Yes! And… Creative Gorilla # 105
Social Media is changing the way we do business. How might you benefit from it?…
A source of male social networking
“The advent of Social Networking and Social Media has been the biggest boost for individuals to take responsibility for their personal brand.”
Penny Power, Author of “Know Me, Like Me, Follow Me”
How can you make the most of Social Media as a creative leader?
Last week, I attended an excellent retreat led by Thomas Power, the Chairman of Ecademy and a world authority on Social Media. I and nine others were introduced to or updated on the power of Social Media and how we can use it to build our personal brands and companies.
Social Media is media designed to be disseminated through social interaction, created using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques. {For more of the definition, visit Wikipedia here, or Google: Social Media Definition. There are a number of them]
I have always been a little sceptical about Social Media and went along because, as a creative leader like you, I had an open mind. In reality, I didn’t understand it; it was a revelation for me to end up so excited and humbled at the same time!
So
After four days of reflection I assembled some learning points which I would like to share with you. These are my own, others attending and Thomas, may have obtained a different interpretation.
- The world is moving / has moved this way and individuals and companies need to be part of it – it is no longer optional
- People in organisations should understand that they can use Social Media to build their own brand and their company brand
- It takes time to build online awareness. Thomas says three years i.e. a year each to know you, like you and follow you
- To make the most of your brand, you need an integrated strategy, using web site, blogs, articles and networking sites such as Linked In (and more!)
- For a congruent strategy, you first need to understand your core process, i.e. your reason for being, (the equivalent of a corporate mission). This is what people will know you for. Mine is “Loving Creativity”. You will see it is a verb form / noun combination. [Click on the “core process” link for an excellent article by Nick Heap.].
- Unless you have limitless time, you have to use Social Media efficiently, employing tools such as Tweetdeck, FriendFeed and Livewriter. Find a way to enjoy it too!
- You may need to buy in expertise but read books [Penny Power’s or Trust Agents are a good start] and attend a course first
- Social Media is an excellent source of knowledge about conversations that people are having about you. Tools can identify these conversations, enabling you to respond in real time (e.g. Twitter or a forum update), through a blog, or by changing a corporate process if there is an issue
- Building on point 8; Social Media is a fantastic source of customer service intelligence and also intelligence about your competitors. There are tools nowadays that can help you consolidate conversations referring to your company and your competitors. An example is SM2. You can get a free version of this at Alterian.com
- Larger organisations should have at least one person dedicated to Social Media, to understand it and make use of it. Individuals should begin the journey!
- Start your journey. As a first step you could link in to me at linked in
- If you use Twitter, follow me, @John_Brooker. I will post creative leadership and facilitation thoughts on a daily basis. Let me know your Twitter id so I can follow you!
- Read one of the books I have suggested
- Discuss Social Media and how you might use it with your colleagues or your network
- What are your thoughts on Social Media? Send me an e-mail
Action
- Start your journey. As a first step you could link in to me at linked in
- If you use Twitter, follow me, @John_Brooker. I will post creative leadership and facilitation thoughts on a daily basis. Let me know your Twitter id so I can follow you!
- Read one of the books I have suggested
- Discuss Social Media and how you might use it with your colleagues or your network
- What are your thoughts on Social Media? Send me an e-mail
To Close
Within the next month, I will be blogging at www.yesand.eu. My intent here is to complement the Creative Gorilla articles. I’ll let you know when it starts. In the meantime, if anyone knows a way of sharing a drink online, let me know!
Have a socially networked week.
John Brooker I Facilitate, Innovate, Transform.
Read: www.yesand.eu
Speak: +44 (0)208 8869 9990
Write: [email protected]
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