BulletProofBlog the blog on crisis communications

This week, more than 15,000 public relations practitioners, Web developers, entrepreneurs, advertisers, marketers, and journalists are attending the South by Southwest Conference (SXSW) in Austin Texas for one of the largest gatherings of social media professionals ever assembled.

The first day at SXSW was packed with discussions and keynotes about the future of social media and the significant impacts it is having – and will continue to have – on businesses of all shapes and sizes. The sheer volume of people attending the conference seeking the latest insights into the strategies, tools, and tactics that spell success in the social media realm proves digital’s dominance is not far off on the horizon – it has arrived. As such, the companies still sitting on the social media sidelines do so at their own peril.

I’ll be offering key takeaways from my favorite speeches and discussions – and to start, here’s a brief outline of the major themes that have emerged here in Austin:

1. We’ve entered the “Era of Me.” Today, consumers need to see the tangible benefits of connecting with your brand in the social media space or they simply won’t engage. Increasingly, that means going local with your messaging and pinpointing items to share that demonstrate specific relevance to key audiences.

2. Be passionate. It may seem a bit obvious, but one of the best pieces of advice I’ve heard this week is “be interesting.” Chris Brogan and Julien Smith, authors of the book Trust Agents, say that if you are true to who you are and focus on your passion, people will join in your cause. So, take the time to be creative, think outside the box, and try different things. Doing so will show others online that you are authentic and worthy of their trust.

3. Focus on interaction, not consumption. Technology is exciting, but worthless if you can’t use it to achieve your goals. This is most evident in the wave of mobile applications that have hit the market. Applications shouldn’t just be an extension of your website, but rather a community where interaction, not consumption, is stressed. When applications only allow for one-way communication with consumers, or fail to offer tangible utility, the return on investment is likely to decrease.

4. Influence and credibility are earned, not bought. Influential online voices can make or break a brand at any given moment. Thus, companies need to monitor, engage, and participate in real-time to capture and interact with these individuals to ensure their messages don’t conflict with the corporate line. Most important, always remember that such authentic interaction cannot be bought; it must be earned.

5. Crowd-Sourcing is changing the news cycle. Bloggers might be the traditional media’s current assignment editors, but competition is arising from the average “man on the street.” Increasingly, news organizations such as CNN are using crowd-sourced materials shared via the Social Web to discover trends, find sources, and gain perspective.

In short, the major themes emerging at SXSW fly in the face of the Woody Allen wisdom that “99 percent of life is showing up.” Nowadays, simply maintaining a blog, Facebook page, or Twitter account is only the beginning. To have the greatest impact, social media communicators need to ensure that their purpose, passion, and personality are always on display.