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On 4 Reasons The Social Media Industry Has a Credibility Problem

Hmmmm. You've really got me thinking Amber. Or, more importantly you've got me rethinking some things that have entered and exited my brain fleetingly over the last few days & even weeks. There is a lot more to what I am thinking of than this - but I will need to let a lot of it simmer for a while first. But one point I can certainly share:

I feel the shift. I really do. The "revolution". I feel it in many ways. I wrote a post about the possibility that Social Media might be changing the way business is done, and how relationships are appreciated. But in retrospect I think the values, compassion, and ideas of people today are what is shaping the way we interact with each other. And that Social Media is the most tangible way to show or share it. We are circling back to caring more about each other and how people are treated. We are more willing to help each other out. Now, since we are the lucky ones who are on the brink of this shift/change - we get to feel those growing pains. People who are resistant. Skeptical. Those who are getting burned because of it. And, those bad eggs who are using it to knock people down and crush their hopes and dreams and confidence.

I strongly believe those bad eggs will be thrown out over time (if they are indeed destructive and not just constructively criticizing). We are a self-filtering community. We have high hopes and we all most definitely need to put our Patient hats on when we are working with others. Those who are already embracing these new tools are not better than anyone else, it's like being the first person to get Chicken Pox - you just have to infect everyone else too! ;o) (Okay, bad analogy, but I was going for a giggle - I hope it worked)

On Your Facebook Status: I don’t care what you had for lunch. Or do I?

Hi Pam,

Yes! You said it. Some might not want to hear it - but you said it. And I like it!

We are all curious, whether we admit it or not, as to what other people do. We are curious as to how clean their house is, what they eat for dinner, how much TV they watch, what kind of snacks they have in their cupboard, if they sometimes come home from work and refuse to move from the couch until David Letterman is on....

I mean how many of you take a stroll through your neighborhood and do NOT ever look in any windows that have the curtains pulled back? Anyone? I can't help but look in. I love to see how others live. Why? Personal Validation. Idea seeking. Human Connection. I want to know that everyone else is just like me. I dunno. I just have to look. (Sometimes I have to quickly look away - but it's worth the risk)

On Social Media Marketing Outsourcing Guidelines

You have some very helpful tips here Leon. I like where you point out that no matter what they must feel comfortable with the ability to ask questions and get answers. The ability to communicate with your social media manager is pretty important to the overall success of long term goals. No matter how much expertise they have and how big their social media presence is - you are not going to be happy if you can't get answers and explanations as you need them.

Also, I might caution against the viewing of their social media presence as a tell-tale factor. It certainly is telling to an extent. However, if you are hiring your social media manager from a business in a niche market their fan base cannot be judged on size alone, nor on interaction. It has been observed by many industries that a B2B business gets a much different rate of interaction than a B2C business. So make sure you compare apples to apples in this metric.

On Why Social Media and Groupon deals are a Perfect Match

Nice ideas here.

We've done something inspired by Groupon for our client Brighton Ford. I was trying to sell them on setting up a real Groupon for their service department, and because they already offer such great coupons locally for an oil change service, they would be unable to go low enough to meet Groupon standards. They also were afraid of "giving away" their service at a loss to a huge amount of people who may have a low risk of repeat business because they are deal seeking and will go to whoever has the best deal every time. (Despite the fabulous service they would give them)

So, we decided to distribute a FANTASTIC limited time deal locally through our own fan base. We used Facebook to set up a Fan Only Coupon Tab. Once the user clicks Like - they get the coupon - and all of their current fans get it too. We made sure this deal was better than they could ever get anywhere else with an urgent time frame. And it is super easy to share, with the share button, which gets us the new customers through word of mouth from our current customers (THE BEST KIND OF NEW CUSTOMERS!) We've been able to reward current customers and gain new ones in one campaign.

Check out the deal and how it works at Brighton Ford's Facebook Page.

On 12 Steps To Hiring A Social Media Manager

Hi Maria,

I love this article it is so spot on! Where I have seen the hiring process fail most often is #11. I've seen focus being placed solely on the persons writing and communications  - with zero attention paid to their marketing, business, and self-starter ability.

I would be so bold to say that without the Marketing knowledge or sensabilities it just doesn't work. You have to be you - but you have to be able to put yourself in the shoes of your followers and be able to think critically about how they will respond to what you say.

On 6 Ways to Waste Your Time on Social Media

You have a good point Robert!

Sites like these can be much more thought provoking than Twitter & Facebook. However, I can rely on Twitter/Facebook to lead me to new sites with great content that I may have not found otherwise, letting me find the great stuff that others are reading, not just what they are writing. Then, I can add those great new sites to Google Reader and off I go.

On 6 Ways to Waste Your Time on Social Media

You are right Davina.

I should watch more wording more carefully or elaborate more. You definitely should network with people outside of your industry - but it has to apply in some way or give you some value. I guess I was just trying to make the point that auto-following everyone who follows you is a complete disaster. ;o)  Thanks for clarifying that point - I definitely could have made it more clear.

On How to Handle a Cyberjerk

Hi Deana -

I just went through this, very recently. Your tips are perfect. What I would add is a warning.

There are some out there that attack a popular opinion simply to get exposure. They want to promote themselves, to whom I don't know, and they do it by saying nasty things to people they don't know. The more popular the person, the place, the more likely they will want to attack. If they get a response, it aids their end goal. So while I agree there is a need to defend yourself and/or stand your ground, I strongly recommend not making a big deal about. Keep the response to the place where the conflict first occurred. If they come at you in other venues to continue the discussion, do not respond. Keep it where it is, don't talk about them anywhere else, and if they seem to be working to keep the conflict going, let it go.

Kind of like young children throwing a tantrum. If you ignore them, they'll stop throwing tantrums because they don't get what they want out of it.

On 10 Social Media Marketing Questions Answered By a 19 Year Old

Hi Briana!

Well done. I think what you have done here has been fabulous! I think by answering the questions yourself you have done exactly what you should have done - you thought about it! Very good. There is so much information out here in this world of social media that it is sometimes difficult to stop ingesting and start thinking about it for yourself. I am glad you thought about it and answered the questions. It will be neat to see what others come up with for answers to these questions.

On 16 Ways to Avoid Self Destruction in Social Media

I am taking my chances at becoming a Flipper today! And it's worth it. ;o) This is a great article.

I am following quite a few car dealerships (for work) and I have a major arch nemesis in a large dealership group on the east coast - in respect to what you've written today. I mean come on, I am following more than one of their dealerships, how many times a day do I have to read that you are "The home of the $199 lease".  **Insert me shaking my head here** If I was a customer, I would certainly have Unfollowed long ago. Hallelujah for Lists!

Thanks for getting these pointers out here! (P.S. I am also following a "titled" social media master & his/her various social media entities who is currently automating many many tweets throughout their various outlets. So I regularly get 5 tweets that are exactly the same in my feed, at exactly the same time. grrrrr. This one, I am going to Unfollow - while it is in my industry and I do want to know what they are up to, I am willing to go to their site to avoid this mucking up of my feed)

On Why Conversation, not Content, is King

I love conversations, it's all about human connection for me.

Your point can be evidenced in in-person interaction in a big way. When I spend an hour with someone who speaks only of strategy, work, and what they know, I might come out smarter but I don't know them. I prefer to spend an hour with someone who speaks of life, funny anecdotes, and some strategy & what they know - and I usually leave the conversation feeling good instead of overwhelmed. I get a sense of who the other person is, instead of just what they know. This is how I truley connect to someone. I am much more likely to retain what I did learn from them too!

Almost all of us probably know at least one person who is always spouting out what they know and nothing more. How do they affect you? Do you want to hang-out with them, or do you just want to tap their brain on occasion?

On Why is the Word Social So Difficult for Businesses to Understand?

Robert,

First of all I am not a “social media pundit”. I am out here learning what I can, and sharing what I have learned with those who want to know. (And you know what, so what if I was a social media pundit, I’ve learned a lot of useful tips from these “pundits” you speak of.)

Secondly, I am not labeling anyone. Paul & I were relating to each other on the specific difficulties we encounter with our clients not wanting to chill out a bit and share something besides a sales pitch. After all, they are our clients and have asked us for help. There is a precise definition in the dictionary for the word “social” - there is no opinion to be had in this regard, so to say someone misunderstands the meaning of the word is not being intolerant or disrespectful or as you put it "arrogant" and "offensive".

Quite frankly I am glad that “we”, whoever the “we” is, disagrees with me. I can’t learn if I don’t think, and if no one challenges my opinion I have no reason to think about it further. So please, challenge my ideas with your varying opinions all day, that is what I want. Please share with me exactly what I could be doing better, I am listening.

What I don’t want is for you to have this vendetta against social media, hop on to a place where people who like social media discuss it, and attack the first commenter you come across. There is no productivity in that. Attack my ideas, do not attack me! I am unfortunately the collateral damage to some hatred you feel. We are all human, try not to forget it.

To claim that I have “arrogance” based off one comment is quite presumptuous of you. If you read anything else I have written, and if you have done any homework you will find that I am out here just trying to figure it all out. If you ever were to meet me in person, you’d be ashamed of yourself for labeling me in such a misinformed manner.

Based on your other posts, you are out here with blinders on, refusing to see where social media is helping businesses, why it is helping them, and how it is helping them. I am simply sharing what I know works in the cases I have been a part of. There is not one silver bullet to this thing. Every person, company, organization has to find how it works for them, and a good starting place just happens to be where it has worked well for others! If a company wants to try something that has not worked for others, then go right ahead, but be informed of where it has failed in the past.

Please feel free to share with me and everyone else on Social Media Today why you are doing things differently than "us" in social media. Share some specifics about what you do and how well it works. We’d love to learn from you, if you’d share some ideas instead of just bashing ours we are more likely to listen.