Magpie Media - Bringing the conversation back to your Business.

Pinterest: Believe the Hype, It's THAT Good

2012-02-15T13:55:00.001+13:00

Pinterest.com is a new social site that enables members to create, share and comment on online pinboards (organised by their own defined categories of interests) on which they can 'pin' images and videos. Members can upload photos from their computers or mobiles, gather images online using the "Pin It' bookmarklet or 'repin' other people's images to feature them on their own pinboard.

That probably sounds like a whole lot of gobbledegook and at this point you may be thinking, blah blah, another social site, blah blah - but trust me, seeing it is a whole lot better than reading about it. This site is uber cool.

Globally, interest in Pinterest is vast. Statistics I've heard today indicate that membership has grown to 12 million in a matter of months; as much as 97% of users are female; and if you're in business, take notice of this especially - it is said to be driving more traffic to retail sites than YouTube, Google+ and LinkedIn combined. It is rapidly becoming a very big deal and when you check it out you will immediately see why.

It's got lots of applications -virtual recipe book, personal inspiration board, Santa List, planner for special events, house renovations or your new season wardrobe, etc., etc.

For businesses looking to hook into Pinterest, commercial application isn't entirely straight forward. Pinterest is not for 'self promotion' (aka 'advertising') so businesses need to approach their involvement from a "brand" rather than "product" perspective and to be smart and imaginative about how they do it. If you want to find out more about commercial applications for Pinterest, Mashable.com have put together an excellent article. You can read it by following this link:

Pinterest for Brands: 5 Hot Tips

Pinterest is still relatively new and so is still evolving. Membership is currently by 'invitation only'. Go to the website www.pinterest.com to request an invitation or if you know someone that is a member already, ask them to invite you.

A few words of caution:

1. Pinterest is an open network. Privacy may be an issue. Make sure you understand Pinterest's privacy policy before you start uploading your intimate family photos (potentially for the whole world to see).

2. It is cool - very, very cool and potentially very addictive.

Share with us your thoughts and experiences on Pinterest.

The Bevelled Edge Hedge and Having a Point of Difference

2011-12-01T13:22:00.000+13:00

This morning I walked the children to school. It turned out not to be the most brilliant of my ideas, as I’m consumed by a cold which, having taken hold of my head, is now continuing its assault towards my chest. As I was labouring along on my way home, to lessen my suffering I turned my mind to what was around me and I noticed as I walked along that a number of hedges on this particular street had been trimmed with a bevelled edge finish, and I recognised immediately the “trademark” edging of a particular hedge trimmer in our area.

I knew this was his trademark edge because of a really important thing – he had told me it was.

About three years ago, a man came onto our property and asked if he could trim our hedges. We didn’t know him but he looked like he’d had a really bad day/week/month/year. He offered a heavily discounted rate for cash on the spot. We were on the verge of saying ‘no thanks’ as we had done to other hedge trimmers that had approached us over time, when a curious thing happened.

Mr Hedge Trimmer started to tell us about his work - what an excellent job he would do on our hedges, how ‘his’ hedges carry his trademark bevelled edges and how we would have seen his work in our local area. His whole demeanour changed as he spoke about his work with pride. You could see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice. Even his posture changed.

We changed with him. We said ‘yes’. He did an excellent job – just as he said he would. He trimmed our hedges to perfection, complete with bevelled edges – just as he said he would. Now, as I walk through my local area three years later, I recognise his work – just as he said I would.

Mr Hedge Trimmer did some things really right that all people offering a service or product should be aware of – he took the time to create a point of difference for himself and his business – the bevelled edge hedge –he perfected his craft, producing clearly distinguishable bevelled edge hedges (pretenders beware, I’m not sure how he does it but there are no others quite as good) – and just as important as the act itself, he spoke with pride when telling his customers about his point of difference, with the effect that it wasn’t easily forgotten (not for us anyway).

What sets you apart from others in your business sector? What’s your ‘trademark’ or ‘signature’ piece that is particular to you that others can easily identify? If you haven’t identified a point of difference for your business offering yet – do it – make it real – and tell everyone about it.

Mr Hedge Trimmer reinforced for me another important lesson in business that is too easily and too often overlooked – don’t forget to leave a business card – but that’s another blog entirely.

Jetstar, you should be ashamed of yourself.

2011-11-09T14:21:00.004+13:00

It had been a great day Friday. I had spoken at the closing session of the E-Tourism Conference in Wellington; the theme of my presentation was on the importance of communicating to your customer. My experience that evening when attempting to get home via budget airline carrier Jetstar not only defied customer service logic it seemed to challenge the basic fundamentals of human rights.

Disruption of travel is inevitable, aircraft are complicated mechanical things with safety having to take priority, and I get that. As the plane reversed out of the gate, we were confronted with an announcement that there had been a “computer malfunction” that required us to return to the gate.

This was approximately 7:15 in the evening, and to cut a long story short we ended up still standing in the airport at close to midnight attempting to find a solution to accommodation and alternative travel due to our flight being cancelled. The first indication of this cancellation was the sight of our flight crew heading en masse to the exit while we were left standing around in a now empty and closed Wellington terminal. When I asked where they were going one replied “listen for the announcement" without breaking his stride or looking back.

To give Jetstar their due we did eventually get a hotel and a flight out the next evening. What was hard to accept was how this was handled. After standing around for three hours in the hope they could repair the plane we were told that the flight was cancelled. At no point did anyone from Jetstar come and personally address the passengers - all we got was an occasional intercom announcement. We, as passengers, were left to console a girl sobbing her heart out that she was going to miss her connecting flight to Samoa. We foolishly promised her that Jetsar would be sure she was taken care of.

It was about 11pm, while still standing in what seemed to be an endless line of frustrated and tired people, that we saw a real person come along to address us for the first time. He was a representative of the airport apologising for our situation and ensuring we were aware it was Jetstar’s responsibility, not theirs. After numerous complaints about our basic needs he went away and returned with bottled water (at their expense, not Jetstar's as he was quick to point out).

What I can’t understand is why there were not more people to help out. This, so I have since been informed, is a common occurrence with Jetstar. Surely they should have a workable system in place by now? Is being a budget airline also justification for budget resourcing and service?

Why did we have to stand in a line for two hours to get an accommodation chit when someone could have walked the line and done the same thing in 30 minutes? At least visually it would have appeared that they were making an effort? Why did no-one come along and give us reassurance that things would be taken care of? How can any company that deals with people on a daily basis be so blatantly neglectful to the basic needs and comfort of their paying customer?

They left us wondering what was going on while the same crew who had announced on-board at 7pm that they were there to "help" had left to their meals and beds hours earlier.

Maybe I shouldn’t complain, I was informed that people who were booked on the Auckland flight back were simply told the flight was cancelled and to go away with a refund promised.

Now I’ve unloaded can I offer some solutions. Air NZ, so I’m told, on cancellation of a flight will immediately distribute taxi, meal and hotel vouchers before you even get off the plane. This says to the customer “We are looking after you and despite the inconvenience you have options”. If making your valued customers line up for hours and wait to be served by the only two check-in staff available is your thing then communicating to them costs nothing. You could have a team of on-call grumpy old tea ladies that could move up and down the line handing out stale biscuits and cold tea. At the very least customers would have someone to talk to and someone that could tell them that eventually everything will be OK.

It was OK in the end Jetstar, the shuttle driver was very helpful, the hotel staff very understanding – they even held the restaurant open till after midnight so we could eat… but your service sucked! It is embarrassing to think you are allowed to treat humans that way and still call yourself a service provider.

P.S. Jetsar, I did call your helpline to discuss my predicament. I was prompted that you had an unusually large call load and that I could leave my number and my place in the queue would not be lost, you would call me back. I’m still waiting for your call… that was four days ago.

The times they are a changin.

2011-10-31T16:45:00.002+13:00

I haven’t abandoned my blog. In fact I’ve been conducting an experiment of sorts in standing back from my social networks and seeing what effect this has on them. I’ve been watching with interest over recent months the significant increase in spam I’ve received on Twitter, the frustrations Facebook has caused many due to an arrogant approach to individual privacy and the confusion with newly emerging platforms like Google Plus competing for its place on the social media stage.

I haven’t lost my passion for this as a business tool, quite the opposite. I am in awe of how fast things are changing and the opportunities expanding networks and improving collaborative tools bring.

The sale of smart phones and tablets has exceeded shipments of desktop and laptop PC’s. Add to this daily time spent in mobile apps surpasses desktop and mobile web consumption and we have even more to consider when we design and develop our customer engagement strategies.

I’m fortunate this week to be speaking at the Hospitality NZ Conference in Christchurch and the E-Tourism Conference in Wellington on the subject of Social Media strategy. This is the third year I've been to the E-Tourism sessions, it'll be interesting to see how things have changed in that time.

Why You Should be Taking LinkedIn More Seriously

2011-06-19T15:23:00.003+12:00

I received my first invitation to connect on LinkedIn about five years ago. I did what most of us do when we don’t understand the value or implication of such an offer, I ignored it. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust the source of this invitation; it was just that I was busy and had better things to do with my time. Social Media and online networking in New Zealand were still in their infancy and this it seemed, was just another thing to distract me.

In a paper released in May 2011, B2B Magazine reported that LinkedIn is now regarded as the most important social media platform for Business to Business marketing, well ahead of Facebook, Blogs, and Twitter. LinkedIn, launched in 2003 and often described as ‘Facebook for Business’, recently exceeded 100 million users. Considerable publicity was generated by the public offering of LinkedIn shares, launched on 20th May, with significant buyer interest. This is all well and good, and it’s nice to see someone getting a payday for their entrepreneurial vision, but what does this mean to you? It means that LinkedIn is here to stay.

As a reader of this Blog you are most likely a professional with a network of colleagues and a portfolio of customers and suppliers, many of them professionals in their own right. We all know from experience to get and maintain our customers we have to connect with them on a regular basis to reaffirm our value and to maintain our place in their purchasing decisions. Traditionally we would do this by attending events hosted by professional organisations, visit trade shows, and attend conferences or other occasions that our customers and suppliers frequent.

When we do meet someone that we consider to be of value we perform the age old ritual of exchanging business cards. Now ask yourself, what do you usually do with these cards? It is most likely they end up in a pile somewhere never to see the light of day again, or are occasionally searched through to rekindle a memory of a conversation had long ago. This is where LinkedIn has the greatest and immediate benefit for you. It does require some investment in time setting up what is basically an online CV of your professional experience; however this small investment of time (think of it as free advertising) gives you access to the powerful “friend of a friend” network and a community of professional introductions, referrals and information sharing for free.

No tool is of any use unless it is used well; compare the value and potential of a hammer to a child and then to a master builder. The more it is used and the more that is learnt about its function, the more valuable it becomes. LinkedIn, like the hammer, has some basic functions that will serve you well and, over time and with experience, many other features that can return an income. To begin with get your profile as complete as possible, and connect with colleagues and peers. As a guide, if you would exchange a business card with the person, then they are a suitable LinkedIn connection.

Don’t get caught up in the numbers game. The size of your network is not important. Genuine relationships developed over time will return the greatest value. Simply by keeping your status updated and making occasional modifications to your profile, the well-constructed LinkedIn updates sent to your connections will subtly keep you visible and accessible.

In time, as your familiarity and confidence increases, you should participate in LinkedIn groups. These are either open or invite only forums where a considerable amount of information exchange can take place. Like any form of networking you have to attend to be seen, offer value to be appreciated, and commit time and energy to get a return on investment. Don’t wait like I did - it’s well worth your time.

RTONZ Hanmer Springs

2011-06-16T07:26:00.001+12:00

RTONZ Hanmer Springs, a set on Flickr.

The Harcourts free walking tour of Hanmer Springs.

2011-06-16T07:21:00.003+12:00

With only 60 minutes to experience Hanmer we headed out the door of the Heritage Hanmer Springs and across the road to the local Harcourts Real Estate office. Harley the friendly duty agent was more than happy to give us advice on the local attractions, suggesting the services of a local woman as our tour guide for the Queen Mary Hospital (thus proving that local hospitality is alive and well in the South!). He explained that many years ago as a young girl she had moved here to work as a nurse aide and never left, unfortunately due to the beautiful day she was out mowing her lawn and unavailable, so off we went in the general direction of Queen Mary Hospital to explore it for ourselves.

We checked out the local fashion and cuisine on the way and while Craig rediscovered his love of boating we heard a whisper that John Key was in Hanmer Springs!

So as you can see we were slightly misinformed with it turning out to be Don Key, a celebrity in his own right though in this small village.

We continued on our path to Queen Mary Hospital. Set in lovely big grounds, this hospital was utilised in both world wars for the returned soldiers recovery and in later years it became a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre, closing in 2003 when the government withdrew its funding. The thermal water was famed for its healing properties and no doubt it bought a lot of comfort to many people over the years. Local rumours of haunted buildings didn’t deter us and we continued on our journey, even without our tour guide!

The Hospital grounds are located next to the Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools, it was here that we spoke to some very relaxed tourists recently returned from their OE. Taking some time out and enjoying Hanmer before they headed back to reality, they also mentioned the great mountain biking and walking tracks in the area – mental note must do when we return and have more time! Particularly like the local bikes with return to sender details.

Being social media savvy we checked in at the local four square before heading back to the hotel to launch into the remainder of our workshop, amazed at what we had encountered and enjoyed in just 60 minutes wandering in Hanmer Springs.

Socialising Your Event – Using Social Media to Promote, Increase Impact and Reach.

2011-06-12T14:09:00.006+12:00

While attending events and experiencing the buzz of the crowd and the interaction with other delegates is the ideal, being at a live conference or event is not always possible due to time or budget constraints. Introducing Social Media into your event allows for much wider audience participation and interactivity.

Often speakers and attendees will have built up a huge online influence and will already be profiling their activity as part of their usual routine. By encouraging their participation in online forums as part of the programme; your potential reach and exposure can expand to hundreds of thousands of individuals and add considerable value to your pre, during and post session value.

Web Connectivity
Factor wireless broadband into your event budget. Let attendees know it is there to connect with their networks and consider some incentive for the most creative comment or the most retweeted post. Ask attendees to respect the resource by not downloading large or unnecessary files (no one likes a hog that takes advantage of free wireless to download personal stuff like movies). Most, if not all conference venues will have this facility available but bandwidth does cost.

Twitter
Devices like smartphones and tablets such as iPad are portable and likely to be at events in increasing numbers. Their short battery life will mean attendees will be scrambling for power outlets so be sure to have lots of outlets catered for. A dedicated and secure iPhone charging service during lunch breaks is a nice touch. (a bit like a coat check for the digital age).

Native Twitter users will be posting regular updates as a matter of habit. This will likely include things they are finding interesting (and not so interesting) to engage external networks while sharing information and ideas with other delegates. Incorporating a hashtag in each tweet makes for a powerful information resource for both internal and external participants. Every tweet has the potential to initiate interactive dialogue and capturing ‘gold nuggets’ of information in succinct 140 character updates.

Hashtags
If you don’t know what a hashtag is then you need to, your audience will expect you to provide one. They are basically a string of text/numbers that follow the hash symbol (#). This enables Twitter users to filter content into a search string. No-one owns a hashtag so it pays to use something not already in use. An example of a popularised hashtag is #eqnz which is still used in Twitter conversations about the Christchurch Earthquake.

Be sure to promote your chosen tag early in online and print material related to your event, give regular updates on Twitter using it and be sure it is prominently displayed at the live event.

Visible Tweets
In keeping with the Twitter theme a visual aid to engage more participation is invaluable. Some conferences have a search column in Twitter (use Twitter Search) or Tweetdeck displayed behind the presenter so the audience can see or give real time feedback giving the audience a more interactive role.

Another great resource that is visually captivating is Visibletweets.com This free web based tool allows you to enter search terms, such as your hashtag, and it will display the tweets in a range of colourful formats.

This of course is not without its risks as it can be impossible to moderate this live feed so there could be negative or mischievous placement of comments.

Trending
One advantage of many people using Twitter at the same time and using the same word (such as the hashtag) is that twitter recognises this as a “Trend” and uses various ways to notify other Twitter users of what is popular. An excellent visual tool that you can use to display this to an audience is Trendsmap.com which graphically displays real-time trending words in a customisable map format.

Facebook
This global communications phenomenon with 700 million active users should not be ignored. You could have a generic business page or a page set up specifically for the event. Do not confuse this with your profile as this is a separate and more personal forum.

Encourage event participants to post comments, images, and videos on the wall during and after the event. Keep the page updated as presentations happen so attendees can like or add comments to the appropriate posts.

Geo-Location – Checking In
Growing in popularity as a result of the GPS capable devices such as smartphones and iPads delegates are able to check-in to a venue.

Foursquare is extremely popular in Australasia allowing people to not only check-in but also to upload comments to their Twitter and Facebook accounts announcing their immediate location and activity. The platform allows users to give and receive tips on immediate or nearby points of interest and to see who in their network is in the immediate vicinity.

Facebook Places was recently introduced to New Zealand and offers most of this functionality within its own network and is becoming increasingly popular.

Webinars and live video feeds
Webinars are live web broadcasts. The advantage of a webinars is you can promote well in advance and people are able to register their attendance. We have successfully run events where presenters from other countries have presented live to an audience or a live presenter has broadcast to a live audience with an external audience listening in and watching the same PowerPoint presentation.

Live video casting platforms such as Ustream and Justin.tv means you can cost-effectively make your event live to a global audience using technology as simple as a web connected computer and webcam.

YouTube Channel
Video is a powerful medium. If a picture tells a thousand words then a video displays a thousand pictures. Load segments of video to a dedicated channel on YouTube. Being the second highest used search engine behind Google is reason enough to take this forum seriously.

Video capture is increasingly easy and affordable with most phones now being video capable. Ask attendees to upload videos and supply you with links so they can be added as ‘Favourites’ on your channel. The key advantage of having your own dedicated YouTube channel is it can be branded and video played in a managed order rather than at random.

Post Event Activity
We are motivated when we leave a good event full of new ideas, new contacts and a new perspective on our own personal and professional challenges. The best time to capture those ideas is as soon as you return home. Writing a report to the board or your superiors is one thing but sharing your ideas with your own networks is rewarding.

Use your social platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to share your immediate thoughts and learning. Ask your network to make comments and give feedback to expand on your thinking. Cement the connections you made during the event by connecting with them on LinkedIn and following their twitter accounts.

One of the most powerful mediums for information capture, design and architecture is the blog, the very forum you are reading this in. Blogs allow us to give more detail than the size restrictive posts offered by Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn and are extremely search engine visible. You can embed images and video and place links to external resources that become a permanent record in a personalised information timeline. Blogs allow for comments to be made (and they are always appreciated) and the content to be aggregated into other sites using RSS technology.

Encourage your delegates, speakers and attendees to write a blog post. Most Bloggers are looking for new content to add to their sites so this should not be a big ask. Give them a theme to write on and leave the rest to their own creativity. When they have done it get them to post the links on to your Facebook page and do Twitter updates pointing people to these valuable resources.

It’s all about the content
Be sure to recognise and thank those who took the time to contribute to the resources mentioned above. Do so because they have not only attended your event but have been a valuable participant and contributor to its promotion, its value and its legacy.

If you have any other ways you think could enhance an event, and we know there are many, please add your comments below.

Marketing Lessons Learned From the End of the World

2011-05-23T10:42:00.002+12:00

The world didn’t end this weekend as predicted by some, and I’m sure the majority of us are pleased about that. Like most things in life, whether good or bad, right or wrong, there is always a lesson for us to learn.

When it comes to promoting the ‘Rapture’, there was a considerable investment in time and, in the case of last week’s widely speculated event, some costly full page advertisements in national US newspapers. The doomsday merchants were certainly committed; after all, what did they have to lose in putting everything they had into this last minute promotion as if there was no tomorrow?

The cynic in me is left wondering though; did the leaders in this foolhardy venture and emotional exploitation hold back some financial reserves just in case? What made this campaign a success in the respect of the media attention and social conversation, is it fed upon peoples pre-conceived ideas, morbid curiosity and inherent fears.

The lesson we have to take from this, as marketers, is the global reach a story like this can have. When designing our own campaigns these basic human emotions that make a promotion integral to our immediate existence must be considered. All too often we try to introduce new ideas that require a whole new perspective or mind-set and wonder why they get so little traction. Think of the conference presentations that you have been to that got the greatest applause and most positive feedback; that presenter undoubtedly told the audience something they already knew. Thoughts leaders who break new ground and present new thinking are often met with a degree of suspicion and seen as a threat - not always a great strategy when trying to gain the favour of the masses.

There were a large number of people who fundamentally believed that this story of Rapture and the end of the world had some basis in reality. Inherently we all fear that the earth has finality to its existence, even basic science tells us that its demise is ultimately inevitable. Even we cynics wanted to know who was saying this and why, just in case we had missed some important information that supported the back story like a rogue meteorite or a cataclysmic failure in the earth’s crust. The message succeeded in getting our attention - isn’t that what good marketing is all about?

For my money and emotional investment I would rather back those who feed our hopes and dreams rather than prey on peoples fear. When designing your campaign or promotion think first about the day after the end of the world and what you will be remembered for when you represent yourself, your brand, and the investment of those who trust you most.

What is the difference between a Facebook Profile and a Facebook Business Page?

2011-05-09T11:16:00.003+12:00

Facebook is now a serious business communications platform. Many of us have, at some stage, had a love hate relationship with this global phenomenon which now boasts in excess of 600 million active users. Reason enough to take this very seriously as a business communications platform.

Recent changes to the administration structure of Facebook have made using business pages easier and more practical. Despite this change, one of the most common queries I still encounter is confusion over the difference between a Facebook Profile and a Facebook Page. This question is usually backed up by a fear of confusing one’s personal life with their business life which is a valid consideration. I’ve written about this before but it’s always good to remind ourselves of this important detail.

Put as simply as possible a profile is for a person (you) and a page is for a business.

Facebook Profile:
This is your personal page, it is how you log on to Facebook. It is here where you connect with your friends, post comments, pictures and the videos that you want to share with your own network. While some serious consideration and attention needs to be given to your privacy settings which dictate who can see your updates, i.e. Friends only, friends of friends, or anyone, for all intents and purposes this is your own personal space. I do however refrain from using the word “private” because Facebook will never be that.

Facebook Business Page:
This is your business persona. Administration access to this page is via your personal Facebook Profile but otherwise it has no relationship or public visibility to your personal information and updates. The recent addition of the “Use Facebook as a Page” link in the “Account” menu means you can do just that. By switching from your personal profile to your business page it allows you to update and administer the page as well as visit other pages, such as clients and associates and “like” their page in this form rather than as your personal profile as required previously.

For those of you who have erroneously or deliberately created a profile as a business, you have breached the terms and conditions of Facebook and risk having the profile permanently removed without warning. I would suggest that you cut your losses, set up a Business Page, notify your existing friends that the new page exists and put things right by removing the profile. Be sure you have a correct administration link to your page because removing all administrators from a page literally orphans it in cyberspace with no way of reconnecting to it again.

What Is An Acceptable Bounce Rate For My Website?

2011-04-20T14:01:00.007+12:00

Bounce rates are a good indicator of the impact your site is having on your visitors. An acceptable bounce rate depends on the type of site you have i.e. information or e-commerce. Anything from 25 to 50% may be quite acceptable, over 50% would probably warrant some effort spent on the site layout, content or structure.

Bounce rate is basically a metric that the website analytics records when a visitor arrives on a page and exits the same page. This could be the result of two things, the visitor is getting the information they came for, or the site having no relevance or interest to them.

Some things to consider that may cause increased bounce rate:

Unqualified traffic: If you are running online and offline campaigns to attract visitors to the site and you are not delivering on your promise they may feel duped. This may increase traffic and give some brand exposure but not give a positive experience or outcome.
Slow loading pages: Big images and flashy banners take time to load. You only have a few seconds to create an impact before people leave for the next opportunity.
Irrelevant landing page : Compelling and uncluttered pages will be more likely to draw visitors in to investigate further.
Poor navigation: If your site is confusing to the visitor and the next step and purpose of the site not easily recognisable and actionable then you have blown the chance of keeping their attention.
Confused or improper sales message: Like a retail store your website should have its merchandise and pathway to purchase clearly spelled in an easy to read, easy to understand format that gives the visitor confidence and permission to proceed. Lock your merchandise away and that’s where it will stay

The importance of bounce rate

Like any type of metrics the bounce rate is a benchmark that you can use to improve your website performance. Most visitors arrive at the front page and are then directed to various sections of the site. Your bounce rate effectiveness therefore is determined by the goal of the site. If the persons query is answered on the landing page then the higher bounce rate is fine, if the goal is to direct them to a contact or sales page then a high bounce rate is bad.

Many sites tend to have an information oversupply or are out-dated; too many have no real purpose from a user’s perspective because the owners give little real focus to its potential, especially at a time when more people are turning to the Internet for ideas, inspiration and making purchasing decisions.

Bounce rate is only a subjective performance measure. If you have a sudden increase in bounces it may be related to an external influence such as a media profile of your company. Check to see if you have had an increase in overall traffic and benchmark this along with time on site and other metrics to gauge whether your site is performing better or worse. Every time you make changes to landing pages ensure that you note the date to be able to review its impact later.

Facebook Options Fix: Wondering why you are seeing the same people all the time?

2011-04-13T13:10:00.002+12:00

Do you get the feeling that you are missing out on updates on your Facebook news feed? Wondering why you are seeing the same people over and over again? You may need to check your options settings to resolve this “issue”.

What is happening is by default Facebook now have your update settings to show “Friends and pages you interact with most”, this means you are not getting updates from some friends and pages you have chosen to friend or follow. It means too, if they are unaware of this, they are also not getting your updates.

The unfortunate effect of this is many people are unaware of this, they have chosen to get your information by liking your business page or friending profile and are blissfully unaware of your updates as a result. You may want to direct them to this post to get this sorted, and you back on their radar again.

Here’s the 3 step fix:

1) Go to your Facebook “Home” page and select “Most recent” at the upper right of your page.

2) Click on the drop down menu (the little arrow next to “Most recent”) and select “Edit options”.

3) Change setting to “all your friends and pages” in the “Show posts from” section and select save.

Ten tips for managing your online persona.

2011-04-08T10:48:00.003+12:00

Your online reputation is becoming increasingly important; when anyone wants to find out who you are they will “Google” you.

Whether it’s a prospective client researching your value or a potential employer gauging your suitability, they will make decisions based on what they find, or don’t find. Ask yourself this, am I going to be advantaged or disadvantaged by my digital footprint?

Here are ten things you may want to consider:

Have fun and be yourself. Your online reputation should represent who you are. Think seriously about your own personal values and apply them to everything you do, online and offline.
Nothing online is private or confidential. Keep personal networks as private as possible but remember casual conversations or shared images with friends have the potential to be seen by anyone, anywhere and at any time. Never commit anything to the web that you wouldn't post on a motorway billboard.
The Social Web doesn't differentiate between you and your employer. As you develop your online presence be sure that work life and personal life has a clear delineation. If the lines have the potential to become blurred have a conversation with your employer to get clarification on policies, best practice and expectations.
Respect the opinion of others. You have the right to an opinion but treat people online with the same respect that you would as if it was face to face.
Listen more than you speak. No-one likes a blabber mouth so be sure to pay attention to what others have to say. You never know who is inside your network or what influence they have so adopting a one direction broadcast mentality will prompt people to delete you from their world.
Create lots of relevant and valuable content. Giving is the name of the game, share your knowledge and you will gain the respect and ultimately referral from those you connect with.
It’s not a numbers game. Building your online networks takes time. Choose platforms that suit your personality, industry and interests. Blogs, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn all have differing values and potential. Choose the ones you can commit to and that add value to your existing commitments. Be consistent in your frequency and content theme. It’s not about volume, it’s not about the number of fans or followers, it’s all about genuine and authentic engagement with real people.
Know what is being said about you. Use the tools available to scan the matrix of online conversations. Set Google alerts with your brand or name and use TweetDeck with Twitter searches for your name or notifications for mentions so you can respond promptly to personal references or enquiries.
Don’t buy into the hype. No-one should tell you having an online presence is compulsory. You have to be sure you have a clear understanding of why you are doing this before what you do comes into play. A personal communications strategy plan may be a good investment of your time to begin with. (I know easier said than done)
Integrate Online Marketing into your Business: It’s just a fad, we don’t have time, there’s too much risk, staff will waste time… They said the same about the telephone and email after that and yet they are now integral to modern business communications. Barriers to using social media come from fear, lack of experience, lack of authority or low priority. Don’t try to convert the doubters, find ways to use emerging technology to improve productivity, save time or remove long term issues. Only then will it will make sense to everyone involved making online marketing and communications a valuable tool and giving you the opportunity to make your mark on the World Wide Web.

It’s a date – taking the frustration out of event scheduling

2011-04-05T12:45:00.004+12:00

We’ve all done it, whether it’s a team meeting or trying to hook up for coffee; comparing diaries and agreeing on a mutually acceptable date and time can be a nightmare.

At a recent training session we agreed to do a follow-up web conference. Easy we say, but the reality is one date works for some and not others and so starts the time consuming email-go-round.

A quick Google for “Polling for a date” (Yes getting the list of Russian Bride sites did cross my mind), came up with a forum recommendation of Doodle. One look at this free online tool indicated it was exactly what I needed. All you need to do is set up the event, give a range of dates and times, invite participants via email and wait to see what date gets all the yes votes.

You can opt for a paid version of about US$29/year if you want to lose the Google ad sidebar though the free option seems to have plenty of functionality. If you are using alternative products I would like to hear about them.

The Power of the Podcast

2011-04-04T13:25:00.003+12:00

On demand video and audio is not new, radio and television stations have been making playback recording available for decades. The only downside of this is the media companies determine what we get to see and hear and when.

As with everything else in the Social Web, technology and broadband have made Podcasting easy and immediate. The smartphones’ built in video and web connectivity gives anyone with something to show or say the ability to capture the moment and share it immediately.

For those feeling a little more adventurous creating a YouTube channel will ensure you can store your recordings as a collection, add to this an iTunes account for those that want to generate exposure or an income from subscriptions and you are well on your way.

From the end users perspective, thanks to iPods and Mp3 Players, downloaded files are portable and can be watched or listened to during commuting times making your information updates convenient and non-invasive in an age of information overload.

If you are a little shy on video perhaps straight audio may be more your thing. Check out AudioBoo as one example of a free web based podcasting service. I created an account and a quick welcome message to try out its features. Record a reply in return, it would be great to hear from you.

http://audioboo.fm/MagpieMedia

Complete Collection of Weekday Domains available for the first and last time.

2011-03-22T11:43:00.002+13:00

For what is possibly the last time ever in any Domain Name registry in the world the complete set of Weekday domain names is available for sale.

It would be near impossible today to secure any of the weekday names individually at any of the global registrars. Given the entire set of .co.nz weekday domains are available is an almost unprecedented opportunity to the right bidder to own an iconic part of internet real estate.

A good top level domain name makes it easy for people to recall and find your website in what is an increasingly crowded space. Getting top-level keyword domain names like www.sunday.com or in the case of the New Zealand registry www.sunday.co.nz is near impossible because they were all snapped up several years ago. Most have now been incorporated in brands or at very least being used on landing pages to attract the now lucrative Google Adword income.

My early involvement with the internet having assisted hundreds of individuals and businesses into good domain name ownership prompted me to secure some great domains while they were available, this collection being some of them. While the Thursday.co.nz domain eluded me at the time we have been able to secure a short term agreement with its owner to make the list complete and market available.

Monday.co.nz
Tuesday.co.nz
Wednesday.co.nz
Thursday.co.nz
Friday.co.nz
Saturday.co.nz
Sunday.co.nz

While it is obviously possible to sell the domains individually the real value lies in the collection for the right project. If they should be divided, like the rest of the world domains they will never be available again as a complete set.

If anyone is interested in discussing the further please contact me directly.

Inspiration through a great message – Online Branding at work

2011-03-19T14:19:00.000+13:00

I’m posting this video not because of its use of an iconic musician or because that it was placed in one of the high profile super bowl slots. I’m posting this because I like it. It’s certainly isn’t a destination advertisement for Detroit but it does make me look at Chrysler with a new level of respect.

I like the way that they have used the message that a back to the wall working class city like Detroit can produce a brand that represents quality and the finer things in life. No fancy backdrops, no beautiful models but a message we can all be inspired about and learn from.

Why should Sales People use Social Media?

2011-03-16T11:08:00.001+13:00

Sales and Marketing perform very different functions within a business. Marketing is about awareness, brand and long term commitment; marketers are about “feeling the love”. Sales people on the other hand are hunters; they are there for a specific purpose and that it to make a sale, to close the deal and bring in the bucks.

This is an over simplification of the variations and complexity of the sales funnel so making the statement that Social Media is a toolset for the marketers while more traditional media, including the website, is more of a sales tool risks the same inconsideration. Having made this comparison we have to ask ourselves why sales people should bother to use Social Media?

Sales people have been using tried and tested techniques for years to engage and close deals with customers. They perform what is arguably one of the most important functions in the business cycle; in ensuring businesses maintain cash flow. Research indicates that sales teams that use Social Media proactively have a 17% greater win rate, is this enough to convince “traditional” sales people to adopt Social Media. I would hope this should be enough to spark some interest at very least.

I am definitely a convert of the power and potential of Social Media. It does live up to the hype at some level but it is not the answer to all our business needs by any means. If used in conjunction with other tried and tested marketing and communications strategies given its ubiquitous and global reach, it becomes a serious contender for our future client engagement strategies.

Let’s compare some of the more popular platforms with more traditional communications mechanisms:

Twitter: This can be compared to the “Coffee Break” chat with colleagues. Small sound bites of information in an on-going and seemingly random stream of conversations. Much of the chatter is immaterial, sometimes interesting, and occasionally highly relevant. Filter the conversations and engage with those who are either able to assist your needs or be helped by you and it’s a money maker. If you keep at this, and it does take time, Twitter will be less noise and increasingly relevant to you, your interests, and your industry.
Facebook: Compared to the conversation that is Twitter, Facebook shows itself to be the full coloured expression of people’s lives, dreams and hopes. Videos, photos and discussions with friends are there to be shared and displayed for all invited into their worlds. To the older generation (Baby Boomers back) this can be the step too far – after all we know how few real friends we really have and our lives are our business. These fears are valid; many careless Facebookers have become victims of their inability to keep their lives personal and private losing the respect of real friends and the confidence and trust of loved ones. Lessons have and are being learnt about the rights and wrongs of self-publishing but the enormous network potential of over 600 million active users can’t be ignored. One thing to keep in mind is that the Facebook Profile (You) and the Facebook Business Page are quite separate things. The old saying, “do not mix business with pleasure,” applies here. They should and can be two very separate things.
LinkedIn: This is best compared to the Tradeshow. You go along the meet likeminded folk who have a shared knowledge and interest. I often refer to LinkedIn as the “Grown-ups Facebook”. It is designed for professional networking and ideas exchange. The many groups and forms, some open, many closed, are typically focussed on a specific subject. As a rule of thumb “connect” with anyone you would normally give your business card to.

So what’s the answer, do you use it or not? If I were asked outright for a yes or no answer the answer is yes.

What no-one can do though is make you. You need to “get it” and have a clear strategy or purpose for what you are trying to achieve. This may be simply that you want to have one form of authentic exchange with every one of your major clients each week. It might be to allow your customers an opportunity to learn from your experience by writing regular blog posts that will assist them in their own endeavours. It may be that you can use your highly developed networking skills to introduce customers to others in the industry they should know.

Whatever the approach you take, if it’s genuine, it’s focussed and consistent, it will pay.

Social Media - what does it stand for during a crisis

2011-02-24T15:28:00.003+13:00

The recent Christchurch earthquake has impacted us all in some way. Once we have moved past the inevitable shock and grief we want to do something that can help those in need.

Social Media is taking a front line in communications, being regarded by many as the primary source of up to the minute and accurate information from victims with mobiles to the media searching for stories.

Watching the Twitter and Facebook feeds over the past few days I have been surprised at how respectful and careful the majority of users have been. There is always the risk of misinformation through by far the few occasions seem to be as a result of mistake rather than mischief.

I have used the cloud bookmarking site Delicious to create this referenced site to pages and resources relevant to the Christchurch Earthquake. This includes Accommodation, Transport, Fundraising etc. If you know of any other resources let me know and I will add them.

New Features for Facebook Business Pages

2011-02-11T16:50:00.003+13:00

Facebook Pages are evolving and their latest profile update introduced today gives users the ability to physically switch between their personal and business page profiles.

While previously you could be seen only as the business while updating your page (Business Persona) you could only like and comment on other pages as yourself (Personal Persona), this is all about to change. This change to the way Facebook profiles work means you can now fan other pages as your page giving your own business presence an increased profile.

From a business and promotional perspective this is great news. Many marketers have been hesitant to use Facebook pages for fear that it is linked with their personal profile. While technically this has never been the case, from an external user’s perspective at least, it has been a bit of a barrier for the less experienced user who is rightly protective of their personal privacy and the desire to keep home life and work life separate.

Introduced today and currently in preview mode it goes live officially on March 10th. To get a preview and jump the early upgrade queue just log into your page and take the quick demo tour.

You will receive the following added functionality to help enhance your fan base engagement:

Notifications when fans interact with your page or posts
A place to showcase photos along the top of your page
A news feed for your page
The ability to Like and post on other pages as your page

We think this is way overdue but a good move on Facebook’s part. Finally they are taking the role of business pages more seriously reinforcing the idea that there is as much a place for business in social as there is for play.

Go to our Facebook page and let us know what you like and dislike about Facebook pages. http://www.facebook.com/MagpieMedia

An Invitation from Magpie Media

2011-01-13T11:26:00.001+13:00

Online Marketing-Strategies that Work – Free Online Presentation Tuesday 25th January 2011

On the Tuesday 25th January I am leading a 1-hour online presentation in conjunction with the Corporate Toolbox on the topic of Online Marketing and Creating Strategies That Work, and I want to encourage you to attend.

The presentation is free and, whether you are an evangelist or a doubter of the value of online marketing, I guarantee you will find the content highly relevant to your business.

In today's competitive business environment keeping your customers engaged and you front of mind requires a strong online presence. Online marketing incorporates social media but it is so much more than a couple of posts on Facebook and a few Tweets on Twitter.

You need to consider a wide range of products and platforms to maintain an effective communications and marketing strategy that will result in more engaged customers and referrals that will positively grow your income potential.

In this online presentation we will share with you:

How Social Media has impacted on business.
Where online marketing and communications is heading as a result of technology advancements and changing public perception.
What platforms are working and why.
Better understand how webinars work and how they are useful for your business.

Everyone that attends this Webinar will receive a copy of the Magpie Media E-book “Online Strategy for Business” which is a no-nonsense easy to apply framework that you can use for your own business.

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me, hope you can make it.

When: 9.00am Tuesday 25th January 2011
Where: Online
Register Now: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/284507097

Kind regards

Craig Garner
Magpie Media
www.magpiemedia.biz
phone 021 777791 (NZ Mobile Phone)

The Answer is “What do you want from life”. Do you have the Question?

2011-01-05T11:32:00.002+13:00

No matter which way you look at it New Year is a time to reflect on the past. It’s been a year of ups and downs for all of us accentuated by a massive economic recession. Yet despite the challenges I’m sure there have been numerous successes, opportunities and wins for all of us.

You’re probably getting bombarded with messages about goal-setting right now; I make no apology for making my first post for 2011 stereotypical if that the way you see it. Unfortunately unless you understand the principle of achieving goals it becomes a pointless topic. Most of us made the obligatory token resolution … lose weight, spend more time with the family, give up smoking, to be less stressed, the list goes on. There are plenty of statistics that tell us a large majority of people fail to achieve these goals. Why, for a few simple and avoidable reasons.

Goal setting is not the secret of success, achieving them is.

Like most goals we are never committed enough to make them habitual, they are doomed to failure from the outset. If you really want to learn the secret of goal setting pull out the classic by Napolean Hill, “Think and Grow Rich” or the more modern take from Stephen Covey, “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” and start applying the rules, they work.

I often refer to these two books because everything else I read seems to be a facsimile of the same message. In no way am I criticising the efforts and messages of others, we need to be constantly reminded and prodded along the way. This in itself is one of the core messages that are presented in the Hill/Covey “Secrets of Success”.

The Secret of Happiness is doing what you want to do.

Our working life consumes the greatest quantity of our quality time, are you happy with what you do? If I was to put you on the spot now and ask “What is it you want most from your life” could you answer? We know that strategic planning for our business is critical; this allows us to have a focussed direction for our business. This being said, how often do we do this for ourselves?

Don’t let others influence your direction; it’s all up to you.

Everyone has a reason why things can’t be done. If they were all correct then nothing would be so get on with it, just be sure it’s what you want to do first. I realise this is all a little cliché, but it has to be said, if nothing else I am doing this to remind me of the same thing as I start a new and more productive business year.

It is fitting I end this with the words of someone who has proven his worth and made something from nothing, Hill says “ Your only limitations are those that you setup in your own mind or those that you permit others to set up for you”.

If you want to read a nice Blog post on why goals don’t work look at this excellent post by my good friend and associate Jits Doolabh from Revonet “Goals and Momentum”.

And here is the man himself Napoleon Hill talks about his meeting with Andrew Carnegie, the meeting that changed his and countless other lives for the better.

The rise of the networked enterprise: Web 2.0 finds its payday

2010-12-16T12:02:00.002+13:00

Serendipity as a word is in revival thanks to Social Media. How many times have I looked at my TweetDeck feed and noticed a comment or article that is exactly what I was looking for at that moment.

Reality is this is less of a chance and more that such a wide range of information is being funnelled into our customised information channels. We follow and fan folk who talk and think about things that interest us so it’s little surprise much of it is going to be relevant.

I “found” an article today that lead me to the latest McKinsey Quarterly survey on how businesses are using Social Media now (as opposed to a few months ago – times are a-changin’). As I read this fascinating review I noticed that it had been released only the day before and the next day they were having a live Twitter discussion (#mckweb2). As it turned out that was now so I managed to have an interactive discussion with the author (@mchui) and a bunch of other valuable conversation contributors in real time. I love Social Media, it’s just so Social.

The rise of the networked enterprise.

McKinsey’s new survey research finds that companies using the Web intensively gain greater market share and higher margins. This is unsurprising as we strive to become a “fully networked enterprise” we can achieve a measurable ROI and long term benefits to the organisations brand and culture by using rather than resisting this inevitable product.
Here is one small exert from the review that looks at who inside the organisation are managing the platforms (A question that I am often asked).

Managing the Web-based organization

Respondents report that a variety of organizational structures and units manage Web 2.0. This year’s results show that the IT department is most likely to oversee internal Web initiatives (61 percent of respondents). For customer-facing initiatives, 74 percent of respondents say that oversight falls to the marketing department. For Web 2.0 initiatives involving external suppliers and partners, roughly equal numbers of respondents cite the IT, marketing, and business-development functions. Financing comes from a variety of places, including the IT function, central corporate sources, and discretionary funds at the business unit level.

The social nature of most Web technologies, of course, opens companies to greater interaction with the outside world. To manage this change, a slim majority of respondents (51 percent) say their companies have adopted formal social-media policies; companies with higher levels of Web 2.0 adoption are likelier to have them. In most cases, only a few employees are authorized to speak on behalf of the company.

For the complete review visit the McKinsey Quarterly website here mckinseyquarterly.com

Making Sense of Twitter: Understanding Content Filtering and Hashtags

2010-11-26T09:49:00.005+13:00

The concept of Twitter was born when Jack Dorsey introduced the idea of individuals using an SMS service to communicate with a small group, a simple concept that took flight. As popular as it has become many become frustrated and disillusioned at what appears on the surface to be incoherent and time wasting babble.

Twitter now receives an excess of 65 million tweets per day, that’s about 750 per second so how does anyone make sense of all this noise.

Launched in 2006 Twitter has firmly established itself as one of the Social Media heavyweights. Described as a micro-blogging platform it allows users to impart snapshots of information, random thoughts and or links to other sites using text based 140 character posts called “Tweets”.

Twitter is basically a conversation, as a comparison think of it as a crowded stadium during the half time break. Most of the discussions have little or no importance or benefit to you. Even if you could, attempting to follow every word at any given moment would be pointless and timewasting. Imagine if you could filter out all the nonsense and focus on the people or topics that are relevant to what you are interested in, now that would be powerful.

With the use of filtering tools like Twitter Search and TweetDeck to name a few that’s exactly what you can achieve. It’s less about controlling the conversation and more about fine tuning your ears.

There are three basic principles to creating appropriate Twitter streams:

Follow the right people: building your community in Twitter means following those you know as well as complete strangers. If you are too selective on who you follow you also restrict your potential flow of content and resources. If you are part of a particular sector such as the Wine industry you may choose to only follow people who refer to wine in their profile ensuring that you have a more targeted group. If someone is consistently off subject or irrelevant to your requirements simply “unfollow” them, no harm done. As your following increases use the “Group” function to segment people into subject or specialty clusters.
Search Content: Try the advanced Twitter Search at http://search.twitter.com/advanced and filter content by subject, date and location. This allows you to find content that is relevant to you. You may have noticed recently that Google now features Twitter content related to your search at the top of its results page. Alternatively create search threads in columns using the Twitter website or in third party applications like TweetDeck.
Use Hashtags: Used in conjunction with conferences, events, presentations and webinars, the Hashtag can be a great tool for engaging the immediate and extended audience. By placing the # symbol before an unbroken word, phrase, or numeral i.e. #mytag2010, it creates a mini-search engine phrase that can be looked up and followed on Twitter thus filtering out all the other non-relevant material.

To create a Hashtag simply search twitter and check to see if your string of letters and numbers are unused. If already in use try a variation until you achieve no search results.
When your event is being publicised let attendees know in advance what the Hashtag is and be sure to use it in all your event related tweets leading up to, during and post the event. Once finished the tag retires into obscurity until used again, remember no-one owns or can lay claim to a Hashtag.

Attendees or those interested in following the conversation created in Twitter can set up a search column in their Twitter application or used a third party platforms like Twitterfall or Monitter and keep current on the on-going discussions, feedback and references.

Search on Trendsmap.com to see if your Hashtag is “Trending” on Twitter and add some impact to your presentation by putting the feed in a prominent place by using VisibleTweets.com to graphically showcase your feeds and to encourage other attending to participate.

Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your business grow?

2010-11-18T12:05:00.000+13:00

While walking through the park this morning I stopped to admire the neat rows of newly planted flowers in one of the garden plots I pass almost daily. The plant selection and design was noticeably different from the layout of the previous year. This act of regeneration, of redesign, of hard work with a vision of something yet to be realised made me think how this horticultural endeavour compared to business development. How to successfully manage and maintain both are skills learnt and handed down for centuries. It’s all been done before, the mistakes have all been made, yet why is it that so many of us still get it so very wrong?

The comparison to starting and maintaining gardens and business are remarkably striking to me. One of the perplexing issues associated with business growth and development, no matter how prepared we are, is the Groundhog Day factor – of doing or being subjected to the same thing again and again. The same issues with staff, out-dated and poor planning, excessive stress, lack of direction, missed deadlines and missed opportunities to name just a few.

Looking at this garden I couldn’t help wondering how the horticulturalists involved in the project felt about this task. Did they regard the ending of the previous years’ planting with sadness, or looked to the beginning of the new garden with a sense joy and opportunity or did they just simply have a resigned indifference to the entire process. From the perspective of an observer, an outsider looking in, the quality and consistent perfection of this plot and surrounding grounds illustrated a definite pride and respect for what they do.

I like analogies because they compartmentalise ideas and put them into perspective. The comparison of the garden to business for me is easy to relate to. Most of us in some form or another have attempted to grow something. Through lack of planning, loosing focus, by not watering or managing risks such as pests and disease we fail to produce a viable crop. This may not be as financially or emotionally devastating when compared to business failure yet we miss out on the potential rewards that a ripe fruit or a flower in bloom can bring to our lives as well as the sense of achievement of creating something worthwhile.

To be successful in gardening, even if you are highly educated or an old hand with years of experience, it takes planning and strategy; having the right stock and the ground in optimum condition at the right time of the year means preparation well in advance of planting the garden. Additionally advanced management of pests and diseases is better than trying to react after they have taken hold. Removing poor performing plants and replacing them with sturdy stock ensures that the other plants are not negatively affected, diminishing our potential yield.

This can only be possible if you have contingences in place and recognising that these problems are part of the growing process. By hoping for the best and adopting a wait and see attitude may result in success, the risks are significantly higher. And of course there is little point to starting the project unless you are fully committed. Watering and feeding is a mandatory task, miss even one step and the long term impact could be irreparable. Last but not least is preparing for and observing the optimum time to harvest, getting the most out of the garden. Once this has occurred then planning for the future is already underway with the best seed and lessons from the previous year recognised and integrated into the ever changing landscape.

Gardening like business is not new, most of the mistakes have been made by others and the best ideas are available in books, taught in classrooms or handed down via experts in their field. We can choose to prepare and understand that this learning should never end and make it integral to our business rather than a reaction to issues and problems. Spending time planning and developing our own skills relates directly to the growth, success and sustainability of our business.
During my morning walk I thought about my newly discovered analogy and relayed my story over breakfast to my partner. She listened and agreed then went and got her copy of Stephen Coveys’ “Seven Habits” book. In there she pointed out a chapter how Covey compares the process of business to agricultural practice, tending and nurturing plants is the same as how we have to view our business.

This simply reinforced my point rather than detracted from it. No idea is unique; the lessons are there and readily available to us from those who have taken the time to impart their hard earned knowledge. We need to constantly up skill and remind ourselves of what these lessons mean then apply them to our daily business lives and enjoy the fruits of our labour rather than repeating unnecessary failure.

What have you learned today that’s worth sharing?

B2B or not 2B: A Social Media Dilemma

2010-11-15T18:09:00.001+13:00

We get the point that Business to Consumer (B2C) is working for online marketers but the jury is still out on the Business to Business (B2B) sector.

This four minute video illustrates some vital statistics for B2B marketers.

What I found even more interesting was the backstory of this video and the impact it made itself as a promotional tool for its creator Earnest Agency

What makes a Public Speaker great?

2010-10-06T10:48:00.002+13:00

New Zealand speaker, author publisher and educator Maria Carlton asked in her Speakers and Writers Community forum “Idea to Authority” the other day some questions related to public speaking.

"Is it more important to be funny than it is to be interesting?
Is it more important to be knowledgeable than it is to be factual?
Is it more important to use notes than to use PowerPoint?
Do the humorous speakers have a real edge over those of us who struggle to get laughs on cue?"

Yesterday I was given a quote to read that somewhat takes this thinking to another level.

"Trying to win over and audience by just giving them the facts is like trying to win a woman by pulling down your pants. Tell a story, and you practice the art of seduction".
Justin Cohen.

Personally I’d like to say that interesting comes before funny and facts mean little to anyone unless you can speak on a subject with a voice of authority, and that takes knowledge.

Humour is such a subjective and risky thing when speaking to an unknown audience. It is dictated by the mood of a crowd, the originality of the material, the timing and wit of the deliverer and the direction of the wind. What works for one crowd can fall flat on its face with another. It’s a long way back to the hearts of a crowd with the sound of a bad joke ringing in their ears. I have seen too many people start a presentation with the almost cliché crowd relaxing technique of telling a joke. The problem is that you risk throwing your credibility out the door if you misread your audience or it’s that old one we’ve all heard before.

If you are confident in your subject then the humour becomes organic, a timely pause may be all that is needed to generate the salacious endorphin rush laughter facilitates. The real talent of the seasoned comedian is making something that seems very ordinary funny, they are practiced at warming the crowd and capitalising on the collective energy that is needed to make laughter reinforce a good story. All said and done you know when you have the power of humour, it can be learned by trial and error but like singing it works better if you have it as a natural born talent.

What links all the points raised in Maria’s leading questioning is they are only window dressing to your message. PowerPoint cannot work without supported notes (even if they are in your head), humour is nothing without an interesting dialogue, facts mean nothing if they are not presented in a way that sounds credible.

The best speakers are genuinely passionate about what they are talking about and are convincing enough to demonstrate that they own the subject. This makes them a story teller rather than the teller of stories and it is they who we remember and respect the most.

Storytellers making their mark for New Zealand Tourism

2010-09-19T12:21:00.010+12:00

New Zealand iconic entertainer and storyteller Andrew Lumsden, known to most as comedian, experimental gardener and alternative historian “Te Radar” sat in on my presentation last week at the NZ i-Site Conference. At the end of the conference we were treated to Radar’s unique and hilarious storytelling of forgotten New Zealand history covering topics like the Taranaki Highwayman, a forgotten submarine in Dunedin and an acrobatic balloonist who in 1899 was last seen floating out to sea off the coast of Christchurch when a stunt went horribly wrong.

What Te Radar did so masterfully was reinforce a core theme of the conference, that we as New Zealanders have great stories to tell, and we need to be better at telling them.

Through the ages storytelling has been the most effective and engaging form of entertainment, promotion and marketing. Though communications technology has improved significantly and reaching further than we would have thought possible it is still only as good as the content it carries. The better the story the bigger the impact it makes.

This idea was supported and endorsed through an announcement by Patrick Verryt, the Online Manager from Tourism New Zealand that their online marketing portal NewZealand.com is to become an open content platform. This means a move away from a traditional single source content management structure to an open publishing forum managed by the wider community. This is a bold move but by no means new, the now famous and proven Wikipedia uses a similar open source publishing format to great success. The greatest advantage is that the right people with the expert knowledge can take ownership of a subject of their choice. When people challenge their ideas or want more information they can engage quickly, in real time and directly with the content source creator. Of course we have to also acknowledge this is not without its risks as with any form or human interaction.

Over the past two weeks I have been immersed in New Zealand Tourism communities and this has reinforced to me the absolute wealth of passion and commitment we have available in our people and communities. I have had such an amazing time presenting to, and meeting with people responsible for the promotion and delivery of New Zealand Tourism activity. I have travelled literally the length of our country from the beautiful Northland to the stunning Southland and at every stop heard new and interesting stories that have inspired me.

Some of the events I have been guest speaker at on the subject of online Community engagement (Social Media) included the E-Tourism Conference in Auckland, the Destination Northland Tourism Conference, the i-Site Conference in Napier and the Venture Southland Tourism Workshops in Invercargill.

During this time I was fortunate to meet so many people, obviously too many to mention individually but I will reference a few. Despite my own experience as a professional networker I am still amazed at how evolving methods of communication can advance this important social and business opportunity to expand networks and form meaningful business relationships.

Thanks to the power of Social Media there were people I had not physically met before yet I had a sense of rapport with them from the outset having a good understanding of their thinking by previously reading their blogs and seeing their random thoughts via twitter. This included Michelle Ackers from Adept Marketing and author of the insightful New Zealand Tourism Industry Blog, spending time with Simon McManus, active PR and eMarketing expert with a self-titled agency called McManus. Other inspirational individuals included @HippyKate, @WildfireNZ, @HotShotsIntl and @RocktheBoatNZ. I also had the pleasure of co-presenting with Jim Brody, International Sales Manager of TripAdvisor.com and Chris Larcombe, National Account Manager of Trade Me’s new travel marketing channel and booking engine.

As much as I am an advocate of the use of Social Media there can and should never be a replacement for the face to face engagement. If this was the case we would watch travel videos and never need to experience the real thing ourselves. This was validated by the very last evening of my two week tour by a meeting with Peter Ridsdale. This larger than life Executive Manager of the Ascot Park Hotel in Invercargill where my presentation to Venture Southland was hosted is a natural storyteller, not of the tall variety but of the salt of the earth real New Zealand adventure kind.

During my presentation at his hotel Peter heard me reference a recent hunting trip to Stewart Island so asked if I would like to try a new venison recipe he was experimenting with. While I listened over dinner to his stories that connected his love of the land with people he cared about I felt like a tourist in my own country. I was impressed by Peters passion about sharing the value New Zealand offers as a destination, especially his Southland region, and its intrinsic link with its people and diverse history.

All the people I have met recently have one thing in common; they have great stories to tell. It is through the power of stories we can inspire the imagination of others and motivate people to seek out new horizons and try new adventures so they too can have better stories to tell. Our challenge is to have the confidence to speak up and to share this wealth with the rest of the world.

Social Media Strategy in Eight Easy Steps – Introducing the 8 P’s

2010-08-29T20:44:00.008+12:00

At the heart of every successful business there is a vital ingredient - the ability to effectively communicate with your staff, your customers and your community.

Using Social Media to enhance and extend your communications potential is achievable for all types and sizes of business but first you need to know what platforms are available, which of these will work best for you, and how to make them an integrated part of your daily business. For this to happen there needs to be careful consideration and some effective planning.

Without planning there is the potential to waste a lot of time and become frustrated or worse create a negative image of your brand and your product through poor and inconsistent information management. As in any business planning process your strategy provides the big picture that shows why and how all the individual activities are coordinated to achieve a desired end result.

Given that the online communications landscape is still evolving and changing, albeit at a rapid pace, it is not necessary to develop and elaborate and detailed long term plan. Better to have something accessible, that can be reviewed regularly and modified to meet that demand and changes expected of this new era of online communications and social engagement.

It is important to be focused on what it is you need from this environment. It is an effective mechanism to find out what your customers and clients are thinking. With this information you can quickly modify your product and service to meet demand and keep your networks up to date and current with what you are doing and where you are heading. This works just as effectively with your staff, shareholders, investors, existing clients or potential clients.

Introducing the 8 P’s.

We have identified eight headings to assist you in formulating a structured plan. This step by step process helps you align emerging Social Media opportunities with your strategic intentions and the realities of your day to day business. These include:

Planning (Who is responsible for what)
Purpose (Be specific on what you are trying to achieve)
Product (What products or services are you promoting)
People (Who are you targeting)
Profiles (Keep your branding and communications consistent)
Platforms (What Social Media sites are you using)
Promotions (What is going to get you noticed)
Performance (Measure your effectiveness, ROI)

For more detail and an easy to follow action plan download our free 16 page paper “Introducing the 8 P’s” (500kb PDF File) http://bit.ly/eightps (Press the Ctrl Key when you click the link if it doesn't open)
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Foursquare – Thinking outside the square

2010-08-23T10:51:00.000+12:00

Many, especially in the business realm, are still struggling to come to terms with Twitter so the location based check-in platform Foursquare may still be that leap too far, having said that a number of enterprising NZ businesses are already taking advantage of it.

I have been using Foursquare for just a few days and instantly grasped its potential. I suspect that this will take some time to catch on in New Zealand given our propensity to value and protect our individual privacy at all costs. It may be worth taking a moment to get better acquainted with this emerging platform before you start being a doubting Thomas.

Twitter has been around for over three years and conceptually about as basic as any communication platform could be - build a community and share your thoughts, ideas and resources with them. Foursquare is a little more complex, has a game play element to it and requires notifying people to your exact location. Despite any initial reservations or preconceived anxieties it has some interesting promotional applications for any business prepared to think outside the square.

Foursquare makes use of the geo-location (A-GPS) functionality of the smartphones like iPhone, Blackberry and Android, much like the one in your in-car navigation system. Now link this location based function with your social network, add the ability to get and give comments, tips and feedback with a few incentive bonus points thrown in and this starts making sense. Like most other Social platforms you invite and build a list of friends. As you travel around to destinations like malls, cafes, restaurants and bars you “check in”. You are given the option of doing this privately or posting your whereabouts to your selected Foursquare friends list. For those wanting to be a little more public the location and a custom message can also be added to your Twitter and Facebook sites at the same time.

Points are awarded to you for adding venues not currently on the Foursquare listing as are points and awards for every time you check in or reach certain milestones. Where Foursquare starts giving some real value back apart from being able to locate friends for a quick meet up whether at a café, concert or conference is you are able to leave comments, tips and advice to those that check-in to the same spot later. This could be a recommendation of a great meal, nice wine on their list or making people aware of price special. This point tally is accumulated over a week and can be compared to that of your list of friends.

Another feature that gives incentive for repeat venue visitation is becoming “Mayor”. This is awarded to the individual that makes the most return visits to any location (not on the same day). This is where businesses like Giapo Gelato, the online savvy gelato store on Queen Street in Auckland are starting to make it work for them. They offer a free Waffle cone every day to the current reining Mayor. Other business like cafes might offer free coffee, are you getting the idea? At current count Giapo Gelato have had 1468 check-ins with the reigning Mayor “Peter C” having checked-in 39 times (little doubt having sampled many of the great flavours).

It is worth mentioning that this is not the first application of its type, and certainly won’t be the last. BrightKite is one example that some claim has all the same features and better functionality. Like any innovation, (think back to the Beta vs. VHS video battle) it’s not always the best platform that wins, it’s were the most users are. On that basis Foursquare seems to be leading the charge. Facebook have recently launched their new app “Places” which has taken all the best features of Foursquare. With the weight of numbers backing it up Facebook have the potential of grinding others into insignificance so it will be interesting to see the uptake when it is accessible from NZ.

The application for the phone can be downloaded from www.foursquare.com

Why your customers are turning to Social Media.

2010-08-11T12:36:00.003+12:00

You may have noticed the way we communicate and engage with each other has changed. In no small part it is because of technology, though it’s less of a technology revolution and more of a communications evolution.

Better computers and high speed broadband connectivity has had a big influence on how we access the Internet. As if being wired wasn’t enough we have stepped into the science fiction realms of our own lifetime and taken broadband with ubiquitous wireless and digital cellular to the streets and beyond, it’s gone mobile. Smart phones and iPads are not only communications devices they give us access to email and internet, are entertainment centres, video recorders, cameras, satellite navigation systems, music players, word processors, and that’s just some of the features of the basic mobile phone. Try an iPhone on for size - 225,000 applications available and counting.

We have discovered in recent years getting information from online sources increasingly convenient because it was faster and reached further with a little help from a search engine known as Google. We expected more from this resource and it didn’t disappoint so we have made the World Wide Web integral to both our personal and business lives. No longer the domain of the technical elite and “other life” geeks it is now something that all the family regard as a must have rather than just a fashion accessory or passing fad.

We now use video and discussion forums, we share our experiences and concerns in real time and voice our opinions for all to see in a very public and global online community in an activity labelled as Social Networking. This shift in the way we think and use the internet is known as Web 2.0, the platforms like Twitter and Facebook are household names and known collectively as Social Media.

Social Media is redefining the way we share ideas, build trust and make our purchasing decisions. These rapidly expanding online platforms are able to provide users with a forum to get and to give real time feedback. Reviews and recommendations are fed instantaneously to our communities of influence, tribes, friends, fans and followers via Social Media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Wiki’s, YouTube and Blogs. Because of this high level of interactivity, real time information sharing and self-publishing of video, images and blogs which are now considered mainstream media, there will be - and can be - no looking back.

Our customers are no longer relying on traditional methods of broadcast marketing to be influenced; they are listening to each other and to engage as businesses or brands you have to be part of this conversation. Not engaging in Social Media for fear that someone may criticise your product, complain about your service or copy your ideas is counterproductive. If they have a complaint they will be complaining anyway, you just won’t know it, and worse can do little about it. If you don’t want your ideas heard and discussed, by not engaging you will get your wish, they won’t. Your customers will move on to those that have open dialogues, share their expertise and ultimately with whom they form a trusted relationship. As businesses trying to compete in an increasingly competitive and global marketplace we either keep pace with these changes, or we will become irrelevant to our existing and potential customers forever.

No-one said this was going to be easy. This article cannot create a one size fits all explanation because there just isn’t one; no form of human interaction and idea exchange could, or should be that straight forward. What we need to do as business people is plan. Many businesses have done too little planning as it is, so if nothing else this is a great excuse to start the ball rolling. It’s time to think seriously about whom we want to reach and for what purpose and engage all our team from senior management to the shop floor in the process.

What Social Media is not is a mechanism to sell or to broadcast, if used badly it does have the potential to create a negative impact on your brand, product or service. We must rethink how we are to communicate and how we will engage and how to encourage our customers to talk about us, as advocates and ambassadors. It is only then that the true value and potential of Social Media will be apparent.

It’s almost unimaginable how far we have advanced with communications technology alone in the past century. Yet philosophically we have almost come full circle since Napoleon Hill gathered the thoughts and ideas of the great business minds of his time and wrote the now legendary book “Think and Grow Rich”. Published in 1937 at the time of the great depression he talked about the importance of values, of knowing your customer and having a meaningful relationship. It also emphasised the importance of planning and setting achievable goals. It’s good to know that some things haven’t changed.

Use Social Media to communicate and build trust with your target market. Apply some strategic planning with common sense, and getting some professional help to better understand the technical and strategic implications before taking things too far would be highly recommended. Apply the same rules to your online engagements that you would to any real-life conversation and relationship and you are on the right track to transferring the return on engagement to a return on investment.

P.S. To help you get some experience and better understand these tools I invite you to join my networks here and start your journey by using the tools in a safe and trusted environment. No-one can know too much or too little, we are all here to learn and share our thoughts, ideas and experience.

Twitter: twitter.com/MagpieMediaBiz (Join the conversation)
LinkedIn Grouphttp://linkd.in/MagpieMedia (Join the discussion)
Facebook Page: http://bit.ly/MagpieFacebook (Join the community)

Either you are going to tell stories that spread, or you will become irrelevant

2010-07-30T11:19:00.000+12:00

It’s often the little things that we say that mean the most. Words can be extremely motivational and incredibly destructive. Ironically the less words we use the greater the impact and resonance.

I have been discussing and quoting a statement from the great thinker and communicator Seth Godin quite a bit lately…

“Either you are going to tell stories that spread, or you will become irrelevant”

This is not a philosophy but a fact that applies nicely to the global and social communications age we live in. If we want to get noticed we have to be part of the conversations inside Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, with our Blogs and beyond. It drives home the core ethos behind how we need to approach our individual social media engagements and online communications strategies.

It’s not what we have to tell people about ourselves that means anything anymore; it’s what people are saying to each other about us that will count. It’s up to you to give people content, information and resources that they can use, and for this we can and should be credited and recognised. The reviews, referrals, re-tweets and recommendations are what make one product or service stand out from the rest for good reason.

We believe each other’s advice before that of the provider itself because we know they are promoting, broadcasting and selling to us. When we talk to our networks about products and service we like, dislike or want to explore, we are speaking from experience with the all-important trust relationship already established with our chosen friends and communities of interest.

Be still my beating heart - the iPad comes to NZ today

2010-07-23T11:44:00.003+12:00

How exciting, today is the day that Apple gives us yet another great product. I was going to say toy, but the iPad is so much more than something to covet and play with, it’s an amazingly simple, affordable and useful productivity tool that is the latest must have for rapidly expanding social networking fraternity.

We’ve seen the hype of the US launch for iPad on April 3rd and its promise to change the way we interface with the internet with its endless array of applications (apps) and so far the hype seems to be well deserved with over 600,000 units being sold there in just the first week.

A lucky few have already started to use the iPad here in NZ having sourced them from offshore, but with the release of the tablet style communication device in New Zealand today I am sure we will see many more adorning café tables and boardroom desks in the coming weeks.

I have to confess that I have only just recently got myself and iPhone. I say this like it was an expectation but it wasn’t truly until I got it that I realised what I had been missing. Getting my emails and checking my calendar, updating and referencing Social Media sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are not only a breeze but easier and faster than their online, and often more confusing versions.

I would go as far as to say I LOVE my iPhone. I get why people go on and on about them now, it is well deserved. One of the key resistance factors for me getting one in the first place was my mistaken perception of the cost. I was under the impression that the data fees would be crippling. The clever little iPhone and the larger iPad cousin have Wi-Fi built in so when you are in range of your home, work or other Wi-Fi network it connects seamlessly and avoids you the 3G cellular data costs.

The Wi-Fi only version of the iPad is expected to have a recommended retail price of $799 for 16GB, $979 for 32GB and $1149 for 64GB. The Wi-Fi plus 3G models cost $200 more for each model. Vodafone indicate its data plans for the Wi-Fi plus 3G devices would be $20 for 250MB and $50 for 3GB.

Having only seen an iPad in action on a couple of occasions I would expect the experience to be similar to the iPhone but with a larger screen, its huge array of free and affordable applications will make it not only fun but productive.

I know the initial availability will be limited, there is a definite Apple arrogance about the launch secrecy and product scarcity. Some have queued and been disappointed not to get supplied, that’s the cost and price of demand and supply, get over it. I’ll wait, but I can’t wait to get my hands on one.

Measuring the Cost of Social Media.

2010-06-07T16:16:00.000+12:00

As we start to integrate Social Media into our business we need to consider ways to calculate and measure the return on investment it represents.

This on the surface is a reasonable request, there is an obvious resourcing cost to business, which initially will be our time - but where do we start to measure? We know that effective social media campaigns are long term, are about engagement and ultimately about relationship development; but can that ever equate to dollars and cents?

“To determine return on investment (ROI) for social we must put metrics around human interaction and communication – Is this even possible? “

To compare this with another technological innovation that is now integral to almost every business, the telephone, could we possibly measure its ROI? Most of us just factor it in as a necessary overhead and leave it at that, and we certainly wouldn’t consider being without it.

For any social media engagement to be undertaken successfully there is a great deal of planning and strategy to be undertaken first. Sure, a try it and see approach would be possible, and in some cases successful, but there are real risks that you may damage rather than benefit your brand or image. Clarity of purpose and a staged action plan delegated to capable people who buy-in and ultimately take ownership of your vision is a logical approach. Without this we will certainly waste valuable time and cause otherwise preventable roadblocks and frustrations moving forward.

If your goal is to achieve more online mentions of your brand or company then you must know where you stand right now, this is called benchmarking. It would also help considerably if you knew why you wanted to achieve this. You must find tools that can measure the impact of your campaigns (in this case a word search tool) and know how much resource is used to achieve this outcome in any given period. You should also apply a similar measurement to a complimentary or competing firm to see how they are doing over the same timeline. It would also satisfy your financial controllers (those that will ultimately allow or deny your social media marketing budget) if there is a pathway to you sales funnel so this PR is converted to a tangible revenue stream.

As a standard formula, ROI is pretty basic, ROI = (X – Y) / Y, where X is your final value and Y is your starting value. In other words, if you invest $10 and get back $50, your ROI is (50 – 10) / 10 = 4 times your initial investment. In this financial sense, ROI is measured purely in the context of dollars and cents, however, the principles can be applied to other forms of investment (i.e. Time).

So to begin you must have the end in mind. Planning and having solid goals and concrete baselines is crucial to calculating this return on investment. Add to this the comparative measurement of your competitors’ performance as a benchmark and you have the basis of some valuable metrics.

Are you a thought leader or just another dedicated follower of fashion?

2010-06-02T21:08:00.000+12:00

“Thought Leader” is the new cool set in the online business fraternity pushing aside the passé entrepreneur for a trendier tagline. I cringe a little every time someone introduces themselves as an entrepreneur - what is it you’re trying to say? You’re a risk taker carrying the can for yet another start-up venture? Entrepreneurialism is a quality not a title, you can’t be taught it, you either are one or you aren’t, it’s that simple.

So when you suggest you’re a “Thought Leader” what is it you bring to the table? Much the same as the entrepreneur I would presume but with things only at the idea stage? Google “Thought Leader” and there are plenty of people giving advice on how you can be one. This is paradoxical given you should, by definition, have an ability to think without the direct influence of others to qualify for this status.

When trying to put a name to thought leaders of our time its people like Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr, John F Kennedy and John Lennon who spring to mind. I’m sure each had their fair share of advisors and mentors who filled in the grey areas of their speeches and lyrics; yet it’s the vision and conviction of the individual that gave a voice to once intangible concepts that in time influenced the way entire cultures thought and acted. It’s also tragic that all had a common fate due to this self belief.

In today’s instant information age we have lots of people telling us what we should to be doing. In an age of fans, followers and virtual friends the dedicated followers of fashion rush without hesitation to repeat the words of the chosen few, as long as it can fit the 140 character limitation bestowed upon us by Twitter.

It should make even the most relaxed amongst us a little nervous to know that the combined Twitter followers of Ashton Kutcher and Britney Spears now exceed ten million people. That means there are 141 countries in the world who have smaller populations and only 82 that exceed it. “Oops, he did it again” gushed Britney, “Ashton just punk’d Europe”.
Social Media gives us the opportunity to connect with audiences like never before. Sure we need to nurture our tribe (Thanks Mr Godin) but we also need to build trust (thanks Mr Brogan). Conduct online conversation with the same values and etiquette as you would in the real world and remember to establish meaningful and ultimately profitable influence takes time (Thanks Mr Reality). Listen to what people say, do what you can when you can, and do the best you can with the time and resources you have available.

Don’t let the medium own you, it’s a tool and nothing more. Use it how you want to and forget what “they say” you should be doing. Fashion comes and it goes; if you want to be seen as a thought leader, be yourself. Your real friends and valued customers will respect and thank you for it eventually.

Blog Post from the Bush of Stewart Island

2010-05-11T22:04:00.000+12:00

One of the fundamental rules of blogging is to keep on subject. My subject would be best described as “Communications Technology for Business”.

I’m sure that the irony of me writing this post with pen and pad while sitting in the bush on Stewart Island will not be lost on you.

The nearest town is a solid day’s tramp south; my two hunting/camping companions are at different ends of the Murray’s Beach block we have called home for two weeks and all I can see in any direction is trees, moss and fern.

I have forsaken technology for a more primal hunter/gatherer lifestyle. My cell phone is of little use as Vodafone have no coverage here, so the only real modern tools at my disposal are a battery-powered lantern to light my tent, an LED headlamp and a torch.

We cook our meat and other food by campfire and brave the elements as best we can. For early May, considering we are so far south and despite the rain, it is reasonably warm. One of my companions is my father – the reason I have made this trip. He brought me here at 16 and that was 30 years ago now so I thought it was well time I made the effort to spend some time with him again. He has made the pilgrimage to Stewart Island almost annually, this being his 25th trip.

Making the effort to spend some quality time with people certainly helps you to understand them better and more importantly, to appreciate them. Dad’s knowledge of the bush, its flora and fauna has amazed me. Where I see endless bush, he points out endless varieties of native plants and shows me how to use them for medicinal and other purposes. His skill has taught me a valuable lesson in how to make what would be to some, basic survival, into a relative luxury by the application of common sense and practical know-how. This is something I will apply to my everyday and business life moving forward, we are all capable of so much more than the self-imposed limits we bound ourselves by whether deliberately to be safe or subconsciously because of fear.

My fathers bush dexterity also has extended to the cookhouse. A few tarps, a table built out of manuka poles with a thatch top and a campfire have produced meals consisting of venison steaks, stew, pot roast, scones, pikelets, “Billy” bread, and “Floaters” – which are reputedly a handed-down Maori version of fried doughnuts (complete with sugar and cinnamon coating with long-life whipped cream and jam). We’ve also dined on paua fritters on a few different occasions and we have yet to try our luck at fishing, given we are on the coast. Needless to say going hungry has been the least of our concerns.

The removal or escape from technology certainly has been refreshing. Its forced retirement has enabled me to temporarily abandon responsibilities (and stress) that used to take up the majority of my working day. Of course this has done little good for my business as being “off the radar” means that I would quickly become irrelevant in today’s fast paced, need it now society. I loved every second of the isolation I have experienced but would I forsake modern technology for it, I think not.

Paid Tweets Start Tuesday – Is the end of Twitter as we know it?

2010-04-15T11:58:00.000+12:00

A little bird told me that we will soon be seeing Twitter move into revenue generation mode, it had to happen eventually. Before we throw our hands up and say it was all too good to last this may actually be a turn for the good, from a marketers and consumers perspective at very least.

According to Mashable the new platform called “Promoted Tweets” is to launch next Tuesday afternoon (US Time) beginning with promoted tweets appearing in Twitter search results.

The ability to pay to get your self above the rest of the conversation on the surface makes good sense. The roll out will start with search results then enter the Twitter.com stream and third party applications like TweetDeck and Tweetie with only one advertisement appearing at a time.

Like any good social media platforms they are basing the introduction and expansion on how users react. From where I sit now, being able to interact in real time with an advertiser on a product that is relevant to my immediate interest makes sense. Like we have accepted Social Media so readily I believe this advertising platform will give more value than we may credit it for. Time and social commentary will tell all.

Suggested posts to read on this topic: New York Times, Advertising Age and Mashable

The Business Case for Social Media - Why You Can No Longer Ignore It

2010-03-22T17:31:00.000+13:00

Yesterday, Sunday the 21st March was Twitters 4th Birthday. Last month Twitter hit 50 million tweets a day and Twitter as a word is to be accepted into the Collins English Dictionary. When was it you first heard about Twitter? I suspect for most it was within the last year.

This months NZ Business Magazine has a cover story headlining “The Business Case for Social Media - Why You Can No Longer Ignore It”. In this story they make some bold statements which include “Anyone that says they don’t have time for Social Media is just ignorant of what the benefits are” and “The longer you leave getting started in Social Media the harder it will become”.

This is of course opinion. Should we just accept this form of scaremongering journalism on face value, I think not. I would recommend though that if their claims have any sort of merit it may be worth the effort of a little research. I would suggest a great way to do research about Social Media is by using Social Media itself. Here are some great places to get started:

Twitter – people will give lots of shorts sound bites and point you toward some valuable online resources, and it’s free.
Facebook – Join a group of likeminded folk and share in some discussions, and it’s free
LinkedIn – this one is for the grownups. Join groups that are oriented toward your industry or niche then watch or engage in the forum discussions, and this one is free too.

While you are conducting this research you may accidentally discover some alarming side effects of the Social Media platforms you have just introduced yourself to:

You may become a little better informed
It may actually become apparent not everyone in cyber-land is a con artist and that there are some genuine folk that are there offering good advise that will help you grow as a person and develop as a business
You may gain a better insight into the power of Social Media
You may actually get noticed by existing or potential customers who will be reminded of why you are more important, accessible and relevant to them than your competition are.

If you still don’t get it and decide that it’s still a waste of time then simply delete your profiles, turn off your computer and go back to the counter to wait for the customers to file in the door like they always have.

Twitter And The Missing Cat

2010-03-15T11:19:00.000+13:00

This post is dedicated to those who use Twitter to listen rather than just make noise, to the few who genuinely care enough to take some time out and help others who ask for it and make the lives of those around them that little bit better. Thank you, thank you.

Our cat Yasmin went missing last week. Cats do that sort of thing; they demand food and respect and have the run the home on their terms. If they decide to go on a roaming adventure then so be it, that’s what they do. Yasmin was a rescue cat, found on the street in a terrible state as a kitten; she needed a lot of care and attention at first. She was a timely gift for our daughter Maggie on her 8th birthday and much loved.

At first we were not too concerned that Yasmin was not in the kitchen demanding her breakfast on Wednesday, we just assumed she was off having another one of her adventures. Though not a year old she was a tough cat that had ensured all other cats in the neighbourhood respected her territory, though often spotted venturing over the fence investigating the domain of others. She loved climbing trees, especially when we were watching (such a show-off) and was always waiting on the drive for our kids to arrive home from school so she could stretch out and get lots of attention.

After an absence of two days we were touched by a handwritten note from Maggie saying “I miss my cat but don’t know what to do, I need your help”, it was a timely call to action. We checked the usual websites and uploaded her details. It was then I said to Maggie that we would try Twitter. I didn’t think this was going to find our missing friend but what did happen was quite amazing.

The great thing about Twitter is its immediacy, as soon as I had posted a picture to TwitPic and done a couple of Tweets we started to get all sorts of valuable advice and encouragement. People gave suggestions of useful websites and tips on getting attention in the neighbourhood. People gave their own stories of how their cats went missing and turned up days and weeks later.

The greatest effect here, apart from some good advice, was hope. Maggie went from being so very sad to extremely excited that so many people genuinely cared about her issue and were taking the time to talk to us about it. So a big thanks for that to Vicky @vickytnz Tara @tarasutherland, Rebecca @becs355, Sandra @sandrareidnz, Kirsten @kistenmcrae, Simon @simcmanus for the advise and to the others who passed on their wishes.

I’m sorry to say that this tale doesn’t have a happy ending. We, as recommended, posted posters and did a regional mail drop. Within minutes of doing so started receiving phone calls, one of which directed us to a place a block away saying a cat of that description had been hit by a car. Sadly it was our cat, it had been quick at least and the lovely person there had taken as much care of Yasmin as possible.
Unsurprisingly Maggie has taken this hard, its one of those cruel life lessons we have to accept with the loss of something we love. If you have taken the time to read this I’m sorry if it seemed pointless and self indulgent but I genuinely wanted to thank those that helped. You did made a difference and it was very much appreciated.

How to Create your Own Custom Twitter Background

2010-03-07T12:14:00.000+13:00

With a relatively small time investment you can create a Twitter background that can align with you existing branding and help stand you out from the crowd.
Twitter does not supply an official guide on creating Twitter backgrounds so I have made a few notes from my personal experimentation.

In this simple tutorial I am going to give some of the key considerations for designing your own Twitter background and will make available a downloadable Photoshop template to get you started.

The options for creating a background vary, it’s a little like creating wallpaper for your computer, you can tile an image (repeats over and over) or you can create a solid image.

My personal preference is for the solid image so as to make use of the space available to create some branding impact. With the solid image you have to either fade to a colour that matches the background colour to ensure a visually seamless transition or make the image large enough to ensure it will fill the screen for those fortunate enough to have large monitors set to high resolution. For this I would suggest an image size of 1600x1200 pixels though be sure to optimise the image so file size does not become a problem.

Resolving the Resolution
One of the main considerations when creating a Twitter background is that not all viewers have the same monitor size and resolution settings. The Twitter menu, logo and frame are floating over the background so they will centre on any screen. This will change the amount of viewable space either side of the main panel.
Some of the popular resolutions are: 800×600, 1024×768, 1280×800

The 1024x768 is what I would recommend that the design should be targeted for. The space at the left of the main twitter frame is the best for your visual branding the remainder is free to be filled with graphics or colour.

Dimension Detail

Use Adobe Photoshop to open the downloadable template (link at bottom of this post)
Fill the full 1600x1200 pixels with your design. If you want to use a smaller space be sure to fade out or edge with a matched background colour in the settings to ensure colour continuity.
Use the 1024x768 pixel space to contain the most impact as this will be the most visible space to the majority of viewers.
Use the “Viable Branding Space” shown in yellow on the left of the template space to create your branding or message impact (123x658 pixel area)
Ensure that you optimise the image to ensure a fast download when viewed. (less that 100kb is recommended)

To download the free Adobe Photoshop Template visit our website here.

The problem with time

2010-02-22T10:44:00.000+13:00

The problem in business is time, or the perceived lack of it. I say perceived because I am not convinced my issue is real, its really one of my own design.

I just read a blog post citing the problem with New Zealand businesses is owner/managers try to do too much themselves and don’t outsource to experts. It was once a quality that we “can do” kiwis were admired for, rolling up our sleeves and mucking in. Perhaps if I hadn’t read the post I could have saved some time, I would have saved even more time by not checking the emails that resulted in guiding me to the LinkedIn forum in the first place.

I am going to make this post short, I am short of time and have a “to do” list that is growing by the minute. I wouldn’t say I have a time management problem; my issue is I have to be more productive and do the work that is going to pay. Given that I derive most of my income as a consultant that means doing things for other people has to take a higher priority.

My own marketing, much of which is social media engagement then tends to suffer. I stay off twitter, I haven’t blogged for weeks, I haven’t recently provided feedback on any of the forums I visit and I guess those mentor clients can wait another day.

Of course cash flow is the critical thing, if we had an abundance of it I would maybe outsource some work, but we all know finding good people to outsource to and then engaging with them takes time too doesn’t it.

The problem with time is it is finite; we only have so much in a day, a week, before the next deadline. One thing is for sure we will eventually run out of it. When we look back our greatest regret can only be that we have regrets we didn’t make better use of it.

I’m glad I read that blog today, I’m pleased with myself for writing this, and it was quite easy really because I made the time to do so.

Part 5 - Social Media For Business - Who has control?

2010-01-25T11:19:00.000+13:00

Before you actually start to engage in using Social Media some serious consideration should be made to who within your organisation or company has the mandate to manage the portfolio.

Those who currently maintain the marketing and communications responsibilities may be the best port of call initially. They have your brand and marketing direction as their primary focus, are often technically aware, already manage the website updates and email communications - so the social media platforms should align nicely. The greatest requirement to maintaining a successful engagement is time so this should be allocated not just added on to an existing workload without proper consideration.

Now is a good time to set the parameters of the engagement and some measurable outcomes to be sure that everyone’s expectations are able to be reviewed and qualified. It may also be the ideal time to initiate a formal Social Media policy so everyone within the company doesn’t get the wrong idea of what acceptable use of the online medium is, and get a better understanding of who is responsible for what, when and why. Remember you are using the web as a serious business tool, not to entertain staff and fill in time.

This is a good time to consider engagement of some external assistance to help you with your planning and possibly implementation process. The opportunity is to get some independent and impartial advice and expertise free from any emotional or political connection to your business.

Social Media consultants seem to be popping up with increasing frequency so trying to qualify their “expert” status let alone what value they will bring to the table can be difficult. While having thousands of friends on Facebook and approaching “whale” status on Twitter (10,000 followers) does demonstrate a high level of commitment to Social Media it doesn’t demonstrate any businesses development experience or acumen.

As with any advisor look for experience in your sector, testimonials and recommendations that you can authenticate and importantly a person that shares your values and goals that you can get along with and trust. Always keep in mind that it’s your business, Social Media is a method of communication and engagement that must be honestly representative of that.

Whatever the decision, be sure your Social Media portfolio manager is a good communicator, is mature enough to understand that what they say can have long term ramifications to the business image, and are responsible enough to ensure that your brand and its values are understood, respected and maintained to the highest standard at all times.

How To Follow The Twitter Madness

2010-01-19T14:33:00.000+13:00

Twitter can be as frustrating as it is powerful and engaging. Because there is so much opinion and commentary most of the content is either not relevant to you, pointless or space filling nonsense. To get the most out of Twitter you have to decide what it is you want from it.

If it is ideas, reference or inspiration then just log into your web based Twitter account at a frequency that suits you (once an hour, once a day, once a week) and watch what people are saying. If something is of interest don’t be afraid to engage them in a conversation. Don’t forget to use their @TheirTwitterName in the tweet (post) otherwise they won’t know you are directing the comment at them. While you are logged in take a moment to see who is following you and if they look credible, follow back. It is in this way your portfolio of followers will grow. Remember it takes time and it’s not a popularity contest.

If you want to use Twitter for a more specific purpose such as track comments about your business, your industry or competitor then one of the many 3rd party products will be useful. I would recommend TweetDeck as one of the better applications I’ve seen. It does require a download and a small amount of setup. Once in place you can Tweet from your computer desktop, set up customised searches, receive and send messages from multiple Twitter accounts and also update other applications like your FaceBook. MySpace and LinkedIn.

One of the core features of Twitter is that you can send and receive from your cellphone. Not difficult to set up and I would suggest a handy tool if there is something that happens while your are out and about that you just have to share. Again there are numerous 3rd party applications that can enhance this feature, adding pictures using Twitpic being one example. Unless you have lots of time or a specific reason I can think of few reasons why anyone would want all the tweets on their feed sent to their phone. The cost of these mobile updates will cost you depending on you data plan, I would advise you check with your Telco provider before you get carried away.

When it comes to building your own list, take your time and apply some degree of strategy to who you follow. You can’t choose who follows you but you have every right to decide who to add to your follow list. Unless you are extremely famous or popular you will have to build your following gradually and in sync with how many follow you.

Because effective social media engagement still involves trust and honesty do not be tempted to use automated list builders, it’s not a numbers game and you can risk being regarded as an insincere waste of space spammer. The “auto message your new followers” feature offered by some of these tools is basically spam and should be avoided. As a result of this annoying practice I now never bother to check my DM (Direct Message) folder.

I have more than one account to ensure I can target my audience more effectively. With my personal account @craignetworker I will follow anyone who looks credible and offers advice or genuine content. My business account @MondayMorningNZ is more specific in that I follow predominantly NZ businesses and people who give sound Social Media or business information. Other accounts are more specific like @WineryNZ which is specific to people in the wine industry.

To understand Twitter better you need to think of it as a conversation. Make your posts conversational like you are talking to a real person. Think less about “what are you doing?” as what the original twitter question posed and more on “what can you add to the conversation?”

If you find you are getting hard-sell messages and mindless drivel don’t hesitate in un-following the offender.

When your lists builds to a size that the core group you liked to listen to and engage with melt into obscurity, then use the group filter function built into the twitter browser or featured in applications like Tweetdeck to filter them back into the foreground. If you want to find people who are local, in your industry or discussing particular topics try the advanced search features on http://search.twitter.com.

Finally shorten web links using http://bit.ly to help reduce the character count (you only have 140) and to offer a mind blowing amount of click through statistics.

Most of all enjoy Twitter, discover its power and develop your own strategy by watching, listening and engaging with others who offer their wisdom and experience.

Part 4 – Social Media for Business – When do I begin?

2010-01-05T14:08:00.000+13:00

Did you make a resolution for the coming year or did you simply not bother because you felt it was just a waste of time and energy?

We have just started a new year and it is traditionally when we take some time away from our business. It is the time to reflect on what we have achieved over the past year and affirm what our expectations and goals are for the coming year. Most importantly though, and often overlooked, it is the time to set some achievable actions that will turn the goals into reality.

Few would claim last year was an easy one for business. Taking an optimistic point of view, it has forced us to look long and hard at our business models and come up with ways to improve on the bottom line. As a result, if you have made good decisions then ultimately you and your business will benefit as the economy improves.

No matter what business sector you represent you must have acknowledged that your relationship with the customer is an important factor to your sustainability. Foot traffic and frontage are no longer a primary solution, customers want to know they are not only getting value but they are themselves valued. To achieve this we must listen, we must communicate, engage and share our expertise in a way that was not only unattainable to previous generations but unimaginable.

Saying Social Media is not for me is just the same as those before you refusing to use the telephone, the fax, the mobile phone, email and websites as they became accessible. Sure your business may survive without some or all of these things but you will be a rare and probably much endangered exception to the rule. Social Media, like past advancements in technology, are marketing and communications channels that customers expect you to use, for their convenience not your own.

If you haven’t done so already, the time to incorporate Social Media into your customer communications and marketing strategy is now. It is not a quick fix, in fact quite the opposite. Building your networks, preparing your platforms to align with you brand and values and developing the resources to ensure you can maintain meaningful and ongoing interaction is extremely time consuming. Cheesy analogies of conquering huge obstacles by taking small steps may be appropriate but I will assume by reading this far you have got the point. The sooner you come to term with Social Media’s potential and your advantages and limitations the better off you will be in the long term.

So do start now, take small and careful steps. Get some advice, read, follow and friend those in the know. Do start to watch and listen to what is going on and only then you will begin to understand what the opportunities and risks that relate to you and your business are.

There is no one hat that fits all, thankfully that is what will continue to give us our uniqueness and our point of difference.

Happy New Year.

Merry Christmas and thanks for all you have done for us.

2009-12-21T10:52:00.000+13:00

Merry Christmas and thank you from the team at MondayMorning.Biz for the part you have played in our past year.

Given this was our first year under the new brand MondayMorning we have been pleasantly surprised at how much engagement we have had from a diverse cross section of businesses despite the doom and gloom of the global financial recession.

A big part of our success was due to how many of you realised immediately that the online communication platforms and Social Media strategies we are presenting on in our webinars, traditional workshops, consultations and conference engagements were integral to the future of your own businesses.

We have had some notable achievements over the past months including becoming a Partner Patron of Business Mentors NZ, preferred supplier and associate of The Corporate Toolbox and webinar provider for their popular “Meet the Expert Series”. We are regular blog contributors to Business Blogs, been busy working alongside organisations like the Business Excellence Foundation NZ, The National Speakers Association of NZ and the Regional Tourism Organisations of NZ to name just a few.

We are very excited about moving into the New Year as we will be placing even greater emphasis on Social Media Strategies for business. If you know of anyone who needs guidance and hands on assistance in this area tell them to give us a call.

Again thank you for your part in making us a success and we look forward to working alongside you in 2010 and beyond.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from

Russell, Roger, Helen and Craig

P.S. Oh it wouldn’t be Christmas without a little gift. Kick your business New Year off with a FREE webinar from the MondayMorning and Corporate Toolbox Team in a 1 hour no charge “Meet the Expert” webinar on the topic of “How to make money online” (January 27th at 9am – book now we are limiting spaces)

More info and registration form here

The reason social media is so difficult for most organizations

2009-12-15T11:02:00.000+13:00

As so often in life and certainly on the web wisdom comes from the insight of others. This is from the online marketing guru Seth Godin and sums up in just a few words what we need to understand when we start engaging in the Social Media space.

It's a process, not an event.

Dating is a process. So is losing weight, being a public company and building a brand.

On the other hand, putting up a trade show booth is an event. So are going public and having surgery.

Events are easier to manage, pay for and get excited about. Processes build results for the long haul.

More of Seth’s wisdom can be found on his blog at http://sethgodin.typepad.com/

Social Media Return on Investment Examples and Video

2009-12-06T10:53:00.000+13:00

Measuring the return on investment (ROI) with Social Media is not an easy proposition given the complexity of what the medium potentially represents. What it is not is just another channel of advertising or promotion. Because of this we cannot compare with traditional mediums so how do we measure it?

Many of us are still learning ways to make it work, many are still watching from the sidelines and an alarming majority still haven’t even considered it as part of their business.

This video from the team at www.socialnomics.net has a few examples of the thought leaders that stuck out their necks and taken giant leaps forward (and a catchy tune to boot)

Part 3: Social Media for Business – What on earth is it?

2009-11-24T15:17:00.000+13:00

I have approached this series first looking at “Why bother with Social Media”, now we move to “What it is”. Social Media is not a single product nor is it a one size fits all process. Social Media is less of a thing and more of a “way” of engaging with your stakeholders.

To appreciate the full benefit of this medium you need to take a step back and review the way that you approach your business communication at every level. There are plenty of reasons why Social Media and Social Networking need to be considered with some urgency for your business but there is one that stands out and should be reason enough;

“The way your customers are talking and listening has changed so if you don’t want to loose them to a savvier competitor you’d better keep up.”

There has been a paradigm shift in the way we access information and make our purchasing decisions both domestically and commercially. This has been the result of our relatively recent access to the internet at high speed (broadband), access to reliable sources of up to the minute information (Social Media) and real time collaborative discussion with our peers (Social Networking).

No longer are we at the whim of the PR and advertising executives who traditionally influenced our spending by coming up with clever slogans, catchy jingles or by dominating the premium media spots on TV, magazines and newsprint. In today’s highly competitive consumer society, when we want to purchase, to engage professional services, to travel or to be entertained we will ask our friends online and consult with our virtual networks as to what they would recommend and suggest. The key point here is if you are not part of that conversation you cannot be an influence to its direction and relevance to your own business.

There are many definitions of Social Media; here are a couple that I think are adequate for this conversation:

Social Media: are collections of data and information that is developed collaboratively and/or shared interactively amongst individuals or groups. Examples include Blogs, Wikis, and shared Bookmarks.

Social Networking: is the use of process and technology to support the discovery, formation and maintenance of personal and professional relationships. Examples include Facebook, Bebo, MySpace, LinkedIn and Twitter.

From a business perspective Social Media is a double edged sword. The majority of platforms are free and yet to get the best out of them there is a significant time investment required which comes at a cost to internal resourcing. There is a good argument for external outsourcing of this service but that will have to wait for a later post.

There are a few don’ts that have to be considered from the outset to avoid a very costly mistake made by many before you. Your brand and its values have been built up over many years so do not hand your most precious communications opportunity to the office junior just because he/she has a thousand Facebook friends and “knows all about it”. Your brand image must be maintained and communication made to a standard that reflects your goals, this can be undone and turned against you with poor judgement and business inexperience.

Don’t be too hasty to engage but engage you must. First watch and listen, in time you will be in a position to contribute and ultimately benefit. This needs to be approached as a long term strategy that takes planning and sound business advice that aligns directly with the existing goals of your organisation.

Here we expose the essential key to success, “strategy” and “planning” are fundamental to an effective social media campaign. The sad reality for many businesses is they have done little, and sometimes nothing in the way of formal planning making its application confusing, ineffective and potentially demoralising to all involved.

The best approach to any strategy session is to engage someone external who knows how to facilitate the entire procedure, to guide the conversation and bring out the most in every rank and personality that has anything to do with your operation.

Engagement and participation of the entire team is important, they all have something different to offer and if engaged in the process will take ownership and be a valuable contributor and active participant in the organisations future.

What does this have to do with Social Media you may ask, have we steered off subject? If you think we have then you are not in this for the long haul and will become quickly disillusioned with Social Media as a serious communications and promotional platform. Once you have a clear direction on what it is you want to achieve for your business only then can look to what products will suit your needs best.

Part 2: Social Media for Business – Why Bother?

2009-11-05T14:13:00.000+13:00

You want to make more money don’t you? No matter what business you are in or what industry you represent the majority of us have one goal - to provide a product or service to a customer in exchange financial remuneration. It may be an over simplification but the fundamental exchange of goods for cash is what makes our collective survival and sustainability possible – both as a business and as individuals.

Business can be difficult even in the best of times, there are few of us, especially during a global financial recession, who can say that things are easy and life is a breeze right now. When times are good there is a tendency for corners to be cut, product quality and service levels to be not so closely monitored and staff or management not always being expected to perform to their greatest potential. Worst of all is customer service is way down on the list of priorities. Its times like now we start to comprehend the impact this is having on our business.

Taking any existing customer or potential client for granted is a big mistake.

Human nature and to some extent situational circumstances creates customer loyalty and with it desirable repeat business and referral. Look to your own purchasing habits to validate this. Where do you buy your bread and milk? Where do you fuel your car? Where do you get your hair cut? Now ask yourself, why?

Is it the quality of the service, the product, the price, or is it that you are made to feel valued when you give them your custom? What would it take for this purchasing habit to be changed? Would it be the result of their poor performance, bad service, a betrayal of the trust or would it be that someone else has made you feel more valued or offered you a better deal?

Customer loyalty is primarily about the relationship you have with the person who you exchange your hard earned cash with, you may even pay a premium price for your milk when you know the shopkeeper welcomes you by name, takes the time to listen or does something out of the blue that makes you or your family feel special or important. It may be as simple as stocking your favourite ice-cream, giving the kids a sweet free of charge once in a blue moon or remembering something you told him in passing like the date of your birthday.

I don’t have to convince you this is true, you know it is. So why do we fail to apply this simple logic to our own businesses and how we manage our own customer base.

The way we buy, the way we communicate has recently changed dramatically as a result of Social Media because we have a global communication network that never existed even a few years ago at our disposal. This change in the way we use the internet and the World-Wide-Web is why we now collectively refer to it as Web 2.0. Accessing this information and the live and interactive opinion of others is easilier, increasingly affordable, ubiquitous and portable. The size of this customer market - the digitally aware and proactive - is now too large to ignore and growing at an exponential rate. To put some perspective on this, if Facebook were a country it would be the 4th most populated in the world.

The question proposed here is, why should you bother with Social Media for your business?

Put simply, ignore it at your peril because leaving it to later may just be to late.

Your existing and potential customers are seeking the opinion and getting feedback from each other on many, if not most of their buying decisions right now. They are doing this via Facebook, in Twitter on YouTube and in their own blogs.

Paradoxically it’s the old fashioned values of maintaining conversations, keeping customers updated and informed, making them feel valued and allowing your advocates tell others about your great service is what makes the emerging social media communications strategies a success in both PR and financial return for businesses of all sizes.

The number one rule to remember is that social media are above all, a social tool. Our usual social norms apply just as well in the offline world, and this means treating customers with respect, being open and transparent, and being interesting and engaging.

Sure its going to take time, there are learning curves to be experienced and some tough decisions to be made - but the only thing you can’t afford to do is wait. Social Media is a long game, not a quick fix. If you are not participating, like the corner store who doesn’t understand the value of good service, your customers will simply drive on by and spend their money elsewhere.

Part 1: Social Media for Business - why, what, when, who, and how?

2009-10-06T14:54:00.000+13:00

It’s not surprising business people are confused by Social Media. It’s been thrust upon us and heralded by some as the only way to communicate and the demise of traditional media. Yet do any of us really understand why we should bother, let alone what we are dealing with or how this will make a difference to our business?

I have been engaged in online marketing for many years; I have seen what can be done with good online marketing campaigns and witnessed plenty of failures. Websites are fundamentally easy to understand; they are a system and a product, more aligned with traditional media than this emerging new media landscape.

Websites have been part of the business toolkit since the first one was published some 18 years ago and since then they have essentially remained the same - structured information portals with a set of predetermined outcomes, “See Me”, “Try Me”, “Buy Me” … me, me, me.

The fundamental change as a result of Social Media is you. You are no longer an observer, you are a participant, you have a voice and your voice can make quite a difference to the conversation that is taking place … you, you, you.

Because Social Media and the endless array of applications that support it are so new there are few trusted, let alone tested best practice methodologies in place for us to apply to our businesses with any degree of confidence.

We are starting to see conflicting messages adding the fuel of uncertainty about “is this for me” with stories of damaged reputations and brands pouring water on the initial fires of enthusiasm we may have experienced.

Yet the unprecedented growth in the global use of Social Media is hard to ignore for any opportunity hungry entrepreneur and commercially savvy business person. In essence this is why many of us are struggling with the concept of Social Media engagement from a business perspective; it seems we are damned if we do and more damned if we don’t. Perhaps the answer eludes us because we haven’t yet determined what the question is.

One question we do have to ask ourselves right now is - what will be the short and long term impact on my business if I do nothing?

The greatest burden to most business people is their lack of spare time. We are so busy creating new products or dealing with customer demands that adding something new to the business model invariably won’t be on anyone’s top priority list. To be attractive in the short term existing problems need to be eliminated or improved cash flow achieved and is Social Media able to deliver on either of these demands?

I have been experimenting with blogs, managed several twitter accounts for myself and clients, I have experimented with social networks ranging from LinkedIn to Facebook, hosted webinars, dabbled with video and podcasts, listened to the experts and spoken to the uninitiated. The outcome of this is I still have more questions than answers.

To create some clarity for myself, and I hope for you too I am going to approach this as series of questions related to Social Media and how it applies to business over the coming weeks. Why, what, when, who, and last but by no means least, how?

Being a series on Social Media and its impact on our businesses your involvement is not only important but essential. Please do not hesitating in giving me your thoughts, ideas and opinions so we can share and learn together.

The Social Media Tourist

2009-09-30T19:12:00.000+13:00

When it comes to planning travel, people generally trust what other people say about their experience of accommodation, tours, dining and related activities. When a traveler has had a great experience they immediately share it with friends and family, human nature it seems requires them to broadcast to a wider audience about poor experiences.

Because of emerging digital social networks these items get shared and referenced by a much larger audience which can range from a few hundred to many thousands of individuals.

For operators inside the tourist trade the question is not whether your business, your competitor, or your industry is being discussed - it is part of a global conversation taking place right now. The question now must be are you going participate in that conversation or not?

I have the good fortune of presenting tomorrow at the e-Tourism Conference in Wellington on the topic of Social Media.

We are following this up with two free webinars called “The Social Media Tourist” for those at the conference or anyone wanting to know more on how Social Media can impact on your business. Go to our website here for more detail and to register.

When the Penny Drops – Paradigm Shifts.

2009-09-07T13:33:00.000+12:00

We’ve all had an “Ah-ha!” experience at some stage, you know the “when the penny drops” moment. Today’s Web2.0 business environment is still such an unknown quantity to many it’s little wonder the penny hasn’t dropped there for a large majority. This isn’t helped much when up and coming marketing stars scramble to reinvent old ideas by cloaking them with trendy new terminology and jargon. Making sense of it all can be frustratingly confusing.

Don’t panic, for inspiration in our personal and business direction it can be comforting and rewarding to look back at some of the old masters of business thought leadership.

One of my first memorable “Ah-ha!” moments was brought about from Napoleon Hill’s best selling masterpiece “Think and Grow Rich”. Inspired by a suggestion from Scottish-American billionaire Andrew Carnegie this book was first published in 1937 during the Great Depression. Like many quality business authors this was not just an opinion but a gathering of wisdom and best practice from decades of research. So powerful was its message to me, it literally changed my life. I changed vocation from being a mechanical engineer and headed into the advertising field almost overnight, a complete shift in personal and professional direction from which I have never looked back.

Another visionary master of literary genius from a business perspective is Stephen Covey. I was revisiting his “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” yesterday and in his first chapter the commentary on “the Power of a Paradigm” really struck a chord with me.

We take from the guidance of others what we choose to. For each of us what is presented and recommended can mean completely different things. Covey refers to this influence as a series of personal paradigms not unlike a road map, and like any maps they are only as good as the information they contain. If we place too much reliance in flawed maps we will be misguided or worse, lost forever.

Covey goes on to say that there are two types of map amongst the many we mentally use to guide ourselves, one set covers realities, the real world stuff, and the other relates to the way things should be, our values. This reinforces what I consistently advocate as part of my business mentoring sessions. I emphasise the importance of a good strategic planning process to help guide company owners through business uncertainties. I always accentuate the importance of identifying and maintaining their list of personal values as an ultimate guide.

What I like about Covey is he does not preach, he takes advise from others, he reads others work profusely and after many years of making mistakes and successes from real world experience has made his own conclusions. These he shares with his readers with an eloquence and conviction that I admire.

This importance of understanding the power of the paradigm and ultimately the “Ah-ha!” moments that contribute to “paradigm shifts” is highlighted beautifully in this piece that I will quote Covey on. It illustrates nicely how we look at things differently, make our own conclusions and are the only ones who can change our lives, our business and our world for the better by being a more positive influence.

Add to this how the smallest piece of information can completely change our point of view and it is a powerful demonstration of the theory in action.

To quote Covey from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

“I remember a mini-paradigm shift I experienced one Sunday Morning on a Subway in New York. People were sitting quietly – some reading newspapers, some lost in thought, some resting with their eyes closed. It was a calm, peaceful scene.

Then suddenly, a man and his children entered the subway car. The children were so loud and rambunctious that instantly the whole climate changed.

The man sat down next to me and closed his eyes, apparently oblivious to the situation. The children were yelling back and forth, throwing things, even grabbing people's papers. It was very disturbing. And yet, the man sitting next to me did nothing.

It was difficult not to feel irritated. I could not believe that he could be so insensitive as to let his children run wild like that and do nothing about it, taking no responsibility at all.

It was easy to see that everyone else on the subway felt irritated, too. So finally, with what I felt was unusual patience and restraint, I turned to him and said, "Sir, your children are really disturbing a lot of people. I wonder if you couldn't control them a little more?"

The man lifted his gaze as if to come to a consciousness of the situation for the first time and said softly, “Oh you're right. I guess I should do something about it. We just came from the hospital where their mother died about an hour ago. I don't know what to think, and I guess they don't know how to handle it either."

Are you planning to fail your business?

2009-08-10T11:09:00.000+12:00

No-one goes into business planning to fail - do they? I was reading some quotations yesterday and one from Michael Gerber really got me thinking,

“Why is it that with all the information available today on how to be successful in small business, so few people really are?”

In this enlightened communications age we have all the answers and advise on business best practice easily accessible, yet we still blunder headlong into the unknown with the kiwi catch phrase “she’ll be right mate” on hand to justify our lack of direction. The old saying fail to plan, plan to fail is unnervingly accurate in business and sadly a primary factor in the failure or failed potential of many ventures. All the information in the world is of little use to anyone unless it is verified, filtered, and recorded in an easy to reference and easier to follow road map.

I have had the good fortune to be CEO of a large business organisation that trained and networked with a wide cross section of the business community. I am still a business mentor, volunteering my time to give advice and assistance to those evolved enough to seek it. I’ve even had the honour on a number of occasions to be a judge at regional business and export awards, digging deep into what makes successful business tick. What does makes the thriving business stand out from the mediocre is they know what they are doing, why they are doing it and who has the responsibility for making this happen. Simply put they have a strategy (Direction) and a business plan (Actions) that support it. Sustainable growth and development can only be achieved by structured and formal planning that is committed to paper and revisited often.

Many businesses may have done a token business plan during start up phase to appease their bank manager or accountant, this they would have then filed and never given a second glance. Even fewer have even contemplated, yet attempted a formal strategic planning process, dismissing this as something done by “big business”.

Small to Medium Enterprise (SME) are a significant contributor to employment and the New Zealand economy. Being small gives them an advantage over larger businesses in that they can react to market, consumer, fiscal and environmental changes much quicker than their generously proportioned counterparts. Change can be seen by some as threatening and challenging, but executed correctly it is an opportunity. This can only be realised or even contemplated when business finances, processes and staffing are carefully monitored, evaluated and maintained in readiness for this opportunity.

Business Plan vs Strategic Plan

Writing a business plan is different from strategic planning. A business plan is developed when something new is proposed - a business or a product/service line within a business. Strategy looks to growth while business planning looks to beginnings.

Without a strategy your business has no direction. While strategic planning shouldn't be all you do in your business, it should be an integral part of it. Every action taken should fit with the direction you want the business to go - so every action should be in alignment with your strategy. That means every employee knows the strategy and understands their part in making it happen - and in helping change it, if that is needed. No strategy should be set in stone. It needs to be revisited and revised at regular intervals, again related to how quickly your industry is changing.

It is not possible to do justice to the right and wrongs of the planning process. The message here is it must be done, and done sooner than later. Search online or seek the advice of a professional to assist you through the strategic planning process. The latter is probably preferable if your budget allows given an independent facilitator can give impartial and non-emotive advice to help you step back and address the real issues associated to the development of you business. And you must be involved throughout the process, if you aren’t committed and passionate about the direction of your business no-one else is going to be.

Social Media for Business - Want to know what, why or how?

2009-08-07T11:20:00.000+12:00

Companies have been using social media primarily as a general communications tool - mostly for public relations and marketing and that’s about to change.

Businesses are now discovering its real value as an essential tool for customer engagement- providing lead generation, immediate customer contact, and customer interaction.

The use of social media now surpasses e-mail as the most popular Internet activity with two-thirds of the world’s Internet users having visited a social networking site in 2008.

“It is where your customers are now and it is significantly influencing the way they are making their purchasing decisions.”

Because more people are using sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Blogs and Wikipedia, companies are discovering that properly executed social media marketing strategies are opening up new avenues to engage prospects, customers, potential employees and the media.

Want to know more of how to use Social Media in Business?

Our popular webinar series “Gateway to Web 2.0” is a no nonsense three webinar series at just $95NZ (Plus GST) a small investment with a huge return. Participation includes a “Social Media Strategy Workbook” and a “Get going on Social Media Task Sheet” at no extra cost.

Places are limited to enable good interaction with participants and dates are scheduled based on registration demand. Secure a place now by registering your interest here

This workshop is aimed at the ordinary business person who is short on time and has an ever diminishing marketing budget in an increasingly competitive marketplace. Find out how you can make the most of the free tools available to take your product or service global, how to keep in touch with an expanding customer base and get referral you had previously thought impossible.

Click here and register now.

Six, five, four, three, two degrees of separation, Blast off with LinkedIn

2009-07-19T19:25:00.000+12:00

The concept of six degrees of separation, sometimes referred to as "the human web" has applied to human social engagement for many years. According to a new mobile provider; "in New Zealand everyone knows someone, who knows someone who knows them," making it two degrees of separation.

Let's take two reasonably topical subjects of late, swine flu and that massive $36 million lotto prize draw. A good friend of mine was UNLUCKY enough to be one of the first to catch the dreaded H1N1 after a trip to the States and another friend LUCKY enough to win big in the record breaking prize pool after a trip to the post shop. That's only one degree of separation so there really is something in this expanding circle of personal acquaintances theory.

This has to be good for business right? One of the most powerful tools for business growth is referral from established networks. In days of old (that's pre 90's before the World Wide Web) it was all down to word of mouth and exchanging of business cards at the local Chamber of Commerce function, the proverbial who's who of the old boys club.

Thanks to Social Media and the expansions of Web 2.0 communities that's all changed forever. The degree of separation between you and your next customer, associate or collaborator in business is closer than you may expect. Now, if only there was a way of managing your contacts and understanding their linkages, mutual acquaintances, spheres of influence and areas of interest. Mix this in with an orderly structure of discussions and a way of permission based communication and wouldn't that just be perfect?

You already know the answer - there is the perfect solution - it's easy to engage in, it's being used by millions of professionals worldwide with rave review, and best of all its free. It's called LinkedIn and can be found at www.linkedin.com

LinkedIn is a business-oriented social networking site launched in May 2003 used predominantly for professional networking. It has more than 43 million registered users spanning 170 industries from 200 countries and territories around the world.

The purpose of LinkedIn is to allow registered users to maintain a list of contact details of people they know and trust in business. The people in the list are called Connections. Users can invite anyone, whether a LinkedIn user or not, to become a connection. The site shows you what connections you have in common with other people and to what degree of separation you have with other users. You can use this information to seek introductions with mutually acquainted people and keep informed of introductions being made within your own circle of connections.

This "Facebook for Grown-ups" is feature rich with groups, discussion forums, jobs opportunities, collaborative initiatives and more. My only piece of advice is if you are in business then establish a profile now and start linking with people you do business with. Do not be concerned about the number of connections you have, focus instead on quality relationships and enjoy the networking potential and opportunity this product will reward you and your business with.

Do we have the right to switch off the machine?

2009-07-17T13:14:00.000+12:00

A business acquaintance, Dr. Roy Davies asked the question on his blog recently, “Whether a machine that displays all the outward signs of life is actually alive and do we have the right to turn it off?”

I know Roy understands machines; as a computer scientist/engineer he has a deep understanding of human factors and usability issues which he has applied to numerous Virtual Reality and Internet applications.

This questions has been circulating the online world for a while now and it is a very thought provoking one. Just because a machine imitates life and develops an ability to learn and reason does that make a it alive? It's hard to enter this conversation without sounding like a conspiracy theorist but we also have to match this question with "when does the machine decide we are redundant or worse a threat?" If you really need to research this then there are plenty of science fiction themes (iRobot, Terminator, Transformers, Matrix) that explore this concept.

It’s not an outlandish claim with historic evidence such as Moore’s Law and the progress of technology that what we can imagine will be reality before long.

I would go as far as saying we need to make all machines with off switches as standard and be wary of anyone who argues otherwise.

Saving the Planet one meeting at a time.

2009-07-13T11:14:00.000+12:00

I wouldn’t describe myself as a greenie but taking an interest in our environment and the impact carbon emissions and congestion has on our lives shouldn’t need a label. Just look at the effect school holidays has on travel times in Auckland. There seems to be half the traffic and getting around is considerably more effective and less stressful.

I am a realist so understand issues facing us all because of commuting necessity, but if we all did one thing a day that resulted in one less trip in the car the impact would be significant. With about 652,000 cars in Auckland alone that is a lot of fuel and emission that could be eliminated.

This blog is not entirely altruistic, it does so happen that our company has a way that can easily remedy that time consuming and costly travel time to meetings, training and presentations.

Our company, MondayMorning, uses emerging web based technologies (Web 2.0) to educate business people about more effective communications without the cost and environmental impact of travel. Cloud computing and Webinars are just two examples of tools we utilise that can not only reduce the carbon footprint of a business but significantly improve communication efficiencies, team collaboration and ultimately the culture of an organisation. Reducing costs, improving efficiencies and helping our environment has to be a win win.

Talk to us about joining one of our business training webinars, hosting your own or getting our help and advice in getting to grips with this technology.

And as a footnote this post was inspired by a website I was directed to on twitter this weekend. It’s a New Zealand social marketing campaign to create awareness about our carbon emission responsibilities called “Sign On”. Over 65,000 New Zealanders have already Signed On, from Lucy Lawless, Stephen Tindall and Cliff Curtis through to Rhys Darby and of course, me too... Take a look and if you think you would like to add your voice then do so here http://www.signon.org.nz/join-me/77786173

Social Media In Plain English

2009-07-08T10:52:00.000+12:00

There are a lot of explanations about what Social Media is, and what isn't. In fact the growth of Social Media itself has enabled this to become one of the most popular and talked about topics of all time.

There is no real secret to using Social Media (beware of those selling them at "buy now" prices), it just comes down to what environment makes you comfortable, what tools we like to use and finding a "community", "tribe", "clan" or "gathering" that makes you welcome, safe and relevant. Once this has been achieved then you can engage, speak your mind, share your knowledge and learn from those who share in your passion, interests and opportunities.

Social Media has created a shift in the way we can conduct our business. The old outward marketing technique of broadcasting your message to the wind is no longer viable or affordable on most SME's working budget. We as consumers have too much distraction, too many TV channels, publications, radio stations and can flick from one to another at choice. In fact surveys of teens show that they are turning off the TV and turning more to their computers.

The internet is maturing beyond a tool for research to an integrated communications and entertainment portal thanks to better connectivity and cheaper and increasingly mobile hardware.

I found inspiration today through a NZ based website called Business Blogs, recommended to me by a friend, a great read and a good source of information written by everyday people like you and me.

And it was there I found this nice explanation of Social Media using an analogy of one of my favourite things, ice-cream.. Enjoy

Are you ready to start blogging yet? If not get reading some …

2009-06-15T10:10:00.000+12:00

Are you considering writing a Blog? From a business perspective Blogs can be a goldmine if aligned correctly with your other communications and marketing initiatives. Easy to say, much harder to put into practice, first you have to ask yourself “why am I doing this and do I have something of value to say?" Social media commentators talk about the need of “establishing yourself as a thought leader”. This quite simply is demonstrating to your readers that you are an expert on a given topic and worth their time investment.

We can compare bloggers to traditional newspaper columnists because it’s the same principle. You attract readers because your opinion is some or all of the following; educational, thought provoking, inspirational, controversial, motivational or entertaining. If you don’t capture the attention of the readers first time they will move on, possibly to your direct competitor.

There’s plenty of theory and instruction by well seasoned professionals on how to write a great blog. Some basic concepts you have to consider include maintaining some consistency in your message, your writing style, publishing frequency and of course the topic. A great advantage with the self published Blog is you can inject some personality, be yourself. Always keep in mind you are representing your brand so don’t let that down by getting too personal or controversial and regretting it later. As with any form of publishing it is important to respect others and understand there are codes of conduct inclusive of civil laws and copyright that must be observed. Once you hit the publish button your private thoughts are in the public domain, and you may not only be answerable for what you say but accountable.

The more niche your area of expertise is the easier it is to gain a relevant “following”. Using social mediums like Twitter allows you to target “followers” or readers who have an interest in your area of knowledge and then point them to your blog or website. Any good marketing or communications initiative does require some advance thinking (Strategic Planning) so your time is invested effectively. I’ll be covering more on that at a later date

I read blogs to gain insight into what others are thinking and to alert me to new ideas or products. At last count I subscribe to about 15 Blogs using Google Reader. Technically Google Reader is a Web-based aggregator, capable of reading Atom and RSS feeds online or offline. In plain English it’s a tool for reading Blogs I select at a time that suits me without having to move from one site to another. There are lots of versions of these “RSS Readers” available so just pick one that suits you and subscribe to this or any other blog of your choice.

Here’s a couple of recommended thought leading bloggers to get you going if you have an interest in the Web 2.0 or Social Media environment.

Seth Godin http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/

Copyblogger http://www.copyblogger.com/

Chris Brogan http://www.chrisbrogan.com/

Web Strategy by Jerimiah Owyang http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/

Happy reading

Should you auto DM new followers on Twitter?

2009-06-11T09:20:00.000+12:00

I am writing this because I don’t yet have definitive answers myself. Should I auto DM my new Twitter followers or not?

I have two accounts; there is me as a person @craignetworker, and me as a business @mondaymorningnz and I was considering using the auto DM for the latter to let people know we offer free webinars on the subject of webinars for business.

I have chosen not to auto DM to date because most of the social media gurus I follow and respect most say not to. In fact some go as far as saying that they will un-follow or remove anyone that engages in this practice.

Does this mean I haven’t got value from auto DM’s I’ve received? The answer to that is yes, I have got value, I have followed links that have caught my attention and have learnt and gained valuable information as a result. After all isn’t that the whole idea of marketing, using every opportunity to gain someone’s attention and promote you?

It does come down to what you are using Twitter for. Is it to establish trust and build relationships, or is it to create profile for your business or service.

If you want to engage in long term trusted relationships then I would suggest no to auto DM’s, they come across as insincere and impersonal, because they are. The other down side of this practice is they make the DM inbox ineffective for communication. I get so many I just delete them without reading anymore and tend to focus on my @replies.

If you are looking to promote your brand then give auto DM a try using a product like TweetLater. But one caveat I would put on this is be sure to offer something of real value otherwise it is just spam and time wasting for all concerned.

Please let me know if you have a tried and tested theory on this subject. I would love the hear from you.

Now you are on Twitter: What's next?

2009-06-03T11:59:00.000+12:00

It amazes me how people seem to have such a love hate relationship with Twitter. I have spoken to some very tech savvy, web using, business folk who have flatly refused twitter as part of their marketing strategy. I suspect they will come around eventually.

The analogy I have taken to using lately is that Web 1.0 (or websites filled with static web pages) was a little like filling a library with books. Twitter (and it Web 2.0 cousins) is the equivalent of letting people into that same library and they are excitedly letting each other know what they are finding and where to look for it.

It doesn’t surprise me too that so many people drop off after engaging with it – up to 40%. This from a business perspective should be a good thing as I would suspect that they are predominantly the time wasters who are just filling space with idle noise rather than contributing to any real thread of thought or conversation.

I am experimenting with ways of using twitter for various clients, currently having the greatest impact on specialty subjects like wine presently. More generalist areas such as business I am still unsure of the immediate benefit of Twitter as a tool. Having said that I have noticed increased traffic to our website and blog as a direct result of tweets – there I’ve just answered my own question.

It also has the benefit that randomness brings when the occasional news item or link flashes past that one picks up on. One thing that does rather alarm me is some people are using twitter to communicate. It still blows me away that people send emails and get twitchy if you haven’t replied within two minutes. I barely refer to the twitter DM’s (Direct Messages) any more as they are filled with impersonal auto responds from those I have chosen to follow.

As to where from here, we just need to catch up and find the right box for twitter to fit into, or at least wait until a better box is invented. A recent preview of the Google Wave platform managed to send chills of fear down my spine mingled with curious anticipation of the next generation of email meeting real time texting meeting Web 2.0 interactivity. Now if only I could get this into 140 characters or less I would tweet it…

10 Twitter tools for busy business people – and why.

2009-05-25T08:30:00.000+12:00

My experience with Twitter so far has been predominantly positive. Initial misgivings have moved aside and I have now adopted a more focussed approach to the Twitter potential as a productive business tool.

This potential has been realised by the discovery of some very useful tools that made twitter move from a random jumble of short messages to a massive network of valuable conversation. Twitter has been around for a few years now so if you haven’t engaged yet why bother, right? I would suggest you may want to reconsider.

I guess its a little like Neo’s discovery of the Matrix in the cult classic Wachowski brother trilogy. As Morpheus so eloquently put it” I'm trying to free your mind, Neo. But I can only show you the door. You're the one that has to walk through it. “

We can ignore Twitter as a passing fancy and hope it goes away, but somehow I think its here to stay. If you don’t use it there’s one thing that is for certain, your competition will be using it to their advantage.

Here are ten suggested tools to get you started.

1: Twitter Search

http://search.twitter.com/

A start-up concept that was just last month acquired by Twitter. Use the advanced search features to drill down content by keyword, location, attitude (positive or negative) link content and more.

Business use – target followers who have an interest in your industry, track conversations that have relevance to your business.

2: TweetDeck

http://www.tweetdeck.com

This is my desktop tweet management tool of choice. TweetDeck is your personal browser for staying in touch with what’s happening now, connecting you with your contacts across Twitter, Facebook and more. TweetDeck shows you everything you want to see at once, so you can stay organised and up to date. Also a handy tool for shortening URL’s on the go. Download application for Free.

Business use – Keep track of direct messages and use the search function to track keywords that may have relevance to your business in breal time.

3: Tweetburner

http://tweetburner.com

Tweetburner allows you to track the website links you post on Twitter and find out how many times people clicked on the link. It does this by converting the link to a short URL and tracking how many times this URL was used to transport someone to the destination website.

Business use – Track your messages and know how effective they are.

4: Ping.fm

http://ping.fm

Post your tweets to over 40 social media sites with a single post

Business use – Save time and spread the word.

5: Twitpic

http://twitpic.com

Post photos on Twitter via your phone, and API or from their site.

Business use – A picture tells a thousand words.

6: Tweetstats

http://tweetstats.com

Get a visual graph of your tweet frequency, replies and other detail. For your, or someone else’s account. Nice additional feature is the “twitcloud” showing your most frequent words used in your tweet history.

Business use – Good tools for reporting against your strategy

7: Twist.Flaptor

http://twist.flaptor.com

This Twitter tool shows trends within the Twittersphere by graphing your keyword selection by the date. Just enter in words or concepts separated by a comma, for instance Hillary, Obama, and search. Each item is colour coded, and as you move across the graph, you’ll see numbered comparisons. On the home page you’ll find a list of things that are ‘hot now’ and things that were ‘hot before’.

Business use – See what people are talking about.

8: Twitterlocal

http://twitterlocal.net

Desktop application that allows you to search tweets from a specified location. E.g. within100km from your location.

Business use – Find out who is discussing what in your neighbourhood.

9: Twitterholic

http://twitterholic.com

See where you rank in the Twittersphere overall or by your selected region. Top 100 – Top 1000 – search your profile, or others.

Business use – Great tool for tracking your twitter growth strategy

10: VisibleTweets

http://visibletweets.com

This one is a bit of indulgence, after all even business should involve a bit of escapism and enjoyment on occasion. Great visual tool to display your tweets via some very clever animation, choose letter by letter, rotation or clod.

Business use – This would be great for trade shows or in the waiting room of the office, memorising and attention getting way of displaying your tweets to a passive audience.

Face to face has its place and webinars are great

2009-05-13T13:28:00.000+12:00

The irony of my presentation last Friday was not lost on some of those present. I had travelled several hours in stormy weather to present to a group of business people on the subject of Webinars. "If this technology is so great why are you here" asked one attendee, "Why didn’t you just beam in over the Internet" he continued. From my perspective this was great dialogue because he had got the point of what made webinars so useful.

Yes, I could have done just that, sent a link and been there at the appropriate time to display images and make my pitch over the speaker system. Having said that, and to use the comparison of the telephone, if there is no-one at the other end to pick up I’m not going to have a very productive phone conversation. My purpose of being there was to represent the value of webinars and our organisations services. The other reason I made the effort to be there so willingly in person was to re-establish some old relationships and cement some new ones.

Over the ages new forms of communication have emerged to keep pace with technology and the needs of the few. Cave painting would have been a real conversation piece to several clans of cave people in 10,000BC; the pony express connected the elite in new frontiers, the telegraph made it possible to unite the affluent in expanding empires covering several continents. Commercial reality means modern technology is servicing the needs of not just the few but the many. Telephones, mobiles, skype and email are mainstream communication methods, yet have not, and should not replace the face to face meeting.

Human interaction and relationships are built on more than just information exchange. There is a lot to be gained from looking into someone’s eye and shaking their hand. More evolved individuals will be able to sum you up quite accurately in that moment and know if they will do business with you into the future.

Having said that there is a great case for increased use of new technology, some, like the pony express are made redundant by newer more efficient information delivery. This is usually because its replacement is faster and safer, today’s highway robbers are called hackers and pirates are called, well pirates. Webinars will be replaced one day soon with 3D interactive holographic images simulating more efficiently the face to face experience, the technology exists today so don’t hold your breathe. Webinars or teleconferencing is affordable and relevant to our businesses now. Implementable without huge infrastructural costs they save time, money and reduce our environmental footprint.

A cure for Mondayitus at last.

2009-05-04T09:53:00.000+12:00

Do you suffer from Mondayitus and is there a cure for it? If the best answer you can come up with is Tuesday then you had better read on. If you get excited about the weekend and dread the start of the working week the great news is there is a very simple solution, and that doesn’t mean you have to start hating the weekend too. Like most conditions that are created via a state of mind the best cure is an adjustment to our thinking.

What is it that makes you dread Monday? Hate your job, loosing control of your world, feel like you are going nowhere? The very reason you look forward to the weekend is you have made a plan, you’re off to visit friends, doing some gardening or spending some time with the kids. It maybe in your head or a discussion with your partner but it’s still a plan. Have you done the same for the rest of the week?

Because you have no plan in place for the working week ahead you are achieving everything you have set out for yourself, nothing. Psychologically that’s the kiss of death for motivation and self esteem. You don’t have to be the business owner or CEO to have a business plan in place that you can use, call it a life plan, or even better an avoid Mondayitus plan.

To get started you need to keep this simple. One of the most effective tools for planning is a piece of paper and a pen. Use your diary or a note pad and make a to-do list. Have it prepared the night before and add to the next days list as new ideas or tasks come up. If you don’t achieve something on the list that day don’t beat yourself up, reprioritise it and move it to a day when it can be attended to. You will feel less stress, and importantly you can see what you are achieving and celebrate the milestones. Make big jobs a list on a separate page and break them down into bite sized junks then spread them across your to-do lists.

This may sound a little ho-hum but it works. The challenge for you is to keep at it and make it a habit. You will be blown away by how much you get done and how much more in control you will feel. Leave me a comment if you have a similar or better system that works for you.