Do you have any social media pet peeves?

According to Wikipedia, “A pet peeve is a minor annoyance that an individual identifies as particularly annoying to a greater degree than others may find it.” You may get annoyed when driving and someone tailgates. Or you may get annoyed at the supermarket or a doctor’s office because people are using their cell phones and yelling. Or you may get annoyed when a telemarketer calls your house during dinner. These may be examples of your day-to-day pet peeves, but what about social media? Do you have any social media pet peeves?

As the social media landscape has grown, both in the number of networks and the number of users, it’s natural to develop some minor annoyances. Here’s a list of my “Top 10” social media pet peeves:

[1] LinkedIn: When someone sends an invitation to connect but doesn’t customize the invitation. Who wants to receive a generic “I’d like to add you to my network” message? What if you never met the person in person or online? Shouldn’t a reason for connection be provided, or at the very least, some reference to a mutual acquaintance?

[2] Facebook: It seems as if the designers want to re-design the site on a regular basis. Can’t they be satisfied with anything they design? Settings have to be reviewed, users have to become comfortable with the changes, and above all, users have to spend time (that most don’t have) to improve the presentation of their pages and/or content.

[3] All major sites: Once a site makes a significant upgrade or design change, other sites follow. Now, many sites have similar user interfaces. What happened to unique design elements? Doesn’t any site want to look unique anymore?

[4] Twitter: When users send automatic direct messages (DMs). This goes against the entire concept of being social and participating in conversations.

[5] Twitter: #Highlighting #every #word in a #sentence with a #hashtag. The concept of a hashtag is to focus attention on one or two words for search purposes and emphasis. The excessive use of hashtags accomplishes nothing.

[6] Twitter Retweets: When users retweet every tweet that features them. While everyone appreciates positive comments, constant self-promotion turns people off. Another annoyance is when users ask for their tweets to be retweeted. Naturally, we’d all like our tweets to appeal to everyone, but it’s annoying when a tweet ends with: “Please RT.”

[7] Foursquare: When users announce that they’re at the post office, the coffee shop, the gas station, etc. If you want to meet someone, use the phone, speak to them, and make plans. Don’t expect them to surprise you at the gas station just because they happen to be nearby.

[8] Facebook and Twitter: Lack of an avatar. When users have the Twitter default egg image or the Facebook default white head on blue background image, it’s clear that the person has no intention of participating in social media. He/she might be a member of Witness Protection, and then he/she shouldn’t participate in social media anyway.

[9] All networks: When users post the same content on Facebook, Google Plus, LinkedIn, and a shorter version on Twitter. The platforms are different. A person may be connected to different people on each network. Some may use Facebook for personal connections, LinkedIn for professional connections, and Google Plus for a variety separated by circles.

[10] All networks: Users who don’t understand the concept of engagement and focus on selling their products or services rather than on conversations.

Did your social media pet peeve make the list? If not, please chime in.

A final note: a big “thank you” to some amazing Social Media Masterminds (#socialMM on Twitter) for sharing their pet peeves. They can be found on my Twitter List here.

Overcoming the Ostrich Strategy by Effectively Using Your Strategic Plan

I would like to welcome Ward C. Schendel, a business coach based in Minnesota, to my blog. Ward and I met because we’re both guest bloggers for a legal and marketing blog called DuetsBlog, and we recently had a discussion about the importance of strategic plans. Based on our discussion, we decided to collaborate on a joint post, and it follows below. For more information about Ward, check out his website and connect on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

http://knowledgesphere.advicoach.com

http://www.linkedin.com/in/wardschendel

http://www.twitter.com/bizcoachmn

http://www.facebook.com/KnowledgeSphere

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Sohrab Vossoughi, founder of consultancy Ziba, said, “When root problems aren’t solved, you only get momentary innovation.” The best way to solve root problems is to address them in your strategic plan and then follow the plan – this will reduce the tendency to use the ostrich strategy. 

The ostrich strategy is named after the myth that an ostrich, when in danger, will bury its head in the sand. For purposes of this post, we are using the ostrich myth as the basis for what has become a popular and ineffective business strategy for avoiding difficult challenges.

If a business is making money, increasing its customer base, and receiving positive feedback, does it still need a strategy? Absolutely! What happens when the company starts losing customers? What happens when some of those positive reviews turn negative? And what happens when employees start making their exodus? Do you, as a business leader, resemble an ostrich and bury your head in the sand?

Some companies are created from innovative ideas. Consider Apple’s iPod or iPhone, Amazon.com, or Starbucks – these companies and/or their products transformed industries. Consider how easy it has become to make online purchases instead of driving to the mall. These companies and many others, both large and small, have strategic plans that set the stage for all contingencies, both good and bad.

But the truth is, many companies lack a strategic plan. They choose to, instead, move through the motions. Top leadership teams monitor employees but don’t share leadership strategies. Even worse, these leaders don’t share their strategic vision, which results in poor employee morale. When employees understand their part in the overall strategy, they feel empowered, engaged, and valued – and they genuinely want to give 110% to support the overall strategy of the business.

A perfect example about the lack of strategic planning in the marketing arena is social media. Many CEOs and marketing teams jump into social media by haphazardly creating a Facebook page or Twitter page without evaluating how those efforts will impact the overall marketing plan. Do a company’s target customers actually visit Facebook and Twitter? Will the target customers comment and interact if those pages are created? Do personnel exist to consistently update and maintain these pages? Lastly, how does a social media presence (on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Plus, YouTube, Pinterest, etc.) align with a company’s annual marketing plan and traditional campaigns (email marketing, printed brochures, main website or landing pages, public relations, and advertising)?

So how do business owners and executives avoid the ostrich strategy? First, develop a strategic plan that answers the following five questions:

[1] What is the basis (core values) for your business?

[2] What is the why (purpose) behind your business?

[3] Where do you want your business to be 10 years from now?

[4] What are you going to do to get there? (1-year goals and initiatives)

[5] How will you achieve your goals? (Action steps for the next quarter)

Second, own and follow your strategic plan. When challenges arise, and they will, immediately turn to your strategic plan. It will provide the roadmap you need to meet your challenges. If an effective strategic plan exists, the answers to your challenges will be firmly in place. This doesn’t mean that you won’t need to make adjustments from time to time, but it does mean that the foundation exists to guide you in making those adjustments.

Consider this example. A business owner (Buzz) was faced with a dilemma. His son (Junior) had recently obtained his college degree and wanted to join the family business. Junior expressed an interest in following Buzz as the head of the company. The problem was that Buzz had a loyal employee (Nick) who had worked with him for years, knew the business inside-out, and had a much better business sense than Junior. What should Buzz do?

Fortunately, Buzz had worked with a coach and developed a strategic plan. He identified his values, which were integrity and treating employees with respect and gratitude so that the employees would duplicate the same behavior with customers and vendors. Buzz pulled out his one-page strategic plan. He searched the section that answered the question: What is the why behind your business? There was nothing about taking care of Junior. Instead, there was a section about values, integrity, and treating employees with respect and gratitude. For Buzz, the answer was clear: Junior could be an employee, but according to the succession plan, Nick was his first choice.

If Buzz had demonstrated the ostrich strategy, he would have avoided a decision. But by effectively using his strategic plan, Buzz addressed the issue and followed the company’s core values. In other words, his strategic plan achieved its intended purpose.

Has YOUR company overcome the ostrich strategy with a strategic plan?

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Image Credit: Thanks to Ted Goff for use of his cartoon with this post. Check out his work at http://www.tedgoff.com.

Final Olympics Post - Be Social from the USA

This year's Olympics have been extremely memorable because I have been privileged to showcase amazing social media experts on my blog. I would like to thank the following individuals for contributing to my Olympics series during the last two weeks: Kittie Walker from the United Kingdom, Edna Campos from Mexico, Saul Fleischman from Japan, Olga Henggi from Switzerland, Kim Lavigne and Ray Hiltz from Canada, Mattias Gronborg from Sweden, Pervara Kapadia from India, and Annemarie Cross and Zoe Herbert Routh from Australia. These individuals and their use of social media exemplify the mantra stated so eloquently by Vala Afshar: "Don't do social, be S.O.C.I.A.L., which means be sincere, open, collaborative, interested, authentic, and likeable."

However, as the Olympic flame is about to be extinguished, it's time to give those of us who call the United States home a voice here on my blog. Today's expert is Shaun Dakin, the founder of Dakin & Associates, an innovation, communications, and strategy firm in Washington, D.C. Shaun is an advocate for online and data privacy rights, has testified before Congress, and leads the weekly #privchat on Twitter. You can connect on Twitter @ShaunDakin.

Which social network is most popular in the USA?

No mystery – it's Facebook!

How are American legislators dealing with the privacy issue resulting from social media?

Not very well. Seriously, the American Congress has had a lot of smoke but no fire. They have held over 20 hearings on data privacy but taken no action in terms of passing legislation. I don't expect anything to occur this year.

What three ways are major businesses in the USA using social media as a marketing tool to promote products or services?

[1] As a story-teller: Coca-Cola has a Facebook page for almost every single product. I love the Coke Zero page. There are always fun stories being told.

[2] As a customer service platform: Many companies allow customers to ask support questions. My favorite example is FitBit, a health tool. I personally used it to ask questions and get answers. Unfortunately for FitBit, the answers were not what I needed so I returned the product.

[3] As a sales and revenue generator: Some organizations use social media to offer deals (Groupon and LivingSocial), and others use it to sell products and get rid of the old to make way for the new.

What is the most valuable social media advice you can offer?

Think long and hard before you jump into social media. Listen first, then participate in the conversation, respond to customer conversations, and tell your stories.

In what ways will smartphones and tablets further evolve in the USA?

They will make our breakfast! Big grin.

Enjoy the closing ceremonies of the Games of the XXX Olympiad.

Olympics Post - Be Social from Australia

While it seems as if the Games of the XXX Olympiad just started, they are nearing their end – just like my Olympics-themed blog series. To coincide with the festivities in London, I wanted to commemorate the special event. So, to create an international dialogue about the evolution of social media, I invited experts to answer questions and share their insights. In the words of Vala Afshar, "Don't do social, be S.O.C.I.A.L., which means be sincere, open, collaborative, interested, authentic, and likeable." Don't forget to tune in for the final series post this weekend. And if you comment during the Olympics on Twitter or elsewhere in social media, use the hashtag #London2012.

Today's experts are from Australia. Annemarie Cross is a branding strategist, business/career coach, and regular podcaster based in Melbourne; and Zoe Herbert Routh is a leadership and life coach based in Canberra. Zoe's tagline is "Better leaders, better business, better life." You can connect on Twitter @AnnemarieCoach or @AnnemarieCross and @zoerouth.

Which social network is most popular in your country?

From Annemarie: Recently, Sensis and the Australian Interactive Media Industry Association conducted a survey and created the Yellow Social Media Report: What Australian people and businesses are doing with social media. This is their data. Facebook continues to be the most popular social media platform here in Australia, capturing 97% of social networking users – but the number of people using LinkedIn and Twitter has increased. Unlike the USA, while a sizable majority of Australians are consistently engaging with social media, only 27% of small businesses (which has increased from 14% last year) and 34% of medium-sized businesses currently have a social media presence. Large businesses seem to be more established on social media with 79% claiming to have a presence.

How are your country’s legislators dealing with the privacy issue resulting from social media?

From Annemarie: There are a number of government websites with available information to educate the general public on this topic. There are also some programs in schools to educate youth about what is appropriate and what is not when it comes to social media.

What ways are major businesses in your country using social media as a marketing tool to promote products or services? Please share examples.

From Annemarie: My three examples follow below.

[1] Communicate with clients and contacts to build a relationship: We see many businesses using their Facebook business pages. In fact even our local TV and radio stations are following this principle with their Facebook pages and encouraging listeners/viewers to visit their pages to comment on a particular topic. As you can imagine, this creates a huge amount of buzz on a company’s Facebook page.

[2] Invite online comments and reviews: This is a great way to gain feedback directly from consumers. I heard about a serviced-based company (a graphic designer) who was re-branding, so their creative team came up with some concepts, posted them on their Facebook page, and asked fans to comment and select the design which they believed best fit their brand – this was a great example of how to use social media to gain insights from a company’s community and existing customers.

[3] Offer incentives for consumers: We see this increasing with larger businesses with ads on both TV and radio encouraging viewers/listeners to visit their Facebook business pages and commenting and/or entering a competition to win a gift (or enter their name into a drawing for a major prize). This sparks many new likes and interaction (whatever it is they need to do to be eligible for the drawing).

From Zoe: Integrated dialogue with stakeholders and clients.

[1] An awesome example is Qantas Airways: Travelers could put their name on an airplane, share on Facebook, etc. Also, the official Twitter account for Qantas Customer Care, @QFCustomerCare, describes itself as follows: “We're here to listen to customer service experiences and rectify customer issues. Online Monday to Friday 9am-to-5pm AEST.”

[2] Another awesome example was The Voice Australia: contestants shared live tweets during the show, on the show's website, and you could vote for contestants through Facebook and iTunes. Half the fun was reading the Twitter conversation during the show.

What is the most valuable social media advice you can offer?

From Zoe: Don't dilute your efforts by trying to do everything. Pick one or two media channels and focus on giving value, having a conversation, and building/contributing to a community.

In what ways will smartphones and tablets further evolve in your country?

From Zoe: Smartphones and tablets will lead to the end of desktop computers. They will also add to the surge in mobile purchases and consumer driven reviews for screening purchases. Payments and research using mobile technology will soon dominate. And who carries cash anymore? That's going away too.

NEXT POST WILL BE THE SERIES FINALE!

Olympics Post - Be Social from India

The Games of the XXX Olympiad are beginning their second week, and sadly, my Olympics-themed series is rounding the curve with the end in sight. To coincide with the festivities in London, I wanted to commemorate the special event on my blog. So, to create an international dialogue about the evolution of social media, I have invited experts to answer questions and share their insights. In the words of Vala Afshar, "Don't do social, be S.O.C.I.A.L., which means be sincere, open, collaborative, interested, authentic, and likeable." Tune in every couple of days to see which country will be represented and who will be featured. And if you comment during the Olympics on Twitter or elsewhere in social media, don't forget to use the hashtag #London2012.

Today's expert is Pervara Kapadia, a social media expert based in Mumbai, India. You can connect with Pervara on Twitter @PervaraKapadia.

Which social network is most popular in your country?

With over 51 million users, India ranks as the third largest market for Facebook. Twitter is also a popular site.

How are your country’s legislators dealing with the privacy issue resulting from social media?

At a corporate level, people are developing policy and procedure manuals, but at the national level, privacy legislation is still in development.

How are major businesses in your country using social media as a marketing tool to promote products or services?

The largest brands in India are Tata Docomo, Fastrack, Kingfisher, Vodafone Zoozoos, and Nokia India. These brands are leveraging social media to connect with customers and obtain feedback.

What is the most valuable social media advice you can offer?

It’s important to focus on relevant content as well as frequency.

In what ways will smartphones and tablets further evolve in your country?

According to a Gartner report from earlier this summer, four significant forces will shape businesses in India during the next five years: IT, mobile, cloud, and social media. The adoption of new technologies will be driven by individuals who are young, well-educated, and tech-savvy.

NEXT POST WILL FEATURE AUSTRALIA.

Olympics Post - Be Social from Sweden

With the Games of the XXX Olympiad nearing the halfway mark, my Olympics-themed series has also arrived at the halfway mark. To coincide with the festivities in London, I am featuring experts from around the world who will share their insights and answer questions about social media. In the words of Vala Afshar, "Don't do social, be S.O.C.I.A.L., which means be sincere, open, collaborative, interested, authentic, and likeable." Tune in every couple of days to see which country will be represented and who will be featured. And if you comment during the Olympics on Twitter or elsewhere in social media, don't forget to use the hashtag #London2012.

Today’s expert is Mattias Gronborg from Stockholm, Sweden. Matt is co-founder of iGoMoon, a social media training company, and an online branding consultant at MattGron Media Lab AB. You can connect on Twitter @MattGron. While networking through social media is rewarding, it’s even more rewarding when you actually meet in person. Matt recently visited California, and we were able to meet face-to-face.

Which social network is most popular in your country?

Facebook is the most popular. Currently, there are 4,637,500 Facebook users in Sweden, which makes us #37 in the ranking of all Facebook statistics by country. The population in Sweden is approximately 9,500,000, so Facebook’s penetration of the Swedish population is 51%.

How are your country’s legislators dealing with the privacy issue resulting from social media?

While this is not my area of expertise, I can tell you that Sweden is a quite open and transparent country regarding privacy matters. For example, if I have your vehicle’s license plate, it is not hard to find out more about you, such as, your address, relationship status, how much you pay in taxes, etc. Of course, Sweden has a Personal Data Act to protect people from having their privacy violated. My experience is that people in Sweden don’t care very much about privacy in social media, but that day will come.

What three ways are major businesses in your country using social media as a marketing tool to promote products or services?

My experience is that most of the major businesses are still in a push mode. They are doing social, not being social – especially with the big four: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Many businesses enter the social media sphere through a Facebook page or a social media campaign with hopes of reaching some kind of a viral status. The more savvy ones are trying to create a dialogue with the end users of their products and services. The three most common goals are to create awareness, increase leads and sales, and improve customer support. I can tell from my field experience that the two biggest challenges are knowledge and resources. The problem is that many of today’s executives responsible for marketing grew up in a less-complicated marketing world – sadly, many of these people might not know enough to ask the right questions to form a successful social media plan, which is not good for their bottom line.

What is the most valuable social media advice you can offer?

You learn social media by doing. Roll up your sleeves and be social. Be honest about your liabilities and assets when it comes to your skill sets. And treat social media as a journey not a destination.

In what ways will smartphones and tablets further evolve in your country?

Sweden has a smartphone penetration around 35%, although I have heard some higher numbers. Based on statistics, we can see that smartphone usage and data consumption will only rise. So companies must pay attention and adapt faster. Since mobile is the future, the first step that brands can take is to make sure that their websites and blogs are modified for screen size, tablets, and smartphones. A cost-effective way to bridge this gap between web and mobile users is responsive web design. I see how companies in Sweden have a tendency to spend too much money on mobile apps because they think they should have them – but they may not.

NEXT POST WILL FEATURE INDIA.

Olympics Post - Be Social from Canada

Thanks to Google Doodles, archery, diving, fencing, gymnastics rings, and field hockey have been in the limelight. With the Games of the XXX Olympiad well underway, many medals have been awarded. My Olympics-themed series is also well underway. In the words of Vala Afshar, "Don't do social, be S.O.C.I.A.L., which means be sincere, open, collaborative, interested, authentic, and likeable." To coincide with the festivities in London, I am featuring experts from around the world who will share their insights and answer questions about social media. Tune in every couple of days to see which country will be represented and who will be featured. And if you comment during the Olympics on Twitter or elsewhere in social media, don't forget to use the hashtag #London2012.

Today, two experts are chiming in from Canada. Kim Lavigne is a social media manager at A Major Media and also a songwriter in Quebec, Canada; and Ray Hiltz is a social media strategist and owner of Communications NewRayCom in Montreal, Canada. You can connect on Twitter with Kim @freedomwalker77 and with Ray @newraycom.

Which social network is most popular in your country?

Both Kim and Ray agree that Facebook is the most popular social networking site in Canada.

How are your country’s legislators dealing with the privacy issue resulting from social media?

From Ray:  We have privacy laws, and in fact, in 2009, Canada was the first country to take on Facebook for playing loose with personal information. Evidently, they came to an agreement. We also have the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), which is scheduled for review this year, and there is hope that the government will strengthen it, as concern has been expressed by the privacy commissioner that too much personal data is collected and distributed by social media sites.

What three ways are major businesses in your country using social media as a marketing tool to promote products or services?

From Kim: To promote products with contests, ads, and free services.

What is the most valuable social media advice you can offer?

From Kim: Social media was meant to be social…engage in conversations with people and be social.

From Ray: Don’t think of social media as strictly a marketing tool. When you are planning a social media strategy, make sure it dovetails not only with your marketing plan but also with your overall business strategy.

In what ways will smartphones and tablets further evolve in your country?

From Kim: Improvements in speed and memory will greatly impact future iterations of these devices.

From Ray: While 40% of the 20 million Canadians who use mobile devices use smartphones, Android is the preferred operating system. (Apple, what are you doing about that news?) I see enormous growth as the Federal government moves to deregulate the telecommunications industry, which keeps costs artificially high.

NEXT POST WILL FEATURE SWEDEN.