Puma City on Boston's Fan Pier
This week, I made my social media debut at Social Media Breakfast Boston #13 (Check out the permanent record of this debut on Flickr here.)
The breakfast occurred at Puma City, which is head-quartered on Boston’s Fan Pier, April 25-May 16, in honor of the Volvo Ocean Race.
The event was an information-packed, dynamic, and quite motivational experience for me, especially considering how new to social media I still am. For such a newbie to have access to the best and brightest luminaries in Boston’s social media circuit—well, needless to say, it was really quite a natural high for me, as well as for about one hundred and fifty other participants.
Add all that social media star and brain power to a brilliantly sunny morning (more like July than April, at fluke 94-degrees), all on Boston’s revitalized waterfront—and you have the makings for a “keeper” social media event and valuable networking experience.
The continental-style breakfast and tropical weather made networking on the open, sea-side deck more than inviting. Reps from Puma (the event’s sponsor) and Boston’s Save the Harbor kicked off the event. Next came the line-up of speakers, with their diverse, but equally high caliber credentials:
- Dan Schawbel, best-selling author of Me 2.0, Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success
- George Grattan, marketing specialist with Earthwatch
- Roger Wu, president of Klickable.TV
- C.C. Chapman, media maven and partner of The Advance Guard
In the points below, I briefly try to capture the spirit of each speaker’s presentation. The theme was how to “Rock the Boat” with social media.
Dan Schawbel, best-selling author of Me 2.0, Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success
- Described his career path, graduating from college with a marketing degree, and needing to find a way to differentiate himself in a very competitive and crowded profession.
- Founded Personal Branding Magazine and ultimately EMC recruited him to head up their Social Media initiatives, based on his passions outside of work. His approach and advice to other job-seekers: “Build content and get interest based on your passion. Don’t apply for jobs, but rather let people find you.”
- Recommends that you must be known for doing something well, for a specific audience.
- “If you use the content you create to stimulate, convince, and promote other people, everything comes back to you.”
- The connections he made through his blog helped him to promote his newly published, and very well-received book: Me 2.0, Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success.
- In his follow-up interview afterwards: Spend at least 5 times the effort marketing your web content , as writing it. Otherwise the content will sit there.
George Grattan, marketing specialist with Earthwatch
- Content today is about interactivity and co-participation, not passive consumption. Content answers or encourages a call to action.
- Content is not always about us. Earthwatch encourages its members to volunteer for other environmental nonprofits. In the process, Earthwatch has become known as a bridge organization, connecting people with shared interests.
- Earthwatch.org is not on Twitter yet, because the strategy, infrastructure, and people aren’t in place. “It’s important to have something to say.” Long-term, Grattan would like to use Twitter for question and answers with scientists in the field, when Earthwatch “figures out a strategy for how we can use [Twitter] effectively.”
Roger Wu, president of Klickable.TV
- Using his own videos as the backdrop to his presentation, Roger Wu described his original concept for Klickable.TV… “to make video more engaging and find a way to get people to click in a video.”
- Rachel Ray was one of his first clients, with videos that allowed users to click on her (for example, to learn more about the clothes she’s wearing), the fridge, other appliances, and so on. The concept applies not just to ecommerce, but to going to her blog or various RSS feeds.
- Klickable.TV lets us see what people are clicking on and when, providing a goldmine of data.
C.C. Chapman, media maven and partner of The Advance Guard
- C.C. Chapman opened asking the audience what they are most passionate about. Some said “kids”, “social change”, the “Red Sox”, and so on.
Chapman pointed out, “Not one person mentioned a brand.” - He challenged companies or those representing personal brands to “figure out what you are passionate about” and to channel that passion into storytelling on the web.
- As an example of what he is most passionate about, Chapman mentioned his new blog site, Digital Dads.
- In his follow-up interview afterwards: Chapman notes, “Passion is contagious. We want to hear your story…we want to hear your passion…Brands aren’t leveraging their stories as much as they can…Encourage customers who are passionate about your product to share their story…”
If you missed the social media breakfast, make sure to see Dan Schawbel and C.C. Chapman’s interviews, after the event. Also check out event organizer Bob Collins in his interview with former event organizer and social media breakfast founder, Bryan Person. (I was fortunate to briefly meet both Bob and Bryan after the presentations.) Pictures on Flickr also capture the spirit and fun of the successful morning.
If you want to continue to rock the boat, see the Social Media Breakfast site for details (to be determined) on Boston’s May event.
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