Were you at the 1st “Game Changing Moves Twebinar,” the webinar on Twitter?
Did you sense the adrenaline of the conversations on Twitter?
Did you tweet and follow hashmarks for “#tweb” or “#tweb2″ on Summize?
On June 26, 2008, people interested in Social Media participated in a global conference of taped video interviews, live audio commentary by Chris Brogan (shown right), while texting their comments and perceptions into Twitter. The free event was so popular that it was live rebroadcast three hours later.
“Social Media Game Changer” was the first of a summer series. Visit Twebinar to learn more and decided if you want to join upcoming conversations.
Social Media Lingo
Social Media lingo may sound like Morse code or a cult. Every industry has its terms, its inside lingo. Learning a foreign language is similar. You don’t have to become fluent to communicate. Social Media lingo is like the dictionary. Terms are defined by our usage.
Twitter, Plurk, BriteKite, FriendFeed, FaceBook might sound like foreign countries, but if you visit and get to know the people, you’ll learn the dialect. Join the conversation; you’ll pick up the jargon. You’ll learn enough to relate and engage. There’s no secret handshake.
Converse - Talk the Talk
Social Media is a conversation that takes place online, every second, on multiple platforms - blogs, forums, short instant messaging (SMS), website reviews, etc.
“Social Media Game Changer” (topic of the first Twebinar) means the rules and players have changed in the game of marketing. You and I as customers are marketers each time we write a review, share an opinion, recommend a product, link to a cool website or complain about a customer service rep. We’re talking online every second, which means we are “marketing” continually.
Blogging and getting involved in Social Media is more than cool, hip or cultist. It’s ESSENTIAL. Businesses must talk with customers and encourage two-way conversation. Marketing is about the conversation and not about pushing a message, aka “Conversational Marketing.”
The Twebinar emphasized how the world can come together and talk, in-sync yet with many simultaneous conversations. I was monitoring Twittervision (server was down as of this post) which shows a global map with tweets in real-time. Imagine a birds-eye view of Twitter discussions, tweets. Keep this visual while thinking about the global power of Social Media.
People are talking, sometimes about you! Get in there and join the conversation.
Engage - Walk the Talk
Talk can be cheap. We, the people, see through razzle dazzle marketing ploys. You need to be real, open, honest and…walk the talk. Put feet to your message and engage.
Participate in your community. This doesn’t mean writing a check to plant trees in a park. Engaging in the conversation means getting involved online, responding to concerns, thanking people for testimonials, sharing tips and best practices.
Engagement is true interactive marketing. It’s building relationships.
Listen - Hear What Is Being Said
The first step is to really hear what is being said. Listen! Listen!
Q. What is one of the most aggravating things about conversation?
A. When people don’t listen to you.
Chris Brogan, while moderating the Twebinar, said:
“Starting conversations means listening. We have two ears, one mouth.”
In the old days we used to yell at our TV. Now…customers are not going to bring that conversation to your doorstep.You need to be able to listen to lots of channels.
If you are going to do business in social media, [listening] is very important.”
Listen to Understand
Stephen Covey, in “7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” mentions that listening to understand what someone means is key to communication. We too often listen “out our of our own autobiography.” How many times do you tell a story and have someone respond with their own story or oneupmanship - my fish is bigger? Or while the other person is talking, you are thinking about what you’re going to say next? BUSTED!
“You” is the most important word in the English Language.
“I” is the least important.
Are you really listening? Think about this…
We go to school to learn to write, to express ourselves, to learn effective public speaking. But, how many of us took a class in “Listening 101” to graduate?
Listening is the Game - Changing Rule
Is listening really so revolutionary? No! However, Social Media is forcing companies to change their game and actually listen. Those who remain deaf will fail.
Shift your focus. Follow the rules of the game. Start listening today!
Social Media Case Study
MyStarbucks
Many successful case studies for the effectiveness of Social Media were discussed at the Twebinar. MyStarbucksIdea.com was mentioned. Starbucks made headlines when they launched this site to “outsource parts of their marketing” to we, the people. Imagine how many Starbucks groupies have shared their opinions on how to enhance their daily ritual!
You may think, “Starbucks is one of the big dogs. They can afford anything.” What if you are game publisher?
SmartKit - Brain Gym & Puzzle Playground
Lee Odden shared how TopRank Online Marketing helped a client who publishes games, SmartKit, engage a community around their blog. One goal was to get enough traffic for an advertising model. TopRank created communities for SmartKit on Twitter and Facebook as communication channels. Engagement on FaceBook included publishing a leader board. (We all know how much people want to keep score. ) The SmartKit blog went from approx. 1,000 visitors/month to 268,000/month. (Hope I got those numbers correct).
Take-away: Social Media is like SmartKit’s Twitter bio: “a fresh daily supply of captivating puzzles to exercise and cross train your brain.”
Power of People Marketing
Social Media is not about printing a brochure, designing a website, or airing a radio spot. It’s about two-way communication.
People Talk. Do you listen?
And the saying goes…
“God gave us two ears and one mouth, so we can listen twice as much as we speak.”
The rules of the game have changed. It’s your choice on how you play the game.
Loosers: Put in earplugs and ignore.
Winners: Listen, ask questions, build relationships and engage.
Let your customers reduce your marketing and R&D budgets and become part of your team.
Tags: Conversational Marketing, Social Media, Twebinar, Twitter
Glen Allsopp (1 comments.) wrote,
Sadly I missed this one, thanks for the summary of what went on, seems like it was a goody. Any idea if there are going to be anymore?
How to Create, Market and Sell an eBook for Branding & Profits:
Link | June 30th, 2008 at
Dana Lookadoo wrote,
Glen,
Thanks for stopping by. And again, congrats on the success of your ebooks!
Visit http://twebinar.com/ to register for the next event.
Title: Who Really Owns Your Brand?
Date: Thursday, July 22, 2008
This is a good opportunity to recommend anyone, especially NOOBs, interested in Social Media to sign up for Chris Brogan’s newsletter: http://www.chrisbrogan.com/ The content is not the same as his blog; it’s more of an introduction but covers some essentials.
A snipped from his issue last week explained the “Five Levels of Media Value:”
* Awareness
* Attention
* Influence
* Reputation
* Authority
Link | June 30th, 2008 at
David Alston (2 comments.) wrote,
Hey there Dana,
Excellent post. Great summary and nice use of fusing other ideas into the stream of what was discussed. I’m a big fan of Covey as well with my fave line being “seek first to understand, then to be understood.” Another nugget worthy of use in social media.
Glad you enjoyed the first twebinar this summer. Tweet you at the next.
Cheers.
David
Digital Influence Group Adds Radian6 to Measure the Influence of Social Media:
Link | July 1st, 2008 at
Dana Lookadoo wrote,
David,
What an honor to have you stop by! Radian6 did a fantastic job of launching the conversation and educating us. It was exciting to be part of history in-the-making during your Twebinar.
“Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” Yes, I can see you are a Covey fan! Is this the summary best practice for Social Media? You captured the bottom line!
Thank you and look forward to more!
Link | July 1st, 2008 at
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