DFW Rocks Social Media 2014 is over … and Rocks Digital is on the agenda for next year and I am keeping my blogging fingers limber!

This was my first time live-blogging and it was honestly nothing like I expected. But not in a bad way at all. It was so much more fun than I had anticipated, and there was so much knowledge to assimilate and distill it was a little overwhelming at times – trying to capture wisdom and determine what will matter to other people isn’t simple.

Social Media is fabulous for creating connections.

You can connect globally in an instant. And I am a firm believer that “Internet Friends” are as much “real friends” as people you sit down to dinner with regularly. You can argue that your Internet Friends will never be around to help you move, but that isn’t what makes a friend a “real” friend in my book.

I made several connections at the conference and I am looking forward to keeping in touch with several people. There is one particular connection (I’m not going to name names) that I am still a little surprised about. If you had told me before the conference that I’d “click” with this person I probably would have scoffed … but somehow I found the courage to actually be conversational (I’m much more comfortable with the written word) and I’m glad I took the leap of faith.

The one big thing I am taking away from the whole experience is that connections matter.

Not just “liking” someone’s Facebook page or “following” them on Twitter or adding them to a circle on G+ or adding them as a “connection” on LinkedIn. The connections need to go beyond that. Beyond the keyboard, beyond the computer screen … the connections need to be deeper and more meaningful. And the connections are why I am already looking forward to next year.

Many thanks to Lissa Duty for allowing me the honor and privilege of live blogging at the conference.

See y’all next year at Rocks Digital 2015!

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I wanted to call attention to a very important event that happens every Monday in the social medias and internets, #ManCrushMonday or #MCM. Luckily, I was able to catch this endearing moment on camera when Joe Youngblood (aka Mr. Not Provided) professed his #MCM for Tony Cecala (aka Mr. Facepaint Guy). But who doesn’t have Tony as their #MCM when we’re really honest with ourselves.

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The DFW Rocks Social Media Q & A Panel features Bernadette Coleman, Patrick Dougher, Robin Moss and Eric T. Tung

Question: Patrick, what is the reach of your audience?

Patrick: Well actually the right way to ask that question is “What keyword do you want your show to be known for?”. Our company figures out how to get that right.

Question: What do you see as the future of social media?

Robin: You never know where the future is going to lie so you “pick your poison.” I dabble in all the social media, but I try to pick what is going to work best for my clients. Social media is going to be like everything else, and you have to watch the trends.

Eric: I said yesterday “It will be the end of the ‘like’ and the ‘follow’. Google shows you results that are more targeted to your location. I used to work at an electric company, and we use to think about having people walk around with fully charged battery packs, and if you get a Twitter tweet that someone is complaining about a battery dying, we can go to them and help them out. It seems like we are going to go a lot more organic.

Bernadette: I can make it real simple – social media is here to stay. It has a big impact on your business and you really need to be there. But that isn’t enough. You have to engage. If you’re not engaging then you aren’t there.

Patrick: How many “Boomers” do we have in the house? We grew up with maybe around 21 channels, but now we are going towards Netflix, and now things are totally on demand, how you want, and what you want. Designing things around your world.

Question: I really love doing videos, but what is the best way to improve my reach?

Patrick: You can do all the things that you do currently, and just do more of it.

Eric: You can transcribe it for time stamps. There are a few sites you can go to in order to pay people to transcribe your videos for you.

Bernadette: It’s sometimes best to break down your videos into bite-size tips that lead back to the larger video.

Eric: People are watching longer and longer for content, but that is usually because they are watching something on Netflix.

Patrick: The only ones that are watching you for 30 minutes are the ones that know you and love you.

Question: How else can we continue to grow our influence?

Bernadette: I think you need to reach out to the influencers. Engage with the top influencers as best you can.

Eric: Figure out how your client wants to do something better. And do this without mentioning product names. Become the “go to” expert in your field.

Robin: One of the other things, when someone shares your content, acknowledge them, and do it QUICKLY. You need to engage back. It’s not just about putting it out there, it’s about engaging with them.

Patrick: When engaging with an influencer you want to find out what they need.

Question: There are many vendors for contests. Which vendor would you suggest?

Eric: There are several that I like to work with, and you can even go off site. I like GraphicCopter.

Lissa: WooBox also has some.

Eric: Another is NoorSocial. You can pay for some of them, and then Involver, which is out there too.

Question: I am a virtual assistant, and have many clients that don’t really understand social media. How do I rein them in?

Robin: Ask them what social media sites that they know about, and then ask them why they think they need to use social media.

Bernadette: There is a company called KnowEm that will let people create various profiles across various platforms.

Eric: Also, if you want to get to know the client, make a chart and list the buyer personas, then create a buyer cycle matrix to figure out what people are in the buying cycle at any given time. After asking these questions, then you can figure out a better strategy.

Patrick: If you have a company with less than 10 employees, and they have been in business for a few years, then you have a client list that you can really look through to figure out what to work with.

Question: Do you use any complete CRM tools that pull it all together?

Robin: I am still old school, I still use various programs to handle my CRM.

Patrick: Contactually.com – It’s a snap-on to your email, and it goes through all of your email and social media contacts, and helps you to follow people and create a conversation.

Bernadette: QuickBase is something I like to use. It is very easy to program and I don’t even know how to program.

Question: How does SalesForce automation work with social media applications?

Bernadette: We just recently took our sale dept off SalesForce because we had more flexibility and it cost less.

Eric: I know that you can have some flow through social media. Social Hub does a lot of automation too.

Question: I wanted to find out your thoughts on Klout.

Patrick: I’m a firm believer that if you raise your influence you raise your affluence. I look at the Klout score, but don’t make it the end all, be all.

Robin: I consider if I’m engaging people, am I getting sales, etc. I’m not going to sit in bed and toss and turn over my Klout Score. I am going to do what I do and not be hysterical about Klout.

Bernadette: I did mention that I was trying to get my Klout score higher than Lissa and my staffers.

Eric: So Teri, I think you have a higher Klout score than anyone at the conference. There was a person who put out a press release with his Klout score. We were trying to figure out if he was serious or not. You can kind of game it, but it’s still kind of a good tool. But remember, their business is to sell our data to sales.

Lissa: It’s easy to game. Someone went out and increased his Klout score by giving out Klout to others, and they gave it back which raised his Klout score. There are things that they are doing to make it more legitimate, but if you are genuine in what you do your influence is going to go up.

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One of the biggest mistakes that people make is that people register a social media account.

B – Branding

The first thing you need to think about when you do a social media account is your branding online and offline. Lissa uses burgundy in her clothing, marketing, etc. You need something that will tie you to your brand. She always hears, “Hey, I saw this burgundy shirt, and thought of you.”

Also, make sure that the person online syncs up to the person in real life.

U – Understanding

Make sure you know how to use the social media platform properly. Many people will use a platform and get upset that they are not getting the results they were looking for, because they are not using the social media platform properly.

(Lissa has drawn her success from Twitter)

I read some great tips about how to connect with people on Twitter, and used those tips to really connect with people. I always kept things genuine and really was able to get some great success.

S – Strategy

I use a lot of strategy. For example, today you have to pass ALL of the exhibitors in order to get to the food. Also, it puts everyone in the same place so that they will have a better chance of networking versus being able to go off and hide somewhere in a corner. I have been very strategic with all my planning. Also, being genuine really helps to get speakers to come to a conference like this. Neal was coming down here from Europe.

Think about what you are doing online, and offline, and think about your short and long term goals.

To backtrack lets talk about the ‘R’

R – Relationships

You have to have the offline relationships to have the online relationships. I met Patty offline and was able to develop a good relationship with her where we do a lot of business together. Tony also is connected with me as well. There are so many people here today that are not from Dallas.

T – Take action

It’s all about taking action. You have to do something that will get things going to get the momentum going. It’s about developing those key relationships which comes from taking action. Right now, you may not get some top names responding to you, but over time, you can and will if you continue to TAKE ACTION!

That’s how you BURST The Social Media Bubble!

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2010 was when things really opened up for me.

But I really wanted to empower companies by helping them to get a strategy, or know how to hire companies to handle strategy.

“Social Media replaces nothing – but complements everything” – Neal Schaffer

Just because you are working with Google+ does not mean that you are suddenly going to stop using other social media sites.

How Do People Spend Their Online Time?

• 22% Social Networking
• 21% Online Searches
• 20% Reading Content
• 19% Emails / Communications
• 13% Multi-Media Sites
• 5% Online Shopping

57% of purchasing decisions made via research before contacting vendor.

How your customers communicate with you is fundamentally different now!

You need to be where your customers are looking for you.

Google+ Steps to Success

Step 1: Define your social platform
Google+ is a layer of the different services Google offers.

“You have to understand what Google+ is. It’s really the unification of all of Google’s services, with a common social layer.” – Vic Gundotra

Search Plus Your World Impact

Merge Your Google+ Local Page

Step 2: Establish Your Company Page

If you have multiple locations you would have to contact Google to get that merged.

Cover Photo Size = 2120px x 1192px

Step 3: Connecting With Google

• It’s about Maximizing Your Touch Points with Google.
• Link Your Google Plus Page to your website then put on your Google+ page badge.
• Google+ Brand Pages have PageRank, too – Link to your Google+ Brand Page.

NOTE: Google announced June 25 they were eliminating authorship photos in search.

Step 4: Share Content

• Before Posting, Find a Role Model
• In regards to your audience – what do they want to hear?
• Become a Curator – 85% of Marketers think about this.
• What to post? Replicate Your Social Content Strategy – if you are already tweeting out, then take the most engaging things on your other social media networks and use that on Google+
• Know the Basics of G+ Posting

Step 5: Establishing Circles

• With Google+ you add people to your circles.
• Navigate Home Stream Through Circles.
• Share Posts to Specific Circles – you can limit what type of information that is shared based upon what “circle” the person belongs to.
• Create Your Circles – use as engagement vehicles and create separate circles for each segment.
• Circling others is like following on Twitter.
• Use Ripples to Find Industry Influencers and Your Brand Advocates.
• Your Google+ Network is More Influential Than You Think.

Step 6: Building Your Community – Promote Your G+ Presence

• On other Social Media Accounts
• Website (G+ Widget)
• Email Marketing
• Adding a G+ Badge Before & After

Step 7: How to Increase Google+ Followers?

• Post Regularly
• Engage
• Getting Found on Google Plus
• Share content – Don’t just share a link
• Always tag someone who shared

Step 8: The Secret to Success on G+: Engagement

• Google+ is a Social Platform.
• Users Feel Empowered on Google+.
• Reach Out in a Personalized Way.
• Participate in Google+ hangouts. (A hangout is a place online where you can participate in or host a live event / meeting.

Google+ Best Practices

• Practice internally first
• Only invite those in your circles that you trust
• Hangouts Help Promote Your Brand

Step 9: Communities

You can form communities that will help to drive traffic to your site.

Step 10: Chrome Extension: Do Share

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Eric T. Tung

Photo cred: Scott Peek Photography

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