From the people that I have been interacting with on Twitter, I have noticed that there are several kinds of users on social media. I believe a lot of what people have come to expect from social media is defined greatly our culture & personal life (the way we were brought up). What makes social media so interesting is that while there are guidelines and best practices on how social media is being utilized as a tool, there is not necessarily a “right” or “wrong” way to approach how its being used. There are just “better” or “less effective” ones.

The conundrum that exists however, is how we “position” ourselves accordingly on these platforms. Particularly on twitter as it is possibly the most social, instantaneous, and public platform utilized out there. Contrary to popular belief: It’s not just a matter of consumers vs commerce. Because of how twitter is a blank slate tabula rasa, it’s also a matter of tweeting styles of the individuals/strategy behind the tweets. Here are 5 Things To Consider About Your Twitter Strategy.

#1 – Branding: Personal vs Brand Logo

This is an interesting dynamic which I have heard lots of discussions about. Social media is a great deal about trust and showing people that they’re being heard out. The biggest concern that people have is the Branding aspect of the business, wanting to represent a certain persona or to establish brand equity. A good way to balance out “trust” and branding would be akin to what @LikeableMedia does with their social media team.

#2 – Relationships: Personal & Intimate vs Branded Tweets & Content

Yet another interesting aspect to consider, with styles differing according to the individual and company. Ideally, we’d like to have a balance of the two – Its great if you have a fantastic relationship with your followers; but remember: You still need to give people a reason to follow you – and that means sharing/creating quality content which is relevant. Show people you’re not alienating them and that you are listening. But don’t forget you still have a “brand” to work with. A great company that has a strong balance with this is @Starbucks.

Are you using a very intimate approach in building relationships? Consider reading this article by {Grow}

#3 – Crowd Size: Niche Following vs Being “Popular”

An important thing to look at is how you want to be positioned within the group or topic of interest that you’re tweeting about. I’ve faced this question many times – How can I get as many people as possible to like and follow us on Social Media? Too many people miss the point. A lot of people assume being popular is validation that they’re doing something right – to some extent it is, but I also firmly believe that if you’re a thought leader and that you have valuable content – the followers will come in time.

You will want people who will value what you have to share and the services you offer as compared towards being popular. Sure, you are able to reach out to more people – but does what you say actually matter to them; and in the end lead you to your goal? (ROI, Recognition, etc?) Sharing your own content and other relevant articles help you establish credibility as compared towards shameless self promotion which can cause frustration, and even have people unfollow you.

#4 – Automated Content – To use, or NOT to use

It’s tempting. Very tempting. When you have tons of followers, information becomes tough to manage and it can be a lot of effort to send a DM to say thank you and maintain the relationships you’ve already established. That being said – I DO feel special when someone takes the effort. And I get turned off when I get an automated, generic response (yes, many times we can tell). Some people go to the extent of even UNFOLLOWING others who practice this! I would rather have not had someone message me back at all than to have a pretentious message come my way. Ideally – Message/follow them back if relevant to you; and work on that relationship!

I believe that some content can be automated (I schedule my tweets) – if you’re pushing out certain articles, reminders and events; People will give more leeway about it as you are fighting to get noticed amidst all the clutter and you want to make sure you get to the target market at the best time possible. However, if you’re asking for an opinion or seeking engagement; and people reply you “in real time” expecting a conversation – do so at your own risk! Realize that you risk the ire of others who want a genuine relationship, and this is something to be considered when structuring your social media strategy.

There has also been issues with automated content pushing software. Auto-Tweeting RSS(es); and using platforms like Triberr gives you the advantage of “being first” and of having a higher reach and amplification (and not to mention help with your klout score!). Realize that while this is true, this is another one of those risks that you have to take – If it’s a quality post/content, people WILL share it (and hopefully go viral). If people notice that others are tweeting and sharing content simply because you’re in some “automated support group” – Again, note that you risk pissing some people off which are looking for “genuine, quality content” and “authentic relationships”.

This particular topic is highly debatable as to if its right or wrong – but it’s something that you need to weigh out the pros and cons for.

And Finally #5 – ROI: Immediate Gratification vs Long term Investment

This last and final point is something which a lot of social media users/managers have had to educate a LOT of others on. As tempting and as much as you want to see ROI for your investment, and as much as we want to see higher conversions; followers, and build brand equity – PLEASE remember that twitter is a COMMUNICATION and BRANDING tool, and not a means to an end. Yes, you can have certain strategies set up and have the occasional call to action tweet. However, please be mindful of others. Put yourself in other tweeters’ shoes. Would YOU like to be receiving tons of OFFERS, PROMOTIONS, and SALES PITCHES all the time from your end? Apply the 95/5 rule – 95% Communication; and 5% selling.

Yes, we understand you want your money back. Yes, that’s why you’ve invested in creating content and have people work on social media. It’s NOT Free. And it’s not necessarily Cheap either. (See – The true cost of Social Media) Realize what you’re getting into, define your strategy, test, and fix accordingly to get the best bang for your buck. If you’re using social media for self branding – the concept is the same. Your online reputation wasn’t built by just shouting “Hey I’m a great photographer! Follow me!”. People look at content. They find relevancy. And it’s also about getting to them at the right time.

The beauty of Social Media is that as a constantly evolving tool, you can constantly get feedback and adjust accordingly. You have the ability to find out what your consumers really want and adjust accordingly. What we need to realize is, Twitter has a whole different dynamic as compared towards all the other social media sites. It’s a grave mistake to clump them all into the label of “social media”, and it has to be treated individually. That being said, Tweets are able to reach out to a larger scale of consumers that you wouldn’t have access to otherwise by riding on relevant topics and hashtags; have a much higher click through rate (with the right title) and leaves your business open to a lot more opportunities.

Find a strategy to integrate Twitter as a TOOL in the bigger picture. Again, there is no “right” or “wrong” answer for a social media strategy – Just “better” or “less effective” ones. Rather than ROI – What about building up your Return on Relationship? #RonR

If you have found this information in some way useful, please pass it on to others who you think will benefit from it! Knowledge is meaningless unless shared.

Follow me on Twitter @RdLessTkn

As the #140conf drew to an end; I knew that there would be a flurry of people talking about takeaways from the event. So as with everyone – This is a #Thankyou note to @JeffPulver for hosting a fantastic event which highlighted how so many aspects of how social media is being utilized; and an #Apology for incessantly bugging him to allow me to volunteer at the event (which I would have not been able to afford to attend otherwise). So without further ado; this is my spin on it, talking about the Human Touch of Social Media – Inspired by the great speakers; attendees and also @Jackinessity’s blog post on what it is to be human.

At the event, I got a feeling that a great deal of people were more interested in the business side of social media topics (admittedly, that was the main reason why I went); with the likes of Jay Ehret @themarketingguy, Dennis Crowley @dens (Foursquare),Jeff Hasen @JeffHasen and Christopher Penn @CsPenn speaking.

While every business is learning about the latest rhetorics and trends (and the monetization of SM; though people may not want to openly admit it) – Jeff did a great job in evening it out by bringing in speakers that highlight the realities of Social Media and its secrets;  Showing the “now“ that “kids” (@George_Hain’s @Microinterns & @Michael_Matias) are utilizing social media; Why (@Andydixn – An ex-con fighting to empower others & @AnnCurry – On News that Matters) and How (@JAOrquina the IRS & @Amyblogschow, @FancyFastFood, @ECava, & @LvM – Foodies) are building their niche followings.

When I was networking and listening to some of the speakers passionately sharing their stories; I wasn’t too sure how to feel. I was most definitely inspired and in awe of the amazingly talented people there, but I was also a little disturbed. Not because of anyone in particular; but how they made me reflect on myself. Since about April of last year, (my last year of college) I knew that I had to take on a much more ‘professional’ persona in order to make it for my career. I didn’t anticipate what was to follow my move from Pittsburgh to NYC though.

Sometimes We Feel Like We’re All Alone.. But There’s Many Others Feeling the Same Way Too

I wasn’t a bad student. On the contrary, I would like to believe I did extremely well. Yet knowing that I wanted to make it in NYC, I had to do it to stand a chance against students out of the ivy leagues and others who had tons of internships. Little did I know however, the price that I would have to pay would involve me being so caught up in portraying myself professionally that I found it hard to balance work and play. I had become so entrenched in the whole notion that “I have to be professional” that it was really the only thing I knew how to be.

Let me be clear here, that I was never a mischief. I never drank much, nor did I cause trouble. I knew how to enjoy myself in moderation. I knew I was a smart kid. Yet when I became so focused on “proving myself”, I felt that a side of me was gone as I was meeting and mingling with all the great people at #140conf. Maybe this is what its supposed to feel like transitioning to the adult world. I wasn’t sure. I was confused and slightly frustrated. Yet what I did come to realize is that I’m pretty sure that I’m not the only one out here feeling this.

What made my time especially worthwhile in attending the conference was meeting the people who were speaking. A lot of them were fighting for what their cause and what they believe in. Yet they still have such human qualities behind them. I was so caught up in work that it almost made me feel like I didn’t know anything else. I needed this break to refresh and rediscover myself. I’m doing a lot better than when I first got here. And for that, I have to thank the people I’ve connected with on social media (which is how i learnt of 140 conf after all) which had enabled me to rediscover the human side of things.

And for that, I am grateful. I’ve always been an advocate for social media and I’ve seen the power it has in affecting and changing lives. This conference had not only reinforced what I had believed in; it has also me new ideas on how to approach utilizing social media (professionally and personally). I hope this conference has inspired others out there as it has me and also been a great educational tool to many.

What did #140Conf mean to you?

If you have found this information in some way useful, please pass it on to others who you think will benefit from it! Knowledge is meaningless unless shared.

Follow me on Twitter @RdLessTkn

The Power of Words [Series 1] – Content Marketing: Appealing to The Hierarchy of Needs

There are three kinds of effective marketers. Marketers who are direct and know how to give the right offers to people looking for it (Right Place, Right Time / SEO & PPC); and marketers who develop their brand around a story, something which people can identify and relate to. The third kind takes all those elements together and amplifies it with social media to engage with the crowd – and create not just value, but also a deeper connection – And better ROI.

Words are powerful. They impact. They move. They cause action. They get things done.

This video is an ad for a content writing company. The video went viral, with more than 8 million views – And while a lot of people watching may not originally have been looking for SEO and Content writers; it opened up their audience reach many fold just by amplifying their message through social media and caught others attention.  There’s a lot of content marketing experts that have blogs and youtube channels dedicated to the topic, but it’s not often that you find a video that captures and conveys ideas on such an intangible subject visually – and becomes an online sensation! What better way than selling your product than by actually having evidence & proof?

When advertising first started off, companies were marketing their products directly to the consumer, addressing the lower spectrum of the hierarchy of needs. Print ads did the job initially, and soon television amplified its reach by reaching a new audience base. The problem was, back then advertising on tv was expensive – And a huge risk for businesses to take on. Direct marketing and mailing enabled marketers to test which variation worked better (with accountability!), and through demographic studies, better target these efforts and gave people a sense of “exclusiveness”; by creating different content appealing to these segments slightly further up the pyramid.

When the internet came about and people were bombarded with an overload of information and ads, people started having an increasing amount choices and this gave back some control to consumers who were ultimately making the choices with their money. The latest revolution which is also the world we live in now is of course, social media.  Companies now are hoping to influence social influencers who in turn, influence us. As great amounts of information is being readily accessible and integrated marketing efforts become increasingly complex with huge databases, digital tools and complex Social CRM systems in place – Companies are working on getting the right information from their end and from our peers to sway our decision in getting their products.

The ultimate goal is creating brand evangelists – people who strongly believe in what they stand for. With the viral uncensored nature of social media, while people are able to compliment – companies are also left vulnerable to scathing attacks. While you cannot make everyone happy – If you can create a strong sense of community and the message holds strong, you’d have loyal supporters such as this guy:

But it all started with the right words, and the right content which is central to any new campaign. Looking at the Dove for Real Beauty campaign; it started with a bold statement that women of all shapes and sizes are beautiful. People picked it up. People felt empowered. People shared, and people cared. An entire community was built around their words, their message and their content. It’s easy to see why this case study remains to be the benchmark which so many others are measured against.

How do YOU word your campaigns?

If you have found this information in some way useful, please pass it on to others who you think will benefit from it! Knowledge is meaningless unless shared.

Follow me on Twitter @RdLessTkn

From “Lost” to Finding My “Niche”

A lot of people, particularly the Gen Ys and Millenials claim to “get” Social Media. But of course! We grew up in a world connected by Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, RenRen (Previously Xiaonei) , Tumblr and about a thousand other social media sites around us. I’ve even come across a brilliant 13 year-old social media whiz on twitter who has his own blog, runs google analytics on it, tweets and “diggs” articles! As much as some people insist its a fad – I’m sorry to say, but its here to stay.

Click HERE for his blog; and HERE for his Twitter

When I first started off my blog months ago, it was to try to share with some of my fellow college mates some career tips and tricks which I had picked up on; after many had asked “How did you get this/that opportunity, etc”. Since graduating however, I’ve found that my blog had started to involve an increasing amount of  content on Marketing and Social Media. Though I’m still at the front end of my career, I truly believe that social media had played a huge role in a lot of my undertakings in learning and gaining new insights into topics which I thought I “knew” about. I’ve had great opportunities to engage with some extremely influential people online; many of which who have great backgrounds whom I continue to learn from – and some which I have been able to meet in person.

What really drew me to Twitter in particular was that through this channel, I was able to not only find people who I could learn from who specializes on certain topics; but also interact with them and like-minded people who I could swap ideas with – And as Kevin (above) has shared, “What I love abt Twitter, truly LOVE, is that I can ignore someone’s credentials and discover & judge them as persons.” A fan of Behavioral Economics, I have been increasingly engaging with many others who share about Social Media Psychology; which as we have discovered – Is really Behavioral Economics applied to Social Media & Marketing.

That being said, that is MY niche which I chose to delve into. If you try #Hashtagging other keywords, you’d be more than likely to find other people who are passionate about the same topic, and probably a lot of experts and gurus. It isn’t as clear-cut as it sounds however. A lot of people assume that the more “followers” one has – The greater authority they have. To some extent, that’s true. But as my tweet-partner has shared:

Admittedly, I had a huge disdain against Twitter years ago. I thought that it was pointless, but alas that has proven me wrong. I feel that I have actually grown as a professional and on a personal level because of it. Granted, while I use my Twitter account on a more “Professional” level – That does not mean that I’m being fake or any less myself. On the contrary. We all have different “sides” that we choose to showcase on Social Media. The one thing that you do NOT want to do – Is be pretentious.

If anything that I have learnt from other thought leaders and people from my niche on Twitter – Its this:

Relationships matter (#RonR). Building trust matters. Being genuine matters. We’re dealing with real people; and as people we all want to be heard. And we want to connect with real people. The whole saying – “Nothing to lose, but everything to gain”? Not true in this regards. In reality, it’s “Opportunity cost lost; but everything to gain.” Try Twitter out. You may be surprised!

If you have found this information in some way useful, please pass it on to others who you think will benefit from it! Knowledge is meaningless unless shared.

Follow me on Twitter @RdLessTkn

As I was reading this blog post on how blogs will be divorcing their relationship with their Social Media gurus, it got me thinking about how businesses nowadays are seeking out marketing agencies and freelancers to assist with their social media needs. As I just recently got my first engagement working with a company’s social media initiatives, I could not see why some companies would choose to do so. As we sat down to discuss the best way to handle our approach, the biggest issue that we had to deal with was how we were going to align, maintain and integrate useful and valuable content on the vast amount of social media channels that exist out there – and while a strategist can help align and give ideas as to what content should be put out, unless he has an active role in the process, the question becomes “What else is he there for?”

With all the wealth of information at ones fingertips, and with social media being all about engagement and relevancy – I came to a conclusion that companies that choose to engage with agencies and consultants were companies which have people at the helm which hasn’t embraced new technology; but recognized that it’s crucial in part of their marketing plan. So what they end up doing next is approaching these social media gurus to help handle their social media presence.

As users seek to have brands who are genuinely engaged with them and seek a their end on the Return on Relationship – I feel that for companies to truly maximize their own ROI is by
1) Keeping their social media initiatives in house
2) Hand a substantial part of the campaign/initiative to an agency and continuously engage them

As taken from the blog post written by @AniseSmith the 3 Main aspects of Social Media include:

Analysis: understanding why you want to use social media, what is already out there, what your consumers want and the resources that are available within your organisation.
Strategic choice: given all the information available from your analysis , the next step is to consider which tools and concepts will produce the best results for your company.
Strategic implementation: social media is not just about a good idea or a campaign; it is as much of a cultural change as it is a technical one. It requires proper planning to ensure that what you have chosen is executed in a way that makes sense to the rest of your business.

As social media is a continuous ongoing engagement – I don’t see how temporary external consultants would be able to stay on unless they were brought into the team. Once the social strategy has been defined, all it takes is maintaining the integrated initiative; and once the learning curve has been mastered, companies are able to handle it by themselves. Hence if anything, these consultants would have done their time and they would need to be brought onto the team as perhaps the Chief Engagement Officer or Social Media Marketer for their company. Individuals who do a great job at this include @LevitanL of @MrYouth and @TedRubin of @CollectiveBias

External parties had better play a big role in developing the creative content and maintaining a good job of the channels, or at least some bigger role of the overall picture or risk being put out of the equation when companies “figure out” how to get the job done right and handle things internally which lets them implement changes easier while having more control over what gets sent out through its communication channels.

If you have found this information in some way useful, please pass it on to others who you think will benefit from it! Knowledge is meaningless unless shared.

Follow me on Twitter @RdLessTkn