Connecting

I had the pleasure to hear Chris Brogan of New Marketing Labs speak in Rochester the other day at the SM2Day conference - and the thrill to meet him in person (and even though he's quite friendly and I've talked to him on Twitter before, when he's behind a table signing books and there's a line behind me, I turn into bashful mush-mouth. Silly.)

He's an excellent, casual speaker and, much like on his blog, treated the presentation more as a conversation with the people in the room. You can look for video of his talk here.

There were a couple of things he talked about that, combined with other speakers at the conference and other things I've seen recently, struck a chord. These really center around connecting with people in marketing and communications efforts.

First, Remember Mobile -
Mobile phones are increasingly important in our lives. As Chris pointed out, we won't go more than 10 paces from our phone, even when we leave wallet, keys, etc behind. Research shows that higher and higher numbers are accessing social networks from mobile devices, and that more people are shopping on mobile devices, too. Companies need to communicate with their customers as people in this space.

Imagine the power of a conversation with customers as they're making a purchase decision via the social networks they look to for advice.

Second, Customer Service -
Conversations with customers need to shift from product push to customer service. To tending relationships. Enabling the people having conversations to resolve customer problems. This builds trust, appreciation for any brand.

Third, Make More Connections in Person -
Meeting Chris IRL, connecting with SMC Rochester folks who I don't see often enough at meetups because I'm a slacker and don't go. It's warm fuzzies. It gives that extra layer to stories and conversations. While connecting and storytelling in new media is powerful and revolutionary, even, the handshake still has a ton of value. That can be easy to forget as tweets pop up and pics are posted on Facebook - it's nice to be reminded. A bit like Drew Olanoff's talk at the 140 Conference in LA - reminding people about phone calls.

Some new storytelling thoughts coming in the next day or so. 'Til then - enjoy.