Earlier today an article I wrote was published on the website Web Not War.
On the weekend of December 10th Dana White’s UFC settled in Toronto with Sunday’s UFC 140 anchoring their activities. Over the past 10 years, Dana White, his partners the Ferenzzo brothers and their MMA athletes have created one of the most popular and fastest growing sporting and entertainment brands in the world. The reasons are manifold: the demise of the boxing industry and the need for fresh and new programming for this 200+ channel universe being just two of them.
You know I like relevance right? Well, I do. And I’m suggesting you probably like relevance, too.
The Importance of Relevance
We now understand that numbers don’t mean everything. You might have thousands of followers or likes but how many of these people actually interact with you and your brand? How many people are you interacting with? Who are you interacting with?
Those who continue to re-visit your Facebook page or tweet with you are people who find your content relevant. The goal now is to figure out a way to interact with as many people as possible. Providing relevant content to the right people is the way to get this done.
Google Plus Addresses Relevance: Circles:
More than any other social network, Google Plus addresses relevance like Facebook doesn’t and Twitter can’t.
Now, Google Plus doesn’t yet support brands or businesses but Circles (the Google Plus product) is ingenious. And if you as an individual consider yourself a brand then you should take advantage of Circles.
Circles allows you to organize the people in your social graph according to how you define each relationship. Is someone your friend? Family member, co-worker, associate or customer? You get to decide because not everyone is your friend.
Increased Engagement:
What does this segmentation and relevance lead to for you? Increased engagement. Why? Because now your messages are going to specific people. For example, a note about Robbie Alomar’s induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame can be directed to people you know will be interested in this specific piece of news.
As long as you keep the value of the “Circles” sacred, your community will come to know exactly what to expect from you. Everything individuals receive from you will now be of value to your community.
You can even go one step further and set which circle(s) you want to watch. Unlike Twitter, the issue of relevance is now controlled by both the sender and receiver of information. I can choose who I send information to and who I receive information from.
Why does this lead to increased engagement? Put yourself in the seat of a consumer. If you got to choose the type of messaging you would receive from your favourite brands (and you could be specific as you wanted) would you be more likely than not to at least read the message? Of course you would!
Now put yourself in the brand’s position. Are you just interested in “likes” or do you want true engagement in these online spaces? Likes may result in an increased email database but the issue remains the same: For online and social media communications to truly succeed the magic pill is and always will be relevance.
Google Plus addresses this issue better than any other social tool out there. And this is why Google Plus will continue to grow and force Facebook and Twitter (and email marketers) to change.
As always your thoughts are appreciated.
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Like it or not influence matters. And chances are you’re not sitting on the fence on this one. Especially when it comes to online influence. You either love Klout or you hate Klout.
You love Klout because you either understand what they are trying to achieve. Or if you’ve received a free bag of chips.
You hate Klout because you’ve never “won” anything in your life or your score is lower than 50. Or you don’t believe in what Klout is attempting to build.
But if I asked you if influence matters you would have to agree with me. Think about it for a moment:
have you ever forwarded an email or online article?
do you refer products or services you enjoy to your friends?
You answered yes to at least one question above. And by doing so you’ve exerted your influence over someone else. And I believe this is what Klout wants to capture: The influence you, others and myself have in comparison to others.
Is Klout perfect just yet? Of course not. And it may never be. But here’s the question you should ask yourself:
Will you stop forwarding good content to your sphere of influence? Of course not. And that’s why Klout is important.
Melody Adhami (@MelodyAdhami on Twitter) is the co‐founder and COO of Plastic Mobile, an award‐winning mobile marketing agency. Melody co‐founded Plastic Mobile in 2007 and only three short years later was featured in a national newspaper, The Globe and Mail, and named the Queen of Apps in a series about Wired Women. Today she has reached the pinnacle of her career by being featured in 5 Questions! 😉
What motivates you to do what you do on a daily basis?
Innovation is one of the biggest motivating factors for me. To know that every day I go to work and do things that are at the cutting edge of technology makes every day more exciting than the day before. I love the fact that what I do surprises and amazes so many people. Making an impact also motivates me to continue to do what I do. When I know that our initiatives change the way people conduct business or the way consumers conduct their daily lives, any amount of hard work seems entirely worth it.
If you had 30 seconds to impart your wisdom on a classroom of soon-to-be graduates, what would you say?
Do what you love because then it doesn’t feel like work. If you find yourself in a job you hate, re-evaluate and make a change. Work hard and play harder.
In your opinion, what has been one of the most important technological developments over the past 12 months?
Tablet technology and their proliferation/mainstream adoption. The tablets are changing the way consumers are digesting content both in the types of content and the location in which they consume. So what I mean is that people don’t have to be limited to watch YouTube clips or reach the news at their desktops. They can do it virtually anywhere.
If you had a crystal ball, what would you say will be the most important technological development over the next 12 months?
NFC technology and the effects that can be anticipated in the next 12-24 years. Ultimately, all payment transactions can take place in one single mobile device. Your phone will not only be your email client, your internet, but also your wallet.
Who is one of Canada’s tech stars and why?
My personal favourite tech star is Amber Mac. I had the opportunity to meet with her a few months ago and I love her energy, enthusiasm and overall tech knowledge. She is definitely a great Canadian tech star.
Stratford, Ontario has to be one of the most picturesque cities in the world. It is one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever had the privilege of visiting. It is also one of the most intelligent communities in the world.
It’s everywhere in Stratford. The people are very friendly. Everywhere you go people are saying hello and good morning. And I’m not talking about retailers or hosts. People going for walks along the river or biking on the trails all saying hello to us.
And it translated to the way we were treated online too. But remember, it’s not about the tools but about the people. Stratford has just figured out that the tools will allow them to extend their “friendly” brand.
The Stratford Festival can be found on Twitter at @stratfest. But their customer service and community engagement does not start there. Nor does it end there. When I went online to purchase tickets for a show, I was able to talk to someone on the phone to help me find the best seats. And then when I was having trouble finding suitable accommodations for the night, the lady behind @stratfest suggested I call the customer service line first thing in the morning. Their ticket operator was actually going to help me find and book a place to stay the evening.
And when I called they also asked if I needed to make reservations for dinner! Amazing!
And the entire city seems to be connected. And not just to the internet. They are connected to each other.
Almost every retailer and restaurant encourages their patrons to connect to Foursquare for the purpose of discovering deals and specials.
And when it comes to online integration, Stratford is second to none. All their brochures and marketing material, including their websites, don’t just encourage people to follow and connect with them on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. They actually tell you where to find them on these spaces!
So rather than: “Follow us on Twitter!” they will say, “Follow us on twitter.com/stratfest”.
Finally, a brand (city) that “get’s it”.
Conclusion
The role of social media needs to be understood on context. It is not a stand alone tool or solution. Rather, it needs to be viewed as a partner within a business – or in this case, a city/town.
Stratford uses social media to help all their partners do better. Social media helps Stratford’s theaters give a better experience to their patrons. Tools like websites, Twitter, Foursquare and Facebook allow everyone from visitors and residents, to retailers and restaurants stay connected to each other via another platform.
And my IRL experience last weekend was actually enhanced as a result.
Just over a month ago I blogged about creating community: part 1. The beginning of this story was a refresher on my experience with GREENtuity and my first lessons in creating communities online.
The next step of my journey brings us to a company I used to work for called RealCash.
RealCash was a finance company in the residential real estate space. They factored a portion of an agent’s earned commissions. In short, RealCash was the Money Mart equivalent for real estate agents.
My role with the company was in marketing. I put together email campaigns, trade show strategies and even set-up strategic partnerships with major real estate companies across Canada. After a while, due to market conditions, I was forced to slash our budget and look for creative ways to market for free.
Enter social media. Here are some lessons I learned:
Blogging:
Almost everyday I blogged. And the results were phenomenal! Searching for “commission advance in Canada” on Google resulted in RealCash moving from the 5th page to the 1st page. Not bad I’d say. Remember, we had a zero budget for marketing at this stage.
Active Rain:
Active Rain is the social network for professionals involved in the real estate space in North America. After leaving RealCash more than six months ago I STILL receive calls from people finding the RealCash profile online through searching online.
Facebook:
Would you ever tell your professional friends, family and close friends that you use “Money Mart”? Neither would I. Facebook didn’t result in any community traction at all.
Twitter:
A great tool that RealCash used to promote itself as a thought leader in the real estate social space.
Overall, RealCash had success at creating an online community online. So much so that potential clients called alot. How much? Too much. RealCash advanced more financial resources than they had access to. Now they’re out of business. Yikes!
What’s the overall lesson: Don’t make promises (on social media or otherwise) that the company’s bank account can’t cash.
I always get asked, “How do I get more people to follow me on Twitter?” I figure I get asked this question because these same people have yet to meet folks like @unmarketing, @clickflickca, or @erinbury. All these folks have more “followers” than I will have in several lifetimes.
I also get asked this question because my clients (through thirdocean) and potential clients aren’t heavy personal users of social media tools. They are more interested in how to leverage these tools to grow their already successful businesses. I’m not the biggest dude on Twitter and I don’t pretend to be. However, because I’ve been asked, allow me to share with all of you what I’ve been doing on Twitter.
Follow To Be Followed:
This is the easiest way to gain a following. It’s not based on anything you’ve created or the value that you give to others. It’s only based on you following other people. Follow me and there’s a chance that I might follow back if I like your tweets and content you are creating.
Cater To A Specific Crowd:
There was a time when I was live-tweeting a Toronto Maple Leaf open practice. And guess what happened? My follower count went through the roof over a two-day period of time. Again, I wasn’t trying to gain more followers and those that did follow me have probably left. Why? Because I don’t generally tweet about the Leafs.
Provide Valuable Content:
Content is King. Content leads to conversation. Conversation leads to engagement. Engagement will lead to so much more than followers on Twitter. It can lead to opportunities: both personal and professional. Be human and be valuable. Not all your tweets have to be mind-blasting or inspirational. But please try to provide content that people will want to read and share.
@reply:
If you read a tweet that you like take a moment and share it with your followers.
Don’t Buy Followers:
Yes it is possible to buy followers. Not only does it cost you money. But, long-term, it will cost you credibility.
Well, these are just some of my recommendations. What are some of yours?
