advergirl

New series next week: 7 ways we're using social now

I'm going to break out of the usual case studies and stats and look at the changing ways we're using social media to connect with each other, with causes and with brands. If you have ideas or would like to author a guest post in the series, let me know. You can leave a comment here or Facebook me.

I am not a geek. (And other true stories.)

I'm among the oldest members of the tech support generation: those computer-savvy "kids" expected to answer digital questions on demand, fix ailing computers at a moments notice, explain just exactly why someone would bother to use Facebook, and otherwise speak for technology. Bosses, coworkers, parents, neighbors start their questions - oh, you would probably know...and, then, wham - there I am, an interested novice playing an expert.

Sure, they're grateful. Who doesn't love a little tech heroism. But, along with the questions and the thank yous come the label: Geek

They're glad to have someone who "speaks geek," "who is a geek," "who gets geek."

*sigh*

I've decided it's time to fight the moniker.

There are two basic definitions of geek (you know, beyond, the anachronistic circus/chicken reference):

1. A person intensely interested in a particular field or hobby, generally at the expense of broader social interaction (I think we can all agree I have a lot of interests - and social interactions)
2. A person interested in an esoteric subject that is marginal to the social mainstream

That second one is the one they mean. An esoteric subject. That's the one I want to tackle.

I saw this great illustration on the Both Sides of the Table blog. It shows a typical technology adoption cycle - basically what it takes to move a technology from esoteric to the mainstream:

The time is different for every technology, of course, but essentially you move from those early adopters (geeks) to pretty much normal behavior about 15% of the way in. I can live with that - 15% of us have a propensity to be geeks through our bold early adoption of challenging technologies (sounds more courageous that way).

Ok, now let's look at the technologies I'm interested in and plot those on this adoption chart:

Hmmm, suddenly doesn't seem so out of the mainstream, right?

When social media really started - back in the age of Friendster - it's true, it was the province of geeks and early adopters. That was the stage it was in. Now, digital/social/mobile have radically changed. The world's most social people have taken them over and made them their own. No longer is it a marginal activity. Instead, it is both the mainstream and the competitive advantage we all need.

S, maybe I should maybe add the Urban Dictionary definition for geek - The people you pick on in high school and wind up working for as an adult. Bring it on, laggards ;)

How to be a (good) company blogger

Here’s a question I never even thought to ask: How do you train a blogger?

Isn't blogging just a conversation starter you type instead of talk?  Something that's kind of natural - like writing an email or posting a Facebook status?

Wait, in what world did these things become natural? I've got to shake up my digital comfort zone and think like people who haven't spent their entire careers on one long anthropological online dig.

We’re getting a couple of team-sourced blogs up and running here at GSW. There’s a lot of interest, but also a lot of uncertainty.

The sponsors/editors worry:

• Will people really submit content?


• Will it be on brand?


• Will it be something people want to read?

The contributors worry:

• What’s the right way to do this?


• How will I fit it in my workflow? (i.e. how will I have time for this?)


• What topic should I talk about?

The truth is, they're totally understandable concerns. John Cass wrote an interesting article recently about the four operational models companies use to adopt social media. They largely focus on getting people like me (digital junkies) to use their habit for the good of the brand.

I'm trying to add a whole new model. One that's pretty uncomfortable at first.

I'll call it: Corral the conversation

Find the people in your organization who have great, shareworthy ideas and give them new kinds of tools to share them. Fast track the digital adoption process by making technology work like they work. Basically help your curious, chatty people climb onto a soapbox they wouldn’t have been inclined to build up on their own.

Yeah, that’s harder, right? But, it’s one of the few way to get past the early adopters and tap into that larger, smart conversation going on in your organization. To have your social media investment really be authentic to your organization.

Now the question makes sense. How do you train bloggers? How do you help people feel comfortable in an environment that is totally foreign to them?

First, pick the right people. Or, better, let them nominate themselves (that's right, people, a call to blog. Complete with job number!).

Good bloggers are energized by the conversation. They share three things in common:

1. They’ve got a comfortable, recognizable voice. Both spoken and written.


2. They’re naturally curious. They’re the ones who send you all the links to the new studies, the breakout creative, the industry trends.


3. They’re good synthesizers. They read a couple of disparate things and draw a new conclusion. They tag their ideas with memorable phrases. They make it all accessible with analogy.

Ok, now you’ve got your core group. How do you make them successful?

I'm still thinking about that question: How do you train a blogger? I don't know the answer, but I know some things I recommend to writers to make it easier:

• Scribble an outline: Blogs are definitely a back-of-the-napkin kind of business. Just jot an idea down when it comes to you. It will be much easier to fill in the details later (vs. stopping everything to blog or trying to come up with an idea cold.)


• Call yourself: Blog writing is best when it sounds natural, like something you'd actually say. If you're having trouble writing that way, stop. Call your voicemail, turn on your iPhone's voice recorder - talk it out. Then go back later and type it up (Or try that nifty Dragon Dictation app)


• Take a POV: A lot of bloggers get caught up and trying to report on something. Covering every angle, citing sources, etc. It doesn't have to be that hard. Don't try to tell the whole story; just share a unique insight or POV on part of it. (Link to news story the media paid someone to write)


• Embrace the bullet point: Short is better (that's true even though I'm terrible at it!). Don't worry about big complex thoughts and compound sentences. Just give me the highlights.

The biggest opportunity, though, is probably for the editor. How can she use tools and technology to make blogging work the way people work:

• Make it doable: Set reasonable expectations. Start with two posts a month. And, do the proofreading for them.


• Use email: Wordpress, Drupal and other platforms now enbable post by email. How much better is that for contributors? Type your email with your pictures and bullets and bolding, send it to a custom email address, and (like magic) it's in the blog queue for publishing.


• Create a clear filter: Tell bloggers (and readers) what the blog is about. That crisp statement of purpose that helps them know what to write about (and what to save for the water cooler)


• Provide examples:  Show, don't tell. It's a lot easier for most people to work from a pattern.


• Accept lots of formats: It's not all about words. A great picture, a podcast, a video - take them all!


• Share results: Bloggers want to connect with readers. To be read and be valued. Make sure to pass results back to them - how many people have visited the blog, where the content was shared, what posts were most popular.

We're trying a little of all those things. Keep an eye on our progress.

We've already launched one team blog.

There's another one coming on April 22.

And, one more soon after that.

Top Four Colleges in Social Media

Colleges have been early adopters of social media. They've built Facebook pages and launched Twitter feeds much sooner than lots of their business-minded peers. Using blogs as an example:

• In 2007, 32% of colleges blogged vs. 8% of the Fortune 500 or even 19% of the much savvier Inc 500
• In 2008, they remained well ahead of that curve: 41% of colleges blogged vs.13% of the Fortune 500 and 39% of the Inc 500

But most still face the same challenge: they have a lot of content, but not a lot of engagement.

A number of colleges can count their Facebook fans in the tens of thousands. But the one with The Single Highest level of engagement only has about 300 fan posts. How do colleges translate this interest and affiliation to action? The answer seems to be a more targeted strategy. Not just testing these hot new tactics, but understanding the needs of their audience, setting clear objectives and then picking the tactic that makes the most sense to deliver results.

Four colleges have cracked the code:

1. SUNY. Their New Paltz campus wanted to increase the academic quality of the incoming class. Through their current outreach efforts, they were able to get on these high-quality student's short lists (and accept them); the challenge was convincing them that SUNY was the right final choice. They decided to find a way to make these students feel more connected to SUNY. The tactic was a private community called Cafe New Paltz.
   
   Students were invited to join through a tiered invitation system: First build relationships with the students we want most; then open it up to the entire class. Two people were dedicated to act as hosts and update content. That was essential to the strategy: consistently delivering valuable content. It gave students a compelling reason to spend time on the site (the average visit was a whopping 14 minutes) and delivered the desired results by increasing the percent of their “highest selectivity” group that made deposits from 30% to 37%. Read more at .eduGuru.


2. Wittenberg University. The project is called Witt Nation. It's a summer roadtrip that started with a defined goal: Build stronger relationships and reach out to like minds. 13 talk leaders traveled 8,000 miles to host events in 27 cities. On the road, they met more than 1,000 passionate fans - creating something that looks very much like the core of the Wittenberg brand: a unique place for unique people.
   
   Importantly, Wittenberg integrated the “on the road” experience with an online community - building out a storytelling space to connect with potential students and engage alums. The stories collected each summer will live on beyond the road trip. (I can't help it, I still think Plaid's is cooler!)


3. Mayo Medical School.Here's one that was actually inspired by all that testing of various social media tactics. Mayo admits a small, diverse freshman class. They come from around the country and around the world to embark on the toughest education challenge of their lives. Naturally, they're nervous and tend to know no one on Day 1 of the fall semester. So, orientation has always been an important focus for the school - get people acclimated to start them off right.
   
   By testing different tactics, they found that Facebook groups were more effective than their traditional orientation efforts. So, they tried refocusing all of their orientation efforts there. They earned 100% participation by pairing the with right (exclusive) content with the right experience. And, it worked. Not only did they notice better teamwork and integration in incoming classes, they were also able to refocus staff time and cost savings on curriculum.
   
   Barbara Porter, Assistant Dean for Academic and Student Affairs said “We used to worry about learning their names because we didn’t want them to feel isolated. Well, now they know everybody by the time they get here.” Hear her talk more about the program on YouTube.


4. University of Minnesota.The school's Carlson MBA program was struggling to meet its admission goals. The marketing team knew what they needed was to make direct connections with more potential students. Unfortunately, this kind of student - professional, adult, heads of household - is a little trickier to reach than your average incoming freshman. Even when events and programs were offered, many of their most-desired students didn't attend - they were too busy or couldn't make it at that particular time.
   
   Carlson used social media to overcome the barriers of communicating with non-traditional students. They created an account on Twitter to answer questions and engage potential students in real time (while, creating a searchable archive). The strategy worked. They increased the number of applications for the incoming class. See the feed.

For more on this topic, see the full Making Digital Connections in Higher Education presentation from the recent conference I was part of at Ologie.

Social Media and Higher Ed

We're just finishing preparation for Ologie's higher ed event tomorrow. Leaders from colleges across the state will be coming by to talk about strategies in the social media space and ask some tough questions about the right tools, techniques, and ways to respond to crisis.

I'm kicking it off with a little 101, but then I get to facilitate two things I'm really excited about:

A soup-to-nuts social media case study from Capital University with Kevin Sayers, their Vice President of Planning and strategy.

And, then a panel discussion with:

• Denvy Bowman (president of Capital University)
• David Burge (associate dean of admissions at University of Nebraska-Lincoln)
• Bill Faust (my super smart boss)
• Erin Lamberty (actual young person and wicked good blogger over at Yaybia)

I know I've shared parts of the Capital social media experience with you before, but if you haven't seen Nebraska, don't miss it. They've really got it figured out: the right brand and voice to create an authentic, casual, on-target social media experience across a wide range of topics. I can't wait to hear what David can tell us about the strategy, development, and feedback.

Two local SoME guys - Gary Moneysmith and Nick Seguin - will be here, too. Here's hoping we say Tweet-worthy stuff. Look for their reviews and our team talking about the event with the hashtag #OlogieU sometime after 10AM tomorrow.

If you've got questions for the panel, leave them here or tweet at Gary or Nick. I'll post my Top Four Colleges in SoME and some materials from the event over the weekend.

I use social media instead of a ladder

I do enjoy reading the lovely Tara Hunt’s insights on social media in action over at Horse*Pig*Cow and, of course, in her book The Wuffie Factor. One of my favorite ideas is The Soup Metric.

Defined: The soup metric is the number of people in your social network who you know would bring you soup if they knew you were sick and/or get your back in any other real friend way.

The big idea is: For those native to social media, there’s isn’t necessarily a big difference between our close-knit personal friends and our strongest business/online relationships. The people who will go to bat for us no matter what are our people. Doesn’t matter how we came to know them. Or where we talk to them most frequently.

I’m confident that if I was sick and needed soup, I could Tweet just such a mopey request and a number of someones would come to my aid. I know that because I would do the same for lots of people I’m connected to – even some I’ve never directly met.

I’ve often tried to explain this dynamic to spectators or adopters.

They ask: Isn’t Twitter just a bunch of people saying what they ate for dinner?

(Incidentally: a ridiculously good PB&J from Café Apropos)

And, I say: No, people use it lots of different ways. Primarily, they form ad hoc groups for socializing, sharing ideas or just supporting one another in everyday-tough situations.

They look at me quizzically. I try again.

Here are a few of the ways I use social media:

• To make my city smaller: Lots of Columbus people participate in social media – on Facebook, Twitter, and blogs. Getting to know them here lets me connect with a broader range of people than I might otherwise encounter. It helps me find new places, events and things worth checking out – and, ensures I’ll know someone when I get there. It’s knowing and being known in my adopted hometown. 


• To give and take ideas and resources: I read a lot. But, there’s so much information out there, I could never even hope to get to 1% of it. Online, I share links and mini reviews of my favorite content and count on my network to do the same. Together, we’re like a sassy high school debate team of data.


• To know my friends in more personal ways: I have friends I haven’t seen in years who I feel closer to than some of the people I see every day. I watch their lives unfold online. Hear their small victories and complaints. Laugh at what they did have for dinner or what awful thing their trainer said to them. It’s what the New York Times calls ambient intimacy – that easy sense of knowing someone that comes from being a small, ongoing part of their lives (instead of just getting the big Christmas-letter download)


•  And, it’s true: I use Twitter instead of a ladder. My ladder weighs at least 60 pounds. The thing is wicked configurable and nearly impossible to lug up the stairs. So when I have to change a light bulb in some lofty location, I climb on something totally inappropriate to the task (hamper, bar stool, and, once, a kitty condo tower). But, first, I tweet that I’m about to do something dumb & if I’m not heard from in 10 minutes to please send for help.

About the T-shirt: Threadless has this great new online Twitter store featuring shirts with crowdsourced Tweets. Submit one or buy one here.

Social Media Demands Authentic Brands

Check out this article my boss and I wrote late last year (just published). Lots of examples that demonstrate how leading with the most genuine parts of your brand in social media deliver better results.

Big idea about authentic brands: Simply put, an authentic brand is a brand that’s clear about what it is and what it stands for. It’s a brand that is built from the inside out versus one that panders to the latest trend, fad, or customer segment.More deeply, it’s a brand with a real story, a connection to a fundamental human truth, and an appreciation of its smart customers

Does social media really connect us?

I won’t mislead you. I’m about to write about an issue you’ve heard about all week. One that many bloggers have already weighed in on. But, one, too, that continues to interest many of us. So, I’ll start like this:

It’s Sunday afternoon. What better time for a little preaching? Friends, choir, let’s talk about the power of social media.

For my readers who are not addicted to the happy little crack-stream of Twitter, I offer this brief preface:

Last week, David Armano, author of Logic + Emotion, called his network to action. His friend Daniela had found herself in a very difficult situation. She had left an abusive marriage and found herself – and three children– with nowhere to go.

David and wife Belinda were moved to help. They took Daniela into their home and set about raising money for her new life. With the humblest of words, David asked his social network to help, calling on us to raise $5,000 to help her start over. And, we answered. Over 500 of us. Raising not only $5,000, but $16,000 in a matter of hours.

(For more, read Business Week's summary)

Since this huge outpouring of support, bloggers have been doing our thing – commenting, deconstructing and critiquing the effort. Some say David made good use of his social capital, others say he should have stopped at $5000 or given the overage to an organization fighting abuse on a larger scale. At least one blogger said this disproportionate benefit to one person is unfair – that our money is better spent on attacking the root causes of social problems. An interesting point. But, one that I would counter.

Not long ago, my friend David Griner started a presentation on social media with the provocative question “how did things get so detached?” Meaning that with all this typing and surfing have we become disconnected?

I think the opposite is true. If anything, all the typing has reconnected us. It was the nuclear family of the 70s, the cul de sacs of the 80s and the ladder climbing of the 90s that divided us. Each in our own enclave. Living separate lives. Sure in our judgments. Able to cast a cold view onto a world of “others.” We exchanged phone calls, Christmas cards, invitations to carefully-planned parties.

Social media gave us an entirely different look into one-anothers lives. The New York Times calls this new vantage ambient intimacy:

…he was beginning to sense the rhythms of his friends’ lives in a way he never had before. When one friend got sick with a virulent fever, he could tell by her Twitter updates when she was getting worse and the instant she finally turned the corner. He could see when friends were heading into hellish days at work or when they’d scored a big success. Even the daily catalog of sandwiches became oddly mesmerizing, a sort of metronomic click that he grew accustomed to seeing pop up in the middle of each day.

This is the paradox of ambient awareness. Each little update — each individual bit of social information — is insignificant on its own, even supremely mundane. But taken together, over time, the little snippets coalesce into a surprisingly sophisticated portrait of your friends’ and family members’ lives, …

For all the banality of the life we live together online, it actually makes us more real to each other. Gives depth to us as people. Creates empathy and connection. It kicks us off of our perches and demands that we see each other as we are. What David did, what we all did with him, is perhaps a sign of that change.

Most of us believe that we owe something to the world around us. We help one another by throwing the occasional $100 check in the greater-good kitty, attending a well-catered fundraiser or letting the United Way take a few bucks out our paychecks.

Rarely do we look into the eyes of someone whose basic needs are unmet and say – how can I help?

In short, we abdicate our right and our responsibility to personally change lives. We believe it’s not ours to do. Rather, the work of people who answer a greater calling. The sort of thing that can only be done with pooled resources.

But, of course, we can do more. More small things. More micro interactions.

And, maybe, just maybe, social media will make this behavior more prevalent. Not for the big gestures – like David’s barnraising for Daniela – but in the changed mindset. The one that makes us more real to one another. More deserving of compassion and consideration and a chance. A mindset that recognizes that writing a check matters in the changing the world, but so does taking action to change one person’s life.

A new social safety net born of social media? You never know.

Yaybia! asks about social media

Erin and Libby from Yaybia recently sent me this short video message. It includes some insights from their experience with social media and a few more questions for me.


Summaries of their questions and my full long-winded answers are below:

Yaybia: In your videos for Auburn, you talked about your evolution as a blogger. How did you start to get a lot of readers and become a popular industry blogger? Especially when you didn't have tools like Twitter or Facebook?

Advergirl: Back in the blogging stone ages (~2 years ago), I had two things going for me: the 1% rule and a few popular readers. Industry blogs were actively looking for new content to comment on and link to. Creating it offered a huge boost. But, the bigger boost was the links to that content. Over the years, Steve Hall, David Griner, Angela Nativdad, David Armano and other leading bloggers have introduced me to lots of new readers simply by linking to something I wrote.

I know networks and tools make a big difference now, but I still think it comes down to clever content that really resonates . The difference between the blog I have today and the blog I probably deserve comes down to two posts. One about guerrilla and one about being an AE. I got more links to and subscribers from those two posts than from nearly everything else I've done combined.

The single biggest challenge I had was no real-life interest. The agency I worked at when I started Advergirl wasn't interested in blogging, my friends weren't, etc. It took years before people I actually know started reading the blog. Happily though, I've largely integrated my on- and offline life now. Meeting lots of once-just-handles in person and finding IRL friends online, too. (Now, if I could just get Adverboyfriend to read, the circle would be complete).

Yaybia: Social media makes it easy to reach out to influential people who we have no connection with and start a real conversation. What else to you think social media lets us do that we wouldn't in real life?

Advergirl: Yeah, great question. I love that social media has given authors and leaders the opportunity to tear of their veils and chat with the people. Other things social media has made possible?

• Staying close with lots of people. If you haven't read the NYT article on digital intimacy, it's a remarkable take on the relationships we form online
• Getting access to peer ideas in non-competitive, instant access mediums
• Easily finding like minds around the country and around the world (like having a random election-night conversation with people on another continent)
• Getting ideas out there (without a book deal)

Yaybia: We've noticed a lot of our friends who are interns or junior staffers have had the opportunity to be their agency's social media expert. What does that say about how agencies view millenials and/or social media?

Advergirl: A few weeks ago, a friend and I were talking about the "token girl" in new business meetings. You may have noticed that the world of traditional advertising is a little ... testosteroney. Lots of guys in top gigs. Which creates a challenge for new business pitches - how do they look a little more ... well, like they might actually know the consumer they're about to sell diapers, turkeys or QTips to. Enter the token girl. Snapped up from a mid-level post around the office, she comes to represent All Women in the pitch.

Which is kind of yucky, right? Or completely great. If you're a 20-something guy in one of these agencies, you'll be waiting decades to share your ideas with a CEO. If you're a smart 20-something chic, your opportunity could be right around the corner. Really, at 30 I was going head-to-head with the CEO of a fortune 500 company on how they should reach their core consumer. I'll take token and turn it around any time.

Social media natives are that new token. Agencies get that social media is important, but it's not the language of the industry yet. It's still relatively uncomfortable new ground. A secondary tactic for a niche audience. So, take the opportunity. Ten years from now, natives won't be specialists anymore. This is a chance to get an unfair advantage in your career. Why not grab it?

Yaybia: Are blogs really dying?

Advergirl: I'm a fan of the shocking headline. I think those stories on Wired and elsewhere about the demise of blogs were just that. Blogs aren't dying. They're just changing. And proliferating. It's harder to be a leader without funding behind you. There are more choices, higher reader expectations, tougher search standards. But that doesn't mean you can't build an audience of like minds, connect with people and have a conversation that matters to you. Perhaps it's just the blog diva who's dying.

Yaybia: What social networks do you think will be popular in the future?

I think Brightkite sounds fantastic. My nerdy side plays on Goodreads. I believe networks will get smaller. But, really, I can't imagine taking on another login.

Griner - I'm tagging you to take on this question. I tend to be behind the early adoption curve on new networks. Mostly because I already talk to you people in four of them and my real-world friends ... well, I'm glad they're on Facebook (um, finally).

Get an Advergirl social media handbook at Marketing Vox

Thanks to Marketing Vox for reprinting some of my social media manifesto series. You can see the second part of their coverage on the site today.

And, thanks to Ologie - my agency home - for helping me put together a longer handbook / Q&A document on the topic. In it, you'll find great printable versions of the content from this series PLUS a lot more specific content on various uses of social media.

Want a copy? Download the PDF at the end of the Marketing Vox article. Or shoot me an email.