Today I was listening to Chris on BlogTalkRadio. In the Q & A portion of the interview he reference one of his previous blog posts – If I Started Today. In that November 2008 blog post Chris outlines how and where he would start the conversation if it were TODAY. To read the full post, click here.
But before I discuss what he says, let me share with you why I am conducting this experiment. In the off-line world, I have been a consultant for over 25 years and have had the privilege of working with some Fortune 100 corporations and then an array of mid-size and smaller companies as well as associations. I gained and held their “trust” over many client assignments.
Those that know me well would attest that I am constantly challenging various marketing activities with the question – So What?? So you spend $400,000 on that trade show activity – what did you get back for those dollars spent? The marketing activities I studied would cover about everything, except PR and Advertising.
Today we have this vast domain called social media, (which has many definitions). What is it providing us? Is it a time of waste? Many of my colleagues are on that bandwagon. Or does it provide a platform where a larger group of people can get know you? Where you can build influence over time and then some might trust you enough to hire you for an assignment. In the meantime you have shared your wealth of experience and knowledge and helped others grow using various social media channels.
Can my online influence help others? Can I provide wisdom, advice and the practical know how when it comes to the evolving social media stage? It is is my intention to do that and more.
Now back to the advice from Chris on starting the conversation.
Step One – Listen He encourages us to go out and listen to what is transpiring on blogs, Twitter as well as searching on Google.
Step Two – The first piece of Social Media real estate is a blog.
Step Three – Build “outposts” on platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook. Use these to “communicate with the people where they might be”.
Step Four – Create an audience of like-minded folks.
Step Five – Experiment – Chris suggests doing something different and then challenging us to see how it works.
Well that is what this experiment is all about. I have had an inspired moment and I am acting on it.
My actions items from his blog post are:
- Continue to listen to the conversations
- Get the TrustAgents.com blog up as quickly as possible
- Work my way through the Brogan material, blogging all the way
- Use my outposts to create an awareness of the Trust Agents 101 material, as well as place comments on a vast array of other blogs
- EXPERIMENT to see what works and document it.
Thanks for listening to me. I would welcome your comments. Please share the type of social media journey you are navigating.
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