Reaching Out to Different Twitter Users

On 01.25.10, In direct marketing, online viral marketing, relationship marketing, By jennifer

Applying Marketing Goals with Twitter
From raising brand awareness to simply gaining sales, there are many different direct marketing goals. You can even use Twitter as an extension of your customer service. As you think about the goals you want to set for your business, you should also think about using Twitter to reach your audience. There are some different consumers to consider before you start and today, we’re going to discuss the Twitter voyeur.

Taking a Look at the Voyeur
Let’s face it, there are lots of them. They go by many names: the voyeur, the lurker, the shy guy, or even the n00b. Not everyone on Twitter is actively contributing, but their presence can’t be ignored. For example, you may be a boutique owner. Although it’s great to network by following others in your industry, they’re not going to buy what you have to sell. It’s the customers you want to reach out to. Offer rewards and give your followers the inside scoop. Inactive users may stay quiet, but they make take advantages of good deals you offer. Not everyone wants to build and maintain an online relationship with their so-called “friends”. It takes thought and effort, so others may just not have the time.

Monitor with Twitter
Even for those who don’t post to Twitter, it doesn’t mean that they’re not watching. Twitter is a useful, social, and entertaining resource. Some may just browse Twitter’s trending topics to see what others have to say. Twitter is a great tool for small business or individuals to use to gain insight. Bigger companies definitely use it to monitor their brand.

Use Common Sense
Although Twitter is an informal channel, don’t fly blind by forgetting to set a goal. In direct marketing, you have the influencer, decision maker, buyer etc. You can appeal to these same types of consumers when it comes to Twitter. The best thing you can do is to be consistent with your marketing message. Keep some Twitter don’ts in the back of your mind while you do so, and have fun!

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You’ve Got Friends… Now What?

On 01.21.10, In relationship marketing, social media marketing, By jennifer

The Problems with Social Media

Just attended an interesting webinar, “7 Strategies to Convert Friends, Fans, and Followers into Paying Customers”, with Matthew Arndt. He went over some noteworthy things, like the three main problems that people have with social media. Those problems would be how to:

1) Build quality relationships over social networks
2) Effectively communicate with friends, fans, and followers
3) Turn your network into potential leads

There’s No Single Solution

There is no real single solution to these problems. Although you can scour the internet for tips from self-proclaimed experts, you should try your hand at it. There’s no real way to learn and improve your social media strategy without getting involved. It takes time and you may have to change your plan, but the results are worth it. After all, you don’t have to go it alone. There are helpful tools for your profiles. Some being WeFollow, Mr. Tweet, and Facebook Page Insights. Take the time to integrate these resources as you also come up with blogs, PDFs, and even free contests to involve your customers!

You can’t just accumulate friends and expect business to come flooding in. With spammers and robots on Twitter, quantity doesn’t mean as much as quantity. When coming up with a social media plan, you need knowledge and expertise. While it helps to stay up to date with current information, you’ll also need a team to help you implement a comprehensive strategy.

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Facebook vs. Twitter

On 07.29.09, In advertisements, online viral marketing, social media marketing, By jennifer

When it comes to Facebook marketing and Twitter advertising, which do you prefer? Both have advantages and disadvantages and social media marketing is still in its early stages of development. Users may have trouble keeping up with all the new changes as marketers struggle to find an effective strategy. An analysis from Compete, shows that Facebook is in the lead, but is Twitter a threat? I believe that Twitter and Facebook are strong competitors that and can be strongly beneficial when properly utilized.

People like to use Facebook because they can keep in touch with old friends and easily meet new ones. However, with Twitter, individuals and companies can build a strong following and promote their awareness of their brand. It is important to keep up on changes with both of these giants because it is hard to tell which has more potential. Taking it up a notch, viral marketing is also becoming prevalent on these social networking sites. For example on Twitter, Ashton Kutcher challenged CNN to a “popularity” contest and won! This may be a victory for Kutcher and embarrassing for CNN, but both parties certainly gained more followers. How are some pros and cons of both Facebook and Twitter:

Facebook
+ Rapidly growing number of users
+ Potential to use third party applications for advertising
+ Some report using Facebook messaging more than email to connect with real friends
- Takes time to learn how to navigate
- Requires testing and research to realize long term benefits
- Numerous applications and features could clutter your message

Twitter
+ Easy to use, navigate and use to promote or share anything
+ Cost advantageous in comparison to Facebook (for the time being)
+ More people can be exposed to your message without any formal confirmation or even logging in
- Limited to 140 character for each update
- Potential for abuse by spammers
- Too early to tell how effective it is in advertising

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Twitter Statistics

On 07.13.09, In social media marketing, By jennifer

Who really uses Twitter and why is it important in promoting your business? First, it is important to understand the demographic of users and how to use that to your advantage. According to Twitterholic, the most popular people on Twitter include: Ashton Kutcher, Britney Spears, and Shaq. On the other end of the spectrum, CNN Breaking News, Barack Obama, and the New York Times also rank among the top. Nowadays, almost everyone knows about this social media utility, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone is using their account. A study by the Harvard Business School, the average number of lifetime tweets per member is… ONE! Research also shows that only about ten percent of the Twitter users create ninety percent of the updates. Out of 11.5 million Twitters users, here are some statistics that you might find interesting:

  • 45-54 year olds are amongst the top users
  • 85.3% of all Twitter users update less than once day
  • 53% of females and 47% of males make up all of Twitter users
  • Twitter is most active on Tuesday – Wednesday and Friday follow
  • Marketers are using Twitter. 15% of users who follow more than 2,000 people identify as social media marketers

So, why is it important to keep up with Twitter? An article on BusinessWeek, argues that Twitter lacks the ability to retain consumer attention and that it will take time before it is widely used as a broadcast medium, rather than a social networking utility. Whether it is a fad or here to stay, Twitter is growing everyday. From 2008 to 2009, there were over 20 million unique visitors to the site. By using Twitter, companies are able to keep consumers updated in real time. Dedicated fans or potential consumers will especially appreciate frequent and up to date Tweets. Also, the good thing about Twitter is that it does not hurt your business. When it comes to social media sites, early Twitter adapters can benefit from gaining experience while competitors may not fully understand its use. By being more connected and accessible to your consumers, you may also learn more than you would through using traditional methods of marketing.

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The Social Media Relationship

On 07.08.09, In Uncategorized, social media marketing, By jennifer

A “frenemy” is loosely defined as someone who is part enemy, part friend. Ever since their beginnings, Pepsi and Coca-Cola have been the dominant contenders in the soft drink market. With a rivalry that spans over 100 years, Pepsi and Coke have been known to take jabs at each other in their marketing campaigns. But, in the new age of social media, it may finally be time for Pepsi and Coke to be friends.

Amnesia Razorfish, a leading creative agency, invited both companies on the social utility site, Twitter. The agency encouraged both companies to become friends or Twitter followers. Surprisingly, the two giants agreed and even extended greetings to each other. This may be a first for the two and we will all be able to witness how this experiment works for them. Frenemy relationships are not solely for publicity, but gives you an edge on what your competitor is up to. A company who fails to take direct and indirect competitors seriously will suffer a huge disadvantage. Some other big frenemy relationships include: Google and WPP Group, eBay and PayPal, Facebook and MySpace.

This new online relationship will not only give publicity to Coke and Pepsi, but may even promote a positive image for both companies. Nowadays, traditional advertising may be trite and monotonous to the public. Since more consumers are turning to the internet, companies can now use social media advertising and viral marketing in order to attract online attention. When approaching online marketing, the competitor-friendliest companies may be the most successful. As the well-known saying goes, it is important to “Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer”.

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