Establishing a global social media foothold (video)
Jun 16th
If you can’t see the video above, please click here: Mark Schaefer interviews Dr. Jon Buscall.
What if you had the opportunity to establish yourself as a pioneering voice of authority in a region of the world that is relatively new to the idea of social media marketing? How would you start?
During my recent trip to Scandinavia, I got to sit down with Dr. Jon Buscall, who is familiar to many of you here on {grow}. Jon is one of the most active marketing bloggers in Northern Europe and is probably the only one who is on his way to establishing a global voice from that region.
In this interview, Jon talks about:
- Establishing a blogging foothold and establishing his personal brand
- The choice to blog in English versus his local language
- Building a global audience
- How companies in Europe are beginning to use social media
I’m sure you’ll enjoy this conversation with one of our community favorites!
The power shift on the social web: What does it mean to you?
May 4th
Remember when we used to say that “people” are the power behind the social web? Can we can honestly claim that any more? The social web has rapidly become just another a mass-marketing channel like TV or magazines, dominated by the mega-brands.
Think about the videos going viral these days. What was the biggest hit of the year? The Nike Tiger ad, a bizarre production certainly aimed at the viral potential of the Internet more than any paid TV opportunity. In fact eight of the top 10 most-viewed You Tube videos of 2009 were professionally-produced:
- Evian roller babies (see above to view)
- New Moon movie trailer
- Wedding entrance dance
- David after dentist
- Britain’s Got Talent – Susan Boyle
- through 10 – professional music videos
And all of the Top 10 Facebook pages belong to big names:
- Texas Hold ‘em Poker
- Mafia Wars
- Michael Jackson
- Barack Obama
- Vin Diesel (Vin Diesel???)
- Starbucks
- Lady Gaga
- Twilight
- Coca-Cola
- Skittles
Remember that just a few years ago, there were few, if any, corporate videos on YouTube and Facebook was a hang-out for college students. This commerical development is not surprising. If there is a way for money to be made, companies will find a way to exploit it. Capitalism at work. So what are the implications for small businesses trying to carve a niche? Is it too crowded? Is it too late?
No, I don’t think so. There are plenty of social media marketing opportunities for the savvy small business professional, even with the brand titans bringing their game:
Think local. All marketing is local. Can your small business still have an impact on the social web? Absolutely. I’m working with a marketing manager for a very successful regional chain of restaurants. One restaurant already has 5,000 Facebook fans. I think that’s pretty impressive. If you’re providing meaningful connections with your local crowd of customers, who cares if Evian babies rule the web?
Raising the bar. Not long ago, grainy home videos dominated YouTube. Just about anybody, at any time, had a chance of going viral. The novelty of the social web has passed and expectations for quality are increasing. If you hope to compete for attention on the national or international level, bring lots of money. But I believe that even on a local level the bar has been raised and there is an increasing expectation for quality … maybe not along the lines of the Evian babies, but an expectation for something entertaining nonetheless. To stand out, you’re going to have to provide remarkable content.
Importance of Twitter. Twitter isn’t flashy. It rewards real connection and conversation, something monolithic companies typically don’t do well. I have a small business but have more followers than Pringles (one of 2009′s Top 10 Facebook pages). I think there’s a message there. My hypothesis: Of the major platforms, Twitter may actually favor the local small business owner. How can you leverage this powerful tool on a local level?
Keeping it real. Unless you are going to simply “buy” fans with coupons and discounts, you need to let your personality shine through. Coca Cola, probably the best-known consumer product in the world, is doing a great job at this. They feature their Facebook personalities right on their front page and each tweet is attributed to an author. Of course Scott Monty is a recognizable social media personality for Ford Motor company. Still, these are exceptions among the big brands. Real people and small business owners can normally have an advantage connecting with their local clients.
Watch and learn. The big guys are spending millions to fine-tune their social web offerings. Learn from them. What are they doing to be successful and how can you capture that success on a local level? What methods are they using to engage and reward their customers? What channels do they employ and why? What devices like online games and contests could be used in your business?
While the future of mainstream social media ultimately belongs to the behemoths, I do believe there are opportunities for small business success. Do you agree?
On Twitter, even casual interactions can deliver business benefits
Feb 2nd
This week, I’m featuring personal case studies to demonstrate how the social web can provide tremendous business benefits … often when you least expect it!
Today’s example started when I tweeted ”Go Steelers!” … and ended with the video about my business that you can view by clicking the image above.
I was watching a Monday night football game and tackling a little work at the same time. I flipped to Twitter and cheered for my favorite team. “I’m cheering for the Steelers, too” Michelle Chmielewski tweeted back. And soon we were sharing our love for football, Pittsburgh (where she was a student), and blogging.
I had never connected with her before but Michelle had been reading {grow} and had just started to blog herself, The Observing Participant. As a new blogger, she asked me for some feedback on her own posts. Over time I grew to really love the quirky, funny video posts she featured. One day I had a brainstorm — one of these videos would be a great way to explain my business to potential customers! Michelle agreed to do it, but on one condition – instead of pay, she needed a new high-definition camera to take her video blogging to a new level. I was glad to oblige and provide her with a tool that could further her career.
I’m sure you’ll agree that Michelle’s video is awesome, and in a week or so I will be featuring it on my website.
Throughout the year, Michelle and I continued to learn from each other. She talked me into getting on to Skype and has looked to me as a mentor on career issues. Best of all, Michelle is my friend, and that never would have happened without the social web.
So here’s the lesson of Twitter: You just never know!
Let’s check in again with my formula for creating business benefits on the social web and see how it relates to this case study:
Connections + Meaningful content + Authentic helpfulness = Business benefits
How this worked in the real world:
- Michelle and I both actively created connections by engaging with people on Twitter.
- Because of the meaningful content on my blog, Michelle became an interested follower. Michelle’s video content created engagement with me and eventually resulted in a mutually-beneficial business benefit.
- We continuously offer authentic helpfulness to each other without regard of any future “pay-back.” This trusting friendship will continue to pay personal and business dividends.
This formula works. What “unexpected” Twitter stories do you have?
This is the second installment of the unexpected benefits of the social web. You might enjoy these other articles:
How to become a CMO in 10 tweets or less
Feb 1st
This headline is just a bit ridiculous, of course! But I did want to make a point that social media works in amazing and unanticipated ways. This week, I’m featuring personal case studies to show how the social web can provide legitimate business benefits, sometimes when you least expect it!
The first example is about how I became the Chief Marketing Officer of Freesource … without ever meeting my new boss.
About a year ago I saw notice on a LinkedIn Group that the American Marketing Association was offering a webinar on using the social web to make your business more efficient. The presenter was a guy named Nathan Egan, a former LinkedIn exec who had just started a company called Freesource. The price was right — free — so I attended. Nathan seemed like a bright guy and at the end of the webinar, he invited the participants to follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn, so I did.
Getting on the radar
Through Twitter, I appeared on Nathan’s radar and he began reading my blog. The topics I wrote about resonated with him, and, like many readers of {grow}, one day he called me to talk through some of his business problems. We continued to support each other and toss ideas around over a period of months.
Nathan assembled a great team and Freesource grew quickly as businesses sought the company’s advice on using the social web to make their businesses more productive and efficient. As the client base grew, he needed a wide variety of resources to support projects, and, since I can do a wide variety of things, I seemed to fit the bill! Nathan began sending me paid assignments to fill in the many white spaces of a start-up company.
I loved the work because our views on business and marketing were aligned and I absolutely bought into his vision of how the new media could work for a corporation. As Nathan’s trust in me grew, he provided more important, strategic assignments.
Freesource quickly became one of the largest and most respected social media marketing agencies in the country. Nathan no longer had time to work on the critical marketing functions of his company and asked me if I could help. I recently agreed to become CMO on a part-time basis and help him through this exciting growth phase.
The success formula
This is a good time to reflect on that important formula I introduced a few months ago:
Connections + Meaningful content + Authentic helpfulness = Business benefits
How this worked in the real world:
- I was active on LinkedIn and established relevant new business connections.
- By providing meaningful content through Twitter, I appeared on Nathan’s radar screen. Ideas from my blog grabbed his attention.
- We offered authentic helpfulness to each other without regard of any future “pay-back.” This built trust and a dialogue that led to a mutually-beneficial business partnership.
The more I’ve studied success stories in the social media space, the more I am convinced that this formula really does work. This week, I’ll share a couple other examples to show how.
How does this fit with your own experiences on the social web?
This is part of a series on the unexpected business benefits of the social web. You might enjoy these other articles:
Part 2: On Twitter, even casual tweets can create business benefits
Part 3: LinkedIn: A goldmine of business opportunity
Welcome to {grow}
You’re in marketing for one reason: Grow.
Grow your company, reputation, customers, impact, profits. Grow yourself. This is a community that will help. It will stretch your mind, connect you to fascinating people, and provide some fun along the way. I am so glad you’re here.
-Mark SchaeferFollow Mark
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