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

Social Profiles in Print

This study is simple not scientific factual and surprising, based on The Guardian newspapers  Saturday Weekend Magazine.

Each issue holding 30 -40 pages of full and double page advertising spreads from a total of 80-96 pages. Aware that social media is part of everyday life there is little evidence in these pages.

The Following data has been taken from the Weekend Magazine on 14, 21, 28 May and 04, 11, 18 June.

The following details are specific to the publication of June 11.

Within the publication from June 11 out of the 30 major advertisers five had no Twitter presence and two were without Facebook presence.  The only evidence in the magazine of any social media presence was one Facebook  logo, one more than the June 18 publication.

Interesting to see a full page Starbucks advert without any suggestion of Facebook presence, 23,240,501 Likes on http://www.facebook.com/Starbucks.  The ad is seen in the following image from June 11, repeated on June 18 without the offer and again without evidence that they are active on Facebook.

In support of The Guardian Newspaper they provide a valuable online resource at http://www.guardian.co.uk .

Why aren’t there more logos in print with direction enabling engaging activity with the reader?  The audience is there waiting, businesses are engaging with their audiences online and learning more about themselves from this. Are the rest really waiting to see if it works?

If you do see any representation of any social networks in  print or on the streets in  shop windows, bars, bus or billboard ads. Please take a photo and post them on http://www.facebook.com/design58 we want to see who’s actively integrating what they do onine and offline whether multi nationals or sole traders.

We all have the opportunity to utilise the internet, lets share positive use and encourage more.

Are You comfortable?

Comfort zones are fantastic but they make people less creative and innovative in what they do whether at work or at home. More and more I am meeting people who seem unsure of The Internet [social media] and that has brought me to consider my thoughts and passions and experiences of the past 29 years.

As a performance artist I worked specifically as a ‘living sculpture’ [1986 - 2001]standing practically motionless up to 8 hours a day on a plinth, on the street, in corporate circles, galleries, shop windows, hotels, nightclubs wherever. What relevance has this to social media? Everything, as the whole performance is about engaging, creating interaction, reaction and participation but above all audience analysis. I didn’t just stand there I had to work out what to do with who and when and where to make the whole crowd work with and for me. Just like anything on the internet where people are involved they won’t just come to you through Google, better to specifically find those you want to talk to and save time and money. But as you know people don’t [some people] seem to like this and so become aggressive.

Back to performing I literally put myself on a pedestal to be knocked down the idea wasn’t for support and applause but to see what people did when confronted with something outside of their everyday life no make up no cistume just a 3 piece suit and skiing goggles. Most applaud and support those unsure turn gradually violent verbally and physically. Not all got to me as the self censorship of my audience overruled the minority who were negative again this can relate to online activity.

Recently I have seen and noticed more people worried about what to do online; usually it falls back to being out of their comfort zones and having to consider relearning skills. That is something I have constantly done since 1981 as everything changes and we should with it, the internet will never sit still. Linked In won’t sit still neither will Twitter or Facebook that’s why we need to be flexible and share information not be competitive hiding the crown jewels becasue someone else will be sharing them. Instead learn to collaborate and move forward.

So yes beware some people will be out to trip you up, simply because they are uncomfortable. Trust those that are around you and connected to you. The engaging relationships will last and won’t go away, what I have learned over the past 29 years does work simply because I have focused on people and understanding their needs not mine.

Is it really ‘you’ people meet?

I was always advised to show you care, share what you know and learn from anyone else doing the same. Whether online or offline, over millions of years the human species has developed how to engage and develop relationships and the job is not and never will be done.

Here are a few questions to consider when thinking about engaging and developing relationships, it’s not about technology but people and how they engage with ‘you’.

Whenever and wherever you’re active what is the perception of you?
We all know what we do and how we do it, but do you know why you do it?

People don’t buy what you do but why you do it, so why you doing it?
Do you do business with people who believe what you believe?

How do you develop and create engaging loyal long term relationships?
How do you connect and interact?

What works, what doesn’t work when you connect and interact with people?
Whether having a coffee, croissant or cocktail. Who has inspired and influenced you?

Being authentic, genuine and informative should create trust and loyalty in answer to many of these questions. If you have to think before being yourself then something isn’t right.

Please feel free to add to these questions with your own thoughts below.

Offline social media……..

With social media being so popular are their logos and posters in bars, stores, club and other public places where you spend time?  I was in a Starbucks recently and absolutely no sign that they had any presence on Facebook yet we are all aware when we are online of how connected they are to their customers.

Why aren’t brands connecting offline and online, its an easy thing to do knowing virtually all the customers have some contact with Facebook, Linked In, Twitter and You Tube through any given 24 hour period.  All it needs is a logo or banner to signify and stimulate the connection in the customers mind.

Most people can connect, follow or like there and then on one of many hand held devices or via laptop. I find it intriguing why on and off line seem so far apart in many businesses plans.  Unlike Nordstrom in USA who have actively encouraged staff to casually make people aware of their Twitter profiles.  This post on Web Ink Now shows how logical, simple and personal it can be, as well as truly effective:

http://www.webinknow.com/2011/03/nordstrom-does-twitter-right.html

Another  reason for this post is to request your help too, if you’re out and about and do see a logo, icon, banner however creative or not.  Could you think of us and post it on our facebook wall? We want to get an idea and flavour of what people are doing around the world, or not doing.

http://www.facebook.com/design58

Thanks.

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.