Is your organization social?

We all know now that “social” is here to stay. Most people are social, with profiles on social networking sites, but is your organization social?

Are you still pushing out information as a one way dialogue (you to the consumer)? Do your marketing and communication efforts only include traditional one-way advertising (print, broadcast, direct mail)? Are you speaking AT people instead of WITH them?

Organizations must be social to compete. Here’s a few tips to ensure your organization is social.

Printed materials
Are your materials, website and other promotional pieces full of stuffy, traditional corporate speak? Change them. Lose the jargon and write copy that people can understand and will want to share. Add social networking graphics while you’re at it. Seems like a no-brainer, but I see lots of companies who skip this step. How else will someone know to follow you?

Content
Consumers want content. And not your latest product promotion. They want information that is useful to them:

• 5 tips to save on gas
• What you should be doing in your 30s to save for retirement
• How to organize your house, one room at a time
• How to eat healthy, one step at a time

Now, what do you do with your content? Read on…

Share
All the great content you are creating? Don’t forget to share it. Everywhere. And re-purpose it. The same content can be revised for a consumer press release, newsletter article, website content, Facebook post, YouTube video…and all the above.

Be considerate
When using social media, be mindful of others. Don’t “post dump” five Facebook updates or 12 tweets, all in a row. And don’t post anything you wouldn’t want on a billboard (that’s a good rule of thumb for using any electronic media). Don’t just talk about yourself.  You wouldn’t walk into a party and only talk about you, would you? Because nobody likes that guy.

Monitor and Listen
Monitoring and listening go hand in hand. Monitor you keywords and the name of your organization. For example, someone posting on twitter may not know your organization’s twitter handle, so they’ll just mention your name. Make sure you are alerted and can reply. Pay attention to what your audience, your competitors and your peers are saying. You can pick up a good tip or two, just by sitting back and listening.

Engage
Offer insight. A joke. Answer a question that has nothing to do with your organization or the industry. Respond. This is especially important if someone is asking your organization a question. If you don’t know the answer, just say so. Transparency is key in today’s digital environment.

My 12 of 2012

The new year brings a chance to start over. A clean slate. A do-over. These are my 12 resolutions of 2012. I figure if I write them out and post them, I’ll feel accountable to actually DO them.

[Disclaimer: We all can't be 100% ALL the time. So just like it's suggested you exercise MOST days of the week, this follows the same philosophy. I will follow these resolutions on most days or weeks, but sometimes you just have to let it slide.]

1. Clutter.
I have four email accounts. I really only check two. But that’s enough. My husband balks at my 1,977 emails (and that’s just my personal account) sitting in my inbox (257 unread).

Resolution: When an email arrives in my inbox, I will do something with it. Delete, respond (or flag to respond later), save or move to another folder, but don’t just let it sit.

2. Food.
I love to eat food. Who doesn’t? Individual bags of chips, fun size Snickers bars, a handful of jelly beans or chocolate chips, a spoonful of macaroni and cheese. Oh, I eat the good stuff too, but it’s the mindless, unhealthy snacking that needs to stop.

Resolution: Allow only one (OK, maybe two) day(s) of mindless snacking (not five or six).

3. Drink
Water. I don’t drink near enough.

Resolution: 36-48 ounces of water daily. It’s a start…

4. Body.
I really don’t need to lose weight, and I already run several times a week. What is lacking is strength training. I used to attend an hour-long, Saturday morning Boot Camp session, as well as 30 minutes with a trainer. Then my training sessions ended, and my Saturdays got busy. I don’t feel as strong as I used to, and I don’t like it.

Resolution: Strength train two times a week. Attend a class, workout at home or fork out the money and book that trainer again.

5. Comfort.
Get un-comfy. That’s right. It’s time for the “get out of your comfort zone” resolution. Because isn’t that how you grow? At least that’s what the experts say.

Resolution: Do just ONE thing that is uncomfortable. Speak in public (and for anyone who knows me…that is downright terrifying). Volunteer to do something that I do not know how to do, or think I’m not good at. Go to an event or party where I know no one. (Holy cow…I’m already sweatin’ it!)

6. Knowledge.
I read a lot. Women’s magazines. Industry books and publications. Twilight and The Hunger Games series. The local newspaper. Countless articles online. What I don’t read are historical or boring sounding books listed on the non-fiction New York Times bestseller list that all the smart people are reading. It’s time to branch out.

Resolution: Read one book off the New York Times non-fiction bestseller list or a historical novel or biography of a historical figure.

7. Learn.
I don’t really enjoy cooking. Basically I open a lot of boxes and cans and put something together. We eat a lot of scrambled eggs, pasta, sandwiches, tacos and chicken. Enough said.

Resolution: It’s time to learn a new healthy, yummy recipe, that the entire family likes, and is easy to make.

8. Gratitude.
We are all so busy with our own lives, and we forget that people do things for us. Like my mom who babysits for free. My neighbor who calls late at night to tell me my garage door is still up. The friend who insists you “don’t look 40 at all.” All these people make a difference in our lives.

Resolution: Say thank you more.

9. Listen.
The world is distracting. Phones ringing, emails waiting, Facebook pop-ups,  TVs blaring, video games beeping, kids talking…wait…kids talking? That shouldn’t be a distraction.

Resolution: Turn away from all the “distractions” and listen to my children. Because from what I hear, pretty soon they won’t want to talk to me.

10. Be tidy.
Put things away. Get rid of things I don’t use.

Resolution: See above. This will be easier said than done.

11. Say no.
As a working mom of two busy little boys and on-the-go husband, time is limited. Between volunteer meetings, soccer games, school, work, and social engagements, it’s easy to become over committed.

Resolution: Unless it’s something I really want to participate in, say no.

12. Laugh.
Sometimes we are all a bit serious, don’t you think? Get a joke book and read jokes to each other. Watch “Wipeout” with the boys. Hang out with people who already see the fun in life.

Resolution: Just laugh.