Connie Bensen

Over the years I have presented many new ideas. It’s always a challenge to offer new methodologies along with compelling reasons for adoption of them. With social media this usually requires the implementation of a pilot on a small scale. For some the ideas are threats and for others the concept of change and the related fear is more than they can handle.

Over time I heard myself repeating key concepts. Combine this with my habit of providing mentorship sessions and I happened upon the solution to more effective presentation of ideas. It requires the creation of charts and diagrams to structure the presentation of your material. Executives and managers want to see the ideas presented in a simple straightforward manner. This affords the highest probability that your proposal will be understood, well-received and adopted.

I came to this realization during the sessions when I provide mentorship. I sit with paper and pen and talk through my methodologies and philosophy. It allows an interactive approach as well as pushes me to structure the conversation. The result is a much more compelling story for the listener and has greatly improved my presentations.

The following show two concepts that I have expressed in charts to show how marketing has changed:

My role is the convergence of Corporate, Field marketing (lead gen) and product marketing. I work to span these three areas and interconnect them.

This chart shows a concept that has been expressed in a number of ways:

old (push marketing, outbound marketing) and new (pull marketing, inbound marketing)

But what does that mean? How has it changed and how does it affect the marketing organization overall?

Here are some tips on how you can do this:

1. Make an outline of the concept

2. Talk through the steps and jot them down using scratch paper

3. Explain them to someone else and start with the first point and work through to the last (this is where it falls into place in a more graphic manner)

4. Over time the refinement will become apparent

5. Remember that less is more!

The social web has greatly changed the search for the job seeker as well as the organization that is doing the recruiting. The interview starts long before the hiring manager meets the candidates on the day of the ‘interview’.

Over the past few weeks we have been in the process of hiring community managers. Here are some tips for those seeking this type of role.

Resume

• Your experience needs to be relevant to the position (it needs to be obvious)
• Include metrics for the impact that you had in previous positions

For example:

• Increased sales by X %
• Increased the community by X %
• Increased participation in the community by X %

Tip: Do not represent consulting as if you were an employee

Your Social Presence

• Google your name: What online presence do you have?
• LinkedIn – Some key aspects:

Do you have a complete profile that is public?

Do you have a number of references from previous employers?

Have you written references for others?

• Twitter presence – quality of tweets and a balance of followers to following

Preparation for the Interview

Research the company that you’re interviewing with. What talking points can you take with to your interview?

Research the person that you will be interviewing with. Do they have a personal blog or are on Twitter? That insight provides great conversation starters.

If your LinkedIn profile set to show  your activity, then the interviewer will see that you’ve viewed their profile.

All of the above interactions happen before the interview ever happens. They are all items that can be used to qualify candidates. If you’re applying for a social media role, take some time to ensure that your application stands out from the crowd.

If you’ve recently hired for a social media position, what additional tips would you give?

How did you celebrate Community Manager Appreciation Day today? #CMAD

After having spent a couple weeks in Europe I had planned to catch up on email and get ready to go to Chicago for this week. That was promptly disrupted by interruptions. My people needing things. Some are colleagues and others are external. But that’s what I thrive on! frequent interruptions.

Welcome to the day in the life of a Community Manager!

I’m very pleased that the Community Manager role has gotten such a good foothold in organizations. We have been working hard to evolve a role that works holistically and cross-functionally. It is customer-centric and provides a unique value.

It is not without it’s challenges and those filling the role deserve to be applauded. The following are some of the realities:

• being a change agent isn’t always easy. Leading a culture shift sometimes can be a burden.
• the web is 24/7 and never shuts down. It’s important that people in this role empower their community and be able to have some down time. Unplugging is essential. It’s a delicate balance that needs to be maintained.
• measuring the ROI of brand awareness is difficult, but it’s become apparent that a lack of brand visibility and positive word of mouth can be quite damaging to a company
• fostering communication is an ongoing task – lowering silos and encouraging teams to work together is always needed
• driving results and working cross functionally across an organization is not for the faint of heart. Some days it takes a lot of energy
• being a customer advocate is gratifying and absolutely necessary. Consumers expect the highest level of customer service and companies need to deliver that.

Here are some statistics of how far reaching the role of Community Manager has become.

If you would like to peruse more in-depth, Jeremiah Owyang is curating the many posts, slide decks and photos that were created for the day.

Last year was filled with change. I took my life and tipped it upside down.

           I left the only way of life that I had known and stepped into the unknown.

Humans are resilient and change is good. It promotes & fosters learning.

This is what life taught me in 2010:

• urban life offers everything within walking distance which was a huge contrast to having lived 60 miles from Starbucks (I’m turning over the rural advocacy to @BeckyMcCray)
• I took online shopping to a new level by finding my house on the web & knew that I would buy it before setting foot in it (how’s that for marketing?)
• buying a house and getting settled takes a lot of time & energy
• I can now pack without thinking after having traveled 3 weeks per month (and I only take what I need and can carry)
• being open to new experiences is amazing – my trip to India was incredible!

Some have asked what I’ve been up to and why my blog has been quiet. I rarely write about my personal life, but I thought I would share a glimpse. Last year I got divorced, moved twice, experienced new cultures, made many new friends and reunited with old ones. I wrote a series of 10 white papers on social media monitoring and ROI, did some speaking and a lot of traveling. It was a year of incredible growth in many aspects.

Most importantly I have found a much needed balance. I am reclaiming some of the things that I loved to do. They aren’t related to the online world and it’s quite refreshing.

• I planted over 100 tulips last fall and am ready for spring which is my favorite season
• My house provides me with a great place to work and requires my time in a good way

Now that  I have reestablished a grounding, it’s time to put many of the things that fell by the wayside back in place. So here come the new year’s resolutions. Putting them here will cause people to remind me to stick to them:

• exercise (the shiny new treadmill needs to get broken in)
• more time for reading and learning
• blogging more frequently – I enjoy writing & miss it
• interacting with my friends and reading their thoughts – Twitter has it’s place but it doesn’t replace blogs
• attending more in-person events in the MSP area & giving back  – it’s great to a be a part of this community!

What are you doing this year to have a more balanced life and what steps are you taking towards it?