In today’s business world using social media is part of the strategy but similar to other aspects of life, some with be good and others not so. The book The Impact Equation written by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith published by Portfolio Books/Penguin, NY, 2012 will help the social media releases create impact with the formula Impact = C x (R+E+A+T+E)  or CREATE. The letters stand for Contrast, Reach, Exposure, Articulation, Trust and Echo.

Reach is the platform which is the combination of tools you use to reach others and communicate ideas. The tools run from the internet to mainstream media outlets. Reach is almost never built quickly, it takes practice which means learning from your many mistakes. Reach can take lots of money to seed to people to share it and sometimes it can be done with very little money. Reach is not about fair.

Echo is about keeping the message fresh so it feels pertinent to newcomers.

Articulation means keeping the message and brief size.

Advertising means borrowing audience attention and diverting it toward what you are trying to sell.

Platform is different – its purpose is to audience build. Reaching people does nothing unless you provide them enough value to make them stop what they are doing  and participate in your media.

Value can mean money but does not have to mean money. The new value market often means give away as much as you can for free and only charge for the difficult parts. The important aspect is connect with people to serve them first.

Launching Products

1. Do not focus on your audience; focus on other audiences. Your audience is already sold on you, work on collecting allies.

2. Always ask beforehand, not the day of the launch.

3. Create real incentive and/or scarcity.

4. The quality of the work must be consistently excellent.

Exposure

Is your content seen as hype or does it really matter?

1. Your material is something someone would be delighted to come across.

2. You, your department or your clients look forward to what you send them.

3. You content is like a TV show – no advertisements.

Exposure is the art of hitting people, again and again, until they finally decide to take some kind of action.

The ideal time to post your blog is anytime as long as people can use and relate to the information or it is information that will prompt them to maintain some kind of relationship with you.

For long-term exposure follow these guidelines:

1. Start with like-minded people.

2. Tell stories that relate to people who do not share your cause.

3. Tell stories that make the buyer the hero.

4. Help others first. – earn the attention.

Linking to dividend paying stocks, the exposure and value have things you are not supposed to do all the time. If your company is breaking those rules with you – selling all the time, pretending they have no competition; what do you think the reaction is towards a non sold person?

There are more questions than answers, till the next time – to raising questions.