Back to school! Note in a lunch box - Is Twitter your note to your followers?
When school starts, and I pack my kid's lunches, I always finish them off with a special note to encourage them in the day.
For instance, with my youngest Kassie I did a bunch of K's that I think are special for her!
- K is for Kisses!
- K is for Krazy special -- for the special girl that you are!
- K is for Kind - be kind to your friends today -- for they are precious!
My kids say that it is a moment in the day -- among hard work, getting teased, and questioning their confidence --- that they pause to know that someone really cares for them!
As I was thinking about how my oldest daughter carefully folds and saves each note, I wondered how much we all need that encouragement.
- How could I place a "virtual note in each of my team's lunch box" ?
- What would it say?
- Would they appreciate it like my kids?
- And what would I want my note to say if someone left one for me!
But then I thought -- do we do this each day -- through Twitter? For instance, when I share quotes or welcome the beautiful sunrise, is that the same?
Is that the new form of the lunch box note?
What do you think?
Effective Social Media Communications - 3 Tips For Friday!
I am riding in the car today with my 16 year old daughter. She was looking for a specific song on the radio. While constantly switching stations she was listening carefully but selectively scanning out the 'wrong' songs. Station after station was rejected until she heard the familiar song she was seeking.
This experience made me think of social media communications. How do you break through all the other "stations" out there and have your audience search for yours?
Here's 3 tips for our Friday!
- Make it noticeable. The song my daughter was searching for had a certain beat. Does your message have the characteristics that will help it to break through the barrage of messages that bombards everyone every day. Should you use video? a Podcast or a blog? How do you express yourself? Make sure you have listened to the right influencers and plan purposefully the message.
- Make it targeted. If you use channels creatively and mix them well, you're much more likely to get your message to those for whom it's intended. The channels have to be ones that your target audience is exposed to. My daughter's song was on her favorite rock station, not my jazz station. Make sure you are where your audience is.
- Make it crowd sourced. Testing your messaging can help you really ensure that you nailed it. I heard that Taylor Swift gets many bits of feedback on her songs from focus groups, family, and informally with fans. Sometimes you think you got it, but you missed something of importance!
Your Secret Weapon: Video is about engagement and retention!
I love video blogs! Video is so trusted and engaging! Now I know that retention is also stronger!
Use video whenever you can !
3 Surprises from Millennials on the Purchase Process
I love working with Millennials as well as understanding their purchasing habits.
From IBM's Institute of Business Value's study on Millennials, I had 3 Aha moments about how they like to purchase!
- The world's gone social! Millennials meet with vendors face-to-face during the sales cycle, but they would much rather interact remotely during this initial phase
- In God we trust, all others bring data. Millennials place equal weight on data analysis and the opinion of family and friends when deciding whether or not to make a B2B purchase costing US$10,000 or more
- Millennials are eager to share positive experiences, but very reluctant to share disappointments
These 3 ahas, tell me that in order to meet their needs, we need to:
- Be social in the sales cycle ! Since this social network scene makes the most sense to millennials, consider setting up an internal private social site to gain more input, and answer questions.
- Share data and analytics to assist in the progression! Since millennials want the data, share it! Do your homework to make it valuable but don't forget the "word of mouth" as well.
- Make it easy to shout it from the mountain tops! Since this new generation likes to share positive experiences, make it easy for them to do so. This enables them to become your brand ambassadors!
1.
Top 5 Quotes to inspire and challenge you to innovate
I love quotes and wanted to share my fav 5 for this week!
1. Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. But it is wisdom that knows not to put a tomato into a fruit salad. Informs Conference
2. In GOD we trust. All others bring data.
3. Don't get distracted by every squirrel that runs by.
4. People lose their way when they lose their why. Focus on your goals.
5. Never sacrifice 3 things: your family, your heart, or your dignity.
Twitter Battle between Duke and Wisconsin - Social goes #ncaa
It started with a tweet from Wisconsin!
Duke counters with a Vine Video of the Duke Devil! 
So Wisconsin brings in a Blue Man Group Video!
And of course, Duke goes away for a bit to bring back pictures of influence from the past
You get the picture .... it's a Social Battle of Twitter, Vines, YouTube, and Instagram between the best teams in the nation right now!What will happen next?
The Expectations you set can change your "quest" for success! Community or Crowd
The other day my daughter came home with 2 different grades. On one paper, she received a 97 and was upset that she didn't get a 100. On the other she got a 87 -- a "B+" -- and was satisfied because this was a 'hard' class and subject.
I thought about her reaction and ours to these types of situations as well.
Are you expecting success from your social work? Are you expecting a crowd or a community?
As I talk to companies around the world, the big question that I get is: “What is the difference between just a group of people – a crowd and a community?” Sometimes the question is “How do I get a group of people to become a community, and see value in the community itself?
This question has fascinated me for a while as I myself have built communities, and have been in learn mode as well from others researching the power of a community, taking classes, reading everything I can get my hands on, and talking to lots of clients who have been successful!
My conclusions for building a great community vs just a crowd, are below. But in all cases you need to expect great things from working with your community!
- Leadership vs. Equality. The best communities have strong Community Managers who provide leadership and direction for the group. They help establish the goal of the community experience and define the business problems trying to be solved. They help develop and shape the community norm, start conversations, and listen. They attract and build the right content, stories, and subject matter expertise.. Crowds have no leadership that is stable. As such, they struggle with a defined direction and so wander and lose focus. CEMEX, the world's largest building materials supplier, has leadership not just from a community manager, but their leadership is all the way at the very top, their CEO.
- Purpose vs. Pride. A Community is motivated by purpose. They share a goal. For instance, Dogster, the number one community for dog lovers, is driven by the love of dogs. The community states “this vibrant community is a must for any dog enthusiast!” Crowds are run by Pride. Sometimes pride of ownership not purpose.
- Engaged vs. Sporadic. A community is engaged in active discussions and sharing. They comment, debate, and share expertise. They are consistent and responsive. For example, the DeveloperWorks community, is very engaged even though they have over 4 million members. They engage though member driven topics on technology. The engagement is driven by trust in open and transparent discussion (this is what works, this doesn’t) and by perceived value. IBM has experts that are passionate about providing the best support in the industry. With the right people in the community, the value based engagement shines through as the members become community champions – internally and externally. Crowds are in and out of discussions in a sporadic way. They are not committed to the discussions but pepper themselves in and out of the discussions.
- Belong vs. Benefit. A community is powered by belonging so that they can influence. The satisfaction that they get from the community is partially that they are part of something bigger. For instance, the China Deaf Association has a community that centers around providing real-time, online sign-language interpretation to improve the lives of deaf and hearing-impaired people. This 200K member community is driven by belonging to a community of people like them. Crowds wants benefits – or rewards. Crowds like to get; Communities like to give.
- Collaboration vs. Connection. The best communities collaborate as a normal working style. They feel the value exists with more input and a diversity of debate. For example, Pepsi, a large global consumer products company, has their community focused on accelerating development and project pipelines for innovations and new products. Product innovations increase as people collaborate through discovery and expertise. Crowds want connection; Communities believe in the collective brain!
Numbers of members are not the key metric and does not equal a strong community. A Crowd Mentality is driven by the broad set of people that you have access to, not a relationship with. A community is about having passionate members that belong!
Friday Top 6 Favorite Quotes to Inspire
1. Nobody who ever gave her best regretted it. George Hala
2. Entrepreneur is a state of mind, not a job title.
3. Make your crazy ideas stick.
4. Being you can be your niche.
5. What could we accomplish if we knew we could not fail. E. Roosevelt
6. A tweet only lasts 60 minutes.