In social media you really only have one thing to set you apart from your competition…content. Now content is a pretty encompassing word and I guess you could say in life all that you have to set yourself apart is the content of your actions, the content of your beliefs, the content you speak, and so on.

So to be more specific the only content that will set you apart in social media is buyer centric content …content that speaks to your prospects in their voice from their perspective. The old adage that there is no “I” in team applies here because you and your prospect form a team. And just like a coach seeks to get his team to perform at a high level, you need to get buyers to to take action.

You never heard this pre-game speech in the locker room. “Team today is a great opportunity. We have a chance to do something important. If we win I will have reached an incentive clause in my contract that will pay me an additional $50,000. In addition there is a likelihood that the big state university will hire me to fill their vacant head coaching job. We are going to win this game if for no other reason than its important to me.”

Don’t do the same by using social media to sell you or your products. Instead use it to educate, inform, and solve problems. And these are not the problems that you see but the problems that prospects see. Often as marketers what we think are the problems to be solved are not the problems our customers are trying to solve.

Then once you have the right perspective you just need to ensure that your content is:

• Interesting
• Exciting
• Valuable

Its not hard to hit at least one of these three but remember that headlines can capture interest or generate excitement, but if the content you drive people to fails to live up to those expectations (no value delivered) you failed even though you achieved one or two.

The surest way to ensure that your content meets all three is to create your content based on what your prospects hope to accomplish, solve, attain, eliminate, etc. Show them how to solve a problem and they will be interested, excited to eliminate the problem, and will find value in your content.

You’re the coach, now go out there and fire up your team.

I’ve been writing this blog since January of 2008. Be sure to check out some of the other posts. If you need help or assistance with developing and implementing a social media strategy call us at (404) 663-3997, send an email to results@sonarconnects.com, or visit the SONARconnects site.

I’ve heard it all. Social media is the greatest evolution in marketing to its the biggest waste of time and money. I agree with both. Its not the tool itself but how it is used.

If I had Tiger Woods’ golf clubs I would still suffer the same severe handicap. I do have a Ken Griffey Jr. autographed Louisville Slugger but I’m not likely to do more than stir air if I faced even your average major league pitcher. Its not about the bat or the club; its about the swing.

Hitters in baseball have batting coaches and even Tiger has a swing coach. Today we’re going to take a look at some basics to craft your social media swing.

Club Selection
Each hole that a golfer plays consists of weighing different factors to determine which club gives him the most likely chance to succeed. On a par 5 the Driver is likely to come out of the bag first. On shorter holes its maybe a Wood or an Iron.

In social media your club selection includes things such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, You Tube, Flickr, Blogs, Websites, Landing Pages, Digg, Stumble Upon, 4 Square, PR Web, and the list goes on and on. You just need to choose the right club that will help you best put the ball in the cup.

Unless a golfer hits a hole in one each hole is likely to involve multiple club selections. The same is true for social media. When you craft your strategy you should be able to determine which of your social media clubs can help you achieve your goals.

The Right Swing
I normally hit my pitching wedge about 120 yards with a full swing. If I’m only 90 yards out I’m going to go a little easier on the swing. If I need to quickly get over a tree I’m going to play the ball towards the back of my stance. I vary my social media content in the same way, dependent upon the shot or response I’m looking to craft.

You really have a tremendous number of opportunities to craft content. Some of your options include Tweets, Wall Posts, Notes, Events, News Articles, Discussion Posts, Blog Posts, Video, Podcasts, Photos, Press Releases, Apps, and more. In golf the swing is the most important piece and in social media its understanding your communication options and crafting content that allows you to share value.

Ratings and Attendance
Professional athletes earn a lot of money for the skills they have mastered because fans buy tickets or the products they endorse. Look at the attendance differences at PGA events over the last 10 years when Tiger woods entered a tournament verses when he didn’t play in an event. There was a definite difference in perceived value.

In social media people will engage with you or your brand if they perceive value. Your job is to understand the value that your prospects are looking for. It could be white papers, applications, tools, or information presented in articles or blog posts. It also might be discounts, coupons, or special offers to those who follow, friend, or connect with you.

Fail to understand and deliver the value your social networks are looking for and you’ll spend a lot of time with little to show in return.

Be the Ball
If you want to use social media successfully then you need to have a plan. Too often companies simply start tweeting or connecting without a defined purpose. Its easy to be a hacker; being a professional takes a lot more time and effort.

Social media can make a difference or it can be a huge waste of time. Its how you use the tool that will determine if you break par.

I’ve been writing this blog since January of 2008.  Be sure to check out some of the other posts.  If you need help or assistance with developing and implementing a social media strategy call us at (404) 663-3997, send an email to results@sonarconnects.com, or visit the SONARconnects site.

I woke up this morning and saw that LinkedIn finally aded the new inbox to my account.  I first saw the inbox about 2 months ago and wondered when it would be released to more people.  Most of my client’s still have the old inbox, so if you have not been upgraded be patient.  It should roll out over the next couple of months.

Here is a video of the new Inbox. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5byAdvz2Pg

www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5byAdvz2Pg

Do you have the new inbox?  What do you think about the addition of a delete button and the removal of the “I Don’t Know” button?

I’ve been writing this blog since January of 2008.  Be sure to check out some of the other posts.  If you need help or assistance with developing and implementing a social media strategy call us at (404) 663-3997, send an email to results@sonarconnects.com, or visit the SONARconnects site.

I was doing some research the other day and decided to see if I could find the definitive moments in social media.  I was able to find numerous yearly top 10 reviews but didn’t have much success finding a list from the early 2000′s to today.  So even though I didn’t find  ”the” top moments, I did find some moments that I think would at least be on the list for consideration.

1. iPhone is Launched
   Prior to the iPhone launch cell phones could access the internet ..the iPhone just did it phenomenally better. From the touch screen, to the emergence of apps, to actually being able to read a website on a smart phone, the iPhone took mobile by the hair and dragged it from cool to useful.

   It didn’t take me long to pass my Blackberry on to my wife so that I could sport an iPhone.

2. Iran Election Protests
   There have been revolutions and protests in closed nations before. Twitter though gave a face to the Iranian elections protests, allowing previous restricted content, photos, and stories to make it past the media monitors and filter to the masses.

   Lack of a free press is no longer a hindrance to the truth being told or shown.

3. 1st You Tube Video
   America’s Funniest Home Videos, still running after 21 years, proved that people would engage in home made content. You Tube took it to another level allowing your average Joe to record a video from his cell phone and share it potentially with the world. What was once a site focused on entertaining video content has now become the number two search engine in the world. If you want to know how to do something, what better way to learn then to watch a video of the process.

   It all started with a 18 second video talking about why elephants are cool …because they have really long trunks.

4. 2008 Presidential Elections
   In the 2004 presidential elections Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, and LinkedIn were just getting started or had not even launched. What a difference four years made. Love him or hate him you can’t deny that Barack Obama and his campaign truly leveraged the new tools available to them.  After the 2008 election, election politics have entered a new era.

   I can’t wait until 2012.

5. Facebook Allows Non-college members
   Facebook was successful as a social network for college and high school students, but at some point it was destined to hit a growth wall. Opening up membership removed any restrictions and from August of 2008 to August of 2009 Facebook added 200 million members. Facebook’s fastest growing segment is currently females age 45 to age 65, likely joining Facebook to keep up with children and grand children. Businesses and professionals have also jumped in head first, and its proving its value to drive bottom line results.

   Now we just need to come up with a better solution for businesses other that fan pages or community pages.

6. 2007 SXSW Launches Twitter Over the Tipping Point
   In a stroke of genius the folks at Twitter placed two 60-inch plasma screens in the conference hallways, exclusively streaming Twitter messages. Hundreds of conference-goers kept tabs on each other via constant tweets, panelists and speakers mentioned the service, and the bloggers in attendance spread the word. During the event tweets per day went from 20,000 per day to over 60,000 per day. The conference and buzz generated from it gave the service the traction it needed to grow.

   Three years later over 4 billion tweets were sent in the 1st quarter of 2010.

7. TGIF Fan Woody Promotion
   In September 2009 TGIF launched their Fan Woody promotion promising a free hamburger to every new fan if they reached 500,000 total fans by September 30. They quickly passed that goal and added over 1 million new people. In the process they generated a ton of exposure from the press, bloggers, and individuals passing the promotion on to friends and family.

   TGIF showed its possible to quickly build a mass following with a great offer. The next step is to show that they can continue to engage and sustain their new fans.

8. LinkedIn Adds Functionality to Groups
   LinkedIn groups have been around for a while but initially they were little more than places for members to join. There really wasn’t much functionality to the groups. In November of 2008 that changed. They added the ability to post discussion questions and news articles. Another key addition was that they finally added the ability to search for groups, making it easier for people to find relevant groups to join.

   With these changes groups became a valuable way to connect on LinkedIn and to extend your reach. If you belong to the top fifty groups on LinkedIn you would be able to reach out and communicate with 4.7 million people.

9. Naked Pizza Drives 20% of their Business Using Twitter
   A pizza restaurant with a Twitter account isn’t that exciting, but when you add that they credit Twitter with driving 20% ($200,000) of their revenue it makes you pay attention. Naked Pizza started tweeting in April of 2009 and within a few months had built up a significant local following. A one day Twitter promotion drove 69% of that days sales.

   The key to their success is that they have focused on building their local following, communicating engaging messages sprinkled with promotional offers, and tracking every sale to determine which resulted from tweets. It doesn’t hurt that they created a all-natural, reduced-calorie, multi-grain, probiotic pizza that is not only healthy, but tastes good.

10. Broken Guitar Leads to 10 Million Bad Impression
    Dave Carroll’s guitar was damaged by baggage handlers with United airlines. When the airline refused to replace or pay to repair the guitar he took his case to court …the You Tube court. Dave wrote three songs about the experience and made videos for each which he put on You Tube. Those videos have now been viewed by 10 million people.

    Hmmm, $3,500 to replace a guitar or 10 million bad impressions. Its getting harder for companies to hide from bad service.

If I had enough time I could easily list another 10 or twenty moments, but I do have a real job.  If I had to choose my favorite it would either be Naked Pizza or David Carroll’s videos.  I work with small businesses so the Naked Pizza story resonates.  Plus being from New Orleans its nice to see more good news coming out of the city.

As a consumer I love that Dave was able to take a situation that was out of his control and take back control.  In true lemons to lemonade fashion his simple protest became the differentiator that has broke his career into a new level.

What are some moments that you think could be added to the list?  (be sure to include a link if available)

I’ve been writing this blog since January of 2008.  Be sure to check out some of the other posts.  If you need help or assistance with developing and implementing a social media strategy call us at (404) 663-3997, send an email to results@sonarconnects.com, or visit the SONARconnects site.

I’m fairly open about how people connect on LinkedIn. You want to be an open networker, I’m with you. You want to be a closed networker, hey if it works for you great. Whichever way you choose you still have a obligation to those you connect with to guard the information you have gained through the connection. It really would not be cool to do something like downloading your contacts to a csv file and then trade your file with others like Topp’s Baseball cards.

Here is a LinkedIn message that I received (I’ve chosen to remove the identifying information. I have left some references so that you will recognize the message should you receive it)

“Hi Sean,

My name is xxxx xxxxx and I am a Member of Super Open Networkers Group (SON) and I would like to exchange my CSV. file contact list with you in exchange for yours.

I am in New York City attending events leading up to my daughter’s wedding in August but will return to my office on Sunday. I would very much like to exchange connection lists with you at that time. In the meantime you can check me out at: http://www.linkedin.com/in/xxxxxxxx Email: xxxxxxxx@gmail.com

Best Regards
xxxx xxxxxxxx(SON)

I’m not certain if this is a real person or a fake account that’s been set up in order to use to collect emails. If its real then the person sending the message doesn’t have a clue. If its fake its just another reminder that not all is as it seems on LinkedIn. Or any other social network for that matter.

I’m all for open networking on LinkedIn, but this stretches the limit an is just wrong. What do you think?

If you need help or assistance with developing and implementing a social media strategy call us at (404) 663-3997, send an email to results@sonarconnects.com, or visit the SONARconnects site.

I’m a Do it Yourself kind of person. Part of it is that I think I can do just about anything I put my mind to it. Part of it is why not do it myself and save a buck. And the challenge is often a huge part of it. Can I pull it off and gain a little more experience.

For the last year I’ve looked to change the SONARconnects logo, creating a range of designs. Scott Dunn, the founding partner was happy with the existing logo and more than anything put up with my logo suggestions I think to amuse me.

Here is what the original logo looked like:

Here are two of the mock designs I created changing the presentation and trying out some different color schemes.

In December I won the Blogoff 2 blogging competition and one of the prizes was a free redesign of my blog courtesy of the Yaffe group. When I spoke with Mike McClure at Yaffe I asked if we could substitute some log work instead and he was happy to oblige.

Scott and I jumped on a planing call with Mike and his team and discussed the thoughts and key points behind SONARconnects. The call ended with Mike saying they would have some ideas to look at in the next two weeks. At this point I wasn’t too enthusiastic simply because while Scott was involved, changing the logo wasn’t high on his list of to-do’s

Within two weeks Yaffe came back with three sets of designs that included color variations. Here one logo from each set.

The first set was really a tweak on the existing logo changing the fonts, colors, and tweaking the waves a little.

The second set took my designs and blended it with the original design, once again changing the fonts and colors.

The final set threw everything out of the window and started from scratch. They created a new design, brought in a new font, and a new color scheme.

Looking at the site you can tell that we chose the third option. After a year of working on getting Scott to agree to a logo change, Mike and his team at Yaffe accomplished my goal in two weeks.

The design keeps the SONAR reference intact by using the waves, but done in a more polished and professional manner. If you’re interested in a logo design I would recommend that you contact Yaffe for help.

So getting back to when do you DIY and when do you call in the experts, here are a couple of thoughts when its maybe time to outsource the work:

• If you don’t have the skills to do the work
• If you don’t know what the best way to get from point A to point B is
• If you don’t have the proper tools to accomplish the task
• If its more profitable to spend the time driving new business – remember it will take you 2 to 3 times longer than someone who knows what they are doing.
• If you want it done right the first time

I still suffer from DIY periodically, but as the business continues to grow I find that I’m a little quicker to pick up the phone and reach out to my various resources .

If your DIY approach to social media is not quite getting the job done or you need help or assistance with developing and implementing a social media strategy call us at (404) 663-3997,  send an email to results@sonarconnects.com, or visit the SONARconnects site.

What’s a customer worth to you? How many times will they buy? What’s their average purchase in terms of dollars? What’s the value if they go from a customer to a fanatic and generate ongoing word of mouth with everyone they know?

I recently posted a question to a LinkedIn group “Is Twitter Noise or an effective Business Tool?” The responses are mixed, though more see it as an effective business tool. But many say they just don’t get it. I think those that don’t get it just haven’t taken the time to think creatively and strategically about how to put to use the ability to communicate and engage with potentially hundreds or thousands of potential prospects, customers, and fanatics.

So let’s look at a success story.

It’s no secret that SONARconnects manages the Social Media for the group that owns the Copeland’s New Orleans Style Restaurants in Atlanta. Yesterday I noticed a tweet from one of their followers:

@ShaaMomanger
1:57pm, Apr 28 from UberTwitter

Happy Birthday To Me. I’m At My Favorite Restaurant @CopelandsATL In BuckHead. Think We Should Of Left @KingLilEnvazion At Home. LOL!!

I immediately called the store manager to alert him that there was a person in his store who just tweeted about eating at their favorite restaurant for their birthday. He was in the process of leaving for a meeting but said he would look to see if the person was in the restaurant.

While he was doing that we sent two tweets to @ShaaMomanger:

@CopelandsATL
2:07pm, Apr 28 from HootSuite

@ShaaMomanger If you are still at Copeland’s the manager, Glen, is looking for you.

and;

@CopelandsATL
2:09pm, Apr 28 from HootSuite

@ShaaMomanger Happy B’day to U. Happy B’day to you. Happy B’day dear @shaamomanger. Happy B’day to you!

When is the last time someone tweeted you Happy Birthday?  Unfortunately Glen could not find her before he had to leave for his meeting.

ShaaMomanger
2:49pm, Apr 28 from UberTwitter

RT @CopelandsATL: @ShaaMomanger If you are still at Copeland’s the manager, Glen, is looking for you <-At The Door. Glen Come Back. WaitN

No problem. Glen called me to see if I could help track her down. I made a quick call to the hostess, who actually knew who I was looking for. “She comes here for lunch all the time. I’ll take care of her”, she said.

@CopelandsATL
2:53pm, Apr 28 from HootSuite

@ShaaMomanger Glen left but we have you taken care of. The hostess knows you and should be with you shortly.

One piece of cheesecake later…

@ShaaMomanger
3:14pm, Apr 28 from UberTwitter

No Need For Anyone Else To Buy Me A Birthday Cake. My Friends Sue, Glen @CopelandsATL Took Care Of Dat. http://tweetphoto.com/20271942

How many people do you think she will tell about her experience? For nothing more than paying attention and $5.99 Copeland’s Atlanta just created a fanatic. Twitter is just another tool for you to use. You have to open you mind to discover how it can benefit your business or it will be “just noise”.

If you need help or assistance with developing and implementing a social media strategy call us at (404) 663-3997, send an email to results@sonarconnects.com, or visit the SONARconnects site.

I was doing some research this week reading various blogs and news articles and decide to write down some of the statistics that caught my eye. A set of these statistics focused on Twitter and how people are using the service to take action.

43% Follow Brands on Twitter Looking for Deals and Offers
One of the first things we do with a new client is ask them the following question, “If I follow you on Twitter, what’s in it for me?”

Now we know that some people will follow a business back to help build their own network. But, what about others. Are you providing value to them? What will capture their attention?

Coupons, discounts, special offers are a great way to engage customers and prospects. We recently ran a promotion with Copeland’s Atlanta where they gave away $50 gift cards to the first 5 people that walked into a location and said “Best Brunch in Atlanta”.

The promotions was publicized using Twitter, which then fed into their Facebook account. “It was a great way to generate buzz about our restaurant, while also providing value to those who choose to connect and engage with us online.”, stated Bill Goudey, one of the managing partners.

“One of my favorite experiences was with a customer that ordered one of our Deep Fried Cajun Turkeys for Thanksgiving. She tweeted that she just ordered her turkey and that next time she hoped to have the money to also order one of our cheesecakes. When she came in to pick up her turkey I was waiting and gave her a cheesecake. She broke down crying. That moment happened because she chose to follow us and we paid attention to our followers. It’s powerful”, relayed Glen Helmstetter, a fellow managing partner.

Are you providing value to those who choose to follow your business?

23% Find the Content Interesting
This statistic definitely struck home. One of the ways I love to use Twitter is to search for tweets on a topic. In the past I might have used Google, but Twitter has become my primary first source for content.

Twitter searches per month (19 billion) outnumber Yahoo (8.4 billion) and Bing(4 billion) monthly searches combined. Google the King of Search currently has 88 billion per month.

If you’re looking for a website Google is still likely your best option. But if you’re looking for specific content Twitter is a viable alternative.

Its also a great way for me to share new posts that I write with those following me. Plus when a number of people retweet the message new people are introduce to my blog and I gain a number of new followers.

Are you using Twitter to search for and share great content?

24% are current customers
Your customers want to engage with you. They want to know that their voices can be heard. Many companies send out newsletters to stay in touch with their customers. You can create an online newsletter and use Twitter notify your existing customers of the latest newsletter, and also reach potential prospects.

In addition your customers are a great source of retweets, which introduce your messages to their network. Any customer communication you send out using email or mail can be tweeted. You provide an alternative way for your customers to interact with you, plus Google is indexing the content.

Are you leveraging your existing content to share on Twitter?

4% are Seeking Service Support
Before social media if you had an issue or a complaint you were left to call a 1-800 number, fire off a email, send a letter, or post a comment in an online forum. The first three of these kept the conversation between you and the company. The forum was at least a way of sharing your discontent.

Companies are starting to pay attention and use Twitter to resolve issues. Comcast has done a great job with their @comcastcares twitter account, actively searching out tweets from customers with complaints. They then try to resolve the issue online.

The fact that someone complains or makes a negative post isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In the past if a customer was unhappy you might never know, and lose a customer. With Twitter if they complain you at least now have an option to resolve the issue.

Over time I expect that the % of people using Twitter for service support will grow.  Are you paying attention to your own buzz, positive and negative?

Wrap Up
Statistics can help you understand how people are using the available social media tools. Using the above statistics can help you plan you Twitter strategy so that you are focusing your efforts.

The world is listening, people are responding, and Google is indexing. All you have to do is tweet and retweet.

If you need help or assistance with developing and implementing a social media strategy call us at (404) 663-3997, Sean, send an email to results@sonarconnects.com, or visit the SONARconnects site.

If you’ve visited this blog before then things look a little different.  We’re playing around with the look and feel and should relaunch in the next week.  Thanks for your patience.

In the mean time all of the previous content is still available (and will be when we’re done).

Thanks,

Sean

• 95% of new media users believe companies or brands should have a social media presence.
• 89% believe that they should interact with their consumers in this space.

If you have to ask whether or not you or your company should be engaged in social media, go back and read the two statistics above.

Your customers and prospects are telling you that they want you or your brand to have a LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and other types of social accounts. They are also telling you that they want you to engage in conversations with them.

One of the questions I get asked by business owners often is “why would someone want to connect, follow, or friend ‘my company’, ‘my brand’, ‘my product’, etc.? People using your product or service already have some level of attachment to it. Social media just allows them to have a deeper attachment. If they have a question, a comment, or a concern they like that they can reach out and communicate that message directly.

One of our client’s is Copeland’s New Orleans Style restaurants. Here are some comments from people that follow Copeland’s on Twitter:

“Going to enjoy some bow-tie pasta spinach artichoke dip @CopelandsATL with the in-laws. Oh yeah!”

“Chillin’ at @CopelandsATL with @MissTikiBaby for drinks and desserts White Russian and White Chocolate Bread Pudding #dying”

“Hands downs @CopelandsATL has the best brunch!!!”

“@CopelandsATL I’ve had the fried crawfish its great. Goes great w/ a cheesecake Napoleon w/ the rum sauce/ pralines”

Some from Facebook

“We LOVE Copeland’s. And we love our Saints!! Come on North Cobb County. Let’s get a great crowd to show up for Superbowl Sunday for the Saint’s WIN! ?I want to be with a huge group of fans at the Kennesaw Copeland’s, watching on the big screen, eating some great food like shrimp and grits!”

There are more comments, tweets, retweets, photos posted …all from people who want to share their experience with a restaurant. I’ve seen similar results with Political Candidates, Business Coaches, Insurance Brokers, Chiropractors, and a number of other businesses.

People want to be heard and if you make the effort to engage them in the social networks where they interact, they’ll talk. Often what they say will be positive thoughts and opinions about your business.

I’ll end this with two more statistics that I think are relevant.

• 51% of respondents saying that social media has influenced their online transactions.
• 78% of consumers trust peer recommendations

These two statistics reinforce the value of others posting positive messages about your company and how that can impact the purchase decisions of others.

If you’re still wondering if you and your company can benefit from social media, then I’m not sure what I can say that says it better than the statistics above. Its not so much a question of can it work but more a question of how are your going to make it work.

You need to become your own VP of Getting It Done!