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Amnesia Ibiza, Humanising the Brand Through Social Networks

May 16, 2012 By Isra García Leave a Comment

This is a Collaborative post together with Aitor Contreras.

humanising the brand, Amnesia Ibiza, Isra GarciaLet me tell you a bit about the job we’re doing at Amnesia Ibiza…The club’s presence and bond with its public is unique thanks to a comprehensive integration of social networks in all aspects of the company. Implementing a sophisticated “ecosystem” of social networks allows the club to start a wide array of differentiated activities which are exclusively dedicated to improving the experience of the fans and to “humanise” the brand in their eyes.

Building an Ecosystem

Amnesia Ibiza has become the leader of its sector at international level with the implementation of an “ecosystem” of social networks whose aim is to garner a closer and more “human” contact with its audience. In this way, the several-times winner of “Best Global Club” at the IMDA becomes again a world reference not only as a club and musical reference, but in its integration, presence and activity on all types of social platforms. The club’s actions, different for each platform, are part of a global strategy which includes Facebook – where they already have more than half a million fans-, Twitter, Google +, Pinterest, Foursquare, YouTube, Mixcloud and a long list of platforms.

Customer care, having conversations with them and solving doubts are only part of the daily actions carried out by Amnesia Ibiza through the social networks. It also carries out other types of activity such as sharing and commenting on music, holding contests, geolocation apps or the live broadcast of Radio Amnesia through its webpage, all of them examples of how Amnesia Ibiza develops a myriad of differentiated actions across its ecosystem of social networks. This is made possible at all times by the total integration of its online actions and its offline activity, and by the club internalising this “ecosystem” as part of its internal structure.

Caring is Focusing on People

In the case of Amnesia Ibiza, the challenge lies in providing our customers with an added dimension to their experience. To this end, Amnesia Ibiza makes a daily effort so that its actions aren’t limited to the physical space occupied by the club. Beyond this, all of these experiences must focus on a personal relationship that transcends the relationship between a fan and their brand. There is an urgent need for us to know that the people out there are, at all times, feeling like they’re dealing with other people [within the company] who work passionately and with whom they can deal with directly on any issue. As a result, we integrate the human aspect we’re trying to strengthen through our online actions so that it rubs off onto the offline experience. This is essential. We’re experimenting continuously with new platforms or new ways for integration so that Amnesia Ibiza can connect ever further with its fans.

A Human Touch Beyond Social

Right now, there is a worldwide community of more than 2 million users on the club’s social network ecosystem, extending to places like Australia, Chile or Japan. We’re currently putting the finishing touches to the strategy and all of the actions for this season. We hope to connect and interact further with many people in different ways without losing the human touch that is currently setting the difference.

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Filed Under: 3.0, Human Media, Social Media, Strategy, socialnetworks Tagged With: , , , , ,

New Media Allowed Writing the Title of the Revolution

May 2, 2012 By Isra García Leave a Comment

human media - isra garciaDuring all this years we have seen how the tv, newspapers, family and even school tried to force us following a manual, arguing that we had no choice.

Now, thanks to New Media, those from above (status quo) truly have no choice but change. It’s finish. Welcome to the era of transparency, connectivity and authenticity, a new era where you have an unlimited canvas and colorful crayons to draw your path. Be clear, write a title and tell us what to do, please.

Without the Internet there wouldn’t be the Web, without the Web the New Media wouldn’t have appeared and neither Social Media without it. Therefore, we wouldn’t have reached to the human approach.

It’s a Re-Evolution

New Media isn’t only the evolution of media, but the focus on the intersection of the connectivity between people and information technologies and innovation to take processes beyond traditional media methods. New Media isn’t neither a simple communication or marketing revolution, although it has broken traditional and massive broadcast models. We may never again want to call the radio and TV communication channels. How can they be if the are not created for an interaction between both point of the bridge or even a relationship based on relationships? A fair message exchange? Real-time, sincere and authentic feedback? An equality in the rights of expression for some of the elements that play a role in the communication process? New Media is a revolution beyond the evolution, because it’s an evolution that has revolutionized how people and businesses communicate and market. Everything that New Media touches, it changes dramatically.

Inside-out

As I said, New Media changed the game. However, it doesn’t create a whole new world, it leverages the Internet harnessing the appearance of the Social Web: platforms, tools, channels, practices and any other type of element that can create connectiveness, relationships, conversation and feedback and also can clean that way to human interactions. Therefore, we’ll open the inside world to resonance and attunement with the outside world.

New Media gives crayons to everyone, so you can start our own revolution.

Photo credit: grrlwriter.

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The Opportunity of Social Media Remains in the Human Relationships

April 21, 2012 By Isra García Leave a Comment

remains on the human relationships - Isra GarcíaDuring all this time I have realized that we pay to much attention to concepts – perhaps – too abstracts, such as the times you interact with the audience or how many visits have our blog or youtube channel. Ok, it might not be as abstract as we may think, at the end, it’s our day-to-day job (bonus: you can also buy it on the Internet) No, it’s really abstract when we compare with staying human.

The Meaning of Staying Human on the Internet

We talk about experiences, not concepts. We talk about feelings, not about promotions. Emotions and not services and most importantly, we don’t talk about our business, we do it about stories, stories that create resonance. We align people with people.

Are we truly social? This is quite weird, sometimes we forget the word “social” and owe just focus on the word “media” or “marketing.” Businesses lose their authenticity and brands turn themselves into robots – and remember that they won’t flirt with you – looking for more and more robots like them, so they can easily automatize processes and content that get lost in its way to nowhere, in its way to the auto-promotion, mediocrity and silence of the ego-system. However, there’s a new offer that rewards the credibility, authenticity, engagement and alignment. In other words, the opportunity remains in the connectivity created by human interactions.

Where’s the Opportunity?

We don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow, who knows? What Human Media means for us?

If you are a business that intends to use the Social Web in a meaningful and thoughtful way, my advice is that you may focus on experiences that happens in your community, connect with people within your community and decrease the noise by creating more conversations – this starts by listening – this conversations could happen beyond your community, you should be there too, engage personally with every customer – not a fan – and really make use of the human interactions through the Social Web. I do think that brands, companies and organizations should embrace the fact that, in this 2012 – 2013, connecting first by staying human is the key for a sustainable business model as a result of building a foundation among your community. Then more and more brands will approach Social Media from a human perspective (Human Media), then business will create relationships, and this will stay longer than sales pitches.

If you are a business using the Social Web for creating connectivity with your customer, my advice is that focus on interactions and execute them with brilliance, you should go beyond counting fans, followers and likes. There’re some ways to do that, but it is no as easy as create a Facebook page or a Twitter account and waiting for results to come soon. Create content that matters to your audience, offer different ways for them to connect with you, allow them to have a voice in your framework, allow freedom of interaction and relationship inside your business, answer clearly and quickly and in the most human way possible.

The opportunity remains in the human relationships.

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Social Media isn’t Magic – It’s about Staying Human on the Internet

April 13, 2012 By Isra García 2 Comments

staying humanSocial Media is not magic, nor does it surprising tricks, you will need more than magic to succeed. I am talking about a process that truly makes sense when it’s aligned with the business strategy and also gets inter-departamental touching every aspect of the business model.

I am afraid but Social Media is not the damn thing that will save your business from crashing.

What does social media really do for you?

It multiplies you reach, harnesses the power of global communications, mingles you with the party, connects emotionally with your audience, makes use of the social web to empower human interactions and also gives you real and measurable results.

What the heck! This is meaningful, I suppose you want to be on the top of the wave, I have got a question, why?

Perhaps you want do it for some of these reasons: reach more potential customers, align our marketing strategy with the online channels, find a niche inside the networks, less spent on marketing and advertisement, connect with our real customer, generate more traffic towards our website/blog, increase business leads or skyrocket the conversions rate.

This is me or the reasons shown below are so cool? I think that at least they make sense. Are you with me? Let me be clear and direct, there’s no magic formula, neither golden egg, sorry… Is there any other way? Sure, it starts from simplicity, launching and shipping right on their noses, experiment with campaigns and platforms uses, accepting failures as usual, but not mistakes – meaning failing more than one time at the same thing. Trying different is what matters in Social media, it means walking new paths, trying differently until you make something happen. Social Media is not what God sent you to save the world – actually are people – but an opportunity to a new media and marketing dimension. You only need to approach it as it was a strategic planning and goals definition. Do you get it?

The Key – Staying Human

Social Media can be understood in different ways, there will be people that it will talk about platforms or tools and there will be some – the crazy ones – that will say that it’s about people. I believe that Social Media is a means of expression that makes possible for customers, communities and brands “staying human.” That is to say, they will connect and establish relationships and thus, interactions among people through transparency, commitment, empathy, humility, consistency, coherence and closeness.

Staying human means going beyond the Social thing. It’s about how the information technologies we have available, together with the media innovations can help us building professional-personal relationships in situations and contexts where we were not be able to do it years ago.

Photo credit: mojo social media marketing.

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Social Media and Technology Won’t Change the World, People Will

April 5, 2012 By Isra García 1 Comment

The potential that social media handles today is tremendous, I do think that managers, CEOs and directors of big companies, associations, institutions and brands, should consider the valuable opportunity that they have in their hands and make use of the Social web and technology to create change in the environment, which includes people.

It’s clear that the new world where we are living now has impacted and shifted work, marketing and media processes. It’s ok, but… How important it’s if we don’t try to help finding meaning to other people?

Human ROI is Possible

Human Media is an idea that I was chasing for quite some time, almost more than a year… Why this idea? Simply because it’s about staying human through the Internet, it makes possible equip people with knowledge and experience, help them to reach their goals (personals and professionals), deliver real value to the world, exchange and expand ideas and perspectives, meeting new approaches, finding a better applicability to the use of the Social Web, feed with coherence the online strategies that our brand may be developing and of course, pointing out to the results. It seems to me that all of this it could be possible without losing the human touch, it’s possible make use of social media and technology without the need of focusing just on numbers instead of people, we don’t have to embrace the anonymous system anymore, this way of doing marketing intrusive, cold and massive, let’s end it up.

Human Innovation: Connect, Create and Build

Undoubtedly, we are in the media and marketing disruption era, a new era where the online media is being used in the wrong way, we are boosting them the other way around, the social web potential could be lost if we continue with this practices.

We need that the platforms and tools allow us to connect, build relationships and create human interactions, we need that people fuel the Web and not the ego-system. We are in a scenario where the mobile connectivity is demonstrating that it’s a real alternative to reach customers. There connectiveness is more important than targeting or retaining customers, now touching emotionally is the new CRM. It’s the era of the human innovation through the Internet. Now people wants to be involved in the game, interact and change the outcome, we are not merely viewers anymore, the are businesses – and people – that are creating effective channels so they can communicate with their potential audience and customers and so, generate a favorable outcome for them.

Make Something with it

Human media doesn’t belong to me, it’s only one of many approaches that could help to create change and build something significant, in this case I just was determined to make something happen and then launch it. It’s being accepted and used as a model for many businesses and people, so it seems that’s working, nice. It’s your turn, grab it, modify it, improve it, adapt it to your business needs and apply it depending what you are looking for, create a game for you to win in the most human way possible.

After all, it has to be somebody crazy enough to step ahead, be questioned and criticized. but, if it helps and equip people, all this effort will be worth it, then I don’t mind do it as many times as needed.

Social Media and technology won’t change the world, people will. Why don’t focus constantly on that?

Photo credit: Blaise Agüera y Arcas (TED).

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TEDx Talks, Isra García – Human Media: Beyond Social Media

March 29, 2012 By Isra García Leave a Comment

In this TEDx talk I introduce and explain the idea of a more human media on the social web, Human Media, a different approach of marketing our audience according with the online revolution we are experiencing.

Here, I synthesize the concept from where it started everything, the rise of New Media, the Social Media revolution, it disruption and the necessity of a new redesign focused on the right thing, people, not in platforms, tools, APPs or this social hype we live in. I talk also about other concepts and examples about the Internet humanization.

Hope it makes sense and help groups and individuals staying human on the Internet. We can connect, create resonance and align with people at the same time we reach our business goals and win.

TEDx Talk – Human Media: Beyond Social Media

What are your thoughts on this?

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Human Media Metrics – Measuring Human Interactions on the Web

March 21, 2012 By Isra García 1 Comment

Human media ROI - isra garciaThe pulse for social media has grown over the last year, social media is a reality that should be in almost every marketing campaign. But, How good could be the efforts in new media if you don’t analyze its human impact from a target-oriented perspective? Surprisingly, since the campaign hype starts (see Gartner hype cycle), the launching and all the “social blah blah,” some marketers forget the essential part: identifying human marketing metrics. These will allow you to track the progress and measure the human ROI – both of them are vital parts for the success when applying Human Media.

Luckily, we can use a bunch of analytics tools that are already in the market to do so. Popular measurement systems such as Google analytics, awe.sm, Sysomos, Radian, TrackUR, Techigry, FlowTown or Brandschat, we all know that they help you to track leads, conversations and real numbers, but they also offer an opportunity to gather human information. Then, what areas should we paying attention to so we can measure human metrics?

Here you have some essential aspects for monitoring Human Media.

Human Metrics

- Human Business: make use of tools such as awe.sm so you can track human activity that can be turned into profits. Any human interaction that resonates with a business generates a connectivity effect that should end in getting closer to the customer: newsletters, subscriptions, new members, pre-orders, adding an item to a wish list, online budgets, etc. Ensure that you follow every single interaction and study if it creates behavioral patterns.

- WE-B Activity: everything related with your command base and yourself – business – as part of the ecosystem core. You can include here the number of times that you interact along the day, subscriptions from each platform – blog, web, facebook, RSS. Bear in mind that for a successful activity you should generate multi-dimensional conversations across the platforms, communities and users (the best way is measuring comments and responses) search if your blog or site it’s being referred by other sites or platforms too. Identify what human patterns happen.

- Engagement: every community interaction, it doesn’t matter if it’s through blog comments, facebook likes, foursquare tips, linkedin recommendations, retweets or Pins on pinterest and so on, they are extremely important, mentions are too. You should track positive mentions as well as negative and then compare and contrast the quantity and its quality. It may occur that you would get key insights in terms of human branding, and an understanding of the relationship of your brand with the market.

- Connectivity leads: how many people connects with your content? How it affects them? how many of them say “I have to share it with my friends”? put the distribution of your content in chunks and have a look to the statistics. Is there any brand sentiment through these interactions produced by the content? What is the most engaging action? What methods I use to connect? Where? How? Who does it? Consider what you can do to create closer ties with your community.

- Network: Who do you connect with? Discover the people behind the numbers, followers or fans - and why they are exposed to your content - How do they interact? Do they interact in a community way - among them? What does inspire them? What could you do to inspire them?

- Time: Once they arrive at your platforms. How human do you appear to them so they can stay longer? Time is not the most important thing, but how you use it, think about quality vs quality (not quantity) What do they look for when they come to you? How can you help them as fast as you can?

- Human Activity: Broadly speaking, how many people interact with your ecosystem? Take a look at your active database and compare the response rates and thus leads, with your active community. You should be able to develop campaigns to improve human interactions. Regularly, you may want to make a comparison and always try to reduce the ratio of passive interactions.

It’s not About the Tools

As you probably have observed in all these metrics, it is not about the tools, but what’s behind them, people and their interactions. Still, with so many tools available, there is no reason to not monitoring the human side of communication and the marketing that happens on the Internet.The information you get, it will help you create a greater connection with  people in your community, resolve any problems with them, identifying patterns, and then successful processes - and the one that don’t work -  and this will drive your efforts and resources to where it has to end up, creating human business interactions.

The new marketing is not about social media, complex technologies or last-generation software, it’s about human relationships, resonance and alignment with people. Although, I’m not saying anything you don’t know already.

Photo credit: transprism.

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Adding a Human Touch to the Social Web through Human Media

March 14, 2012 By Isra García Leave a Comment

human media - isra garciaI’m not talking about re-inventing the wheel, but to make the wheel working for us. The media revolution it isn’t about what the platforms or tools can do for us, I think it’s more about how human interactions can change the outcome for business, people and the environment.

Human Media

It changes the point of view, refocus your strategy, it takes you far from the social platforms and talks plain about them, it’s just a simple means of expression neither more nor less. Human Media means paying attention to what truly counts, people and their interactions and also, how their abilities, competencies and skills plays an important role in this networked society.

The Reality

Have you ever felt in love with a laptop or even with Facebook? Have you ever thought in Twitter whenever you have experienced joy, happiness or nostalgia? Do you prefer going on a concert with your best friend or perhaps with your iPad? Whenever you have felt defeated, who was the one that was by your side, LinkedIn or a relative?

Then, why do we put so much emphasis on Facebook, Tweetdeck, Hootsuite, Google reader, Foursquare, Pinterest, Instagram, and so on? Don’t you see that information technologies, last-generation software, devices or APPs are relatively nothing without the human component? Without human interactions and thus, relationships we never won’t be able to reach our customer and touch their heart, soul and mind. Social media it’s a emotions, abilities and interactions catalyst.

Human Art

Social Media is a means of expression capable of creating change that changes people in real and meaningful way. If so, then Human Media is the brush that allows you to draw in the canvas of media and marketing, so you can create human relationships.

The Human Media challenge lies in identifying the human part of the Internet, as well as persons and emotional part of businesses – I would dare to say that even the interpersonal part. It’s not about programming tweets, post content as if there’s no tomorrow or overwhelm our audience with excessive promotion and intrusive marketing, nor even share for the sake of share, no. We’re talking about transmit what we are, people who can add real value to the mission of businesses or individuals.

Back to the Past

Human Media demystify the web 2.0, it takes as it’s principle the change from 2.0 to 1.0 empowering the human relationships through the vast possibilities that we can harness, the potential is endless.

Up until now, we have seen how social media grants power to the artificial thing, the flip side is that Human Media tries to take the marketing back to human nature, where it should be, among people.

Changing the focus and how people see the online landscape won’t be easy, but it’s necessary. Technology and social media won’t change the world, people will, so why not constantly focus on that?

Photo credit: workingtropes.

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The Importance of Human Media in the Business Environment

March 6, 2012 By Isra García Leave a Comment

human media - isragarciaI’d like to talk bout how human media plays an important role in this new business environment, what are its goals, the advantages of using this approach and how it works.

We all know the importance and necessity of putting emotions, values and traits in the online relations, as well as in our business strategy and digital tactics. This universal truth never fails. Human Media makes it possible simply because it transfers humanity back to businesses in a way that it’s people driven and technologically business oriented. I’m talking about relationships among brands and individuals based on skills, meaning, mission, feelings and human values. What a great opportunity.

The goal of Human Media

The goal of every business and individual it should be to connect and align audience’s feelings and emotions in the same channel, it will allow for brands, creating almost perfect resonance and attunement among the elements that create the interaction. The only way to do it it’s from the inside.  It’s a shortcut towards the potential and possibilities that still we don’t know, it’s where robots, platforms, artificial intelligence and tools don’t reach, but people do.

The Advantage

The advantage of Social media versus the tradition advert sign methods it’s that the first allows a ongoing communication with the community. No to say the way that the mediums is used, what really matters is that social media makes possible the human exchange with the community (aka clients) what I mean is that if we compare 2 brands such as Apple (technology) and General Motors (car industry), both brands are totally different, they represent different values and way of thinking. In one part Apple: beautifully designed, last-generation innovation, etc. General Motors: accessible to anyone, domestic powered, etc. that’s important, but most important it’s how they communicate, market, transmit and humanize these values through the social web using the new media environment. Here you have another way to be remarkable and make a difference.

How it Works

Human Media touches both slopes, reaching your customer and creating resonance (1) through a humanized brand, a brand that talks to the community and communicate in a rally thoughtful way (2) creating a strong communication that sets and reinforces the emotional ties with the business engine, the customer.

Here is how the Internet stops acting as a vast communication amplifier and turns itself in a communication tool. A tool that allows us to transmit business values, feelings emotions, successes, failure, joy or disappointment and so make people feel involved and part of the business story.

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How to Integrate the Social Web into your Business

February 28, 2012 By Isra García Leave a Comment

human mediaPerhaps you don’t know where to start, that’s ok. Every project, person or business requires something unique, a special treat, it’s a new adventure.

On the other hand, perhaps you are tired of listening terms such as social media, new media, human media or social business, social CRM and so on. I believe that it can be annoying when people talk too much about these “buzzwords,” let alone not showing real results or even giving a starting point. Please, we need something actionable and applicable from you, please.

Here you have my “no problemo” approach, I would like to provide you with some movements that may help in your path towards building an online presence. Find here some of the essential points for implementing the social web, social media and so, new media into your business.

How to implement the Social Web into your business

- Strategic formulation: design, structure, integration, implementation and the make-of of a strategy based on general and specific goals. Think about how this fits into the business model, it should be integrated within the overall business strategy and aligned with the offline marketing and communication. Also consider the role that SEO, digital marketing, creativity, web development, APPs and mobile marketing are playing.

– Training and guidance: A must for most of the group, this is something complicated because many brands either allocate one / two people to work on it or go for the outsourcing model. As we have seen many times and you probably know, Social Media is not an isolated case, neither will it do the magic. The real potential lies in integrating people and processes and making them work. You should be looking for interdepartmental work, which means involving all company areas in the online interaction. Make use of the training process to harness that opportunity and inspire those people.

Do not sell complicated to people who come to you to buy simple. Once you have opened their minds and hearts, it is the right time for using the the tools, platforms, APPs, channels and media more effectively, so they’ll have the tools to reach their goals - theirs, not yours.

- Social processes: interactive works, social media customer care, online-emotional touchpoints, community funnel, best practices handbooks (internal and external) and cross media. Basically, offline-online job transformation, taking departments and processes to the social web and developing extended functions.

- Social Media guidance, creation, distribution and leadership: choose someone who is close and in constant contact with your business. They are the ones who should create, distribute, exchange and share social objects: pictures, videos, posts, podcasts, etc. Don’t manage, but lead.

– Development, optimization and understanding of the Social Web Ecosystem: first select the tools, channels, APPs, mediums and platforms. Then develop a highly online-oriented strategy supported by let’s say, two main goals based on the intended typology, quirks and peculiarities. Finally allocate resources and schedule each of them. The result: you have already designed a customized online ecosystem for your business. The main idea is that it allows you to see the big picture of your online strategy.

- Community engagement: lead, build interactive bridges between brands and people, respond, redistribute and filter content, connect and interact with your audience. Say what you are going to do, how, where and with whom.

- Actions: ideas, ideas, ideas, ideas and more ideas. You have only one big commitment, being accountable for the brilliance, you are responsible for the online campaigns and social media actions that will impact your audience, but most importantly, it should be designed to reach your goals: monetization, branding, visibility, virality, direct sales, traffic, etc,

- Reputation, tracking and monitoring: online branding, naming, digital corporate identity, listening techniques (opportunities and threats). Sending reports about what is said about the brand within the online landscape. Furthermore, taking care of the brand, its reputation and carry on with a qualitative and quantitative brand analysis. What happens in our brand atmosphere is really useful in order to get the word out .

- Monetization: set up the techniques and methods which you would help you obtain the expected ROI. You are waiting to get something in return, aren’t you?

Is there any other advice that you would add about the implementation of new media in your business? What is your take on this?

Photo credit: conexus marketing.

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