We’ve certainly had lots of feedback to focus on for the next one (in September). The three topics that we “crowdsourced” at the end of the day might well feature in our thinking… Thanks to Richard Sedley (cScape) for coming up with that one!

We have the full video footage of the day – so will be cutting that up over the weekend and posting it up next week.  All the presentations are now live on Slideshare and linked below, along with some useful posts and downloads:

Content Marketing

While agencies and brands have been embracing the power of content for several years, SME’s are just realising the value of sharing high quality content via social networks. The playing field has genuinely been levelled between the David’s and Goliaths of business, so expect to see the long tail of viral marketing extending during 2010/11 with some great hand-held videos, slide ware and doctored images designed to please the average Facebooker or Twitterer.

Being Everywhere

While businesses were quick to pick up on the million-niches offered by search marketing (SEO and SEM), they haven’t been as quick to adopt multiple channels in the sense of blogs, videos, bookmarks, articles, presentations, podcasts etc. As I said to a lawyer in a seminar on Friday, “How many people do you think blog about UK charity law?” I might equally have asked, how many UK charity lawyers post videos on YouTube each month? Or add presentations to Slideshare? All that’s going to change in the next couple of years.

Geo-location Viral Marketing

Unlike normal social networks, the real-world dimension of services like Foursquare and Gowalla greatly enhances the potential for sales, especially for shops, restaurants and event-based businesses. They won’t appeal to everyone, but even small numbers, when concentrated (flash-mob style), can be a great marketing stunt. There’s still lots of room for creativity here, so expect regular press coverage of these services – including some privacy scare stories.

Integrated Marketing Campaigns

This is already happening, but it’s going to happen more. The “be everywhere” mantra of my earlier point applies to offline media too. As companies embrace user engagement, viral marketing and recommendations over traditional advertising, we can expect to see campaigns coming at us from all directions – including our friends.

Social Media Listening

I think it’s safe to say the web analytics gold rush of ten years ago is now happening in social media. There are over 200 suppliers vying to provide the best quality data, accurate sentiment detection, influencer analysis and (crucially) an easy-to-use interface. For marketing agencies and brands it’s a confusing market – but the potential benefits are terrific. With real-time customer feedback, you can hone campaigns on the fly. It’s a marketing dream.

Well, there are 5 suggestions… but perhaps these are rather general and obvious trends? I’d be interested to hear your feedback, especially any specific changes you see on the near horizon. The next Twitter? A privacy backlash for Facebook? The arrival of the long-promised mobile social media revolution? You tell me.

Who should manage social media?

It is Marketing, Communications, Customer Services, Tech or a separate team? Once you talk through the implications of enabling staff to engage with potential customers on any topic, at any level (i.e. C-level to cleaner), it becomes clear that the traditional business approach won’t work. Engaging in social media has huge implications for all of these departments – so a full strategy needs to cross-cut the organisation. This is easier than it sounds and you won’t get it right first time. I would start by ensuring there is a general understanding of the impacts social media might have for various departments, but focus initially on getting specific results in a specific area (i,e. whichever team is keenest and most likely to succeed). The wider strategy will evolve from the learning and success of the initial project.

Is Social Media Personal or Corporate?

It’s a cliche, but social media is all about people. The reason most corporate blogs fail is because they lack the personality, humour, critical eye, and the failings (even) of a real human being. It’s the same for Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Free and unfettered social interaction and discussion is anathema to strict corporate communications – so for social media to work, senior managers need to loosen those strings a little and allow staff to be themselves online. It’s a big ask! The issue is even more delicate when using services like LinkedIn – in which the account is personal (not corporate) and the contacts and reputation each person builds are their own, not their company’s. This personal vs corporate line needs to be drawn clearly and early on in the process.

Where’s the ROI in Social Media?

I’ve written extensively about ROI in social media and, while it’s not always easy to gauge, there are clear methods for measuring the success of your social media campaigns. Measuring is one thing, predicting accurately is quite another. In order to get sign off on a budget you usually need to state the anticipated results in no uncertain terms – and with social media that’s hard. Thankfully, I think we’ve reached a stage in the evolution of social media communications that most CEO’s realise they have to try to understand it and maybe pilot a project to see what results it brings. Demanding immediate, financially measurable, returns is unreasonable when you’re working in a space of such rapid innovation.

How Can we Find the Time for Social Media?

While some aspects of social media – such as posting to a blog, or sharing a video via YouTube – can be scheduled, becoming part of an “online community” on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or across the blogosphere requires regular participation. One of the first things I do with a client is stress that, without a daily investment of time, their social media campaign is likely to fail. Getting the staff responsible to put this time aside and have faith that, six months down the line, their investment will pay off is a tough ask – especially when they are judged on targets. This investment really needs to be written into their job spec and signed off by their Manager.

Are our Customers Really Using Social Media?

I’ve been asked this question since the really early days of online communities, when the big charities I worked with were concerned that 70% of their donors were over 50 and (the perception was) unlikely to be online. That was 10 years ago and the ones that led the charge then are still ahead of the game. The fact is: not all CEO’s are on Twitter. Many aren’t even on LinkedIn (though, these days, I think that’s little short of idiotic) and you won’t find that many using Facebook for business. The point is though, millions of senior businesspeople are on Twitter, interacting in LinkedIn Groups etc. and you can connect and communicate with them really easily and for free. There has never been a more cost-effective way of making global connections and any business person who fails to recognise that now will be behind the game. Even if you are 100% convinced your target market isn’t using social media, in my view you should still use it. Using social media is a learning process and the more you learn now the better equipped you will be to take advantage of it when you do need it.