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The Brand Box

Brand Elevation through Social Media

On Social Media And Culture ShiftJuly 2

Successful adoption of social media is far more cultural than operational.

The difficulty in social media, contrary to frequent discussion, isn’t in how to use the tools or the tactics. It’s not about measurement or determining ROI. Those things are tangible, and solvable, with time, dedication, and elbow grease.

The challenge lies here: for most companies, adopting social media means changing their mindset about how they do business. Because the fundamental principles behind social media - and the reasons why it is so powerful - involve giving your customers a visible, valuable say in how you do things, and having the faith that doing that is just good business.

Risk?

It’s still perplexing to me sometimes that the idea of customer-centric business is still so frightening to some businesses. They’re the people who ultimately make sure the bills are paid, after all (and delighted customers tend to buy more stuff). But I suppose it’s endemic to our process-laden business world. We’ve forgotten sometimes what the hell we’re in business for in the first place. And faith in business is truly a four-letter word.

There are realistic considerations when embarking on social media - risks of liability or disclosure

Vacation Can Be Digital, TooJuly 1

I’m going on vacation this week, which has been a little while coming and I’m definitely looking forward to it.

But I’ve been a bit surprised by the number of people who are encouraging me (some flat-out lecturing me) to “unplug”. Turn the phone and computer off and go un-digital for the week.

While that may be some people’s idea of utter relaxation, it’s not necessarily mine, and being plugged in to me doesn’t necessarily beget stress. Because it’s not the connections that are stressful, it’s the obligations and deadlines and expected response times that make it hard during the “on” working hours.

Being completely disconnected is actually uncomfortable to me. And it’s not because of some irrational nerdy need (ok, maybe a little), but it’s because my friendships aren’t bound by geography and time zones anymore. My digital connections are often what helps me keep in touch with the people that matter most to me since I don’t have the good fortune to see them often in person.

My computer gives me more than just Twitter, too. It’s a repository for my thoughts and musings, and sometimes in places I don’t (gasp) make public. It’s how I keep photos and videos of my adorable daughter close at hand and

Five Myths of Community ManagementJune 29

Community management as a discipline is evolving. It’s not just moderating boards and forums anymore (though there’s still a certain need and place for that). It’s becoming a pivotal and cross-disciplinary role inside companies that are bridging a social communications presence with their offline world.

It’s amazing to me the misconceptions that exist about this type of position, and it might be because roles like this are still new, and they vary from company to company (and always will). But I thought I might help dispel a few of the more common myths and assumptions about community management in hopes that we’ll find them more and more in companies of all sizes, and collectively understand them a little better.

Social Networking Is All We Do

I spend time on Twitter, blogs, Facebook, forums, and social networking sites as part of my job. But it’s not all I do. And I most certainly do not get paid to just hang out on Twitter and chat all day long (as fun as that might be in theory).

The social channels for me, especially Twitter, are like the phone to me. They’re communication channels through which I connect with people. So much like the phone or email are simply mechanisms through which you conduct your work, so