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May 17, 2013

No social media listening budget? That doesn’t mean you can’t hear.

You’ve likely heard about ‘social listening’ or ‘social monitoring’, but what exactly does it mean and how can it help your brand if you can’t afford software suites or tools? Social listening isn’t just about keeping track of your handle and hashtags- though I highly recommend doing both. There is a wealth of information surrounding keywords and phrases, especially on Twitter and Google+, that you could be missing out on.

Companies like Dell have large budgets that allow them to operate social media command centers with the best software and tools to monitor things like brand sentiment, customer issues, product issues, and more. Most of us aren’t Dell and you may lack the budget, the team or the social buy-in (you may lack all three), but there are things you can and should be doing for a competitive edge.

Keywords and phrases you use in your PPC and SEO efforts are valuable too in your social efforts. Searching those keywords, as well as some more conversational variations that better fit the social ecosystem, on Twitter or Google+ regularly can help you identify a variety of things

Opportunities to be a resource, answer a question, offer your service etc. (*Especially when your competition isn’t) A beauty store, blogger, salon could really help this girl out!

Opportunities to engage in topics, causes, conversations your customers or community care about. A sporting goods store, blog, could empathize with this tweet.

Opportunities to retweet good things about your brand or address problems when people don’t explicitly use your handle or hashtag (*This is so common, you can publicize your hashtag, name etc. and people will tweet variations, or just not include either) In this example the event handle is @PreaknessPiazza and the hashtag is #PreaknessatthePiazza

Customer service/product issues that may be publicly broadcasted, but not brought to your attention directly (*You want to address these, people make buying decisions based on things like this at a growing rate) Twitter isn’t a great example, but this guy has a good point. You can find tweets like this about almost every brand, store and company.

Monitor competitors (*what they are, but more importantly what they’re not doing, that’s where you come in, you can monitor all competitor social channels in this regard) I bet there is another grocery store around looking for experienced employees!

Content holes (*content creation is often hard for brands, especially with small teams, take a cue from your social listening) You could write a post on how to do this and ’7 other things you might not know’ Lifehacker style and gain some followers, RT’s or maybe a reader for life.

Don’t forget to search for typical misspellings, now that mobile is bigger than ever, spelling can be a little off, or can vary. People also abbreviate places, people and things in so many different ways. Check, you won’t believe what you’ll find!

There are probably so many other ways to put these channels to work without much of a budget for it, feel free to let me know what you’d add or what you’ve tried. Other networks like Facebook, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Pinterest etc. serve as excellent market research tools too. Basic social listening and monitoring may be one of the most untapped aspects of social out there, specifically for small businesses.

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March 25, 2013

Gen Y doesn’t like you or your e-mails

It’s important that you take the long-view with e-mail as Gen Y + Gen C (if you don’t know about Gen C, read Brian Solis’ new book) gain spending power. Gen Y may be unemployed, up to their eyeballs in student debt + living with their parents, but things aren’t going to stay that way. In fact, Gen Y could outspend the Boomers as early as 2017. Because your business will be relying on Gen Y dollars sooner than you may have imagined, it’s to face the music. Marketing to Gen Y is going to require, well, un-marketing; collaboration, reciprocity, listening, trust and putting customer service and experience at the top of your priority list. E-mail can help you accomplish the aforementioned requirements, but it’s likely going to mean a huge shift from what you’re currently doing.

10% or ‘free shipping’ e-mails that come more frequently than our snail- mail

I know you see a small spike in sales on these days and it leads you to send these again and again, but what you aren’t considering is you’re missing out the opportunity to do so much more. People are giving you their e-mails and allowing you into their inbox because they expect more from you, Gen Y will be expecting a lot more. If you’re going to send an e-mail offering a discount, make it count, and earn your click-through. Less frequent, bigger discounts will lead to better open rates and sales. I’m willing to bet if you moved your discounts primarily to your social channels and used your e-mails for other initiatives, Gen Y would like you even more since that’s why they ‘like’ or follow you in the first place.

E-mails that alert us to your new blog post on a topic no one cares about

It goes without saying that if your company is going to invest time into producing content, it should be content that the majority of your customers care about and can use. It should be a resource, it should be delivered in various forms i.e. video, visual, text, it should be mobile-accesible as 58% of Gen Y between the ages of 23-31 own a smartphone and are very connected, and it should rarely be about the actual company.

Email is your opportunity to share values and experiences. It’s an opportunity for you to let your customers know you’re listening, you’re growing with them and you’re tuned into their needs. Gen Y cares about making the world a better place and email is a great channel to show them that your company does too. Highlight the causes and organizations that your company is involved with and make them socially shareable or actionable for optimized reach and engagement.

Some other thoughts on changing the way we use email…

I believe there will be a huge change upswing in co-marketing, partnerships marketing and collaboration which will appeal to Gen Y because it’s easier to trust someone who is willing to support or partner with someone else, the same goes for brands and businesses. We see this with bloggers and industry influencers now, brands highlight bloggers with huge social followings hoping to get a piece of their loyal followers. I suspect we’ll see brands supporting and collaborating with other brands that make sens for their demographic. Is the future of marketing a place where shopping at Whole Foods gets you a pretty good discount and exclusive deals at Lulu Lemon? I could be wrong, but I see a great deal of strategic partnerships and collaborations that attract Gen Y. Highlighting these partnerships though e-mail and social etc. further emphasize brands understanding of their customers needs and wants.

Gen Y values peer reviews and recommendations and as heavy social media users, they’re seeing these reviews regularly. They rely peers and the Web when making purchasing decisions and they share their experiences good and bad. Highlighting customer experiences may also be something that should be included in e-mails regularly along with an easy way for customers to give feedback (though Gen Y will prefer to give feedback through another channel) asking and then showing the result of their inquiry will resonate with them.

These are just some thoughts as we move forward into new territory. One thing is for sure though; Gen Y will move out, get married and be a great challenge for all marketers. Using e-mail in new ways and for new reasons is a great start, but I think at the center of all marketing activity, we need to focus on customer experience for long-term successes. It’s important to Gen Y and a huge competitive advantage, if it’s at the core, I think you’re on the right track.

Your new marketing mantra for Gen Y should be “customers make my brand, my brand does not make them”

Gen Y will eventually leave their parents' homes

Gen Y will eventually move out of their parents’ homes

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February 8, 2013

Brands: Get Off the Google+ Fence

SearchMojo has provided some awesome tips for businesses on the fence about Google+ above, but there are some other reasons I’d consider below, they have an impressive resource section here. Thanks to them for creating this concise, spot-on graphic that should get you leaning to one side.

8. Edit with ease

One thing I love for myself, but even more-so for brands, is the fact that you can edit your Google+ posts. You can’t do this on Facebook. If you’ve just created a beautiful post with witty copy, a perfect visual and appropriate attribution but used your instead of you’re-all good! Google+ has an edit button that allows you to update these common mistakes. This is awesome for community managers, saves time and allows brands or services to consistently share correct information.

9. Circle for relevance

If you’re like me, you got into Google+ without truly realizing the potential of Circles. Because many businesses are in the early stages or even just getting started, I want to shout it from the rooftops: Use your circles! Organize your advocates, customers + users into circles that ultimately help your brand or company get them the best information or content for them. Too often, we aren’t considering the end-user despite the fact that we know we can be successful by giving them what they want. Google is giving brands an amazing tool here that needs to be utilized to it’s full potential for improved relevance which will ultimately leads to more +1′s, comments and shares. This is a great way to also reward advocates or influencers with exclusive content or recognition. Circle up, brands!

10. Hangout with your customers

You don’t hear ‘focus group’ too frequently anymore, but there is a way to get some of those brand-changing benefits from actually hanging out with your customers or users. Hangout with specific circles, random followers or page guests. Do Q+A’s, FAQ’s or exclusive talks or announcements. I love the idea of tying hangouts into an ambassador program. If you’re brand has recruitment as a top priority, open up the floor to some potential employees and talk about the industry to really get to know them. If your goal is outreach or product review, send it to them with an invite to a product feedback session. Hangouts have a limited capacity, but can be used in so many ways with huge benefits. If you’re asking for customer opinions or feedback, be sure to give them a reason to help your brand improve, as well all know a t-shirt goes a long way.

Obviously, there are many opinions about Google+ and its success or usage, one thing is for sure though, if anyone has the power and resources to make it work, Google does. I don’t think it’s in a brand’s best interest to ignore it. Overall, when we shift the thinking to what’s in it for my users or customers, social channels just start to make far more sense for the brand + the user.

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January 30, 2013

If I Were a Brand, This is How I’d Vine

With Twitter, everyone became a journalist. With Vine, everyone will become a producer. The future is the user and most certainly then, their experiences. As a brand then, more than ever, you’ll need to focus on your users and customers in almost all aspects of your marketing (social, e-mail, etc.) Vine is pretty awesome, and we’re all having a great time getting started. Of course, where there is internet, there is porn, but Vine will undoubtedly have a lot more to offer brands. I always recommend people use social channels they way they want to, with that said, don’t use any guide as your be all, end all when it comes to using any app or channel, that’s truly the beauty of all these networks; you can use them the way they work best for you or your brand.

Sneak Peeks | Do you have a product on the horizon that people are anxiously awaiting? Give them a little Vine action. I see this being great for fashion cult favorites like Rebecca Minkoff, or even the big guns like Chanel. Video games, movies, toys…this works for any product. Build or maintain the excitement with time-released clues. Show people’s reactions to the product (instead of the product). Any way you do it- it’s sure to have way more emotional pull than a text or link tweet!

Announcements | Announce big news, partnerships, events, sales or other promos. Similar to the idea above, you get the picture or should I say Vine.

Feature Customer Vine’s | Vine is now another way to feature user sourced content. Have contests where users submit theirs to win. Feature their Vine in your social channels, e-mails, or give them a prize.

Random Acts of Thanks | You probably get some great feedback, you also likely get your fair share of not-so-great feedback. Let your users or customers know you’re listening to their feedback, good and bad, but sharing a customer-centered Vine their way- I bet they’ll love it.

Put a Face to a Name | When a new person starts working for you- create- or let them create an ‘Intro-Vine’. Knowing who works at your brand humanizes it. We love to know who we’re really engaging with. You could also highlight great employees and what’s awesome about them.

Highlight Causes | Get your community on board with your favorite philanthropies by showing just what it is you do for or with them. Like pictures, people love seeing great causes in action.

Product of the Week | Or month or day in action depending on your offering. Brands like Sephora or Trunk Club could do this very well.

FAQ’s or Q+A’s | I’ve always liked the idea of answering questions via video. Sometimes, questions are just better explained when you don’t have to write the answer. This could be especially useful if you find you’re getting a recurring question.

Put it Together | Whether it’s an outfit or coffee table (Man, Ikea should do this, though they would likely need much longer than 6 seconds), steps via Vine could be interesting for many brands. We’re already seeing a ton of short recipes, and at the end of the day, this really helps your customers or users.

The overall idea for brands is simple, use this app, and apps to come to enhance your user or customer experience. Make sure your brand’s content satiates a need, even if that need is pure entertainment or novelty. Happy Vine-ing all.

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January 13, 2013

Pinterest: A Man’s Best Friend?

Buying gifts can be hard- let’s face it. Most of us can honestly say that we’re happy with whatever we received from loved ones, after-all, it is certainly the thought that counts. That being said- there are many boyfriends, husbands and fathers who put a great deal of time and thought into their choices. These thoughtful men expect a beaming smile when the wrapping paper hits the floor, and rightfully so! This was your year, right guys? Wrong. The truth is, women are hard to buy gifts for. If you think about it, 9 times out of 10, we aren’t even sure about our own purchases- you’ve been there when we were trying to decide, and it wasn’t pretty. Well gentleman, 2013 is your year, because buying gifts for the ladies in your life is likely easier than ever.

Check out what’s she’s ‘pinned’ lately. According to Wired, 1 in 5 women are using Pinterest, and we can’t get enough. It may be as easy as finding the ‘Wishlist’ board, lucky you. If not, it’s likely you still won’t have to look around long. Set on jewelry? Look for a board that says just that- trust me, it’s probably there. It’s also likely that there is a purse or bag board, a shoe board and much more. From diamonds to kitchen-gadgets, women are pinning their most desired products, why not use that to your advantage?

Sometimes, there will be a link that brings you straight to the product. If there isn’t don’t fret, just move onto plan b, you now have a perfect examples to guide you in the buying process. Use Pinterest boards to identify a patterns, styles and brands that are sure to please!

What does she ‘like’- Facebook knows.

Another helpful social channel to research is one you may be more familiar with. Facebook makes it easy to know what she ‘likes’. This network can point you to exact products like this one in ‘recent activity’, but it will also point you to causes, movies, authors, restaurants, gyms and brands to stick with. Whether it be a giftcard to a salon or donation in her name to a cause near to her heart, so it helps to do a little ‘stalking’.

For a while now, I’ve brainstormed an app that sends guys social signals for gift buying. This would be great because it’s problem-solver, but it also provides an awesome customer experience while gaining the trust and loyalty of husbands and boyfriends everywhere- talk about building life-long relationships. It could be integrated with e-mail very nicely too with reminders for birthdays, anniversaries etc. I digress. Overall there are two wins to doing a little social research, 1. she’ll really feel like you’ve been paying attention to what she likes and 2. you’re likely to not have to hand over the gift receipt.

I should add that this idea crosses gender and relationship lines. I’ve talked about boyfriends and husbands, but anyone can use these tricks to identify great gift ideas all year-round. Other tricks you use? I’d love to hear about them and add them here.

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July 18, 2012

The New Editors

Social Media Managers, the voice behind a company or brands’ social media accounts, are the new gatekeepers of content. They decide if, when and how content gets shared. Luckily, there are many ways that you or your organization can become a go-to resource for them.

First and foremost, you should be reaching out to social media managers who you feel would benefit from sharing your content if they aren’t already. As you know, the Internet is vast and some great pieces get overlooked. If you or your organization produces content that makes sense for a social media manager and their audience or industry, reach out. Relationships, like in every other industry, are extremely important. Reciprocity is a huge factor. Just because you don’t speak or meet with them face-to-face, it doesn’t make a relationship with them unimportant.

I am very surprised by how often content isn’t shareable to social networking sites. It may not seem like a big deal to you, but when they are in the zone of sourcing and sharing, ff they have to create their own tweet, headline and find a way to attribute it to you- they may bypass your piece. It may sound lazy, but time is of the essence when you are a social media manager. You work hard on your content and it’s great so make sure we can share it on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and yes, Google+. There are many other options to include, but ensuring you cover the big four is essential to making your content easy to share. I do realize some people or organizations have their own preferences or ideas about their audiences’ preferences for networks, but including a Facebook as opposed to a Twitter button on a post for example is a missed opportunity to expose your content to a much broader audience. Don’t assume any network is useless.

Ensuring an image is used in your non-visual content is essential to increased shareability. Pinterest’s success is no coincidence- photos and videos are shared at a much higher rate than updates or just plain links (77% more on Facebook for example). Much like print, burying the lead is a big mistake. I can’t tell you how often a better headline, tweet or post is pulled from content you already wrote. This isn’t something you can necessarily control, but you can always take a second look to make sure you’re highlighting what is important or better yet, share-worthy from your content.

Help them, help you! Way too often, there is no attribution information when you share or tweet, most often with Twitter. Sometimes, it takes a significant amount of time to find the person or organizations Twitter handle or profile. Sometimes it takes way too long or there isn’t one to be found and sometimes a social media manager gives up. This isn’t a big deal if you’re Mashable, but if you’re up-and-coming or a smaller organization, make sure you or your organization gets the credit that is due.

With today’s 24-hour news cycle, there is absolutely no shortage of content to choose from. A big part of a social media manager’s job is to constantly decide if content is right for their audience and in which channel- now you can help them, help you by being more mindful of their role and its challenges.

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