James VanDyke

Lifestreaming is a term that refers to the aggregation of various streams of content that a person creates on social media sites.

Between Facebook, Flickr, Twitter and Blogs the content a person creates can be spread out in many separate places. The promise of lifestreaming is that you can pull together all of that silo-ed content into one stream that you can share with others. For people like me, an added benefit is that you can have a blog that doesn’t seem out-of-date.

The downside is that I haven’t found a great way to integrate all of that content on my Wordpress blog. I’ve added a lifestream page that pulls in most of the information but I haven’t been able to integrate that with my blog entries. So, I’ll keep playing with it and let you know what I find.

I’m using the Wordpress plug-in Lifestream right now.

Note: I had to upgrade my database from MySQL version 4 to version 5 to make it work. While’s it not a hard process it’s not something you’d want to do without a backup in case something goes wrong.

For most companies, the best reason to have a social media strategy is to play defense. The effort to effectively use social media to influence sales or conversations requires commitment and time. Most companies aren’t ready to put in that effort.

Your Social Media Defensive Strategy

1. Create a basic presence on major social media properties.
2. Assign someone to post small pieces of new content once a week.
3. Monitor feedback and comments.
4. Let other customers and users carry the conversations.

This strategy allows feedback and conversations to flow through official channels. You can observe and, if needed, participate in the conversation, without being locked out or caught unaware. In addition by establishing a presence you are able to be the authoritative voice in the channel instead of ceding that voice to someone outside the company.

This isn’t an ideal use of social media but it address immediate needs and provides the opportunity to grow into a fuller social media strategy at a later time.

Lately I’ve had several people ask me about adding social media to their marketing mix. Here are my three essential rules for social media:

1. It’s still marketing
2. Expect conversations on difficult issues
3. Regular updates  are key, so plan accordingly

It’s still marketing

Social media is new, exciting and sometimes intoxicating. Before you jump in remember, the fundamentals of marketing still apply. You must still be able to answer:

• What is my goal or objective?
• Who is my audience?
• What message am I trying to convey?
• What tactic is going to be most effective?

What can happen is that because it’s new and cool you think you need to join in.  However, just because Twitter is in the news right now doesn’t mean it’s a solution to your problems. Social media isn’t a case of “if you build it, they will come.” Start with the basics and look to see if social media tactics are right for your situation.

Expect conversations on difficult issues

Be prepared to talk about the weaknesses or difficult issues of your organization or product. Social media creates a town hall atmosphere where critics are certain to voice their opinions. It’s more productive to allow these opinions in an arena where you have a opportunity to respond than other forums simply where you have no voice.

Regular updates are key – plan accordingly

Unlike a new brochure, social media efforts will have a long life. People expect you to update them and respond to comments that they share. Creating a social media channel requires a time commitment. If you don’t update regularly, it will appear that your organization isn’t active and thriving. Your social media presence will affect how people view the quality and vibrancy of your organization in the same way your traditional marketing materials do.

Questions or comments? Leave them in the comments.