How much is too much?
Wednesday, July 27, 2011 |
Ok, so you’re on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Quora, Google+, Empire Avenue, FourSquare and YouTube...you have a corporate website, a WordPress blog, and RSS feeds galore. You check Google Analytics, Klout and Twitalyzer to make sure you’re connecting. Yikes!
How can you possibly keep up? Should you even try?
Here are some questions to help you set priorities:
• What are your primary reasons for using each platform? Do those reasons match your business strategy and objectives? “Because we have to” is not a sufficient reason to be on a particular platform.
• Do you understand the pros and cons of each platform? Most platforms were designed for a specific purpose, which means that some may be better than others for connecting with your key audiences.
• Speaking of which, who is your primary audience? On what main platforms is the audience most active? Connect with your primary audience using the method that’s most comfortable to them.
• Where are your customers most likely to look for you? In business, most customers still search for corporate websites first. Gathering “likes” on a Facebook page is nice, but not really a measure of anything. Same with the number of Twitter followers. It’s what you do with those audiences that count.
• How many accounts can you reasonably manage to keep current? Stale content is a death-knell. Unless your company is over-staffed, it’s unlikely you have the trained and qualified people available to suddenly take on the management of social media accounts. While the platforms are free to use, the time and energy to maintain them is not.
• Who is managing your various accounts? Well-connected, savvy communicators are able to post interesting and provocative content. Make sure your content isn’t one big sales pitch or an endless series of inspirational quotes. Both of those activities will turn off audiences.
• How are you quantifying success? Your metrics should link back to your business strategy and objectives, and your social media presence should help to further those objectives.
Bottom line: you’re better off to manage fewer accounts, but do each well. Don’t feel pressured to hop on every new platform as it emerges. And, finally, make sure you have a strong purpose for participating in each social media account that you have. Linking your purpose and your measures to your business strategy will help keep you focused on results.
Will we ever stop being us and them?
Friday, May 20, 2011 |
I work in public relations, and have done so for 30 years. When I started my career, I tapped noisily on my IBM Selectric™ typewriter, dabbed errors with WiteOut™, photocopied and then mailed out news releases to newspapers, TV and radio. If it was urgent, we couriered...or sometimes even hand delivered. (I know!)
Strict deadlines were met. Never hold a news conference past 2pm or TV won’t be able to make it. Always return a radio reporter’s call immediately, but not at the top of the hour when he/she would be reading the news. Never let a phone message sit for more than 24 hours. (Yikes)
Reporters were the enemy. They were the people around whom we had to be especially guarded. “Loose lips sink ships” and other sage words of advice kept us from blurting out some detail that was not quite ready to hit the front page. “There’s no such thing as off the record” we were told. Anything you say can and will be used in the court of public opinion, aka local newscasts. (Ok, that part is still true.)
A lot has changed since then, most likely evidenced by the fact that there’s a good chance, dear reader, you’ve never seen an IBM Selectric™ typewriter. In today’s online world, where citizen journalists report the news faster than most media outlets can (reporters have that pesky fact-checking thing to do, after all) both sides are coming together.
PR people and reporters are each discovering that the other is NOT the enemy. They are also discovering that each is a human being, capable of making mistakes and also capable of forgiving them, too. We’re also discovering that partnerships between PR and reporters can result in some of the best stuff. Let’s face – we need each other.
In this hyper-connected world, I think we need each other more than ever. Reporters need instant access to credible, reliable information. PR people need to provide reporters with innovative story pitches and digital assets to meet the needs of multiple formats. Most importantly, the news cycle is now a minute-to-minute thing, and that places a lot of pressure on everyone.
Will we ever stop being “us” and “them”? Probably not, but the “dark side” (whichever that is for you) isn’t quite as dark as it used to be. Your thoughts? Click on “comments” at the top of this post.
Posted in: public relations, journalism, media |
Social media connects adults again
Wednesday, February 16, 2011 |
I wrote recently about the relationship economy and the value of personal interaction in successful business. On February 11, more than 100 people gathered for the first #meetthemedia tweet up – a huge success that will undoubtedly occur again.
As much as we credit social media for making us ‘social’ beings again, the face-to-face personal meeting still ranks highly in our society. My take on this is that we’ve come full circle. Let me explain.
When I was a kid my parents knew, and socialized with, their neighbours and co-workers. There were backyard get-togethers, house parties and Grey Cup shin-digs. Fast forward about 30 years, when my kids were small, and activity was focused on the children. We ran (literally sometimes) from kid-focused event to kid-focused event, making small talk with parents we knew we would not see once the the hockey/soccer/baseball season was over. This kid-centric social life may have been great for the young’uns but we parents were more disconnected than ever. Despite having met dozens of parents over the years, we were always too busy rushing our precious cargo to their next activity to really make any friends.
Fast forward again about 15 years and we have the arrival of the social media revolution. Now we can meet and socialize with people of like interest. Finally, something for the adults! Social media has taken us back full circle to the days when my parents met people and socialized around areas of mutual interest.
You may say this is true because my kids are adults now and I’m no longer on the kid-activity treadmill. However, the average age of people at the tweet up on Friday was probably 35, and ranged from early 20’s to 50+.
Social media has given us the auspices to socialize again. And, that’s really the point of it, right?
As always your comments are welcome (click on ‘comments’ at the top of this post).
A little courtesy, please
Wednesday, December 29, 2010 |
Time for courtesies again.
Life is rushed, people zipping here and there, multi-tasking and, quite frankly, slowly going crazy in the process.
In the midst of this hullabaloo, common courtesies and manners have been lost. No time to say please and thank you, too busy to hold open a door. The worst offenders, in my humble opinion, are people talking on cell phones.
I have a cell phone. I talk on it. But I am conscious of where and when I do it, whom I am impacting, and what I say. I also appreciate the technology that goes into my BlackBerry enough to know that I don’t have to shout into the phone to be heard at the other end.
The height of rudeness is being subjected to someone else’s personal conversation while stuck in a line up. Nowhere to go, nowhere to hide, one is forced to endure the gruesome details of a friendship gone wrong, a co-worker out of control or the misbehaviour of an errant child. Look, this stuff happens; I get it! I just don’t want to be involved.
I was at a public market recently where a woman was having a long and involved LOUD conversation with someone on her phone. Worse, she was doing it at the service counter, facing the clerk, making it very uncomfortable for anyone else to ask about merchandise or make a purchase. She wasn’t even buying anything – just zoned out on her phone. As a bystander, what is the appropriate thing to do? (Trust me, multiple ideas sprang to mind...)
As we enter 2011, I am on a personal campaign to bring back common courtesy and manners. C'mon, who's with me?
I’m going to start with the irritating people shouting into their cell phones like they were tin cans on a string. So be warned. Take your call if you must. But please have the common courtesy to be aware of your surroundings, remove yourself to a quiet corner, and respect all the hard work that cell phone manufacturers have put into making your phone a delicate communication device.
Please and thank you.
Ugg the Cave Man started it all...
Friday, December 3, 2010 |
As humanity evolves, each generation brings forward its best and brightest ideas to improve quality of life, add entertainment value or solve problems.
The past 30 years has seen an astounding range of technology put in the hands of everyday people; gadgets never before conceived or dreamed. Older generations are heard to say, “what will they think of next?”
I started to wonder if “they” would ever run out of ideas. What’s next in technology? How do people dream up things that don’t exist?
The answer is evolution. New generations are there to pick up where older generations leave off. When our grandparents couldn’t imagine a device that cooks meals in minutes, a new group of people were right there with the microwave oven. The difference is context. Microwave oven inventors didn’t start from open fires, circa the middle ages, as their models; they created microwaves after electric stoves had been in use for many years.
Ugg, the caveman, could never have invented the cell phone. That’s just way too much pressure for a caveman! But for Dave, who was sitting at his desk and accidently cut the phone cord, it’s not such a stretch.
Each generation is really no smarter than its predecessors; it just begins solving the challenges of the day from a new starting point. This continual improvement pushes humanity along, developing answers to problems we didn’t even know we had. Rinse and repeat, as they say.
So, don’t be concerned that the world has run out of ideas. A new generation of fresh talent is waiting just around the corner for their turn.
It was ever thus.
Posted in: creativity, communication |
Social capital in the relationship economy
Friday, November 5, 2010 |
It’s the relationships, stupid. (With apologies to U.S. Pres. Clinton)
Today’s economy is driven by many factors, and not just the usual suspects such as the price of natural resources or the heartbreaking costs of war. Today’s economy is also driven by relationships, and ‘who you know’ is more critical than it’s ever been.
Today, ‘who you know’ can accelerate your career, promote your products, introduce your client to a new audience or get you a rental for your vacation. Traditional means of sourcing information have given way to the information obtained through connections, friends, and followers on Twitter.
Equally, this access has improved the way in which we interact with all the people in our lives, and not just the obvious friends-family-work connections. Today you can pose a question of your favourite sports or movie star, ask a company about its products, or get up-to-the-minute updates from a journalist at the scene of an emerging event.
Many people smarter than me have written about the need for personal branding. For those for whom this has just been a vague concept, well, its time has come.
People who are successful at creating strong personal brands will be at the forefront of the relationship economy and best positioned to take advantage of the opportunities that will undoubtedly present themselves.
How to raise your social capital:
• Tweet, like, link. Participate on the “big three” Twitter, Facebook, Linked In.
• Network. Learn how to be good at networking. Remember basic business etiquette: introduce yourself, shake hands, hand out business cards, learn about other people and their interests.
• Participate. Go to events, fundraisers, professional development opportunities. Be active in your community.
• Volunteer. For your community, a non-profit, your profession.
• Donate. Because it’s important.
Can you add to this list?
Posted in: communication, social media, branding |
Take this job and...
Friday, August 20, 2010 |
With recent events in the news about people who’ve had all they can take on the job (and found creative ways to exit from those jobs), it seems to me that it reflects a bigger workforce issue.
Years ago, my parents’ generation lived to work. Indeed, many people’s identities were defined by their jobs: more than “what do you do” it was “who you are.”
That link to personal identity was a great complement to the hierarchical organizational structure of the day. Older, wiser, more experienced employees were leaders and mentors, guiding the new employees. Orders were given and followed. Task lists were completed. Work was quantified. And when an employee had put in sufficient time, he/she was promoted – a badge of honour, proudly worn, that added to the individual’s identity.
I believe today’s workforce is defined more by its friends, social networks and interests, and less by job titles or work responsibilities. Work exists largely to pay the bills (which is not to say that young people are less passionate about what they do). The difference is in this generation’s ability to turn work off and open up all the other aspects of their lives.
It is something to be admired, and yet, causes some discomfort for the baby boomers among us. This is a different approach to work, but is it better? Worse? Will the next generation care as much as we do?
Time will tell. And the next generation may express that concern and stewardship in different ways than we did. That’s ok.
We are part of a huge societal evolution, I believe. More than just being the most connected population in history, we are in a time when people can influence, inspire and contribute to a variety of interests more efficiently than ever before.
As a result, people have more complex identities: perhaps artist, activist, athlete… and employee. The challenge for employers is to recognize, nurture and celebrate all the personalities that show up every day.
Is the target audience 'dead'?
Wednesday, August 11, 2010 |
She’s a baby boomer, 50, two grown kids. Loves NASCAR and the ballet. Reads voraciously. Three dogs (she’d have more if the law and husband allowed). Votes, donates time and money. Travels. Practices yoga three times a week. Business owner, strategist, social media junkie.
Marketers, would you ever profile this person as your target audience? Of course not. No one in their right mind would dream up such a combination.
Yet it’s real.
Where on earth can you meet such a person? On Twitter, of course. She can follow people who share the same interests (albeit in different combinations, for sure). And she and they can connect in real time: have conversations, debate issues and share points of view.
The appeal of Twitter is that people can find communities of interest on a range of topics. And maybe that’s why it has taken off at such a phenomenal rate. People can be all the multi-faceted characters that they are – despite the fact they wouldn’t fit in anyone’s audience profile.
The trick for public relations and marketing professionals in the future is to find ways to connect with all the people that we are as individuals. So think about who you REALLY are. Then go out and find more just like you!
POSTSCRIPT: This blog post has prompted quite a few comments, both here and in person. The key point I'm trying to make is that I believe social media helps us turn the perspective around. Previously, marketers would identify their target audience and then plan strategies to meet them, based on a series of assumptions. Social media now gives us the opportunity to first search by relevant topic, and then find the people who are likewise interested. With social media, other assumptions (age, gender, occupation, etc.) are irrelevant if we search by topic first. So, you may not think a ballet lover and NASCAR fan go together...but they do. Who knows what other combinations are out there?
Does the source really matter?
Tuesday, July 20, 2010 |
For years, marketing and public relations functions have been separated in companies. These silos rarely talk to each other, yet both are talking to the customer. Does this make sense?
Enter social media – the new darling of the internet, which both marketing and public relations want to claim as their own. Advertising agencies and PR firms are scrambling to add expertise to offer this juicy vehicle to their respective clients. And still, marketing and public relations divisions in organizations barely talk.
The situation is ripe for change. After all, each is reaching out to the same demographic, one presumes with aligned messages, although that is dependent on whether direction is provided at the top. As each reaches out through Twitter and Facebook, the dialogue gets noisy.
I think we’re going to see a merger of marketing, public relations and social media into a new industry that embraces all methods of connecting to customers. Social, traditional and earned media are really achieving the same things, albeit through different means.
In the end, is it the means that matters, or the results? I would argue that results trump all, and the fight over who is responsible for what will become moot. What are your thoughts?
Just what is a social media expert?
Wednesday, July 14, 2010 |
K, folks, time to get a grip. There seems to be a lot of debate swirling about who is qualified to be a social media expert and who is not.
If you use social media effectively, are you an expert? If you use the telephone effectively, are you an expert? And if so, in what regard?
Here’s the deal: social media is just another vehicle for communication. Yes, there are folks who have developed apps to mine social media contacts for fun and profit. But most organizations actually just want to connect with their customers. Nothing nefarious going on there.
So, who knows how to connect with customers... hmmm....let me think.... Oh yeah, PR, communications and marketing people. It seems appropriate to me, therefore, that the expertise in communication transfers nicely to this new medium, and that social media forms a part of an overall marketing and communications strategy for a company.
If you need advice on how to use social media, contact communications and marketing professionals. After all, you wouldn’t ask the phone installer for advice on how to cold call a customer, now would you?
As always, your comments are welcome (click on “comments” in green)
