Not much unless you have one leg! The phone wouldn’t have got far if there had only been one and neither would the computer. Being connected and having connections was always important but more so nowadays as we operate equally online and offline.

Connections bind communities and strengthen relationships, but it simply doesn’t work if you only have one or two! Its not enough. We need online as well as offline connections, deeper connections, reciprocal connections, non profitable connections, challenging connections, global connections, local connections, diverse connections, dynamic connections and super hot connections.

Not thousands, consider Dunbar’s theory of 150. 150 deep connections that are polarised and everything in between. These connections bring different things to your party, sorry business. They add value in differing ways, add vitality and inspiration that is distinctive from other and its vice versa too. Connecting is a two way thing1

It’s very rewarding doing a head count of your 150, identifying what they bring and then developing a way of engaging, participating and co creating with them. It’s changed, be a connector rather than a networker, the two are very different.

I had the pleasure of chatting to Josh Chandler last week where we discussed social media and its role in small business. Download it here:

http://joshchandlerblog.com/

It’s only 15 minutes long and just trying to get some thinking going!

We’re going on a treasure hunt today. The prize is finding the beauty in our business. Beauty is everywhere. That building across the street, in the walk you have just been on. The book you have just read, in the lunch you have just eaten, or the photo you just took. Perhaps even in the person you have just met for the first time who blew your mind! Yet we rarely seek it out in business.

You might discover it in design, a product, even in the new customer process you just implemented that works like a dream. It could be in that revolution you are creating. Sometimes you can’t even imagine it until you see it. Then its that WOW moment, it has impact, it distinguishes itself and life isn’t quite the same again. Not in true beauty anyway.

When beauty is present, it makes you think deeper, it raises emotions perhaps long buried and it definitely makes you think differently. Beauty usually leads us to be more explorative, because once you find it, you just want more. It can often push you to another paradigm.

In business, we need to give close attention to those things that extol beauty in our business. Once we do that, it changes. You set the rhythm, you convey elegance, even charm. Believe me its there. Your business is doing something really beautiful right now! Once we know where it is, what it is and why, we can learn about how to do it more.

As Evelyn Underhill said “For lack of attention a thousand forms of loveliness elude us everyday.”

The groundswell of change is leading to some seismic shifts in the next five particularly for leadership, jobs won’t change much but the emphasis in your company will:

1. There will always be indispensible people required, except you’ll need a lot more in your company tomorrow. These people will be ‘world class,’ passionate, fully engaged, online, followed, creative, leaders, organising discussion groups via Linkedin, people orientated, trusting, respectful and have high expectations.

2. There will always be reliable people unless you motivate them more intrinsically. They get paid to turn up, love silos and blame cultures. Low engagement, low communication, follow the rules, have conservative expectations. Believe in authority, hide creativity, follow but are not followed. They won’t blow your mind but will deliver a great days work to their job description.

3. There will always be low paid people. High turnover, little or low motivation, low in respect. They rock up and then go home with some shuffling in between. Expectations will be low.

You are what you do and what impact you have. In the future our businesses will need to be full of the number ones because its that distinctive element that will make us competitive as our products become increasingly much the same. The future business Seth Godin says “consists of well organised linchpins doing their thing in concert, creating more value than any factory could.”

Remember the old saying “going to borrow a cup of sugar” Referred to as the best way of getting to meet or know your neighbour. Just occurred to me, that perhaps we should do this more often in business.

Today is a lot about connections and relationships. We need to get out and about more and visit that company over the road or next door and say hello. Borrow a cup of sugar virtually from that person who has just followed you on Twitter who looks interesting. Better still what about the last person to visit your website or post a comment on your blog. Or, even the customer you haven’t talked to in ages.

We’ve a lot to learn by looking back at how our forefathers built relationships and its a great excuse to use a coffee break productively too!

Just thought I’d share some thoughts on how the eBook “Hang On” is doing after its recent launch. I’m conscious that lots of people are thinking about a doing a similar thing as part of their freemium model. Claire Marshall at www.RokkInternet.com suggested I do this at the launch. A promise I made and am about to keep.

I’ll not go into the too much detail, I’ll just point out a few facts that may help those of you thinking about making the commitment. I’m going to be honest, would I be anything else! During the production phase, think about these aspects:

1. Budget for it through opportunity cost. What ever time you think its going to take, double it. It cost my company £12k to write this eBook!
2. Do the research and always add your bibliography. Little tip, as you read stuff, write it down then, don’t spend two days at the end immersed in your bookshelf! Even Seth Godin’s started to include one!
3. Prepare for ‘bugger factors.” They always happen. I’d just started the book was on a very creative roll and my Grandmother passed away. Two weeks side tracked by more important things!
4. Get it designed properly by someone who knows how to do something that can be read on mobile, tablets and can be easily converted into an Apple app if so required.
5. Involve people. I’m not saying by reading the content. I personally prefer just to write it and then get the feedback once its done. But ask people to participate in the debate. I crowdsourced the words but would have liked to bring in Linkedin discussions etc if I had had time. Or made it part of my company’s ThinkLAB’s.
6. Its bloomin’ obvious but get it professionally proof read and get a creative comms license.

The aftermath has been fabulous. The launch party ridiculously successful. People networked, connected and have done new business. Perhaps it was the wine, perhaps just the atmosphere in the room, but everyone has fed back what a great evening it was. Many said they had made new friends! More specifically, there have been some fascinating insights:

1. It may be the design but most people are consuming it slowly. One reader said “Its not a McDonald’s , you don’t consume it in one sitting in 15 minutes. It’s more like a seven course evening dinner you spend hours on whilst washing down a particularly good merlot.” Fabulous. Main reason from several readers; apparently the content and the need to digest each ‘word’ as it’s so thought provoking. Thank you thats very kind.
2. No one is printing it. Just my intention!
3. I’ve been surprised by the number of people reading it on their mobiles and, in the last few weeks, the iPad. This perhaps indicates a trend for future eBooks.
4. There have been over 1000 downloads so far. We haven’t even rolled out the full marketing campaign for it so far. Just a launch party (highly recommended) and a little PR.
5. Since the launch, my Twitter account has gone haywire with the increase in the number of followers.

You don’t need to push me too much for me to say it was worth it and as any high end designer will tell you, your main piece of work, sometimes isn’t commercial. I’ve loved the process and learnt so much about myself. It is still early days yet, and I’ll give you a further update in six months! It’s not perfect but then thats just subjective anyway. What it is though, is it’s mine and you haven’t seen anything yet!!

Word provided by Scott Gould – www.scottgould.me

If you help, what I contribute will be better. Value, in the future for a lot of people, will be whether and how they participate in the businesses we run. They will be particularly motivated by group effort. Participation has almost become risk free because the cost of failure has dropped so we can mass innovate. The tools are there and the hierarchy removed to allow us to all to really take part.

Humans have always had a desire to make meaningful contributions. We lost that. Businesses deliberately organised themselves to control the participating. However, the case studies of Wikipedia and Linux have altered how close the horizon is. Participation is changing the way companies use resources and it’s bridged the gap between the amateur and professional. Amateurs are collecting data on behalf of wildlife trusts, we can transmit news items to the media, and astronomers are listening for other life forms for governments.

The passive consumer is evaporating. We want to participate in the generation of new products and services. We no longer want to just wait for it down the line to be delivered. Charles Leadbeater talks about “mass production to mass innovation.” He has missed a process or two out of the equation. It’s more like this:

Mass production – Mass participation – Mass collaboration – Mass innovation

It’s just a thought. As companies we have misunderstood that it’s the non-financial, intrinsic factors that motivate people like participation more than the financial ones. We are always talking about the difficulties of getting customers and employees to understand what we do and the advantages of our product. Perhaps we should take a leaf out of Benjamin Franklin’s thoughts “Tell me and I’ll forget, show me and I might remember, involve me and I will understand.” Powerful stuff. Maybe participation gets rid of that communication problem we have been having?

We have no excuses anymore. All business can allow its customers and employees to participate. I’m not talking about amateurs doing brain surgery, not a great idea, I agree. But I am talking about using the social tools we have now to enable the impossible to be achieved. If we involve people in the process, they take ownership. From that they will easily become part of our community, which is where we need them to be in the future.

Brian Solis wrote an exceptional article last November on social media and traditional influencers, catch it here;

http://www.briansolis.com/2009/11/social-media-influencers-are-not-traditional-influencers/

Its interesting as it distinguishs the potential differences. However, if you’re moving that passive database to a proactive community, its more sophisticated than that. Any business community around your business will depend on differing levels of intimacy, different roles and distinctive connections.

We’ve already identified that it will have groups of people with different needs in the last post. To get to grips with this you start with the people who can have the most significant impact, not action, impact. Your ‘pillar’ influencers or as Marco Iansiti and Roy Levien call them “keystone influencers.” They are the same thing.

Brian Solis is right, these critical players in your marketing strategy, will be either offline, online or both. You’re ahead of the game if they are both. The first stage is to identify clearly who they are and segment them based on that premise,: online or offline. Then you can decide what you’re going to do with them that encourages dynamic interaction. Look at it in two ways:

1. Start with the offline people. They’ll be offline for a reason. What are you going to do with them that will encourage, collaboration, co-creation, innovation, product development, new referrals and a guiding hand on how your business grows? What are you going to give them? These are great team brainstorming events, believe me. In addition, you have an obligation to encourage these influencers to ‘dip their toe’ in the water of social media. It’s your responsibility to be honest.

2. Secondly, go and identify the online influencers and do the same.

Build an approach that is going to solidify the relationship and drive your business forward. However, the way in which you use technology and platforms will be different here. I know its obvious, but I have to say it. Build into the plan, physical meetings with these people too. I recently, met up with my top 29 Twitter influencers in my local region and its worked. I still have one to do.

All of the ‘pillar’ influencers will, strangely enough, have significant influence in their respective fields. They may be customers, suppliers, friends, businesses linked to your sector and even competitors.

Once you’ve created your plan, then start to connect with this small (not hundreds) number of people. It’s no different than creating a marketing communications plan. Just a point, understand why you are doing this. It’s not broadcast, it means using some shoe leather up and meeting, visiting and ‘eyeballing’ people whether online or offline.

This first step in the development of an engaging, alive business community is about enhancing and enriching existing relationships that are natural, energetic, appropriate and individual. And, perhaps by doing this well, it will lead to new relationships.

Moving that static database where you ‘buy’ customers to a healthy, engaging, vibrant business community isn’t going to be easy, no one said it was. It’s also a long and windy road too. However, the only limitations to it are what you place on it, not your customers, nor, the community you already have. There is a clear step by step approach that I feel is appropriate using some leading edge thinkers for help and bit of my own brain power.

In simplistic terms, you need to understand that all community members are equal but they will have and want different roles. Participate and engage in different ways! In the past we would grade our customers based on A, B, C and D or whatever denomination that was. That’s a little outdated. Using a mix of Frank Reichheld’s model and Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff’s model in the book “Groundswell” can provide a great solution to getting to grips with the dynamics of your community.

Identifying the following groups is essential to planning your reputation and marketing campaign where you can engage with individuals, maximise the intelligence and intellect and ensure you communicate the right things at the right level.

I suggest these are the critical game players in your business community:
1. Pillar influencers - significant influencers, they are not afraid to challenge you, intellectual about the future and have the ability to refer potential customers.
2. Connectors – well connected either online or offline or both
3. Promoters – people who promote, without any incentive, what you do
4. Passives - people who buy from you on a regular basis but who can also become promoters with some encouragement
5. Collaborators who could also be co-creators

There are sub groups of people that are important but these are your main ones. These members will significantly shift your business towards the new competitive advantages of innovation, engagement and building relationships with the relevantpeople.

What’s non-negotiable is the fact that the groups are made up of people. People have replaced products, connections bind communities and, with that, comes the rocky movement from broadcasting at customers to being social with your community. It’s a hell of a challenge, but at the route is building the right relationships with the right people.

Now thats interesting and if the questions are changing perhaps the answers must too! Last evening I attended the www.media140.com event in Bristol, hosted in the salubrious setting of Goldbrick House. A superb, fascinating venue that upstairs resembled a gentleman’s club, only it allowed women in too!

As my fellow countyman (thats Yorkshire Trey) Alan Bennett once said “”Life is rather like a tin of sardines – we’re all of us looking for the key.” Well we felt a little like sardines but there were some moments of inspiration that may just provide the key! The line up was exceptional to say the least Gemma Went, Trey Pennington, Paul Squires and Gabrielle Laine Peters. All providing insights and foresights. The key moments of conversation;

1. “Conversation created the brand.” Ande Gregson on how Media140 has been successful.
2. “Something that engages you, is engrossing.” Gabrielle Laine Peters.
3. “This is a time of opportunity for small business.” Trey Pennington.
4. “Think about what you can’t achieve with social media.” Gemma Went.

There was lots more. I’ve been to many events like this and, indeed I’ve also spoken at them and I feel the Q & A sessions are shifting. They are getting down to grass roots. Simple questions are sometimes difficult to answer. But there is a drilling down to ROI and rewards. I think we are being too fluffy with the answers. Sorry to be so bold!

Rob Glover chaperoned me for the road trip up to Bristol, accompanied by the album Sunday 8pm by Faithless (for those of you who kept asking.) We talked a lot all day about the detail and the movement towards what I have called social business. Rob’s analogy of farming just summed it up in terms of the present. Nice one Rob! My take on his discussion point is set out below.

Social media is like agriculture. Its preparing the land for an abundant crop. That magnificant harvest does not happen overnight. It means tilling the land, creating a fertile soil. Cultivating it, caring for it, timing it and doing the right things at the right time. So that when you start to plan, promote, engage, participate and co-create you will reap what you sow. People are expecting immediate results from social media, a typical business desire for insatiable vast return now. It just doesn’t happen like that.

Chris Anderson in his book “The Long Tail” hits this right on the nose with a big thump. We see the big hits in the media like Jon Morter and his Rage Against The Machine project and expect the same followers and fans like that. In real life, the hits are rare and most of us succeed, like good farmers, by putting the hours in, caring for our product, preparing, being determined and being patient. We expect so much so quickly from social media, yet we don’t expect the quick results from traditional marketing. Where is the rationality in that?

We need to stop panicking, understand social media is not the only solution but part of it and start using it to cultivate our eventual results that will produce that exceptional harvest next year. Oh and don’t forget crop rotation in this scenario too!

At the end of this thought provoking evening, Trey said “platforms will come and go but the conversations will carry on.” I was going to ask a question but time ran out. Here it is; “How does genuine conversation flourish?” Answers on a postcard…oops sorry….in the comment box below!!!