Social Commerce narrows the gap between customers and business transactions according to Aaron Strout.

In a very engaging session, Strout defined social commerce as the intersection of analytics, advocacy, content and education—with the purpose of narrowing the gap between customers and business transactions.  In other words, social commerce is effectively sharing information people need to make purchase decisions.

That definition emphasizes that it’s really a buyer’s world, and that sellers need to think more like customers if they hope to thrive.  When you build out your plans and models, think like a customer who sneaks into your company.

Top-down advertising becomes a supporting player for earned media. What’s effective in selling a product is “storytizing” or telling a compelling story in the voice of the customer without taking them outside the experience.  Strout cited BMC Software as an example of a company that effectively uses knowledge sharing, education and videos to get their message across. Since 65% of people consider themselves to be visual learners, videos are critical.

Another trend Strout emphasized is that customer service will stop being seen as just a cost center, and will be recognized as a social commerce profit and knowledge center. Ironically, today many brands hide their 800 numbers to reduce costs, with the result being that customers gripe online and spread the negative sentiment.

Strout also discussed the importance of forensic analytics to help marketers think like detectives, find clues and follow their path to find solutions. Learn more about digital analytics by signing up for the SMC Dallas May 30^th meeting, featuring Chuck Hemann of WCG speaking on “From Tools to Humans: Building Your Digital Analytics Capabilities.”

Thanks to our annual sponsors @Pocketstop, @WebSynthesis, and @DangILoveThat. Once, again, we had some great photos courtesy of @AllenTsaiPhoto.

Strout’s presentation is available on Slideshare.

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• Take Michaels Stores, the bread and butter of the crafts world
• Add Kendra Scott, a jewelry maker with impressive growth
• Blend with Tenthwave, a branding agency with demonstrable Pinterest ROI
• Sprinkle with that rarest of ingredients, a MAN with a million followers on Pinterest (Michael Stancil)

Stir carefully with analytics expert and host Robert P Maloney from Pinleague and questions from the SMCDallas audience, and you have a memorable result.

Q: No social media presentation is complete without the dreaded question “How to you demonstrate ROI?” So let’s get that out of the way first.

Michaels Stores sees enough benefit to have 1/3 of their three-person social media team dedicated to Pinterest full time. According to Robert Freeman, Pinterest is well-suited to help customers get ideas for DIY craft projects.

Pinterest helps to create a fun, sharing culture for Kendra Scott. Lauren Vandiver says they leverage just an hour a day on the application to drive 6% of their overall web site traffic.

Within the last 6 months, corporate brands have started to see real ROI, according to Lisa Lantz of Tenthwave. One Kings Lane, an ecommerce site featuring curated design and décor sales promoted a sweepstakes. Contestants built pin boards around the theme using at least one item from the ecommerce site. The winning contestant received a $1000 gift card and the chance to curate their own sale. The brand grew 800k fans in just 9 days. Plus, the fan-created theme boards served as a priceless focus group on complementary products for possible future sales.

Q: Is Pinterest appropriate for all brands, B-to-B or not for profit?

Panelists see great potential for charities, such as Habitat for Humanity, with heart-warming pictures of completed homes. On the other hand, industrial-oriented businesses like Joe’s Plumbing may not have great visuals. Despite lacking visuals, service industries can pin interesting content related to their industries, including infographics. Just ask yourself, “would I find the content worth pinning?” to determine if it’s suited to Pinterest.

Q: What’s the point with secret boards and group boards?

Kendra Scott uses secret boards to “stage” new products and promotions as they are preparing materials prior to a blast customer email. And Stancil finds that group boards are good to follow, since they provide a rich source of content for his fashion-themed boards.

Q: What are Pinterest’s biggest weaknesses?

It needs an API! Brands can’t adequately measure their results or obtain follower data. There are relatively few management or analytics tools compared to Facebook or Twitter. Pingraphy can be used for scheduling, which is a needed function for businesses since Saturday morning is the best time for pins and re-pins. And Pinleague, headed by CEO Robert P Maloney, provides a free analytics dashboard and a for fee audience building engine.

Q: Is Pinterest here for the long term?

Vandiver believes that many are gravitating away from Twitter and toward Pinterest and Instagram because of the rich graphic appeal. In addition to its scrapbooking uses, it can also be used for bookmarking. There are concerns that the application is vulnerable to copyright issues, since many users re-pin copyrighted art and illustrations, often without attribution.

A key to long term viability for Pinterest is “if it pivots to mobile, it’s here to stay,” says Stancil.  And, if it nails search within its platform, it has staying power. “I don’t see any reason it will go away, short of a massive copyright takedown.”

Thanks to our food sponsors Zoës Kitchen. If you missed the event, you can still get a free goodie from Zoës! Download their app in the Apple Store and visit the store for a treat. Props to our longer term sponsors Pocketstop, Websynthesis, and Net Social Education. And as always, thanks to our fantastic photographer, Allen Tsai Photography.

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Google+ is rapidly becoming the social space of choice for many, and the G+ Mobile App is making it easier to keep in touch with everyone on G+.

One of the most popular and unique features of Google+, Party Mode ties the desktop and mobile apps together and is associated with Google+ Events.  Attendees can post photos and make comments that post to the G+ Event page.  Posts can be seen both on the smartphone app and desktop.

Scot Duke and Bob Hendershot, SMC Dallas Members using G+ party mode during the January 2013 meeting.

Streaming the Party Mode

More and more event organizers are placing the G+ Event Comment Stream on projectors so everyone attending an event can see the photos and comments that are posted in real time. Streaming the  G+ Party Mode for all to see makes the event far more entertaining than the Twitter streams which gets spammed so frequently.  Plus the G+ Event comment content is searchable making what was posted last long after the event is over.

How It Works

Here are some basics on how G+ Party Mode works:  Confirm you are going to a G+ Event, at the set event starting time Party Mode becomes available on your smartphone. It’s as simple as opening your G+ app at the time of the event and choosing to join the party. Then you can post photos, make comments and follow what others are posting. The photo and comments are immediately posted to the Event Stream and can be viewed by those who say they are going to attend.

Note that Google+ Events also allows people who cannot attend the ability to watch what is going on at the event by viewing the G+ Event Page.

Android vs iPhone

There are some differences in how the G+ Party Mode works on different smartphone operating systems.  The Android is a bit more user friendly than the iPhone app, but both work very well.  Recent updates to both OS have improved the use of the Party Mode feature.  Some of the older phones have difficulty in allowing the user to easily use all of the features of Party Mode.  Many times the difficulties are partly due to the latest update to the Mobile App has not been uploaded.

There are a few more tips on setting up the notifications here: Enable or Disable Party Mode

Now that you have the app set-up, here is a video on how simple it is to us Party Mode on your smartphone: About Party Mode

**See you next week at SMC Dallas’ February meeting, featuring The Most Pinteresting Panel in The World. Have your G+ app ready to go and be sure to seek out Scot Duke if you need any help with Google+ Party Mode!

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Rob Garner, author of Search & Social: The Definitive Guide to Real-Time Content Marketing

For the full story of Rob’s presentation, please see the Storify of tweets from the event.

For event photographs, please visit the Social Media Club of Dallas Facebook page.

Stay tuned for information on February’s SMC Dallas meeting featuring some very ‘pinteresting’ people. Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook for all the latest updates.

See you in February!

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Some of Scott’s words of wisdom include:

Social media is merely an amplifier. It doesn’t fix a bad product or service.

Following a negative incident, companies should quickly and candidly own up to the problem. Scott cited FedEx and its blog post “Absolutely, Positively Unacceptable” following the viral video last December of the careless deliveryman. A quick, honest apology can ride the viral wave with the incident and even leave a business with a more favorable impression than before the event.

Some audiences require extra care. “You don’t want to piss off geeks or moms” since both are very active on social media.

Marketing and HR need to get better aligned, since hiring the right people is the best thing  you can do to market your brand.

When hiring social media functions, businesses should look for personality and passion for the brand. Although Scott likes the idea of metrics like Klout or Kred scores, he questions their validity when people can see their scores, and can game them by performing activities specifically designed to raise the rating.

The best comedy bit of the night was the QR Code Fail routine, where Scott pointed out all the ridiculous, unhelpful and even unsafe applications of QR Codes. Taking top honors was the billboard discouraging texting while driving—which had a QR code on it!

Although the audience was enthralled, we breathed a collective sigh of relief as Scott finished his program without incident and beat a hasty retreat home to Toronto and the comforts of Canadian healthcare. To your health, Scott!

Event sponsors include Chili’s, Allen Tsai Photography and Uber. SMC Dallas Annual Sponsors include Pocketstop.com and Synthesis. To inquire about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Elysa Ellis at sponsorship@smcdallas.org.

What’s next? Mark your calendars for the Jingle Mingle, the big bash of the Holiday season. Benefiting the Dream Fund, the December 6^th at Gilley’s is hosted by the Social Media Club of Dallas and a sleigh-load of other organizations.

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Scott Stratten

DALLAS, September 25, 2012 – Social Media Club of Dallas, a premier networking and education organization dedicated to marketing and new media, is proud to announce Scott Stratten, author of “The Book of Business Awesome,” will speak at the October 25th meeting.

“We look forward to hearing Scott’s unique perspective on business and enjoy a discussion about untraditional marketing tactics,” said Kendall Shiffler, SMC Dallas president. “Scott previously spoke at SMC Dallas and received great reviews so we’re excited to have him back with new insights that he wittingly delivers.”

Formerly a music industry marketer, national sales training manager and a professor at the Sheridan College School of Business, he ran his “UnAgency” for a nearly a decade before solely focusing on speaking at events for companies.  Stratten helped PepsiCo, Adobe, Red Cross, Cirque du Soleil, Saks Fifth Avenue and Fidelity Investments guide their way through the viral, social media and relationship marketing landscape.

Stratten will speak from his new book, which covers everything business related from branding, public relations, social media, marketing, customer service and human resources. Stratten’s book steers away from traditional business concepts and focuses more on achieving awesome results through engagement and technology. Stratten will include case studies and concepts that attendees can apply directly to their own businesses. Topics will include:

- Why things go viral when they follow the Third Circle rule.
- How companies look Awesome when they do something UnAwesome.
- Why Social Media isn’t the answer to everything.

Stratten will also discuss unsuccessful business by showcasing concepts that have failed in the past and major situations to avoid.

The event will take place at The Angelika Film Center at Mockingbird Station from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 25. A Tweetup will take place after the event at People’s Last Stand. Registration is $45. To register for the event, please visit: http://smcdallas-scottstratten.eventbrite.com.

Event sponsors include Chili’s, Allen Tsai Photography and Uber. SMC Dallas Annual Sponsors include Pocketstop.com and Synthesis. Sponsorships are still available for this event. To inquire about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Elysa Ellis at sponsorship@smcdallas.org.

About Social Media Club

Social Media Club hosts conversations that explore key issues facing our society as technologies transform the way we connect, communicate, collaborate and relate to each other. The Club’s primary mission is to promote media literacy, promote standard technologies, encourage ethical behavior and share best practices. We are active across the U.S. and Canada and expanding globally. Visit www.smcdallas.org for more information, or connect with SMC Dallas on Facebook orTwitter.

About Scott Stratten

Scott Stratten is the President of Un-Marketing. He is an expert in Viral, Social, and Authentic Marketing which he calls Un-Marketing. It’s all about positioning yourself as a trusted expert in front of your target market, so when they have the need, they choose you. http://www.unmarketing.com/

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Serving the club in a volunteer role has made a huge difference in my life, both personally and professionally. Getting involved has allowed me to strengthen relationships with other active SMC Dallas attendees and board members, better understand how the club operates, and even learn a new skills that I can apply to my job. I’ve also made a lot of new friends with whom I connect with outside of our monthly events!

SMC Dallas volunteers help with everything from sponsorships and programming to check-in at events.

If you’re interested in getting more involved in our club, here is your chance! SMC Dallas is now soliciting volunteers to serve on a variety of committees. Helmed by board members, these committees will work to support various board members in their duties and play an active role in the management and direction of the club. Joining a committee is an exciting way to get more involved and can help you get a foot in the door if you’re interested in serving as a board member in the future.

If you are interested in serving SMC Dallas in a committee member role, please read through the SMC Dallas Committee Descriptions, then apply to serve by completing our Committee Application Form. We are also looking for volunteers to represent SMC Dallas on the Second Annual Jingle Mingle planning committee, specifically an event planning liaison and a sponsorship chair.

Please note that committee position priority will be given to SMC Dallas Ambassadors. To become an annual ambassador, you simply need to pay your dues online!

Committee applications are due Friday, September 21. I look forward to connecting with new, eager volunteers who share my passion for growing our wonderful club!

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“Everyone handles social media differently. Get used to it.” That’s the perspective Mike Cearley of Fleishman-Hillard brought to the panel “The Business of Social Customer Care” at the Social Media Club of Dallas last Thursday. The panel, moderated by Bryan Person, Director of Social Insights at Social Dynamx, featured varied insights from social customer care experts at FedEx and Nokia.

As an early adopter of social CRM, FedEx has its practice rooted in the contact center. Their approach? Select five of the best call center representatives, keep them in touch with the contact center by working the phones two hours a day, then transfer that customer service skill into the online world of social media, Facebook and blog responses.

As you might expect, FedEx measures its social CRM reps using familiar sounding call center metrics, adapted to social media, such as:

• # authors engaged (authors, because not necessarily customers)
• # authors addressed offline
• Post quality and accuracy
• Latency to close—the on-line world’s measurement for Average Hold Time

Like FedEx, Nokia believes social media customer response is best left to customer service. However, Nokia uses an agency to filter and provide initial response. Due to the more technical nature of its service, Nokia divides its seven-member team into Tier 1 and Tier 2 representatives. They look for more technical subject matter expertise and hire representatives with backgrounds in R&D, product quality and training.

The panel members shares similar approaches for handling unhappy customers. Tony Turnage of FedEx says that “your best judgment is your best tool.” Sometimes a measured response is more appropriate. Cearley asks “Does this call for a bazooka?” If not, step it down. Agents need to discern what is actionable. Companies see little point in responding if griping, rather than problem resolution, is the poster’s objective.

How has social customer care brought value to its organizations? According to Sean Valderus of Nokia, social has taught them the need to move faster. Prior to social media customer care, it would take 2 to 3 weeks to analyze a new handset issue. Social media surfaces the issues more quickly, and Nokia now can analyze new product issues within 24 to 48 hours. As Cearley likes to say “show me the value, and I’ll show you the money.”

Thank you to our platinum sponsor, Sprint, who is promoting the launch of their 4G LTE service in Dallas and Cedars Woodfire Grill for supplying food. Tabbedout, an application supporting mobile payments, generously sponsored the post-event tweetup at Trinity Hall, while Allen Tsai Photography was our photo sponsor.  And a special thank you to our annual sponsors, mobile marketing firm Pocketstop.com and Managed WordPress web hoster Synthesis Hosting.

Sign up for SMC Dallas’s upcoming events, including Scott Stratten on October 25th, sharing secrets from his new book, The Book of Business Awesome.

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Our speakers included:

Jackie Bese of Atomic Design and Consulting for Armed Forces Bowl
Miker Stovall of Fleishman-Hillard for Chevy
Jeff Schick of Online Performance Marketing for iFratelli
Alyssa Gardina of Weber Shandwick for RadioShack
Jeremy Vest of Wasp Barcode Technologies for Wasp Barcode Technologies
John Lee of Digital Growth Strategies for YoCrunch Yogurt

Thanks so much to our sponsors Jake’s Burgers for the delicious meal, Allen Tsai for the fantastic photos and Standing Dog Interactive.

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Sprinkled through out Guy’s entertaining talk were gems of wisdom taken from his tenth book, “Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds and Actions.” Although Guy rules the social media world with a Klout score of 86 and almost 1 million followers on Twitter, his talk was more about getting along with people. Guy believes that in business and personal interactions, your goal is not just to get your way but to cause a voluntary and delightful change in your actions with other people. Some of the key takeaways from his presentation:

1. Achieve likeability. Serve others, and greet them with a genuine Duchenne smile.
2. Default to yes. Many people are protective of their time, and tend to default to “no” when asked for a favor. Instead, see what you can do to help others. Set your default to “yes.”
3. Achieve trustworthiness. You must trust others for them to trust you.
4. Bake, don’t eat. Many people are protective of their assets. They are eaters, and don’t want to share their food. But a baker sees everyone as a target market. People need their products. There’s a world in need of pies, cakes and cookies. They are givers, not takers. Be a baker, not an eater.
5. Make insanely great products. For likeability and trustworthiness to reap results, you’ve got to have a great product or service. Showing his Apple heritage, Guy emphasized the need to build “elegance” into your product.
6. Tell a story. When launching a new product, forget all the buzzwords like carrier class, synergistic, etc. Plant lots of seeds with everyone, including the “lonely boy” Twitter account with just 15 followers. Influence in the world of social media is no longer top down, it is bottom up.
7. Learn how to present effectively. Don’t be long and boring. Keep it short. Follow the rule of 10-20-30. Limit your slides to 10, your talk to 20 minutes, and use 30 point type so you won’t be tempted to cram too much on your slides and read it.

Guy shared generously in a lengthy Q&A session. Although he had a few slams for Microsoft and maintains his love for Apple computing, that doesn’t carry over to the iOS. “Honestly, right now, if you were thinking differently, you would choose Android,” says Guy. He’s a fan of the Motorola Droid Razr MaXX and the Samsung Galaxy Note because of the 4G speed.

His favorite apps and platforms? He’s a big proponent of Google +, having recently authored “What the Plus!”  The quality of the people and the conversation is better on Google+, according to Guy. He recommends Chrome extensions for Google+ including Replies & More, Nuke Comments, and Do Share.

It took a lot of support from our sponsors to provide this caliber of programming. Thank you to Clublocal, a local on-line service directory, our platinum sponsor.  Other Sponsors include SuperMedia, Standing Dog Interactive, Master of Science in Marketing at UT Dallas, PubCon, Redbutton.tv, Penny Clark Photography, PocketStop and FireHost. We’re also grateful for the yummy treats from food sponsors Great One Cookies and Asian Mint.

Register now for our next event, the Social Media Showcase on July 19.

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