The More You Sell, The Less Your Sell.

Smart companies use every applicable social platform to turn customers into fans, and fans into volunteer marketers.  They worry less about squeezing every nickel and click out of each tweet and status update.

The more you sell, the less you sell. 

Among the disruptive characteristics that have altered the nature of business forever are; real-time interaction, every customer being a reporter, and customer service as a spectator sport. The major way that social media changes the game is through the Democratization of Voices.

Your Company Needs to Be Human… You may use the pronoun "We" when referring to an institution even though it's a single person speaking. It is however extremely important to indicate who the individuals are that are speaking on behalf of the institution.

People want to know if they're hearing from an individual even if it's that individual speaking for many people or for the brand itself.

It can be a slippery slope so keep your ice shoes on.

Multicultural Landscaping

While doing some research for a client I came across a post on Mashable about strategies to engage multicultural consumers on new media platforms. The author, Jessica Faye Carter had some great ideas and insight.  Here are some highlights that I wanted to bring to you for consideration:

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Chinese Cultural Arts Alliance

1. Include Multicultural in Your Larger Marketing Strategy

Instead of developing multicultural social media campaigns on a one-off basis, make them part of your larger marketing strategy.

2. Engage Across the Cultural Landscape

It’s a good idea to expand your understanding of other cultures beyond language, music, and cuisine. Develop your niche cultural campaign knowing that there is a full cultural landscape from which you can draw inspiration and material for your social media site.

3. Celebrate Culture!

The celebration of the culture and diversity of multicultural communities should be central to your social media campaign. Don’t be afraid to highlight aspects of a particular group’s culture

4. Just Say “No” to Stereotyping

It’s common practice to “fill in the blanks” when you have an incomplete understanding of a subject, but when dealing with cultural issues, a lack of understanding can be disastrous. Avoid relying on stereotypes when developing your campaign.

5. Work the Networks

To get a better understanding of the communities you are trying to reach, visit social networking sites, microsites, or blogs geared toward multicultural groups. Spend time on larger sites like TheGrio and MySpace Latino, (yes, MySpace).

Multicultural social media is more than just a passing fad — it's an opportunity for companies and multicultural consumers to connect around ideas, products, and services. Companies are using niche cultural campaigns to increase their brand awareness among multicultural consumers — many of whom enjoy participating in these culturally relevant online experiences.

Rooms ... to go or not to go

Back at the kitchen table.

It seems the thing to talk about this week is Rooms from Facebook. I gotta tell ya, I don't see much innovation here.  It's pretty.  A little complicated. A little gaming happening,  You have to figure it out to get in the room, to get your prize, as it were.

I don't know, maybe I'm missing it here but finding another spot where you can post messages and pictures to people that have the same interests?  I think we've already done that.  Am I missing something?  Is this the latest greatest and I missed it?  I don't think so.

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Wait a minute -- Rooms is Prodigy from 1996  ... it is anonymous - is that the point? To have a place to by anonymous and talk about the things that you like?   Davey Alba of  Wired writes about this.

Rooms isn't new - Page Six is reporting that there is a claim that it was created as Room and released in September! The intellectual property attorneys at Facebook are not having a good day.  

Kitchen Table ello

Hello and welcome to my kitchen.  There has been a lot of talk about a new social media platform called ello.  It's not really that new, but it seems to be getting a lot of buzz lately due to that Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) problem.  Brian Solis wrote a brilliant observation for LinkedIn.

"Everyone"  is jumping on to see what it is all about. The truth is, it's not that different.  We are still trying to find each other online. But we are really looking for are relationships. Communication with colleagues, friends, classmates, family members.  I don't see ello doing much different work than what has already been done.  But, this is yet to be seen.

The underlying observation is that the overwhelming desire to talk to each other still exists.  Across continents and across cities. So, let's do this, instead of jumping on to the latest social media network, let's back track and use an old one.

Right before you are about to send that email this week, call them.  See if they are around for a coffee or a Google HangOut or Skype or Facetime - hang out at the kitchen table. Make some real friends in real life again.  And then start sharing with them on the platforms that you are both already on.

Business to business, customers to business, business to customers, friends to friends.  It is all a matter of communication. It is a matter of telling the stories that need telling, in context.  it is just one human being talking to another.

If seems redundant but here is an overwhelming truth: People Like to Talk to Each Other.  Tweet This  --- So this week, go old school, pick up the phone.  Have a cup a coffee with a friend, invite them to your kitchen table.  Let me know how it goes.