The Three A\'s of Social Media Branding

$: The Three A\'s of Social Media Branding$
Bob CargillCopywriter, Creative Director and

Social Media Marketer

September 22, 2009

Introductions

Social Media and Social Media Marketing

The Three A’s of Social Media Branding

1. Ability

2. Affability

3. Availability

The Social Media Branding Tool Kit◦ Blog

◦ Twitter

◦ LinkedIn

◦ Facebook

Other Social Media Tools – Flickr, YouTube, etc.

Social Media Branding Role Models

Resources and Questions

“Social media is the use of

electronic and Internet tools for the

purpose of sharing and discussing

information and experiences with

other human beings.”

Source: Wikipedia

“Social media marketing is a form of

Internet marketing which seeks to achieve

branding and marketing communication

goals through the participation in various

social media. Most programs involve some

form of building an idea or brand

awareness, increasing visibility, encouraging

brand feedback and dialogue as well as

possibly selling a product or service.”

Source: Wikipedia

1. Ability

Don’t underestimate what it takes to be proficient in social

media. It doesn’t take years of schooling to write what

you’re doing in 140 characters or less, but it does take more

than a modicum of talent to earn the respect and reputation

that you need to be successful on Twitter and other social

media properties. The fact is that the most acclaimed

practitioners in this space are specialists, authorities and

knowledge leaders not just online, but in their physical lives

as well. They are visionaries who are renowned for their

expertise wherever they go, people who are able to

articulate their thoughts such that they resonate with, if not

inspire, the masses.

2. Affability

Skills alone will only get you so far in social media. You

need to humanize your brand identity. Those who are most

popular in social media are those who have the best

“bedside manners,” the most engaging personalities. They

are amiable and congenial, generous and kind, people who

are as good at listening as they are teaching, as humble

and humorous as they are confident in their abilities. They

are people like Chris Brogan, Paul Chaney, Joseph Jaffe,

Steve Rubel, Ann Handley, Beth Harte, Yvonne DiVita,

Susan Hanshaw and Sarah Merion, among others.

3. Availability

Like a physician on call, to be appreciated by your

constituents in social media is to be open for business

practically 24/7. No, you’re not saving lives, but you are

demonstrating that you are responsive and attentive to

those who want to connect with you. It’s one thing to

establish a presence in the blogosphere as well as on

Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. But if you want to be

looked up to as the real deal that you are in this space, you

have to be on the grid more often than not and be prepared

to lose a little sleep.

•Co-author, “Trust Agents”

•President of New Marketing

Labs

•His blog is ranked #3 in the

Advertising Age Power 150

•Approaching 100,000

followers on Twitter

•Over 800,000 results for his name in Google

•Author of the bestselling career book, Me 2.0: Build

a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success”

•Founder of the Personal Branding Blog, the #1 job

blog by Careerbuilder in 2008

1. Do you believe in the two principles of social media, authenticity and transparency?

2. Does your company’s culture allow for, if not encourage, entrepreneurialism and innovation?

3. Are you comfortable with inclusive, informal dialogue among all levels of employees and between your organization and others, possibly even detractors?

4. Do you understand that to be successful with blogging and other forms of social media communications, you need to listen, engage and become an active, generous member of the “community” at large?

5. Are you prepared to devote the time, energy and resources to creating quality, relevant content on an ongoing basis, which you will commit to sharing – for the most part, unconditionally – with the social web?

1. Transparent

2. Authentic

3. Engaging

4. Responsive

5. Extemporaneous

6. Conversational

7. Succinct

8. Considerate

9. Selfless

10. Generous

Either you’ve already

developed a strong brand

and using social media to

extend it is easy, but

risky…

…or your brand is weak

and using social media to

strengthen it is a

challenge, but necessary.

1. Be real before being virtual.

2. Know your baseline.

3. Start with the basics.

4. Connect real with virtual.

5. Enhance and maintain.

“A New Marketing Commentator” was the first blog ever to receive an award – a Gold – from the New England Direct Marketing Association at its 2006 awards show.

“Markets Are Conversations.”

The Cluetrain Manifesto

The End of Business as Usual

By Rick Levine, Christopher Locke,

Doc Searls, David Weinberger 2000

“The essential lesson is that every

day it gets easier to tighten the

relationship you have with the

people who choose to follow you.”

Seth Godin

Page 35

Tribes

1. Instructional – Write about your specific area

of expertise and, ideally, include a few outbound

links to corroborating material found elsewhere.

2. Informational – If you have any news to share,

whether it relates to the organization you work for or

is just something you've heard about in the industry,

blogging about it is a great way to spread the word.

3. Entertaining – All work and no play can make

yours a very dull blog. So every once in a while, find

something amusing or even comical to feature in

your posts.

4. Reviews – Whatever books, magazines, articles

and, yes, blogs you read...if they could be of

interest to your constituents, they're worth your

candid critiques.

5. Analysis – List the pros and cons of an important

industry trend or development and give readers your

take on its merits (or lack thereof).

6. Opinion – Express your honest feelings about a

topic or issue that would be of interest to your

colleagues, clients and anyone else who is reading

your blog.

7. Diaries – Give readers an idea of what you do

during a typical day on the job. Or tell them how

you and your team pulled off – from start to finish –

a successful initiative. Authenticity and

transparency will add to your credibility and help

build your own personal brand.

8. Findings – If you have numbers, charts, graphs

or any other information that will help your audience

develop and fine-tune their respective skill sets and

"best practices,“ don't hesitate to share.

9. Interviews – Put on your journalist's hat and

pose a few questions to a notable industry expert,

then post the Q&A on your blog.

10. Accolades – Offer kudos to award-winners and

knowledge leaders, even if they're competitors.

Flattery will get you, well, maybe a new friend in

the one who you praise.

11. Questions – Take a strong position on a hot

topic or issue and ask your readers whether they

agree. Some bloggers, such as SMM king Chris

Brogan, frequently close their posts with a question

or two, which invariably results in a number of good

comments.

11. Case Studies – Real-world examples, whether

your own or not, help illustrate and reinforce your

blog's value proposition.

13. Multi-Part Articles – If one post alone won't

do your topic justice, consider breaking up your

thoughts into a series of posts, bringing readers

back for more time and again.

14. Polls – Conduct a survey on something topical

and reveal the results down the road.

15. Lists – Finally, you can simply add up all the

reasons for doing something – anything – and turn

your list into a long post like this one.

•Wrote for “Laid Off and Looking,” a

Wall Street Journal blog

•New Director of Marketing and Social

•Media at Second Time Around

•Produced successful social media

program, “ShopUp”

•Nationally-renowned job-seeker

•Uses LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Blog,etc.

•Conducts Find-a-Job Giveaway Contest

“Twitter is a free social networking and micro blogging service

that allows its users to send and read other users’ updates

(otherwise known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up

to 140 characters in length.”

Source: Wikipedia

Twitter is often referred to as micro-blogging and therefore

benefits users in many of the same ways as blogging…

Thought Leadership

Reputation Management

Search Engine Optimization

Yes, Branding….

Determine Your Objectives – Branding, Conversation,

Traffic, Sales

Develop a Plan

Identify the Owner(s)

Listen and Learn

Reach Out to Others

Share Your Knowledge

Be Yourself

Make the Commitment

1. News and Informational

2. Educational

3. Questions

4. Status Updates

5. Retweets

6. Links to Articles, Events, Resources, etc.

7. Random and Personal

8. Replies/Conversation (DM and @ Messages)

9. Broadcasting Live Events

10. Promotional

*And More

Some folks use their Twitter accounts mainly to

disseminate news and information, whether it’s about their

own organization or not. For instance, I’ll often write

tweets about what I deem significant industry

developments and trends. I’ll read something interesting

then share it with my followers, doing them the service – at

least that’s my intent – of identifying must-read stories.

1. News and Information

To be successful on Twitter, you have to be generous in

your sharing of knowledge and expertise. Those with the

most followers are looked up to and depended on for their

ability to teach and to lead, for their willingness to commit

the time necessary to helping others succeed.

2. Educational

Any good conversationalist knows that a great way to show

an interest in people is to ask questions of them. Well, as it

goes with your offline relationships in the physical world, so

it goes on Twitter. Ask followers to introduce themselves to

you or “crowdsource” your next presentation. People love

to give you their opinions, especially on Twitter.

3. Questions

Let your followers know what you’re up to at the moment,

whether you’re about to give a big presentation, get on a

plane, buy a new book, jog a few miles or attend your

child’s Little League baseball game. In describing such

activities, both professional and personal, you’re helping

others get acquainted with you. And more people do

business with those they know and trust.

4. Status Updates

This is something you can – and should – employ

occasionally as a tactic on Twitter. To retweet is to copy

and paste someone else’s tweet that you like and deem

worthy of repeating, making sure to place the initials RT in

front of his or her handle, such as RT @chrisbrogan. You’ll

benefit from repurposing someone else’s good content,

and they’ll be flattered that you appreciated their tweet

enough to share it with your own audience.

5. Retweets

While it’s not necessary to share a link every time you

tweet, it’s a fairly common practice on Twitter. After all,

given the fact that you have just a sentence or two to get

your message across, it’s only natural you would want to

link to supporting material, including your own. I use Tiny

URL to shorten my links, by the way, but there are many

other such tools to help you perform the same task.

6. Links

To reveal your personality on Twitter is to be successful on

Twitter. To be faithfully followed, it’s absolutely

necessary. You don’t want to be predictable, formulaic or

all business all the time. If you tweet outside of the box

now and then, you’ll pique the curiosity of your

constituency. And maybe even grow on them.

7. Random

What many of those who are tweeting for the first time

don’t realize is just how conversational this medium can

be. Like instant messaging or an online chat room, Twitter

can be used to communicate back and forth between one

another. Placing the @ symbol before someone’s handle

is the way to reply to him or her publicly, while a direct

message, or DM, is how you would respond privately to

that individual.

8. Replies

Another good service you can provide to your followers is

to broadcast live from industry events that you attend. In

doing so, you’re reinforcing your position as a thought

leader and expert, someone who recognizes the

importance of staying current and cutting edge. Like a

reporter on the scene, you’re also serving as a conduit of

information on behalf of the source, propagating their

interesting content to those who may not have seen it

otherwise. Everyone wins.

9. Broadcasts

While Twitter can be used to toot your own horn, if you’re

perceived as too self-promotional, your efforts will backfire.

Like any other social media channel, Twitter should be

used primarily for listening and conversation, for sharing

generously with others. But that’s not to say you can’t use

it for marketing and sales. Just pick your spots carefully,

linking back to your own content, products and services

only every so often, not all the time.

10. Promotional

•27,000+ tweets and 37,000+

followers

•Ranked third on Google

•Pistachio (Laura Fitton)

Consulting (authors of “Twitter

for Dummies”)

LinkedIn is an interconnected network of experienced

professionals from around the world, representing 170

industries and 200 countries. You can find, be introduced to, and

collaborate with qualified professionals that you need to work

with to accomplish your goals.

1. Establish a Profile

2. Join and Start Groups, Sub-Groups

3. Ask and Answer Questions

4. Promote Your Reading List

5. Share Links to Good Articles

6. Post Status Updates

7. Connect With and Recommend Others

8. Conduct Polls

9. Share Presentations

10. Import Blogs

*And Much More

•Named one of “35 unique

•entrepreneurs that are changing the world”

(Rise to the Top)

•Produces and hosts video podcast

•Developing social networking site with

Tony Robbins

Facebook, formerly The Facebook, is a free-access social

networking website that is operated and privately owned by

Facebook, Inc. Users can join networks organized by city,

workplace, school, and region to connect and interact with

other people. People can also add friends and send them

messages, and update their personal profiles to notify friends

about themselves.

Source: Wikipedia

1. Establish a Profile

2. Build a Community (Fan Pages and Groups)

3. Lead Conversations

4. Post Notes

5. Conduct Polls and Contests

6. Display Work

7. Deploy Applications

8. Stage Events

9. Share Links to Great Articles

10. Post Video, Audio and Pictures

* And Much More

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paXZADAm3wI

http://tinyurl.com/bobcargill

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paXZADAm3wI

http://tinyurl.com/bobcargill

Flickr. This is “almost certainly the best online photo management and

sharing application in the world.”

YouTube. This is a video sharing website where users can upload, view

and share video clips.

Google Reader. Google Reader constantly checks your favorite news

sites and blogs for new content. Whether a site updates daily or

monthly, you can be sure that you won't miss a thing.

Google Analytics. Use Google Analytics to learn which online

marketing initiatives are cost effective and see how visitors actually

interact with your site. Make informed site design improvements, drive

targeted traffic, and increase your conversions and profits.

Yammer. This tool allows you to post short messages (like Twitter) in

the form of one feed that lives in a central location and is exclusive to

those working at the same company.

FriendFeed. Consolidates all of your social media activities into one

aggregated feed which you can customize and share with others. (Also

known as Lifestreaming.)

Posterous. Posterous lets you post things online fast using email. You

email us and we reply instantly with your new posterous blog.

Ning. Allows you to create your own “private-label” social network –

see http://www.amaboston.org/ for a great example of how the tool can

be used

http://www.amaboston.org/

•Best-selling author of 10+

marketing books

•Internationally-renowned new

marketing guru

•“He was recently chosen as one of

21 Speakers for the Next Century

by Successful Meetings”

Social Media Marketing: An Hour a Day ◦ Dale Evans

Me 2.0 ◦ Dan Schawbel

Join the Conversation ◦ Joseph Jaffe

Tribes◦ Seth Godin

Trust Agents◦ Chris Brogan and Julien Smith

Best Social Media Advice from This Site (Chris Brogan)◦ http://www.chrisbrogan.com/best-social-media-advice-from-this-site/

100 Personal Branding Tactics Using Social Media (Chris Brogan)◦ http://www.chrisbrogan.com/100-personal-branding-tactics-using-

social-media/

The Social Media Marketing Blog (Scott Monty)◦ http://www.scottmonty.com/

Mashable (All That’s New on the Web)◦ http://mashable.com/

http://www.chrisbrogan.com/best-social-media-advice-from-this-site/













http://www.chrisbrogan.com/100-personal-branding-tactics-using-social-media/













http://www.scottmonty.com/

http://mashable.com/

Micro Persuasion (Steve Rubel)◦ http://www.micropersuasion.com/

Personal Branding Blog (Dan Schawbel)◦ http://personalbrandingblog.com/

The Top 50 Social Media Blogs of the Year (2008)◦ http://www.evancarmichael.com/Tools/Top-50-Social-Media-Blogs-

2008.htm

Top 150 Social Media Marketing Blogs◦ http://blog.ecairn.com/2008/11/06/top-150-social-marketing-blogs/

Internet Marketing Secrets and Strategies◦ http://www.internet-marketing-strategies-and-secrets.com/

http://www.micropersuasion.com/

http://personalbrandingblog.com/

http://www.evancarmichael.com/Tools/Top-50-Social-Media-Blogs-2008.htm











http://blog.ecairn.com/2008/11/06/top-150-social-marketing-blogs/









http://www.internet-marketing-strategies-and-secrets.com/









1. Ability. The most acclaimed practitioners in this space are specialists, authorities and knowledge leaders not just online, but in their physical lives as well. They are visionaries who are renowned for their expertise wherever they go, people who are able to articulate their thoughts such that they resonate with, if not inspire, the masses.

2. Affability. Skills alone will only get you so far in social media. You need to humanize your brand identity. Those who are most popular in social media are those who have the best “bedside manners,” the most engaging personalities. They are amiable and congenial, generous and kind, people who are as good at listening as they are teaching, as humble and humorous as they are confident in their abilities.

3. Availability. Like a physician on call, to be appreciated by your constituents in social media is to be open for business practically 24/7. No, you’re not saving lives, but you are demonstrating that you are responsive and attentive to those who want to connect with you.