The Wax Blog

It happened. My digital footprint just kicked me in the badunkadunk. First of all, let’s clear this up – I was never a WAITRESS at Hooters but I did write for the magazine for a few years. It was a fun gig – I had rodeo clowns flying over my head at the national PBR championships, I interviewed the WWF tag team champions and I even got to see the finals of the UFC. But a client just turned me down for an engagement because I didn’t have an “appropriate” list of clients for them. For most people  my fun freelancing days with Hooters Magazine are an interesting anecdote. For these guys apparently not.

So this is where we ask the question…how much should we try to control our digital footprint? (more…)

(more…)

This is the second post on Building an Actionable Social Media plan. Refer to the first one if you need a refresher on why we’re doing this.

When people or businesses start engaging in social media they often focus on goals or ROI. But in order to direct your content, you must first identify the business drivers behind your social media activities. If you think of your plan in terms of the 5W’s (who, what, where, when, why) then business drivers are the WHY. I like InvestorWords definition of a business driver which is “A factor that contributes to the growth of a particular business.”

Maybe you haven’t thought of this perspective…I know for me it’s an abstract concept. After all, in small business we’re much more real time and it’s usually more about cash flow than strategy, at least for me. I like to put drivers in three categories when I do plans: Primary, Relevant and Secondary.  You’ll find that unexpected benefits of social media may arise as the campaign continues. Also, there may be lack of impact in defined business drivers. The business drivers should be reviewed and revised based on ongoing activity and results and you may be surprised where social media makes the most impact. It’s different for every business I work with!

So to give you some ideas, first here’s a list of some business drivers for specific industries. Then I’ve got a list of some possible business drivers that are common for social media. Please add yours in the comment section, so we can get a good list going! (more…)

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve had conversations with clients that have decided social media can do nothing for them. One client comes from a very traditional industry, another from the B2B world. I’ve stopped trying to convince people to engage, it’s just not worth it. Instead I’ve begun to talk to them about building an appropriate digital footprint for their business. Last June I wrote a post on measuring your digital footprint that is still my number one visited post of all time. But I was remiss in writing that post first. Instead, I needed to explain why you really want to plan, manage and measure a digital footprint in the first place…for your business or brand.  And why you should be MORE focused on this aspect of your online presence than on hitting the first page in Google search.

Okay for everyone who just wants the EMC tool you can download it here.

I’ve heard the term digital footprint used a couple of different ways. Technically speaking, it’s the electronic evidence left online (or on your hard drive) when you use a computer. In social media terms your digital footprint shows up wherever you interact with others, on blogs, Facebook, Twitter, forums…well you understand. We know that creating and managing your personal brand is an important key to professional success. Having a strong digital footprint in the right places is an important part of that brand.

For the technical folks out there, again I want to emphasize I’m talking about a general footprint, not the actual data collected by others when you go to a website or visit a blog. (For a rather paranoid measurement of a technical digital footprint you can use the Discovery channel tool. But be warned it’s a bit scary with all the references to Big Brother and such.)

Of course the easiest way to check is to do a Google search on yourself and any other related terms like your business name. EMC has a tool that asks a long series of detailed questions regarding your use of email, photo uploads, social media and all kinds of activities resulting in a measurement of your digital footprint that goes way beyond what Google will show you. Although it’s a little dated, the post about online data trails is good too.

High school seniors are probably the first to find out the downside of a bad digital footprint. Everyone has heard the stories of kids denied admission to their favorite college because of photos of not so desirable activity on a Facebook page. But beyond digital footprints that you leave “actively” there are  passive digital footprints you may now know about. Maybe the worst example was a client of ours who years ago posed as a lingerie model. Since we didn’t know her maiden name we didn’t search for any possible negative stories or photos online. However, just before she was to do a spot on national television we discovered a photographer who was selling these rather suggestive photos of our client as cellphone wallpaper. We  averted that disaster but my client ended up putting her PR campaign on hold and paying attorneys quite a bit of money to get the rights back for her photos.

I could go on an on here but instead I’m going to provide you with some great resources as you mull over the idea of reviewing, improving and perhaps (as in the case of my former client) fixing your digital footprint.

• For a simple 8-step plan to manage your digital footprint here’s a great post from TwistImage (has more tool suggestions too)
• A great post on the edublog Transparent Learning provides some government links and a bit of a personal story about this blogger’s attempt to figure out her digital footprint
• For jobseekers or college-bound kids here’s a great blog post on how your digital footprint might impact you
• And if you’re a conspiracy theorist, read this post and then do the Discovery tool and report back how we’re all going to lose every bit of privacy.

As for me, I’m glad to be one of the “people behind the people” – I’m sure there are a few things out there I don’t necessarily want others to see.  Although I doubt anyone would care too much about my skeletons in the closet.