social media foreconomic development(…and everyone else)

What it is.Why it’s different.How it’s the same.How you can use it.

May 5, 2010

social media: what it is

Social media is media designed to be disseminated through social interaction, created using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques. – Wikipedia

Social media describes the nearly frictionless creation, distribution, sharing and annotating of content made possible by nearly universal and low-cost access to public networks. – Robert Cathey

All media is social. – Gary Goldhammer

why it’s different

traditional media…- narrow channels- few outlets- limited bandwidth

getting through requires…- packaging- formatting- relationships

you deal with…- lack of control- intermediaries- distortion

but if it works…- credibility- shelf life- mindshare

why it’s different

social media…- broad, deep channels- nearly limitless outlets- monstrous bandwidth

getting through requires…- honesty- planning- relationships

you deal with…- earned credibility- noise- distraction

but if it works…- authority- voice- mindshare

why it’s the same

to tell great stories…- be human- be focused- make a point

critical skill: learning to be storytellers, not marketers

good news!...

why it’s the same

great content…- tells a story- is authentic- invites a conversation

what it iswhy it’s different why it’s the same

Social media is campfire storytelling on an epic scale.

how you can use it

to make social media effective, you must be…

real: unvarnished; non-promotional

relevant: valuable

frequent: regular; reliable

focused: on topic; sharp; incisive; brief

engaging: invites conversation

responsive: listen

insightful: deliver something new; add to the conversation

how you can use it

creating great stories…

show your soul: brand consistency

first person: stories are told by people, not corporations

invite conversation: not marketing at them

go: research, inventory, write, reach out, invite

potential slipups

technology is not sociology: setup takes an hour; content takes a lifetime

lapse of posts or lack of follow up:

bad writing: study, learn, observe, critique, ask for help

promotional: it’s not a brochure

plagiarize: give credit

bash competition: praise them if you can

spam, Digg and Stumble: see “promotional”

marketing at: …instead of inviting conversation with

brand inconsistency: what you do reflects the company

tools

conversation prism: Brian Solis, et. al.

listen: - Social Mention- Tweet Meme- Google / Google Blog Search- Reddit- Delver- One Riot- Surchur- Twitter Search- Addictomatic- Topsy- Collecta- Twazzup- Who’s Talkin- Social Scout- Hubspot

questions

search engines

keywords

LinkedIn, Twitter, Plaxo, Facebook, YouTube

social media policy

getting started