I spent a few minutes chatting with Nicolas Fermont from NetInfluence about Lift2010 talk. (Video coming soon!) In particular, we chatted about how companies can engage in this space without losing control of their brand and message.

From their site:

The interview starts with Rahaf talking about the above mentioned points. Since partners we advise at netinfluence on social media, are often raising this point, I asked her why she believes organizations and brands should not be afraid to engage in social media and “loose the control”.

Rahaf gave me the straight forward answer we also give to our partners: people are already taking about them in countless forms of social media. Therefor it is fundamental to:

1. monitor what is being say about your organization/brand

2. be present in the conversation to have some say.

She rightly argues thatnot being in social media is already letting go of that control! Rahaf concludes that every organization should have some kind of web presence and be active in the online communities where its consumers are.

Video:

Many thanks to Nicolas!

I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Dan Schawbel’s Personal Branding Blog about business strategies for social media and my book “Yes We Did.”  I also speak about the common mistakes businesses make when it comes to their digital strategy and how to conquer your fear when evaluating these tools.

A small highlight:

In your opinion, what are the most common mistakes businesses and organizations make when it comes to social media and branding?

The most common mistake I see are businesses who think they need to be doing every new thing. They are all over the place simply because they feel like they should be without necessarily considering how much value it’s adding to their overall strategic objectives.

Your best bet is to really sit down and think your strategy through. Where are your consumers naturally congregating online? What are they doing there? How would you like to engage with them?

These thoughts have to be carefully considered before entering this space, otherwise you end up wasting valuable time and money, not to mention potentially irritating potential customers as well.

You can read the rest of the interview here.