sMoRTy71.com: June 2009

Sunday, June 28, 2009

My Columbus Dispatch interview on social media

The front page of the Business section in the Columbus Dispatch this morning features an interview I did for their story titled "Clicking with consumers."

"Screenshot" of the Dispatch article this morning.

"Screenshot" of the Dispatch article this morning.

The article shares how a handful of local businesses like Nationwide, Jeni's Ice Cream, Katzinger's Deli and Deer Creek Resort, are using social media.

I did the interview several weeks ago and had almost forgotten about it. Of course, I found out about the article from friends on Facebook and Twitter before I noticed it in the Sunday paper.

Here is my portion, but I recommend you read the entire article to see what other local businesses are doing with social media:

"Many of these bigger businesses are creating positions to manage social media efforts, hiring employees who are in charge of wading through all the new forms of technology and deciding what's best for the company.

Shawn Morton's position as senior consultant for social media at Nationwide Insurance was created for him last July, when the company decided to put a lot of energy into the concept.

Nationwide has a large presence on Facebook and Twitter (about 1,400 fans and 800 followers, respectively) and also released an application for the iPhone in April, along with a popular TV commercial, that allows users to take pictures of accident scenes and send them to Nationwide, stores insurance information and finds repair shops.

And the result is a strange fusion of old and new media. When people see the TV commercial, they "tweet" about it. Where before someone might have told a friend about the commercial, word of mouth is now fingers on a keyboard, instantly reaching an audience of millions.

"The iPhone has a lot of passionate users," Morton said. "Downloads have been good."

The insurance company also uses Facebook and Twitter to post photos and coverage from its NASCAR events, which has been a real boost for social media traffic, Morton said.

Read the full "Clicking with consumers" story on dispatch.com.

¶ 10:08 AM

Monday, June 1, 2009

Speaking at "Getting Results with Social Media" on 6/18

I have been invited to speak at the Columbus Chamber's upcoming "Getting Results with Social Media" event on June 18th. I am excited about the topic (since so few events really talk about results) and the other speakers.

The lineup is:
Gary Moneysmith, Conrad, Phillips & Vutech
Matt Yuskewich, Ologie
Lara Kretler, Fahlgren Mortine
Bill Baldarez, Webbed Marketing
Stephanie Busack, Bob Evans Farms
Shawn Morton, Nationwide Insurance
Matt Dickman, Fleishman Hillard
Kevin Pfefferle, COSI
Brian Link, Toobla, BE Consulting & thoughtLEADERS
Bobby Whitman, dynamIt

I am going to share some of the success we've had using Twitter to engage with fans of our NASCAR Nationwide Series.

You can register for the event here.

¶ 12:45 PM

About Shawn Morton

Married father of 6; VP of Social Media at JPMorgan Chase; gluten-free; gadget enthusiast; hair metal aficionado; #Movember man View more on LinkedIn.