? At first no one knew it was an issue, then over time people stood up and said, “wouldn’t it be nice for privacy issues to blind copy people instead?” That became some of the first waves of e-mail etiquette learning that happened as an evolution. Everyone knows someone who used TO TYPE THEIR E-MAIL MESSAGES IN ALL CAPS. Most likely they don’t do that anymore. Just like eventually, people will politely point out that if you are having a conversation with someone on Twitter that is between two people, after a couple of tweets you might want to consider moving it to DMing. Just a tip. Just a consideration.

Although I co-founded a social media marketing agency, I feel that I’m connected enough and don’t have to maximize every tool. In fact, I’m taking the advice we often give our customers- that not only do they need to find the tools that work for them and a strategy for using those tools, but that they also must determine what works best for them, what they can and will do to avoid burning out. Slow and steady wins the race. So I’ve chosen not to be connected to Twitter every second of the day. Gasp! I’m sure I’m disappointing someone, but in reality, it works and at the end of the day that is the most important thing.

But it does beg a lot of questions about the best way to reach me and how quickly I will respond. Does e-mail still feel like the most official form of communicating important information to you? What are everyone’s responsibilities for checking each and every portal? Are the tides changing, and it is just as official to communicate details, albeit short ones, via Twitter?  What about sending vital information via SMS text?

I’m interested to hear your thoughts about this fascinating evolution.

EACH MONTH, FACEBOOK RECOGNIZES BRANDS THAT are doing the best job of engaging their fans on fan pages. A Mashable post this summer, entitled Facebook Gives Props to Top Brand Marketers reported that FB has recently started handing out “Blue Ribbon Awards” for the most creative, innovative campaigns.

The way in which FB determines the winners is by “looking at the most popular pages by fan count and then looking at interactions of the fans with the page ratio (defined as comments, likes).”

Facebook needs to add one more dimension to their criteria, diving one step deeper as they evaluate and recognize creativity and innovation. While lots of FB campaigns are clever, many of them are off brand. “Good” campaigns may do a good job of engaging, but they may not move the brand ahead. “Great” campaigns, on the other hand, do both—engage AND remain true to the brand.

Today, Crispin Porter + Bogusky rolled out the Old Navy “Fab-u-lister”—a clever holiday shopping list creator that uses content from people’s FB profiles to help shoppers pick out exactly the right gifts for everyone on their list. Engaging? Absolutely. And, in our opinion, a campaign that’s remarkably on brand.

Dick Tracy Watch Phone, originally uploaded by nmcglynn.

Forty years later it’s a reality.

HOW DOES THIS KIND OF READILY ACCESSIBLE, easy-to-use-and-upload cellular technology affect your business? Have you thought about it from a social media marketing perspective?

Let’s say you’re a small restaurant owner. If the plate you set down in front of a dining guest is gorgeous, that image may be online 30 seconds later. If the waitress serving your customer is rude, that tweet may be on Twitter 30 seconds later. See the implications?

There have never been so many opportunities to engage your target audience at so many touch points along The Digital Engagement Continuum™.

It’s a fascinating time to be marketing a business. How are you taking advantage of these opportunities?