The following is from an interview I did with The Proprietor magazine in their inaugural edition in January 2011.

First let me congratulate you on the success of Social Media Camp Victoria 2010. This was Western Canada’s largest Social Media conference to date. ( tell me about the 2010 event and the 2011 event).

Thank you. Indeed by all accounts Social Media Camp “SMCV10” was a huge success. Almost all the feedback we got was very positive; from the quality of the speakers, to the venue, food, agenda and even the registration process, which is one thing that had me worried me. Getting 460 people through the reg process in less than an hour, but we did it with the help of some awesome volunteers.

We ended up hosting more than 460 attendees, 40 speakers and panelists and a number of media and trade sponsors. 

Based on the success of this year’s camp SMCV11 will be a 2-day event held on June 3^rd and 4^th 2011. And we are totally stoked to announce our keynote speakers Jay Baer and Amber Naslund, co-authors of “The NOW Revolution” to be published in early 2011. It’s going to be even more awesome than last year. 

It seems that you’re the right person to help business owners understand the role SM has today, and how it will shape the future of small business. (explain your opinion) 

It’s not difficult to learn how to use social media tools like Twitter and Facebook. Just like it’s easy to swing a hammer or use a screwdriver. But building a house or developing an effective social media strategy, now that’s a different story.

We see lots of people out there swinging hammers.

Having said that there are a number of people around Victoria who have successfully integrated social media into their business and marketing plans.

The important thing is to approach it strategically. Determine your objectives, develop a plan, work the plan, measure the results and continually optimize.

The value bWEST brings to its clients isn’t how to Tweet or create a Facebook page. The value we bring is in understanding our clients’ business, their industry, their customers and what’s important to each of them. That comes from more than 16 years in the communications business.

What are the biggest benefits businesses receive by engaging with a good SM strategy?

Building relationships, trust and social capital.

Ask anyone to finish this sentence. Business is built on ___________. They will tell you it’s relationships. Relations are built on [ trust ]. Trust is gained through [ conversations, engagement, communication ]. That’s what social media can do for your business.

As you have a background in advertising, could you clarify the difference between advertising and SM?

Advertising is one-way, social media is two-way. A monologue versus a dialogue. Social media effectiveness can be tracked and measured in terms of growth, interaction, engagement and even sales if you have the metrics in place. You can’t do that with broadcast advertising.

Each has its place and benefits and doesn’t have to be used to the exclusion of the other. I’m seeing a number of brands integrating aspects of, or promoting their social media programs, into their print and TV ads.

Effectively connecting with consumers in print, radio or TV requires a great ad, consistently appearing at the right time in a format large or long enough that it will get noticed – a perfect storm. Many of the small companies in Victoria lack the budget to make that happen.

Could having SM accounts be a double-edged sword for businesses?

If you are referring to the ability for consumers to convey negative comments regarding a product, service or company, my answer is no.

Whether a business is present and active on social media or not consumers can, and will, talk about them. What they say is, to a certain extent, up to the business. Social media won’t make your product or service and better or worse, it will simply amplify whatever people are saying about your business.

What I have seen is brands with passionate customers coming to their defense when someone disparages them on social media. That’s a beautiful thing.

Should businesses use every SM platform available to them? 

Wouldn’t be possible. There are just too many and most wouldn’t be relevant to their business.

The biggest mistake I see companies make is “jumping on the social media bandwagon” without first developing a strategy. Poke around Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin for a few minutes and you’ll find hundreds of neglected accounts. Same with blogs. They get launched, you see lots of activity for the first few weeks or months then slowly the updates wane or stop altogether. 

Is sporadic use of SM is better than none at all?

No. One of the first things I tell clients is that social media success requires more of a time & human resources investment than financial investment. They need to commit a certain amount of time to it every day. For some companies that’s 15 minutes and for others it’s 90.

SM is no different than any other marketing discipline. You need to know why you’re doing it, what you want to achieve, how you’re going to achieve it and how you’re going to measure it. Develop a strategy and execute it rigorously.

What are your favorite SM platforms, and why? (top 3-5 w. brief opinion)

The SM platforms I use most are Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Linkedin and blogging. I also use Foursquare but the jury is still out for me on that one. Location based social media is hot and will definitely have strong place in the market, I’m just not sure which will be the application of choice for the masses.  

Would you say that outsourcing your Twitter account is like someone pretending to be you at a networking event?

That’s an interesting and graphic analogy, but it’s hard to generalize since it depends on the size of your business and what your goal for Twitter is.

Authenticity, aka; you, your character, passion, personality and sense of humor is a key element in social media communications, especially Twitter. It’s critical to the development and success of a business’ brand that they convey their passion, vision, character and personality.

There are a few  “social media mantras” I strongly suggestion clients adopt. One of them is “always add value”. This goes a long way towards building your social capital, which is best done by individuals within the corporation. 

What’s one thing you could share with Victoria business owners that will benefit them the most?

Listen. Before you do anything, listen. Tap into the social media conversation. Listen to what your customers and prospects are saying – about you, your business, your competitors and your industry. Spend the time to understand how they’re using the tools.