Social networking and social media have developed a buzz lately because of it’s ability to connect users from all over who share a common belief or thought or interest on a subject matter. Social media truly is a wondrous tool with a great form of diversity. Twitter and Facebook have become so ingrained in modern society that it would be virtually unthinkable for some people to go a day without checking their friends’ status or tweeting about something cool they just found.
Last night I was watching television and a commercial came on for a show where Bill Engvall says to Tim Meadows “I just checked online, you posted on Twitter 4 times while we were filming?” where Mr. Meadows responds “I have 34 fans who need to know what I’m doing at all times.” Yes Twitter can be a somewhat narcissistic outlet for a person but other than that what’s the point? What are you doing with it?
On Facebook I follow (via fan pages) Niki Gudex, the Cleveland Browns, my old fraternity, a few biking networks, and my old college bar. Ms. Gudex, my Browns, and my Fraternity all send me news and updates that make it easy for me to follow what’s going on. It’s helpful to keep me informed. My old bar on the other hand: what’s your point?
That last question is one you may be asking to me at this stage, but that is my point. Have a goal. You have 157 followers on Twitter but what are you going to do about it? You have a fan page with 200 fans on Facebook but honestly, what are you going to do with it?
Some companies will advertise specials with Twitter or Facebook or they will inform fans of news but can’t you do more?
Developing E-Mail Marketing Campaigns
People have needs and wants so you must cater to them. Offer a special e-mails for your followers that allow them to learn more about a specific area that you can help them with. For instance if you have a store that sells televisions, movies, music, stereos, video games, refrigerators, washers, and dryers (I think everyone knows a store like that) use sites like Facebook and Twitter to reach out to people and get their attention and begin the communication with them. Use that the then develop an e-mail marketing campaign sending them the precise information they need or are interested in. If a person is interested in movies they can get e-mails that have reviews, release schedules, information, and “Twitter Special Coupons” redeemable at all store locations. You’re no longer posting items and hoping people act on them, you’re engaging a person with their direct interests.
You could even take this one step further and have the user custom tailor the e-mail they receive to contain information on movies based on their preference. If they do not like a certain director omit that director from the mailing. Use their previous and current movie preferences to send them information on movies they might like. If NetFlicks can do it, so can you.
This is of course something you will want a person to Opt-in for. Don’t start spamming people because they are following your Tweets.
Website Content Creation Ideas
Are you using peoples’ feedback and comments to you to help create new content for your website/blog posts/e-mails? Are you tracking how many times something is viewed so you know if you can expand on it even more with your own website? Are you checking how many Diggs your post has gotten? Are you using sites like Digg and Reddit to help understand what your customers are really interested in and following then using that information to provide them with information?
You cannot think of these as “fire and forget” posts, they must be monitored, checked, double checked, and used to their fullest potential to get the most life out of them that you can. Social bookmarking sites are a treasure trove of feedback and potential customer opinions that you can use to help your business no matter what field. If you find a competitor with mostly negative reviews in the comment sections then correct their mistakes, publish it, and post it on the bookmarking site. You have just addressed the concerns and complaints of the users and provided them with a real tangible solution to their problem.
Using Podcasts and Videos Properly
Are you using Podcasts or YouTube videos? Are you using the available space to generate business? Do you conclude each and every post with an easy to read and type web address for them to visit to get more information? Are you actually reading the comments and feedback to learn what direction to take future posts?
Proper tagging and using the information section on YouTube is a given and if you’re not using it properly, start. Post a link to your site, use text someone is likely to search on to describe what is going on in the video. Simple enough, right? Almost. Are the links you’re using easy for the user to remember and follow? They should be. Remove that “www.website.com/monkey-hats.aspx?pageId=375”. Just assume the user is going to type it in wrong. If your URL structure is like that take them to the highest level page you can before the numbers start coming out to play.
Use the video to help bring people to the site that is going to be actually driving business.
Find Value in Comment Sections
Then there is the comment section. On YouTube you will always find thousands upon thousands of videos who’s comment section calls into question the sexual orientation of the video. Yes we have to accept that there are those people out there, but why not use them? Growing up my father used to sit at the dinner table with me and constantly ask me one question over and over until he could no longer ask it again because we had a definitive answer.
“Why?” Yes, one word can be that powerful.
If someone uses your comment section to say something negative about your video/blog/post/whatever are you taking the time to say “That’s very interesting, I appreciate your feedback. I want to provide a better offering in the future and with your help we can do that. Why was my video not to your liking? What about it would you change? What can I do to improve it?”
You improve on you previous efforts and eventually are left with compelling content that people will enjoy.
Use Social Media for Market Research
You are not always going to have the best information, the best feedback, or the best Diggs or Stumbles but someone does. Someone out there has this information and it is just sitting there on the internet just waiting for someone to actually use it. Yes it is akin to being a stalker when it’s marketing it’s called gathering market research. Use the feedback and information someone else is getting and improve yourself. Use the silence are you getting to shift the focus of what you are doing to appeal to someone who may look for it.
These are just a few ways you should be properly utilizing your social media campaigns. The possibilities are virtually limitless. Get creative with it. Engage in a full blown “social media detective campaign” that uses clues and hidden information across the social sites to drive a visitor from their computer into your store. Have fun with it, play with it, but make sure you are actually using it for more than merely driving visitors to a web site, unless of course that is your ultimate goal.
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Search Engine Marketing: "Shogyo Mujo"
Social Networking: What are you planning to do with it?
July 2, 2009 at 5:32 pm (social media) (bookmarks, comments, consumer, Content Creation, e-mail, online marketing, optimization, podcasts, search results, social media, social network)
Social networking and social media have developed a buzz lately because of it’s ability to connect users from all over who share a common belief or thought or interest on a subject matter. Social media truly is a wondrous tool with a great form of diversity. Twitter and Facebook have become so ingrained in modern society that it would be virtually unthinkable for some people to go a day without checking their friends’ status or tweeting about something cool they just found.
Last night I was watching television and a commercial came on for a show where Bill Engvall says to Tim Meadows “I just checked online, you posted on Twitter 4 times while we were filming?” where Mr. Meadows responds “I have 34 fans who need to know what I’m doing at all times.” Yes Twitter can be a somewhat narcissistic outlet for a person but other than that what’s the point? What are you doing with it?
On Facebook I follow (via fan pages) Niki Gudex, the Cleveland Browns, my old fraternity, a few biking networks, and my old college bar. Ms. Gudex, my Browns, and my Fraternity all send me news and updates that make it easy for me to follow what’s going on. It’s helpful to keep me informed. My old bar on the other hand: what’s your point?
That last question is one you may be asking to me at this stage, but that is my point. Have a goal. You have 157 followers on Twitter but what are you going to do about it? You have a fan page with 200 fans on Facebook but honestly, what are you going to do with it?
Some companies will advertise specials with Twitter or Facebook or they will inform fans of news but can’t you do more?
Developing E-Mail Marketing Campaigns
People have needs and wants so you must cater to them. Offer a special e-mails for your followers that allow them to learn more about a specific area that you can help them with. For instance if you have a store that sells televisions, movies, music, stereos, video games, refrigerators, washers, and dryers (I think everyone knows a store like that) use sites like Facebook and Twitter to reach out to people and get their attention and begin the communication with them. Use that the then develop an e-mail marketing campaign sending them the precise information they need or are interested in. If a person is interested in movies they can get e-mails that have reviews, release schedules, information, and “Twitter Special Coupons” redeemable at all store locations. You’re no longer posting items and hoping people act on them, you’re engaging a person with their direct interests.
You could even take this one step further and have the user custom tailor the e-mail they receive to contain information on movies based on their preference. If they do not like a certain director omit that director from the mailing. Use their previous and current movie preferences to send them information on movies they might like. If NetFlicks can do it, so can you.
This is of course something you will want a person to Opt-in for. Don’t start spamming people because they are following your Tweets.
Website Content Creation Ideas
Are you using peoples’ feedback and comments to you to help create new content for your website/blog posts/e-mails? Are you tracking how many times something is viewed so you know if you can expand on it even more with your own website? Are you checking how many Diggs your post has gotten? Are you using sites like Digg and Reddit to help understand what your customers are really interested in and following then using that information to provide them with information?
You cannot think of these as “fire and forget” posts, they must be monitored, checked, double checked, and used to their fullest potential to get the most life out of them that you can. Social bookmarking sites are a treasure trove of feedback and potential customer opinions that you can use to help your business no matter what field. If you find a competitor with mostly negative reviews in the comment sections then correct their mistakes, publish it, and post it on the bookmarking site. You have just addressed the concerns and complaints of the users and provided them with a real tangible solution to their problem.
Using Podcasts and Videos Properly
Are you using Podcasts or YouTube videos? Are you using the available space to generate business? Do you conclude each and every post with an easy to read and type web address for them to visit to get more information? Are you actually reading the comments and feedback to learn what direction to take future posts?
Proper tagging and using the information section on YouTube is a given and if you’re not using it properly, start. Post a link to your site, use text someone is likely to search on to describe what is going on in the video. Simple enough, right? Almost. Are the links you’re using easy for the user to remember and follow? They should be. Remove that “www.website.com/monkey-hats.aspx?pageId=375”. Just assume the user is going to type it in wrong. If your URL structure is like that take them to the highest level page you can before the numbers start coming out to play.
Use the video to help bring people to the site that is going to be actually driving business.
Find Value in Comment Sections
Then there is the comment section. On YouTube you will always find thousands upon thousands of videos who’s comment section calls into question the sexual orientation of the video. Yes we have to accept that there are those people out there, but why not use them? Growing up my father used to sit at the dinner table with me and constantly ask me one question over and over until he could no longer ask it again because we had a definitive answer.
“Why?” Yes, one word can be that powerful.
If someone uses your comment section to say something negative about your video/blog/post/whatever are you taking the time to say “That’s very interesting, I appreciate your feedback. I want to provide a better offering in the future and with your help we can do that. Why was my video not to your liking? What about it would you change? What can I do to improve it?”
You improve on you previous efforts and eventually are left with compelling content that people will enjoy.
Use Social Media for Market Research
You are not always going to have the best information, the best feedback, or the best Diggs or Stumbles but someone does. Someone out there has this information and it is just sitting there on the internet just waiting for someone to actually use it. Yes it is akin to being a stalker when it’s marketing it’s called gathering market research. Use the feedback and information someone else is getting and improve yourself. Use the silence are you getting to shift the focus of what you are doing to appeal to someone who may look for it.
These are just a few ways you should be properly utilizing your social media campaigns. The possibilities are virtually limitless. Get creative with it. Engage in a full blown “social media detective campaign” that uses clues and hidden information across the social sites to drive a visitor from their computer into your store. Have fun with it, play with it, but make sure you are actually using it for more than merely driving visitors to a web site, unless of course that is your ultimate goal.
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