I’ve only been on Twitter for a few months, but already I feel I have a great sense of how people and brands should be using the service. For me, the easiest thing is to model yourself after @chrisbrogan or @guykawasaki. They are very smart, offer plenty of content/links/info and are not boring. They are professional, transparent and come across as nice guys. This should be no different if you are a large corporation.
Ogilvy PR has developed a Twitter best practices of sorts, highlighting the best do’s and don’ts to being a successful Twitterer.
Here’s a little taste:
DO be dedicated to Twitter. Chris Brogan recommends having more than one employee on Twitter so ensure an ongoing presence. (@BaskinRobbins could have continued to grow their presence on Twitter, but instead lasted only 1 month)
DON’T use Twitter to tell your everyday tasks, make sure your Tweets are resourceful, entertaining and/or valuable to your followers
I wouldn’t say anything on this post is anything ground breaking, but it is definitely a good collection of practices to keep in mind, and would be a great guide for the new user/social media dud. Be sure to follow me on Twitter! @brandonzeman
Ben Parr of Mashable writes a very exciting post today for those who currently have and hope to find a job in social media, myself included. Ben discusses the current popular status of social media jobs, and his outlook for the near future. Ben writes:
“Even if the title changes, the role of the social media marketer or manager is not going anywhere. Building community, reaching out to potential customers, building stronger relationships, creating buzz – they are fundamental goals to every company. So long as people use social media to share their thoughts and their complaints, the need for people to fill social media jobs will continue to grow.”
This is good news. For one, it validates that social media as a whole is very valuable to marketers, and will figure to be increasingly prevelant as more of us social media junkies get hired and do our trade. Social media should continue to grow despite the weak economy and fact that many companies are slashing marketing spending. Why? Most social media opportunities are free, or very inexpensive. Even hiring just one coordinator to run your blogs and social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook is much more cost effective at establishing relationships with consumers than blowing tens of thousands of dollars on a local cable spot, for example.
Additionally, consumers are much more price sensitive today and look to the internet for price saving information. Social media has the opportunity to inform consumers of sales and discounts via microblogging updates,(see Dell’s Outlet on Twitter) and keep loyal customers involved through blogs and social networking sites. Add the fact that people are staying at home more due to high gas prices, consumers will be spending more time online-which means more face time with your brand.
Note: Parr’s post provides a link to a Jeremiah Owyang post that is an unbelieveable resource of social media professionals and the companies that employ them. Jeremiah also has some pretty good links for job seekers and employers looking to connect; see them here.
I’m a pretty big fan of Facebook- not so much the company itself, but more so the interactions I have with my friends on the site. I don’t really have a ton of applications, and it was even a stretch for me adding Bumper Stickers, although I enjoy them now. That said, I’m sure you can think of someone who is really obsessed with FBook, has an obscene amount of apps and is a self-professed Facebook Creeper.
This video, taken from Current, cracks my shit up. It really plays into how obsessed people are/can get with Facebook, and puts it in a very entertaining form. Enjoy.
On a mission to kill off the dinosaurs, Strawberry Frog prides itself on being more creative and flexible than most in advertising. A post on their blog Viva La Revolucion highlights recent social media efforts for Toyota’s Scion brand. The post does a nice job of spelling out simple strategies when using social media and offers concrete examples Strawberry Frog implemented for Scion. The post begins pointing out reasons social media fails;
To date, social-media marketing is usually a failed concept because brands engage in practices that are alienating to users, and do not provide useful services to them. Social-media marketing also tends to fall between the cracks because it is so new and it is not funded properly.
Several examples follow. Here’s my favorite;
Create social-media content; don’t advertise on it. If you’re not providing content, ensure that you are providing a useful service. Social media helps people manage their social lives. It enables them to do something they are already interested in. It gives them the tools to allow for this. Social media provides a service—information, connection points, etc.
A little bit ago I mentioned how around Chicago during the summer, marketers really get behind the Cubs/Sox rivalry. I also said I would give some examples of said marketing. Well, I just saw this commercial air during the game, and holy crap it is unbelievably bad. Ads like these are why social media is becoming increasingly relevant with consumers; the ad dinosaurs that put crap like this out are so out of the loop, and we are insulted by being subjected to such stupidity.
I’ll be somewhat live-blogging during the Twebinar, but will have a more comprehensive wrap up afterwards. The Twittersphere has been blowing up with talk around the Twebinar, both involving people who will attend the Twebinar and those who are not. Follow along on Summize by searching ‘Twebinar and tweb’ in the same search.
First section of Twebinar complete. Pretty much a general overview of social media and how its been used. Next section to focus on online communities and the power they have.
UPDATE: 2:17pm, CST
Well the first Twebinar is now complete, and overall it was a success. Twitter didn’t collapse, and the video stream was pretty much intact throughout. So much conversation going on in Twitter, and thank god for Summize, otherwise this Twebinar would have been impractical.
Aside from learning some new things and hearing examples of what companies have used Social Media to their advantage, the cool thing I took away from the Twebinar is being able to connect with people who are passionate about the same thing; Social Media. Following tweets on Summize, I was able to check out these people on Twitter and connect with them, and through that I think even more learning and collaboration will take place.
Ok, for the summary. I was taking some notes in Notepad during the Twebinar, and I am just going to copy and paste them directly to this post. Easiest way to do this, and also ensures my memory doesn’t screw up some of the details.
Boeing Blog- CMO blog who left built
powerful blog
Dell- Richard Binhammer; Learn consumer
insights on your products and services to
help improve product development, and help
customers along the way
Even TSA has used blogs
mystarbucksidea.com; outsourcing marketing
and product ideas to customers; open
sourcing tech and marketing
Redcross engaging donors
rollercoaster community for sea world;
gave customers tools to go tell story they
wanted to tell
by nature humans are conversational, like
to share thoughts, ideas
TV changed communication model; tv told
stories, humans stopped telling stories;
online changes that, being able to have
conversations that are desired
Social Media used by young people; future
long time customers
Gotta love Twitter. There is a hoax going around that Jared Fogel, Subway’s former fat man, has passed away. In fact, there is even an entire site dedicated to his “death”. JaredRemembered.com is full of content, from eulogies and poems about Jared’s life, to his favorite sandwiches. Not sure if Subway is behind this, although it would make sense. Not sure why they would fake Jared’s death; I guess some marketing strategies are just beyond me.
Talent Zoo’s latest blog, SEO Shootout, launched today, and yours truly is a contributing blogger! Be sure to stop by regularly to follow my posts and see the blog mature.
On a mission to kill off the dinosaurs, 
