World Wide Rave – not a dance party.

I freely admit that some of the things I have said that people think are smart (hey it happens) have indeed come from David Meerman Scott – but I always attribute so that’s ok. He has written several books about marketing using the internet, and, when I get around to setting up a book section you’ll be able to order them here through Amazon and pay me a few cents!

I was fortunate enough to be given an autographed copy of David’s book ‘The New Rules of Marketing & PR‘ by a friend who had the pleasure of hearing David speak and meeting him. Part of the very nice personal inscription he wrote really struck me at the time – ‘On the web you are what you publish’. To me this really encapsulated the power of what Social Media and the Web can be for smart SME’s – it is their opportunity to really compete against large companies in a Media Meritocracy.

He has just released another free e-book ‘Lose control of your marketing‘, and he has a new book coming out this year called World Wide Rave.

Why do I mention this?

Because David writes really useful actionable stuff around Social Media, he provides great case studies of how people are using the web and social media, and he gets you thinking very deeply about what you can do.
And, if you look carefully on the World Wide Rave blog you’ll see a handsome man with a Husky.

What is Social Media?

The Conversation Prism from Brian Solis

From Wikipedia:
“Social media are primarily Internet-based tools for sharing and discussing information among human beings. The term most often refers to activities that integrate technology, social interaction, and the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio. This interaction, and the manner in which information is presented, depends on the varied perspectives and “building” of shared meaning among communities, as people share their stories and experiences”.

That is perhaps not so helpful, I think one of the best definitions comes from Antony Maynard of iCrossing who wrote in this e-book;

“What is social media?
Social media is best understood as a group of new kinds of online media, which share most or all of the following characteristics:

participation
social media encourages contributions and feedback from everyone who is interested. it blurs the line between media and audience.

openness
most social media services are open to feedback and participation. they encourage voting, comments and the sharing of information. there are rarely any barriers to accessing and making use of content – password-protected content is frowned on.

conversation
whereas traditional media is about “broadcast” (content transmitted or distributed to an audience) social media is better seen as a two-way conversation.

community
social media allows communities to form quickly and communicate effectively. Communities share common interests, such as a love of photography, a political issue or a favourite tv show.

connectedness
most kinds of social media thrive on their connectedness, making use of links to other sites, resources and people.”

Ok, well what does that mean for your business?
Social Media tools provide an opportunity to engage in conversation with your customers, to add value to them, and ultimately to your bottom line.

Social Media is not a quick fix but it will provide a depth of engagement that will more than justify the effort involved.

Social Media is about rethinking how you may have approached your marketing in the past – it’s seeing your marketing in a different way, as a chance to really show what makes you and your company unique.

It’s not broadcast, it’s dialogue.

Social Media and your sales cycle

Chris Brogan has posted a free e-book ‘Fish where the fish are’ – it’s to get you started thinking about how social media fits into the sales cycle. Some of the ideas are definitely aimed more at the larger corporate however there is something here for everyone.