There’s a difference between monitoring and listening and there’s certainly a difference between conversations and engagement. How social media is employed today promotes monitoring as a reporting function and conversations as a symptom of reaction. In many ways, the state of social media is eerily reminiscent of traditional marketing. We’re fooled into a sense of collaboration and co-creation because people can respond. But programs are not measured by functionality, they are valued by the value customers take away from the experience. It begs the question, is social media in actuality anti-social?

New media philosophies, while rich with good intentions, are confined by the culture of the organization they’re designed to help. Corporate culture is pervasive and planted. It is not anything that will change suddenly because of the popularity of Twitter and Facebook no matter how strong your case. Culture shock takes place because a business is subjected to the harsh reality that customers no longer support the way business is conducted.

Value is not Stated, It’s Delivered…and It’s Felt

Social Media offers a window to the future and a means to earn relevance, nothing less, nothing more. It is an enabler to reinvigorate the mission and vision of the company and extend its value only when the purpose and value have been redefined for a new generation of consumers. This is where it all begins. Otherwise, your engagement strategies activate a timer that counts down the journey to irrelevance.

People have choices. They have options. They can make decisions with or without you. How they’re marketed to today is the beginning of the end of social media 1.0. Social streams are brimming with information, promotions, and friend requests that compete for a finite amount of attention. Something more is required and it’s needed now.

Brands are doing well at building communities in social networks once they realize that there’s an art and science to engagement, content, entertainment, and community activation. But a community is only as strong as the aftereffect that’s produced when it is tested. For example, do customers click through to landing pages? What happens when they get there? Are referrals active and how do they pan out? Are individuals addressing the problems or challenges of their peers when you can’t be there? Or, are they merely interacting with each update within your domain because it’s easy to do so?

@ and Found

The future of social networking lies in conveying value and delivering against the brand promise not only within your communities but also in the communities you do not own and are not present. I refer to this as the “@ and Found” formula for engagement. Businesses are getting better at monitoring conversations where the brand name is mentioned. Some are proficient in comparing mentions to the volume and reach of competitors. Mastering the cycle of monitoring goes beyond reporting however. It must be supported by a conversation framework that pushes important opportunities to engage or learn through the organization to return a response or trigger change or adaptation within.

A conversation framework has a beginning and an end with various pathways to business units and functions in between. Responding to opportunities and communicating the act of listening and adapting form a solid “@” quotient in this equation.

These individuals represent would-be advocates for your brand. If they’re happy with the product or brand experience they are candidates for an ambassador or advocacy program. Note, advocacy programs require different engagement techniques than that of influencers. Advocates operate from a genuine passion for what you do. Influencers operate from a basic perspective of, “what’s in it for me.” They are most likely not customers or users of your product or service today.

As referenced in the image above, MarketingSherpa found that outside engagement represents a greater degree of difficulty but equally offers a greater level of effectiveness.

Responding to mentions is just the beginning. It’s the low hanging fruit of conversational marketing and social media in general. The “Found” side of the calculation is where the future of brand relevance takes shape. It’s not about who you engage with today or those that engage with you, it’s about those who don’t. These prospects are active in your markets, your brand is just not an option for whatever reason. It’s your job to figure out how to earn attention and significance among them and the communities in which they populate and influence.

While advocates are discoverable by brand-related keywords, the “Founds” are identifiable by keywords related to markets and interests.

- They define communities of opportunity
- Recommend other products and services
- Answer each others questions
- Share experiences
- Earn authority on subjects tied to your industry

Listening to what they say and understanding the challenges and opportunities they face provide intelligence to inspire a meaningful engagement program. Once activated, the responses will funnel through the existing listening and conversation framework to ensure continued engagement, resolution and closure.

While the “@’s” represent an opportunity for advocacy, the “Founds” reveal potential influencers. Earlier I mentioned a difference between conversations and engagement. Influencers do not gain value from random acts of conversation. They do however, respond well to informed engagement where value and mutual benefits are inherent in the outreach.

The next era of social media is not based on a one-to-many model but instead a one-to-one-to-many continuum that naturally triggers a measurable social effect. Indeed, 1 + 1 = Many.

We are situated in a market that is in transition. Operating with what we know must be balanced by learning what we don’t know and then applying it to the mix based on the needs and expectations of our customers. Doing so may push us outside of our comfort zones, but in the end, it is how we earn relevance today and over time. Welcome to the end of business as usual.

Check out BrianSolis.com for more articles by Brian Solis

Meanwhile, TweetMeme has also put together a couple of videos showing the functionality of the retweet button and the new bookmarklet.

Update: TweetMeme Launched it’s new version on Friday, and it is a "complete revamp" of the site. According to the company, it "encompasses a total rewrite of our scoring system, filtering engine and a whole raft of user interface enhancements and tweaks."

Details are explained here.

Original Article: TweetMeme has been quite busy since rival Retweet.com launched last week. After explaining why it is a more trusted brand and announcing analytics, TweetMeme has kept busy making some improvements and additions to its offerings.

TweetMeme introduced a new URL-shortening service. These things are popping up frequently, but with TweetMeme behind it, this one stands as good a chance as many other others in terms of actual use. The service, called Retwt.me, was created to provide three basic functions:

1. Shorten a link
2. Share the link on your favorite sites
3. Provide simple and easy to understand analytics

Tweetmeme has no plans to extend the service beyond those three items, but it will be used within TweetMeme to shorten comment links.

Not long after introducing Retwt.me, TweetMeme responded to user feedback and created a bookmarklet to go along with it. This allows the user to shorten links from wherever they’re at on the web. All the user has to do is drag a bookmarklet to the browser address bar, then click the link whenever they want to shorten a page’s URL.

Now TweetMeme itself is in the process of undergoing an upgrade. This is why if you use TweetMeme buttons on your content, you may be seeing a little wrench icon with the word "upgrading."

"First of all, all webpages at TweetMeme.com will display a holding page until the upgrade is complete," says TweetMeme’s Sarah Blow. "The API will also also be down, but will still return a failure message in the requested format. Buttons displayed on websites will exhibit one of a number of behaviours, so please examine these carefully before you ask for support for a broken button."

TweetMeme will attempt to restore the last known retweet count to users’ buttons after the upgrade is complete. TweetMeme is keeping a live blog going throughout the upgrade process. This can be viewed here.

You see it on Twitter and on Facebook. You see it On Digg, on FriendFeed, etc. People are still commenting on blogs, but they’re not always choosing the blog comments section as their venue for furthering the discussion. This is why you see other buttons on content sites like the Digg button displaying the number of Diggs a story has, or the Tweetmeme button displaying the number of retweets.

These types of things offer just a bit more of an idea of how much a story is being discussed, but they’re not perfect. Nothing is. It’s hard to bring all of the engagement that stems from a piece of content back to the home base of that content itself.

Now we’re starting to see things like real-time commenting. Robert Scoble talks about this and how it could piss off blogggers…at first. Disqus has such a feature, and it essentially lets users comment and "chat" without having to reload the page, as Scoble points out. This means less page views, which could translate into less advertisers for publishers/bloggers.

There is potential for increased engagement though, which means more time spent on the site. "Overall we’ve seen the time spent on page increase about 3x," Scoble says of his Building 43 site.

"Which shows we need a new way to get paid for advertising," he continues. "No longer is refreshing the page important. That’s the old way of paying for advertising. The new way? How much engagement you have on the page."

I would suggest that we might see trends catering to a mixture of both page views and engagement levels. Engagement is very much a significant part of the equation these days, and a growing part at that. I wouldn’t shoot down the relevancy of a page view, however. Some people still like to read without talking.

So if the user is already engaging with this, why not make it an ad? That appears to be Microsoft’s mentality, as it has proposed exactly that with a patent application. The concept is simple. It works just like any other CAPTCHA, but it shows you a picture of a product (the Xbox 360 in an example from Microsoft) and asks you to type the name of the product you see.

Todd Bishop at TechFlash points to this and actually another mention of this concept from as long as four years ago, at Ad Lab, which simply presents the concept, showing logos for Tide and UPS.

Clearly this is a concept that has been around for some time, but you don’t see it very often, and you have to wonder why that is. There’s no question that the CAPTCHA is intrusive, and perhaps brands won’t always want to be associated with that kind of advertising, but in reality, it’s not the ad itself that is intrusive. It’s the step of completing the CAPTCHA form, which is already there. If it’s already there, you might as well utilize that space for some further benefit.

What you would not want to do is start displaying more CAPTCHAs specifically for the purpose of advertising. That’s where things could go sour. On the other hand, a user might not know the difference, and could reach the conclusion that you’re just throwing an intrusive advertisement at them.

The strategy has its pros and cons. It is an interesting strategy nonetheless. Obviously there is no click value to this from the advertising standpoint, but the brand value is certainly there.

What do you think about this concept? Have you seen it in use? Do you think users would be more turned off by something like this than they already are with the CAPTCHA itself? Please share your thoughts.

This is the basic plot of a keynote speech delivered by Charlene Li, co-author of the book Groundswell, and Founder of Altimeter Group, at the Search Engine Strategies conference in San Jose.

The big picture is largely about social media and interaction. This is nothing new right? You’ve had social media marketing talk rammed down your throat for a while now, but that’s separate from search engine marketing right? Well, yes and no. Social media may play a bigger role in search engine rankings that you realize, and that could even become truer in the future, and probably will.

Here’s the thing. Searchers want relevant results. It’s all about relevancy. That’s all the search engines strive for, and that’s what users want. As Li says, "There is a new type of relevance called engagement." People must be at the center of your search strategy. Not keywords.

There’s a reason that real-time search is such a hot topic. Some think it’s just a buzzword, but it’s more than that. It’s an ever-growing element into what people want to know.

Now we’re not talking about real-time search taking over traditional search. Right now is not always more relevant than something from three years ago. In many cases, it is more relevant though. User intent might be considered the holy grail.

There’s a reason Google is working toward updating its algorithm to incorporate a faster indexing speed. People want freshness. That’s why Twitter has become such a hot source of buzz that seemingly all radio and television programs cling to these days. It’s up to the minute info about what people are saying.

Facebook is doing it now too, and Li mentioned the importance of this in her keynote as well. One very important thing to keep in mind is that outside search engines aren’t indexing the information that can be found in Facebook updates. Facebook is huge now, by the way – way bigger than Twitter. We’re talking up there in Googleland in terms of users.

Social is an important element of search. We still have to look at it as a thing of the future though, because we are still so early in the evolution of the social web. The major search engines are still trying to make sense of it all. Li noted that the real time web presents many challenges to search engines, because how do you place value on things like retweets, @replies, short URLs, etc? There are a lot of new elements to consider.

Now think about search engine advertising. Li asked, "What if search engines augmented my search ads based on knowing who I am?" Think about data like influence, and number of friends. The number of influential friends could influence search results and search engine ad targeting.

The web has largely become a very social environment, and will continue to become even more so. This is why marketers should focus on people rather than keywords. If you want an example of how this plays directly into Google results already, Li mentioned how the YouTube video called " United Breaks Guitars " ranks number 4 in Google when you search for "united". United doesn’t own that keyword anymore, because people have lifted this video up.

The synopsis of Li’s book reads, "Right now, your customers are writing about you products on blogs and recutting you commercials on YouTube. They’re defining you on Wikipedia and ganging up on you on social networking sites like Facebook. These are the elements of a social phenomenon."

Well, it’s the truth. You’ve got to engage out there. There are watchers, sharers, commenters, content producers, and curators. Focus on the sharers and the watchers. Focus on people and relationships, and listen to customers. 

Li says you should also get you back end data in order. By this, she means having a single place where people can sign in to your site, and integrate off-site behavior and data. Figure out the value of specific visitors. Integrating social into your site is a good way to do this.

"Prepare to tap into ‘chain of intent,’" she says. "Google now combines chains of searches to determine intent." (Emphasis added.)

Know that customers can take their social networks anywhere with them at this point. Thanks to all kinds of tools from the networks themselves, as well as browser plug-ins, etc. people always have their social functions a click away. You’re going to have to accept this and realize that you have less control over your brand than ever. That’s why you need to deepen relationships and get engaged. It’s even important than ever for search.

The "ENGAGEMENTdb study" shows that companies who measured as having "the greatest breadth and depth of social media engagement" grew revenues by 18% over the last year, while the companies that were the least engaged dropped 6% on average.

"This is the first study of this depth on the top global brands and we think the results provide a good guide for corporations and brand marketers in every industry," says Charlene Li, Founder, Altimeter Group. "The success stories we have uncovered provide a blueprint for companies making decisions about how to best apply their marketing and consumer relations resources."

Channels taken into consideration for the study were:

- Blogs
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Wikis
- Discussion Forums

Brands looked at were the 100 most valuable ones as identified by the 2008 BusinessWeek/Interbrand Best Global Brands ranking. In case you were wondering what the top ten brands are according to the ENGAGEMENTdb study, they are as follows:

1. Starbucks
2. Dell
3. eBay
4. Google
5. Microsoft
6. Thomson Reuters
7. Nike
8. Amazon
9. SAP
10. Yahoo!/Intel (Tie)

So what are these brands doing right?

According to Wetpaint and the Altimeter Group, the companies that scored well have dedicated teams (of varying sizes) who are active in the social media channels they utilize. Basically, it shows that it pays (literally) to have a team working full time on engaging with customers via social media. Even if that team consists of one person, it means they will not be distracted by other tasks and can give the social channel the attention required for it to make a significant impact.

As the social web continues to grow (meaning more people joining social networks, more people blogging, and more sites becoming social), there is a growing number of channels that require said attention.

"The ENGAGEMENTdb study goes a long way towards validating the importance of social media for business," says Ben Elowitz, CEO of Wetpaint. "The closer any company is to its customers, the better, and it’s hard to argue with the ability for social media to create such proximity. In this day and age, companies should feel much more comfortable investing in social media — the correlation to results is so clear."

It is in fact that clarity that many companies have had a hard time seeing in the past. Social media is still in its early stages though really. In the grand scheme of things, it’s still a relatively new concept. Keep in mind, that many businesses still do not even have websites, let alone a social media presence.

It is going to take studies like this and concrete data showing the financial benefits for more small businesses to truly get on board and engage. Having dedicated teams is a strategy that will likely become more commonplace as companies realize that half-assing it is just a waste of time.

A couple of other highlights from the study:

- The study found that the most successful teams evangelize social media across the entire organization to pull in a broad range of stakeholders.

- These companies view social media as an indispensable tool to help them achieve results, and their approach is conversational.

Along with the study, the ENGAGEMENTdb site was launched as a tool where companies can measure themselves against the top 100 in terms of the strength of their social media efforts. It’s probably not a bad idea to take a look if you’re serious about those efforts.

Would you focus more effort on social media if you knew it would increase your bottom line? Do you think the study holds water? Please share your thoughts.

Google CEO Eric Schmidt called the Internet a "Cesspool" Wednesday in reference to the quality of content and the amount of false information residing on it. This according to AdAge is a subject he spoke about with an audience of magazine executives at Google’s campus, where an annual industry conference was taking place.

Schmidt stressed that "Brands are the solution, not the problem…Brands are how you sort out the cesspool." 

I couldn’t agree more.

In response to an inquiry for advice about appearing more popular on Google, Schmidt told the magazine publishers, "We don’t actually want you to be successful…the fundamental way to increase your rank is to increase your relevance."

Branding and relevance. Hmm. Could it be that proving your content to be relevant  could increase the credibility of your brand, or "the authority" perhaps? Would it be safe to say that reader engagement is a reflection of relevancy as well? If more people become involved in a discussion, is that not a sign that it is more relevant? This sounds familiar.

OK, I’ll come right out and say it (yes, I’m going to bring up Bankaholic yet again). Take Bankaholic, the financial blog that was just sold to Bankrate for $15 million. Part of the reason Bankrate bought it was because it ranked well in search engines for hot key words the company was going after.

Johns Wu, the guy that sold the blog has acknowledged that user engagement was a huge factor in its success. It’s obviously relevant if it’s creating a good amount of discussion. And it’s ranking well. The name Bankaholic works as a pretty solid brand as well (some have speculated that this was also another factor of the purchase).

Schmidt is absolutely right. The Internet is a Cesspool of garbage, and relevancy and brands are the way to filter out what’s good. It’s no different than it’s ever been. Think about classic print publications. You’ve got trusted magazines and sleazy tabloids. You were always taught not to believe everything you read. The same principle applies online, it’s just that the amount of content is much greater (on both sides of the spectrum).

When discussion is taking place, relevancy is easier to pick out, and brands represent authority. Authority and engagement. Those are the keys to success, and that is the reason why new media is still a legitimate source of information despite people gaming the system to try and take advantage of it in unethical ways.

It Doesn’t Stop with Content Sites

Let’s look at the concept from a broader business standpoint, because these principles don’t only apply to content sites. They also apply to eCommerce businesses or even the web aspects of traditional brick and mortar businesses. I don’t care if your site only leads to selling products on eBay or Amazon, you must have ways of establishing your authority, which creates trust with potential customers. A blog or even “expert articles” that give tips and advice can be a good way to accomplish this. When a customer senses that the people running a site know what they’re talking about, they are more likely to purchase products from that site.

You can use blogs to engage site visitors and you can also integrate Web 2.0 type apps. For example, Best Buy has just launched an "enterprise-Twitter"-style application called Mix aimed at employees. Similar tools can be available for customers that will create an interactive environment that helps build a bond with customers, often prior to the sale. Anything that can help you develop a dialogue with your potential customers is going to help inspire trust.

A recent survey found that 81% of consumers don’t trust small online businesses. Authority and engagement are ways to overcome this. For more on earning customer trust online, see my seven steps for small businesses. How do you earn trust from your customers? What methods do you employ to engage users? How do you gain authority in your niche? Share your ideas with the rest of us. Engage!