8 Ways Social Media Benefits Events

Incorporating social media (via Twitter, blogging, video, community sites, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.) is a growing phenomenon for live and virtual events. Last week included a swing through Chicago for strategy development on two conferences where I produced social media in 2009. I'll be heavily involved in growing the social media presence for both events (the national Business Marketing Association and the American Marketing Association Market Research Conferences) again in 2010.

According to attendees and event industry observers, we introduced more innovative social media experiences than even many tech-oriented events. This impact at the front end of producing event-based social media comes from the fact the activity merges several areas of expertise for Brainzooming, including:

• Strategy development
• Customer experience design
• Social media
• Event production

Based on first-hand experience, beyond creating a buzz or "newness" for an event, strategically incorporating event-based social media delivers a variety of real benefits:

• We created additional layers of content beyond capturing speaker talking points. We produced additional commentary, links to relevant information, and video interviews, among other educational assets.
• We extended the conference impact to audiences outside the event through conference websites and the liberal use of hashtags.
• It's possible to motivate favorable behaviors through incorporating promotional offers to drive trade show traffic.
• It provides another way for attendees to become actively engaged in an event.
• We gained an understanding of audience reactions to presenters on a real-time basis.
• It's a way to solicit and address on-site customer service issues.
• Our efforts provided additional educational value by introducing a large percentage of attendees to social media applications.
• The social media team's presence prompted new interaction opportunities among those engaged in tweeting at each event.

What experiences have you discovered with event-based social media? We've found that realizing the full range of benefits requires a well-planned strategy and "producing" an event's social media effort, not simply leaving it solely to organic development. (Check out the deck we put together for the AMA Marketing Research Conference to get a sense of the range of interactivity we built into the event.)

Through both producing major events and taking a lead on organic social media in a number of smaller events, we've developed many fundamental approaches and look forward to sharing the benefits of these learnings in events this year. And if you're doing event planning, let us know if you're interested in finding out more about how social media can deliver new value for your event. - Mike Brown

Brainzenning - Taking the NO Out of InNOvation

What Has Social Media Done for Me? Plenty

A January post highlighted the plan to broaden Brainzooming through social media. Specific tactics included Twitter, capturing story ideas with Flip video, and participating elsewhere online.

Since many readers have asked, here's a progress update: the opportunities, connections, and possibilities from implementing the plan have been beyond my expectations. For those considering using social media in your personal brand efforts, here are some highlights:

• Since grabbing the @Brainzooming Twitter name in January 2009, it's grown to a focused network of several thousand, including great thinkers globally on innovation, creativity, marketing, and branding.


• BrainzoomingTM blog activity is up 3 times for the biggest month in 2009 vs. 2008. It's increased through Twitter, answering questions and updating activities on LinkedIn, sharing links on Business Week Business Exchange, and commenting on other blogs.


• Twitter led to connecting with @sethsimonds, who's helping revamp Brainzooming, moving it to Wordpress (and Brainzooming.com).


• Posting "Taking the NO Out of InNOvation" on Slideshare, being selected as a feature ebook, and sharing the link broadly generated nearly 3700 views in six months to broaden the Brainzooming audience.


• I worked with a talented team to live tweet, blog, and video the Business Marketing Association conference in June 2009. We'll build on the experience for the October 2009 American Marketing Association Market Research Conference I'm chairing. We're building a Twitter presence with @amamrc, recording webcasts, bringing live tweeting into presentations via ParaTweet, and exploring unconference and Pecha Kucha presentations (which yes, I learned about through Twitter).


• A request came through Twitter to participate in a Sydney, Australia innovation event with two stories shot on the Flip and posted on YouTube. There have also been new speaking opportunities on social media and innovation (in person, on radio, and the internet) and writing connections with 24 Hours of Innovation, World Creativity and Innovation Week, and Braden Kelly's Blogging Innovation website.


• Brainzooming is listed among top innovation blogs on IdeaConnection. (If you have a minute, please go there and vote up Brainzooming!) Brainzooming has become more of a recognized outpost for innovation thinking, with a wonderful group of Twitter-based guest bloggers contributing and PR outreaches from people wanting to be featured on Brainzooming.


• Finally, Googling "Brainzooming" in December 2008 would have yielded about 40 hits. Doing it just now, "Brainzooming" returned thousands.

One learning has been that taking a strategic approach to social media for me means concentrating efforts on only a few sites. That's why there's little presence from me on Facebook or Plaxo. I will be trying though to make a concerted attempt to get back to some high impact sites and explore new ones. One is Bulbstorm.com - a crowdsourcing beta site allowing individuals and businesses to solicit input on ideas while still protecting fundamental, proprietary elements of the ideas through varying access levels.

What a partial year so far of learning, meeting new people, and discovering new opportunities! Email or DM me with questions on your social media effort or suggestions for mine. - Mike Brown

Off-Blog Brainzooming

Beyond sharing creativity, innovation, and strategic thinking ideas here on the Brainzooming blog, I've had several opportunities recently to be involved with other channels to get ideas out. These are free and available for all of you to download!

"Fascination" - An Interview with Sally Hogshead

I recorded a webcast interview with Radical Careering author Sally Hogshead on Fascination and the triggers that make brands, ideas, and people fascinating. The webcast, in support of Sally's keynote speaking appearance at the American Marketing Association Market Research Conference (which I'm chairing by the way) debuts Tuesday, July 21. It will be available on-demand for one year afterward.

Having known Sally for several years, it rocked to get the opportunity to talk with her about fascination since it's the topic of her upcoming book. Her discussion on why Michael Jackson is fascinating is worth the listen alone!

And if you're involved in market research, you should really attend the Market Research Conference. We have a tremendous lineup of speakers addressing how market researchers and intelligence-based marketers need to prepare for "What's Next" to drive business success. Beyond traditional conference approaches, we'll be incorporating social media heavily into the event to extend & deepen the learning experience. For updates, http://www.twitter.com/amamrc.

Hosting Eye on Small Business

Kelly Scanlon hosts the "Eye on Small Business" radio program on 1510 Hot Talk in Kansas City. I've been on Kelly's show previously talking about "Taking the NO Out of InNOvation." She asked me to substitute host for her on the topic of “What Can You Do When You Can’t Do What You’ve Done Before” with guests Jan Sokoloff Harness and Kate O'Neill Rauber. You can listen to the broadcast and grab the guerrilla marketing tools questions we discuss later in the show.

Some More Brainzooming Stuff

Here are a few more free Brainzooming download sources:

• High Velocity Radio appearance on "Taking the NO Out of InNOvation" with Stone Payton
• Live with Jay Liebenguth radio appearance on Strategic Thinking
• "Taking the NO Out of InNOvation" ebook on SlideShare - 8 perspectives for more innovation

Hope you find these beneficial, and let me know if you have questions on any of them. - Mike Brown

World Creativity and Innovation Week - Asking a Question to Spur “InYESvation”

Even amid positive energy from activities during World Creativity and Innovation Week, we all may experience times when we become self-destructive to our innovative instincts by telling ourselves, “No, I can’t _____________.” You can fill in the blank with whatever negative self-talk you usually use.

One way to fight this tendency is to ask, “If I tried _____________, what’s the worst that could happen?” When viewed in this light, so many activities that initially fill us with apprehension show themselves to have far more dramatic upsides than negatives.

Try this approach as another way of “Taking the NO Out of InNOvation” and creating a sense of “InYESvation.”

InYESvation? I’ve been talking about “Taking the NO Out of InNOvation” for 4 years and had never finished the idea by replacing the “NO” with a “YES.”

Credit for this new word goes to @rainesmaker (Glenn Raines) who tweeted this great word to me last Friday. Yet one more example of the benefits of being hooked up with so many wonderfully creative people on Twitter. Thanks Glenn for doing my work for me!

World Creativity and Innovation Week - Eight Perspectives for "Taking the NO Out of InNOvation"

“Taking the NO Out of InNOvation” touches on eight perspectives and approaches to enhance innovativeness in you and your team.

And on May 14, I'll be presenting it at the Kansas City American Advertising Federation- KC (AAF KC) Get Charged Up symposium. The luncheon keynote will be delivered by Jennifer Dominiquini from Prophet, and Sally Hogshead will be rocking the place with her opening afternoon session!

If you're anywhere near the Kansas City area, and you've read or heard me talk up Sally since I met her 4 years ago, take advantage of this opportunity to see her live.

In the interim, here are the 8 perspective that can help you realize a more innovative personal approach by being:

1. Introspective: Be more introspective and understand your creative strengths.


2. Diverse: Embrace diversity & build a creative team with complementary strengths.


3. Forgetful: Figure out how to selectively forget conventional wisdom to refresh your perspective.


4. A Borrower: Borrow thought starters & ideas from new sources & put your own twist on them!


5. Open to Possibilities: Open yourself to all kinds of possibilities by finding new ways to look at situations.


6. Inquisitive: Become more inquisitive and ask great questions to bring out new ideas within you and your team.


7. A Creator: Prioritize ideas and bring them to fruition - actually create something with your creativity.


8. Persistent: Be persistent & tenaciously pursue possibilities since "No's" can provide insights to help you change & get to a "Yes."

Everybody Must Get Stoned on High Velocity Radio

It was a pleasure to do a segment Monday on High Velocity Radio with hosts Stone Payton and Lee Kantor talking about a variety of innovation topics. I met Stone initially via Twitter back in January, and appearing on Stone's show was part of the prize for winning the IDEF140 contest he sponsored.

We covered a range of issues, so beyond a link to the radio show, here are links to many of the topics we discussed during our conversation.

• Slideshare link to "Taking the NO Out of InNOvation" ebook


• Getting comfortable with sharing credit for innovation and the power of "we"


• Why it's important to have diverse perspectives among an innovation group


• Why it's helpful to be forgetful when it comes to innovation


• Ways to be more strategic on a personal level


• Making sure you're able to prioritize ideas


• My creative instigation partner, Jan Harness, her Creative Instigation blog and our upcoming book


• Appearing at a Sydney, Australia innovation event as a result of Twitter


• Following me on Twitter: @Brainzooming


• My Most Memorable Business Mistake

Thanks again Stone and Lee for the opportunity to be on the show, and I look forward to being able to do it again in the future!

Taking the NO Out of InNOvation Featured on SlideShare.net Home Page

Not sure how long it will be out there, but check out "Taking the NO Out of InNOvation" on the Slideshare homepage. You can view the ebook on Slideshare by clicking here.


Thanks for viewing it. Don't forget to "Favorite It" and leave a comment while you're there, please!

Taking the NO Out of InNOvation - A Free Ebook

Ask nearly any business professional if innovation is important for career success and the answer is typically “YES.”

Ask again if they’d like for themselves and their teams be more innovative, and you’ll usually hear it again, “YES.”

But ask if they have an approach and techniques readily available to continually become more innovative, and you’ll likely hear “NO.”

If these answers sound like they’re yours, you’ll benefit from my new ebook that helps take the “NO” out of InNOvation. It addresses eight approaches, helping you embrace ways to:

• Exploit the creativity you already possess
• Open up to a more creative perspective on life
• Get started benefiting from creativity tools you can use right away

To receive a FREE copy, email Mike Brown at brainzooming@aol.com with "e-book" in the subject line.

"Taking the NO Out of InNOvation"- 10 NO's Blocking Business Innovation

From experience and ongoing research, there are fairly common situations Blocking Business Innovation across companies. No business has all of them, but the presence of just a couple of them will scuttle the most modest dreams of bringing new possibilities to life to benefit others.

None of these NO's are insurmountable, so it's important to understand what causes each of them and some steps to take to navigate around them and get innovation going.

1. NO Knack for Innovation

There simply isn't an orientation toward innovation. It may be a mature industry, a company that's had success with an intense focus, one that's grown through M&A, or has been burned on previous formal innovation efforts. Whatever the reason, innovation doesn't appear to be in the company's DNA.

What Are Some Things You Can Try?

• Challenge conventional wisdom that says innovation isn't vital to the company.


• Target introducing small doses of unconventional strategy to begin.


• Introduce ways to look at the business differently.


• Try to borrow and adapt proven ideas from other industries or markets.

2. NO Direction

Without a top-level mandate, it's tough for an innovation-oriented culture to flourish. Could be that innovation is outside the company's vision, there's no upper management champion, or a lack of alignment stands in the way of innovation efforts.

What Are Some Things You Can Try?

• Create focus on the fundamental question - "What is the company trying to achieve?" - to figure out what matters and how innovation might fit.


• Simply articulate (or at least help do so) what the vision is for innovation.


• Consider starting small - don't worry about big ideas; focus on enough ideas to sort through and find winners.


• Or consider starting big - even if you don't get there, you'll do more than you would have otherwise.


• Make sure to have someone challenge your grand plan.

3. NO Rocking the Boat

There's an unmistakable signal from management (whether it's uttered directly or not): "If it isn't broken, don't mess with it. We're not interested in risk taking; let's just maintain the status quo." These messages make it clear that good things don't await those interested in exploring new approaches or trying to do things in different ways.

What Are Some Things You Can Try?

• Focus on progress within the current model; it won't even feel like the boat is moving, let along rocking.


• Determine how you can influence the business direction without anybody even realizing it.


• Look for problems or mini-crises (or maybe even big crises) that will force considering changes in how things are done.


• Look for competitors on the horizon that may seem distant, yet can be formidable threats.


• Challenge the business to take on "uncomfortable" ideas.
  

4. NO Talent Pool

The company may have convinced itself the right people aren't in place to make innovation happen. It could be a perceived lack of "creatives" or "outside the box" thinkers. More likely though, it's a failure to get people with diverse perspectives together and let them work. It's more about diverse talent not working together than not having the right talent in the first place.
What Are Some Things You Can Try?

• Begin to cultivate strategic thinking skills among your team and anyone else you can influence within your company.


• Actively work to broaden and diversify who is brought into strategic thinking and innovation work.


• Look for experts (even unlikely ones) inside and outside the company available to help.

5. There's NO Tomorrow

This NO springs from the conviction things will be won or lost in the short term, so there's little need for long term development. Or it may be there's no patience for protracted realization of opportunities. If it's going to be pursued, it needs to be developed and start paying out by the next quarter. With the current economic environment, this sentiment could be more prevalent than ever.

What Are Some Things You Can Try?

• Use a solid process for how you think through challenging situations, addressing short term pressures while being mindful of the future.


• Try to manage around strategic whims within the business; sometimes, that's best done by letting them pass.


• Go to school on the best thinking regarding how to manage innovation during challenging business conditions.

6. NO Resources

As with a "no tomorrow" view, lowered interest in applying resources to innovation may be more acutely felt right now. The absence of specific resources can be broad, including management attention, available time, and investment dollars. Without these vital inputs, innovation stalls or never takes off in the first place.

What Are Some Things You Can Try?

• Take a hard look at what adds value and what doesn't for areas to prune from the business.


• Narrow your activities and free up potential innovation resources by developing a "stop doing" list of low value or off strategy activities to halt.


• Demonstrate a willingness to be innovative in your approach - how can you introduce and implement new, high-impact ideas with no resources?

7. NO Motivation to Innovate

Something's lacking that dampens an internal drive to innovate. It could be an environment that doesn't promote cooperation, no opportunity to receive credit for your effort, or a lack of other meaningful incentives to bring ideas forward and develop them. The net result is that innovation isn't happening as naturally as it might.

What Are Some Things You Can Try?

• Understand the political fray inside the business and how you can use it to your advantage in securing cooperation and active participation from vital parties.


• Cultivate an informal team, if necessary, of like-minded individuals to help trigger innovation.


• Share ALL the credit. In fact, give away ALL the credit so you can make stars of those whose help you've enlisted.


• Be attuned to subtle forms of censorship and protect your innovation team from both internal and external threats.

8. NO Process

There are instances where innovation appears to emanate naturally from within an organization. Chances are though that it's been cultivated and developed through a process, even if it's a relatively small scale and informal one. Without some type of planning and organized means to realize innovation, barriers and bureaucracy can easily block new ideas from coming to fruition.

What Are Some Things You Can Try?

• Employ some type of structured process to collect or generate ideas. Make sure your approach and effort tie back to fundamental business objectives.


• Work toward a bigger pool of ideas from which to narrow, prioritize and pursue certain ones for implementation.


• Use structure liberally to provide people a means to contribute to ideation, a way to share their perspectives, and a path for implementation.

9. NO Implementation Success

Intriguing ideas and concepts are cool, but only have value ultimately if they lead to successful implementation and deliver benefits for the intended audience. There are various roadblocks to successful implementation, including flaws in how ideas are recommended, prioritized, developed, and marketed to target audiences. With all those potential challenges, it's a wonder anything new actually takes place!

What Are Some Things You Can Try?

• "Rehearse" the process you'll use to quickly prototype, justify, recommend, develop, test, roll out and troubleshoot ideas to increase your likelihood of implementation success.

10. No Measures

It's difficult to sustain formal innovation efforts without metrics in place to show ROI or even general positive improvement. Even earlier in the process, the absence of metrics makes identifying and prioritizing innovation opportunities a shot in the dark. Simply put: no metrics = no hope of long term innovation.

What Are Some Things You Can Try?

• Determine an overall framework to measure innovation with a variety of metric types.


• Develop whole-brain metrics, i.e. both quantitative and qualitative metrics to track performance.


• Establish a way to revisit unsuccessful implementations to learn from them and apply the lessons to subsequent efforts.
  

All the best to you in addressing the specific NO's you face at work that stand in the way of InNOvation.

If you'd like more information on exploring the personal perspectives you need to approach you whole life more innovatively, you can download an eBook version of "Taking the NO Out of InNOvation" from Slideshare. It's a great companion on your mission to bring innovation to life!