From Twitter's suggestions for business to a Slice of Real Life

I work with some big companies and some small companies. What they have in common is that they are made up of human beings...most of whom have not quite wrapped their brains around social media, or at least social media best practices and strategies. I work to help them enter that space with some 1:1 trainings (C-Tweet!), some team workshops, and ongoing real-time doing (okay, or doing as a say, not always as I do!) as we set strategies for Listening, Learning, Participating and ultimately, we hope, Leading.

This morning, I was catching up on blogs, tweets, etc., and reading some stories associated with some keywords I’m interested in -- or my clients are. My thought process was centered on what I needed to learn...and if I needed that info, might my “readers” or my client's readers be interested, too? If so, I'll alert my clients, if they're not up to speed on alerting themselves yet! I sent one client an article, with a suggestion they post or comment...and then as one thing led to another in the DOING of the 'best practices,' it dawned on me, that what I was doing is what I've been trying to explain they start doing on a regular basis.

So I thought I'd use this as a real-time (sort of) example of my process of "organically" noticing, sharing, commenting, following, and being a little farther into the social scene. Since this morning I was involved in my core competency, Ad Sales Marketing, those are the examples used here:

1. Ironically, it started with the story I saw through my Adweek Interactive news alerts about about Twitter teaching companies to tweet. I thought it was a good reminder of what I've been encouraging, so I read, then forwarded to my client. After reading that story, I saw the link to “related stories" or "most emailed" -- which included the Ad biz facing the “New Normal.”
2. I suggested that my client post that article as a way to continue being a resource for interesting info about their media business, but even better — suggested they add a comment contributed from one of their execs, one that hopefully shared a POV, because that would also show him/him being PRESENT in the very space where their clients are.
3. In reading the COMMENTS you see many interesting points of view and they lead you to more people who are more involved -- or more engaged -- in the social media space.
4. Of the 30 or so comments, I saw one written by “S. Postaer” who said: “There is a silver lining, albeit small consolation to those eliminated: http://godsofadvertising.wordpress.com/2009/07/31/the-recession-in-adland-do-the-bad-times-have-a-silver-lining/ “ Didn’t know who he was, but it was simple, compelling, and it offered a link with an intriguing title, so I clicked on it.
   
5. THIS a good example of how the commenter, S. Postaer, drove people to HIS blog, where I can learn more about him the human, maybe read an interesting post, and now follow him — perhaps by subscribing to his blog
6. His blog includes a link to instantly enable you to follow him on Twitter (which I have done for me...AND suggested my client follow him, too, because even following him means, again, at least for my client, SHOWING UP and being present).
7. His Twitter profile doesn’t have a lot of followers. Yet. But he’s there. S. Postaer is present. He’s available to be humanized and share some personality, which makes me — suckers that we are — like / trust him a little bit more. Even if we don’t always agree with him. Oh, and did I mention he turns out to be "Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of one of the world’s largest advertising concerns, Euro RSCG Chicago" according to his bio? Granted, I could have done a search for him specifically, or the keywords associated with his business, but it's a big world. And now I know a little more about this executive other than just doing a knee jerk "follow" or "friend."
   
8. THAT whole sharing the process thing that I went through with my client as a teaching example led me to write this, my next OWN blog post...which I think might help others.
   
9. So maybe, someone will share MY link or tweet it, and so on.
   
10. And see ME as a breathing human being behind the Moss Appeal brand and will turn to my company more because as Sally Field once said... Oh you know what I mean.
    

Sigh.