On Twitter: Can You Have Too Many Followers?

Posted on November 18, 2008
Filed Under Social Media | Leave a Comment

First there was a debate about LIONS (LinkedIn Open Networkers) on LinkedIn, and now there’s dialogue about collecting followers on Twitter.

Guy Kawasaki generated a huge conversation with his post last week on the topic. His advice ranged from tweeting top social media folks (”all you want to do is appear like you have a relationship with them to enhance your credibility”) to repeating your tweets throughout the course of the day. Less controversial were Kawasaki’s tips on establishing yourself as a subject matter expert and using the right Twitter tools.

My issue with Kawasaki’s post is that its focus is largely on the vanity of collecting followers and not the quality of the conversation. And he’s by no means alone in voicing this perspective. I’ve seen a number of people tweet or retweet that they’re close to a milestone number, and will you please follow them too?

Why should I? Are you interesting?

If you have 5,000 or 25,000 followers, how many are you listening to — let alone engaging with?

I know some people with multiple followers who are superheros in their ability to engage their online communities. Or they’re providing so much useful information to their followers that it makes sense to follow their tweets even if it’s primarily a one-way communications channel. But they’re the exceptions.

I don’t know at what number you max out and start filtering tweets so you’re really only engaging those followers in your inner community. And while I can list a number of ways that having lots of followers can be of value, I just think we each need to make sure that value flows both ways.

Is Strategic Planning Dead?

Posted on November 16, 2008
Filed Under Communications Strategy | 2 Comments

There seems to be an evolving debate in the association world around the value of strategic planning. An August Associations Now article quite correctly pointed out that most strategic plans don’t work; but then the author went on to argue that strategic planning is not an essential business function. Scott Briscoe continued the discussion in a post on ASAE’s Acroynm blog, expressing surprise at the vehemence of the debate and saying that “I thought the idea of strategic planning having lost its vitality and usefulness in favor of a more nimble, open planning process was pretty well set.”

Here’s my opinion: Businesses that don’t plan end up operating in reactive mode. And if we’re going to plan, shouldn’t that process be strategic?

I suggest we dispense with the notion that strategic planning is no longer relevant, and focus instead of what makes for an effective process and what the outcomes should be. Businesses need to have short, medium, and long-range goals and develop strategies and tactics within and across divisions to achieve these. They also need to periodically evaluate their activities and initiatives against their goals and objectives and make adjustments as needed. Businesses also need to periodically assess whether how they view themselves correlates to how others view them–whether their employees, customers, investors, or other stakeholders.

Strategic planning fails when people think the plan is the outcome. It’s not; it’s an iterative tool to help your business stay focused and moving forward.

What do you think?

Social Media? Yes. You.

Posted on November 10, 2008
Filed Under Independent Thinking, Social Media | 3 Comments

My latest Independent Thinking column is out. And, yes, the topic is how to get started in social media. Because if you’re a consultant, especially in the communications field, you really ought to dip at least one toe in the social media fishbowl. After all:

Being both knowledgeable and intellectually curious matters–especially when you’re running a business. Would you hire the plumber who gives you a blank look when asked how to repair a broken pipe or a cardiologist who says he doesn’t have time to read the latest information on the link between Fosamax and atrial fibrillation? Of course not. So why do so many communications consultants look like deer caught in the headlights when asked about social media?

Read the complete column here to find out how to listen, learn, and leverage social media for your business. With thanks to Jill Foster and Amber Naslund for sharing their wisdom.

Obama, 50 Cent, and Choosing Wisely

Posted on November 7, 2008
Filed Under Business, Entrepreneurship, Independent Thinking | Leave a Comment

Flipping channels last night, I saw that rapper 50 Cent has a new Apprentice-lite show about entrepreneurship. Watched for a couple of minutes, and his first lesson to his acolytes was to “choose your crew wisely.”

Barrack Obama did this, and his team outmaneuvered and outsmarted the competition. In Obama’s Seven Lessons for Radical Innovators, Umair Haque contends that the president-elect was successful because he created new rules for a new, 21st century institution. This “new DNA,” says Haque, involves self-organization, an elasticity of resilience, minimizing strategy and maximizing purpose, broadening unity, thickening power, and having ideals. Read Haque’s post — it’s fascinating.

Election Day 2008

Posted on November 4, 2008
Filed Under Leadership | Leave a Comment

It’s election day in America. Vote. Please.

Think Twitter Doesn’t Matter?

Posted on November 3, 2008
Filed Under Marketing/PR, Social Media | Leave a Comment

Terrific post on Mashable about different ways that people have used Twitter to reach a reporter, save money, conduct research, and more. Check out Sixteen Great Twitter Moments here.

And, yes, I learned about this blog post on … Twitter.

Before You Quit Your Day Job…

Posted on October 31, 2008
Filed Under Business, Entrepreneurship, Independent Thinking | Leave a Comment

Thinking of going independent or starting a business? Before you quit your day job, here are a few “top of mind” things to consider:

As a would-be entrepreneur, you should also develop a business plan right away–before taking any other steps. Developing a business plan will force you to focus on your goals and what is aspirational, what is achievable in the shorter term, and what resources it will take to succeed.

When Robocalling Fails

Posted on October 30, 2008
Filed Under Communications Strategy | Leave a Comment

There’s one local candidate who lost my vote several weeks ago. I have no idea what his platform is or how he would govern if elected to the city council. All I know is that he wants my vote. His campaign has robocalled me so many times I’ve lost count.

If you really want my vote, stop using a megaphone and start engaging me and other citizens in a conversation. Find out what issues matter to me. Tell me what you’ll do for our city.

I wouldn’t do business with a company just because it wanted me to, so what makes someone think I’d pick a candidate that way?

Companies Need to Ask the Good–and the Bad

Posted on October 28, 2008
Filed Under Business, Marketing/PR | Leave a Comment

My car dealership called me to ask about my recent service experience. It went smoothly, and I told the customer rep. that. He asked me what I liked about their service department, and I gave him two specific reasons why I keep bringing my car back. And that was that.

After I hung up, I realized he didn’t ask me what I didn’t like or what I thought they could change. If he had, the dealership would have learned that I find the “miscellaneous charge” junk fee insulting, and that I tell people to steer clear of their body shop, which lost my business after they lost my front license plate and lied about it.

Are you asking your clients or customers about the good, the bad, and the ugly? If not, you’re missing a big opportunity to get invaluable feedback from the people who are already invested in you.

How I Survived the Cloak of Invisibility

Posted on October 24, 2008
Filed Under Business | Leave a Comment

I once spent almost two days in a workshop being completely ignored by the three people sitting at the same table. I’d offer input, they’d pretend I hadn’t said anything. Really, it was that bad.

Then a funny thing happened. During the final afternoon break, two of the guys started complaining that the communications staff didn’t understand the organization’s core business. Um… actually I did get it. And I interjected a comment that proved it. After that I was golden.

Later, as I was leaving the organization, one of the three would give me some great career advice.

To succeed in business, you have to know how and when to forge a relationship. Sometimes it comes easy; more often it takes hard work. But the payoffs–friends, colleagues, mentors, clients, customers–make the effort worthwhile.

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