Experts in the Industry: Mike Lewis (44 of 45)

And today's special guest is friend, and CMO of Awareness, Mike Lewis (not to be confused with Tim Walker's idol, Michael Lewis). I first met Mike on Twitter but then got to know him through his involvement in Chris Brogan's New Marketing Summit in Boston last year. Mike came to our offices along with David Scott and Paul Gillin to do a podcast for the event. Mike and I then sat down for a video interview at Gillette Stadium to talk about the meaning of "new marketing."

Since then, Mike has taken over as the head of marketing at Awareness. I've been impressed with some of the programs he's put together including a kick ass webinar series featuring folks like Sony, Brogan and other folks moving the bar in the social media space. Mike and I are hoping that sometime soon, Awarenss and Powered can do a joint webinar that's double the fun!

Okay Mike, let's see how you answered the five questions from the Experts in the Industry series:

In one sentence, please describe what you do and why you’re good at it.

I am an entrepreneurial marketer that helps companies build brand and revenue through traditional and social marketing initiatives. The most successful marketing programs include a significant amount of risk and I help companies take strategic risks and uncover innovative ways of bringing products and services to market. 

  

How did you get into the world of online community, social media or social marketing?

I have always been passionate about Internet technologies that help improve how we conduct business.  I initially got involved in social media a few years back when I was the VP of Marketing at Salesnet by launching a customer focused blog and a blog focused on improving sales processes.  Since then I have been an early adopter of social technologies and have tried to include them in every marketing program I run.

  

If you had $10 million to invest in one company and one company only based on their use of “social,” which company would it be and why?

For me it’s a toss-up between Zappos and Jet Blue.  Zappos is because they are passionate about using social media, they are very successful and they have fun doing it. I would invest in Jet Blue because their use of social clearly aligns with their overall business objective of delivering a superior customer experience.  From the top down they are passionate about serving their customers and they adopted social media as a way to support that goal.   In my opinion that is something many companies who are adopting social media are missing – aligning social media marketing to real business objectives.

Which business leader, politician or public figure do you most respect?

I know you asked for 1, but here are 3… 1 for each category:

• Political figure: Mitt Romney.  I have a lot of respect for him both as a businessman and as a politician.  From a political standpoint he turned a $3B deficit in Mass to a $700M surplus and had to make a lot of tough decisions along the way that didn’t align with many of the other politicians in Massachusetts.
• Business leader: Steve Jobs.  His track record speaks for it itself.  I have a lot of respect for his innovation, creativity and drive.
• Public Figure: Howard Stern.  OK... this is the outlier, right?  Here’s why I respect Howard.  He’s a guy that never lost sight of his dream to be a radio star and worked his butt off to get there.  You may not like what he says but you have to respect his work ethic and determination.

Would you join a toothpaste community? Why?

No… simply because I have no interest in toothpaste.  That said, I am likely to sign up for a community if it’s a product or subject I am interested in and passionate about. 

 

Freeform – here’s where you can riff on anyone or anything – good or bad. Or just share a pearl of wisdom.

I spend a lot of time speaking with marketing execs at companies who are talking an awful lot about social media, but aren’t actually doing anything yet.  In the words of Nike, my advice is: Just do it.  It’s easy to get started in social media, test the waters, listen to what people are saying and use that as a way to formulate a more complex plan that aligns with your business objectives.  

Experts in the Industry: Bill Johnston (43 of 45)

Not only is Bill Johnston, chief community officer at ForumOne Communications, a good friend, he's also one of the best kept secrets in the world of social. When I tell you that Bill is one of the most knowledgable people in the space when it comes to online community, I'm not pulling your leg. In addition to overseeing Autodesk's online community in a previous life, Bill now runs a community of communities at ForumOne with member companies like eBay, Apple, Yahoo, Microsoft and Sony (heard of them)?

In case you needed another reason to like Bill, he's also a great business partner. Over the past few years Bill and I have worked together on a number of different events

 and I can tell you that he is as fair as they come. Oh yeah, Bill also lives in So

noma, CA so he's a good guy to know when it comes to things like 40th birthdays. To that end, I couldn't resist including at least one of our pictures of Bill and me out with the rest of my friends and family that joined us for a wine country tour de force last October.

But enough about wine... off to Bill's answers to the Experts in the Industry series:

In one sentence, please describe what you do and why you’re good at it.
I bring people together (online and in person) to collectively gain a better understanding of developing and growing online communities. I think I'm *pretty* good at it, but as a consequence of my work, I'm constantly humbled by the other practitioners in the space that I meet. I love working on community strategy and development, and I think that makes the difference... as hokey as it may sound, I really do love it.

How did you get into the world of online community, social media or social marketing?
I was employee #20 at TechRepublic.com (1999), which at that time was headquartered in Louisville KY. I have to admit that at first I didn't really appreciate the "community" aspects of the TechRepublic community. Then one night I started following a thread between two WIndows NT admins - one in the states and one in Latin America. They were helping each other troubleshoot a really obscure configuration issue, and it dawned on me: We brought together two out of probably 20 people in the entire world that were capable of discussing and solving that particular problem. From that moment on, I was hooked.

If you had $10 million to invest in one company and one company only based on their use of “social,” which company would it be and why?
Seriously? One that I would start. There are so many problems to solve and so many opportunities.

Which business leader, politician or public figure do you most respect?
Let's just assume that Obama, Gore, et al. are in my top 5. How about #6 on my list? My wife is looking over my shoulder, so I'm going to say Oprah. Ok, now she's gone. Although I love the media empire Oprah has created (I would love to become MOprah, or Man Oprah), I'm going to go with Richard Branson. He's fearless, funny, innovative and always recovers from failure with a smile on his face, and he has driven the Virgin brand in many places (health, space, cola?!?) that it probably shouldn't be, but it is successful nonetheless.

Would you join a toothpaste community? Why?
No, but I *might* join a health community that had a dental health section. It's hard to get excited about toothpaste, but easier to get excited about the good health in genreal, and (maybe) dental health. I think that is the problem with a lot of community and social media strategies... thinking in isolation vs. thinking holistically.

Freeform – here’s where you can riff on anyone or anything – good or bad. Or just share a pearl of wisdom.
Some pearls for the aspiring online community or social media strategist:

• You learn by doing, so go do.
• Self promotion and personal brand shouldn't be your sole focus. Work on something larger and it will come back to you.
• Trust yourself, especially as you start to gain experience. There are a lot of "experts" in the space, but none know your community as well as you probably do.
• Thank those that help you and praise people that deserve it.
• Be nice. I learned this the hard way, and sometimes still struggle with it.

By the way, Bill's Twitter handle is @billjohnston.

Experts in the Industry: CC Chapman (42 of 45)

CC Chapman, co-founder & managing partner, The Advanced Guard, is a cool guy. I first met CC last year at this time at SXSW even though I had followed his blog and Twitter stream. Since then, I've had a chance to sit on a panel with CC last fall at a New Marketing Labs bootcamp and have also had a chance to get to know him a little better than in 800 word or 140 character bursts.

Here's your chance to get to know CC Chapman a little better if you haven't had a chance to keep up with the volumes of great social media knowledge he provides (like the free Facebook Fan Page white paper he put out yesterday). Let's see how CC answered the five questions from the Experts in the Industry series:

In one sentence, please describe what you do and why you're good at it.

I've always been the person that people come to with their problems because I listen well and always have advice on how to fix the problem and this makes me very good at helping individuals and brands of all sizes to take their problems or goals and determine ways to leverage technology and initiatives to become successful. 

 

How did you get into the world of online community, social media or social marketing?

In 1996 I co-founded a micro-budget independent production company called Random Foo Pictures. The web was just starting and we were figuring out every way we could leverage it to connect with people who wanted to see our work. I quickly learned that it was about the connections more then anything else. Getting to know people and becoming friends with them would help you find whatever you needed.

My degree from Bentley is in computers but I always wanted to use the creative side of my brain more then the other. Whenever someone tells me "you can't do that" it makes me want to do it even more and looking back I've shaped my career around that. Always pushing forward and figuring out what was next and how I could be part of it.

When I launched The Advance Guard in 2007 (with partner and friend Steve Coulson) it was because I realized the only way I was going to be happy was to be my own boss. I saw how other people were doing business in the space and I wanted to do something different because I didn't agree with a lot of what I saw. I can tell you that I've honestly never been happier. 

 

If you had $10 million to invest in one company and one company only based on their use of "social," which company would it be and why?

My first thought was Ning because I think they are an amazing company, but then I realized they've got enough money at the moment most likely so I would have to say I'd invest it in Akoha. This startup in Montreal is trying to do things very differently. They want to have fun, be a successful business and also bring social good to the world. 

I had the pleasure of sitting and talking with founder Austin Hill and some of his team for several hours and I left with my mind hurting from the level of business and creativity that they all possessed. They are written off by some as just a feel good card game, but I can see that on top of wanting to help the world they've got an interesting business model that breaks out of the current common thinking towards something very different. I like that about them and if I had the money to invest that is where I'd put it. Anyone can make money, but making money AND doing good is something I wish more people would do. 

 

Which business leader, politician or public figure do you most respect?

There use to be this great television show called Dinner For Five where the host John Favreau got five different people around a table for dinner and conversation. I'm always thinking about who I'd want at my table. Prince would be there because I'm a life long fan of his music and he is one of the most creative people on the planet when it comes to music and marketing. Quentin Tarantino would bring the color to the table because you don't know what he is ever going to say and he is the reason I got into movies. I've always wanted to meet Bill Gates because he is such a successful business man, but now he is doing so much in the philanthropy world as well. Jane McGonigal is one of the smartest women I've ever seen speak and I'd love to sit down and talk with her. Finally, I'd have President Obama there was well because of his dynamic personality and the fact that he is the first President I've felt close enough to know even a little bit about. Can you just imagine what this group might talk about? Sure, I'd love to talk to any one of them one-on-one but as a group I can't even begin to think about the variety of topics we would cover. 

 

Would you join a toothpaste community? Why?

My gut reaction was no because toothpaste is not something I'm passionate about so I don't need that community in my life. But, then as I thought about it more I don't know. I grew up in a family that always used Crest and still to this day I use Crest. Would joining a community get me discounts or other special offers? If so then maybe I would join, but I can safely say I would not be an active member of the community. I've got to be passionate about something to invest time in it.

 

Freeform – here's where you can riff on anyone or anything – good or bad. Or just share a pearl of wisdom.

One of my favorite phrases is to "take the road less traveled" and it is something that has guided my personal and professional life. I like to embrace change and work with companies who are not afraid of it. I think that is why all the social media tools, networks and connections scare a lot of people because they see them as major change and most people are not comfortable with that.

If you work or play in this space and want to take things to the next level you need to realize this. You can't tell companies that they need to be in this space because that is not a good reason for anyone. None of this is a silver bullet that fixes every companies problems. I remember the first time I saw a graphic web browser and saw the potential that it held. But, it would be years before most companies were doing anything worthwhile with it and even today some people are just starting out. 

I think too many people forget that we are ahead of the curve. It might not be bleeding edge any more, but it is certainly cutting edge for most of it. I hope people start sharing results, helping each other and working with companies to do it properly. Every time I see a marketing campaign that feels like a traditional marketing angle with some social media pasties stuck on it I cringe.

Experts in the Industry: Meg Fowler (41 of 45)

As I mentioned in this morning's Experts in the Industry post featuring friend, Jennifer Leggio, I am tickled to death to have two of the smartest AND funniest women in the socialsphere on Citizen Marketer in the same day. The second of these two lovely ladies is none other than blogger and co-founder of social media for social change, Meg Fowler!

I distinctly remember that when I first started following Meg, the first thing that caught my eye was her about me page. Most bloggers I know try and keep their bio's light and even funny but Meg took hers to a whole new level. In particular, the fourth line from the bottom of her bio said it all. It reads, "I probably like hockey more than you do." How could I not read/follow Meg after a statement like that?

With that as a backdrop, find out how the woman who "probably likes hockey more than you do" answered the five questions from the Experts in the Industry series:

In one sentence, please describe what you do and why you're good at it.
I help people get their message across more effectively, by distilling their thoughts, concepts and ideas into words -- and I'm good at it because I drink my weight in coffee each day. 

How did you get into the world of online community, social media or social marketing?
I think my first online community was Orkut -- I started blogging at Salon.com, and someone invited me to join. And although my time there was pretty short-lived, being conversational in ANY space is a natural inclination of mine. If you follow me on Twitter, you know that's the case. 

And I'm sorry.:-) 

I'm not one to join every social network or platform, though -- I pick a couple and invest as best I can, instead of getting all overwhelmed by all the spots that need updating. I do Facebook and Twitter, primarily, along with my blog at MegFowler.com. 

If you had $10 million to invest in one company and one company only based on their use of "social," which company would it be and why?
Well, I think I owe Twitter right about that much money because I met the love of my life there (not to mention a bunch of clients and several fantastic friends.) 

I *should* probably wait for a business model to emerge, though the idea that they'd just fritter it away on donuts is appealing to me in some way (see what I did there? That pun? Yeah. That's why I'm so good.) 

Which business leader, politician or public figure do you most respect?
I really loved Paul Newman, actually. He possessed a fantastic combination of talent, conviction, humility, and fierce intelligence that changed the landscape wherever he chose to get involved. 

He worked hard, he loved his family, he was up front about his beliefs and ideals, and he changed kids' lives... without ever being arrogant about his success at any of it. 

He was also incredibly funny and ridiculously handsome -- and I can't say I mind either of those qualities in a man. 

Would you join a toothpaste community? Why?
I sat staring at this question wondering whether it was literal -- a community about toothpaste -- or you were using some new buzzword for a type of community. 

Then I tried to think of what kind of community would be called a "toothpaste community": a super-fresh one? One that squeezes the emotion out of you? One that leaves a great taste in your mouth? One in which you can never take back anything you gush out? One recommended by 4 out of 5 dentists? 

Then I smacked myself in the head. 

I'd join a toothpaste community if one of my friends created it for a brand and needed support -- I think that's probably the only reason it would appeal to me. Though I bet I could chat it up about toothpaste as well as I could chat it up about anything. 

In fact... Crest: holla back at your girl! 

Freeform - here's where you can riff on anyone or anything - good or bad. Or just share a pearl of wisdom.

"People are more fun than anybody." -- Dorothy Parker

Experts in the Industry: Amber Naslund (39 of 45)

Amber Naslund, director of community at Radian6, is not affraid to speak her mind. It's one of the many things I like about her. In particular, she took a stance several weeks ago when one of my other good friens, Chris Brogan, decided to try a little experiment. It involved sponsored a sponsored blog post for K-Mart -- something he was completely up front and transparent about. Amber took a stand and wrote a thoughtful piece about her interpretation of the event. Since then, I've paid closer attention to her blog AND her Twitter feed and hope to meet her in person at SXSW.

Check out how she applied her community and social skills to the five questions from the Experts in the Industry interview series:

In one sentence, please describe what you do and why you're good at it.
I build communities and brands through social media, and I’m good at it because I’m naturally drawn to people and human connectivity.

How did you get into the world of online community, social media or social marketing?
Completely accidentally. I was a nonprofit fundraiser, and a corporate marketer in past lives. I’ve been part of social media on a personal level before it was called such, and I’ve steered my professional interests more and more in that direction over the last several years. Social media, to me, is the “home” I’ve been looking for in my communications and business development roles for years and years. Now I just get to call it something.

If you had $10 million to invest in one company and one company only based on their use of "social," which company would it be and why?
I’m going to have to be cliché and say Twitter. Twitter’s brilliance is that it isn’t forcing itself to be anything to anyone. It’s an incredibly simple concept with immense possibilities not only for itself, but for companies looking to understand the potential of the social web as a whole. It’s just the platform, but the implications reach far and wide. And the ideas it’s beginning to foster across the communications landscape are exciting.

Which business leader, politician or public figure do you most respect?
I really respect the hell out of Bill Gates. He built something amazing from nothing more than an idea, and he gives back in staggering proportion to the world around him. It’s hard to ignore that, and I’m a Mac.

Would you join a toothpaste community? Why?
Probably not. I’m not particularly passionate about toothpaste. Now deodorant? That’s something.

Freeform – here's where you can riff on anyone or anything – good or bad. Or just share a pearl of wisdom.
The real power in all this social mumbo jumbo isn’t in the tools. Forget the tools and their silly names. The transformation for business is inside the walls as much as it is outside. Cultures are shifting, silos are coming down, and communication – dare I say business - practices are evolving. It’s a recognition that communication itself is shifting, becoming more nimble than ever before, and we must learn to adapt alongside. It’s breathtakingly exciting if you can see the forest and not just the trees.