Scorch Talk

In 2011 Social Media isn’t a buzz word anymore, it’s become an intrinsic part of the way people communicate (well…lets say for Gen X and younger, with a fair whack of baby boomers thrown in!), and we’re finally moving away from every second blog being written about it being the latest thing.

But that being said, for many businesses the question still remains, how to get involved in Social Media in a sincere way, and how to do it well… because lets face it, if you get on facebook and just spruik your wares, you’ll last all of about 5 minutes (with about zero likes!). The key to Social Media is, of course, BEING SOCIAL, and moving into that realm might require a little leap of faith.

So having a company Facebook page is the first obvious step, but that page needs fans and interesting content to make it work… and who is the person within your business responsible for that? and then there’s Twitter, LinkedIn, foursquare and a few dozen others to consider, or at least keep an eye on (though personally I’d say start with the Big 4 – FB, twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube). At the end of the day, people will be (hopefully!) talking about your brand, good and bad, the only question is whether or not you are listening, and how you respond.

So here’s a WILD and CRAZY idea – how about empowering the young people that work within your business to be your brand ambassadors? How about making your workplace such a great place to work that they love being there and would happily tell their friends?

The younger generations are all communicating through social media, and though usually not allowed to work, it would be easy to (…trust…and ) allow them to log on a couple of times a day and see what’s happening and who’s saying what. They can regularly check #yourbusiness on twitter and keeps tabs on chats about related topics, competitors, events and other things of interest. Not to mention chatting to people who have comments or complaints, and help them out. I mean we employ our people to help our customers / clients in our business, so why not online as well?

Wow what a WILDLY successful leap of faith that could be!!

I have a theory, and it goes something like this “Those who have the capacity to effect change, have a responsibility to do so”.

Have a think about that for a minute.

If you have the capacity to effect change, in other words, make things happen, bring people together, lead a project, start something great? Then I believe you have a responsibility to do so.

Imagine if more people in the world that DO have the capacity to make things happen, thought this same way? (And I believe that is A LOT of us). Wow there’d really be some good stuff happening.

So don’t say NO straight away to someone’s idea, consider it. If it’s a good idea, then get on board. Sometimes think YES before you think NO! Move ahead and make things happen. And what about your own ideas? We’re only on this earth once, so don’t keep stuff to yourself, get it out there…..its 2010 and we have more avenues than ever before to share our ideas and make things happen.

And you might be surprised at the result.

….And for those of you interested in delving further, Seth Godin has written a mini-book called Insubordinate, which encompasses similar thinking. Here’s a short excerpt:

“I’ve figured out that there are three kinds of people:

Linchpins

Supporters

Leeches, Advocates for the Devil, and Bystanders (aka people in a pre-linchpin state)

 I lump the last three together as one kind, because I don’t think they deserve categories of their own. Even though they’re the majority in terms of numbers, they don’t matter so much in terms of getting things done.

 The first group, the Linchpins, are the people who make a difference, the ones that ship, the rare ones that truly have an impact. This group of people, in that moment of time, change everything.

 The second group, the Supporters, are eager and willing to help. They respect and admire the work the linchpin is doing, and they’re ready to supply leverage or money or just a smile to help get the job done. Even better, they challenge the linchpin to do more, dig deeper and make an even bigger difference.

 The third group, as you’ve probably guessed, are the pessimists, the obstructionists and the protectors of the status quo. Driven largely by fear, they set out to slow you down, whittle you down and average you down. Mostly, it’s not their fault, though, because they’ve been brainwashed and don’t yet realized how powerful and productive it is to take a different route.”

I read an interesting article recently on Mumbrella, the crux of which suggested that the Marketing landscape is changing and digital will soon come first when marketing strategy is developed and budgets allocated (this I believe to be true).

The article also touches on various digital elements such as Social Media and blogging, and their role in Digital Marketing. This has prompted me to share a few pointers to those embarking on, or investing more funds in, a social media strategy:

 Know thy customer

Knowing and understanding your customer is (and always has been) a fundamental part of the strategic marketing process. This fact does not change just because you’re going online.

One of the problems with social media has been a tendency for businesses to dive in without a strategy to understand and “talk to” their customers. Having a facebook page and a blog that are randomly spewing out facts and palaver about your brand will not build you a loyal community. Do you know who your customers are, what they need, and what kind of a relationship they want with you? You’ll need to know this to build a community or tribe around your brand.

 Content is King

I know you’ve heard me say this before, but there is nothing more important than having interesting content. Which brings me back to knowing your customer…. what do they want to hear? What do they want to engage with you about? If you are thinking “I haven’t got anything interesting to blog / post / write about” – then you need to look harder. Or get a friend with a creative mind and a fresh pair of eyes to brainstorm with you.

 Keep up the flow

Your fans/ customers/ clients will appreciate regular updates, and with today’s technologies it’s easier than ever to give them what they want. Post regular news, update people on what’s happening in the business, and provide them with special offers. Answer their questions and keep interacting. It doesn’t have to be a full time job, you can write two news snippets a week, or write a whole pile at once and schedule them to be released over time. Just don’t keep the information in your head – ship it out there!!

And as for my last comment…. about ‘sharing the love’??….. well it’s easy.

Just share the love. Share your knowledge. Share your information. Help your customers / fans / clients become smarter about what you do. In the long run you’ll do better with customers being smart, savvy and well informed, as they’ll return to you over and over again as their source and “hub” of information.

Now go out there and share some love!!

What do you do on the long haul flight from Perth to Dubai (after watching two movies on demand and giving up trying to sleep sitting up that is)? …write a blog post about your latest fixation, in this case social media marketing. (I am hopeful that using my brain might deaden the pain of sitting in one spot for 10 hours.)

There is so much information out there now, about the web, blogging, social media and marketing that it’s easy to get overwhelmed, and many businesses put it all in the too hard basket for another day. But like the initial foray we all had to make into emailing (remember the old timers kicking and screaming), embracing the web and social media networking will be imperative. They are a powerful tool for communication and marketing, and can give your business the opportunity to develop a brand and culture like never before.

So here we go……take some baby steps!

Blogging

Creating a blog can be a great way to increase your brand visibility and show some of your business’ ‘personality’. But beware – a blog is not merely another avenue to spruik your products and services…..in the online world, content is king (closely followed by personality!), and if you bore people with mind numbing marketing spiel they’ll switch off without a second thought.

A blog is a storytelling platform about your business or brand, or perhaps about your industry or community – So make sure your information is relevant, interesting or useful…or a combination of all 3! Keep your focus so people get relevance and consistency from your blogging, and show your personality and have some fun with it.

Create the Echo effect

Once you have a story to tell, social networking sites can share those messages and links like tentacles – spreading out from a central point and creating an echo effect. Remember this process is content driven – if it’s not interesting or relevant it won’t echo anywhere – and if you’re doing it well will start to include two way communications with your customers.

And remember this is the point of social media – talking WITH your customers and industry, not AT them. Whether you choose to be on Facebook page,  twitter or any other networking sites, you need to be a part of that community and provide value to the community. Establish your business as a source of content, and expert within your industry, by interacting and providing this valuable content. Businesses can’t just drop in with a product offer every now and then and hope to gather a following.

Have a destination

I wouldn’t recommend using your twitter account or Facebook page as your main/only destination to draw people to. Once of the downfalls of this is you are leaving you fate in the hands or the “popularity” of that particular site – what if that site becomes yesterday’s news and the community you’ve built goes with it?

Make sure it’s your website (or even blog if you haven’t got a website) that is actually at the centre of your Social Media strategy, and use the social networking sites as a tool to develop your community and draw people to your business or brand.

These are just a few broad starting points – shortly i will delve deeper into Social Media Marketing Strategy and it’s place with your communication strategy. And we’ll also touch soon in websites and SEO….

p.s for those that are interested in the latest from Europe in furniture and design…stay tuned, as i’m at the Milan fair for next 3 days and my next blog will have all the news

It’s interesting how when you’re asked to analyse a business’s marketing needs, you often find real opportunity in the business strategy. Many businesses evolve from a great idea or a necessary product, but if you ask about the 5 year plan, or vision for their organisational culture, you might be met with a blank stare.

And this is where the question becomes interesting…..is marketing really the 2^nd step in the process, needed to effectively communicate the message, or is branding now so important that marketing and strategy go hand in hand?

The effectiveness of a business depends on the alignment of the brand;

Vision, Image, Culture

With the internal business capabilities;

People, Technology, Processes

Each will play a different, yet synergistic role in the success of your organisation.

Vision defines where the business wants to be. Consequently, it stands to reason that to know where you want to be, you have to know where you are now. Have insights into consumer wants and needs and surprise your customers by showing that you know them.

Image is the view your customers and prospects, suppliers and employees have of your brand. It’s developed through the style and tone, content and design of your business through internal/external communications. It is necessary to have the right mix of communication and design.

Culture is no longer an activity performed on the sidelines of an organisation. Culture is your people. Evidence shows that there is a strong relationship between culture and performance.
Internal business capabilities are, of course, vital to the effectiveness of your business. But it is the vision, image and culture that will make your brand complete.