| design58 | social media consultancy | huddersfield, west yorkshire, uk

Social media local, global but definitely personal.

Do you ever pop next door for a cup of sugar or to borrow a memory stick or spare mouse? I have shared two of those items and had them returned within the past 18 months, the item I didn’t share maybe my neighbour got in a car and drove to buy who knows.  The relevance of community is important both online and offline and never should the two be separated.

With social media predictions for 2011 disappearing it’s worth looking now at what’s important not to you but your customer, client or contact.  The next big thing can be sorted out by those working on it naturally not those desperate to find it, when it comes along you can and will use it though. Adding value and awareness to your network or community by delivering a personal service doesn’t mean you will be glued to your keyboard 24/7 but it does mean you will have a stronger community because you listen.

Twitter is seen to deliver the parts of conversation we once had over the garden fence not too long and not too short but not needing to be whole sagas, people enjoy and need to communicate with each other.  In society today we are often on our own and this is where technology adds the benefit of being effective in connecting us to the people we want to talk to.

Communicating and talking doesn’t just mean telling everyone you walked the dog or came through the door, we never used to do that when we met people in the street by saying ‘I just came off the train and here I am in front of you.’  So why do it now, why not use the technology that’s available to add conversations where a few years ago it wasn’t possible or where you had to send a fax, letter or make a phone call.

Social media is changing the way we communicate simply through the technology we use, the most important aspect of communication has and will always be people.  Don’t be convinced by someone that they can re-market talking they can simply give you the tips and techniques to make it effective.

Through Facebook, Linked In, Twitter and many other online platforms we have the opportunity to reach communities and networks to engage with future and existing customers.  This doesn’t mean the end of print; it does mean you can spend less on printed marketing as you are better able to define who you may want to send printed information to.  This could be local or global, why should a small independent retail shop in a small town simply sell to the public of that town?  They can do this for the benefit of the people within the town but also for those outside travelling distance they can provide a global sales service. The Ecommerce may actually underwrite the retail outlet and make it possible to provide both.

This positive approach to independent retailing may not save every business but it is something that many businesses should look at.  It also delivers the importance of a personal service whether that’s answering a mention on Twitter, responding to a comment on Facebook or simply delivering something through the postal network that was purchased online.

The people we are connected with on a daily basis are all in some way or another going to be online within the day, by building a strategy with a schedule and policy for social media we can all engage and strengthen the relationships we already have by using the technology available.  It takes patience but relationships are not as easy as simply clicking connect, follow or like. Always remember its people that are important not numbers or technology, because those people you engage with will engage with other people.

Linked In Connecting

[This was comment I added to a discussion on Linked In regarding connecting etiquette]

I always suggest people get one like one follow and one connect at a time, that way rather than shoehorning your email list into that little box you will manually and personally invite people to be connected to you.  Also the number of people I meet who are here but don’t know how or why, are those just accepting the mailing list invite from a contact.

I built a MySpace profile to 18,000 friends and all invited manually, it’s the only human. Similarly as suggested Facebook is on the up for business whether they like it or not and the best fun you can have is to watch social media and marketing businesses try to get that into their package of training. Sorry but it does make me laugh people with RSS feeds of Mashable for a FB page suggesting they train you, as well as trainers who are not active on FB telling you how to be active.

Personally I only connect with people I have physically met and so have their business card, those who I find insightful and interesting through discussions and groups I am a member of, those who find me insightful and interesting from discussions and groups I am in and so on. It goes without saying being active on linked In will get these invites rather.

Yes there are people I don’t know and will never meet and that’s good, I am not necessarily getting their business, but getting involved in an engaging relationship where both parties can share and learn from each other. Like any networking, if you’re looking to constantly add your sales pitch you aren’t engaging but come across as disengaged.

I have been doing this for 28 years now [social networking] all the internet has changed is quicker response, through the 80′s I had a postal mailing list of over 2000 artists that I wrote to regularly.  Most I never met some I did meet many I shared and learned from.  Those not being engaging always disappeared, like the person in Yorkshire I met who couldn’t understand my interest in talking to someone on Linked In who lives in New York.

We’ve all more or less worked out physical networking and the fact you never know who knows who and how simply engaging and starting a conversation can lead anywhere.  It’s just the same here.

I am wary of people who connect with me who say they are my friend and aren’t, my etiquette to accept them after a simple check on who they are.  Then to message them and suggest they may like to approach the next person with a more personal and engaging message.

My final point, discussions like this [on Linked In] are invaluable for everyone looking for help and advice and a little guidance. It’s always good to ask questions, some people may not want you to know the answers but those engaging in the discussion will broaden the perspective from the initial view point and add value.

We wouldn’t get those answers by just sticking our head in the sand. So who is out there?  We don’t know and that’s the exciting bit not thinking what financial gain could be made from them.

Social Media and Sex Pistols

Social media is influential in adding value to human communication aided by technology, 1970′s band the Sex Pistols were influencers of global cultural shifts that are still being seen today. Is this the right time to stop talking about social media and to start using it?

Throughout 2010 we have seen a massive shift in people jumping onto the fast moving social media train. Trying to understand it, trying to use it and trying as hard as possible to make it into something unbelievably complicated.  That done they are then in a position to re-brand and become an expert charging excessive fees to confuse people even more.  Some going  as far as having a Facebook page with an RSS feed of international social media sites like www.mashable.com , not engaging or inspiring.

Is it all a con; is there a risk for businesses using social media?

Of course there are genuine people ready to share their experiences and knowledge to help businesses develop an effective presence online.  By building a strategic plan which includes a policy and schedule the risks are not eliminated but found, dealt with and overcome.  After spending time monitoring activity on social media platforms there is still a definite need to relax and take risks. The first risk is simply being true to you; those doing so are generally the people who are influential and inspiring.

Don’t judge a book just by the cover
Unless you cover just another
And blind acceptance is a sign
Of stupid fools who stand in line
Like EMI
Sex Pistols, EMI www.sexpistolsofficial.com

The Sex Pistols initially didn’t last long but did influence people to be independent and creative which is embedded into society still today.  It gets regurgitated within the fashion and music industries regularly, always throwing up  gems along the way.  In business should we really just continue with what is accepted, or should we enable people become more engaged? This has definitely being seen online over the past six years.

Social media technologies are the most basic and effective form of communication, so why would you decide not to use it?  With over 2 billion people online globally it would be surprising to find a business that has no reason to use the internet.  The risk is worth taking but that risk to some is that their customers will see a personable and approachable side to the business they are dealing with, this should be seen as a chance to change perceptions rather than run and hide.

By engaging and building a long term relationship with the customer or client budget costs can be changed. There is still a cost, but this is focused on building trust and loyalty by delivering genuine and informative content. Thoughtful positioning of information to specific communities is cost effective and should be used alongside traditional methods. Within this strategy there are vast opportunities for monitoring activity to maximise time and effort and to encourage flexibility not complacency.

Even if this is just the beginnings of social media it’s time to move on and stop believing its magic, myth or mystery, we are simply communicating as we have done before.  The risks should be taken now, creatively and technically otherwise the next generations won’t be influenced or inspired other than to be corporate and grey.  Maybe that would be a good thing as we would then get innovation and creativity through revolution.

The Magnetic Force of Social Media

The following words were part of a comment i added to a blog post by Steve Goldner, on The Magentic Force of Social Media. You can view the post at  http://socialsteve.wordpress.com/2010/11/21/the-magnetic-force-of-social-media

“I bought my first computer in 2002, just before doing a multimedia master’s degree, when I left school in 1981 we didn’t have any or use of any. So why does social media draw me? Connections, collaborations, sharing, informing, helping and on and on.

Since 1982 I have been in social networking [only just released it was named so]. As an artist and performance artist all that was important was interaction, participation, collaborations, sharing, engaging and building relationships. What was a piece of art worth if I made it and people simply ‘liked’ it. Instead I went out of my way to get reaction and make the audience creative too where possible.

I was also very active in ‘mail art’ and when someone says isn’t it odd having friends on Facebook you don’t know and will never meet, my answer is I have less there [685] than I had on my mailing list when doing ‘mail art’. Some of these people are still close friends and we still haven’t met.

I also spent 15 years performing as a living sculpture barely moving on top of a plinth up to 8 hours a day again for interaction and participation. More importantly this taught me about audience analysis otherwise everyone would simply walk by if I hadn’t understood their needs in connection to my movement.”

Mark longbottom
Design58

Is it right to pay for Facebook fans/likes?

Is it right to pay for Facebook fans/likes?
There are companies which offer 1,000 “real” people with a genuine interest in your page for under $100. Can this be authentic? And is it ethical? Any views or experience of this?

I recently saw this question on Linked In, here is my response, please add your thoughts below.

Building relationships through informed engagement and meaningful conversations will build your likes and followers one by one.  If you haven’t  got time to wait then pay, but the people you pay have no reason to inform others about the qualities of your busioness as they are not loyal or trusting simply taking a payment.

If someone asks you to pay them any money at the bottom of a long scrolling one page website for the answer to how to get friends, followers and likes it’s a scam to get your cash and give you nothing.

One like at a time will do it, at least you are engaging with your connected community, delivering informative information  suggesting you know your industry not that you are constantly delivering sales pitches.

I saw the question recently asking if you could have one more like or one more follower which would you pick Facebook or Twitter? the answer is you don’t need either because having one follower or like already means your mesaage is being seen by others who may follow or like your profile or page.

Real people are out there and are far more social media savvy than some businesses. Don’t provide what you think they want, listening actively will help you understand their needs and hearing what they say will help define your strategy.