The document discusses how businesses can build authentic connections with customers through social media interactions. It emphasizes allowing natural conversations to evolve without disruption, recognizing influencers, and responding genuinely to earn trust. It also stresses adapting social media strategies in response to ongoing feedback to continuously improve engagement.

1. CONNECTING IN SOCIALSCAPES
The adoption of non-traditional
knowledge sources for driving a
people-centric business
©Pallino1021.com May 2010
©Pallino1021.com May 2010

2. S
ocialscapes (Social landscapes) provide the opportunity to
engage and nurture lasting connections. As we have advanced
from a single dimension of marketing into multi-dimensional
connections, the process of communication has transformed.
Marketing messages have evolved into true conversations, and the
best examples offer significant value to all.
The importance of authentic connections…
Truly compelling dialogues can be developed when people pilot social
connections and authenticity is inherent. A humble approach is needed;
one that begins with listening, quantifying and only then responding to
ensure relevance, and inspire sincere interaction.
Common interests will bond like-minded people; they will be anxious
to share ideas, seek inspiration and “LIKE” personalized content. How-
ever, the natural evolution of these interactions cannot be disturbed. It
is imperative to create a spontaneous atmosphere that provides multiple
levels of sharing and applauds individuals—keen to drive conversations.
Natural evolution of influencers can only be achieved, and their charac-
teristics observed, when facilitators adopt a nurturing position. If mod-
eration and strict facilitation remain, dialogues are likely to offer vastly
different outcome.
Socialscapes must:
Allow the ability to challenge and applaud
Empower participants
o Feel equally involved
o People-guided use of products
o People-driven service
Appreciation is essential. The added value of being heard will strengthen
ties. Even the simplest manner of recognition will create emotional con-
nections and seed content that will most certainly become shareable
across adjacent social environments. For natural advocates, knowing
that a representative of the brand took genuine interest in their ideas or
offered a favorable comment is sincere engagement.
Connectivity…
The Grand Hotel understands the need for authenticity and has earned
the trust and respect of followers via their digital media channels. Fol-
lowers find real value in their connection with the hotel and seem to feel
they are a real part of the Hotel’s charm.
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3. Warning: Avoid Intrusive Communication…
Communications are extraordinarily relevant as the hotel avoids intru-
sive sales-like dialogues, but rather, stimulates interest with images,
ideas and news that is truly important to their audience. Memories are
provoked, flooding socialscapes with devoted anecdotes and enduring
emotional ties.
Text and Image Source: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=176795&id=93339856696&comments
The Grand Hotel is careful not to disrupt the natural process of
communication or links/connections to likeminded individuals. This
natural process of influence is a splendid learning opportunity and
brings key variables of influence into view.
Grand Hotel Last week Lynn suggested web cams in the hotel so that she
could see things going on when she can’t be here with us. We enjoy
hearing your suggestions and they do not fall on deaf ears. So, tell us
what you are thinking. What would you like to see at Grand Hotel?
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4. The Grand Hotel ROA (Return on Authenticity)
Almost complete view of a person’s personal style and behavior.
Captivate the audience through personalized experiences.
Inspire creativity with genuine perceptions.
Visualize and refine themes as they emerge.
Multiple points of participation.
Getting Content Right…
We find that there is an enormous difference between original content
and original branded content.
Original branded content can be extremely engaging (click below), in fact
it has to be. However, original content can be even more potent and when
combined with direct authentic interest from the brand…a commanding
emotional conductor.
Click image or paste: http://nike.jp/musicshoe/
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5. How lasting connections are established and where engagement
begins…
The Social graph defines strong connections based on content, interaction and
a level of emotion.
Source: Facebook
FridgeNality on Facebook
In contrast, consider the level of emotional connection defined within
original content. Emotion is built-in. Families love to showcase their
achievements, and socialscapes offer a glimpse of the most coveted of
spaces…an extension of the refrigerator door. Imagine the emotional
connection if Toy Story “Liked” Jack-Jack’s picture of Buzz and Woody.
His mother and her friends would then feel truly connected and
strengthen their emotional attachment to Toy Story.
Fans should be encouraged to upload personal images to a fan page.
A great example, Coca-Cola has more than 5000 fan photos posted by
some of their more than 5 million Facebook fans. Yes, an element of
caution is necessary, but not to the extent that monitoring the space
could not make a difference. Pictures posted by fans on their personal
pages should also be noticed, once tagged, they offer digital media teams
the heads up.
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6. Hints for rewarding productive and fruitful engagements…
Community managers can derive higher value from, and truly define, the
importance of influence by keeping a few things in mind.
Applaud and bring original content into play.
Ensure content and timing are non intrusive.
Strength of the connections between friends.
Recognize how and when to re-engage, respond and praise.
Adaptability…
The purpose of social connections is to understand how people perceive
your offerings and the behavioral context defined within their connec-
tions. Preparing a sustainable system of information sharing/extraction
is challenging, but certain to become the source for serious business
decisions and future strategies.
Filters must be in place to measure and effectively use evolving levels of
dialogues. In order to determine what is meaningful, you will need to
plan for engagement. An agile approach is required to react in real-time
and provide clever stimuli with adaptive content.
Authentic characteristics and “living” context will introduce new ideas,
while defining alternative agendas for the future.
Set strategic priorities and design with a flexible model.
Creative content seeded at the most appropriate time.
Genuine responses are worth more.
Stimuli – a conductor of sharing and a method of tracking viral
success.
Power-up your socialscape’s connectedness…
Understand influencers; define their alluring characteristics and atti-
tudes. Pay attention to insightful responses and the perception of influ-
encers. When and how people respond will offer important behavioral
clues.
Disruptions…
Don’t just sweep difficult subjects under the rug. Use them to illustrate
commitment to advancements and allow disruptions to guide productive
learning.
Create smart connections…
Identify useful combinations across fragmented environments. Consent
to open solutions incorporating additional sources of information
Ring your friends into Pandora and discover the music they’re
experiencing.
Purchase behavior via facebook credits.
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7. Analysis –an important part of early planning…
Determine the way social content will be used and the role of people in
the decision making process. For instance, if you plan to align with in-
fluencers; what levels of information and behavioral attributes will be
required? Creating high-level data cycles will present informative oppor-
tunities.
Refine topics and understanding.
Create relevant stimuli and promote unique positioning.
Insight can easily be fed back into social environments for further
clarification.
Design and measure for continual disruption…
The ability to interact with people across digital platforms has become an
important part of business. Investments in social intelligence often focus
on listening platforms and tools for facilitation used by Community man-
agers. Listening platforms gather enormous amounts of data.
Community managers must champion social communications and ex-
tract meaning from active dialogues. But, how often are these dialogues
truly interactive and how real are the responses? Does the insight gained
from listening take part in other dialogues?
The value of true qualitative analysis must be considered. The inten-
sity of dialogues and the level of original content must be viewed from a
trained perspective to understand and uncover deeper meaning and di-
rection.
Filters must be in place and aligned with what people are saying.
Unbiased reflection of rich context / personalized content.
Integrate with other sources of information.
Continuously refine the process.
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