Zip.

So, it's great to be interesting, curious and open to many things.

But if you are about many diverse things, when do people to turn to you? After all, there's wikipedia.

To develop a personal brand, you have to be the go-to person for something.

What's your something?

Every business is social

A business involves people. People buy the business outputs. Ergo, a business is social.

I often get asked by business owners 'what is social media' and 'how do I set up Facebook for my business'? It seems everyone wants to go social.

Sometimes what people miss is that they already are.

My answer is simple, and the acts are simple, but still, simple acts can still generate profound changes in an organisation.

The simple answer - social is an amplification of existing ways of communicating.

Instead of phoning or emailing your customers one by one, you can share information about your business with all those that 'follow' you in various ways. Instead of broadcasting using a megaphone, because someone has chosen to link with you, its like you are having a conversation in the same room. You can point at things using links, Slideshare, Youtube and Skitch. You can show how much you like what they are doing by sharing their information with your 'room'. And this can all be done in a way that is infinitely 'spreadable' in a social chain reaction.

This is true both internally and externally within a business.

So the first part of my advice is simple - map your customer touch points and start with those. Is there a way you can a) help those be better experiences and b) help spread the word about your business?

The obvious place to start is customer service - can you add more ways for people to simply connect with you and resolve a query immediately, rather than over days waiting for email or call backs? Adding Twitter and live chat could help reduce issue resolution time and potentially head count. But then lets move on to your shipments - can you add a customised message for your customer on your delivery docket, with an invitation link to see the latest trends in their industry, a secret customer-only event or a slide-share presentation on best-practice on shaving costs on shipping in their industry?

Social is being yourself (your Brand), but amplified.

My top 3 tips for businesses as they are starting to dip their toe in:

1. Give. Be useful. People share things that are useful and good.
2. Be relevant. People are time poor - give them what they want and need. If you are highly technical company with a highly technical audience, it is unlikely that they want to be friends with you on facebook. But they are likely to want to read new developments that your CTO finds interesting on your blog.
3. Be real. People interact with people, not things. Part of the enjoyment of engaging with a brand or a business is learning the real people involved in it, being one of the community with a real relationship with you, not just someone who has read the brochure.

As with any technology / behavioural adoption, once you've taken the first step, you're already in a new and exciting place.

You? Where do you think a business should start in their social adoption?

Notes: This article was inspired by an article by Jed Hallam, part 2 of a series on the social business. You should read it, it's good :)

Image credit: Faithoncampus

Fashion: nature vs nurture?

A recent article in Grazia caught my eye and made me wonder, how often do customers beat the trend makers?

Kind of like asking the nature versus nurture question, but for fashion.

The article showed examples of girls using Celine zip-up cases for keys and coins or Marc by Marc Jacobs iPad cases as very stylish clutches.

The Tipping Point highlights specific individuals starting trends. Yet on the other hand we have game-changing innovations such as the iPhone, which admittedly build upon existing behavioural changes but itself creates new ones. Walmart started a new trend in retailing not from looking at customers, but initially looking at operations, as this interesting article by Scott Davis of Prophet describes.

Modern marketing, branding and design is all about being customer-led, suggesting that all trends come from customers.

I wonder, is it possible to create a genuinely new trend, that is not at all hinted at by other events? A world-changing new spark, the trend equivalent of 'the big bang'?

You? What do you think?

Meanwhile....sharing some of my favourite trend-spotting gurus: trendwatching; PSFK; LSN; Iconoculture; Scienceofthetime; Trend Hunter.

Back to the love...

Is it just me or have you too stopped bothering to read the articles about the changing nature of the advertising industry? Like a twisted self-introspective fairy tale, articles depict a combination of sky falling, big bad wolf coming, ark-building, fleece-chasing and the search for El-Dorado.

It's boring.

Isn't a industry which exists to help brands and people connect meant to be all about them, not us.

Call me (happily) simple.

In the words of David Ogilvy, A good advertisement is one which sells the product without drawing attention to itself. Works for agencies too.

Stop talking about yourself. I'll try to stop talking about myself.

Let's talk about amazing people, amazing brands and what makes them great.

Always great for inspiration...http://www.lovemarks.com/ (Dettol is trending up - who would have guessed!)

Photo credit: The Chicagoist

Day 30: Where am I?

Observation: It takes too long to find where I am and therefore where I need to go next on the London tube map.

Opportunity: You are here stickers. See the video below for how this could look.

Short and sweet for Day 30. Hope you found some interesting inspiration in the observation to creation challenge!

Day 29: Religion, self and finding a path between

Observation: Whilst at a local community boxing group, a teenage girl joining the boys for a workout. She was wearing a full headscarfe and full length track suit. At one point she was so hot she stripped to her tank top. It felt shocking and intrusive seeing her flesh and I had to look away.

From my own perspective I was delighted to see this tough, challenging girl doing what she wanted. However I was dying with her as she overheated under her coverings.

Having read this guide on proper behaviour and had a brief look at the fashions and articles for women wanting to do exercise, I cannot see how in any way a Muslim woman doesn't feel at least a little compromised when exercising, even if it is completely in line with their faith to look after yourself. It got me wondering...how to stay healthy and stay comfortable as a Muslim woman?

Opportunities:

All of these would need to be vetted by people of the faith, but some ideas to begin with...

- More structured, flexible clothing that does not cling like lycra, but enables easy, enjoyable movement. Perhaps building on the structured, floating forms of Japanese designers Issey Miyake?

- A muslim woman only fitness club, complete with pool and outdoor family play area. This way women are more free to wear more comfortable clothing whilst getting healthy.

- A healthy Muslim women community group - online, social and with localised chapters. Sharing healthier food and lifestyle options, providing support and tips to get healthy and company to make exercise amongst peers safer and more appropriate.

- An exclusive his and hers Muslim fitness club where couples can each go, providing a shared but appropriate activity where they each work out in the separate male or female areas. Add exclusive couple work out rooms for hire. Kind of like a cross between the exclusive karaoke rooms model and couple's beauty treatments. Hire for an hour with your choice of services.

Image credit: Muslim women in sports

Day 28: Showing love, of anything, draws you in

Observation: A crazy picture of a dog with a sausage balanced on its nose. A sign for a seafood restaurant!

Huh? But it did stop me in my tracks and I did immediately think a) that's a little nutty and b) I love it too. Their love of the nutty and being true to it, drew me in.

Opportunities:

- Put your crazy on the outside. If your team is obsessed with your puppies, lattes, donuts, gardens, children, small green men...putting the real you on the outside will draw people in. At least it will start a conversation! And even the biggest corporate buyers are still just people.

- Continuing from the previous point, will outing what you, personally, love help internally too? What about starting an old-fashioned show and tell once a week - for 5 minutes each person tells a story about something they love. It breaks down barriers, brings fresh perspectives and who knows, could lead to some interesting new collaborations!

- Going for that next job? Share a little of what you love. I hear time and again of people looking for passion in new additions to the team.

Fundamental to driving the success of many online businesses - the shared love of different subjects and people. Parallel to Seth Godin's notion of tribes. A clear signal of what you love brings those who will tell your story, share your brand, closer to you.