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.

Public Relations and Social Media

As consumers, wouldn’t most of us be more likely to trust the endorsement offered by a family member, a friend, or even another consumer we’ve never even met over a company’s endorsement of their own products/services?  Undoubtedly.  By leveraging the power of public relations and social media you have the awesome capability of building buzz for your business while attaining third-party credibility.

The traditional press release is evolving and although print media still has its place, social media is taking center stage.  The major difference between a traditional press release and a press release embraced by social media outlets is the exceptional capability social media has as a viral marketing tool.   It only takes the click of a mouse and your message can spread like lightning from one person to another.  Consumers have always shared with friends, family, neighbors, and the like — the good the bad, and the ugly about a brand.  Social media has simply created a premier platform to spread the word.  Having a presence for your business on popular social media networks such as Facebook is becoming increasingly compulsory.  The relatively new phenomenon offers word-of-mouth marketing on steroids.  Think smart!  Create a win-win situation by making your customers cheerleaders for your brand.  They’re truly the best sales agents a company could ask for.

social media and pr

The Value Social Media Brings to PR?

• Easily distribute through various channels
• Embrace the power of the consumer
• Get the conversation going! (2-way communication)
• Grab the attention of journalists and/or bloggers (they may write about your company’s story)
• Sharability (use a “Share” widget and allow readers to post/share information at lightning speed)
• Multimedia capabilities (i.e., YouTube videos, surveys, links, etc.)
• Ability to build inbound links and backlinks
• Pull PR makes it easy – the media and your intended audience target themselves for you!  They find and pull themselves to your news (i.e., RSS feeds).

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

How Press releases and social media work together

When you hear “press release,” what do you think of? If your thoughts tend toward the negative, try to consider a few thoughts. The press release often gets a bad rap as outdated and bland because they were originally used for print publications and too many lack value to the reader and don’t invite the reader to a call to action. Press releases are simply a tool that should be considered when forming a comprehensive marketing strategy.

Press releases can be submitted electronically, to print and online media outlets alike. In today’s world, social media and the internet literally put resources at the fingertips of those seeking answers. Traditional media outlets, such as newspapers, magazines, television and radio, still have a very wide reach and each have their strengths, also.

To avoid the common pitfall of bland press releases, use creative press releases that capture the attention of media and public alike. Concentrate on what is important to your audience. Consider their needs, challenges and most pressing concerns and how your product or services can improve their lives. With social networking, people are not only looking for your main product or services, but also advice, tips, and guidance that will help them do their jobs better or save time and money. Most likely, they will be looking online for these resources or asking friends near and far, for their input.

As social media allows for more two-way communication among companies and clients, press releases can be used to foster that sense of interaction. Use press releases, both in the local print media and online, to lure customers by offering them something useful like a free report, for example. Include in the press release the announcement of the availability of the report, example of some of the material inside, and how to send for or download the free report.

Print media and online media are not mutually exclusive. Many print magazines also publish online in order to capture both the paper-in-hand readers and online readers. Who says you need to choose one over the other?

Two Local Companies Come Together To Help the Gulf

The following is an excerpt of a recent press release about our recent cooperative efforts with another business to help benefit a social cause.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla (Aug. 18, 2010) – Pet World and Social Media Platform of Jacksonville, Fla., recently partnered to donate the dog hair from Pet World’s grooming department to help clean up the oil from the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster. Lynn Lamoureux, the owner of Pet World, www.PetWorldPets.com,  began collecting shaved hair from her grooming clients to donate to Matter of Trust soon after the disaster began. Since the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Pet World has been sending boxes of hair to make booms to collect the oil. Matter of Trust has 19 warehouses and all of them are full!

Sonja Dyess, President of Social Media Platform, is a proud native of Pensacola, Fla. She, along with many other local residents, wanted to do her part to help clean up the oil. While picking up her dog from his grooming appointment, Dyess spoke with Lamoureux and mentioned going home to Pensacola to see first-hand what her hometown beaches looked like. During the conversation, Dyess learned Pet World has been sending hair to Pensacola for booms. “We wanted to do what we can to help. We already have the hair, and at $15 a box, that is a small price to pay to help preserve Florida’s beautiful beaches,” said Lamoureux.

Lamoureux’s latest donation was three large lawn bags of hair, ready to ship to Pensacola. Dyess volunteered to take the bags herself to Pensacola as she was already going there for business. When dropping the hair off at one of the donation centers in Pensacola, Dyess was told it was the last donation they could accept for now as the warehouses were full. Dyess and Lamoureux are working together to stay in touch with Matter of Trust to find other ways they can help with the oil spill. Lamoureux said, “I’m ready to donate more hair when they are ready to make more booms.” As owner of a marketing company that specializes in social media marketing, Dyess has been assisting in spreading the word about Matter of Trust online.

“There really isn’t much we can do about what happened, but what we can do is come together to get it cleaned up. It always amazes me that when disaster strikes, people don’t blink an eye, they just get involved and help. My hometown has been through so much, I want to help where I can, when I can,” said Dyess. The oil spill is far from being cleaned up or forgotten about.

For more information about Matter of Trust and how you can help, please visit their website at www.matteroftrust.org.

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.

My opinions of the social media marketing mind-set

I had been adding my own opinions of the mind-set behind what should be implemented in your social media marketing strategy. Here are my points. This is my opinion and the strategy has worked for me for the past 2.5 years of my social media strategy. I hope you find it helpful.

• A key strategy for your social media campaign is to make your prospects and followers feel part of the “group.” This is human nature; nothing feels better than being a member of the “group.” Studies have shown that the key reason people connect on various social media platforms is to have a sense of “belonging.” They want the feeling of being part of an important and valuable group.
Remember when you were in high school and all you wanted to do was belong, be accepted, be acknowledged and appreciated, that is what social media gives many people. When you focus your social media strategy on your target audience, your approach should stay simple. Include your audience in your communications, invite them to be a part of the discussion, ask them to share their knowledge and opinions and respond to their participation. This will make them feel that they are considered important and they will want to not only be a member of the group but they will be excited about being a contributing member of the group. Thanks to social media, businesses can now be that “group” that many want to be a part of.

• Now that we have acknowledged and began to pay attention to our patrons of our social media community we now need APPROVAL. Gaining and giving approval is a vital ingredient when you interact with your current and potential clientele. Many consumers and businesses don’t fully understand what to do on social media or how they should engage one another. If you convey approval of what your customers have to say, they will come to realize that there is value in their participation and you will see that your relationship will begin to flourish!

• We all hate feeling unappreciated. Social Media is an outlet for most to have a chance to be appreciated. Fan pages are well-known for receiving and giving appreciation to those deserving of it. When communicating to your clientele it is a smart move to show appreciation for their patronage and to express appreciation for your potential clients. Remember to pay close attention to what is important to them and try to help them find a solution to their problems or say thank you for their kind words.

• Assurance is another vital key in the psyche of social media engagement. We all know the importance of having assurance during a face to face conversation; it is just as important in the electronic world. It is not a secret that folks want to know they are saying and doing the correct things on social media. We all want to be reassured that our communication efforts are accurate and appropriate. This is critical when implementing your social media marketing strategy. You should be creating an atmosphere that gives people the feeling that when conducting business with you that they are lucky because you will be there for them in any format they need.

• Everyone wants their 15 minutes of fame. Now with YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and various other platforms, 15 minutes can turn into an eternity. Who doesn’t want to see their name in lights? Those in protective custody, probably not, but the average person wants to be noticed. It is important to give praise to your potential and current clientele. Through your communications, be sure to highlight your followers in discussions with other people and pass on their words to others as you respond to them. This is just one more way to show that you value your audience. Acknowledging your client is free, the feeling they get that the whole world knows you appreciate them… PRICELESS!

This is just my take on one of the many behind the scenes “tips” that I have found helpful when implementing my social media plan. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below. I’m open for a good discussion!