Social Media | Words For Hire

Child’s Play?

April 19, 2010 by Karen Swim

I had a consultation with a small business owner who was looking for advice on reaching his market through social media. A trusted colleague had advised him to “find a kid 18 – 22 years old” to manage it.

I suppressed a groan as I explained that unless the “kid” was a marketing professional that could develop strategies aligned with his business goals it was not a good idea.

Smart business professionals are willing to turn over mission critical business tasks to those they assume know more than they do. Expertise does not have an age limit, but age alone is not a qualification.

There is a huge difference between having knowledge of social media tools and having the knowledge on how to implement those tools in business strategy. This is true whether you are 15 or 45. Business development, ROI, governance, engagement and communications strategies are essential to effectively deploying social media marketing for your brand.

This particular company has much to lose. Launching a half-baked strategy could damage their brand in an industry that has a long memory. Their target market demands credible professionals who are knowledgeable about solutions and truly engaged in their causes.

I can understand the confusion about the value of social media. When discussed in the mainstream it is presented as a frivolous entertainment tool rather than a business tool that can be used for brand building, and customer support.

However, a lack of knowledge is not an excuse for mismanaging the effort by failing to get educated on how it can be used. Social media platforms may be the shiny new tools in the toolbox but the building process has not changed. There is no need to be so intimidated by the technology that you fail to apply good old fashioned business sense.

Facebook may have Farmville but using it as a business tool is definitely not kid stuff.

How do you manage the knowledge gaps in your business? Have you ever outsourced something that you did not understand? What were the results?

Moving Under the Social Media Umbrella (socialmediatoday.com)
Using Social Media to Increase Sales and Brand Awareness (lazerpromotions.com)
How SMBs Allocate Their Social Media Spending (pamorama.net)

Positive on Purpose

March 31, 2010 by Karen Swim

: Image by .michael.newman. via Flickr

Kellye Crane (warning, gushing may ensue as I am a huge fan of Kellye) had a great post on her blog with tips on how to maintain a positive attitude. While the post was geared toward solo professionals the advice is applicable to mobile and remote workers and even office based employees.

Having a positive attitude is essential to maintaining your sanity and peace of mind but also can boost your career success. You are better equipped to handle the challenges inherent to work life when you view things through a lens of focused clarity.

No matter where you are based or how big or small your company you need to make time to renew your attitude. There is no better way to do that than to spend time with other professionals in an environment where you can learn, share and support. Below are a few strategies that have worked for me.

I have mini water cooler moments throughout the day via social media. A quick conversation on Twitter, Facebook, Buzz or FriendFeed keeps me updated on social and industry trends, provides inspiration for new ideas and offers a mental boost that keeps me energized throughout the day. You can create your own water cooler moments with a little creativity. If you don’t have online access, seek out others in your company with great attitudes and spend 5-10 minutes brainstorming new ideas or sharing information about your industry.

I have two hours on my calendar every week for two of my favorite online chat sessions, #brandchat and #solopr chat. Both are on Wednesday and I try to structure my schedule that day so that I don’t miss out. Brandchat is at 11 am US Eastern and Solo PR is at 1 pm Eastern. Every Wednesday both hours fly by as we share information, resources, tips, shortcuts and laughter. There is nothing more energizing than an hour with accomplished professionals with a great attitude. If you want to participate or just eavesdrop, I use tweetchat to participate, but some prefer tweetgrid. Solo PR and Brandchat both also have Facebook pages.

When I worked in Corporate I was a remote worker so all of my time was in the field, traveling or working from a home office. I made time to meet with colleagues for lunch or coffee. Those informal meetings were our time to share and support and we always left energized and renewed with new ideas.

Multitask. As a runner, I have found running groups to be a great way to combine mental and physical fitness. If you’re not into running, you can create “meet-ups” around your area of interest. Get a group together to meet in the parking lot at work and walk; combine networking with volunteering; create a book club and meet at a local library or online. If you have kids, schedule a kid friendly networking event so that you are not sacrificing family time. How many parents would appreciate combining adult interaction at insanely challenging places like Chuck E Cheese?

Don’t limit yourself to your industry; make time to connect with others in completely different industries or functions. You’ll gain a fresh perspective that you can apply to your own work life.

Far too often I hear professionals say that they don’t have time for networking or professional socializing. Sadly, these are often the people that are stressed out and seriously in need of an attitude boost.

Kellye Crane is a great example of someone who took the initiative to create a community. If a community of positive thinkers doesn’t exist form your own!

What strategies do you use to stay positive?

Article Resources

Do I Need Social Media?

March 30, 2010 by Karen Swim

: Image by Elke.Fleing via Flickr

For new clients, I routinely do a quick brand report that includes an assessment of social media mentions. The report identifies strengths and weaknesses and helps me to prepare customized solutions. I shared this report with a new client this week who serves the senior market and his response was:

“This is interesting but 60% of our customers being 50+ baby boomers, why is “social marketing” relevant to us? Most baby boomers that I know may have a facebook page to find old girlfriends or college mates – but not much else. What am I missing here??’

Since this is a common question, I’d like to share my answer here.

This particular client report showed that there are brand mentions. Conversations are happening about the brand with or without their participation. In this new age of media, everyone has access to a publishing platform. You may not start every conversation but it is worthwhile to show up and be part of it!

Word of mouth referrals and brand discussions are nothing new but now those conversations are taking place on and offline. Brands have an amazing opportunity with new media that did not exist previously – the opportunity to listen in and participate in those conversations.

Effective marketing is targeted, relevant and visible. Traditional advertising allowed us to reach a broad cross section of our market but it was (and is) largely one dimensional. Social media allows us to engage with our audience in the places that they gather.

Don’t ever make assumptions about your market but validate your thoughts with research. According to a January 2010 report by emarketer.com in 2007 30% of Boomers (46-62) and 10% of Matures (63-75) maintained a social networking profile. In 2009 those numbers increased to 46% for Boomers and 36% for Matures.

There are many roles in the buying process; your approvers may not be using social media but what about the evaluators and the influencers? In my client’s example, referrals may come from family members, physician offices, hospitals or even pharmacists. Consider all of the people in each of those categories – think any of them are online?

I am not banging the drum and telling everyone to rush out and sign up for Twitter, but I do advise understanding where and how your market is utilizing social media and incorporating it into your marketing strategy.

5 Social Media Pitfalls to Avoid (socialmediatoday.com)
The Social Media Self Assessment Checklist-22 questions (directmarketingobservations.com)

Age of Conversation 3

March 28, 2010 by Karen Swim

When I first got involved in social media, blogger was not yet Google, Twitter did not exist and old media still reigned. To say that much has changed would be an understatement, and the evolution continues. The Age of Conversation 3 is coming soon and the very nature of the book underscores all that is good about social media. A diversity of thinkers from varying background sharing ideas and experiences and supporting a great cause at the same time.

I will be talking more about the book and social media in the coming weeks but for now allow me to introduce you to the amazing authors in Age of Conversation 3! I hope that you will not only visit the links and get to know the authors but buy and promote the book as well.

Adam Joseph	Priyanka Sachar	Mark Earls
Cory Coley-Christakos	Stefan Erschwendner	Paul Hebert
Jeff De Cagna	Thomas Clifford	Phil Gerbyshak
Jon Burg	Toby Bloomberg	Shambhu Neil Vineberg
Joseph Jaffe	Uwe Hook	Steve Roesler
Michael E. Rubin	anibal casso	Steve Woodruff
Steve Sponder	Becky Carroll	Tim Tyler
Chris Wilson	Beth Harte	Tinu Abayomi-Paul
Dan Schawbel	Carol Bodensteiner	Trey Pennington
David Weinfeld	Dan Sitter	Vanessa DiMauro
Ed Brenegar	David Zinger	Brett T. T. Macfarlane
Efrain Mendicuti	Deb Brown	Brian Reich
Gaurav Mishra	Dennis Deery	C.B. Whittemore
Gordon Whitehead	Heather Rast	Cam Beck
Hajj E. Flemings	Joan Endicott	Cathryn Hrudicka
Jeroen Verkroost	Karen D. Swim	Christopher Morris
Joe Pulizzi	Leah Otto	Corentin Monot
Karalee Evans	Leigh Durst	David Berkowitz
Kevin Jessop	Lesley Lambert	Duane Brown
Peter Korchnak	Mark Price	Dustin Jacobsen
Piet Wulleman	Mike Maddaloni	Ernie Mosteller
Scott Townsend	Nick Burcher	Frank Stiefler
Steve Olenski	Rich Nadworny	John Rosen
Tim Jackson	Suzanne Hull	Len Kendall
Amber Naslund	Wayne Buckhanan	Mark McGuinness
Caroline Melberg	Andy Drish	Oleksandr Skorokhod
Claire Grinton	Angela Maiers	Paul Williams
Gary Cohen	Armando Alves	Sam Ismail
Gautam Ramdurai	B.J. Smith	Tamera Kremer
Eaon Pritchard	Brendan Tripp	Adelino de Almeida
Jacob Morgan	Casey Hibbard	Andy Hunter
Julian Cole	Debra Helwig	Anjali Ramachandran
Jye Smith	Drew McLellan	Craig Wilson
Karin Hermans	Emily Reed	David Petherick
Katie Harris	Gavin Heaton	Dennis Price
Mark Levy	George Jenkins	Doug Mitchell
Mark W. Schaefer	Helge Tenno	Douglas Hanna
Marshall Sponder	James Stevens	Ian Lurie
Ryan Hanser	Jenny Meade	Jeff Larche
Sacha Tueni and Katherine Maher	David Svet	Jessica Hagy
Simon Payn	Joanne Austin-Olsen	Mark Avnet
Stanley Johnson	Marilyn Pratt	Mark Hancock
Steve Kellogg	Michelle Beckham-Corbin	Michelle Chmielewski
Amy Mengel	Veronique Rabuteau	Peter Komendowski
Andrea Vascellari	Timothy L Johnson	Phil Osborne
Beth Wampler	Amy Jussel	Rick Liebling
Eric Brody	Arun Rajagopal	Dr Letitia Wright
Hugh de Winton	David Koopmans	Aki Spicer
Jeff Wallace	Don Frederiksen	Charles Sipe
Katie McIntyre	James G Lindberg & Sandra Renshaw	David Reich
Lynae Johnson	Jasmin Tragas	Deborah Chaddock Brown
Mike O’Toole	Jeanne Dininni	Iqbal Mohammed
Morriss M. Partee	Katie Chatfield	Jeff Cutler
Pete Jones	Riku Vassinen	Jeff Garrison
Kevin Dugan	Tiphereth Gloria	Mike Sansone
Lori Magno	Valerie Simon	Nettie Hartsock
Mark Goren		Peter Salvitti

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