Twitter 101

At only 140 characters per tweet, the same as an SMS (Text) message, Twitter has been used as a tool by many celebrities, businesses, and organizations to get the word out about what it is they’re doing and how it affects “Tweeple” or “Tweeps” (a.k.a. people of Twitter) around the world. With Twitter, it’s not about quantity, but instead it’s about quality, and when tweeting (a.k.a. posting information) on behalf of your business make sure you are always aiming to interest others. Be aware of the target audience, and what it is they want to hear. Always retweet (a.k.a. Tweet another person’s exact tweet) interesting tweets, but only if they pertain to your company or the focal topic of your Twitter. Retweeting is a great and easy way to gain followers and spread important and interesting information.

Another benefit to your business or organization is the concept of a hashtag (represented by #____). Using a hashtag in a tweet will put your tweet on a twitter feed (a.k.a. list of tweets) sharing the same hashtag. For example: “I’m trying to take my #dog to a #dogpark. Where can I find a good one in #Sacramento?” is a tweet that will show up in the #dog feed, #dogpark feed and #Sacramento feed. Someone is more likely to see it and help answer this Tweeter’s question quickly. This Tweeter may even gain followers who have the same question or common interests, like owning a dog in Sacramento. Hashtags are very simple, and it’s recommended to start one to help brand your company. However, be wary: don’t just flood your tweets with hashtags. It is only recommended to have, at most, 3 hashtags per tweet. Flooding is frowned upon in the Twitter community and can lead to a loss of followers.

In reality, this is only scratching the surface of the vast Twitterverse. Remember: Twitter is about quality NOT quantity. Twenty random posts per day is not as great as one or two posts per day about a specific topic. Tweeps (a.k.a. Twitter “friends”) follow you because they wanted to know more about your company and your topic. Less is more, and if you have a lot to say, there’s always a way to link your larger posts from other websites (like this blog, for example) to one of your tweets… but we can save that lesson for Twitter 202.

Tweeting is like texting

Twitter has slowly become one of the best ways to get the word out about your business or organization. Each 140-character “tweet” can pack a powerful punch if used correctly. Not only does the 140-character limit make your tweets concise and to the point, but it also opens up access to all cell phone users, and not just smart phones with a Twitter app.

SMS messages (or text messages) on regular cell phones are limited to 140-characters before “spilling over” into a second text message. Part of Twitter’s early success was based on the fact that any cell phone user could text a command to Twitter’s special number, “40404,” and control their personal Twitter feed. From a cell phone, a Tweep (User of Twitter) can: tweet, follow another user, block another user & Retweet (“RT”) someone else’s Tweet.

A user can also handpick which Tweeps are privileged enough to have all of their updates sent to his or her phone. So, if your company or organization Tweets quality information that other Tweeps want to know about, you may just end up with a few Tweeps who are text message subscribers.

Stay tuned as we will have a Twitter 101 for the month of June. Here’s to good Tweeting from the company that Always “Tweets” You Right!

The Nuts and Bolts of Social Media & Public Relations

Web presence is more than just a website these days.  Making your content shareable and participating in the conversation through social media is part of the ever-changing face of public relations in 2011.

Managing Social Media Channels. Did you ever wish you could be in more than one place at the same time?  As far as I know science has yet to master that phenomenon; however your “voice” CAN, and should be in more than one place at the same time.  Centralized campaign management systems (i.e., HootSuite and TweetDeck) enable a manager to listen, aggregate, publish, and manage multiple social media distribution channels all from a single portal.

The Consumer. Remember that by making your customers cheerleaders for your brand, you create a win-win situation. Bonus!  Social media extends an indispensable tool for gauging audience opinion by way of a two-way conversation in which both sides (customer and company) can exchange views.   Business Intelligence (BI) refers to the gathering, storing, and analyzing of data to help business users make more informed and therefore more advantageous decisions.  In an article published in 2006 (“Social Network Analysis and Business Intelligence”), Dr. Ramon Barquin, president of a consulting firm since 1994, wrote, “Stay tuned, social network analysis and business intelligence travel in lockstep these days.”  Now five years later we enter 2011, and there is little doubt that his words held up.

Networking With Influencers is 100% simpler today than was before.“Influencers” can be journalists, reporters, bloggers, or anyone of influence who covers topics in your industry.  By establishing relationships with these influential people you may find that you’ve snagged your business a mention and maybe even a feature story.  MuckRack.com is a free website that enables you to search for and locate journalists.

Sharability is a must!  By creating something interesting that grabs your audience’s attention people will naturally want to share it with their friends, and even comment or blog about it (further increasing your exposure).  To help them out, each social media site has its own share buttons (i.e., Facebook’s “Share” and Twitter’s “ReTweet”).

Multimedia, such as mobile marketing, photo, video, and file sharing, can work within the social media arena to spread the word and help build brand awareness. Check out Windows Movie Maker, or iMovie for Mac users, and note that by publishing videos or photos somewhere on your own website and then linking them in your press release, you’ll drive traffic to your website (the centralized hub for your business).

Consumers “Pull” Themselves to Your Media Message. More and more today we see a shift in the way society accepts and digests brand messages.  It’s becoming commonplace for consumers to “pull” media messages in their direction (i.e., RSS Feeds and Google Alerts).  As a voluntary recipient of your brand message, this type of consumer is ultimately more responsive.

 

As you can see there are various ways to increase your public awareness. Public Relations is a vital part of any business, big or small. Your company is only as good as its word of mouth, so share it with the world and get your company social today. If you need help with your online presence contact the staff at Social Media Platform and they’d be more than happy to help. You can contact them at http://smp4you.com, http://facebook.com/smp4you or http://twitter.com/smp4you.

What One Thing Do People Associate With Your Business?

It may not be what you think, such as your main product or service. It might be something seemingly insignificant to you, but particularly memorable for them. It may not be as simplistic or as silly as associations children may have with a place (e.g. “the red store” or the bank where “the nice lady gives out candy”). However, remember each interaction a consumer or prospective client has with your business, whether it be in person or online through social media, can have a direct impact. Your business may stand out from others simply because your tweets or Facebook updates feed them valuable tips or make them laugh. Your business might stand out in their minds from your competitors if you went above and beyond your normal business routine to give them exceptional service or follow up to see how they are doing some time after the sale or time of service. The good news is, through social media, you can tailor your message daily to help sculpt the positive experiences and interactions with your customers and seek their nearly immediate feedback as well.

Social Media’s Immediate Feedback Saves the Gap

Okay, “saves” may not be the right word, but thanks to social media, the Gap realized very quickly how dissatisfied fans and consumers were with their recent logo change. One such story regarding this week’s gaffe can be read at Mashable.com. Kudos to the Gap for listening to their followers and reverting to the former, well-loved logo.

We realize that not every business decision can be submitted to all your supporters for their approval, but I think this example illustrates the value of listening to their opinions nevertheless.

2 October blog post ideas Inbox X work X Reply | Melinda Jones Here are two ideas for October blog posts, the first one of more immediate re… Oct 13 (2 days ago) Melinda JonesLoading… Oct 13 (2 days ago) Melinda Jones to Sonja show details Oct 13 (2 days ago) Here are two ideas for October blog posts, the first one of more immediate relevance, and the second one could be used at any time. Let me know what you think.     *jumping on checking on all those SMP accounts now…* — Social Media’s Immediate Feedback Saves the Gap Okay, “saves” may not be the right word, but thanks to social media, the Gap realized very quickly how dissatisfied fans and consumers were with their recent logo change. One such story regarding this week’s gaffe can be read at http://mashable.com/2010/10/11/gap-logo/. Kudos to the Gap for listening to their followers and reverting to the former, well-loved logo. We realize that not every business decision can be submitted to all your supporters for their approval, but I think this example illustrates the value of listening to their opinions nevertheless. — What One Thing Do People Associate With Your Business? It may not be what you think, such as your main product or service. It might be something seemingly insignificant to you, but particularly memorable for them. It may not be as simplistic or as silly as associations children may have with a place (e.g. “the red store” or the bank where “the nice lady gives out candy”). However, remember each interaction a consumer or prospective client has with your business, whether it be in person or online through social media, can have a direct impact. Your business may stand out from others simply because your tweets or Facebook updates feed them valuable tips or make them laugh. Your business might stand out in their minds from your competitors if you went above and beyond your normal business routine to give them exceptional service or follow up to see how they are doing some time after the sale. The good news is, through social media, you can tailor your message daily to help sculpt the positive experiences and interactions with your customers and seek their nearly immediate feedback as well. — Reply Forward Reply | Sonja Dyess to me show details Oct 13 (2 days ago) I saw that about the GAP and was thinking the same thing!!! These are both good. Go with it. Don’t forget to fill out the tag section and categories when posting on the blog. Make sure you did those with the other postings you have done. J Great job as usual!!! Sonja Dyess “I’ll Tweet You Right” Social Media Platform 904.429.7519 www.smp4you.com www.facebook.com/smp4you www.twitter.com/smp4you From: Melinda Jones [mailto:melindaj7@gmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, October 13, 2010 1:07 PM To: Sonja Dyess Subject: 2 October blog post ideas – Show quoted text –   Here are two ideas for October blog posts, the first one of more immediate relevance, and the second one could be used at any time. Let me know what you think.     *jumping on checking on all those SMP accounts now…* — Social Media’s Immediate Feedback Saves the Gap Okay, “saves” may not be the right word, but thanks to social media, the Gap realized very quickly how dissatisfied fans and consumers were with their recent logo change. One such story regarding this week’s gaffe can be read at http://mashable.com/2010/10/11/gap-logo/. Kudos to the Gap for listening to their followers and reverting to the former, well-loved logo. We realize that not every business decision can be submitted to all your supporters for their approval, but I think this example illustrates the value of listening to their opinions nevertheless. — What One Thing Do People Associate With Your Business? It may not be what you think, such as your main product or service. It might be something seemingly insignificant to you, but particularly memorable for them. It may not be as simplistic or as silly as associations children may have with a place (e.g. “the red store” or the bank where “the nice lady gives out candy”). However, remember each interaction a consumer or prospective client has with your business, whether it be in person or online through social media, can have a direct impact. Your business may stand out from others simply because your tweets or Facebook updates feed them valuable tips or make them laugh. Your business might stand out in their minds from your competitors if you went above and beyond your normal business routine to give them exceptional service or follow up to see how they are doing some time after the sale. The good news is, through social media, you can tailor your message daily to help sculpt the positive experiences and interactions with your customers and seek their nearly immediate feedback as well. — Reply Forward

JVC GIVE AWAY!

Spelling it all out

As I was driving down a local highway, I noticed a local tire repair shop’s outdoor sign advertising “WIFI YL U W8.” It was interesting to note that while they were advertising the availability of WiFi to customers who are waiting on service, they also were using text-speak to do so. With the prevalence of text messaging, Twitter, social networking, instant messaging, and such, most passersby probably read the ad with no problem, but I wonder if any customers felt put off by the message.

What do you think? Should they have spelled out “WiFi while you wait” (which easily falls into the common billboard advertising guideline of keeping your message to seven words or less), or are they “keeping with the times” by using such abbreviations? Is this a good way to make their business memorable? It certainly got my attention. Let us know what you think – would you use “text speak” to garner attention in your more conventional marketing methods, e.g. print, billboards, outdoor marquees, etc.?

The “Social” in Social Media

The phrase “social media” brings up a lot of ideas (and online links when you search the phrase). Because social media incorporates a vast array of marketing tools at our disposal, many think of the “media” aspects first. The media aspects include how to use platforms like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and others on how to “get the word out” about your company, but don’t forget the “social” aspects.

The current marketing climate indicates consumers are looking to trust those with whom they do business and this includes small companies. There is a general mistrust of marketing strategies that blast consumers with their products or services without any regard to the true needs of consumers. And many people refer to “the media” in very negative terms. Many are now looking for socially responsive and responsible companies. Practice good social skills and etiquette as you would when dealing with consumers in person including listening, responding and exhibiting authenticity and generosity in order to add value to their lives.

By listening and responding to their needs and moods, and not just the ones your product or service directly addresses, your sensitivity will produce more valuable and stronger connections than any targeted hard-sell tactics will. Allow feedback and discussion on your website and fan pages where consumers can exchange information with each other and get feedback about concerns.

Be generous. Share not only the wealth when able, but also time and knowledge to keep up the conversation. Social media’s two-way communication should allow an exchange of ideas, even if that includes giving credit and praise for others’ good ideas. Honest retweeting is a great way to share these ideas and positivity. Be open to your customers’ good ideas and suggestions. It fosters a sense of community.

Most of all, be yourself. People are skeptical by nature and one of the most positive things one can do is to be genuine. Maintain authenticity and positivity in your interactions.

Practicing these social skills will help instill confidence in your audience and enrich the lives of those involved in the interaction.

Top persuasive words in advertising:

Top persuasive words in advertising:
• Suddenly
• New
• Announcing
• Introducing
• Improvement
• Amazing
• Sensational
• Remarkable
• Revolutionary
• Startling
• Miracle
• Magic
• Offer
• Quick
• Challenge
• Wanted
Are you using these terms in marketing strategy?

Why Social Media

Times are tough right now, no doubt about it! Businesses large and small are treading water, unless you’re in the medical field, and they have their own issues.  Social media came to surface in 2004 and has exploded in the past year.  You might have noticed that your junk mail pile is getting smaller as time goes on, but your junk e-mail has grown by leaps.  Welcome to the wide world web!

Marketing and public relations has taken on a different face.  Traditional marketing and PR is expensive, that is why it is imperative for today’s businesses to consider the route of marketing and conducting public relations through the means of social media.  If you get the right expert, your opportunities could explode before your very eyes.  Sounds great, and it is!  

People spend more time on the internet than on any other form of media known to human life form.  If you want to truly build relationships with current and future clients, then social media is where you need to be.  If you want to keep hoping someone is going to use your services, then keep dumping loads of money on commercials and postcards, than have at it.  If you truly believe that is the way to find your paying customers, than why are you reading this blog? Don’t get me wrong I appreciate it, but think about what I have stated. 

Here are some interesting facts for you to ponder:

• Americans Have Access to a Trillion Web Pages
• Print Circulation is Down 7 Million Over the Past 25 Years
• Past 5 Years – Online Media Outlets Received over 30 Million Unique Readers
• More Videos were uploaded to YouTube in the LAST 2 Months than if ABC, NBC and CBS Had Been Airing New Content 24/7/365 since 1948!
• 2009 Traditional Advertising has had a Steep Decline – Newspaper 18.7%, TV 10.1%, Radio 11.7% and Magazines 14.8%
• 2009 Digital Advertising Significant Increase-  Phone Applications 18.1%  and Computer 9.2%

If you liked what I had to say this time around, see what you can actually learn next time.

To find out more about the true Social Media Platform, visit us at http://www.SMP4YOU.com