Posts Tagged ‘social media’

5 Steps for Creating A Listening Campaign

September 6th, 2010 by Becky Pearce
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Recently, a colleague mentioned to me that she’d finally been given the ‘ok’ to setup a Twitter account for her company. This individual had been working at getting permission for this for quite some time, so it was a huge victory for her.

Here’s the hitch…she was given permission to broadcast messages to their Followers but not to respond to any messages. Weird, huh?

There seems to be a misguided belief that if you don’t talk to people, they won’t talk back. Or at the very least you won’t have to respond when people do talk to you.

It’s the equivalent of burying your head in the sand. While you’re digging around in the sand your customers are hijacking your brand.

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And you are consciously doing nothing about it.

I certainly understand the fear. Fear is expected. Fear is normal. You’re not alone in that fear.

Social media is still very new and, although it’s talked about everywhere, there are still very few people who have a clear understanding of exactly what to do with it.

But what should scare you even more is the prospect of not knowing what’s being said about your brand. Plus, just as important, by not being present and hearing what your customers and prospects have to say, you’re missing out on some business opportunities.

You don’t have to jump in both feet first. You can take small steps to begin to understand what’s taking place out there and then plan your approach based on what you learn. Start with a plan to LISTEN.

Here’s how I recommend you start:

  1. Setup a Google Reader account.
  2. Make a list of 3-5 key brand terms/products and setup a few Google Alerts. Set them up as Feeds rather than having them delivered via e-mail. If you are logged in to your new Google Reader account, they will automatically be added there.
  3. Go to www.search.twitter.com. Enter those key brand terms/products into the search box. Click Feed for this query in the top right corner of the search results page. Copy and paste the resulting URL into your Google Reader account.
  4. Go to www.socialmention.com and enter a couple of those key brand/product terms from your list in step 2. Be sure to put your terms in quotes or you risk ending up with a lot of irrelevant noise. Then click the RSS Feed button in the top right corner. Copy and paste the resulting URL into your Google Reader account.
  5. Schedule time to be sure you are looking at your Google Reader at least three times each week. Actually make an appointment with yourself so you don’t put it off or find the week’s passed without looking.

That’s it. The five steps above should take you less than an hour.

Given the intro story to this post, I do realize it is somewhat hypocritical of me to tell you to go out and just listen without responding, but I think you’ll find once you get out there that it’s very difficult NOT to respond. Soon, you’ll want to start engaging in conversation and applying the things you learn to your business.

Go on. Try it. Let me know how it goes.

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The Social Cerebellum

August 30th, 2010 by Andy Cantu
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The Social Cerebellum

Who uses Social Media and why?

There are people out there that simply don’t understand social media. Why does any of it mean anything? What benefit are we all receiving by participating? As much as these and other questions arise there still seems to be more and more people jumping on board.

But why? Why all the status updates? What relevance is it to me that you just came back from the grocery store and noticed one of the potatoes you bought looks just like Jay Leno’s head? Actually, that’s pretty darn interesting. Thanks for sharing a photo; I’m going to show Chris!

Ah, blast! You got me. Just when you dispute this very question you can’t help but be sucked in. I’m sure there are those out there who vow never to be on Facebook only because it’s popular. Or for some, perhaps the reason is because their parents are joining and sending them friend requests.

Take my father, for example. He recently set up his Facebook account (with the help of my apparently social-savvy Mother). He seems to make minor use of it so far but his initial reason was because the rest of the family as well as friends were already joined. It’s a sort of bandwagon situation. Not by peer pressure but by curiosity. Below I have listed the type of people using social media and why I think more and more people, like internet-illiterate Dad, are jumping on the social train.

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1. The Megaphones
It is my opinion and belief that the popularity is because it makes us all have a voice providing a personal sense of importance. Granted, some cases are more extreme than others but I think this is the initial factor at play. When I post an update from my phone while I experience something worth sharing I think to myself, “I wonder what people will say about this?” The fact that I’m even writing this blog further proves that I want you to read what I have to say. This is the basic principle.

2. The Collected Connectors
In the culture of social networks collectivism is king. I think in this realm we tend to be part of a collective whole rather than be on our own, hence the desire to share all kinds of information. This is how it correlates with #1 above. There are many human connections in our lives and now we have a successful means of sharing our lives with not just one at a time but together all at once.
I think this explains why there are more women on Facebook than men. I can’t even count the amount of profile photos I’ve seen that are just of a hand with a new shiny ring on it, a cake-in-the-face wedding photo, or a photo of a newborn that looks like it was taken by a cell phone moments after birth (okay, that might be exaggerated). This makes these women Megaphones as well. These are all special moments in a woman’s life and to share with everyone you know as soon as it happens is something they treasure. This explains why this demographic loves it so much.

3. The Walter Kronkites
These are the people who are news-seekers who look to share things with those they know. Social media (well, the internet as a whole) has now given us the ability to be our own broadcast journalist. This can be rewarding to those who heard the news first from you, their source. There is a lot of really cool stuff out there just aching to be shared and now we all have the platform to do so. Twitter takes this use to the extreme as many people only post what they find online. Great resources for finding material to broadcast to your audience come from websites such as Alltop and StumbleUpon. Now start sharing and be sure to practice your sign off.

4. The Creepers
Hey, don’t accuse me of giving it this name. There’s a slang term out there called “facecreeping.” Obviously that word gives one social network all the glory but I’m sure you could also be a “tweeper” if you wanted. This doesn’t necessarily mean these types of people are full-fledged creeps but in the cyber-world it’s a different game. In fact, I can be sure that every one of us has or will be considered a social-creeper at some point. I get friend requests often from people I vaguely remember from high school (sorry if you’re one of them) and wonder why they want to add me. Sure, we share the same alma mater but try refreshing my mind on one conversation we’ve ever had and I bet they won’t be able to.

This is a big thing regarding parents too. I mentioned above how teens may not like having their parents on Facebook. We all know teens keep their door shut at home. Having their parents as online friends puts a crystal clear window on that door.

There’s also the ex-creeper, the work-creeper, the complete stranger-creeper and the distant uncle-creeper who comments on everything you do. I’m sure there’s a plethora of sub-creepers just waiting to click on your profile next. Thank you for privacy settings.

So there you have 4 different people who use social media and why they use it. Have you placed yourself in one of these categories? The chances are you’ve probably put yourself in ALL categories. Think of it as different parts of your social cerebellum. And think about how many other parts of that brain are just waiting to be discovered. In the meantime I’ll put my newly needed glasses to rest and stop getting all Freudian on you all. This is Andy Cantu, signing off. Good day and Good night.

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Does Social Media Have a Place in eCommerce?

August 3rd, 2010 by Aaron Conoly
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Yes. Allow me to elaborate.

Why is Social Media important in eCommerce?

Integrating social media into your eCommerce strategy is important because

It moves a traditionally internal dialogue to external locations. Think about it. Your customers are already leaving reviews about your products. Sometimes, those reviews spark a dialogue about how to use the product or why previous reviews inspired someone to give the product a try. This is incredibly useful to marketers, and yet, until a company decides to funnel or direct that discussion elsewhere, the dialogue remains trapped in the eComm site.

It lets your brand champions be champions. You know who they are; the mom with three kids that still finds time to leave a lengthy, thoughtful review (with instructions!); the teen that found the “most awesome” shade for fall fashion; the hobbyist who posts YouTube video of opening the newest trading card packs. They’re your brand champions; people who go out of their way to critique, and when the situation calls for it, praise your brand and your products. Social media plugins go a long way in helping them do what they do best; tell others about your product.

It increases your exposure. Who doesn’t want more exposure? Especially in a down economy, with shoppers savvier than ever, companies cannot afford to social media savvy shoppers. Every time a customer “Likes” a product or shares a link with a friend, you’re getting more exposure for your products and services. Every time you provide an easy way for bloggers to redirect their readers to your site, you’re getting more exposure.

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What can you add to your eComm site?

A “Share” suite. Think of these as all-in-one sharing devices. If your customers love a product, they can click the Share button embedded on your page and select one or many social sites they can use to share your product. Most suites have options for the “big 3” sites, Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace, and many others include up-and-comers, like Digg and LinkedIn.

Facebook “Like” buttons. When customers “Like” your product page, depending on your settings, they will have a link, picture, and/or short description of that product posted to their Facebook Wall. This increases visibility to your product and may entice their friends to visit your site.

URL shorteners. URL shorteners place a shortened URL on your customers’ clipboard. They can then paste the shortened URL in a blog post, tweet, or Facebook post, so their friends can go see what they’re raving about.

Social media site links. Finally, if you’re on Facebook, Twitter, etc, don’t hesitate to direct your customers to those sites. Simply add the iconic icons somewhere on your site, with an invitation for people to “join the discussion,” or “follow us.” It’s a great way to let your customers know that you’re participating in the social media space.

So yes, social media very much belongs in the eCommerce space. While retailers don’t have to use all of the methods I described above, they should try to give their brand champions and loyal customers all the tools necessary to help spread the good word about their products and services.

What other tools or strategies can companies use to improve their social media presence in their eCommerce sites?

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