For months I’ve been contemplating a post on social and relationship capital and how it’s built and then how it’s spent. And after a trip to Memphis earlier this week, to see my mom’s aunt (my great aunt) honored at a ceremony where she donated her honors and awards to the University of Memphis it all became so clear to me.

Elma Neal Roane has dedicated her entire life to education and her students, I’m planning to profile her here soon so I won’t go through all of her accomplishments. She is recognized as a pioneer and leader in physical education and sports in the state of Tennessee.  She was head of the Women’s Division for sports at the University of Memphis from 1946-1976. The fieldhouse at the University known as “the house that she built” is named for her and I’m told it’s the only fieldhouse in the country named for a woman.

On Tuesday, there was a reception at Brister Hall, and it was  the formal unveiling of her awards, honors and papers both academic and athletic. There were over 100 people who came to see my 91 year old aunt, not the honors and awards. Everyone who came had a very personal story of how she had touched their lives.  I was in awe to hear the stories from young and old, all of them spoke of the impact she has made on their life.  A life of building relationships, participating in the community, giving back, not just with her money but her time as well. I have to tell you, in my mind, she is the embodiment of what Chris Brogan calls a Trust Agent, person after person stood up and talked about her integrity, the goodness that she worked so tirelessly bring to all of those who knew her and many who never knew her but experienced the fruits of her labor.  At one point during the day, she turned to me and said “Everyone keeps talking about all I’ve done for women, but I worked for the men and human rights as well. I stood up for anyone who needed to be stood up for as long as I believed it was the right thing to do.”

As things were winding down, I had the privilege of sitting alone with my aunt and just chatting. At 91 years old, she’s still a leader and still wanting to mentor and educate the best she can. And while she was thankful for the honor on Tuesday, I’m confident that what she enjoyed the most was talking to the people. She was genuinely moved that so many people gave up part of their day to come and see her. While we were sitting there I said to her, “I’m in awe of all the goodness you have created how did you do it?”  She responded:

“Everything I did, I did because I had a passion for it, not just the education but the students as well. I’ve dedicated my life to promoting fellowship, honor and integrity, and we need more teachers who are pushing that as well. That’s my passion, keep on keeping on!” (her personal mantra)

What I’ve learned from a lifetime of knowing my aunt, is that social and relationship capital is acquired through service, fellowship, and a deep passion for people. And it’s how we build and spend that capital that defines you, I watched on Tuesday as many accomplished people, some celebrities, got up and thanked my aunt for her service, and more than one said she was their hero. They were powerful moments, but she accomplished all she did because she loved her work and wanted to make the world a better place. She never gave any thought to what was in it for her, she fought hard for what was right in her mind, and with honor and integrity, she made sacrifices, had discouraging times but she always stayed the course. She used her capital to build leaders, pave the way for the future and for improving human rights.

My question to you is: what are you doing with the social and relationship capital you are building? Are you leaving a legacy of goodness? Are you working for what really matters most?

Technorati Tags: Audience, Authentic, Authenticity, Baboon, Brands, China, Chris Brogan, Collaboration, Community, Consistent, Courageous, Customer Experience, Determination, Educate, Elma Neal Roane, Elma Roane, Empower, Engage, Facebook, friend, give back, Goodness, Gratitude, help, Honest, Iran, Julien Smith, Kenya, Listening, Maasai, Marketing, Media, Mobilize, Mukhtar Mai, New Media Atlanta, People Matter, Project Authenticity, Reach, Research, Resonate, Social, Social Media, Social Web, Strategy, Target, Thankful, Transparent, Trust Agent, Trustworthy, Twitter, Whisper

Today, in honor of International Women’s Day, I thought who better to highlight than one of the bravest women I know who has made a tremendous impact on me. Her courage, and entrepreneurial spirit is a testimony that all things are possible if you believe, work hard and never ever give up on your dream.

Mukhtaran Mai – I’ve mentioned Mukhtar Mai before, her story of triumph and determination always moves me. Her brother was falsely accused of fornication. She went to court to argue on his behalf and was sentenced to the most severe form of humiliation in her culture. In the eyes of  her family and village her destiny was suicide. However and most importantly not in her eyes, she stood up to her attackers and demanded prosecution. The Pakistani government gave her $8300 compensation and she used that along with money from other donors to build a primary school for girls. The story doesn’t end there, she’s also built a high school for girls, runs a school for boys, she bought a van for the schools that is also the village ambulance and she has a herd of dairy cows that generate an income and help her maintain the schools. And in March of 2009….she married. I’m really in awe of this woman as when she set out to start the primary school she was unable to read and write and enrolled herself. While I think  Mukhtaran Mai”s story is tragic, it’s my hope that in the years to come that she is known for her leadership, entrepreneurship, courage, and the sheer goodness she has brought to Meerwala.

Mukhtar Mai’s story has had a profound impact on me personally in ways that I still struggle to put into words. I am currently working on a plan to put action behind the impact and to thank Mukhtar Mai….stay tuned as I will share that here.

So now it is your turn….is there a woman in your life who has had an unexpected profound impact? What’s the cause and effect of that impact? I’d love to hear your story and hers!

photo credit: Ronda Churchill

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“Furious activity is no substitute for understanding.” H.H. Williams

All successful marketing efforts, (whether they are online, word of mouth, direct mail, you name it) have one thing in common. It’s so simple, and yet so often overlooked, and as hard as it is to believe… intentionally ignored. And yet, it’s the one ingredient that can set you a part. So what is this simple ingredient you ask?

That simple ingredient is understanding. It’s understanding the market conditions, who you are trying to reach, is there a competitive offer/product already on the market, how your brand is perceived, how your offer is perceived. And I’m just getting started. Simply put, the more you know about the market, your target, and your product or solution, then the better armed you will be to craft a message and offer that will resonate in the marketplace.

At one point in my career, I was charged the daunting task of stopping the attrition on a legacy product. The customer base was a significant part of the entire company customer base, and while we weren’t planning any more upgrades to the product the revenue was important to our shareholders.  When I was briefed about the project, I noticed that we didn’t have any hard data about the demographics of this base of customers. In short, we had lots of opinion about the base but no hard facts.  After a little bit of research we were able to gain valuable understanding into the base. Using the new insight into the base we crafted a loyalty program that not only stopped the attrition, but actually grew the base… and in record time.

As marketers, it critical that in spite of the demands put on us that we seek to understand first. Today it’s easier than ever to gain understanding, and in record time with the use of social media. Gone are the days of “if you build it they will come.” The brands who are going to their customers rather than waiting for them to come to them are the ones with the edge.

I’m curious, how are you seeking to understand your customers? What tools do you find most valuable?

Technorati Tags: Research

Technorati Tags: Audience, Brands, Community, Consistent, Customer Experience, Facebook, Listening, Marketing, Media, Mobilize, Reach, Research, Resonate, Social, Social Media, Target, Twitter

Over the last several weeks I have closely followed the election process in Iran as I am sure many of you have. On any given day I have been concerned, mesmerized and even in shock. It’s been incredibly difficult to watch the violence and the protests. However, I have been encouraged by the community and support that has been consistently rallying on the social networks. I have even decided to show my support for the people fighting for democracy in Iran and change my twitter avatar to green along with 160,000 other concerned people.

I am amazed and excited about the community of support building globally. As a social media evangelist (my friends say twitter addict) daily I come into contact with someone who has nothing but negative things to say about Twitter, Facebook or the social web. Many times these are people who are not engaged in the social community at all and they have gathered their information from some naysayer.

The facts are that the US government recognizes the power of the social web -they reached out and asked twitter to hold off on maintenance. And I was thrilled to see Twitter agree to wait on their maintenance. The Iranian Regime sees the power of the social web or they wouldn’t have fought so hard to suppress and censor it.

But at the end of the day it’s not Twitter, or Facebook, or even MySpace that’s so powerful. It’s really community! It’s the masses that are willing to stand in support and willing to put the word out. It’s the message and there’s a large audience that not only hears and identifies with the message but is also willing to act. All in all, I think it’s the 1,2,3 punch that makes the social web so powerful: 1)community, 2)the message, and 3)the medium. In just a matter of seconds, you can mobilize a community or a country for support.

Can you imagine how much swifter things might have moved if our forefathers had such a powerful communication tool? They had the community, the message, and the medium. However, it took years to get the message out and rally the support.

Technorati Tags: Audience, Community, Consistent, Customer Experience, Facebook, Iran, Listening, Mobilize, Research, Resonate, Social, Social Media, Social Web, Twitter

It’s a few minutes before 7am at my house and my two dogs Keely and Rainier are barreling through the back door and making a beeline to the front window. You see every morning about 7 a family of bunnies usually make an appearance in my front yard. And every morning Keely and Rainier are there to greet them. They bark, they scratch at the window, they race into the kitchen to make sure I know the bunnies are here. This is a very exciting time at my house as they are sure that today is the day they will connect with those bunnies. They bark and bark and bark and when that doesn’t work they bark a little louder. I am amazed at their determination and excitement day after day.

It dawned on me yesterday that Keely and Rainier are a great example of how so many companies are marketing their products and services today. They don’t have any idea of the best way to reach their “bunnies” and so they do the best they can every day. Their message is consistent but it doesn’t resonate with their target audience.

I know in times like this that budgets are tight but knowing your audience is priceless.  Additionally social media outlets help brands move from broadcast to 1:1. But Social Media is more than a messaging tool – it’s also a powerful listening tool. So as you think about creative ways to reach your target audience these days have you considered listening? If not give it a try, you might be surprised at the results.

Technorati Tags: Audience, Brands, Consistent, Customer Experience, Listening, Marketing, Media, Reach, Research, Resonate, Social Media, Target