Blogging is like exercising or eating broccoli or avoiding too much alcohol: we know it is good for us, but sometimes it’s hard to do the right thing.

When I meet with clients I emphasize the importance of blogging, because it:

1. Increases inbound links, which helps your position in search results (also known as SEO)

2. Positions you as a thought leader in your industry

3. Allows potential clients to get an idea of who you are and what you can do for them

4. Increases your website traffic

5. Affects inbound leads and, ultimately, fattens your bottom line

But, like exercising, just because we know the benefits, doesn’t mean we will do it.

That’s where rewards come in.

Recently, I spoke with Shannon Wilkinson of Perception Studios about how our brain is wired to respond to rewards. Shannon says that rewards work because they inspire you to keep going. For this reason, she advocates rewarding yourself frequently, especially since the research shows that reward systems are effective in modifying behavior.

If a task like blogging seems especially overwhelming, then break it up into its component parts and reward yourself for each step.

For instance, the tasks I identified for a blog post include:

1. Brainstorming and selecting a topic

2. Creating an outline

3. Free writing

4. Researching any links or references to include in the post

5. Creating the rough draft

6. Editing the draft

7. Rewriting the draft

8. Formatting the piece and including hyperlinks, headings, tags, keywords

9. Hitting the “Publish” button

In addition to extrinsic rewards like a bubble bath, a massage, or a walk in the park, Shannon helped me to identify the intrinsic rewards that come with blogging:

1. The blog helps to break the ice with prospective clients. (it’s especially motivating when they bring up a particular post)

2. There are feelings of accomplishment after a blog post is finished.

3. I am actively doing something that supports my business.

She suggested taking a few minutes after completing each task to daydream about these intrinsic benefits.

I have a feeling that it might be more motivating that booking that massage…

Flickr photo by sk8geek

In case you haven’t heard, the University of Virginia has been riding a roller coaster of secret cabals, emergency board meetings, and an ousted-then-reinstated president. My fellow U.Va. alums and I have spent the past weeks reading and tweeting, linking to blog posts and watching streamed video of rallies, vigils and meetings –all in an effort to uncover the whats and whys of what happened.

In a surprising story that includes breaches of honor and disregard of due process, a small coterie of board members asked for the resignation of a recently installed and very popular president. When the larger community of students, staff, faculty and alums heard that the ouster occurred without a meeting of the full board, they sprang into action to reinstate the president.

Twenty years ago it would have been impossible for the University of Virginia community to come together during summer break as quickly and effectively to fight the forced resignation of a president. But due to the magic of the interwebs and sharing platforms like Facebook and Twitter, the community was able to nimbly organize and assemble, if at times only virtually.

Social media was integral to the success of this effort for a few reasons. But the effort would not have been nearly successful without the elements of story, relationships, emotion and connection.

The Power of Story

This story was at times compared to a chapter in the Harry Potter series. There were twists, turns, rumors, intrigue, secrets, villains, heroes, and underdogs amid themes of justice, greed, fighting the man, tradition, forgiveness, love and connection.

People interested in the future of higher education tuned into the story as it presented the issues facing all public universities: dwindling resources, reduced state support, increased enrollment, and high health care costs. But others also listened because the narrative was captivating. The characters of the drama were identified, roles were cast (literally) and caricatures drawn.

It was a drama of our times, in the vein of Occupy Wall Street. Former George Washington University President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg said, “It’s the French Revolution upside down: the people rising up to demand a return of the orthodox leader, the authentic president in the name of the 99 percent. They, the stakeholders, were not consulted by the 1 percent. It’s about them, the ‘common man.’ Sullivan is the symbol.”

Even though it could be painted as an archetypal story of good versus evil, in the end it was about people muddling through, trying to do the best they could with the information and resources at their disposal.

Not everyone, however, thought the board was utilizing every resource. According to emails obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by the school’s newspaper, The Cavalier Daily, there was a feeling among some board members that the university was not moving fast enough into online education.

Professor Siva Vaidhyanathan pointed out that the board should have consulted the many experts at UVa who have been researching, studying and providing digital platforms and tools for the past twenty years.

But the board did not seek the faculty’s expertise. In fact, much of the board’s intentions were not made public, even to the president.

When the board met to vote on a replacement president, Sullivan read a statement and advised:

“I want to turn to the issue of trust.  The community of trust is not merely a term to describe a Code that applies to our students. We equally need a community of trust between faculty and administration and among our leadership teams.  Trust does not mean an absence of disagreement. But it requires that disagreements be frankly discussed. No matter how accomplished he or she may be, a president cannot read minds.  When you choose a new president, tell him or her what you are thinking.”

The Power of Love

While the board was working to figure out the next head of the university, students, faculty and alumni were gathering behind the scenes to orchestrate The Rally for Honor, held on June 24 on the Lawn. This event was characterized not by angry and disenchanted voices, but by people united in their love for the school and impassioned by their hope that the Board of Visitors would ultimately do the right thing.

“If the Board were to reinstate Terry Sullivan, most of us will come away with a new appreciation for the Board,” Ken Elzinga, Professor of Economics, said. “Forgiveness is what the University needs, not years of ill will.”

Spanish professor Ricardo Padron, commented that without the Board of Visitors’ misstep, “We would not have known this,” pointing to the crowd on the Lawn. “And that we know we all care more for this place than we thought we could.”

It wasn’t just love for the school on display, but love for its hands-on administrator. President Sullivan, an incrementalist who is known for her listening skills, used her 22-month tenure to connect with the community and garner much needed buy-in for inevitable change. Dorrie Fontaine, Dean of the Nursing School, described Sullivan as having style, grace and courage.

What makes a story sticky or spreadable?

I have had more than a few clients who’ve asked, “How do I make this video go viral?” or “How do I get more people to comment on a blog post?”

The lessons from these past two weeks at UVa indicate:

1. If you want a story or message to spread, it should be simple and memorable; extra points if there is an element of surprise. In this case, the de facto firing of a popular president coupled with the concrete, simple details of a few people staging a behind the scenes coup made the story both simple and unexpected.
2. Meaningful stories get more mileage. Causes always perform better than product promotions because people care more about Parkinson’s Disease, drunk driving and local food than toothpaste flavors, car design or computer chips. During the tumultuous weeks at UVa, the school lost donations, at least one professor and untold amounts of goodwill. People got involved because they knew their school was being hurt and they wanted to help change the trajectory/course of events.
3. The story needs to appeal to emotions. In this case, the story appealed to multiple emotions: sense of justice, love for an institution, commitment to people who have helped (teachers), and a shared sense of purpose toward a common goal.

So far, the story has a happy ending – the board voted unanimously to reinstate President Sullivan and her reinstatement has inspired a flood of donations.

And, on a personal note, I have never been more proud to be a part of The University of Virginia.

I am in awe of the collective heart of all who worked to set things right.

One of my clients kicked off a Facebook contest today, so I wanted to share five contest tips that will help your next contest achieve its goals:

1. Highlight Customers

In the case of a physician practice, the customers are patients. This contest puts the patients front stage, highlighting their stories while showing how the practice helped each patient get back in the game. I love how they include advice from the athletes as well as photographs and back stories. It helps others see how they could benefit from the services these patients received.

2. Share the Prize

Notice that the winning entry will win a prize not only for the athlete, but also for the athlete’s school. A scholarship prize for the winning athlete attracts friends and family of that athlete. A prize for the school’s Athletic Department attracts the whole school. By awarding prizes to both athlete and school, the contest ensures the highest degree of participation.

3. Make it Social

When you run a contest on Facebook, users can invite their friends to enter the contest as well as vote in the contest. Also, every time someone votes, Facebook publishes an update to that person’s news feed about it. This promotes your contest to friends of both voters and entrants – people who might not know about your organization. If one of your goals is brand awareness, this is a win.

4. Comply with Facebook Guidelines

This means using a third party application for contests. I like Wildfire (not an affiliate link) because it is easy to set up. They offer various price points, but you can run a month long contest for less than $36. Do not use Facebook as a contest platform by asking people to enter the contest by tagging photos or clicking Like. You can’t use Facebook posts or messages to notify winners, either. Any violation could get your Page shut down permanently, so familiarize yourself with the guidelines.

5. Know your Goal

In this case, Commonwealth Orthopaedics is seeking brand awareness. They want people to know about their services through their Facebook Page, so they selected a contest format that had a low barrier to participation: a simple vote. Contests that require more interaction, like uploading a photo or creating a video, set the bar higher and are more suited to goals around engaging customers and strengthening your relationship with them.

Want more information on Facebook Contests?
Check out Engage your People with Facebook  or Facebook for Arts Organizations.

image by Theodore Scott

Occasionally, when I meet people in person the conversation will go something like this:

Acquaintance: Hey I read your twitter bio. Cool. Where do you kayak?

Me: Well, I have kayaked a few times, but the bio is a metaphor for what I do.

Acquaintance: Oh, do you have a lot of water enthusiasts as clients?

Since Twitter gives only 140 characters, I thought I’d flesh out the details, because there are reasons to have an apprentice kayak guide as your social media consultant:

Apprentice

An apprentice is still learning.
At this point, anyone who claims to be a social media expert is exaggerating, because the landscape is new, evolving and changes happen fast. Just look at Google+ – it’s been around for only a handful of months and already has amassed 50 million(!) users. Not to mention Facebook – Mark Zuckerberg keeps rolling out the changes to stay on top. Old favorites, in the meantime, have come and gone. With all the apps and tools and reports that are introduced daily, it’s important to have someone with you who is still learning, still researching, still curious.

Kayak

It is much easier to navigate a river if you have a kayak, helmet, life jacket, and paddle.
Similarly, there are tools to make navigating the social media stream easier:

Social media calendars, bingo cards, Yahoo Site Explorer, Keyword tracking, Google Analytics, Hootsuite, Social Bakers, realtime search tools like Topsy and Social Mention, Twitter analytics tools like TweetReach, Facebook Insights, Facebook Ads, CoComment to keep track of blog comments, Boardreader to track comments on forums and discussion groups.

A guide will direct you to the best tools for your project and see that you use them properly.

Guide

You can’t get down the river if you don’t know where you are going – a guide can help you figure out where you want to go and help you craft a plan to get there.

This is especially true with social media.

It’s ok to jump in and test the waters in your neighbor’s backyard pool, but for a campaign important to your organization, you need to first figure out the destination – the goal of the campaign. That key information will help you and your guide craft a plan to achieve that goal.
Create a measurable SMART goal so that you can adjust tactics as you go:

Specific – something like a 10% increase in ticket sales or blog comments or Facebook Likes
Measurable – if measuring an increase, establish a baseline first
Attainable – if you just opened your coffee shop, sales will not double from a Facebook coupon
Realistic – see attainable
Timely – a time frame for your campaign

 
You’ll have a much better time traveling down the river if you do it with an experienced teacher. An apprentice kayak guide who’s been there before, can point out the right tools, and help you attain your goals while getting through the social stream in one piece.

Created by: onlineschools.org

Social Media Checklists and Calendars

You know you need a social media calendar.

And a checklist, too, to keep it all straight.

The only problem is, after you organize it all in an Excel spreadsheet it becomes so mind-numbing that you need to main line caffeine to keep yourself on task.

Make it Fun

No, not with flip flops and a margarita. It’s only Wednesday, for goodness sake.

Make it into a game.

A bingo game.

Click on the image above, print out a couple of copies and each time you complete a task, place a marker on the appropriate square. (I use M&Ms -they’re tasty and they get the job done)

Have ideas for ways to play? Let us know in the comments!

Many thanks to  Maryann Devine of Smarts and Culture for suggesting that I adapt Kelly Parkinson’s Bingo idea. And Kelly’s idea for Blog Twister? Equally mind-blowing.

 

Whenever someone asks me about my background, I sweat a little. 
And get a bit flustered.

Because I’ve taken the circuitous route.

The Circuitous Route

The circuitous route is not a linear path and it’s not a prescribed step-by-step cookbook approach.

It’s not like I wanted to be a doctor and said great, I’ll major in biology, get straight As, go to medical school, choose a specialty, then on to residency and open a practice.

My experience was more like hmmm, I like computers and I LOVE San Francisco, so why don’t I move there and get a job in a computer company?

And when I found that I really liked teaching people about computers, I thought why don’t I become a teacher?

I also liked learning new skills, drawing and seeing how the built environment affects our lives, so I studied architecture in graduate school. But when I worked in an architectural firm, there wasn’t enough teaching/learning for my taste, so I circled back to teaching.

You get the idea.

I’m interested in a lot of different subjects, and I especially like interacting with other people, learning and teaching new things.

This is the circuitous route.

Social Media, like the circuitous route, is not linear and rarely follows a formula.

Experiments

When you take the circuitous route, you need to experiment, because you don’t know what you’ll find. I mean, when I was working at the computer company I had no idea that my favorite part of the job would be teaching people how to use computers.

The organizations who are the best at using social media are constantly experimenting because they understand that not every scenario can be planned or scripted.

My favorite unscripted example is from the Mayo Clinic.

Through their patient story website they came upon a video of an older couple playing a piano duet in their Gonda Building.

They recognized excellent, shareable content and distributed the video through Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. The video went viral and has been viewed over 7.5 million times, extending awareness of Mayo’s brand and highlighting their patient’s story.

Serendipity and Wrong Turns

The circuitous route requires ceding control and experimenting with boundaries.
It also requires being a little uncomfortable because when you take the circuitous route, you need to be at ease with both serendipity and wrong turns.

Most people are ok with serendipity, because the happy factor outweighs the unexpected factor.

Wrong turns are another story, because many people equate wrong turns with failure.

But wrong turns provide extremely useful information.

For instance, the following tweet would be fairly harmless for the personal Twitter account it was meant for:

“Ryan found two more 4 bottle packs of Dogfish Head’s Midas Touch beer… when we drink we do it right #gettngslizzerd”

But, wrong turn, it got published to the @RedCross account.

The Red Cross handled the detour extremely well (and with humor) by removing the above tweet and replacing it with:

“We’ve deleted the rogue tweet but rest assured the Red Cross is sober and we’ve confiscated the keys.”

The Red Cross took a possible PR snafu, reacted quickly, calmly and won the respect of Twitter followers and Dogfish Head. In fact, they were so impressed that @dogfishbeer’s fans launched a fundraising and blood donation drive for The Red Cross under the hashtag of #gettngslizzerd.

These examples resonate with me (and with their social media followers) because they are authentic, unscripted and show people and organizations who are trying to do the right thing.

The circuitous route may not be the most direct path, but it sure makes for interesting stories.

Mimi Carter, of Sparklight Communications, and I are continuing our video series with this week’s episode of Audience and Online Presence.

The big take-away: make sure that your intended audience sees themselves in your website or your newsletter or your Facebook Page. If they don’t see themselves, they won’t come back.