great article on why companies can't afford to ignroe social media

Check this out.

Jan Moir of the Daily Mail in London knows all about the power of social media. her reputation (such as it was) was destroyed overnight. And it wasn't just Stephen Fry what done it!

Great viral video

Here is a link for a great viral video from Samsung. Just goes to show the power of social media to promote a product. Its had 200,000+ views on YouTube.
Here ya go

My new business!

Firstly, apologies for the delay since my last post.
But I have been busy....
Having spent my entire working life admiring the work of entrepreneurs, I have taken the plunge and started up my own business. Windrush Communications is an online reputation management agency. We do everything from social media engagement, search engine optimisation and strategic online PR. The business has been up and running for about 2 months now and its looking good.
We have secured our first Malaysian client - as well as one in Singapore - and have high hopes of signing at least two UK-based clients within the next month or so.
Frankly, starting up a business is terrifying. There is no safety net. You have a bad week at work, but you still get paid by your employer. Have a bad week as a business owner and there is a danger you won't be able to pay yourself at all.
And there are always doubts: Will companies be interested in what I have to offer? Will this make any money? etc etc. And the logistical issues are a pain as well. Incorporating a new company, getting a website set up (ours cost a paltry $250 as we have no cash to spare!), business cards printed etc, all take valuable time that could be used pursuing new business.

I havent had a decent night sleep for weeks. I lie awake worrying. Of course I know how futile that it, but setting up a new business is like walking blindfolded through a mindfield. Thankfully I have some great friends who have provided me with invaluable advice and encouragement. Without their support, things would have been infinitely harder.

Anyway peeps, I will keep you updated on a more regular basis from now on.

UK government wakes up to Twitter

The Twits in the UK government have woken up to Twittering and produced a 20 page guide for government bureaucrats who want to use Twitter.
It seems that officialdom believes that Twitter can give the government a more "human" face.
Good luck with that. It will take more than Twitter to make people vote Labour at the next general election. Cynicism aside, Twitter is a powerful communications tool and if an organisation as staid as Whitehall can see its potential, then social media really has established itself at the heart of communications strategy for any organisation.
You can read all about it here.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/twitter/5919847/Government-launches-20-page-guide-about-using-Twitter-for-civil-servants.html

Timberland rocks!

A great article on going green, by jeff Swartz, CEO of Timberland. He highlights how the company is using Green Rubber in its products.
http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/jeff-swartz/greener-good/consumer-demand-and-building-brand

The power of social media

I just wanted to share this article with you all. Its a great case study of how social media is changing the world.
Just ask the Chinese...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/bearing-witness-20-you-ca_b_231096.html

Monitoring your reputation

What is the starting point in ensuring you have a good online reputation?
In my opinion it is the understanding that you don't control your reputation any longer. It is not about advertising, it is about what people say about you! And social media means that a bad word about your company or its services goes an awfully long way.
For a travel company it might be a bad review on TripAdvisor. For a bank it might be a bitchy post on a financial services website.
Once you appreciate that countless conversations about you and your company are taking place on online, then the first thing to do is to set up a system to keep track of what is being said and where. Only then can you start to engage in the dialogue. Once you know what is going on, then an action place can be started that will enable you to engage with your stakeholders online.
There are tools available that will assist you in tracking these conversations, but engagement takes real expertise and a real understanding of how to talk to stakeholders using social media.
In Malaysia, where I currently hang out, so few companies actually understand this.
A new company, which I won't name for now, is about to launch in KL that will provide bespoke consultancy to companies and individuals who want to use social media to enhance their brands and services.
More on this later...

Social media and recruiting

Green Rubber and its parent company Petra Group are fairly new to the world of social media. That said, we have a video on YouTube which gives an introduction to the technology, as well as a rapidly growing Facebook group and a LinkedIn group. The boss, Datuk Vinod, has his own popular Facebook Group and I have this little blog as well.
But already we are seeing our interaction with stakeholders via social media platforms starting to pay dividends. Web traffic is up and we are also getting resumes sent to us from people whose first point of contact with the company has been on Facebook.
The lession is simple: Conversations about you and your company are taking place whether you are part of the dialogue or not. So it is important to engage with stakeholders across web 2.0 platforms.
In my opinion, social media will become the dominant media when it comes to communicating with stakeholder groups, particularly customers. More on this subject later...

best viral video I have seen all year

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/video/2009/jun/19/strongbow-viral-video-ad-bankers

Green Rubber

As I mentioned before, my day job is for a technology conglomerate in KL called Petra Group. One of its businesses is called Green Rubber. It has a fantastic technology to recycle waste tyres. There are 7 billion sitting in landfill around the world and the company's patented technology enables waste tyre rubber to be recycled and turned into new applications.
You can find out all about the company at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8WdBzSrz3Y

Twitter - what is the point?

Apparantly the number of people using Twitter has risen 93% over the last 6 months. That is some growth by anyone's standards. But why use Twitter?

To me Twitter is one of the best social networking tools. It seems the people who get the most out of Twitter are those who already have big followings - celebrities, well known politicians, sportsman etc. For their followers, Twitter is a great way of getting close to their icons. Twitter has a very personal feel to it - communication is direct and to the point. It makes for a happier fan base.

But for businesses and business leaders, Twitter is even more valuable. The great thing about social media, and Twitter in particular is that it provides a great platform for gathering market information. Got an issue at work? Not sure how people see your brand? Just ask the question and I am certain you will get valuable comments coming back.

Business communication is no longer a monologue, but rather a dialogue. You need to know what your followers (i.e. your stakeholders) are thinking about you, your company and its brand.

Twitter is an enabling tool to make that happen.

Ideas that are born on Twitter quickly take on a life of their own. Your followers, (bright and interesting people just like you) sitting at their desks in all likelihood, will provide you with a whole heap of new thoughts and provide the fruits of their imagination freely and without question.

Of course there are dangers with using Twitter as well. I was told by a former boss that before you fire off an angry email you should take a deep breath, save the email and then go back to it after you have calmed down. With Twitter it is ludicrously easy to vent without thinking.

Everything about Twitter is about speed - therein lies its strengths and potential pitfalls. Got a scoop, some valuable bit of information, then Tweet and your followers will value your contribution.

But don't Tweet every five minutes. You will appear addicted and followers will grow bored with the endless stream of verbage. My advice would be use Twitter relatively infrequently and only tweet when you actually have something to say.

So what is Twitter actually worth as a company? Well that is a whole other question...

I found this great article on how businesses can best use Twitter. Take a look http://mashable.com/2009/06/24/twitter-brand-best-practices/

The First Post...

So, I thought I would start as I mean to go on and talk about the world of online communications. To many, including most corporate PR departments and CEOs, the new wave of internet communities is something of a puzzle. Everyone is on them (Twitter, Facebook, myspace etc etc) but how do you tap into these communities to add value to your company’s brand or enhance your own reputation?
The first lesson to learn is that you are no longer in control of your reputation. It doesn’t matter how many press releases or adverts you churn out, the deciding factor in how you are viewed by the world is what people are saying about you. A recent Edelman PR survey found that people are most likely to trust information provided by someone like themselves. PRs featured at the bottom of the list nestled between estate agents (realty agents for you US readers) and Fox News Anchors. So the challenge now facing companies and high profile business leaders, is how to engage with stakeholders who recognise and instinctively distrust corporate spin.
This is a topic that I will be returning to in detail over the next few months.