Long term success in any business endeavor, social media or otherwise, requires a good foundation.

Social Media doesn’t cause problems or make something great. It simple magnifies what is already there.

Sometimes I still run into marketing or brand managers that believe social media causes all sorts of problems. It causes customer service problems. It causes branding problems because you lose control of the message. It does…it does… it does…

The fact is that social media does what other communication channels do. It reveals the good and the bad that is already present in your organization or product.

Why this is good news.

Magnifying helps us learn. When something is enlarged you can see all of the details. This grants you an incredible opportunity to get better at the areas you are weak and highlight the areas your strong. You can then do more of things you do right and improve the others.

Welcome the magnifying glass. What have you learned recently?

photo credit: jakebouma

There are a million different ways to do anything. This goes for marketing, leadership, social media, parenting, managing, etc. 

Too often, we (and I am guiltier than most) believe the way we succeeded at something is the only way one can. This is dangerous. Beware if you get to a point when this is the case. Companies fail when their leaders think this way. My dad once told me there may be one answer to a problem but there are probably a million different paths to get there. These words are as true today as ever.

I am a marketer by trade. Most of my job is helping brands find the best routes to accomplish there goals. How bad would it be if we thought that because we helped XYZ company succeed with solution “A”, then every other company’s only chance of success was to do solution “A”? You need to build processes and systems that are solid enough to help you reach the goal most efficiently, but don’t make them so rigid that there is no creativity.

I am very cautious when I hear speakers, coachers, thought leaders or authors talk about the only way to get to where they are is the way they did it. There is easily 1,000,000 different ways to succeed in anything.

Figure out your way. Knowing there are so many ways to get there could hold you back if you are afraid to fail. Instead, choose to let the knowledge empower you to think creatively.  Spend 15 minutes a day answering your own questions. Don’t just latch on to what the newest book has to say about success. It is only one person’s account of how they got there. It might make you feel uncomfortable to quiet the noise and think. But it will be worth it.

What are some ways you have discovered to succeed?

photo credit: Justin Ornellas

It was an incredible learning experience for me and hopefully for the students also. In a few short months they went from social media newbies, to aspiring graduates with a solid grounding in the digital marketing arts. We learned about listening, social media tools, blogging, content marketing, reputation management, and community development. The students started a blog reviewing brand social media presence , gave social media marketing pitches, enjoyed great speakers, and gained clarity on developing their personal brands.

One definite highlight, for me at least, was co-teaching with Dr. Cindy Hanson. She was my marketing prof when I was in college (half a score ago). Her enthusiasm and passion for her craft is as evident today as it was then. I gained an enormous amount of respect for her (and all professors) with how much preparation and focus goes into each course. Unlike many traditional marketers, Dr. Hanson has embraced the validity of social media and how it fits into the bigger marketing mix. I look forward to the chance to work with her again.

Thank you, Apo, Lewis, Toni, Michelle, Ashley, Everette, Jason, Katrina, Matt, Jess, Molly, and Ken for a fun and rewarding time. I couldn’t be prouder of you all.

I wish you the best and leave with you one thing:

Your real education has just begun. Find what you are passionate about and chase it. Learn and do it better  than anyone else in the world.

Don’t settle for average. Challenge the status quo. Dare to be great!

photo credit: Beverly & Pack

Now, let’s talk integers.

Social Media 123′s

1. Vision – Know what you want

2.  Focus - Strategy and Tactics

3. Goals – Awareness, Conversion, Relationship

Magic Number

1,000. People – True Fans

What are your ABC’s and 123′s?

photo credit: Anonymous Account

My class is filled with bright young men and women who hold all the potential in the world to go out and change it. It has been cool to see the light bulbs go off in their heads as understanding takes root. I have to say I am learning as much from them as they are from me.

We have brought in some great speakers so far too! Jeff SanGeorge, Mitch Miles, and Vanessa Boynton were gracious with their time and knowledge to share with the class.

Jeff discussed blogging and how he has applied what he has learned to social media. You can check out his presentation [Jeff SanGeorge Blogging 101]. Jeff has a great understanding of how design, technology, and content marketing fit together. It was great how he mixed the fundamentals of blogging with social media application.

Mitch came in and rocked LinkedIN. You would have thought Reid Hoffman himself came in to teach the how to’s and why’s of the professional social network. Mitch is the only guy I know that brings props to talk about web apps. He is the Gallagher of social media speakers. You can check out some of Mitch’s presentations [Mitch Miles Presents].

Vanessa presented on the business case of social media. She is one of the linchpins at M Creative and talked about how they work with non-profits in developing “value-driven” communication strategies in social media. Her interaction with the class was very conversational and I hope the class learned as much as I did. In addition to being a marketing practitioner, Vanessa is an award-winning artist. See what she is up to [VanessaBoynton.com].

Of course we are only half-way home this semester but things are shaping up nicely. Greensboro College Social Media Brand Review is progressing and I can’t wait for the students to start their class projects. They will be getting their hands dirty developing content, launching social campaigns, and marketing awesomeness for a few Triad companies.

As always, if you have any suggestions for the class please hit me up in the comments.

photo credit: greensboro college

There are a hundred things you can do to make your brand sharable. There are a thousand ways to spread your organization’s ideas. Here is one great way.

Make it Easy!

Optimize your content to be easy to find.

Create content in the right context to make it easy to understand.

Write to an audience of one to make it easy to connect.

Use social media to make it easy to give away.

Solve problems to make it easy to add value.

Make it interesting to make it easy to entertain.

and…

Be brief to make it easy to digest.

There are many more.

How else should it be easy?

photo credit: D’Arcy Norman

Socialmediabrandreview.com is one of the projects my Greensboro College students are doing this semester. They are reviewing top brands’ social media participation and engagement and posting their critiques on a blog we set up.

Each student will post three reviews over the course of the semester. They are picking two from a list we gave them and one of their own choice. Do you have any suggestions for them? The other component is a five minute in class presentation on their findings. This, we are filming and embedding in their posts.

Check it out and support our future marketers: Greensboro College Social Media Brand Review

My hope is that this project will be fun, give them an opportunity to contribute to a case study, and start blogging. What do  you think? How can I make it a better experience for them?

photo credit: Robert S. Donovan

I have the great fortune to live in an area with some very bright folks in the MarCom world. In the last month or so I’ve had an opportunity to get to know some great folks. You should get to know them too.

John Cass- He is the head of digital marketing efforts at Pace Communications. John is brilliant and generous. None are better at business blogging strategy than John. You can find him at PR Communications and @johncass.

Kevin Briody- Kevin heads up strategic partnerships at Ignite Social Media. This man is full of ideas pertaining to social media business application. Check out Social Mallard and @kevinbriody.

Bob Knorp- Most people know him as the voice behind The Beancast. It is one of the premier marketing/advertising podcasts. Bob is also an incredible brand strategist. He can also be found at @thebeancast.

Jeff SanGeorge- Jeff stirs things up as head of Connect Marketing and Design. Jeff combines creative design with the technical knowledge to execute. Reach out to Jeff at @jeffsangeorge.

Ken Pitman- He is the mastermind behind Square Hat Media and Presidente of  Social Media Club Greenboro. He is one of the wittiest on Twitter. Find him here @kennedypittman.

Mitch Miles- Mitch has amazing charisma. He is founder of The 26.2 Group and a sought after public speaker. If you get the chance to hear him, he is a true spellbinder. When not on stage Mitch is here @mitchmiles

Vanessa Boynton- She leads the social media efforts at M Creative and creates art at VanessaBoynton.com . Vanessa recently won an award for her one of her illustrations. Online she can be found at @vboynton.

Brandon Pierce & Danielle Hatfield- This is the dynamic duo behind Experience Farm. They do wonderful web design and new media work.  Check them out at @dhatfield and @brandonpierce

Kyle Lambert- Kyle is the big kahuna at Callout Creative. He has an incredible eye for design and visual communications. Not to mention he is hilarious. Kyle is on Twitter at @calloutcreative.

There are many more folks to come on this list, stay tuned. Research has shown that following these folks will make you smarter and  extend your life expectancy by 6 years.

Have a great weekend.

Organizations: We need a digital footprint! Get on Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, Yelp, Foursquare, and Flickr. Build a Blog. Send email campaigns. We need to engage and build community.

Consumer: Knock Knock?

Consumer: Knock Knock?

Consumer: Hello?

Consumer: Anybody there?

Companies are beginning to understand the value associated with establishing a digital footprint. They see conversations happening in real time and desperately want to join them. The secret isn’t having an account or page. That doesn’t mean you are connecting. Organizations need to go beyond having an @ handle, video channel, and blog. They need to be there.

If you decide twitter is a good place for your company to be then be there. What does it say if someone shows up on twitter (via the pretty icon on your home page) to talk and there is no activity? Or they go to your Facebook fan page and crickets chirp? How about a blog whose last post was in 2009? It says no one is home.

Building community with social presence takes showing up and follow through.

photo credit: J.L. Settle

The one where the rabbit takes off in a blaze leaving the tortoise moseying behind. We all know the ending, the hare gives out of gas before the finish line and the turtle jogs by breaking the tape.

This story is not unlike mass advertising and social media.

The hare and mass advertising have a lot in common. Mass advertising, like the hare, spends a lot of energy out of the gate but usually expires before the finish. I am not against advertising. Eyeballs don’t mean people are buying or evening listening just like the hare’s speed doesn’t ensure he will win the race. Check out  Bob Knorp‘s viewership vs. buyership post along the same lines.

The tortoise reminds me of social media. Social wins the race by consistently delivering value and building trust. Reaching the right people with the right message takes patience and persistent effort. Building relationships that connect folks to your company is a marathon not a sprint. Here is a good post by Trey Pennington on how to win with social.

Could these two different animals work together?

Mass marketing is good at getting a message to a large number of people. With enough money, ads can overcome the invisible impressions with frequency and depth. If you get in front of enough people you will reach somebody that presently wants what you have. If you try this with social media it will fail. Social media is not about exposure. It is about community and conversation.

Advertising and social media can work hand in hand when they both focus on relevance and permission. Advertising to people that want to receive your message converts. Using social to build advocacy and retention through human interactions after reach is huge.

Your thoughts?

photo credit: peretzpup

Organizations often damage their online reputation with interruption marketing tactics. When this happens brand engagement plummets, fans flee, and prospects treat your company like a leper.  If this has happened to you, fear not!  You can rebuild your online reputation.  It is not easy, it won’t happen overnight, but it can be done.

The road to recovery starts with answering these three questions.

How did this happen?

You are in the old business. My uncle was the partner in an Atlanta ad agency during the 70s and 80s. Before that he worked with DDB.  They were great at creating mass marketing ad campaigns.  They were designed to get in front of as many eyeballs as they could as often as they could. Relevance was not a high priority. Interruption, frequency, and persuasion were the order of the day.

What did you do wrong?

You SPAMMED. You may not have meant to, but you did. If social media tools like Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin are broadcast channels for you to pitch your widgets and services, you are doing it wrong.  If your blog is filled with self promotion and  ”me monster” talk, you are doing it wrong.

How do you fix it?

Step one: Ask for forgiveness and rebuild trust and respect. Forgiveness is completely in the hands of the offended. You cannot buy it or demand it. Forgiveness also deals with the past. It is only good for things already done. Let people know you are sorry in a sincere, specific way (not in a fake, ambiguous, politician/celebrity way). Start the long journey of rebuilding trust and respect. This is not easy and takes time. Just because you changed overnight doesn’t mean your community will change quickly. Humility, generosity, and honesty will be your guide. Unlike forgiveness, trust and respect can be earned. You can restore and build these important currencies.

Step two: Listen more and talk less. Nothing will help you improve communications with your prospects and customers like listening. You will learn what they want and what problems they have. You will learn where they are and who they associate with. This information will allow you to improve your interactions and make connections with the right people. There are paid listening tools like ScoutLabs, Radian 6, Sysomos, or SAS to name a few.  Start with Google alerts and blog search, Twitter search, and Backtype. You could create a survey for your email list.

Step three: Give value. You have made the decision and turned a new leaf. Use the data from listening and help your community. Begin your brand’s new life as one that contributes relevant valuable content to its communities. Look for ways to promote others and highlight the good work of your people. Start a meaningful email “newsletter” to a subscriber base. Focus on high touch vs. high tech strategies that build relationships.

Remember this takes patience, but you will get there.  Swallow your pride and seek forgiveness.  Take your eyes off of yourself and focus on others.  With a little time you can reinvent your organization. You can learn from your mistakes so you never repeat them.

Your thoughts?

photo credit: misterbisson

photo: bsabarnowl

I was visiting a client last week and one of the folks asked me about secrets to getting to the top of Google search.  He then wanted to know about going viral on Youtube. Then everyone started chiming in. They wanted to know the tactics.  These days a lot of companies get wrapped up in the tactics.  With all of the social media buzz (pun intended) going on, it is easy for organizations to be driven by a set of maneuvers. They hope these will act like Spanish flies, seducing new customers into following them on twitter and handing over their wallets.

Don’t let the tail wag the dog.

A better philosophy is to be strategy driven, provided it’s focused on the end goal (awareness, acquisition, retention, etc).  Developing the right strategy will incorporate the right set of plays, or tactics, that achieve the right connections which move a company towards success. Kat French said it this way in a recent post on the Social Enthusiast, “The important thing to remember is to begin with the end in mind.  Plant your efforts firmly in the ground best suited to produce the harvest you’ve set as a goal.”

What if we:

approached things with a clearly defined goal

watched and listened for clues that would highlight potential paths to reach those goals

chose the best tools and courses of action to meet objectives

Breakthrough in your business comes when you create the right strategy and implement right tactics.

Your thoughts?

photo credit: Keith Allison

Recent events around Tiger Woods have sparked thousands of conversations online. Apart from the obvious moral issues surrounding the saga, I believe there is a valuable lesson in social media and marketing.

We all know there are “new rules” of marketing. They have been written about endlessly by folks (smarter than me) like Kyle Lacy and Tim Sanders. Chris Brogan and Julien Smith as well as Mitch Joel have written books about it.

The main principle I discern from these guys is that authenticity and sincerity build trust. The more trust, the more authority.  Authority allows you to speak into my life. When you have authority you have influence and as Brian Clark teaches us,  Authority Rules.

A lesson in Authenticity from Tiger Woods and John Daly:

In business today, social capital is strong currency. The appreciation or depreciation of that currency is the result of our perceived trust in that person, company, or organization. Think about the last time you looked at a review on Amazon. If every review is 100% positive we question the sincerity of the message. We see things as fake if there are no imperfections. None of us are flawless, and if something seems too perfect we don’t trust it.

The worst thing organizations or people can do to lose value is to pretend to be something they are not. Eventually the smoke clears and the mirrors crack, leaving the real truth exposed. The offending party is disqualified. No more authority. No more influence.

This is what happened to Tiger. The life he told us and sold us was not the life he walked. To make matters worse, he stayed in the shadows which communicated more deceit. Trust was broken. We didn’t want to be Tiger Woods anymore. We stopped looking to him for help with decisions on what to wear, drink, or drive.  His social currency plummeted to the depths of the ZIM dollar.

John Daly’s social currency conversely has appreciated each year. In the midst of multiple divorces, battles with numerous addictions (gambling and drinking for starters), and scuffles with PGA Tour policies John’s popularity and authority has continued to rise. Why? He is not a role model and is far from perfect. Authenticity is his key. Love him or hate him, John Daly is true. He doesn’t hide behind any facade. He lays it out in the open, both good and bad. This helps people feel connected to Daly, they believe him. They listen to him because he is one of them, imperfect but trying.

While you are building your company,personal brand, or community remember authenticity and transparency will build social equity. If you are caught in a tiger trap, be quick to apologize, come clean, and immediately start rebuilding the trust.

Here is Rick Reilly’s recommendations on how Tiger can rebuild. What would you have Tiger do?

photo credit: Greensboro College

A couple of weeks ago I spoke about personal branding and social media to faculty and students at my alma mater, Greensboro College.  Thanks again to everyone who attended, I enjoyed talking with you and it was a pleasure to meet you.

My presentation focused more on philosophy (what, why, who) and less on the mechanics (how). The new media tools we use to connect to our communities, engage in conversations, and tell our stories will change (probably sooner than rather than later), therefore I wanted to communicate sound thought process instead of how to upload a profile image to Linkedin.

I believe things went well, only one student fell asleep during the hour and half I was there. I am sure he would have been lights out for anyone save Megan Fox.  My biggest takeaway from conversations with faculty and students was how many folks try to over complicate branding and how it integrates with the web. Too many people are stuck applying old marketing mentality to new business environments. This results in a failure to launch or a disjointed message which lacks connection to the community.

Here are a few things I have learned that help me simplify the philosophy of utilizing social media to build your brand.

Know what you are trying to accomplish.

Know your story a La Tim Ferriss and Rick Smith.

Be unique a La Josh Madden and Hugh MacLeod.

Be passionate a La Gary Vaynerchuck and Chris Laney.

Be authentic, listen, and give value to your community a La Chris Brogan and Mitch Joel.

Reach the right people (not all people) a La Seth Godin and Cali Lewis.

How are you going to build your brand in 2010 ?

If anyone is interested and would like to receive my speaking notes you can contact me here. Please put “you 2.0″ in the subject line and I will send them to you.