Posts tagged as:

Twitter

What Marketers Are Saying About Social Media

by Daria Steigman on January 22, 2010

Want to know how communicators are using social media? You could pose a question on Twitter or you could do a deep dive. MarketingProfs did the latter, surveying 4,763 marketers and others managing communications for their organizations. That included 3,285 who specifically said they are responsible for social media.

I don’t have a copy of The State of Social Media Marketing, but I did get a peak at some of the findings. There is some great data here:

  • 48.2 percent said their organizations have a social media presence. They are typically companies that have “very little to hide.” Companies in industries with strict regulations and major repercussions for leaking information (think drug makers, bankers, insurers) are less visible.
  • 60.8 percent who do social media said that it is not part of their job description.
  • Social media isn’t cheap: Most of those doing social media are mid- or senior-level people.
  • 48.8 percent said their company has no official social media policy; 12 percent said they have a restrictive one.
  • There is a correlation between culture and the success of a company’s marketing efforts. Employees who blog (independently) can spark new ideas and increase prestige.
  • All the measurement tools are helpful, but incomplete. For example, 52.8 percent of those surveyed said that paid analytics tools are “helpful but incomplete” (versus 66.1 percent of those using Google and other free tools). And approximately one-third of respondents (33.6 percent) said that the paid tools “enable perfect tracking” (versus 28.1 percent for those using free tools).

There is also a lot of data about the disconnects between the tactics people use a lot (i.e., what’s popular) and the tactics that are most effective. For example, the most used tactics on Twitter are driving traffic (72.1 percent) and driving sales (54.2 percent)—how’s that worked out for you lately? In contract, the most effective Twitter tactics cited involved two-way communications strategies and monitoring for PR problems in real time.

Photo by webtreats (Flickr).

Tagged as: , , , , ,

{ 0 comments }

Insights from Seth Godin and Guy Kawasaki

by Daria Steigman on January 8, 2010

As some of you may know, I joined MarketingProfs last fall. There are two great values about the company/online resource: (1) community and (2) professional development. As a pro member, I have access to a vast store of case studies, reports, how-to articles, and live (and playback on-demand) Webinars. Which brings me to the point of this post.

One of my goals for this year is to participate in more Webinars–and then to pass on what I learn to you, my readers. Yesterday’s Webinar featured a conversation with Seth Godin and Guy Kawasaki about doing business in 2010. Here are a few takeaways:

  • Everything Is Not Free–Godin pointed out that lots of things (including personal connections) aren’t free. What is free: ideas, because the  middlemen are dying out.
  • Marketing–Kawasaki pointed out that the days of marketing to that one influential voice (think New York Times reviewer) are over. Instead, he stressed the importance of seeding your products as far and wide as possible to “build a critical mass of nobodies.” Godin added that companies must “initiate or die.”
  • Portable Tribes–Godin noted that people are increasingly living their lives in public, and that true communities “will follow us in our digital world.” Kawasaki countered that he really wasn’t that interested or influenced by what his friends were buying or liked. (I tend to agree with Kawasaki, but one participant raised a good point, as a marketer, about the value of that awareness.)
  • Customer Service–Godin called customer service “a form of marketing far more powerful than advertising.” He added that, if you can delight someone, they’ll tell others. Referring to Comcast and Best Buy’s Twitter strategies, Kawasaki suggested that “customer service is a weapon, and the social aspect of customer service is the leading edge of the weapon.”
  • Passion–Godin pointed out that people are now both workers and owners (i.e., we can create and build), and he suggested that this would be the dividing line between what was and what will be. Kawasaki added that “the time to start innovating is before the recession ends.”

As a labor relations specialist before I was a business owner and communications strategist, I’m fascinated by this concept that we are both workers and owners. Chris Anderson used a similar analogy in remarks a few months ago, and I’m still trying to figure out how I can apply this concept better in my business.

Godin and Kawasaki offered some really good food for thought. Anything here inspire you?

Photo by billjacobus1 (Flickr).

Tagged as: , , , , , , ,

{ 1 comment }

What’s Trending on Twitter?

by Daria Steigman on December 16, 2009

iranelection_GaryBurge

In case anyone still thinks Twitter is all about what we ate for lunch, a look at Twitter’s top trending topics in 2009 should put that to rest for good.

The Iran election was the top trending news topic, with swine flu, Gaza, Iran, and Tehran rounding out the top five. #Iranelection was also the second most popular hashtag.

Twitter broke down trending topics in seven categories, including people, technology, and sports. Twitter’s chief scientist, Abdur Cowdhury, terms the trending topics “an interesting time capsule of what was happening as this decade came to a close.”

Other than observing the absence of lunch meats, anything you would add to this list?

Photo by Gary Burge. (Flickr).

Tagged as: , ,

{ 0 comments }

Social Marketing Secret #101 (Mom & Shoes)

by Daria Steigman on November 17, 2009

Shoes

My mom discovered online shoe stores yesterday. And she was really excited by free delivery and return shipping, the confirmation e-mail, and the convenience of searching for her shoes without having to trek from store to store.

There’s a point here, and it’s not about shoes. It’s about customers, and how we find them.

Like many people, my mom has a couple of toes dipped into the online waters. She consumes most of her news online, watches videos on YouTube, reads blogs (at least this blog), and sends the occasional tweet. But she’s rarely purchased anything online–and doesn’t traditionally think “online” when she’s shopping.

Then there’s us–content creators, Twitter aficionados, communicators, and social media pros. We pass around case studies and point to companies that are best practice examples of social business at work. And guess what: my mom has never heard of Zappos (and the company didn’t optimize in her search). The lesson is that we’re going to miss a lot of customers if we rely only on social marketing for our engagement.

Think companies aren’t over-relying on social media? Then check out this post from Online Marketing Blog. It cites a Digital Readiness Report that finds that “18 percent of marketing decision makers have no interest whatsoever in traditional marketing.” [emphasis mine]

Are you over-relying on social media buzz? What change can you make to your marketing mix today to make sure you’re reaching more of your target audience?

Photo by mckaysavage (Flickr).

Tagged as: , , , ,

{ 2 comments }

Is LinkedIn Getting Old?

by Daria Steigman on November 11, 2009

LinkedIn tweet

There’s been a lot of discussion about the new “chocolate and peanut butter” pact that enables cross-posting between Twitter and LinkedIn. My reading of LinkedIn’s description of the new functionality is that people will have the option to selectively cross-post tweets to their status update.

I offered my thoughts here, here, and here, so I won’t stay more on this now. But there is a bigger question: What’s LinkedIn doing?

The new Twitter-LinkedIn arrangement has Twitter’s fingerprints all over it (extending to LinkedIn a service that’s already available to Facebook and MySpace users). LinkedIn hasn’t even tried to explain how this might be of use to its users–just how to use it.

LinkedIn is six years old, and the site looks it. You can’t even customize a font right now. Rather than focusing on add-on features, the company would do well to look at its core usability and the customer experience. Sure, they don’t have a lot of competition right now–but would you want to bet your business on the market environment maintaining the status quo?

Tagged as: , , , ,

{ 1 comment }

← Previous Entries