10 Days to a New You (Social Media-wise)

It’s the time of year when we are all looking ahead at the months stretching in front of us and planning just what we do when.  Thoughts are already on booking holidays, bikini diets and sporting summers.  Likewise now is a great time to take a look at your Social Media (or consider it if you haven’t got anything going) and make some changes.

Here’s a simple 10 steps that can transform your Social Media, and they only need take a day each to get started.

1.  Create a Plan

It sounds simple, but it is the crucial 1^st step to improving your Social Media performance.  Take some time to consider what you want to happen in 2012.  Think about your target audience, top customers, your market, your competitors and what you want to achieve.  If you have existing Social Media channels review these, what have you done with them so far, how have they performed, what could you have improved, what lessons have you learnt.  Your plan for 2012 should be simple and most importantly take a realistic account of things like the time you will commit to Social Media in 2012 and how you want to measure your performance.

2.  Create a Knowledge Bank

However knowledgeable we are about our subject/business/hobby we still need a super source of information and expertise to fall back on.  By identifying key sources of fresh information on your market/area of expertise and doing simple things such as creating email folders, favourite bookmarks and any number of ‘notes’ systems.  Simple tools such as Google alerts can deliver daily feeds of information in all kinds of formats without you having to search.  Use these tools, create a knowledge bank and you will have a constant stream of fantastic information to help your Social Media efforts.

3.  Learn all about it

There are many tools of Social Media and though you won’t be expected to know how they all work intimately it is certainly in your interest to get to know the tools and how they work.  Take some time to learn how each one works individually, it will help you when you look back at the plan you made in step one.  One thing that may help with this is...

4.  Get Advice

Let’s face it there are now almost as many Social Media ‘experts’ out there as there are users of the tools.  This isn’t a bad thing, as many can ensure you get the results you need quicker and without the many mistakes they will have spent time making.  A good Social Media adviser will be able to simply outline the tools and consider your business objectives to direct you to the best tools for you.  LinkedIn isn’t going to bring your £1 stall thousands of sales a day, and equally Facebook may not suit your niche manufacturing consultancy.  What is crucial is that the experts give you the guidance/coaching you need to feel comfortable with Social Media.  In fact that is a great thought, find a Social Media coach not a know it all ‘Expert’.

5.  Who are You?

Your online persona is the single most important component in your Social Media.  Developing this persona is the starting point for all your subsequent activity.  That isn’t to say you need to suddenly become someone else.  However, there are degrees of yourself you can develop, show or not show and this will dictate the kind of messages/conversations you have.  People you interact will quickly get a feel of who you are and what you stand for.  So make some time to decide what it is you want this to be.  This may even follow the persona of your company brand.

6.  Be A Helpful You

It is vital that your online persona is you.  Social media carries transparency at it’s core, it thrives on real people having real interactions.  So interact, be genuine, be authentic and most importantly be helpful.  You will quickly find that other users of Social Media will be drawn to you if you are helpful, polite and genuine.  Your online persona is you, and people need to know there is a genuine person there behind the screen.

7.  Stand Out

Have you considered how your various Social Media sites look?  Have you got the standard template for your Twitter background?  Is your Facebook page just a boring old photo?  There are millions of users of social media and finding a way to stand out is tough.  However, there are ways to make your profile stand out that much more, or at least be memorable enough.  You should also look at ensuring a consistency across the various sites/tools.  People should know that it is you wherever they find you.

8.  Connect with the right people

The best way to get to know what works in your area of expertise is by finding leaders and key influencers in that same area.  Spend time searching for them, observing what they are talking about, how they are interacting.  Join in conversation where appropriate and before you know it you could be getting your own share of interactions.  Take time to research who the leaders and influencers are that will most benefit you or your business. It’s all well and good being followed by half of the local college, but just 1 influential follower more than beats 500 ‘messers’.

9.  Interact

Social Media is about interaction.  That means two things, the first is being interactive with your various networks.  Reply to tweets, comment on blogs (especially written by influencers), join discussions on LinkedIn, use hashtags, post questions, and if someone asks you a question give them an answer.  Secondly, look at even more interactive ways of communicating.  Try creating videos (vlogs), presentations on Slideshare, podcasts and webinars.  All of which create an even stronger bond between you and your network.

10. Get Publicity

We aren’t necessarily talking a PR campaign to promote your twitter feed.  All around the internet are many influential bloggers, media contacts and digital media writers.  Take some time to identify some of these people and think about how your business or a specific piece of news fits with them.  How can your expertise or company help people, or even better, make life easier for them to do their jobs.  Get writing articles, How To’s, blogs, press releases basically anything that shows off your expertise.  Having these to hand when a relevant issue breaks means you can swing into action before others.  Providing great quality means they’ll see you as a good person to know.  Also, think about how events impact on your area of expertise.  When a newsworthy event happens, be the first to react with a thoughtful piece.

There we have it, 10 simple steps to creating a more impressive social media presence.  Ok some of the steps may require a little longer than a day, but by making a start on each activity you will quickly find your social media presence improving.

What the PFA Chairman had to say on Social Media

Those of you who read my article on how football clubs can benefit from Social Media saw just how important it is for clubs and players to embrace social media.  As a communication tool, Social Media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook offer clubs of all sizes the opportunity to stretch increasingly tight marketing budgets whilst increasing the interaction with fans and more importantly securing the fans of the future.

There is no doubt that football isn’t alone in its slowness to embrace Social Media, however that is changing.  Certainly the players themselves are already seeing the potential of the tools and the additional rewards it can bring financially, personal brand-wise and that human connection.  They are, perhaps most importantly, alive to the potential of such an area. 

PFA Chairman and current Preston North End defender, Clarke Carlisle certainly took an interest in my article.  Speaking to me, Clarke was definite about just how important Social Media is for football in general.  In response to my article Clarke said...

“Interesting view on the social media from a fan's perspective, I can see how they feel under-appreciated by the approach of many clubs.

We are continuing to impress on players and clubs the importance of knowledge about social media, and responsible usage, but also, like the blog alluded to, the unbelievable potential of this technological age.

The most salient point though, by a country mile, is the relevance of it all to the player/fan of tomorrow. My daughter is 13 and is on her 3^rd smartphone already! This is the media of now, of today and of the future generations and we, as an entire industry, need to get to grips with that, quick sticks!”  Clarke Carlisle, Twitter Jan 2012

Social Media can be an essential tool for everyone involved in football.  Clubs such as Manchester City are already demonstrating just how effectively social media can enhance marketing operations at clubs.  Endless supplies of marketing budget I hear you cry!  Not at all, social media, used correctly can effectively double any clubs marketing budget/resource without costly outlays.

What is certainly lacking in football at the moment is that knowledgebase about Social Media.  As Clarke Carlisle alluded to responsible usage is the ‘worry’ at the moment, whereas what everyone involved in the game should be focusing on is the potential of Social Media. 

My previous article layed out some simple steps any Football Club should be following to begin to benefit from Social Media.  It will be a long process to get everyone on board.

Ps.  Thank you to Clarke Carlisle for his comments.

Social Media Lessons Every Football Club Should Know

2011 was without doubt the year that social media really placed itself at the heart of football.  Our national game has begun to be dominated by the Facebook and Twitter ramblings of footballers from all divisions, directors, owners and ex-pros.  Some like Joey Barton and Rio Ferdinand have taken to Twitter like white paint to grass, and in era when our footballing heroes are further away from your average fan than ever before, it has added a new dimension to the relationship between players and fans.

It hasn’t all been a positive experience, but the very fact that so many incidents of social media fau-pars have made headlines has merely served to accelerate the importance of this new media to the game.

Certainly football clubs could benefit hugely from social media, more so than they are doing at the moment.  Even the most active football club Twitter accounts / Facebook pages are 99% broadcasts AT their loyal supporters.  Businesses up and down the country would kill for the kind of loyalty, advocacy and support that football clubs get from their fans, yet feel it is ok to link their various social media platforms together and just churn broadcast after news item after sales message out.  Many of them mistake reaction to these, and comments against articles as them successfully building their social media networks.  It isn’t. 

Social Media is about having a conversation and entering into interactions.  It isn’t just about having a Facebook page or a Twitter account.  With the sheer amount of loyalty to them, football clubs could be gaining so much more from their social media and translating this into real bottom line gains.  Plus, it costs so little.

5 things a football club social media strategy should include:

Player / Staff knowledge

With several high-profile incidents happening on Twitter in particular last year, it isn’t unusual that clubs such as Wolverhampton Wanderers and the powerhouse of Barcelona have brought in legal advisers to speak to players on their use of Social Media.  As a marketer it makes me cringe that the first people clubs are turning to are the lawyers. 
A better idea would be to engage good Social Media advisers to work with the staff and create not just a Social Media Policy, but also to give the full picture to them.  The blanket banning of Social Media is just not going to work.  Better for the players and staff to understand the medium and also understand the impact of how they use it.  After all, there are great gains that can be made by players and staff if they get it right.  And yes I am talking financially.

Interaction with Fans

Social Media has opened up a wonderful (and very cheap) way for football clubs at all levels to speak to their fanbase like never before.  This is where clubs need to get away from thinking about Social Media in terms of just a Facebook or Twitter feed.
By appreciating that Social Media can and should be woven into the fabric of the marketing and operation of the club, it is obvious to see just how clubs can improve their decision making.  How do we improve our programme (to sell more)?  What flavour of pie should we introduce?  What do you think about this kit design?  What promotion would you like?  What type of hospitality package would you love?

Basic questions yes, but these are just a flavour.  In any other business customer feedback is key to making good business decisions that impact the bottom line.  Football clubs cannot afford to ignore this.

Involve fans more

Everyday a football fan somewhere is creating content about their club.  Each club has hundreds if not thousands of loyal brand ambassadors who would be willing to contribute to helping out their club.  Businesses already have blogger outreach programmes with loyal customers creating content on their favourite brand.  Football clubs should be making more of these opportunities.  Pitchside reporters, tweet chats with favourite players, blogs, unofficial match reports could all be leveraged by football clubs to maximise their brand exposure across the web and thereby improve their presence.  Why not challenge fans to make their own ‘day of the game’ reports and feature the best ones in the clubs YouTube channel.

Get Creative

Sure, as fans we need an official source for our club news, and we all want this in different ways.  So broadcasting official news across all Social Media is a good move.  But to stop there is, as explained above, only the first rung on the Social Media ladder.  The next step is to get creative and always be on the lookout for opportunities to evolve your Social Media output and include it in every aspect.  The Manchester City ‘Tunnel Cam’ is a fantastic example of this.  The significance of which may be lost on the powers that be at a football club.  The reason for this is they spend most of their working week at the club, they’ve probably been in the tunnel before a game.  However, 99% of fans only get one view of the ground on match day and that is from their seat.  Creating ‘behind the scenes’ footage, the chairmans blog, or training ground videos all have the chance of going viral.  Whatever you choose, always be on the lookout for ways of including Social Media in every aspect of the club.

Act Now

There is undoubtedly a mistrust in many football club boardrooms over Social Media, and this is understandable given the high-profile spats and often secretive nature of boardroom decisions.  However, football clubs should remember that the fans of tomorrow are the generation of youngsters who are currently being brought up with their hands on a smartphone.  Creating engaging Social Media now ensures that the club will continue to benefit for a long time to come.

And if any football club needs some help creating ideas then I'm certainly available and well up for the challenge.

Overcoming Writers Block on Your Blog; 3 Tips

What’s the first thing you did this morning when you switched your pc/laptop/tablet on?

I’m guessing you checked your emails.  Or at the very least scanned the total in your inbox to see by how many it had increased since yesterday (or earlier this morning if you were burning the midnight oil).  Am I wrong?
Ok, so if you didn’t check your emails I bet you went straight to your favourite website or some other ‘habitual’ place.  Don’t worry I’m not watching you, nor am I the new Derren Brown, it’s just something we all do.

Let me ask another question.  At some point over the last week how many times have you had an opinion about something?  Quite a number I would hazard a guess, and equally how many times have you thought ‘I should write that down’?  I have and I suspect I’m not alone in these thoughts.  I sometimes worry I’m having a seriously high number of ‘senior moments’ for someone in their thirties, such is frequency I forget what it is I was going to write.

However I’m beginning to realise that the reason for what I politely term ‘bloggers block’ (and impolitely harangue myself about) is more to do with the habits I’ve formed over years of working at a computer.

So some simple tips to overcome bloggers block and make a start on that company/personal blog you’ve always wanted to write:

Start your day different

We all need to check emails, after all it could be a new sale, a customer that wants a reply or 10% off at Krispy Kreme.  But how about for once, maybe only one day a week you (horror of horrors) switch your machine on and instead of going straight for the emails, you pause open Word or some other writing programme and get writing.  Don’t worry if you haven’t got a clear idea of your article, just the process of ‘brain dumping’ your thoughts on a subject can make things a whole lot clearer.

Get some inspiration

Sometimes you’ll have a fantastic idea on an article you want to write.  Other times you’ll know what you want to say, but you’re missing some bits.  Don’t despair, get the thoughts down you’ve had and then have a search round.  Try searching for your subject, check a couple of books, maybe send a tweet out and ask your followers their opinions on the subject.  Sometimes the very process of searching can be enough to formulate your article in a much more coherent way.

Fresh Air

It’s amazing how many times we have our best ideas when we don’t mean to.  Generally that means we are doing something else entirely.  Having a shower, working out, sat on the toilet or even having a bath (it worked for Archimedes) all seem to be favourites for eureka moments.  Rather than sitting at your machine, putting yourself under more and more pressure to get an article written, why not put your coat on and take a little stroll in the fresh air.  Even if it’s rotten weather, the process of concentrating on something entirely unrelated can get your subconscious creative juices flowing.  At the very least you’ll be getting away from your screen.

Writing a blog is a fantastic tool for promoting and growing your business, it is all about consistency and content.  Unfortunately we all get caught up in our work habits and forget that masterpiece of an article we wanted to write.

So to use some poetic licence on a programme I do remember from my youth I’m going to ‘Turn off my email and do something less boring instead’.  Why don’t you.

Teaching the Big Boys a Lesson

It isn’t often that Oldham Athletic could be considered able to teach the goliaths of Liverpool FC and Manchester United FC a lesson.  As many a teary-eyed watcher of the (now perennial) League One club will testify, they’ve done it on the pitch once or twice over the years.  Though many of those watchers will undoubtedly have more grey hair than most, indeed some will have even less hair than a pre-transplant Wayne Rooney it is that long ago. Certainly off the pitch the Latics have nothing to teach the giants of the English game, until now that is.

Sitting in a full Anfield on Friday night, the long suffering Oldham fans gave a performance that even outshone their hard-working heroes on the pitch.  Full of verve, songs and no little humour, the kind of humour football crowds at their best produce on a weekly basis.  The highlight being the singing of ‘What a waste of money’ to big money signing Andy Carroll who proceeded almost immediately to score for the 1^st time at Anfield this season with a fine finish.  Not to be put off, the fans immediately switched in a breath to ‘You’re still a waste of money’, to grins and giggles from around Anfield, even on the pitch.

At the other end of the ground it was a different story, with the Kop uncharacteristically quiet throughout the game.  Save of course for at least one individual who, minutes before Carroll’s scoring appearance, reduced Oldham defender Tom Adeyemi to tears with an alleged racist outburst.  It was a sad end to what had been up until the incident a good old-fashioned FA Cup tie. 

In the stands around the ground it was unclear what the holdup was for, but something had clearly happened between the young midfielder and a section of the crowd.

Coming so close to the Suarez affair, the man himself was in the posh seats on Friday night, it was clear the incident would grab the headlines.  Sure enough within minutes of the end of the game reports of statements being made and arrests were across the full spectrum of media.

It is not a position Oldham and their non-existent team of PR people find themselves in often, ever in fact.  Yet from those first post-match minutes to four days later the sleepy League One side has shown more sense, decency and maturity than either the reds of Liverpool or Manchester. 

Oldham as a club were quick to condem the action, there was no speculating, no mention of anything other than the fact that an incident had occurred and reported.  By ensuring the relevant parties were made aware of the incident, including Tom’s parent club Norwich, they gave Tom their public support.  In private, the club staff, his team mates and fans all rallied to Tom’s aid, showing him equally tremendous support.  By these actions alone, Tom knows he has the full backing of the club.

Liverpool’s PR machine also quickly leapt into action, rightly condemning any such action and delivering the reassurance that every effort and support would be made to investigate.  They followed this up with a more significant statement 3 days later to apologise to Adeyemi for the hurt he was caused, whatever the subsequent outcome of police action. 

Oldham, with a quiet dignity have since thanked Liverpool for their actions, and made it clear they hold the ‘fan’ and only them responsible.  Of course it is always easier to maintain such dignity when you are the ‘wronged’ party, but the way Oldham have handled the incident has been classy.

Contrast this with the debacle that followed the Suarez/Evra incident where certainly Liverpool and to an extent Manchester United have played on tribal divides and the historic rivalry between the clubs to exacerbate what was a sad incident.  Much has been spoken about the PR disaster that was the Suarez shirts at the Wigan game and subsequent comments.  In fact sadly some commentators have suggested the Adeyemi incident may have been sparked by the arrival of a team many Liverpool fans see as being from Manchester.  There were unsubstantiated rumours at one stage that the perpetrators against Adeyemi were wearing the same Suarez shirts.

Whatever the outcome of the Adeyemi incident, it is clear is that the Premiership giants could do a lot worse than take a leaf out of the PR playbook of a tiny League One team.  After all, getting these incidents sorted out and ultimately removed from the game should be the aim.  Quiet dignity after the event, but not during the event should be the mantra.  Adeyemi didn’t remain quiet during the event and for that he above anyone comes out of this with dignity. So maybe it’s time for to look beyond clubs and just do what needs to be done.