Increasing Employee & Client Engagement

I get this question all the time…  How much time do you spend on Social Media a week. OR What is the magic number to spend on Social Media to be successful.   I do not have a magic paintbrush, magic beans that grows a magic beanstalk, a goose that lays golden eggs or a magic crystal ball.

First, I am biased because I love it… The issue I have is, I see the power from my own personal standpoint and I wish I could increase the time I can spend. So time is relative.

What if I was able to tell you that for every minute you spent…, you were able to connect with one new person in a positive manner, would you want to spend 60 minutes or 1440 minutes a day?

I am not sure I can answer that any more than…, if you want to be good at golf or any activity for that matter. As a former golf professional I know what type of time commitment it takes to be able to play golf well and why only a very small handful get to that level.

How can you determine how much time do you have to spend to be good?  The first thing you have to define is what your goals are. Everyone is going to have a different time requirement. Flip the question, How much time do you have to devote to growing, maintaining and insulating your business?

I always tell people to start with the end in mind and work backwards… If you tell me you want to reach 10,000 people a day and you only have 15 minutes a day, then I think it will be a challenge to meet that goal. Especially when you are just getting started. It is like anything, the more you do it, the better you get, the more efficient and effective you can be.

What I have found is the more you do it… The more meat you get on the bone. The more success you will start to see. It is like planting. You have to till the soil, you have to plant the seeds, then water and through time, you will start to see the sprouts.

If you have heard or read me before…, you know I am all about quality and not quantity which definitely helps reduce time commitment because you are able to focus your time & energy on the right audience which will more than likely be smaller. So throw your net over a group you can cover, engage and interact with.

The less time you have…, then reduce the number of platforms you are trying to use. This only makes sense to prioritize. Better to be a master of one than a master of none. Decide to have laser beam focus. Put on the blinders.

So if you are reading saying he really didn’t answer… It is because I can’t. Develop your goals, define your audience, list your resources, prioritize your platforms. Then you will back into a time commitment.

It is just like love, in the eyes of the beholder.   Like anything in life.  You will get what you put into it.

Other Related Articles
10 Things Social Media Is Not… http://bit.ly/uqcMq
Top 10 Social Media Myths  & How To Overcome Them - http://bit.ly/6d3Fa

Building your network is one of the most important assets you can have…
LinkedIn was the only social community that was started for business. Facebook, Myspace, Blogs & Twitter were not designed for business specifically.

If you are not on LinkedIn and you are a business person, get on there…  It is free to join and requires only an email and password to get started.There is over 40 Million People on LinkedIn and 90% are professionals and over half are decision makers for companies.
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Application Programming Interface
API – is basically a set of routines, protocols provided by operating system services in order to support the building of applications.  When you open up Adobe Reader on your windows application, that is because Microsoft gave Adobe the API instructions or code to write their programming to open up in Windows. 

Now, I am not a programmer by any stretch of the imagination.   That is powerful stuff.  Social Media also uses this same process.   Facebook and Twitter both freely give out their API to get programmers to come up with clever things to enhance their programs.  Facebook has tons of games, polls, surveys etc in the application.  Twitter has Tweetdeck, Twellow, Sesimec, and other applications.  New ones are created everyday.

What does this mean to you?  Your company has the ability to use that API and have developers write software for your own application, game, poll or survey to enhance your page. Facebook encourages this.   Non profits have used it to raise money.  Pringles used it to upload videos with your Pringles can.  Zynga has created two social games in Mafia Wars & Texas Hold Em, that are the largest on Facebook.  Visa has created a social network for small businesses to share info.

Do not forget about mobile applications.  That is one of the next big waves.  So make sure you keep these in mind when you are programming.

There are numerous ways to take advantage.  Find one that is interactive and engages your audience.  It could spread like a fire in a desert.

Facebook is the number one social media based on time spent on site. It is very easy to get on Facebook (or any social media site) and look up at the clock and hours have gone by.

It can be a time suck if you let it. I suggest to people to have a strategic plan in using Facebook. Set aside a set amount of time and have a plan on exactly what they will do with their time on it.  Set out a set amount for content, set amount out for commenting, set amount for groups, set amount in growing and set amount out for responding.

A huge concern I have heard from businesses is their employees on Facebook during “office” hours. This is very important to set up guidelines for use of Facebook for business. A recent poll & survey showed, that most employees that were on Facebook at work were just keeping tabs with old contacts and not really engaging prospects & clients..

I believe Facebook is a very useful business tool, because it really is one of the most targeted advertising platforms on the web. If used correctly can be extremely powerful because you can reach your company’s message to only consumers within your target market. So before you put on the brakes and restrict use of Facebook by your employees, Really take the time to make employees aware of exactly what the vision and mission of how Facebook is to be used to enhance your company’s brand, what your expectations are in writing and who, where, what & how they should engage. Remember these guidelines

1. Value Added – Make sure all information is relevant to your target market and will benefit audience.

2. Genuine – Make sure it is in a personal voice and authentic. It needs to match & reflect your corporate values & culture.

3. Listen & Engage – Sit back and let conversations happen. There is a fine line in being responsive and obtrusive. Do not dominate the conversation. If you do, it may hinder other people from speaking. This is not one way. Their voice is more important than yours. You never want them to think, no need to answer that because the company will address that (unless it is a direct question to the company, then be quick to respond).. On normal conversations, I would have a set amount of time before the company jumps in. Then after that time expires the company can reengage, but try to be from the perspective that your voice be heard only to spark more conversation.

4. Marathon – This is a journey, a new way to market and engage your customers. This will require sustained effort and dedication.

So until we are able to get 28 hours in a day, make sure you turn off the vacuum and replace it with a timer.

This is FANTASTIC. I saw this yesterday at an American Marketing Association event. This is dead on and everything I have talked about. Marketing is CHANGING. Watch this. If you still do NOT get it, then make sure you get in touch with me.

So watch this and lets talk.

Facebook is the laid back, barrier reducing, fun application but highly addictive. There is a reason that the younger generation like it… it is the cool in thing. My wife and my sisters love it and addicted to it. They love to stay connected to friends. You can find out a lot about people. People love Facebook and are there to socialize.

People do not use Facebook to see your ads.  So the same rules apply that we have discussed. Add value to the community and in turn it will increase your value.

It is relational and personal.
If you’re not leveraging that opportunity to cement relationships, differentiate yourself and make friends and connect in the mind of the consumer, you’re opening the door to competitors who are. Get engaged with people, make associations. Facebook is very personal and even though business is relational, it draws a fine line and can push the envelope. So keep it professional.

One of the biggest issues I see for business, is getting it started and forgetting about it. If you are doing it just to check it off your list and it just sits there and collects dust then save yourself the time and effort and potential damage it could do to you.

Here are some things businesses can do to keep it alive.

Create a Group or Join related groups – There are tons of groups on Facebook. Join them and engage people there.
Offer Incentives – Maybe a discount, a sample product or something for visiting.
Create Engagement – Polls, surveys, games, discussions
Support A Cause – Breast Cancer Awareness, Cancer Society, Make a Wish or whichever. Pick one and use your site to help raise awareness and money.

Facebook is still growing. It is evolving. It definitely has uses for business.  You just have to get out there in the right mindset and have fun…

Lets uncover the world of blogging and the power it can have on your personal branding, corporate branding and all of the in between.

The Blog has to be the centerpiece of your strategy. Lets dig down about the world of blogging.

What Is A Blog???  Wikipedia says it is a type of website with regular entries of commentary, videos or event updates. If I were to build upon that, I would say it is like a personal diary that you write for the world to read. It is a way to share your thoughts, ideas, insights, & expertise on anything you are passionate about. It is your microphone, your stage, & your daily pulpit. It is a place to collaborate with friends, suspects, prospects, employees & customers. Blog’s come in hundreds of different flavors, sizes, shapes and colors. The reason is because they are all individualized. It is your world and we get a chance to live in it. Because the content is always updated and changed, it creates a dynamic & engaging web application.

Why Should You Blog???  The main reason you want to Blog is INFLUENCE. That is it in a nutshell. It allows you to provide thought leadership, share your experience, demonstrate your expertise and gain credibility. Everyone has something to say, whether it is unique, intelligent, inspiring, entertaining, funny, creative, or even controversial. With your remarkable content, you will leave your readers wanting more. You will attract an audience & build a community of like minded people. This platform will inform them, allow interaction with them and foster learning with them.

It allows you to be the Media for almost free…  Your Blog is like your own newspaper column. Instead of Dear Abbey it is you calling the shots. You want your own TV show, you can now create your own user generated video content and now your Oprah. If you want your own Radio Show, set up a podcast and you are now Ryan Seacrest On Air. Post & upload to your blog for your fans to see.

What is great, is when people like what you have to say, they will sign up or subscribe to you and give you permission to give them more information. That information could be in the form of ebooks, special reports, enewsletters, white papers, podcasts, emails etc. They reach out to you. They are excited now to receive your information.

Now that you are ready to dive in and take the plunge we will cover more in depth tomorrow.

What is a Blog to you?   Why do you think you should blog?

We have talked tirelessly about the foundation and behind the scenes. Now the fun part.  Lets start shaping your Social Media Strategy…  We talked about three “watering holes” right now in the Social Media World.  1.  The Blogosphere   2.  Search Engine Optimization   3.  Social Media Tools

In my opinion The Blogoshpere is your home…  It is like your website.  It is dynamic, rich in content, engaging and your engine.  Everything you do will be built around your blog.

Let me Illustrate this for you really quick…  Social Media is networking on steroids.  It is a PARTY 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  So you go to all of these parties at LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Social Communities etc.  You meet all of these people.  Some you like.  You carry common interests, ideas, and similarities.

So the ones you like, you invite them over to your home…  In real life it may be to watch a game, cook out etc.  In Social Media you are inviting them to your blog.  They are now your friend, connection or follower.  While they are over, you offer them, chips, dip, drinks etc., in the form of great content, value etc.

While they are there, you get to know each other better.  You talk about kids, work, what you do, how you can add value to them.  So on and so forth.  You have engaging two way dialogue just like you were in person.  Mutual benefit. 

Tomorrow will dive into Blogging.  What it is and why you should do it.

Do you agree that blogging should be your conrnerstone?  How do you view Social Media?

I will be on a panel of distinguished industry leaders this Thursday May 14th at Maggiano’s in Buckhead from 11:30 to 1 PM.

Discussion Topic PROFITING WITH SOCIAL MEDIA IN B2B MARKETING SUCCESS

Listen to compelling panel discussion from industry leaders! What works, what doesn’t and where to spend your marketing dollars to get the maximum return.

Here was a 2 minute video with one of my answers

Panelists:

Shawn Keith, Senior Manager Web Strategy, Sage Software

Micky Long, VP Strategic Consulting, Arketi Group

Chad Rothschild, Author/Blogger, “Increasing Employee and Client Engagement”

Brandy Nagel, Marketing Catalyst - Case Study: Georgia Tech’s Innovation Institute

Sign Up here

www.bmaatlanta.com

Would love to see you there.

Thank you for all the emails and questions last week about the foundational truths of Social Media.  It sounded like it added value to a lot of people.  Based on a lot of your questions, I wanted to add this post to further illustrate and hopefully provide further explanation to help you create your strategy.

Outbound Marketing vs Inbound Marketing…  How are you hunting these days??? Outbound Marketing is the more traditional way of hunting where you are out searching for suspects, prospects and customers. Inbound Marketing is getting people to hunt you down and find you. 

I believe both are needed in your overall strategy…  Yes, let me say it again.  You need BOTH.  You can not just sit around and wait for people to find you.  You have to be active.  Our activity will be different  though and will talk about later. 

With that said, Outbound is more difficult today and many new rules apply…  It is considered interruption.   Technology helps us in many ways, but it also presents more obstacles & built in walls.  Cold Calling is more difficult due to caller ID.  TV Advertising is more difficult because of DVR/Tivo.  Spam filters deflect email.  Etc. Etc.  So please understand me, outbound marketing is not dead, you just have to incorporate some new thinking though.

Inbound Marketing is permission based…  This concept is based around the new marketing model.  We have talked a lot about this and have tried to explain how this is changing the marketing landscape today.  There are several tools to aid in this.   For example.  Search Engine Optimization is critical to people finding you.  You may have a  Blog or white paper where you publish valued info and they find it and subscribe to it.  There are several ways to market & syndicate this message. 

The exciting news is… if they like your content they may subscribe to more information, like your enewsletter, ebooks or email which are by nature outbound.  The difference is they are giving PERMISSION to give them this outbound info.  What is even better is now they are excited about getting this information.  You don’t force feed it any more.  You are using a magnet to attract people rather than a hammer trying to beat them down for attention.  As my dad always said, it is easier to attract bees with honey.

Let me be clear…  This is not the only strategy you can employ and expect to get growth. It is not an end all be all.    You can not just expect that by people finding you it is enough.  That is what I call a find & hope strategy.   IF they find me, then I hope they do something.  Hope is not a strategy.   So I am saying it needs to be one leg of your strategy, but not your entire strategy.  

The great news is there is so many ways for you to get your message out there…  Ways for people to find out about you, to hear your voice and why they should buy from you.  The bad news is, it is easy to lose a lot of time and money searching for a mix to use on these and get the proper message out.  Companies are revamping & creating a new strategy in every part of marketing trying to wade through all the new marketing shifts & tools.
  
The Current Social Media Tools The tools will come and the tools will go…  The tools will always come and the tools will always go.  What is here today could be different in 6 months. Even though I will cover some of the hot tools in upcoming posts.  Just remember the foundation is what is most important.  Your foundational concept needs to be firmly planted in the new rules.  However, because of the fast pace of emerging technology, you have to be  fluid, flexible and liquid to change and shape with whatever new technology or tools come. 

The fifty thousand foot view is its about engagement, relationships and value.  Keep your finger on the pulse of the emerging tools and technologies.  Understand how they can help you and also the risks of how they can expose you.  You need to have four or five areas to your overall marketing strategy.

Hopefully this helps bring it more together for you.  Look forward to hearing your thoughts and comments.