Business Record - Iowa Biz

Social Bullpen

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The pendulum swings in politics, cyclical trends come in fashion (see hipster), history repeats itself in business and industry á la Ayn Rand.

What can we expect from social media? Continued metamorphosis with tentacles into every form of "media."

This is an observation, not a prediction.

The corporate budget bucket that social media, mobile and tech communication tools are falling into is marketing. The American economy is based on a free market. This puts the power in the hands of the people. BTW - Happy Independence Day! What a great day to celebrate the power of the American consumer!

And it is the people that makes social platforms so valuable - the users and every bit of information about the user that is gathered. Take Facebook users, we know their motivators, friends, family, networks, hobbies, attitudes, interests, musical tastes, careers, hometowns, ages, sex, religious beliefs, spending habits, spheres of influence, focus, entertainment, political opinions, philosophies, fashion sense, communication style, daily routines, important issues and topics, charities and habits. We know where we are at any given time, who we are with, and the locations we frequent.

If an American consumer received the line of personally intrusive questions from any other source - call, mail, email, online survey - it would go unanswered. The value of this information to a marketer is pure gold, hard to capture, arduous to compile, and expensive. Here it is. Social media put users in the habit of sharing this information in a public way and accessible way.

The most interesting part of the game to watch is how well the teams - in this case companies and brands - and the coaches - leaders - are seeing this bigger picture. Mobile marketing, social media marketing, digital marketing, public relations, media, communication, advertising, public affairs, government affairs, blogs, the lines across these are becoming as blurred as the lines between personal, professional and social.

Those who take time to look around and: recognize and absorb the current environment; reflect on what it means specific to their own brand, product, business, consumer, et cetera; consider what is on the horizon; and develop a marketing strategy that fits will reap great benefits.

Next up... Google+ ???

:: Christine Stineman

A Digital Defining Moment

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There are a few basic elements required for successful digital crisis communication, the least of which is that the communication piece begins long before getting even a whiff of trouble.

This has long been the case offline. But as companies move beyond dipping in a toe and dive into developing a robust social media and digital presence, the need for attention to online crisis communication and rapid response is elevated.

Responses to advice to take a proactive approach to crisis communication is typically met with a look of confusion. Stick with me. It's approaching digital communication with the expectation that at some point there is likely to be a problem that needs addressing. I can't go to a bank and simply get money by asking for it when I need it. First, I open an account, deposit money, and secure a debit card and checks. Then, when I need it, it's there.

The same principle can be applied to developing a relationship of trust and dependability around your brand online among target audiences, including customers, the local community, regulatory decision-makers and the media. Define who you are as a brand, as a company, as a service provider and product before a sticky situation arises.

Something may pop up before this is possible, in which case you will be in a position of reacting without having first established yourself. It is still a manageable situation, just not ideal. Facing a crisis situation prior taking a proactive approach to preparing for a potential crisis in the future gives the crisis the opportunity to define you before you can define yourself.

What if the definition of the word "nose" changed tomorrow and was no longer the thing in the middle of your face, but instead the knob used to open doors. It would be much more challenging to convince people of the new definition of the word than if it had been that way from the start.

- Christine Stineman

No introduction necessary?

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Marketers, meet social platforms. They have only begun to scratch the surface of their marketing and communication capabilities and are looking forward to working with you. They are open to your creative mind and ideas.

Social platforms, meet the creative and outside of the screen-thinking marketers. They are excited to tap into the potential usage of your digital tools.

The introductions have been made, so what is missing? There is a broken link. Both are looking to the other for the answer. Social platforms are becoming more marketing savvy and intuitive by the day - Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, Get Glue. There is still a role, though, for successful execution and taking the potential of the entire digital menu of capabilities to the next level.

If there was still a question as to who will fix the link, it is up to marketing.

A few marketers for major brands have already paved the way as pioneers. Now is not the time for wait-and-see or the time to simply duplicate what others have done. Technology changes too quickly to duplicate what others have done. Consumers lose interest in repeating the same tasks just as quickly as the technology changes.

This is a call to all of the brilliant and creative thinkers I have encountered in the world of marketing and public relations over the years - the stage is yours.

By the way Web developer and graphic designer, my apologies your e-invitations may have gotten stuck in your spam filters...

- Christine Stineman

What's the point?

This is one of the critical questions a company needs to ask not only about its social media presence, but its overall online presence.

There are many creative ways to communicate with customers and other target audiences, but at the end of the day, the communication needs grounding in order to have a long-term positive outcome for the organization.

It may seem like a bit of a no-brainer on the surface, "We're using this social platform to accomplish ____". You might think, "Of course this is something the team considered and defined." In reality, more specifically in practice, this seemingly simple task is often ignored or the mark is missed either in the interpretation or execution.

Consider for example: A company's leadership team takes several steps to thoroughly establish the purpose for its social media presence. It interviews internal stakeholders and appropriate departments, and maybe even conducts an internal survey. Yet, it falls short of successful implementation, because that same amount of time defining the purpose was not communicated in an applicable way to those responsible for executing it.

Here are five considerations when defining the purpose for your digital presence:

1. The answer should embody the end goals and purpose for participating on the channel. It must be both achievable and connected to a specific timeline.
2. Answer the question completely. Brevity has its place. In this case, a greater degree of specificity will produce a better result. Consider it an essay question as opposed to multiple choices.
3. The answer can and will change with frequently, so ask the same question on a regular basis and create a calendar item for it.
4. Answers will vary depending upon whom you ask within the organization, so ask all departments who will be impacted and those who can utilize social media to make an impact.
5. Success requires the appropriate blend of thorough planning, internal communication, training and execution.

Take the time to sharpen your point.

- Chris

Oh behave!

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We learned in preschool about the ins and outs of social interaction and acceptable behavior and responses. (i.e. don't pick your nose and wipe it on your friend, they might have an adverse reaction.)

"Social" by definition is an amicable interaction or relations between two or more individuals.

Like life in-person, knowing and understanding the way people behave when interacting with them through social media will improve the experience for all. These are a few social behaviors to maximize on:

 

1. We respond to topical leaders. We like to hear from those who are an authority on specific topics. This is where the C-suite executives can play a role in your organization's digital presence, offering topical and timely advice on industry issues.
2. People are sheep. I first heard this phrase in a fifth grade social studies class. I remember that because it struck me as sort of an aha moment about how we interact. Share ways that others are interacting with you by the numbers or by the activity. If you are asking your audience to share a video testimonial, show them videos others have submitted.
3. We are creatures of habit. Provide consistent material, both in timing and in content and your audience will grow to expect it and continue to come back to you for it. I receive daily email updates from Seth Godin's blog, I don't read them daily, I read them every Thursday morning. It's my habitual routine.
4. Who doesn't like freebies? Most feel an immediate connection even with the offering of something for free and are more likely to engage with you as a result. People feel a need to give something back when they have received something from you.
5. Entertain me. Music, gadgets, videos, movies, television, games, comedy, performing arts, automobiles - from infancy, we delight in one source or another of entertainment. Be creative in your content and seek to entertain. This doesn't necessarily mean be silly - but rather smart, witty and clever. Offer your own interesting perspectives.

I could go on with the list, including competitive drive and the need to feel a part of something. With all of these the important elements, do not lose track of when communicating is basic social, human behavior. Don't forget you and your team members are human, too, hopefully.

What do you respond to?

a-ha!

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This week, the Pentagon decided to revamp its social media approach.

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Douglas Wilson expressed his concern to Wired Danger Room over the Pentagon's approach to social media as being a "stovepiped professional area." (e.g. its social media was operating in a silo.)

Now, heading up the social efforts and social voice of the Pentagon is the communications team. This was a social media a-ha (not the band) moment: social media is where public relations, marketing and digital developers converge.

There are different social media roles for different aspects of a strategy. Communications and marketing will not effectively execute on a social media strategy without the expertise of digital developers, programmers and creative designers.

Those who know and understood the public voice of a corporation best are public relations, marketing and communications departments. Social media are public outlets.

The expertise and talents they bring are best employed in the strategic planning of content; the use of the social platforms, such as: Facebook, YouTube and Twitter; to engage in public conversation and action; to allow, reply and interact with the public. This part of the team also helps with visual aspects of a company's digital presence, because they have grasp on the need for brand consistency.

Web developers, as well as application and game programmers, bring talent and capabilities that also play a key role. Developing applications, games, websites and microsites that are connected across social platforms provide easily shared content and are dynamic. These building blocks establish a foundation for engagement with the community.

Put them all together to create and execute a customized, digital strategy that will provide the ideal environment for the target audiences to interact with your company and one another.

It's not one or the other that makes it work, it's tapping into a team of many different talents.

A-ha!

Twitter love affair doesn't have to result in resource drain

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Looking back at 2010, one of the hot topics of discussion around social media was the resource drain and potential addiction.

Given that fewer Americans are smoking today than during the 'Mad Men' years, I welcome digital addiction. Nevertheless, there is valid concern when it comes to the potential workforce resource drain.

For me this year, the one social platform I have had to look out for is Twitter - I love Twitter! Once you spend the time to cultivate a community of followers and key people topics to follow, the amount of valuable information exchange is vast.

It can also pull you in and cause you to completely lose track of time spent there.

Here are some tips to help avoid growing blue wings and flying away:

• Have a grasp of what it is you are there to talk about. This will make the time spend your spend covering topics and sharing with the people you follow more effecient and effective.
• Use tools like Hootsuite or Tweetdeck to their full potential to manage your social media profiles. They range from free to professional level rates. Most of the popular management tools have smartphone applicaitons that allow you to stay connected to your social audiences anytime, anywhere in an effiicient way. My choice is Hootsuite, It is well organized and both the mobile and iPad applications are easy to use and include all of the important information from your accounts, such as lists and keywords. Plus, with multilingual clients, the translation feature is much appreciated.
• Organize those you follow with lists. The Twitter lists allow you to organize the information. You can also create columns for lists and key topics you follow on Hootsuite that show up in the apps as well.
• Follow those who make sense for you to follow. This is a common challenge for users: Do I follow everyone, no one or only those I know. Follow those having a conversation about the topics that relate to you and your industry. Why not folllow everyone? It makes the effeciency tools less effecient, especially on mobile applications. The pertinent topics to you are more time consuming to find when your feed is cluttered with unrelated tweets - such as those profiles that only share movie quotes or song lyrics.
• Resist the pull. Once you realize the potential of Twitter and begin interacting with your audience, it is difficult to pull back from it. In order to maintain the return on investment from Twitter, the time spent has to be managed. Schedule time for tweeting in the day and stick to it.

According to a study released today by Sysomos, Twitter usage has increased rapidly since January 2009 with much of that growth taking place in 2010. It was valued earlier this week at $3.7 billion as reported by Reuters. The value of Twitter as a social platform is being recognized and more companies and leaders are using it.

You too can have a love affair with Twitter, without it becoming a resource drain.

Take it up a notch

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With its parade of launches over the past three months, Facebook is telling us "we're not going anywhere and we're committed to making sure you don't either." Offering more reasons for companies and organizations to make a commitment to finding ways to integrate the social network effectively.

I like to get down to the nitty gritty and be specific. Here are a couple of things to consider to take your social media integration up a notch. The first is something that makes me talk to the TV: the integration of connecting to your social community in your paid advertising. Tacking an icon onto the end of your TV ad does not tell me where to find you on Facebook or Twitter. It says we're here and we want you - a very busy consumer who is pushed and pulled in a million directions - to come find us! If you play digital hide-and-seek with your audience, you're going to be left counting for a very long time. It's an easy fix: add your company's name after the social icons.

Give social media a leading role with a speaking part in your advertising and marketing screenplay, rather than only a mention in the credits. Offer your target audience a reason to go to your page or profile. Consider what works to drive consumers into stores and use it to motivate them around events online. It's more feasible to hold a digital midnight madness or  a.m. sale online on Black Friday than it is to have several stores open for those special hours. Provide incentives for doing more for you, such as 'Invite 10 friends to Like our page and recieve free shipping.' Let consumers choose how and who they communicate with by giving them several ways and opportunities to share.

Currently, there are great prices on toys at Target online. The prices are better than in the store or than on other websites - my four-year-old isn't reading yet, so I know I'm safe in telling you speficially there's a great price on Wii games and Batman's Batcave. How about letting me share this news easily from the speicifc products via social media with grandparents? Or give me the opportunity to share a message about the great savings on the website via Facebook and Twitter posts when I'm checking out?

Social media integration into advertising and marketing isn't limited to B2C companies. The most successful use of social media comes when you understand what it is that you have to offer and make social media an extension of your communication about the unique value of your services and offerings.

The end of the year is nearing. This is a great time for accounting firms to use social media to start sharing invaluable tax tips with business owners or update corporate clients on ways to avoid penalties. Or an informative series could be offered to keep people coming back to you on social media sites such as: 'Ask the tax expert about corporate financial health during a recession.' As a business owner, I would both ask a quesiton and invite fellow business owners in my social network to do the same. That is, if I was asked to take the action. It's a matter of understanding your value, knowing what your audience wants and utilizing social tools to share it.

One of the best opporuntities overlooked by both B2B and B2C is tapping into pre-existing networks of "friends". Are you sharing messages with the vendors or trucking companies used by your business? Have you invited members of the trade and business associations you belong to share posts or participate is social events? What about connecting with nonprofit partners and other stakeholders to hold online events together? Tapping in to networks of support and identifying ways to work together via social media immediately expands your reach to your partners' communities.

We are rapidly moving toward more digital, not less. With each advertising and marketing plan, take the time to write in lines to give social media a leading role.

Social Media, Politics & Business

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Americans are heading to the polls this week for the midterm elections, but before casting a vote they will have been touched by the candidates and their messages many more times this cycle than in the past with the help of social media.

The increased use of social media by candidates also presents new avenues of access for communication on key issues that impact businesses.

For candidates and opponents, the increased amount of information and easy access to that information has made this year one of the ugliest we've seen on the airways. Social platforms provided a new mud pit location for the slinging as well. What is an interesting take-away for corporations and trade associations  is the potential for issue impact and communication via social media.

This is not a new takeaway. A few national campaigns tapped into social media opportunities back in 2008. The potential impact, however, has grown substantially even in the past two years. In that two-year span many more candidates, congressional members, state legislators, regulators, governors, key staff members, political media and pundits have embraced social media. This increases the accessibility of constituents and bloc constituencies to lawmakers and key staff and vice versa.

Following are five tactics that companies, associations and businesses can employ to communicate with decision-makers using social media:

1. Identify and unify your supporters. Social media platforms are ideal for building your community of support. The support can be identified via all traditional methods - e-mail communication, newsletters, phones - but should also be identified utilizing social and online advertising. The most active target audiences are those with a vested interest and may include association members, employees, vendors, shareholders, and others in the industry.
2. Educate the audience. Share the mission and goals of the group and educate the audience about the impact of legislative or regulatory action.
3. Give them something to do. Simple tasks such as helping to educate and invite others to the community will help to identify those willing to take action and give them an immediate way to take action into their own hands.
4. Provide them with ways to communicate. Once you have a robust audience of those who share your position on the issues, share with them where and how they can easily communicate the position with the regulatory and legislative decisionmakers on social platforms. Make it easy for them to do so and find different and creative ways to help them share the message.
5. Let them know the impact. Once the audience has taken action to communicate with state or federal decision makers, it is important for them to know how their voice made a difference. Was there an amendment or language included in a bill that wouldn't have been without them taking the time to share their position?

Can social media be utilized in a way to have a real impact? Yes. Mashable  cites a couple of notable public affairs success stories via social media. Another success story that I had the opportunity to be a part of came from T. Boone Pickens on the issue of U.S. energy independence called the Pickens Plan. With the use of social media and digital communication we organized and activated volunteers in all 50 states and nearly every one of the 435 congressional districts. The efforts led to positive change through several federal legislative actions on energy.

Constituents have always had a voice. Figuring out how to use their voice has had its challenges and ultimately those challenges has reduced the voice to a whisper. I've said before social media provides individuals with a microphone. This is one way that can be used to your advantage.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

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If you are one of those companies still wading into the social media water, Facebook just made the water even more inviting to lure you in with Facebook Groups.

In a recent post for the IowaBiz blog, I talked about some of the features I wish we would see from Facebook and other social sites that would further enhace the usability for my various clients, including companies, B2B businesses, universities and associations. When the new changes to Facebook were released I felt like one of those people in the Microsoft Windows 7 ads. Picturing an improved version of myself - which, like it was for Liz Lemon on 30Rock, was Julia Louis Dreyfus - I sat typing my Business Record blog post and the executives at Facebook listened and made my recommended changes!

Okay, perhaps a bit of romanticizing on my part. Nevertheless, the improvements get a 'Like' from this social media chick.

Facebook Groups allow me from my personal profile to limit who sees what to a greater degree, but without the potential offense that comes with some of the other privacy settings. Members of my family group for example can enjoy pictures from our vacation to Vermont to see the fall foliage or discuss Holiday planning without boring everyone else in my network and with more ease of sending communication to the entire group at one time.

If this feature becomes widely used, which I believe it will with time, it should also generally reduce the noise on Facebook. My hope is that the noise level can come down to a place where we see an increase in effective message delivery. Currently, it's surely bumping up against a noise ordinance.

For businesses, colleges and organizations this provides a much needed way to develop groups for team collaboration on projects. Even beyond the development of employee leadership and team groups, imagine the possibility of developing groups of consumer leaders, alumni leaders, shareholders, or social media rapid response teams. Companies can and arguably should look to build, organize and activate their most loyal supporters internally and externally through social media. The same goes for universities with their students and alumni or associations with sponsors and volunteers. 

Facebook Groups takes many of the benefits of a proprietary social network like Ning or elgg and delivers it on Facebook. Some have even made the investment to build proprietary networks from scratch rather than using templates like Ning. Buyer beware of the ROI if you are considering this. It is expensive and you do not have the benefit of a network tested and improved by several others before you and for those that I've worked on has meant continued investment even beyond the sizable initial outlay.

These proprietary social networks have proven to have more useful tools for activation. They allow entities to build a large network focused specifically on one issue or brand, but also let the members and administrators create public and private groups to interact on a deeper level. For example, sharing up-to-date information on a piece of legislation or an upcoming product launch. There are hurdles involved with these social networks though including driving traffic; getting individuals to create a profile; bringing them back to the site with regularity. Facebook already has the audience and the platform for videos, photos, presentations and documents, but until now lacked many of the other tools needed to organize and collaborate on a more sophisticated level. Enter Groups.

We have not seen the last of the evolution of Facebook. Integration into the comfort of our homes, automobiles and everyday lives will continue to improve in a way that will benefit us greatly. Social media as a medium took the Internet to the next level, it is the new television. Those who have the tenacity to grab social networking by the horns, invest in it and find ways to use it that no one else has thought of yet are the companies who will see the most success from it.

I could talk all day about the many benefits and great potential of Facebook Groups, just ask my husband. There is still one significant barrier: taking advantage of it. In order to use it most effectively, you are going to have to think outside the group.

So your feet are wet and you are used to the temperature, are you ready to get your hair wet?

Show me your ID

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One key component frequently overlooked in social media strategies is a a grasp of personal identity. This applies to any type of company, individual, business or nonprofit organization.

Businesses and companies have unique qualities to competitors that allow them to succeed in the market. It isn't haivng a robust online presence that makes you special. Your company, your service, your people and your products are the qualities that make you stand out.

Many entities in any given industry are using social media. The way to shine above others is to infuse your online conversation with the qualities, services and experiences that your customers and clients have come to rely upon and that potential customers want to know. Businesses go to great lengths to establish and maintain the organization's identity through mission statements, marketing, PR, advertising and relentless employee training. The same commitment should translate online.

If you pride yourself on customer service, make that message come through on social platforms. If your services are specific to a niche market, share your expertise in that market in all you do and communicate about on social platforms. It can be as simple as offering informed insight with the post of an interesting article.

What social media can do for you is so much more than simply expose you to a broader audience or even help you develop deeper loyalty. It is an opportunity to share what about you is different, what makes you better.

Wait for the starter pistol

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Once the decision is made to step up social media efforts, one potential impediment is impatience. It's well-intended and comes from excitement for change and forward movement.

It appears in a little different form with every organization. Sometimes the excitement is aimed at driving up community numbers as quickly as possible. Others' zeal comes through wanting to share information about a promotion or campaign launch before all necessary pieces are in place. Resist the urge to open the doors to the store to the public before the walls are painted and shelves filled.

Don't get me wrong, I love the enthusiasm! Social media is serving as this amazing catalyst for much greater organizational change and in some cases sweeping cultural change for a company. Certainly cause for excitement.

However, if your audience comes in with their navy pinstripe suit and leans against the freshly painted white walls, they are not going to be very motivated to return. When your ducks are all in a row - the Facebook page is visually consistent with the rest of the online presence, the editorial calendar is in place, the campaign is ready to be announced publicly to supporters and the media, social media policy is finalized and easy to locate, the ask is prepared and all necessary tools to complete the task are in place - then you are ready for the starter pistol.

The thought of methodical planning when it came to social media approach, particularly early on among some social media professionals, was blastphemy. It was assumed taking a careful and thoughtful approach to social media was archaic and would cause the initiative to grind to a hault or fizzle. I say go with the proverbial gut check.

There are no social media rules to play by that everyone must adhere to. It is possible to engage with people in a manner that is thoughtfully planned and still flexible, purposeful without being forced, careful and yet open. It is possible to participate effectively on the social Web in a way that protects the equity you spent years and sizable budgets building among your clients, members, consumers and in your brand.

Plan for the Unexpected

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The "race is on" attitude toward social media has slowed and given way to a business community that recognizes that successful social media strategy and execution is far more important than simply having a presence.

One must-have item on the planning list should be crisis communications.

Social media gives everyone a voice. This has opened up infinite doors of opportunity, especially considering the economic times in which social media platforms and peoples’ usage of them skyrocketed.

Businesses and non-profits that saw slim budgets grow even slimmer during this time, as well as cutbacks, layoffs, and unemployment, was the theme of nearly every conversation with friends, family and colleagues. Social media were free marketing and communication tools that gave every individual with access to a computer a microphone and spotlight.

However, just like at karaoke night, not everyone should have a microphone.

There are those who will attempt to derail your social media conversation. They see a tragedy or crisis impacting an organization as an opportunity to step up to the open mic. These few bad actors - often called “trolls” -  are seemingly waiting in the wings ready to pounce with gratuitous sarcasm, caustic allegations and negativity. This can easily inspire a public relations tailspin. The best thing to do is to approach it calmly, rationally and methodically.

First, hopefully the answer is yes! Do you have a policy that addresses how you handle these types of situations? If not, don't wait until you have a problem. Instead anticipate several 'what if' scenarios and establish a policy for handling them. Next, plan to respond swiftly, but rationally. When a crisis situation involving the organization arises, respond on social platforms with consistent messages to your offline media statement.

Brevity is expected in social media and in this case is your friend. It is not necessary to engage in conversation beyond sharing the official statement. It's important to listen to the audience, but understand exactly what your are hearing and who from. When a visceral response aimed toward you comes in writing via the social web, the volume of one voice becomes so loud it sounds like 100. If a good portion of the community responds in anger, more may need to be said. However, if only one or two out of thousands are making noise it can be handled with more precision.

Don't let the desire to put out the fire quickly keep you from giving it time to go out on its own. I equate it to interacting with children or pets, attention for those seeking attention fuels the fire even if it's negative attention. Falling all over yourself with numerous posts to react to only one or two people who are upset shines even more of a spotlight on those individuals. The lack of attention may result in silencing the offender.

Be prepared to follow through. You put a social media policy in place to address the situation. If you have a case where an individual in your community, whatever platform, is interacting with the organization or its supporters in a way that inhibits the experience for others or otherwise acting outside of established policy, warn them. If it continues, follow through with blocking them. It's not censorship, it is protecting the integrity of the community for the sake of the rest of the audience. If someone was shouting at the screen in a movie theater, the ushers would surely have them removed.

One final thought, be sincere if an apology is necessary and confident if not. Whether on TV, radio, in print or on the social web, we are a smart and intuitive people. We can spot disingenuous from a mile away.

Who's Listening?

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One thing we have all said and heard over and over in social media conversations is the importance of listening. It is amazing to me that those of us using social media in our businesses and organizations are doing such a better job of listening than those who created the platforms.

Last week, Facebook hosted a gathering of PR professionals at its headquarters in California. When I first heard about it, I got a little excited - they are going to hear what features and needs we have from the social platform and make improvements! Alas, I was disappointed watching the video.

Don't get me wrong, the shared insight and utilization about how the company of Facebook is using its own platform was helpful and I 'Like' the page and encourage you to as well for the helpful tips. It is frustrating however that there is much more Facebook could do to increase the depth of how PR, public affairs, and political and marketing professionals could utilize the social platform with some additions and improvements.

Although there is a 'Questions' link for us to submit questions and comments on Facebook, it's limited in space for what you can submit and is essentially the digital equivalent of a suggestion box. Those of us engaging people on these platforms with regularity recognize the need to be a bit more specific in your ask than 'Questions'.

Over a cup of coffee last week, a friend who embraced social media and Facebook said they were becoming less engaged in the platform.  Their reasons are shared by many, and if the developers were listening could be easily addressed. How about a feature, for example, that allows us to filter or categorize the kinds of information we receive on our wall and where we receive it. I'd like to put the pages I like in categories and choose how and when I see them as well as the information that comes into my inbox from them. I would have a box for entertainment, one for news, one for friend updates. That way what my friends are saying - which is really the essence of the attraction of social media - isn't drowned out by the noise of brand, cause or news updates, but I still have access to all of that information.

There are some social platforms that are improving on this front. Twitter is responding to some of the requests of users such as real time updates and the newest "Suggested Friends" feature. Some of the Twitter changes come on the heels of widely used free apps like Tweetdeck and Hootsuite forging the way - which is our wonderful competitive market at its best - and certainly these changes are long overdue.

I'm an Iowa girl whose Mom raised her to always find the silver lining, which is easy in this case so here it is. Social media move far faster than businesses have historically, so it's likely they'll begin listening sooner rather than later.

Where is your social media starting line?

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You don't know how far you've come if you don't know where you started.

The same applies to social media. In order to have a real grip on the return on investment, it's critical to first have a social snapshot of where the organization is. Establishing a benchmark of the organization's current online presence, prior to executing on any significant changes, is an important piece of understanding the ROI.

Below are 5 things to consider when establishing a benchmark:

• Are you capturing qualitative and quantitative information? Quantitative is easier to gather in terms of numbers and tangible results. It includes the number of people who make up the online community, the amount of participation, the amount of content sharing and creation, the demographic, and geographic make-up of the community.Qualitative information is key to understanding what motivates the community to take action, including the types of posts. Are they actively participating with likes and comments? And are they sharing content.

• Does the information included in the benchmark establish measurement that is applicable to the goals? If the goals for your social media engagement are more focused on developing a deeper relationship with an existing community, then the benchmark should reflect that with the inclusion of more qualitative measurements.

• Can the information that will be gathered for reports be easily measured against the benchmark upon execution? The benchmark serves as a point of measurement, the baseline.

• Create a reporting mechanism to measure against that baseline. Is the benchmark comprehensive? Several statistics are built into social sites, such as website analytics and useful tools such as Hootsuite. These don't, however, provide a complete picture. Media monitoring tools that measure all digital conversations, mentions and sentiment should be included as part of the benchmark and tracked once the plan is executed.

• Are all pieces of the social media plan covered? Every part of the social media plan will entail time, action and result.  Each anticipated result should be reflected to set the baseline, even if it's zero.

Starting blocks are used to put runners in position for optimal acceleration. Establishing the benchmark is like setting up your social media starting blocks.

Oh the places you will go

Image by HubSpot via Flickr

It is not new advice to start with a plan.

Determine the objective before you take action. Look before you leap. The same approach applies to launching anything from a new product line to a marketing campaign and the same basic principal applies to social media. An easy concept to grasp and many are following through.

One question that seems to keep bubbling up with those clients making an entrance into social media and with those looking to beef up their engagement is: Which comes first?

Building a community to gain a better understanding of your audience before you launch an initiative or launching an initiative in order to build the right audience.

Bravo for understanding the importance of the audience! It’s a great question and it is telling about general attitude toward social media. It has rapidly shifted from the question of “to tweet or not to tweet” to deeper questions about timing, audiences and creative tactics. Even more revealing is the fact that businesses and organizations are beginning to recognize the fact that the audience plays a critical role in successful engagement in social media.
 
As to the question of whether to build up the audience first or develop the campaign to attract a broader audience, it is more complex and individualized than a simple answer can offer. A series of questions need to be answered first, including: Who is the current audience (online and offline)? Is the goal to reach a new kind of audience or a larger audience that meets the same demographic as the current audience? Is it a new product, business or initiative, or part of an existing effort? Are you aiming for a sustainable, long-term audience or one that is finite?  

Answering some of these fundamental questions internally will help customize social media to fit the needs of the organization and lead it down the path to success.

Oh the places you will go.

- Christine Stineman

Nameless, faceless business, no more

Image via CrunchBase

With all of the coverage lately regarding Facebook privacy issues – which have since been addressed – a spotlight was shone on the fact that privacy is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. Some people more than others bristle at the idea, understandably so with concerns of personal protection. It is quickly becoming a reality, but not without benefits.

The social connection for individuals, personal connections and opportunity to develop deeper relationships for companies, brands and businesses – these are the more obvious rewards. One of greatest benefits, however, for businesses and organizations is this new platform to share the good works and initiatives previously buried in media inboxes or a heap of faxed press releases.

Corporate communications teams are embracing the opportunity with gusto, as they should. The green initiatives, nonprofit sponsorships, wellness initiatives and general social consciousness on behalf of companies and leadership have previously fallen under the radar. They are now front-and-center on Facebook pages and other social platforms. The best way to share these stories is through the faces of those most closely connected.

I am admittedly a big fan of American Idol. The best and most memorable performances are consistently those in which the contestants tap into their own personal connection to the song. These are the most authentic. The employees who take part in the company's social responsibility campaigns experience the positive impact of the effort first-hand. Their personal connection, authenticity and passion make these people among the best authors to share the story. The real life examples of support sharing who benefited and how are the best stories to share.

- Christine Stineman

Staying focused

Recently, I had coffee with a friend and colleague with the purpose of discussing useful Twitter applications. Due to both the nature of the discussion and personalities of two people excited about the current and potential use of social media, the discussion went in many directions.

At one point, he asked a very important question: But who has time to do all of this?

Organizations recognize a need to dedicate resources – not only money, but an arguably more valuable resource: time. Then there is something else those making decisions about social and digital approach should consider: focus.

Establishing and maintaining a clear direction – both toward the goals of the organization and in the execution of social media strategy – is particularly important to those with the goal of managing an ongoing social media voice in-house.

We already had a degree of transparency online prior to the increased amount and widespread use of social media tools. With them there is a greater amount of visibility, which is fabulous on many counts. It also creates pitfall potential, such as a loss of focus.

How competitors are successfully using social media is a common distraction. It is smart business practice to be aware of what others in the industry are doing. Reacting to it, changing course because of it, and chasing what others are doing is what will eventually cause a business to build its own roadblocks. If you are running toward the plan of another, you are running away from your own and you will never be in the lead.

Other culprits of digital derailment are the many social media tools, applications, uses and platforms. Avoiding the scattered approach that comes as a result of chasing the latest and greatest thing will help keep the strategy on track.

Establish short and long term plans, with goals that coincide with the overall goals of the organization and with a timeline that provides enough time to fully develop a strong presence for each profile such – e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Google Buzz.

A social media approach headed for success is the one that knows and chases its own goals.

- Christine Stineman

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