The Importance of Social Media Club

Social Media Club (SMC) is a rapidly growing group that brings together professionals of all shapes, sizes and industries. SMC has organized chapters in over 150 cities around the world made up of thousands upon thousands of individuals, as indicated by their Twitter following of over 62,000.

When probing through reasons why SMC was created, I came upon the following language that really struck me:

"We are more than just USERS, we are the reason the tools exist – we are the people who communicate our thoughts and ideas near and far. Join us and let’s shape the future together!"

SMC isn't simply about networking, though that is a big aspect. The group is about shaping the future of communication, getting thought leaders together to think of the next wave of inspiration and connecting the dots for all those that primarily operate on a multitude of platforms.

For me, the best thing about Social Media Club is that it allows me to put a face to a name, blog, page, account or whatever else people are using. Social media communications are a fantastic way of forging new relationships and stregthening existing ones, but its hard to break through to a truly meaningful relationship without meeting somebody in person. Social Media Clubs have made that face-to-face interaction a little bit easier by organizing regular events and turning it into group interactions rather than that awkward first encounter alone as if you were on a blind date.

I'm a member of the Charlotte, NC social media club, but I know that I can join in on any meetup in another city should I be in town while an event is being held. Its a great virtual and real community that will continue to grow as social media does.

I'm sure I'm not the only one out there that appreciates Social Media Club for what it offers. Anybody care to share?

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Don't Forget About Blogs

With the meteoric rise of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, many corporate communications professionals tend to forget about the power of a blog. Blogging started well before Facebook and Twitter were present in the social media landscape so they aren't as flashy or fun these days. Blogs and even blog networks are more dispersed so the traffic numbers don't seem as impressive as social networks.

Facebook can publicly state that it has over 400 million users worldwide and Twitter can claim over 75 million users, but blogs typically define their traffic individually. Gizmodo, a very popular technology and gadget blog can very impressively make the case that they had 1,981,394 unique visitors last month. Though this is amazingly impressive, some markets don't grasp the importance of this number compared to the 400 million total users on Facebook.


A blog offers a concentrated, focused audience. Outreach performed to a blog, or the creation of a blog, can be much more effective than creating a Facebook fan page or Twitter account. A blog has more potential to become a conversation hub, a lasting community and a trusted source than social networking platforms. Blogs allow for more in-depth content because there is greater freedom to write lengthy posts or post a variety of content (text, video, slideshows, streaming video, live blogging plug-ins).

Don't get me wrong, there is immense value in social networks, especially when done well. I just want to make sure that blogs are forgotten in the equation because they may be a brands best option to meet their communications goals.

I know I can think of examples in my professional life where I have suggested a blog to a client, but it was shot down because it didn't have the "potential growth" that Facebook offered.

Do any of you have any examples of blogs being passed over or dismissed as a viable option?

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Make Your Facebook Fan Page Stand Out

Why would a brand or business create a facebook fan page? Most likely they are trying to increase awareness about the brand as a whole or a specific initiative. They may also want to improve brand loyalty and engagement with their target audience. Those are all good reasons to create a fan page, but having a good reason won't actually accomplish those goals.

Brands have to promote their fan pages across a number of platforms to even alert their target audience that the page exists. They also have to provide value or entertainment to the visitors so they continue to come back. It is this latter area where the brand should really work to make its page stand out from the plethora of other brands using a cookie cutter design and content formula for their fan pages.

A brand can either make their page stand out through the content they provide or the design/layout of the page. Each brand will know better than I will what qualifies as unique or valuable to their audience, so I won't even attempt to assert some universal answer that can be applied across all industries and goals.

There are a number of ways to enhance the design of a fan page. A brand shouldn't feel as though they are restricted to the use of fan page standards like a wall, photo sharing tab, video sharing tab, links tab and discussion board. Those are all great features, but brands should go to the next level.

One of the most important features a Facebook fan page offers is "FBML." This is Facebook's version of HTML language and allows users to add components that they might find on other platforms. The FBML feature gives users the freedom to add widgets of all varieties, links and a number of other things. Instead of simply adding links to other relevant pages in the FBML box, it might be nice to add hyperlinked photos using FBML tags so there is a visual association with the link that entices visitors to click through.


There are also a number of previously developed applications that can simply be plugged into a fan page. Brands shouldn't be afraid to browse through these and see if any will help them accomplish their goals while bringing some variety to their fan page.

There are some great Facebook developers and resources out there so if a brand is looking to create a page that is awe-inspiring it can definitely be done.

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Making Changes and Moving On

Today is my last day at Sports Media Challenge (SMC). I've had an amazing time serving as the Director of New Media at SMC. I've been with the company for over 2.5 years and couldn't think of a better place to be in that time. The SMC team is talented and intelligent. They're a nimble group that can put together some of the best digital media campaigns I've seen.

I can't say enough about the quality of people I have worked with while at SMC. If you have any interest, they are absolutely worth following on Twitter:

@kathleenhessert
@ryanstephens
@brittanylane
@matthewgarner
@jackieadkins
@mhannahp
@lindahutch
@janeweddington
@bdoughty

Within my time at SMC I've worked to build out service offerings, bring Buzz Manager (a great online monitoring tool) to a new level and put together full scale digital media plans for fantastic clients. I'd like to think I left a positive impact on SMC and the work I've done can be continued.

Though my experience at SMC has been nothing but positive, I've been offered a great opportunity to continue my digital media work with Fleishman-Hillard. I will be working in the Carolina offices and am really excited to get started. Fleishman-Hillard has an amazing reputation for the work they do and the talent they have. I can't wait for the new challenge.

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The Saints Win the Super Bowl: Will Brands Capitalize Through Social Media?

The New Orleans Saints just won Super Bowl XLIV. They beat the Indianapolis Colts in dramatic, yet dominant fashion. Drew Brees will ultimately be immortalized in the city of New Orleans as the first QB to play in and win a Super Bowl for the team, doing it only several years after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

Jonathan Vilma, the defensive captain and middle linebacker for the Saints, will also be remembered as a folk hero because of his role as a leader both on the field and in the Haiti relief effort.

The story lines are great and continue well beyond these two players. Now the question is how will brands capitalize on the great stories and immense popularity of this year's Super Bowl winners. Sports Illustrated will inevitably do a special commemorative edition with matching championship hat, Disney will ask Drew Brees to visit one of its amusement parks and Wheaties will seek out at least one or maybe all of the Saints to be pictured on a new box of their cereal.

We've now seen brands use social media for their Super Bowl commercial spots, but will we see social media be used in these post victory promotions? Should we expect to see live streaming video of Drew Brees taking his son to Disney World? Will be get to see a Flickr photo album of Reggie Bush posing for the new Wheaties box? Will Sports Illustrated offer a discounted rate for their commemorative edition to their Twitter followers?

I tend to think we're not quite there yet, but we're getting close. This year saw more advertisers leaking their commercials on YouTube than ever before, more social media communications about the brands participating than ever before and more attention being paid to that online conversation than ever before.

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Getting a job with social media is about relationships, not content

One of my primary points on this blog and to clients is that relationship building should be a primary tenant while entering into and building out social media communications. Social media and the tools used to operate in the landscape are a means to building relationships, but that is often forgotten.

Social media presents a platform to build relationships with clients, consumers, influencers, competitors, recruits and more. The preamble to developing relationships is content. The content has to draw people in, but ultimately content won't deliver on new business or new partnerships.

There is a common phrase in the communications world, "content is king." I respectfully disagree with that adage no matter how entrenched it is in our industries mindset. Content is clearly important, but relationships are much more important. The time it takes to produce an abundance of content can be better spent developing meaningful relationships with people attracted to slightly more sparse content.

I know this to be true with brands and businesses, but it might be even more true when marketing oneself on the job market. Content alone may initially attract a would be employer, but he or she won't stick around long if their isn't a line of communication opened and harvested. Experts say that over 75% of jobs are filled when the employer has a personal connection of some kind to the applicant. Social media can be your tool to developing that personal connection, but content won't do it for you. A relationship has to be built in order for you to leave a lasting, meaningful impression on a person.

This means you have to cultivate conversations, reply to comments on a post, respond to @replies on Twitter, send a message back to people on LinkedIn or whatever other platform you use.

In the ever-growing world of social media, the way to get noticed will increasingly be going above and beyond in building relationships. It will be an exception to the rule when a person is noticed and benefits greatly just from their content.

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