Apr 16, 2009 | blog
So you’ve got a blog, or maybe a Facebook page, or another profile on a social network or new media site somewhere out there. Do you regularly post or update it? If so, it’s likely you have a community around it, whether or not you realize it.
You may have people who want to learn from you or share ideas with you. Are you prepared to take on that opportunity? You should because these folks are your greatest fans and can be part of your own brand/PR army that goes out doing the grass-roots efforts you would never think of.
Its especially critical for businesses in these tough times, to learn these methods and reward your community for being part of the team. They’re there to help, even more than to cheer you on – all they want is to be involved.
Microsoft figured this out over a decade ago with their MVP (Most Valuable Person) distinction. They discovered early adopters were talking about their products in forums and chat rooms. Instead of trying to control this critical group, the decided to engage them. By equipping them with additional tools and information, they were able to seed the market with knowledgeable, respected people. These people gave honest reviews, constructive criticism, and in general, useful feedback that the company then rolled into new product design.
Does your company do something like this? Have you really thought about rewarding your community? Why wait, start today by reaching out as yourself and not in the name of the company. Start sharing your experiences, challenges and success with theirs goes a long way to being part of that community, and from there, you can all do so much more.
Good luck!
Photo credit: Andy Tyler
Have questions? Want to learn more? Please feel free to contact me if you wish – my contact info is in the sidebar to the right. Email is probably the best way to get in touch, followed closely by Twitter.
Apr 14, 2009 | blog
It’s hard to be a medium or large corporation these days. The demands are not small, with expectations of investors, disappointing market performance, employee needs, government regulations and oversight… there’s almost no time left for the most important part of any business: customers.
Of course, that’s where the current craze around social media comes in. The expectation is that any company can use all sorts of free tools to stretch marketing and PR dollars, and maybe make the customer feel more welcome picking up your brand at Wal-Mart.
But that whole scenario is bound to bust as surely as your pick of economic bubbles.
The reality is that to really engage using social media and realize honest benefits requires more than a passing interest in new shiny things. Social media requires real openness, and if you’re not willing to be open, people can tell.
The power of this new ideal comes from the willingness to have an open culture. That means that there are no artificial barriers between departments, positions, business units, or people. It means that interacting with the public is a part of every position, not just the domain of marketing, PR, and an occasional press release from the CEO.
Openness means that the C-level is talking in public forums alongside the shipping department, or accounting, or human resources. Bringing openness to a culture means that everyone is able to talk about nearly anything.
With that being said, it’s ok to still have intellectual property and protect that. You’re right in protecting developing business plans, or new products, or several other types of information an organization holds and makes money from. However, beyond that, an organization can talk openly about the challenges it faces, or hold up a consumer enthusiast group as a model, or any such thing that shows a human side of a company.
Sometimes we, that is companies, worry too much about what the competition may think. Organizations can get wrapped up in being too professional. Being open about things doesn’t take away from any of this. When done from a position of transparency, and honest intention of open interaction, a company can grow a much more loyal consumer base, and open source their own PR army. But that’s another post.
Apr 2, 2009 | blog, leadership
If there’s one thing you should always do, it’s to keep your unique individuality.
As an individual we need to recognize how and what we do differently. Protect and nurture those qualities that make us who we are. It’s important to realize that these qualities are what others see in us, and differentiate us in a crowd.
Quite a bit of this relates to your personal brand, and perhaps that context helps make the most sense.
Walk Different
Walk a funny walk, have fun, explore who you are and what others see in you. Dare to be different. In doing so, you’ll start to learn what others value in you. You’ll also be able to realize that there’s opportunity in doing things differently.
Try those new things, find ways to step out into the future and expand your skills and worldview. You may be great at what you do today, but there are other things you may be well suited for. It’d be a shame not to find out what those may be. It’s rewarding to relearn things about yourself that you may have forgotten.
Walk Tall
Be proud of where you come from, what you do, and how you accomplish your work. Your walk can be compared to your “brand personality” when you meet a person , often the first thing you see is them walking towards you. Much like the t-shirt you brand from Print My Logo, you have control over what is seen.
There are no unimportant jobs in society, and it’s what we do with our lives that’s the real testament to each of us. It’s what we do day-in and day-out that people remember, and this is the base of who we are. It’s always a good idea to start from a firm foundation, and that is what walking tall is about.
Don’t let others define your success as success is a subjective label to begin with. Only we can define what that is, because only we know what’s important, or what the next step in our path was supposed to be.
Walk Straight
Sticking to your values is what this is all about. Its when we stray from our ideals that we begin to loose our way. By following through on your plan and remaining true to your core values, its easier to reach those goals that you prize most. This is also something that people remember about us. It’s about being consistent, honest, and following through. Not always easy, but never ignored either.
Walk With Purpose
Having a purpose to things is just as important as everything else. It’s about direction. There’s a reason that we’re all good at different things and make different decisions every day. Define for yourself why you do things the way you do, get to understand what that purpose is, and refine it as time goes on. This is ultimately what drives each of us in our own way. We have some ultimate goal that we alone hold.
Stepping Up
Finally, taking the time to map out a path to walk in life is a great thing to take time to do. Plan out short and long goals, match your pace in life with your ultimate goals. Enjoy the each step along the way.
This is a post from my ‘inspirational’ list. Not sure if it really is, but I like to give it a try from time to time. All feedback is welcome! That’s one of my goals as I walk through life, to learn from anyone willing to share suggestions or criticism. It’s all good from my perspective as I just want to learn.
Apr 1, 2009 | blog
We’ve all been there. You’ve got a great idea that you wish you could find a way to share with the appropriate team at your company. You’re not able to, because you’re not part of that team. Or that department. Heck, it’s not even a field you’ve specialized in or worked in much, but you’ve got that idea – a good one – and you’re sure that it’ll help in some way.
How do you share that idea? How do you get a chance to talk to folks on that team or present that idea without someone saying “gee that’s great†and then ignoring it because you work in another part of the company? How do you make your voice heard?
Unfortunately this is all too common in corporations today because of various institutionalized barriers. Different departments, protective fiefdoms, overzealous paperwork, and draconian process and procedures. These all contribute to the problem we have today of large, slow, companies that make incremental improvements rather than large bold ones.
Cut Out The Middle Man
This is where cutting through the organization from another angle is beneficial, and while it’s not a new idea, its facilitated by social media tools. Call them “Enterprise 2.0†or some other Gartner approved term if it helps you out, but it’s all web 2.0 tools and with social interactivity built into the technology.
These new tools foster that important cross-organization conversations that help promote sharing the institutional knowledge that is part of each employee. Allowing them to forge new relationships and new communities within the organization.
This lets people – the most important resource of any organization – to feel more welcome to share and trade ideas, just like sharing anecdotes and stories. The workplace becomes less rigid in it’s communication allowing everyone from the bottom up, or the top down, to be more receptive to comments, ideas, questions, and suggestions coming from other parts of the organization.
Getting There
Getting to that point is a lot of work, and simply making the executive decision to try something new is a large step in the right direction. That first step is a doozy though, because its all about trust. Not just trust in a new CFO, or in a Director of “This Or Thatâ€. Its trusting every employee at every level. Trusting that they’ll do the right thing. Trusting all those intelligent folks that were hired to do those jobs in the first place.
That’s the first step… the next is almost as hard. Accepting feedback. But that’s another post.
Photo credit: Jerry Vo
Mar 31, 2009 | blog
One of the more frequent questions I hear about social media, is around how much time should a person allocate towards it. The answer is a lot simpler than it seems: lots.
For those looking at moving into a social media role, whether its a community manager, specialist, analyst, or strategist (hmm… lots of –ists in there) expect to spend quite a bit of time. Each of these jobs consist of a lot of hours, mainly because you’re dealing with a platform that never turns off: the Internet.
The speed of the Internet really has an influence on the time you need and should spend in a social media related field. Since things change so quickly, it’s imperative to be monitoring all the spaces that are relevant to your company, brand, or interests. This can take up a huge amount of time.
The bottom line on time invested in social media activities, is that you need to set boundaries, and work towards containing them. There are always things that require our attention, or distract us in some way. The trick is to be diligent in leveraging the tools and services that are available for doing monitoring and alerting you when something needs attention, or is relevant to your interests. Event then it get’s a bit difficult to stay on track.
Mar 27, 2009 | blog
Ever run across a phrase or two that you’ve heard that sums up things really well? Short, simple, clear points that makes what you’re trying to say much easier to understand are always worth repeating. So with that, here are a couple that I try to share with clients as they start exploring social media and online communities.
“Don’t Be Stupidâ€
Credit for this phrase goes to Gary Koelling, co-founder of Best Buy’s BlueShirtNation. If you’ve met Gary, or have the chance, you’ll know that he cuts through the gobbledygook corporate speak phraseology quickly. Once everyone has their say, and the external communications policies are written, and the training is complete – the simple, boiled down essence is: Don’t Be Stupid.
“Don’t Shame the Nameâ€
Credit for this one goes to Brian Rogers, a colleague at Accenture. In relating stories of family and youth, we covered lots of ground. When he mentioned that one, it stuck with me. It’s simply another perspective on being responsible. It keeps a person thinking about positive actions, respect, and of pride.
So, keep these simple phrases in mind, share ‘em with friends, coworkers, and people who ask for advice about interacting online. Social media is a powerful medium, and you can’t go wrong by keeping it simple in whatever you do, either for yourself or for your company.
Have questions? Want to learn more? Please feel free to contact me if you wish – my contact info is in the sidebar to the right. Email is probably the best way to get in touch, followed closely by Twitter.
