For most people, the biggest obstacle to overcome before they can begin seeing real value from their social efforts is the way they view it.
Far too often, the fact that social networking is conducted through a digital channel tricks people into thinking that their shortcomings are technological.
I spend a large portion of my time trying to get people to see that, really, social networking doesn’t have much to do with technology at all.
In my experience, at least 60% of SMEs currently using the major social channels use them as advertising channels. After building a large following they will bombard their followers and friends with offers, promotions and direct sales messages in the hope that they see a direct ROI.
They won’t.
You are probably already aware that today is the start of Social Media Week 2012. This week, people across the world are joining together to celebrate the power and potential of the social web.
Though there are events going on in 12 major cities across the world, this year the UK has been leading the way with its SMW celebrations. There are some great events going on across the country with the main focus being on London and Glasgow.
The aim of Social Media Week is to explore the potential of the social web by focusing on the three key areas: collaboration, content and conversation. As you might expect, the social buzz around #SMW12 is being felt across the world. With a strong presence on all the major platforms, innovative content strategies and a forward thinking mobile app, the organisers of Social Media Week are working hard to show people what it’s all about.
This year I’m going to be taking a bit of a road trip with some friends from HootSuite HQ in Vancouver. We begin our tour tonight at the Lowcountry Bar & Eating House in Fulham, London (#SMWHootUpLD). HootSuite’s European Community Manager, Sharif Khalladi and I will be giving our fellow Owls some tips on how they can better use their HootSuite Dashboards and hopefully making lots of new friends.
After London we are heading North to catch up with some Scottish Owls. We will be at the Lansdowne Kitchen and Bar in Glasgow on Tuesday September 25th at 6pm (#SWMHootUpGW) before heading over to Edinburgh’s Cargo Bar on the 26th (#SMWHootUpED). There are lots of exciting projects going on in Scotland at the moment so I’m really excited about these!
After Edinburgh we are heading all the way down to Bristol. We hope to meet lots of new HootSuite users from the West Country and Wales as well as seeing lots of familiar faces. I will also be talking about HootSuite and, hopefully, passing on some useful new skills. We will all be meeting at a great venue called Bubalu at 6:30 on Thursday 27th September. It would be great to see you there!
Phew, it’s going to be a busy week.
You can follow all the goings on by following @HootSuite_UK and @HootUp or following the individual event hashtags. You can also keep up to date with all the Social Media Week events by following #SMW12. There’s also the SMW12 app which lets you register for events, manage your schedule and keep up to date with ‘real time’ infographics.
Each time I hear someone refer to the social web as ‘social media’ it makes me wince a wee bit.
Though I understand that there are times when it’s necessary to use a term people are familiar with, if businesses are to glean any value from their social efforts, they need to acknowledge that social ‘media’ is just the tip of the iceberg.
Let’s be clear: Social Media is about sharing. It’s one very important function of the social web.
Social networking is something quite different.
If you follow me on any of the major social networks you’ll probably have noticed that I was in Vancouver last week. The main aim of my trip was to visit my friends at HootSuite HQ but the trip ended up being far more productive than I first expected.
Before, during and after my trip, the social web allowed me to make new friends, build my network, arrange meetings and bring in business.
I didn’t do anything groundbreaking and, after this trip, it’s certainly going to be something I do more of.
So, how did I do it?
“Never before have fans had such direct access to their sporting heroes“ – Lewis Wiltshire, Head of Sport for Twitter UK
The social web is going to make London 2012 the most exciting and interactive Olympics yet. We now enjoy direct access to our sporting heroes. Whichever sport you’re into, Twitter, Facebook, G+ and foursquare allow you to follow and interact with athletes directly and in ‘real-time’.
The advantages for sports fans are obvious. It will greatly enhance our enjoyment of the sporting spectacles that we already enjoy – but what about the athletes? What’s in it for them?
Every month there seems to be a new social platform which is ‘essential’ for all businesses.
If business owners were to spend time on all of these platforms there wouldn’t be time for anything else!
So how do you know which platforms are worth your time?
Should you be embracing the latest social trend?
If you regularly read this blog you will know that I always place a strong emphasis on ‘engagement’.
If you increase engagement you WILL increase value. Whenever I need to increase social engagement for one of my clients I use two tools: knowledge and science.
People are often surprised when they realise how strongly I advocate using the latest technologies. I’m frequently asked ‘do social media and science really mix?’
My answer is always a very confident, ‘YES’!
If you use the right tools in the right way, science has a crucial role to play in maximising engagement.
There’s no doubt about it, mobile devices are changing the way we live our lives. Most people presume this is due to the technology in the phones themselves. In reality, it’s the mobile apps that make these phones useful. Whether it’s for banking, travel, checking the weather or catching up on the latest sports results, these apps have become a crucial part of our lives.
To begin with, ‘the social web’ presented a problem for businesses. The value of social media was clear, but how could they take advantage of platforms designed for individuals?
Thankfully, all the major social platforms were quick to realise the role that businesses had to play. This is how company pages came about.