Curation Revolution

Stuck In Mobile With Memphis Blues Again
I'm stuck in Van Horn West Texas thanks to the day after Christmas blizzard. Stuck also because the highways (I10 and I20) have been closed. This experience made are realize something important every brand manager and web team needs to know.  

How would you answer this question, "What 3 things are you doing to connect with customers in real time in 2016?" If "mobile" isn't part of at least 2 of your answers you aren't ready for 2016. TxDot, the Texas Department of Transportation, isn't ready for 2016 and this post shares why. 

Post also shares ideas on how to connect such as:

• Assign A Social Media Master – Someone responsible for aggregating ALL social information about an event and sharing across platforms
• Create Event Hashtags – Create hashtags such as #dec15i10i20 to FORM a community then aggregate from multiple sources using YOUR event hashtag
• Live Video and Photo Feeds – Why can’t we SEE the problem and then the resolution? Seeing = believing and seeing the parking lot that I-10 became east of Van Horn would reduce the number of motorists driving toward the abyss.

Learn more about how your company, team and brand can win in an emergency by curating content and developing community in real time. 

 

Must Follow FOMs
Must Follow Friends of Marty's added to +Curagami's FedEx Preso 1st page of Appendix (http://shar.es/1g8FT5 ) includes great curators and friends from Twitter, Scoop.it and G+. Thanks to all for being great FOMs (Friends of Martys).

Websites Need MacGuffins
Website MacGuffins are different than film MacGuffins, an idea important to moving the plot along that may never be fully disclosed to viewers. Website Macguffins move customers along a journey to conversion.

Website MacGuffins Include:

• Free Shipping.
• Prevalent & Easy To Find Email List.
• About Page.
• Relevant Content.
• Reviews.
• Trust Marks (Visa, MasterCard for example) in cart.
• Terms of Use.
• Satisfaction Guarantee.
• Social Share Buttons especially Twitter and Facebook.

What are your website's MacGuffins?

Marty Note on Twitter Marketing Lessons

There was an employee a secret cop at Twitter I had to call. My feed was on the wrong side of some unwritten law and it was in "Twitter Jail". Finally, I got an email through to the secret cop and she told me in an overly hurried voice (amazing how you can get so much information between the lines in an email) that I was no longer n Twitter Jail. 

San Francisco Rocky Horror Warp
Read the post and try not to do everything Read Write outlines, but we have another take - don't put your company in San Francisco or don't leave it there. San Francisco is an AMAZING place. 

If I could afford to live there I would be in San Francisco. When I sold sweetener for NutraSweet to Dryers in Berkley I loved staying at the Claremont. But there is something warping about the bay area. The arrogance, tunnel vision and pit bull meanness are hard to overstate. 

I've had versions of the secret cop story over and over. One of the owners of Bunchball, a gamification engine, tore me up one side and down the other for the sin of wanting to purchase and use his software to help cure cancer. 

For all the MAGIC in the air help, the bay area and success can be deadly combinations. Twitter was so LARGE and IN CHARGE, I had to beg a secret cop to release me from jail despite never understanding what I did to end up there in the first place. If you believe in business karma then every customer slap eventually comes back. 

Nietzsche's Superman
Nietzsche believed adversity created life. No adversity, no challenge, no life. Twitter's adversity can teach valuable lessons in life's inevitable humility, the curse of being the smartest guys in the room and time's constant arrow toward entropy. 

Entropy is a truth we all know - everything organized becomes less so, everything valued now becomes less so, everything known becomes boring, and every lesson hangs around until learned. 

Twitter is great and can become greater still, but not without soul searching adversity and connection with customers. Yep, no more secret cops. Listening more and abusing less would be good. 

Twitter is sitting on a mountain of fascinating information. SHARE IT. What about asking for help, innovation, and ideas from customers? What about asking for help? 

Entropy happens, we all die, but we and Twitter don't have to die TODAY. If Twitter keeps doing what they've been doing they are done. If Twitter listens, opens up and looks for help they win big. Just because you are young, rich and smart doesn't mean HELP isn't valuable or the oxygen needed now. 

When in doubt be nice. Be nice today because tomorrow someone can treat you like you treated them when you were sure the world revolves aorund you, your company and its brilliance. The world runs on pain, joy and beauty. If your company can relieve one (pain) and promote others (joy and beauty) life is good. Success is rarely about YOU and always about THEM & US :). Marty 

Brilliant Twitter Lists Idea
I'm blessed with brilliant friends. Earlier I shared my friend and Startup Factory founder Chris Heivly's new book. Build the Fort is a startups must read.

A few days ago another friend, @Kelly Hungerford, including my @Scenttrail twitter handle in a list. Twitter lists may be the coolest tool no on uses I know, but Kelly's use of the list to include me in something NEW was beyond brilliant. 

Granted Kelly is a "trusted source" for me. Whatever she says I should look at, review, write about and share there is a close to 100% chance I will. Kelly's use of an ignored tool should work "cold" too. By placing someone on a list you tweak their curiosity in a way almost guaranteed to get a click and a review. 

Compare the subtle grace of including people you want on your "beta" list to spamming emails sure to be ignored. Kelly's approach is graceful and such a tease I bet the approach generates a higher level of conversion and advocacy than spammy pitches. 

When you add someone's Twitter to a list they receive a notification with a link to your list. Here is a list I just created following Kelly's lead: https://twitter.com/ScentTrail/lists/curagami-beta-partners 

When people subscribe to the list in response to your added them following up with an email or call doesn't feel spammy. The person is part of your tribe. Even better is PEOPLE YOU DON'T KNOW but who may like to be part of your beta (or whatever) will signal their desire to join by subscribing to the list. 

WOW, now you get to have a WARM call or email conversation with someone who may invest, contribute content or become an advocate for your idea, startup or campaign. TOO GOOD. 

The future of social media is about just such brilliant applications. Many don't have lists. I've always been a big believer in lists, but seeing how brilliantly Kelly used Twitter Lists create a new dimension of awe and respect (for lists and Kelly :). Marty 

 

Organic reach and engagement are declining on social networks. Here's how to share curated content with images for more clicks to your website.

There are no "right' or "wrong" ways to use social media, but there are ways to grow your following faster and get more return from your social efforts.