During SXSW Interactive this past week, I had the opportunity to attend several sessions. The one that impacted me the most was Social Media in the Underground World of B2B – a panel with representatives from Cisco, IBM, Nvidia and Xerox, moderated by Text 100. I’m involved in discussions and read articles on a daily basis that debate the merits of social media for a company in the B2B space. Many B2B companies don’t believe that their key audiences are using social media – when in fact they are.

There were several key points made during the panel that struck a chord and armed me with new data that I plan to highlight in future B2B social media conversations. All of these relate back to current offerings from WE. I’m inspired for my next discussion with clients and prospects; I’m always thinking about and looking for ways to take integrated influence to the next level.

Hang up the phone on anyone who asks you to define your Twitter or Facebook strategy

At least, that’s what Duane Schulz, VP of brand & social marketing at Xerox does! His advice: remember that social media is “just a tool” and that social media still needs to tie back to solving a business problem or achieving the business objective (“What is the problem you are trying to solve?” – a question frequently posed by WE president and founder Pam Edstrom). Make sure you are always listening across your markets and brands, and adjust your strategy in real time if it is not working to solve the business problem.

Employees are a company’s brand; help them be ambassadors

Who better to talk about a company than employees? Many are curious about social media, but intimidated. Companies should help their employees feel comfortable by offering education. One example of this discussed during the panel was that NVIDIA has installed screens in high traffic areas in the office (including near bathrooms!), streaming Twitter feeds on hashtags related to NVIDIA products. This has piqued curiosity and made NVIDIA employees want to know more, leading to education classes and future evangelists. It demonstrated to them that relevant discussion is already taking place online – whether they decide to participate or not.

WE offers social media 101 classes for clients. These classes are perfect for those companies who are just getting their toes wet with digital strategies and includes discussion around best practices for incorporating social media as part of a broader integrated influence program.

Clearly define your audience, then find them online

Everyone on the panel agreed that targeting before you begin your social media efforts is key:

• Cisco: Leverage your internal employees to help define the audience and shape the level of participation in social media. Scale the response as appropriate.
• NVIDIA: Conduct in-depth research on where your target audience “hangs out” online and focus your efforts there. “Shooting stuff into the ether without targeting isn’t effective.”
• Xerox: “Get your fingernails dirty.” Bring in subject matter experts, use market insights.
• IBM: Never stop listening. They have been evaluating the space since 2004 using internal proprietary software along with external tools.

Social media is a long-term relationship

This is a huge challenge for many companies – supporting social media on an ongoing basis vs. just during a major launch. One way to address this is by empowering employees with tools such as social media guidelines and content development recommendations. If employees have the tools to keep a conversation going and you have trained and educated an army, you’re much more likely to see content development and online engagement on an ongoing basis.

WE offers a content guerilla workshop specifically aimed at creating an army of social media advocates within a company. We’ve successfully implemented the workshop for several of our clients, both on a large, global scale and locally within business units.

Demonstrate ROI

There was some disagreement on the panel on best approaches to demonstrating ROI. Shanee Ben-Zur, social media strategist at NVIDIA, admitted that it’s hard to apply an objective number and that they try to look for affinity, which she admitted is “kind of like trying to measure love.” Jeanette Gibson, director of social media marketing at Cisco, mentioned that she looks at cost savings and time savings in reaching out to audiences. She gave the example of using a Facebook logon as an option for web users to register for and download white papers. Using Facebook enabled them to increase registrations by 20% while reducing costs by 40%.

Duane from Xerox mentioned that they “probably won’t even get to looking at social media ROI for two years.” He tends to look at business objectives (via a dashboard) to measure things like: how many people have social media in their job titles? Is the universe seeing a new Xerox via online conversation?

The WE Insights & Analytics team has many tools for benchmarking and analyzing the results of social media programs. Measurement is a key element of any successful program. For more information on any of the WE programs or tools mentioned in this blog, or to discuss B2B social further, please contact Suzanne Zurn, szurn@waggeneredstrom.com.

But once you show up, how do you take advantage of all of the information that’s available to you? With three festivals, panels, parties, sessions and people to meet, it’s just overwhelming to even think of how to organize all of this information. But never fear we are here to show you the best apps that will make SXSW 2012 the best experience for you.

Getting Around SXSW

The best app by far to get around SXSW is the official SXSW app, SXSW GO. Available on iOS, Android and coming for Windows Phone 7, this is the app that gives you all of the official SXSW information you need. You can build out your schedule, check panel times and sync panels to your device. A solid feature if you’re stuck in a no-signal zone.

Location, Location, Location

What’s a tech festival without talking about location based apps and services. One of the staples in the location based services space, Foursquare is still the king of getting you checked-in to SXSW. But, with its newly launched Explore search engine, you can now use Foursquare to find the best bars, restaurants and more in Austin.

Also another great one is the Hot Spots app Waggener Edstrom debuted last year at SXSW Interactive. It is a mobile app for Windows Phone 7 and iOS that enables users to discover where the most popular hangouts are during SXSW.

Who’s Around You?

Beyond the parties, great food and amazing bands, SXSW is about meeting people that share your same interests and striking up a conversation. At SXSW 2012, you can expect to hear a lot about apps like Highlig.ht, Glancee, Ban.jo and Kismet not only will tell you what your friends are doing, but they will find people that have checked-in or have similar interests that are around you and let you introduce yourself to them. This is a great way to meet new people, network with people that have similar interests and maybe pick up a new friend or two for some late night karaoke!

Capture and Share

Whether you’re checking out one of the hundreds of bands or a great panel, SXSW lends all of its festivities to being captured through photography or video. There are ton of apps out there that do this for you, but below are some of my favorites.

• Instagram for iOS
• Vignette for Android
• Instacam for Windows Phone 7
• Super 8 for iOS

Keeping it Fun at SXSW

Finally, SXSW is all about having fun. Waggener Edstrom partnered with tenfour, a Portland, Ore.-based creative agency, to bring Tweet-A-Beer to life. Tweet-A-Beer is a mobile Web app that helps people network and socialize by purchasing each other a beer over Twitter, perfect for fostering the face-to-face connections that are a natural part of the SXSW Interactive Festival or for those following through the Twittersphere.

So as you get prepped up for SXSW, make sure you take a look at the list of apps above. Not only will they help you keep organized at the show, but you might just find some new friends join you in the awesome experience of SXSW.

All you need is a bit of love at SXSW.

For those of you who don’t know, #SXSW (aka “southby” for the really cool kids) is when 5,000 12,000 20,000 a lot of the world’s developers, social media gurus and marketing types invade Austin, Texas, for a week of insightful, thought provoking conference sessions parties. I’ve been to three of the last four, and I am equally thankful and remiss I won’t be there this year. I’m missing out on groundbreaking tech and emerging digital trends. But thankfully, I realize that I don’t need to be on the ground to make an impact.

Talking Story

The best part of SXSW is the people. Hands down. This is the “can’t miss” event of the tech world, and it’s an opportunity to see those Twitter friends who are usually nothing more than a scrolling avatar. In the Hawaiian culture, “talking story” is simply sitting with a good friend in the sunshine and talking for hours. And SXSW is no exception. Some of the best moments I’ve had have been while talking story or roaming the halls.

Telling Story

What’s a social media conference without the ability to create terabytes of photos, videos, podcasts, vlogs, blogs, tweets and text messages? SXSW is no different. The important thing here is to find somebody who has a story and help them tell it. Entrepreneurs, hackers, PR flacks, we all have a story to tell. Pull out the camera and help the next big thing tell its story.

The Human Story

I wrote a post in 2009 that was essentially about being human at SXSW. And the principles are the same. Just be a human. We all have a pitch. I’m a PR guy, the person next to me is the co-founder of a location-aware geo-tagging service that will add a social layer to RSS streams of daily deals. The point is, at the end of the day, we’re all human. Don’t be afraid to let your guard down and interact with the person next to you.

Your Brand’s Story

OK, we’re here to make money, right? Finding a new app to partner with or invest in; seeking a new reader base for your emerging blog even. It’s OK to pimp your brand at SXSW. Everybody expects to hear your pitch and get your business card, so have your brand’s story down. Have your twit-pitch down to a science and be ready for the comparisons — ”So, it’s like the MySpace of Groupons?”

At the end of the day, SXSW is an adventure, one you must prepare for and one you must be ready to conquer. But the best part about it is the stories you can tell before, during and after the event. Let’s hear your stories in the comments.

Thank you to @Krystyl from mylovetravels.com for the great photo from last year.

As a student of Gonzaga University’s online communication and leadership program, I recently spent a weekend in Spokane, Wash., discussing the principles of good storytelling. Unlike many of my classmates, I get to talk about storytelling and writing principles all the time. I wasn’t expecting to hear anything too revolutionary. But, silly me, I forgot about the power of community.

Our intimate group of 20 was made up of vastly different backgrounds and stories. We formed a community around our mutual interest in learning, and shared pieces of ourselves that we rarely share with others. For instance, our instructor asked us each to find a quote that spoke to our hearts, and read it aloud to the group. Each beautiful line gave us a peek inside one another’s personality: One man recited his wedding vows; another read hip-hop lyrics from The Roots. Some students chose quotes from their favorite books; others read poems from their childhood.

These snippets painted images of one another that conveyed our personal histories — one of many storytelling lessons I learned from my educational community and Prof. Kristina Morehouse that weekend:

1. “Stop in time, and pay attention to the power of words.” What we say builds community — and sadly, sometimes breaks it down. We need to be mindful of the words we use because someone is always listening.
2. “Concise messages are most important.” If you find the right word, you don’t need as many.
3. “Show, don’t tell.” When telling a story, don’t leave out the details. Oftentimes, we’re writing for an online audience that reads fast and suffers from information overload, so we skimp on the background information — the interesting characteristics — and focus solely on the lead, aiming to quickly grab attention. But when the next newsworthy headline hits, your lead is long gone.
4. “Everyone needs one really good editor.” Find someone you trust to read your work. Ask for constructive criticism, and grow from your mistakes.
5. “You can’t write if you don’t read.” Even the best writers find inspiration in other people’s words, and they appreciate how others phrase their musings. We should all read to better learn about the basic rules of grammar, and to uncover the magic behind parallel structure and cadence.

I found myself nodding along to each suggestion, excited to share them with my broader community of writers, editors and storytellers. Even if we’ve heard them before, it’s always nice to reiterate their importance in our industry.

And as for my inspirational quote? Always the grammarian, I read a quote that demonstrates parallelism at its finest:

“To him she seemed so beautiful, so seductive, so different from ordinary people, that he could not understand why no one was as disturbed as he by the clicking of her heels on the paving stones, why no one else’s heart was wild with the breeze stirred by the sighs of her veils, why everyone did not go mad with the movements of her braid, the flight of her hands, the gold of her laughter. He had not missed a single one of her gestures, not one of the indications of her character, but he did not dare approach her for fear of destroying the spell.”
– Gabriel Garcia Marquez, “Love in the Time of Cholera”

Image by wallyg.

Sasquatch! Music Festival’s 10-year anniversary has come and gone, but positive reception for our contribution continues. Our 2011 website design has been recognized as a Merit Winner in the latest HOW Interactive Design Awards!

A team of design-industry veterans judged nearly 400 entries in 11 categories and selected winning projects that demonstrated an ideal mix of concept, strategy and execution. The judging panel included Patrick McNeil, content director for the HOW Interactive Design community, Tyson Damman, senior art director at Big Spaceship, and Teresa Payne, a Web designer and developer.

Entries were judged according to these criteria:

• How well does the entry communicate?
• How well does the entry achieve the client’s mission?
• How memorable or unique is the entry?
• How strong is the entry aesthetically?

All winning projects are prominently featured in the March 2012 issue of HOW magazine.

So in preparation of SXSW and all the out-of-towners about to flood the live music capital of the world, let’s quickly bust some common Austin myths and help you prepare to experience the best city. Ever.

Myth #1 – Everyone knows where to go for great music.

I’m ashamed to say if a stranger asked me, “Where can I go to hear some good music?” I would look at my feet and stammer out some lame reply like “Hmm…6^th Street…Stubbs?” Austin has been my home for a while (and in college too), but music has never been “my thing.” While I can tell you where to get the best tacos or see the best play, I’m always so embarrassed when Austin visitors look to me, an Austinite, to give them insight to the Austin music scene. If you are visiting Austin, do your music venue research before you arrive otherwise you might end up getting terrible advice from someone like me, who only kind of knows where to go. Here are a couple starter resources to find the best music in town (and of course, SXSW):

• Austin360
• SXSW
• Culture Map Austin
• Austinist
• Austin Chronicle

Myth #2 – Austin is always hot.

Now it is true that Austin is the city of 300 days of sunshine, but March is a really strange month for the state of Texas. It could be 75 degrees and sunny or it could be 29 degrees with freezing rain. While it will most likely be warm and you will catch a few rays of sunshine, you should be prepared for anything and check the weather before you pack!

March Temperature Averages and Records

(Image from weather.com)

Myth #3 – Everyone is friendly.

The state motto of Texas is simply “friendship.” The word Texas is from a Caddo Indian word “teyshas” (meaning “friends” or “allies” – see name origin of Texas). And while I like to think every Texan you come across is going to offer you directions to the nearest premium beef and call you “sweetheart,” Austin is still a fairly big city full of college students, downtown executives, politicians and a colorful assortment of people who [literally] call 6^th Street their home. Therefore, with this grab bag of characters, not every person is friendly. Expect for people to cut you off as you take an exit off Mopac (our quirky name for the beltway) or if you leave your car unlocked, know that it could be broken into. This is a city, after all. Things happen. I like to think those instances occur because some reviled outsider (say from Oklahoma) is preying on innocent visitors to Austin, but travel smart and don’t let the southern drawl fool you.

Myth #4 – Every Austin restaurant is awesome.

There is no beating Texas BBQ or Tex-Mex, but it always breaks my heart to meet someone who has visited Austin, and they say that the food was just “okay,” but then come to find out they stopped off the highway and ate at Jim’s or Pappasito’s to experience Texas finest.

Heartbreaking! I’d say 90% of the food you find in Austin is amazing but there is always that 10% chance it could be mediocre. So do your research (are you seeing a pattern here?) and find that amazing hole-in-the-wall place that showcases true Austin cuisine. Also check out these sites to ensure your taste buds get a Texas-sized treat:

• Austin360 – complete list of Austin restaurants
• Relish Austin
• Tastingbuds
• Eater Austin

Myth #5 – 6^th Street is where it’s at!

East 6^th Street has its charm…sort of. If you are looking to rub elbows with newly 21 college students and guys with tribal tattoos, that’s the place to be, but if you’re looking to get a drink with some friends and enjoy some low-key shenanigans, you will want to explore beyond good ole’ Dirty 6^th (there is a reason it has that nickname). Here are some tips for the local night life beyond the infamous strip:

• Rainey Street – Rainey Street is positioned near Lady Bird Lake and Interstate 35 in the southeast corner of downtown. Composed of converted 1930s homes, the laid-back street gets its name from King of the Hill.

Recommendations: Lustre Pearl, Clive Bar, G’Raj Mahal.

• West 6^{th –} Bisecting new condo towers and a classic tree-lined Austin neighborhood, West 6^th Street has developed its own distinct (slightly more mature) flavor from its more famous sister East 6^th.

Recommendations: Star Bar, Kung Fu Saloon, Opal Divine’s.

• 2^nd Street District – Looking for a more refined downtown experience? Surround yourself with swank local apparel shops, and enjoy cocktails and sophisticated nibbles in the 2^nd Street district.

Recommendations: Malverde, Crú, Malaga Tapas & Bar.

• South Congress – You can never go wrong with SoCo. Home to food trailers, live music, and one of the most amazing views of Austin.

Recommendations: Doc’s, The Continental Club, Snack Bar.

Austin is a great city that we want everyone to fall in love with, so the greatest piece of advice you can take away from this post is to come prepared. Know what you want to get out of this fine cultural mecca before your plane lands, and you’ll be guaranteed to have a good time.

From a marketing standpoint, we at Waggener Edstrom have seen continued interest from our clients across all verticals and sectors in utilizing social media in connecting with their customers. While this sounds like probably the most obvious statement in the history of marketing, the difference is that they are no longer asking the “why” questions and are rather asking the “how” questions. This tells me that social marketing here in APAC has moved out of the novelty phase in the mind of even the most conservative of companies, and marketers want to understand how to drive efficiencies, how to set up the internal processes that will ensure the right level of engagement with customers & influencers, and that social media is accruing up to bigger marketing KPIs than just the measurement of friends or likes. We call this process the Social Influence System.

Along those lines, one of the themes that I thought was most prescient at Social Media Week, was the need to conceptualize the digital brand journey for the customer. At Cloud View’s presentation at the Singapore SMW, the concept of Design Thinking was a nice philosophical counterpoint to our Social Influence System of creating scalable processes out of the potential chaos of social media. In Design Thinking, the marketer analyses three different, yet related factors when developing his strategy: the human or desirable (creating an experience that is personally relevant and has a demand); the business or viable (how business opportunities or limitations affect the desirable); and the technology or feasible (what ways the idea can be executed to have most impact).

If one of the pillars is ignored, the entire experience suffers. The key here is a deep understanding of what the drivers and preferences of a customer are, that will get them to follow through on a call to action—persona modeling, media consumption studies and audience research becomes as important to social media as it is to above-the-line marketing. With that in mind, there is a maturation of the content-is-king theme to focus more on context. The right content for the right audience on the right platforms driving the right outcomes.

At the end, the key continues to be one of the basic pillars of marketing – BE RELEVANT, which means being relevant not only in WHAT we say but also WHEN and WHERE.

You can watch a replay of the panel here.

Image: Tuppus

While visiting my brother’s nano-premie babies in the NICU of Children’s Hospital Dallas, the hospital PR director called up to say that Khloe Kardashian was on-site and wanted to come up and visit a couple of babies. Not just any babies — my brother’s babies because they’d been born weighing one pound and are now thriving. Khloe came on the scene some 15 minutes later via a back elevator, preceded by producers handing out releases to anyone and everyone on the floor, and followed by a big camera, fully rolling. We had not been warned that Khloe (who is, in fact, NOT an amazon!) would be accompanied by a crew shooting footage for her new show, “Khloe & Lamar in Dallas” (premieres Feb. 19 on E!). While she cooed over the babies and chatted away with my brother, I took a backseat near the producer so that I could ask him my burning questions about reality TV. Here’s what I learned:

• These cameras capture between 12 and 14 hours of footage per day of Khloe; they follow her everywhere.
• The footage is not scripted: writers/producers don’t create scenarios for her to fulfill; she just lives her life how she wants to live it (only on camera).
• Two weeks before the show airs, this producer and two writers guide the editing of the footage. They troll through hundreds of hours of footage with a goal of piecing together a compelling story, based on classic storytelling elements: tension between “characters,” good guy-bad guy dynamics, scenes that include genuine and raw emotion, “turning points in relationships,” etc. (Sound familiar?!)
• They then make recommendations to Khloe for the cuts they want to take and the commentary they will need from her. She ultimately makes the decision for what’s included and what’s not, with a goal of including “only the most authentic moments” because her “credibility depends on authenticity.” (Sound familiar?!)

Khloe and her crew soon departed, on to some Dallas hot spot for the night. I thanked the producer for the fascinating info, mumbling something cryptic about our being kindred spirits while thinking about how our jobs continue to change to accommodate audiences who increasingly want to be entertained rather than informed. Like this producer, our ability to tell compelling stories entirely depends on the quality of the footage we’re able to capture. And like reality TV, success means that we authentically communicate “reality,” the reality of business challenges and triumphs as well as the reality of how people experience products and services.

Like her and her sisters or not, watch their shows or not, their audience appeal is undeniable. Millions of viewers tune in weekly to to get the story (Truth) behind the headline. THAT’s what I call storytelling chops!

A new report from Jeremiah Owyang at Altimeter Group has some interesting facts we thought you would find interesting.

Waggener Edstrom Worldwide’s Jen Grant was interviewed as part of the research. Watch a short video of Jen and Tac Anderson discussing the report.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Some things that came out of the research was that the average global brand has 178 distinct social media accounts. And that although 70% of those interviewed felt that their social media efforts were obtaining their objectives, only 43% of people said they had a documented social media strategy.

Developing a social media strategy is a great opportunity to step back and reassess your overall Marketing and Communication strategy. at Waggener Edstrom we’ve developed a system we call the Social Influence System (PDF). Jeremiah recommends five steps to follow if you want to really master your social media management:

1. First prepare the company internally, and conduct audits to verify readiness.
2. Determine which of the five social media management use cases, defined in this report, the company aligns to.
3. Select vendors based on business needs, not marketing.
4. Tap into services, support teams and outsourced community management services.
5. Roll out internally in a systematic way that starts with education, training, mock workflows and thorough testing.

Altimeter also identified 5 main use cases for social media management.

The other thing that came out was that social media management systems are still lagging behind market needs. However, part of the problem is the proverbial cart-before-the-horse. SMMSs are developing products and solutions before the end user (brands and agencies) has fully articulated what it needs.

Our takeaway from this is that brands still need to focus on some of the fundamentals. Make sure you have a strategy. And just as important make sure you have the internal processes in place to effectively execute.

For us the report was a good reminder that we’re still in the early days and we need to make sure we take the time to work out the processes before we jump into worrying about the right tools. Attack it one step at a time. Don’t feel like you have to develop a plan to organize and manage all social media profiles in one shot. Step back and select 5-6 accounts to test your internal processes and strategies with first before you roll out with all of them.

Here’s the full report.
A Strategy for Managing Social Media Proliferation

Sally Hogshead’s hair is on fire (she is redheaded, tall and on a mission). She hits the stage and sucks the oxygen out of the room. Think you are a fascinating person? Don’t flatter yourself. Compared to Ms. Hogshead everyone at the WOMMA Summit 2011 was wondering if we were “interesting” enough to carry her bags. Sally knows how to get people talking, brands excited + deliver the “unexpected” = the essential oil that I believe is in the DNA of every remarkable creative idea.

Sally is a well-known speaker and author of “Fascinate,” “Radical Careering,” and the creator of F-Score Test. She has held a creative director office at several major ad firms in the U.S.: Wieden + Kennedy, Fallon McElligott, Crispin Porter + Bogusky. Under her own shingle she is a trusted brand innovation consultant, helping companies develop messages that persuade and captivate. Clients past and present include Nike, MINI Cooper, Aflac, Cole Haan, Target, Coca-Cola and Godiva.

When I spoke to Sally on Thursday I found myself nervously trying to capture and remember her quotable nuggets. Here are just a few:

“Creativity is not a platform, it is a tool that takes time. It is called a breakthrough for a reason.”

“Control every deliverable on the innovation process and sell up. Help people visualize your idea.”

“Don’t rush the creative process. You need to live in agony — that is where the best ideas get challenged and refined. If you try to find alignment on everything you will come up with a camel. As we all know a camel is horse designed by a Committee.”

“Take a piece of your customer into every product discussion, every campaign and every social influence program.”

When I go to these conferences I find myself listening to a Chris Farley-like motivational speaker who pushes me toward the lunch cart. This year WOMMA was lifted by Sally’s appearance because “Word of Mouth Marketing” as we know it is shifting, and doing so quickly. Social influence tools are no longer want-to-haves by big brands but essential need-to-haves. Making an impression and fun whimsical engagement are okay now. I couldn’t help think that the traditional measures and analytics will be meaningless soon if creative coming from wonderful agencies, like the one I work at, don’t show how conversion impacted sales. Your ideas must fascinate and inspire a proved action. As Sally Hogshead points out “if your goal is to be comfortable, it’s not big enough.”