With today’s state of hyper-connectivity, the opportunities to truly unplug and disconnect from the online world becomes quite limited. As someone who is in the business of being connected at all times to multiple online audiences, I often appreciate my few moments of solitude.

Yes, I could check into every local venue that I hit up on Foursquare.

Yes, I could check into every movie and TV show that I watch on GetGlue.

Yes, I could share witty thoughts and musings on Twitter.

Yes, I could reply to thoughts and musings from others on Twitter.

Yes, I could write about a half-dozen set of blog posts that I’ve been meaning to get out.

But I choose not to.

It’s important to me that I maintain free agency to do whatever I want, whenever I want without feeling obligated to use online media endlessly. It’s more about me having freedom than snubbing you or the rest of my online audience. I believe it’s important to unplug, disconnect and live life free of the vanity or input of others. This is even more important for those in the social media industry, where lines of demarcation on work and personal are blurred.

I’ve found myself enjoying road trips in secrecy and not always broadcasting my whereabouts. I indulge on this sense of privacy on weekends as that’s my demarcation point between professional and personal interactions. I’ve often felt a sense of guilt following being mute over long period of time. Following that guilt, is a sense of liberty that I can be intentional about my public interactions.

The end result of unplugging is that I can truly relax and be even more awesome when you do hear from me.

Image credit: © sporks5000

I know what you’re thinking, “Um, Joe, you know it’s May, right?” Yeah, I know. I’ve had a very busy 2011 and a rocking start to 2012, so that’s my excuse; guilty as charged. However, I want to share some highlights from last year and some thoughts so I can scratch the itch when it comes to my blog. And yes, I broke one of the cardinal rules of blogging, which is to never blog about the lack of blogging. It’s okay, I’ll try not to break it again.

It’s actually difficult for me to remember how 2011 went. However, I think I have an idea if I look back at my Tweets. See, some people ask me why I use Twitter so damn much. It’s not for followers. It’s not for money. It’s for legacy. It’s because in moments of reflection and remembrance, I can remember how I felt, what I thought and what I did. And for all the naysayers who decry the Facebook Timeline, it’s moments like this (when synchronized with an active Twitter account), it’s incredibly powerful.

To start things off, I rung in the New Year in Tempe. It was probably during that drunken moment, I really fell in love with the City of Tempe. Gilbert was such a safe city, it was sheltered from any fun. Besides, I found it disgusting that I had to pay $210 to the Town of Gilbert for driving through a parking lot. Problem solved: I moved to Tempe.

In my quest, I looked at many apartments in Scottsdale and Tempe. I was looking for some place closer to the denser parts of Phoenix, without living in Phoenix. All but one complex didn’t meet my modest criteria. I eventually chose Galleria Palms (and here’s my follow-up Yelp Review) and have enjoyed living there ever since.

Throughout 2011, I started, stalled, restarted and stalled again in my attempts to not be single. It’s not for naught; I learned a lot about what I want in the process and still maintain fairly neutral views on the affected parties.

One pattern that comes up is my relationship with work. Like Don Draper in Mad Men, I take my work seriously and work continuously to be great at it. I did improve in the arena of leaving on time, but sometimes that’s not enough when work is on my mind. One non-negotiable for me (if you’re interested) is the unwavering support for my career and passions in the automotive world. It doesn’t mean that person needs to be there with me, but it does mean they need to be there for me.

Also, last year, I got to spend some quality time working on my car – no surprise there. Took it out on the quarter-mile and had a few exhilarating passes, followed by excessive mechanical wear on my clutch assembly. It turns out that clutches aren’t cheap especially since I plan on swapping out my flywheel and replacing the slave cylinder.  Oh, and the front and rear main seals are on its way out, too, so my plan is get it all done at once and learn in the process. What starts out as a few hundred dollars turns into nearly a thousand and a full weekend of work. In the near future, I plan on getting it done.  Those repairs aside, the car is running great, great temperatures and still has plenty of life left, even at 169,000 miles.

Also in the past several months, I’ve attacked (but not quite conquered it) one of my fears: public speaking. Through various conferences and engagements, I’ve grown more comfortable delivering a series of ideas to an audience. Unfortunately there’s no secret to it, except to just do it. I figure it’s time I face this challenge head on and not let it limit me. I know I’m far from perfect, but I’m proud of myself for saying yes when it’s so easy to say no. And to my surprise, people love what I have to say.

Back at the office, our company has been doing a lot of amazing work for small businesses. We just wrapped up our annual user conference and while I’ve been operating at the redline during (and after) it; I sincerely appreciated hearing customer stories, experiences and ideas. It really motivates me to do even more for them and truly adds a layer of humanity not seen at most software companies — and ultimately I enjoy what I do that much more.

And here we are today.

One small, but important change to my blog is the address. It’s now blog.joemanna.com and I’m now having it powered by WPEngine. They are a solid premium managed hosting provider and so far, in my recent migration on over, they have been excellent. Dreamhost continues to offer approximately 10% downtime as well as a widespread account compromise across SSH accounts (!) and as you can imagine, this doesn’t bode well for me. Until my blog grows, I’ll be using a complimentary account they offered at WordCamp Phoenix. So far, WPEngine is blazing fast, reasonably secure and a pleasure to work with. A nice plus is that I have database access for making the migration less painful than it could have been. (Thanks, Trafton, for the good chat after WCPHX!)

I will get back into the craft of witty, informative and punchy blog posts on my personal blog. I’ve cooled off due to the convenience and instant gratification from Twitter. Blogging is an art and I want to continue to develop and not lose the love that I have for it. It also doesn’t help that your site becomes compromised due to your web host’s insecurities.

There are at least a dozen topics I want to write about and you can expect more from me.

Image credit: astragony

A lot of businesses have room to improve when it comes to content on their blogs. I spoke at WordCamp Phoenix 2012 and shared a strategy on how to craft relevant and interesting content specifically designed to educate visitors and drive them to action. If you consider yourself a marketer of some kind, these tips will help you write better blog posts.

Questions? Let me know in the comments below or shoot me a Tweet!

I spoke at PodCampAZ (soon to be named TechPHX) about email marketing essentials. Realizing that most people who would likely attend would be entrepreneurs and small business owners, I explained practical examples and provided context to the state of email marketing given the current popularity of social media. Additionally, I provided helpful tips that people apply right now to do email marketing right.

My slides are below, so you can just jump right into it and enjoy!

Recently, I posted 25 email marketing tips on the Infusionsoft Blog. If you liked this, you should check it out!

The bottom line is this— email marketing is here to stay. It’s evolving and it’s important to understand the dynamics of how people interact and use email. It requires the business that uses email marketing to use it for more than commerce, more than brand awareness and more than lead generation. They must be interactive and connect it to their larger marketing, branding and sales strategies and do it respectfully to recipients.

A ton of great questions came up and I’ll likely blog about these separately on the Infusionsoft Blog since they are into email marketing a little more than my personal blog. If you have any questions or comments, shoot me a note in the comments or send me an email.

Image credit: Horia Varlan

There are two great things this time of the year in Phoenix: me and PodCampAZ. You can only experience them both when you register for this un-conference taking place in Tempe, Ariz. during November 12-13.

I’ll be speaking on a session about email marketing, titled, Email Marketing Essentials. The purpose of my talk will be to educate others about email marketing as an affordable, relevant and powerful platform to maintain dialogue with an audience, drive value for your brand and results for businesses. Realizing that many entrepreneurs, small business owners and marketers alike will be in the crowd, I’ll be aiming my talk towards smaller businesses, but anyone is welcome to attend.

If you attend PodCampAZ, then you really need to check out the variety of great sessions, too. There is a ton of great speakers sharing knowledge they’ve amassed over the years and doing it locally. While the name still bears “podcasting” in it, it’s very much a new media conference with a bias towards media broadcasting. They should be charging for this, but they’re not. (Really, I just got back from BlogWorld where it costs in excess of $1100 to attend – these sessions provide at least the same value as BlogWorld’s.)

I missed last year’s PodCamp because I slept in and regretted it. Don’t make the same mistake I did. Register now and set your alarm to wake up early on Saturday morning. See you there!

When I think of what to do in Fargo, I simply couldn’t tell you, except after today. Aside from having cheery and warm accents, I previously knew nothing about the  city itself. Meet Brian Matson from Fargo who shared with me insights on what to do there in a short interview. If you’re heading towards Fargo, this will be a great intro to know more about the city, the people, businesses and local attractions.

The video interview is posted below, but here are the highlights:

• Fargo, ND is the largest city in North Dakota with a population of about 250,000.

• The famous wood-chipper from the movie Fargo is a local attraction.

• The economy of Fargo is thriving with companies who do business in Fargo including Microsoft, CASE, Caterpillar and others.

• The people are friendly and the hospitality is top-notch.

Video:

What the heck is there to do in Fargo, ND?

You can learn more about Fargo by hitting up fargomoorhead.org and shooting a tweet to @bvmatson. So in just a few minutes, you and I have learned a little more about Fargo and what the heck to do there. It always starts with asking the question, even to strangers.

Southwest Airlines put out this blog challenge to bloggers at BlogWorld, and I think it’s very creative of them to not only ask for a tweet or a photo, but to actually encourage bloggers to well, create content and encourage networking.

Image credit: Wikipedia

I recently received a copy of No Bullshit Social Media written by Jason Falls and Erik Deckers and I can say that it delivers what exactly what the title promises. It provocatively takes the assault on social media fluff and walks the reader through practical advice and backs it with numerous examples on how businesses can use social media to grow the bottom line.

The book is laid out in an organized fashion to help the reader understand what should be considered in their social media program including customer service, internal processes, social media policies, crisis communications and of course, ROI. While reading, I found myself making notes as to the steps I can do to improve my social media program – so it’s definitely a book that’s not only for social media novices and curmudgeons.

I think this book would be best read by those who are either ‘on the fence’ about social media or those who are implementing a permanent, scalable social media program in their business. Basically, if the question of ROI is on the table, this book helps shape the discussion by framing it around business benefits that can be measured beyond just revenue.

I have to say that my favorite chapter was about the ROI discussion. It helped me reconsider my views on the topic of ROI. Not just revenue, but to actually find meaningful metrics that others in the business can get behind. Another favorite section I enjoyed was about the campaigns that have been controlled by a company’s audience and still delivered favorable results. I loved how they didn’t just rehash the same stories like ‘Dell Hell’ that we’ve all heard of. They did a good job examining what Papa John’s did to make the most of their fan-generated content and being flexible. Likewise, they did the same for a failure in crisis communications with an example from Nestle. (I imagine if they had an extra month or two before hitting the print, they would open up vociferously on Ragu.)

My only critical feedback – of which you may or may not agree with – is how hard and sharp Falls and Deckers criticize the softer motives for getting into social media. I think those motives are essential and shouldn’t be viewed with contempt. I’ve found that companies who are at least satisfied with their social program (but not complacent), they adopt a higher purpose in using social media. When social media is viewed solely as a business necessity and not culturally-adopted, it will be met with lackluster creativity, de-humanized connections and a ‘we have to do it’ mentality in an attempt to push more clicks and conversions. They address these concerns with the chapter on Community; nonetheless, these softer points are harshly criticized at the outset and throughout the book. However, it’s written for the business leaders who are looking to scratch that itch about ‘value’ of social media, not necessarily the cultural motives and benefits.

I highly recommend No Bullshit Social Media to anyone who is considering making the jump into social media, expanding their social media program or are simply looking for a primer on gleaning more value from their social media marketing efforts. If you’re looking for pretty pictures, acronyms or unicorns, look elsewhere.

Who this book is for:

• Communications/PR Professionals
• Social Media Strategists/Specialists
• Entrepreneurs/Business Owners
• Marketing and Sales VPs and the C-suite

Who this book is not for:

• If you are easily offended by the word, “bullshit.”
• If you already are highly satisfied with your social media program.
• If your organization fully leverages social media for marketing, PR, sales, R&D and support.
• If you are unable to cause and lead change in your organization.
• If your product or service is crappy. However, it does offer several ideas to improve it.

Since the book just launched, you can download a free chapter that sets the tone and style for the rest of the book. Also, Infusionsoft is sponsoring a special ‘virtual book tour’ webinar hosted by Jay Baer from Convince and Convert on 11/1/11. The first 250 attendees on the webinar will receive the book free.

We get it; businesses need to use social media, but what many brands overlook is all the overhead needed in establishing a rock-solid social media presence. It has nothing to do with the tools or the latest social network. It has to do with the underlying marketing, sales and customer service processes.

I would have done these first at Infusionsoft if I knew what I was getting into with present day social media. Reversing the process is much more challenging. It’s like changing the flavor of a batch of cookies after it’s out of the oven. Brands need to get their secret ingredients right before baking them in the proverbial social media oven.

1. Determine whether the business builds long-lasting relationships or cashes in on short-term transactions.

This is important. Many brands often scoff at the idea that they are in it for the transaction and claim they are in it for the relationship. I mean, that’s a pretty cold statement to say. Does the business model support this? How so? I’m just suggesting that brands think about it and determine from day zero what and who they’re in it for. (I’d like to iterate that transaction-based businesses aren’t any less valuable or ‘right’ than relationship-based ones. They need to sell a product, make people happy and do it as profitably as they can. There’s nothing to dislike about this. Social media helps amplify the word of mouth and ultimately results in more sales.)

2. Dial in your customer service and support processes.

Every business, even B2Bs, have customer service. Even if business is done on a contractual basis, what clients tell others is how well your organization takes care of them. Obviously, if it’s lacking, they won’t re-up their contracts. Customer support does not need to exist in social media. It just needs to be aligned with the business, support its goals and create great experiences. I explained this in further detail in a blog post about social customer support. Social media will only amplify – not adjust – the results of customer service commitments, for better or worse. Does every customer get treated like a VIP? If not, why?

3. Get a brand’s leaders fully on-board with social media.

For many people in my role, this is the most challenging aspect about getting a brand onto social media “the right way.” This requires that the facilitator, strategist, expert, consultant or whatever do their research and tactfully make a balanced business case. Yes, despite all the warm fuzzies social media provides, a business needs to make business decisions. Why should they invest several thousand or more in social media without seeing the return?

The point here is that the businesses must closely align the needs of prospects and customers first before venturing into social media. Some brands can brave it without research or a plan, but these days, if I was to start fresh, you need a plan.

Conversely, I believe there is value in braving it alone without a plan. Without a plan, it’s fun to explore with the sheer innocence of trying new ideas and seeing what comes from it. There is no right; there is no wrong. However, at a certain point, a brand should become more strategic in their use of social media and should strive for more.

What other realities do businesses need to fix first before the venture into social media? I’d love to help out businesses just getting started in social media, so any perspective is valuable.

Isn’t customer service a social activity? Why hide it? Aside from sharing sensitive account information, brands should have nothing to hide. People already share their customer service experiences – good or bad – with their friends and family and other audiences across the web.

On the weekend or the holidays or the BBQ’s, if someone is providing crappy customer service, you’ll hear about it. It’s how we work. It’s what gives us something to discuss with others. It’s how we share in communal experiences with each other for the past hundred years.

This is a difficult concept for many companies to grasp. People are already talking about their brand. And they have no control of it. And this is why their customer service is tucked behind a phone number, behind a tree of options and all around sucks.

It’s all a matter of perspective.

Brands have control of what people say when they do their best and create remarkable experiences. When they turn every – and I mean every – customer contact into a place where they can understand their wants, interests and needs, the business can really earn the respect of their customers. When customers feel (and actually are) valued, they forge a type of respect for the business. Look at all the Apple fan-boys. Look at all the Honda fan-boys, Chevy fan-boys, etc. Every major company has a small, but loud group of supporters. The goal ought to be to nurture them and leverage them in times of crisis, but ultimately, unquestionably, listen and support their needs.

Social Customer Service Doesn’t Mean Using Twitter

Brands that provide great service don’t need to do it using Twitter, Facebook or any other new-fangled trendy technology. It’s not in the technology. It’s in the ethos of their customer service ideology.

Accepting that every customer contact could earn the praise or ire of any customer will result in natural mentions about the brand. Knowing that people are people, emotions run high before, during and after the customer contact will help the brand have empathy and think three steps ahead of the customer.

I am usually very transparent about my customer contacts. I do my best to give praise, and trust me, it comes very natural to share criticism. Regular customers are the same. If they have a poor experience, I guarantee you their 130+ friends on Facebook will hear it.

And when there is great customer service, that side of it will also be told. When a brand is strategic and not fearful of their reputation among customers, they are in a confident position and they didn’t even need to utter a Tweet about it. (But hopefully, they’re there.)

ROI of Social Customer Service

A lot of people think ROI is “smiles” and “customer testimonials.” It’s only a fraction of the story. Absolutely, quality interactions should dictate the attitude and help drive even more emotion into the customer service. But, smiles don’t pay the bills.

Return on Investment is:

(Return – Investment) / Investment == (%)

What the classic ROI model doesn’t account for is the other factors that matter to today’s businesses. Yes, mentions matter. Sentiment matters. Search engine rankings matter. Customer referrals matter. Sales cycles length matters. Churn matters. Customer Lifetime Value matters.

ROI doesn’t account for all these different variables. Many different variables impact these. Social media isn’t a simple campaign. It’s an extension of marketing; it’s an extension of support and providing great support and service multiplies all these together to great ROI. (I suspect that’s where all the smiles come from … when the process works flawlessly.) When tracking any kind of adjustment in the business, take a baseline benchmark. Bench yourself monthly and quarterly. If you think its right, do it weekly. But measure yourself. Know your numbers and you know what you’re driving towards.

It’s my recommendation that brands figure out aligning their social media (marketing) and customer service efforts together. It doesn’t mean lobotomizing one for the other – it just means congruency to capitalize from every contact so it makes a difference to the business. There isn’t time to “learn” — now’s the time to “do.”

Here are 10 ways I provide killer customer service to my customers. I hope it helps you:

1. Listen. Don’t preach about your customer support until you truly know it’s great.
2. Think first before responding. Don’t get personal. Be tactful, personal and kind. If you need a cooling-off period, take it.
3. Turn customer service failures into learning opportunities. Email the manager of the specific area and make a very clear recommendation. This makes it easier for them to have that conversation with their subordinate.
4. Remember that behind every customer concern is a real person with goals, interests, personality and a desire to do well.
5. Pick up the phone. When doing it digital all day, it means the world to someone to have someone from the company actually call them.
6. Don’t be a pushover. It’s incredibly easy to complain and harass a company through social media to get what you want. It’s the brand’s responsibility to provide the best service possible while making sure to not cave to someone’s every demand. Be thoughtful. Think “can this decision scale?” and “why am I really giving or denying this person a concession?”
7. Be real. If you don’t know – say so. People respect humility much more than immediate split-second responses. Likewise, be thankful for the trust your fans and customers endow in communicating with you — even if it’s unfavorable. (It’s always desirable over say, your competitor’s assets.)
8. Produce content that people are already searching for. This means help articles, answer common questions. Keep a log of all the customer inquiries and blog about them regularly. They will be found and service the people who Google their answers. This does not mean keyword research. It means actual, demonstrated inbound searches and queries to the brand.
9. Look at every customer contact as an opportunity, not a cost. You never know who or why someone is calling or Tweeting in for some love.
10. Be intentional and consistent. If you provide great service, defend it. Praise it, br proud of it. Set the right expectations and deliver on it consistently. Declaring your intentions and delivering them publicly is a great way to earn respect. Conversely, it’s a great way to lose it if you don’t deliver.

Good luck and hope this helps. Questions, comments or if you have any tips to provide KILLER customer service, let me know in the comments.

Image credit: lee haywood

Oh, great. Yet another introspective reflection on my past and future packed up by some basic common sense. Bear with me for just a moment.

It’s not easy to be intentional. Especially for a guy like me. I’m laidback and easy-going. This results in not having a plan, not having a defined goal, and a spine made of Playdoh.

It starts from thinking with the end in mind. I don’t quite know what that looks like. It’s a little fuzzy, but I know how I want to feel. I want to wake up and feel confident about the day ahead regardless of any distractions or interruptions. I want to feel confident by night’s end that I have been accomplished. I want to be up for any challenge and not have to psyche myself into them – I just want to be ready and love them.

Driving at dangerous speeds is one way to get a thrill. The high from going fast is short-lived. I want to gain satisfaction from all parts of my life. (Right now, I almost have it, but not quite.)

I’m establishing a variety of short-term and long-term personal and professional goals. It starts with being more intentional, more direct and more focused on execution. This is the first step among many to become great.