Social Media for Business

What a good way to start the New Year a slide deck with great stats, tools and images, and you can scan it rapidly.
Get ready for 2011

Social Media for Business

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How To Feed A Man!

Now why would I put such a sexist title in my blog... well unsually I have a personal story to tell.

Monday: Brown Parcel Arrives from Amazon

I love amazon and am expecting loads of bits for christmas, but this is to my married name.

The cover is a very pretty bimbo-esque girl and cake...Page 9 proclaims:
The Book is for My Beloved Man L

Darling YOu
You're all the Man I've Ever wanted ..
And yet somehow, You've made that More
Thank You
Always Yours Butterfly S

Another photo of blonde in shorts.

OMG as my teenagers would say:

Tuesday:
Phone Amazon no idea can't help me
Wednesday: Husband is Switzerland did he send book resounding NO, Interogate Children now they did not send the book teenagers describe it as an EGO publication and not their style at all.
Thursday: So has my husband got a mistress has she sent the book.

Book has gone under the sofa back in brown packaging, shown to our housekeeper who says its all a bit dodgy.
Friday: I go to my boxing class at Exclusive Gym, and share the cook book story with the other ladies. They all got one and for a while a couple thought I had sent it as a joke.

So who actually sent the book... unsolicited in a brown card box

Now 5 days later I notice on page emblazoned with the word LOVE in red a message from Richard Caring telling me to take little time for something most special...does he know his clients... not all of them have feeding their husband as a priority.

Did anyone ask the basic marketing questions?

Who are the recipients?
What do you want them to feel when they recieve it?
What do you want them to do with it?
Does it reflect the brand values?
Is the messaging clear enough? In this case a brown card box with 0 message!

I don't think the local marketing team even saw the book let alone showed it to a couple of members to get reaction.

I am laughing now and will use the book as an example in my social media sessions, asking the question who do you think sent me this.

(And then I will give it to a bride to be it is a hen night gift more than a kitchen staple I will stick withMr Roux and Delia... I don't plan to start cooking in cut off denim shorts)

Make the most of your Exhibtion Investment with Social Media.

Using social and digital media during your events, tradeshows even christmas celebrations might seem obvious, but many marketing and sales organisations fail to take full advantage of the low-cost and low-effort platforms that digital channels provide.







If you’re planning to exhibit at a tradeshow or host a company event, here are some ways to incorporate social networking and digital media into your planning to make the “big day” run smoothly and get the best return on your investment.

Pre-Event Planning and Audience Engagement:

The biggest challenges with any event is trying to anticipate attendee numbers because one hundred people might sign up for the event but it’s normal to expect drop out on the day. Here are some of the digital and social media platforms to help increase your attendance and reduce drop off rates.

Create a microsite for the event; a microsite is a landing page with information about the event, which could also include registration forms, speaker timetables and biographies and any information the attendee needs. Think laterally and include information that will make the guest experience as enjoyable and seamless as possible, for example, include information on parking, WiFi availability at the event and disabled access.

Put the event on Linkedin and Facebook, use twitter to keep followers updated with your activities at the show, promote the show #tag.

Save-the-date email to registered guests four to six weeks before the event;
A week later send an invitation.
Finally, send a reminder for the event a day prior.
Post Event share content via slideshare, linkedin facebook and direct email. (Run a webinar for those who missed the show our my friends a powwownow make this cost effective and fun!)

At the show- don't be Dull! And don't ignore the punters... someone doing work or checking personal emails is a definite waste of exhibition space.

Create a buzz Array and Fabriqate can develop a video game or app based on your brand and advise on giveaways that get past the bin on the way out.

The video game is a great example of using digital marketing to attract attention to your brand during an event and connecting after.

Lastly, invite registrants to sign up for your company's Facebook page, to register for your blog, sign up for your newsletter, your RSS feed or connect on Twitter.

Quite simply keep the connection ongoing. (without being a spam pest)

Social Rules as debated at last weeks #Mashupevent

Thank goodness for twitter I used the tweet threat to put together the key points of the conversations at last weeks London #Mashup debate on 'The New Rules of Social Media'.

1. Are we trying to enforce 10 year old rules on a new generation who like to be vocal !
2. You wouldn’t go into a pub and scream your personal details to anyone who'll listen! So don’t do it online.
3. There is a need for better regulations to have better security policy from social media sites
4. The rule that hasn't changed: if U upload something online U no longer own it
5. New rule - offline conversations are private, online conversations are broadcast
6. Privacy software is available companies, sites and applications need to adopt it.

It was lively night that bounced around Social media, broadly speaking facebook is still for friends to friends, clever commercial businesses have built successful commercial models around their fanpage and email promotion.

We were introduced to http://www.minutebox.com/, a fantastic new portal where consumers can bid on experts time and enage with them online. Great use of the wave of social internet use to create a business model, this is the way forward for consultancy.

I would like to see new apps, websites and communities taking advantage of new technologies to secure and protect their users. OVERT PLUG here for our new multifactor authentication solution: http://www.liveensure.com/ it is a mash up for developers to integrate into their site or application to website to protect their users. Just like you opt out of mailing and marketing lists it would be great to be able to opt into privacy!

I am putting theTony Fish slides in my blog again this week as they do represent the rapid change in the social space.

New rules for living in a digital age

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MashUp*- New Social Rules Tonight.

The New Social Rules - 24th November 2010

What a busy November it seems to have been with Facebook launching a new service, offering email to its user base and opening more data about ourselves to a large organisation, what does this mean to The New Social Rules now?

I am looking forward to some interesting debate tonight with 100 people registered social media speakers from PayPal, ex Managing Director of MSN UK, Ketchum Pleon, Twitjobs and an angel investor the panel will be sharing their insights. The new rules of communication and are constantly changing our outlook on the decisions we make now and also the impact they will have on our future career, children and financial well being.

Yasmo Live is being road tested at this event, the first real-time on-site networking app, will allow you to search through the picture-based profiles of fellow attendees directly on your mobile phone, to identify contacts of interest and connect with them instantly.

I have registered with this new tool, but found the experience clunky and cannot get the app on my blackberry... slightly disappointed as this technology was bigged up you may have more luck than I have Yasmo Live http://yasmolive.com/ (Still can't get it working hoping someone will show me tonight before a glass of fine cold white wine)

Hellotxt http://hellotxt.com/ demonstrating their latest app and how it can benefit you.

Surprised not to see them mention Loky... not heard of it, I am loving it, it is the app for adding privacy to your social activity.


http://www.loky.me/

I really love the loky shake to shut feature..awesome.

I will blog a bit more about loky soon, but if you have an android phone this app is just what you need.

New rules for living in a digital age

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Fast Growth Club.. a good face to face meeting

We all now know the importance of social media and its business the benefits, and are learning the right way of promoting through social media marketing. Sometimes though, you have to give your laptop a rest, get out there and mingle. Knowledge Peers event for Growth Club members was the cream of mingling at Ping Pong Dim Sum in Bread Street was a resounding 'social' success.

In the relaxed setting of this 21st century tea house we enjoyed the very best dimsum, conversation and networking. Knowledge Peers were seeking ideas on the biggest challenges currently facing UK growth companies. And the cameras, were out, I am sure the images will be on line soon.
http://www.knowledgepeers.com/members/sr00000660/new.html?destination=%2Findex.html

Sir Eric Peacock has been appointed chairman, he started the evening with a charismatic presentation,the prominent serial entrepreneur took his own business Babygro PlC to a full stock exchange listing, he brings his skills to the Knowledge Peers Team. I look forward to some lively sessions with him at the helm.

Jonathan of PingPongDimSum the spirited new chinese brand offering a real 21st Century social foodie experience gave a quick overview of how they have made headway in this recession. http://www.pingpongdimsum.com/ He put it down to recruiting the right people, investing time in training and education... I think he should mention the very high standard of great tasting food they continually serve I am their marshmallow dumplings biggest fan!

The room was full of interesting people, young energetic Paulina explained how GrantTree help startups get government funding. http://www.granttree.co.uk/ David Walter of http://www.first-takeuk.com/ reinforced my belief that all presenters need a little bit of coaching to keep them slick, were not talking 90s power stuff but real engagement skills of today. I went on voicefactory course with Stella Arman who worked on my pitch and tone in the summer that was excellent for confidence building. http://www.voice-factory.co.uk/

Interestingly this event had great buzz on the night... and a few guests have created digital buzz looking forward to Knowledge Peers joining realtime marketing companies soon.

Video Link below

http://www.knowledgepeers.com/networks/592/item.html?id=5127

Linkedin- New Company Beta

Good Morning,

I think that most marketeers and business get that Linkedin is the business community of the moment to tap into, I will let Guru Guy Kawasaki give you his list of 10 things you can do.

http://blog.linkedin.com/blog/2007/07/ten-ways-to-use.html

As a company you a profile is essential both on Linkedin and Facebook, google likes it your customers and staff like it, I won't bore with you with whose doing it David Meerman Scotts latest book - Realtime marketing covers recent successes.

Linkedin- Add Your Products and Services

I just want to bring to your attention this new beta, you can now add your products and services to your company profile, these can get then be reccomended by your customers. A great additions.

http://www.linkedin.com/company/palm-tree-technology/products

I will share my social media matrix next blog post... for now:

1. jump onto linkedin
2. Update or list your Company Profile
3. Add your products and services
4. request recommendations.

All this activity increases your digital footprint so more people find you more frequently.

Are you Heading for a Real Time Social Media Crash....

By now, many of you have seen or heard about the Dave Carroll YouTube video and how United Airlines' baggage handlers mangled his guitar. It demonstrates the power of authenticity, creativity and compelling content to grab attention and send PR executives reeling. http://youtu.be/5YGc4zOqozo

The numbers of YouTube views in excess of 9 million and Twitter tweets are just staggering. Dave Carroll's video undermines United Airlines' reputation and hurts its brand. But just have a look at Taylor Guitars, how they turned this into their opportunity!

It's a great story of how a little guy took on the indifferent corporate giant, but the numbers behind the story are just as interesting.

By the Numbers

A comparison of the numbers demonstrates the viral effect of YouTube. Consider the following. As of today:

Dave's YouTube video:

Number of views: 9,442,500 view

Number of comments: 27,288 comments

In contrast:

United Airlines YouTube Channel

Channel Views: 122,791

Most viewed video: 86,415 views

Most discussed video: 122 comments

You can still see the negative Channel comments with no response from United Airlines, on Twitter and Youtube... the shadow is permanent.

And note, no news from the UA pressroom (though they did at the time speak with reporters).

Beyond the Numbers

This demonstrates the power of YouTube, turning an obscure musician into a video star and corporate headache in less than a week.

The Internet became for United Airlines an open platform for critics, and United Airlines could not or did not want to keep up with public reaction.

• Their traditional news channel remains silent.
• Their YouTube Channel became a platform for snarky, negative comments with no reaction from United Airlines.
• And the 9 posts on Twitter don't communicate, in my opinion, an authentic, heart felt apology.

Making a charitable donation is nice, but it doesn't address the the problem that prompted Dave Carroll to make a video in the first place. They should have replaced the guitars that simple!

Thought
I don't want to pick on United. I am a social girl after all but did they bury their common sense in the sand.

Social media is forcing all companies to reevaluate their PR,marketing, communications and support strategies. Carroll resorted to something that works: authenticity. And he did so in a way that was meaningful and entertaining. It recounted an experience that we all can appreciate. And so with all the resources that it has, United Airlines was crushed by creative storytelling. (Forget news releases and investigative reporting when you have music videos.)

First of all, United Airlines did follow the first rule of crisis communications by apologizing and trying to make amends.


It's their failure to leverage and integrate their online channels that is at issue. They did not apologize using the same media...

This crisis will pass. One entertaining video will not bring down an airline. And the good news is that the next video will have to be amazing to get this kind of reaction.

YouTube gives power to the people, but this video certainly raises the stakes of what is needed to get attention and make news. Less talented people will still need to write letters and reach out to local news action reporters.





TIPS


ENGAGE in the midst of the crisis! Ask the customer what they want get them to define it.


Twitter: Use and monitor at all times.


Relationships: Establish with journalists and with your Facebook Fans.. make them your supporters.

Fortunately David Meerman has just published the Book of the moment in the US to Rave Reviews and it is available here from 22nd November:

Real-Time Marketing and PR: How to Instantly Engage Your Market, Connect with Customers, and Create Products That Grow Your Business Now by David Meerman Scott
Permalink: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0470645954

Useful Links
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/author/admin/
The full Guitar story http://www.socialmediatoday.com/SMC/109126

E-Commerce - Interacting with Social Media to win Business.

ECommerce-Expo Olympia
19 Oct 2010
11:30-12:00
Digital Marketing and Social Media
Daniel Harari, Marketing Director, emarsys

Seminar UPSELL- I am sat here hoping this will not be an email fire and forget session... mass campaign mails..with links.
The Sales Pitch:The seminar will draw upon email campaigns across Europe to highlight the best examples of email and social media integration, advise on best practice and offer a preview into future trends.

Well Daniel is jet lagged but charming and pleased to report not a sales pitch a rapid introduction to social media to a cynical audience.

NEW phrases I learned:

SWYN Share with your network.
In your email sign off engage in the right social network for your audience, most likely to be linkedin or facebook.

FTAF -Forward to a friend- literally this is how you push vouchers and codes out, twitter can do this if you have a good flock of followers.

GAIN--I made this one up as Daniel liked these- think mine is better than the above two

'Get Active In Networks' I agree whole heartedley with his commonsense approach stick with
the networks your prospects and customers use, don't get too clever as if they don't recognise the icon, they are uncomfortable.

So the safe ones are Facebook Fan Page, Twitter Feed, Linkedin- Company Profile and Group.

Measuring, is easy with tools like:
http://vitrue.com/smi/

http://evaluator.vitrue.com/

To see how socially connected your website is put it to the test:
http://websitegrader.com


Please vote for www.liveensure.com as most promising new company http://mashable.com/awards/votes/add/awards/votes/add













http://www.emarsys.com/en/start/index.php

Next Generation Retail- E-Commerce Expo- Olympia

A recent report announced that ecommerce technology is a retail investment priority , and yet another announced that the UK’s online retail industry will double in size over the next ten years , suggesting that more than ever, retailers are now taking online seriously.

The majority of retailers have had an online presence, if not a fully transactional site for some time, but as technology and consumer need evolves quickly many of these sites are not performing at an optimum level.

I am looking forward to hearing from Jonathan Bowers, Communications Director, UKFast to see how they suggest we use social media to engage and retain with customers.

I will be interested discuss how retailers can take their site to the next level and how they create a balance between branding, user experience and technology.

Good Line up in the Social Media Stream.

10.00 Ways to Optimise Your Web Site and Increase Customer Conversion
Andrew Piggott, Managing Director, Incutio
Kyle York, VP of Sales and Marketing, Dyn Inc

11:30 - 12:00 Social media and Email Marketing:

Best practice and future trends across the European market
Daniel Harari, Marketing Director, emarsys

12:15 - 12:45 User Generated Content and the impact of Bing on online shopping in the UK
Tom Hyde, Teamleader E-Commerce, Ciao, Microsoft LTD

13:00 - 13:30 SEO in the real world - Avoid the myths and mystery to deliver real returns
Magnus Linklater, Business Development Director, Smart Traffic

13:45 - 14:15 Social Commerce: Add a new dimension to your business and reap the rewards
Herve Bourdon, VP International Marketing, Oxatis
Tania Chamma, UK Country Manager, Oxatis

http://www.ecommerceexpo.co.uk/

Open Innovation and Social Media- Innovate10

After a very long walk, following little orange clouds, to listen to Brian McCaul, Leeds University talks about using social media to speed up and improve knowledge transfer.

March 2008- banks started folding and seed funding took a rapid downward trend. Aim market virtually closed for two years. Leeds facing a huge squeeze, pain also from public purse funding.
Faced with tight budgets, the Leeds team had to look at engaging with Social Media.

Leeds began to build virtual organisation to build IP, paid for by consultancy and semi-voluntary resource.. this is open innovation in action. Now social media makes it possible to co-ordinate group activities and surpress the costs.

Brian suggests the new model says you don't have to emply all the smart people all the time, so using social media you can find and engage with them, almost on a pay-as-you go agreements.

The new culture is open, always connected and communicating. This openess accelerates innovation.

A good presentation showing how Leeds University is truly innovating and bringing new innovation to business.
Social media can give a new product market pull...using a comminity of early adopters to use, test and deploy. ( LiveEnsure-www.liveensure.com) Feed out ideas, poll and listen. Techology is great but design and delivery of IP is essential for success.

Academics being encouraged to blog and share through the innovation and development process of a new product/service.
@brianamac
We are about to design a happy app! Involving lots of coloured paper and pens!

(Warm room, poor sound but good content)

Facebook, The Good the Bag and the Ugly

Wednesday, the world's largest social network, Facebook, announced several new features. One of the biggest: a new "Download Your Information" feature that, as the name hints, gives Facebook users the ability to export and download much of their profile information in a single ZIP file.

It's something that just a year or two ago probably would have been inconceivable. After all, if Facebook controls your content, chances are you won't leave Facebook. But at 500m users and growing, Facebook doesn't seem concerned that freeing user data will lead to a mass exodus.

Will the company's "Download Your Information" feature usher in an age of data portability? Perhaps, but it would be premature to make such a prediction. But even if Facebook’s move doesn’t really create a data portability utopia, it is interesting nonetheless and has numerous implications. Here are the most notable good, bad, and ugly.

The Good
Facebook users will be able to walk away from the social network with something to show for it. Previously, leaving Facebook -- for whatever reason -- meant leaving behind photos and other content. Thanks to Facebook's new feature, however, users can quit the social network without saying goodbye to much of the most desirable content they've added to their profile.

It creates opportunity. Now that Facebook users can export some of their Facebook data, companies, entrepreneurs and developers will have the opportunity to do something with it. You can be sure, for example, that other social networking services will look to enable their members and prospective members to quickly and easily populate their profiles using content in the format Facebook provides it in for download. (So this will make diaspora and the new entrants to the world of networks life a lot easier!)

The Bad
Not everything is included. Facebook may be permitting the export of important content (photos, messages, etc.), but you apparently can't, for instance, export all of your friends' contact information. In other words, there's a lot to be desired and Facebook certainly isn't giving away the farm.

You can't export Facebook. Content may be king, but the Facebook experience is her queen. On paper, being able to download your Facebook content seems really useful, but it remains to be seen whether the vast majority of Facebook users will find a use for the content without the accompanying experience.

The Ugly
It's a scammer's dream. Even the most innocuous information can be used for malicious purposes. Information downloaded from a Facebook account, for instance, could be used to crack a password or steal someone's identity. Now that information can be downloaded from Facebook with a few clicks on a button, scammers and hackers may find compromising Facebook accounts to be even more worthwhile than before.

Facebook need to implement authentication, possibly it is opt in but it needs to be done. Louise Robertson LiveEnsure.

Source -Patricio Robles- econsultancy.

Are you a Digital Snail?

Are You a Digital Snail?

All the time I get captures by people who have just mastered texting, who barely have a website running, who haven't a clue how to start a blog (or a Facebook page, or a Twitter feed, and so on), and who question of whether they should do any of it.

What advice would you give is a "digital slowcoach?"

Here are five simple things you can do now to catch up.

1. Create a solid Web presence using one of several free website development tools (for non-geeks) like Weebly, Wix, Webs, Yola.com, or Flavors.me. For a stupid proof-easy solution, use blog software from WordPress or Eblogger to set up your main Web page. (Chuck out brochure wear, matching t-shirts, cheesy executives are gone forever.) Socially plumb your site, look at the tool bar on the bottom of http://www.liveensure.com/ a totally connected site.

2. Open the door to interaction by including an obvious way for people to get in touch with you. Some companies rely on contact forms, but I much prefer an actual email address that belongs to an actual person because it signals that you are approachable and willing to engage.

3. Start a database. A customer and prospect list is key to any kind of successful engagement. Even a simple spreadsheet will do.

4. Start publishing. Start a newsletter for your customers or your vendors. Launch a blog and commit to refreshing it two or three times per week.
Use a simple Flip camera to create customer testimonial videos onsite, at tradeshows and events. Upload them to YouTube. http://youtu.be/_5Gpzt6vgIQ this one of mine not great as you will see, but has over 1000 viewing and traffics hits to our partner Mo-Call- low cost international calls site.(I love their catch phrase!)

Use Flickr to catalog fun and interesting photos of your business, staff and customers at work, and feature them on your site. Showcase photos and videos on your main site and facebook, it is very easy http://bit.ly/cQIp27

5. DIY. While getting outside help to kick-start your efforts may be helpful, don't cede your publishing or social media management completely to consultants or (please!) interns. The best way to learn how to master social channels is to first wade in yourself.

Now if you are digital snail, you are probably a bit of a Cloud tortoise too, so to be cucumber cool watch this clip.
Benjamin Cohen, consumerises an explanation of the cloud on Channel 4 News.

http://www.channel4.com/news/catch-up/display/playlistref/051010/clipid/051010_CLOUD_C4N

Elysee Launch.. Fantastically Social.

Thursday Night Invitation…Louise – Wonderful!

The Restaurant is called Elysee Restaurant (Greek Food).
The address is:
13 Percy St,Camden Town, UK W1T 2
020 7636 4804

Closest Tube is Goodge Street or Tottenham Court Road.

My glamourous companion Amanda Y who knew the old place well joins me for our post work adventure, she is greek, speaks greek and oozes chanel laced charm.
The ambience and class hits us from the cab, the place is classy immaculate from reception to restaurant. The refurbished upstairs has a feel of the Ivy or Wentworth, tasteful in every way duck egg blue, discreet paint effects, wall adorned with quirky modern art including a chandelier of smashed plates. The outside roof garden space upstairs is a haven for smokers, heaters and candles, so husband if you are reading we will be revisiting.

Downstairs an amazing Jazz band plays I am told they have live jazz every night until 10pm. They are going to attract the new jazz factor youngsters like, Kiki Bagger, Katie Dalton and Felicity Robertson who like the refurb bring a new era of Jazz to Percy Street. http://youtu.be/IaJm_05tKP8

Well known photographer Petros Pentayiotis is snapping a model who is draping herself over the cream leather chaise, I apply my super gloss in preparation for a photo and Archbishop Grigorious arrives to bless the venture everyone is kissing his hand. Oh my god I almost inhaled my dior lipgloss not wanting to leave a pout print on his sacred paw.

The charming Kyriacos Pattihis tells us of royal liaisons, celebrity stag nights, the tycoons and princes who have frequented Elysee over the years. You can still smash plates , this was fabulous after work therapy, smash, crash, bang better than any yoga class.
I highly recommend a visit, the charm is effusive. They have an amazing offer that involves the a rather generous amount of free prosceco with every main course.

http://www.elyseerestaurant.com/

POWWOWnow taking a Social Media launch into 3D

POWWOWNOW

This is the fantastic new web conferencing brand, and they have taken their social marketing effort into the face to face dimension today. London is buzzing with Powwowness!

They are engaging:

Face to Face at Waterloo, London Bridge and Victoria.

Taking and publishing threeway photos, if you are in London today go get in the buzz, have your photo taken with them it looked fun. I tried to get in a photo, wearing my new red winter coat, I side stepped over, was shooed away like an irritating pigeon. I am obviously to old or to ugly for a PowWowNow threesome. So see above me in my new red coat and the LiveEnsure Team, we offer threeway authentication security...

Seriously pretty people of London go get in the shot.

http://www.upforathreewaycall.co.uk/photo/


PowWowNow is Causing a storm on Twitter and facebook with a great fanpage.

PowWowNow is the free conference calling service with no booking, no billing, no fuss. Providing an easy, no-fuss relationship without tying you down or burning a hole in your wallet… This is the best three-way you’ll ever have!

I support Powwownow in promoting the benefits of saving money, saving time and saving the planet with conference calling.

It would even better if they use LiveEnsure to protect you while you access their service...we already protect global users of MoCall http://www.mo-call.com/en/ low cost international calls and Paytoo users when they top up their mobile payments.


http://www.upforathreewaycall.co.uk/join/

Lucy Payne their social strategist is doing an awesome job, social marketers could watch this promotion closely!

You can Really Connect on Linkedin

“What’s the best way to get started on LinkedIn?” The real question is “What’s the best way to prepare myself to get started on LinkedIn?”

Most articles on this topic begin by spouting the ‘steps’ to connecting with others, 1-5. 1-10… and some agencies now specializing in advising you. It is far more simple than this.

I’d like to begin even earlier in that process and talk about you.

“Just be yourself and people will like you!” or
“If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all”?


You’ve probably heard or read quite a bit about all the buzz words in social media:
Authenticity,
Transparency
Integrity;

Three key elements to social media success. Displaying these qualities actually does make a difference.
Very simply…absolutely. For anyone looking to really connect on LinkedIn, here’s the starting point. LinkedIn (in fact, social media in general) is about people…helping, sharing and connecting. If your neighbor’s lawn mower breaks down and he or she asks to borrow yours, you’d likely say yes, because the two of you have a relationship. You also inherently recognize your neighbor will return the favor, or perhaps another type of favor, if you asked. If a total stranger were to knock on your door with the same question, you’d likely say no and immediately think, “The nerve!”

A genuine, authentic approach to connecting with others is vital.

Wrap your brain around this ‘helping’ attitude before you begin.

If potential LinkedIn connections smell ‘a pitch’, you’re done before you start. No pitch should be necessary when you’re connecting on a deeper level that says, “Let me help you, just because I can.”

How can you help? Be you; be real; don’t falsify who you are. Get involved in and create stimulating, informative valuable discussions others can debate generally, or post your comments and thoughts more privately within groups you have joined.
As people begin to know and trust you, lead generation will begin. This is a two-fold process:
1) As you listen to the real needs of others, you help solve their challenges.
2) When you give help, you get help in return.

I often joke that I keep my expectations low; therefore, I’m never disappointed, but often delighted. It’s not much of a joke, because it’s true. Relationship building takes time. That connection may blow you off with a polite comment today, but may be knocking on your door tomorrow, because you’ve taken the right steps to remain top of mind.

Social media is a marathon, not a sprint. Wishing for it to move faster isn’t going to make it so. You’ve got to do the legwork required. Over time, you’ll be glad you did, as your online reputation and credibility grow.

Interact at an authentic level with everyone you meet, and watch the real magic happen.

BASICS: CV and Linkedin should have same detail.Spell check your content, don't use abbreviations, share good information not sales propaganda.

Dilbert-Gets Social

Dilbert is known for its satirical office humor about a white-collar, micromanaged office featuring the engineer Dilbert as the title character.


Had to smile today when I saw this Dibert comic strip in Nick Pearts Blog! Nick is so right it encapsulates perfectly the way that a huge number of businesses today view social media. My role encompasses as you know social, and I encounter daily re-buffs like this.

Most businesses today know that they need to be incorporating Social Media into the way they communicate with customers and employees but are effectively paralysed from doing so due to perceived risks. The attitude of shutting out this communication channel combined with a lack of trust of employees is only going to be detrimental to an organisation’s success and corporate reputation. If you can't find a company active on Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook or Youtube as a consumer you question it very existence.

There are a huge range of progressive companies, Dell, BestBuy, Sophos, who are embracing social media to great benefit. Clearswift recently conducted some global research into the use of Web 2.0 tools in the workplace and almost two-thirds of companies were actively embracing them.

Confidence to use them has been bolstered by the fact that these organisations know that they need to have a security policy in place to be able to deal with them . To embrace these powerful communication mediums, companies simply need to implement simple policies, motivate their people to jump on social media, then authenticate their users and monitor content, LiveEnsure handles the authentication. (An empty facebook page, a dead twitter feed won't help any business)

Companies can in the words of the author Susan Jeffers... feel the fear and do it anyway.

Is Social Media Valuable

What is the Value of Facebook and LinkedIn?

When someone asks me this question, internally I tend to sigh deeply and externally smile, you do have to wonder if they are in business whether they deliberately buried their heads against the social media explosion that we are in the midst of. Many people understand the fact that they NEED to be on social networking sites, but are not sure exactly WHY they need to.


SIMPLY GET SOCIAL - these sites are an excellent marketing tool for business, individuals and students. If you are asking this question you are behind the curve so do it now.

Think about the meetings and exhibitions attended globally every day. These networking opportunities are held by associations, professional groups, local chambers of commerce, etc. While sometimes they can be niche and packed with members of your target market, many times they can be sporadic and unfruitful. But you go all the same and come away with new contacts.

Facebook and Linkedin are electronic networking events. The differences is astounding they are running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
The Social Advantage

*Free CRM System for your contacts
*You to choose the EXACT target market you want to engage and connect to
*No costs just time
*Fantastic Free Tools- Events, Announcements.
*Allows you to be flexible!
*Set up, Communicate get started in less than half an hour.

Facebook and LinkedIn allow you to connect with large masses of people including your old friends and professional colleagues, but more importantly they allow you the opportunity to meet and connect with new quality professionals who are willing and able to build your business, purchase your products, learn from your expertise and spread that all too valuable word-of-mouth.

Get Connected
By connecting with people on social networking sites you are enabling a wide group of people to benefit from your area of expertise while engaging them in conversation, asking/answering questions and gathering valuable information to help you market more effectively to your target audience. To be honest, the opportunities, at times, can be endless.

I will talk in detail about Linkedin and Facebook in my next posts, for now get your name, your business website details up there and do some ‘lurking’. (Join us on Linkedin or Facebook)

Linkedin
http://bit.ly/c5F4jq

Facebook
http://bit.ly/cQIp27

And then I get an email for people who get it, with tools that help manage it how can half the business world be in tune and half so not. An email yesterday was from people who get it...
SPROUT Better Manage Your Small Business’s Social Media Presence: http://bit.ly/dfCxQz

Be Authentic http://www.liveensure.com/

Brand Management Gets Social....

Today means not just keeping an ever-present eye on the social web, but also engaging in meaningful ways with brand advocates and detractors. Leading professionals in the field have come to accept social media as crucial to their jobs, but most know that managing a company’s brand on the web is so much more than setting up shop on social sites like Twitter Linkedin and Facebook.

The challenge figuring out how to move beyond social media hype and implement practical management practices into their daily work routines.

If your marketing department is still thinking about it... I would challenge the longevity of your business or department watch this:



It not easy to move into this if you are still indirect mail and exhibition mode.

Think about the power of letting someone else saying things about your brand without marketing in edit mode... how strong are real words on the web.

http://mashable.com/2010/07/14/online-brand-management/

SoSoSocial Get Started

Passionate about Social Media or not its here to stay...Neilson result suggest its pushing email into second place for communications. Email is set to be a utility.


Social media has rocketed into business. Sites such as Facebook and Twitter provide platforms for businesses to connect with their customers on a more personal level. Users can chat to the real people behind the businesses, as well as with each other, sharing their own opinions and experiences.
No longer are these places for teenagers and celebrities, but brands, governments and journalists are all twittereing away.

(Someone told be tweeting was for geeks the other day, I bit my tongue I also had facebook described as a total fad... hrmph thanks to a good upbringing and my females genes I remain placid- so many people and businesses do not get the biggest thing since email)

Social media is a cheap and easy way for companies on a tight budget to market their business. It can be very challenging, however, to figure out which social media tools best meet your needs, how to use them in an effective way, and how to prove they're a good investment for your business.

Here starts my blog... hopefully it will help people get so so social for whatever they need to say!