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Go With Your Own Nature

image source rainesmaker | twitpic

A good friend gave me some sage advice: “Don’t drown in the nonsense. Find your own voice. It has more power and impact.” Wise words as we face a new year of daunting challenges.

And unique opportunity.

For many, the street is just one step away. Some are already crisscrossing the sidewalk. For this reason, there’s no time to lose. No time to be another me too. Now is the time to be a unique contributor to your network. I found my unique contribution in my passion. A passion to understand what drives peer influence. What creates thought leadership. What makes a rising star a leader in the future. The “voices of influence” clients must engage to stretch their marketing reach.  

So what’s your unique contribution?  When you claim it, the intelligent and intricate details of what you offer will find a receptive audience.

So Tell Me, What Do We Have In Common?

image source bert mittleman © mptv

Me: So tell me social community #1, what do you possible have that I don't?

Community #1: An unusual collection of lizards.

Me: That's fine, because I don't like them until they're bags and purses.

Me: Community #2, can I trust you?

Community #2: It depends. Who are you? Really.

Me: Community #3, look at community #2. Tell me, what kind of kisser are they?

Community #3: Sloppy.

And so it goes in the speed dating world of social media networking. Case in point is Twitter. I jumped into this scene only a few weeks ago. I try to be fashionable, but I adopt late.

It's amazing what you learn. And spurn.

Via Twitter, I've come across some great book suggestions, pithy illuminations, and people I find interesting. People I learn from. For me, Twitter is Mensa by injection.

But as we seek to simplify in the new economy, I bet social media networks like Twitter will fast become selective dates. Case in point is a post I read the other day in Conversation Agent featuring Alan Wolk. The whole conversation was around the sanctity of this dating scene called social media. And while Alan talked about the growth of larger communities and how brands will stumble through them, he makes some good points about where lesser known brands can earn equity in the conversations. Especially the vertical ones.

Alan points out that social media is driven by behavior. People who engage have a passion for something. So the more vertical these communities become, the more hungry the need will be to seek and share information. Brands who understand the nuance of this dating scene will date a lot.

I'd add that our need for quality over quantity will also drive the trend towards vertical horizons. We want to turn down the noise level. Learn and share with the give-and-get folks. Time is already valuable currency. And so are our conversations. On Twitter for example, I get more out of following and sharing with a select few. I don't have time to bring in da funk n noise.

One-way hucksters like Multi Level Marketers (MLMs) are also creeping onto these sites. No one wants to date Larry the lounge lizard. He only wants one thing. So this will create beautiful walled gardens. Not a bad thing. I like Miracle Grow.

Someone said it best about the social media scene: There are plenty of "experts" who just want a one night stand. But there are also sincere advisers who prefer romance. Brands looking for a meaningful relationship just might get the chocolate and flowers.   

So if I select the right date, I just might go on a second. Oh, and one more thing: I like long walks on the beach.

Influence Is A Verb

image source nomme de photo | flickr

The other evening I reviewed student portfolios at Columbia Art College here in Chicago. It's part of their portfolio development program and a gosh darn rewarding experience.

A bright-eyed, high-spirited student I'll call Erika, presented her portfolio to me. She's a copywriting major ready to own the ad biz. One of Erika's campaigns touted the fine jewelry by Montblanc. Her concept was off to some good storytelling, but it didn't invite me to be part of it. I told Erika that I may be an active buyer of jewelry. So connect with me because I'm looking for an answer.

So I suggested to Erika that she focus on the most salient points. Tell me just enough so I connect the Montblanc story to my own experience. They say the Montblanc diamond is the essence of individuality. I just might buy my own script if you let me.

Much the same can be said about how the value of influence in social media is being created by bringing people around an idea. Or connecting to one.

Take Twitter for example. This humongous social network is where site users, called Tweeps, perch like birds on a wire. Tweeps tweet to share information. Or to seek it.

The real aha of Twitter is where influence comes into play. Karl Long says it best in his recent post on the Twitter blog. Karl makes the point that real influence happens when action is taken by the buyer and seller of content at that moment on the wire.

From a bird's eye view, creating real influence value in social networking circles is part luck. Part intent. In Twitterland, information is a constant stream of tweets flowing into the experience. When you flutter off the wire you just might miss what you seek. This suggests that it's better to be proactive when seeking information by posting your request in the form of a tweet. And hopefully get back the tweet you seek.

Companies like Trader Joe's are getting smart on the wire.

These purveyors of my favorite mixed olive bruschetta are roosting on the Twitter wire. Tweeting and answering tweets to build customer loyalty. To influence purchase. And Trader Joe's is doing one more thing: They're monitoring mentions of their name embedded in tweets. Continuous measurement to incrementally improve customer service and relevance.     

So the real influence in social media is being driven at that magical moment on the wire when the immediacy of the answer satisfies the request. In the same Twitter blog post, Zebrasfly, a primary junior high teacher in Adelaide, schools on the concept: Influence is a verb. It happens to you.

Some of it on the wire is just rickrolling chirp.

How Passionate Are Your Evangelists?

image source afka bob | flickr

From a distance, it might look like your brand advocates are shouting your message. Try moving in on their bumper for a closer read. What you might find is the small print revealing what drives their brand support.

Not long ago I profiled some peer-nominated influencers thought to evangelize on my client's behalf. We soon learned that they were also talking up the other options (like the competition). So to get to where the rubber hits the road, we added a few likert scale questions to the profiling questionnaire to distinguish those who were influential, from those who were influential and evangelists.

From this insight the client could focus their efforts on the really top tier. But equally important, they could now recruit the other influencers into advocacy influence research. The kind of research that gets to the "tipping points" for ordering up more of the client's bumper stickers.

Only when you inch closer to the chrome do you see which way it's truly reflecting.

The Art of Influence Mapping

image courtesy of fortodgen | flickr

Inscribed above the entrance to the Pa ya Paa Gallery in Nairobi are the words,"Do not copy. Copying puts God to sleep." This maxim is a favorite of renown Kenyan artist Elimo Njau whose work emboldens the indigenous art form of Kenya. Elimo's son, Telyamori, is an innovative artist in his own right.

I worked with Tely some time back when he mapped peer influence data. As an artist, Tely could apply data filters to Excel and use them like paint brushes to create peer-to-influencer data reporting that's actionable.

Tely applied his data art form to one of my big pharma clients building a product launch speaker program in 11 markets across the U.S. The big pharma client needed to identify and recruit regional influencer clinicians to speak or attend the speaking events. To begin, Tely drew a 100-mile radius around each of the speaking venues (to meet the client's speaker attendee travel compliance). Next, he plotted the latitude and longitude perimeter coordinates for each market radius. And finally, Tely coded the zip code and profiling data to create the peer-to-influencer relationships within each market radius.

The final output was a usable web-based visual spider map and profiling database showing the top influencers within each market radius, ranked by the number of unique and multiple peer nominations received. Each influencer profile included the aggregate data of their nominating peers. True art.  

Elimo is no doubt proud of his son's artistic expression, knowing that God is wide awake.

Thought Leadership Redux

image courtesy of delta niner | flickr

The integrity of thought leadership is at a crossroads. The future viability of industry, politics and education will rest on a thought leadership redux shaped by ethics, social purpose and transparency. The Sunshine Act is a good start.

Given the democratization of our recent election, it looks like the new administration is recalibrating the thought in thought leadership. Governance and policy shaped by participatory democracy and challenged by a Team of Rivals. All good.

It's a new dawn in America and in thought leadership.

One can only hope.