As much as I love Twitter and could go on talking about it each week, I’ll move on to something equally as interesting.

When I first started Social Media Marketing, I found that LinkedIn was an amazing social media channel. Packed with professionals willing to network and exchange information on discussion boards, it was easy to enjoy LinkedIn’s atmosphere.

After creating a few social networking accounts, I found the biggest leads were coming from LinkedIn, and the response rate was a lot faster than any other site. Yes, including Twitter. I had actually lost my faith in Twitter cause I really couldn’t believe that you could get followers out of thin air. With LinkedIn it felt like it was easier to approach people by joining groups and discussions, as well as post interesting articles for everyone to read.

I was interested and blown away recently to find out that not everyone on LinkedIn wanted to connect. For me this just doesn’t make much sense. If you are a part of a social media channel that encourages people to connect, but you don’t want to, then I am not sure what you are doing there in the first place. If you ask someone to connect, they have three options. To accept your invite, to archive you, or “I don’t know you”. The only problem with this is if they click on “I don’t know you”, you get into a lot of trouble on LinkedIn and warned. The problem is that if you keep asking people to connect and they are saying they don’t know you, you will frequently get into trouble and potentially kicked off. What’s the point of being part of a networking system if you don’t want to openly network?? I agree that spammers and the like should be ignored and reprimanded, but if you are apart of the same group and just want to share business information to expand your network and add value to each other, then I don’t see what the issue is. I feel differently about Facebook, because it is used for more personal use versus LinkedIn.

I have seen a few complaints from people on LinkedIn because of people clicking on the “I don’t know you” button, and some groups are even kicking people out for clicking it. Most groups have openly advertised that they are there solely for the purpose of connecting, so I agree with them on these drastic measures. If you “archive” someone it’s a nicer way of putting them to the side without tainting their profile on LinkedIn.

So be aware of what you are doing on social networking sites because it can damage or affect someone else’s social experience unnecessarily. If you aren’t sure of their intentions, ask them straight out and determine your next move accordingly. I’m all for keeping a happy playground. 

If you have followed me in the past month, seen my video(s), you will know that I have gone Twitter crazy. I’m not sure if it’s an obsession yet, maybe I am still in the denial process, but Twitter is a very interesting social media channel that is full of surprises. What I find most interesting about Twitter is the following: it constantly changes. I realize all the other social media sites change and grow to better suite their customers, however, Twitter just never stops surprising me. Ok, so maybe I will admit it now, sounds like I’m hooked!!

I remember a past blog post I had written on Twitter only having used it for a short period of time. I didn’t really understand it completely and I read tons of articles about it, most of them saying the exact same thing. Create an account, follow people, post interesting information that will keep people following you etc. So, taking the advice from the experts, I did exactly that. However, no one really told me to be patient that it will take a long time. When everyone spoke, it was as if this stuff occurred over night, and that it was a no-brainer. Well, it definitely didn’t occur over night, and it definitely wasn’t an easy task. At least not for me.

I remember thinking what on Earth I was doing on Twitter and how would I ever make this work. It was a slow painful process that involved me following people who weren’t as kind to follow me back. My posts felt like they were reaching no one, and that it was all a waste of time. I was about to give up on Twitter, when I wrote a post on Linkedin. I asked professionals there if they thought Twitter was a waste of time or not. The majority said that it wasn’t, and that I should pursue. So, with a little bit of steam left I stuck with it. What changed my views on Twitter were the following occurrences. An elderly lady on Linkedin had told me Twitter was a waste of time. So I asked her why and she pretty much said the same thing that I was thinking although she sounded like she hadn’t really even done the right things, like follow people. So I told her what everyone else had been telling me and I added in my thoughts and that she should be patient. I told her that we should keep each other updated on our progress. She worked with a women’s group, and it wasn’t even a month later she emailed me excitedly telling me that she had more than 200 followers and that she was thrilled with how Twitter was another means for keeping her women’s group connected outside of their usual meetings. I couldn’t believe that an elderly lady had 1. Surpassed me with followers! 2. Made it her own. She inspired me to soldier forth and I must admit I am rather pleased with my results.

For some unknown reason to me, TV shows have their characters on Twitter, posting about either their show or who knows what. The news keeps people updated on the latest news with tweets. Article sites such as Digg have created various accounts for different categories that you would specifically like to keep updated on, for example if you would just like the science section or articles that have been dug 2,000+ times. Companies are using Twitter to promote sales and events. Inspirational quotes are sent out everyday to keep you up-lifted. Politicians are using Twitter to post their speeches and political views. Celebrities are posting their latest events aswell. I am sure there are more amazing accounts out there that I have yet to find, but Twitter definitely does allow ANY business to express themselves in which ever way they please. Twitter even has an array of tools that you can use to enhance your experience such as Twhirl, Tweetdeck, Twellow, Mr. Tweet, Tweetbeep, Tweetminster, Twithority , Twitterfeed etc

So if you take anything from this post, it is that I truly believe any business or person can use Twitter however they wish. You can use it to chat with your customers, post news or events, post pictures, links to your blog, links to any sort of promotion. Twitter does take time and patience, but once the balls starts rolling you won’t regret having spent the time or money on it.

To continue on the topic of my last post, the com.motion social media poll” clearly indicates that social media spend is on the rise. Along with social media marketing, there is one other area that is becoming the focus of 2009 marketing campaigns. Public Relations (PR) spend is rising along with social media marketing.

Please take a look at this very short video with Keith McArthur from com.motion discussing these findings.

com.motion poll

While other areas of marketing and advertising are taking a bit of a nose dive right now, it is logical that some of the dollars that are being trimmed from other areas are being funnelled into both social media and PR.

These two areas are distinct yet fused. Both are about reputation management and promotion. Both have a superior ability to respond, adapt, and amalgamate with changing consumer behaviour, and finally, both have the power to create a strong foundation for relationship based marketing.

It is important to incorporate on an offline marketing campaigns, and it is such a smart move to put social media marketing and public relations campaigns together. On their own they are powerful tools but when integrated they can accomplish so much more.

I anticipate that, as the economy worsens and belts tighten, smart companies we will see more companies turn towards permission and relationship based marketing campaigns and practices.

Being an active part of social media has its moments where you sit back and say “Wow”. I recently had a similar experience last week. Browsing through FriendFeed, and follow Chris Brogan of course, I found an interesting comment of his. Posted on FriendFeed, written loud and clear “For F’s sake do people actually READ any more? Before getting slammed maybe read my goddamned post you moron (Towards about 20 people so far today and counting”. It is an old post from Chris but because I have been writing about psychology in cyberspace, I thought it was a great opportunity to write about Conflict Resolution Online.

I have had a few discussions with people about the following. Some think that communicating online is pretty much the same as communicating in person, however, they aren’t entirely correct. In my past post, I commented about the online disinhibition effect and how it can really change how we communicate online but in this post I will mainly stick with how online conflict resolution can be a handy ‘tool’ to have when things get a bit heated online.

Only one thing is for certain. When you think you are in a fight online, chances are you probably are. And even then, you yourself might be misinterpreting the conversation. Here are 14 Tips to online conflict resolution.

We all know how online conversations can turn ugly and heated. It’s not uncommon to be chatting with people through any social channel (friends or not friends) and get caught in a heated debate, argument, or fight. With no visual or auditory cues, such as body language, tone of voice and facial expressions, communication online can be difficult.

A person can say one sentence 10 different ways in person, yet it is only 1 sentence in written text. So basically, anything in written form can be interpreted in a billion different ways because it all depends on how the reader interprets it. Their personality, how they grew up, and the mood they are in etc are all factors that can hinder a written message. I think having this knowledge can help everyone, business related or not!

On Monday of every week, I will be posting videos discussing the ‘buzz’ in the world of social media and offering my personal opinion on these matters. I came from a background of psychology with no previous knowledge of social media marketing. I started from scratch and learnt the dos and don’ts of social media. I have read for endless hours, followed ‘gurus’ of this field, attended conferences and taken courses. I have made mistakes along the way, as well as discovered incredible paths of endless knowledge and wisdom. With the great support of my team at Wolf21, I have been able to grow and learn from the best.

I hope these videos can add value to your social media experience. If you need any assistance be sure to send me an email at kim@wolf21.com or follow us on SMM.

Com.motion just published some very telling statistics about the social media landscape in ‘08 and where it is heading in ’09. This second annual com.motion – Pollara poll reveals that, even as the economy dives, social media spend is rising. I am pretty sure that most Internet marketers and SEM companies around the globe already knew and felt this but it is great to have the stats that back us up in client meetings.

Here is just one of the key stats published on the com.motion site:

“Despite the economic slowdown forcing marketers to modify their spending, 82 per cent of Canadian business leaders and senior marketers say they will spend as much or more on social media in 2009 than they did this year.”

Of course, there some other stats, followed by a table that breaks down social media spend as compared to other marketing mediums. Just as important as social media spend, though, is the dramatic rise in social media awareness:

“The number of business leaders who say they are less familiar about social media than their customers has fallen to 17 per cent, down from 26 per cent a year ago.”

I am interpreting this poll to mean that it is not just the guys who are already doing it that have seen the value of social media and, as a result, are raising their social media budgets. Instead I see more Canadian companies and corporations stepping out onto the social media marketing landscape. Whether they are doing so simply because they are desperate to try any alternative to traditional advertising methods, or because they really are true believers, still remains in question for me, but, regardless of whether they are “jumpers” or “feet draggers”, these stats show that they are all starting to end up in the same place!

I was reading a blog post written by ‘smoothspan’ called Social Media: The New is the Old, People are People. This post talks about if you have a new piece of social media technology that you find might appear alien, he says compare how it would work in the real world. He says that “There is a real world analog for most any Social Media”. ‘Smoothspan’ backs up his arguments with blog post, Twitter accounts, forums, and groups. He says that although twitters 140 characters might seem weird, if we were to have a real conversation in real-life, then we would probably not go over 140 characters because other people would be talking back and forth. Blogs allow for comments at the bottom, and forums and groups allows for similar discussions. He likens them to group talks where you can comment after the person has spoken. He says that although social media changes things a little, people are still people and they interact in much the same way. However, although he brings up good points, I have to admit that I rather disagree with ‘smoothspan’ on his argument.

For a while now I have been reading up on the psychology of cyberspace. Conversations that occur through social media, however similar they appear to real life conversations, are not. The online disinhibition effect plays a major role in how humans interact with the Internet. There are several points to the disinhibition effect, such as dissociative anonymity (you don’t know me) and invisibility (you can’t see me) that affect how we interact with each other on the Internet. It is well known that people say and do things online that they would normally not face-to-face. Time is a huge factor that needs to be taken into consideration. Face-to-face, people have to react and act on the spot whereas online, responding to a person can be delayed and thought out well before a response is actually sent. A person’s personality and the mood that they are in at a particular moment will also hinder how the person behaves and reacts online. Shy people, tend to feel safe and secure behind a computer and thus interact differently with people online as opposed to people offline. The Internet is not actually a space at all, but a made-up world we created.

Interacting with the Internet does mimic to a certain degree how we interact in real-life, only because as humans we know no other way. However, disinhibition factors play a huge role in the way in which we communicate online. So to say people are people and interact in the same way is a bit of an over statement. I asked my Twitter followers what they thought and here are the responses I got.

@Xgalien: on the internet people are more spontaneous, less inhibited, you see more of the inside of them…

@anthonyidem: Geez, I hope not..

@chapin55 My interest is personality. Schizoids and introverts are much more outgoing online. I’ve heard some freaky things regarding online experiences.

I will be discussing more on this later next week.

Last week, my post was entitled “Getting Comfortable with Social Media”. I would like to follow up that post with my top 5 tips for surviving and thriving with social media:

1. Know your audience

Social media is about more than simply knowing the demographics of your target market, or where they like to hang out online. To create an effective social media marketing campaign, you must identify with your audience and understand their underlying goals, ambitions, and thought processes. This is an absolute must if you (and I know you do!) want them to identify with you.

2. Social media requires research and planning.

With so many new platforms presenting themselves at breakneck speeds, it is easy throw caution to the wind and jump on board. While it is true that it is important to act fast, it is equally important to create a solid, long term social marketing strategy that fits into your overall plan, which brings me to my next point…

3. It is important to marry your online and offline marketing strategies.

Online strategies should always synch up with and support offline marketing activities and vice versa. A well thought out integrated marketing plan is an effective marketing plan.

4. Understand that effective social media marketing is permission based.

Advertising that forces itself upon, or distracts the end user will do more harm than good. Useful and relative content is key to getting noticed in a positive manner.

5. Effective Social media campaigns require a time and energy commitment.

Every once in a while, we all hear about the overnight viral marketing success stories that began with little more than a spark of creative genius. I personally cheer every time I here of these stories BUT this does not mean that you will necessarily recreate the instant success of others with little to no work or budget. If your social media campaign is not an overnight success, that does not mean that it is time to pull the plug and go wallow in self pity because social media has failed you. Measurable results, results with which you can track ROI usually take (and hopefully build) over time.

Of course, perhaps the most important element in social media marketing success is action! Create your online strategy and follow through. Until you do so, you are losing out on a huge opportunity to connect and interact with your consumers.

With a background in psychology it was only natural for me to explore the psychology of cyberspace. My initial reaction when I thought of the Internet and how I interact with it on a daily basis, was “Well, there can’t be all that much to it”. My regular Internet experience is: I go online, check my emails, reply to friends comments on Facebook, stalk a few people’s pictures I haven’t seen in ages, join a couple of new groups, surf the net for stuff I am interested in, browse the shoe catalogues from my favourite stores, repeat a few of these steps a couple of times and close up the day with a few songs and videos I love on YouTube.

Doesn’t everyone do that?

D’oh, of course not. How naïve of me for saying and thinking that, that’s almost like saying there isn’t much to a Human being. I am sure my professors would shake their heads at me. I was flooded with excitement when I realized I could put my psychology knowledge to the test. Sure I had learnt various things about human behaviour that come with a standard psychology degree, and sure the Internet came up for group interaction discussions but I had never really thought of the connection it would have with the individual human use of cyberspace. I know it’s not uncommon for companies and people to try and manipulate others online but what I discovered was a whole new realm of psychology.

I wondered how I was going to apply this knowledge. After all, I am not Google and can’t track what every body is doing on the Internet. So I came to the conclusion that I would have to analyze myself.
I know, seems a bit odd and un-psychology like but my thoughts were that I don’t know anybody’s Internet behaviour better than my own.

Confirmation bias, fundamental attribution error, disinhibition effect, group dynamics, personality influences, online conflict resolution etc are terms that I will be talking about in future blogs. I will be taking each and applying it to my step-by-step online behavior.

Next weeks topic I will be talking about my first step on the Internet; checking my emails. What? Yes, emails. Wait until you hear the twist behind this one!

As an Internet and social media marketer, I have noticed that many new and prospective clients tend to fall into one of two camps. The first camp belongs to those who perceive social media marketing as an unknown land filled with reputation sinking quick sand, customer eating alligators, and perhaps even a few secret stealing boogeymen. The second camp is filled with the entrepreneurs who see social media marketing as the land of opportunity, filled with pots of gold, word of mouth fairies, and magical calculators that take all of the guess work out of marketing. My objective for each new client is to guide them to a much more comfortable spot, set up somewhere midway between these two polar opposite points of view.

Social Media marketing is not out to get you, nor is it there for the sole purpose of helping you sell more widgets. My advice to my clients (and anyone else who cares for my unsolicited opinion) is, in order to understand the pitfalls and benefits of social media, you should try to get comfortable with it from end user approach. I am happy to create effective social media marketing plans for clients but I am even happier when my clients take a personal interest in their online presence. So why not author a personal blog? Write about your hobbies or your alternate ego who happens to be a comedic genius. While you are at it, visit other blogs and make sure to leave comments. Set up a Twitter account, join LinkedIn. How many friends do you think you catch up with on Facebook?

Much like pretty much everything in life, utilizing and enjoying social media is one of the best ways to get comfortable with it and stay on top of current trends and issues.