June 2009
RIDING THE WAVE: How to not lose your mind while staying on top of all the social media trends and tools
Submitted by Kelly Lynch on Mon, 06/01/2009 - 20:58
Let’s face it, there is not enough time in the day to follow all that is happening in the social media space from tools to apps to syncing to sharing. Feels less like a wave, but more like a Tsunami!
- If social media is your business, make sure you have one dedicated person on your team who is in charge of monitoring, processing and reporting back on trends and tools—we call it “the geek factor” here at BBC. If you are leading the charge you need sound bytes on what is new and emerging in order to make good decisions and update your clients
- Read top social media sites like mashable.com and techcrunch.com for the latest and greatest information. These guys are SU
PER SMART in this space and report back what is most relevant to the average cyber Joe or Jane - Follow top social media/tech tweeters for news and reviews as they happen. I recommend: @ev, @socialmediaweek, @technorati, @crunchgear, @adamostrow, @brett, @mashable, @publicityguru, @xavierv
Last but not least, take a deep breath. If you try to become an expert in every “newest” “hottest” “coolest” thing you are going to find it hard to gain any real traction and momentum. So sit back for a second, do a little reading, feel out the real benefits as they line up to your client’s goals—then, go for it!
Source for the second photo: http://gregverdino.typepad.com
THE POWER OF THE OPT-IN USER: Why a brand’s Facebook Fan and Twitter Follower is the “new” marketing gold
Submitted by Kelly Lynch on Sun, 06/07/2009 - 21:19
It is common knowledge that traditional advertising (think TV spots and print ads) doesn’t have the power it once did so I won’t waste anyone’s time talking about pros and cons, but what I would like to pose are thoughts on levels of engagement and relationship…
In the old days, you bought TV spots that hit your target—Oprah or Monday Night Football—to reach your target (NOTE: by no means do I intend to diminish the hard and amazing work our media partners do—we all work together to make stronger programs) but with DVR and heightened consumer aversion to ads it is very easy for your sweet spot to ignore you if you aren’t talking to them in a variety of places and ways.
Enter social media—the power to not only reach out to your target but if they OPT-IN (i.e. by becoming a fan on Facebook or following your tweets on Twitter) the opportunity to speak to a captive, active audience. They are consumers that have CHOSEN to engage with your brand. By becoming a fan or friend, they are telling you that they actually want to hear what you have to say—you now have a community of brand loyalists! AND, if you engage with them correctly (this deserves an entire blog entry—stay tuned, but basically always be authentic and offer something of value in each communication) they will share their thoughts, ideas and could even help steer a marketing plan down a new, more consumer-centric course.
So you have an engaged audience (your updates, links, photos, videos will pop up in their feeds) who have actually told you they like you and want to know more—what brand could ask for more! But like with any relationship, make sure to spend as much (if not more) time listening as you do talking… it will only reinforce your community’s value to you and will surely help them make a decision in your favor at the checkout counter.
FACEBOOK ETHICS: Don’t throw sheep at your clients.
Submitted by Alex Alexeeva on Mon, 06/15/2009 - 13:21
We live in the Facebook era: it’s our lifestyle, our obsession – and our curse. Getting fired for badmouthing your company on Facebook or updating your profile while out sick is not big news anymore. It can happen to anybody. (What if you… throw a sheep at your boss or a client – a.k.a. superpoke – by mistake?!)
Staying true to your company and yourself can be a challenge – especially if you are walking a thin line between Facebooking for fun and for business. Balancing your daily chatter with friends and maintaining fan pages and groups for your clients can be tricky. How would your friends react to promotional messages constantly appearing in your status updates – and occasionally, in their inboxes? What would your client think if she stumbles upon a picture of you passed out at that friend’s party last weekend?
How to make sure your personal Facebook page doesn’t harm your career, company, or your client? Here are some basic rules everyone should follow:
- Take a stand for your privacy – Learn to modify privacy settings on your perso
nal page and applications you download. Always having to play around with privacy controls on different apps can be annoying – but it’s worth going through. - Safety first – The first thing people see on Facebook when they search for you (and that could be anybody, from your elementary school teacher to a prospective employer!) is your profile picture. So start with a decent profile photo – plain and conservative. Modesty is a virtue.
- Stay civil – No frivolous imagery. No references to unsafe and possibly illegal behavior. No controversial political statements. Facebook is a public space, just like the streets, schools and offices of the real world. You probably wouldn’t start taking your clothes off on a lunch break in Madison Square Park – so why would you do that on your Facebook wall?
And remember: Facebook never “forgets.” Even if you post something and then take it down instantly, you leave a trace. In the blink of an eye, your every update goes viral. Be safe and keep your face(book) looking great.
FINDING YOUR WAY IN TWITTERVERSE…While also having some fun along the way
Submitted by Yasemin Ustay on Mon, 06/22/2009 - 20:00
Did you know that there are almost 300 Twitter applications out there? Given such a plethora of instruments, how do you arm yourself with the shiniest tools and get the most out of Twitter? Here at Brand Building Communications, we focus on the most practical ones, while also trying to have a little fun along the way! For instance, here is a selection of our most beloved and much enjoyed Twitter applications:
Tweetdeck: A thrilling application for the multi-tasker! With a little Adobe AIR magic, Tweetdeck lets the user view and manage all of her/his replies, direct messages, and public tweets in one window. Plus, one can conduct specific topic searches and follow all the relevant tweets on that topic. Oh, and let’s not forget the bit.ly, Stocktwits, Twitscoop and Twitpic options on Tweetdeck. A must try.
Tweetmeme: To all the “cool-hunters” out there: Tweetmeme is the place for the latest stories and hottest trends on Twitter. This may even be a resourceful addition to your daily RSS reads. Plus, you will be quite entertained by some of the most discussed topics echoed in the corners of Twitterverse.
Twitpic: Our love for Twitpic bloomed when we discovered that celebrities like Ashton Kutcher were sharing instantaneous shots of their daily lives via Twitpic. The rest is history: we felt in love with Twitpic and continue to use it quite often for some of our clients, with great success.
Twitterkeys: By far, we are entertained the most with fun TwitterKeys. If you are looking to brighten your tweets with little pictures, make sure to check them out. Hey, sometimes a little ♥ does the trick.
To learn more about practical Twitter tools and to stay on top of new additions, the best is to regularly read Mashable’s great Twittermania insights. But if you crave a nearly complete list of Twitter applications and the discovery of all the nerdy details behind them, take a look at Squidoo’s #1 tech geek Airabongco’s page, “Twitter Applications List You’ll Ever Need.” Good luck navigating through the Twitterverse.
Source: http://winedivergirl.files.wordpress.com
WHAT IS WOM?
Submitted by Kelly Lynch on Mon, 06/29/2009 - 12:10
As the head of the WOM (Word of Mouth) department I get this question a lot—from colleagues, clients and friends. What exactly do my team and I do all day online?
Well, first of all everyday is different—it is hard to miss the fact that the internet continues to be the final frontier, the wild west and a black hole all at the same time. We have bought our tickets for the roller coaster ride and every day get ready to take the plunge.
Technology and such aside (that will get its own entry), one thing that doesn’t change is the fact that as communications marketers—despite the evolution of tools—it is always our job to create authentic messages about products and services that resonate and create “action” by our target audience.
How we do this at BBC (Brand Building Communications) is by spending time finding and listening to our audience in places where they are already having conversations—online. This is everything from Facebook and Twitter to message boards and forums. We then introduce ourselves as brand ambassadors and join the conversation! Sounds simple, but we have really made it a science. It is a combination of marketing know-how, trend analysis and good ol’ people skills. We talk to people about our clients the way we would talk to our friends in the “real world.”
And how is it working for our clients? Really well thank you very much! The visitors that we are driving to our client web sites based on our outreach are spending double the time on the sites, clicking through farther and “bouncing” at a much lower rate. We address the old “quality versus quantity” issue in all of our reporting, but when it comes to building brand relationships online, we are going for quality!
Source: www.searchenginepeople.com