This year SXSW Interactive was bigger than its music festival. Which is interesting as it started as a small community event and has become big business. As always there was plenty to learn at this event for community management and social business pros and thanks to Fleishman-Hillard’s Austin2Boston event last month, we in Boston were able to hear from Jim Storer, some TheCR Network members and other pros on what they learned from sessions and conversations at SXSWi.
Be Useful
In an arena like SXSW there is a lot of noise and competition for people’s attention. As a brand, doing what you do best and making that useful for attendees is a great way to draw attention and build community. The evening’s first speaker and sponsor, Adam Cohen talked about Chevy’s “catch a Chevy” campaign. They had a fleet of cars around Austin to give people rides to and from SXSW events. It was a way to showcase their models, create buzz and be useful to attendees. This advice is not just useful at SXSW and it is not just for marketers.
Be honest with yourself first then share with others
Typically employees are not clamoring for more on their plates, new tools to learn, new processes that are just that…processes. But if you understand why these are important and are honest about what the rewards will be and explain it well you can encourage others in your company to to take on community manager-like responsibilities to educate, entertain and engage your company’s constituencies.
Context makes the conversation much more interesting
Why do you do what you do? Most likely its a combination of something you’re good at and something you enjoy. And while you may need to think a bit more about this…introducing yourself in this context helps the conversation flow more naturally for a deeper connection. Case in point when Jim Storer meets new people at events he typically tells them he’s a founder of The Community Roundtable and then spends the rest of his time talking about what we do. Thanks to a storytelling session he attended at SXSWi he figured out why he has taken the path he has taken. So now when people ask him what he does he tells them a little about our company and adds that he got into it community management because he likes to throw a good party. And from there the conversation gets more lively.
You are what you are – stick to it
Sam Adams brews beer. They aren’t a social media agency, they aren’t in the business of helping people tweet better. So they concentrated on what they do best with a social twist. By crowdsourcing a special brew for SXSWi they got their base engaged. By bringing that brew to SXSWi they got others interested in their brand and made deeper connections with their existing community. And when the excitement for this brew was more than anticipated and all the kegs had been tapped, they didn’t try to be something they are not. Instead they listened and engaged with others in the crowd and learned from them and enjoyed the experience.
Layering
In person events are where you can add to the relationships you’ve already made online. Use what you already know about your audience to your advantage and add things they may not know about you. And what you learn may not be what you expect. For instance one of the speakers threw a party for her core audience. She thought she knew them well…but what she didn’t know is that they are a big scotch drinking crowd. At the end of the night there was plenty of alcohol left over, but the scotch was all gone. You can be sure next year the scotch will not run out and her audience will appreciate her for remembering this about them. Layering helps deepen the understanding of what you can do for each other and who you may want to connect each other to thus building your community deeper and wider.
Which brings me to a common thread that every speaker touched on
It’s Okay to Say No
Say no if SXSW is not the right place for your company to be – and it is not the right place for everyone.
Say no to being distracted by new technologies that will not further your business – even if they are shiny & new & everyone else is enamored with them.
Say no to burning out. Life balance is important and while work is part of life, so many other important things are as well.
What lessons did you learn from SXSWi that you will use in your community?
________________________________________________________________________________
TheCR Network is our core product and provides strategic, tactical, and professional development programming and events as well as an online community for discussions and to make lasting connections with fellow community, social media, and social business practitioners.
TheCR Network is the place to learn from industry leaders and practitioners.
