Social media; To be or not to be?

Like a piece to a puzzle, social media is just part of the bigger picture. It should be evaluated as part of an overall strategy. To think that it should replace what you are already doing without thorough examination is foolish. One hat does not fit all.

The buzz about social media gets louder and louder. News broadcasts have catapulted Twitter and other social media tools to the forefront exposing it to a world wide audience of current and potential users. Those who pooh-poohed it just a few months ago; are now giving it a second glance.

We can all get excited about the opportunities social media can bring to the table, but for some it can be a scary thought. For businesses that commit to using it, the experience can be likened to being a pioneer during the 1800’s. Early settlers were brave souls who charted their way across the country in hopes of settling new lands and starting new lives. Today social media presents similar considerations when developing a marketing plan. It is a vast virtual world that businesses are exploring, trying to claim a stake and settle. Just like these early adventurers, it is prudent that companies use experience when chartering new territory. One cannot just pick-up and go and expect success to happen. Success is predicated on knowing who you are and where you want to end up.

7 Steps to consider before you hit the social media road:

1. Who are you (what is your brand)
2. Who in your organization will be responsible for managing your social media efforts daily
3. Who is your audience (what is the best social media platform(s) to reach your demographic)
4. How do you want to use it (will the account be for personal insights, strictly business, both)
5. What are your expectations (are your marketing goals realistic)
6. How quickly can you react (to inquiry or in the event of a crisis)
7. Understand and use social media etiquette:
a. Be real
b. Be transparent
c. Provide quality content
d. Respect the relationship
e. Engage

~Barbara

PR: Twitter or Die?

The name of our firm is not by accident. We knew years ago that emerging technologies not only would change how PR is done, but that all professions would need to evolve or be left behind. As principals of Fish With Feet, LLC we understood then and now that we needed to get ahead of the evolutionary curve and adapt or become obsolete.

What does survival of the fittest mean for today’s PR practioners? Does it mean if you are not a social media savant you are doomed to extinction? Does it mean that if a college professor did not teach social media and its applications to the PR and marketing professions the class of 2009 they are doomed to failure and their diplomas are not worth the paper they are printed on?

Evolution happens when the strongest traits of something continue. With that being said, PR professionals will survive if they continue to; research and develop sound media relationships, understand what content is of value to their targeted audiences, and understand the platforms to reach those audiences (including social media). Fit PR pros will survive and thrive if they own these traits, the hacks will not.

~Barbara

Social Media Experts: Fact, Fiction or Somewhere In Between

At the end of my last blog post I posed a question which was: “Social Media Experts: fact, fiction or somewhere in between?” I have a hard time with that title of “expert” when I don’t really see how anyone, myself included, can be an “expert” on something that changes week-to-week and month-to-month. Well I have an answer, at least from my personal and professional perspective, I’m going with option C, “somewhere in between”.

Fish With Feet recently paid collectively nearly $700 to attend a seminar Online Media Boot Camp given by “experts” of just this sort to learn more. Sheepishly I must admit I was also a bit skeptical of the whole “expert” concept and wanted to see one of these mythical creatures for myself up-close and in-person.

These “experts” are actually not experts as we have previously defined an expert, i.e. someone who has years of experience in a specific subject or skill. These experts are in fact the curious and brave souls who have thrown themselves enthusiastically into the social media world and are dragging the rest of us kicking and screaming with them (note: I include myself in the kicking and screaming “us”). The social media expert is simply a more experienced user. So isn’t that the definition of an expert? Not in the traditional sense and nothing about social media is traditional.

Much like the social media forums these experts lecture about, they are “sharing” their personal experience as a user of the social media world. Rather poetic when you think about it since social media is a conversation of like minded individuals “sharing” their thoughts and experiences with one another in an online environment. They’re sharing their shared experiences of sharing….huh? Yes, I think that’s the best way to put it.

Well I’m happy to say that I was wrong and partially right in my skepticism. I didn’t mind spending the nearly $700 for the lessons in “sharing” we received. It was money well spent indeed. And these “experts” did not disappoint, they were everything you could have imagined…laptops at the ready, crackberry in hand, twittering while lecturing, blogging in a single bound…it was a sight to behold.

So now it’s my turn to share. In my personal and professional opinion, if your company is not engaged in social media in some way, you better get on it. I’m not recommending you jump into the deep end of the pool. Start slow and figure out what you want to accomplish given the rules of social media. This is not a fad and it’s not going away, quite the opposite. Not sure how to get started? Contact Fish With Feet and we’ll get you started and/or refer you to other resources that can help you be successful. Are we “experts”? No. However, we’re using social media, we’re exploring it everyday, monitoring it everyday, trying new applications and we’re willing to share our user experiences.
Cathleen~

Twitter...call me twazy

Well I now have 200+ new BFFs (Best Followers Forever) and counting. The number seems to go up daily and the more I tweet the more followers I get. In an odd way it makes me feel special and I somehow feel disappointed when I do not get alerts letting me know I have new followers.

Not wanting to display poor tweeting habits, I have read about twitter etiquette and know my new friends can drop me if they find me annoying or if I really don't provide anything of interest. So I try to provide information, humor or respond to a direct tweet as often as I can. I try to keep up and read tweets from those I follow and retweet to my followers when the tweets are really interesting.

I have jumped into twitterland and I am playing with all the twitter gadgets I can find. I still need to use the twittonary every now and then when I need a little help twunderstanding the language of twitter. I now use tweetdeck. I can analyze my account with the scores of twitter tools. I upload pics to twitpic. I use the twello directory to find like minded tweeters. Every day I discover new twitter toys and it is twunderful.

Twitter can be whatever you want it to be, but I take following someone seriously, and check out the websites or links to blogs of those who are following me to see if I will return the follow. I don't want to be sold something, I don't want to to have 30,000 followers just to say that I do. The twitter world I am creating for myself is about following tweeters who can add an insight, or expand my thinking and introduce me to new ideas in 140 characters or less

The twitter landscape is vast and I am still mapping out my direction in this new tworld to see where my 'speed friending' will take me and to see if my new BFFs are the real deal or just a tweeting fancy. Half the fun is adding 'tw' to words and twelling my friends about twitter. If you would like to be my BFF, just follow me at http://twitter.com/fishwithfeet

~Barbara