Johan Horak's Blog

by Johan Horak from HelpMeToStayInTouch.info

Purpose of social media for business:

To be an dominating influence in the your business market by creating information pools where clients and potential clients (fans) can come to find and share  information in a resistance freeplace.

These pools are also called cultivation pools. It’s a place where the fans have to opportunity to come to like, know and trust The Business.  And when they do they will walk the mile for The Business.

1. What is the problem?

Traditionally, in the physical world, The Business may create valuable information and may share this info with clients but have to duplicate the effort, over and over.

This is because physical information can only be shared when a lot of resistance is overcome.

Compare this to the e-world where sharing is free and virtually resistance free.

The question, The Business needs to answer, is how can it utilise online media to create sharable information once, then create more and more, and allowing fans to centrally create more business info as well.

The answer is in creating a funnel.

The circumference of the funnel increases as The Business ads more valuable content through various social media tools. In fact each social media tool becomes a small funnel in a huge funnel.

As the funnel entry increase more fans will come to visit, more fans will become customers. And as they visit the get invited into through the funnel into the cultivation pools. Let me explain the cultivation pools:

How Solve The Problem?

Create cultivation pools:

1. where clients and potential clients can, informally, stay in touch with The Business. A good example of this is the like button . As soon as your fan like your content they share your content with their network or they become part of your cultivation pool.
2. I said informal: Informal does not mean nonprofessional, informal means a place where there is less resistance, it means social, it’s not office and tie, it’s tea party and breakfast, it’ friendship and trust. It’s fun but always the truth. Integrity comes first.
3. where clients and potential clients (fans) find and ask for information without  any resistance
4. where fans can share this information with others who are not yet in the The Business cultivation pools.
5. in order to become the most reliable source of your business news. When The Business is seen is the place for news they will become the defacto experts. And more and more people will be joining your cultivation pools.
6. to become a magnate that attracts and keep more and more people with in your sphere of influence while it costs you less and less.
7. To create a support base that trusts you. A support base that will become your ambassadors and advocates. When this support base of fans like, know and trust you you can ask them to do more for you.

Where are the cultivation pools?

The cultivation pools are at any place where existing, previous and potential clients are. They are using:

1. Facebook
2. Twitter
3. Youtube
4. LinkedIn
5. Website/blogs/newsletter
6. email
7. Google Buzz
8. Google Docs
9. Scribd and other

What is the plan?

1. The plan is to create a long term integrated cultivation pool plan. This includes the creation of a content foundation where The Business people publish content. In a cultivation pool content is like fish food. The better the food the better the cultivation pool.
2. The Businesses needs on a foundational philosophy for the content that’s generated. The philosophy can make or break the effort. For example, if a business is run with a dictator in charge social media will expose the authoritarian in no time.
3. The plan to include a content strategy, setting up listening-post (keyword alerts on the business) and measuring success.
4. The plan includes integrating these cultivation with each other. Integration means that when you publish something for those that are still on email only, you also – auto- publish the story to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other.  This is in the long term.
5. Central all the integration of social media is the business blog(S).
6. The short term plan is to start with one social media platform, or cultivation pool. The first cultivation pool to be tackled is Facebook. Then Twitter, then LinkedIn. If applicable we will also include Youtube. (Depending on the type of business this may change).
7. Then introduce clients and potential clients to these cultivation pools. This is easy because they are already at these pools. All we need to tell them is that we are also there. Now we need to tell that we are also present. All we need to do is explicitly invite them.

The Blog is central:

What is the real long term idea?

1. The idea is to create such a lot of added value that the barrier to entry disappears.
2. Where clients and potential clients will come to use the tools/information provided by the business so much so that they do not even choose when they want more; they just go where it’s easy, where they are being cultivated, there where they feel the trust.

Content:
It’s content that will make or break any social media project. It’s the commitment from the team that will make it a success. Each participant needs to make a commitment to generate and publish content at the various cultivation pools. You have various role players. Some people are responsible for relationships, others look at the big picture and others manage technical issues. As a start you need to define these content roles.

1. The business will publish social issues, photos of people – agents and clients. They will share case studies, testimonials, they will share inside stories of The Business. They will be telling the The Business story. Do not underestimate the The Business story. It’s the The Business story that adds perceived value. The brand is carried by the CEO. He is the representation of the Flag. He is the celebrity even if he does not like it. People know him and trust him. Share the inside story. You know what I mean. This is all done with only one criteria and that’s integrity.
2. CEO will share big picture stuff, the good news guy. The serious story breaker. When he makes an announcement then the The Business cultivation pool listen.
3. Expert info: It’s critical that all expert info be published. The Business needs to do  a lot of training. This is the opportunity to make these stories available to the world. Please don’t think complex Hollywood stuff. Content is more important than fancy effects. Short little 5 minute videos, audio from a dictaphone. It’s easy! It’s simple and it will make you.
4. A plan is needed. Employees and a time plan for them. How often should they publish? How often will the CEO publish?.
5. Republishing relevant content. This is important. At the moment a CEo or his business may send out updates via email. We just have to take it one step further. Everyday the newspapers, websites publishes stuff related to your business. I will show you how you can become the news source for all the breaking news related to your industry.

Awareness:

1. In online marketing there’s a term called most wanted response (MWR). If ever you wanted to understand this term then it’s now. In all your communication, I mean all your printed works; your file covers, business cards, anything and your online communication, you need to invite people to join your cultivation pools. This is the long term plan.
2. Let me repeat: The short term plan is to invite all you current clients, your previous and existing clients  to your cultivation pools. When you invite them you need to do it with MRW in mind. You don’t waste words. You tell them how to do it and you tell why they are doing it and you tell them to do it today.
3. Each member of the cultivation team has a responsibility. This responsibility needs to be suggested by each member and kept as an agreement with the content generation agreement.

Is This All Just Publishing Of Content?

No. You’ll also go and and find people talking about your subject (setting up listening-posts) and you’ll start a discussion with them. You’ll introduce yourself and give advice. But you have to be there listing for mentions, and you have to filter  out the noise.

People are talking about Your Business. Good and bad. There will always be people who talk badly about any company. It’s their nature. There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact it’s an opportunity for Your Business. The real problem is when Your Business is not aware of people talking about you; when you are not tuning in to the mentions of your business, anywhere on the Internet, you cannot use the opportunity to gain publicity.

It’s critical that these issues be addressed by your business as they occur. The sooner the better.

Various alerts need to be created on Google and Twitter and other for mentions of the name your business. The names of your main employees and other, as well as terms related to your business and your opposition. One of the places you need to have a presence at is at complaint websites like this HelloPeter (South Africa). There are many others. And the only way to know about the mentions is to have online alerts.

Let’s get going and start with the foundation: What is that you want? And how willing are you to tackle issues your fans may expose? As soon as the foundation is laid and willingness defined the process becomes a lot easier.

Johan Horak

Teaching People How To Stay In Touch