Jugnoo Social Advisor: The Best of Social Mix 2012 – Part One

There’s so much more to social media than just being ‘social’, and all the amazing speakers that we had at Social Mix 2012 really embodied that sentiment. From discussions on reputation management and online branding; to internal and external communications and influencer outreach; every topic was covered to create a comprehensive social media boot camp.

While the day was filled with relevant insights (and a lot of laughs, too), we have collected a few of the key points from some of our speakers that truly resonated with a number of attendees, so that you too can learn from the best at Social Mix 2012.

Amber Mac: Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.

We’re often afraid of taking risks because we’re afraid of failure, or looking ridiculous – but, as Amber was quick to point out, when we take those risks and let our authentic selves shine through, we set ourselves apart from the competition and encourage people to engage with our business in new ways. If that sounds strange to you, just consider her favourite example, Will It Blend?, which took an ordinary home appliance and elevated it to the height of pop culture visibility with a unique blend of product knowledge and lunacy.

Sergeant Tim Burrows: Focusing on your core brand allows you to do your job better.

If there’s any organization that understands that you can’t always control what people are saying about you, it’s the Toronto Police Services (TPS). Sergeant Burrows, who manages the online communications and provides social media training for TPS, has seen first-hand how the public perception of the police has changed over the last thirty years. His suggestion? Continue returning to your core brand values – emphasizing the good that your organization does, offering assistance to those who need it, continuously reaching out to your community and always highlighting the truth will help you win fans and change minds, one tweet at a time.

Matt Hixson: Influence is not about the numbers – it’s about the relationships, and the context of those relationships.

Matt is the CEO and co-founder of Tellagence, a company that is looking for a better way to measure influence in the social sphere. In other words, he’s not interested in the number of followers or friends that you have – he’s looking to link user networks, their online relationships, and the context of their discussions to gain a better understanding of how to find the people who can make a difference to your social presence. In other words, influence isn’t about popularity – it’s about looking for those users who are talking about subjects that matter to your business to an audience that truly listens to their opinions. Once we get beyond looking at the numbers in social media and start looking at quality conversations and connections, we start to understand where true influence lies in the social realm.

Gary Vee: Understanding you and finding what you do best is the key to success.

Our keynote speaker, and social media superstar, Gary Vee knows a thing or two about branding  and authenticity. In his hour-long presentation, he discussed storytelling, the importance of effort, the effect of marketing on social interaction, but perhaps most importantly – he stressed the necessity of knowing your business, and yourself. Who are you? What do you do? What are your strengths… and where are you lacking? Once you understand this, and stop forcing yourself to be something you’re not, you’ll find that customers will respond to what you’re selling – both literally and figuratively.

It’s like Jugnoo’s own Danny Brown said – it’s about being human in an inhuman world. That self-knowledge will allow you to reach out to customers with authenticity, highlight your skills and strengths, and when you mess up (as we inevitably do) allow you to apologize…and it allows your followers to believe that apology.

We hope that this has whet your appetite – there so many brilliant ideas and insights from our speakers last Thursday that we couldn’t fit them all into a single Social Advisor. Next week we’ll discuss more great points from other Social Mix 2012 speakers, including Gini Dietrich, Geoff Livingston, Danny Brown and Saul Colt… and more from Gary Vee!