I have been using Google + for a few days now (and no, this is not a post all about Google +) and have noticed an interesting phenomenon already. Everyone wants a “do-over” on social connectivity. Much discussion is happening around posts like, “Will you build your network differently here?” And the consensus seems to be that many people want to approach the whole concept of networking differently. Either they intend to be more selective in who they follow or add or they intend to be more rigorous in the groups (“circles” in + parlance) they form or maintain.

Another common thread is the desire to return to the halcyon early days of social networks when the novelty of connecting with other people – interesting people –was the driver behind the growth of Twitter or Facebook. You know, back before brands and marketing became the main focus of those old networks. Yes, that was a tiny bit sarcastic, I admit. Google + could potentially be much larger than Twitter given its much larger reach and the opportunity for even the most casual, non-networked internet user to be exposed to it every time someone does a search. Google + will be baked in to the search experience in a very seamless way by early indications (new “share” buttons have appeared in my gmail and my Google Reader apps already).

I remember the euphoria that accompanied my early days on Twitter, now nearly three years back, when someone new followed me. I long ago turned off “new follow” notifications because the emails were swamping my inbox. But I have the “notifications” from Google + turned on and that old feeling is back…. a little rush when someone adds me or comments on a post or shares something with me. Will it last? Probably not. Google + may end up being a better tool for personal connection, but professional networkers will soon be all over that platform and newly minted Google + jedi, knights, gurus and the like will be hawking their professional help. Soon, the who is following whom will become a game of sorts… social climbing for the 21st century.

Will anything be different in two years? Won’t Google + (or whatever is next) become what the users make of it and choose to do with it? Is a “do-over” really possible if defining relevance online via social cues – really the reason Google is doing this – will continue to be driven by who you know/are connected to and who’s talking about you, your brand, your company, your last presentation, slideshare, blog post or content bit? What do you think?

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about Blake Ewings’ closing keynote at last weeks’ Social Media Tulsa conference. One of the key takeaways for me was this statement:

It doesn’t mean only “tweet positive” but it does mean when sending thoughts, links, info etc. out into the world, we should all be mindful of the larger effect. It’s easy to say, “If you wouldn’t want your Mom to know, don’t post it,” but really, most of us feel a little more insulated in our online worlds than that. We use the public conversation to share our private frustrations. Sometimes, before we’ve taken the time to try to solve them privately. I have been guilty of this…

I’m still processing how and what I want to change about how I participate in the public conversation. What kind of social responsibility comes with a larger-than-average audience online? Mine isn’t anything like the superstars of the Interwebs, but it’s exponentially larger than the “average Jane” on Twitter, Facebook, etc. What obligations does that, or should that, entail as far as sharing?

And… based on some feedback I’ve already gotten on this post… does being more human actually give you more of a voice? Do people just care more if they “know you?” My instincts and experience tell me yes.

Like I said, still processing… and interested to hear your thoughts!

Speaker Group from 2011 #SMTulsa conference. Image by Captured Charms Photography

When I entered the Hyatt Downtown hotel to find the registration area for the Social Media Tulsa 2011 Conference, I was running a wee bit behind, had parked (and trekked) two blocks carrying my very heavy laptop, iPad, charging cords and cable connector laden bag, and was mentally rehearsing the presentation I would shortly be giving on New PR: Beyond the Press Release. In short, I was not really focused on the people or environment around me. Don’t we all get that way? A little wrapped up in our own to-do lists, pressing work, writing, whatever?

Then I rounded a corner about five people said, almost simultaneously, “Hey! It’s Mandy!” I had kind of “Norm!” moment. (If you don’t get it… here’s a YouTube vid to help you, first minute will do it.) And yes, five people mildly excited to see me does equal a “moment” for me. Don’t judge.

The point is I snapped back to the present… engaged, listened, conversed, became social. I left the mental gymnastics and the day’s earlier frustrations behind and settled into the moment. I met lots new people, learned some new information, witnessed other professionals sharing what they knew with the audience. And I presented my session on Public Relations and how to use social tools to get better results. It was a blast… not just because speaking, teaching and interacting like that energizes me, but because the audience rocked. They had great questions, and didn’t wait until very end to ask them. That meant we had the opportunity to branch out and explore a few topics like negative comments, corporate versus personal voices and other aspects of the world of socially enabled public relations. People in the audience were connecting with each other, too, which means more knowledge-sharing and learning per capita than what would have happened if it were just me talking up there.

I left at the end of the day reminded of why I love what I do… I love finding the (sometimes hidden) stories in a company or personal story and helping to tell them through public relations, marketing or even traditional advertising. But, if you don’t get out there and meet people, listen to what they wonder, what they question, what they believe, what they want… you miss out on lots of great stories. Even if they aren’t the kind that need to be told to a wider audience.

I like to speak because I like to connect, listen, learn and share. I like to speak at events like Social Media Tulsa and last month’s Spark and Hustle because the audience they attract is top notch, and that elevates the conversation and connections to a place where the time spent preparing, delivering, and attending the whole conference is totally worth it.

Thanks, SMTulsa people, for making the day such a vivid reminder of why I love what I do and for sharing your day with me and the other speakers… and most especially thanks to Cheryl Lawson for putting the whole thing together. Can’t wait till next year!

Photo Credit: Captured Charms Photography.

This is the framing post for the Wednesday, 2/9/11 #smchat on Twitter.

When you live in a social media fueled world, you sometimes forget to examine the larger perspectives out there. The more engaged in social media you are, the more likely this is to happen to you, your company, your clients or your brand. Social Media blinders are dangerous and marketers, PR people, brand managers and small business owners need to know the signs and how to look beyond.

Signs you may be wearing blinders:

1. You can’t remember the last time you watched an entire local newscast or read more than two stories from one issue of your local newspaper (even online)
2. You have no idea which local TV or newspaper reporters cover your business area or expertise
3. You get all or nearly all of your news from either your Twitter feed or your Facebook feed

What can happen?

1. Missed PR opportunities, missing trends or local shifts in perception that may not be filtering through to social media
2. Skewed view of your marketplace or your target audience’s wants, needs, problems or challenges
3. Giving up market share to competitors who are not constrained by blinders

How can you combat Social Media Blinders?

1. Use Google Alerts for more than just your name or your company name. Stay on top of key concepts or phrases in your industry or marketplace.
2. Stay in touch with what is happening in your local community by staying engaged with your local media.
3. Create content that is easily shareable beyond Twitter or Facebook. Think larger, think longer-term.
4. Get to know how much time your target market spends online, and where they spend it. Most importantly, figure out WHY they’re online. Posting coupons to Facebook is great if customers are there for coupons. If they are there for backstory and to find out about your corporate responsibility, you’ll need a different strategy.
5. Get out there… literally.

Got more? Other concerns about living to much in a hyper-connected world as it pertains to marketing, PR, brand, business or reputation? Anything you want to be sure we address in the chat? Post away in the comments!

Hope you’ll be able to join us this Wednesday, 1PM Eastern/noon Central for the chat. If you miss it, check out wthashtag.com for the transcript afterward. I’ll post the link in the comments on this post after we wrap the chat.

Twitter became meaningful for me two years ago today. Happy Anniversary, sweetheart

Today is the anniversary of the day I figured out the power of Twitter. I’d joined a few months before, in November of 2008. I’d tweeted some, and found and followed about two dozen people I respected in my industry… names I knew from MarketingProfs.com or from reading blog posts or articles. But mostly it was just for fun and a way for me to collect links and articles more quickly. I’d yet to really utilize a news/blog reader very well, so Twitter was serving that purpose. I’d first become intrigued after spending the previous year on Facebook, joining FriendFeed, and then hearing/seeing/reading about Twitter in industry articles. No one seemed really clear on what to do WITH it, just clear that everyone should be DOING it. I began to read… a lot. I didn’t follow anyone else and decided to start tweeting the good content I found, and commenting on it. I knew nothing of hashtags, really, other than that they existed. I’d never participated in a chat. I was determined to see if sharing good content was a strategy that actually worked, though…. so away I went.

After a couple of months, my following had grown to several hundred, based on luck and retweets of the content I’d created or shared. I still wasn’t actively following anyone, but I’d begun to talk to the followers I did have and with those I’d initially followed. Cool… but still not earth-shattering or profoundly game-changing. Then came Superbowl 43. I sat down to watch with my family, with my laptop… and started tweeting about the commercials (Hey, the Dolphins weren’t in it, and growing businesses is my profession). Suddenly, as the hashtag for the ads connected me to a slew of people across the globe all seeing and reacting to the same thing I was, at the same time, through a single medium, the power of Twitter (indeed, of all social media) became crystal clear to me. The conversations and engagement were infectious and addicting. I debated, agreed, challenged, tweeted and retweeted though the entire game, and have been actively engaged ever since. Because life is always happening, everywhere, all the time, and people are talking about it. Online, offline, all the time. The power of Twitter is not that I can talk to you, or you to me… it’s that WE can talk to EVERYONE else out there, anytime we want, one conversation at a time. Even if all we have in common is a love of Superbowl commercials, for today, it’s enough. Let’s connect.

What was your moment like? When did social media hook you?

As business has picked up these last few months, I’ve noticed my time spent online on social nets has dropped off. In some cases, significantly and in others less significant but still noticeable. The obvious reason (and easy out) is that I’m busy… working! Doing the things that earn me a living and keep my family warm, dry and fed. The time I spent on social networks from 2008 forward was always, in part, about building business. And it’s worked, of that I am certain. My investment of time and content in the ‘net is a very real part of the reason why I’m “too busy!” to tweet or post as frequently these days.

The real issue, though, isn’t whether I’m too busy today… it’s how busy will I STAY without continuing to invest time and content into my networks. What I’ve noticed is that the parts of online social networking that always felt like work I don’t miss doing. I need to do some of that “work” anyway, but I don’t miss making sure I post something valuable every day to LinkedIn, or that I’ve found, read, commented on and posted X number of blog posts in my field/areas of interest and expertise. I still do those things, but I do them as I have time at the moment.

I DO miss, however, the interaction and relationships I’ve developed over the past two, almost three years… and that is a sign of how necessary networks are for us. There are people I’ve met (mostly only digitally) whom I truly miss interacting with, and that I intend to change. I suspect that more regular interaction with some of the smart, savvy, challenging, entertaining and just downright cool people I’ve come to know will organically lead me to great content I WANT to read, comment on, and share with the rest of my network. It always has Thinking specifically here of people like Mack Collier, Bobby Rettew, David Spinks, Becky McCray, Amber Naslund…. people who make me think, who help me grow and who help me find and share content that’s worthy of a wider audience.

I’m beginning to realize that it’s not the networking I miss, it’s the key people in the networks. It’s not a news flash that relationships are the engine of social networking. Social networking took off in a time of recession, job hunting, and shared woes. What happens as things change? How do we continue to fuel that relationship engine? How will we hold on to our best digital friends when we get busier? Have you noticed a difference in your own habits, and are you planning any changes?

Big ideas already coming out of my #optsum attendance at Jason Falls’ session…. SEO and good content are not mutually exclusive. There are good tools out there, for free or little cost, which each give you portions of the picture you need. You must baseline well, track well, and revisit as needed to make sure you’re moving the needle. New media marketing must be more responsive, more technical, and more involved in content direction, not just creation.

Understand that your business blog is most likely NOT a community of dedicated fans, or even casual community members. It’s most likely a destination for first time visitors who’ve found you via an external site. Like search. Most likely, 80% of those who visit your site do not know anything about you… they found some part of your site via a specific search term.

Understand that the average Google search is 4 words long. And the next most common? 5 words. And the more specific the search term you win with SEO, the more qualified the buyer. Case in point: Winning “New Media Marketing” is less advantageous than winning “Tulsa New Media Marketing Agency”

Rinse and Repeat >> stay on top of your keyword research and SEO analytics. They change frequently… get into that data at least quarterly.

Focus on what you qualified traffic / prospects you want… if your blog is truly about growing your business, stop writing about just what you want and write about what will drive the results you want. (or vlog, or create other content ).

Corporate blogs need to reach a critical mass before they will really drive leads effectively. Starting and stopping is not helpful. Around 20-ish seems to be where the curve starts to grow. 50+ posts is when things start to take off. Of course, this assumes that the posts are quality ones and they relate to your desired traffic, keywords, etc.

So where does this leave you if you’re blogging for your business?  It’s time to take a good hard look at structure, organization, focus and results so your business can blog purposefully.

And now my brain is full. Follow @jasonfalls on Twitter so you can see his presentation.

A quick take on the first day of the #optsum conference: I enjoyed a bag lunch (literally, served in a branded thermal lunchbag) today and sat with some of the real estste/apartment industry peeps just for grins. It’s always good to step outside of your comfort zone a bit.

I was feeling particularly adventurous since the drive from Tulsa to Dallas was uneventful and featured an inspiring sunrise over foggy valleys in south central Oklahoma. Happy to be alive, happy to be at #Optsum, I sat down at a random table and introduced myself (those of you who’ve met me in person know this is not exactly out of the ordinary behavior for me!).

The conversation revolved around their part of the show… and how completely dissatisfied they were. No sponsor for breakfast, so it had been cancelled… and apparently no one told the attendees. The room was too cold. There was no bottled water available. The show floor was open too long. Some of the speakers were bad. The booth spaces were way too expensive. Attendance at the show was down. The turkey sandwiches stunk… and, the big one… NO DESSERT at lunch!

*whew* It was a brutal buzz kill. The bad thing is that social media and feedback channels are (literally) all around these unhappy folks, and yet no one thought about how to fix or address any of the problems they were experiencing through feedback in that way. While I can’t say I enjoyed my time with them at lunch… I have children, I get my daily fill of whining, thank you… I was graphically reminded that the digital world I live in is not the same for everyone. There is always more to learn about reaching people where they are, right now, and addressing their issues with compassion and forthrightness.

And finally… I thought the turkey rocked and I prefer the temperature at 72 or below. So there.

UPDATE: I spoke with the Optsum leadership after this post appeared (they were paying attention) and was very impressed with their desire to hear feedback and improve what could be improved. Kudos to them.

If you see me at optsum, say hi!

drapes at the Sheraton make a nice backdrop

Here, in visual form (courtesy of wordle) is what I’ve written about on this blog in the past year.

Visual Image of Just Exactly What It Is I Do (or at least, what I write about)

There’s nothing like doing a wordle based on the feed of your blog to show you exactly where you’ve been spending your digital time. It’s like printing a list of your entire Google search history and posting it… You feel a little naked for a moment or two.

Interestingly, even though this blog is about ‘Marketing,’ that word doesn’t appear in the wordle. Not even once.

If you’re a regular reader (according to Feeburner, there are 2 of you out there. Bless you both.) you know that I view Marketing as forging connections between people and other people, ideas, places or spaces. And THAT is reflected in the wordle. I believe in relevance, community, making people think and in making social media and its tools work for business.

And, as you look closely through the image, you’ll see I have a teen, I hate complacency and I think context is the next big thing. I also should spend a little more time on my blog dealing with the specifics of marketing, since most of the tactics in marketing and PR apparently are getting short shrift on my blog.

Now… here’s my challenge. If you blog, go to wordle.net and enter in the URL of your blog. Grab the image and post it to your blog, just like this. Do a little self-analysis and share the link in the comments. I can’t wait to see what you discover!

NOTE: This post will be the framing for the #SMchat on Twitter on Wednesday, August 18th, from noon to 1 PM CST.

Or…. Why winning new clients, friends or donors is so much easier when you do the hard work of investigation, positioning and delivering, and how to do it better.

Get going on the path to community and conversion.

First, some quick definitions:

I’ve written about Complacency before, and how complacency breeds contempt for your audience. In this case, I’m talking about having a George Lopez-like attitude of, “I GOT this!” when it comes to making sure you’re offering something of value to people who have the ways and means to buy it and that you’re operating in the right venues to get their attention.

Context is the real and the digital landscape we operate within. It means all of the influencing factors we consciously or unconsciously take into account when we evaluate the potential, intent, or veracity of a bit of data. Context is what changes data into information.

Collaboration is purposefully working together with another entity… person, place or business, to achieve mutually beneficial goals.

Conversion is the golden moment when a prospect becomes a client, a shopper becomes a buyer, or an idea takes hold and becomes a movement.

Now… here’s why all this matters and why you should consider the “Four Cs” of doing business in 2010.

Today context (all those influencing factors) changes more rapidly then ever before. If you assume, as a business or brand, that what worked last month or even last week, will work this week… you allow complacency to frame your offerings and your engagement.  Better to seek feedback, monitor and listen actively, find new ways to be relevant and timely through smart collaboration and the use of tools like social media, integrated marketing, relationships and networking, dashboard-type web monitoring applications, community (meatspace or meetspace) to keep tabs on context. Conversions aren’t permanent since context is always influencing customers. Building community in whatever way is most appropriate for your brand, business, idea or personal cult is a long-term way to collaborate directly with your most important audience. If they think you care, and are actually listening, they’ll  tell you what they want and need from you. All (ha!) you have to do is deliver the goods… whether that’s information, product, services, results-as-promised is what converts a customer into an advocate and someone who’ll want to be in community with you.

When you become part of the context of your customer’s lives to the extent that you’re in community with them, it’s much harder for you to become complacent…. would you let down your friends? Lie to them? Make assumptions and not even bother to beg forgiveness? Of course not. You won’t want to let your community down, either.

Bottom line? Remember that complacency breeds contempt for your audience, and that audience uses the ever-changing filter of context to determine who gets their attention. If you want to stay relevant and get through the filters, spend some time collaborating with people, offline and online. Use social tools, use engagement mechanisms like web sites and email, use old-fashioned suggestion boxes if they work. Because conversion, in the usual sense of the word in online circles, isn’t the ultimate goal.It’s just a step on the path building the kind of contextually relevant community that leads to long-term brand or business success.

What do you think? Do we need “4 Cs” along with the “4 Ps” these days? Give us your best examples of relevant communities creating their own context? Am I just nuts?

photo credit: Landscape_Photography on flickr.com (some beautiful work there!)

QUESTIONS we’ll be considering:

How do you guard against complacency?

How do you determine contextual factors? How can SM affect or provide context?

How can you collaborate with your audience through SM?

(and others, as the discussion develops)