Social networks can be organic, they can form based on the desire of two people and grow from there. It’s up to the desires of the group. The key that turns a group that grows organically to a dynamic organization is leadership. When there is leadership, meetings become events, individuals know who to turn for action, and success begets success.

Community Catalysts Part 2 – Rick Mahn and SMBMSP from Albert Maruggi on Vimeo.

The Social Media Breakfast Minneapolis/St. Paul is a grassroots local group for the most part, although there are many folks not from the Minneapolis area participating as online members and tune into the monthly programs being streamed online. Rick Mahn is an IT consultant by training and practice, helping large organizations address technology issues. Over his career however, he noticed that technology is an enabler, not necessarily a solution. This brought him to social media as the bridge between enablement and action. He started the Social Media Breakfast Minneapolis/St. Paul chapter and triggered a human chain reaction in Minneapolis that has made the Social Media Breakfast monthly meeting a sought after ticket and a regular staple for hundreds in this community.

To be sure, there are many who contribute their time and talent to the community. Mykl Roventine is a go to person who has developed the web presence for SMBMSP and Brad Bellaver and Phil Wilson are regular contributors to the community with podcasts and just helping when and where it’s needed. Mahn also gives a tip of the hat to Christopher and Mary Lower for their social media innovation aligning off-line and on-line aspects of an apartment community. See that’s the leadership part. I mentioned at the Social Media Breakfast event at South by Southwest, that there are any number of people and organizations willing to pitch in with talent, time or dollars to help the organization fulfill the needs of the community. Companies see the benefits of being part of this community, Best Buy and Verizon Wireless are sponsors of some events. Verizon Wireless also supported my coverage of South by Southwest which included this series on social media innovators. That is the leadership part which is the difference between a casual group and a thriving organization. It is a recurring theme in this series on social media innovators of the Midwest.

The Social Media Breakfast was started in Boston by Bryan Person and has grown to nearly 40 communities holding Social Media Breakfast events.

Here are my keys to a thriving community

1. 1) leadership
2. 2) programming (some structure other than a reason to drink coffee or beer)
3. 3) open access to engage with the community (not hierarchical)
4. 4) tools and forums (central points for engagement online and off)
5. 5) learning and/or networking related to professional or personal enrichment (financial/intellectual/emotional)

I pose this question to those who participate in these type of communities what do you think makes them thrive?

I’ve travelled around the country meeting with plenty of people from online communities. Some are individuals I’ve met for the first time on Twitter, Facebook, Friend Feed etc. etc. etc. Others I’ve met for the first time in person. As a long time marketer I know getting people out of their routine to attend some event is one of the most difficult tasks of the profession. Whether it’s a political rally, a non-profit fundraising event, or a simple Tweet-up, the commitment of time let alone the energy to engage in conversation is among the most demanding on one’s busy schedule.

So when I see a group come together just to be with each other there is usually a person or two who acts as a catalyst. Catalyst, you know from high school chemistry it’s “a substance that causes or accelerates a chemical reaction without itself being affected.” Or a person or thing that precipitates an event or change. How about this definition from dictionary.com a person whose talk, enthusiasm, or energy causes others to be more friendly, enthusiastic, or energetic. Yeah, that’s the one.

There is a phrase, “make time” which is usually attributed to people that can be found helping everywhere, or who are focused to the point where they can bring about change, their own or for someone else. They just make time.

Now some will say that a super organized person is able to make time because they are so efficient. I don’t buy that. Sure organization is helpful, but the people who are catalysts usually make time by getting to bed later, getting up earlier, taking the dog on shorter walks, giving the kids a Cliff Notes version of their bedtime stories and plenty of other anecdotes that involve sacrifice. The places that have energetic events usually have a catalyst or two to spread their chemical energies and watch the reaction. You just need to see the discussion at the wichita Tweet up about network marketing to see the chemistry.

In this segment of Social Media Innovators of the Midwest we feature Cindy Kelly, also know as WichitaCindy on Twitter.

@WichitaCindy Catalyst For A Dynamic Community from Albert Maruggi on Vimeo.

This series was produced as part of my SxSw Roadtrip sponsored by Verizon Wireless who is also involved in many social media communities like Social Media Breakfast MSP, Social Media Breakfast Des Moines, and Mobile Twin Cities.

Time 29:43

A couple of observations about how last century’s business structure needs to change to benefit from the changes in the market brought about by the social web.

1) Coopetition to Community

Coopetition is the word coined for companies that decide to share expenses for in which areas they do not have competitive advantages or perhaps will jointly provide specific and not overlapping functions for a project.

Social media exposes all kinds of talent online, plus a public discussion of the issues. Now competitors readily learn, copy, share, and engage each other. Or course there is still competition, but now more than I’ve seen in the last century, there is a greater concern for the community as a whole. Companies are shaping their business models to be flexible to address customer needs. Examples of this are the Social Media Breakfast , Social Media Club, and the Unsummit Conference.

Observation – No matter the size of your company, be flexible enough to meet customer happiness, sometimes you have the answer and sometimes not.

2) Customer Participation

The hierarchical nature of old style corporate marketing is transforming to something in which the customer is a participant. In the last century marketing was the four Ps, product, price, promotion, and placement. Today I’d say marketing is about,

Incompleteness – it’s acceptable and beneficial to ask a community to finish a product eg. Ford Fiesta.

Responsiveness – this can be a simple acknowledgement on a blog post or a full fledged policy change as a result of conversations

Joint Ownership – creativity is when programs are absorbed by a community and then turned into something of their creation.

Recognition – when companies are paying attention to their online champions, it’s best to recognize them, a tweet, a coupon, an invitation; it’s good in a relationship to be appreciative.

In this podcast I get into these issues more deeply. I chat with Jennifer Milano, Jet Blue frequent flyer who was excited by the Jet Blue All You Can Jet Pass. So excited she created the blog Where We Jet which attracted Jet Blue customers taking advantage of this program that allowed passengers to jet anywhere the airline flew for $599 from September 8 through October 8

Jet Blue corporate remained hands off, but certainly supportive of the effort and the quickly growing number of customers using the site to learn about places to fly, meeting up with other travel fans and to share stories and pictures throughout the period.

In an appropriate side story, Jennifer’s efforts were acknowledged in many media outlets and the travel site Kayak astutely made Jennifer an offer to lead their social media strategy. All’s right with the world because Jennifer aspired to work at Kayak, a site she frequently used and admired of the company.

Good things happen to good people.

Twitterville Winner

Gerard Tannam of the branding firm Island Bridge in Dublin, Ireland is the winner of the Shel Israel book Twitterville. We did a couple of podcasts with Shel in September. Part 1 and Part 2 It’s on the way Gerard, be on the lookout, thanks for listening. Enjoy.

Time 23:42

It’s nutty, plenty of companies are running around trying to figure out social media. The answer and examples are right under your nose. It dawned on me while watching Jeff Pulver go through his networking techniques at a recent social media breakfast in Minneapolis.

This conversation shows companies how to approach social media from a perspective that many sales people have practiced in their professional communities for decades, one relationship at a time. I use sales only to get the attention here of many marketers, sales people and decision makers because these days there is a premium on getting sales, but as my colleagues know, social media goes well beyond a sale.

Pulver, employs interesting networking techniques during his sessions that would do any Rotary member proud. I use the Rotary example because this is an organization tied to both a business networking group that also has a history of giving back to its local community, a critical concept of social media.

Using social media tools like Facebook, Twitter and others to promote his events, and tapping that group to invite others who are not using social media. Pulver creates a meeting of the digital and physical worlds.


Jeff Pulver @ SMBMSP from Albert Maruggi on Vimeo.

Years ago Pulver wrote “the more digital we become the more need for face-to-face meetings.” His perspective is grounded in good old fashion interpersonal communications and you may say borrow from the work of sociologist Henri Tajfel who is noted for his work in social identity and minimal groups experiments.

It is the kind activity that is at the heart of every good salesperson, every productive chamber of commerce, and every professional association worth their salt to their members. It is about people and their willingness to participate with each other.

People who are neck deep in social media tend to get a little over the top about technology, and new applications, mashups etc, etc, etc, and can loose the essence of what all these tools are supposed to do, make it easier to meet other people, period. It is a foundation to share stories, pass on interesting information that will help people do something, like find the right product, get better healthcare, enjoy a new restaurant, improve their job performance, and the list is endless.

Pulver’s sessions are a must for both social media geek and the person that still carries around a Day Runner paper planner. Both have more in common than you might think.

Time 14:22

Slowly retailers are understanding that in a world of Free Speech and Equal Access (via the Internet), consumers and employees are talking about them. Many retailers are reluctant to jump into the social media world for an assortment of fears, some real, most perceived.

Adam Cohen, author of the Thousand Cuts blog, a regular read of mine, led a study of retailers using Facebook pages. Cohen’s firm, Rosetta, monitored uses of Fan pages by major retailers overtime from May to September of 2008. A highlight from the piece;

“A September 2008 study by Rosetta (formerly Brulant) that focused on the top 100 online retailers in the US found that 59 had a fan page on Facebook, up from 30 in May 2008. Among the 29 who added Facebook pages since that time were Best Buy, Toys “R” Us, Kohl’s and Wal-Mart.” The report is available for a limited time on eMarketer.

Adam and I discuss in this Marketing Edge podcast how, in some cases, employees or customers may have already created a Fan page on Facebook without the permission of HQ or the Brand Manager. You’ll have to blame James Madison and Thomas Jefferson for their wacky free speech idea in part for this behavior. However, as you have seen with Barack Obama’s campaign the ultimate in retail, when consumers are energetic about your brand, it’s best to watch the energy and not shut the lights off.

For a little background on my perspective on retailers and how they can assemble a comprehensive online strategy, dial back into the archives of the Marketing Edge blog to January 3, 2008 and the potential social media play for REI.

The Classic Question?

Is it best to dip your toe in the social media pool with a more conservative approach with a bit more corporate style like Target (nice grouping of more than 100,000 Fans)

Or a bit less structure like this page produced by fans of Jeep Wrangler

What are your criteria for how retailers can participate in social media?
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All real comments on this blog will result in Provident Partners donating a food item to a Twin Cities charity. It’s getting cold in these parts and a bowl of soup is a good thing.

Or you can call the comment line 206-600-6887 and leave a comment we can play back on the show. If you don’t want us to play it back, just say so, we’re fine with that, we are just glad to hear from you.

Time 15:19

The idea of a group of people sharing information can apply to hobbyists (like whitewater,try KayakMind, a product launch team, or a global force of loyal fans. One of my current favorites is Natasha Bedingfield Many companies struggle with whether such a beneficial collaboration is a technology question. There are plenty of platforms that exist for significant sharing of multimedia, and text along with other features like blogging, and forums.

Today we speak with Gina Bianchini, the co-founder and CEO of an exceptional platform for creating and growing social networks, Ning. Provident Partners has a private network for listeners of the Marketing Edge podcast and readers of this blog on the Ning platform. To receive an invitation just email marketingedge AT providentpartners.net and put Sandbox in the subject line.

Saturn cars inspires owners to exchange stories and ideas as well as company representatives to share what’s new and trendy in the car market. There’s plenty for movie lovers to enjoy on the Netflix pics site, and on the Provident Partners Social Media Sandbox you can ask questions, get answers, upload photos and video and form groups and forums for more detailed collaboration.

Bianchini said the Ning Creators social network, a network of thousands of Ning users, is an excellent place to develop new feature ideas, get feedback from users, and a central place to praise and vent.

It’s all about the interaction, the information, and the journey that the group goes on together. Jump on.

Time 20:22

Tiki Bar TV is one of the most popular vidcasts. This wonderful comedy short-form with colorful characters and a winning drink recipe at the end of every show is an excellent example of great work in this new genre — one in which marketers can access a community of fans. The show, available wherever podcasts are distributed, also has a delightful Web site with excellent tie-ins to merchandise, drink recipes and plenty social media uses, including MySpace badges, a forum and live chat elements.

Tosca Musk of Musk Entertainment is the producer of Tiki Bar TV. Tosca says as a business, this form of art, vidcasting, is still finding its way. Tiki Bar is creative from the business side as well by having excellent main characters and adding other interchangeable characters to keep the show fresh.

As a marketer I look at the show and Web site as a package, with plenty of places to support the art form (as a sponsor/underwriter), contribute valued information (drink recipes, good combos and bad, Tiki Bar food recipes), co-branded merchandise…well, you get it: There’s plenty for a creative mind to play with.

We didn’t discuss this in the podcast, but could there be product character appearances, such as a cameo from Captain Morgan? We do touch on how this kind of package will allow innovative advertisers and businesses to create information (I purposefully did not use the word advertising) that is less disruptive and more constructive.

In the podcast we chat with Jeff Macpherson, the director of Tiki Bar. He believes this genre is also outstanding for actors to create unprecedented relationships with their audience members. Because of the Web platform, these characters seem so much more approachable, and as Jeff says, “We are more approachable!” They even invited me over for a drink.

And yes, as a special treat we even get a couple of questions in with the good Dr. Tiki himself. So sit back, get a drink and enjoy this episode of the Marketing Edge.

Tiki Bar does have a Wikipedia entry.

Lead characters:
–Jeff Macpherson as Dr. Tiki
–Kevin Gamble as Johnny Johnny
–Lara Doucette as Lala

If you are one of the first three people to e-mail me at marketingedge@providentpartners.net, I’ll get you a Charooba Tiki Bar Mug.