Posts Tagged Things I Like
Posted on April 14, 2009 by Miller
I just had to repost a bit from this great primer from MarketingProfs Daily Fix Blog. Tremendous information if you’re looking to use Twitter specifically to engage your users with your business or brand. Read the full article here - but here’s a taste:
1. Define What You Will Contribute – This isn’t Forrest Gump speaking, and social media is not about what “Yer gonna git” it’s about the value you plan to add, how you will contribute and what you’re giving to others.
- Commitment – This isn’t like taking out a billboard. Once you decide to establish yourself on Twitter, you’re there for the long-haul – unless you want to break relationships with the network you’ve built.
- Engagement - Twitter is about conversation, and it’s ongoing. Once you’re in it, you need to figure out how to stay engaged at the appropriate level. That means tweeting enough to engage your network, and figuring out how you’ll follow up once a campaign is over.
- Accessibility - The more highly engaged we are with our networks, the stronger those networks and relationships become. People need to know others are listening and responding proactively. Therefore Twitter demands daily (at least on business days) oversight, monitoring and response. Active engagement on Twitter may alternate days — depending on the size of the business and its network. Whatever the case, consistency is critical, and being agile and flexible to respond to inquiries and issues that may arise in a timely manner reflects positively on the brand.
Value - Build social equity by focusing tweets to provide value to your network. Sometimes, service and responsiveness to individuals is enough. But you can also use Twitter to provide value in other ways. Consider the following:
- Brand-relevant service updates (e.g. bug fixes, service/outage notifications, sales)
- Tips, tricks, links to cool stuff (e.g. downloads, fixes, expert knowledge)
- Insider knowledge (releases, launches, alpha tests)
- Good will (charity, fundraising, donations)
- Schwag (goodies, etc.)
There are another 9 tips at the site, so stop for a minute….take 10 minutes out of your life before you send that tweet about your 20% off sale on used tires and damaged fruit. Think about what YOU bring to the table and how you can engage. But read the article first.
Posted on April 6, 2009 by Miller
Chris Brogan has such a great post this week on how to not be ‘That Guy’ in the social media space. You know who he is. The kind of guy that incessantly updates his profile with pointless drivel, the kind of guy who sends out 50 tweets a day about how his services, or abuses e-mail and text messages with repetatitve information, or ‘how I can help your business’ posts?
Problem is, we have all been that guy at some point. Or he’s a a person we really like but wish they never discovered Twitter or Facebook.
Chris’ post breaks is down for us with a great Analogy. The Picnic. Without trying to steal his thunder and risk being that guy, I’ll give you a quick excerpt, but really think you should go read his whole post.
10 Ways to Build Relationships Before You Ask for Anything
- Comment on and reply to other people’s observations, posts, and ideas. (Sometimes, just retweeting someone’s status message in Twitter is a gesture that matters to people.)
- Share good information freely, such as pointing to great blog posts or articles.
- Make virtual introductions when you see obvious like-minded people who could do to know each other.
- Create useful media like blog posts or ebooks or videos that help people.
- Find mutual interest points and talk about them. (Bonus points to you if they’re off-topic from your business needs, like talking about the Red Sox or Barbecue.)
- Remember things about the other person, such as whether they have a big meeting on Thursday, and ask them about it on Friday.
- Help when someone is promoting their thing. Spread information for other people liberally.
- Find causes and nonprofit experiences to help out. Showing that you’re not just a capitalist pig goes a long way.
- Reply to people and build conversations.
- Thank people when they’re helpful.
To take Chris’ post just a bit farther - how can we as a community help ‘that guy’ from ruining our picnic? Is there a way to subtley tell them that their constant self promotion isn’t helping, but is really bothersome? Or should you de-friend and unfollow until further notice?
So, like I said, if you have a few minutes, check out his whole post. It may help you if you’re confused about how to interact and market your skills in the social media sphere. Or it may help you help someone else. You know, ‘that guy.’
Posted on January 21, 2009 by Miller
I just read a great report from Trendwatching.com talking about how Generosity is fast becoming the new Green. I manage E-media for a small TV station, and even on this micro level I can see it happening. More and more clients are interested in doing socially consious giveaways in lieu of traditional advertising whether its providing scholarships, home improvements or grants to community organizations. Take it to TV with programs like Extreme Home Makeover and you’ll see what I mean.
Why is this happening? I don’t know all the causes, but there are some great cases laid out in the article. I do think that online culture feeds on sharing and generosity - from open source software, to publishing and sharing your photos, videos, and business tips - have made it where he who puts out the most quality content, or leads a tribe, or organizes to make change (read: sharing, giving, participating) win. They become the mini celebrities that encourage even more sharing across the web.
And now consumers are requiring businesses to do it as well. I do hope however that they do a better job than ‘going green’ (adding a recycle bucket does NOT make you a green company…what a sham). If you’re going to participate…. be generous, but more importantly be GENUINE.
Some excerpts (def check out the full article)
The current financial meltdown has led consumers to be more disgusted than ever (if that’s even possible) with greedy corporate execs who just don’t care. Many in the corporate world are so far removed from what is now an immensely better informed, more opinionated consumer arena, that their (non-)communications, their (inter-)actions, their entire behavior is deeply out of tune with what consumers want and expect in the years to come.
Some fun (US) stats from Reputation Garage:
* As few as 13% of all Americans place their trust in big business (and it’s not much higher for other mature consumer societies!).
* Only 39% of employees in a Watson Wyatt survey said they trusted senior leadership.
* Some three-quarters of US consumers feel that companies don’t tell the truth in advertising.
* Three-quarters of employees in big companies observed violations of the law or company standards in a 12-month period.
Posted on January 13, 2009 by Miller
Saw a great article this morning courtesy of Tim O’Reilly about how more and more developing countries are starting to deal less with infectious diseases and more with the ‘lifestyle diseases’ that plague most western countries such as Diabetes, Cancer, Heart Disease, etc.
And of course, obeisity. Did you know that in 2000, there were more overweight people in the world than underweight?
Very in depth article and certainly worth the read. A couple of highlights:
But the second decline in life expectancy is also alarming for today’s Chinese, Indians and urban Africans. This was the decline that hit eastern Europe after the Soviet Union’s collapse. Health services and established social structures fell apart, and stress and depression increased. One result was that alcoholism soared. By 1992, some of the new kiosks along Moscow’s boulevards sold a liquid advertised as “100 per cent alcohol”. Other Russians drank eau de toilette or medicinal alcohol. In 1990, the average Russian man’s life expectancy had been 64 years. By 2005, it was just 59. A study published in The Lancet last year, conducted in Izhevsk, a typical Russian city, between 2003 and 2005, showed that 43 per cent of all deaths in men of working age were due to hazardous drinking. If these figures were extrapolated for Russia as a whole, it would translate into 170,000 excess deaths a year in Russia for men aged 25 to 54.
