It’s a short documentary. You’ll find it quite interesting, moving, and powerful.

Plus, while watching, keep in mind two different perspectives.

1. The movement and the story being told in the video.

2. Why Facebook, the Internet, and other social networks online are truly good for humanity.

Facebook isn’t so much about big data or breach of privacy or posting something you shouldn’t have or even advertising. It’s much much deeper and much greater.

Facebook connects the world much easier at a much quicker rate.

At such a rate there is no way to replicate it through traditional means. It connects the world not to do bad, but for the people to stand up for humanity and do good. To stand up for something they believe in, an idea. It connects the entire globe to do good, most importantly, to do good together, no matter where we are on this planet.

The invisible man, women, the child half way around the world, now, because of Facebook and the social web, become visible. Because of real people connecting, growing online communities that spread a shared message, belief, an idea, together, allowing voices to be heard.

Content will remain the catalyst for a brand’s online success (or failure) and ultimately having a tremendous effect on their overall digital return on influence (ROI).

John Bell (author of The Digital Influence Mapping Project) wrote a fabulous piece (which inspired this short writeup and graphic) on this shift in marketing and communications – content marketing finds its value (head on over and take a peak, come back, and we’ll continue on).

Examine the intersection between user and brand.

Content marketing goes beyond the products and services (it touches them indirectly) your organization possesses. It takes a look at who makes up your core demographic and then directly speaks to that user group about that shared interest. You have to examine the intersection of a user and brand. What’s the warm and fuzzy for the user, what’s the shared interest, what’s that one thing that makes both brand and user tick together? What’s the value you posses to help shape that user groups way of life? Speak to that topic.

Though I wholeheartedly agree on everything John is saying throughout his post, I think there’s one piece that’s being left out, or maybe that I would alter…

Creating content for users instead of consumers.

First, users aren’t customers. Users simply absorb your relevant and valuable content. This user group is your brands targeted audience but has a far greater reach than speaking to just consumers. Think about this for a second (refer to the graphic above as well or click here for a larger view). You are able to speak, with adding high levels of relevant value, to a user group that is five times (I have no idea how big, but it’s bigger) the size of your costumer base means huge opportunities. Though a user may never become a customer of yours, what this means is you have created a brand ambassador indirectly. This new ambassador is sharing relevant content that is deriving from your brand. This user group has become much larger making your brand (content) much more visible in an instant. By speaking to a community of users, this eventually will produce consumers who will want to give you some cash for your product or service. Users have now joined the group of brand ambassadors along side consumers. The larger the user base, the greater opportunity of obtaining customers. But, content must remain relevant and valuable. There is still a targeted direction, it’s not the masses.

American Express does it best.

American Express is a financial organization that offers credit card solutions for both personal and business use. What they have done with their content marketing strategy is created a hub that speaks to a core of their demographic. This platform is called American Express Open Forum. Their content consists of how to operate a small business – “powering small business success”. What it doesn’t consist of is how to operate a small business leveraging their credit card solutions. Instead it’s simply a forum. A place where top influencers and thought leaders in the small business space offer their advice, via guests posts, on running a successful small business. From managing, to marketing, to design, etc. This is the true kicker – it’s powered by the small business experts outside of American Express. They seek to the SMB expert to produce the content. They have even gone to the extent of declaring their own day of the year called “Small Business Saturday”. It’s the day after Black Friday that encourages shoppers to shop small and local. When a small business owner thinks about financials, they instantly gravitate to American Express. Through persistence they’ve molded their brand to become the “all things small business expert”.

Keep the platform in your control.

What must be remembered is that the content hub needs to be in your control. Meaning, don’t use third party platforms to create content. Instead, establish your own platform that both creates and distributes relevant content by means of social channels to your targeted user base. Refer to the graphic above for the path a user and customer takes. The idea of this platform and content marketing strategy is to always be creating. This results in shareable links and high SERPs. It’s constant, consistent, and filled with fresh content and conversation. Conversation and dialogue that takes place in your living room – your brands controlled environment.  This large group of users are continually returning to your content hub, it’s only a matter of time before they themselves, or one of their SWYN (share with your network) recipients, meanders to your website to research your product/service and then filters to the bottom of your sales funnel.

As John Bell stated at the end of his post – it’s definitely a marathon.

Quick Response Codes

The QR code technology has been around for almost two decades but is now only starting to gain traction with widespread adoption here in the U.S. It’s origination can be tracked back to 1994 in Japan where Toyota created the code to track manufacturing parts.

Its use has evolved immensely since its conception with marketers across the globe finding creative uses in finally connecting the web (particularly the mobile web or via applications) with traditional print media. There is no longer this gab between both medias. Today’s consumers want immediate and relevant access to the brand. The  QR code allows for immediate interaction with the destination of the scanned code. A printed flier essentially comes to life with an abundance of interactive information.

How do QR codes work?

Create: First you’ll need to find a QR code generator (Kaywa, QRstuff.com, Kerem Erkan) which allows you to input actions (capabilities vary between QR code generators) on what you want the QR code to do when scanned. The QR code generator then outputs a 2D image with your actions (data) encoded into it.

There are different kinds of QR code generators that do different things. QRstuff.com allows you to create a shortened URL that gets encoded into the QR image. Once the image is created you can swap out the destination URL to be able to use the same QR code image for different destinations. The thing that stays constant is the image and the shortened URL, you’re able to change its destination.  TappInn allows you to build mobile smart sites so when a QR code is scanned you’re directed to a mobile site with your data and information. PingTags allows you to link your business card to your LinkedIn profile mobile site where one can acquire all of the necessary information. From the LinkedIn profile you can make a phone call, check your other social network sites, your blog, etc. From just one scan of your business card you have immediate access to their entire profile vs just the contact information that’s normally on a business card.

Direct: You can create QR codes that direct a user to a webpage, “Like” a Facebook fan page, SMS, text message, phone number, vCal, google maps, etc.

Scan: QR readers are applications (apps) that you’re able to download from your smartphone’s app store (iPhone - i-nigma; Android – Barcode Scanner; Blackberry – comes with the phone or QR Code Scanner Pro). Upon downloading and opening your QR reader app hold the phone’s camera over the QR code image until it is able to read the data. It will then direct you to the specified destination.

Where to use QR codes?

• Business cards
• Fliers
• Vehicles
• Ticket Stubs
• Magazines
• Billboards
• Thank you cards
• Window signage
• Buildings
• Mailings
• All printed marketing materials

Where to point a user from the QR code?

• To a website URL
• To a coupon
• To “Like” your Facebook Fan Page
• To a contest
• To an interactive application
• To a YouTube video
• To an iTunes download link
• To a vCal, vCard, etc.
• To a Google Maps location
• To a PayPal buy now link
• To post and share a tweet
• (Tip: be sure to have the destination be mobile friendly)

QR codes are now able to connect the traditional print media with today’s digital age media and allows for immediate interaction with the user. Most QR code generators offer a robust analytics platform to track your printed materials that house the QR code image. I’d say expect to see these everywhere as the uses begin to expand and become simply more convenient.

Have you see any creative uses with QR Codes?

Just as I post Privacy on Facebook’s Social Graph I read Huffington Post Readers Dislike “Connect With Facebook” Feature via All Facebook. The ‘Connect With Facebook’ feature (just recently released on the Huffington Post site) allows Huffington Post to suggest articles based on your Facebook profile; likes, bio, etc.

Here’s a few comments on the users reaction to the new feature (via All Facebook post):

“I don’t want any such ‘recommend­ation’ feature to channel me away from stories or presume that my interests don’t shift,” wrote MyFatCat. “This might be good for your advertiser­s, but it’s bad for my reasons for coming here.”

A few other commenters echoed this reasoning, hinting that Huff Post readers generally consider themselves fairly well educated and read, and don’t really need stories to be “so intensely personalized” and “babyfed,” as Leviathan21 put it. “I think I’m capable of navigating my way around a website and clicking on articles that interest me. I don’t need someone to pick my articles for me,” he added.

Cdub1991 said that the move was “a rather obvious ploy to increase revenue by enhancing their ability to sell targeted marketing to their advertisin­g clients. I wish them well, but I think I’ll pass.”

There are two sides to every coin.

It’s always good to see both perspectives on issues.  I still think that having this relevancy, for majority of the user base, is an attractive feature. I for one have very limited time in consuming content (news, sports, gardening, etc.) outside of my day-to-day industry focus. Therefore, based on my Facebook profile, the articles that I want to read first show up first.

So this may leave us with two thoughts to ponder.

Facebook profile optimization.

In the future, as the social graph expands and connecting to sites via Facebook Connect, will Facebook users have to optimize their Facebook profiles? Will Facebook provide areas on our profiles where we know outside sites will capture that data first. So essentially, optimizing our Facebook profiles to better our ‘outside of Facebook, browsing experience.

Two prong approach.

When a user decides to view a site through the “Connect With Facebook” feature, would it make sense to have a subtle box appear with options? The options could include: view content based on your Facebook interests or view in standard mode, allow site to show friends activity on the site, allow to share via Facebook, etc. The idea is to give the user an option in choosing how to view the site. Granite the money making side of this approach would be against it as it would be harder for advertisers to target the users not choosing to utilize all of the ‘Connect With Facebook’ features.

What are your thoughts on this whole ‘Connect With Facebook’ approach? Do you find it becoming a nuance for your browsing experience or do you find it to be an added value when browsing, socially?

This week when watching “The Facebook Obsession” (part 1, part 2, part 3) documentary put on by CNBC, of course, a hot topic was the privacy issue.

Embrace the relevant web.

When you sign up to Facebook you agree to abide by their rules – It’s free, Facebook makes the rules and has that right. If you aren’t on board with their rules of use and privacy policies, don’t sign up (though deleting an account can be rather cumbersome and difficult, but that’s a different topic). Users need to embrace the social graph and where the web as a whole is going. It’s a relevant, one of kind cloud made just for you.

Shopping via your social graph.

People find it easy and extremely convenient to utilize a login system like Facebook Connect not having to open and setup another account. The minute they enter the site they’re appalled by how relevant and personalized everything is – this scares people.This is when they feel their privacy has been breached.

Why is this an automatic red flag?

This is where I am confused. Yes, the site is taking data from your Facebook profile essentially without asking for permission (but you agreed to login with FB connect). Why is this so daunting and scary? These sites are using your data to generate an intimate experience for the time you’re logged in. Once logging out, it’s gone.

Why aren’t users on board of this approach? Why wouldn’t you want to walk into a department store having everything laid out that only you like; style, brand, color, etc.? It’s basically been built strictly for you. Why wouldn’t you want a suggestion from a close friend via their “like” or purchase whether they’re physically with you or not? Facebook’s open graph provides a shared shopping experience regardless of when your connections have been there. Friends are influential, you feel a sense of self gratification when your friends give you a bit of reassurance on your purchases. That’s what theses sites are doing, they’re providing a relevant shopping experience for YOU based on you. It’s efficient, easy, and connected.

Why waste time searching when it’s already suggesting?

Privacy on the web is a concern, but if your data is being used to create a better experience for you, embrace it. This has, and will continue, to change the way we shop forever.

Let’s open it up.

How do you feel about third party sites using your Facebook data? Does this breach your privacy or scare you?

The importance of understanding your purpose for involving your brand within each social network.

What value will your community gain from your presence. These questions must be addressed before diving into a social networking platform, or at least start with an idea and evolve it. Each platform may serve a different purpose, in most cases it does. Different people use different mediums; before diving in you need to distinguish who is where and strategize accordingly.

In most cases this is a trial and error process. If you’re not creating any type of community maybe you are seeking or approaching the wrong relationships. This is where your patience is tested, building and gaining trust to mold your tribe takes time, let it develop.

I am the voice of the Twitter handle and Facebook fan page for the Arthritis Foundation Iowa Chapter. These two different networks reach two different audiences. Through ‘trial and error’ I have found that the community I have created on Facebook doesn’t reside on Twitter, so I had to rework my Twitter strategy accordingly. I am taking the approach for my Twitter handle of building a community around other non profits, organizations, and businesses within the state. This is taking more of a professional relationship approach, partnership if you will. I also reach out to the national advocates who have strong voices for Arthritis education and funding. Building these types of relationships may/will become beneficial for future opportunities.

My Facebook presence serves as a coffee shop.

It’s a place for those whom are ‘around’ arthritis to come and chat; share stories, give advice, and mostly, to be a support system to those who live with the disease. This is also where I share scheduled events and fundraising efforts. I must add that I do have my Facebook automatically feed into my Twitter. I feel the information I provide on Facebook brings an even more authentic and genuine approach to my Twitter handle. I don’t, however, feed by Twitter to my Facebook status updates, but is viewable from the fan page. Automatic Twitter to Facebook usually doesn’t fly with the Facebook crowd because they’re feed becomes over-saturated. Your status pushes others down, more is missed. It’s crucial to find the line in the sand to know when your updates have become inconvenient, and hate to say it, annoying. Thus resulting in unfanning, unfollowing, or even hiding your status updates. You have failed in developing this relationship.

The point is…

When you’ve decided to explore different platforms you need to know why you’re there and to whom you’re wanting to connect with. If you have these answered before hand your navigation is much clearer, you’re able to set goals and define a strategy.

So what are you waiting for… mingle.

Photo source: martin.canchola

As I am reading Linchpin by Seth Godin, he discusses emotional labor versus physical labor. Briefly; physical labor is the type that causes fatigue, it’s work, hard work that someone of authority has told you to do. Emotional labor is something that is not generally on your day-to-day checklist. It’s a type of personal uniqueness that makes it hard to replicate; your smile, generosity, passion, caring, sincerity, etc.

The top of your company’s totem pole consists of the owners, executives, and managers. These are the folks innovating, implementing, creating, enforcing policy, and ultimately setting your daily agenda of things do to. At the top of the totem pole you are able to see far and wide of the beautiful scenery, but as you start to slide down, its breathtaking view starts to become non-existent, so does your humanity, your voice.

Why is it that at the bottom of the corporate ladder you have NO voice?

It’s assumed that the less you make the quieter the voice. In most cases, this assumption is true, but why? Isn’t the bottom of the totem pole generally the first thing to come in sight considering it’s at eye level? The same holds true for most organizations. The bottom of the ladder being the first, last, and most times, the only contact with the customer. But yet organizations have them abiding by a set of rules on how you should say this and when. Let them create their own voice. Let them use their emotional labor that they share outside of the workplace that has them being liked and loved by so many people. Let them showcase what defines them as a human. This type of interaction is contagious and soon the customer, manager, and your colleagues will catch it. It’s called creating a human relationship. Humanize the workplace instead of always having to read off of a transcript that the consumer has heard a million times before.

Does your organization allow those in contact with the customer have their own voice?

I’ve recently finished reading Duct Tape Marketing by John Jantsch about small business marketing. It was a very informative read and will be a great resource to come back to. While reading, as I am not a small business owner, I couldn’t help but to substitute the ‘small  business’ for ‘personal brand’. I always was thinking of ways to utilize the resources between the covers in supporting my personal brand. There are a lot of elements, if not most, that can help an individual form a solid strategy in creating and promoting one’s personal brand.

Though each chapter is filled with great content I want to focus on the epilogue in the back of the book. In the epilogue John lays out five steps in bringing your plans to form a ‘small business’ marketing snapshot.

Below is my translation of ‘bringing your plans to life with a ‘personal branding’ snapshot’:

Step #0. State your primary personal branding goals for the year.

Like anything else, you need to have a starting and an ending point. Where do you want to be one year from now? holding what position? with what company? Determine how you want to be perceived and what’s going to make you stand out. Your personal brand is not how you perceive it, it’s the perception others have on you, your actions will define this. Work towards acquiring your dream job for your dream company by first defining your personal brand and setting goals.

Step #1. Describe your ideal work situation (employment).

Everyone has a dream job or are (should be) passionate about something. Let it be known. With the new age of recruiting utilizing social media tools, companies are seeking you out based on the information provided within your social spaces. I think as this social space evolves even further you won’t be looking for jobs, the jobs will be looking for you. If you don’t express your ideal work situation those opportunities won’t be able to find you. Make yourself searchable. 

Step #2. Write your core message points.

What is it that makes up you?  Why would anybody want you to work with them or for them? This is the heart and soul of your personal branding. You will really need to dig deep and you may even have to ask for help from colleagues, family, friends, etc. — What makes you unique? Define and market these characteristics.

Step #3. Develope personal branding marketing materials.

The sky is the limit with marketing materials for your personal brand. The more creative the more memorable. With thousands of people crossing everyone’s path, being memorable is what matters. Other than printed materials (not a resume) you may include video, blogging, or podcasts. It’s easier for opportunities to seek you out when you’re conversing and sharing valuable content on your expertise or passion. Through utilizing the free social media tools it makes you findable on search engines and within social networks.

Step #4. Outline your platforms of engagement.

A couple of years ago I would have said to always keep an updated resume on hand along with your business cards, but those days are becoming ancient history. It’s only a matter of time before resumes become extinct. Instead, there will be sites like LinkedIn and even Facebook, FriendFeed, and Twitter that will connect you to future employment. This is where your true identity resides, so beware, your career depends on it. Develope a system in how you are going to use all of these platforms. For me, I have LinkedIn, Twitter, and FriendFeed as my primary professional social networks. My Facebook page is more focused on family and friends but will slowly be migrating to include my professional space as well. What purpose will each of these networks serve and how are you going to use them? Create valuable content of your industry.

Step #5. Deliver your personal brand.

The true test comes when an opportunity knocks at your front door. Making the team and putting on a uniform every game with a prestigious name is only half the battle. What are you going to do when it’s your turn to step up to the plate? This is how your brand is truly defined, living up to your message.

What do you think? Is there anything you would add or take away?