Posts filed under 'people'
FTC Guides Suggest Social Media Policies and Procedures Might Reduce Liability Risks
At the onset of this post, I want to be very clear that I am not intending to send fear coursing through the veins of senior management nor should this be construed as a “let’s all find another reason to fear social media”.
Quite conversely, part of leveraging a strong social media business strategy is ensuring the appropriate operational controls are in place. Policies, standardized practices and process are a responsible part of any business strategy and the business strategy of social media should be no exception.
This week, potential liability regarding the use of social media hit home as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released new Guides concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising. Essentially, the new guides will work to ensure a higher level of honesty and transparency in the use of the social web for the purpose of marketing in terms of “pay to say” disclosure and factual representations.
Though I am not a lawyer (nor have I ever played one on TV) and always encourage consultation with legal counsel, I did read through the 81 page FTC document yesterday and came across an important consideration which I don’t believe has been adequately highlighted. That consideration is the liability an employer faces for the actions of employees engaging in social media activities either within or outside the scope of their work responsibilities. The FTC addresses this scenario in response to a question which appears to have arisen during an open comment period relating to employer liability. Below is a verbatim excerpt from the FTC’s response:
“…although the Commission has brought law enforcement actions against companies whose failure to establish or maintain appropriate internal procedures resulted in consumer injury, it is not aware of any instance in which an enforcement action was brought against a company for the actions of a single “rogue” employee who violated established company policy that adequately covered the conduct in question… The Commission does not believe, however, that it needs to spell out the procedures that companies should put in place to monitor compliance with the principles set forth in the Guides; these are appropriate subjects for advertisers to determine for themselves, because they have the best knowledge of their business practices, and thus of the processes that would best fulfill their responsibilities.” see page 48 of the complete FTC document for full text
What this means is it is time to create social media policies and practices within your organization which carefully balance innovative business uses of social media with clear lines drawn on unacceptable practices.
While it is my intention to use my Association 2020 blog to add value to our community rather than endlessly promote my consulting practice, Social Frequency Media Communications, this is one instance where I want everyone to know that social media internal policy and procedure development is a core part of my services. Click here to learn more about Social Frequency Media Communications or feel free to contact me directly at stuart@socialfrequency.net.
Add comment October 9, 2009
Quick Tip: Value vs. Motive in Social Media ROI Measurement
You can ultimately achieve social media motives and measurable ROI by keeping the focus on generating value… and, most importantly, valuing the vital role and contribution of participants.
As Susan Scott points out in her book, Fierce Conversations , the “conversation is the relationship.”
Social media is an opportunity to make meaningful connections and build vital relationships by providing something of value and genuinely valuing user-generated participation. Time and time again, I see all types of organizations make the mistake of simply using social media to sell themselves, which is the quickest way to get ignored.
Measuring value generation in it’s many forms is the first phase of your social media ROI equation.
Add comment July 30, 2009
Quick Tip: How to Navigate Complaints and Negativity on the Social Web
The Truth about Complaints
Unless the person appears to be crazy, always see complaints via the social web as an opportunity to deepen the relationship. Most people who complain do so because on some level they care and they want to be heard.
How to Handle Legitimate Complaints
The key is to reach out one-on-one, thank them, listen… really listen, acknowledge, learn, identify mutual commonality, provide additional information which might provide clarification and thank them again.
In doing so, you stand a chance to either neutralize the discontent or, even better, establish a relationship which could convert the individual to a promoter. I’ve had experiences were the individual issuing the complaint added a retracting comment. Additionally, once you’ve cleared the air, you can also provide a follow-up comment or post which clarifies any misunderstandings and reinforces your position.
Listening is perhaps the most powerful communication tool.
Add comment July 27, 2009
How the Text-Obsessed “Distracted” Generation Will Become the Engaged Generation for Associations
We already know that ASAE’s 2006 Decision to Join study showed the younger generations value social networking at a higher level than previous generations. In addition, it appears the younger generations remain to see a strong need for associations.
Since I have two boys under age 10, let’s dive a little bit deeper into what one might be tempted to label as Generation D, the distracted generation.
The main source of distraction in the eyes of parents is kids texting endlessly. Just in the past month, here is my top 3 list of strangest places I’ve seen kids texting:
1) A girl texting while riding a bike down the street, one hand texting on the phone the other on the handle bar.
2) A girl texting will riding the hang glider ride spinning round-and-round up-and-down at a summer festival midway.
3) Two kids texting each other while sitting side-by-side.
While I can understand the temptation to label this new generation as distracted, I choose to label them differently… very socially focused. This is excellent news for associations, especially as we drive our social media strategy into more of a convergent pipeline and straight into the iPhones and smartphones of the future.
Social engagement is what creates the cohesive social investment which has kept our associations running throughout time and will continue to help us build even stronger futures. The only thing that has changed is the medium/s in which we operate. Smoke signals, the printed word, the telegraph, the telephone, the radio, the tv and now the social web sphere.
While the iPhone dominates the U.S. market right now, the other phone makers are frantically developing comparable platforms which will ultimately enable the development of applications for multiple platforms. In the meantime, the iPhone is the best bet for application experimentation. Why not get started today? SM
Ready to join your future already in progress, but not quite sure where to start? Visit www.socialfrequency.net
Add comment July 23, 2009
What Corporate Interactive Marketers and Agencies can Learn from Associations When it Comes to Building a Social Brand
I must confess that I love to monitor big corporate marketing and advertising agency blogs and eNewsletters. Why? First and foremost, because I learn allot. Second, as a curious spectator of the struggles they are facing in adapting to a social interactive world in which it is no longer possible to control the “massography” in the same way they once maintained a dominant control over the traditional uni-directional mass media world.
True behavioral marketing moves well beyond consumer action deeper into the social and emotional psychology which motivates and forms a relationship between consumer and product/brand. More about the ”cause” , less about the “effect”.
As it turns out, social media has shown that consumers are actually pretty smart and savy when it comes to sniffing out mass media plots and gimmicks of days gone by. Consumers want authenticity and human connections… they want to feel empowered, connected and heard… something that has been at the fabric of associations as long as like-minded people have found value in coming together to associate. As the Irish Proverb goes, “Two makes the road shorter”.
When it comes to social media, I ask the corporate marketers and ad executives a simple question:
“Have you hugged your association executive today?… we feel your pain and think our traditional member-centric models of engagement can help. Share in our proud tradition of relationship-based brand expertise. After all, “member-centric” means we are run by members, for members. A sense of investment and ownership is a powerful force when it comes to consumer loyalty. Associations aren’t simply a brand, we are truly a relationship-driven brand family”
To my fellow association executives out there, there are bigger and bolder blue skies ahead as we begin to set our sights and social media strategies on the evolutionary application of our user-centric business models. In doing so, we vastly expand our sphere of participation, information-exchange, networking and, ultimately, influence. Let’s also understand that control remains as much an illusion to us as it does to our for-profit counterparts.
Coming Soon… 5 Reasons Twitter Gives Associations Much to Tweet About
Add comment June 30, 2009
The Role of the Emotional Value Proposition in Cultivating Member Loyalty and Activism
If there was one thing an association marketing team must do is put the general principles of behavioral economics into practice at all levels of strategy, tactics and relationships.Satisfy a member’s intellectual need and they may hang on for a little longer. Cultivate a humanizing emotional connection between the member and your association and you might have them as a loyal member and promoter for life… or as long as they still like what they do for a living.
To me, great marketing is about making a human connection at a personal level which results in a sense of belonging. Doing so can be achieved through direct interactions or by indirect emotive multi-sensory storytelling. An example of the first would include traditional one-to-one networking or the considerable opportunities presented by online networking-based social media. An example of the second would be a powerful story told via a fusion of messaging, sight and/or sound, such as a documentary video.
At a primitive level, member loyalty is rooted in a two-way sense of caring, I care about the association because I perceive through my experiences that the association cares about me, not just as a professional but most importantly as a human being.
As human beings, when we care about something we also tend to become protective of its interest. For associations, this translates into voluntary activist behavior which serves to either promote the association or defend it against detractors. Keep thinking the value and potential of making personalized human connections via social media and suddenly Twitter will start to make allot of sense.
Don’t think any of this is true? Try the following questions during your next focus group or one-on-one interview, sit forward and listen carefully to the responses:
- How does it “feel” to be a member of this profession?
- How does it “feel” when you are practicing this profession on any given day?
- How does it “feel” to be a member of this association?
- How does it “feel” to be at this conference?
- When you interact with members, how does it make you “feel”?
- When you interact with association staff, how does it make you “feel”?
- When you interact with leaders of this association, how does it make you “feel”?
- How does it “feel”… you get the idea.
One additional bonus note, behavioral economics not only applies to the role of emotional psychology in the decision-making process of members but also the actions of board leaders, senior management, internal departments, colleagues, direct reports, indirect reports, external stakeholders, media, the general public, neighbors, relatives, husbands, wives, children and even the DMV. In other words, any member of the human race.
In closing, here are two of my favorite guiding quotes when it comes to the emotional complexity of human decision making as it relates to marketing or any endeavor:
“I don’t care how much you know until I know how much you care.” Unknown
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou
Add comment May 7, 2009
Social Media’s Impact on the Lifetime Value of Non-Members and Lapsed Members
For years, associations have been contemplating and calculating the lifetime value of a member. In other words, the measure of the tangible value of a member who maintains her membership over a period of time minus the cost of servicing that membership.
As we continue to move rapidly through the not-so-new frontier of the social web, we need to also look at another important lifetime value measure… that is the lifetime value of non-members and lapsed members. The truth is we should have been looking at this particular measure even before the arrival of the social web years ago.
Why you might ask? First, because word-of-mouth marketing has been around since the dawn of spoken language. An individual need not be a paying member, or customer, to create or detract value from your association.
If favorable impressions about your association resides within the hearts and minds of non-members and lapsed members alike, there is always a higher likelihood that they would have favorable perspectives to share with their friends and colleagues that may influence tangible behavior. Likewise, if unfavorable thoughts about your association occupy that expanse between the skull and the chest cavity of lapsed members and non-members, then there is an even higher likelihood that word-of-mouth communication will take place… the brand of communication that keeps association executives up at night.
Enter, stage right, the social web. Given the expansive reach of communication and interaction offered to virtually anyone with a computer and Internet connection, the sphere of influence impacting our association’s subject-matter has grown well beyond the walls of membership. As such, the traditional notions of value creation has moved well beyond the tangible contributions of loyal members into the intangible, yet influential sphere of the social web.
Members are no longer the only game in town when it comes to value creation and influence. While members are the cherished core of our associations, we must expand our perspective and reach and engage the many influencers and, yes, detractors that are out there talking either directly or indirectly about our associations. Remember, legitimate detractors most often complain because they care enough to participate and want to be heard. With that said, be careful to not confuse reasonable detractors with incoherent crazies.
There is also the layer of lurking participants who may not be out there creating content, but are certainly tuning in.
Your association’s social media strategy should factor in the tangible and intangible value of those lapsed members and non-members who are both visible and active out on the social web. Even more, if you make the right connection you stand to gain even more than the value-generating relationship, conversation and content… you might actually win them back or bring them on board for the very first time as members as well as their followers.
By now, I’m sure some of you have already asked the inevitable question… “Sounds great, but how do you measure the lifetime value of lapsed members and non-members?”. The answer depends on your association’s defined measures for success relating to social media strategy. It’s not always immediate dollars as social media is relationship and conversation-based marketing by its very nature. Put another way, it’s like planting seeds to fertile soil which you nurture and cultivate.
However, there are measures including:
- Web analytics, links, demographics, ratings, Technorati ranking of content sources, qualitative comment analysis, content timing and more..
COMPARED to:
- Membership growth, inbound web traffic, conference registration, product sales and much more.
Another way to measure offline value creation would be to develop benchmark snapshots of membership and customer geography (city, county, state, region, country) and track increasing/decreasing trends over time. While the social web is universal, we all have a geographic point of origin which is our physical social sphere.
Don’t forget that you can actively track re-captured members. Further, you can create “customer” records in your AMS for key social web influencers/participants and run periodic anlaysis to see who has joined.
There’s still the good old-fashioned means of asking new members and customers how they first learned about your association. Beyond the generic social media sources (such as Twitter, Facebook, etc) to specific blogs or other social communities run by key influencers.
The most important consideration is to be creative, experimental and open-minded as you fight off the temptation to become paralyzed by the illusion of perfection.
Add comment May 5, 2009
In Praise of Organizational Simplicity: A Tip for Overcoming the Failure of Complexity
It’s easier to start simple and build complexity than to begin with complexity and try to simplify.
In a moment of clarity after a long meeting this morning, the thought above emerged in my mind like the glow of the first warm Spring day after a long Chicagoland Winter.
Many senior executives within associations pride themselves in falling somewhere on the management spectrum between business engineer and mad scientist working within their often transmorgified office laboratory… all in search of that elusively defining breakthrough, process, product, service, procedure, partnership, business model, strategy, quality measure, restructure or operational maneuver that will certainly transform their immediate organizational world as they know, lifting their organization to the envious accolades of counterparts round the world.
While the core concept nestled within it’s own complexity might truly be a great idea, the awful truth is that complexity often turns out to be less than a success formula. Here are the reasons:
Fundamentral Principles of Change: While the complexity may seem as clear as that spring day to the executive mad scientist, chances are it is probably going to be pretty foreign to those who will be charged with converting the complexity into success. When complexity is used as a starting point, it overhelms others drawing them away from their comfort zone into a sense of fear and insecurity. Reducing complexity to simplicity after the fact can be a damaging and trust-eroding process. Save your leadreship capital for larger battles.
Investment/Participation: Change always presents an opportunity to either strengthen or alienate an organizational team. When an executive approaches the table with answers, rather than questions, there is suddenly little for other key stakeholders to contribute. Remember, while we must work for a living, we choose a profession because we want to make a difference through our unique talents and abilities on some level.
To come to the table with a complex solution is like kicking a chef out of a kitchen and telling him that he is only needed to set the tables in the dining room. It leaves little for others to contribute or invest themselves in more deeply.
Perspective: Even the most visionary executive on her very best day is still a mere inconclusive piece of a larger puzzle, despite how revealing the piece might be. A powerful idea can be an accelerated starting point but by no means a decisive end point. We must bring our pieces of the puzzle to the table as starting point for others to place their pieces of the puzzle onto the table to construct a clearer picture. Out of simplicty emerges clarity.
House of Cards: As leaders, we must never become complacent or blinded by the simple fact that our reputations and credibility are like a house of cards that require countless hours of patience, focus and concentration to build up, but only a matter of seconds to come tumbling down. Build up that leadership capital and hope you’ll never have to draw from those reserves.
The Remedy: Think with the complexity of a general, but act with the simplicity.
SM
Add comment April 9, 2009
Responding to Challenges in Volunteer Management
Last week I had the wonderful opportunity to co-present a program for Association Forum entitled, Essentials of Volunteer Management, with Monica Love from AMTA. To our participants reading this post, thank you again for your valuable participation.
First off, let us all celebrate the motivation and contributions of volunteer association leaders across the country and all over the world. We are able to enjoy our rewarding careers in association management mainly because volunteer leaders have stepped forward throughout time to form… well… associations.
At the onset of our session, Monica and I recorded a number of questions from our audience of professionals pertaining to particular volunteer-related challenges they were facing in their own organization. Judging from the questions, I think by some stroke of irony we may all work for the same association. In reality, none of us are alone when it comes to these familiar challenges.
To mine and Monica’s astonishment, the dialogue was so wonderful that we actually ran out of time after the 3-hour session. Nonetheless, I promised our attendees that I would address some of the questions here on Association 2020. So, without further ado:
Q1: What do you do with a volunteer who won’t let go?
First, we should all be thankful to a certain degree for the volunteer who won’t let go. The challenge arises when volunteers attempt to dominate a particular role leaving little opportunity for new volunteers.
From a policy standpoint, I have to say that after years in both politics and association work, I am a strong believer in term limits. When I say “term limits” that should not be construed to mean “term breaks”. Once a volunteer leader has reached the limit of her term, she should move on to other opportunities to serve the organization rather than recycle back after time. To realize the full impact and benefit of volunteer engagement, we must afford as many opportunities as possible for members, and even non-members, to become involved.
So what happens when a volunteer reaches their term limit? Work to identify the individual volunteer’s core strengths/interest and find another area of the association which will be mutually beneficial to both parties. Remember, volunteers are not simply volunteers, they are loyal promoters and ambassadors of your association… they are attendees at your conferences. To many, volunteering is a valuable member benefit, after all it is their association. The more connected volunteers feel, the greater their association evangelism. If necessary, identify a need and create new roles for your veteran volunteers.
Q2: How do you overcome disruptions in organizational continuity during leadership transitions?
Be proactive. If you approach your leadership about updating your strategic plan and they tell you its not necessary because it was just update five years ago you have two options. Option 1, polish your resume and run for the hills. Option 2, the preferred option, is seek to understand your leaders perspectives regarding strategic planning as well as points of shared vision within their group.
A multi-year approach to strategic planning should be a regular ongoing function of association boards and staff. A commitment to a comprehensive strategic planning process will enable your association to:
- Be objective in identifying the present and future needs of members and their profession/trade on a regular basis.
- Factor environmental/industry trends and developments into the decision-making process.
- Create alignment between governance and operations.
- and, yes, instill a sense of institutional continuity between years and leadership transitions.
Beyond strategic planning, create a comprehensive leadership ladder which invests incoming leaders early on in the business of the association. The usual succession consists of a “Vice-…” or a “….-elect” or perhaps even a year as secretary/treasurer. But why not create additional levels of executive leadership or by-law requirements for certain areas of service in the overall qualifications for office. Wouldn’t it be terrific to have top leaders who had served as volunteer leaders over the core areas of your association’s business, such as conference chair, education chair, membership chair, etc.?
. . . . . . .
Stay tuned! I will be responding to more questions in the near future. In the meantime, feel free to share your thoughts and ideas via a comment below. SM
Add comment March 25, 2009
Tips for Overcoming Leadership Ambiguity in Associations
What is leadership ambiguity? In many ways, one might consider it to be somewhat of an oxymoron as ambiguity can reach the level of being the anthithesis of leadership.
Based upon observations made along my career path over the past 14 years, I would define leadership ambiguity as an over-dependence on consensus and conflict sensitivity which yields a sense of ambiguity within stakeholders as to the direction, priorities and expectations of an organization. Leadership ambiguity can be a long-term pattern or it can flare up in specific instances. At one time or another, we have all been guilty of ambiguous leadership mainly because we are… well, human.
Given its inadvertent dilution of authority, leadership ambiguity can create a sense of teamwork extremism, resulting in somewhat of an implosion of team. An ambiguous organizational culture is a fertile environment in which emotional toxicity thrives in its power to hold progress hostage. Like a drifting ship without an anchor, leadership ambiguity often leans toward a preservation of peace and avoidance of perceived emotional volatility at the cost of prolonging the inevitable war. Ambiguous leaders are tested early and often by others in an attempt to establish how far the envelope can be pushed. If the leader isn’t willing to lead, either by design or default, there will always be others who are willing to step in lead by applying pressure.
The good news is patternistic amibguous leaders are often extremely well-intentioned individuals who are highly skilled in areas other than assertive or visionary leadership. Let’s face it, as leaders we all struggle with finding the delicate balance between micro-managing control and motivational consensus. But as a country song by Aaron Tippin once put it, “You’ve got to stand for something, or you’ll fall for anything”. Tippin also sings of not being a “puppet on a string” as well as ”never compromising for what’s right”. Perhaps it’s this quality alone which seperates leadership from management.
If you find yourself at any point along the spectrum of ambiguous leader, below are some tips for escapting these clutches of ambiguity :
Develop Strategic Leadership Themes: Identify the 2-3 key priorities which are crucial to your associations future and establish them as clear and recurring leadership themes. Continue to reinforce on a daily basis as they relate to the work of the association.
Identify Objective Key Measures for Prioritization and Decision-Making: Building upon strategic leadership themes, identify a set of key measures which are to be used in decision-making when internal groups or managers reach an impass. Participation and contrarian views are, of course, an important component of decision-making; however, in sorting through competing priorities it’s important to have guiding measures for fostering good decisions.
Cultivate and Use Leadership Captial: Leadership capital is the good will currency which is amassed through the effective use of inclusive participation, compromise and consensus. As leaders, we don’t want to take a hardline stance on every issue and as the saying goes, we should always choose our battles wisely. However, when dialogue has been exhausted and consensus is out-of-reach, it is time for the leader to step forward and lead. Looking for the courage or strength to do so? Re-visit the first two tips above and tap into your key leadership themes and key measures. Unless the situation is an absolute anomaly, be consistent.
Reach Out and Listen… Really Listen: When approaching difficult or controversial decisions, be certain to have provided plenty of opportunity for all immediate and extended stakeholders to share their perspectives, insights and reasoning with you. Ideally, the listening stage should occur before you have divulged your leadership direction. Even more, keep an open-mind to what is being said as it will likely help you further shape and fine tune your direction. Your final decision still may not win favor with stakeholders, but respect and trust can be retained when you have invested all stakeholders in the process. When people grow angry over decisions which are made, it’s usually because they never had a chance to participate in the dialogue to share their valuable perspectives and hidden risks.
Advance a Vision of the Future: We all dream of a better future for just about every aspect of our lives. The same holds true within an organization. Through data, trends and instinct, it’s important that the leader have a sense of where the organization is headed. This is important for two crucial reasons. First, a strong vision can be a great motivator for others to follow as the organization journey’s toward it’s future. Second, and perhaps more importantly, a clear vision can serve as writing on the wall to others within the organization who may not share the same ideals.
Help Toxic People Move On: The role of association leader is hard enough without having staff who may feel endangered for one reason or another which can often undermine your efforts. I realize ”toxic” is a fairly intense term. As a matter of fact, these types of individuals are not necessarily bad people as quite often they’re simply scared of change or of potentially losing control of their piece of the world. Sometimes they wake up and discover the association is no longer the same organization in which they once thrived. In my mind, an individual only becomes “toxic” when they spread their fear and discontent across the organization. At the end of the day, there is most likely a happier and much less stressful place out there for these types of individuals. Help them move on and one day they might realize it was the best thing that ever happened to them.
Be the Source of Unwavering Hope: Leadership can be as simple as providing hope when there is none to be had… a source of strength for others in their weakest hour. As leaders, we must have strong shoulders to lean upon and an inexhaustable degree of conviction. There will be times that there are no magical answers or words which can sugarcoat a tough situation; however, your team looks to you to lead them away from setback and back on track toward a better future. At the end of the day, there is no playbook or course which can teach “hope” as it is perhaps the most defining characteristic which seperates leaders from followers.
Lead on… SM
Add comment February 16, 2009
