Twitter: Social Media Marketing Takes Flight

When Twitter flew into our lives it seemed for a while to be just another social media distraction and people questioned the rationale behind status updates with word counts smaller than the size of most text messages.  With the emergence of tools like Twitpic and trending topics, however, marketers have begun to see the benefit in utilizing Twitter as a social media marketing medium.  Edelman Digital has taken part in the re-evaluation of Twitter’s reputation, and has identified five twitter usages.  I have outlined three of them below.  

Twitter and Journalism:

News spreads like wildfire and Twitter makes the flames climb higher with trending news and Twitpics.  Faster news comes at a cost however; although Twitter makes paraphrasing and repetition of news faster, fact errors, grammar mistakes, and unreliable sources spread more frequently.   If using Twitter as a Journalistic medium, the key to follow is fact checking and accuracy.

Twitter for Job Searching and Recruitment:

The job search can be dejecting road but Twitter makes networking as easy as 140 words.  Now professionals can connect and engage through the “Following” tool which allows them to link up with others in their field and open doors to vast lines of networking.  Twitter makes 6 degrees of separation five degrees less with a single click of a button, giving employment inquiries and job pitches speed.

Twitter for Customer Service:

Twitter is now a quicker and cheaper customer service platform for businesses and the go-to method for getting questions answered and problems solved for consumers.  Twitter for customer service is as easy as tweeting a link to a troubleshooting site, or direct contact information for a customer service representative.  The end result is faster response time and more loyal followers.

Key Takeaway: Twitter is still a relevant source for marketing and media initiatives so sit tight because it probably will be for a while to come.

To see more of Edelman’s Five Growing Usages for Twitter, please visit: http://www.edelmandigital.com/2011/08/24/five-growing-uses-for-twitter/

It’s All About Location

Location, location, location.  An ad is only as good as its placement, according to a new report [PDF] by Casale Media.  The report shows that ads displayed within the first screen of a user’s browser window are almost seven times more likely to be clicked than ads that appear below the fold.  The same report suggests making your ad alpha to all others; make sure it’s the first to be seen.  Also, ads that appear five times or more are 12-14 times more effective than ads that appear less than five times—which should place repetition at the forefront of your ad initiatives.  Check this out: Google has introduced a new ‘Top vs. Side’ tool this month that allows advertisers to study consumer response in relation to their ad placement on Google search results.  To learn more, please visit marketingvox.com.

The World of Social Media: Is It Harmful or Helpful to your Business?

Social media has been developed and groomed into an integral tool of modern society, making one-on-one connections easier and grooming the idea of what it means to be social.  Online social tools like Skype, Twitter, Myspace, Facebook, blogs, and Google have paved a once un-tread path of tweeting, tagging, status updates, and audience feedback.  In this continuously expanding social world, one might be tempted to ask whether their business initiatives are relevant in the realm of social media, and if social media is a benefit or set-back. 

The answer to this question is quite two-fold.  The good news is that social media conjures up new powers for businesses including quicker and easier customer service, interactive consumer engagement, more precise target marketing, advanced word of mouth marketing, and an open medium for consumer dialogue.  

The challenge is for businesses to find creative and innovative ways to harness these powers through effective marketing techniques.  Below I have outlined some basic guidelines for those who wish to try social media as a business tool. 

Have a goal

Identify a goal for your business and build your strategy around that goal.  Once your strategy has been established, outline a plan with realistic and consistent expectations and stick it.  

Know your business

Knowing your business is vital for determining marketing goals.  The type of business you have and the product or service you offer will determine your target audience and advertising method.  Knowing your business can also help you in choosing the appropriate social media medium through which you’ll execute your business strategy.  

Know your medium

When engaging in social media marketing for your business, it is also important to know your medium.  Different social media sites will afford you effectiveness in various areas of your strategy.  For instance, if your goal is to increase customer service care satisfaction, you might consider taking hold of the Twitter reins where tweets allow for shorter and quicker Q&A.  In contrast, if your goal is to promote a new product, service, or event you might try for an application like Facebook that allows you to write more content, create groups, and engage consumers through interactive buttons, games, polls and video.     

Know your consumers and listen to them

Perhaps the most destructive mistake that a business can make is not listening to their customers.  Tweets, status updates, and wall comments are but manifestations of the voice that wants to be heard. Therefore social media is also an excellent listening tool, allowing businesses to gain constructive criticism and feedback on their product or service.  Keep in mind the danger of word of mouth: consumers will tweet to the world their complaints about your business before they’ll tweet it to you. The trick to effective listening however is prompt and accurate responses. 

Video Scribing = Better Video Marketing

When you’re trying to engage an audience through video the last thing you want them to do is press fast forward.  Room 214 Production’s new video scribing service is bound to revolutionize the world of video marketing.  By meshing together illustration, animation, sound effects, and videography, video scribing is a jambalaya of visual storytelling.  By wielding this new marketing weapon, you can produce a story that will make clients press rewind.
 

Keep in mind: Your aims should be to engage the emotions. Tickle the funny bone, employ elements of irony, and aim for suspense. If you fly with your creativity, you’ll find that the sky’s the limit.

Room 214 Production has already taken to the sky.  Here’s what they came up with: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kifdB4AHAc&feature=player_embedded

Social Media for Non-Profits

Social fresh’s Chris Giovagnoni is sharing some good social media advice for non-profit organizations.  He calls them his five “how to’s” and here they are:

1. Do It Daily

Consistently in sharing your content is key to shaping conversations.  Listen to your audience and place conversations that are all about you on the backburner. Giovagnoni warns, “Talk more about them than you do yourself.”

2. Do It Deliberately

Having an initiative for your social media presence is foundational in developing consumer relationships.

3. Do It Decisively

To carry out your initiative, you must also have a strategy.  Keep on the straight and narrow with your plans and be sure to follow through.

4. Do It Differently

Originality is noticeability and noticeability increases donor conversion.  Giovagnoni suggests following the lead of Compassion International a non-for-profit organization which offers sponsors the tangible opportunity to exchange letters with their sponsored children.

5. Do It Directly

Don’t let your organization do all the work.  Building a personal relationship with your audience requires the honest engagement of one donor at a time. It’s okay to forget about your organization and focus on the individual you’re serving.

Key take away: Daily, deliberate, decisive, different, and direct social media presence will help boost your non-profit’s engagement and visibility.

Care Before Content

Care about your characters first—create your content second.  That’s what Ilana Rabinowitz of Social Media Explorer says is the key to effectively employing social media.  Rabinowitz’s theory places “caring” at the core of marketing methodology, challenging the more traditional strategy of staking out your consumer prey before ambushing them with social media marketing.  Take successful blog and Twitter handle Tiny Buddha for example. Founder Lori Deschene says she didn’t begin her site in search of page views or profit; she simply “wanted to do something meaningful.”  From its beginnings, three year old Tiny Buddah has cared about its audience and in return has received about 5 million page views and 200,000 devoted Twitter followers.  In other words, if you want your social media strategy to be successful, stop worrying about the dollar signs and create content that responds to your consumer’s needs. We all know that a happy consumer makes for a happy brand; it’s a win-win situation.
 

Key takeaway: If you care about your consumers, they’ll care about your content.