The true impact that social networking plays in defining business success in modern times is yet to be revealed. Its value will scale among trades, but its power cannot be ignored in any case.
This month we continue with our two seasoned experts in social media marketing -Cass McCrory founder of Capra Strategy and Andy Crestodina co-founder of Orbit Media – to discuss social networking and where it fits in exhibit marketing.
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Biographies
Transcript
Episode guide
[00:00 – 00:43] Introduction
Host: Adam Voss
[00:44 – 03:00] FOMO and Exclusivity
Guests: Andy Crestodina, Cass McCrory
Host: Adam Voss
[03:01 – 07:29] Social Media Campaign Must-Haves and Continued Conversations
Guests: Andy Crestodina, Cass McCrory
Host: Adam Voss
[07:30 – 08:26] Closing Thoughts
Host: Adam Voss
Want to know more?
Here are some links related to the research and discussion:
Latest Mashable articles about social networking.
10 Key Advantages of Social Media for Skeptics
Is there true networking behind the fluff?
Biographies
Andy Crestodina
Andy Crestodina is a co-founder and the Strategic Director of Orbit Media, an award-winning 38-person web design company in Chicago. As a top-rated speaker at national conferences and as a writer for many of the biggest blogs, Andy has dedicated himself to the teaching of marketing. Over the past 15 years, Andy has provided web strategy and advice to more than a thousand businesses.
Andy has written hundreds of articles on content marketing topics for dozens of blogs and media websites. Favorite topics include content strategy, search engine optimization, social media and Analytics. He is also the author of “Content Chemistry: The Illustrated Handbook for Content Marketing.”
Cass McCrory
Cass McCrory is founder of Capra Strategy and Sales Get Social helping sales & marketing professionals in the business to business space through integrated enterprise campaigns and social media.
Cass has worked in the enterprise space for over ten years delivering marketing campaigns that have driven sales and social results for companies such as Accenture, Avanade, and Starwood Hotels.
Show transcript
Introduction
(Adam Voss) Hello. And welcome to Echelon’s 12 For 12. As we last left you in episode six, part one, we were talking with Andy Crestodina and Cass McCrory about the conversation behind the conversation.
Hello. And welcome to Echelon’s 12 For 12, a series of 12-minute podcasts created to inform, entertain and inspire. My name is Adam Voss. I’m an entertainer and a general gad about town. Let’s go back now and talk to Andy Crestodina and Cass McCrory.
[Music]
FOMO and exclusivity
(Adam Voss) Question: should a social media presence be directed towards actual attendees at the time of the event? Or does that risk alienating the people that aren’t there?
(Andy Crestodina) No. I would — I don’t think it really takes away from anything else. So let’s say I’m at a booth, and you walk up, and we start a conversation. And pretty soon, we’re exchanging information, and we’re taking a picture together in front of this thing, and we’re sharing that, and that’s being tagged. I mean, that just appears in my stream as a brand or as a social media marketer. But just because that’s, you know, you and I are together in that stream I don’t think pushes anyone else away. In fact, there is this kind of exclusivity that appears there, you know. People want to be included. You know, if you interact with one person at an event, it makes those people, you know, that person is kind of an insider and that could —
(Adam Voss) And want to get in on the conversation?
(Andy Crestodina) And other people want to jump in. Like they want to see that you’re active. I think it actually adds to the appeal of a brand when you have that one-on-one conversation with individuals.
(Cass McCrory) I would agree.
(Cass McCrory) You know, when you do provide this kind of insider look, it’s like they’re finding out what’s happening behind the scenes. And anybody on social media, you know, they love that. That’s the engagement that makes someone part of a story instead of just an observer through a window.
(Adam Voss) Right.
(Andy Crestodina) Yeah. Fear — FOMO, fear of missing out, extremely powerful.
(Cass McCrory) Yeah.
(Andy Crestodina) Exclusivity, extremely powerful. I’ve heard — I don’t even know what this social network is about — but ELLO.
(Adam Voss) Uh-huh.
(Andy Crestodina) It’s like invite only.
(Adam Voss) Yeah.
(Andy Crestodina) They’re getting 40,000 requests per hour.
(Adam Voss) Wow.
(Andy Crestodina) Why? Because it’s —
(Adam Voss) It’s exclusive.
(Andy Crestodina) Yeah, because it’s not for everybody.
(Adam Voss) Yeah.
(Andy Crestodina) You want in. So a tradeshow is really an exclusive event. It’s an in-person thing. Not everyone can be there, right? So you want to show activity. You want to have interaction, be posting photos, chatting with people, you know, sharing quotes because it’s going to both enhance the perception of the brand and the event.
(Adam Voss) There’s a lot of FOMO from our possible attendees of this podcast.
(Andy Crestodina) [Chuckles]
(Adam Voss) I’m sure they’re listening right now, thinking, “I want to be in that room.”
(Andy Crestodina) We are in this room.
(Adam Voss) We are. [Laughs]
(Andy Crestodina) It’s just us.
(Adam Voss) We are there.
(Andy Crestodina) I mean, I feel bad for everyone who is not here.
Social media campaign must-haves and continued conversations
(Adam Voss) In the last decade, online marketing was really limited to a company’s website, which had, you know, very specific structure: the news, the about us, the contact us. Are there — you know, talking about social media as a campaign or as a launch, are there basic design elements or structures that social media campaigns should include now to be successful? The must-haves?
(Cass McCrory) Yes. I mean, it comes down to everything from all of the pieces that you can actively contribute in a social media network. So in Twitter, it’s your profile, it’s your background, it’s your cover image, it’s that about us copy. And all of those pieces that you can control need to be branded on point and talking to who you want to speak with in that channel. And even more important than just that kind of overall imagine of what your presence is, it’s what you’re talking about. And being authentic and consistent and making sure that your timeline reflects your customer-centricity, so making sure your timeline is talking about the things that are most important to your customers, that’s the biggest key. You don’t want someone to visit your timeline for the first time, whether that’s on Linked In or on Twitter or Facebook and say, “Wow, none of this has to do with me”
(Andy Crestodina) Hm.
(Adam Voss) And it was posted two years ago.
(Cass McCrory) You want to make sure that —
(Andy Crestodina) [Chuckles]
(Cass McCrory) Exactly.
(Adam Voss) Yeah.
(Cass McCrory) Right. You know, when you have a post and your most recent post is from, you know, three weeks ago, that is very telling about what your engagement is here. So making sure that your posts are current, making sure that you have something to say and that you’ve said something that’s relevant in your stream. So without any scrolling, is there something relevant to your target customer in your stream? That’s the thing that I would have every company go and look at right now.
(Adam Voss) So what is the best way when you do have that engaging conversation and you do have content to share with that person? What is the best way to keep the conversation going beyond the show? You know, how do you make that move into this relationship?
(Andy Crestodina) Well, whatever you do next should really be rooted deeply in empathy. What do these people really want? What do they care about?
(Adam Voss) Right. Their pain points.
(Andy Crestodina) Yeah.
(Adam Voss) Their interests.
(Andy Crestodina) Their hopes, their dreams, their fears. Like if you know that now you can actually keep a conversation going. You don’t really have much of a chance to do that if you’re just talking about yourself all the time.
(Adam Voss) Yeah.
(Andy Crestodina) It’s just — you know, social media is social and all those normal rules apply. You know, you wouldn’t walk into a party and just tell everybody about yourself the whole time. It’s just boring. [Chuckles] No one is going to follow you or keep listening.
(Adam Voss) Right.
(Andy Crestodina) So I mean, there’s a hundred little ways, and I’m sure Cass has got a bunch of them on the tip of her tongue. But I would say it needs to be an empathetic approach that relates to what the top of mind concerns and desires are for that audience that you met at the show.
(Cass McCrory) Well, just, you know, when you do have this interaction at a show and then you do carry that on social or even through e-mail, you want to make sure that you have a plan so that you don’t drop the ball with one hot lead that came in from that show. And so going in, in the same way that you do a launch of having a post, you know, tradeshow launch plan is a great idea because you want to have consistency and relevance in everything that you talk about on your social platform. And they need to be, you know, in editorial calendar. You need to have a plan of action, and that needs to be responsive to what people’s interests were at the actual event. So as Andy was saying about being empathetic and hitting on the needs, making sure that your editorial calendar consistently talks about how you do understand those needs, and you do, you have an understanding of what they’re looking for next. And you’re almost a little bit of a fortune teller to them in saying, “You know what? If this is relevant to you then this is going to be great as well.” And so now you’re a resource.
(Adam Voss) Right.
(Cass McCrory) So you’re not just somebody that understands them. You’re an expert and a resource in ways that they didn’t even anticipate you being.
(Adam Voss) Right. No, that makes a lot of sense. And you guys were both on my editorial content calendar as well —
(Cass McCrory) [Chuckles]
(Adam Voss) –in terms of having you here.
(Andy Crestodina) Mm-hmm.
(Adam Voss) That is all the time we have. I would deign to say that few exhibitors or tradeshow companies in the US or abroad have these types of plans. And I’m sure that gives you guys a lot of opportunities to talk to your clients. Cass, thank you for joining us. Andy, thank you for coming in.
(Andy Crestodina) My pleasure.
(Adam Voss) And we will hopefully keep the conversation going on Twitter and Facebook.
(Andy Crestodina) I’ll be there.
(Cass McCrory) We’d like that.
Closing thoughts
(Adam Voss) That’s our show for today. Thanks to Andy Crestodina and Cass McCrory for being social and joining us here in the studio. And thank you for listening. For a complete recording of today’s podcast, equivalent dives and other engaging episodes, as well as extras, go to iTunes or listen online at www.echelondesigninc.com. Until next time, like us and follow us on Facebook, Linked In and Twitter. And thanks for listening and being social.
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