Disqus - Latest Comments for FutureSelf

Re: Engagement is not a new term

justinjboone — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 09:39:26 -0000

Hi Mark,

I could not agree with you more. You made your point rather eloquently. Thank you for sharing.

What you bring up is very important, especially the part of observing the behaviors of the past and allowing that to help us to understand how the tools and technologies of today are so firmly rooted in principles that were established many years ago.

I think more of us should be bringing in a historical, anthropological, sociological and practical approach to our work as modern day marketing/communications professionals. Like an individual who studies law also studies government, history, economics and linguistics, or medical school students are now studying psychology and theatre in the classroom, it takes more than just the subject matter at hand to really become an expert in any field.

You make that point rather well through your example. Thanks, again.

Justin

Re: Engagement is not a new term

justinjboone — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:22:47 -0000

Hi Alex,

Thanks for your response! I like that you made a point to mention Norton's goal to seek an "authentic dialogue with the audience". This is a very important part of any marketer, in fact to the point that I'd like to stop using the word marketer and instead switch to communicator. If the conversation between internal brand communicators and audience members is not honest and authentic, it turns out to be like the spam we find cluttering our email inbox. We throw it away to never be seen again. As communicators, we need to strive to create conversations that inspire a click on that reply button to respond and interact with us. That meaningful dialogue can go a long way in creating lifetime customers and promoting brand value.

Re: The Social Media Motivational Speakers and the Consultants/Strategists

justinjboone — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:00:28 -0000

I see a lot of truth in your thoughts on this subject, however, I'm curious to know how much good comes out of the work of a "social media motivational speaker" vs. a "social media consultant/strategist. I feel like in the case of the former, the results of these efforts, while playing a positive role in encouraging organizations to take the leap into social media, often lead to poor business practices and the negative consequences of rushing in and misusing social media tools and tactics. (Note: tactics, not strategies)

I think it is best to be, as you say you are yourself, someone who can talk the talk when necessary, but can follow it up with real, actionable, sustainable practices that will outlast that initial high received from the great social media pep talk and help organizations transform their business practices for the better with concrete strategies and internal education.

Re: ’tis best to dig your well before you’re thirsty.

justinjboone — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:19:22 -0000

"...can you really afford to be the last to develop a strategy for the fastest growing business and consumer networks in the world?"

This answer was going to make me stop reading this post, but then you made a very important qualifying statement: "In my mind it is fine if a company chooses not to get involved but to do so before a proper evaluation of the facts, figures, possibly a strategy outline and finally a competitive analysis is just wrong."

This is the part that I think a lot of people leave out. In the end, not every popular social media tool is going to be right for everyone. However, in order to really fully figure that out and have a compelling argument as to why a particular tool is not right for you, you have to take the time to fully understand that tool (objectively), explore how you could potentially use that tool to leverage relationships with your customers, internal audiences or investors and explore, as you mentioned, if your competitors are using this or similar tools and what results they are obtaining from their efforts.

Basically, I like the very open way you present this argument. You lay out a very structured approach for making these sometimes difficult decisions for companies to start "digging" or to seek out solutions elsewhere. After all, before a good contractor decides on a place to dig a well, they carefully test and evaluate whether or not the land they are selecting is suitable for it before they start to dig, regardless of what the neighboring people are doing.

Re: Let’s Do it, Communication

justinjboone — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 10:33:40 -0000

Thank you for this post! One thing I wanted to mention, is that something that can take 10 back and forth emails can be handled over the phone in a five minute phone conversation--or even better, a two minute in-person conversation. I know we've all heard this before many times over, but I think it is still very important to keep in mind and so often forgotten.

Regardless of whether over the phone, email, or any other means of communication, I think the most important thing, is to really take the time to develop your ideas and message you are trying to communicate very clearly and articulately. This might take some time at first, but eventually it will be come easier, and you will find you are listening more and ultimately learning more throughout your every day conversations. If these conversations are taking place online, you will find that you are developing stronger relationships with those you are communicating with and making the most of these communications mediums.

Re: On Mentoring | sarah vela dot net - content, communications, social media strategy

justinjboone — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:27:41 -0000

Nice post, Sarah! It certainly makes me want to go out there and find a mentor/explore the possibility of mentoring someone myself. I think something that might be important to add to this as you continue to work on it, is the concept of being open to learning yourself as you mentor someone else. The whole post is basically about you doing just that, but I think it is one of the most rewarding and beneficial aspects for the mentor throughout the entire mentoring process. Thank you for sharing!

Re: HOW TO: Get Your Social Media Story Featured on Mashable

justinjboone — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:19:42 -0000

Thank you for the information! Very much appreciated.

Re: Social Media Marketing will soon become a commodity skill set

justinjboone — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:03:48 -0000

These are some really great focus points, thank you for sharing. One thing that I would like to add that I think will be equally important, especially on a consulting level, is the ability to forecast trends and shifting patterns across all platforms. At that point, we can remove the significance of labeling it as "social media" and instead allow ourselves to become fluid in our thought process around it, positioning ourselves, clients and brands to adjust appropriately along the way. We can also then work on long term strategies that position companies ahead of the game, rather than always trying to catch up to keep up with consumers and technologies. This is sort of expanding on your second point of global social media. Thanks for the post!

Re: Social Media Isn’t Going to Change Anything, We Are

justinjboone — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 14:41:08 -0000

So excited by this post, thank you! I feel like this is one of the hardest battles to fight when it comes to informing others about social media. Everyone is obsessed with the concept and the tools and gets lost in the language, but so few people realize their own potential to interact in the space. Instead of going out there and trying, they judge and comment as a spectator, become cynical and never contribute positively to the discussion or the continued brainstorm of new possibilities for how we can connect better through technology around the world. It's nice to hear words like this sometimes!