In a recent article on Mashable.com, Christina Warren made a mistake that I hear all the time. She writes:

“Social media does inherently mean that you are giving up the ability to centrally control the message.”

While her article is interesting (it’s about social media and the Grammy awards), I think she’s a bit off base on that point. Getting involved in social media does not mean giving up control of your message. It means accepting that you weren’t in control to begin with.

She goes on to talk about why companies who do ‘give up control’ tend to succeed in social media:

“However, what is interesting is that the companies that embrace and accept that grain of truth are usually those that are most successful with social media.”

It’s no mystery why this happens. It’s the same reason that a person who can admit his or her weaknesses is the one who eventually overcomes them. Once a brand accepts that the message is beyond it’s control, it can begin to influence the conversation in the right direction. It can begin taking steps to get people talking positively.

It’s not about giving up control. It’s about giving up the illusion of control. And the sooner a brand can do that, the better they’ll leverage new media.

Everything from dancing babies to the Obama girls made its way across millions of screens across the globe.  And the word viral went from an adjective to a noun.  As in, “it went viral.”

Now everyone tries to figure out that one elusive quality that make their message go viral.  But unless you can “force” viral on people with a big bucks campaign, then for most of us, chasing viral is like catching lightning in a bottle.

In 2010, go back to the original viral.  Infect people.  Viral will still work for you, but it will start with a few small sparks here and there – not the sweeping brushfire everyone wants.

If your message and methods are infectious…then look for patient zero.

Posted by: Steve Banis

Over the next few weeks, we’ll touch on what I believe are some of the trends to look for in business, marketing, the economy, and social dynamics – and how they may affect you.

But first 2009. Wow. Enough said?

I think most would agree that the economy was the story in so many ways. How many banks are there in the country now? 3 maybe? (ok there’s at least a dozen.)

Here in Albany, NY, we saw two democratic state senators switch to the other party – triggering the most embarrassing political fight I’ve ever seen or ever want to see – only to see them switch back and one of them raised to the leadership post. State government erupts while the cities, counties, and towns burn with unemployment and shrinking revenue.

Global warming / climate change takes center stage in Copenhagen and businesses worldwide do their best to wrap themselves in “green causes.”

2009 was also the year that social media supposedly came of age.

While foreign governments shut down the Internet in their countries, citizens ran through the streets and tweeted about what was going on with the help of surrogate computer users in other countries. Cameras showed our national leaders tweeting during the State of the Union.

Of course, 2009 was so much more – suffering and ecstasy. But there was more suffering I think.

What will 2010 bring? There will be a lifting of the economic haze that settled over our country during the last 2 – 3 years. Once that haze lifts off the ground, we shall see the new business landscape.

One topic will be demographics…the continued shift towards an overall older population…a relatively large younger generation raised online…and a shrinking middle class frightened by lots of things.

What else?

• Rising interest rates – but still no money to lend
• Trust first
• Conventional marketing comes back – but moves forward too
• And more…

2010 – ready or not, here it comes.

Posted by: Steve Banis

For over a year now, I have preached the gospel of content.  More content.  Better content.  Relevant content.  Just keep generating and distributing content…it’s the “software” of marketing.

While preparing content and materieals for the launch of the “new” Burst Marketing, I’ve broken my first commandment:

“Thou shalt never stop producing new content.”

While attending to new clients and the launch of a new business, I ingnored the responsibility to connect with Burst Marketing’s readers.  And such, Google rankings are down.  I’ve lost some continuity with readers.  I’ve been a bad boy.  And I apologize.

So let my misguided ways be your beacon of light.  Once you start your blog, newsletter, friending campaign, tweeting, or however you communicate with your peeps – don’t stop, never stop.

That’s just the way it is.  See you next week.

Posted by: Steve Banis

Last week two girls, ages 10 and 12, fell down a storm drain/sewer in Australia. They weren’t seriously hurt. (link to story)

But they were without any means to climb out and desperately needed help. Fortunately, one of the girls had a working cell phone with plenty of bars.

So, within minutes she pulled out her phone and…updated her status on Facebook. Her friends then called 000 (the Australian equivalent of 911) and help arrived soon thereafter.

You either admire the girls’ quick thinking and resourcefulness or you are recoiling in horror. If you’re like me – you’re simply left slack jawed.

Younger ‘Millennial’s’ have so adopted social media as a means to carry on regular dialogue with their friends that, at least in this case, they trust Facebook over calling 911 in a dire emergency.

The older you get of course, the more preposterous it seems.

But is it really?

Facebook is now beyond 250 million members and skyrocketing globally. Together with other social media, it is a standard mode of communication. Individuals, businesses, and government officials exploit the platform – finding new ways to use it every day.

Over the last 9 months, the number of users in the USA has grown 101%. But that’s nothing to Taiwan’s 1899%, the Philippines’ 1136% or Indonesia’s 879%.

The upside? Worldwide personal connectivity and the emergence of the true world marketplace. Going where no one has gone before.

The downside? It is growing as a standard of personal communication, taking the place of face to face and even voice to voice communication. Relationships are increasingly bound by skin deep connections rather than shared life experience.

In the virtual world of online gaming, Avatars ARE you in the community. They are not real – rather they are the perception you wish others to have of you in this alternate ‘reality.’

Is Social Media becoming an Avatar for personal relationships? A stand in for true friendship and professional bonds?

We may not like the answers to these questions, but we better figure out how to deal with their impact on our daily personal and professional lives. And take action.

Welcome to the continued evolution of society.

Posted by: Steve Banis