Tuvel Communications Blog

May 31, 2006

About Us

Tuvel Communications, the online communications firm, is helping companies and organizations use new ways to get their message out and find customers. We are an online communications firm with a keen understanding of using the Internet to find "hidden" customers and to keep supporters coming back - again and again. Through our efforts, companies and organizations have been able to increase sales efforts, build membership and subscribers, increase the size and quality of databases, get closer to their customers, and enhance the value of their reputation!

Tuvel has worked with organizations to identify and target potential customers through innovative communication campaigns that spread message through the Internet's most powerful channel: word-of-mouth. Some of the organizations and companies that we have recently worked with include: TEOCO, Apptix, The British Midlands, VoteKids, and Venture Philanthropy Partners.

Tuvel Communications was founded by Mitch Arnowitz, who has extensive experience in both traditional and online marketing, advertising and communications. Mitch was part of the founding team of the Morino Institute Netpreneur Program, and a key architect of its highly respected online communications strategy.

Contact:

Mitch Arnowitz mitcharno@gmail.com
Managing Director; Tuvel Communications
P: 301.545.0843 C: 301.524.1587

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Questions to ask before launching your blog

We've been asked to help out with a communication plan for a clients upcoming blog launch. I thought that I'd post the checklist of questions we submitted to the client. You'll see that we bucketed this into 3 areas: design & technology, content & community, and marketing & communications.

Additions and corrections to the list are welcome!

Design & Technology

Do you want to create a byline (one liner) for the header that tells the reader what the blog is about, why it exists?
What tools are you considering to build the blog?
What features will the blog offer (trackbacks, comments, archives, search, etc.)?
Is syndication in place?
How will the blog be integrated with the rest of the Website?
Have you made it easy for visitors to get to the Website and community from the blog?
Have you ensured that the blog is easily found by bots and spiders (search engine optimization)?
Is the team trained in the use of blogging system or software?
Will e-mail subscription and services be added to the blog?
Will the blog include a recommended reading list?

Content & Community

Have you decided on posting frequency and a publishing schedule (set reader expectations early on)?
Who will monitor the conversations?
Will this be a group or individual blog?
Who will post to similar Internet discussions and blogs?
Have you chosen a voice for the blog?
Has the core community been asked to help with content creation?
Do you have an internal blogging policy?
Have the 'About Us' page and 'Contact Us' features been completed?
Has a Technorati profile been created?
Have you decided on content licensing?
Have you explored social bookmarking sites?
Is there a privacy policy in place?

Marketing & Communications

Does the blog have a name and reserved Internet address?
Will you drive traffic through paid advertising?
Will you link to the blog from the Website homepage?
Is there a (sustained) marketing plan in place?
Who will register the blog in the various blog, RSS directories, and search engines?
Has a pinging service been selected?
Are tracking tools in place? Do you know what they want to track?
Have metrics been chosen?
Has the blog URL been integrated into other marketing efforts?
Can the blog be promoted in other company communication vehicles?
Will there be a soft launch?

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May 25, 2006

BeyondBlogging interview

BeyondBlogging is continuing the conversation from last week's Roundtable on their blog. Here is an interview that I did with Chris Heuer during the event.

Here's a fuzzy photo to go along with...

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May 22, 2006

BeyondBlogging

This past Friday, I attended BeyoundBlogging here in Washington, DC. The event's keynote speaker was Ed Keller, of Innfluentials book fame. I stayed for the keynote and first panel, led by Shel Holtz. Panelists included Todd Tweedy, Debbie Weil, and Pete Blackshaw.

It was good to circulate and hear where DC communicators are with respect to consumer generated media and new media in general. Shel quoted Cluetrain's famous by now markets are conversations line and it took me back to another ballroom of a similar size for a Netpreneur evening many moons ago.

Ed Keller offered a nice Top 5 List of solid communication practices that included listening!, making content sassy, and using solid research. Todd Tweedy reinforced this last point with the importance of metrics. Todd's firm has recently released: Perceptions, Practices and Ethics in Word of Mouth Marketing (fwiw disclaimer: I am listed in the report's acknowledgements). Todd also talked about how important it is to have customers involved in the creation process. These comments reminded me of early developer communities like the ones mentioned in this post.

In response to a question I asked about leveraging passionate customers into a marketing or PR force, Pete mentioned giving them early access to information. In other words, growing the relationship and offering value that best customers can't find elsewhere. Pete also touched on the important area of negative word-of-mouth. He also mentioned how much he, and other brand managers have learned about consumer generated media from his babies blog.

Shel finished up the Q & A with a good point about Risk Benefit Analysis. When trying to convince management about the importance of blogging and other new media tools, ask what you are risking vs the benefits you will derive.

It's interesting to get outside of the Web 2.0 bubble and consumer generated media explosion to find that many communicators are learning for the first time about engagement vs broadcast mentalities and some of the other ways the communications medium is changing.

I put together a quick Top 5 list of my own for a Podcast that I did during the events intermission. I anticipated being asked about Washington's word-of-mouth scene:

Integrating your campaign is as important as ever (Shel repeated the often quoted stat that 80% of decisions are made offline. Ed Keller upped this number to 90%)

It's easier for non-profits with a mission, than say companies, to get a message out

Organizations and companies are increasingly interested in what's being said about them and validating who is saying it

It's still about building relationships, offering value, and doing things the right way (on the Internet, it's tough to beg forgiveness)

As I learned from Mario Morino a long time ago, it's always about the people and not the technology!

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May 16, 2006

Moms day

Is anybody NOT reading about Scobles mom? Microsoft's most famous blogger has struck another chord by getting personal.

My mom suffered a TIA or transient ischemic stroke a year ago. It's been a long road back but we were very lucky. We, of course, found support groups through the blogesphere and associations like American Heart. More thoughts to Robert.

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May 11, 2006

May 18: BrainJams Blogger Dinner in Washington, DC

More on next week's Beyond Blogging event. I think that the event is about to close but there is a dinner for bloggers on Thursday, the 18th.

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May 10, 2006

It's all in what you want to beleive

Darren Rowse, of ProBlogger, had a great post on a newspaper snippet generator website.

I went ahead and created the above article of my own. I then sent a text-message to my wife, telling her to check her e-mail. She immediately called in disbelief. Not that having our son named 'student of the year' is unbelievable, it's actually not. But that I hadn't shared the good news until now... Joy turned to anger and I'm now in the doghouse. Funny thing is that I also sent this to other members of my family. They too sent in congrats!

I guess it's all in what you want to believe? I can already think of interesting viral marketing implications for this tool but that might also get you in trouble.

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May 09, 2006

2nd Tuesdays Dot Com Networking - Tonight

This comes from Hank Deardon, of iiid Technologies.

Hello Cabalists,

Just a reminder that the next resurgent 2nd Tuesdays "dot com" networking is tonight, and we hope that you can join us! We had 70+ attendees at the last event and hope to keep building the buzz. We're meeting regularly at the elegant Z-Lounge at the Sports Club/LA in Washington, DC, to network, share war stories, swap schemes, schmooze, spread resumes, invest, find investment, collect resumes, reconnect with pals from "back in the day" and just relax.

Bring your friends and associates to enjoy an evening of networking and lively conversation with 'Net savvy peers in an elegant setting.

Who: You and dozens of other New Media Professionals

What: Second Tuesdays New Media Cocktails and Networking

When: Tuesday, May 9th - Tonight 5:30PM - 8:30PM
Appetizers, door prizes, drink specials and other goodies.

Where: The Z-Lounge
The Sports Club/LA at The Ritz Carlton
1170 22nd Street NW (at the intersection of 22nd and M Streets NW)
Washington, D.C. 20037

202-974-6600
Use Dupont, Foggy Bottom, or Farragut North Metro locations
Validated parking in the Ritz garage: $2 for the first three hours - BRING YOUR TICKET INTO THE CLUB FOR VALIDATION

This just in - There's a multi-day event at the Ritz going on, so if you choose to self park in the Ritz garage get there early and tell the people that you are a guest of the SCLA.
Fee: $15 at the door, includes first beverage and other goodies

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May 08, 2006

Building an Effective Marketing Program

(read it on Potomac Tech Wire)

Lisa Martin, of Leapfrog, recently interviewed Gerald Gordon, Ph. of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority.

It's encouraging to see that this short touches upon online communications with the following:

5. What are some of the most cost effective marketing tactics for a small company today?

Networking with groups that make up your potential clients, targeted trade shows, targeted letters with a call-to-action and something inside that will get it opened out of curiosity, targeted online communications, guerilla marketing, e-mail sponsorships or e-mail campaigns directed toward core audiences. But, the number one tactic should be following up with your leads. It sounds simple, but I’m amazed at how many people don’t do it.

Lead gen follow-up is so true. This is something that Brian Carroll over at the B2B Lead Generation Blog discusses quite a bit.

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May 03, 2006

YouTube Is a Star

Five Months After Its Debut, YouTube Is a Star (The Washington Post)

Fast Internet connections and digital video cameras are giving average people a new avenue to fame. With other homegrown phenomena such as Web logs, or blogs, and radio-style podcasts, the Internet is changing people's relationships to the media and putting more power into the hands of consumers.

It used to be novel to hear old media talk about new media in glowing terms. It used to be radical to talk about putting more power into the hands of consumers. All good signs that mainstream media sees the future of engaging people and not only broadcasting messages. Either that or they see the advertising possibilities :)

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May 01, 2006

LeaderNotes: How to Raise $500,000 from Middle Class White Kids (and Why the Red Cross Never Will)

(heard about this from Seth Godin)

It looks like Invisible Children is doing many things right. These folks are passionate , they make it easy to digest and pass their message along and have supporters acting as the PR Dept. . Make sure to check out the MTV style movie used to promote and explain the cause.

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Beyond Blogging 2006: The Future of Communications

Fleishman Hillard is putting on a May 19th blogging panel discussion. Panel features several good people including Shel Holtz, Todd Tweedy and Pete Blackshaw. They even have an event blog. Register here.

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