There has been some debate lately about just how effective Twitter is as a business marketing tool. Though Twitter may be free to use, many companies pay a social media management company to monitor their account and they do not want to pay for something that does not get them results. Keeping this in mind, here are some suggestions on how to get the most out of your Twitter followers. (more…)
The internet is full of social media platforms and it seems difficult and sometimes impossible for a business to keep up with all of the latest trends. To make matters more difficult, social media consultants never seem to agree on what the best approach is for a business, which adds another level of complexity. When determining the best social media strategy, many business owners fail to realize that Twitter can be one of the most powerful tools to use.
For most businesses, these advantages can be a significant game changer, especially if it involves repeat business. The reality is that most social media platforms will not directly affect new client acquisition very much, but it can make a real difference in keeping existing clients. Furthermore, it can build awareness for what your company does on a daily basis, which can go a long way to helping your business grow.
In the slew of political branding fails, celebrity screw ups and big business belly-flops, it’s hard for a social media marketing specialist and blog creation guru to find stories that inspire and motivate. So thank goodness we’ve scooped up a fivesome of articles, tips and blogs that will hopefully put a spring in your step and some fire (not literally, of course) in your laptop!
1.) The Power of a Twitter Rumor: Want proof that Twitter marketing is indeed effective? Try a good old call to action and see how many people respond. The Call to Action proved to have major power at last Sunday’s Emmy Awards when comedian/host Jimmy Kimmel told viewers to Tweet that Tracy Morgan had passed out during the show. In reality, Moragn was fine but within 3 minutes 60,000 tweets feature the Kimmel-instructed message, “OMG, Tracy Morgan passed out at the Emmys. Tune in to ABC right now” and the show itself reported a 6 percent increase in viewers over last year.
2.) Get Unstuck: You might have missed this list of six ways to pull yourself out of blogger’s block from UnderWorld Magazine, so we thought it was worth a repost. The list is a great “go-to guide” for simple reminders to help pro-bloggers stay inspired and out of frustration.
3.) The Social Book Revolution: From Twitter reading circles to publishers who love to blog on Tumblr, the big publishing companies are rocking social media these days. It’s motivational to see an industry previously thought of as out of touch and stuck in their ways embrace online marketing and social media platforms. The real bonus? Some of big publishing’s social media marketing ideas are ones that any company can use.
4.) Beyond Weddings & Decorating: We’ve loved seeing how marketers are transforming Pinterest from the cute site bored housewives use into an engaging, social media platform. Awesome for blog traffic and easy to use for small companies, Pinterest has serious buying power. Released this week, a new study from RichRelevance that you might have missed found that Pinterest “is driving more revenue per session — nearly double that of other social channels: While shoppers who come to retail sites from Facebook and Twitter purchase more often, Pinterest users spend dramatically more than either ($168.83 average order value vs. $94.70 for Facebook and $70.84 for Twitter).” In other words, start pinning, like yesterday!
5.) Brain Wash: And finally, we are happy to see the end of soggy dashes from the shower to our home offices to get great ideas down on paper. Brought to our attention by ReadWriteWeb, we loved the simple yet silly idea of Aqua Notes. As power shower thinkers whose best ideas come while applying bodywash, we think the time has come for a waterproof notepad!
Twitter marketing has exploded in popularity over the last four years. Every brand, every celebrity and every Joe Schmoe has been happily chirping about current events of any size. So imagine the shock and horror that marketers and Twitter lovers alike experienced last week when it was reported that nearly 30 percent of recorded history on social media simply vanishes. Thankfully, Twitter has come up with a tweet-downloading archive that may help regular tweeters and marketers alike.
According to PCWorld, the new, super tweet archive is set to go live by the end of the year. As hinted during this year’s Online News Association conference in San Francisco, Twitter users will be able to mass-download everything they’ve sent to the platform. Currently, users can save their tweets using third-party software, but only up to 3,200 tweets. Twitter has come up with new virtual storage to help users hang onto endless amounts of 140-character musings.
“Twitter will also soon unveil a tool that will allow users to manually curate and display tweets related to breaking news or other current events — and, as part of these ‘Tweet Boxes,’ users will also be able to add in additional live-feed elements to supplement a site or piece of news,” PCWorld writes. “For example, one could use a Tweet Box to add a real-time live poll for a sporting event — like, say, having users Tweet their selection of MVP for a particular match-up, with Twitter using its platform to count down the seconds remaining in the popular voting process.”
What does the promise of better tweet archiving mean for marketers? Mainly, Twitter analysis will get a whole lot easier. Instead of combing a client’s account, all tweets will be stored in one place. Also, marketers now have the potential to curate Twitter portfolios for their clients. Old tweets and campaigns can be pulled up faster for reference. Lastly, a Twitter archive might in time become a helpful virtual “trend museum” of sorts. Marketers might have a chance to learn about which tweet trends worked, which ones failed and how to Tweet better in the future.
Warning: That seemingly innocent intern you have in charge of your social media or the assistant you have running your Facebook might turn on you and tell the world what goes on behind closed doors at your business. We’ve recently seen the worst case scenarios of employees who tweeted too much and subsequently caused a public relations disaster. Last week at Marc Jacobs’ fashion empire, a disenchanted intern who was on his way out the door took to Twitter to air his frustrations with the company’s already publicly criticized CEO Robert Duffy. The 4 a.m. rant and its following firestorm of unrelated harassment lawsuits got us thinking: Should only inner circle employees be in charge of posting on company social network accounts?
The gut reaction, and not an incorrect one, is “well, of course only higher-ups and trusted individuals should be in charge of distributing our messages on Facebook, Twitter and the like.” This isn’t to say a background check and retinal scan is necessary just so we can have our assistant tweet about our new services. A little thoughtful, instinctual hiring about who gets to run our social media campaigns is all that’s really required. And paying them well to take care of it is a good place to start, too.
After all, an employee-run social media account can be really helpful, a lot of fun and great PR. We love that Zappos lets its employees run wild on Twitter and interact with its customers. Zappos employees use the platform to announce new products, to follow up on customer orders and to let followers know what’s happening on the site. @NORDSTROMdave, a men’s sportswear manager at Nordstrom department store in Burlington, Mass., recently popped up in Web Ink Now for the creative way he uses Twitter to inform customers of sales while giving style tips. Employees like Dave and those at Zappos are clearly happy where they work and enjoy spreading the word about their workplace. So, in the end, the best way to avoid a social media backlash is to keep being an amazing boss.
Recent articles floating around the web seem to indicate that overseas, mobile marketing is huge. So huge, in fact, that the spending dollars on mobile marketing have grown 32% since last year. The industry has morphed into force to be reckoned with. A recent Adidas mobile campaign that invited users to track runners of the London Marathon attracted nearly [Read more…]
Once upon a time in a faraway land I like to call “The Early 1980s,” when a celebrity’s career had reached the end of the road, there were a few avenues open to them if they wished to remain in the spotlight. There were game shows like “$25,000 Pyramid,” or selling exercise equipment, or being a guest star on “Murder She Wrote.” Other than that, the prospects of hanging onto fame were slim to none.
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This week’s Brandsplat Video report episode 17 covers Twitter’s opt-in location finder, YouTube and Lady GaGa’s newest video chock full of product placement. Check it out! Or click here for more Brandsplat vids
Brandsplat Video Report on Twitter’s Location Finder, YouTube and Lady GaGa from Enzo Cesario on Vimeo.