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2013 Prediction – The Year Social Media Goes From Walking To Running?

December 18, 2012 / DanToland / 13 comments

My work as a digital strategist involves continually observing trends to make decisions and recommendations benefiting my employer. As such, I cannot help but always be looking ahead.

So when good friend Ray Prock shared an Edelman Digital blog post breaking down conversation flows between brands and users on five of today’s most-used social networks, it caught my attention.

Specifically this portion about Google+:

“Much like Facebook, conversation is typically confined to the brand’s Google+ page, granting brand control of the story. The line is muddled when users incorporate Google+’s core features; Hangouts, Circles and Ripples and their latest dive into Google+ Communities. Users are able to organize their online lives and conversations through these features, controlling how the story approaches them.”

Think about that last line for a second…

Organizing our online lives.
Organizing our online conversations.
Controlling how content approaches us.

Gosh…doesn’t that sound NICE?!

Social media was meant to do this to begin with, but many have become overwhelmed, inundated or even feel “controlled” by what has become a very disorganized online “life.”

Bloated streams of information, from years of connecting to everything and everyone we’ve felt compelled to follow, fan and like have many of us now feeling the need to regain control.

The sense of relief we gain from “cleansing” our social profiles and feeds is just what the doctor ordered in many cases. I believe this trend will only increase as the early majority of social media adopters reach their “over-saturation” points.

It’s critically important for organizations/businesses to pay attention to this trend if they wish to remain relevant in the future.

To put this in perspective, I’ve outlined my take on where social media adoption and usage trends have been and are going, in three distinct phases:

Phase One: The Social Media Land Grab (2004-2010)

We all scrambled to connect and network through social media platforms, establishing our profiles and pages, filling in the digital representation of our social graph.

Phase Two: Finding Where We Belong (2010 – present)

Now that we’ve all established ourselves online and connected to everyone and everything we’ve felt we’ve wanted to connect with, we find out that this social realm has become an extremely noisy place.
We de-friend, hide from News Feeds, establish niche groups and communities (public, semi-public and private), gravitate toward our closest relationships and affiliations we’ve developed.
We increasingly spend our social media time “where we belong” and “where we need to listen” vs. taking in as much as we can from all we are connected to.

Phase Three: Putting It To Work (2013 – ?)

The novelty of the Social Media Land Grab that started nearly a decade ago wears off.
Niche communities flourish and grow through enhanced social communications and collaboration tied to real-life action and results.
Smart organizations/businesses start meshing “social” into processes, workflows and design, tying it to business goals, rather than treating “social media” as a bullhorn akin to mass media mindset of the 20th century.
Those who grasp social in business design and marry it with flourishing niche communities start separating themselves from others as they “empower” community to create, letting happen “what wants to happen” rather than “myopically trying to make things happen” (head nod to Robert S Tipton’s post on Transformational Change Leaders on this last quote)

What this means

It’s becoming clear that when the dust settles in this Wild West social scenario, the organizations emerging most successful will be those which best embrace, integrate, inspire and empower niche communities to convene and make real-world differences based upon shared values.

Social is a mindset…a culture…a behavior; it’s not a media channel. The first organizations to fully grasp this, put it to use in their spheres of influence and truly make a real-world difference will be a refreshing signal to those longing to find it amongst a heap of noise.

Dan Toland is director of digital strategy for the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation. He is passionate about integrating social technologies with collaborative environments for the betterment of communities they serve.

Six Social-Digital Trends for 2013

I WILL BE OUT OF A JOB SOON … AND I COULDN’T BE MORE EXCITED.

October 16, 2012 / RickWion / 3 comments

My job will be gone in 5 years tops….

…and I’m ok with that. In fact, I’m more than ok with that. I’m looking forward to it.

Here’s why:

Since 2006, I have been working on social media projects at McDonald’s. I was honored to be part of their first forays into social media with blogger relations and early YouTube videos. While I could wistfully reminence and say “those were heady days where we had daily epiphanies that social media would change the world”…I won’t be that guy.

And any folks working on this social stuff back then will recall that we didn’t call it “social” then. It was Web 2.0.

At the time, I was working for an amazing PR firm with a core group of individuals who realized that funky corporate blogs and YouTube videos were great PR tools because we could *gasp* start to build a new channel directly to consumers without the filter of biased reporters and busy editors. Then came HuffPo…but I digress.

Fast forward a few years–social marketing and communications is maturing as a real discipline. Ethical guidelines from industry groups provide a compass for doing what is right—hat tip to WOMMA. Dedicated experts are helping brands find their way—hat tip to socialmedia.org and Andy Sernovitz. The feds have even helped define the landscape in the form of guidelines from the FTC.

Granted, this discipline that is my livelihood is far from perfect…standards of measurement are virtually non-existent, black hat social practices are for too easy to execute and what passes for journalism from even previously well respected institutions varies between blogging vomit and link bait. Yet the move towards legitimacy continues.

Which leads back to my personal evolution.

I’m blessed to have a great job with an amazing company. To be part of an organization that is in the midst of evolving and transforming one of the most well known global brands is in honor. And even though my title puts me in a position of evangelizing for social (which I do on a daily basis) I am very aware that my company’s transformation is only happening because of the collective effort across our organization. From customer service to menu innovation. From front line crew to franchisees to our CMO, the social movement is alive and well at McDonald’s.

Which is why my job will evaporate in the near future.

As an increasing number of people within my company “get” social media the need for me to teach, advocate and evangelize will lessen. Even within my own department, the new team members coming on board are challenging me and wanting to take over social communications. And well they should. I helped hire them with the specific purpose of making my current job less important.

Why?

Because social “media” as defined by social “marketing” is a wonderfully fun and dynamic discipline yet it is but one chord on the organizational piano.

For more than a year, I have been working with our consumer insights and research teams to figure out how (and if) the millions of mentions of McDonald’s through social media each month are more than noise but really a signal for key insights for our food and our brand.

This week, I was invited by our HR team to participate in a few long range planning discussions around our employment brand, recruiting and staffing. I know little about HR beyond their core duties of hiring, firing and making sure that folks toe the line. But after this week, I look at the impact that social can have on recruiting, compliance, ambassadorship, corp-alumni relations and I can’t help but think of myself in 2006 and think again…wow. I’m not sure the exact way forward…but it will be big.

So as social marketing becomes a more structured discipline and more amazing, smart and talented folks join these corporate ranks I welcome them to my team and hope that they do great work that will lessen my role because I while I see my future in marketing and communications I also realize that I should be in HR. Insights. Research. Analytics. Legal. Product Development.

Social is a tool that has only yet begun to redefine big businesses. And as the journey continues, my role in social communications will naturally wane as my ability to bring meaningful collaboration and insight through social tools will define my ability to move my company forward.

So because of that I will be out of my current job in a short matter of time…and I couldn’t be more excited.

Original post

Beyond reminding folks how yummy the fries are, Rick’s efforts include social marketing campaigns, long-term branding, issues management, customer service and employee engagement. Using new trends and technologies to enhance digital storytelling around McDonald’s balanced menu options is also a key driver behind the brand’s endeavors.

Prior to McDonald’s, Rick was Vice President of digital and social media for GolinHarris in Chicago where he implemented digital-communications strategies for Fortune 500 companies including Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, and Dow among others.

Rick is also a former lifestyle/travel reporter, proud graduate from the University of Illinois, beer snob, die hard Cub fan and lover of the McRib, husband and father to two boys under the age of 5.

Are We Strategic About Our Strategy?

July 26, 2012 / Ray Prock / 18 comments

The way we communicate is faster than ever before, with the growing popularity of real-time communication through multiple new social platforms and smart phones new travels faster than ever before. If a prominent celebrity or brand makes a misstep in this faster paced communication model everyone knows nearly instantly what or who blundered. Bad customer service; well the world now knows your employees are human and can have bad days too.

One of the rapid communication forms is Social Media, and Agriculture just like everyone else has a huge learning curve to stay relevant in today’s ever-changing society. The Agricultural industry is quickly seeing its communication efforts morph into something never experienced. Suddenly the customer’s voice is being amplified through the use of new platforms and we are rushing to keep up. However in that haste I think we are losing sight of something very important; strategy.

Strategy is what helps us know how to best apply the various tools we use to communicate. To build strategies in social media that help us move forward, we have to actively listen — I mean looking for opportunities to join the conversations and build mutually beneficial relationships. Think of a how radar and sonar works signals are broadcast to see what comes back giving those using the tools more knowledge about what they can’t see. Social Listening is very similar by using listening tools to learn what conversations are happening, who is having the conversations and how to join those conversations. The tools to act on what we find are critical, but if we are not setting strategic direction, we’re just setting ourselves up to get nowhere fast because nobody knows what conversations each other is having online and possibly even in real person. It is one thing to know how to use the platforms and another completely different thing knowing how to effectively use the platforms to engage in conversations.

Anyone can use social media however not everyone can be a Social Media Manger. This was pointed out in the recent article “Why Every Social Media Manager Should Be Under 25“, the subsequent reaction was an avalanche of comments with dissenting opinions yet the author was nowhere to be seen with another response post or comments to explain herself. One of the best responses to the post was from Agriculture’s own Kelly Rivard, here is an excerpt from her blog:

“Foreword: I am a social media professional, although my title is technically “coordinator.” In many ways, I am a manager of social media, and I am an administrator on many outlets. I’m writing this as an expanded version of a comment I left on this NexGen post, “Why Every Social Media Manager Should Be Under 25.” As a social media coordinator that IS under 25, I disagree with this. I wish no ill will to the writer, and I hope that the backlash is a good learning experience for her to grow from. Some of the biggest lessons I’ve learned have been learned the hard way, and while it’s never fun, I also understand that some things need to get shaky and fall apart, for me to become more solid and resolved on the other side.

My name is Kelly. I graduated in June ’12 with an Interactive Media degree from a liberal arts college that most of you have never heard of. I’m living the dream, working as a Social Media coordinator for the ad agency of my dreams.

However, when presented with the idea that social media managers should only be under 25, I disagree. Whole-heartedly.

Familiarity with tools is NOT everything. Growing up in the age of the social media evolution is NOT everything. When you manage social media outlets, you are “the face” of that organization, that company, that brand, or community. You are the first line of PR that the general public has and you are responsible for managing those outlets accordingly. You have to know how to integrate yourself into that brand’s culture, you have to understand the values, goals, and challenges that have built that culture. You have to be able to react on a moment’s notice, make judgement calls on community policy, and have an instinct for what may not be acceptable interactions on your social venues.

It isn’t a matter of sitting down on Facebook and sharing a status. It isn’t just sending out a tweet to placate the masses now and then.”

Using social platforms to “tell the story of agriculture” is very important and showing others how to use those platforms is vital. As we move forward we need to not just tell Agriculture to use social media and “tell your stories”, we also need to help them strategically use Social Media to find the customers who truly want to engage in conversations. Let’s take the time to build relationships with those who truly have an interest in learning more about how and why each farmer chooses to farm the way they do. As Kelly says communications is more than just sending out a tweet, posting a status update, or pinning a picture.

Are we looking for the right conversations and finding our supporters?

Over the last few years farmers and ranchers using new ways to engage is one of the biggest advancements we have made in moving communication of how food is grown forward. I am left to wonder though are we actually finding the customers who truly want to build mutually beneficial relationships? Or are we just engaging in battle with our loudest naysayers?

Are Experts Diluting Expertise?

May 31, 2012 / Kelly Rivard / 15 comments

In the middle of the 20th century, the U.S. military set out to create an interlocked web of network nodes to counter the risk of communications failure during the Cold War. This interlocked network would go through several stages of evolution, but would eventually become what we know today as “the Internet.” In the early 1970′s, this network took a turn toward the social sphere, when the first email was sent.

The developers of the early Internet knew that their work would change the U.S., but I wonder if they knew it would change the world. A quick look at modern life today shows us that there are few things untouched by the Internet. Commerce, leisure, education, and social interaction have all changed because of the advent of personal Internet usage. This seems especially true in regards to social media. The Internet, once a one-way information source for the public, is now very much interactive. While this is pivotal to agriculture in many ways, its impact on advocacy is perhaps most profound.

Social media presents a large untapped audience of people who could be potential supporters of your cause, whatever that cause may be. However, I feel like we might be cheapening the greatest outreach tool the industry has ever had.

The thought occurred to me while I was on Pinterest the other day. There’s a very high volume of infographics explaining how certain parts of social business and social media work. Many of these graphics downplayed the sheer complexity of online strategy and the massive amount of time, energy, and savvy that it takes to conquer these concepts. As a professional communicator, I find these things amusing or as a good off-hand reminder, but…I’ve realized that they also bother me.

You see, I don’t fancy myself as an expert. Of anything. I am a professional, yes. But I’m also young, and wanting for life experience. I also will likely never be cited in a scholarly journal. But, I also spend each and every day considering the numbers, logistics, return on investment, and social impact of these social media platforms. And I know that this culture of disregarding the complexity of the social realm is…wrong.

Even, harmful.

(I’ll take a moment here to clarify that I don’t consider myself an expert in much of anything. But, I do consider myself a communications professional who specializes in social media. I may not be expert, but that does give me some “expertise” in this topic.)

Here is a great image and accompanying article from Olivier Blanchard's "The Brandbuilder Blog"

This culture nurtures the impression that just about anyone can be an expert. And this assumption of expertise seems to be particularly outstanding in social media. For example, you would never see an infographic about agronomy, then hear a journalist explaining how they are an expert in agronomy because they’ve “researched.” It’s no different than those people, you know the ones I’m talking about, who have taken one psychology class in college and start trying to psycho-analyze everyone around them. Or the ones that read one article about “pink slime” and turn to raise the alarm about how atrocious American food is. Agriculture, as a community, did not appreciate the pink slime debacle. It only took one article to cause a domino effect of uncertainty. There is a herd mentality. And agriculture, being a close-knit community, is definitely a demographic which adheres to group dynamic. (A perfect case study would be the response to that Yahoo! article about how useless ag degrees are. Seems like plenty of people jumped on the bandwagon to get upset, myself included initially. What ended up happening was a very unflattering snapshot of the online ag community, in my opinion.)

Now, imagine what happens when people jump on one misguided article about social media, or buy the hype of one misguided so-called “expert.” Bad advice can spread like wildfire, and suddenly be regarded as “best practices.” And the talented leaders of a community are left with the conundrum of breaking bad habits and combatting misconceptions. The cause is set back a few steps, and new approaches have to be taken to try and regain lost ground.

I’ve seen this happen a few times throughout my four years of involvement in online agvocacy. I’ve been guilty of it, more than once, and while I see overall improvement in usage of social media from an industry-wide perspective, these pseudo-experts makes me nervous.

More and more, I’m seeing people with little-to-no background or credibility, trying to sell themselves as experts. This raised the realization that if you have to constantly tell people in related fields that you are an expert, then you most likely are not one.

Great cartoon on Self-Proclaimed "Gurus" from Hubspot

Don’t talk about it. Do it. Prove it through actions and daily life. And I am not by any means suggesting that only people with degrees in related fields can be communications experts; some of the most talented professional communicators I know do NOT have degrees in communications. I am saying that if you want to be considered an expert in any field, you have to earn it.

Social media is meant to be a personal thing. We each much use it in a way that best fits our needs. We are all experts in our personal preferences and our individual stories; at the same time, social media goes much deeper than any one person’s individual stories.

My concern here is that, if everyone considers themselves an expert, how do we truly follow the beneficial thought leaders and innovators? In social media, actions often speak louder than words. I encourage all of us to really seek out the groundbreakers of this trend and learn from them. The Ryan Goodmans, the Katie Pinkes, the Janice Persons, just to name a few. They aren’t competing for tie as an expert; they are living their expertise every day. These folks are also fantastic at accepting criticism, learning alongside others, and admitting what the limitations of their knowledge and capabilities are. I feel like these are rare and wonderful traits, especially in conjunction with each other.

I feel blessed to be able to work in such a passionate and engaged industry. I also feel concerned. While ag’s enthusiasm for social media’s potential is an asset, I feel it’s time we re-examine our mindset toward it. I hope to someday be marked among the experts of my time. Until then, I am happy to build connections and grow because of the experts who have proven themselves in my eyes.

Expert or spambot? (twopeopleoneblog.wordpress.com)
Dear Social Media Expert – 10 Reasons Why I Won’t be Attending your Masterclass (socialmediatoday.com)

Editor’s Note: Just Farmers would like to wish Kelly a Happy Birthday and we are honored to have her as a team member. We are also proud to offer congratulations on her upcoming College graduation June 9th and wish her success in her career.