experience matters

I always find myself under the spell of the charismatic, in real life and online.
The power of charisma shines through in a person’s online activity, making them, quite simply, really likeable. They listen, are positive and authentic and as a community manager, I actively try to eke out any ounce of my charisma that I have naturally as well as trying to learn from the insanely likeable.

The effect of charisma became glaringly clear after I read an article published by Psychology Today that detailed and quantified its impact on business communication. The article was based on a study that followed an executive education course that culminated in a presentation. The presentations were given in teams and the study highlighted the traits of the team that communicated its final presentation most successfully. I’ll give one guess on a trait that led to success: Charismatic team members. Or what the study called “energetic but focused listeners.” This type of team member helped lead a team to success by enabling higher quality brainstorm sessions, and as a result these teams had “high levels of engagement, trust, and cooperation.” Insert light bulb moment here.

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Toyota reminds me of a guy who buys flood insurance the day after the big rain.

In a recent post on my personal blog, I proposed that an effective ethical strategy required speaking to the emotions of your audience. Watching this car maker’s mounting mistakes and the continuing ethical violations still coming to light, I’m reminded about one of the keys to a successful crisis management strategy:

Crisis management begins before the crisis.

In January (the same month the Toyota debacle really hit the fan, incidentally), clothing retailer H&M was hit with a story claiming that their employees were slashing up clothes before they were discarded. While some brand protection can be understood by some, it looked dastardly in the midst of a recession.

H&M responded to the hubbub immediately, issuing a 5-tweet salvo that concisely stated their case: They gave their brand statement, contact information, a promise to resolve the problem, and a link to a robust corporate social responsibility page. (Here is a history of the incident and the Twitter effect.)

You’d be forgiven if you missed this story. At the time, H&M’s 30K Twitter followers got out the message, mostly defended the brand (or at least stopped disparaging it), and pretty much quashed the story. Compare this to Toyota’s handling of their ethical crisis.

Toyota Goes The Old Route: Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems

Toyota spent a lot of money on ads in newspapers (yes, they still exist) and on television. They had very few Twitter followers. They have no blog that I know of (and certainly not one I heard about developed after the story broke).

No customer communication channels. No tools for dialogue. No presence in a community where fans could defend them.

Consider Joseph Jaffe’s admonition of Toyota:

“Toyota did not have a direct line…with their customers, with their advocates, with their loyalists, with their influencers. They weren’t able to go to their community and say, ‘Help us, we need your help, we need your advice…’

You can’t expect to miraculously turn to your customers if you haven’t been building up that relationship with them in advance… You’ve got to anticipate this stuff because it’s going to happen.”

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I had big plans for the Oscars last night. No I didn’t go to some overpriced “Oscar Party” at a fancy restaurant, where martinis cost $15 a pop, the entree about 3 times that much, and never mind the “red carpet”-worthy outfit that would have hit my pocketbook right were it hurt. Nope, those days were officially over.

Like the millions of people from around the globe, I tuned in to watch the 82nd Annual Academy Awards. It was a wonderful soiree, an intimate, casual gathering of 200 of my closest friends and it didn’t cost a dime. Oh well, that’s not entirely true. The ice cream sundae I ate while watching the festivities came to a grand total of about $4.99 if you add in the chocolate sauce and maraschino cherry on top.

Where, you ask, could I possibly have enjoyed such a lavish Oscar fête for a mere couple bucks and some change? In the comfort of my living room of course! It was a sight to behold: wearing my favorite black sweats (black is always an elegant choice for a party), remote in one hand and my iPhone in the other.

As I sat watching the broadcast—from the Red Carpet pre-show to Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin’s entertaining banter to the John Hughes tribute delivered by Ferris Bueller himself—my friends on Facebook didn’t miss a beat. We dished on the best and worst dressed, the speeches, and the surprising triumph of indie hit “Hurt Locker” over big budget blockbuster, “Avatar.” All virtually. All via Facebook. Our very own Online Oscar Party!

I’d been noticing the trend for the last 6 months. From the collective cheers for underdog Saints during Super Bowl XLIV to the Kanye West train wreck at the ‘09 MTV Awards, most of my friends were tuning in from home and commenting about the broadcasts on their favorite social network of choice.

Whether due to the economy or merely an increased desire to stay home and nest, people were forgoing pricey outings and opting instead to fuel the buzz online, namely on Facebook to Twitter. Brian Stelter recently published a great story on this new phenomenon in The New York Times, “Water-Cooler Effect: Internet Can Be TV’s Friend.” In it, he notes that “[b]logs and social Web sites like Facebook and Twitter enable an online water-cooler conversation, encouraging people to split their time between the computer screen and the big-screen TV.” He even notes that viewership of these broadcast spectacles, which for the last several years has been tanking, has seen a uptick, thanks in large part to the chatter occurring online.

Oscar himself has taken a cue from this new trend. Ad Age’s Andrew Hampp points out, the Academy is jumping on the social media bandwagon to combat sinking ratings and declining viewership, adding a plethora of new ways for people to watch, participate and take part in the show. From Facebook fanpages and online ballots to iPhone apps and a pimped out new site on http://oscar.go.com/, the entire Oscar experience was revamped to facilitate this new way of connecting online.

We’ll see if “social networks can actually save the TV star.” All I know is I’m a believer.

An ice cream sundae. My favorite pair of sweats. And 200 of my closest friends joining me for an Online Oscar Party. Now that’s worth the price of admission!

Edelman recently posted the results of a study they did on consumer trust. The study claims that “The number of people who view their friends and peers as credible sources of information about a company dropped by almost half, from 45% to 25%, since 2008.” Is social media just a passing fad?

Definitely not. While the article brings up an interesting topic, I believe that Michael Bush’s primary intent was to stir up some controversy, rather than claim there has been an official shift in online consumer behavior.  Before we abandon everything we know about social, ask yourself 2 questions…

Is what they are saying true?
I’m not sold on the methodology. Based on the way the data is displayed in the article, it’s easy to criticize the survey technique. The wording is relatively biased and appears to focus on advertising, in general.  As an alternative, the research could offer more credibility if consumers were asked who they trusted most for purchasing advice or recommendations.

What does it mean for social media marketers?
Survey details aside, the article surfaces the very important topic of relevancy and timing in social media marketing.  In order to solve for this problem, marketers must craft solutions to address:

1. Consumers experience a tremendous amount of digital litter online. Most content offered is just noise, and often doesn’t meet consumer’s exact point of need.
2. Social Media is not a retail medium. It’s about building relationships. Over time, these relationships establish trust, engagement and ultimately advocacy, which definitely impacts the bottom line for brands.
3. Consumers are first, brands and branded messaging will always be second. Consumers use social media to socialize with their friends, family and peers. If they want to engage with brands, it will be on their terms.
4. Content is no longer “king” – relevancy is. Consumers have been taught that if they sound-off questions, someone will answer.  By choosing to be active in social media, brands can offer solutions as a trusted source to weigh-in on those direct consumer questions.
   

If you’re active in social media, I wouldn’t get too hot and bothered over the study results. PR agencies are great at generating buzz, so kudos to them for stirring the pot. Now, take it a step further. Go beyond the buzz, and focus on developing long-lasting, sincere relationships with your fans online.

Bloggers have been abuzz about the necessity of transparency in business for longer than the word “tweet” has been commonplace. Transparency, for a list of terrific reasons, is being touted as a win-win for businesses and consumers alike. Because major corporations are using the same networks as the Joe Nine-to-Fives of the world, openness allows for new  scenarios that are both challenges and opportunities.  Opting to live in glass houses gives way to what The Cluetrain Manifesto terms The End of Business as Usual and leads to a new level of    connectedness, accountability, documentation and the overhanging threat of being caught and called out in a mistake or a lie.

Just as Mark Zuckerburg recently said, “public is the new social norm” and transparency doesn’t end with business. Personal lives are often conducted under the watchful eye of social media, which allows friends and followers to know a user’s status and location. As Community Moderators, Jessi and I have been tasked with living and breathing social media. Our lives are as increasingly transparent as the emerging media dictate they should be. With the mainstreaming of location-based applications, that’s pretty see-through.  Every move is documented and made available to whomever we deem worthy.

   Checking in on Four Square is somewhere between    a habit and a nervous tick for me. As I sat down to    meet an ex at a Chicago loop watering hole, I    checked in as per usual. My roommates, who    aren’t enormous fans of this character, had text    messaged asking where I was. When I failed to    answer, which I will now admit was on purpose, they    referred to my last check-in on Four Square and saw    that not only had I checked-in, so had my ex. At    which point, I received the following text message:    “Busted. You and Ryan both checked in at Emerald    Loop.” Busted indeed.

Inspired by my own text-message lashing, Jessi and I will walk through the elements of transparency to demonstrate the benefits to those who properly employ it and the risks to those who fail to realize its effects. I will be taking on transparency in one’s personal life using my own failed attempt and Jessi will be talking about it from a business POV.

Element 1: Connectedness

• Personal: Being linked to friends, colleagues and clients in the social sphere provides more robust real-life connections as well as insights into shared connections and interests. Friends influence each other’s information consumption, and by being connected to the  interesting and intelligent, people can be exposed to news, posts and technology that wouldn’t have been on their radar otherwise. Before adding contacts exercise caution, applying privacy settings with the “significant other’s parent” rule: if you would be comfortable sharing your stockpile of photos or posts with a significant other’s parent, allow contacts to view it. If not, keep it private.
• Professional: Businesses have the obligation when entering the social space to connect to users in that space. Friending, fanning, favoriting and more become a crucial element to build relationships within this space. That information is public and so companies must be aware that these connections will be examined and become meaningful to a potential customer. If a business does not follow anyone then they risk gaining the image of being egotistical or oblivious. This is a social space and businesses must treat it as such.

Element 2: Accountability

• Personal: Be yourself. Be honest. Friends will become disinterested or stop following entirely if a user comes across as corporate, dishonest, or negative (sarcastic negativity is a different thing entirely). If a user is pretending not to hear text message alerts, but checks in on Foursquare, his friends will take note and get feisty. However, if users are honest, speak in a human tone of voice and hold their tongues if they don’t have anything nice to say, they will be seen as a trustworthy source of information.
• Professional: For some businesses this is a dangerous category. The fast pace and high expectations to maintain that pace will surface early when entering any social media platform. Set a realistic expectation up front with the community so if answers take time or further research is necessary, the community is aware and knows that you are not avoiding them. If a business creates a platform then they must acknowledge the activity that happens there—and engage.

Element 3: Always on the record

• Personal: Please see professional.
• Professional: “What you say can and will be used against you.” Didn’t TV teach you this already?

Whether the context is personal or professional, it’s important to remember that with social media, comes transparency, and ultimately, responsibility. Friends, colleagues and business associates have more ways than ever to listen, keep tabs on you, engage with you, and hold you accountable. If you forget this, you may well end up like me…getting busted!

People go to high school reunions to evaluate other people. I pick evaluate because ‘judge me’ seems a little harsh but lets face it, we are a fickle society.

I tend to play amateur psychiatrist so the thought of walking around a room of people I used to know and of whom I have 20-year-old opinions of was appealing. I looked forward to forming new, cynical & unbiased opinions. Enter Facebook.

I didn’t receive an invitation to the reunion. I was friended by HEHS Class of 1989. Within two weeks I went from having zero high school friends to about 50. That’s a good thing, right? Not so fast. Would Facebook remove the curiosity factor? Would it jade me more than I was already jaded?

I attended the reunion a few weeks ago. It was made up of two separate events. On Friday night was what was billed as a Pre-Reunion Reunion at the restaurant of a classmate. Cash bar, no name tags (which lead to me saying “Who the hell is that?” a lot) and good food. The reunion itself was the next night. Open bar with name tags (but $90 to get in). What is the difference between the two? Friday night I got home at 3:00am. Saturday night I got home at 11:00pm. Enough said.

So is Facebook replacing Reunions entirely? (read more)

I’m inspired by all of the industry chatter about the impact of social on search. Last week, I read Jasmine May’s post on OneUpWeb’s study about how consumer generated content is influencing search behaviors. While the news is definitely insightful, it’s important to understand each social media tool as a separate beast, each having its own unique impact on your brand’s “findability” online.

Let’s start with twitter. Although this tool was designed to create and build relationships, it does have an SEO value. I recently sat down with Allyson Hohman (CM’s super-smart Search Director) and got her perspective: “The real time feedback from Twitter is slowly, but surely changing how people conduct a search and, ultimately, what results they will find.” In addition, twitter is optimized as its own destination, as distributed content becomes increasingly important to branded messaging and community relationships.

Together, we came up with the following 15-point twitter SEO checklist:

1. Handle. Is it something people search for?
2. Brand Name. May or may not be the same as handle. Is this displayed as searchable content? (tip: no abbreviations or brand acronyms)
3. Bio. Is it relevant? Does it say why your brand is there? Does it include influencer buzz words?
4. URL. Is your brand linking to your twitter URL in company blogs and sites? (and vice versa?)
5. Tweet Copy: First Words. The start of each tweet (40-45 characters) is factored into each tweet’s title tag, including the account name, and however many characters are left go to the beginning of the actual tweet. (tip: pack the punch in the first 20 characters if possible Read the rest of this entry »

Originally published at iMedia Connection.

The doldrums of summer notwithstanding, I’ve noticed no dearth of self-reflective articles discussing the changing role of the advertising/marketing agency in a web 2.0 world.

Great minds wax poetic about the move from push to pull, from TV to web, from monologue to dialogue – and these are great discussion topics.

But you know what? Almost none of these articles talk about sales.

Are we forgetting our purpose?

Bursting A Bubble

I remember back when the internet was the shiny new object of fascination. Over time, businesses that marketed online to sell products survived (i.e. Amazon.com) and those that just focused on the fun online marketing stuff…well, didn’t (i.e. Pets.com).

Are we seeing a similar trend with social media? A lot of brands are throwing money at engagement and conversation and friending – but is this making the cash register ring?

Image Courtsey of Big Mouth Media; http://tinyurl.com/nellt9

Real Marketers Still Make – And Sell – Stuff

Phil Johnson’s Ad Age piece entitled Agencies Should Be Defined by What They Know, Not What They Make is one of the articles about the modern agency that rubbed me wrong.

As I read it, his article focuses on what we know (communication) at the expense of what we make (ads/experiences which turn into sales).

My conviction is that advertising agencies should become a community full of intellectually curious people…Clients should feel compelled to work with a given agency because they hold the keys to the mysteries of how people communicate with each other.

OK, sure, but isn’t this a tad esoteric?

Clients aren’t comforted by what you know. They’d rather see how you turn that into sales.

Agencies that use social media, then foster loyalty and trust, and then turn that into sales – those agencies will triumph. But agencies that dabble in social media without even considering ROI or sales…think Pets.com 2.0.

Marketers and advertisers who consider sales not lofty enough of a goal would do well to remember David Ogilvy’s number one obiter dictum from Confessions of an Advertising Man:

“We sell – or else.”

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(Frank Eliason of Comcast addresses the audience at WOMMA 2008)

It’s so easy to get caught up in the buzz isn’t it? Social this, social that. I’m sick of it. From this point on, I am making a vow to talk in more simple terms (I try to do this already, but I want to improve). So here’s something you should know. Chances are that your organization can’t move as quickly as consumers can, and that needs to change. I’ve met Frank Eliason, the man behind @comcastcares several times now and he knows a few things about this. I fired up our beta-cam at the WOMMA Summit (Word of Mouth Marketing Association) and recorded his talk (view video). Frank talks about building a culture of “rapid response” and he’s right.
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