Redmond Rotary - Great group...

Yesterday, Clay and I had the opportunity to speak at the Redmond Rotary luncheon about Social Media for CEO's and Owners. It was well attended and we met some terrific folks. A special thanks to Steve Bozick from Loan Source and Brad Lehrer of Banners on a Roll for inviting us to come in and share our passion for Social Media with the group for a day.

The group was extremely engaged and had lots of very good questions about both Social Media and how it could be used in a variety of business settings. There were a number of attendees that were starting to use some of the tools but for most it was some new education about the power Social Media can have in business today.

For those we didn't get a chance to talk to after the luncheon or if you have any additional questions that may have come up, please feel free to reach out to Clay and myself - we would be happy to answer any questions you might have. We would also encourage you to follow one of our groups on twitter, @SOMEEXEC as this will be continually providing useful information for CEO's, Owners, Business Executives and other top officers. Just mention you are with the Redmond Rotary and we will accept you into the group.

Again, thank you for allowing us to participate and share our passion about Social Media. Living in the Redmond area made this extra special for me as well. It was great to see some familiar faces like Mike Amos and Suzy Burke-Myers. We hope to visit you all again in the near future. Also, don't forget to check out the RedSpoke event - very cool if you are into biking.

Blaine

Blaine Millet

Customer Experiences Inc.

twitter: @BlaineMillet

Tell your story - people really do care...

For those of you that either know me or work with me in the area of social media, there is no doubt you will relate to this post. An area I am very passionate about is helping executive bloggers to be more effective and connected with their audiences.

One of the ways I suggest is to "tell your story" and let people know who you are and how this connects to your business. Building a "Persona" is what this is all about. It isn't a strictly "personal story" or strictly a "business story" - it is a story that helps your audience understand your Persona. Your Persona is the linkage of the two - what you are like as an individual (your passions, beliefs, activities, etc.) blended with what you do for a living (your role, passions, beliefs, functions, etc.). This blend is what your audience wants to "learn" about you to determine if they want to follow you and have a relationship with you - even if it is just through the "stories" you tell in your blog.

There was a great article written by Joan Hitchins titled, "Unleash Your Inner (Business) Storyteller" posted on BizNik the other day. Joan was spot on in her description of what I am trying to say - tell your story - build some connection with your audience about who you are and what got you where you are today - good or bad, it's a great story. This is what your audience wants to know and this is what builds connections, followings and relationships - and that is what social media is all about - helping us build relationships that help us personally and in business.

So as you go about blogging, just ask yourself two questions when you finish posting. First, "Do I think this posting "helped" anyone today?" Second, "Did this posting help to bring my audience closer to knowing more about my "Persona" and who I really am?" If you can't answer yes to these two questions, save it as a draft posting and edit it later so you can answer yes to both these questions. Thoughts, challenges, comments? All are welcome.

Blaine

Blaine Millet

Customer Experiences Inc.

twitter: @BlaineMillet

EPG Talks Nuts & Bolts of Social Media

You should have been there. In this photo is a few of the group who celebrated Tax Day by participating in our first Executive Peer Group for Social Media. After introductions, we launched right in to discussing ways that each CEO was working with social media, and we then began to exchange thoughts and tips for ways that these new tools could be used for advancement of respective businesses in attendance. It didn’t take more than an hour or so to establish that this unique program is going to generate an abundance of practical business value.

With his extensive experience leading Executive Roundtables, Blaine was the primary facilitator in these discussions. With his guidance, the participants experienced a number of “ah-hah” moments. Clearly this monthly program is going to be invaluable for those participating.

One of the more interesting EPG participants is a pastor from a well-known church in downtown Kirkland. Drawing on his previous business experiences and his current position, he injected interesting comments about the combining of business goals with social media tactics. And, yes, strategy and planning were key words being laced through our conversations.

I know this is a new area for most of us. But social media is here, and it offers too many benefits to not stay around. Our EPG group is going to be a hot-bed of learning that reduces the risks of “brand erosion” when trying these new social tools. Get on board now and join this peer group -- there is room for 3 - 4 more CEOs in this peer group.

Clay Loges

Twitter: @YodioMan

Most Social Media efforts will fail - or will they?

As we continue "persuade" and "coach" CEO's and other top executives to enter the world of Social Media, it is apparent that some just aren't ready to jump in the pool. Why is that? One reason I see is they are worried about failing, looking bad, embarrassing themselves or their companies and a whole host of reasons connected to image. When a CEO learns about Social Media for the first time, the reaction is usually one of "wow, I had no idea the potential power and the potential danger of social media."

The potential power is easy, replace most of your traditional media at a fraction of the cost and reach more people - easy. The potential danger is a bit more difficult to get your arms around. There was a very solid blog posting by Liana Evans of Search Engine Watch. She referenced a study by Gartner Group which said that 60% of the Fortune 1000 companies will engage in some form of Social Media by 2010 and half of those will fail - half! That means only about 1/3 will be successful - that is a very low number considering the resources these behemoths have at their disposal.

Why will most companies fail? She has some thoughts which I echo completely and thought they might help to share them with you. She offers 5 things you can do to help you not be one of those that fails. While they are all important, three of the five are worth mentioning. They are:

1. Plan a strategy that includes all stakeholders - absolutely necessary to start with a strategy of what you really want to accomplish - what do you want your engagement in social media to look like in 6 months or a year - this is critical to start with the end in mind.
2. Be Transparent - there is nothing worse than trying to pretend to be something you are not in the world of social media - the audience wants to get to know your "persona" and not somebody else.
3. Recognize that its not about you - it is about the relationships you will build with people and these people will want to follow you - help them - share what you know with them so they can be better by interacting with you.

If you strive to focus on just these three areas, you will not only survive, you will THRIVE.

Blaine

Blaine Millet

Customer Experiences Inc.

twitter: @BlaineMillet

Churches testing Social Media...powerful

With all the noise and attention over twitter, Social Media has certainly taken center stage for many over the past few months - and churches are now no exception. It is definitely the latest and most talked about element of Social Media today.

Churches are a natural for Social Media - broadcast information and updates in 140 characters in "real-time" to their members and would-be members - doesn't get better than that - or does it...There are now getting to be some interesting examples of churches using Social Media - or should I say "testing" it to see how to use it.

What we see are people rushing into the water without a plan and without clear direction of what they want to accomplish, the best way to accomplish it and what are the expected results. This is where I believe there is a train wreck waiting to happen. But for now...

Overlake Christian Church here in Redmond, WA had an interesting approach to Easter. The pastor said, "usually we spend about $20,000 on a direct mail piece and send out to a few thousand people to invite them for Easter, since it is a great time for people to check out a church. However, this time we are just going to use a small postcard mailer (much less cost) and deploy a facebook campaign with your members - invite your friends on facebook." The goal is to reach more than 10 times the people - up to 100,000 instead. Lofty goal, or is it? Even if it isn't, it will reach far more people, faster and cheaper than using traditional media. Nice work Overlake, great use of a Social Networking tool.

Another example is from Mars Hill Church - allowing their attendees to twitter during church. You can read more about this experiment at Mars Hill Does Twitter. Interesting concept, time will tell how well it works or doesn't work and how this does or doesn't fit into an overall strategy. Regardless, it is an interesting use of a very powerful tool of Social Media. Stay tuned to see how it turns out.

Blaine

Blaine Millet

Customer Experiences Inc.

twitter: @BlaineMillet

Business Examiner - A newspaper that "Gets It"...

Yesterday, Clay and I had the opportunity to speak for a second time to a great group of executives in Tacoma, WA - sponsored by the Business Examiner. Yes, that's right, a newspaper is sponsoring seminars on Social Media. While it may seem like an oxymoron, especially with the rapid decline of newspapers these days, some out there, like the Business Examier, actually "get it" and understand how to embrace and capitalize on this REVOLUTION.

We have now spoken to over 250 CEOs, Presidents, and other top executives during the past 3 months and one thing is clear. Some "get it" while others refuse to accept the impact and reality this Revolution in communications, called Social Media, is going to have on their business. Both Jeff Rounce (Publisher) and Emily West (General Manager) of the Business Examiner truly "get it".

What, you might ask, does the Business Examiner do to "get it"? While they still provide the publication of their paper, they also embrace other aspects of Social Media - such as a blog. Their BLOG adds a "real time" dimension to their articles/stories and allows them to receive comments and feedback - creating a dialog to build deeper relationships with both their "paper based" audience and their "online" audience.

With the continuing decline of traditional media, there will be those that "get it", embrace it and use it - while others will hold on to old thinking and become extinct. Those that truly care about their audiences (customers, employees, shareholders, etc.) will react the way the Business Examiner is reacting - "getting in the game" and giving their audiences what they want. This will not only keep them relevant but will allow them to prosper well ahead of their competition. My hat goes off to the Business Examiners attitude and execution...

Blaine

Blaine Millet

Customer Experiences Inc.

twitter: @BlaineMillet