Angela Crocker: Tech Early Adopter, Social Media Coach at Beachcomber Communications

Angela Crocker was an early adopter for many technologies including UNIX-based ELM email in 1990, the Palm Pilot while still owned by US Robotics, and BBS or bulletin board systems. Over the last twenty years, she has worked extensively in communications, marketing, networking, corporate sponsorship, and teaching. Through her work she has been exposed to many different types of business – small and large – in a broad cross-section of industries from the arts to leadership training.

Today, she works as a marketing and communications consultant through her company Beachcomber Communications. Social media coaching fills her days with Facebook, Twitter, blogging and dozens of other social media tools for an assortment of clients. She also blogs about books with Kimberly Plumley and Peggy Richardson through The Book Broads.

Email: angela
Twitter: @AngelaCrocker
Blog: www.beachcombercommunications.com
Blog: www.thebookbroads.com

Angela, thanks for joining us on Social Media Reality Check!

Thank you for the opportunity to be part of Social Media Reality Check.

1. Here’s a basic question I like to start with. How do you define “social media marketing”?

For me, social media marketing is about making meaningful connections and developing genuine relationships through online tools such as blogs, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr etc. Through these relationships, users develop trust and their online circle become strong influencers in what causes to support, buying decisions, cultural experiences and so on.

2. Is there anyone you consider to be a “social media expert”?

Yes and no.

I think there are many small “e” experts in social media – most with a specialized area of expertise such as writing for the web, video, WordPress, and so on. The Canadian English Oxford Dictionary defines “expert” as “a person having special knowledge or skill.” I consider myself to be a small “e” expert (although I usually use the term “coach” instead ) as I teach my clients how to use social media tools to achieve their personal or business objectives. I feel strongly that the knowledge I have highlights just how much more there is to know and I never hesitate to call for help if someone I’m working with needs other information.

At the same time, I come across a disturbing number of capital “E” Social Media Experts who are amazing self-promoters and are presenting themselves as gods of knowledge.
I worry about the capital “E” Experts tainting individuals and business owners perception of social media with false promises of huge earnings and thousands of (I think, meaningless) followers or fans.

3. Do you think being a social media expert is different than being an expert in other fields?

Although many of the tools used in social media today have been around in some form since the advent of email in the early 1990s, the discipline of social media is really only a couple of years old. I don’t think anyone can be a social media expert, rockstar, guru or other superlative in a field that’s so new. That being said, there are certainly many marketing, communications and technology professionals who are leading the way on how social media can be used.

4. Book promotion has been around much longer than social media, or the Internet for that matter. How much is social media a part of what you do today and how is that different from four or five years ago?

Social media is a huge part of what I do every day but it doesn’t fill every moment. I need to do things in the real world to fuel what I share online.

Working with writers is a huge joy and they all have stories to share – the stories in their books and their personal journeys as well. With social media, it’s much easier and more immediate to share those stories. Plus the stories have a much longer shelf life in blog archives and through search engines.

In the past, information about books and the authors that write them would be shared through newspapers, radio and through handselling in bookstores. Book marketers and sales reps would send news out by post, fax or email. Today, email is still common but tools like Twitter and Facebook really enhance our ability to get the word out not only to booksellers but to readers themselves.

I note that any social media marketing activity should be designed to complement and support traditional media coverage and real world activities such as book signings, school visits, guest lectures and other author events. I frequently run across the misperception that the online campaign should be unique from the real world campaign. Why create twice the work?

Something else to consider is the shift in traditional media. Newspapers are reducing their pages, radio stations are reducing their local coverage and television stations are reducing the number of locally produced shows. At the same time, social media is on the rise. We’re in the middle of an amazing transformation where the very definition of media will be rewritten over the next five years. By 2014, we’ll no longer be making a distinction between traditional media or social media. It will all just be media.

On the book promotion front, there are many new social media opportunities that are filling the void left by traditional media. Here in Vancouver we have several blogs that talk about books including Books on the Radio and The Book Broads. We’re also blessed with amazing major book-related events such as the Surrey International Writers Conference who maintain a great year-round online presence.

One of the biggest shifts in book promotion is that authors are taking control of their own promotion. In fact, I suggest writers start promoting their book the day they decide to write the book. It takes time to develop the meaningful relationships I mentioned earlier so why not engage those interested in a subject matter in advance of publication. Providing authors with the opportunities to promote themselves in cooperation with their publisher is a welcome change. I worked in-house for a large Canadian book publisher in the mid-‘90s. There were often 300 or more books to promote in a single season promoted by a staff of two. That’s not a lot of time per book so anything an author can do to participate is going to increase their visibility and, hopefully, their sales.

5. Do you see differences between the way individuals perceive or use social media and the way businesses use them? Are businesses trying to use social media in the most effective way, or can they do a better job overall?

Individuals are embracing social media and using it intuitively as we are all social beings with life experiences and opinions to write about.

Businesses are still finding their way with social media. Many businesses are stuck in the traditional media mode of selling through advertising so all they do within their social media presence is promote what they have for sale. To be successful through social media they need to shift their thinking back 100 years to the idea of the small town General Store where they know their customers and have relationships with them. Give free advice. Solve problems. Suggest things of mutual interest. Make introductions. The business transaction is then secondary to the relationship.

6. You live and work in Vancouver, B.C. Are most of your clients Canadian? From B.C. or other parts of Canada?

Until now, most of my clients have been Canadian and that keeps me pretty busy. I’m open to working with clients from other places as opportunities arise. One of the wonderful things about social media is that borders are being rewritten. What I mean to say is that relationships are now built on language boundaries not geographic boundaries. For example, an English language book about yarn bombing can have an online fan-base in Canada, the USA, Australia and in Europe. Social media creates wonderful opportunities for people with like interests to find one another and build a community.

7. If you can generalize, are there differences in the ways Canadians perceive social media and the ways it’s perceived in the US? Maybe we should stick so social media for business just to keep things a little more focused.

For the most part, I think the perceptions are the same. However, the experience is different because of the tools. For example, the Kindle is only now being released in Canada but it doesn’t have the same functionality as the USA version. Similarly, certain social media tools don’t work in Canada. Hulu.com is a good example. I often see interesting Hulu links on Twitter but can’t watch the videos because of digital rights management issues.

8. Do you think businesses – people hiring social media consultants or social media marketing managers, say – have any unrealistic expectations about what social media marketing might do?

Often that’s true. And I think it has to do with the concept that hiring a social media staffer or consultant will result in a social media presence instantly. This is not one of those “if we build it they will come” scenarios. It takes time to build a following and more time each day to maintain it. Even if there’s someone in charge of the technical aspects and maintaining the connections, the company as a whole needs to feed the social media presence with relevant news, opinions, activities and information.

9. Are there any common misunderstandings that your clients have about social media marketing?

One of the most common is a fear of losing privacy. I often have to tell people that they can still participate in a conversation online or in the real world without divulging where they live, their health concerns, their custody arrangements or any other sensitive topics.

Another fear is around security. If I post “they” will find me. Again, commonsense comes into play. Don’t post that you are leaving your house on 123 Main Street vacant while traveling overseas for three weeks. Don’t publicize exactly where your children will be. Don’t send banking details in a tweet. You get the idea.

There’s also a fear of wasting time or being bored by others’ mundane tweets or posts. If someone’s dull don’t follow them! It seems a shame to miss out on the rich conversation happening online for fear of sitting in on the dull chatter. That’s the beauty of social media – it is possible to pick and choose the conversations you listen to or participate in.

Others worry about the time required and I laugh about this one as the same fear came up when email was new. While many capital “E” experts suggest that social media is an all day, everyday activity, I disagree. I think carefully selected tools can be maintained meaningfully in about 30 minutes each day. If social media drives more business then this time can increase proportionately and other activities will require less time.

10. Can you think of a specific example that shows how social media has changed the way business works? (Or not.)

One example that comes to mind is the real estate industry. I’ve done some social media coaching with Epic Empire Designs, a home staging company in Vancouver. In working with the owner, Heather Kleim, I learned that many realtors in this market are turning to social media. They use the MLS website as a blog of sorts and a great many are keeping up with their industry through Twitter. So it became a natural extension of Epic Empire’s social media strategy to connect with realtors through Twitter and build relationships, some of which have now evolved into working relationships.