Author Archives: David

What is social media good for?

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I saw an update on Twitter this morning that asked plaintively: what is social media good for?

It is so easy to get buried in the daily details, drudgery and distraction of social media that it is very easy to lose sight of what you hope to achieve with it.

The simple truth is this: you have to identify your desired outcomes and then focus with great discipline on achieving those outcomes with social media tools and techniques. Ignore everything else. Ignore check lists that say “you must do X of these on Facebook and Y of those on Twitter otherwise you are doing it wrong!” because usually only a few of those tasks are relevant to your goals.

If you are creating value for your desired outcomes with social media then you are doing it right in my book.

If you aren’t creating value (or can’t tell!): take a break. Take a few steps back. Redefine the goals you hoped to achieve and then look at your current activities with new eyes. Focus on just those things that are likely to advance you toward your goals and drop the rest. You’ll be more effective and do so in less time.

The Single Greatest Pre-Requisite for an Effective Web Strategty

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The single greatest requirement for developing an effective web strategy is the will and ability to set priorities in what you want to achieve.

This sounds obvious, as do most pragmatic ideas. However, in my many years of working with organizations to develop web strategy, those who were ready, willing and able to set priorities for what they wanted to achieve online were the most successful.

The secret to setting priorities effectively is not so much in identifying the top ones. That’s usually easy. The challenge comes in actually investing less in the lower priority outcomes. This is where discipline pays off. This is where having the right people at the table who can actually enforce the desired allocation of scarce resources pays off.

Without that discipline you may have a prioritized set of outcomes but you end up investing in them all equally. Or, worse, one of the junior outcomes gets more than top priorities simply because it has a more effective champion representing it! Effective web strategy is built upon a statement of intent and your wherewithal to implement that intent will determine your success or failure.

This is why I like using the concept of a driving force web strategy that determines the content, design and functionality of your site more than any other factor. It forces the conversation on priority and gives you a strong implementation path for making it a reality. I cover this in great depth in my book, Online and On Mission: Practical Web Strategy for Breakthrough Results.

Remember, no web strategy fails on the white board. Failure will happen during execution of the strategy, so make sure you stack the deck in your favor by exerting discipline in your outcomes prioritization.

Online and On Mission Interview

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My new book is coming out in a bit over a week. Titled Online and On Mission: Practical Web Strategy for Breakthrough Results, you can pre-order from the publisher now or pick one up in person at ASAE’s annual meeting in Toronto.

Seth Kahan, who helps visionary leaders get traction for their big ideas, was kind enough to interview me about the book last week. I have added the video to the Facebook fan page I set up for the book. Watch the vid and become a fan to get updates on content and events related to the book.

http://www.facebook.com/v/120082525670

The Real Threat that For Profits Challengers Have for Associations

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Tony Rossell, a very smart marketer, posted recently about for-profit companies competing with association. He raises some good points.

The root of the threat from for-profits is not so much that they will eat the associations’ lunch but that they will offer full meals that the association can’t serve to their own members.

Many organization are not very nimble for a whole variety of reasons: inertia, history, policy, politics, poor leadership, sclerotic decision making, and others. For-profits, especially start-ups, are less likely to have that same baggage. For-profits also need to show a profit in short order, which tends to motivate them to try new things until they find the right mix with which to generate their desired returns.

Given that, if I were going to start a for-profit targeted at an association’s existing market I would focus purely on the innovation space, providing valuable goods and services that market can’t get from their membership organization. New, high-value, services can demand higher fees and you avoid a direct challenge to the association’s core space.

My challenge to associations: seize that innovation space before someone takes it from you.

Webinar: Easy Web Site Updates — Small Changes That Provide Big Results

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I’m presenting a webinar for the Avectra Academy next Monday titled Easy Web Site Updates: Small Changes That Provide Big Results. Tremendous registration for this one, don’t miss it!

These webinars are free to attend although you do need to register in advance. There will be a lot of good stuff in this session, helping you to make a big impact online with relatively small changes to your site. From the session description:

Many association web sites have tremendous potential value for members and the organization. A few small changes here and there can often unleash this value even if you don’t have a lot of resources to invest.

Join David Gammel, the leading web expert in the association world, to learn about the most common opportunities for unleashing this value and how to make them happen.

David will zero in on topics such as:

* Cranking up the value of your top entry pages
* Creating powerful results with your home page
* The top 3 usability improvements any association site can benefit from
* 5 ways to create new revenue online
* Tips that will work for everyone regardless of budget or staff size

Join us for a dynamic presentation that will give you ideas you can implement immediately.

How Will Broadband Adoption in Specific Segments Affect Your Audiences?

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Pew Internet & American Life Project has released their most recent statistics on broadband adoption among adult Americans:

Home broadband adoption stood at 63% of adult Americans as of April 2009, up from 55% in May, 2008.

The most interesting bit of data in the report is that the following groups achieved above average increases in adoption: senior citizens; low-income; high-school graduates (no college); older baby boomers, and; rural Americans.

These demographic shifts can be a great source of innovation in your online efforts. Take a look at the outcomes you want to achieve online and the audiences with which you need to achieve them. Do the changes in the Pew report open new opportunities? Create challenges?

Sites that achieve breakthrough results regularly assess shifts in audience so they can be most effective online.

Creating the Complete Social Media Experience for Your Meetings and Events

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I am presenting a webinar with Boston Conferencing/Peach New Media next Tuesday at 12 Noon. The title is Creating the Complete Social Media Experience for Your Meetings and Events: Effective Practices from the Leading Edge of Association Social Media. From the description:

Learn how to plan and implement the complete social media experience for your next event, conference or meeting in this unique webinar. C. David Gammel, CAE, will lead us through the entire process from beginning to end, helping you to identify the specific value you wish to create with social media at your events and how to make it happen. David will share cases and examples from associations and others who have effectively used social media to enhance their meetings and events.

Should be a fun program, hope to see you there!

Starting a New Collaborative Space for Small Groups

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I fielded a question last week about what factors are the most important in launching a wiki to support a small working group, such as a committee, task force or team. I’ve decided to address it a bit more broadly by looking those factors for online collaboration in general.

In my experience designing and facilitating collaborative spaces online for large and small association, volunteer groups, alumni and others, you need the following to maximize successful outcomes:

  • Have a very clear and focused goal for using the space that all participants understand and support. The narrower the better;
  • Provide ample handholding and individual training for those who need it;
  • Leadership of the group MUST be avid champions for using the technology;
  • Start with one group that is excited to use the tool as a pilot test and early exemplars. Their success will draw others to adopt the tool;
  • Make sure the technology you use is very user friendly and provides the functionality your group will need to achieve their desired outcomes. Bad tech is the kiss of death.

Tools like a wiki can be greatly valuable for group collaboration but people who are new to it must have the value for THEM explained and heavily emphasized. A really strong WIIFM value proposition will get late adopters over the hump.

From Twitter to My Coffee Cup

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Tim Cureton runs the best coffee shops on the Eastern Shore of Maryland: Rise Up Coffee. His staff are friendly, remember the names of frequent customers, and serve up a great cup of organic coffee.

Tim has been adding some social media to his marketing mix and I follow his updates on Twitter. Last week Tim posted a request to submit reviews for his store on Yelp.

Given that I’m huge fan of theirs, I went to Yelp, created an account and submitted a nice review for the Salisbury location.

A friend who often picks up a drink for me at Rise Up came by my house a couple days later with a latte. Tim, who recognizes my drink order, wrote a nice thank you note on the side of the cup.


(Tim mistakenly called me John for a while, which is now a running joke.)

Here is the thing: social media as a marketing and relationship building channel only works for Tim and his company because they have a fantastic product and a maniacal focus on customer service. Tim has built a great culture in his small company and works hard to keep it and their product peforming at the highest levels.

Effectively using social media and online word of mouth to grow your company is pretty easy when you have a fantastic product. If you don’t offer exception value, social media may not provide strong returns for you.