Is Your Boss Wet-Behind-The-Ears?

I have been really enjoying NPR recently while I am sitting in the office and they have a show on Saturday mornings that is all about the origin of words and phrases. On the show they talked about the phrase: Wet-Behind-the-Ears.

We all have some idea of what the phrase means.. we have probably been called that on numerous occasions. The original orignin from the Phrase Finder:

Origin: The ‘wetness’ is supposed to be from just being born. Ie. you still have the fluid from your mothers womb behind your ears.

The idea of the phrase is that if you are “wet-behind-the-ears”.. you are a beginner.. or a novice..

Many business owners are wet-behind-the-ears when it comes to social media and using it for their marketing purposes.. it is a given across the board. The question is this.. how do you go into a company and convince a business owner to use a tool that YOU KNOW will be huge in the future of marketing?

Show them the art of listening. Give them case studies of companies like Zappos, Comcast, and Dell. Talk to them about the value of collaboration across multiple levels of customer interaction.

It is about listening and then applying what you HEAR to your business model.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Social Media Influencers and Ripple Marketing | Laurel Papworth … (jonggunlee.tistory.com)
• Why Businesses Fail in Social Media (kylelacy.com)
• Free eBook – Finding Your Voice in a Crowded World: Personal Branding, Social Media and You (byronmiller.typepad.com)
• Be Naked (chrisbrogan.com)

The White House Might Understand Social Media

I was listening to NPR while driving home from work and the reporter was talking about the government and the new open information website that the Obama administration has launched called the Open Government Initiative. The basics of the site is an open protal of government information and a communication platform for citizens to give opinions on current policies.

Personally… I did not vote for Obama but I am giving him more and more credit throughout the first 100 days he has been in office. It is a brilliant move to elect a Chief Information Officer for the country. Now there is a huge difference between a move and an actual event happening. I would like to see the open portal start showing information that was not readily available to the public on a scale and has been unsurpassed in recent years.

The critics of the portal say that there is not enough information being stored on the site and information is key to the portal actually… working.

Needless to see.. I applaud the administration for taking the step forward into the world of content generation, information, and social communication in the online environment.

After all… Obama did win the Generation Y vote…and social media was a huge part of that process

Related articles by Zemanta

• Obama picks US information chief (news.bbc.co.uk)
• Great news: Aneesh Chopra confirmed as US CTO (cnewmark.com)
• President Obama Names Vivek Kundra Chief Information Officer (The White House) (techmeme.com)
• Obama Releases Cybersecurity Report: ‘Much Work to Be Done’ (blogs.wsj.com)

What Zig Ziglar Can Teach You About Social Media

I follow Tom Ziglar (the esteemed son of Zig Ziglar) on Twitter almost relentlessly. He posts many one lined thoughts from his father and also some of his own musings that get me thinking on a daily basis. Last night he had a “tweet” with the simple line:

“Happiness is not where or when; it is here and now.” Zig Ziglar

It is amazing to me how simple quotes can unlock an amazing wealth of information from your head… forcing you to think past the daily routine… forcing you to realize the potential of your activities.

Of course… being a marketer obsessed with social media… I had to apply Zig’s thoughts with what we talk about on a daily basis.

When we are debating the use of social media in a business environment whether it is product marketing or reputation management… it is important to remember the thought: it is here and now not where or when.

The world of online communication is creating a chasm where you have to understand the concept of NOW marketing. People are talking about you NOW. Your customers are communicating with your company.. NOW.. There is no when or where.

Only when you shift your paradigm to the here and the now…

Can you understand the true potential of using social media for your business.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Social Media Is Important to Everyone – Not! (myventurepad.com)
• Are you the new jumbo shrimp? (socialhallucinations.com)
• Talking Twitter (texturadesign.com)
• Are You Asking the Right Questions? (ducttapemarketing.com)

Sometimes You Should Just Walk Away and Simplify

It is important to understand when to walk away.

There has been times in my short career (3 years) where I have needed to walk away from my desk, from Twitter, from Facebook, from website design and graphic design… to just step away and re-evaluate where I was headed and where I wanted to go. We all work as hard as we can to get ahead in life and yet the best thing we can do sometimes… is to walk away.

The communication and technology worlds are creating an explosive.. fast paced world. Everyone is trying to stay on top of the trends and trying to pull ahead. I want to encourage everyone to slow down and look internally before deciding how to communicate with the external market. Sometimes you need to simplify before you maximize.

I recorded this video last year when Brandswag was still working out of  my apartment. Ahhh the days of a start-up. It talks about simplifying your life in order to reconnect with why you started your business or job in the first place.

Please ignore the spray can in the back.. behind my head.

Related articles by Zemanta

• How do we overcome obscurity in this age of abundance? (ac-idealog.blogspot.com)
• Twitter is our id, Facebook is our Ego (informationarbitrage.com)
• Words Of Wisdom For Twitter: Integrate Facebook Connect (allfacebook.com)
• Why Twitter is the better Facebook (jenslapinski.wordpress.com)

10 Reasons You Should Not Be On Social Media

I have been researching, reading, and listening for awhile now to the small business world in regards to social media and blogging. There are plenty of business owners and professionals in the world who accept social media as a new form of communications… and plenty who do not.

I decided to write a small guide for business owners to gauge whether or not they should be in social media.

10 Reasons You Should Not Be on Social Media As a Business

1. You would rather not change your business model of communication. You are content with direct mail and email marketing. You are right, they will be around in 5 years.

2. The only computer you have in your office is the black and green screen MAC.

3. You purchased a dial-up modem to “save money.”

4. You are still struggling with the reply and forward functions in e-mail.

5.  You are convinced that the only people using social media are college kids and pot smokers.

6.  You feel that the newspaper is still a valuable form of advertising.

7. You designed your logo in powerpoint or publisher and all brochures were designed in the same programs.

8. When asked about time commitment you whine about an extra 30 mins a day to grow your business.

9.  Your website was designed pre-2005 and has not been updated.

10. You find that building “trust” in a marketplace is a waste of time.

If you fit any of the following criteria… do me a favor and stay off social media.

Related articles by Zemanta

• The Enduring Newspaper: Advertisers still bullish on print (financialpost.com)
• Social Media Ad Buy Standards Released (marketingpilgrim.com)
• How powerful is your social media? (christopherspenn.com)
• The One Way to Be Successful at Social Media (kylelacy.com)
• What is the first question you often get asked about your business? (insights-group.com)

The 4-Touch Points of Productivity in Social Media

This is an old post that I have re-formatted because it still fits in with small business social media and social media strategy.

—-

Use the 4-Points Model to be Productive in Social Media

When using social media you should keep in mind the 4-points model. There are 4 points social media applications should touch in regards to your daily life: Business, Local Business Networking, Social, and Information. Choose four main networks where you spend the most of your time.

I use LinkedIn for business applications, Smaller Indiana for local business networking, Facebook for social application, and Twitter for information. LinkedIn can be described as my connection rolodex. Facebook is to keep me updated on my friends and acquaintances from college and high school. FriendFeed is a wonderful information aggregation tool where you can follow influential people and the information they share. Smaller Indiana is a great place to connect to local professionals and share ideas on how to make Indiana a better place.

We have rounded out the four touch points to a more “proactive” arrangement: Business Interaction, Business Productivity, Social Development, and Education/Information. An example of each can be seen below:

Related articles by Zemanta

• Are We Less Social With Social Media? (socialmediatoday.com)
• #1 Reason Why Small Biz Should Use Social Media (kylelacy.com)
• Facebook Isn’t For Your Kids Anymore (kylelacy.com)
• If your friends told you to do something, would you? (insights-group.com)

Multnomah County is Kicking Your Butt in Social Media

We are finally getting to the point where government entities are starting to enact social media initiatives. This from Frank Mungeam, staff writer of Kgw in Portland:

“Multnomah County Chair Ted Wheeler is taking criticism for a new county job that’s just been posted.

The official title is Social Media Coordinator.

The qualified candidate will be paid between $60,000-$70,000 to use social media sites to reach out to the residents of Multnomah County.”

In my opinion this is a brilliant move on behalf of the county. They want to start communicating on a different level with people throughout the county and social media is one way to do this.

There are people in the area that are doubting the validity of the position which is not a complete surprise to me… although disturbing. The members of Mult. County are disturbed with the price tag of the position ($60,000 – $70,000/year). While this is a high price to pay for a social media advocate but sometimes the price is high to adapt to changes in communication.

If you want an example of the best way to look at shifting your paradigm as a business owner.. listen to this:

“I am taking a lot of heat for this, but so did the poor guys who claimed that someday those crazy flying machines would replace the railroads. – Multnomah County Chair Ted Wheeler”

Related articles by Zemanta

• DREAM JOB: $70K to use Twitter and Facebook (mashable.com)
• 7 Reasons Why the Business World Hates Social Media (futurelab.net)
• A Meaningless Exercise (duncandavidson.com)

The One Way to Be Successful at Social Media

There is an important rule of thumb that many of us “social media consultants” fail to tell our clients. Malcolm Gladwell talked about it in his book Outliers:

“Practice isn’t the thing you do once you’re good. It’s the thing you do that makes you good.”
— Malcolm Gladwell (Outliers)

One thing we have found with working on social media campaigns for clients is that the CLIENT has to believe in the process in order for it to work. Social media is that one medium that cannot be outsourced fully to any one company. You have to work hard as a company, small business owner or mid-sized CEO, to enact a sucessful social media campaign.

Nothing was ever accomplished without some hard work. If you are wanting to implement a social media strategy for your company… Remember that the internal team (employees) have to give the thumbs up before your external team (clients) truly engage.

Hard work drives revenue and social media is not the exception.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Have You Tried the DO Strategy of Social Business Success? (successful-blog.com)
• Paul Dunay: How Long Does It Take to Become a Social Media Expert? (mpdailyfix.com)
• Malcolm Gladwell: How David Beats Goliath (joshharris.com)
• Malcolm Gladwell: What we can learn from spaghetti sauce (gregoryskidmore.com)

Social Media is Viable. Like it Or Not.

(this post is sparked from Jason Falls post on social media sustainability. Found here.)

When does a communication reach the point of being viable.. sustainable… business driven? If we look at some of the other mediums (radio and tv) you could say that the peak came when it was adopted by people as a worthy form of either entertainment or communication.

Social media is no different.

We can think of social media as a tool, a communication platform, or simply.. another bright, shiny object… but the truth remains that when millions upon millions of people adopt it as a form of communication..

The viability and sustainability of the medium becomes a reality..it has the potential to grow, to prosper, and to live.

We will continue to have years of grueling death matches between the business world and social media (the same thing happened with radio and tv). This is a fact. It is very apparent to me that people have a hard time adapting and changing when faced with a new thing… a paradigm shift.

The truth is going to be in how you adapted. How did you take your employees… your product… your company… and evolved to fit the changing landscape of customer communication on the web?

How are you going to use this new medium to drive business? Your customers are using it… isn’t it about time for you to step in?

Related articles by Zemanta

• How To Monetize Your Blog; A Gary V Post You Must See! (blogworldexpo.com)
• When did mom start making ads for Facebook? (mediabullseye.com)
• There’s a Story in here somewhere… (mediabullseye.com)
• 5 Posts Every PR Professional Should Read (kylelacy.com)

Is Email Marketing Better than Social Media?

I was thrown into a conversation through the Understanding Marketing blog surrounding the concept of email marketing being better than social media… or vice versa.

I tend to agree with the editor over at Understanding Marketing when they say:

“So there’s a big conversation on which one is better. Here’s what I say – Who cares!? They both serve your audiences in their own way.”

I couldn’t agree more. There shouldn’t even be an argument over which medium is better. You should be using both mediums to develop your marketing strategy. Email has been successful over the years to drive valued buyers to a landing page, website, or phone. Social Media is used to build a brand, tell a story, and start a conversation.

They are two different mediums.. two different uses.. two different outcomes. If you are wanting an idea about how to combine the two mediums… Here is something to chew on:

1. Social Media is available to start building brand awareness around a specific product or service. It is also there to truly empower your employees and clients to talk about your company.

2. Email is the second tier of communication. Once a potential client buys into your conversation through social media.. Email can be there to deliver relevant and sales material to push the sales across.

These are just two uses for the HUGE mediums of email and social media. How do you combine both strategies?

Related articles by Zemanta

• Don’t Shoot the Measurer (thecustomercollective.com)
• Creating an Actual Social Media Marketing Strategy (revenews.com)
• Intelligent Traffic That Converts? (battleandbounce.blogspot.com)
• The Glass is Half FULL (slideshare.net)