Erik Qualman's Blog, page 687
June 28, 2011
Achieve Your Dreams via Digital Means [Video]
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I visit the Field of Dreams in Iowa and it inspires me to share how all of us can achieve are dreams this digital decade.
Recommended Book: Likeable Social Media by Dave Kerpen
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June 27, 2011
Passion, Purpose and Perseverance
I love this title and I thought I knew what it meant until this past year. Recently I made the transition from corporate America and embraced the entrepreneur profession like I never knew I could. I actually inspired myself to make the leap (can I say that?).
I'm swerving off my usual blogging topic of social media to share what I've learned in the process of becoming an entrepreneur. First, I learned how to spell the word correctly (the suffix is spelled with the letters "neur" not "nuer"). In all honesty, I've learned more in the last six months than I have in the last six years. I'm not sure if they teach an "entrepreneur" class in the college ranks but they should. Some of the local entrepreneurs should be encouraged to teach at the surrounding educational institutions because it's a world more people would enter if they knew, and more importantly, believed they could succeed in. By success I' don't mean money but success in terms of transforming a dream, idea or vision into a reality.
I love Howard Thurman's quote "Don't ask what the world needs, ask what makes you come alive and go do that. What the world needs is people who have come alive". I've lived that quote for moments and seasons in my life but never in the professional sense. I didn't really know that I could. Maybe I didn't give myself permission to. Whatever the case maybe, I'm learning now how to turn my passion for technology, social media and entrepreneurship into reality. My social media consulting business is 7 months old and that passion has led to a focused purpose. The purpose? To partner with businesses and build relationships that matter. Business should provide an "experience" for the customer. That's good business. That's the foundation I bring to my consulting. I always looked at entrepreneurship from a distance and with admiration but not much else. Well, not much belief is more accurate.
Now, I am a believer. I'm living my passion and my work has purpose. It offers the ultimate investment (time, money, energy and effort), the ultimate risk (husband and father of three), and the ultimate adventure (never have done this before).
That brings me to perseverance, which, I thought had plenty of experience with. Not so fast. Early into this new chapter in my life I've
realized that this word will take on a whole new meaning for me. I've persevered through down sales cycles and bad managers. I've persevered
through bad jobs and bad companies. I've persevered through a half dozen mergers and acquisitions and even through some bad relationships. Entrepreneurism will test your perseverance like nothing else.
What's become crystal clear to me is that if you don't have a deep passion for what you do, the purpose of you work will not only suffer but will be short lived as well. I've always loved the perseverance story, who doesn't? Movies like Apollo 13, October Sky and Saving Private Ryan are a few good examples where perseverance is the story.
I'm living my passion, my work has purpose and I'm learning how to persevere at a whole new level. Ask yourself some hard questions: Are you doing what you love to do? If not, why? I didn't have the fortitude, the vision or more importantly, the belief that I could make it as
an entrepreneur. That has changed and I hope I get to encourage those in the local schools and colleges that it's not as easy or hard as one might think.
Here's a quote to note: "Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure… than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat" – Teddy Roosevelt
Live your passion, have a purpose and always persevere.
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Social Media Case Study: Audi
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Situation:
Audi was the first Super Bowl commercial to feature a Twitter hashtag (#Progressls). In edition to pushing the hashtag on TV, Audi purchased a Promoted Trend ad from Twitter, and it hired Klout, a startup firm that combs through Twitter and Facebook in search of the most "influential" people online. Audi has a full-time team monitoring its presence on social-media sites, it's constantly posting new content, and it has even held special events for the most devoted members of the online Audisphere
Action:
Klout helped Audi find more than 1,100 people to reach out to about the campaign — 200 of them received an Audi travel mug and flashlight. Klout's Audiphiles tweeted more than 12,000 times about the hashtag, creating a viral chain of Audi-related chatter online. The company then chose the best tweets containing #ProgressIs; the winner, @jetsetbrunette, won a trip to California to test-drive some Audis, and she also got to choose a charity to which Audi donated $25,000.
Result:
The company will readily admit they don't know the exact return on investment. "Today the equation to measure that doesn't exist," says Doug Clark, Audi of America's general manager for social media and customer engagement. However Clark did point to a study by Visibli, a social-marketing analytics company, which recently found that Audi has the most "engaged" fans of any entity on Facebook. Audi's more than 3 million fans apparently a devoted to pushing the brand forward. Most savvy marketers know that social media is a longer term play of building relationships with customers. Just as organic search engine optimization was a long play ten years ago, the smart companies that do social media well today will see "non-trackable" returns in the years to come.
For more details on this please read the great article at Fast Company by Farhad Manjoo
For more case studies please read: http://bre.ad/02vk5r
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June 22, 2011
Social Media Revolution 3 Video – Long Version
Very inspiring week meeting up with Malcolm Gladwell, Ed Bagley Jr., Alan Mulally and Scott Monty in Detroit. Many asked for the longer version of the new Social Media Revolution video. Please find it below – enjoy!
(Video: Watch this video on the post page)
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Students & Social Media: 96% FB | 84% YouTube | 14% Twitter | 10% LinkedIn
Another great study and resulting infographic (see below) from mastersineducation.org showcases that social media and education not only can coexist, but students excel by using social media as a collaboration and education tool. What tools they use the most are also highlighted in the infographic.
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Via:MastersinEducation.org
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June 21, 2011
Students that Use Twitter Score Higher GPAs
In a recent study (see infographic from Master Degree Online below) of 125 students those that used Twitter for educational purposes in the classroom outperformed students using traditional learning methods. Aside from higher GPA's the Twitter enable students were also 2x more engaged in the classroom.
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Via: Masters Degree Guide
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June 20, 2011
Delta Airlines Tweets for Customer Satisfaction
Delta Airlines is not just offering pretzels, peanuts and your choice of inflight beverages. They are also offering a chance to vent using Twitter.
Launched in May 2010, @DeltaAssist Twitter account was set up to address Delta customers in real time. While it's nothing new for airlines to use a Twitter account for marketing purposes, Atlanta based Delta was the first to use social media to immediately tend to customer complaints. Currently, Delta is ranked #1 in Twitter activity for airlines according to consulting firm Simpliflying in partnership with eezeer.com.
Part of the success of @DeltaAssist is the quick response time in responding to tweets. This is key for airline travelers as it could make a difference whether someone makes a flight or not.
While this advance in customer service has made great strides for Delta, it does not erase the bad social media press the airline received a few weeks back when the airline charged soldiers $200 for bags on their way back from Afghanistan. At that time, almost 88% of Delta tweets were negative.
Delta is aiming to come to the aid of passengers with quick, helpful and human responses. @DeltaAssist operates 24-hours a day, seven days a week with 12 agents helping customers. The agents come from the Reservations department so they are skilled in customer service.
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Vancouver Riot Kiss Incites Social Media Debate
The now infamous "Vancouver Riot Kiss" photo has sparked some heated debates via social media.
Vancouver Riot Kiss by photographer Richard Lam
The kiss was caught by Getty photographer Richard Lam, and it features Australian Scott Jones and his Canadian girlfriend Alex Thomas. The two were caught up in the recent Vancouver riots following the Canucks loss during the Stanley Cup Finals.
It's something straight out of a movie set. So much so, that many are debating the validity of the kiss on both Twitter and Facebook.
Lam, Thomas and Jones all claim the photo is authentic. Jones was coming to the rescue of Thomas when she was knocked down during the riots. He was trying to calm her down during an obviously stressfull moment. Lam claims he did not even realize he had captured the moment on film until later.
Despite the claims that the photo is indeed the real deal, it bears an odd resemblance to another photo taken October 21, 2010 in France's city of Lyon. Similarly, in the French photo, a couple was caught mid lip-lock during protests against French president Nicolas Sarkozy.
Despite whether the photo is real or a staged hoax during a tumultuous moment, it is a hot topic today on Twitter and Facebook. There has already been a group created on Facebook called "Vancouver Riot Kiss: Scott Jones and Alex Thomas."
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Vancouver Riot Kiss Insights Social Media Debate
The now infamous "Vancouver Riot Kiss" photo has sparked some heated debates via social media.
Vancouver Riot Kiss by photographer Richard Lam
The kiss was caught by Getty photographer Richard Lam, and it features Australian Scott Jones and his Canadian girlfriend Alex Thomas. The two were caught up in the recent Vancouver riots following the Canucks loss during the Stanley Cup Finals.
It's something straight out of a movie set. So much so, that many are debating the validity of the kiss on both Twitter and Facebook.
Lam, Thomas and Jones all claim the photo is authentic. Jones was coming to the rescue of Thomas when she was knocked down during the riots. He was trying to calm her down during an obviously stressfull moment. Lam claims he did not even realize he had captured the moment on film until later.
Despite the claims that the photo is indeed the real deal, it bears an odd resemblance to another photo taken October 21, 2010 in France's city of Lyon. Similarly, in the French photo, a couple was caught mid lip-lock during protests against French president Nicolas Sarkozy.
Despite whether the photo is real or a staged hoax during a tumultuous moment, it is a hot topic today on Twitter and Facebook. There has already been a group created on Facebook called "Vancouver Riot Kiss: Scott Jones and Alex Thomas."
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Big Brands vs. Small Business…Who Reigns Supreme in Social Media?
In the past, big brands held the advantage with traditional media: bigger budgets, esteemed ad agencies, impressive websites, and large sweepstakes. Now in the social era, even the smallest of businesses can find success and achieve incredible gains without a single ad spend.
One way small businesses have the advantage is response time. While large businesses can be bogged down by lengthy approval processes, small businesses can respond instantly, whether it's with a quick video on the flip cam or personal response. In my experience as a community manager for a plant brand, I read on our Facebook page that a contest winner received her plant in poor condition. I immediately responded to let her know that we would ship her a new plant with extreme care to ensure a safe arrival. She not only thanked us right away, but posted a picture of the new plant in her garden along with a glowing thank you on our Facebook page for all to see how thrilled she was. By acting quickly, I was able to prevent this woman's negative experience from spreading to the online community, as well as her personal connections.
Another advantage for small businesses is the opportunity to crowdsource ideas in lieu of focus groups. One example is Bethenny Frankel, a natural foods chef and Bravo TV star, who recently used her social channels to gain feedback on her upcoming snack bar. By asking her fans what they're looking for in a healthy nutrition bar, she gained immediate feedback from a pool of her 660,000 fans. Not only does she get responses directly from the individuals who are most likely to purchase her products, she saves considerable time and money from conducting a focus group.
Lastly, small businesses can utilize social media to talk directly with their fans. Makeup artist and cosmetics line creator Mally Roncal posts "Ask Mally" videos on YouTube answering individual fan questions. These personalized videos show how much she values her customers and cares about their opinions. This personal touch is more meaningful then any glossy branded video that cost thousands of dollars to produce, while also keeping her connected to her customers.
Businesses big and small alike have the opportunity to utilize social media to delight and surprise their customers. But small businesses shouldn't get discouraged by lack of impressive Facebook tabs or professional videos, and instead remember that it's the small personal touches that will set them apart.
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