Bo Jacobson's Posterous

However, the final leg of the adventure was trimming down my new goatee to a mustache, and that's where things really got interesting. 

I received quite a bit of attention for sporting a fur coat on my upper lip. Most of it skeptical with a dose of teasing, some of it actually a bit flattering, but nonetheless: plenty of attention. It was something silly. It made me a little vulnerable, and perhaps a little more accessible. (I am told I can be intimidating - I'm kinda gruff dude) 

Now it isn't like I just sat at my desk all day and waited for people to comment on my mustache. I showed up at the same time, I had the same conversations I normally would, and I tackled everything that came across my desk. But my chosen distinction was with me all day; creating conversations and showing people that I didn't take myself too seriously. 

The moral of the story? Zag. Whether you have a multi-billion dollar company, or a brand-new blog that gets all of about 20 hits per post, do something completely unexpected. I'm not suggesting that you let it take you over or divert you from your productive course, but express some part of yourself that you keep locked away. (either because you think nobody would like it or that nobody would care about it) 

Sure - dot your "i's" and cross your "t's" and get shit done. But do a few novel things along the way, even if it doesn't make sense at the time. Give your audience something silly, interesting, or different, and it's entirely possible they'll want to play along. People will appreciate it, and you might just have a little fun yourself. 

I've been giving a lot of thought to what an agency should do for a client in social media, and what they shouldn't do. Here's what it comes down to for me: an Agency should make good recommendations, and help a client in making those recommendations materialize. 

If that sounds like a bit of a cop-out, that's because it is, and it's wholly subject to interpretation. (But so is the whole scape of client service platitudes) We want to do cool shit, and we want it to work so we get to do some more cool shit next quarter, and next quarter, and next quarter - and so on until we're all thought of as geniuses and our clients become iconic brands who own things like the color white, or reflections. 

So back to the point, where do we draw the line on what we should do for our clients? I find an answer in my preferences as a content consumer: I want to know the real story. The value for me is in getting past the marketing and the shine to find a little glimpse into the behind-the-scenes action of a company or product. This isn't to say that I don't appreciate good writing or pretty photos or engaging/funny video. I do, but only in so much as they bring me a little closer to the humanity of the folks on the other side.

It's my opinion that an agency simply can't provide this kind of content. We can help. We can facilitate through strategic recommendations, wireframes, site design, feature construction, app development, editing, image gathering, video production, and tons of other services. But what we aren't as good at, and what I venture to say that we shouldn't do, is attempt to provide the kernel of truth at center of this content. That has to come from knowledge and experience of a day-to-day company culture that agencies most often don't have any access to. In short: we can help you be your best you, but we can't stand in for you - only you can be you. 



Now I've definitely had to do some marketing that I hated. Not out of necessity for success (I don't actually think that cutting corners gets you anything), but because somebody was paying me and I needed the job. But some of you have your own sites, and you own your own businesses, and you still resort to spam and auto-replies and other tricks to get clicks and page views and otherwise make the people who encounter your message want to run away screaming. 

Let me ask you a few questions: When @garyvee replies to you, do you think you just gained cash or credibility? When 999 people look at your hashtag hijacking and want you to disappear, does the one click make it all worth it? When you have thousands followers on Twitter, but can't get an @ to save your life, do you feel important?

Imagine for a moment you were at a big event, in the midst of a huge crowd of people. You wouldn't hold up a sign for your business, or start interrupting other people's conversations with your pitch, or throw handfuls of your business cards into the crowd expecting them to gratefully gather them up and spend wads of cash on your whatever-the-fuck-it-is-you're-peddling. You might listen to what they were talking about for a minute, chime in if you could add to the topic, and leave them contact information if there were some mutually beneficial reason to continue the conversation in a more long form venue. 

This brings me back around to my title point: Would you do it? Whatever it is you're selling, however you're selling it, and whatever you expect people to do to get it or pay to own it... would you do it if you were in their shoes? If the answer is 'no', you wouldn't be attracted by the message, you wouldn't value the product, or you wouldn't support somebody who took so little care with an interaction, then maybe it's time to think about another way of dealing with people. 

Popular questions so far:

Am I excited? YES!! Sorry if you can't tell. My face is just like this. 

Am I going to see Metric? No I'm not. Their show is on the 19th and I'll be back on the 17th. I'll still see them later this month in Oakland though so it's all good.

Am I going to shame spiral? Probably not. I'm planning a more geek-out "AB" type thing... but one can never tell. 

I'll be posting/tweeting/updating as much as I can over the next few days so stay tuned if you're into it. (follow me on foursquare if you're in Austin this week and want to connect)

If there's a session you think I just can't miss, gimme a shout and I'll try to fit it in. 

Yesterday morning I was doing something manly (read as sitting in the warm sun playing Plants vs. Zombies and waiting for Sur La Table to open so I could grab a pepper mill - incidentally, I ended up with a brand new Shun too), and I noticed that my local outdoor shopping experience had posted "follow us on Twitter" signage around the central seating area. At first I went straight into analysis mode and started wondering what I would want from a mall Twitter feed, but then I took a moment to silently approve of their choice to participate in the new channel. 

Now two things are true here: (1) Twitter simply isn't new anymore and (2) I'm still not sure how valuable this channel will really be for them. However, all good reason aside, what does it really cost them to participate in Twitter? Okay, so they only have 398 followers and a 2:1 friend/follower ratio in the wrong direction, but I say forget about that junk and keep moving forward. Seriously. They're giving this channel a chance to work for them and all they have to do is spend 10-20 minutes a week publishing tidbits that they want people to know anyway. They're also doing some interesting things in regards to cross-communication with the Twitter feeds of other local groups which helps make Twitter relevant to people who are interested in things like the mountain play or who have a strong affinity for Teacake Bake Shop. They've even promoted a Tweetup, which is great because offline events are a great tactic for selling the locals on new media communication channels. (Why is Twitter relevant? Because you're at a party right now, that's why)

So props to you @shoptowncenter. Thanks for trying to find more ways to reach me as a shopper and a community member and letting me know what's going on in my area.