Yesterday I wrote a post about how much I love social media. Since I love it so much, I spent a good portion of my day watching a live stream of the F8 conference, to learn about all the new changes coming to Facebook that are supposed to revolutionize the social network. Not to sound too much like a geek, but wow! These were some pretty intense changes they announced (in case you missed it, here is a recap of all the changes: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-20110181-93/what-facebook-announced-at-f8-today/). Now, there is still a lot to digest and I don’t want to be too quick to judge all of these changes, but there was one thing that popped into my mind as I watched. If Google+ is every going to become a real threat to Facebook, they better do it now!
Archive for NxtGen Thoughts
Its Now or Never for Google+
Social Media Week: What I love Most About Social Media
This week, September 19-23, is Social Media Week 2011! Social Media Week (SMW) is a global platform that connects people, content, and conversation around emerging trends in social and mobile media. This weeks events are taking place in 11 cities spanning across 10 different countries! That is pretty amazing. But what makes Social Media so special is that even those who don’t live in one of the cities where events are taking place, or can’t get away from the office to attend an event, can still get in on all the action! By following one of the designated Twitter hashtags, or watching live streaming events, you can literally stay up to date with everything taking place (maybe even more so than attending in person!). As I sit here and think about how awesome technology is, and all the great things that have happened to me as a direct result of social media, I wonder why so many people are still so hesitant to give it a try. So for those people, I decided to put a little list together of why I love social media. Hopefully it will give them a little something to think about.
Are Social Media and Word-of-Mouth the Same Thing?
I have seen a lot of articles recently in response to a small business survey conducted by Hiscox, a small business insurance provider, which surveyed US small business leaders on their social media usage. Hiscox found that many of these business owners weren’t using social channels to promote their businesses and products. In fact, the results of the survey showed that only 12% of the business owners described social media as a “must” and 47% indicated they did not use social media for business purposes at all. The survey also concluded that 50% of the business owners said that word-of-mouth marketing was essential to their business. This is where things get interesting…and heated!
Word of Mouth Is A Two Way Street
Two years ago I needed to have my backyard deck stripped of paint and stained. I had been looking online and could not find any companies that wanted to do the work I was requesting. A good friend of mine works for a home and door company in my area, so I asked him if he knew anyone that could do my job. He gave me the name of a company that he worked with in the past that does decks. I contacted them, and they were able to recommend a company who could fill my need. The deck came out great, and I could not be happier. A few months later I decided to have my front porch replaced. I ended up using the same deck guy, and was very happy with how the front porch came out initially. Actually the the front porch came out so nice that both my parents and my in-laws hired him to do work at their houses, thanks to my glowing recommendation. Two years later, I have a leaking roof and two sets of unhappy parents. Turns out he took a few short cuts, and while his work looked great initially, it did not last over time. Now I have to constantly listen to both my parents and my in-laws complain about how the deck guy screwed them. Lesson learned; word of mouth is a two way street. In business, and life in general, you are responsible for the recommendations that you give, not just the service that you provide.
Building An Online Community: Part 3 – Nurturing Your Community
Welcome back for the final part of our series on how to build an online community. In our previous posts, we talked about Choosing the Right Platfrom and Growing Your Community. Now we will discuss the critical step of nurturing that community that you have worked so hard to build.
Have you ever seen the show “Yard Crashers” on HGTV? It is a backyard remodel show, where the host waits at home improvement stores looking for the perfect weekend warriors who could use his help. People go in thinking they’re just buying a bag of mulch, but instead come home with the host and his team, who completely transform their landscape. It happens to be one of my favorite shows on TV right now (and I don’t even have a backyard. Go figure), however, at the end of every show, I am left wondering, “what now?” What happens when the experts all leave and these people, who previously neglected their yard to the point of it needing a complete makeover, are left to handle it all themselves? Building a beautiful, lush, garden is hard work, but it all goes to waste if you do not continue to care for, and nurture it. Well, the same can be said about your online community. You can put all the hard work, time, and effort in the world into picking the right platform and building your community. But if you don’t continue to nurture that community, it was all a giant waste of time. Here are a few key tips to focus on once you have built out your community.