Tag: social media

January 7, 2011

Fully Committed

The business climate we find ourselves in doesn’t allow us to take a cavalier attitude towards Marketing activities. Social Media is no different. Having no presence in any of the Social Media options is just plain dumb, but having a presence that is merely superficial can be just as bad.

We’ve all seen ‘those companies’ on Twitter who tweeted a handful of times in the first few days of creating their account, and then went dead silent for the last year. What happened? Why would they do that? What about the company blogs or Facebook pages that haven’t seen any fresh material in months, or longer? Who’s behind this? Far be it from me to criticize, since I have my moments of extreme procrastination that would make ‘the Dude’ in ‘The Big Lebowski’ seem like a dynamic young go-getter, but how can a company not have anything to say for a YEAR?!?

Let’s start with the obvious: If you’re in business and are currently alive and breathing, then you know about ‘Social Media’. It’s been the biggest buzz phrase since ‘Think Outside The Box’ thoroughly saturated the business world. If you’ve been paying any attention to the world at all, you know that Social Media is big on an epic scale, and businesses are adopting it at an astounding rate. That being said, if you took the time to create an account for your business, create an avatar, write a description, design a fancy background, and post a few snippets of info, then you MUST have done it for a reason. You must have recognized some intrinsic value in doing this, even if it was only a tiny little bit. Yet you stopped? For some reason you stopped doing something that takes no cash out of your pocket, creates a constantly growing footprint for your company, is searchable, shareable, and (if done properly) gives you greater credibility than your competition in your marketplace.

I suppose what ‘could’ have happened was that whoever took the initiative within the company to start using SM either left, was fired, or ordered to stop. But really, what are the odds of that? Probably better than I realize, but still, I don’t think that should be considered a legitimate reason. If you’re reading this, and realize that “Holy crap on a cracker, he’s talking about MY company!!”, then the time to remedy this problem is right now.

The accounts are there, ready and waiting for you, all you need to do is start feeding them some material. However, before you start going in to damage-control mode and posting everything and anything in an incoherent stream of gibberish, take some advice that comes direct from one of the top thinkers in the world of Social Media, Mitch Joel. Joel says in his book, “SIx Pixels of Separation”, that to proceed in to social media without an overarching strategy can hinder your ability to create a thriving community presence.

Start by thinking about what your goals are, what your strengths are, where your knowledge and expertise truly are, and how you can help. That last point is really key, because the entire reason for joining, creating, or participating in any community is to give help and receive help. Formulate your plan for social media based on how you can provide useful material to your community. Then, start contributing, and most importantly, don’t stop. This isn’t to say that you need to post everywhere, everyday, but you do need to be consistent. Start out at a comfortable pace, then pick it up as you gain confidence with what you’re doing. As Mitch Joel also points out in “Six Pixels”, the last thing you want is to have your audience be accustomed to you posting a ton of content at the beginning and then be disappointed as you slow down when your content fuel tanks dry up.

The key is to be fully committed to the fact that this stuff matters. If you’re going to be there, then BE THERE. Take it seriously, realize that it takes time to build your community, and most importantly, realize that you’re doing it for your audience, not for yourself.

November 1, 2010

unGeeked e’lite Social Media Retreat – Toronto

Last week I spent three days at the UnGeeked social media event in Toronto. Before the event began, I really didn’t know what to expect from it. I’d been to the CMA conferences for the past several years, but the format of UnGeeked appeared distinctly different. A smaller group, interactive format, heavily encouraging attendee participation. It struck me as a great idea, as I’ve always felt that discussion yields far more information than a one-way presentation, not just for the attendees, but for everyone involved.

UnGeeked did not disappoint. Even before the event began, I had excellent introductory chats with the others at my table. I really felt that the people in the room were very open-minded. It didn’t seem like any of them had any preconceived ideas about what the event should provide. It seemed like everyone was just willing to let the day unfold as it would, and to be as involved as possible.

When the speakers did begin their talks, I was struck by how friendly and humorous everyone appeared. It wasn’t that everyone just liked what they did, it was clear that everyone LOVED what they did. Each presenter was discussing a topic that ignited a passion within them, and their enthusiasm brought out the best in the audience. I am actually loathe to use the term ‘audience’, because we quickly felt that we were in a room full of colleagues and friends, not simple viewers watching a show.

It was clear, too, that the speakers that were present at the event were extremely knowledgeable about their topics, but also in a state of constant learning. This is very important to note, because when dealing with topics relating to social media, the environment surrounding them is constantly changing. What is ‘best practices’ today might be completely different next year, or even next month. It is an industry that is continually evolving, and one needs to recognize that no one really knows ‘everything’ about these new media channels. This is precisely why events like this are so crucial. It’s the best possible format to help people understand what’s happening right now, and what approaches to participating in these new channels will be the most successful.

I was impressed with the breadth of topics that were covered during the event. There was no area of social media that was left untouched. To name a few, we discussed: building trust, utilizing game mechanics, brand ambassadors, implementation tactics, psychological elements & body language communication, SM & customer service, location-based social media, green marketing factors, managing your personal brand, and social media policy.

I’m sure I don’t need to say, that’s a lot of discussion. And yet, it wasn’t overwhelming. The way topics were served back and forth among the people in the room made it much easier to absorb and understand. Hearing several different perspectives on a particular topic allows you to formulate a more balanced opinion, and to consider factors that might otherwise elude you.

Overall, I believe that CD Vann has put together a format that works in a way that other events don’t. One need not look any further than the stream of tweets that was coming out under the #ungeeked hashtag. The satisfaction of people at the event was incredible, and the mood and morale in the room was something that I’ve never felt to that degree in any other setting. It was a true bonding experience among the group. I left the event with some highly valued professional connections. The knowledge base that is now available to the attendees as a result of UnGeeked is astounding. I’m sure that the upcoming UnGeeked events will only continue to be as successful as the Toronto venue.

I highly recommend anyone who is able to attend an UnGeeked event to do so, and those who are not able I encourage you to do your best to find a way. I for one am extremely excited for the next UnGeeked that I am able to participate in. It was an experience that changed my perspective on these new media channels, and inspired me to strive for more as a marketing professional. Thank you, CD, for making this event a possibility, and thank you to everyone who was involved in making it such an overwhelming success. It truly was a unique and wonderful experience.

October 26, 2010

Social Media – The New Propaganda?

I love old-school propaganda posters. Like the kind from WW1 and WW2. They’re magnificent. They perfectly illustrate how powerful messages were conveyed in a bygone era of innocence, confusion, anger, fear, and unequaled bravery.

There was no gray area in the propaganda from that time period. You knew at first glance what the message was, and you knew that they were dead serious about it. ‘Buy War Bonds’, ‘We Can Do It!’, ‘Loose Lips Sink Ships’, are some of the classics that everyone has seen as shining examples.

They played on basic human instincts and powerful emotions: Fear, Pride, Anger, Love, Hate. And they did this exceptionally well. Big bold images of happy smiling families collecting scrap iron on the home front, horrifying demonized images of the ‘enemy’ as blood-sucking creatures hovering over terrified children, powerful and proud Allied soldiers charging ahead to victory.

At the time, the world was a pretty big place. Other countries seemed like strange, distant lands filled with odd customs and a totally different way of life. It was relatively easy for people to make the attitude shift that propaganda was demanding of them, since the topics contained within them were so far away. Most people didn’t have close ties to the ‘enemy’. There was little understanding about foreign purposes or policies by the average person, and the information they did get was filtered and edited by the news organizations and by government bureaus.

But what about now? I’m going to throw in the oft-repeated phrase “Times have changed!”. Media has transformed in to a completely different animal since the advent of the Internet, world travel has become easily accessible to all and is commonplace, we are all connected 24/7 and communicate instantly to all corners of the globe. How does propaganda work now? Or does it even have a place?

Some might say that propaganda is extinct. That once the Internet makes its way in to the infrastructure of a country, the influence begins to shift from the powers that be back to the people. Information is power, and when everyone in the world has access to the same information as everyone else, the playing field all of a sudden becomes much more level. Certain governments are trying, and failing, to contain this change, but we all know that eventually there will be no stopping it. Just like radio and TV spread all over the world, so too will Internet and Social Media.

Could it be that Social Media is turning in to the propaganda of the next generation? Except instead of being controlled by government or military, it’s controlled by individuals. Individuals with reach, with influence, with charisma and with intelligence on how to persuade. It won’t be recognizable propaganda as we’ve known it up to this point, but there are indicators that it influences in much the same way. Look at how easily the Gap was persuaded to change its logo back after the ‘uprising’ that occurred? Companies change logos all the time, why should Gap be any exception? Well, there were a few key people who, through their postings/tweets/messages were able to persuade larger groups of otherwise indifferent people that the logo change was terrible. Their phrasing of tweets and message, their passion for the original logo became the propaganda tools that influenced those who may not have even cared about the change to speak up and become opponents.

Social Media has proven to be a highly successful method of influencing behaviour, and I think we can all agree that it is quickly become the default method for spreading a message. If it’s on Twitter, the world CAN see it. If it’s shared by the right people, the world WILL see it. Propaganda knows no borders now. Even though Malcolm Gladwell makes some good points about the ties made in social media being ‘loose ties’, sometimes those loose ties are all that is needed to bring about social change. If you reach enough people, with a simple and powerful message that resonates on a base level, it doesn’t really matter if your ties are weak or strong. The influence is there if you use it right. Just like how people bought millions of war bonds to ‘do their part’, many small actions can be incited through social media in order to enact a big change.

I guess Rosie was right, we CAN do it.

September 29, 2010

Trade Shows – A Chance to Experiment

We all hear the same things about B2B trade shows: Trade shows are dying, nobody buys at these things anymore, they’re too expensive, what a hassle, etc. While consumer-oriented shows like E3 and CES are massively popular, and attract both consumers and businesses, many industrial and manufacturing shows are mere shadows of their former selves. Of course there are a few shining stars left that still hold massive sway in their specific markets, but in general attendance is way down, exhibitors are going with smaller exhibits and sending fewer representatives.

All too often B2B trade shows are viewed through a very narrow lens: Lead Generation. This focus tends to completely overshadow any other reason to be at the show, and if attendance is down then leads will be down, therefore the show will be branded as decreasing in value.

This is bad for the organizers of the show, since they’re dealing with smaller revenues from exhibitors and fewer reasons to give attendees to show up, but for the B2B marketer these shows can be the perfect little test site to conduct real-world testing on small, very focused groups of existing or potential customers.

I’m scheduled to attend three very different B2B trade shows in the next month, and for each of them we’re conducting a very specific ‘test’ effort to see what we can get out of these shows aside from just leads.

One of these efforts is centered around our social media programs, and trying to get a better feel for the kind of content that will elicit a conversation among our followers, as well as generating an increased follower base.

Another effort will determine our customers needs for product education, and what types of materials are most desirable for them to educate themselves with.

The third effort will look at what kind of joint-branding activities our customers would be willing to engage in, and how we can best provide mutually desirable results from connecting our brand with theirs.

So, for each show we’ve set a small, achievable goal. 1 – Increase social media activity, 2 – Improve our product education materials, 3 – Determine what methods of cross-branding are appealing to our customers. These goals are each significant on their own, but to get results in all three over the course of a few weeks IN ADDITION to the leads you would have received at the show anyway? Now you’ve dramatically improved the value of those shows for your company without any additional out-of-pocket expense.

Typically, the ROI for trade shows is measured according to the # of leads obtained at the show. While it certainly is an important metric, it is in no way the only tangible benefit to exhibiting at a trade show. You can also measure the amount of competitor info that you have gathered, how many people have liked/followed you in your social media efforts, how much feedback you get on your products, or even the number of media reps you speak with. Anything you do to benefit your business and customers needs to be identified so that you can get a true evaluation on the value of your presence at the show.

Basically, what I’m getting at is to try and not view trade shows through one single lens of ‘hope we get lots of leads’, but rather to look at all the different ‘little experiments’ you can conduct while you’re there. Set forth two or three small, achievable goals for yourself that will provide a tangible result, and you’ll find that your company’s attitude toward trade shows will improve dramatically, along with the beneficial results you’re obtaining in exchange for your cost of exhibiting.

September 16, 2010

Social Media – Electing not to participate?

@MitchJoel‘s latest Blog post discusses those companies who question whether social media is ‘right for their business’. While traditional marketing thoughts might be ‘well, not every channel is right for every business’, one must realize that social media is not traditional marketing. It’s a fluid, ever-changing series of communication channels that are not managed by agencies or corporations. They are managed by their users, and the content available in these channels is maddeningly unpredictable at the best of times, and horrifyingly predictable at the worst of times.

This being said, you can easily see why some companies are apprehensive about participating in such a different method of communication. It’s tough to realize that you need to rely on the general public to make your efforts successful, but once you make that leap of faith, it’s incredibly liberating if not a bit overwhelming.

So, while Mitch points out quite effectively that ‘yes, social media IS for every business’, one thing that is missing from the discussion is that EVENTUALLY your brand is going to appear in social media channels regardless of your action or inaction. Sure, it might not happen tomorrow, next week, or next month, but one day it will and it will be at the discretion of whoever decides to mention you. You’re never going to be able to completely control what people say about you, but you can be at least involved in the conversation and the longer you wait to speak up, the quieter your words will be.

Your decision to start participating now can be one of the most crucial decisions you make for the future of your brand. This is not to say you need to jump in haphazardly just to ‘be there’. You first need to figure out what your brand is all about, because there is no other media where your real story will come out faster than it will in social media. If you try to whitewash your story in to what you ‘want it to be’ rather than what it ‘really is’, you will be sniffed out by the community and labeled a fraud.

The key to participation in social media, as has been repeated countless times by social media gurus, is to be genuine. Be transparent. Hide nothing, and be not afraid to talk about everything. Look in every nook and cranny of your business for the ‘good news’ that you otherwise might pass over. Sometimes the most seemingly insignificant thing can spark an excellent conversation, and net you some extremely valuable insight in to your customers, competitors, and community.

The time to begin is now and the longer you wait, the longer it will take to get your own voice heard.