Here’s my SM challenge as it relate. This comes in four parts:

Get Real!

Being authentic means you are not always on and your not always wanting to share information or engage in conversations. One camp will argue, then why bother having an inbound channel that is always on? Sorry, the channel may be on but we are only human! Another camp will suggest automating your posts. If you plan to do this, then you do need to “be on”. Yet another group will tell you never to automate your posts. I believe we have come full circle on this point.

Hit my what?

If it hasn’t become abundantly clear, when Social Media (SM) experts tell you to hit your marks – don’t feel you have to do it exactly how he/she says to do it. Post to Facebook once a day and Tweet three times a day and that is perfect. It may not be for you! You may need to be more active on your channels or you may need to pick a time that is best for the demographic you want to engage. Taking a suggested strategy and adopting it to your business is best!

Stop marketing!

Don’t market on Social Media! I’m only partially kidding. For some bizarre reason, Real Estate agents are the least likely to take this advice. They get on Facebook and want us to “Like” them and then they try and sell us a house. If that’s all you are using SM for then you are clearly missing the point. SM is about community, engaging that community and giving people a reason to trust you as a person first, marketer second.

One at a time.

Is there an ROI for SM? Notice I didn’t pose this as the proverbial, “What’s the ROI of SM?” There is an ROI, how you measure it is a little trickier. If someone tells you that they can guarantee an ROI I would remain skeptical. If you go back to point three and you are a human (as opposed to a bot or giant corporation) then you have the opportunity to measure your ROI one customer at a time.

There are plenty of challenges to toss at you when it comes to Social Media. Ask some questions before you adopt a new idea or no-fail strategy. Do you have questions? Fire them our way!

Nichole simply questions the data we often discover online, that we hope will optimize our Social Media strategies. She points to data presented in a variety of ways but singles out infographics for a real thrashing. She encourages a more thorough critique by the reader and a better effort on the part of information providers to cite their data sources. So why trust the advice of someone like Nichole?

For whatever reason, I’m generally focused on the advice of male Social Media experts. I obviously need more women in my life! So here are the go-to guys on my list with my own quick thoughts on each:

• Seth Godin ~ The Jewish Marketer who’s not; doesn’t even show up on Forbes Top 50 Social Media influencers.
• Gary Vaynerchuk ~ He swears a lot but I swear by him!
• Jeff Bullas ~ His blog posts always seem to catch my eye.
• Guy Kawasaki ~ He’s just there all the time!
• Scott Stratten ~ The lone Canadian rep who gets the “social” in Social Media.

What makes them experts in Social Media? None of them to my knowledge have degrees in Digital Communication or any special digital designation like that. They are often referred to as “thought leaders” but how does that happen? More importantly can we trust them? In the spirit of Nichole’s blog, where’s the data sources to back them up?

I would say for the most part they were there first. This simply means they touched it, tasted it and used SM in the most ambitious ways before almost anyone else. Obviously if you dig a bit deeper into each of their lives you will discover other information that lends credibility to their leadership in the realm of SM.

Forbes identifies 50 of the Top Social Media Influencers but there are plenty more that don’t make it onto this particular list. There are businesses popping up all over the world offering to usher you into the world of SM and they may be lead by those with influence.

There may be “data” behind those people as well, but there may not be! Understanding someone else’s capabilities may mean following and researching what those on the Top 50 lists are doing and recommending. Sorry, but if you plan to outsource your Social Media you should be prepared to do a little homework? We would love to help you!

]]> http://www.indyzigncreative.com/social-media-who-do-you-trust/feed 0 http://www.indyzigncreative.com/do-you-want-to-be-classical http://www.indyzigncreative.com/do-you-want-to-be-classical#comments Sun, 16 Sep 2012 20:42:37 +0000 John http://www.indyzigncreative.com/?p=2380 I learned a lot from Zoë. Zoë Keating is a phenomenal talent who I would describe as having “escaped” from the world of Classical music to find her home in a new and happier musical place. She would freely describe that place as Improvisation but to hear her talk about where she is now is a lesson unto itself.

Traditional Classical music depends on holding on to the way the music was meant to be played. Bach played it this way and that’s how we MUST play it as well. I don’t need to describe Improvisation to you other than to say, it is different and it could be different every time if the artists so chooses.

As a business in this era you need to be less classical music and more improvisational. Classical music represents doing business they way we have always known and in the most traditional of ways. All those ways are about pushing and it seems endless – funny sometimes, but endless. It includes commercials, print ads, bill boards, cold calling, et al.

The improvisation movement is open to taking a piece in a whole new direction. Better yet, this represents pulling and there is a new unbounded energy found in a brand new creative piece. It’s exploring blogs, social media, video and more. Seth Godin coined the term “inbound marketing” to describe these channels.

Here are some things to consider:

• Do you have a sound reason for not having any inbound marketing channels?
• If you have the marketing channels are you actually using them on a consistent basis?
• Don’t be afraid to improvise on your channels; do not return to your classical roots.
• Take time to do a little research each week – you may be stuck in classical mode and you just don’t know it!
• Don’t get sucked in by something that doesn’t fit with your business style.
• Consider changes carefully; do they add value to you and your customers?
• Make your business easy to find!

As noted, you may have to actually abandon your classical roots. For you and for everyone now using improvisational tactics, there is not only a learning curve but a time investment involved. Let’s face it, people are taking more time to make buying decisions and that means they are spending time online researching their options. Tune up your instrument; are you ready to play?

You know your customers have things they love to eat, do, and think about. Technology is already poised to take advantage of this on social networks. Robert talks about this with Chase when he illustrates a hypothetical visit to a winery.

In this scenario the winery already knows you are on the tour agenda. They know you like Cabernet, you visited several wineries already today and you purchased at least one case of wine already. Immediately the winery knows your preferences and they don’t even bother showing you a bottle of white wine – why bother?

Now, before technology does it all for you, apply your human brain to this concept. What do your customers like about your product? What are their other likes and dislikes and how does that connect with you or what your business offers? Can you cater to that individual client in word or deed in order to show them first, you know what they like and further that you are actually paying attention to them?

Let me share with you an example of what I mean and how it connects to technology. I happen to like the UFC – still not sure why – but I actually attend a local bar to watch it occasionally. Here’s what happens right now:

• several people connect via Twitter and Facebook to discuss who might attend
• a “coordinator” calls the bar to book a table
• we all show up the night of the event and buy food and drink and enjoy the show

Here’s what will happen in the future:

• while we are connecting on Twitter the bar notices we are considering attending the event and simply tweets, “We look forward to seeing you!”
• they know the person that usually calls so they tweet to them directly, “Would you like the usual table for 10:00pm?”
• since the bar already knows our food preferences, they send the “coordinator” a couple of discount coupons for drinks and appetizers
• the added incentive of coupons encourages a couple of new people to attend
• when we arrive, there is a free plate of goodies waiting for us
• during our time there, the bar tweets about us being there and RT’s all our comments about the event (even the stupid ones)

So is this about the bar being concerned about followers? Perhaps they are, but I think it demonstrates a level of engagement that is taking advantage of the customer experience. The bar is engaged, the customers are engaged and rewarded and everyone enjoys the event.

How concerned are you about followers then? How in-tune with technology are you? Can you bring it all-together to really connect with your customers?

When I’m driving in my car
And a man comes on the radio, he’s telling me more and more
About some useless information supposed to fire my imagination

For years arguments have been made for and against various forms of advertising and their perceived effectiveness (and potential damage). In order to connect with your audience all you had to do was PUSH. The science of advertising evolved to the point that knowing your audience meant you knew when, where and how to place your ad. This became tied intimately to extensive demographic information about Dick and Jane (my consumers for this blog).

There is an alternate movement afoot. It is connected directly to Social Media and to Social Media Networking and it’s going in the opposite direction to traditional advertising. This is no longer about PUSH – it’s about PULL. Many of the prominent figures in the world of Social Media (some former leaders in traditional marketing) like Seth Godin, Gary Vanyerchuck, and Jeff Bullas, are pointing to an end to PUSH. PULL, whether you realize it or not, is well underway.

Some (but not all) of this PULL stuff is going to sound rudimentary, particularly for small business owners. Let’s look at a short list of ideas:

• know your customer; who the heck are Dick and Jane?
• don’t change your language to “business speak”; be authentic
• think multi-media; time to give up working with overhead transparencies
• think local; in as much as “local” defines the communities that are attracted to you
• give; surprise people with something to inform or nurture them
• have fun; while you need to be taken seriously, don’t forget that people need to enjoy life
• think multi-channel; learn more about inbound marketing

Exposing yourself now to knowing your customers is a great first step. I’m not talking about average household income or if Dick and Jane are DINKS I’m talking about humanizing your marketing. If they are your customer, what keeps them coming back, what are they like, can you maintain contact with them through Social Media, are you surprised when they refer someone to you or did you plan it that way?

This is the chance for you to rise above the noise and the skipped commercials and endless PUSH and be the resistance by PULLing when most everyone else is PUSHing. Are you ready?

The Party

The party’s jumping, the music’s thumping and you look hot. Tonight you plan to let your hair down! This is a great scene, lots of cool people have found their way here tonight and you plan to meet as many as you can. You walk in the door, the bass beat hits you square in the gut and you feel it right down to your toes. You are immediately drawn to a figure near the bar. They are alone, they have a drink, they look good and it seems like the place to start.

“Hi” you say over the beat.

“Hi, how are you?” they respond.

“I’m awesome, I’m wondering if you would be interested in buying a house from me?”

If you, like many of your peers have viewed Social Media platforms as a place to “sell product” then you are at the wrong party!

To avoid coming across like a used car salesman consider the following:

• Twitter is a micro-blogging platform and that’s not a bad thing. At it’s best it is an instantaneous conversation with another person.
• Facebook is about stories and sharing, connecting with others and drawing them into your world.
• Blogging is Twitter on steroids with a side of Facebook. Pictures and videos are key and sharing your expertise in an accessible user-friendly way is the key to engagement.

This trio is a simple yet effective way to create “likes” and “follows” and demonstrate you do more than sell stuff.

A little known fact. Community does matter. In order to create community, you need to engage your audience. Get to know them, find out how you can add value to their lives and build up a relationship. If your company adds value to the local under-13 soccer team, then share that on Social Media. If your company is helping to support a non-profit agency then share that. If your company is dedicated to making a difference in this world that would be a good thing to share.

These are all the things you would normally share at the cocktail party. Let’s revisit that scenario:

“Hi” you say over the beat.

“Hi, how are you?” they respond.

“I’m awesome, I’m excited to be here to meet some new people?”

“Me too! What is it that you do?”

“I add value to the community!”

You see, everyone is going to ask the same old question and the answer is obligatory. Isn’t it time that you stood out from the crowd?

If you have ever read a blog online or if you have developed your own blog you are no doubt aware of the comments section. Regardless of how you feel about comments, that is making them or receiving them, you should consider this an opportunity for engagement.

A rudimentary, often overlooked way to create an identity is using Gravatar. You will notice the word “avatar” in there. In the computing world this is a picture (2D or 3D) or GIF that identifies you or your alter ego. A Gravatar insures your picture links to your own website (or wherever you point it).

Have a look at a prime example below (Image #1). In order to comment on most blogs you need to “log in”. This is commonly done with an email address. If you have a Gravatar, your select email should automatically trigger a search for your photo and URL info. If you don’t, then a default avatar is chosen for you.

Image #1

Which of those commenters are you more likely to click on to learn more about them?

A Gravatar has additional benefits. WordPress developers (and other developers) can use the info Gravatar generates for plugins. I used that in an author bio plugin on a site I developed (see Image #2). The result is a crisp image of the author and a link to all of his blog posts.

Image #2

There are some blogs where a Gravatar isn’t going to help, so you will need to consider the following options when you post comments:

• Disqus (a popular login service for blogs)
• Twitter
• Facebook
• WordPress.com (if you are hosting a blog there)

You will notice two of those log in options just happen to be premiere Social Media platforms. Yet another reason to not only engage in Social Media but ensure your biographical information, wherever it is, is up to date.

Have you got your online identity (all of them) under control?

So I started counting up the great features found on WordPress. I ran out of digits! There are so many great things to like about WordPress:

• An incredible variety of themes
• Multi-blogging capability
• Responsive architecture
• Search engine friendliness
• Trackbacks and Pingbacks
• Ever changing functionality for developers

I love all of these features like I loved a good Gidget movie (back in the day)! Still, my good friend Bridget^[2] and I agree there is nothing that beats a good widget.

For Apple lovers, you may recall the Dashboard Widgets. This control panel could play host to hundreds of little mini programs. The widgets were designed to draw data from other sources, like sports headlines from ESPN or weather updates from The Weather Channel.

Indyzign Widgets

Wordpress widgets are very similar to this. Designers incorporate custom widgets that can be placed in sidebars or footers drawing in data from other pages on the site. For example, a Blog widget would be customized to match the theme and it would pull data from the writer’s blog page. By design, it might pull the latest three posts, perhaps just titles. Users could then reference this or depending on the level of customization actually click on the titles taking them directly to the featured blog post.

Widgets aren’t short on features. Like midget actor Peter Dinklage^[3] who plays Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones, widgets are full of surprises. You can add calendars, Social Media feeds (Twitter, Facebook, etc.), navigation menus, custom mini posts, links, custom HTML/Javascript, testimonials, author info (avatar), photo feeds and more.

The best designers have learned to add numerous custom widgets that fit right into their designs seamlessly and can vary in complexity from “fidget” friendly to mind-bendingly cool.

Ask Indyzign how widgets can be incorporated into your website project.

In the Seinfeld post in question, Chris and Jerry explore the question, “What do salespeople actually talk about when the go back to see their manager?” No matter what they say, you know they are going to come back to you and ask you if you want insurance and a GPS unit and a dozen other things that add to the price!

All kidding aside, there are very few business where there isn’t something else that can be added to the original purchase. This is known as “up-selling”:

• up-size your meal
• buy two get the third at 50% off
• extended service contracts
• car wash packages
• clothing accessories
• computer upgrades

So when it comes to website design, what upsell can you expect? There are plenty of things you can add to a basic website. If a basic site is 5 pages, then almost certainly you are going to pay extra for page 6!

Photographs are essential in good web design. If you happen to be a stellar photographer that’s great. However, photo quality can almost instantly fail a site that might otherwise look awesome. Are you prepared to hire a photographer?

Industry leaders have declared 2012 The Year of the Video! Perhaps you are wiling to forgo video but at what cost? Estimates  indicate over 50% of the population (US) and over 70% of Internet users will see an online video in 2012. Are you prepared to hire a video expert?

Hubspot points out that businesses that blog at least 20 times per month generate 5X more traffic and 4X more leads than those that only blog a few times per month. That’s a lot of blogging! Are you willing to hire a writer?

You might not be prepared to blog 20X per month but don’t count out the “extras” that will actually help your business grow and be the best it can possibly be! Are you ready to upsize your website?

Whether you are shooting with an iPhone or a professional grade camera your location needs to be well lit. Consider this music video (Nancy Lee) shot entirely on iPhone 4’s. While it’s a cool song, think about the lighting. Where are the lights in this video? Is any of it natural or was it all done with lighting rigs?

Lighting for a video production like that is top of mind. However, lighting can be overdone and cause over exposure (lest you think it’s just about not having enough light) I once shot a whole concert only to discover the stage lighting had caused the whole video to be blown-out and rendered useless. While this was a technical issue, the lighting was the source of the problem.

I’ve found two video gems that are going to help you laugh about lighting your next video project. Laugh? I thought you were going to help us with lighting, you might ask? Yes, but part of what you need to understand is that we often take ourselves too seriously when it comes to video.

So relax, enjoy and let us know what you learn about lighting from these video professionals.