Co-Working Done Right in Michigan

February 9, 2010 By Jeremiah Staes Leave a Comment

WorkSpaceToday I had the fortunate experience of getting a day pass at the Workantile Exchange, 3,000 square feet of coworking goodness in Ann Arbor.

If you don’t know what co-working is, it’s where groups or individuals work on their individual projects, but in a (usually) shared space. There are basic amenities, like coffee and really good wifi, as well as chairs and desks meant for getting the job done as opposed to the usual coffeeshop fare.

Professional Without Pretension

I walked into this place in downtown Ann Arbor, needing a place to “get it done” for a few hours.. and found a welcoming guy who ran the place. I plunked down my $15 for a day pass and there was a big orange mug for coffee discounts, decent working chairs and a desk that was just the right height (so much so, I’m going to adjust my home desk to that height). I knew no one, but could jump in a conversation that interested me, or jump out as needed. No harm no foul – we’re all there to get things done but also have a little social interaction.

There are two levels to this place, with what seemed to be three conference rooms on the lower levels. You can get full-on dedicated desks or offices upstairs at a reasonable rate according to the info I picked up – which if I lived  there or the business was based near downtown A2, I would totally do.

THIS Is The Droid We’re Looking For In Michigan

CoffeeCupConsidering the outrageous rent most office real estate folks want to charge, and the ridiculous restraints by governmental or quasi-governmental business “incubators,” THIS seems to be the right choice for the seasoned solo-preneur, the virtual company, or guy who wants to get something started on the side but there’s not enough space (or too much distraction) at home.

It’s an incubator or home for a business that doesn’t have all the pretension and overhead of some targeted program, or the unnecessary trappings of an executive suite.

As someone who has looked into official incubator space earlier in my career, and have been pitched it by various locations I shall not name, I can be frank in saying none of thos spaces meet the needs of many entrepreneurs. They are either too expensive for the market, have lots of useless amenities, or is completely missing the mark on the social and intelligent collaboration aspect (I believe required in today’s economy).

At the WorkEx, from the real bamboo bathroom floors, to the exposed brick and orange colors, the place was fun yet professional. It looked creative but also like a place where you could do some business and be taken seriously, especially the three conference rooms and training loft. I stole away for a phone call (half needing to make the call, half getting a good excuse to check it out on my own) and the WorkEx would do the trick without it seeming childish.

It’s Walkable!

The double awesome? It was in the middle of an urban, walkable downtown with plenty of mass transit and easy, cheap parking just around the corner.

Lunch? A few steps away. Lots of retail nearby for diversions and creativity, and excellent architecture. Although Ann Arbor does not have the signature buildings of some cities, it’s kept its 1880′s-1920′s era buildings in tact for the most part without “missing teeth” (empty lots breaking up a streetscape), and if there has been some torn down, the area has been filling them in creating a cohesive, consistently walkable, visually interesting space.

The place is independently owned, between some techs and who’s obviously a skilled builder who refinished the space.

I wish these guys the best of luck. Check’em out, they’re worth the money.

Photo Credits: Sourced from their site, Workantileexchange.com.
Filed Under: Business, Love Your User

Questioning God

December 4, 2009 By Jeremiah Staes 1 Comment

in-garyv-we-trustThere’s groupthink in any industry, but I think ours in Social Media is full of it to an extreme extent.

Because it’s so relatively new (although some of us has been interacting socially on the web for 15 years before the tools got nifty pastel gradients and friendly icons reminiscent of songbirds) people are busy looking for any validation of their beliefs due to either their inexperience, their need to be like others, or simply professionally being able to point to someone else.

Unlike any other marketing/PR/customer service/etc. function, social media crosses so many barriers and traditional silos that it literally scares people. We who live “in the biz” forget that this isn’t second nature and intimidating to most not just because of the tools but the impending culture shift, contradicting what years of B-school and hierarchies reinforced.

And what do people do when they’re scared? Come together. At times through religion. Add into the mix it’s digital and many people over 40 don’t have much value for bits and bytes and/or culturally don’t understand their significance, you have a flock of converts under attack looking for leadership.

The Universal Law (Benefit) of Social Media

However, in order for our industry to grow, and for the real, universal benefit of social media – connecting people to make things happen, whatever that “thing” is to you – true progress is going to be made not by parroting the current leaders of the social media industry, but by taking their experience and trying new things. Working it. I say this with the utmost respect, but the only real difference between them and everyone else is the willingness to try something and do the hustle to make it work, and being willing to fail (which by the way, is much easier said than done, and one of many reasons to respect thought leaders).

After all, there is no formula when dealing with people; and this is dealing with people to the largest extent. Every situation you’re going to want to draw on yours and others experiences, real data, ask hard questions and be willing to listen to the answers, even if they don’t match your initial thought.

You need to be willing to act quickly, decisively, and comport to the needs of your community, not necessarily your needs.

So go out, be fruitful, be an evangelist for your brand, love your users, love your community, and charge on. We might have different sized caravans – or lone riders on a trusty steed. But if you want to make things happen – be that trailblazer with your own ideas.

Filed Under: Business, Industry News, Love Your User, Online Marketing Fundamentals, Social Media, Social Media Fundamentals, blogging Tagged With: questioning, Social Media, social media benefits, trailblazing, universal law of social media

11,000 Reasons To Disclose

October 5, 2009 By Jeremiah Staes Leave a Comment

behind-the-curtain

This has been coming for months, and as of December 1st, it’s here.

The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) has decided to put their hand into the blogosphere (as well as other types of endorsements) and have a policy shift that requires more disclosure than before. This initiative (started and most of the formulation was done by the previous presidential administration) is no surprise – but an under-covered story. Now that’s it’s on our doorstep, I hope more pay attention.

In some ways, this is a good thing – digital is being taken seriously enough and has proven it’s efficacy enough to require being noticed. But, with prestige comes responsibility – and since we’re talking about transactions, even if they’re “freebies,” you’re influencing people because of influences you normally wouldn’t have.

I’ve always been a proponent of full disclosure – I think that the culture of the web (which is the deciding factor – not of your profession or company) leans toward being transparent

Social media etiquette is like when you go to someone’s house – the deciding factor of whether you take your shoes off at the door is the discretion of the host, not the guest.

Open The Kimono

I honestly don’t understand the outrage of people who are against disclosure. Why does it matter to tell your audience if you received a sample, gift, or are paid for the review? If your audience ACTUALLY trusts you, it won’t hurt your credibility whatsoever.

Here’s some suggestions for disclosure:

  • Lay The Disclosure At The Reader’s Feet: The footer disclosure. At the end of the post, possible as a p.s. or italics, there’s a straightforward disclosure line.
  • Integrate it into the post. Just come out and say, “The Acme company sent me these freebies the other day, and I tried….”
  • Have A Post That Tells The Story. Especially if your site is a review site and you’re brought on retainer by a PR or ad firm to write about their products (I know bloggers who are in this situation), et all, you should have a post that states the relationship directly, offer a place for questions in the comments, etc.

Again, if you actually have trust with your readers, you have nothing to fear. It will be interesting over the next few months how the public reacts to this disclosure. However, if you’re really serious about your blog and reputation – step into the dojo:

Black Belt Judo Move: Develop and Publish Your Policy

Judo_Fight_270462Yep, I’m encouraging individuals to have a policy on this and publish it.. according to what you’re comfortable with and what’s within the bounds of the upcoming regulation. I believe readers (even if you don’t consider yourself a journalist, however, evidence is mounting that’s the default standard the public has once your readership reaches a certain level) deserve to know what you’re internal barometer is. This is a big reason WHY mainstream publications are trusted by most and continue to have high level of readership - and continue to be the “originators” of content. If you’re going to be a quality, followed, content originator, trust needs to be built up over time. Here’s a great for-instance from CNET on how they approach disclosure. Not saying you should copy exactly, however, it’s an idea how a respected publication takes it. One initiative our network uses is Blog With Integrity.

The Field Is Moving Forward

I believe December 1st is a turning point of sorts. I think the entire discipline is growing up so different rules are being applied, and just like people forever thought “blogging is dead,” it’s just because the people who weren’t dedicated and not as good didn’t have the readership or passion to continue – and Twitter, at 140 characters, was easier.

The unintended consequence is that those who actually do still blog got more authority and audience due to the lack of commoditization – if you’re writing blog posts, you’re obviously putting in more effort than a Tweet and more and more people aren’t willing or able to do more than a Tweet – and they NOW realize how much more difficult it is as far as writing, time commitment, research, etc.

What do you think? Is the government stepping too far in? What justifiable reasons does a blog writer or person have to NOT disclose relationships?

Filed Under: Advertising, Business, Industry News, Love Your User, Online Marketing Fundamentals, Social Media, blogging Tagged With: blog disclosure, disclosure, fines, ftc, Social Media

Kiss Me! Keep It Simple, Silly Marketing Expert

July 31, 2009 By Jeremiah Staes 1 Comment

Let’s make our jobs a whole lot easier by being proprietors of the simple.

Stop the Twitter giveaway campaigns with three steps in different places to enter. Just let people tweet with their own creativity, and no, not every message is going to be perfect branding. I have one cold word for you with it if you want success: Deal. This is the nature of the social web.

As they well stated in 8 social media sins, there aren’t throngs of people lined up to make a video for you. It’s just too difficult, unless the prize is great enough (and tangible, like cash, and a lot of it).

Same with products. Selling complicated products or services online is at best an information support, public relations and/or customer service role (not bad things, but it’s important to know the limits).

The Winning Tickets Online

If, however, you have:

  • A simple, inexpensive product or service
  • An introductory product people can easily buy that then steps them up to the bigger item or..
  • An easy to understand monthly service

That’s a winning ticket.

Don’t Change Your Value Equation After People Have Made The Decision To Buy

Another pitfall we see commonly is pricing, or perceived to be misleading pricing. We recently ran across a site that says it’s $19.95 per month to join – with no mention of the fact they want 3 months up front until you’re in the cart. That’s a sure-fire way to abandonment – keep the barrier to entry low and even though it’s still $19.95 a month, consumers feel betrayed when they’re presented with something different because you’ve convinced them to spend around $20 at the time, not $60 (or $59.85, my beloved math nerds). You can exchange those numbers for almost anything, the same principle applies.

Changing that in-brain value proposition and asking for three times the amount basically obliterates your conversion percentages (you’ve turned a simple decision into a difficult one, because you’ve set an expectation, or trust level, in the consumer’s mind that you’ve already broken before they sign up – not good).  And if you have a digital product, there is no excuse for that behavior.  Your cost is almost free.

Ask Questions!

Which leads me to motivations for these crazy “strategies.” Decision makers have this propensity to live in a bubble – how THEY would buy it. What THEY think the market is.

Think about your customers – ask them. Ask those who aren’t your customers. Reach deep. Don’t think because that’s how you’d do something that’s how everyone would.. or that logical factors have something to do with a purchase. Remember, a large percentage of people don’t even know what a web browser is.

Some of the most successful businesspeople I have met are people who see market needs and fill them at the price the market is willing to pay. That’s it. No flashy business plans, no fancy venture capital money. Find a real need, meet it at the right price, and get paid.

Just keep it simple.

What are your tips for getting paid online? Things you’ve found that work – or don’t work?

Filed Under: Business, Love Your User, Online Marketing Fundamentals, Rant, Social Media, Tips

Intern Social Media PR: Russian Roulette With Your Company

July 27, 2009 By Jeremiah Staes 4 Comments

Dear Miscellaneous Misinformed Company,

Your company has a message in front of thousands, if not tens of thousands of prospects and clients a month.  People who are in-market for your service, or eyeballs you’ve paid for through your Pay-Per-Click, traditional advertising, or organic search efforts – and they visit your blog and site.

But, that biggest of direct customer and prospect touch points, your blog, your Twitter, your social media presence, is handled by someone who has a month or two of real experience and has the assignment because they have a Facebook page.  By doing this, you’ve decided that in a first meeting with your biggest potential client, you’re going to stick your intern in front of them.

Meanwhile, you’re spending thousands of dollars on professionals and professional services to write and distribute press releases that reporters increasingly ignore and customers simply don’t read or care about.  Journalist coverage is important – but more and more (upwards of 70%), journalists are turning to blogs for their information about companies, too.

You’re playing russian roulette with your company and brand by hiring an intern for such a customer- and media-facing task. Do you really want people who are just learning how to communicate doing so with your brand name?

Some Pitfalls Of Interns Being Your Company Face

Miscellaneous Misinformed Company Marketing Director, I like you. Enough to warn you.

  • Social media is about relationships and nurturing those -  there’s a good chance the intern will be gone in a few months.
  • Inexperience around what is appropriate to talk about to your audience (I’m sure you remember the mistakes you made at 21. I do. Wowsah).
  • Inability to use the tools properly, including having an understanding of Search Engine Optimization to help the site rank better
  • Lack of understanding of how to implement audience-appropriate, effective calls to action
  • Topics have lack of focus, no story arc or editorial calendar (we’ve found they need to be taught what one is)
  • Legal Liability (for instance, loose lips sink ships! You should share, but knowing the line between sharing and company secret is important).
  • Many times interns do not have adequate language skills, making the company look childish – especially if they’re not from a discipline that involves a lot of writing
  • Shows community how much you value them – and that’s not much, since you’re going to have someone who doesn’t even get paid deal with them
  • Lack of passion – although interns may be excited, it’s always better to have people who are truly passionate about the business, technology or topic blog, or even use an outsider’s perspective through a corporate reporter.

What do you think? Should companies trust their message to interns? Do you have additional pitfalls or benefits (other than cost?)

(Author’s Note: I was going to call out some companies. I decided against it, as professional courtesy, because I don’t want to do damage to them).
Filed Under: Business, Love Your User, Online Marketing Fundamentals, Rant, Social Media, blogging Tagged With: blogs, interns, PR, press releases, Social Media, twintern
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