Paul Chaney is an Internet Marketing Consultant specializing in aligning social media with more traditional forms of online marketing. He is also a sought-after speaker, trainer and author of two books on the topic of social media marketing. His latest is The Digital Handshake, published by Wiley.
What if, instead of the corporate website serving as a hub, it was really only one leg on a three-part stool that includes Facebook and Twitter. (There could be more legs, but those are the three main ones. And you need at least three obviously.) Think of it as a chain of shared connections, each one as relevant and important as the other.
How does that fit with your paradigm? Or, how about this, which is probably more realistic?
What I'm suggesting is that the notion of your corporate website being of greater importance than other outlets may be old-school thinking. One thing is for certain: the era of the destination web is over.
When I spoke to the group of Russian college students in Milwaukee recently, I got a small glimpse into what social media is like in that country. What I found is that it is not so different than in the US, but is still in a more nascent, emerging state.
For example, instead of Facebook, Russians have Vkontatke (translated it means "In Contact"). Though you may have never heard of it, the site is the leading social network in the Russian speaking world with nearly 85 million registered users (that's right, 85 million!).
If you visit my profile there, you will see it resembles Facebook in a pre-2006 era. There are no fan pages, the Wall is hidden further down the profile page and it seems quite benign compared to what we are used to with Facebook.
You might say, "What Facebook was, Vkontakte is." I say, "What Facebook is, Vkontakte will become."
To quote from their website, "DST is a leading global Internet holding company that originated in the Russian speaking world. We estimate that our companies comprise well over 70% of all pageviews in the Russian speaking Internet, targeting a potential audience of over 300 million people. Our companies hold the #1 and often also the #2 and #3 positions in all CIS states, including Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Armenia."
Vkontakte is just one of the Russian companies DST has invested in. Another is Mail.ru, which is a rival to Yahoo!. The company's investment portfolio doesn't stop at the border either. They have invested heavily in some of the web's largest online entities including Facebook, Groupon, social game developer Zynga and the ever venerable ICQ. (Though we abandoned ICQ long ago, it is the leading instant messaging application in Russia.)
Russia also has its own version of Google, called Yandex. In a recent query of my name, I found that the search engine returned my Twitter account, this blog, my Plurk profile and a YouTube video, which provided evidence that is using the same universal or blended search technology that US-based engines are. (Russia also has a version of Youtube, interestingly called RuTube.)
According to the students, social media engagement is still largely on a personal level (most of Vkontakte's users are high school and university students). However, there are signs that the site is beginning to be used in a business context. For example, recruiters are using the site to post job listings. Advertising is offered as well. And, though few and far between at this point, some businesses are beginning to set up profiles there.
So, you have a fast-growing Facebook clone, a Russian-based investment company that is putting money into the largest social network sites on the planet, its own versions of major search portals, and an economy that continues its march toward a version of capitalism.
That spells opportunity to me and I plan to keep a sharp watch on the growth of social media for business within the country.
Mashable has officially declared today, Wednesday, June 30, 2010, as Social Media Day. I don't know if that means we should send flowers to our favorite social media person (just send me money), but it does mean that people are gathering all over the world at meetups. (For those of you in Lafayette, we're having one at Burgersmith at 5:30 central. In lieu of money, you can buy me a Louisiana-made craft brew.)
Here's the blurb...
As far as we know, there is no official Social Media Day. But we do think there should be one. So we invite you to celebrate the revolution of media becoming a social dialogue by attending or organizing a Social Media Day meetup in your area on June 30. What better way to celebrate social media than connecting with other enthusiasts in your area?
On Wednesday, June 30, we’ll be organizing meetups in cities where we have staff using Meetup Everywhere. So come join us for drinks in New York City or San Francisco or anywhere. Because we can’t be everywhere, we encourage you to attend or organize a meetup in your community using our Meetup Everywhere page.
Social media has changed our lives (amen). It has not only changed the way we communicate, but the way we connect with one another, consume our news, conduct our work, organize our lives, and much more. So why not celebrate?
There is a lot of flexibility in what exactly a meetup can consist of. Some groups are organizing social networking hours at their local venues, while others are hosting speakers or panels. We want to give you the flexibility to tailor your meetup to what you think best suits your social community.
One thing that we do ask is that you would upload some of the best photos from your meetup to this event page and Flickr. Also, make sure to use #smday as the hashtag on Twitter and Flickr.
If your customers are looking for information online, visiting blogs and social networks, that's where you need to be. Even if you are a "slowpoke," when it comes to social media, it's not too late to catch up. In this 90-minute seminar, social media handyman Paul Chaney will walk you through the basics of creating an effective social media plan for your business.
You'll learn how engaging with customers through online conversations can lead to long-term, trusted client relationships. You'll discover practical applications of social media and hear case studies from real businesses that will show you how companies both large and small can tap social media to mitigate market changes and reap valuable business benefits.
You will learn...
Ten important principles for social media engagement
How to use social media to increase word-of-mouth
Why Facebook and Twitter are a MUST for any business
Seven of the most commonly used social media tools for engaging customers
How to measure social media and why ROI is NOT the most important factor
A three-step plan of action you can put into place now
There is a cost, $129 (I'm worth it!). It's free to MarketingProfs PRO members, however.
So, if you consider yourself a slowpoke where social media is concerned, why not register for the webinar. I promise you won't walk away empty-handed.
The last line from the 1973 apocalyptic film, Soylent Green, starring Charlton Heston is "Soylent Green is People!" (I'd show a video clip, but it's kind of gross.)
In quite a different sense, social media is people too. With our heavy emphasis on measurement and ROI, sometimes we forget that.
I was reminded of it in a very poignant way recently when a Facebook friend said the following:
"[Y]our books helped me decide to leave my job as a real estate broker/manager and go out on my own. I'm using social media to re-claim my business...and am REALLY HAPPY with my life now."
The chorus of a song written years ago called Matters of the Heart says, "You can show me your sales curve, plot my life on your flowchart, but there's just some things that numbers can't measure, matters of the heart."
There is a very matter of the heart element to social media.
I encourage you to lift your gaze for a moment from viewing social media's effect on the bottom line and place it on that which is most important, the people you meet and the relationships you build along the way.
I'm privileged to be speaking Wednesday at NewComm Forum, one of the most long-standing, highly-regarded conferences to be held on the topic of social media. It's an annual event sponsored by Society for New Communications Research (SNCR).
To say I feel privileged to take part in this event is an understatement. Without sounding too self-congratulatory, it represents a pinnacle in my career I never imagined I could have achieved. And it comes at a good time, considering present circumstances.
The cast of fellow speakers represents the best of the best, people like:
I love speaking about social media to anyone who will listen, whether via Webinar or (my favorite) in-person to a live audience. (I highly recommend that the audience be "live" as it decidedly beats the alternative.)
March and April hold several speaking opportunities. Here's the list along with some brief commentary about each:
MARCH
ZoomInfo Twitter for Business Webinar March 2 The folks at ZoomInfo were kind enough to invite me to present a Webinar on using Twitter for sales and marketing, especially sales.
Ottawa Web Marketing Club Ottawa, Ontario, Ca March 4 I'm particularly excited about this event as 1) I've never been to Canada, and 2) I'm keynoting the inaugural Ottawa Web Marketing Club Executive Breakfast. I certainly hope they don't hold the USA's defeat of Canada in the Olympics against me. I promise not to hold Canada's dramatic overtime victory against the US in th gold medal game against them. By the way, even in south Louisiana we have hockey, the Louisiana Icegators located in my home town of Lafayette!
Houston Association of Realtors Spring Training Event Houston, TX March 11-12 I'm particularly excited about going back to Houston to speak at this two-day event sponsored by the Houston Association of Realtors (HAR), the largest real estate association in the country. I was there last year for a social media training event and was treated so well I can't wait to get back.
RETechSouth Atlanta, GA March 25 This is yet another real estate technology event that's in its 2nd (or 3rd) year.
LASHRM Conference Lafayette, LA April 19 This is the Louisiana Society of Human Resource Management conference (in case you hadn't figured that out). It will be the first time I've spoken about social media from a human resources perspective, but we've got some really good plans as to how to make it be a fit.
SCNR NewComm Forum San Mateo, CA April 21 Of all the events I've ever done, being invited to speak at NewComm Forum has made the greatest impression. If you look at the roster of speaker, they represent the best in the business. I'm very jazzed about being there. It is a signal honor.
MarketingProfs Webinar April 29 I'm doing a very nuts and bolts social media Webinar for MarketingProfs. They're a great group of people and I very much appreciate my association with them.
I do have some feelers out for May, but if you're looking for a popular, dynamic speaker who can rock the house on the topic of social media, well, they are probably all taken by now! But, I'm available. Give me a call. I'm an old rocker!
I was invited to participate in an interview on a Webmasterradio.fm radio show called Cover Story, hosted by Brandy Shapiro Babin. It was great fun, perhaps a little too much in fact (you'll have to listen to see why I say that).
Aside from the shenanigans, we covered ways in which small businesses can incorporate social media into the marketing mix and other related topics.
While I have to admit not being familiar with the show, when I visited the Cover Story page, I was pleasantly surprised to find it has had quite a number of thought-leaders as guests in past weeks, people like Pitch Engine CEO Jason Kintzler, Christine Perkett, President and Founder of PerkettPR, and Kami Watson Huyse, President of Zoetica Media and blogger at Communication Overtones. (Lots of PR people it seems.)
I want to say a hearty thank you to show host Brandy and to Jorge Hermida, the director of programming, for having me on. Again, it was great fun.
It's not often I write a post that simply restates something said elsewhere, but this post from Harvard Business Review, When Your Company Culture Isn't Ready for Social Media, struck a chord. I think it's a good topic to start off the new year in our ongoing discussion of the use of social media in a business environment.
There is a lot of talk about the "how" of social media -- how to create a Facebook Page or how to monetize Twitter, etc. -- with less emphasis about the "why," and even less about whether a particular company's corporate culture is even ready for its use.
"Do we really want to have a two-way conversation with our employees, partners, and suppliers?" is the question asked in the Business Review post, and it's one that every CEO must ask of his/her own company.
The post cites two examples as case-in-point.
An executive publishes her first blog post, primarily addressing her employees, but open to the public. She intends for the blog to help the survivors of a recent downsizing, mentions that those who left the company are talented employees, and that the survivors should do things that replenish their spirit. The wife of a laid-off employee sends the CEO a letter demanding the resignation of the executive because she finds the section on replenishing the spirit frivolous and insensitive. What would your CEO do?
The company implements an internal-only social networking platform that allows rating, tagging, and comments on products and services. A new service, offered by HR, receives very low ratings and negative, but not mean-spirited, comments. The head of HR requests that all the comments and the ratings be taken down. Would your company approve this request?
How a company responds to those scenarios is telling of its readiness to incorporate social media.
I'm happy to report that, based on a recent incident with a user of our Web content management software, my company, Bizzuka, is on its way to a more open, transparent culture.
Here's a quick run-down:
1. It started with this tweet from a user. (I've blocked the username/avatar to retain the user's privacy.)
2. I responded via the Bizzuka Twitter account, asking how we can help and what we could do to make the product better.
3. Our CEO entered into a dialog with the user which resulted in our inviting him to provide input on how we can improve the component.
The truth is the user was right. Our photo gallery is not up to par and needs to be fixed. This encounter provided just the impetus we needed to move in that direction.
Even though Bizzuka is a small company, I wouldn't be surprised to see this type of thing happen with greater frequency. (In fact, I hope it does.) What, then, can be learned from this incident which will help us better prepare for subsequent ones?
Understand the shift to peer-to-peer communication has already happened.
That leaves you with several alternatives. You can:
Take the ostrich approach, stick your head in the sand, hoping that it will go away. It won't.
Choose to continue to play by the old rules of top-down-command-and-control communications, keep the message close to the vest and purge comments that contain anything negative.
Play catch-up, but in a reactive sense with no real plan of engagement. -or-
Be pro-active. Understand that the game has changed and make the necessary changes to your corporate culture to adapt. Creating a well-thought out social media engagement plan is a good first step.
The Harvard Business Review post suggests the following:
"[P]ilot a small project, focused on a specific business need. For example, a new product team could use a private, secure social networking tool to communicate with each other and store important documents, training guides, past correspondence and feedback from customers.
"[I]mplement a broad scale, highly focused tool, such as an expert employee directory with additional social networking capabilities progressively turned on as the organization acclimates.
"[C]reate and launch an Innovation Jam — a one-day idea generation day created to engage the entire workforce on ways to improve and enhance current products and services or propose new ones."
Understand that trust is a commodity in short supply.
Consumers are increasingly skeptical of advertising and marketing messages. They trust other consumers like themselves, before they trust us.
In their social media manifesto, Trust Economies, authors Chris Brogan and Julien Smith assert, “We are suspicious of marketing. We don't trust strangers as willingly. Buzz is suspect. It can be bought. Instead, consumers and business people alike are looking towards trust. We want our friends to tell us it's good. We want someone we know to say we should look into it.”
We need to do everything within our power to secure the trust of our customers.
Authenticity and transparency are the ultimate keys to effective social media engagement.
Though much ballyhooed, these two words represent the chief cornerstones of social media marketing. I call them the double-helix of social media DNA. It is in a company's best interest, in every way possible, to inculcate these into both external and internal communications. If it is trust that needs to be gained (or regained), this is the place to start.
It's not easy to change a company's culture to one that's open and honest, willing to take criticism on the chin, even letting it live on the Web site or blog, but change we must.
What other lessons do you think can be learned? And, how is your company doing? Leave a comment stating an example of where you've seen change happen.
This is reprinted from SmartBrief on Social Media. It is an analysis I wrote as a result of some end of the end polling. Here is the original source.
Social media gained ground as a tool for marketing and business communications in 2009, and 2010 should prove to be no less significant. What will evolve is a leaner and meaner version of the medium from a business perspective, one that has proved its return on investment value.
Maturation of social media for business should take place on three fronts: aggregation of content, further integration with the mobile Web and, most important, improved analytics.
Building better filters. Because we are inundated with a fire hose of information daily, the need for content filtering will become paramount. In fact, job descriptions will be written around this topic and, as with measurement, software tools will be built to ensure that we only see the content we need.
Going mobile. Thanks to the iPhone, BlackBerry and, now, Android, the mobile Web will be the third area to gain acceptance in 2010. The real-time, always-on evolution of the Web requires that we stay connected to our communities of practice, and the only way that can be accomplished is through the use of mobile technology.
Measuring our work. The mystique around measuring social media's effects will evaporate thanks to better software, as well as a keener understanding of how social media supports business objectives and a better grasp of which metrics a business should track.
The notion that social media is difficult to measure will give way to greater clarity, leading more CEOs and other leaders to readily adopt the technology. No longer will it be considered a "curiosity," but be seen as an aligned channel designed to integrate with other, more traditional, forms of marketing. The end result will be that, as you indicate, more money will be shifted to online and, specifically, social media.
2010 promises a bright future for social-media endorsement, adoption and engagement. Problems we began wrestling with in 2009 will be more fully addressed in this coming year. The question of "why should we use it" will give way to "how can we use it more effectively."
That's my analysis of what 2010 holds in terms of trends for social media. What others would you suggest?