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The Black Hills Home Builders Association recently help a seminar for its members and invited RSA to come speak to them about social media for business. It was a great time with a small, intimate group, and we fielded quite a few questions. Here are a few of those questions, including our answers.

What is Twitter?
I’ve written about Twitter here a couple times. In short, it’s a networking tool, a way to engage in conversation with people around the globe. It may be new technology, but it’s still just people talking. Sign up for an account and post, 140 characters at a time, about things that matter to you and the people you wish to interact with, whether they be customers, prospects, colleagues or friends.

Try using Twitter’s search feature to find people talking about topics of interest, and begin to engage them. Keep in mind every “tweet” is an invitation to engage – people want to hear from you!

How much time should I spend on social media?
As much or as little as you want to. And like most things in life, you get out of it what you put into it. Some have called social media a big waste of time, others have thrived in the space and seen tremendous business success. I won’t lie to you – becoming adept at social communication for your business takes a lot of time. What that time is worth, and how much of it you spend on this kind of investment, will be up to you.

I spend most of the workday on Twitter, but it’s actually a passive presence: I let TweetDeck run on my desktop, updating me every so often about new tweets and conversations. I can then choose to ignore them and continue working, take a moment to read them, or take a few minutes to respond (though this last one can turn into hours of sporadic conversation if you want it to).

Which platforms are good to use?
This will differ (perhaps only slightly) for each business. There are literally hundreds of social networking platforms, though many of them are competing “clones” of the same concept. In any case it can be difficult to know which ones to use.

First, keep in mind you’ll never use them all, and if you try, you will spread yourself too thin and become overwhelmed. Second, decide which tools to focus on (this will depend largely on your overall goals, objectives for web, and the strategic approach you’ve developed).

In general I think many businesses could benefit from having a Facebook page, Twitter account, or Youtube channel, though that is not true in all cases. There are also “bookmarking” sites like Digg and StumbleUpon, and review sites like Yelp.

Another are that should get some attention as well is that group of tools created for monitoring the social web for mentions of your business, brand, competitors, or persons or topics of interest. This is a great way to supplement your market research and keep tabs on competitors, customers and prospects. In fact, if you don’t do anything else, do this. Some places to start include Google Alerts, Socialmention, or Trackur.

What kinds of things do you recommend posting?
If you’ve done the proper research and defined your goals and intended audience, this question will be much easier to answer. Though it will be somewhat different for every business, I’m confident that everyone can follow this guiding principle: be helpful, be interesting, or be gone.

If you’re not helping people out or posting something that is actually interesting to them, they are simply not going to care about what you have to say (I should know…)

How do I know what my audience wants?
Try asking them. You can make all kinds of assumptions, but the best way to find out what your audience wants from you is to ask. The next best way is to just dive in and see what engages that audience and what doesn’t.

Should I remove negative comments?
Any social platform worth using offers a way for people to comment on your content. The whole point of the social web is interactivity, and this is why people use it. If you’re removing user content, you are hampering that interaction.

That being said, there may be cases in which it is just better to remove a comment, if possible, and that decision is yours alone. In general, however, it can reflect well on you to let a negative comment stand, or even better, to respond to it in a constructive way.

That covers some of the bigger questions asked, and that we commonly get from clients. Are there other questions you might ask on this topic? Or would you have answered any of these differently? Please leave a comment!

Social Business Questions and Answers is a post from: RSA Blog

...since sliced bread.

Q: I get a lot of clients asking me a number of variations of this question: “What’s the Next Big Thing?”

This is good! They’re interested, they’re anxious – they observed the boom of social media and they want to get in on the ground floor of whatever new craze comes along.

A: So here is the answer: it doesn’t matter. The corollary is that no one really knows for sure. Yes, you can speculate all day long – and people have – but the reality is no one knew Twitter was the Next Big Thing until it was.

Well I can tell you the Next Big Thing is data and communication implants, but it’s nothing more than wild speculation. Also, scary.

Among people who are reluctant to get involved in the web, social media, SEM, and mobile marketing, I get the sense they think they’ve already missed the boat, and so they ignore it. They’re waiting around for the Next Big Thing, instead.

Well yeah, you’re missing the boat. But guess what: Das Boot is a ferry – there’s always another chance to hop on and join the party on the other side. Stop waiting around for the Next Big Thing, because if you’re not already involved in This Big Thing, chances are you’ll completely miss the next one.

–

Photo courtesy of cogdog

The Next Big Thing is a post from: RSA Blog

Bidding on a beauty.

On Saturday we headed west for my first Murdo in May classic car auction at Pioneer Auto. After a quick trip to Murdo, I was really getting excited and wondered how such a small town in rural South Dakota can attract so many car enthusiasts.

I lost count of the number of people attending, but there must have been several hundred car lovers enjoying the day.

There was plenty of shopping at the Swap Meet/Auction, and the Murdo Lions club did a great job keeping hungry people satisfied with hamburgers and hot dogs all weekend.

Things really kicked off Friday with the parade, awards for best cars and free live music. People from all across the country attended, and I was lucky to meet people from as close as South Dakota and as far as Washington.

Ian and Pioneer Auto's Dave Jr. at Murdo in May.

Going once…going twice…

Saturday morning the McPherson Auction team opened bidding to a record number of attendees at the classic car auction. Some of my favorites included a 1936 Dodge Street Rod Coupe and a 1955 Pontiac Star Fire convertible – unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take either one home.

The whole weekend was a great experience and I loved seeing all of the classic cars.  I can’t wait to make the trip next year – you could say I’m sold!

Murdo in May classic car auction is a post from: RSA Blog

Ericka Heiser speaks to 1000+

Yesterday a few of us had the opportunity to attend the first Day of Excellence in Rapid City. Hosted by Leadership Rapid City, the one-day conference focused on fostering personal and professional growth.

We showed up to the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center yesterday, coffee in hand, interested to see if the speakers would have anything to teach us (and praying they would be funny). More than 1,200 people had the same idea, and luckily, we weren’t disappointed.

Aubrey says:

Developing a sense of purpose for everything you do: Mike “oooooh-stir” Oster, Lieutenant Colonel for the South Dakota Army National Guard, began the day with an outstanding discussion on self improvement. Helping others realize their maximum potential is Mike’s strength and the crowd enjoyed it.

Through demonstration and audience participation, Mike showed us the effects of negativity on your mental and physical strength. He said some things are obvious (like not frying bacon naked), but others, like determining your goals and knowing your purpose, are more difficult. My favorite take away from the speech is Mike’s advice to start the day out right by “smiling yourself out of bed.”

The Five Powers of Leadership: As an experienced trainer in the practice of building partnerships, Malcom Chapman provided conference attendees with many useful tools – or powers – that can help anyone become a stronger leader.  Malcom expressed that if you are willing to change, then you can make it happen – a point that touched me and many other members of the audience.

Tarah says:

What goes around, comes around: I had read V.J. Smith’s book, “The Richest Man in Town,” a few years ago, but listening to him tell the story of Marty, a Walmart cashier who touched thousands of lives, still put a lump in my throat. V.J. impressed upon the crowd a few VIPs (very important points), including 1) you get what you give; 2) you don’t need money to be truly rich; and 3) never ever forget to say thank you.

Side note: If you haven’t read V.J.’s book, I highly recommend it! Aubrey even bought a copy, so if you ask nicely, maybe you can borrow hers.

I’m a Sally: Bryan Flanagan, a corporate trainer for Zig Ziglar in Dallas, took us through a series of exercises to determine our personality types (David, Irene, Sally, Charles).  While identifying a working personality is nothing new, Bryan did give practical tips for relating to other personality types – including what words and tones to use to communicate most effectively. Bryan also encouraged us to bring out other parts of our personalities in the workplace, meaning I need to work on bringing out my inner Irene.

We left Day of Excellence feeling happy and uplifted – and impressed that so many people in the Black Hills community turned out for the event. Leadership Rapid City was able to donate $44,000 to local charities, making it a truly excellent experience.

Did you attend? What was the best part of the Day for you?

Never Fry Bacon Naked….and Other Important Lessons is a post from: RSA Blog

I like it. Kind of. Like, maybe.

This month Facebook started rolling out a change to “fan pages” that takes the “fans” out of the picture. Now instead of becoming a “fan” of something, you simply “like” it.

I guess the reasoning is that becoming a “fan” is too much of a social investment for people, resulting in lower page activity than Facebook desires. I get that. There are plenty of brands, organizations, causes and such that I “like” but wouldn’t consider myself a “fan” of.

The problem is they took away fans, but replaced them with… nothing. What do you call those people now? Likers? Former fans? We have a verb replacing a noun, and it just doesn’t work. They thought “fan” was a little too high on the approval scale, but they overcompensated by plummeting to a mere appetitive whim. Blaaaaaah. It’s weaksauce (that’s right, weaksauce).

Like it or not (I’m punny), it seems to be a permanent change. So no more Fan Pages. No more fans. We’re all just people again.

But the burning question I think we’re all asking is this: where the DEUCE is our “dislike” button?

There’s your shot from the hip for this week.

Stop Fanning Facebook and Start Liking is a post from: RSA Blog

Last week I went to Sioux Falls to attend the first ever OTA Sessions, and I’m glad. It was a great event with plenty of interesting speakers, attendees, and ideas.

The organizers of OTA Sessions sought to demonstrate the creativity present here in the Midwest, and to develop more of the same through presentations from regional and national names, and conversations among some of our local best and brightest.

That all makes sense to me now, but I had a hard time explaining it to people in the weeks leading up to the event. In the end, as far as I am aware, I was the only person who made the trip from western South Dakota.

That’s a bummer, because we in the west need to be attending events like this. To be frank, marketers and business owners in this area are well behind in terms of new ideas and technology, and they are often the first to admit it.

The east and west coasts don’t have a corner on creativity, but let’s be honest: that’s where many leading-edge ideas are grown. Events like OTA Sessions expose us to these new ideas so we can take them and make them our own for the benefit of our customers, businesses, and the community at large.

We’re all dealing with a new marketplace; it continues to change, with or without our consent. The “consumer” is now a person, thinking and speaking, able to see us for who we are rather than what we say we are. If we cling to old ways of doing things, we fall behind. It’s that simple.

So don’t get comfortable. Try a new idea or three. Take a risk!

And watch for next year.

OTA Sessions: Creativity in the Midwest is a post from: RSA Blog

Why are any of us in business? I think that’s a question more people should ask themselves. Sometimes, I don’t know why some businesses bother to go on.

Lately service, or rather a lack of it, has really got to me. I recently ordered some replacement glass for my new house from a local (nameless) company. One of the windows was cracked when I moved in. It was delivered after two weeks which is when the trouble started. Not only was the glass too big, but I also had to pay a Glazier for a window that wasn’t fitted.

The glass company happily took the window back, admitting that it had measured it wrong (good so far). They said that they’d let me know when the new glass was ready. Fast forward six weeks; one more incorrectly measured pane of glass, and I am now fuming. For some time they weren’t even answering my calls; even the shop was closed when I went to visit. Eventually after several phone calls – and a call to the owner’s personal residence – I have a new piece of glass that is supposed to be going in this weekend (I’ll keep you posted). What really annoyed me was the lack of contact and severe delays with no explanation or apology. Rest assured I won’t be going back!

If I contrast this with another story of poor service, it illustrates how things can start out bad, but turn out for the best…

In 1998 my niece was born. She was living in Germany and I was living in England. At the time I wasn’t flush with cash, so, saving for a flight took some time. Nevertheless, I couldn’t miss an opportunity to see my sister’s first child, a beautiful baby girl. So I ended up in Dusseldorf, Germany, and spent a week there, taking pictures of my new niece and having a generally great time (I am a big beer drinker, eater of fresh pretzels, ahh… Ahem, that’s another blog).

So I got back to England and rushed the pictures to the developers – I didn’t have a digital camera at the time and in England, I used to use a well known chemist who also developed photos. Unfortunately, I did not use the 1-hour service which means that your photos stay in the store. Instead, I used the more affordable option, which took longer, but meant the photos were sent away to a processing center. The developer then lost the photos. I angrily explained the importance of these photos as they were of a newborn far away in Germany; therefore not immediately accessible for more snaps.

A week went by and I received a letter from the company’s Operations Manager, who apologized for the loss and gave me a check for £100 (about $155). While it was nice to receive a check, and also a signed letter, it did not bring my photos back. So I wrote back and enclosed the initial check, explaining that the photos were worth far more than this. A few days later, the company called me, and suggested that they pay for first class plane tickets back to Germany over Christmas for me and my family (three of us). I couldn’t believe my ears – I was ecstatic and accepted the offer – we spent a delightful Christmas and New Year in Dusseldorf.

Even after all of these years, I recall this story easily; it truly restored my faith in this company and it also demonstrated that humanity and dignity are a considerable element in quality service. It also proves a point, that while some customer experiences are negative, they can be turned into a positive if managed in the proper way.

Everyone accepts that things go wrong, we all make mistakes; doctors remove the wrong kidney; our troops are hit by “friendly fire”; it’s not intentional – it’s regrettable. I don’t for one minute believe that the harsh realities of modern warfare or mistakes in the medical profession are comparable to my customer service stories. But ultimately the most important thread in all of these analogies is how we deal with the aftermath, how we deal with difficult situations. In my view we need to embrace our mistakes; put measures into place that eliminate their reoccurrence and constantly evaluate our performance. Ultimately, a great customer experience should be at the heart of all we do. We just need to remind ourselves of that sometimes because in this day and age, customer service is a matter of survival. Customer service should never be an afterthought.

Why Good Customer Service is so Important is a post from: RSA Blog

As former newspaper reporter, it breaks my heart to hear about a publication, especially one with as much history as the Rocky Mountain News, closing its doors.

The longtime daily published its last paper last month, just shy of its 150^th birthday.

For centuries, newspapers brought local, regional and national happenings to the doorsteps of millions. The world’s historical events were told through the eyes and words of eager journalists.

Today, the newspaper industry is suffering, not only from the current economic situation, but also from the public’s fascination with social media.

From blogs to social networking sites and podcasts, social media has redefined how we relate to each other as well as how we gather our information. Social media provides instant gratification – allowing social interaction with people from all over the world on any subject.

But, social media does not have to mean the end to the newspaper industry. The two mediums can live harmoniously. Newspapers need to embrace social media and expand their online presence in order to retain the newest generation of social media socialites.

Many publications have already established thriving blogs with editorialists, columnists, reporters and editors joining the world wide blogsphere.

According to social media experts at Cision, a media research service, newspapers successes in engaging readers in 2008 provides a positive outlook for 2009.

Through its Social Media Dashboard, Cision has been tracking newspapers’ transition to digital media and assessing its success in retaining readers as well as expanding their reach across the web.

While the newspaper industry has moved forward in its web presence, the job is not over. Publications must continue to stay on top of the newest social trends and the changing behaviors of readers.

However, the public must also be wary of relying solely on blogs and other social media outlets for their information. Newspapers and seasoned journalists offer a credibility that these outlets often can’t match. Not all news can be broadcast from the comfort of a home office. Newspapers provide the frontline coverage of everything from local city council meetings to the ongoing war in Iraq.

Newspapers can continue to provide this reliable and in-depth coverage, however, they need to be mindful of the changing times and technology, and deliver the news in the quickest and most convenient way for this new social media generation.

Newspapers vs. Social Media – It doesn’t have to be one or the other is a post from: RSA Blog

You know, sometimes it’s the random little interactions you have with complete strangers that leave the most lasting impressions.

I took my wife to the doctor’s office today and held the door open for her and an elderly couple entering at the same time. The gentleman said, “Thank you”, and after entering, reached into his shirt pocket. He pulled out a small card and said, “Here, this is for you.”

My wife held the second entry door for them and he pulled out a card for her as well. Not really knowing what to expect, we flipped them over to find:

Pure Brilliance

My wife, who was in an immense amount of pain after throwing her back out yesterday, got a much needed laugh out of it. We sat and talked about what a pro this gentleman was – he did not skip a beat in his delivery and we imagined him handing out thousands of cards over the course of his many years.

A simple “Thank You” was plenty in return for holding the door, but instead he did so much more. Thanks, Free Ticket Guy.

Small, Free and Totally Made My Day is a post from: RSA Blog

Congratulations may be in order – it seems you’ve caught us red handed. We were trying to keep a low profile while we set things up here, but alas, you were savvy enough to get here, so you win the prize.

The prize is nothing more or less than a little sneak preview of the new BBM Studios blog. Yes, the one you’re looking at right now. Somewhat anti-climatic, we know, but what were you expecting? We’re working as hard as we can; long days, longer nights, barely any sleep – hell, they rarely feed the monkeys here. (pssst, guys: if you have any poo, fling it now!)

Well anyway, enjoy your peep now while you still have us all to yourself. Just don’t taunt us. The cage isn’t that strong.

Congratulations is a post from: RSA Blog