I'd like to thank Brian Solis for this special guest post.

Brian is an amazing talent and thought leader in marketing. He’s also coming to speak to us on August 26th at a special night of fun and networking…

The Social Media Style Guide: 8 Steps to Creating a Brand Persona

Brian Solis is the author of Engage!, a new book that helps brands and businesses build, cultivate and measure success in the new Web.

Anyone who has ever worked in corporate marketing, advertising, and branding is more than familiar with a brand style guide. It’s how we ensured that the brand was represented as intended through marketing aesthetics and messaging – including detailed usage instructions on font, style, color, language, placement, positioning, etc.

It is our bible and adherence to its tenets and instructions is strictly enforced.

However, with the unstructured proliferation of social media within many organizations, the brand style guide is seemingly disregarded or not considered in favor of expediting the creation of profiles in social networks and the participatory engagement that immediately ensues.

Everything the brand was intended to represent is no less important simply because new tools and services make it easier for anyone within the company to reach and connect with markets. The contents and purpose of a brand style guide still apply. In fact, the unification of a brand and what it both evokes and symbolizes is now paramount in this conversational medium to effectively attract, earn, and inspire customers and advocates.

While its highly likely that the design of each social profile works against the brand elements and usage guidelines in the existing style guide, at least in principle, the true quandary and risk in all of this, is the potential for brand confusion and dilution.

In social networks, the brand and how it’s perceived, is open to public interpretation and potential misconception now more than ever. Without a deliberate separation between the brand voice and personality and that of the person representing it, we are instantly at odds with our goals, purpose, and potential stature.

Simply said, the style guide is more important than ever before and it is in dire need of innovation in order to humanize and personify a brand voice and persona, something that people can truly connect to online and offline. Therefore, we need to revisit our core and modernize our story, how we present it, and how we intend to be perceived, setting the tone for engagement and resulting activity.

The goal of a social media style guide is to establish:

- What the brand represents in the social Web

- Its characteristics

- Brand personality traits

- The voice of the brand

- Attributes and voice necessary at the representative level

- Procedures and guidelines for representation, accountability, and workflow

- Metrics for quantifying activity and the intended results

Finding the brand “voice” is not enough however. The result we seek is intentional and aspirational in its design, calculation, presence and overall mission. In my new book Engage, I share a template to help brand managers define the brand personality, characteristics, and overall identity for the brand as well as establishing the voice and behavior of its representatives.

By completing The Brand Reflection Cycle, we uncover a series of important attributes that symbolize the brand, its personalities, and its characteristics, as well as defining and aligning the voice and personal brand of those on the front lines in social engagement.

The goal is to include brand managers and social ambassadors in this exercise to document the words that will personify the brand and what it symbolizes. This is how we bring new ideas to the surface and discuss them in a collaborative environment to renew the value and intention of the brand, making it something truly engaging in the social Web.

The Brand Reflection Cycle is divided into 8 stages designed to not only help us define the brand persona, but also to lay the foundation for a new, more socially inspired and relevant corporate culture and value system.

1. Core Values: The audience, surrounding environment, and the circumstances in which we are summoned contribute to our disposition and character. At the beginning, we need to form a common center of gravity to support the orbiting characteristics that support our mission and purpose. Essentially, we need to specify what we stand for and emanate it through all we do.

2. Brand Pillars: Pillars are the support objects that serve as the foundation to sustain and fortify the brand. It is these pillars that establish the principal, central themes that convey our uniqueness and value, fortified through the social objects we develop and distribute.

3. Promise: The pledge that paves the way to brand meaning and direction is the brand promise. It should answer a simple, yet powerful question: What is our mission and how does it introduce value to those who align with our purpose?

4. Aspirations: No brand is an island, nor is it inanimate. As such, the attributes we define today must continually evolve. Our aspirations are representative of the stature and mission we seek over time, and it’s constant. This is how we compete for the future.

5. Brand Characteristics: Defining the brand characteristics will help us establish the traits we wish to associate with the brand represented through our actions, words, and overall behavior.

6. Opportunities: As we complete this exercise, the identification of the attributes that are not embodied allow us to embrace a path to greater relevance. It’s a combination of who we are and what we offer today and also the opportunities that emerge that allow us to connect to those seeking solutions we had yet to identify.

7. Culture: The brand team must examine the culture of the company, not only what it is today, but ultimately how it should embody our aspirations so that it is readily identifiable in social media. People need something they can align with, and it is our culture that serves as the magnet to our purpose and aspirations. We are all in this together.

8. Personality: It is crucial that we contemplate, review, and designate the elements that we wish the brand to illustrate and represent. This final step in the completion of the Brand Reflection Cycle, is to identify and bring to life the personality and character of the brand through conversations, social objects, and stories. If the brand was a person, how would it appear? How would it sound? How would it interact with others? How would others describe it?

Everything begins with evaluating the brand’s journey through the past to where it is today, and ultimately where it must travel to maintain and continually establish relevance.

As we usher in the era of the next web, the brand style guide requires a social refresh in order to embody purpose, engender affinity, and earn relationships based on trust and value. In a social context, people aren’t looking to earn friendships with avatars or logos, they are seeking the attention of the people who personify the brand and the corresponding values they represent. It’s not just the brand personality that requires examination and establishment. The personality, tenor, and voice of the individuals representing the brand combined with a meaningful culture and mission, contribute to the overall brand experience – whether it’s in social networks or the real world.

The opportunity to update the brand style guide is so much more than a mere exercise. It renews our sense of purpose. It is a chance to breathe new life into everything we create, where and with whom we share it, and how we engage in online societies that contributes to the brand’s universal legacy of and the brand graph that weaves everything together.

Connect with Brian Solis on Twitter or Facebook

Congratulations to SoCal Action Sports Network member Patrick Tomas who was randomly selected to get the Flip Video Mino HD Camera!

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THIS OFFER IS OFFICIALLY OVER

Do you like to shoot video? The folks from Flip Video were one of our sponsors at the last event with Seth Godin and I shot interviews and a bunch of stuff with my own Flip HD. It’s so easy and I had a blast.

Now I want to hook you up with a brand new Flip Video Mino HD [$229 model]. I’ll be giving away one (1) Flip Video Mino HD to one (1) SoCal Action Sports Network member.

To be eligible for the draw you must be a registered SoCal Action Sports Network member. Not registered? Sign in here:

*Legal stuff: because email/internet/computers are not 100% reliable, SoCal Action Sports Network is not responsible for lost data, undeliverable emails or messages.

Way to go! Your efforts and support of the Feb. 11 event are paying off! Thanks to some great sponsors and all of you who have reserved your tickets or helped spread the word, we are almost there.

We need to fill 79 more (General Admission) seats or hear from one or two more sponsors by Jan. 25 to make this happen.

I’m also pleased to announce one of our new event sponsors Skip1.org. http://www.skip1.org/

In addition to the serious economic issues we face here locally the disaster in Haiti has been weighing on my mind. Skip1 is a non-profit organization dedicated to supplying direct relief aid to Haiti.

For those with the means and ability to help, Skip1 will be a great addition to our event and allow you to help the cause. For those who are battling the tough economy at home, this networking event is for you and our hands are outstretched to help.

This important gathering and especially Seth’s message about your business or brand will no doubt change the lives of many people. You may also find great connections and opportunities.

Regardless of your situation or where you are in this very moment, being able to rally people together in a worthy cause is the essence of our existence.

Thanks for all you do. Hope to see you all Feb. 11.

-Bryan
http://socalactionsportsnetwork.com/feb11/

One night of networking…

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1 night to help Haiti…

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One night only to discover: How to be Indispensable

Join us on Thurs. Feb. 11 from 7:00-9:30 pm for an unprecedented night of networking, charitable support for Haiti and evening with Seth Godin–Best Selling author, A-List lecture circuit speaker and marketing guru.

Be prepared to hear game-changing insights about the new rules of marketing. Seth will deliver a 1-hour keynote…a very important and timely message: “How to be Indispensable” based on his new book, “Linchpin: Are You Indispensable.”

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All tickets are SOLD OUT

When: Thurs. February 11, 2010. Time: 7:00-9:30 pm

Where: St Regis Hotel & Spa, 1 Monarch Beach Resort Dana Point, CA 92629

Agenda: 7-7:30pm reception, 7:30-8:30 pm Seth, 8:30~networking

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Seth Godin is to marketing and new media what Steve Jobs is to computers and digital technology–an icon. Here’s a few of Seth’s other works you may have heard of…

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It’s important to know that Seth rarely ever does this kind of private event. He usually speaks to Fortune 100 companies or at the TED Conference.

If you know about the TED Conference, you know that it’s an annual event where the greatest minds in the world gather. It’s by invite only and each ticket is about $9,000. Seth is also from the NYC and rarely comes out this way. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

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And special thanks to our event sponsors…

[In addition to the serious economic issues we face here locally, I'm sure the disaster in Haiti has been weighing on all of our minds. Skip1 is a non-profit organization dedicated to supplying direct relief aid to Haiti. For those with the means and ability to help, Skip1 is a great addition to our event and will allow us to help the cause and the people of Haiti.]

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Sponsorship:

There are affordable sponsorships opportunities in many shapes and sizes. Please email me directly if you have interest in reaching the kinds of people and decision-makers who will attend this special event. My personal email address is: 1goodbrain@gmail.com.

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A final word…

One of the things I’ve been saying about our community since the beginning is that we don’t need a million members. We just need a few good people who are passionate about our cause. Seth Godin has said the same thing many times and even dedicated an entire book to this idea.  In a recent post, I believe Seth was writing about us:

"I think the ability to find and organize 1,000 people is a breakthrough
opportunity. One thousand people coordinating their actions is enough to
change your world(and make a living.)

1,000 people each spending $1,000 on a special interest cruise equals a million
dollars.

1,000 people willing to spend $250 to attend a seminar gives you the leverage
to invite just about anyone you can imagine to fly in and speak.

1,000 people voting as a bloc can change local politics forever.

1,000 people willing to try a new restaurant you find for them gives you the
ability to make an entrepreneur successful and change the landscape of
your town."

This is a big opportunity. “Will you capture it, or just let it slip?” I look forward to seeing you on Feb. 11. *prices subject to change without notice.

-Bryan

Th9

My friend Chris Brogan just shared this video on a recent blog post and I think it’s worth sharing. It compliments our theme, “Oh the Places You’ll Go” perfectly because it’s about trying new things, getting out there, taking calculated risks, priorities–and having fun. It’s worth 5 minutes of your time to watch.

Enjoy.

-Bryan

Happy New Year!

I’m really excited about 2010, and to share some of the BIG things we’ve got planned for you. This year I’ve chosen a theme: “Oh the Places You’ll Go” inspired by one of my favorite Dr. Seuss books by the same title. I’m a kid at heart who is still very active in action sports (just a little more cautious now) and I try to find fun in just about everything I do–including work.

To me, the theme “Oh the Places You’ll Go” has a double meaning that’s both literal and figurative. Last year as a direct result of being associated with the SoCal Action Sports Network I was honored to “go” and speak at major social media conferences like the Inbound Marketing Summit, BlogWorld Expo, Gravity Summit and others about my work as a consultant in brand, web and social media strategy. I was also surprised to find out that I was featured in the New York Times Best Seller, Trust Agents (pg. 251) by someone I really respect as a social media expert and guru, Chris Brogan.

Over the last year I’ve heard from many of you about your success stories of collaboration, cross promotion, connections and more. The collective talent in this community is amazing. “Oh the Places You’ll Go” is a feeling that together we can do great things; that being connected to so many incredible people will help your brand or career “go places.” I would encourage you to stay plugged in to this powerful network of resources and opportunities.

Our Network has grown to more than 5,000 members and we continue to add great people everyday. Our college student community is stronger each day and growing fast as well. One of the announcements coming soon will be service offerings to brands and partners to tap into our college student resources. As a FREE service, members will be able to more actively search for and connect with prospective interns. There will also be services you can pay for like Focus Groups, Street Teams, Product Testers and more. Costs will be significantly less than you’d pay an agency and affordable for both small and large companies, tailor-made to fit needs.

Sponsorship opportunities in many forms including sponsored posts and conversations, event sponsorship etc will also continue this year for those who want to reach our special niche members. “Oh the Places You’ll Go” in 2010…

Feel free to contact me directly if you have questions or want to know about sponsorship. I wish you much continued success!

-Bryan Elliott, Founder, SoCal Action Sports Network

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Member Spotlight…

This Member Spotlight is on Gorilla Production Group. [Disclosure: GPG sponsors a lot of my video production and editing. Here's some of our recent projects together...]

Paul George is the owner at GPG and I have been really impressed with him and his team. They are super professional and competitively priced. They will march through deep powder or camp on the beaches to get the best shots for you. The stuff we’ve done doesn’t even scratch the surface of what they’re capable of doing. They do amazing HD video work and editing as well as trade show booths, displays and other things. I highly recommend checking them out. I’ve included a link to their site.

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Member Spotlight…

This Member Spotlight is on Email Marketing Solutions company Blue Sky Factory. I met BSF CEO, Greg Cangialosi and his awesome team at BlogWorld in Las Vegas last year. To be honest, I had no idea who they were but knew several people who used them:Gary Vaynerchuk , Brogan and a bunch of other social media geeks. The SoCal Action Sports community had grown far beyond what my Gmail and web host list server could handle so I started talking to Greg. When I saw what the solutions included I was blown away at the technology and analytics. But in the end, I actually decided to go with Blue Sky because the people are so cool. I can call them up and get a live person on the phone to walk me thru something if needs be and they are on it. [Disclosure: Things have worked out so well that BSF now sponsors my email solutions].

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Member Spotlight…

This Member Spotlight is on local Ford dealership, Santa Margarita Ford. I do a lot of driving for work and fun. And my Ford truck is especially useful when I drive to the snow. I have 2 vehicles, a small gas-friendly commuter car and a Lincoln Navigator to haul the kids, their friends and our toys: snowboards, surfboards mountain bikes, gear etc. The truck was way overdue for a check up and after driving past the Ford guys a bunch of times doing other stuff I brought the truck in for service. I have had bad experiences before at dealerships. In fact, I hate dealerships because I always feel like I’m being ripped off. And all the guys on the lot are so cheesy with their fakes smiles.

I reluctantly went to the service desk and was surprised to be treated really well by this guy named Travis. Keep in mind, my Navigator is about 9 years old now and I was unshaven, wearing shorts, tee and flip flops like I just rolled out of bed. I didn’t look like the kind of customer who’s gonna drop another $50k to upgrade to the latest Navigator anytime soon, know what I mean? But the dude treated me like a king. Long story short, I had such a good experience and felt like I could trust them that I had them overhaul the truck and pimp it out. This is a great example of winning customers over with great service so I wanted tell this story. [Disclosure: Since then we've talked about what I do in social media and I've given them some pointers, I invited them to join the community and they continue to hook me up--and want to hook up other SoCal Action Sports Network members.] If you go, talk to Robin or Mike they are cool.

Youth Culture Brands & Social Media Marketing:

How to Reach 12-24 year old’s

Thanks to our venue sponsor:

Where: Hyatt Regency Hotel, Irvine CA

17900 Jamboree Rd
Irvine, CA 92614

When: 7:00-9:30 pm

*$20 Online reg. to attend or $40 at the door. Cash only.

AGENDA
7-8: Check-in, Cocktail Reception & Networking
8-9:30 Panel, Q&A

Our Panelists:

Malcolm McCassy:

He’s everywhere, knows everyone and hangs out with all the coolest people including the top athletes in Action Sports. He’s been a guest star on MTV’s hit show “MADE” and THE voice of top brands like Alpinestars, currently FMF VP Mktg Int’l, and President, Ethika Inc. …Malcolm has grown up in the sport of Motocross and has lived his passion for riding and working with the best athletes and brands in the world. He’s a great example of how to build “your” personal brand to take it to the next level. |

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Gregory Ferenstein, Fast Company Magazine

Fellow at the University of California Center for the Study of Democracy and an Expert Blogger for Fast Company. Gregory is a speaker and writer in the areas of technology, politics, and business. As a Democracy Fellow, Gregory researches the political
psychology of organizations like Google and the Obama Administration,
and their relation to the distinctive attitudes of Generation Y. He also
also holds a Master’s degree in Mathematical Behavioral Sciences.

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Valerie Michaels

Valerie is the founder of City Publicity, and has widespread experience in numerous verticals,
including film and television, women’s organizations, celebrity events and associations, media
relationships and corporate messaging and branding. She is one of the only publicists embedded
in the action sports arena and was responsible for the publicity surrounding the largest media
event in the history of action sports and skateboarding; Danny Way’s Great Wall of China jump.

Valerie’s past clients include Michael Morton and the N9NE Group Las Vegas, Dallas, and
Chicago, The Palms Casino and the launch of Playboy Club Las Vegas, creation and execution
of the Polaroid Malibu Beach House ’06, RipeTV, launch of DirecTV’s CD USA, Director
Vincent Gallo, iCandy productions and MTV’s MEET THE BARKERS, Travis Barker and
Famous Stars and Straps, Olympic gold-medalist Shaun White, MTV personality and pro skateboarder
Rob Dyrdek, to name a few.

Efren Toscano, CEO/Co-Founder TechZulu

Working as Senior Vice President of Marketing for Medmania in late 2007, Efren Toscano Co-Founded TechZulu in the heart of Southern California: Orange County. Focused on providing a platform to showcase all that is happening here in Southern California in the tech and media space, TechZulu is rapidly growing to be the hub for Southern California technology companies news source.  The site’s videos have been featured on Southern California’s cbs2 and Efren has been selected as a Top 20 MostPublic Individuals in Los Angeles in Tech and Biz by NowPublic. Efren divides his time between San Diego, Los Angeles and tech events around the US.

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SoCal Action Sports Network members represent top brands and partners in the 12-24 yr old youth lifestyle market. Our mission is to connect people for collaboration, cross promotion, networking and other opportunities. The group has expanded beyond Action Sports to include brands from Consumer Electronics, Music & Entertainment, Food & Beverage, Automotive & Motorsports, as well as our growing college student consumer community.

*For questions about sponsorship and speaking opportunities please contact me directly:

Bryan Elliott, Founder

Email: Bryan@SoCalActionSportsNetwork.com

Tel. (714) 318-6086

I heard a great analogy about the difference between an audience and a community…
It has everything to do with how the chairs are positioned. Audience chairs face one way–they face the person doing the talking or performing.

In a community, the chairs face each other. They face each other so that we can communicate and interact. A community or Tribe is about leading and connecting people and ideas. Here’s marketing guru Seth Godin on Tribes… Highly recommend watching.

Had a great visit to Rob Dyrdek’s Fantansy Factory in LA. I met Meaty, Beefy and all the cast and characters. Good times.

Technorati’s STATE OF THE BLOGOSPHERE

Presented To: Blog World Expo
Presented By: Richard Jalichandra
Date: October, 2009

Click here to view the PDF presentation. This is pretty awesome that Richard made this available. Thanks Richard!

2009socialmediareport