Leadership Lessons in the Video:

1. Have the guts to be the first person to stand up and stand out; 
2. Give credit to the first follower – who in essence is the first early adopter who transforms the lonely “nut” into a leader; and 
3. Embrace and respect those early adopters, especially those who encourage others to follow or who take it upon themselves to teach others HOW to follow you…

ADOPTION LIFE CYCLE

Watch the video and see how risk-takers stand out from the crowd. Note, in particular, how the Dancing Guy interacts with the initial followers (earliest adopters). It’s also important to recognize how the first follower was the key catalyst for turning the risk-taker into a publicly-recognized leader. It’s at this point where successful marketing of new ideas, products, etc. becomes difficult to pass over and engage the next group, the “Latent Adopters”. In Geoffrey Moore’s book, Crossing the Chasm, he proposed that there is a wider gap (chasm) between these two “adopter” groups than between any other groups in the adoption lifecycle. 

This is where social media can help. Watch how the Dancing Guy recognizes and engages the first early adopters. He’s not making himself out to be the center of attention – instead the focus stays on the movement, the dance. That’s why people followed in the first place. As more people follow, the group’s momentum continues to be about the dance.

In social media, successful marketers listen to their customers’ interests and use what they learn to connect and collaborate with the group. Through online networks, your early adopters (or brand advocates) can become your initial catalysts that will PUSH your ideas (products, services) out to many others. When they add their own remarks to further support and encourage others to follow, you will gain more social media momentum.

SOCIAL MEDIA IS QUICKLY CROSSING THE CHASM

Geoffrey Moore's Adoption Lifecycle, from "Crossing the Chasm"

Social Media Lessons in the Video:

The video also shares an important Social Media lesson: the power and simplicity of socially-reinforced engagement. In less than 3 minutes, the Dancing Guy had quickly traversed multiple chasms, connecting his innovative idea with early adopters (community enthusiasts). Using social influence to engage their peers, the first two adopters quickly bridged the new idea (products, services) to the rest of the crowd. As more and more people joined in, you’ll see the small gaps between early majority pragmatists, late majority semi-conservatives and very conservative laggards.

For many businesses, marketing on social media channels is a very scary thing. They’re afraid that they won’t know what to do. They’re afraid of looking foolish – just like the dancing guy may have felt before he took that first step. Using this video could be a GREAT way to express the power of social marketing to businesses who are still hesitant about stepping out into social media. It’s also a great reminder that social media should be fun! So, start dancing on Twitter and Facebook today.

• Understand the operations, features, cultural climate, and etiquettes of the current top social media sites, including the time demands and mechanics of creating and maintaining relevant communications on each social site.
• Be an experienced marketer who understands the value of integrating social media with your business objectives and overall marketing plan. Without a cohesive strategy, your marketing efforts are not performing efficiently.
• Verify and periodically review WHICH social media platforms would be most effective for your brand to be participating in. Just because Facebook has the most USERS right now, is that where you really need to spend most of your social media marketing efforts?
• Test other social media sites. Effective social media marketing involves investigating the social realm to ensure which of the top social media sites your customers and prospects are using. By eliminating those that are not feasible, your best efforts can be spent on social media  sites where relevant conversations are occurring about your brand.
• Be attuned to shifts in different social media spheres. When shifts that would impact your industry occur, a competent social media marketer would recommend and implement any modifications to your social media marketing strategy.
• Work with you to develop a triage plan for any crisis management that will occur (and they eventually will). By planning ahead, the person maintaining your social media posts can react prudently to negative comments left by customers. With a triage plan in place, critical posts can be forwarded to the best person to respond. It’s crucial to handle these quickly and with respect and sensitivity.

LINKS:
7 Reasons NOT to engage in social media
13 Reasons Why Social Media is Worth your Time

Cathy Dunham
Web Marketing and SEO/Social Media Strategist
K-Kom Inc,
www.kkominc.com

Do you know what’s being said on social media about your brand, your products or services, or your company? Your customers ARE definitely talking about you whether you realize it or not. You just need to know WHERE customers are talking about you and WHAT they’re saying. These are guaranteed opportunities for you to publicly react to bad reviews that would otherwise impact your brand and the perceptions of all who are reading these comments. And once it’s out there, it’s usually out there for good. On the other hand, favorable reviews will bring instant endorsements from your stalwart brand fans and influencers.

Monitor the mood of your brand. Look for any consumer verdicts, comments, reviews, and feedback on your new products, services, trends, ideas, or anything else being discussed on social media. Tune in and listen. Left unattended, your brand and reputation could suffer irreparably.

Doesn’t your business deserve to have its brand and reputation maintained and protected? Thought so! So get involved today. Start small and grow your participation gradually. Need more ideas? I’m here to help – along with many other social media and SEO strategists…

Cathy Dunham
SEO Marketing and Social Media Strategist
K-Kom Inc,
www.kkominc.com