This and That

For me I have always found the successful business is all about creating connections. And creating the right connections can last a lifetime. Creating connections pre Internet boom took time, sometimes weeks, months or even years but once created they became a valuable link in the success of a business. In our current business climate there is a too strong a focus on the numbers within social media. Number of Fans, Number of Followers, Number of Likes but in the context of valued connections what do these numbers really mean? Do they mean anything at all?

In traditional media context it was all about circulation; the numbers mattered. Or did they? For many, traditional media and particularly print offered the tangible approach. You could look, touch and feel your marketing efforts. This was seen as a way a business could reach out and build that valued connection. There is a great emphasis for many with traditional media on tangible elements. As a customer we could touch the advert in the newspaper or printed media.

When it comes to social media it could be argued that the non tangible aspects are the crucial elements. Within online engagement many businesses are not allowing the penny to drop and when it does drop will it be just too late? Will they have missed a fundamental opportunity to engage and build a relationship with their customer online? Of course it’s one thing to be talking about building the relationship but sustaining it long term online and ensuring it blossoms into a valued connection could be perhaps the biggest bridge to cross. It’s in our human DNA. Let’s face it we’re social people, and we need to have a connection with other people. It’s this social aspect which those businesses & brands need to be seeking ways to build a connections with customers and stop using and seeing the online experience as a faceless transaction. Those businesses that give the transaction a personality are on the first step to building the connection.

Building a connection takes time, building a valued connection takes even longer, but it’s the valued connection which will benefit both the consumer and the business the most.

As a business, if we consider Social Media as a low cost, quick marketing ploy to drive new sales for our businesses we are almost certainly going to fail. Building a relationship online has no real difference to building a relationship offline.

Now I know there will be people reading this blog who don’t agree with this statement. But what we do need to remember is that we now live in a environment where each and every one of us communicates differently than our parents did. As business owners we need to find ways to actively engage in this new form of connection, which will ultimately result in helping our business to succeed and build out online customer base.

Having received many questions on this topic, from businesses both small and large, Public & Private, I decided it might be time to give social media in the workplace its own blog.With Social Media & Digital Technologies redefining how we engage with one another and how we communicate the use of digital technologies particularly, social media in the workplace is one which subject has sparked debates at all levels within organisations - just how do we control it?

Well put simply, you cant…You can try all you want to get your IT Department to lock down access to Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and other popular social media platforms,but what benefit will it have.With the explosive growth of Smartphones, users now have a new way to access content and social media platforms on the move.

Right about now senior managers and CEOs eyes start to roll..Not having control of their brand or businesses communication message is a big problem.The communication game has moved to a whole new level, now more than ever, everyone and every employee have a voice and what’s more they have a channel in which to communicate that voice to a sizable if not global audience.

Businesses need to understand this.

Businesses & organisations need to look at ways to harness the power of social media and look at the potential benefits enabling social media within the workplace as a form of communication.

I’ve given 5 pointers which organisations need to consider & implement to ensure social media within the workplace is working for them:

1.  Strategy is key – within any businesses or organisations strategy plays an important role in how the business meets it goals or objectives.  Social Media needs a strategy, many businesses are confused just to what a social media strategy is their business and how they implement. That being said the strategy will ultimately depend on what and where the businesses is hoping to get with their social media.
2. Training is fundamental - the digital landscape is changing all the time and many businesses jump on the social media bandwagon for the sake of it, or perhaps because everyone else is using it.  Staff at all levels within the businesses need to be aware of social media, its benefits and indeed its drawbacks, everyone from the CEO right down to junior and new members of staff need to receive training.  Social media has become such a core way in which we communicate not only within work but also outside of work on our own time that it is vital employees and businesses understand what discussions are acceptable and  which are not, how they can benefit and also affect the business in which they operate in.    Starting by making employees aware of the boundary between public and private spaces will help with selecting the right medium to communicate with their customers. 
3. Respect Privacy - We live in a society now more than ever where things we come across we share – just look at the explosion of Pinterest and how it has changed the game for how we share content online.Many of the comments which we send out are to public spaces like Google + or Twitter which are indexed by Google meaning they WILLl appear in search results.If you are reposting or resharing make sure the original source has allowed you to do so, always exercise caution and respect the privacy of users within your community or space.
4.  Have a Social Media Policy - it amazes me how many businesses or organisations today still don’t have a social media policy or guidelines – IT’S ESSENTIAL.  In its simplest format a social media policy will help clear any grey areas between an employee and employer on what is and what’s not acceptable when using or engaging with social media.There is no one type fits all when it comes to social media policy and depending on the size & nature of the business will determine the policy needed.
5.  Take care when mixing personal and professional - There is nothing worse personally as a consumer of online activity of coming across company jargon on social media platforms What I am referring to here is company speak and the use of company lingo to communicate with your customers or audience.As humans we like to feel when we engage socially online we are engaging with another human therefore your communication needs to have personality.For many businesses and brands when they move online they seem to lose their personality so much so that they run the risk of becoming not authentic to their customers.Just as we spoke earlier in the blog that the strategy is key it’s at this point in which we must determine what the company’s personality is online and just how it should be communicated.

There are of course other areas which need to be considered in relation to social media and its usage within the workplace but one thing that is for sure- Social Media is here to stay, its been a fundamental shift in the way we communicate both personally and professional and also the way we do businesses –it can’t be ignored and is an area which businesses both small and large need to hae a clear understand of.

Follow me on Twitter for all the latest Scoop & Banter on Social Media @waynedenner

(Source: waynedenner.com)

It seems as marketeers we get used to one set of changes and Facebook goes and does it again. This month sees a whole host of new changes for anyone using Facebook Pages new developments for businesses, brands & marketers alike to get their heads around. I for one was forced to embrace these changes a little earlier than planned when I migrated a page from a personal to a business page the decision was pretty much made for me, embrace the change. Now for the rest of us Facebook have given until the 30th March 2012 to make this transition in which at that time Facebook will automatically change all pages over to the new timeline. The big change for many businesses, brands & marketeers using the social media platform is that Facebook is getting rid of default landing tab on its pages landing tabs specifically the default landing tab have proved very useful for many businesses, brands, products & indeed services as away to increase likes on their page prompting a call to action via the custom landing tab. All however is not lost and I for one have begun to like many of the new developments which they have started to roll out with this new update. Facebook it seems has taken this step to allow brands a new way to deliver more focused content to their audience which helps convey the overall brand message. Now for Facebook this is all relevant how? Well the latest set of changes now allows Facebook more than ever to fit into the greater marketing communication plan of the Brands & Products who are using it. So what can we expect with the new changes I’ve picked out 3 of the changes which have made an improvement. 1. Cover ImageThis is one of the core changes to the new Facebook Pages. Many of us have already begun to use this feature on our personal pages and guess what its being rolled out on pages too. Brands & Businesses have one big image to showcase what they are all about, lets face it the cover image will be the first thing your visitor see when landing on your page. Below is an example of how Red Bull has embraced the cover image feature.

2. ApplicationsMore new applications have become available but as mentioned earlier the default landing tab has been removed but no need to panic if you have created a custom welcome tab they are still there along with any other applications which you may have added. The new changes allows for up to 12 applications to be shown with up to four appearing on the main area below the cover image. Personally I feel the new position of the Apps will make it easier for users to engage with the content provided giving better exposure to competitions and possible and guess if you had previously created one you can still include your welcome tab – a sigh of relief for many.

3. Milestones Just as in our life & in our personal Facebook profiles we can now create and set Milestones. If used correctly Milestones have the potential to be of huge benefit to brands as they begin to personalise themselves for their users. Milestones will allow then to create and tell people about events both small and big in the life of the Brand or Business. Another reason they are of benefit milestones allow users to follow a brand journey experience and take a step back and a look at milestones which have been achieved or watch for those yet to happen. For all page owners once the 30th March arrives the change over will take place automatically which will present a whole host of new opportunities for brands to engage. Facebook has said that the new pages will help businesses, organisations and brands a new opportunity to share their stories and connect with their users. I see this as a new way for Brands & Businesses alike to see these changes as a unique opportunity to engage followers in a new way and making them become part of the businesses or brands journey, feeling better connected and part of an experience which can only help the business or brand prosper.

(Source: waynedenner.com)

Recently I did a quick audit on the pages which I liked on Facebook over the past number of months and was surprised with some of my findings. Many of the pages which I had in-fact ‘Liked’ I had done, without really much care; liking them just for the sake of liking a page or perhaps because someone had sent me an invite to do so. I suspect this has been the case for many of us. What was even more interesting was the messages which these business page owners have been sending out to me, their potential consumer. Mostly the same old sales messages which had just washed over me. As our exposure to marketing online increases via social networking channels, in particular Facebook, surely it’s worth considering the effect, if any the message is having. Are businesses engaging in this activity, experiencing any actual ROI?

If we step back in time, say 12 years ago, most of us should be able to remember the Internet was a much different place in terms of digital marketing and online advertising. Back then advertising such as banner advertisements and email marketing were pretty much all we were exposed to.

Lets, for a second, take a look at email marketing and how for many of us, our inboxes are being consumed by vast amounts of none relevant messages, which we aren’t remotely interested in. For me, and I’m sure for many, the sheer amount of junk mail received can be somewhat over whelming to say the least, so much so, we select and delete without even opening. So let’s look at long term relationship which businesses want with their clients. Are they really happening? Are the messages and advertisements simply washing over us? as they hit our inbox or display on screen. As marketers we are constantly searching and seeking out new ways to create channels in which to target consumers; but perhaps it’s a step back which is needed to really look at the message which we are sending to our customers, standing in their shoes and looking with their eyes.

Just as with our interactions offline we need to learn to forge and build relationships with our customers online for our campaigns to really be effective.

Building relationships with customers is the crucial and critical component which needs to be at the core of every campaign. This takes time, time to research and learn what your customer wants, listen first and find out.

Those brands, businesses that build relationships with their followers, fans or within their community are the ones who stand to benefit.

I come across way too many businesses that see Social Media & Digital Marketing as a quick fix towards marketing efforts. For most businesses there is no real gain in Social Media in the short term but those businesses that stick with it, build relationships and engage with their followers, fans or community online will see a real boost in their bottom line. As a businesses when a person likes your page engage with them as you would a real customer, take time to get to know them, listen to them and personalise your relationship. Following these steps should make the purchase pattern happen a lot easier as apposed to hitting them up with an offer or a discount as soon as they like your page.

Let’s be clear ‘Long Term Relationships built either offline or online equal Long Term Business & Returning Customers’.

Follow me on Twitter @waynedenner

(Source: waynedenner.com)