New Mediums - Same Sound Business Practices...

I was recently consulting with a new client about digital marketing and the subject of "Twitter" came up. Now, like many clients this one really didn't understand Twitter and how it could benefit his firm until I said the following:

..."Ron, you may remember the days when you had a notebook filled with plastic sleeves that contained all your client [letters] testimonials. This notebook was probably sitting in your lobby... [he nodded in the affirmative]. Well, think of Twitter as an opportunity for your clients to write you an online/digital recommendation and have it not only work today but due to the nature of online media and search engines, have that testimonial archived for others to find who may be searching for a firm and/or service just like yours. Think of it...your recommendations are no longer limited to the scope of people that are waiting in your lobby...people can see them from around the world. Your testimonials are categorized and archived - and in many cases will become displayed as results when associated terms are searched on sites like Google and Yahoo."

All of a sudden we had a "light bulb" moment! He understood that he could, just like before, ask his satisfied clients for a testimonial, but instead of simply writing an e-mail, he could ask them to tweet about him. Same sound business practice, just a brand new medium. And please keep in mind that this is but one example...chances are if you think about it for just a few minutes you'll be able to come up with half-a-dozen or so traditional, sound, and effective business practices that will translate over to Twitter or Facebook, or LinkedIn. Give it a try and see what you come up with...you'll be surprised.
Best!
D-

Avoiding the Tripwires of Social Media...

While on vacation I have had the opportunity to have my Twitter account (personal) hacked by some marketing guy in Austria. Now, this in and of itself is not a rare thing. People are hacked every day on social networking and social media websites. It just goes to show that simple precautions must be taken so as to minimize any potential damage that could be done to you by such a hacker. Follow the tips below and you'll be far better off in this brave new online world:


1. Keep personal and business accounts separate.

2. Develop passwords that are very difficult for someone to figure out (the longer the better.

3. Check your accounts at least every other day and look at the posts...if you see that you have things on there that you didn't post be sure to eliminate them ASAP and change your password.

4. Don't be afraid to "delete" your account in the case of repeat hacks.

5. You might not want to put an image of yourself as the avatar on your account (esp. Twitter) for if you get hacket they not only have your username to send messages from but it's immediately then linked to you if they have control of your image.

6. Don't "follow" or "friend" just anybody on Twitter or Facebook...be selective of who you let in your "network."

7. Give out as little personal information as possible. Don't put birthdays, addresses, phone numbers, children's names, spouse's names, etc. on there. Keep the posts general, informative, and interesting, but NOT PERSONAL!

8. Watch out for your friends on these networks and have them watch out for you. (I was alerted to my hack by my business partner calling me and asking if I was at my computer because someone was sending out information under my name)

9. Use a password manager for your login information whenever possible so that people cannot log your keystrokes. (not ultimately effective, but better than nothing)

Ok, hopefully these ideas will give you a bit more of a sense of peace when Tweeting, Linking-in, or Facebooking....

Search and Social Media Working Together for Your Business

People ask us all the time about two “buzz worthy” items these days…Search Engine Optimization and Social Media. Well, what most don’t realize is that the two are completely and utterly connected to each other. Now, most folks understand that search engines are driven by high-powered, mathematical algorithms, which are able to judge content based on the words (copy) on your website. What these massive ranking formulas cannot understand is just HOW valuable the information on the website is. (They can count the words but they really don’t know how valued any one word is over another in a societal context) Bing! (on goes the light bulb)… This is where social media/marketing comes in. These search engines now have a partner! Not only can they determine the content of your site, but based off of searches and comments on social media websites such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Digg, etc. they are able to determine the value of that content (who’s posting/talking about a particular topic and how many times in “real world,” person-to-person exchanges.). The combination of traditional search metrics when combined with the input from social media is extremely potent. So, the bottom line is, if you’re trying to optimize your rankings and drive more people to your website you won’t be able to do so (effectively) without some sort of social media strategy.

Beyond Facebook and Twitter...

Digg, Newsvine, Delicious, Reddit, Technorati, StumbleUpon...the list continues to grow.

Are you utilizing online tools as they emerge, or do you just go to Facebook and Twitter because you've heard of them?

Come on now, tell the truth.

The internet is filled with remarkable tools designed to increase exposure, track web traffic, and share new ideas.

Believe me, if you don't have a strategy...someone specifically assigned to work these avenues for your business....your competitors will have an edge on you.

NOW, is one of the most exciting times in human history, if you think the Industrial Revolution was a big deal...wait 'til you see these next twenty years!

The Twitterverse

Just had a friend e-mail me some stats on Twitter...and this is a guy who should know. Thought I'd just take a moment to share them with you.

• Twitter is gaining an average of ~7,000 users per day...
• ~18% of Twitter's users have joined within the past 60 days...
• ~70% of Twitter's users joined in 2008
• The most tweets take place on Thursday of each week (probably folks lining things up for the weekend)
• Tweets drop off 25-30% over the weekend...
• ~30% of Twitter users have >30 followers...
• Twitter Traffic has grown over 1,164% in the past 12 months and is up 16.5% in the past month alone (Compete.com statistics)
• Twitter has approximately 22 Million unique visitors per month.
  
• The average number of people someone is following is ~70
• The amount of people that follow a person or group will in large part be determined by how many people or groups they follow.

Currently there are millions on Twitter and other social networking websites. These, through the right kind of usage and positioning can be valuable tools to business and fantastic methods of communication between individuals.

We look forward to seeing you in The Twitterverse!

Benefits of Social Media

Recently we've had a lot of customers asking us about the benefits of "social media" and how that can affect their businesses. Well, I thought we should take just a few moments to throw out some answers that might encourage folks to take a closer look at this growing marketing outlet.

Social media, by definition is simply the transformation of content readers into content publishers, or sites that provide "user generated content." This, in and of itself provides amazing results in terms of like-minded people, businesses, groups, philanthropies, etc. gravitating towards each other in cyberspace - becoming communities, building relationships, and ultimately being "SOCIAL."

Social media is anything that allows the user-generated information flow. These vehicles can take the shape of Internet forums, Message Boards, Wikis, Weblogs, Social Networking websites (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc.), and Vlogs (video blogs), just to name the most obvious.

To reap the benefits of social networking you must first be able to GIVE. Meaning, that if you go into any social networking endeavor with the mindset that all you're going to do is bombard people with how great you or your product of company is, don't bother. You must be willing to give or bring something of value to the community. You must be willing to exchange information and ideas that others can benefit from. Ultimately, any community you seek to join is not going to even look your way if they sense that all you want to do is take from them...in this respect the Internet is even more critical than the physical world. In the social networking realm, you're totally judged on your content. There are no good looks, fancy clothes, cool cars, or trendy watering holes to be seen at. Your admission to the community and/or acceptance by others is based solely on your perceived intent!

Finally, any social networking campaign that is entered into is not a "load & leave" proposition. It's one that must be continually worked. You must update your blog, keep your website content fresh, participate in discussions relating to your industry or personal interests, be available for advice, and ultimately allot the time needed for people and groups to get to know you and what you stand for. In so doing you will garner friends, colleagues, lead sources, and possibly even increased sales.

When I started my Twitter account I read a great piece (and I wish I'd saved it) in which the author said, when anyone running a company, or who is part of an executive team begins Tweeting, the first inclination is to begin "chest thumping" about his or her company...DON'T!!!
The author then went on to say why and it made all the sense in the world to me. He said (and I paraphrase)...

-Twitter and other social networking sites are designed and are at their best when people who know very little about you or your company can make a human connection to the brand through your tweets and/or postings. It is a chance for people to get to know the people behind the brand and otherwise provides them with a window into the soul of the company. -

This single piece of information got me off on the right foot with Twitter and our other social media networking endeavors...I sincerely hope that something I've conveyed above will help at least one person out there do the same!