Constructing Social

There has been a lot of recent discussion on how we measure the ROI of social media marketing.  Jason Falls wrote provocatively that ‘you don’t get money out of a conversation‘.  While I don’t disagree in principal, I do believe that marketing must be accountable for its programs (I am sure Jason thinks that way too).  At yesterday’s Social Media Breakfast in Boston, Brian Halligan and Matt Cutler each spoke very clearly about how they were measuring the success of their social media programs, while Andrew McAfee spoke more of the issues that surround accuracy of measuring return.

So it is your turn. What do you think?  Is there an accurate ROI on social media marketing?  What is the leading issue?

/Colin

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I came across a recent blog post from Information Dissemination on the 6 Commandments of blogging.  The commandments at first glance are similar to the same great advice that you would find from Chris Brogan, Jeremiah Owyang, Liz Strauss and others.  Here is his quick list from the post:

• Be Interesting
• Be Insightful
• Be Social
• Be Interactive
• Set Expectations
• Be Relevant

Certainly this is great advice, but the wonderful difference between the Information Dissemination post and what Chris, Jeremiah and Liz would say is how the Information Dissemination blog has made this great advice relevant and specific for his audience (the Navy).  I love how for each of the ’six commandments’ very clear and specific examples from the Navy are given.  For example in ‘Be Interesting’ he speaks about how naval ships all have different coats of arms and slogans as personal brands that are unique.  Fascinating stuff that speaks directly to his audience!

As many of us try to communicate the benefits of social media within organizations, this is really a wonderful example of how to make your message more impactful and meaningful by simply choosing relevant examples to your audience and speaking in their terms.

/colin

A warm welcome to the following social media agency and consultants that have recently joined the Constructing Social Builders Index.  Over the past month the list has grown to 56!  Amazing!  Here are the latest members, if you are looking for help with your social media initiatives, please check these great organizations out:

Social Media Consultants:

• Jason Baer: Convince & Convert: Social media and advanced email consulting for corporations and public relations firms across North America. 
• Michael Gass Consulting: Michael works with marketing communications firms to create a more clearly defined focus and differentiating new business strategy that will give them a competitive advantage for new business, utilizing social media. 
• Inner Media Coaching & Consulting: We help biz owners define dreams, develop plans and deliver potential. 
• Stephanie Agresta: 10+ yrs Online marketing Experience . Social Media Strategy. Co-Founder of The Tech Set 
• Ari Herzog; Advising business leaders on social media and online marketing 
• B2WE: Social Media Marketing
• Monica Hamberg: Speaker, Writer, Social Media Consultant, Researcher 
• PiKE: Consulting, speaking, teaching 
• Ray Schiel: Offering Ideas & Insights on growing a business using Social Media 
• Creative Agency Secrects: We help you find more customers
• Kevin Dykes: New Marketing Strategist

There has been some great information released recently.  I have updated the Constructing Social Planning page and I am also providing a bigger summary below.

• Razorfish FEED: Razorfish’s regular publication on consumer behavior in the online world.  Great information on current online consumer trends. (Oct 2008)
• Cone Consumer Social Network Study: 85% of social media users thought companies should interact with their consumers through social media, at least when needed and other info (Oct 2008)
• Technorati State of the Blogosphere: The 2008 study of blogs and bloggers. Amazingly detailed infromation. (Oct 2008)
• MENG Social Media Practices: Press release highlights some good information that shows that 67% of respondents consider themselves beginners at using social media for marketing purposes (Oct 2008) 

If there are other resources that you would like to see added please let me know!

Thanks,

Colin

Below is the presentation that I gave on Thursday at Web Guild’s Social Media Strategies Conference.  It was a great session.  After speaking to several attendees, I thought that it would be best to cut my time short and break into working sessions for B2B, B2C, Non-Profit and Internal communities and work through how to start a social media strategy.  It went so well, it was hard to get people back to the regular conference track!

Not only is the presentation that I gave below, but so are several of the links that I mentioned.

Thanks!

/Colin

This morning I will be holding a working session on developing a social media strategy at WebGuild’s Social Media Strategies Conference. The presentation will be a accumulation of many posts that I have not had time to write, it is a good chance to help me accelerate the process and get the ideas out of my head and hopefully onto this blog soon!

I really am looking forward to the audience participation portion where I am going to provide the ‘working session’ for the audience to think about how they would approach a B2B, B2C, Non-Profit and internal community.  There are a lot of smart people in the audience, I look forward to hearing what they come up with!

Look for the presentation here shortly.

/colin

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I started my career in the great city of London where I would spend my Sunday mornings at Speakers’ Corner in Hyde Park.  For someone with little money, it was great, free entertainment to listen to the array of speakers stand on their soapboxes, some with great skill and interesting topics, and others without either.  Equally entertaining was the audience that was comprised of ‘professional hecklers’ and the occasional infuriated tourist that would exchange barbs with the speakers and other audience members.

The analogy to today’s world of social media is an interesting one and I think one that we can learn from.  Similar to Speakers Corner, social media can provide a platform for discourse and also a format for audiences to provide feedback though ratings and comments.  Speakers’ Corner is also a perfect reflection of online community behavior with most of the audience just watching and a few participating and one or two who can’t be quiet. However, what really kept me returning to Speakers’ Corner was the back and forth between the ‘speaker’ and audience members, where good ideas were defended well and the audience would crowd around to see what would happen next.  

Similar to the Speakers on milk crates at Speaker’s Corner, bloggers have a powerful platform.  Over the past year, an array of technologies have enabled the audience to engage bloggers in more powerful ways.  Friendfeed, Twitter and others allow audiences an opportunity to shout back or agree - even if there are no comments allowed on the blog.  If used well, these can help a blogger achieve greater visibility and capture a wider audience. Bloggers to follow for best practices: Chris Brogan, Jeremiah Owyang and Robert Scoble

 - Colin

Over the past week several great organizations have been added to the Constructing Social Builders listing of social media agencies and consultants.  The organizations that joined the Constructing Social Builders list this week include:

• The New Group:  Integrated Digital Marketing Agency in Portland, Oregon
• Live Path: Customer Experience Consultancy specializing in Social Media, Web and Channel Optimization
• Social Target: Research and consulting focused on helping companies establish social media intelligence capabilities and management practices.
• Leader Networks: Leader Networks helps companies create professional peer networks and online executive communities. 
• Lois Paul & Partners: Strategic Communications for High-Tech and Life Sciences Companies

rkI was able to drop in on The New Marketing Summit for a day and took a few pictures of the many great conversations and fun people there.  Enjoy!

/colin

Today is Blog Action Day and the focus is on poverty.  I wanted to share a story from my past.

Coralee Whitcomb founded Boston’s Virtually Wired, a non-profit dedicated to connecting everyone to computers and the internet.  Virtually Wired was a tremendous resource to anyone that could not afford a computer or internet connection.  This was especially great to train the homeless to get that critical job.  

In the late 90’s, I taught a series of courses on online marketing at Virtually Wired that drew some fascinating individuals from all walks of life.  Virtually Wired does not exist any more, but in my few months of teaching there, the lessons that I learned will last a lifetime.  

I wanted to share just a few lessons from Virually Wired today on Blog Action Day, they are:

• Don’t Assume: My Virtually Wired students, with no access to computers or the Internet, had much more insightful questions than individuals at the large financial services organization I was working for at the time.  Their questions and excitement pushed my own knowledge and understanding to new levels.
• Give Freely: At the time, I didn’t have much money to donate to the various causes that I believed in.  However, I quickly learned that I got far more out of giving my time than I would have by giving a large check.  I have carried this lesson with me and give my time freely to the organizations that I care about.
• Stay Humble: A lesson that has served me well - just because you are at one end of a microphone or are standing at the podium, never assume you are the person in the room with all the answers.