Twitter Strategy Should be Based on Reciprocity and Conversation

This post is the result of a question posed on LinkedIn Answers asking about Twitter strategy.

My Response (Selected as “Best Answer”):

Twitter strategy should build a base of engaged followers through reciprocity of sharing content and engaging in interesting conversation.

- Tweet 10-20 times throughout the day.
- Express gratitude for those that mention or retweet.
- Learn what the best Tweeple are doing.
- Give 10x more than you receive.
- Be interesting and relevant.
- Use hashtags for events, webinars, activities, and popular topics.
- Tone is educational and appreciative.
- Consistently provide value to all those who follow you.
- Both personal and business.
- Test and revisit what works for you.

Combine Marketing Tactics to Promote Your Event

This post is the result of a question posed on LinkedIn Answers asking “What ONE marketing strategy or technique has yielded you the best results when marketing and promoting your event?”

My Response:

I’m not convinced that you can do just ONE marketing tactic and consistently market a great event. However, there are a number of things you can do, in combination with each other, than could really drive up your attendance.

Leverage Personal Relationships – If contacts at your company know some people personally, then a simple personal email will typically almost always work if the target is available that date/time.

Email Lists – If you have a list of contacts who would be interested in the event, send them an email and ask them to register. If you can give them incentive (such as an exclusive preview or free content) then you’ll surely grab their attention to register.

Social Media – If this is a public event then create a mini social media campaign on whatever networks you have. Create a Twitter hashtag around the event, create a FB “Event” and invite all of your followers, announce it on Google+, or post it on your LinkedIN Group. Get the word out.

Cool Technology – Half of events are successful because of the unique experience. Okay I made that up, but my point is people like to interact with technology and see things done in clever ways. Allow people to scan QR codes. Track their badges and sign them up for door prizes. Have them interact with your products/services via the latest tablet or touch screen.

Follow Up – If you’re like most companies you probably put on that event to make some money. Make sure you’re collecting the attendees information and if they agreed, follow up with them by sending your best content. Email works great here. If you keep sending them valuable content after the event, you can extend the event experience and add more even value.

Social Media is Changing the Internet Marketing Game

This post is the result of a question posed on LinkedIn Answers asking about social media is changing internet marketing.

My Response:

Social media is another channel that companies can use to communicate with their customers and prospects. If done well, it can drive visits back to your other web properties, such as micro-sites, landing pages, or your main website. Social media is also about going where the people already are. Much of the target audience may be already utilizing social media for business or personal use. If a company wants to be part of the conversation, then they need a presence. Websites and day-to-day business hasn’t drastically changed for companies. It’s more about another medium of to communicate. In order to stay ahead of the “(social media) game” companies need to test. What works for one company may not work for another, and the reverse is also true. Start slow and find out the best way to build an audience and add to the conversation. Whether it be contests, product launches, business tools, or customer support, a company can see additional benefit from adding social media to their digital portfolio.

Have a Social Media Presence AND Valuable Content

This post is the result of a question posed on LinkedIn Answers asking about whether you’d be more inclined to purchase a product or service if the company has social media accounts.

My Response:

I’m not convinced the answer should be simply “more inclined” or “less inclined” as a blanket statement about social media. I think companies should strive for a positive experience and if the person is in the buying stage, then social media should be aimed at adding value to that experience. If social media is the channel, great. If not, other channels can be just as effective. It also depends on the company. If you’re comparing two retail websites… One company answers your questions timely and accurately via social media and one doesn’t. I would guess the one addressing their customers would slowly gain more customers, everything else being equal. Also, if you’re buying a retail product and one offers discounts or coupons versus another, then I think people would be more likely to buy from the one with coupons (I would). For companies offering services.. I’d want social media to add value to those services. The value could be access to their support (i.e. customer care), knowledge (i.e. thought leaders) or access to their content (i.e. tools & information). If the company’s social media gives these resources then I would be more inclined to go with them. I guess my point is, it’s not so much about whether or not the business has a social media account, but rather how they use that account to deliver value to their audience. If they deliver value in a effective and clever way, then of course I’d choose them over a company who isn’t providing as much value, but it isn’t about Twitter or Facebook… it’s about the value of what they post.

Use Social Media to Connect with People

This post is the result of a question posed on LinkedIn Answers asking about how much time people spend on social media.

My Response:

Any business person, especially an Entrepreneur, can benefit from an expanded network of people. Social Media in my opinion helps flex that networking muscle. Social Media is great because it provides a quick and efficient medium to keep in contact and keep your name in front of your contacts. I use Social Media (LI specifically) as a tool for getting in touch with people I want to interact with or reconnect with people I haven’t communicated with in a while. I am spending small amounts of time throughout the day posting, messaging, and connecting (maybe 2 hours if added up). It continually seems to pay off in ways I often don’t expect.

Quickly? Grow Your Social Media Audience

This post is the result of a question posed on LinkedIn Answers asking about quickly growing your social media audience.

My Response:

I’m not sure it’s the quickest way to grow your targeted social media, but in my opinion the best way to grow interest is naturally. We all know there are many tricks and strategies to artificially inflate the number of followers, fans, or friends you have in the social media realm. What really matters is if they are actually paying attention to what you’re sharing.

Social media is a two way dialogue between you and your customer/prospects. If you’re interested in social media then the best way to get started is to integrate it into the way you currently interact with them. If you have a lot of things to promote, Twitter might be a good medium for you. You can follow relevant companies or people then start to share.

After you have the account, use it. Tell people about it. Put the handle in your employees email signatures, business cards, marketing creative, email newsletters, website, presentations, etc. Build a marketing campaign around it. Use it for customer service.

Some companies are sharing coupons with only their social media subscribers. Other companies are making announcements to their followers first. Social media should work seamlessly with your company to add value to your customers/prospects. If you can do that, then I’d say that is the “best way to grow targeted social media”.

Social Media’s Impact on Email Marketing

This post is the result of a question posed on LinkedIn Answers asking whether social media has any impact on email marketing specifically.

My Response:

I believe social media can have a strong impact on email marketing campaigns and vice versa. Social media is typically another digital touch-point for a customer or prospect and if integrated with a company’s email marketing, can expand the visibility of both. If your company already has a steady base of followers in social media then it might be beneficial to ask them if they are interested in receiving content via email. Send them to a registration or signup page, or let them view your last newsletter and see if it interests them. Without being too self-promotional, this could be a way of increasing your email distribution list.

On the flip side, if you have a strong list of emails then there are a number of ways to integrate social media. You can place Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. logos letting people know that you are there providing content via social media. You can also craft prewritten “Tweets” or Facebook status “Updates” about specific content in your email and allow people to share it. Some ESPs allow you to publicize the complete web version of your email. Social Media definitely can have a positive impact on not only your website, but all digital touch-points including Email Marketing.