Social media today, not tomorrow

November 13th, 2009 by Sharon Harper

I had the privilege of both working at and attending Social Media Today (SM2Day)—a truly momentous conference for upstate New York, as it convened prominent minds from all walks of social media life.

In a PR capacity, I wrangled media to attend and cover the discussions around the evolving marketing and communications landscape, as well as the business applications of social media. When the work was done and I got a chance to listen in, I was immersed in discussions ranging from branding and measurement to corporate blogging. Here’s a snippet of the line-up and key points I took away:

• Jeffrey Hayzlett, CMO at Kodak: talked about ROI (or Risk of Ignoring) and explained how his “4 E’s of social media”—engage, educate, excite, and evangelize—interconnect and enable companies to humanize their brands. He also referenced a quote from Kevin Flynn’s presentation, “When the horse dies, the rider must dismount.” In other words, companies can no longer attach another wagon to the dead horse, but rather embrace the wave of social media as an increasingly necessary complement to your overarching marketing strategy.
• Niki Black, counsel to Fiandach & Fiandach: discussed the legal implications around engaging in social media, and stressed the importance of having a social media policy.
• Miguel Llano, a Martino Flynn colleague: moderated panel sessions, encouraging the audience to tweet their questions for panelists by using the #SM2Day hashtag.

A separate graph is warranted for the keynote speaker—the charismatic Chris Brogan, who made a special trip to Rochester for the conference. Attendees were naturally enthralled by his presentation, which in several respects emulated the very crux behind social media itself. For one, it was a conversation with many, as he took questions from the audience. And rather than divulging the secrets of social media success, the discussion itself underscored the importance of relationships with people—in new media and in life. But I think most importantly, Chris was “human,” and he practiced what he preached. He may be a superstar in the social media world, but he is also a humble, personable individual who genuinely enjoys connecting with–and relating to–people.  It was a refreshing feeling to have in this crazy, wired world we’re in. Those who attended SM2Day really appreciated that.

The audiences of your company would appreciate that, too. People want a relationship and a personalized experience when it comes to companies and brands. They want to feel like an insider instead of having a “one brand stand.” Companies that welcome people into their worlds and give the audience the microphone will find—in time—that it will come back to them in a good way.

- Sharon Harper

@Sharon_Harper

This entry was posted by Sharon Harper on Friday, November 13th, 2009 and is filed under Business Blogs, Communication, MF, Social Media, Social Networking. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.