The World According to Mitch Fanning

I love this time of year.

For me, like many others, it’s a time for reflection and renewal.  We can start with a clean slate and begin to pursue those things we’ve put off.

I’ve never been one to set New Year’s resolutions mostly because I set goals throughout the year.  I also try to make my goals more meaningful nowadays, going beyond generic fitness or financial pursuits.

This year, I’d like to make a real dent in the universe.  I’d like my efforts to be inspirational to others and not just in vain.  So, without further delay, when it comes to educating our clients at Fruition Interactive as well as the business community at-large, here is one of my two intentions for 2012:

(more…)

Somewhere in Santorini, Greece (not a bad point of view, if I do say so myself)

I’m currently reading Onward by Howard Shultz, founder and ceo of Starbucks.  So far, it’s a good read. I also read Howard’s first book and really enjoy his informal and genuine writing style.

One idea that popped out, while reading the latest chapter, was his need to re-communicate Starbucks’ point of view upon his return as ceo in 2008.  After pondering this idea for a moment, I came to the conclusion that every business should have a “Point of View”, just as every person should have a point of view.

Something your business stands for (your platform).

Something to defend.

Something to share.

Its reason for existing.

I believe Fruition Interactive‘s point of view is that “digital marketing should drive business results”. Your website is meaningless unless it gets people to take action – action that you’ve predetermined as being important to your business.

Your online marketing initiatives, whether it be pay per click advertising, search engine optimization, social media initiatives, or e-mail must drive qualified traffic to your site and create real, measurable business results.  If popular social networking sites are driving traffic to your site – traffic which can be verified through Google Analytics – but not turning into inquiries and/or subscribers, you’re not using social media in the right way – yet.

When it comes to my personal point of view – I have many.  One is that getting what you want usually comes as a result of not conforming to what is generally done or believed by others.  Another one is everyone should use the Internet to build their personal brand and share their Point of View.

That’s my Point of View.

What yours?

About the Author

Mitch is VP of Fruition Interactive.  He has spent the last 11 years working with businesses of all sizes, from global brands to some of Canada’s fastest growing web start-ups ranked in the PROFIT 100 in a marketing, leadership, or business development capacity.

Photo credit: Wolfgang Staudt

REALLY.

When I joined Facebook back in 2007, I didn’t think it all the way through.

And now I have to do something drastic…

By mixing business and personal in the same account, here on Facebook. I was no good to anybody. Here’s a few highlights:

* Personal friends and family who weren’t interested in my business found themselves with lots of marketing messages. I’m amazed at anyone who ’stayed a friend” – but that’s another note all together.

* Business partners, associates, etc., got a bunch of confusing personal updates when they were trying to get work done. So much for “Market to Message Match.”

So, here’s what I’ve done:

I’ve set up a “Page” at Facebook where I’ll be focussing on the “Business” and “New Media” side of Mitch. You can see it here (please click to “like” it as I need 25 “fans” to claim my customized URL – /mitchfanning…yes, I’m begging).

It should be a fun place to meet up and chat.

Here’s the link one more time.

In the meantime, I will be using my personal Facebook profile for close friends, colleagues, and of course, family only.  I’m sure this move will offend a few. Please understand it is certainly a drastic move – but one I needed to take.

Didn’t mean to offend – sorry if I did.

Respectfully yours,

Mitch

Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of listening to Jonathan Lister, Managing Director of the Canadian and Latin American division of LinkedIn deliver a keynote to a crowded room of business people over breakfast at the Toronto Board of Trade.

When it comes to using social media for business, Jonathan emphasized the importance of understanding the social platforms available, having a plan (and policy) for each, and being selective when it comes to building your professional network.

Understand the Social Platforms

By understanding what’s available, Jonathan claimed, individuals can make better decisions as to why and how they should get involved.  He demonstrated this point by outlining how he personally uses each major social network.  For instance, Jonathan uses Linkedin for his professional contacts (obviously), Facebook for personal use, and Twitter for a bit of both (but mostly for business).

My approach is very similar.

In fact, I’ve recently clarified my “qualifying process” used to decide who I connect  with online.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not anti-social.  I’m simply choosing to use social media to strengthen my relationship with the people I care about most (friends, family, colleagues, clients, partners).  The people who have “relevance” in my life.

Have a Personal Brand Policy

My other “take-away” from Jonathan’s talk was the need for a personal brand policy for each social network I participate in.  Simply put, you need to answer the questions: “Why am I here?” and “why should someone listen/connect/follow me?”

Knowing the answers to these questions does 3 important things:

1. It helps you qualify the value of your connections (i.e. friend, fan, follower, professional)
2. It helps you create and curate relevant content for each network (i.e. personal or business)
3. It helps you publicly communicate your policy so others can then decide whether or not they want to connect with you (i.e. are you relevant to their world)

Here are examples using my personal social media policies:

Facebook Policy: Moving forward, my Facebook profile will only be for close friends and family, with the exception of and a few professional colleagues and/or groups who I highly respect and trust.  I’m also thinking about starting a Facebook Page for just business content as some of my professional contacts prefer using Facebook over the other social platforms.  Regardless, when it comes to my Facebook connections, the question I now ask myself  is:  “Hypothetically, if I saw this person out at the mall, would either of us make an effort to stop and say hello?” If yes, I’ll connect.  If no, they don’t make the cut.

Twitter Policy: For the most part, my policy for Twitter won’t really change much.  My objective with Twitter has always been to provide good business content and brand myself as a “go-to” person when it comes to building business using the web (i.e. interactive strategy, blogging, search marketing, social media optimization, email marketing).

Linkedin Policy: Linkedin has always been about professional connections.  However, after listening to Jonathan, I’ve made a decision to improve the “quality” and “relevance” of my 1st connections. Why is this important? Listen to Jonathan’s explanation here (audio clip: approx. 2 min) to find out.  Alternatively, watch this short video.

If you want to gauge how strong your “1st degree” network is on Linkedin, try this litmus test:  Make a request to ten “1st degree connections” and ask to be introduced to someone they know (a “2nd degree connection” to you).  If your success rate is not over 80% consider eliminating the 20% who did not respond after an acceptable amount of time.  The lesson: be selective and make sure your connections are relevant.

Stop Talking. Start Connecting

Once you understand why you use a particular social network, establish your policies, and become selective about who you connect with, the value of your online network will increase and your efforts will pay off.

About the Author

Mitch Fanning is VP of Strategy & Business Development for Fruition Interactive (Toronto, Canada). He’s spent 11 years working with businesses of all sizes, from global brands to some of Canada’s fastest growing web start-ups ranked in the PROFIT 100.

So, “what do you do?”

There is the odd time when I don’t enjoy answering this generic cocktail question.

Don’t get me wrong.

I enjoy my work, and I am genuinely interested in being ‘social’ regardless of the scene.

Mostly, it’s because what I do can depend on when you ask me or who I’m speaking with.  At any given time, I could be brainstorming ideas for a client, working on my blog, writing, starting a new business venture, or resting under a tree in a quiet vineyard with @treatqueendiva.

The “job description as self-description” society we live in can sometimes influence people to give a dull cookie-cutter response, which often leads us to view one product launch, job, or project as the end-all and be all of our existence.

Besides, if people really answered correctly most would say – “I do email.”

Passion Versus Drive

Life is too short to waste – “Do” things that engage you, you’re passionate about, and excite you.

Most importantly, don’t mistake passion for drive, which is something completely different.  Drive pushes you forward.  It’s a duty, an obligation.  Drive is the desire to achieve a quota, get that bonus, to cash out.  That’s drive.

Passion pulls you towards something you cannot resist.

It’s the sense of connection you feel when the work you do expresses who you really are.  “What you do” needs to inspire you, and others around you, in the here and now.

From my personal experience, substituting passion for drive in an effort to pursue money by itself won’t cut it.  Postponing who you are, what you care about, and jumping through hoops to reach that pot of gold is a fool’s errand.

Money alone is never the solution.

Now for the Good News

At times, following my passions hasn’t been easy.  However, I’m delighted and proud to say that doing so has recently brought me some good fortune, which I now would like to share with all of you.

As of today (July 5), I will be bringing my passions, knowledge, and experience to the Fruition Interactive family in the brand new role of VP of Strategy & Business Development.

For the official release go here.

What I Do (Now)

Including my new role at Fruition Interactive, what I do can be split into three areas I’m very passionate about:

• Digital Marketing Professional – Fruition Interactive (details below)

• Online Publishing – [mitchellfanning.com], Fruition Interactive Blog (for now)

• Educator – Social Media Club, Social Media Club Niagara (see example here)

Fruition Interactive

As VP of Strategy & Business Development, I’m responsible for helping Fruition Interactive create exceptional business results for its small to mid-sized B2B clients.

Simply put, as a marketing professional who focuses on digital channels, I will use my talents, expertise, and passion to grow the agency, help clients navigate the digital and social media space, and collaborate with the team at Fruition to deliver successful interactive marketing solutions.

Online Publishing

In my online publishing work, I tell stories and share my insights on content marketing, new media, and emerging social technologies.  I’ve experimented with blogging platforms since 2005 and currently share my ideas here at [mitchellfanning.com] and now on the Fruition Interactive Blog.

New Media Education

As an educator, professional member of Social Media Club (SMC), and founding member of Social Media Club Niagara, my primary goal is to promote social media literacy, trends, encourage ethical behavior, and share best practices.

The club aims to bring together entrepreneurs, business owners, journalists, publishers, professionals, artists, bloggers, and developers who want to share their experiences and success stories.

That said, what I “do” could be summarized as follows:

I’m a digital marketing professional, online publisher, an amateur writer, social media practitioner, and an educator.

I feel very blessed and once again would like to take this time to publicly thank Kent Wakely for giving me the opportunity to pursue my passions and spread my wings at Fruition Interactive.

Enough about me.

So tell me, “what do you do, what’s your passion, and how can I help?

I’d love to know via your comments below, twitter, or email at mitch@fruitioninteractive.com

About the Author:

Mitch Fanning is an online marketing and social media practitioner. He’s spent 10+ years (and put in his 10,000 hours) working with businesses of all sizes, from global brand (NBC.com, Nestle) to Canada’s fastest growing Internet companies ranked in the PROFIT 100, creating, selling, implementing both traditional and digital marketing opt-in strategies.

Photo credit: larryosan