Driving Social Media: What's Your Ride?

Published on April 29, 2009 by in Marketing Tips, social media, twitter

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The Creative Director at the interactive agency where I last worked always ended his client interviews with the same question. “If you were a car, what brand would you be?”  The question was guaranteed to elicit some interesting answers and insights into the client’s company.

Now, as I talk to my clients about their social media publicity strategies they are often confused. Many times they do not know the differences between the various social media channelss and they do not know how social media will help them build their brand. To get back to the car analogy, just as Detroit has its “The Big Three” automakers, here is my  “Big Three” of social media: LinkedIn, Facebook and twitter.

 

LinkedIn: Mercedes744px-mercedes-benz_logo_svg

Always sleek and professional this is the business person’s web site. Headhunters abound here and everyone wants to put their best foot forward. Make sure the car is finely tuned with a good waxing before you take it out.  Pristine professional photos and resumes only.  Conversations are like those heard in the executive lunch room: books, articles that you’re reading, professional groups you’re a part of and business trips you plan to take.

Facebook: VW Bug 

800px-vw-new-beetle

The windows are down and you’ve got one too many friends crammed in the back of the Beetle. It’s a sunny day and you’re out having fun. You stop to play some games and swap photos at all the tourist sites. Everyone is chatting away in the car and enjoying the ride. (Note: You can be more serious on FB through business fan pages, etc. but generally FB is about reconnecting with your buddies.)

twitter: Honda Ninja (no cars allowed!)
twitter is all about speed and getting to where you have to go in 140 characters or less. There is no time for playing games, no room for error as you maneuver your bike through curvy business highways. On twitter you can see far out in the distance as you navigate the winding roads. The flexibility and freedom enables you to follow others caravan style and lets others follow you. You can stop and get off wherever you want. If you want something to drink, follow the beverage folks. If you want to drive to San Diego, follow the California crowd. It’s your trip, your bike and you get to pick the route.

Maybe one of these is better for you than the others. Perhaps you’ll need and use all three as I do. Here’s wishing you the best of luck on your journey!

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WJHL-TV interviews MarketingMel about twitter

Published on April 24, 2009 by in social media, twitter

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socialmediatwitterlogoMany, many thanks to WJHL-TV’s Dana Wachter who interviewed me about the ways that a marketing/PR professional  uses twitter in today’s world of social media.  Dana is a breath of fresh air, a nice kid starting out. She lugs all of the gear with her, puts the camera on a tripod and then runs around in front of it to interview her subjects. When I was in TV we called that a “one man band.”  Today she’s called a “digital journalist.” I wish her the best.

Here is the link to the interview she conducted with me about twitter.

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Seven tips for twitter newbies

Published on April 20, 2009 by in Marketing Tips, social media, twitter

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tweet_rally_r1_c1Now that Oprah is on twitter will the soccer moms surely follow? That’s the expectation and buzz among twitter veterans. Supposedly 10 percent of the population is now actively tweeting. So for the other 90 percent, here are seven tips I’ve learned that may help you if you’re a newbie to twitter.

1. Fill out your profile.  Be sure to describe yourself. your work and/or your passions in your profile. When others view you and decide whether or not to follow you that is the first place  they will look. If there’s nothing there they may not follow you back. Furthermore, a profile helps determine if indeed there is someone you clearly do NOT want to have following you.  Then you can block them if necessary (I’ve only had to do this a handful of times.)

2. Use a nice photo or likeness of yourself. People relate to people as human beings and like to look at pictures of one another. It helps in relationship building as well as in building your personal brand.

3. Do not lock your updates. If you are afraid of who might be following you please reference #1 above.

4. Share, Share, Share.  Twitter is all about being helpful and friendly to others. It’s about relationship building. Share pertinent information and links. I have found that the good twitter karma always comes around.

5. Blatant advertisers are pests. Please read my previous post “How twitter is like the Junior Prom.” You know who you are!

6. Use search.twitter.com to follow trends. This is a really handy search that keeps me up on “the news” often before the traditional media has caught on.

7. #Followfriday.  On Fridays you will see people using the hashtag #followfriday. They will post the twitter names of interesting people who they enjoy following and you can then follow those people. It’s one more part of the  positive twitter karma.

(Oh, and bonus tip to Oprah and other newbies: Just like on e-mail, please do not post  in all cap’s. People will think you are shouting.)

Hope this helps you and happy tweeting!

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How twitter is like the Junior Prom

Published on April 14, 2009 by in social media, twitter

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prepromI’ve been “into” twitter since September so that makes me somewhat of a veteran in today’s world of online media. 

twitter, unlike other forms of social media has been embraced by those of us who are 25-54 with particular emphasis on the latter part of that demographic. It is the first social media that was not originally used by young people and then spread to a more mature audience. That demographic news, along with some questions from a buddy who’s a twitter newbie, got me thinking…twitter is in many ways, like the Junior Prom.  (With his permission I’m using his questions in italics, along with my responses.)

 
How do you feel about the lock/unlock process of protecting updates ?
I never use them and here’s why. Locking your updates is the equivalent of standing against the wall at the Junior Prom. You remember, that awful insecure feeling while everyone else is out there on the dance floor having fun or at least pretending to have fun? But you’re here stuck by the punchbowl and you can’t summon the courage to go out and say “Hi” to all those new kids who just walked in from the rival school.
Initially I thought – Nah, if I’m puttin it out there with twitter, it is nothing to hide… Then I started gettin followers, some obviously to deliver advertisements, or sniffing for leads  – and it made me wonder how wise (or unwise) it might be to leave no restrictions… So I switched the lock on.
Frankly I almost never follow people with locks. It’s an automatic turnoff to me. Sorry, no dance with you Mister. I want someone who’s willing to take some risks here…after all I’m in PR and Marketing!!  To avoid the spam thing I look at each person’s profile before I decide to follow them back. I can honestly say I’ve only encountered one true, certified nutcase (I blocked him altogether) and I just don’t follow the people who look like super advertisers.
 
Now that I see it though, I notice the icon (lock) by my name, and don’t see it on nearly everyone else. Does this brand me as a Noob, or might is be useful initially, as I have rejected several that were obvious advertising robots.
To me the twitter folks who hit you with the instant automated direct message are just like the kids who got drunk at the prom. They’re outside puking and making idiots out of themselves while the homecoming king and queen are over in the corner making out. That’s because they (the king and queen) have a relationship that started with a few shy glances and grew. That’s what twitter is all about. Forming relationships with folks, one step at a time. Provide each other with helpful information and just let the karma grow. Do not get up in people’s faces and shout about how great you are.(That is what spam DM’s are to me.)
 
I’ve looked over the ‘help’ section on the web page, and it mostly covers the basics.
The key to starting on twitter is following people who have similar interests to you. Eventually you will get up your courage and branch out to others as well. You can start  by following some of the major twitter gurus too and watch what they do.
In the end, just like at the prom, twitter is ultimately a popularity contest. The people that are helpful and provide useful information and links to interesting articles end up winning more followers. The spammers, well, they’re still outside, trying to freshen up.

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