Here are my notes.  You can also find more material, as well as a replay of the whole seminar, here on Steve Mann’s blog.

• what’s social media? Jeremiah: easy to use web tools that lets anyone share ideas online
• media can’t be social, people are social
• the power of information has shifted to a wider, broader base, as a result, communities are sharing
• Seth: 100 years ago, mass marketing was born: impersonal ads to people who didn’t want them. The idea that you can buy attention is new – and is disappearing again. Now, we need marketing from 1880 or 1592 but not marketing from 1960
• we have to get out of the idea of marketing = advertising
• Steve: we need to drive customer intimacy; want to be closer, more connected to our customers, want to co-create with customers. E.g. customer recommendation system
• Question: What social media monitoring system should a business use? How do you keep track of people talking about you online?
• Jeremiah: Not much out there right now – only free and haphazard systems like Google alert and very expensive large scale systems
• companies should think about employing community managers and social media strategists; it’s a PR expense that can replace advertising expense
• Question: what about bogging
• Seth: before you blog, think about the people (stakeholders), your objectives, and your marketing strategies. Where does a blog fit in?
• the problem with marketers as we know them is they don’t necessarily bring humility – but now, with social media, they need it. How much can you do for the people with whom you interact?
• in the digital world, the more they do for their users, the more they get
• the enemy online is not piracy, it’s obscurity
• Steve: we’re going to do whatever we can to earn attention. People who earn the attention are the ones who monetize
• the credibility factor is extremely important in driving the brand
• customers want a thick pipe to provide feedback
• build a community of power users who influence and support one another
• research shows: prospects who engage in community interaction at the beginning are more likely to convert
• Jeremiah: The future is in the distributed web – wherever customers decide to go (as opposed to where you want them to be)
• how do you get started? Hard costs aren’t high. Soft cost: labour involved in interfacing with customer
• figure out – what kinds of tools are your community using? how do your customers use your web participation ladder?
• Question: why do blogs matter?
• Seth: if you go to social media to “get new business” the old way, it won’t work very well
• internet is a great way to keep in touch with people you already know but not a good way to “interrupt” people
• if you want to get to know new people through the web, what are you giving them? (don’t be an insurance salesman – people won’t want to do business with you)
• blogs matter because everyone can talk now, anybody can say anything about any topic. That means we have given a global voice to everyone. That changes everything
• now word of mouth is huge
• if you’re a small company, this is tremendous
• e.g. Joel on Software, a small company, has managed to influence big companies
• his writings help customers
• it’s about conversation. Don’t be a narcissist.
• problem with traditional CEOs blogging: they are self involved, they can’t write, they have a hard time being generous, they don’t acknowledge other people
• you need to get kindliness and candour into your vocabulary
• Steve on co-creation: if we invite customers on the types of content that we should provide, then the customer takes ownership over the problem and the solution
• make it a relevant and delightful experience for them, as well as entertaining
• Jeremiah: Microsoft rewards experts/customers
• much better chance to build a new product if you allow collaboration.
• have customers join in internal conversations
• how do you reward customers? Give them access to information, let them look behind the curtain, have their name attached to the product, they’ll defend your product
• Steve: management needs to be changed because of this, this is a new management style
• Seth: what about PR, and how can PR be transparent?
• PR can mean managing your company so that people talk about you in a certain way
• PR can mean publicity. You hammer on the media until they write about you
• but that doesn’t work in social media
• the easiest PR is e.g. when you make a video that is irresistible, when something is really newsworthy
• e.g. Apple iPhone, they made a product that people became obsessed about and then people started blogging. Very little marketing from Apple
• the most important a marketer can do is to refuse to promote a product that’s not worth it
• that’ll raise the game of production
• Question: what about negative experiences that are being blogged about?
• Jeremiah: have someone on point, that person’s job is to create a process: what’s the best way to have a conversation about it online?
• always respond and respond with passion. Just let them know that you hear them even if you can’t do anything about it.
• and of course not all conversations are constantly positive
• sometimes there is more value in the negative comments, helps build better products
• research on customer loyalty: if complaint is handled well, this increases customer loyalty
• Jeremiah: the power has shifted. What power? The power of trust.
• earlier, companies talked at customers. Now, social media allows people to interact with each other about a product
• Forrester research: opinion of a friend: 83% trustworthiness. Online review by a blogger: 30%
• Question: are there companies that should stay away from social media?
• Seth: most organizations should stay away from social media
• if it’s just an add-on, if it’s not in your DNA, don’t do it
• there are industries where it’s inappropriate to be transparent: monopolies, the CIA
• if you can’t do it well, don’t do it
• Steve: the millenials think differently and social media is perfect for them
• but companies need to understand how this works
• Question: what about non profits?
• Seth: Looking at the top 40 non-profits. All of them are the same compared to a few decades ago, except for 3. It’s the opposite for corporations.
• it’s a slow moving industry that resists change tremendously. They have a very conservative governing body.
• they need to start with measurable projects that are likely to succeed. Don’t do the tempting stuff because you don’t want to “burn” your customer
• Question: examples of companies that are doing well with social media?
• Threadless – all their t-shirt designs are done by their customers [note: I immediately went there and spent money. Their system sure works on me!)
• it works because they’re doing this because they believe in it. Generally, a small company like this has a better time with social media
• Dell’s ideastorm
• Last question: What’s the first thing to remember when thinking about social marketing?
• Jeremiah: let go
• Steve: evolution not revolution
• Seth: be remarkable

Chances are that you hope to be informed and entertained – hopefully even both.

It’s the same with your readers; or, for that matter, your clients. They spend one of their most precious resources – their time – on you because they hope to get a good return on their investment.

When putting together a blog post – text, images, links, etc. – that’s what we need to keep in mind. That is, don’t come from a position of what you have to offer – come from the position of what your clients need.

Kathy Sierra has a great post on this concept, together with one of her characteristically accurate graphics:

Let’s imagine you’re a commercial real estate agent in Victoria, BC. What do your clients need to read? Put yourself in their shoes. If you were, say, a small business owner in Victoria in the market for a two-storey storefront for an upscale grocery store close to downtown, what would be your concerns? How about

Parking
Property taxes
Mortgage options
Business climate for that particular geographic area
Crime
Local business associations
Local events
Tourism from the US

The interesting thing is that you will do much of this research for your clients anyway, including some of the photographs and web sites. All you need to do is put it in writing and post it. Of course you want to eliminate any confidential topics – but much of the information you provide is common knowledge anyway.

If you’re a real estate agent or have ever dealt with one, what additional information would you suggest to be interesting to our grocery store millionaire-to-be?

Who is your audience?

I like to use the word “audience” because it summarizes the many different words that can be used: clients, customers, readers, patrons, members …

It’s also good to remember that your blog may be read by people who know and/or influence your primary target audience.

Having said that, who is your primary target audience? Middle-aged men who are interested in upscale recreational activities? Girls in high school? Well-to-do immigrants?

The more you know about your audience, the better.

What would you like your audience to do?

So your ideal client arrives at your blog. What would you like her to do? Email you? Give you a call? Tell others about you? Keep coming back to your blog?

Of course your reader-client will do whatever she’ll do, and you’ll never know exactly what her motivations are. You can’t (and we hope you don’t want to) force her to do anything. However, it only makes sense for you to present your information in such a way as to make it likely for her to follow through with an action that is positive for your business.

What can you do so that your audience will follow through?

If you want your readers to interact with you, asking them questions is often helpful. If you want them to call you, make sure your telephone number is easily visible. Help your customers.

technorati tags: target+audience, market+research, motivation, navigation, customer+service

With those contacts, most of us business people don’t exclusively talk business, especially not with our best clients, our most important suppliers, or our highly trusted advisors such as long-time accountants or bankers. There is always a personal touch.

It’s the same with blogging. Even though you might have a business blog, you still want to let people into your life at least a little bit. Is there a cranky old cat who is the centre of your household? Are you a passionate Canucks fan? Do you restore old antique furniture as a hobby? Let people know about it!

And you know what, it makes blogging so much easier. When you can’t think of yet another angle from which to talk about your mortgage brokering business, or when you just feel totally uninspired talking about home insurance – well, then it’s time to share a funny picture of your pet, or tell about that fiasco you had with trying to repair your dishwasher (which, now that you think of it, was actually quite comical). Who knows, as you start writing about it (or telling one of our blog scribes about it), you may even think of a way to tie it into your business.

So come on, get comfortable, let your hair down – and let your readers see the real you.

“You have a blog? How interesting!”

Many Canadian businesses don’t have blogs yet, and the blogs of those who do are often a little underdeveloped. This means that when you do have a good, lively blog, it becomes part of your branding. I’m a writer and therapist, and I’m quite well known in my community as “the blogging psychotherapist.” I have corporate colours, I have a tagline – and I have a blog.

“Let’s link”

When you look at it, the connection is obvious: Linking is networking. And just as in networking, I do my best to make organic yet strategic decisions about who to network with, I do the same with linking. Almost every sentence in a blog has a potential for linking to another site. But let’s be selective – most blog posts are fine showing just one or two links; so let’s be smart about them.

One strategy is to find out who the blogging industry leaders in a closely related field are, and link to them. If you’re in advertising, for example, linking to someone like Problogger might be valuable. Of course, it’s the same as in face-to-face networking: If you only connect with that person (or blog) with the eye to gain advantages to your business, it won’t be a quality connection. Instead, think about what is of mutual benefit. And again, who you link with is part of your brand. Try to emphasize links to website whose vision harmonizes with yours.

“I read it on your blog!”

Where does the best networking happen? It’s not when you give your 30-second spiel at a networking function. It’s when you meet for coffee for the third or forth time; when you go to a fundraising event together; when you discover you have common personal interest (“Really? You write haikus, too?”)

There are two important things here: Continuity, and a strong personal element.

We connect with people who we know are going to stick around, and people who will let us have a glimpse of who they really are. Blogging is perfect for both. In the end, there is no better branding than just showing who you are, with your little quirks, your likes and dislikes, and bits of your personal story (“Ran late for my meeting with the new client because my dug finally had her puppies!”). It doesn’t get more unique and “niche” than that – and that’s what branding is about, isn’t it? A good blog will let your unique personality shine – a natural way of attracting and nurturing quality business relationships.

(This entry was included in the Carnival of Network Marketing)

How this works vis-a-vis email feeds like Feedblitz is a different story. I certainly don’t like getting a generic “2 new posts” in my in box every day. But once a week, I can handle that, and services like Feedblitz can do that.

So ideally, the regularity of the blog should reflect your readers’ preferences.

For example, I know that my readership drops dramatically on Saturdays and spikes on Mondays – so I always want to have fresh content for them by Monday morning.