We’ve had good success with clients and friends who aren’t interested in creating a massive following, but instead see the value in keeping a small but significant audience aware of production-cycle progress, the launch of a new initiative, or even to manage conversations regarding a shared effort.

Often, these blogs are hidden from general searches — not necessarily private, just below the radar. It’s an easy measure to take, and it gives those invited to follow — and contribute to — the blog a feeling of privilege and exclusivity that can be tremendously powerful. Instead of trying to build anonymous readership in the thousands, they appreciate the advantage of specific readership in the dozens. Something to think about in terms of how you can approach, author, and manage the blog component of your web presence.

This is no new realization, is it? Social media experts consistently urge users to concentrate on content. Adoration of the new medium lasts only so long. In fact, that message itself has become stale. Plenty of social media experts are still droning on about the need to offer valuable content. Let’s move past that and consider it as understood. Everyone knows that outreach has to possess worth for the audience — a modicum of insight, direction to deeper content, newsworthy specifics, etc.

The next hurdle? Making it a habit. That’s something we’ve helped a few clients with of late, and we’ll be discussing further in the near future.

In the meantime, let’s give Neal and Del some love.

As Ogneva explains: “In your search for the right tool(s), you should be looking to both monitor and measure your brand on social media. The two terms are used somewhat interchangeably, and although there is some overlap and similarity in business goals, monitoring and measurement are distinct processes.”

She also makes expert distinctions between the definition of monitoring and measuring. “Monitoring,” she notes, ‘is the process of continuous and immediate discovery of conversations with the purpose of learning, engaging, helping and collaborating . . . measurement is more concerned with metrics over a specified time period. Whereas monitoring answers the question ‘Who is talking about [insert keyword] right now and what are they saying?’ measurement answers questions of ‘How did my keywords perform over time?’, ‘How does that compare to my competitors?’ and ‘What are some trends I can glean to make my product more usable by these people who are giving me feedback?’”

Money quote from Mr. Rubel:

” . . . a controversial shift is underway. The trusty dot-com URL, at least its role in marketing, maybe dying. Some companies are de-emphasizing spaces they own, like their web site, in all of their ads. Instead, they’re pushing people towards spaces they rent where people are spending time – e.g. their Twitter, YouTube Facebook hubs.”

We’ve been crowing about participating in multiple online platforms to create your “web presence” (see our last e-newsletter for specifics). The trend Rubel introduces is telling. Don’t just ask anonymous audiences to visit your site. Invite them to join a thriving online community offering ample interactive opportunity. And free stuff doesn’t hurt either.

But if you’re a business looking to get some mileage out of social media (not just picking on Twitter exclusively, though explaining its benefits prompts the most head-scratching from many) you need to concentrate on substantive content. You need to offer intrinsic value.

We’ve been in conversation with more than a few professional peers who get all wide-eyed about participating in any number of social media platforms. What’s frustrating — no, infuriating — is that too many think the game ends when you simply step on the field. But that’s barely the beginning. These folks are missing the bigger picture. Channel isn’t strategy; it’s just another outlet.

Now, the mission is to use these social media tools effectively. How? By pushing out credible information, whether self authored, found through sources you respect, or (ideally) a well-syncopated combination of both. You need to engage your audience, ask them questions, offer up free expertise, etc. Then, and only then, with extreme discretion, would you push something self-promotional or self-congratulatory.

You’re trying to cast yourself as a reliable source. That’s how you’ll build a following. You want to tell people how long the line is at Starbucks? Fine. Expound on the antics of your toddler? Your choice. But if you don’t mix in a juicy dose of valuable insight and information, I’ll un-follow your inanity faster than a Jersey Shore spray-tan session.

The frivolity is fading fast.

We had a bit of a breakthrough with one client recently, who has been reticent to set up a blog; we think it would be an ideal way for the company leadership to share perspectives on current events — something that could easily transition in to their gaining recognition as industry experts.

Busy as top brass often is, the idea of blogging — even weekly — seems intimidating. But just because you’re not sitting in front of a keyboard doesn’t mean you stop having brilliant insights. As we discussed the relatively low amount of effort required for blog buy-in, and the correspondingly major amount of recognition it could propel, somebody said, in so many words: “We have these great ideas and opinions, we just need a way to get them out there!”

Jaw – floor.

Exactly. You already know that you have tremendous insights and that people welcome your point of view. So think of your blog as that chance to share those perspectives, to rant, rave, and even ramble. Don’t sweat perfection. It’s not a white paper. It’s a much more personal, and therefore genuine, outlet.

Most company leaders, in our experience, are tremendously bright and articulate. They have no problem bending your ear during an elevator ride or on the putting green. They’re comfortable with their authority and confident in their expertise.

Now, they just need to embrace the idea of giving everyone easy access to it. We think they can.

Resolution gurus will tell you that the key to keeping a commitment is to make it modest. You don’t resolve to participate in the Iron Man Triathalon; you try to make it to the gym three times a week — for starters.

In that sensible spirit, here are three easy social media steps you can take to give your online presence some punch:

1. Find an outlet that works for you.
Hourly tweets, daily blog, weekly podcast, monthly e-newsletter (or any variation/combination thereof) — there’s an approach that best suits your schedule and disposition. Figure out which one works for you

2. Consider your content.
Don’t just re-broadcast things you find interesting (though that is okay to some extent). Spend a little intellectual energy developing original ideas — or at least offering insightful commentary on industry issues that get your back up.

3. Get consistent.
Getting started is the hardest part, but once you make it a habit, you’re set. It takes time, but eventually you’ll build your following. Take advantage of your social network participation to accelerate that acceptance.

That’s it. Three steps to stronger social marketing presence. It can be done. Now go hit the gym.

One of a series of ads in a campaign for the Hillcrest Loop

There’s a definite approach to government work. You pick up the alphabet soup lingo, you write with painstakingly passive voice, and images of people shaking hands in front of the Capitol building get sprinkled around like bailout money. Where the approach to government clients tends to be rock steady, the approach to commercial clients can be much more rock-and-roll.

That’s not to say the creative liberation is somehow preferable; often, working within the tightly defined set of protocol and diplomatic expectations common to government and B2B audiences actually forces you to be more creative. True, the final product will still be buttoned down, but making it effective with those formal trappings is an undeniable challenge.

Still, a tangible, consumer-oriented product (as opposed to an agency objective or company service) really allows you to let the reigns out. It broadens potential vocabulary for writers (slang? sure dude!), lets designers play with an expansive color palette, fonts, and image effects, and gives developers real liberty to introduce edgier effects and functionality. It also helps if the product in question happens to be incredibly cool and the Loop is that and then some.

Right now, our Loop efforts have concentrated on print ads and point-of-sale promotion. We’re looking to begin some Web presence enhancements soon. It’s been a blast tapping that quadrant of our collective brains, and we’re looking forward to stretching out even further in the year ahead.

Last night we hit a tech/marketing group meetup and had some compelling conversations about how people have been using these tools. There were more than a few people in the crowd who knew just enough to know they might want to get into the social media mix, but their expectations of impact and immediacy were, to put it as politely as I can, just effing whacked out.

This stuff is fun. It’s a great way to connect. It can work incredibly well. But it’s useless — say again, with feeling — absolutely useless without substance driving it.

You want to build some site traffic? Great, who doesn’t. Is a blog a good way to season your site with some cross linking, maybe earn a few inbound connections? Of course. So, just get your WordPress site plugin and let the magic happen, right? Wrong. Wrong. A thousand times, wrong. You need to put as much if not more effort into consistently crafting valuable posts as you do designing and deploying the blog itself.

Let’s say you’re sitting in a capacity-crowd stadium during a nail-biter football game. It’s a sea of fans, each screaming and cheering. You, being the high-energy type, want to get the crowd behind the home team. You stand up and start waving your arms and chanting — go team go or whatever the hell you want.

What happens? Maybe four or five folks around you join in. You’ve increased your volume by an impressive factor, but in the context of a 100,000 fans? Forget it. Ah, but lucky you. You have a bullhorn. You turn it to 11 and keep repeating your cheer. Maybe you put on your rainbow wig, again — whatever. Now you have everyone in your section shouting along. Something’s happening. A couple players down on the bench turn and notice, offering a fist pump in solidarity.

So, finally (you see where I’m going with this) you realize you need even more auditory muscle. You break in to the pressbox, and after chloroforming Al Michaels, you take command of the stadium PA system. Now, with ultimate amplification power, you cheer with unhinged enthusiasm. Everyone is on board. The stadium is rocking. They can hear you in the next county. The team takes the cue, feels the fury, and punches it in for the winning score (thanks for silent counts).

Now, let’s rewind. Try the whole scenario again, but this time, when you stand up, you have nothing to say. When the expectant crowd awaits your inspiration, you say “Hey, check it out — I know how to use the PA system! Isn’t it cool? I know you think it’s cool, and I’m cool because I know how to use it!”

Imagine thousands of angry fans dousing you with warm beer, sarcastically thanking you for distracting them from the game.

That’s social media. You can get as much attention as you want — for an instant — but if you don’t have a message that deserves it, just stay home. If, however, you’re willing to part with some knowledge or share some passion, your social media efforts have at least a fighting chance. You might even get the whole crowd behind you.

Of course, if you’re William Devane, forget everything I said.