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The Truth about Tweeting

By On April 5, 2010 In By Katie Foley, Industry News With Permanent Link to The Truth about TweetingPermalink

What are your thoughts on Twitter? It seems as though all of the cool kids are doing it these days. Don’t get me wrong, it is great for telling all of my followers what I ate for lunch, what I am currently jamming to on my iPod and my plans for the weekend (because I am sure they are all extremely interested), but is it really beneficial for companies trying to expand their business? The fact that Justin Bieber has been one of the top trending topics for more than two weeks can make me think one of two ways: a.) he has a great publicist and Twitter is a marketing gem or b.) the majority of Twitter users are females age 11 to 15. I was able to answer my own question with some brief research on the average Tweeter’s demographic from Quantcast.

As you can see, the average Twitter user is not a pre-teen Bieb-aholic, so I’m going to go with option A and say that Twitter must be pretty darn useful (and/or Justin Bieber is a much bigger deal than I thought). Twitter seems to be a great social marketing tool for businesses, but the real question is how can you utilize Twitter to make it beneficial for your company? I found the following nine tips in an article by Jason Snell at macworld.com and I believe they highlight the best strategies for company tweeting.

  1. Don’t automate it
  2. Be conversational
  3. Follow people who are relevant
  4. Make sure your people are on Twitter, and refer to them
  5. Answer your mentions
  6. Search for your name
  7. Consider creating sub-accounts for sections of your business or customer base
  8. Use Twitter to ask your customers questions…and get good answers
  9. Be a good Twitter Citizen—help your followers and they will help you

Good luck and happy tweeting!

To FaceBook or not to FaceBook? That is a marketer’s question.

By On March 31, 2010 In By Ken Ashburn, Industry News With Permanent Link to To FaceBook or not to FaceBook? That is a marketer’s question.Permalink

Since the emergence of Facebook as the Social Media titan, it seems that everyone is eager and ready to offer insight and ideas on how their brands can use the medium as a launching point for increased brand awareness and potential sales. The article titled Why Your Brand Needs to Be on Facebook Now is intelligent, thought out and also misses the mark, not completely though. The author Dallas Lawrence (found on Twitter: @dallaslawrence) displays what seems like a call to action for all of those who are on the sidelines waiting to hop aboard the social media train. Like a group of investors waiting to see what happens after a short sell for stock. His three ways to get you’re your brand started on Facebook is on mark. It certainly makes sense to see who in your company is affluent to the medium and “savvy” enough to offer genuine insight and ideas to help the company create a positive image. This could be why we are seeing a younger group of executives that “excel” in the field of social marketing. Because they are the ones who grew up with it, helped define it and ultimately made it what it is today.

So, does every brand need to be on Facebook (I’m sure Facebook says yes because Mr. Zuckerburg wants a jet)? Facebook offers the opportunity for people to “talk” about your brand both directly and indirectly. You can create corporate pages and fan sites, but do they have inherent value? Can you sell the idea to your board that the awareness of your company is up because your solar panel fan page has 760 fans (and you have over 1500 employees)? Case in point, a pickle, that’s right, a pickle has more fans than Nickleback.

Facebook should be held for brands that look to speak directly to its core customers. It should be used by companies to look for insights into product development and marketing. Facebook is an excellent tool for data mining with a plethora of information that people share with one another. There is more value if you have REAL people backing your company and making the connection with customers, not just a company page or fan page.

We have to remember that what made Facebook so popular in the beginning compared to MySpace was that it wasn’t riddled with ad banners, home page takeovers and superstitial. The irrelevant ads that sit idle on the right hand side hold little to no value. But if you can actually create a connection with your page, allow interaction with customers and deliver the goods…Then you do belong on Facebook.

Red or Blue Wire: You have 30 seconds

By On March 29, 2010 In By Katie Foley, Industry News With Permanent Link to Red or Blue Wire: You have 30 secondsPermalink

Networking: the most important word in your vocabulary (okay, maybe not the most…but definitely a close second to your grandma’s first name). Whether you are attending a business dinner representing your company; attending a career fair to find potential employers; or trying speed dating (yikes!) for the first time—pitch, pitch, pitch. Make an impression. With the right delivery, your elevator pitch could bring a new client, friend, or love interest your way.

The elevator pitch: a mini sales pitch less than a minute long intended on drawing your selected audience in hook, line and sinker. Know exactly who you are talking to and start with your hook—capture their interest and do not be afraid to alter this part based on your audience. Keep their interest by knowing each point you want to get across all while having passion for what you are talking about (or at least be really good at pretending you do). Finish it off by some sort of request—ask for their business card, ask to set up a future meeting, or ask to take them out on a hot date (disclaimer: this only applies to social situations, I would NOT recommend this strategy for potential clients).

I have come to believe that word-of-mouth communication is one of the easiest, cheapest and all-around most logical (not to mention oldest) ways to market yourself and your business. What better way to spread the most positive aspects of your business than to tell people yourself. You know your business better than anyone so get out there, attend as many events as possible, and always prepare to pitch. You never know who you are going to strike up a conversation with at the local Starbucks, in line at the grocery store, or the next time you step into an elevator.

This is Social Media. Facebook Confirmed

By On March 26, 2010 In By Ken Ashburn, Industry News With Permanent Link to This is Social Media. Facebook ConfirmedPermalink

It was evolution happening before us (sans David Duchnovy and Orlando Jones) with AOL chat being the Neanderthal man and his simple communication (A/S/L?). As the years progressed, we watched with our own eyes the growing of our caveman, as he evolved into a more complex character with a unique characteristic of being “Instant”. This new species created a whole new way to speak and interact with friends and unknowns. He was the guy at the party who would talk to anyone, because if things went south, there was always someone else to talk to.

It was the year 1999 and a charitable period for social media. Well, charitable for everyone but music executives and main stream musicians. It was people sharing with other people. You knew very little of them but gave them so much in return and it only took you about 23 minutes per song. It was like handing out food to the homeless, only you stole that food from your neighbor’s house while he was on vacation.

It wasn’t until we saw things like Friendster (you can make a case for SixDegrees but there was like only 7 people on it) and LiveJournal where people would connect with others and open up about their actual thoughts, feelings or suicidal rage. Then came along MySpace, which helped Chris Hansen gain publicity thanks to the openness the site allowed and wide range of people using it. How many parents actually knew that while their 13yr old was using this site to “meet new people” the average user age was around 35. The site widely famous in the beginning became the poster child for how to ruin a site with advertising, bad privacy and way too many options (do you really need your mouse cursor to have a glitter trail when it runs over your spring break pictures).

It really wasn’t until the Facebook was created and smartly opened only to college students (not for their superior buying behavior) but to create some unique and only available to select group of individuals (like health care). Then after a few years it opened its doors like Willy Wonka to the public and invited everyone to come in. Now there are over 400 million people taking a tour through the factory, a good amount inebriated on fizzy lifting drink and making some poor choices by posting on their ex’s wall.

Nowadays you barely hear a peep out of the old relics like AOL or MySpace, as if they are some sort of out-dated electronics (think Laser Disc or even Sega CD) as their younger more popular sibling (insert own Baldwin reference here) Facebook roles around in piles of cash as if they just traded their wife away for the night to a millionaire. It was an idea so good it even took a simple part of it and created a spin-off. Twitter you are like the new Scrubs, and a whole new conversation.

Social media plays major role in purchase intent

By On March 19, 2010 In By Ryan Battishill, Industry News, Latest News With Permanent Link to Social media plays major role in purchase intentPermalink

Does social media play a role in your purchase decision among brands? In many, it does.

A new study shows that those who are fans or followers of a brand on Facebook or Twitter, respectively, are significantly more likely to buy products and services or recommend the brand to a friend.

The recent study by Chadwick Martin Bailey and iModerate Research Technologies found 51% of Facebook fans and 67% of Twitter followers said they are more likely to make a purchase from at least a few brands since they became engaged with those brands on social media. Additionally, 60% of study respondents reported that their status as a Facebook fan would increase the likelihood of recommending a brand to a friend. 80% of respondents said the same thing about following a brand on Twitter.

So, what does this mean for businesses ?

Customers and brand enthusiasts are saturating the various networks, and it is crucial for businesses to join them in a space that is not only impactful, but engaging. Some of the top reasons users decided to follow or fan brands in the first place were because they are current customers (49%) and wanted to show support (42%).

In addition, this information-savvy group is looking towards an incentive for participating. For 40% of users, receiving deals, discounts, and promotions from their favorite brands ranked on the top of their wish list.

These users are active, and if businesses want to make a difference in 2010, they need to utilize social media as a direct, open, transparent channel where communication and organic conversation can take place.

Via eMarketer

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