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This post is part of the Guest Blog Grand Tour over at Life Without Pants – an epic two-month journey of over 50 guest posts. Want to learn more about Matt Cheuvront & see how far the rabbit hole goes? Subscribe to the Life Without Pants RSS feed & follow him on Twitter to keep in touch!

You don’t need me to tell you, but the world of marketing and advertising has seen some pretty dramatic shifts over the past few years. Social Media is changing the face of the way companies do marketing. How? With the emphasis on B2C communication – tools like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn are making it easier than ever for businesses to give and receive instant feedback from their customers.

But just because the tools are readily available, doesn’t mean businesses are using them to their maximum potential. The approach to Social Media has to be taken from a different angle than more “traditional” marketing mediums. Where selling, generating leads, and landing clients may be the end result – the approach with Social Media has to be to engage and build relationships first, before focusing on the sales pitch.

One thing that everyone can take a lesson in, and something I continue to work on myself – is the power of listening. Listen to what your customers are saying, pay attention to their conversations, and take note of their ideas. Becoming a good listener and eavesdropping at the right time and place is priority number one for Social Media marketing.

You’ll hear everyone tell you that listening is important – but that’s only the first step. The follow up, and most important element of communication is knowing WHEN to communicate. Those who are “doing it right” spend a considerable about of time listening, and when the time is right, take it to the next step and get involved.

What does “get involved” mean? At the end of the day, it’s about being a person first, a human representative and voice of your company. People don’t want to talk to a business – they want to talk to a person, they want a connection, a human on the other end of the line who genuinely cares about their wants and needs. If you’re that person on the other end, be yourself, be funny, share interesting and relevant information, become a resource for your community. Social Media works best when the line between personal and professional is blurred.

Once you’ve built a rapport with the members of your community, they’ll be more willing and accepting of your “sales” pitches. Engage first, sell second – A simple formula that’s often forgotten, but is the recipe of success for any business integrating Social Media into their marketing mix.

What examples do you have of businesses that are doing it right (or wrong) with Social Media?

Question Period

November 30, 2009 Social Media

2 comments

Since early this morning I have been considering topics for blogging. I’ve been on this “know thyself” bandwagon, and I didn’t want to inundate you with more, “me, me, me.” But hopefully you’re seeing that it’s not simply about me–it’s about you and your business. (My friend Nate Riggs wrote about this for me on Thursday, and if you haven’t read his guest post, it’s a great resource on this topic.)

As I logged into the blog, I found a really interesting comment waiting for approval. It was in regards to my post from last week entitled, On the Road, where I introduced you all to my little experiment in self-discovery. Here’s an excerpt from that comment that I want to address today:

“[Bryna] I’m continually impressed that you are willing to be the guinea pig, or at least put your feet in the shoes that have to do the walking, as it were (mixing my cliches a bit). And so, in fearing all these traps, I am about to walk into the arena of social networking. I don’t feel I have a choice, at least. And because of it, I will be needing help. So for that reason I ask you for this advice — how do we balance the need to know ourselves with the need to know our audience or at least our customers? I don’t think they are exclusive, but I certainly can’t see them being the same, either.”

First off, let me say thank you. I’m not looking for accolades in terms of sharing myself with you all, but I do appreciate that this commentor understands that I’m not doing it out of a place of self-idolatry (their words–check out the full comment), but to really question the ways we communicate who we are in the social media world.

It’s All About Balance

“How do we balance the need to know ourselves with the need to know our audience, or at least our customers?”

Let’s start with self.

I started this journey of online self-discovery because there are a lot of voices in the social media world, and I wanted to make sure I knew what mine was. It’s not enough to just talk into space, and assume that people will listen. Some will, and depending on why you blog, that’s acceptable. However, for professional bloggers, finding your voice is key to success. My friend, and colleague in the SM space, Matt Cheuvront, actually just posted on this today, and he put it well–it’s ok to experiment with your platform, just be you.

That’s what I’m trying to do, and encourage you to do as well. It’s no longer enough to take the advice of others verbatim. The process of developing your SM platform is just as important as the final result.

We start with ourselves–looking in before we look out. It’s not self-idolatry to start here. I do struggle at times with the notion of “celebrity” in the online world. It can be a very self-centred place, but I don’t think that’s the real truth of the matter. I’ve met some of the most interesting, engaging, genuine people through SM. They aren’t fake. We’re all working with a new media, and it takes time to find your place.

There are definitely people out there with huge platforms and audiences. At some point I have to come to terms with the fact that I’m not a Chris Brogan or Sarah Evans (yet). They are wonderful people to look at as mentors, but I still have to define who I am. You still have to define who you are.

We start inside, define who we are, but then we need to ask: Why? Why are you engaging in social media? What is the purpose? What I’ve started to do, personally, is compartmentilize. I blog primarily for Engine Communications. This is my professional space, and I share it with my colleagues. We pepper it with pieces of ourselves, but it’s different than my personal blog. It’s not about me.

Then I have my personal own spaces. I’m a writer. I love words. I love the visual of a sentence. I look at words the way a painter looks at paint. It’s my tool for self-expression. I’m playing with my tumblog, and my WordPress account right now.

For awhile I was concerned that using those platforms might negate the professionalism here (which is why there’s so little content as of yet), but I’ve seen lots of writers use personal blogs in amazing ways (Sydney Owen is great at this). Just add a disclaimer. Get the voice part solidified, and the purpose part, then start thinking about your audience.

Your audience may or may not be important to you. Another colleague, Sonny Gill, has a terrific post on this issue. I’m happy if someone reads my personal blog, and gets something out of it, but it’s more for me than anyone else.

I also have a strong leaning toward social justice issues, and I’ve been blogging about them here for about a year (although I’ve been on haitus for planning purposes). It’s still me, sharing a part of who I am, but more importantly it’s a forum for my audience to connect with like-minded people from a variety of organizations, all doing amazing things to fight global poverty. My audience is very important to me there. Again, it’s not about me.

Our audience here in the Engine Room is also of utmost importance. We are a business. We want people to know we exist. We want people to know we’re engaged, that we understand how to navigate Web 2.0. We also want to be more than a business. Engine is made up of people, and this space allows you to interact with us in real time. We aren’t just a logo–we’re a community.

We also want to generate useful content that gives you insight into who we are, who you are, and how to communicate your message to your target audience. It is our goal to give a broad spectrum of information about communications, marketing and design, because those are our interests–where we shine. We assume our audience is interested in those things too.

It’s all about balance: Balancing your voice, with your purpose, with your audience and their needs. How do you do it? Experiment. Be genuine. I’m seeing now that the rest will fall into place.

Thanks for the comment!

Building Brand YOU with Nate Riggs

November 26, 2009 Social Media

3 comments

This is a guest contribution, by Nate Riggs, principal, strategy consultant, and speaker from Social Business Strategies LLC.

Have you Googled your name recently? What do you find? Was there something in the results you didn’t expect to find or something that surprised you?

Today, the web has become a social marketplace and with it, search engines like Google seem to deliver the first brand impression. The question is, what if anything are you doing to influence the impression being found by people searching for you?

Building Brand YOU

I was jazzed when Bryna asked me to write this post, because in my mind, building and using Brand YOU is more important now than it’s ever been.

It’s no surprise that we are moving back into an era where business is done between human beings. The alternative just wasn’t any fun. But always keep in mind that all of the great tools on the social web is what is empowering us to get back to basics and open the doors to real relationships that create opportunities for business to happen.

I want to share a few steps that I’ve followed when building out my human brand strategy and online presence. Please, take what you can and use it. Modify it and make it better. And most importantly, please teach others whenever and however you can.

Sound fair? Cool. Here we go…

Part I: Know Thyself & Build a Strategy

When I was establishing the foundation of my human brand, I spent some time reviewing what makes me me tick. One of the tools I used was developed by Katherine Cooks Briggs and her daughter, Isabel Briggs Meyers, just after WWII.

Widely respected by most psychology gurus, this assessment tool asks a series of questions designed to classify an individual’s personality into one of 16 different types, using a combination of four pairs of “dichotomies” – introversion and extroversion, sensing and intuition, thinking and feeling, judging and perceiving. You can take the assessment for free here.

Next, take what you’ve learned and try conducting a self SWOT analysis so you can outline your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities & threats. This is an age-old marketing technique looks both internal factors (like personality types) and external factors (like your competitive environment).

Try writing this SWOT out in a personal journal. In fact, get used to writing in it and then make a point to jot down a few lines every day after that. This journal is for you and you only and can be very powerful in terms of your own self-analysis.

When we humans write things down, they become real and we can begin to take ownership over our ideas. Keeping a personal daily record of your activities will help you track your progression as a person and professional.

Here’s one last important thing to write down. My friend and mentor, Artie Isaac, once had me write a list of non-negotiables. These are the things that you simply just cannot, and will not live without. Maybe you can only work a certain number of hours per week due to responsibilities as a sibling or parent. Maybe your non-negotiables have something to do with your finances, or politics or religion.

Whatever they are, recognizing what you won’t sacrifice is sometimes more important than realizing what you will. Once you have that figured out, you can being to see which rules you can bend, which rules you can break, and which rules you need in place to make sure you can play the game at all.

Does this process work for you so far? Have you discovered anything about yourself that you can apply in a brand strategy?

Please Don’t Be “That Guy”

November 18, 2009 Public Relations / Social Media

4 comments

We're laughing at him, not with him. You don't want to be "that guy" online. #epicfail

It’s really no secret that I’m a political junkie. I just love it. I’ve worked on political campaigns of various stripes–provincially and federally. I’ve worked for a Member of Parliament–one of the most amazing experiences of my life to date. (How many people can say they had sushi on the Prime Minister’s patio–twice?!)

A lot of people’s eyes glaze over when they hear talk of elections, politics, and Stephen Harper’s sweater vests. I however love these things, and will continue to bore people well into the future with my lively discussion of said passions. It’s part of who I am.

As a result, I’ve been a little more aware than most about what I post on Facebook, Twitter, etc. Working for a politician, I’ve always felt that you represent that person when you’re in public–online or off. Especially around election time, when the vultures come out in all camps, you’ve got to stay on top of what you say, who you say it to, and…what people tag you in on Facebook.

Today I found myself reading my morning Commentz, and thinking about “discovering who I am,” as I did yesterday on the blog. This is what I see: Another young candidate caught in compromising Facebook albums. Really? Really?! (Click here for the full story.)

Emmanuel Pleitez says that he doesn’t have anything to hide; that he purposely didn’t untag the pictures, or ask for them to be taken down. He says he’ll go through the pictures with questioning voters, and explain them one by one. Really? Really?!

This is the kind of mistake that costs you an election–and worse, your reputation. I am all for being genuine. That was part of my argument yesterday. No, I don’t think you should pretend to be someone you’re not online or in any area of life. Being real is key to utlizing social media, building relationships, and creating “Brand You.” But in this case, being “real” cost votes, and worse, it cost’s reputation.

Reputation and image are of the utmost importance in politics and business. Last month I had the opportunity to speak to the students in the Art & Design Foundation program at Loyalist College, and this was the same message I gave to them. You might think your online profiles are just for fun, but how would you feel if a potential employer (or voter) Googled you? Would you be proud of what they might find? If the answer is no, then you need to think twice about what you share online.

It’s not about ‘hiding’ anything. In my mind, if you’re doing things you feel you need to hide, then you need to reevaluate your actions–that’s just common sense. The issue is that a tremendous amount of information is being shared, some you can control, some you can’t. It’s time for young professionals to take control of the pieces they can.

Look at your profiles. Question the messages you send about who you are. I don’t want to say, “grow up,” but I will tell you this: You don’t want to be “that guy.”

Who Do You Think You Are?

November 17, 2009 Social Media

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Over the past few weeks, I’ve been feeling overwhelmed by messages about social media, and how best to market business online. I, like many of you, read and reread the same articles, opinions, and blogs, looking for some nugget of truth or wisdom, but in reality I just haven’t found what I’m looking for.

I’m told to be authentic, but to keep my writing short and to the point. What if I like big words? Should I skip the authenticity, and take things down a notch?

I’m told to be real, but then I’m given lessons in small talk. How real is that? What if I just enjoy talking to people?

I love this post by Danny Brown, in which he asks: Who do we think we are, anyway?

Does it matter if you know who you are online? Yes, but not for the reasons many people might be telling you. It matters not so much to stake a claim on a few pixels of space, or to gain the title of “expert.” You need to know who you are to be effective.

The truth of the matter is that, as Seth Godin says it, “All marketers are liars.” I don’t care if you’re selling a product, service, or by way of saying you’re “real and genuine” or you’re “building community,” you’re trying to make money. You’re selling something. That’s OK, a lot of people are doing it really well, and I benefit–you benefit. What turns me off is when I realize I’ve been daft to listen.

We talk about “content” but don’t challenge each other to think.

So the challenge I give to you (and myself) today is this: Define your own voice, and speak from it. Be OK with the fact that it will grow and change over time. Understand that some people will like it, others won’t. Overall, keep learning; keep experimenting. Eventually you’ll have a stage–you’ll have an audience. The best part is they’ll be yours, or your brand’s, not someone else’s.

If you need some inspiration, take a look at Lauren Luke, a single mum from England with “not many mates, and not much confidence” who’s found her voice on YouTube, and as a result of being real, an audience of millions.

When Writer’s Block is OK

September 24, 2009 Social Media

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I have to be honest, today I don’t feel much like writing. What?! I know, this could be a bad sign. I should clarify.

I love writing. It’s my favourite thing to do. I love writing for clients, I love blogging, I love just scribbling ideas on a pad of paper. Words are my passion. But today I’m learning something very important–sometimes it’s good to have writer’s block.

Why?

Because then you have time to listen.

Listening is important. As professionals (and as business people generally) we have to be able to sit back and really hear what our clients are asking of us. We have to understand their needs, their vision and their goals. Most of us in communications are here because we like to talk. We talk on the phone, we email, we tweet and facebook. We love sharing information! That’s a good thing. It’s amazing!

But…

On the flip side, sometimes we have to remind ourselves that it’s not just about us. Sitting back and listening to what others have to say is just as rewarding as producing meaningful content of our own. It’s ok to be still and soak things in. Producing for production’s sake isn’t always in our client’s best interest.

So today I’m taking this opportunity to give the stage to some people who are saying some cool things. I’m listening. Maybe you should be too.

Five Things I’m Listening to Today:

Umair Haque – The Awesomeness Manifesto We put ‘awesomesauce’ on everything we do at Engine, so this resonated. Seriously though, it’s a challenge to the idea of ‘innovation.’ Haque always makes me think–really, really, really hard. (Credit to the Coversation Agent blog for this find.)
Google Sidewiki – Checking out this new app from Google, and listening to what @Aerocles and others are saying about it on The Legend of Aerocles blog.
How not to suck at blogging – @manvsdebt has some great tips and videos in this post. I love that it’s experiential, and not just a regurgitated list of do’s and dont’s. The clip from Gary Vanynerchuk is so motivating, but it’s riddled with swears, so if you’re easily offended…ummm…
The Belleville Intelligencer – It’s important to know what’s happening in your community. We all know this. This is my community. Welcome! Follow them @TheIntell on Twitter.
I’ve been really loosely playing with the term ‘listening’ as much of what I’m doing is technically ‘reading’ but I think you’re all smart enough to understand what I mean. Here though, is one for your listening (dictionary definition) pleasure: The Cinematic Orchestra featuring Patrick Watson, To Build a Home.

The Un-Starbucks?

August 17, 2009 Marketing / Public Relations

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: A shot of 15th Ave Coffee & Tea in Seattle

For those of you who don’t know, Starbucks recently decided to attempt a de-branding experiment by opening three ‘street level’ coffee shops in Seattle, called 15^th Avenue Coffee & Tea. Why? Good question. I can only imagine it’s an attempt to cater to a clientele that wouldn’t normally go to Starbucks ie. the free-trading, guitar playing, local business proponent, hipster.

Let’s face it. There are people who love Starbucks and there are people who hate Starbucks. There don’t seem to be too many people on the fence. And there aren’t too many people on the fence about 15^th Ave either. With this de-branding effort, the love/hate relationship continues.

Take this commentary in Harvard Business Publishing by Peter Merholz:

Perhaps my biggest beef with 15th Ave is that it’s fundamentally dishonest. Everyone knows it’s run by Starbucks, but the website and the store do all they can to suggest it’s a true independent (though the high level of interior design suggests a bankroll out of the reach of most entrepreneurs).

I don’t love the notion of touting yourself as one thing when you’re actually another. It lacks integrity. This is bad branding. However, I disagree with the author that:

There’s no way a corporate coffee chain can create an authentic neighbourhood coffee experience.

Our local Starbucks actually has a neighbourhood coffee shop feel. It’s frequented by a regular cast of characters, and the staff is friendly and actively involved in the community. Yes, the decor might be de rigeur, and the chairs might be a little hard. (Why did they take away our comfy chairs? Why?) But really, it’s the people who make the ‘community,’ not the brand.

That’s where I do have a problem with 15^th Ave. I’m confused as to why it’s necessary at all. It seems completely redundant. They’re even selling the same coffee (not sure if it’s at the same price point though).

When you’re already the most popular brand on Facebook with over 3 million fans, you have over 200,000 followers on Twitter, and you’re not doing too bad financially, de-branding doesn’t seem like the likeliest business strategy.

So what’s up Starbucks?

Why not work with the resources you already have, and empower your staff to get even more involved in their communities? Or create customer incentives to reward those who frequent your shops every day?

If you build it, we won’t necessarily come. Serve us better, and we’ll be there (and we’ll bring all our friends).

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