So you have spent a ton of time learning the tools, setting up your blog, studying the art of social media engagement, building your business plan and the list goes on and on. Some things are working yet some aren’t. You may have weeks where you see the results. You think your audience likes your [...]
There is definitely no shortage of social data, metrics, measurement strategies, analytics, influence scores, listening platforms, reputation management approaches and experts ready to take your credit card to help you figure it all out.
I have received several tweets and messages recently asking me for tips to help people raise their Klout score.
If you are focused on trying to raise your Klout or other influence score I have only one answer for you… you are measuring the wrong metric!
A word that has been on my mind the past few weeks is relevancy. It is a word we all talk about yet many don’t understand.
I have also received several comments asking me “relevant to who?” on posts that include discussions of relevancy.
Why are they asking me “who” their brand should be relevant to? I think often times people get to the bottom of a blog post and become frustrated they weren’t provided all of the answers to complete their business and integrated social marketing plan.
So it’s Saturday night & you’re headed to your favorite restaurant. You know the one. The one that you spend too much money on, eat too much and come home feeling like you are going to pop. It has all the things that are good and bad for you. You leave fulfilled yet planning the next time you will visit again.
As social brand marketers, business owners and entrepreneurs how can we give our audiences, clients and partners the same excitement to engage with our brand? How can we leave them fulfilled each day but wanting more at the same time? How can we get them to over indulge in our communities, and love it?
I have a story to share with you about what one may consider a social media “tool” called Triberr. To me it is much more. It challenged me from day one to put my action where my mouth is in regard to helping others.
I didn’t realize when I started this series that I would end up writing the book I always wanted to write with this title. I do think this will end up being a never ending blog series. My only fear is that I may not remember how to count as I high as I may need to in Roman numerals. Oh my, what would my elementary school teacher think?
In Part I we discussed the top 10 reasons WHY social media is about people.
In Part II we discussed the importance of focusing on the people when planning and setting priorities for social media.
In this post (Part III) I am going to cover (okay, rant) about why you must do more than realize it’s about the people. We are going to discuss why you must get in the head of the people. You must understand them!
In the first post on this series I provided 10 reasons why social media is about he people. I talked about how important relationships are to success.
For the second post in this series I am going to focus on the planning and prioritization stages of social media.
The time has finally come. You have your plans, objectives, budget and even a social media manager to help you. Social media is your name and your game with a goal of integration and pastures of happy Twitter followers and Facebook fans. If you are lucky you might even end up with a happy boss and delighted shareholders.
However, there is one thing keeping you up at night. You can’t quit thinking “how the heck is anyone going to know I exist? How will I stand above the crowd, the millions of other Twitter followers and Facebookers?”
First of all, you don’t need to stand above the millions. What’s more important is that you are relevant and able to connect with the right people who will help you zoom your business and your life.
Let’s quit bantering over the semantics & get real with people. Authenticity is a word being over used in social circles. Does it begin to lose meaning to some? Absolutely. However, just because we may be tired of the word “authenticity” does it change the importance and ability to embrace, desire and appreciate real relationships both online and offline? Absolutely not.
Many social savvy business leaders and marketers have integrated social media into their DNA. We know how to tweet with one hand, check into Foursquare in a split second & post a photo to Facebook without missing an run on the rugrats baseball field.
Regardless of where you are with social media, there is one fact you need to understand.
There is a conversation happening in your honor right now. The question is are you part of it?
So, you inspired me to click a link somewhere on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Quora, or who knows what platform. For the sake of this post we’re going to assume your link takes me to your website.
“WHOOAA” I exclaim as I tweet out of site. Your website looks nothing like your social media platforms, your tweets or the person you’re proclaiming to be in the world of social media. Within a few seconds, chances are you have 95% lost me. Chances are I will probably move on to more inspiring social pastures unless something grabs my attention to give you one more chance.
So you think you can brand like the wild west cowboys use to brand their livestock? If you answer yes, then here is your chance to prove it!
One of my clients is a serial entrepreneur and recently acquired an airline, LocAir. So what does that have to do with you thinking you can brand and being able to prove it? Hold on to your bootstraps cowboy, I’ll get there 
There are special prizes for the winners including a FREE Bahama Vacation, Social Media Makeover and even $100 gift certificate to Bonefish Grill for the 3rd prize winner. It’s not that hard. Just come up with a name. A name that will inspire, connect with audiences. A name that will look cool on the side of a plane.
I recently wrote an article regarding my experience with Apple. To summarize, my point was that Apple provides a full yet simple brand experience. They inspire us to be inspired.
As I walked into Target a few days ago with no kids, husband or deadlines I couldn’t help but give a big “sigh” of peace. You know the ones I am talking about moms!
There is something about grabbing that red buggy and heading down the Target aisle that fills inner red and white mommy zone?
We all know there is no shortage of websites. For years business leaders have been building them. They spend loads of money. They put a task force in place to ensure the website rocks and can impress shareholders. The executives and marketing team dream of their beautiful website that will bring them lots of customers. You know, “that website, the one everyone will love”. They dream of email opt-ins, increased hits on their website and fancy reports they can show off to any and all stakeholders who will lend an ear.
When it comes to experiential brand and marketing, you either get it or you don’t. If you think all it takes is a pretty logo, Twitter background, branded Facebook page and matching business card is going to provide your audience a true brand experience, then sorry, you don’t ”get it.” Apple has the brand experience nailed. [...]
It’s time for the next social media and marketing event. You pack your bag, charge your iphone or Android, grab the iPad, and your new business cards with the QRC code on the back.
You’re off, you’re ready and before you get to the airport your twitter followers know where you are going, what the hashtag is and what you’re excited to see and do when you get there. You tweet your fellow attendees to plan your first face to face get together. You’ve already planned the first tweetup that by the way use to be called “Happy Hour”.
Getting out into world, learning from new perspectives, enjoying the company of others is the spice of life.
So why in business do we find this so hard to accept? Why do we think we’ll accomplish more if we stay inside our corporate and virtual home offices as we fervently turn in our social hamster wheels of marketing strategies, business plans, engagement approaches, audience research, websites, Facebook pages and suites that hoot?
Yes, the economy stinks. However, that doesn’t mean we need to work the hamster wheel 24/7. It actually should drive the opposite behavior.
So you say you know your audience? You think you know what they need and want. You spend hours each week working on blog content, posts for Facebook, tweets and more. Yet, your efforts don’t seem to be providing a return. Your blog readership isn’t increasing. The number of fans on your Facebook business page increases yet it’s like a desert with nobody talking to one another. You post a question and nobody answers except your best friend.
What could possibly be the problem? You’ve learned the tools. You’ve taken the classes. You know a conversation is of most importance in social media. However, nobody seems to want to talk to you.
To tweet or not to tweet was your question of 2010. Now that it’s 201 you’ve decided to take the big tweet plunge. You finally get the guts to hop on Twitter. Chances are your experience might have started out a little like this:
1. You setup your account.
2. You followed some famous people that Twitter suggested you follow. As you did this you thought… “hmmm… just what I thought… Twitter is a waste of time… why do I need to follow Justin Bieber?”
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