Richard Branson says communication is the most important skill a leader can have. I’ll go one step further and say it’s the most important skill a human can have. Communication encompasses so much more than merely telling people what you want them to hear.

Are you also glued to Twitter each day for the commentary around Victorian Premier Dan Andrews daily media conference? 

As many of us start to return to traditional ways of working and, in some cases, reopen for business (lots of love if you’re in Victoria and heading back into lockdown), it’s critical that we communicate and connect in a way that genuinely engages our employees and our customers.

One of the things I’ve noticed over the last few weeks is that some organisations are very aware of what their people (staff, stakeholders, suppliers and customers/clients) are going through and some are most definitely not.

It’s been ten years, 163,346 tweets and 10,341 followers since I joined Twitter.

Did you know there are nine separate ways you can communicate with your members? Most associations use the obvious – email, face-to-face and mail. A few more use phone, social media and video. Very few use audio, sending gifts and chatbots.

Social media, when used properly, is an excellent way to engage with your members. Facebook specialist Mari Smith said it best: “Content is king but engagement is queen, and the lady rules the house.”

I’m often asked by associations how can social media help me achieve my membership goals?

Yesterday I had the absolute pleasure of being in an audience listening to the impressive Gary Vaynerchuk – the man known to many as @GaryVee.

The latest research shows that 79% of Australians use social media. If your association isn’t using at least one social media platform to engage with members and potential members, you are missing out on a lot of opportunities.

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion it has taken place.” George Bernard Shaw

In a recent workshop for a client, I was asked how they could use social media to increase their customer base, and generate more positive word of mouth marketing.

Yesterday I was part of a brief twitter conversation talking about brands that do twitter well – @telstra, @qantas, @virginamerica, @auspost were all mentioned.

My last post looked at whether uni students should be using twitter. It’s a massively resounding yes from me in case you haven’t read the post.

Someone the other day was asking if uni students should be using twitter.

It’s rare I publicly name and shame about poor customer service on social media, but I know many others don’t share my view. I read an absolute ripper of a brand rant on Facebook yesterday! Disappointingly (for me!) it has now disappeared. It was truly excellent writing!

I’ve been a bit miffed at a few organisations lately because they have been ignoring me. Not returning phone calls. Ignoring emails. Pretending not to see my tweets.

I first wrote this post back in July 2011, for my old marketing blog. Given Lady Gaga’s stupendous performance at the Academy Awards earlier this week, I have been inspired to dig it out and repost, with an update or two.