If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Social media yahta-yahta-yahta. I think the last time that the business world was overtaken so completely by one innovation was when computers started appearing on desktops a couple of decades ago. Social media is just as revolutionary and takes just as much planning to make it work for you. But it’s critical because it’s where brand communities are built. And it’s overwhelming.

Most of us don’t have the resources to pull off intricately orchestrated marketing campaigns like Coca-Cola’s Expedition 206 or for a full-time engager like Lee Aase, Mayo Clinic Social Media Manager .

I say, so what! You can do some Internet research on your own to see what’s going on in your market space and what (if anything) is being said about you. You can start a Facebook page and build it up over time. You can join the throngs on Twitter and tweet when there’s something relevant to say. Start with a goal, create a plan and then stick to it. Be realistic about how much resource you can devote—even if it’s only 2 hours a week.

Why now? Because the world isn’t going to come rushing to your door the minute you get engaged. Just like any new friendship, it’s built in phases. First you meet, then you go out for coffee. If there’s chemistry and they find you interesting enough, your new friend might invite you to meet some of their friends…and so it goes. Brand community-building is the same. One-by-one steps that deepen the relationship.

If you don’t get out there now, your competitors will be out there tempting your customers to have coffee with THEM. You’ll have to dive in at some point—so why wait?

Your friend, Beth Woolley

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post 

In the onslaught of social media throughout 2009, one brand stands out more than others because of the social revolution it continues to propel–Facebook. From giving people a place to share their lives or connect with long lost friends and family to giving brands new ways to connect one on one with their customers, Facebook has continued to evolve with the many ways users are using it.

It has embodied the spirit of social media in constant transformation and innovation based on listening. While some can argue its usability or the efficacy of its design, Facebook has listened to these arguments and continues to improve the experience–upgrading its interface ongoingly, adding new features monthly, and making its data more usable for marketers and casual users alike.

And, with its steady growth of users (over 350 million as of this month) and stable retention rates, it has beat out Twitter and MySpace for audience share. My prediction: in the shake out to come in 2010, we will see a very clear distinction between Facebook and Twitter. Facebook will continue to evolve and deepen its relationships with all of its users, as well as become an invaluable data source for brand managers and marketers, while Twitter will solidify its position with companies and thought leaders by providing a valuable public relations and communications channel.

Anybody want to wager?

–Jen Travis

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post 

I’m a member of BEAN, a scrappy young professional network constantly innovating new ways to make a positive difference in the community. We donate our time and effort to engage an often fickle demographic, 25-35 year olds, and as any thrifty club or nonprofit can relate,  it’s often a challenge to get the dollar bills flowing.

This year, we  learned about a local nonprofit called Roses and Rosemary that  supplies medication to HIV-positive orphans in Africa and decided to support their cause. With absolutely no budget, we focused our efforts on a fun event—a bachelor/bachelorette auction. Yes, we put ourselves on the auction block for a good cause and only used the web (because it’s free!) to spread the word.

The results?

We sold out 200 tickets within the first 20 minutes of opening the door and ended up raising $16,000. Not too shabby for $0 in marketing, no fancy ads, no press release—just a group of kids with a fun idea, some excitement and a lap top.

Here were our tactics, which can be easily mimicked by any nonprofit:

1. Created a Facebook event and sent out invites.
2. We each posted the event to our personal profiles periodically and talked it up. (To do this: A. Click the “share” link on the event page. B. Write a comment. C. Click the “share” button)
3. Created fan pages for each bachelor/ette. See our example.
4. Created a landing page with bios to generate excitement.
5. Sent out reminder messages to people who accepted the Facebook event invitation.
6. Posted on other free websites such as IloveSeattle.org, Craigslist, and Twitter.

Kudos to the TGAL committee, Roses and Rosemary and everyone who played a part!

–Bianca Abate

Follow me on Twitter

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post 

 

There’s a lot of talk around the need for a social media strategy, but why and how?  The reason is simple: if you’re not currently in control of your digital identity, the odds are pretty good that others are or soon will be. And if your organization dives into the social media world without a road map, then you could run the risk of appearing narcissistic, like you have ADHD, or even worse… inauthentic.  Creating a social media strategy is akin to creating a blueprint to help your organization hone in on the important stuff, such as figuring out what channels makes sense, how much time you should be spending, and who to engage. Social media should be a piece of your larger integrated branding strategy, because it’s essentially another touch point, or an opportunity to communicate and reinforce your brand promise.

-Bianca Abate

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post 

I read a very interesting blog post this morning entitled, “How to Kill a Brand with Social Media.” While I can’t say that I agree with the entire blog—particularly the part that says Twitter is not social media—I do think the author made a very valuable point when talking about the lack of brand alignment in social media.

While most Twitter users are aware of the amazing job that Frank Eliason has done for Comcast on Twitter, acting as a one person rescue squad for their customer service issues, the rest of the brand has not aligned with this new way of doing business . . . Why? Because having one or two people creating a good impression on one platform is not enough. If there is no brand alignment behind the philosophy of listening and responding then all of the social media efforts in the world will not turn a brand around.
–From the IncSlinger blog, posted on May 14, 2009

Although we have been discussing the immense value that social media offers organizations, we don’t believe that a brand can rely on Twitter or Facebook alone to strengthen its relationship with consumers. The brand must be delivered consistently in all customer touch points, not just those in the digital world. A certain computer company that I’ll call “Swell” (for the sake of anonymity) has a great social media strategy—from their blog, to their Facebook page and now their Tweets! Yet, when I call “Swell” to troubleshoot my computer issues, I’m left to navigate through a labyrinth-like phone tree before I reach a “technician” that has no idea how to fix my computer, let alone communicate without reading off a script.

A brand cannot hide behind the façade that it creates online. If you’re not living the brand that you’re projecting online, your customers will eventually find out and they won’t stick around—they might even de-friend you.

-Hiley Spaet

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post 

Thought leadership—where you use your intellectual approach to a problem or a challenge as the way to get people to pay attention to your company—is a great strategy for marketing—but it requires two things:

1) the discipline not to pitch your products/services while you’re thought leading, and
2) actual thought leadership .

If you meet those two requirements, then it’s time to bring it to the web. Online thought leadership is necessary today, because that’s where people get their information. These days, online means much more than a blog. Your brand promise now extends to how you show up in Twitter, email, Facebook, ebooks, Linked In, website, blog, podcasts, webinars, vlogs, wikis and wherever your target audiences are.

Overwhelming, right?

So start with an online strategy. Map out where your audience gets its information. Figure out where your brand will suffer if you don’t do it—and which social media or online distribution channels can best convey your message. And start with your own website—looking at how your thought leadership is represented there and how you can beef it up.

Once you have your strategy, create content once and repurpose it. Then, refresh it regularly. Think deeply and lead wisely.

-Lynn Parker

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post