KINGDOM BUSINESS

#3Rules of Social Media Marketing -
4 Businesses Large and Small (and church!)
By:  Maurice A. Ramirez

            
Social networks like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube have put the power of the media in hands of the average citizen.  Entrepreneurs, information marketers, and college students have learned that they can be the media for audiences both large and small.  They have also learned that the nightly news and the traditional print media will share their stories. This shift in the “power of the press” carries with it three rules of social media marketing for businesses large and small. These three rules are:


I. Silence is Not Golden…It’s Guilty
In high school science, we learn that nature abhors a vacuum.  Well nowhere is this truer than on the Internet.  If a business fails to comment on an event, good or bad, then the social media will rush in to fill the void around the corporate brand.  It’s very simple.  The construction of search engines and social media is such that there will never be silence associated with any brand. 

Whether the brand is the iPhone, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Disney, Universal Studios, or an unknown convenient store on the corner of Smalltown, USA; if something happens, somebody must comment.  That is the nature of the Internet and the social media in the 21st century.  With the advent of internet enabled cell phones, YouTube enabled smart phones, text messaging and location enabled Twitter, everybody is not just a news reporter; they are a video historian.  Watch the evening news in any market, anywhere in the world, and you will see YouTube video broadcast about a news event that has happened that day.  Nothing is more powerful than eyewitness testimony, both in a court of law and on the six o’clock news. 

It is important to remember that is not the occasional user of the social media who is making these reports; it is the regular blogger, the regular Twitter broadcaster, and the regular YouTube poster, who is making these reports.  They have followers and their followers have followers.  The average reach of these individuals is over 20,000, and their audience is reliable.  This means that corporations cannot just broadcast a message in the social media when something happens, corporations must have a presence 24/7. The social media presence of a corporation must be part of an ongoing plan and deliberate social media optimization process that ensures that the corporation has an audience, and that the corporate audience is larger than that of any client or customer who may come through their door. 

          
II. The First Story Told is the Story Most Retold  - and Most Believed
The social media is a cultural phenomenon based on a conglomerate of social norms and behaviors that span age groups and demographics.  And as a result, the rules are difficult for many entrepreneurs and executives to negotiate.  But one of the rules that is constant across all social media platforms is the first story told is the first story believed. Further, in the social media, the first story about a major event, positive or negative, will be retold, retransmitted and shared among social media users.  The first story told in the social media will be converted to email and resent. The first story told is also the most likely story to make the transition to traditional media, in other words, it will become news.  Because of this, it is not enough to respond when a message appears on one of the popular social media platforms, such as Facebook for Twitter.  Instead, when an event occurs, a business must have a prepared statement ready to transmit immediately through an established social media optimization program to ensure that the corporate message is first story told.  Ideally, this corporate message will even precede those messages, blogs, tweets, and YouTube postings that may be coming from those customers actually involved as participants in the event. 

And don’t believe for a second that blocking cell phone communications, disconnecting Wi-Fi, shutting down Internet or in some other fashion, disrupting access to the social media will delay negative social media messages.  This has been tried by major governments around the world and in every instance, not only has it in fact accelerated the rate that these messages have been transmitted, but increased the negative sentiment attached to the event. Ironically such attempts to block social media messages actually expanded the reach of every message that the perpetrators attempted to block. 

The great Vince Lombardi once said, “the best defense is a strong offense.”   In the social media, nothing could be more true.  The only way to counter a negative message is to send your positive message, even before the first negative message can be transmitted. 

III. Buzz is the Bomb: It Can Propel You to the Top
                  ... or Blow Up in Your Face
W.C. Fields once said, “I don’t care what you say about me, so long as you spell my name correctly.”  In the social media, W.C. Fields’ advice would be disastrous.  What is said absolutely matters.  The sentiment surrounding the brand determines the degree of influence that a message has and it determines the action taken by those who receive the message.  The goal of all marketing is to influence potential clients and potential customers to make a purchase.  In the social media, that means that they must be influenced to reach for the mouse, reach for the credit card, reach for their wallet and make the purchase. 

Buzz is the bomb.  A positive buzz, means that there is positive message activity around your brand.  There is positive buzz when people are sending your message to their friends, their friends are sending your to other friends and it all influences someone to make that positive buy decision. 

If the sentiment surrounding your message is negative, buzz can blow up in your face.  Research shows that a negative message will be sent on four times more frequently than a positive message, thus doing four times the damage, influencing four times as many people not to buy. 

W.C. Fields was wrong, it is not good enough that your name is spelled correctly, something good must be said as well.  The easiest way to ensure that something good is said, influence those who influence others to say something good about you.  Again, this is done by having a constant positive presence in the social media, even before anything noteworthy happens at your company, at your place of business, in your brand. 

There are three rules of social media marketing for businesses large and small. Turn on the news any night and you will see big business that have failed to follow these three simple rules.  Whether it is a cruise ship with a passenger falling overboard and 124,000 tweets telling the story of how they left him behind, or it is a major amusement park with the most anticipated themed ride in a decade breaking down, trapping riders for 45 minutes and generating 50 YouTube uploads.  To succeed in the social media remember: Silence is not golden, businesses must be in the social media early, regularly, and constantly.  The first story told is the first story retold.  To be the one telling your story, influencing others to retell your story, businesses must take ownership of that message, or someone else will fill the void and tell your story for you from their perspective.  And finally, buzz is the bomb.  That buzz must be positive, so that the bomb does not blow up in your face.

About the Author:
Dr. Maurice A. Ramirez is founder of the consulting firm High Alert, LLC. He is a renowned speaker on the importance of social networking and has presented to national organizations.  As a consultant, Dr. Ramirez assists companies to align business continuity plans with personnel and customer behavior during adversity. Dr. Ramirez is founding chairperson of the American Board of Disaster Medicine and a Senior Physician-Federal Medical Officer. Please visit www.high-alert.com

PASTOR'S NOTES

WEARY ... BUT PURSUE!
By Bishop T. Anthony Bronner
Senior Pastor
Elim Christian Fellowship
(Buffalo and Rochester, NY)

"David and four hundred men kept up the pursuit, but two hundred of them were too fatigued to cross the Brook Besor, and stayed there" (1 Sam 30:10 MSG).

Have you ever said or thought “I can take another thing! I can’t handle another issue: not another national crisis; not another dissatisfied co-worker or employer; not another family transition; just not another....”

You feel like you are running out of the emotional fortitude that is necessary to handle transition. You don't have the words to inspire yourself nor the attention span to hear anyone else's pep talk. You have grown weary in well doing, and you can't take another blow, hurt, accusation or anything. You are tired of the process. You can't go any further. You are emotionally, spiritually and physically spent and you are beginning to put your dreams on hold.

Practically speaking you have checked out. You are no longer living. You just exist. You are not fully alive, and even the psalms (or scriptures) you rehearse reflect your inability to negotiate your transition: Lord why have you forsaken me (See Psalm 22); Soul why are you disquieted in me (Psalm 42), or I'm in a horrible pit (Psalm 40).

Theological scholars refer to these seasons or periods as times of disorientation. Life and life’s stuff are not correctly aligned and almost everything seems dysfunctional and out of order. Think it not strange when you come to these moments. Several biblical characters hit this place of emotional disorientation as well.

In the text, 1 Samuel 30, King David’s mighty, strong warriors were extremely fatigued and very weary. They had just seen and heard the devastation of their community; and their wives and children had been kidnapped by their enemies and constant opposition, the Amalekites. Frustration was so intense that the mighty men of God cried uncontrollably. Moreover, they had such internal friction that they wanted to stone David, their leader. They just didn't know what to do with the hurt they felt or where to place the blame (see 1Sam 30: 1-7). Then, with all that extreme disappointment resonating, they heard a Godly word from Abithar, the priest, who told them to pursue – to go and reclaim their families and their possessions.

Now, two hundred of the six hundred men (one third) were so physically tired and emotionally weary that they did not pursue. They simply couldn't do it. The remaining four hundred were equally weary, but they pursued. Somehow they found the strength they needed. It seems they were inspired by the leadership of King David and by the word of God which came from the priest.

In times of transition it is fine if we are numbered among those who can honestly confess earthly tiredness, as long as we can still be inspired by a heavenly and Godly word.

We serve a loving God who will always provide leaders or someone, like David, to inspire us to hope again; leaders who can urge us to get up after being knocked down and encourage us to pursue; leaders who will remind us that although no one is exempt from difficulty and transition. ("Dear friends, don't be surprised when the fiery ordeal comes among you to test you as if something unusual were happening to you" (1 Pet 4:12 HSCB). We must always hear (take in) the word of God and pursue!

So despite your fatigue, keep moving; keep doing; keep being and keep pursuing.Pursue! Finish what the Lord has started in and with you (Phil 4:6). Complete your degree, raise your children, love your mate, or whatever. Just see your dreams through. Pursue.

Prayer: Lord I'm grateful that I can be honest with you. Life has its moments ofchallenge when things, stuff and people tire me out, but Lord I will not get weary in well doing (Gal 6: 9). I will pursue the goals and plans you have prepared for me. I'm confident that you will help me to finish and complete what you have started with and in me (Phi 1:6, 7), in Jesus’ Name. Amen

God's Peace and Good Journey!
t. anthony bronner

A Fresh Look at Theological Education
Ekklesia School of Ministry and Theology
 
Fall session begins Tuesday, September 7, 2010 at Ekklesia School of Ministry and Theology. All classes will be held at its campus located at the New Horizon Church International Plaza, 1770 Ellis Avenue (I-20 and Ellis), Jackson, Mississippi. Classes convene on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:00 p.m. until 8:50 p.m. Enrollment is still available for those potential students seeking to earn a certification in Christian Studies, Ministry and Theological Studies or Advanced Christian and Theological Studies.
 
Ekklesia School of Ministry and Theology seeks to cultivate scholarly believers by providing a strong biblical and theological foundation, enabling them to discover who they are and effectively fulfill God’s calling in the community. Our premier professors are Dr. Ronald Clifton Potter and Dr. John L. Parrish. Our faculty is committed to guiding our students through their Christian education experience.
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Pencilworx and Long Partner
Firm gets exclusive rights to brand the Bishop

You don't have to be from Atlanta to know of the internationally acclaimed New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, under the leadership of Bishop Eddie L. Long.  Bishop Long has pastored this growing multicultural ministry for over 23 years, serving a congregation of over 25,000 locally, and hundreds of thousands internationally through his partners, affiliate churches, and ecumenical mentees.  The brand design and web development team at  Pencilworx Design Group (PDG) recently acquired the exclusive rights for branding Bishop Eddie L. Long's personal website, which offer the bishop's unique and broader value as a motivational speaker, life coach, and ministry consultant, in addition to his acclaim as a best-selling author. 

The firm has won over 40 awards for work in the marketing, web design and graphic design industry and was recently named the Atlanta Regional Minority Technology Firm of the Year by the U.S Department of Commerce.  Over the past decade PDG has accumulated a prestigious roster of clients including Focus Brands (Cinnabon, Schlotzkys Deli, etc.), Frasernet, Atlanta mega church Newbirth, Marvin Sapp, InterContinental Hotel Group, and hundreds of small businesses.

PDG was selected from a very competitive pool of brand development firms in large part because of its inimitable reputation as Atlanta's premier brand development company.  With over 40 international design awards to date, PDG was challenged to partner with Bishop Long to execute the arduous task of elevating the bishop's individual gifts and talents without abrogating his wealth of universal appeal for sharing the secrets to building and expanding world-class organizations.  According to PDG's CEO and Cre8tive director, LaVon Lewis, the task "involved an in-depth approach toward creating a synergy between Bishop Long's spiritual and real-world business acumen in a way that offers value to both divergent communities.

PDG - Pencilworx Design Group has won over 40 awards for work in the marketing, web design and graphic design industry. Recently PDG was named the Atlanta Regional Minority Technology Firm of the Year by the U.S Department of Commerce.  Over the past decade PDG has accumulated a prestigious roster of clients including Focus Brands (Cinnabon, Schlotzkys Deli, etc.), Frasernet, Atlanta mega church Newbirth, Marvin Sapp, InterContinental Hotel Group, and hundreds of small businesses.

For more information on PDG, visit www.pencilworx.com.
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