The lines between “content” and “advertising” have now blurred to a point where it’s simply cheaper and more effective for companies to create sponsored content. And as they create more and more content – blogs, videos, podcasts, e-books – they increasingly resemble digital media companies. There are three good reasons why every company now needs to become a digital media company.

#1: You’ll give your customers what they really want

Once you start to think like a digital media company, you’ll start to have better insights into what your customers really want. Yes, your customers want to be entertained at times, but they also want to be informed. They want to know how to make their lives better, and they want you to tell them how.

For example, if you’re a restaurant looking to attract new customers, stop blasting out advertising in the forms of coupons, discounts and promotions. Consumers are going to pass that advertising right by. They are trained to skip over ads and to ignore billboards.

Instead, think of sending out recipes and cooking tips. Create “how-to” videos on how to make a special dish. And think creatively about how to entertain your customers. For example, to celebrate HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” write up a clever story about how to hold a “Westeros feast.” [Westeros is one of the imaginary lands in “Game of Thrones”]

#2: You’ll build your audience

A major concern of any media company is building audience. Media companies publish the types of articles that are designed to win the most readers. Cable TV networks push stories and narratives that are as sensational as possible, in the hopes of winning viewers. And online websites use all kinds of tools – like using fake news headlines – to get people to read an article.

That doesn’t mean that you need to become just like Buzzfeed or adopt all the sensational antics of most print media these days [Lose 24 pounds of fat in 24 hours! Look 30 years younger in just 30 minutes!] But it does mean that you should be thinking in terms of building new audience. If you’re hosting a new podcast, work hard to find guests that people enjoy. If you’re creating a corporate blog, don’t make it boring. If your articles aren’t getting clicks and views, try again.

#3: You’ll turn customers into fans and followers

At the end of the day, you really want to have your own online community of fans and followers. That makes it so much easier to introduce new products, launch new campaigns, and build buzz about your company. So why not borrow a page from the digital media company playbook?

Digital media companies spend a lot of time deepening their links with fans and followers. They’ll take a popular writer or broadcaster, and create opportunities for fans to interact with them. That might be a live interview, where fans can call or tweet in with questions. Or, it might be something like a Reddit AMA (“Ask Me Anything”). What digital media companies have realized is that fans and followers love getting this inside access. They love meeting this on-air talent. As a brand, you can use this same tactic. Host interviews with your CEO. Let fans meet the people on your team; get a Justia review done if you’re in the legal field. Use Instagram to offer behind-the-scenes looks at what happens at your company every day.

As you can see, there are several good reasons to think like a digital media company. By doing so, you’ll be able to market your products more effectively and build up a loyal community of passionate fans.

The post Why Every Company Needs To Become A Digital Media Company appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

Social media marketing goes beyond simply telling people about new products, causes or concepts. Sure, every brand would love to get a brand-related hashtag trending on twitter. But you need to look at social media in a more holistic way.

1 in 3 social media users prefer to reach out the companies they do business with online. Email and phone tech support / customer service is quickly losing ground to social media messenger and direct message requests. Your customer service team needs to be on point.

From sales to service, let’s take a look at how visual collateral can help your brand become more effective at engaging with your customers online.

1) Use “Instagram Siphoning” to Build Your Instagram Audience

When it comes to images, Instagram is the visual king of social media. The entire app is built around users scrolling through images and short videos from their friends and celebrities. In 2016, Instagram finally increased the maximum length of video from 15 seconds to a full minute. It was a herculean feat for Instagram’s technical team, though they had some big help from their parent company (Facebook acquired Instagram in 2012).

Brands can create their own profile on Instagram to share content and even pay to promote their content. Brands also lean heavily on influencer marketing to get their message out on the social media platform.

A major Instagram strategy that I’ve used to reach new customers is called “Instagram siphoning”. It involves looking up your competitors on Instagram and then engaging the people that are already following them. You know they are interested in products or services related to your brand. And if you comment, like and follow a user’s content on Instagram, they will follow your brand back 34% of the time!

2) Promote Your Podcast on Social Media to Engage the Largest B2B Decision-Making Age Group

Statistically speaking, the majority of B2B decision makers are younger than ever before. 46% are 18-24 years old. That means that many have entered the business world during a time when social media was omnipresent. They are far more likely to spend their time connecting in the digital world than the older peers that they are now replacing.

Social selling is a necessity for companies that need to reach decision makers to close a sale. The world of cold calling and marketing emails is quickly losing steam. And, if there’s one thing we understand about social media, it’s the importance of using visual collateral to standout in a newsfeed.

It all starts with targeting the right audience. Who is the decision maker that you need to convert? How old are they? What are their lifestyle preferences? How do they choose to learn?

One strategy is the use of high-quality, informative podcasts. Millennial entrepreneurs are leaning on podcasts more than ever before to get news and information. If you launch a compelling podcast, you’ll have to promote it on social media to generate buzz. And that brings rich imagery into the game.

While developing your podcast, have someone record a high-quality video. A 30-60 second clip of the presenter starting their podcast episode on film is far more engaging than a text post with a link.

Or, hire an experienced graphic designer on Fiverr or Upwork to animate your podcast – visually highlight the concepts that you’re explaining. By offering a visually enhanced version of the podcast on social media, combined with an audio-only option for listening while working out or driving to work, you can inform busy executives about the impact of your products and service in the industry.

3) Help Your Customers Visualize Your Product Unlocking Their Dream Lifestyle

Nike and National Geographic are the most successful brands on Instagram. When it comes to understanding what works, spend a few hours scrolling through their content. You’ll get a master course in using visual collateral to engage your target audience.

National Geographic knows that their audience is connecting to learn and experience the world around them. Nike understands that their audience is looking to propel their physical fitness to the next level.

NatGeo posts photos that give viewers an experience of what their future travels could bring them, and a ton of amazing stats and facts about the development of the planet and the people that inhabit our tiny blue planet.

Nike posts photos of famous athletes putting their gear to use. They also focus on supporting an affirmative, inclusive lifestyle. They know that this is the content their target audience craves.

Brands need to discover what their target audience craves. Then they need to help them visually dream about a better future – achieved through leveraging their products and services.

4) Create Videos That Give Timely, Impactful Advice in Bite-Sized Chunks

Some of the largest channels on YouTube, in terms of audience, are channels that educate their subscribers. These include Khan Academy, TEDTalks and Howcast. The reason these channels are so impactful is that they give their audience something of value. The tuition paid is simply the viewer’s time.

Your brand can leverage this strategy by creating guides and how-to content that speaks to the lifestyle of your target audience. While providing them with information, you can give them a sneak-peak behind the curtain. Show off your company culture. Highlight new products. But, above all else, don’t waste the time of the audience with content that is not instantly impactful in their life.

Quick Video Tips:

• Use high-quality equipment and invest in post-production to give a professional filter to your content.
• Shorter is better. Attention spans are measured in seconds, not minutes.
• Build value before introducing your product or service.
• Establish social validity by leveraging guest speakers with degrees or life experience relevant to the topics you’re discussing.

5) An Influencer Picture Can Be Worth A Thousand Posts

Influencer marketing is nothing new. But if your goal is to leverage visual assets to grow your audience and improve your digital conversions, a picture of a recognizable celebrity can go a long way towards giving your products and services social validity.

No, you don’t need a Kardashian, Ellen DeGeneres or Brad Pitt to use your product. In the world of social media, medium-scale influencers have a much deeper connection with their audiences. They’re not international rockstars. They’re people that have worked hard to curate an audience based on their personal interests and passions – the same ones shared by their fans.

Aligning your products with an influencer is a great way to propel your brand across every social media channel without taking out a multi-million-dollar contract.

Final Takeaways

1. Deeply investigate how your competitors are finding success on social media. Then engage with their audiences through liking their content, commenting on their posts and following their profiles. More than a third will follow you back if engaged in a way that does not feel spammy or forced.
2. Use a podcast, promoted with stunning visual collateral, to communicate with B2B decision-makers.
3. Tie your product or service, visually, to the future that your target audience wants for themselves. Become part of their dream, and you can cash their checks for decades to come.
4. Use videos to teach and inspire. Make every minute count. Avoid overpromotion.
5. Engage influencers and secure visual collateral of them using your products or services.

Alright, that’s all for this article! I look forward to sharing more of my hard-earned advice in future articles. Happy hunting!

The post 5 Ways Visuals Can Help You Conquer Social Media appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

At first glance, it’s a marketer’s dream: brand awareness is at its peak and your product is selling like hot cakes. But there’s a dark side to achieving that coveted status of having your brand’s name become a verb.

112 years ago, The Haloid Photographic Company began manufacturing photographic paper and equipment. After doing steady business for a few decades, the company took a risk and signed an agreement to commercially develop an experimental photocopier. In 1959, the company released the Xerox 914, the first successful commercial, paper copier. After a little over a year, that humble copier had amassed nearly $60 Million in revenue. Adjust for inflation and that translates to roughly $500 Million today.

Since Xerox’s initial success, however, they’ve been entrenched in that one brand image, and growth has slowed. As technology continues to advance, Xerox has been unable to shake it’s image as just the photocopier. Brand perceptions of Xerox were cemented, and refusing to budge.

Enter Toni Clayton-Hine, who was tapped for CMO in December, 2016. Toni was tasked with reinvigorating Xerox’s marketing efforts, so she got to work on her flagship campaign: “Set the Page Free”. Xerox had to take a risk, so Toni got to work forming partnerships and collaborating with 14 world-famous authors to create a collection of essays on the modern workplace.

The campaign helped Xerox reintroduce itself to the public. Through a massive, multi-channel approach, Xerox got people reading the essays, exploring the website, watching how the campaign came together, and rethinking the brand. Xerox pointed to it’s brand goal of bridging the physical and digital worlds to solve problems in the modern workplace.

Toni joined Drew Neisser on an episode of his podcast to share tips on successful marketing, storytelling, thinking outside the box, and updating your brand image. Listen to the full interview here, and check out some highlights below.

Drew: Can you talk a bit about the storytelling in the campaign?

Toni: I’m a big believer in storytelling and the fact that we have to always show the outcome, not the input. Everyone’s very familiar with Xerox in terms of what it does. But I want to focus the story on what the outcome will be once you have had that experience. And I don’t think that’s unique to Xerox, I think that’s something everybody has to do.

Drew: Do you have a major “do” and a major “don’t” for marketing?

Toni: One “do” would be: Take the big idea, and socialize it around your company. Take time to discuss the broad implications with the CEO. What does it do for sales? How do the products get shown? How does H.R. benefit from it? For me, that really helped sell something that was a bit intangible for them. My “don’t” would be: Don’t lock everything down. Don’t try to control so much of the process that it’s not true, and that it doesn’t look authentic.

Additionally, Toni and Drew Neisser will be speaking at the 2018 Social Shake Up in Atlanta, the premier conference for digital marketing, PR, and communications professionals. You can register for the conference here, and even get a discount with the code “NEISSER”.

The post The Double-Edged Sword of Brand Ubiquity: Reinventing a Century-Old Giant appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

Podcasts are an extremely popular communication medium, with over 40% of Americans (112 million) having listened to at least one podcast in 2017. This number is likely to continue to rise as new ways to access podcasts, such as in-car and in-home audio (Alexa, Google Home) make it easier for listeners to access this type of content. According to the 2017 Edison Research report, 86% of podcast listeners listen to all or most of any given podcast, which means this medium is also extremely effective at getting through to its audience.

The Renegade Thinkers Unite podcast not only tells insightful stories from CMOs of leading companies like Hootsuite, Google and the New York Times, it’s “also an instruction manual on storytelling itself,” according to Pete Krainik of the CMO Club. “It’s important for senior marketers to know that there’s such a high demand for this type of CMO marketing advice,” says Drew Neisser, who also hosts the RTU podcast series. “We hope by letting B2B marketers know that this type of milestone is achievable, that they’ll consider producing high-quality podcasts of their own to allow their message to cut through.” To learn more, visit Renegade Thinkers Unite or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or Google Play.

The post Renegade Thinkers Unite Podcast Surpasses 100K Downloads appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

Dan Gingiss has helped market several businesses throughout his career, including Humana and McDonald’s. With each new project, he looks to improve brand communication using both traditional and cutting edge tactics. Gingiss discusses past and present brand-growing strategies on the Renegade Thinkers Unite podcast. If you’d like to listen to the episode, you can do so here:

These three digital techniques Gingiss describes can bring your brand greater exposure:

1. Start a Podcast

Podcasts are great ways to meet new people and potentially get exposure on their platforms. You’ll not only get a new medium for sharing your business, but you’ll also have the chance to provide target audiences with valuable information. Find a topic that’s relevant to your brand, and craft a fun, educational show around it.

Podcasts are mutually beneficial. If you have any connections who are in your niche, odds are some of them would be happy to appear as guests on your show. This is a tremendous way to create relationships and find new avenues to get found.

Gingiss boosted his podcast marketing success with help from guests. After connecting with Social Media Today to conduct interviews for the show, he managed to use their channels to push out the podcast hosting. He says, “I was using Social Media Today’s platform, which turned out to be a great boon because I got on the front page of their site every time we had a new episode and they tweeted it out a whole bunch of times and that really helped us grow an audience.” Once you grow an audience, the last thing you’ll need to do is tie the podcast back to your brand. If you can manage to keep your podcast audience consistent with your brand audience, you’ll develop a whole new batch of prospects.

2. Involve Employees on Social Media

Employees should be brand ambassadors. Word can get out quickly when they share positive things about their companies on social media. Encourage coworkers to promote some aspect your business—what makes it a great company, why they enjoy working there, why people should take an interest in the brand, etc. As Gingiss notes, employees should be glad to speak about their company. “Your employees are often your biggest advocates,” he says. “That’s why they work there. There’s something about the brand that they really like and it isn’t just the paycheck.”

Sadly, perplexing social media policies may discourage workers from spreading brand love. Gingiss explains, “A lot of times, companies inadvertently scare employees into not wanting to say anything ever about their company on social media because they get handed this social media policy that’s usually written by lawyers.” As a result, those employees often decide to play it safe and not post anything about the company at all. If your employees have something great to say, inspire them to say it. Gingiss continues, “It’s important to empower employees and to let them know what it is they can do, what the guardrails are.” If your company has a social media policy, take the time to explain it to your employees. Their publicity can get your brand image in front of more people.

3. Connect with Customers on Social

Social media is a vast frontier, which you can use to engage with your audience and get users to share your content. Keep the conversation going, and don’t be afraid to test out new techniques. Gingiss believes marketers should maintain a forward-looking social media philosophy. “Social is a great place to demonstrate future thinking,” he says. “One of the ways that I think companies can do that is to work with the platforms themselves. And if you’re a big company, you generally can get into some of the beta tests and that sort of thing. But even if you’re not, when new functionality comes out, try it.” You’ll never know how successful you can be with social media until you tap into it.

It’s also wise to stay on top of customer queries and concerns. Allow clients and prospects to ask questions on social, and answer them as quickly and thoroughly as possible. When Gingiss worked at Humana, his team managed to get the average employee response time from 25 hours down to 20 minutes. This plan resulted in a better customer service rapport, as the Humana team managed to deliver fast, detailed answers. Gingiss explains, “A lot of times people would tweet [at Humana]. You almost could tell from the text that they didn’t expect us to respond. And so I do think that was successful in changing perceptions in that way.” SmokeSmith Gear, a smoke shop that sells water pipes and vapes, uses its Instagram account as direct conduit to customers, offering discounts and opportunities to buy new products before they are put live on the site.

Happy customers will be happy to share their experiences. When you provide excellent service and feedback, your brand message has a better chance to get around to more people.

The post 3 Digital Marketing Techniques to Get Brand Exposure appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

Business-oriented podcasts are one of the greatest resources out there. Their content can provide great insight into business news and entrepreneurial best practices, not to mention the fact that they’re super easy to consume on-the-go. Instead of perusing through the thousands of business podcasts out there, here’s a round-up of some of our favorites:

1. The GaryVee Audio Experience

By Gary Vaynerchuk

If you aren’t familiar with Gary Vaynerchuk and his unfiltered approach to business, you’re seriously missing out. Vaynerchuk is an entrepreneur, bestselling author, speaker, marketer, social media celebrity, and the list goes on. His podcast is an exact reflection of his many ventures. As a result, you’ll hear about everything from motivational life advice to personal branding how-tos. Vaynerchuk also regularly hosts Reddit AMAs through his podcast. So if you ever wondered about his thoughts on pretty much anything, there’s a chance to find out.

2. Renegade Thinkers Unite

By Drew Neisser

Every business needs a solid marketing strategy to get off the ground. Renegade Thinkers Unite will help you do just that. In each episode, Drew Neisser, CEO of social marketing agency Renegade (and publisher of this site!), interviews marketing innovators about the secret to their success. The conversations are both engaging and informative, with each talk wrapping up with a summary of insights for listeners to take away. Past guests have included seasoned marketing veterans from incredible companies like Spotify, IBM, and The New York Times.

3. HBR IdeaCast

By Harvard Business Review

If there’s anyone in the world qualified to give business advice, it must be the folks over at Harvard, right? Harvard Business Review has been the premier publication for business insights for almost a century. Unsurprisingly, the associated podcast is just as informative. You’ll hear from leading thinkers in business and management about what their own experiences have taught them and how you can apply these lessons to your business. Previous episodes have featured industry titans like Jeff Bezos and innovative thinkers like Maya Angelou.

4. The Side Hustle Show: Business Ideas for Part-Time Entrepreneurs

By Nick Loper

If a full-time gig is limiting your entrepreneurial spirit, this is the podcast for you. The Side Hustle Show explores the actionable tips and business strategies of successful entrepreneurs. Each episode covers a different facet of the part-time entrepreneurial experience, from coming up with a business idea to building marketing initiatives to efficiently budgeting time on a side hustle. Best of all, the advice offered is practical and can be applied to whatever step your part-time business is at.

The post 4 Podcasts Every Entrepreneur MUST Listen To appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

Marketing: Making Emotional Connections That Drive Advocacy

Similarly to the conversations we have with friends, Pattabhiram stresses the importance of having conversations with your consumers rather than campaigning to them. His principle of adaptive marketing touches on the idea of behavior-based marketing, rather than mass-marketing.

Rather than creating a one-size-fits-all campaign, companies need to listen, learn, and engage with their consumers. The point isn’t to market a product to whom you think people are—it’s to market the product to the behavior of each individual. This continuous loop of “listen, learn, and engage” drives lifetime value between brand and customer.

Regarding advocacy, Chandar says not to confuse consumer loyalty with consumer advocacy. Secondly, don’t assume a correlation between your most lucrative consumers and your best brand advocates. Pattabhiram describes consumer advocacy with what he calls a 1% rule to advocacy: “90% of your consumers are lurkers, 9% are likers, and 1% are true lovers.” So while that 1% may not significantly contribute to your revenue growth, they do still provide significant value to your brand. Companies should make diligent efforts to reach out to this 1% and make it as easy as possible for these consumers to advocate passionately for your brand.

Embrace the Art of Storytelling

Consumers are constantly surrounded by the noise of similar and multiple brand offerings. This has created a shift in the balance of power from marketer to customer. Storytelling allows for a brand to not only differentiate themselves, but to also create a unique engagement opportunity. The goal of storytelling is to create an emotional connection with your consumers. These principles can help your brand identify their story:

1. Go from product-driven to outcome driven, or what Pattabhiram refers to as “customer-obsessed.” Customers don’t care about the actual product, they care about what the product means to them.
2. Make your story memorable. Facts are less important than the epic nature of the details in a good story.
3. Be authentic. Build connections with your consumers on an individual basis.

The Engagement Economy in Action: Marketo and Aetna

As the marketing industry’s innovation leader and best solution for high growth enterprise businesses, Marketo is focused on helping marketers shift from the traditional styles of marketing to the new style of engagement. In today’s engagement economy, it’s important to build continuous, meaningful, and relevant relationships at every step in a consumer’s journey. This focus allows for the growth of revenue—and lifetime value. By capturing what is in your consumer’s mind, you are ultimately securing long-term engagement.

Marketo has helped healthcare organization, Aetna, with its engagement marketing strategies—with great success. With the altruistic goal of delivering better health care to people, the brand campaigned directly to its employees. Aetna has effectively combined its social channels with its website and associated pages, creating a unique and personalized experience for its customers. After their initial investment of $500K in their campaign, they have seen a 16x return on investment.

Podcast: Chandar Pattabhiram

For those of you who’d like to learn more about Chandar Pattabhiram and his advice for thriving in the “Engagement Economy,” we invite you to listen to his podcast, below. You can also subscribe to the Renegade Thinkers Unite podcast on , Stitcher and to learn more from the marketing industry’s top CMOs.

The post 4 Reasons to Embrace Engagement Marketing appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

How It Works

Live Audio is set up just like Facebook Live Video is. Users can discover audio streams in their News Feeds and interact with them through comments and Facebook Reactions. Listeners can also multitask when using the tool. For example, Android users can listen to broadcasts, even if they lock their phones or explore other apps. iOS users can continue listening as long as they are somewhere on the Facebook app.

Who Can Use It

According to the company’s press release, the new tool appeals to publishers who prefer sound to video content from a creative stance. Facebook suggests using Live Audio for content like interviews and book readings, but we can also see potential for live music streaming. The platform also emphasizes that broadcasters in low-connectivity areas may prefer Live Audio, as video is more difficult to stream in these locations. Facebook is currently testing the tool with partners including BBC World Service and Harper Collins. It should be available to the general public in early 2017.

A New Platform for Podcasts?

Live Audio may seem like an “untrendy” update, as most social media users and platforms are evolving towards visual content. However, there’s definitely a growing market for audio broadcasting. This year, podcasts are more popular than ever before. In fact, a record 21% of American adults regularly listen to podcasts. Currently, there’s no default podcast listening software or directory, so Live Audio could easily dominate this space. For podcast creators and fans, Facebook Live Audio offers an unprecedented level of discoverability to the medium. For Facebook itself, the tool is a chance for the company to cash in on the increasingly profitable podcast ad industry.

As more people gain access to Live Audio, it will be interesting to see what kind of content the feature inspires. After all, the quality and creativity of user-generated content often determines the success of a social media tool.

The post Facebook Introduces “Live Audio” Broadcasting appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

Earlier this week, Jay’s guest J.B. Smoove made me laugh, rewind (several times), and think. He was all over the map, and it was an hour of beautiful chaos. But the moment that stuck with me…in his words:

“Here’s where my rational comes with chess and checkers.
Is it a different board? No.”

Now, there is a world of hilarious confusion preceding this gem (seriously do yourself a favor and start listening at 9:00), and I’m still not quite sure how Jay and JB got there, but the moment was brilliance.

Checkers or Chess

On the same board, you could play checkers, or you could play chess. Honestly, you could play tic-tac-toe or even the squares game. If you really got basic, you could even simply teach colors and patterns. The game pieces change, the players change, the rules change, but the board is the same for everyone.

The board, the foundation of the game, the most visible piece of the game, the entity around which everything else is decided, it’s the same board for all of us. Which kinda feels like an important analogy for all things digital.

The Social Game

Why? Let’s take a real-life example, SME Digital has four primary social properties that we have established and that we work to maintain: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and G+. For those who follow any or all of these outposts, you’ll have noticed a marked difference over the past several weeks. We’re changing up frequency, content types, timing, etc. It’s been a fun process, but it’s not without a purpose.

Our social strategy in 2015 is heavy on testing. We’re using strict methodology and variable isolation to discover what game we should actually be playing. In social, the players change constantly and so do the rules. When we sit at the digital table with our audience, it’s our priority to engage in the healthiest, most beneficial activity possible.

In other words, if we are playing checkers, but our audience is playing chess…no one is getting any value out of the exchange. Everyone involved is wasting their time. And no one wants to play that game.

If we’re playing tic-tac-toe, but our network really wants to play Connect Four, then we have a problem. And that tension and friction will negatively manifest itself in all sorts of ways: awareness, engagement, consideration, and ultimately, customer acquisition and conversion.

Are You Playing The Right Game?

So ask yourself, do you know the rules, which pieces to use, or even the game you should be playing? You can do all sorts of interesting things with the game board that is Facebook or Twitter. But do you know the rules that those on the other side of the table are playing by?

It doesn’t really matter what game you are playing; what matters is the game that your audience is playing. Or at least, what game they want you to play.

Now is a good time to start figuring out whether or not you are even playing by the right rules. All of the best practices, tips, and tricks in the world won’t help you if you show up with the wrong pieces.

So test, ask, isolate, and start mixing things up. In the end, you might just find out you’ve been playing chess with checker pieces. And that is a game that is just crazy hard to win.

The post Listen To This: We All See The Board, But What Game Are You Playing? appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

This week, my inspiration comes from Dave Delaney’s “New Business Networking Radio” podcast: Episode 43; guest, Jason Keath. There is a ton of goodness packed into Dave’s interview with Jason, CEO of SocialFresh, but the moment that stuck out for me the most occurs around 15 minutes in. And it’s a goodie.

What’s Your Purpose?

In answering Dave’s on-point question about networking tips for attending conferences, Jason replies, “Have one Purpose.”

On one hand, what a great angle for approaching networking events. Instead of rambling around the room…rambling, or standing against the back wall pretending to be busy on your phone (yes, that’s me), Jason reminds us of the importance of arriving with a singular purpose. Decide on that purpose before getting dressed, keep that purpose in mind as you grab your nametag, and be monomaniacal about that purpose with every hand that you shake. I totally dig that, and I am going to steal it.

On the other hand, the inspiration here is not to only steal it for networking; it’s to steal it for life. We should take the time to focus on that.

I am going to take a wild guess that you are busy; some might call your days super-busy. So busy, in fact, that it’s 100% blowing my mind that you are taking the time to finish reading this post (thank you for that). I am busy, too. And I admit that the distraction of being busy oftentimes leads directly to my adopting numerous, scattered purposes. It might not seem like such a bad thing on the surface, having many purposes, but when you lose sight of the one, the capital-P Purpose, that’s an issue. Here at SME Digital, we call that capital-P Purpose your “zone of genius”. If that inspires you, steal it.

Your zone of genius is that part of your day that is effortless. It’s that thing you do that provides you energy, instead of taking energy away. It’s that space where, if you can stay there, you do the good work that you’re meant to do, that you enjoy doing, and that fulfills your Purpose. We should focus more on that Purpose and run everything else that we do against it.

My Turn

So here is my Purpose, thanks for asking (and I want yours in return).

My life Purpose: To enable my wife and kids to do the good work that they are meant to do. I’m a caretaker, and my purpose is to do everything that I can to care for them.

My work Purpose: Creating simplicity and beauty out of the complicated. (A little spoiler there from our coming-soon SME Digital website.)

But even beyond those, what is the reason, the Purpose, that I work here at SME Digital? Putting aside humility here for a moment, we are excellent at a lot of things: Conversation Reports, Digital Strategy, Marketing Automation, Social Outreach, etc. But where we really shine…our zone of genius…our Purpose… is Measurement. We’re phenomenal at measurement, and everything that we do, every other purpose that we take on, serves that larger Purpose.

Helping marketers become business Rock Stars by proving marketing’s effectiveness.

Apologies for the commercial there, but that exercise is important for a specific reason. When I attend networking events or participate in 1:1 outreach, I now know my Purpose. Yes, I am a caretaker by nature, and yes, I am a creative director by trade, but the one thing that I am going to talk to you about when we share a table: Measurement. Are you doing it? Are you actually being effective? Are you satisfied with your measurement? If so, awesome; tell me more about it. If not, I have a Purpose. And having a Purpose feels good and is empowering. It might even get me to put down my phone and leave the sweet comfort of that back wall.

Your Turn

Now, it’s your turn. What is your Purpose? Consider this blog a networking event, or at least a networking opportunity, step up to the plate, and commit to your Purpose. And if you’re not comfortable having that conversation yet, then making that decision, putting your stake in the ground, and committing to be monomaniacal about your zone of genius, well that’s your new Purpose.

Many thanks to Jason Keath and Dave Delaney for the reminder of how important and how valuable having a singular Purpose is. Own yours, and let us know what it is. There’s a comments section (and a Twitter account and a Facebook Page, etc.) for that. *Shanti*

The post Listen To This: Jason Keath on NBN Radio appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

My favorite thing about my favorite podcast is that it’s only 15 minutes long. I’ve been listening to the very excellent Writing Excuses podcast for over a year now. While the writing and publishing advice is solid, I love their tagline.

“Fifteen minutes long, because you’re busy, and we’re not that smart.”

Most marketing and business podcasts run at about 45 minutes to an hour. If you asked most business professionals if they could spare an hour a week to listen to a presentation, they’d wince.

So why are most podcasts longer than a weekly drama?

Why do so many blog posts approach the word count of a burgeoning novella?

Why are so many infographics 15 screens long?

Because most marketers are long-winded and terrible at self-editing, that’s why. And we think we’ll sound smarter if we just use more words.

There’s a lot of emphasis on “more content, more frequency, more platforms” in all the talk about content strategy. But editing is an important strategy, too. Cutting out the fat, and going for quality is a strategy. Condensing, distilling, and simplifying are all strategies.

Otherwise, your audience response might just be “tl;dr.”

The post When Less is More in Your Content Strategy appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

This episode Adam and Cory discuss BIG announcements about the SoLoMo Show, including an appearance at the Social-Loco conference, a weekly feature on Social Media Explorer, and the availability of the show live on Google+ Hangouts On Air, an infographic that compares marketing and advertising people to ‘normal’ people, a new tool for Pinterest called Pin My Info that lets you build an ‘about me’ board, an interview with Jay Baer, the MLB’s Fan Cave and their big bet on content production, Pitbull on the Today Show, and #CamryEffect, one of the biggest social media fails of 2012.

Show Notes:

• Social-Loco Conference
• Social-Loco Conference Tickets
• Social Media Explorer
• Google+ Hangouts
• Google+ Hangouts On Air
• Record a Google+ Hangout with Garageband
• Infographic: Marketing People vs Normal People
• Pin My Info
• Jay Baer
• MLB Fan Cave
• Lost Remote: How The MLB Fan Cave Became The League’s Social Strategy (Interview)
• Pitbull on Today Show
• Social Media Campaigns: Case Studies of the Biggest Fails of 2012 (So Far)

Connect and Subscribe:

• SoLoMo Show on iTunes (For those that prefer their Podcasts straight up) – http://linkfrom.co/AvNgOH
• SoLoMo Show Blog (For show notes per episode and to subscribe to episodes via RSS or email) – http://linkfrom.co/zYlOrE
• SoLoMo Show on Facebook (LIKE us and join the discussion) – http://linkfrom.co/wRjP0x
• SoLoMo Show on Google+ (For the hardcore geeks and those who want to “Hang Out”) – http://linkfrom.co/wufUGF
• SoLoMo Show on Pinterest (Each video episode available for your repinning pleasure) – http://linkfrom.co/Hx219T
• SoLoMo Show on Twitter (Tweet us before, during and after the show to contribute) – http://linkfrom.co/wo5igw

The post SoLoMo Show Episode 20: BIG Announcements (and Social-Loco Ticket Giveaway) appeared first on Social Media Explorer.