Imagine a process, or discipline, that can call itself an “industry.”
For instance, let’s say there are a couple of factions in this emerging industry that are almost constantly at odds with each other. One side has always done things one way – the other side has always done things another way.
And a third group emerges – they have their own ideas, and they are dead set against the normal ways of doing things. They are the cowboys – and cowgirls. They are going to win the overall battle – because they’re the loudest and most boisterous. Not necessarily because they know the most stuff.
While they can argue, disagree and have spirited debates, it is obvious that, for their industry to be successful, they absolutely have to work together.
What Industry Am I Talking About?
The “Turnaround” Industry, also known as “Corporate Renewal.” Circa 1999.
Gotcha.
I was there, in the middle of it all. I had a “cup of coffee” as the Director of Public Relations for the Turnaround Management Association, circa 1998 and 1999. And I watched this battle unfold – between three distinct groups that made up the membership.
Group One: Bankruptcy Attorneys. Staid and by the book, their mission is to follow the rule of the law and make sure that assets are redistributed accordingly. Don’t piss them off.
Group Two: Asset-based Lenders. They want to know two things: what do you have as collateral, and what are the odds you will pay back a loan. While you’re at it, don’t piss them off, either.
Group Three: Turnaround Managers. These folks were unknown a few years prior to my arrival. And there were a few “Turnaround Artists” who gave the moniker “Turnaround Manager” a bad name.
What is really interesting, as I think of the parallels between Social Media Marketing and Turnaround Management, is how there were no absolutes.
Really – it wasn’t as simple as ticking the Yes box next to “Did you turn that business around?” There was always a complex give-and-take between the groups.
And the objectives would differ in each case, meaning the strategy could be markedly different. Boil down turnaround management to its essence, and you get one of my favorite questions.
What business problem are you trying to solve?
Which is why it is an apt discipline to compare to Social Media.
You’ve got the three groups – Ad Agencies, PR People and Social Media Marketers.
They can argue and complain; they can claim that they were here first.
Or they can work together and answer the “What business problem are you trying to solve” question.
Thanks, watradehub.comWant to be a real, live, in-the-flesh Social Media Marketer Extraordinaire? Start with these steps. Seriously.
The Daily Dose of Advice comes from Scott Stratten, UnMarketing himself.
“Reminder to take 5 minutes to reply to others today. Engage. Interact. Build.”
But how, really, truly, do you DO that? And can you invest only 5 minutes and make connections?
Well, yes. And no. We went with 10 minutes, you may want 15 or 20 or 30. But 2011 is all about small steps toward big things. So here goes.
1. Set the e.ggtimer. We said that you can learn from the big boys here, and there’s no bigger boy in the world of lifestyle redesign than Tim Ferriss. He’s the guy who first tipped us onto the timer. It is awesome for two reasons: (1) simplicity and (2) keeping you on task. We recommend you set it for 10 Minutes.
2. Begin surfing. We recommend you do this BEFORE looking at emails but AFTER getting your daily fix of Facebook and Twitter. Why? You want to get some mental cues from what you’ve seen on those sites – but you don’t want to make this reliant on what work is clogging your inbox.
Huh? Well, there are folks we are friends with on Facebook and connected with on Twitter who aren’t world famous. That’s part of the mission here. Learn from the Big Boys, but connect with the others, too.
3. Comment if you have something to add. We hit up a couple sites upon the recommendations of friends and contacts. On Quora, which is getting a tremendous amount of buzz, we had, well, nothing to add. Yet. But the standout site from Danny Brown got us thinking. And commenting.
4. Keep track.Chris Brogan recommends a spreadsheet or a Google Doc or a CRM program. Awesome.
Is that it?
Well, this should be part of a daily ritual. ESPECIALLY if you want to make real connections with real people.
Here’s the question: are you going to do something “Revolutionary” in the New Year?
First Work Day of 2011. Lists, Best Of, How Tos. Maybe there’s a self-help book or three waiting for you. Maybe you’ve downloaded some e-books and you can’t wait to get started.
Or Maybe You Shouldn’t Get Started On The Same Old Stuff.
I’ve never been one for New Year’s Resolutions. They always seem too big, and aren’t broken down into small enough chunks for me.
Instead, it’s the small simple goals that work best for me – and may work for your company, too, as you figure out exactly how to market your “stuff.”
As long as these goals add up to something “revolutionary” – then you’re headed in the right direction.
Let us give you a for-instance…
The “revolutionary” idea for Dave from Area 224 was, simply, build a startup. The small goals leading up to that date were attainable in chunks – but would have been too too much to accomplish all in one big bite. Incorporate. Build the website. Find partners. Build brand.
In fact, the revolution was built over a few months, as opposed to overnight.
But, when a big change came – downsizing, in this case – the backup plan was already in motion.
Revolutionary ideas, sure. Small chunks, well-planned, got the idea off the ground.
The New Year’s Resolution, then, shouldn’t (in our opinion) be “Lose Weight.” “Quit smoking.” Or “Build the Startup.”
Those can be the New Year’s Revolution – just break them down into smaller, more attainable chunks.
The economy blows. Job seekers find no one is hiring. Small shops like Area 224 keep plowing along, trying to get past the roadblocks. But Life Doesn’t Suck.
Really. It Doesn’t.
I, for one, am taking stock in a year full of new business relationships, enhanced connections, hatchets buried.
Skills sharpened.
We all know someone who focuses on the greener grass next door, or the other guy or gal who got promoted, or the person who got the job. Don’t be that person.
Spending the balance of the year posting items that didn’t make it out of our “Drafts” folder. You’ll thank us later.
You are not alone in hating busy work. Busy work is not cool, a real downer, very unhip.
We had great dialogue recently with a guy named Mike Cassidy, also known as Membership Jedi. Mike tells us that he likes to ask WTFF – or, to be more Rated G, “Why Are We Doing This Again?”
Actually, Mike’s thoughts are really good ones – and, when applied to Social Media Marketing, really timely. Here’s an example, “ripped from the headlines,” using a hypothetical company that is ready to “dabble” in Social Media.
Executive Team: “Let’s Get On Tweeter.”
You: “Why?” (NOTE: Don’t correct the executive team at this juncture.)
ET: “It’s what every other [insert industry] company is doing.”
You: “Why?”
ET: “It will allow us to connect with our customers.”
You: “Why?”
ET: “So they can tell us what they like about us.”
You: NOW it’s time to stop asking “Why?” And here’s why.
Depending on your industry, you’re going to have a varying degree of “like” of your products. If you are a mobile phone company and you have a spotty network, the “likes” will be focused on issues centered around things that don’t matter to the user experience, like how pretty your logo is.
And in just about any industry, your likes are going to be ratcheted up higher and higher depending upon what level of bounty you are putting on the like. “Like us and get a $5 coupon.” “Like us and be entered for a chance to win a spanking new vehicle.” The execs need to know that the like has to be attached to something – and they may not like what they’re hearing.
Be prepared, young Jedi, with a solution, too.
If you’re in a high-volume customer interaction universe, it could be possible that the “dislikes” are already being registered when the customer is on the phone with a rep, or in the store at the cash register. Solution: get hold of that feedback. Measure what that would mean to your department if you had to act on it on behalf of the organization. Provide an alternative – even if that alternative means “doing nothing.”
In most cases, the knee-jerk reaction from the Executive Team is “get us on the Flavor of the Week.” That Flavor right now is Social Media, but in a few months it could be something entirely different. If you ask why, and you do so in an insightful way, and you provide solutions to the potential problems, you’ll be well on your way to selling this social thing. IF it makes sense for your company.
