Danny Brown

podcaster - author - creator

Archives for December 2011

Three Things I Would Have Done Differently If I Started Blogging Today

Engagement from Scratch by Danny InyThe following post is an excerpt from my chapter in Danny Iny’s new book, Engagement From Scratch: How Super Community Builders Create a Loyal Audience and How You Can Do the Same.

It features lessons in community building and content marketing from the likes of Guy Kawasaki, Brian Clark, Mitch Joel, Kristi Hines, Gini Dietrich and many more. A review of the book will appear later this week.

I Would Have Posted Less Frequently

I started off writing a blog post a day (and sometimes I posted more than once on the same day). Sometimes this made me publish stuff that, in hindsight, could have (should have) been better.

In the middle of 2011, I made a conscious decision to post less frequently, and really ask questions of things in the stuff I wrote about. It made me a better blogger, and resulted in the ensuing comments going through the roof.

I Would Have Been More Honest

Let me rephrase that: I would not have been afraid to speak more honestly. There were times early on when I wouldn’t have said anything negative about certain people, since I (incorrectly) thought they were right. Turns out we all get blinded by vacuous respect. When I realized this, and began writing openly about bad practices and calling out bullshit, it once again raised the level of engagement through the roof, as others were clearly thinking the same thing. Be honest, and you’ll have engagement.

I Wouldn’t Be So Closed Off

One of the things many bloggers complain about is that social sites like Twitter and Facebook have seen comment numbers decrease, as conversations about a post shift there, as opposed to taking part on the blog. Heck, I even wrote a post about Twitter killing blog comments! But that’s missing the point – engagement comes in all shapes and sizes, and while your blog may be the most desired place for discussion, true engagement allows the discussion to expand in all directions.

If I was to do anything differently, it’d be to get active on Facebook sooner (and now Google+). Because, ironically, I’ve tended to find that the more willing I am to converse away from my blog, the more likely people are to click through and read more of my stuff. And that’s a win-win for everyone.

Engagement From Scratch: How Super Community Builders Create a Loyal Audience and How You Can Do the Same is available now. 50% of all profits from book sales go to support the teaching of entrepreneurship.

Book Week at DannyBrown.me ? Humanize by Maddie Grant and Jamie Notter

It?s been a while since I did any book reviews here. Mainly because many of the business books I read in 2011 were okay, but nothing to write home about.

Thankfully that changed with the release of?Brand Against the Machine, by John Morgan, which you can read about here, and easily one of my favourite business books of the last 18 months or so.

Joining John’s book is Humanize, by Maddie Grant and Jamie Notter, one of the best social media books you’ll read this year, if not the best. And here’s why.

Humanize Actually Makes Business Sense

A lot of books in the social media space read as if they’ve been written by someone that may have a great grasp of social media, but not necessarily a great grasp of how business works. Yes, there is a difference.

Humanize covers both requirements. The authors are folks that have been using the social space to really move the needle when it comes to business and non-profit use of the space. But they’re also veteran business people too – and it tells.

Where Humanize scores over other books in its category is that it doesn’t come at you with unrealistic dreams and goals.

Sure, it’d be nice to be able to converse with all your customers, and it’d be great to say, “Well, we can’t offer a return on investment number, because social media doesn’t work that way.” Except the former isn’t realistic, and the latter is an escape clause used by folks that have never had to run budgets and departments and account for every penny.

Both Notter and Grant break down every single component needed to make a social media strategy work for your business; but they break it down with facts, figures, and examples of how that can be turned into hard cash.

From small campaigns to large-scale media blasts, every business owner is catered for. Yet this is only one place where Humanize shines.

Humanize Steers Clear of Fluffy Bunnies

Like I mentioned earlier, Humanize doesn’t try and pretend that social media is this warm and fuzzy medium where everyone will get rich just by talking to each other.

However, it also makes a very important argument for true conversation – the one between teams, internal and external; the one where all voices have importance; the one where sales work with finance work with feedback forums work with trends in the marketplace.

In short, Humanize shows you why it’s important to be human to each other, without the touchy-feely crap that often comes out when people start talking about the relationship factor in social media.

(~ Note: Yes, I know and agree that relationships are key. Heck, it’s what my tagline is all about. But there’s a line between real business/consumer relationships that work and those that are just a never-going-to-happen pipe dream.)

Additionally, Humanize treats you like an adult. This isn’t a book that you’ll put on a coffee table for a quick read. No – this is a business book that you’ll have sat in your office along with numerous notes you’ve made from it to integrate into your business.

This is compounded by the additional educational worksheets you can download,?making Humanize one of the most comprehensive books about social media and business you’ll pick up this year.

Want to succeed in social media? Get Humanize. It’s as simple as that.

Disclosure: I was sent a copy to review as well as asked for a praise quote for Humanize. The review, though, is my own.