Remember the old Hans Christian Anderson story, the Emperor’s New Clothes?

Foolishness is exposed, more often than not, when we refuse to admit what we don’t know or see clearly.  Or to put it into a 21st century cultural context–our Poker Faces often as not end up exposing us.

All this is a pretty elaborate set up for a post on something fairly simple, that I continually hear people mumbling, privately, that they’re not quite sure how to do right: setting up a client’s Facebook page.

We don’t do a lot of “Social Media 101″ posts here, because lots of people cover that ground well.  This is less a “Social Media 101″ post than it is “covering a topic that no one is willing to admit they haven’t figured out” post.

I can’t really blame people for not knowing the best way to do it–”Facebook Help” is pretty much an oxymoron, and they change their UX about every three months, adding things like “Community Pages” that seem like a pointless duplication (pretty much because…they are a pointless duplication).  Also, I have a big problem with the way Facebook walks you through setting up a Page, because it’s pretty much designed to discourage you in every way possible from doing it the right way.

First, they threaten you with “violating the terms of use” if you create an alternate account.  Here’s the facts, Binky.  If “social media” is anywhere in your job description, you will have to have access to multiple accounts.  In any business case I can think of, tying all your clients’ Facebook accounts to your personal Facebook account is a bad idea.

Second, the language they use to explain “Business Accounts” is deliberately misleading and scary.  It’s designed to make you think that using a Business Account to set up a Facebook Page is going to hobble the Page.  It doesn’t.  It creates an administrator profile that can’t be used as a personal profile and can be easily reassigned to someone else.  Which is exactly what you want.

That said, here’s the way we’ve found, through trial, error and much hair-pulling, is the best way to set it up.

First, what NOT to do:

• Create the page using your existing, personal Facebook account.

Why not? Because removing the Creator (not Admin, but Creator) of a Page is a giant, massive PITA. I know–I had to do it on a major client when the employee who set up their Page left our agency.   Neither the client nor the former employee was comfortable with their Facebook account still having admin privileges to the Page, and it took weeks to get Facebook Support (yet another oxymoron) to even admit they could disconnect the two accounts.  Frankly, if the client hadn’t been a really well-known brand with potential ad dollars to direct at Facebook, I’m not sure it would have ever gotten done.

If you’re an independent consultant, accept that you and your client may not have a forever love connection.  And they’re not going to take it kindly when they realize that divorcing their Facebook Page from your personal account is roughly as complicated and time-consuming as executing a literal divorce.  Okay.  Point made, moving on.

Another thing not to do:

• Create the account using a “client@yourdomain.com” or “dept@yourdomain.com” email address that gets forwarded to multiple account stakeholders, an entire department, etc.

Why not? Because an even marginally successful or popular Facebook Page generates a heck of a lot of transactional emails.  You can either turn off all the transactional emails (which can hamstring the actual administrator of the Page) or get used to hearing a lot of complaints from people who don’t appreciate getting an email ping on their Blackberry at 2AM when a Fan simply needs to post a soliloquy on your client’s Wall.

Again, something we learned the hard way. We’re not above admitting our missteps.  We’ve being doing this a while, and that means we didn’t have a map in the beginning.

Here’s how to do it right:

• Create a special, unique email address for that Page only (or that client’s collective social media profiles). It’s okay if it’s on your domain, not the client’s.  Sometimes getting client IT to create a new email address can be a pain.  If you set up the Page properly, you can change that later if you need to.  It does have to be an email address that actually exists and that you (or whomever the FB Page administrator will be) can actually access.  Ideally, you’d auto-forward this email address to the FB Page Administrator’s primary email.
• Log out of Facebook. Go to facebook.com and click “Create a Page for a celebrity, band or business.”
• Go with the “Create an Official Page” option. Ignore “Community Pages” for now.  Ignore Groups.  
• Create a Facebook Account. Go with “I do not have a Facebook Account.” Yes, I’m telling you to lie to Facebook.  It’s okay.  Really.  Trust me.  If they didn’t want people to lie to them, they shouldn’t have set up their Terms of Use to be directly in conflict with all laws of common sense.
• Use the unique email address you previously set up as the basis for the Business Account you’re creating to set up the Page, and populate it with your personal information (birthday, etc.)  That can be changed later, if staffing changes (something apparently Facebook never heard of) make it necessary.
• Activate the account and set up the Page. Add your personal account and any other accounts necessary as additional Admins.  Go to “Edit the Page,” look at the lower right column for Admins and click “Add.”  You’ll have to use the “Add by email” option, since your newly-created business account will have no friends.

So there you have it.  If you’re an agency social media manager, and your career eventually takes you elsewhere, or if the client eventually moves the business elsewhere, it’ll be okay.  You can change the email address and personal information associated with the Creator Business Account, and remove any Admins who will no longer have a business relationship with the Page.

You’re welcome.

I spent the better part of last week in New York, attending a trade show for a client of mine and visiting with a good friend.  During my down time, I literally walked all over the massive city, visiting Chinatown, Wall Street, Times Square and everywhere else in between.  Of course, I managed to make it to a few bakeries while I was there.  (Note:  If you’re visiting the city, check out the “Carrie” cupcake at Magnolia Bakery and the M&Ms cupcake at Crumbs. Both are wonderfully delicious!)

Cupcakes from the famed Magnolia Bakery in NYC.

One thing I did not do was check my e-mail or Twitter account. No, seriously—I did not log in to any of my accounts while I was in NYC.  Honestly, I was having too much fun exploring the city’s treasures, like the Waldorf-Astoria, the shops of Fifth Avenue, and Macy’s in Herald Square.  Because I usually check my e-mail and Twitter accounts several times a day, it was refreshing to disconnect.

I realized while that when I am disconnected, I pay much closer attention to my environment.  It reminds me of one of the (possibly) greatest movie quotes ever—“Life moves pretty fast.  If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.”  Needless to say, Ferris Bueller had it right.  While technology is all well and good, it’s hard to deny that society isn’t quite as, well, social as it used to be.  Imagine what our lives would be like without texting, BBMing, Twitter, Facebook, e-mail, Skype, and so on.  Some might argue we are indeed just as social as we once were and that our means of communicating have changed.  I can’t deny that fact but I’m also adamant that no amount of technology will ever replace the experience of an in-person conversation.

While checking out Midtown area of the island one afternoon, I couldn’t help but notice one structure in particular—the Bank of America building near Bryant Park.  If you’ve never seen it in-person, I have to tell you that photos alone simply don’t do it justice.  It is truly an architectural wonder.  I stared at it for several minutes, and I watched as hundreds of people, iPhones and Blackberries in-hand, rushed past the building. Granted, I’m sure many of them had seen it before and perhaps some may walk past it every day.  But I thought to myself, “I’m glad I can take a minute to appreciate this truly great sight.”

Sometimes we get so bogged down trying to keep up with technology that we forget to live life.  Try turning off your cell phone or abstaining from your favorite social networking site, even just for a day.  Strike up a conversation with a random stranger.  I guarantee you will have a new, enlightened perspective on the world around you. Who knows—you might even make a new friend.

The magnificant Bank of American skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan.

You would think that we would be past the fear of negativity in the social space, but we are still hearing of brands and companies that are concerned with the possibilities of people speaking negative about them on social media platforms. It usually is a huge eye opener when they see that people are already talking.

img courtesy sxc

Accept that Negative Comments will Happen
The first thing to accept is that negative conversation will happen. In a sterile world no one would every speak badly of any individual or company, but in the real world people gravitate to negativity. Accepting that your company or brand will not be exempt is the first step in handling potential negative comments from your consumers.

Have a Plan in Place
While you can’t control when negative comments will happen, you can have a plan in place to deal with them when they do. Usually, the larger you are as a consumer brand, the more prone you are to be called out. That being said, if you’re a small brand you are not exempt from negative comments either. The first step is to create an escalation plan, like the United States Air Force has provided for their social media managers. This plan will put you further down the road versus having nothing in place at all.

Make sure you know who’s going to respond, how you’re going to respond, as well as the course of action that you’ll take if there is more than one occurrence by the same individual. Your customized escalation plan will make it easier for the social media manager, as well as ease the worries of those that work in compliance.

Respond Quickly
The worst thing you could do is not respond. The longer you avoid it the greater the chances of the fire burning out of control. Make sure you include in your plan a respond strategy regarding timing. You’ll be glad you did, not to mention your customers would appreciate and respect a timely response.

When you accept the inevitable and have a plan in place, embracing negativity will no longer be a fear factor, but just another part of your communication strategy.

If you’re considering implementing social media as part of your marketing portfolio don’t let the fear of negativity keep you from endless opportunities.

Since the core of what we do at Doe-Anderson is building relationships between consumers and brands, we thought it would be cool to use relationships as a theme. So in honor of Valentine’s Day, all this month we’ll be sharing 28 Days to Make People Fall in Love with Your Brand. We hope you enjoy it.

img courtesy Watje11 on sxc

Do you remember your first couples dance?  I bet I can sum it up in a word: awkward.

Back when you were swaying an arms-length away from your middle school crush, you discovered something that actually has applications far outside the cafeteria dance floor:  if someone doesn’t lead, the results aren’t going to be pretty.

If you’re working on setting up a corporate social media policy or initiative, this is critical information.  Because social media touches so many disciplines (IT, marketing, advertising, ecommerce, public relations, human resources, just to name a few) it can be really hard to know who is “in charge” of social media at your company internally.

When you add separate consultants, PR firms and branding agencies into the mix, it becomes less like an elegant waltz and a lot more like one of those really complicated line dances that were wildly popular in the 1990s.

[Brief Sidebar Rant] Despite the fact that I love dancing, I hated line dancing. I have poor coordination, and invariably ended up facing the opposite direction as everyone else.  [End brief sidebar rant.]

Is there one right answer for who should lead your social media efforts?  No.  It will look different depending on a wide variety of circumstances specific to your company’s structure, internal and external resources, and other factors.  But the right point of accountability will have these things in common:

• A genuine love of and fluency in social media tools and culture. No amount of training can make a person who disdains these tools and the people who use them the right person to be in charge.
• Sufficient empowerment to make on-the-fly decisions on posting, responses, and when and where to escalate an issue.
• A deep enough understanding of the DNA and character of your organization to act as it’s effective voice in social media.
• Willingness to loop in the right other interested parties when and where it’s appropriate.  It can be tempting to try to control everything, and to keep other people, departments, and partner organizations out of it.  But social media is by its very nature inclusive and is at its best when it permeates a company and its culture.   No Grand Poohbahs of Social Media allowed.

When there’s a great person in the lead, and the fundamental steps are shared with everyone (with a clear social media policy), opportunities to improvise with positive contributions appear, and before you know it–your brand is confident, social, and having the time of its life.

Since the core of what we do at Doe-Anderson is building relationships between consumers and brands, we thought it would be cool to use relationships as a theme. So in honor of Valentine’s Day, all this month we’ll be sharing 28 Days to Make People Fall in Love with Your Brand. We hope you enjoy it.

The secret to social media can found within the social code. This code has been passed down from secret societies for hundreds of years. The execution has changed, but its foundational core has stayed the same for all these years.

OK, maybe it didn’t happen exactly like that, but I think it’s close.

Major brands, small businesses and non-profits are all excited about the potential social media can provide. They rush out to secure their name on social networking sites, add icons to their current digital and traditional assets. They then rush out of the gate like a thoroughbred on the first Saturday in May, but without knowing the social code their fast pace quickly turns into frustration.

The success of social media doesn’t come from acquiring the latest shinny object. It occurs when social media is approached like every other component of your business.

The social code starts with having a plan and goal in place. Visualizing and mapping out with success will look like.

Second, it involves being consistent with the plan that you put in place. Consistency is ultimately the key. I’ve seen way to many social ghost towns because consistency wasn’t part of their plan. They started out on fire, but over time the fire has burned out.

Social media at the end of the day still involves conversations. And like any relationship, the ones that last are those that are consistent.  These successful relationship have figured out what works and do it over and over again.

If you’re wanting to see more results, give consistency a try. It’s the secret to any social code.

image by: St. Stev

Since the core of what we do at Doe-Anderson is building relationships between consumers and brands, we thought it would be cool to use relationships as a theme. So in honor of Valentine’s Day, all this month we’ll be sharing 28 Days to Make People Fall in Love with Your Brand. We hope you enjoy it.

"be with me" courtesy Mart1n on sxc

On a first date, it’s best to keep the conversation light-hearted and casual.  There’s no need to reveal certain aspects of your past or embarrassing details of your life.

Companies should adopt this same policy when it comes to social media.  After all, that’s why the public has embraced this trend—it breaks down the formal barriers.  Sometimes PR professionals have a problem with this.  We’re so used to crafting and controlling the messages of our clients that it’s hard to let go.  It’s important to keep the dialogue honest and authentic, just as you would with any personal relationship.  Don’t be afraid to let customers know the “real you.”

Most importantly, use common sense when it comes to social media.  Posting company secrets or client information without their consent will get you dumped pretty quickly.

Social media is a great way to grow an existing agency/client relationship.  So if your clients aren’t utilizing these tactics yet, give them some ideas on how they might be able to.  By being proactive and thinking of them, it just might turn into a long-term relationship.

It’s been a whirlwind month or two here at Doe-Anderson’s EnthusioNation.

David and I have both been traveling quite a bit.  First, to BlogWorldExpo to sharpen my saw as a social media strategist, and then to SEMA on behalf of our client, Optima Batteries, to put those skills into action on a very cool social media program.

So I’m just now getting to catch my breath a little, and peruse ye olde Google Reader to see what I’ve been missing in the social media fishbowl for the last month.

As it turned out, this was an excellent day for me to pop my head back into the conversation.

Monday, PR guy and fellow highly-caffeinated person Jeremy Pepper posted a few thoughts on using bloggers as a means, not an end unto themselves.  I’d encourage you to bop on over there and read it if you haven’t already, but the part that was swirling around in my head in particular was the part about “blogger junkets,” the “pay me mentality” and what might be, for lack of a better and less touchy-feely term, a sustainable model for brands and bloggers to work together.

Right now, we have a few different models, none of which seem to really work all that well for either side.

We have the “shell out for some banner ads on my site because my audience is your target, and I will talk up your brand because I love my sponsors” model.

We have the “send me freebies, and I will love you and say nice things about you because I love free stuff” model.

Let’s be honest.  Both of these models are the modern day equivalent of Lucille Ball giving you a :30 commercial, in character, in the middle of I Love Lucy.  Only in 2009, no one is naive enough to think that Lucy is motivated to say those nice things by anything other than a paycheck.  Wasn’t the point of WOMMA that people don’t trust old school advertising anymore?

But public relations-ish approaches aren’t much more evolved than advertising-ish approaches.

We have the “bad blogger outreach” model, where PR people treat bloggers as just another media outlet to spam with press releases and other potential “content sources.”

We have the “better blogger outreach” model.  I think Jeremy’s blogger junket falls somewhere in the neighborhood of this model–where at least bloggers are receiving the same respect and “journalistic cred” as traditional media members.  It’s not entirely awful, but it’s also not really scratching the itch fully for either party.

All of this is made even more convoluted by the fact that bloggers themselves have trouble coming to agreement about what’s ethical, fair and reasonable.

And don’t even get me started about the FTC…

There’s another model, though, that I think bears more thought:  treating bloggers as creative talent. Hiring them to provide high-quality content, and using their social promotion talent, on a brand-owned website.

To a certain extent, this is what Crayon and Panasonic have done with their recent “LIHD Insiders” initiative.  It makes sense from both sides.

What do you think?  Where is the best value for both sides? Paying for eyeballs, or paying for talent?  Other thoughts?

I’d love to hear from you.

img Accordion courtesy SXC

Everybody has an iPhone, and every corporation thinks they need to have an app! However, the real question is, "does your brand really need it?" With the increasing rise in popularity of the iPhone, its easy to think that the only way to reach the consumer is through the latest and hottest trend. Sounds good, but before you run off and spend thousands of dollars having an app designed for you, it would help to answer a few questions.

5 Vital Questions to Answer Before You Jump

1. What are your business goals?
2. What goods, products or services are you currently offering your consumers?
3. What would be the purpose for the consumer to have your app?
4. What advantage would the app give your brand?
5. Are your consumers using iPhones?
6. Is your current site optimized for mobile?

Often times, a good way to segment into a full blown iPhone app is to optimize your current site for mobile. Check out the Canadian Broadcasting Channel for a simple and well built mobile web site. You can even check out this site (thesocialenthusiast.com) on your mobile device to see it optimized for mobile.

The mobile site is a good way to allow your consumers to gather information, engage with your content and even purchase your products from your current web site. Some of the more popular content management systems have plugins that will optimize your web site to be viewed from a mobile device. With a little programming it can have the same branded feel as your web site.

While it would great to unveil your new iPhone app, you may want to start with a optimized mobile site. Monitor and measure your mobile activity and then build from there. After watching how your consumer is engaging your content from a mobile device, you can take that data and use it to plan the development of your iPhone app. 

What do you think, mobile app. or mobile web site?

Think about your most valued customers. These are the people who love your brand, promote your products and generally want to share what makes you great with everyone they know.

Let’s say a group of these brand enthusiasts wanted to hold a party to celebrate your brand, or what it stands for. Let’s say they contacted you and said "Hey, we’d like to have a big party with a few thousand people who thing your company is just great. We’ll come up with the entertainment. We’ll promote it. We’ll get as many people as we can to attend." Would your response be "That’s great. Tell us how it goes."?

Or would you tell them they can have their party at your headquarters?

Would you give them some cool party favors and invites?

Would you do what you could to make sure it was easy for them to find as many other brand enthusiasts as possible?

If you’re an affinity brand (or if you want to be) you have brand enthusiasts. These are people who are passionate about what you do or the things you make. They appreciate the effect you’ve had on their lives.

These people make up your community—and trust me, in 2009, they’re online. That’s where they congregate, find each other and share their interests—including your brand.

Are you leaving them homeless? Are you saying, in effect, "We know you love us… but can’t you just love us from afar?"

Many companies hear the term "online community" and automatically think "website build." Sometimes that’s a good idea, and sometimes it’s not. That’s not what this post is about.

The point of this post is that if you don’t declare a place that is "home base" for your online community, you’re being a bad friend to the people who you should understand are your best friends. These are the people who are going to save your bacon as trust in traditional advertising and overall brand loyalty continues to plummet. At a minimum, you owe them acknowledgement, an open channel to communicate with you (within the bounds of respectful conversation). If you’re smart, you’ll go beyond that and provide them with the best possible place and resources to have their party on your behalf.

If you can’t justify the resources to set up and manage a Facebook Fan Page, or a Twitter profile, or a blog, or some kind of human-powered touchpoint, then you’d better be prepared to increase your advertising budget considerably. Because it’s going to take a lot of media-buy shouting to drown out your silence in response to their digital love notes.

 … and we’re totally stoked!  BlogWorldExpo is going to be a great opportunity for David and I to get inspired by the best-in-breed work going on in the world of blogging, new media and social media.  

But we’re not forgetting about you guys.  We set out to create The Social Enthusiast as a resource for marketers who want to build a confident social brand.  So we’ll be grabbing the smart, the experienced, and the too-slow-to-outrun-us at the conference and asking them one question:

"How do you build a confident social brand?"

Our Flip cams are fired up and ready to go.  Hopefully we’ll be back with some great, brief, interesting and helpful tips to post here.  

You can follow our #BWE09 exploits by following @DavidFinch and/or @KatFrench on Twitter.