SOCIAL IMPRESSIONS

Bloggers, seasoned and new, often find themselves in an idea rut. They stare at blank post pages wondering what to write about. Many go through the same “type a sentence and delete it” process. Bloggers are committed to their readers and subscribers, so they consistently and desperately rummage through the idea boxes stored in their minds for that thought-provoking and mind-shattering post. Unfortunately, they usually find a lack of remarkable material. The first alternatives are to settle on recycling an old topic discussed months ago, or just wait to publish a post – for weeks or even months.

Why do some bloggers find themselves in this predicament? Busy schedules are often the culprit. They find themselves living in virtual bubbles where their exposure to the thoughts of others is limited.

So what’s the remedy? I personally find myself in this situation often. I’ve brainstormed ways to break out of “bloggger’s block” that I’ve found helpful and would like to share them.

Read other blogs

In order to get out of your virtual bubble, read other bloggers’ opinions. Reading blogs outside your niche will introduce you to many new concepts and ideas. Additionally, if you read a post that you agree or disagree with, publish your opinion and support it with personal experiences. Provide attribution to the original and invite the blogger to a friendly debate about the topic at hand.

Read a variety of books

Although we are in the Web 2.0 era where most of our reading happens online, it is still a good idea to purchase or borrow books that discuss topics outside your expertise. Get out of your comfort zone and read books that don’t directly relate to your interests. This will help inspire new ideas. You can reference concepts learned and tie them in with the core themes of your blog. For example, if you are a mommy blogger, it isn’t far-fetched to relate the topic back to a sociology concept you’ve studied. You can even discuss how a key character in a non-fictional novel corresponds to the specific topic you are discussing.

Write down your ideas

One of the best investments I have made is buying a moleskine. I carry it with me everywhere I go and write down all my ideas, regardless of how good or bad I think they are. It is important to carry with you a notebook to document your ideas, before you forget them. Also, if you are confused or have questions about a specific topic, write it down as an idea. There is a strong possibility that there are several other people pondering on the same questions. When you look back at your ideas, you will start flushing out the main points you will discuss in the post.

Conversations with other people

While hanging out with your friends, pay attention to your conversations. They are often the source of really interesting points that could fit very well into your blog. Ask your buddies questions about their thoughts on a specific topic and what direction they would take if faced with XYZ.

Interviews or Guest Bloggers

It is common to meet people you respect or whose points of view you enjoy. Ask them to guest blog for you or request a short interview. When interviewing these individuals, you provide your readers with unique perspectives and expert opinions. You can also add your own commentary or save it for later posts.

Use traditional media to your advantage

You may find inspiration in news stories you read in you favorite newspaper. You can either reference the news story as an example in your post, or just discuss it in general. Many readers connect with current issues and actively seek different perspectives.

Thanks to Cayusa for the image.

Active participants in social media have different reasons for interaction. Some enjoy the friendly banter exchanged with fellow users, while others are attempting to increase the traffic on their own sites. A perfect site is a harmonious blend of the features mentioned below. Since we don’t live in a perfect world, sites tend to showcase only two or three items. Below are some of the features that I have identified important to users. Please feel free to additional ones in the comments and participate in the poll.

Site Focus

Many social news aggregators are topic-based; therefore they appeal to users who are interested in a specific niche. There are also several sites that have a broad set of subjects that appeal to a larger audience.

Content

Users believe that content is king. Anything that seems too commercial, manipulative, subpar or poorly written doesn’t gain traction on the popular social aggregators. Users are looking to learn new perspectives, issues around the world, business-related news, and technology innovations. Site members are the first ones to call out poor content.

Community

The culture of a site can determine whether a person signs up or not. When selecting a site to participate in, users research the dynamic amongst the members. They ask themselves: “Are the members here friendly or are they just assholes?” Some sites have sociable, helpful and supportive members. Other sites have wimpy kids who miraculously grow muscles while sitting behind a computer screen. Despite the attitude of the users, many of the community members are invested in the growth of the site. They will provide input and constructive criticism to see the site evolve into its full potential.

Traffic

One of the benefits of social news aggregators is that they can send a significant number of visitors to a site. Users participate with the major goal of accumulating as many eyeballs as possible over a long period of time. After all, traffic can help monetize a blog, increase the number of subscribers, establish reader loyalty, and build engagement on the site.

Competition

Making a site challenging can actually entice people to continue participating. The desire to become a top user will obviously encourage members to invest a significant amount of time engaging on the site. Sites can retain those users by making it hard to reach front page, and setting a high bar for them to reach.

Comments

Comments are the online version of a dialogue. They serve as the interchange amongst users to share their opinion. Some site members are more into the comments than the submission itself. On many social news aggregators, you will find insightful POVs about the topic or just pure comedy. Some users actually enjoy the obscene feedback that other members provide to a submission.

Customer Service

Many social news aggregators have lost members mainly due to the site managers’ unresponsiveness and general disinterest in the community. Users can make or break a site. If a large portion of the users decide to leave, the site will ultimately fall. The site managers should listen and reply to their users.

Features

Users want to go to a site that has multiple features and gives them the flexibility to easily interact on the site through adding items, sharing digital media and corresponding via site mail. Launching features on a regular basis will keep the users intrigued and interested.

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Fitness has always been very important to me, and with my wedding just a year away I decided to re-energized my efforts to feel comfortable in my wedding gown. I joined Club Fitness and hired an amazing personal trainer, Billy Mosley, for three experimental sessions. During my workouts with him, I felt more challenged and motivated. He understood what my goals were and crafted a wonderful workout for me. While doing my lunges and curls, I wondered if I could actually do all of this alone. Will I stay dedicated and do the correct combination routines sans the support of a personal trainer? After all, having an expert dedicated to helping me accomplish my goals comes with a hefty price tag. Although it would be difficult to equate the personal support of a trainer with social media, I decided that it would be a great experiment to conduct. I would like to test if social media can help me with accomplishing my fitness goals. I have outlined my step-by-step process below:

Step 1: Share the Hard Core Facts

I am openly sharing that I am 27 years old, 5′5″, and weigh 145 lbs (no pic so you have to believe me). According to Billy, I need to lose approximately 20 pounds to reach my ultimate goal. I have successfully avoided junk food restaurants like McDonald’s for the past year. However, I find that I have not watched my food portions and I have a weakness for chocolate and ice cream. After all, I think popcorn and Whoppers are the tastiest combination ever. Plus, I am a Diet Pepsi addict, which is apparently really bad even if it has zero calories.

Step 2: Announce my Effort

I am using my blog in an effort to put social media to the test. We have repeatedly established that it is a great space to establish a strong supportive community. I would like to see if social media can assist me with my fitness goals. Thus, my big announcement: Social Impressions readers - I am fully committed to losing 20 lbs. Mark the date - there’s no going back now!

Step 3: Set a Budget

Although I would love to retain Billy as a personal trainer, I doubt that I can budget it in. Weddings are extremely expensive and I have to save up for that special day. I just invested in a gym membership in a great facility that provides me with 24/7 access, top-of-the-line equipment, aerobic classes, etc.

Step 4: Set Up a Plan

I want to lose this weight in a healthy manner with exercise and a nutritious diet. I am committed to working out three times a week and trying my best to eat protein-rich meals. I will make a conscious decision to check labels before purchasing food to make sure they are low on sugars, carbs and saturated and trans fats.

Step 5: Initiating Support

As any addicted social media user, I surfed the social sphere to find if there are any fitness social networks available that will provide me with meal plans and work out plans. I signed up on Gimme20.com which is an online health community. I also announced my efforts on my blog in hopes that the social media community will be invested in helping me during my process. Additionally, I have recruited my friend Julie Lujan, AKA Calinazaret, to be my online Drill Sargent.

Do you think social media can help with fitness or is it something a real life personal trainer can help with? I will write a follow up post to document how social media has contributed to helping me reach my final goals.

During a panel at OMMA Social conference in New York, President of SocialVibe, Joe Marchese, asked a very important and relevant question to online marketers and Fortune 500 companies: Are impressions more important than relationships with social media users? Many of the branding and social media strategists raised their hands in agreement when asked if their motives were to build relationships.

Are online marketers really interested in relationships? Despite that response, Marchese calls “bullshit.” Online marketers want to have as many eyeballs as possible on a branded property. The number of impressions is a measure of success. Exposure to a branded campaign is a benefit to social media, but it shouldn’t be the only priority of a social media effort. Although brands want to have a high traffic rate to their Facebook profile, what’s the point if these users don’t convert?

Relationships are key for the development of a branded effort conducted online. Through establishing online relationships, a brand gains loyalty. Although impressions establish awareness, they don’t necessarily create a direct relationship with the brand. When expectations are set early, companies will know how to measure success for social media. The launch of a social media campaign might start slow, but if it gains traction it will establish more relationships.

During the panel, an important point was made about a need for a new measurement matrix. Some marketers and Fortune 500 companies rely on the traditional matrix, which simply does not work for social media. There is wider variety of considerations that need to be included when gauging the success of a social media campaign, like the context conversation and tone.

Marketers need to understand that users don’t want to be sold something. They are against branded messages being pushed on them. Users want to contribute and engage themselves in discussions about the brand. They want to invest in the development of products they are already passionate about. At the same time, impressions can help leverage key relationships that are necessary to build brand loyalty. This continues to prove the need for a new measurement and reporting method.