Finding Hope thru Social Media

The most important part of your social media presence is not what your hospital or practice has to say, but what your patients have to say – especially to one another. Peer-to-peer interaction is the heart of social media. Likewise, it’s an important variable in the health care.

According to a 2011 study conducted by the Pew Research Center, one in four Internet users living with a chronic illness has gone online to find other people with similar health needs. As a trusted source for health care information, you can use social media to reinforce that role by creating a channel for their connectivity. Your effort provides value and supports patients during their journey to wellness.

Unfortunately, too much of what happens in a health care brand’s social media strategy is marketing and public relations centric. “We’re sponsoring a 5K.” “We have the best doctors.” “Our ER is fast.” And so on.

What if instead of posting constrained content that merely announces information to your community, you published open-ended content that creates engagement and starts conversation within it?

Conversations that you can move in and out of as teacher and learner. Conversations wherein your fans and followers learn from one another.

But what are these conversations and connections really about? In a word, hope. Patients and their friends are hoping to find answers, information, advice and empathy. They are hoping to find someone who truly “gets it” or who shares their experience and has made it through. They are in a word hoping to find – hope.

Patients want to connect with you but they also want to connect with one another. Use your social media presence to facilitate their efforts.

Consider this tip from Bigfish Communications Specialist Brittany McManus:

Want to start a conversation? Try this:

· Decide to use your social media presence to connect your patients with one another.

· Pick a health issue and encourage conversation by relating the story of a survivor (i.e. cancer in remission) or promoting wellness visits (i.e. prostate exams).

· Invite your social media connections to relate their own first-person experiences via comments to your posts.

Your efforts will lead to connections, enable shared experiences and offer hope for better health outcomes.

The Web Isn't Dead But Your Website Is

In an on-the-go world where apps own every conversation and Facebook is the Internet, you have a website that might best be described as a brochure. Guess what? Your website is dead.

It’s dead to me. And it’s dead to anyone else who might happen to browse by it on the way to a site that enables interaction with brand representatives and the community of others who enjoy spending time there.

You know interaction, right?

It’s that thing you do every time you share content, click a like button, leave a comment, upload a photo or subscribe to a dynamic stream of content that engages and informs you. It’s a social experience. It takes place on a social website.

When you’re on a social website, you’re somebody. You’re a person with an opinion that might influence product development. You’re somebody with a network of friends and your opinion means everything to them. And the brand knows it.

Sure, you still like to read and learn on a website but you also you have something to say. You’re a social person. And any website that doesn’t know that is, well, dead.

Want to talk about it? Use the comment feature below. I’m trying to be more social.

Facebook Updates: Your Brand

Like it or not, the new features unveiled at F8 will change the way you share and receive updates from your friends and connections. But Addie McGowan and Brittany McManus of Bigfish were wondering, “What does this mean for businesses?” So, here we go:

The change may mean nothing new to those who subscribe to Bigfish's Participation Age philosophy as it is applied to marketing on social media platforms. However, the changes will enable tactics that move your social marketing to an entirely new level. And brands that don’t “get” it will be weeded out.

The changes present a new era of accountability for brands. They will be forced to step up and truly give themselves away to their customers. If they don’t, they’ll be “hidden” and forgotten in the realm of the Newsfeed.

Here are three F8 changes and what they mean to brands:

1. Ticker and Newsfeed: These two features offer a second chance to reach people. Now that users can control their own ideas of “newsfeed optimization,” your content needs to keep them interested. If your post doesn’t end up in their newsfeed (as most don’t), you now have a second chance to grab their attention with Ticker. Last week, Zuckerberg explained Ticker as a way to de-clutter the newsfeed but still allow users to make “serendipitous” discoveries about their friends and connections. Eye-catching posts will grab the attention of users to the Ticker. Seize this marketing opportunity and own it by posting truly social content or rewarding fans that interact.

2. Friend Activity on Pages: A trusted recommendation. A new, slightly overlooked update to business pages is the “Friend Activity” link located under the profile picture. Your potential customers can now check out what friends are saying about their experiences with your business. It cuts through the clutter of activity from strangers and gets to what users really care about - their friends’ opinions. “Lindsey and I have the same taste in food, so if she likes their burger, I bet I will, too.” Depending on the activity, this feature could entice users to do business with you, or go to your competitor.

3. Facebook: A more comprehensive extension of the human social experience. The Timeline and Ticker redesign have even more addictive qualities than the old design, and the 800 million people on Facebook will most likely be spending even more time there. What does this mean from a marketing standpoint? It is now more important than ever to carve out a place for your brand there. If you are not enabling your best customers to share what they love about you with their friends, or to connect with them socially, you are missing out. And you and I both know someone else will seize your missed opportunity.

Brands are going to have to engage their fans and followers more than ever. In order to obtain visibility in Newsfeeds, brands must strive to post content that will result in meaningful conversations and significant interaction. We’ve said it before, but now, thanks to f8, it matters more than ever.

The ability to evolve for the better is a necessary trait for any successful brand – even Facebook. Change is good.

On Your Way to a Livable Brand

Your brand has a potential army of credible, unpaid spokespeople willing to work on its behalf. They are the same group of people who might work against it. The difference is what they feel.

It's branding in the Participation Age. It revolves around brand experience. And it rode in on the wave that is social media to vanquish the Positioning Era of branding.

In this new Age, what you say about your product or service means almost nothing but what your customer can do with it and how they interact with you regarding it, means everything.

That demands that you create a brand that customers can live.

The ability of advertisers and marketers to contrive and convey an emotion through advertising is quickly fading. Brand exposure is less valuable than brand experience. What do I mean? Well, what means more to you when making plans for casual dining -- a 2 star rating on Yelp or a 60 second ad during NBC’s The Office?

I thought so.

The good news is this; you no longer need to “capture” your audience to tell them about your brand. People are willfully engaging with it, starting discussions about it, and using it as a way to define who they are by “liking” it on Facebook. They just want to know why your company should be part of their own personal brand. And that’s something that can only be learned by living it.

You can teach the customer how to articulate what they are feeling about your product or service. But companies need to stop buying and selling ideas about themselves that don’t have any substance behind them and start enabling people to discover why they should incorporate the brand into their own.

So, how do you move toward this livable brand? Be livable.

When a company says to me, “We want to be positioned as ___.” I say to them, “Then go be that.” No amount of positioning is going to move the customer closer to believing your ideal. They’ll determine whether or not your brand is what it claims to be by experiencing it. And if the experience is profound, they’ll live it.

You're a Brand

You’ve just about exhausted your library of clever things to say when you hear someone call from across the room, “Hey, timbigfish! So glad to meet you in person.” And it’s then that you realize people are noticing. You’re an emerging brand.

I’m routinely asked, “What’s the ROI on social media?” But I’m not sure that’s even the right question for beginners. The real question is something more like, “Can I build a brand on social media?” And the answer to that is a resounding, “yes!” Start here:

Know Your Brand.

I know this about myself I’m not a brilliant conversationalist. But I can give you something to think about. It usually starts with a personal “aha moment”. Something said in a business meeting, an observation of a colleague or a bit of introspection after reading an interesting article. And I try to share that moment of growth with a few friends on Twitter in my own light way.

Talk less. Listen more.

Most of my Facebook friends know me through business, a civic club, church or a family acquaintance. They really don’t want to get too serious but they know that I’m not very funny but I am an optimist and lean toward the philosophical. So, my goal is simply to affirm their thoughts and occasionally survey their interest.

I may not be a great conversationalist but I do like to listen. I try to learn more about my audience by asking questions and letting them do the talking. I’ve recently learned what kind of music they listen to at work, what they have for dinner, what famous person they have met and introduced them a few of my friends along the way. At the same time, I’m sharing a little bit about my own interests and we’re connecting. Eventually, they’ll answer more complicated questions and may even begin to ask some of me.

Be inclusive.

There is nothing worse for a brand than to be off the radar except perhaps to ignore that friends and fans alike probably have brands they’d prefer to interact ahead of your own. Knowing that you like those brands too or are at least engaging other brands demonstrates openness. And people like to be included.

One of my favorite examples of openness is having recently jumped into a Twitter conversation between two of my Twitter friends. One is a beauty pageant contestant. The other is a musician. They tease each other about the stereotypes. To that end, many posts from the beauty queen end with the self-deprecating hash tag “#worldpeace”. So one evening a tweet about wanting a slice of cake was followed by my suggestion to make a #worldpeacecake and share with others. She liked that idea. A follower @larrylazycakes (manufacturer of relaxation brownies) chimed in that he would love to learn about the recipe for said #worldpeacecake. This has since led to numerous other interactions with the Lazy Cake brand and will someday no doubt lead to #worldpeace or at least #worldpeacecakes.

You’re wondering, “How is this evidence of brand building on social media?” You mean other than people now knowing me by my Twitter handle? Well, Google “Tim C Nicholson” (my real personal brand objective). You’ll see me there. I have a website. I have pages on the Bigfish company site. I tweet. I’m on Facebook. I blog. But were it not for the social media activity, the first result to your search would be an apparently troubled “Timothy C Nicholson” who lives in Florida. And that’s a brand that I don’t want to be confused with.

See for yourself. Tweet me what you learn. I’m listening. That's what good brands do.

How Business on Facebook is Like Jr. High

The guy in the audience asked, “how come there is no published formula for success on Facebook?” My answer was, “because nobody defines success in exactly the same way.” Heck, www.dictionary.com lists 5 definitions of success, three of which might apply to our example. So, I’ll follow their lead and share 3 possible definitions for business success on Facebook and the possible pitfalls of each. But I’ll do it through the eyes of a junior high kid and his Mom.

Being liked by everyone – To some, the business Facebook wall is like a trip back to junior high school. They, now as then, want to be liked by everyone. Truth be known, what they really want is for everyone to notice them (except the bully) and to say something nice about them when asked. There are no real connections made but they seem more popular than some of the other kids and nobody hit them. Like dear old Mom said, “The downside to being liked by everyone is that you have to please everyone.” She was right. Here’s how that plays out on Facebook. In an effort to be liked by everyone you attempt to win likes by using the lowest common denominator – give them something in return. However, if gifts are not the essence of who you are (your brand), then it soon seems shallow and confuses the people who really like you.

Learning how to connect -- to others, the idea of connecting on Facebook reminds them of trying to get a date for the Spring formal. There is at least one person that would make the occasion memorable for them but they’re waiting to see if anybody asks them first. It’s actually a simple formula. It starts with brief encounters in the recent past. Those establish a connection. It might sound like this, “I’ve noticed that we share some of the same interests (0kay, he’s a mature junior high kid). I thought you were cool when we talked at your friend’s locker last week. And so I was wondering, what are your thoughts about the upcoming dance? (And if we share the same point of view) I think it might be fun if we went together. What do you think?” This isn’t manipulative but it is strategic. You never know which encounters might turn into something meaningful. So start making connections that include as much discovery as they do pronouncements. Then who knows, maybe she’ll hold your hand on the way to the dance.

Identifying Advocates – okay, so maybe you’re ambitious and want to run for 8^th grade class president. Wouldn’t it be nice to know who your real friends are? The ones who will help you get out the vote? You start by looking for those friends who are on your wall or in your news feed on a regular basis. Do they click “like” or do they leave comments on your posts? Do they tag you in their comments? What’s the tone of those comments? It’s all right there. All they really need is an invitation to be your champion. Some may be willing and able to run your campaign. Others might be more interested in painting posters, passing out flyers or getting your name into the daily announcements. At a minimum, they’re likely to vote for you and tell a friend. But whatever the case, if you want to identify advocates make posts that asks for input. Participate in the conversation. But don’t get in a hurry. The vote is still weeks away.

So as you see there are several definitions. Each with it’s on formula for attainment and a few closing words from Mom:

1. Regarding Likes -- remember where you came from (know who you are)
2. Making Connections -- be polite and pay attention when others are talking.
3. Be a friend – (and) don’t be afraid to ask yours for help

I’d love to hear your definitions and how you achieve success on Facebook. Facebook timcnicholson, tweet me @timbigfish or email me tim@gobigfishgo.com.

It's Personal

So, Facebook messed with your business page today and you’re bent. Just one more sign that you still don’t get it. It’s not about business. It’s personal. And until you get that you won’t make meaningful connections.

Okay, maybe that’s a little harsh but here’s the deal. The guy running your marketing department wants to make social media work because “everyone is there” but he hasn’t come to grips with the real reason social media exists. There has been a cultural shift. Our society has moved from the Information Age to the Participation Age. And the participants are in charge.

Selling is no longer an informed sales rep versus an uninformed buyer. Prospects and customers have access to information, too. And most of it comes from sources other than you.

Marketing is no longer broadcasting messages over open air. Prospects, customers, patients and members are subscribers to the information they want and their friends influence their preferences.

This is all so much bigger than your Facebook business page. Heck, it’s even bigger than Facebook. It’s about your approach to doing business (yeah, you’re still in charge of that). But you’ll have to pin a few new adjectives near your brand promise starting with open, approachable, and conversational. It may not be easy but it will be personal.

Let's get personal. I'm on Twitter @timbigfish and at www.facebook.com/timcnicholson

Facebook and The Super Bowl

This weekend hundreds of millions of people will gather in family rooms and around party platters with smartphones in-hand and the Super Bowl on the big screen. And Facebook will be there, too. It will be part of every TV ad and it will be the most used App (Twitter running a close second) on your phone. The game is a magnet for connection. Facebook is magnetic for the social engagement it enables. People are drawn to each because people are drawn to people.

Connection is a human imperative. Any event or technology that enables it thrives. The Super Bowl, an event with national holiday like status, thrives because via television everyone is there. Facebook thrives because via affordable anywhere technologies, everyone is there.

Harvard Business Reviews says, “Facebook enables (connection) better than any other social network.” And it’s found its way into the soul of our mobile devices. (Install the Facebook app on your iPhone, for example, and you'll see its features integrating themselves mysteriously throughout every function of your phone.)

Just look around the den on Super Bowl Sunday and watch the people that you know connect with people you don’t but could via the Facebook friend finder. People simultaneously present and absent courtesy of their smartphone app.

As Facebook has grown it has become less a website and more an extension of ourselves in the same way that the telephone was for our grandparents and cell phones were for the next generation. It’s also changing business in ways that most people can’t get their heads around -- because they see it as a technology or a platform for making announcements and doing transactions.

They miss the listening. They miss the engagement. They miss the inputs and innovation. The business guy wants the metrics for something that can no more be measured than the number of ripples from a pebble thrown in the sea. He fails to see it for what it is; the way we connect.

Speaking of connections, would you please pass the nachos?

Oh, and get back with me on those metrics. There are some and the results are going to blow your mind like a safety's hit on the opposing team's wide receiver.

Tracy Morgan Loves Your Work

I recently received a handwritten love note from a customer. She raved about working with our team and ended her thoughts with “I love Bigfish.” It got me to thinking. What if every customer was as passionate about their experience with us? What would that look like? How do we create it?

The customer’s point-of-view is the most compelling. It’s a more dynamic story than the one coming from the marketing department. It’s real. Maybe imagining what that might look like can help us create a plan to achieve it. Play along with me. Let’s pretend that we’re hearing about a product or service experience from Tracy Morgan. He is the hilarious star of SNL sketch comedy, the sitcom 30 Rock, a writer and movie star with the February 26 release Cop Out. What if Tracy were thinking about these three businesses:

Dunkin Donuts. To some it’s a donut shop. But, it has so much more growth potential when Tracy says, it’s the fuel that gets me through my day. After that Dunkin Donuts isn’t just for breakfast anymore.

How about The New York Times? The self-promoting purveyor of all the news that’s fit to print. The paper business is dirty ink on my fingers but then I hear Tracy’s voice in my head. He says, NYT has the 411 on everything worth knowing. This frees NYT to deliver info to key advertiser demographics in any medium they choose. Tweet me the news, please. Text me the headlines. Or, maybe there’s an app for that.

Or, how about Tracy the suburban home owner? To him John Deere isn’t just the maker of lawn mowers. In his acceptance speech for lawn of the month he was overheard to say, John Deere is my yard’s daddy. Or, at least that’s how it goes in my mind.

What would Tracy say about your business? How can you create an experience worthy of such a passionate response? We think it starts with understanding the culture, knowing how to optimize technology to be where the customer is, and then allowing them to experience the brand in a way that only they can imagine. And, Bigfish has a strategy for that. You're gonna love it!

Write to me tim@gobigfishgo.com or follow me @twitter/timbigfish.

The Truth of a Rumor

"Facebook will close its doors on March 15th," according to the rumor run rampant last week. And as unlikely a rumor as it is, there is one sure truth to be found in it - you flinched.


Perhaps you've decided to develop a customer relationship and business development strategy on a social media platform. You've embraced the idea of humanizing your brand. You've become conversational and promoted interaction between you and your prospects and customers. You're "all in"… on Facebook. And that's why you flinched.

A social media strategy is no more about a single platform than CRM is about software. It's beyond Facebook. Resolving to create a genuine dialogue between you and your customer is a brand lifestyle. It includes actively listening to their ideas, concerns and invention. It means being where they are so as to accommodate their on-demand desire for personalization. It's not easy. It is necessary.

A flinch in and of itself is a natural response to something unexpected or in anticipation of a painful event. Relax. The likelihood of Facebook "going away" any time soon is unlikely but the rumor of such an event is a reminder to have a broader plan. Here are a few building blocks for your strategy:

• Know what types of interactions your audience values.
• Decide what you expect from those interactions.
• Identify the platforms that best facilitate the objectives of you and your audience.
• Resolve to diversify your platform selection.
• Commit to a website that incorporates your platform selections but engages the user beyond a reliance on public networks.

And stop flinching.

Want details? Let's talk.

I'm tim@gobigfishgo.com, www.twitter.com/timbigfish or www.facebook.com/timcnicholson. You get the idea.