Bif Rox by Bigfish

Finding Hope thru Social Media

2011-12-09T14:19:00.001-06:00

The most important part of your social media presence is not what your hospital or practice has to say, but what your patients have to say – especially to one another. Peer-to-peer interaction is the heart of social media. Likewise, it’s an important variable in the health care.

According to a 2011 study conducted by the Pew Research Center, one in four Internet users living with a chronic illness has gone online to find other people with similar health needs. As a trusted source for health care information, you can use social media to reinforce that role by creating a channel for their connectivity. Your effort provides value and supports patients during their journey to wellness.

Unfortunately, too much of what happens in a health care brand’s social media strategy is marketing and public relations centric. “We’re sponsoring a 5K.” “We have the best doctors.” “Our ER is fast.” And so on.

What if instead of posting constrained content that merely announces information to your community, you published open-ended content that creates engagement and starts conversation within it?

Conversations that you can move in and out of as teacher and learner. Conversations wherein your fans and followers learn from one another.

But what are these conversations and connections really about? In a word, hope. Patients and their friends are hoping to find answers, information, advice and empathy. They are hoping to find someone who truly “gets it” or who shares their experience and has made it through. They are in a word hoping to find – hope.

Patients want to connect with you but they also want to connect with one another. Use your social media presence to facilitate their efforts.

Consider this tip from Bigfish Communications Specialist Brittany McManus:

Want to start a conversation? Try this:

· Decide to use your social media presence to connect your patients with one another.

· Pick a health issue and encourage conversation by relating the story of a survivor (i.e. cancer in remission) or promoting wellness visits (i.e. prostate exams).

· Invite your social media connections to relate their own first-person experiences via comments to your posts.

Your efforts will lead to connections, enable shared experiences and offer hope for better health outcomes.

The Web Isn't Dead But Your Website Is

2011-09-28T15:56:00.002-05:00

In an on-the-go world where apps own every conversation and Facebook is the Internet, you have a website that might best be described as a brochure. Guess what? Your website is dead.

It’s dead to me. And it’s dead to anyone else who might happen to browse by it on the way to a site that enables interaction with brand representatives and the community of others who enjoy spending time there.

You know interaction, right?

It’s that thing you do every time you share content, click a like button, leave a comment, upload a photo or subscribe to a dynamic stream of content that engages and informs you. It’s a social experience. It takes place on a social website.

When you’re on a social website, you’re somebody. You’re a person with an opinion that might influence product development. You’re somebody with a network of friends and your opinion means everything to them. And the brand knows it.

Sure, you still like to read and learn on a website but you also you have something to say. You’re a social person. And any website that doesn’t know that is, well, dead.

Want to talk about it? Use the comment feature below. I’m trying to be more social.

Facebook Updates: Your Brand

2011-09-26T12:54:00.005-05:00

Like it or not, the new features unveiled at F8 will change the way you share and receive updates from your friends and connections. But Addie McGowan and Brittany McManus of Bigfish were wondering, “What does this mean for businesses?” So, here we go:

The change may mean nothing new to those who subscribe to Bigfish's Participation Age philosophy as it is applied to marketing on social media platforms. However, the changes will enable tactics that move your social marketing to an entirely new level. And brands that don’t “get” it will be weeded out.

The changes present a new era of accountability for brands. They will be forced to step up and truly give themselves away to their customers. If they don’t, they’ll be “hidden” and forgotten in the realm of the Newsfeed.

Here are three F8 changes and what they mean to brands:

1. Ticker and Newsfeed: These two features offer a second chance to reach people. Now that users can control their own ideas of “newsfeed optimization,” your content needs to keep them interested. If your post doesn’t end up in their newsfeed (as most don’t), you now have a second chance to grab their attention with Ticker. Last week, Zuckerberg explained Ticker as a way to de-clutter the newsfeed but still allow users to make “serendipitous” discoveries about their friends and connections. Eye-catching posts will grab the attention of users to the Ticker. Seize this marketing opportunity and own it by posting truly social content or rewarding fans that interact.

2. Friend Activity on Pages: A trusted recommendation. A new, slightly overlooked update to business pages is the “Friend Activity” link located under the profile picture. Your potential customers can now check out what friends are saying about their experiences with your business. It cuts through the clutter of activity from strangers and gets to what users really care about - their friends’ opinions. “Lindsey and I have the same taste in food, so if she likes their burger, I bet I will, too.” Depending on the activity, this feature could entice users to do business with you, or go to your competitor.

3. Facebook: A more comprehensive extension of the human social experience. The Timeline and Ticker redesign have even more addictive qualities than the old design, and the 800 million people on Facebook will most likely be spending even more time there. What does this mean from a marketing standpoint? It is now more important than ever to carve out a place for your brand there. If you are not enabling your best customers to share what they love about you with their friends, or to connect with them socially, you are missing out. And you and I both know someone else will seize your missed opportunity.

Brands are going to have to engage their fans and followers more than ever. In order to obtain visibility in Newsfeeds, brands must strive to post content that will result in meaningful conversations and significant interaction. We’ve said it before, but now, thanks to f8, it matters more than ever.

The ability to evolve for the better is a necessary trait for any successful brand – even Facebook. Change is good.

On Your Way to a Livable Brand

2011-05-10T17:38:00.006-05:00

Your brand has a potential army of credible, unpaid spokespeople willing to work on its behalf. They are the same group of people who might work against it. The difference is what they feel.

It's branding in the Participation Age. It revolves around brand experience. And it rode in on the wave that is social media to vanquish the Positioning Era of branding.

In this new Age, what you say about your product or service means almost nothing but what your customer can do with it and how they interact with you regarding it, means everything.

That demands that you create a brand that customers can live.

The ability of advertisers and marketers to contrive and convey an emotion through advertising is quickly fading. Brand exposure is less valuable than brand experience. What do I mean? Well, what means more to you when making plans for casual dining -- a 2 star rating on Yelp or a 60 second ad during NBC’s The Office?

I thought so.

The good news is this; you no longer need to “capture” your audience to tell them about your brand. People are willfully engaging with it, starting discussions about it, and using it as a way to define who they are by “liking” it on Facebook. They just want to know why your company should be part of their own personal brand. And that’s something that can only be learned by living it.

You can teach the customer how to articulate what they are feeling about your product or service. But companies need to stop buying and selling ideas about themselves that don’t have any substance behind them and start enabling people to discover why they should incorporate the brand into their own.

So, how do you move toward this livable brand? Be livable.

When a company says to me, “We want to be positioned as ___.” I say to them, “Then go be that.” No amount of positioning is going to move the customer closer to believing your ideal. They’ll determine whether or not your brand is what it claims to be by experiencing it. And if the experience is profound, they’ll live it.

You're a Brand

2011-04-28T17:07:00.006-05:00

You’ve just about exhausted your library of clever things to say when you hear someone call from across the room, “Hey, timbigfish! So glad to meet you in person.” And it’s then that you realize people are noticing. You’re an emerging brand.

I’m routinely asked, “What’s the ROI on social media?” But I’m not sure that’s even the right question for beginners. The real question is something more like, “Can I build a brand on social media?” And the answer to that is a resounding, “yes!” Start here:

Know Your Brand.

I know this about myself I’m not a brilliant conversationalist. But I can give you something to think about. It usually starts with a personal “aha moment”. Something said in a business meeting, an observation of a colleague or a bit of introspection after reading an interesting article. And I try to share that moment of growth with a few friends on Twitter in my own light way.

Talk less. Listen more.

Most of my Facebook friends know me through business, a civic club, church or a family acquaintance. They really don’t want to get too serious but they know that I’m not very funny but I am an optimist and lean toward the philosophical. So, my goal is simply to affirm their thoughts and occasionally survey their interest.

I may not be a great conversationalist but I do like to listen. I try to learn more about my audience by asking questions and letting them do the talking. I’ve recently learned what kind of music they listen to at work, what they have for dinner, what famous person they have met and introduced them a few of my friends along the way. At the same time, I’m sharing a little bit about my own interests and we’re connecting. Eventually, they’ll answer more complicated questions and may even begin to ask some of me.

Be inclusive.

There is nothing worse for a brand than to be off the radar except perhaps to ignore that friends and fans alike probably have brands they’d prefer to interact ahead of your own. Knowing that you like those brands too or are at least engaging other brands demonstrates openness. And people like to be included.

One of my favorite examples of openness is having recently jumped into a Twitter conversation between two of my Twitter friends. One is a beauty pageant contestant. The other is a musician. They tease each other about the stereotypes. To that end, many posts from the beauty queen end with the self-deprecating hash tag “#worldpeace”. So one evening a tweet about wanting a slice of cake was followed by my suggestion to make a #worldpeacecake and share with others. She liked that idea. A follower @larrylazycakes (manufacturer of relaxation brownies) chimed in that he would love to learn about the recipe for said #worldpeacecake. This has since led to numerous other interactions with the Lazy Cake brand and will someday no doubt lead to #worldpeace or at least #worldpeacecakes.

You’re wondering, “How is this evidence of brand building on social media?” You mean other than people now knowing me by my Twitter handle? Well, Google “Tim C Nicholson” (my real personal brand objective). You’ll see me there. I have a website. I have pages on the Bigfish company site. I tweet. I’m on Facebook. I blog. But were it not for the social media activity, the first result to your search would be an apparently troubled “Timothy C Nicholson” who lives in Florida. And that’s a brand that I don’t want to be confused with.

See for yourself. Tweet me what you learn. I’m listening. That's what good brands do.

How Business on Facebook is Like Jr. High

2011-03-20T22:07:00.006-05:00

The guy in the audience asked, “how come there is no published formula for success on Facebook?” My answer was, “because nobody defines success in exactly the same way.” Heck, www.dictionary.com lists 5 definitions of success, three of which might apply to our example. So, I’ll follow their lead and share 3 possible definitions for business success on Facebook and the possible pitfalls of each. But I’ll do it through the eyes of a junior high kid and his Mom.

Being liked by everyone – To some, the business Facebook wall is like a trip back to junior high school. They, now as then, want to be liked by everyone. Truth be known, what they really want is for everyone to notice them (except the bully) and to say something nice about them when asked. There are no real connections made but they seem more popular than some of the other kids and nobody hit them. Like dear old Mom said, “The downside to being liked by everyone is that you have to please everyone.” She was right. Here’s how that plays out on Facebook. In an effort to be liked by everyone you attempt to win likes by using the lowest common denominator – give them something in return. However, if gifts are not the essence of who you are (your brand), then it soon seems shallow and confuses the people who really like you.

Learning how to connect -- to others, the idea of connecting on Facebook reminds them of trying to get a date for the Spring formal. There is at least one person that would make the occasion memorable for them but they’re waiting to see if anybody asks them first. It’s actually a simple formula. It starts with brief encounters in the recent past. Those establish a connection. It might sound like this, “I’ve noticed that we share some of the same interests (0kay, he’s a mature junior high kid). I thought you were cool when we talked at your friend’s locker last week. And so I was wondering, what are your thoughts about the upcoming dance? (And if we share the same point of view) I think it might be fun if we went together. What do you think?” This isn’t manipulative but it is strategic. You never know which encounters might turn into something meaningful. So start making connections that include as much discovery as they do pronouncements. Then who knows, maybe she’ll hold your hand on the way to the dance.

Identifying Advocates – okay, so maybe you’re ambitious and want to run for 8^th grade class president. Wouldn’t it be nice to know who your real friends are? The ones who will help you get out the vote? You start by looking for those friends who are on your wall or in your news feed on a regular basis. Do they click “like” or do they leave comments on your posts? Do they tag you in their comments? What’s the tone of those comments? It’s all right there. All they really need is an invitation to be your champion. Some may be willing and able to run your campaign. Others might be more interested in painting posters, passing out flyers or getting your name into the daily announcements. At a minimum, they’re likely to vote for you and tell a friend. But whatever the case, if you want to identify advocates make posts that asks for input. Participate in the conversation. But don’t get in a hurry. The vote is still weeks away.

So as you see there are several definitions. Each with it’s on formula for attainment and a few closing words from Mom:

Regarding Likes -- remember where you came from (know who you are)
Making Connections -- be polite and pay attention when others are talking.
Be a friend – (and) don’t be afraid to ask yours for help

I’d love to hear your definitions and how you achieve success on Facebook. Facebook timcnicholson, tweet me @timbigfish or email me tim@gobigfishgo.com.

It's Personal

2011-02-10T21:26:00.003-06:00

So, Facebook messed with your business page today and you’re bent. Just one more sign that you still don’t get it. It’s not about business. It’s personal. And until you get that you won’t make meaningful connections.

Okay, maybe that’s a little harsh but here’s the deal. The guy running your marketing department wants to make social media work because “everyone is there” but he hasn’t come to grips with the real reason social media exists. There has been a cultural shift. Our society has moved from the Information Age to the Participation Age. And the participants are in charge.

Selling is no longer an informed sales rep versus an uninformed buyer. Prospects and customers have access to information, too. And most of it comes from sources other than you.

Marketing is no longer broadcasting messages over open air. Prospects, customers, patients and members are subscribers to the information they want and their friends influence their preferences.

This is all so much bigger than your Facebook business page. Heck, it’s even bigger than Facebook. It’s about your approach to doing business (yeah, you’re still in charge of that). But you’ll have to pin a few new adjectives near your brand promise starting with open, approachable, and conversational. It may not be easy but it will be personal.

Let's get personal. I'm on Twitter @timbigfish and at www.facebook.com/timcnicholson

Facebook and The Super Bowl

2011-02-03T16:59:00.006-06:00

This weekend hundreds of millions of people will gather in family rooms and around party platters with smartphones in-hand and the Super Bowl on the big screen. And Facebook will be there, too. It will be part of every TV ad and it will be the most used App (Twitter running a close second) on your phone. The game is a magnet for connection. Facebook is magnetic for the social engagement it enables. People are drawn to each because people are drawn to people.

Connection is a human imperative. Any event or technology that enables it thrives. The Super Bowl, an event with national holiday like status, thrives because via television everyone is there. Facebook thrives because via affordable anywhere technologies, everyone is there.

Harvard Business Reviews says, “Facebook enables (connection) better than any other social network.” And it’s found its way into the soul of our mobile devices. (Install the Facebook app on your iPhone, for example, and you'll see its features integrating themselves mysteriously throughout every function of your phone.)

Just look around the den on Super Bowl Sunday and watch the people that you know connect with people you don’t but could via the Facebook friend finder. People simultaneously present and absent courtesy of their smartphone app.

As Facebook has grown it has become less a website and more an extension of ourselves in the same way that the telephone was for our grandparents and cell phones were for the next generation. It’s also changing business in ways that most people can’t get their heads around -- because they see it as a technology or a platform for making announcements and doing transactions.

They miss the listening. They miss the engagement. They miss the inputs and innovation. The business guy wants the metrics for something that can no more be measured than the number of ripples from a pebble thrown in the sea. He fails to see it for what it is; the way we connect.

Speaking of connections, would you please pass the nachos?

Oh, and get back with me on those metrics. There are some and the results are going to blow your mind like a safety's hit on the opposing team's wide receiver.

Tracy Morgan Loves Your Work

2011-02-02T19:30:00.000-06:00

I recently received a handwritten love note from a customer. She raved about working with our team and ended her thoughts with “I love Bigfish.” It got me to thinking. What if every customer was as passionate about their experience with us? What would that look like? How do we create it?

The customer’s point-of-view is the most compelling. It’s a more dynamic story than the one coming from the marketing department. It’s real. Maybe imagining what that might look like can help us create a plan to achieve it. Play along with me. Let’s pretend that we’re hearing about a product or service experience from Tracy Morgan. He is the hilarious star of SNL sketch comedy, the sitcom 30 Rock, a writer and movie star with the February 26 release Cop Out. What if Tracy were thinking about these three businesses:

Dunkin Donuts. To some it’s a donut shop. But, it has so much more growth potential when Tracy says, it’s the fuel that gets me through my day. After that Dunkin Donuts isn’t just for breakfast anymore.

How about The New York Times? The self-promoting purveyor of all the news that’s fit to print. The paper business is dirty ink on my fingers but then I hear Tracy’s voice in my head. He says, NYT has the 411 on everything worth knowing. This frees NYT to deliver info to key advertiser demographics in any medium they choose. Tweet me the news, please. Text me the headlines. Or, maybe there’s an app for that.

Or, how about Tracy the suburban home owner? To him John Deere isn’t just the maker of lawn mowers. In his acceptance speech for lawn of the month he was overheard to say, John Deere is my yard’s daddy. Or, at least that’s how it goes in my mind.

What would Tracy say about your business? How can you create an experience worthy of such a passionate response? We think it starts with understanding the culture, knowing how to optimize technology to be where the customer is, and then allowing them to experience the brand in a way that only they can imagine. And, Bigfish has a strategy for that. You're gonna love it!

Write to me tim@gobigfishgo.com or follow me @twitter/timbigfish.

The Truth of a Rumor

2011-01-12T22:54:00.005-06:00

"Facebook will close its doors on March 15th," according to the rumor run rampant last week. And as unlikely a rumor as it is, there is one sure truth to be found in it - you flinched.

Perhaps you've decided to develop a customer relationship and business development strategy on a social media platform. You've embraced the idea of humanizing your brand. You've become conversational and promoted interaction between you and your prospects and customers. You're "all in"… on Facebook. And that's why you flinched.

A social media strategy is no more about a single platform than CRM is about software. It's beyond Facebook. Resolving to create a genuine dialogue between you and your customer is a brand lifestyle. It includes actively listening to their ideas, concerns and invention. It means being where they are so as to accommodate their on-demand desire for personalization. It's not easy. It is necessary.

A flinch in and of itself is a natural response to something unexpected or in anticipation of a painful event. Relax. The likelihood of Facebook "going away" any time soon is unlikely but the rumor of such an event is a reminder to have a broader plan. Here are a few building blocks for your strategy:

Know what types of interactions your audience values.
Decide what you expect from those interactions.
Identify the platforms that best facilitate the objectives of you and your audience.
Resolve to diversify your platform selection.
Commit to a website that incorporates your platform selections but engages the user beyond a reliance on public networks.

And stop flinching.

Want details? Let's talk.

I'm tim@gobigfishgo.com, www.twitter.com/timbigfish or www.facebook.com/timcnicholson. You get the idea.

People or Search Engines?

2010-12-15T23:13:00.004-06:00

Here's a little something to contemplate as you think about your relationships with customers, members or patients in 2011, "Do I believe that connections happen through search engines or people?"

It's easy enough to guess how we think connections happen. Look at any of the recent projects launched by Bigfish and you'll see people. Whether it's every kind of people on http://www.deltazeta.org/ , post from members and their friends at http://www.deltau.org/member, posts about wonderful people at www.facebook.com/iammemphispretty , or stories from people at http://www.mystorymybaptist.org/ where patients and community members can submit their own story and share it with others. Connections with people courtesy of Facebook social plugins as implemented by Bigfish.

Sure, the sites noted above are optimized for search. That's part of the traditional Internet business model, right? It's a construct owned by Google who most people believe knows websites better than anyone else. But the leader in search has to be concerned. While they know websites better than anyone they don't know people nearly as well as Facebook. And as people become better connected they become less reliant on search to tell them with whom they should connect.

Bigfish thinks that connections happen through people.

People on-the-go. People who use social networks. People who use websites. People who buy products and tell people about their experience. People who volunteer their time. People who donate money. People who know other people. People who want to connect with you.

Does your 2011 Strategy include people? Or are you still searching for something? Connect with me. I know some people who can help you.

Write me tim@gobigfishgo.com, be my friend at www.facebook.com/timcnicholson or find me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/timbigfish

Like: The Search for Relevance

2010-11-29T17:52:00.007-06:00

I’m tired of Google search. It’s had a nice run. But I just can’t rationalize betting my marketing budget on a technology that uses yesterday’s math and a formula that is so easily gamed. Why would I trust that when the best form of marketing (i.e. word-of-mouth) has been digitized via social media?

So, if you're marketing partner is going to perpetuate the lie that “organic search through link backs” provides the truest measure of page relevance then just go ahead and buy your links from the 10 or 12 places that are spamming search today and get it over with. But sooner or later your prospects and customers are going to cut through that and look for a community of web users who share their preferences and how many users “like” a product or service will be the trusted result for their search query not its page ranking. I for one am not going to compromise the future integrity of my brand for the sake of today’s search engine ranking. Bring on the “like” results. They are the most genuine ones.

It’s not just my opinion. When looking for new customers, 91% of small businesses surveyed by Constant Contact this fall cite the value and importance of word of mouth. Add to that the discovery that businesses have increased their use of social media tools and plan to focus more on those efforts in 2011 and you begin to get some measure of how many people are realigning their strategies.Nearly two-thirds (63%) of small businesses cite Facebook as an important tool for marketing, up from 50 percent earlier this year.

In addition the survey indicates that small businesses now see Facebook as equally important as face-to-face interactions; 62% cited face-to-face interactions as important. And you can’t get anything close to face-to-face interactions through traditional search but you can through social media.

Ah yes, interactions. Remember that word. When likes become the new links of search you’ll need to create content that inspires interactions. Interactions are responses to quality posts demonstrated by a user offering a thumbs-up, leaving a comment, and retweeting or sharing the post or posts with their friends. My proposed formula is the C x I = R (content times interactions equals relevance). And Relevance is something we can all Like.

Find me www.twitter.com/timbigfish or visit Bigfish as www.facebook.com/gobigfishgo

Mobile: Everything All the Time

2010-11-21T20:07:00.009-06:00

I'm not a numbers guy but there are some numbers that shouldn't be ignored. Like these: Nielsen reports that 150 million smartphones will be in use by mid-2011. Somewhere in those numbers you'll find your prospects, your customers, your patients and/or your members. But, will they find you?

The smartphone is not a toy. In this age of over-programmed-living, devices like the iPhone, Blackberry, and Android have become a vital tool for connecting with work and friends - especially among women. Nielsen reports that women have accepted the smartphone at a faster rate than men. They're using the phone to move appointments, get driving directions, and check email (the guy's favorite). But, they're also using it to download in-store coupons and make social posts. Actually the Nielsen survey reports that 9 out of 10 women use their smartphone to stay connected via social media posts. Not just connected with friends but with their preferred brands.

Ah, their preferred brands. That's subject to change. Smartphone toting consumers -- whether they're members of your association, volunteers in your sorority, patients at your clinic, shoppers in your boutique or any other form of prospective member, customer or patient -- will redefine your relationship with them using a new variable: convenience.

The Nielsen survey found that 83% of smartphone users never leave home without them. My own informal polling at meetings and presentations finds that number to be 100%. Not laptops. Smartphones.

How do you overlook a customer touch-point that is available nearly 100% of the
time?

The women in our survey said that they use their smartphone to make important brand connections (not just voice calls) in the moments between work meetings, PTA, carpool, volunteer work, the kid's piano practice and so on. They use it because it's convenient. And, they are inclined to browse their smartphone until they find an option (i.e. any product or service) that connects with their on-the-go lifestyle.

Am I suggesting that you build a smartphone app tonight? No. It's possible that a mobile app should be part of your strategy but until then create a mobile website with the on-the-go elements of your brand. By the way, our stats show that nearly 97%of attempts to load websites via a smartphone "bounce" or fail because the site doesn't support mobile browsing. That means frustrated prospects and customers who may try another option. STOP MISSING the CONNECTIONS available through the convenience of a smartphone. Mobile is no longer an option. It is everything.

Bigfish builds mobile websites and we recently launched our own. Visit it on your iPhone, Blackberry, Android or other smartphone.

You and I can connect on www.twitter.com/timbigfish or www.facebook.com/timcnicholson. Work it in while your waiting on that Peppermint Latte this holiday season :-)

Yeah You're Different

2010-10-28T16:17:00.006-05:00

How much longer will you subscribe to the notion that business customers aren’t using social media? Or, that the way B2C companies use it is irrelevant to your B2B firm? Each of those notions can be dispelled in the amount of time it takes you to say, “We’re different.” Here we go.

If your B2B company thinks it will let someone else be the pioneer you may want to consider this, a 2009 study by MarketingProfs found that ALL COMPANIES, regardless of model and size, are predominately using Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Blogs, and Linkedin. So, if the tactics are often the same, how do the lessons from B2C not apply? You won’t have to teach them how to interact. The B2C guys did that for you. Just don’t let your competition teach them how to connect with a B2B.

Even if you can’t offer a coupon (bet you could if you thought about it long enough) the core ingredients of social media success: storytelling, humanization, friendship, and purchase intent are not B2B or B2C items. They are human items and they apply as long as you have prospects, members, patients, prospective customers and employees.

Okay, so we’ve established that your B2B is just not that different from a B2C marketer in knowing which platforms matter. Still you insist that your sophisticated decision makers have no time for such foolishness. Oh yes they do. Forrester found that 81% of U.S. adults with an Internet connection use social media in some form. Further, last year’s Forrester study of B2B technology buyers found that they use social media nearly twice as much as U.S. adults overall.

Ok. Maybe I was wrong. You are different. But, you’re different because you’re not connected.

I’m at www.facebook.com/timcnicholson or www.twitter.com/timbigfish

Get Over Yourself

2010-10-25T17:26:00.007-05:00

This weekend I saw “Social Network” (the movie) and knocked around a small artisan town. The two combined reminded me of a lesson as old as Dale Carnegie’s guide to friendship and how it might apply to marketing via Facebook. Here it is: to realize the potential of Facebook focus on other people and learn to listen.

Never mind sorting out fact from fiction. The movie is filled with lessons about doing life with others. Whether or not he has friends, Zuckerberg’s genius alone was not enough to propel his idea. Others inspired (albeit sometimes unwittingly) and connected him to the other people and resources to move his work along. The portrayal of Zuckerberg makes him out to be a self-centered, smart aleck know-it-all. However, I tend to sympathize with the notion of a guy who was so focused on an idea that he looked past the people in his life. Ironically, nothing really could have happened without those people and eventually about 499,999,990 or so more.

But life need not imitate art when art is all around in life. A fall day in Leiper’s Fork, TN was full of inspiration. An outdoor lunch at an all natural restaurant, live music, an art coop walk through and impromptu visit with an artisan tenant set all of my creative senses on fire. Info receptors were opened. Then an open-ended question posed to a local shopkeeper presented a lesson for marketers who use social media/networking.

She shared the origins of the community name including an anecdote about a gun duel featuring Andrew Jackson. She put founders’ names and personalities to the local boutiques. And later she pointed down the street to where a world renowned musician lives. I had valuable (even if for entertainment purposes only) new insight because the focus was on her and what she knew about the subject at hand. We were connected.

It reminded me of a lesson from Dale Carnegie’s book “How to Win Friends and Influence People”: people like to talk about themselves. There isn’t a single tech innovation that will ever change that. So as marketers we have to create moments that enable sharing and listening. At Bigfish, we call them interactions.

So how does the weekend translate to a lesson for businesses who market via Facebook? Two simple things:

1. Admit that you need other people to succeed.
2. Create interactions where you talk less and listen more.

Or if you'd prefer just one: get over yourself.

Want to be heard? Find me at www.twitter.com/timbigfish

Like It or Not It's All About Like

2010-10-13T20:33:00.010-05:00

We started this year saying that someday your customer’s preference would dictate your company’s search engine relevance. That someday has come. The new Bing Facebook alliance makes “like” the new relevancy factor for search. So, what is "like"?

"Like" or not is the grade your business earned as determined by "the customer experience".

Your company and mine must be fully aware of the experience we create for our clients. We can’t cleverly weave our way through search engine formulas and hope to find some unsuspecting prospect who would become a customer. In the Participation Age your customers don’t care about some arcane search algorithm that revolves around keywords, referring links, dynamic content and other inane attributes. They care about what their friends think. Their friends are your recent and next customer.

Instead of “referring links” think “quality interactions”. Make each one count. Your customers will relate each of their experiences to their friends (your future prospects and customers) with a simple thumbs-up or down.

Perhaps, like Bigfish, you’re not in the gadget business. You don’t cook pizzas. You don’t rent cars. You don’t iron shirts. So what is there to like? Well, every day you and your employees make impressions. You create an experience. Your company and mine are in the customer experience business. It’s the quality of that experience as seen from the customer’s point-of-view that will determine the “like” count on our Facebook business pages long after our personal social acquaintances have tuned out of our news feeds.

My colleagues will attest that I am highly sensitized to the customer experience factor. It’s in our name. If I walk into the development room kicking over waste baskets and spilling coffee, it’s not because my folks have performed poorly. It’s because I’ve been enraged to the point of disgust having just witnessed a so-called collaborating engineer or developer use fear, uncertainty, doubt and downright arrogance to bluff a client into submission. Thankfully, Bigfish Developers are sincere in their efforts to deliver a “treat them like the big fish” level of service but we all have our moments and I may have seen a tiny bit of our worst selves in the other guy. It had to be kicked and spilled on. It wasn't a like-able experience.

We’re a service business. Whether we’re developing words to convey our client’s message, drawing pictures to illustrate their ideas, building websites to enable their objectives, or connecting them to prospects and customers through social media – each interaction with them is the experience.

For every gift card or thank you note from a client there are five others we might not hear from. What was their experience? Did they “like” us or not? Guess we’ll have to Bing and decide.

Let's talk about it. I'm on Twitter at www.twitter.com/timbigfish

Small Biz Brand in Transition

2010-09-30T12:19:00.005-05:00

Today I met with a business owner whose company is solidly positioned – in the past. She knows it and wants to do something about it. That puts her a step ahead of most business leaders. And, a step ahead is a good place to start.

Her challenge is to transform the business from a surviving “Mom and Pop shop” to a thriving professional services company. She is in business transition. An OBGYN friend of mine once said, “Transition (the time the baby spends in the birth canal) is the hardest part of childbirth for infant and mother.” From what I’ve seen as a witness in the delivery room, he’s probably right but he’s there to help.

The challenge of transitioning a company is found in knowing where you’re headed and having a plan that connects you to the target. Mom and the baby instinctively know which direction things are going. But Mom has thoughts about the future long before delivery. She dreams of what the child might become. She names the baby and sets her mind and heart on loving and caring for it. Soon Mom and child, begin to live the plan.

Likewise, the business owner casts a vision for the business she has created; the brand that she has developed. Her transition challenge is found in knowing where today’s version of the brand ends and where the brand of the future begins. Her instincts are good. Change is inevitable so she sets out to take charge of the change.

Perhaps our business owner can think a little like Mom. Consider the business brand, imagine what it might be in the future and make plans to realize the goal. She can start with communicating that message to all affected parties. Today, while there are more venues than ever to convey a message – to connect people to the vision you have for your business – it still requires a strategy.

Mom and baby get a little support from men and women like the OBGYN friend of mine. The business owner we met today will get a little support from Bigfish. Call us the brand doctors.

Instant Search. Instant Irrelevance.

2010-09-13T21:14:00.008-05:00

Google, guess what? I’m really less interested in how fast you can find a match for my search than I am in finding the most relevant match. So, I’m going to turn to the people I’ve always trusted for answers to the important questions – my friends. And apparently, I’m not alone in doing so.

One of the variables in the Google search algorithm revolves around a concept called “relevance”. But who knows relevance better than your network of friends? Any one of them is more likely to know an appropriate response to your search than even the all knowing Google. Granted the list of results from an inquiry like, “best moving company in Memphis” will be shorter when asked of friends via Twitter but I’ve long been a subscriber to the boutique model of shopping versus the department store.

But if googling is still your preference for search then how much more effective would it be if the results could be narrowed down by indicating which results include Facebook “likes” from your friends? Oh, don’t think Google isn’t trying to figure this out. It is the new definition of “relevant”.

Until then Google will be part of the marketing equation as-is. However, the high-end goods, personal services, niche medical, leisure time, lifestyle, and social or entertainment searches are bound to skew to “asking my Facebook friends". To ignore this would be to deny that you shop somewhere because your friends liked it, that you've liked a brand because a friend suggested it, or that your current hairstylist came through a friend referral, or that you hired a realtor because a family member also used him or her. Heck, now with location apps you can even know the last time your friend ate at the BBQ spot he likes. He may even be there now!

Tip for your business:

When thinking search think social.
When thinking search think local.
Add social plugins to your website, immediately.
Make user generated content part of your plan.
Ask a few friends who can help get it done.

Care to discuss it? I’m at www.twitter.com/timbigfish or www.facebook.com/timcnicholson.

Facebook Places Means Goodbye FourSquare. Google Beware.

2010-08-20T21:08:00.019-05:00

Facebook is at it again. Just when you had become Mayor of the local coffee shop, Facebook Places kills the app that brought you to power. It won’t be the last thing to say “goodbye” as Facebook continues to grow. Google should beware.

Next up? Yelp. Why go to another app for reviews when your friends on Facebook have been to the eatery you're considering (via Places) and left their reviews? Maybe Yelp is smart and cuts a deal to overlay their reviews onto the Facebook Place at which you plan to dine. We'll see.

If you’re AOL, name one good reason why I should download your clunky AIM software when whoever I want to chat with is already on Facebook. I could go on like this for hours and you could probably name several within minutes.

So, let me cut to the chase -- How long til Facebook and Google go head-to-head?

You might say that they already have. Facebook dominates social networking so Google introduced “Buzz”. However, there was no buzz. We'll count that one to the win column for Facebook. Then as more people turned to Bing for search, Google takes on Bing like attributes. Well, Bing is the search tool on Facebook. Hmmm.

That battle is a long way from over but Facebook has at least made their intent clear. Take on Google. And, they're big enough to do it.

Facebook is huge because it is the Internet to over half-a-billion people. It now drives anywhere from 25% to 45% of the traffic to websites analyzed by Bigfish. Speaking of driving, Nielsen says the growth of mobile among women on-the-go (who by the way are social media first, search later) clipped along at plus 40% the first half of this year. 9 out of 10 of these same women say that they post to Facebook via mobile.

So it's the future. Okay, it's really today but to many this will sound futuristic. It's the scene from a car pool line via Facebook chat on an iPhone: “Hey Susie, I just saw that you checked in at the soccer complex (Places). There is a coffee shop around the corner with great lattes (Yelp overlay). Oh, I see you’ve been there before (Gowalla). No I didn’t Google it (Duh). This is Facebook girlfriend.”

Have thoughts? I'm on Twitter (at least for now) www.twitter.com/timbigfish

The Next Big Thing

2010-08-15T18:31:00.002-05:00

What do Facebook posts, tweets, YouTube videos, saved searches, cloud-based email subject lines and all manner of other Participation Age activities have in common? People and data. And, you guessed it -- People and Data are the next big thing.

Data plus People leads to improvement. What if one of the YouTube videos about opening the iPad box led to the introduction of easier to open, reusable packaging? If you think the planet is too hot than you’d probably find this to be cool. The data is there to explore that.

Data plus People equals product development. If you’re fortunate enough to get customer interaction in the form of Facebook posts and tweets, you’re probably already talking to the people with the next product idea. If you’re Lenny’s Sub Shop it might be the next great-tasting high margin sandwich. The people are there for that.

Data plus People leads to invention. If you’re a car dealer who wishes he had an App that would allow users to import their Craig’s List “want to buy a Ford Mustang for $9500” ad and receive an alert about cars meeting that criteria when they drive past your lot…you’d sell more cars in less time. The data and people are there for that.

Perhaps you think this is all still just a little too much work but it’s being used now by the big guys and should be used by you. After all, the reason you see the ads you do when using Gmail is because they have analyzed your subject interest. The reason you see the ads you do on Facebook is because they have the psychographic data to begin targeting you.

Data plus people is the difference between survival and extinction. Your future success could very well hinge on whether or not you were responsive to the people who left data right at your door step one tweet or post at a time.

You Still Need a Website

2010-07-11T21:41:00.000-05:00

Apparently virtual kitty cats, beer pints and roses aren’t profitable enough to satisfy Facebook’s virtual ROI goals. So, they are closing the Gift Shop that features these goodies. It’s just this week’s reminder of why you still need a website.

It’s tempting to consider the possibilities of starting a “Facebook only” web presence for your new product, business or interest group. And while it absolutely should be part of your marketing plan (see Starfish Strategy) you can’t afford to make it the single touch-point for your new “whatever”. Why? Because regardless of how open a platform Facebook presents, it remains their platform. As such, it will expand and contract at the pace necessary to see Facebook toward their goals. Need proof? Consider this:

Closing the Gift Shop – if you want to send a virtual cupcake, get it done before midnight July 31st. The store is closing. At least this change came with a notice to users. Others didn’t. Including:

Notifications Change -- one of our favorite services was Facebook Notification. Using an app created by Bigfish clients could enable their customers or members to choose Facebook as a preferred notification system (i.e. email, text message, Facebook), write it to their customer/member record thereby integrating Facebook into their communications strategy. It was a great way to connect communication to preference and continue dialogue until Facebook change their process.

Custom Tab as Default change – there has been some back and forth on this but the situation remains, Facebook will decide which tab you can display to your audience. The custom tab is the mechanism that enables administrators to set a preferred display page for their guests, fans and/or those who like it. If this were a permanent setting you could control, you might give more consideration to the idea of a Facebook-only web presence except…

Privacy Settings – by default your personal information is set to be included in Facebook search and other engine searches. You can change this setting but will you? Facebook may never get this part right (to your liking) but maybe they don’t have to. It’s still their site.

Read enough? Thought so. You need control of your message and its delivery. The platform that offers you such control or predictability is your web site.

Prospects, customers, fans or members may spend most of their time facebooking, tweeting, watching YouTube videos or googling. So, connect with them there. Then direct them to the one place where you can enable their preferences, determine which messages to present and where you set the hours of operation: your website.

Let's talk. I'm on Twitter @timbigfish or visit my site http://www.timcnicholson.com/

Whose Face is This?

2010-07-04T13:18:00.000-05:00

It's the newest Facebook feature but there is more to it than meets the eye. This holiday weekend found me near the pool but never far away from my iPad. It's one of those things most people don't know about me. But should they? They would likely recognize my face but would they recognize my habits and trends? You know, the things that make me - me?

Here's the deal. While surfing Facebook this morning I saw a familiar face in the right hand margin. Above it the headline, "whose face is this?" and a field in which to write a response. On this occasion the pretty face belonged to my wife. So of course I recognized it. As she already knows, I'm a face guy. Still I'd like to think that if the feature had listed attributes like, "loves old movies, broke her arm as a little girl, has an authentic joyful laugh, is a great hostess, listens to Sinatra, doesn't know her own beauty, graduated summa cum laude, likes brunch at the Beauty Shop, and enjoys summer watermelon", instead of her picture -- I still would have recognized her.

The same should be true for your brand. Sure, any person familiar with your logo will know who it belongs to but what about the essence of your brand? Does the marketplace know your brand personality, its voice, how it interacts with its constituents, and the value it proposes to bring absent the "mark"?

I know of a recent instance when a small segment of a brand's audience attributed certain unflattering characteristics to the brand. It happened largely because the organization wasn’t teaching the market about itself and so the market chose to create its own definition. A couple of years later the brand owners are still working through it.

The non-visual part of your brand is what resonates beyond the first glimpse. It’s the result of reflection, planning, teaching, marketing and market dialogue. It takes time to develop and years to establish. For those who read this blog looking for speed consider this: if you subscribe to the same “farmer’s approach” to social media that I do, you can begin getting the non-visual messages about your brand into play quickly and at a lower cost than ever before. You’ll even find members of your brand audience who are already in step with you and willing to advocate your brand message right away via platforms like Twitter and Facebook.

So, whose face is this: original, consultative, loves ideas, tech savvy, creative, and treats customers like the big fish?

Let’s get to know each other. I’m www.twitter.com/timbigfish or on Facebook www.facebook.com/timcnicholson.

Like Matters Now

2010-06-27T23:48:00.000-05:00

Guess what? Facebook has confirmed that "all Open Graph-enabled web pages will show up in search when a user likes them.” Some call this a tactic in Facebook's war on Google. However, while Open Graph and the social plugins that enable likes will improve your position on Facebook searches, it’s not yet the driver for Google’s page results. The reason is simple. Google indexes the web. Facebook indexes its user activity. That’s a pretty big difference, regardless of how big Facebook is.

But, Facebook like does matter. Over 200 million users sign-in to their Facebook accounts everyday. You can expect that many of them will launch a search while there. So, a strategy of your own to integrate the Open Graph and to take advantage of Facebook's social plugins will benefit you. Facebook likes (as well as Twitter posts) are in some ways the “links” and “keywords” of our day. I expect to see their impact made more manifest in all search but search on the home field (Facebook itself) is a great proving ground.

Some will argue and perhaps rightly so that no matter how much information Facebook is able to give users it will always be limited, and will not be able to deliver the web in the way Google can. But isn’t that why Facebook supplements its own search with Bing results. Who knows? Maybe the real winner in all of this search shift will be Microsoft's Bing. That’s a post for another day.

Bottom line: like matters NOW even if only to the prospects and customers who are looking for your products and services while on Facebook. And, that happens to be about 400 million of the best connected people in the world. So whether it completely changes the shape of search or not, like is already relevant -- even if only to those who begin their search on Facebook.

ToyStory and Your Brand

2010-06-22T21:33:00.000-05:00

An anxious Woody says, “Look I just need to get out of here.” Buttercup responds, “There is no way out!” Woody stares back at him in horror. Buttercup (laughing) says, “Just kidding. Door’s right over there.” That’s when it hit me. It’s not the CGI that makes the ToyStory franchise work. It’s the credible story telling, compelling characters, and great audience experience. And, that’s the essence of any great brand.

When the ToyStory franchise launched the buzz (sorry Mr. Lightyear) was all about the technology. The computer animation that brought the characters to life on the big screen was the first of its kind. But we’ve seen all of that now. CGI is everywhere. The franchise has been sustained by entertaining plots and endearing characters. And, there are some lessons in their success that serve all brand owners. Here’s a few:

The Characters – how does your organization connect with a diverse audience? At Bigfish, we strive to develop personal messages (some call them key messages) that support the brand idea but connect with individuals. I for example am a Woody fan. He’s more nerdy than cool and can at times be impulsive but his core values are never in doubt – be a friend.

The Story -- your prospects and customers don’t engage a logo they embrace an idea. That idea evolves into an experience. The experience is the manner by which your brand connects with its audience. It’s the way your story becomes their story. And when your story is their story, you have a brand advocate (see my Advocates v. Followers blog).

The Plot – in the movie ToyStory3, Andy has grown up and is moving to college. He is about to determine the fate of the toys. They decide to take matters into their own hands. Can they? Likewise, your customer wants to participate. They have a stake in how their experience with you “turns out”. So, you have to ask yourself, “Where is my brand headed and is that a journey that my customer will take with me?”

Visual Effects – lest I be misunderstood, the visuals do matter. They have to align with the story. But be careful not to patronize your real audience in developing your visual identity. Case in point: Bigfish is developing a new brand and marketing communications strategy for a group of pediatric physicians. Great folks. During the discovery process our competitive research found countless websites featuring primary colors, building blocks, and stick figure kids on playgrounds. Time-out. The kids aren’t using the websites. The parents are. My point, don’t confuse story illustrations with your brand.

You get the idea. Effects are a platform. Stories create context. Plots relate your message content. Characters are the manifestation of your ideas. Each helps connect your brand with its audience.

You’ve got a friend in me, @timbigfish on Twitter or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/timcnicholson

Fans are Valuable. Advocates are Priceless.

2010-06-14T20:02:00.000-05:00

Recent studies have proposed to place a dollar value on your brand’s social media connections. You know – fans. The study is onto some something. Yet it may have missed the big payoff - fans are nice but advocates are where the money is. Advocates are the ones who'll stand up for you in tough times and promote you within their sphere of influence at all times. So it makes sense to mine the list of people who "like” you for those who are your advocates. And since Facebook contends that the average user has 150 friends, they potentially have considerable potential to advocate your brand.

The study: Syncapse surveyed 4,000 fans of 20 of the top brands (i.e. Nike, Starbucks, Coca-Cola) on Facebook. Then they estimated the value of each fan’s spending as well as the value of continuing to have that fan as a customer over time. The result? Each fan is worth $140. That’s a lot coffee if you’re Starbucks. It may even be a conservative estimate for highly successful social brands. Of course it seems logical that fans would buy and would continue to buy stuff. However, I propose that their value is less about their “spend” and more about their “recommend”.

The same survey found that four-out-of-ten fans would recommend a product that they fan to their friends. I'll call the "recommenders" advocates. Now, if we use Syncapse’s $140 fan-value that makes the advocate worth potentially much more. I’m not a mathematician but here’s my formula:

Average number of friends per Facebook user: 150
Average number of friends fans recommend to: 60
Multiply friend recommendation by Syncapse’s valuation: $8,400

That’s before considering the value of new customers who become fans, who may subsequently become advocates that recommend your brand. Wow! Priceless (sorry, MasterCard).

Your next assignment: find and/or create advocates. It will be easy to find some. They’re the ones retweeting your posts or liking your comments. The others? Well, that requires a strategy and it’s worth more than I can charge here (smile).

Let’s talk www.twitter.com/timbigfish or www.facebook.com/timcnicholson

Hello, my name is Proof.

2010-05-31T21:51:00.000-05:00

The man on the other end of the line said, "We can't do your plan." His organization is struggling to maintain relevance. He knows it but he's frozen in time waiting for something he calls "proof". Meanwhile, another man calls with a similar predicament. His business isn't near the end of its life but he's halfway through the year and not remotely close to achieving his sales objectives. What should he do?

The two men don't know each other but they have heard the same thing -- social media and search engine optimization could be part of a solution. But is it one or the other? They seem like competing interests. They're not. They may be competitors but they are not mutually exclusive ideas. And, I'm not the only one saying it.

This past weekend Web Pro News wrote, "Most savvy webmasters have learned by now that they can't rely on Google rankings alone to drive traffic. This is why social media opportunities presented by networks like Facebook and Twitter have become so attractive. The way people search and obtain information is becoming more and more diversified...the importance of ranking in a completely natural, organic search has become greatly diluted over time...it's getting harder to rely on as well as less critical for discovery."

I know what you're thinking, "That's just another opinion. It's not the kind of proof that your prospect is looking for." Well, my friend, Proof usually doesn't come walking in the door at 8AM. Proof is busy working. It works around the clock. Sometimes Proof seems to contradict itself. Other times it's the perfect manifestation of our best efforts. Either is fine if you know what you're measuring and if you're flexible enough to tweak the plan.

Wait! Proof has entered the building and is in a talkative mood. Let's listen in.

"About 6 months ago Bigfish launched the Starfish Strategy for a local boutique realtor. The results have been part of a record Spring season -- best in 5 years in the worst market perhaps ever. Web site traffic has multiplied by four; Facebook fans by 10 fold. The client's average page position in Google is 3 or higher. While about 1/2 the traffic to their site comes from Google (paid and organic) a full 20% comes from Facebook and respectable percentages from Twitter. The Starfish Strategy has also produced five figure views of home-tour videos on YouTube and makes over 200,000 impressions per month via keywords and interests tied to the client's Google and Facebook ads. The client has even slashed their print ad budget to nearly nothing." Proof, who is becoming bored hearing itself talk, ends the riff and heads back to work.

Hmph. Well, maybe I was wrong. Sometimes Proof does come walking in the door. Want to hear it for yourself? Talk to me www.twitter.com/timbigfish

The Problem with Privacy: You and Me

2010-05-24T12:58:00.000-05:00

Recent moves by Google and Facebook have more than just a few of us talking about privacy. Yet, I think the conversation is misdirected. There is plenty of evidence to suggest that we’re not that concerned about privacy. What we’re interested in is control.

A few weeks ago Google decided to add all of your Gmail recipients as friends on Google Buzz. And, Facebook decided that you’d want your friends and brands to know which sites you’re visiting and which of your ‘likes’ were really expressions of a brand preference. So, they default their systems to do just that. Share everything as you visit web sites.

In the end they may have been right. After all, most of us who are still carrying around a little angst regarding our high school popularity or lack thereof want to have as many friends as possible. So, thanks Google and while you’re at it, can you get that cute little redhead in Honors English to sign my yearbook? As for Facebook, aren’t we already expressing likes and interests in everything from American Idol to Zappo? And, posting pictures of little Johnny’s spelling bee championship trophy? So, Facebook thanks for allowing me to accelerate the word-of-mouth that is my opinion.

But they were wrong. Right? Yeah, maybe. They were wrong to assume that just because we’ll share every little thing in our lives that they can share it too. Google responded by disabling the default. Facebook has essentially done the same with an “opt-out” feature for changing the option regarding sharing info with web sites (just check the Privacy Settings/Web Sites of your Account). All they really had to do us tell us about the benefits, prompt us with a message at sign in, and allow us to “opt in” or “opt out” immediately upon launch of the new feature. My guess is most of us would have retained the default settings. After all, we’re all but over the secrecy of the Information Age. We simply want to know where the kill-switch is when our data spills out onto the social web.

Talk to me www.twitter.com/timbigfish

The Social Web and Really Cute Shoes

2010-05-09T11:31:00.001-05:00

The question from the audience was simple. The response was equal parts a first step toward the social web and a fashion tip -- accessorize.

He asked, "Won't these social plugins and sharing utilities seem out of place on our old web sites?" I couldn't help myself. The audience was nearly 70% female and a guy was asking what essentially was a fashion question. My response was this, "Ladies, should last year's dress keep you from rocking this season's cutest shoes?"

Sure, from a technical point-of-view the social web is about web parts that are easily identified by users and shared via APIs but the spirit of it is embracing the cultural shift toward participation and enabling users (not search algorithms) to determine what is relevant on the web.

The social web is not a fade but it may seem fashion forward to those from the Information Age. Still, having a web wardrobe that isn't "this season" is no reason to hide yourself in the closet. Develop a strategy for stepping out. In the meantime, accessorize your current site. There are plenty of affordable ways to do it. By the way, I hear that it starts with the shoes (or, the addthis utility).

Talk to me twitter.com/timbigfish

Wow! Uh Oh.

2010-05-02T22:28:00.000-05:00

If you’re a marketer you have to be watching the recent moves of social media darlings Twitter and Facebook with equal thoughts of “Wow” and “Uh oh”. First the “Wow”. Twitter and Facebook have made interesting moves of late. Twitter with Promoted Tweets and Facebook via Open Graph. These initiatives are bound to affect online advertising as over 500 million users will see more promotion on their favorite platforms. Wow.

Note: My position for sometime has been that each of these platforms is relevant to your search advertising objectives NOW even if you don’t have an appreciation for the Participation Age itself. Both Twitter and Facebook matter because tweets and posts have emerged as a high worth element in Google’s search algorithm.

And now, each player has amped up its own ability to compete for ad dollars. This brings me to the “Uh oh”.

“Uh oh” if you’re a business that has yet to seriously explore social media as a touch-point for interaction with your prospects and customers. The longer you stay away from social media, the further behind you will be in attracting prospects, cultivating relationships, and accumulating customers through fans (likers) and followers. And if like me you believe that selling in the Participation Age is more farming than hunting -- you can’t afford to remain disconnected from the digitized form of word of mouth that the rest of us know as tweets and posts. Not even for one more day.

I'm not saying you can't run a successful business without social media participation, but it’s not going away. There are more applications, strategies, and opportunities being built upon it. You can’t afford to ignore it. "Uh oh" is not a strategy.

Talk to me www.twitter.com/timbigfish

Like is Easy to Like

2010-04-20T21:03:00.000-05:00

Facebook has decided that Becoming a Fan was too serious a commitment for most of us. Or, was it because the "Like" link receives twice as many clicks as the fan choice? Either way they've dropped Fan in favor of Like. You ask, "Who cares?" You will. And so will search engine driven marketers.

The idea of Becoming a Fan implies a deep connection to a brand or cause. One that many Facebook users we're willing to demonstrate. However, not nearly as many as those who were willing to "Like" a status comment or other post. To "Like" something is relatively easy. It's doesn't imply a deep agreement or total buy in. Simply that you at least for a moment you were amused.

However, in an economy where brands strive to tap into social media's power to accelerate word-of-mouth marketing, "Like" is everything. It will soon be everywhere. "Like" matters because it's easy. And brands want something easy as an alternative to the customer sat survey model perpetuated by web sites like Yelp. We all know that most people who "Like" a service or experience are not energized enough to post a comment somewhere. Meanwhile, people who have a negative product experience seem compelled to tell anyone who will listen. Remember the old customer sat rule, "customers with a negative experience will tell 11 others"?

So, here's what I'm driving at: the option to "Like" a brand will soon become a part of EVERY web site. That's part of Facebook's bigger plan to see their community influence the greater web.

Broad acceptance of "Like" will make it one of the most valuable variables in the search engine equation.

After all, tenure, referring links, dynamic content, blah, blah, blah are not nearly as important as the opinions of users. The "(insert big number here) Like this Site" sentence at the end of a search engine result is going to drive more clicking than a Sponsored Ad Link or even the rank on the page.

The good news is this, in the Participation Age we're deciding what brands resonate and with whom. And nothing says resonance like "Like".

Their Ways Are Not Our Own

2010-04-14T21:21:00.001-05:00

The Participation Age has converged with our messed up economy and is producing new approaches to connecting with people and building businesses.

Pomplamoose is a band. You probably haven't heard of them but millions of people have watched their videos on YouTube. The YouTube content ad network shares revenue with the band. About 100,000 people paid for and downloaded their MP3s last year. They have no record contract. They don't want one.

What does this have to do with Bigfish? With you? Beyond the inspiration quotient it serves to illustrate the potential of dreams in the Participation Age. Technology enables the band's creativity. An online music licensing service tears down legal barriers. A simple alliance with a search engine seeking content to grow their audience gives them a platform. And the no cost distribution channel of social media allows this young couple to make a great living doing what they love.

Oh yeah, what does that mean for you? Maybe the business that you want to build or the organization that you want to grow should consider how the cultural, business and technology changes that power Pomplamoose can empower you to reach your goals. The old ways are no longer effective. Besides who wants to hang out in the music store clearance rack when the real money is on iTunes?

I'm Tim. Talk to me on Twitter @timbigfish

The iPad: Oh Yes You Will

2010-04-05T21:34:00.001-05:00

It will be the next innovation you buy. There, I said it. After hearing what a perfect device the iPad is for your grandma I decided to speak up for the future. It's not a PC but who cares.

The young adult who uses their web appliance to connect with other people doesn't. Facebook is better on my iPad than on my PC. Those who go online to learn don't care. My e-book, the Starfish Strategy, has never been a better read than on my iPad. Heck, even this blog post was written using the blogger app for the iPhone on my iPad. So much for those who say that you can't create content on it. I just did.

Now maybe your next web device won't literally be an iPad. However, it will at a minimum change your PC maker, browser developer, or favorite web site's approach to interfacing with you. So will you go online iPad style in the future? Oh yes you will.

Find me on Twitter @timbigfish

The Shift: Facebook Wins.

2010-03-17T15:00:00.000-05:00

Are you a business owner or organizational leader who still wonders how seriously to be taking Facebook? Are you still doubtful that is changing the way people use the web? Well, wake up. CNNMoney.com reports that Facebook was the top web site for the week ending March 13th surpassing even the mighty Google. It won’t be their last week at the top.

The numbers don't lie. But here’s the big part that most people will overlook:

Web users want to participate. Contribute their thoughts and ideas. They want information from their peers. They trust them even more than they trust a Google
search. Of course you know that means taking some risk if you’re a management or board level type from the Information Age. For them most web sites are transaction” and “information” oriented. They get that. But now, it’s “Participation”. And that is something the decision making demographic wrestles with.

The easy part of a web strategy is the technology. Even the design is simple enough. The challenging part will be the readiness of or the degree to which the executive and board level want to embrace the cultural shift.

I speak to that in the intro and conclusion of our new ebook. You can download it here. But, maybe we need a good old fashion in-person conversation. After all, this whole "transparency" thing is new to a lot of us and tweeting it just isn't natural. Yet.

Follow me on www.twitter.com/timbigfish

It's not for them. It's for them.

2010-01-29T15:37:00.000-06:00

Apple has taken a beating in the tech blogosphere for its recent release, the iPad. And, that may be all that you really need to know - because the tech blogosphere isn’t who the product was designed for.

It was designed for “them”. We all know them. They are like the 3rd world country citizen whose first telecommunications experience is a cell phone. They never knew the pleasure of a rotary dial, a knotted phone cord, or a pay phone. When the tech convergence reached them it was hands-free. No wires.

Likewise, the them I refer to now is not the multi-tasking web developer, funky graphic designer, titan of the spreadsheet, or master of the network domain. It is the man or woman who thinks Facebook is the Internet. And, when that’s not the answer then just about anything else online will do. They want to tweet, share pictures, check email, and watch TV with their Slingbox App. And, they want to look cool doing it; whether on the couch or at the coffee shop.

But pencil-necked, geeky friends of mine need not be frustrated. This is all good. Anything that acclimates your customer’s customer to the Internet moves them one step closer to being a visitor to your client’s web site, user of your iPhone app, or player of that killer Xbox game you’re working on. And then the them becomes one of us. Except cooler and without carpal tunnel syndrome.

Want to talk about how to get your business or idea in front of them? Follow me www.twitter.com/timbigfish or visit my company Facebook Fan Page http://facebook.gobigfishgo.com/

Five and One for 2010

2010-01-07T15:40:00.000-06:00

The last decade brought a significant shift in the way that brands communicate with their prospects and customers. Consumers invited brands into their lives in ways no one could have imagined and they intend to maintain this new paradigm.

Indeed, 42% of all online adults and over half of youth surveyed by Forrester have expressed a continued desire to interact with brands in social media. That’s right! In the age of TiVO ad skipping and anti-spam technology, your customer said

“Go ahead. Tell me your story. Let’s be friends. I’ll introduce you to some of mine. But, I get to choose when and where.”

"When and where" manifest as these 5 things:

1. Mobile Everything – over 750 billion text messages were sent and more than 50,000 apps where created. And, that was last year alone. All of this in the name of being connected. Customers are surfing in carpool lines, prospects are texting during business meetings, and they’re all willing to let you in.

2.Twitter – some brands connected to hundred others to dare I say thousands even millions of prospects, fans, and customers 140 characters at a time. Nothing much was said, but some sweet offers were made (i.e. JetBlue unlimited airfare deal). Meanwhile, what we learned about one another through the trivial initiated the bond needed for meaningful dialogue.

3. YouTube – if you’re a young male adult Axe for Men has something just for you. But, not on their web site. That’s old school. Visit their ‘channel’ for funny videos and product promotions. Then, pass the fun along to your friends. Oh, it’s not just for the kids. Over 1 million people visit YouTube everyday. Some just smell better than others.

4. Google – Einstein said, ‘never memorize anything that you can look up’. Wow! If he only knew. 1 trillion people ‘google’ each day and within seconds have contact information, promotional offers, product reviews, maps to locations, and if they are so inclined over 2 million results for the connection between energy and mass (e=MC2) alone.

5. Facebook – 350 million people use it and half of those folks use it every day. Some of the users are old enough to be your mother. Heck, some of them are. And, much of their time is spent letting friends know which products are their favorites. “I’m a fan…”

But you knew all of this didn’t you? Yet, you’re blowing it off because you think it’s silly to ‘tweet’. And, in and of it’s self you may be right. But, these are the rules to a quickly evolving game that you’ve been invited to play.

So, here's the 1 thing you need to do for positive results in 2010:

1. Create a Plan -- develop and implement a strategy to optimize these new platforms and consumer behaviors. It’s THE one thing you must do now. And, Bigfish has the know-how to do it. We call it the Starfish Strategy.

"Like?” Reach me www.twitter.com/timbigfish. Let's talk about it.

10 Things We Do Every Day

2009-12-30T15:12:00.000-06:00

I did a lot of people watching during the holidays. People at the mall, coffee shops, and family get-togethers; just doing what people do. That’s when it occurred to me. Most of the things weren’t even possible 10 years ago. Indeed, there are 10 things that I do on a daily basis that weren’t part of my life at the turn of the century. Did I just say that? Anyway, consider this:

Texting – I use my phone to send short messages to friends and family throughout the day. Even during important meetings but not during your meeting Ms. Customer.

Mobile Web Surfing – I’m constantly online. Even if my phone is the only connection I have. This too can happen during meetings. Or, while waiting for my tall coffee. But, never while driving.

Twitter – I tweet my most random or intentional thoughts into 140 characters or less for the whole world to read. Like this. I’ve just done it again.

YouTube – anyone in the world can now see my video about the Starfish Strategy. Or, watch a kitty in China play the piano. Good times.

Google – Einstein said, ‘never memorize anything that you can look up’. Wow! If he only knew.

Facebook – connect with friends and network with business contacts – even when I don’t really want to. And, if from time-to-time we’re not really friends. “Like?”

Netflix – sorry Blockbuster but my laptop, HDTV, and the Internet just trumped your late fees and limited selection.

Hulu – sorry broadcast television executive. No more ‘appointment TV’. I watch what I want when I want. That means 30 Rock is on at 8P Saturday if I want it to be.

GoToMeeting – I average 6 presentations a week with people who due to the high cost of travel I would likely never meet. All without a single body search or bag check.

Crowd Sourcing – who would have imagined that the Christmas Eve attack on the Pope would only be viewable because some lady was filming it on her phone? Top that CNN.

So, what will the next 10 years bring. Who can tell? You can, however, count on this – the innovation will come from either the consumer audience or a small business. And, it will change everything – again.

What would you add to the list? Share your thoughts with me www.twitter.com/timbigfish , www.facebook.com/timcnicholson or visit our web site http://www.gobigfishgo.com/ .

George, I Want to Play

2009-12-29T13:06:00.000-06:00

They are five simple words, “George, I want to play.” The economy of words is priceless. And, in the Participation Age they are everything.

Here’s the deal. A Memphis radio sports talk show legend plays trivia with his listeners. He has one simple rule, tell him that you want to play the game or you don’t get to play. It’s serious fun (if there is such a thing) and it’s the only price for admission to the contest. Knowing this phrase is even more important than knowing the correct answer to his trivia question. For without knowing and practicing the rule the listener is ineligible. And, when you don’t play you can’t win.

Think about Internet marketing in the same terms. You have to participate if you want a chance to develop customer relationships. Today’s game is played in the social media realm on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr. You’ll need a plan if you want to succeed. That’s where we come in.

At Bigfish, we implement Internet marketing tactics via the Starfish Strategy. Our plan integrates social media with search engine marketing. It initiates conversation with your prospects and customers in venues of their preference. Its objective is to move the participant to your web site for an extended conversation about your brand. And, ultimately create a chance for you to win.

Interested? Let’s talk about it. Find me at www.twitter.com/timbigfish. Just say, “Tim, I want to play.”

A Photo Album. Really?

2009-11-20T12:39:00.000-06:00

In recent client conversations I have become increasingly aware of sameness. More aware of the trap we fall into when we model our ideas too closely after those of others. And, how we dilute our own relevance when the best we can do is look like some one else. My awareness reached its zenith this past week when during a discussion about web sites a favorite client presented me with a photo album stuffed to the gills and labeled “Web Sites We Like”. Now, there is nothing wrong with research but the precedent on display made me think of a few things.

First, the past. Photo albums are full of memories. Ideally, memories of people we love or moments shared with others but not necessarily moments we can or would relive. If it’s in a photo album, it’s already been done.

Second, the irony. In the digital age where pictures can be taken with all manner of portable electronics, where favorites can be neatly organized in our browser software, and photo albums created on our Facebook pages -- we were looking at a printed representation of ideas. The two mediums, print and digital, each have their own strengths. But, I can’t get a true representation of a digital experience on paper.

And, the future. Photo albums never include pictures of tomorrow. We can not
project onto the pages either “who we are” or “who we want to become”. Only,
“who we were” at least at that moment captured in the photo. Photo albums are
static. Our future is dynamic.

Best practices notwithstanding, the idea of developing a new web site or any marketing communication should revolve around what differentiates us from our competition and the unique value proposition that we present to our audience. Competition is real. Some sameness is unavoidable. However, somewhere along the way it’s the manner in which we do our own thing and how we connect with like-minded people or prospective benefactors that builds an enduring business or brand.

If you need a model for your creative planning consider trading the photo album metaphor for the Tonight Show skit “In the Year 3000” performed by Conan O’Brien and his sidekick. Try starting your vision with “In the future our organization will (insert your goal here).” Save the photo album for recording the events along the way.

Let's talk. I'm on Twitter @timbigfish

Sunrise. Sunset. Dealing with Real Estate Change.

2009-11-06T09:21:00.000-06:00

My friend Jimmy Reed is a realtor by trade. He and Jim Black are the co-owners of Marx-Bensdorf Realtors in Memphis. But, I think if he could have any job in the world it would be one of the following:

Official Memphis Cheerleader -- Jimmy Reed loves his home town. He knows the city and its suburbs like the back of his hand. Sometimes I think that he got into real estate so that he could spend his days touring the city with the people he calls 'clients' and just talk about the place he loves.

Cyclist -- Jimmy rides bikes. Not like you and I. More like Lance Armstrong. His firm even sponsors a racing team. But, that's not why I mention that here. I mention it because I think the idea of 'riding' is a neat metaphor for a recent manifestation in his business. Like all real estate firms his has been through the recent ringer of the 2008 market bust. However, unlike many who sat still or decided to ride quietly off into the sunset, Jimmy and his associates decided that the sun is actually rising on a new era. It might be different. It might be more digital than the past. But, with the right strategy (i.e. the Starfish Strategy by Bigfish) his firm could embrace the change and move toward the future of real estate. One wherein the customer would be recognized for what he or she knows and can gather on his or her own (smart). And, where the Internet would be embraced.

Visit http://www.marx-bensdorf.com/ to see the realization of this idea. Or, visit Bigfish at http://www.gobigfishgo.com/ and click on the Starfish Strategy ad.

It's inspirational really. Gutsy. Which do you choose? The sunset? Or, the sunrise?