My influence can beat up your influence.
Back from SoSlam, a copy of Return on Influence sits on my desk, just waiting to be read.
Influence.
WTH does a Klout score mean anyway? According to reports, Klout and PeerIndex really measure something else. My default position: it doesn’t measure influence so much as it counts online activity.
See also, Ken Mueller – measuring influence is an ongoing process, not one and done. Howie Goldfarb – find people talking about Audis not just on the Internets – since most of our communication is in fact offline – but getting to actually walk in a showroom and buy an Audi, that is real world influence.
And I can’t decide if these are signs of the apocalypse or a return to reason, alas talking about measuring so-called ‘influence’ ain’t going anywhere.
Who cares?
I was bemused by this post on important wine bloggers, as the comments played out ye olde influence debate:
-”Who are those people?! No one outside the industry knows them. Hell no one outside the wine blogging industry knows them.”
-”Who cares if Joe Consumer knows, he’s too busy buying Two Buck Chuck to be influenced by wine press. These are making themselves known, lots of counting and metics and eyeballs and ads.”
-”They’re just talking to each other.”
-”Well, they get published in mainstream media.”
-”Chicken, ‘Hi, Egg.’”
Who cares about your score? Who cares about your ‘news’ release? Who cares if you know something about Disney World or CRM software? No really, that’s what it boils down to: exactly who cares. Is it someone who is ever going to buy or recommend your company or not? And will whoever is listening care?!
Sucking up FTW
Apparently there are at least 14 ways to build strategic relationships with the ‘who’s who’ of social media. Part of me gets it, but as I discussed with Kaarina Dillabough, mostly I’m insulted.
According to that post, I’ve done everything right but since can’t ‘move the needle’ on my own I need:
“a little help from the influencers (and their massive audiences) you can move from obscurity to a firm place on the map. Without their help, your future’s unclear.”
Really? I’ve not brown nosed with the jet set huh? I don’t have popularity in certain circles? That is why I’m not pushing ahead?! I call bullshit.
I’d deal with being a so-so blogger or not being very business minded or just plain dumb. I genuinely value my connections, but networking with the “who’s who” to trade on their influence – spare me.
I meet with small business owners all the time. There’s no talk of influence, they’ve barely heard of the scoring systems, and — other than people trying to sell them automated ‘online presence’ — little discussion of social media. Deer, meet headlights if you start name-dropping the ‘internet famous.’ Tell them something that can help their businesses, then they pay attention. Because that’s all they care about.
I’m damn smart. I bring good, actionable ideas to my blog. I have an eye for details, vision for branding and a way with words; I can tell a good story. The people I care to influence – the ones hiring me, signing my contract.
I don’t care if your scores are higher than mine. Who influences me absolutely matters; for my business, it’s whomever I influence that matters more. You?
New Old Friends and Missed Connections: SoSlam 2012
Tom Webster learned about dealing with presentation failure. Rosemary O’Neill found several pearls of wisdom, and Jenn found many to be ‘profit agnositic.’ Kristen Daukus was impressed by the ladies at SoSlam – because they rocked.
Social Slam 2012
Honestly, I didn’t ‘learn’ that much I didn’t know at SoSlam. Yes I loved Tom’s talk on numbers, Mitch Joel’s presentation on sex with data, and am still on a caffeine high after Marcus Sheridan blew the doors off the place. And the buildings two blocks over.
But this is what I’ve been living, breathing, working for years. As I told Jayme in my totally unprepared, on-the-spot interview – ahem – I shoulda sent clients instead.
SoSlam was a great event – and the business owners and managers are the one’s who needed to hear about what social media can do, how it fits into the communications and marketing and PR strategy.
People who need people
We’re so lucky right? I know people in Germany and Australia – that I can ‘talk’ to all the time – and how freaking cool is that?! My biggest takeaway from SoSlam: Connections.
TUS (The Usual Suspects)
Nary a week goes by that don’t at least chat with some of my long time Twitter and blogging friends. Nice to get see Bones-look-alike Gini Dietrich, Marcus, Mark “Return on Influence” Schaeffer and Adam Toporek in person again. Jayme Soulati and Jenn Whinnem – live and in technicolor – worth the price of admission right there.
New Old friends
Look, it’s Sean McGinnis. Stanford Smith. Billy Delaney. Sam Fiorella. Hey, I know you guys! Jon ‘not from Culture Club’ Moss. Brian Vickery. Had a nice time walking through Knoxville, chatting with Anthony Rodriguez and Marisa Peacock over dinner. Laura Click. Mary Ellen Miller, Solo PR FTW!!! Patty Swisher, it IS like meeting long-time (who you callin old?!) friends.
Unlike the Craiglist we hope never hook up, there were some missed connectons.
Barely had a chance to say more than ‘hello’ to Lynsay Caylor, Amy Kenly, Stephaine Wonderlin. Eric Pratum, DJ Waldow, Anne Gallaher. Jay Baer, Mitch Joel, Amy Howell. And many, many more. (If I didn’t list you, feel free to give me grief.)
This is SOCIAL
Forgive the name-dropping and linking abuse but that’s the point: Social is People.
Businesses don’t hire or design or build or market, the people who work there do. Keywords don’t write blog posts and comments, people do. Brands don’t develop marketing strategies, people do. Behind the polished avatars and cleverly crafted blog posts are real people.
Companies need to realize their humanity, their people are their greatest assets. Businesses, big and small, will see the most returns from social media marketing when they embrace that it’s all about the people.
Oh I learned that an iPad stylus is the new swag bag pen and I got to eat lunch with Margie Clayman. FWIW.
Comment Policy: New! And Improved! On Sale Now.
A while back I let a comment stand – minus the self-promotional links – even though it had that ‘eau du spam’ whiff to it – because it at least was on topic. Time to refresh and update ye olde comment policy.
Rules of Commenting, Part II, Subsection B, Paragraph 12.3, itty bitty fine print
My comment policy still stands: I’ll take it if you have something to say and have a pretty easy-going, let it fly attitude. Grammar and punctuation are our friends. Play nice.
- Links. Links are fine, hence the CommentLuv. Feel free to pimp your own posts – provided they are related to the post, not 3rd half-cousin, twice removed on your Uncle Bob’s side.
- Store’s Open. I’m using the Tweet Old Post plugin, so I’m keeping comments open on older posts. (Peeve: seeing an older but still relevant post that’s been autobot tweeted – only to be unable to comment; not sure I get tweeting closed posts.)
- Spam will be canned. Trolls sent a packing. NEW: People have names, not keywords.
What I really meant was…
Discussion. By all means, chat away. This gives me ideas, this provides examples, advancing the conversation provides valuable insights to the reader. This is why comments are open.
But learn when to let it go. I’ve seen posts that had a little too much back and forth in comments, with people restating their case over and over to the point I got tennis whiplash. Someone has to get the last word, won’t always be you. Or me.
Professional. Courtesy. It’s not an option.
Posts will be unpopular; there are ways to deal with blog criticism and keep it civil.
Marcus Sheridan has his ‘delete and move on’ method of dealing with comment trolls. Mine: If a comment is ‘this is just dumb’ – I’ll sometimes counter with: “TY for you input. Please tell me WHY oh guru, give me examples, educate me and my readers.” Crickets chirp very loudly.
My philosophy hasn’t changed: discuss the topic, attack the post and the ideas; do not attack the writer or others commenting; give reasons for disagreeing. Why?
YMMV. About 93.56% of the time, we’re discussing opinions and experiences. I know what I did, what I wrote and what I meant by it; sure you do too and don’t need me visiting your intentions (still want another Firefly/Serenity sequel).
Opinions will differ, whether talking about Facebook or to what degree Game of Thrones is awesome. Approaches to public relations, marketing via social media, making the perfect omelet will vary; some shake, others stir their martinis.
No matter how wrong I know in my heart and head that it’s bad PR, bad communications, bad business to delete valid-yet-negative feedback from your customers, I won’t call you a blithering idiot. I might think it, tweet not to do it, but you’re free to do that wrong, along with many things.
If you have a comment policy, what am I forgetting? If not, why not?
What to blog about today? I know.. blogging.
Confession: The draft pile is looking pretty anemic – lots of ideas scattered about too many posts, nothing ‘publish’ worthy – and I’m trying to build in some wiggle room. (With a dread “blogging about blogging for blogging’s sake” post no less; I hereby fine myself in kangaroo court.)
Got ideas?
One of the best ways businesses can engage their audience is to ask questions, find out what they want to know. I know of a certain Sales Lion who’s big on turning your FAQs into blog posts, writing about what your customers are really searching for – ways to solve their problems.
This is:
- A failed attempt at one of JackB’s (b for blogger, he’s got all kinds of writing tips) short posts.
- A chance to talk to my community, get some feedback and to lure lurkers into commenting and participating more because I just know you’re out there. Lurking in the Interweb shadows, as you lurkers do.
- See what I’ve missed, maybe turn it into a decent post. Jenn Whinnem wanted my thoughts on a Vagina Marketing press release.. couldn’t help but write about it.
- Shake things up. Write ‘different’ and all manner of blogging cliches.
Too many choices
It’s not that I’ve run out of ideas. On the contrary, my brain has been going in all directions – hence the countless posts, thoughts, ideas stuck in draft mode.
In the battle against the banal, fight against writing about the same old [insert marketing, public relations, social media keywords here] things, I’m open to suggestion. Like finding new ways to write about the ‘same old’ communications subjects or even ‘new’ topics altogether.
Be careful what you wish for.
If you want me to attempt to write about cooking – it’s your stomach; wine, much safer. Think I should blog about metrics, enjoy your nap because while I totally believe measurement is part of any good PR and marketing process, I suck at talking about it. Wanna know everything I know about Disney World? Pack a lunch because I can type your eyes off.
Basic rules: So long as we keep it clean and you don’t ask me to watch any reality TV or reveal state secrets, I might be willing to give it go — with the goal of bringing it back to social media, to PR, to effective communications for small business.
I’ll probably regret this but for now, the can of worms is open.
Photo Credit: Flickr CC license, Alun Salt.
Do you know where your lurkers are?
Lurkers are the silent majority; Creators, loud minority; and curators (or amplifiers) somewhere in the middle. Everyone with a role to play.
Cliques. Diehards. Fandoms. These people comment, who tweet and RT, who blog and reblog – the few that want to be heard. They produce videos for YouTube, presentations on SlideShare. They Stumble (Upon), the Flip (Board), they do more than consume content; they create it – often outside the ‘message control’ of the brand.
Control is a Myth
That ‘frenzy’ of fans pouring on the hype or screaming with hate, they’re the smaller number. See sports, politics, LiveJournal blogs, TripAdvisor. And because they’re the most vocal - even in the minority – they’re potentially the most dangerous.
According to McDonald’s, only a small percentage of tweets of their short-lived hashtag campaign were negative. Even so, pundits have been calling the brandjacking a major fail. Things went out of their control as McDonald’s got more than they tweeted for, but FWIW I’m not sure how this will hurt sales at the drive-thru.
Then there’s the sweet spot you want – vocal brand advocates that are the core of your business. You need to know your business’ Venn Diagrams for core customers and social sharers. More importantly is knowing where the two overlap, to determine what’s best for your brand and why in order to engage effectively. Otherwise, you wake a sleeping, noisy giant that doesn’t like you very much. If you can’t identify your audience, you also run the risk of only listening to that loud minority, missing out on so much more or optimizing would-be customers out of the middle.
Luring out the lurkers
“The trick is to produce the information that ‘consumers’ want to access and hear.”
As marketers, as communicators that’s a top goal: conversion. Turning a lurker into a commenter; getting a follower or fan to reply, share, comment and do more than just ‘like’ us; getting someone to sign up, register and ultimately, to buy.
We do that not just by broadcasting content, but by creating something that they want, by sharing it with them in ways that makes them invest and commit to it, want to share it.
Major minor audience.
There is something here, I just cannot decide what exactly. Is this a call to create? Sure. Certainly a reminder to think about which audience you target, where ‘influence’ really lives; I’m as easily swayed by a well-written Yelp or TA review than I am mainstream media or bloggers.
Mostly this is a cautionary tale not to get blinded by the numbers, good or bad. And to remember than for every fan or hater, there’s probably 10 times as many lurkers out there. Waiting to become your biggest nightmare or greatest fan.
How do you lure out the lurkers, get them more involved?