As an avid user, speaker and evangelist for social media and blogging, I often get labeled a “social media expert” or something to that effect. While I’m happy to accept the responsibilities that come with that sort of recognition, I’m really just a passionate business guy who loves marketing, technology and helping companies do good things. So anyway, as a social media expert *tongue in cheek* I’ll jump right into the point of this post.

I’ve been thinking (a lot) about how great social networks are for companies and Cinch (Cinchcast.com) is no exception.

The new era business is multifaceted, more than it has ever been, largely due to a shift in consumer mindset and businesses acclimating and reacting to a new demand from customers requiring direct contact, direct engagement and direct discussion.

Cinch is surprisingly good at facilitating this level of direct contact. You can:

- Personalize and humanize
- Invite participation and discussion
- React to feedback in your own words
- Embed and extend the message
- Diversify your communication
- Act in near real-time

So, as a business, nonprofit, or individual you have a great new tool with Cinch for establishing your own multidimensional communication and discussion platform. Here’s how to put these points into action.

Personalize and humanize

I think this is probably the most important aspect of Cinch. The power of the spoken word allows you to communicate tone, attitude, personality, and excitement. From a branding standpoint, there are few things more powerful than your own voice. Cinch has a web interface, mobile app, and a direct phone number you can call to record a Cinch which makes it extremely easy to post in the way that is most comfortable to you. I often post via my mobile phone while driving or at meetings. Anytime you have a message worth hearing, why not Cinch it so it can be shared and discussed?

I think Robert Scoble is a great example especially in posts like this one talking about his Autistic son http://www.cinchcast.com/scobleizer/87685

Invite participation and discussion

Within Cinch: Many of your friends and followers on cinch will maintain their account settings so they will get a notification email alert every time you post a new cinch. This helps spur discussion. Your cinch will also show up on the homepage of cinch on their live feed time line remain there until enough new posts have been created to push your off the page.

Outside of Cinch: Once you make a Cinch, you can push it to your Twitter account or Facebook account and extend the conversation on those social networks. So even if your listeners do not reply on your cinch page, you can get feedback on Twitter and Facebook where they already have activity. You can continue to encourage participation by linking to it and talking about it within these social networks and encouraging them to leave an audio response to your cinch.
I do this most often with my question of the day Cinch’s and typically get text and audio feedback with Cinch as well as feedback on Twitter and Facebook which makes for a lively discussion. Plus it helps me to know what others are experiencing.

React to feedback in your own words

As you receive feedback on your Cinch, you can keep the discussion going by replying with a text reply or an audio reply. I find the audio replies to be most effective because it gets closer to a shared dialogue. Another element to this is to make a Cinch in reply to something else and refer to it in your Cinch. The personal reaction allows you to have that personal touch that can’t be repeated in a blog post or tweet.

Take a look at anything Amy Domestico does. Just about all of her posts have feedback and she often gives her own feedback to the feedback. I’ve learned a lot about Amy in this way. Your organization can benefit the same way.

Embed and extend the message

At times, your Cinch may cover the spirit of your idea, but you want to further explain your thoughts or perhaps cite sources or extend the dialogue even further. Cinch is perfect for this because you can embed it in a Facebook post or a blog post and further flesh out your thoughts and calls to action. I’ve been impressed with how easy this is within Cinch to get embed code or the direct link to your Cinch. I recently did this on a blog post talking about the importance of making your contact information available online http://marcana.com/2010/09/03/your-social-circle-sucks/

Diversify your communication

If you are already accustom to blogging, sending out press releases, using Twitter, Facebook, YouTube etc, this is an excellent way to add a new component to your communications. I see the future of business requiring us to have print, audio and video by default and with tools like Cinch, you can do it without fuss, seem very personal, and maintain relevance with your message in the medium needed.

Act in near real-time

This is probably what I appreciate most about Cinch. The reason I say “near real-time” is because Cinch is a recording platform, not a streaming platform which means you have to record it first then its posted. Otherwise, your on-site interview via mobile app or laptop can go live almost immediately. So, if you want to cease the moment with an interview, question and answer session, live testimonial from a satisfied customer, or a brain-dump of an experience you just had, Cinch can do that in near real-time. And of course, once you’ve done this, you can then benefit from the previously mentioned sharing and participation features provided in Cinch.

While any Cinch post would fit, my most recent “in the moment” Cinch was after a training session where I was able to sit and chat with the Marketing Director of one of the most successful Convention and Visitors Bureaus in Texas http://www.cinchcast.com/mccjustin/94361
So, if you are looking for ways to have highly personalized, direct contact with your audience I think it’s easy to see how Cinch works for business and individuals alike.

Still need more great ideas on Cinch for New Era Business?

In an earlier blog post from Amy, http://blog.cinchcast.com/2010/09/02/cinch-tips-for-business-with-justin-mccullough/ she summarized a cinch conversation that was inspired by a few of my ideas for business uses for Cinch.

So, how are you using Cinch? Drop a line here and by all means, please connect with me on cinch http://www.cinchcast.com/mccjustin/