You will notice how mainstream Facebook has become between generations (until 50+) [which is a crazy big age lump for ComScore to have].  Linkedin, highly overdeveloped among the early boomers – an indication of its deep penetration among professional ranks.   Twitter indexes seem surprising for the large number of other reports I’ve seen about low teenage usage of twitter.

Comscore’s The Digital Consumer will Shape the  Brave New World Presentation, Feb. 2010.

To the defense of the developer, their removal was a very difficult decision by the admins.  Although they valued the contributions of the developer, they also recognized that their very presence hindered the community from free speech.  And so the developer got the boot.  And whereas this may  be a tough pill for a developer to swallow – it does not close the door of social media opportunities facing them.

For those who haven’t bought a new condo in Canada, the time from purchase to occupancy can be 2 – 3 years as the developer gains the percentage of sales required to proceed with the build.   Much of the developer communication during that 2-3 year period can be legal – leaving enthused purchasers starved for more information.  They can not wait for ‘meet the neighbour’ night to learn about how to navigate their purchase.    Indeed, having mapped the customer experience for home/condo buying from my recent past, the best areas for engagement go well beyond the actual purchase – which is, unfortunately, the stage where many developers stop spending money on their marketing communications.

Truthfully, lean developers are not easily involved in social technologies and customer engagement.  The process of buying of home – in the sky or on the ground – is woefully complicated and much of the marketing communications is well guarded to protect against unforeseen legalities.  Many companies (indeed some that I’ve consulted with in healthcare) are so afraid of client privacy and regulation that they avoid social networking.   And yet, there is always a route to market.  I’d rather see a well researched, thought out social networking strategy that says ‘do nothing’ then ignore the rising needs and behaviours of the market.

Social networking is wonderful option to bridge the gap but, as many brands have discovered, wading in these waters can be very difficult.   There is a right approach to social media and, as much as I love Facebook corporate fan pages, this isn’t the only place an organization can participate.   Online video, twitter, RSS feeds and the very underestimated corporate blog as plausible options for a developer – and I say this with experience.   Of course, establishing the facebook fan page before your purchasers do is an option that would have to happen well in advance of the first condo sale, I suppose.  But stopping purchasers from forming their own safe haven may be unpreventable.  What is clear – is that the community is alive, wired and engaged and so more marketing engagement would resonate well with this group.

On the side of the community – I do admire the admins below for what must have been a very difficult decision.  The role of the admin is to create a comfortable place for the community to grow.  Usually that means deleting a lot of wall page self promotion but in this case, the stakes were much higher.  And in rejecting the developer, I think the admins send a strong message to their community as well as lessons for the rest of us who manage facebook pages.  A reminder to hold true to the goals of the community and to always keep them in check.

So for those who want to learn more, the assassination went like this… [names removed, page protected]

We wanted to let you know that after much consideration (months) and many messages from group members, we have come to the conclusion that [John Doe] as Sales and Marketing Manager for [noname developer]  and their participation in the group increasingly conflicts with the purpose of the [noname condo development] and Facebook Group by creating a power dynamic, loyalty, and ethical dilemma that is only fixed by their removal.

Many members expressed that they feel the exchange of information is extremely lopsided and that the direct presence of our developer on the Facebook page discourages honest discourse among members for various reasons – including fear of reprisal. With this change we hope all members feel free to contribute to the discussion by posting on the wall and getting involved. In the past week alone, there has been a ton of new information posted on how to save tons on electric bbq’s vs buying from [noname], amenity spaces, group buying of window coverings and of course, discussion about occupancy dates. With pdi’s hopefully starting in x followed by Closing sometime next x, this forum will become even more essential and the ability to discuss issues that are at odds with the developer, in a private group setting, will become extremely important.

We want to stress that this was nothing personal against [noname] and has nothing to do with anything they posted. It is simply a matter of purchaser privacy and the ability to exchange information freely.

We have communicated our thanks and appreciation for all of the information and photos they have contributed to the group and told them would very much like to continue adding their contributions – in the form of photos, updates, upgrades or marketing materials and will gladly post any information they send us on the site.

Sincerely,  The Admins

*free* February 25th, 2 – 5pm – “Harnessing the Power of Social Media” – although a better title would be ‘Using Social Media in your Job Search‘.

About once every 6-8 weeks, I teach newcomers to Canada and other people in job transition how to use social media for personal networking.  I help people build powerful linkedin profiles, understand what recruiters look for and how to protect privacy in an increasingly public social space.   I am delighted that I will be co-presenting with Emmanuel Lopez, a.k.a. the Motivator Man, who shows people how movies and social media can energize careers, business and life.

*free virtual* March 9th, 10am - Social Media Marketing Summit, BrightTALK.  “Engaging!  Bringing Social Media to a World Festival“

A behind the scenes tale of the success and lessons learned from strategizing, engaging and becoming the voice behind the social networking initiatives of one of Ontario’s top festivals…

I am honoured to be on the roster for this virtual conference.  I’m rubbing virtual shoulders with many international speakers from companies like SAP, Linkedin, Cisco and Intel.

March 24th, 6:30pm – “The E-volution of Marketing: Does Your Online Business Presence Matter?“, The Canadian Netherlands Business Professionals Association.

The CNBPA assists Canadians in exploring their Dutch connections in the GTA by offering progressive events around learning and connecting in a professional and entrepreneurial business context.  This Fireside Chat is moderated by Darryl Konynenbelt, from the Global Toronto News Hour Team.  I will be joining three other e-marketers including Tedde van Gelderen, President, Akendi, Justin Stockman, Director of Marketing MuchMusic, MTV, MuchMore and Court Elliot, Communications Manager, Philips Canada.

March 30th, 3:30pm -  Plenary session on Social Media Marketing at the Aboriginal Business Forum, hosted by the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business.

Thank you Kai Elmer Sotto from Facebook Canada who recommend me as a speaker at this exciting forum.

“Social media marketers will explore recent developments in technology,  and how these advances allow cross-purpose effectiveness and speed to reach organizational goals… more..”  Moderated by David Allison, shared with Erin Bury, Sprouter and potentially Leona Hobbs, Social Media Today.

In all three meetings the marketing leadership knew that social media was upon them and was required in their marketing planning.  And yet, there was no real understanding of where to start or what to budget – and sometimes, what questions to ask.

I’ve had past clients assume that step one would be setting up a corporate facebook fan page – which is not always the case.  Before rushing in.. I always like to start with tried and true…. for instance

• what are your business and marketing objectives and how does digital feed them (which is often my question to answer)
• what are your target markets, their needs, wants and behaviours?
• What loyal and sizable networks exist today that need a place for loyalty (and so potentially for social networking)?
• What pain points exist in your customer experience?  What creates churn and loyalty in that experience?
• How well are your current digital efforts serving you? (which leads to analytics and performance evaluation)

There is more to do than what I suggest above as I haven’t touched on organizational readiness nor a technology tool set review.  But importantly, I do advise not to jump to social media vehicle selection before understand what goals are to be achieved.    Its a wild west out there – and strategy has to lead.