Archive for January, 2011
Your company’s single biggest mistake on Twitter
Jan 17th
Let’s start this post with a little quiz. I’ve assembled a few Twitter avatars from my Twitter stream. Take a look at the line-up and think about which company you would most likely follow and relate to …
I’ve used this example in many of my classes and the answer is usually unanimous — Megan Parker at GE. It’s disarming isn’t it? A massive multi-national B2B company represented by the welcoming and smiling face of Megan. But I think that’s just what makes this a best practice.
Your company is not choosing just a picture. You’re choosing a voice for the account, a personality, a strategy!
If you’re like me, it’s extremely difficult to connect to a logo. I think it puts a company at an immediate disadvantage. Now I’m making a big assumption here — that your company WANTS to connect. If all you want to do is broadcast press releases, than go ahead and “go logo.” But if you want to create some authentic connection with your audience, I strongly recommend you put a face on the account.
Handling multiple stores/accounts
Here’s an example of how this can work to create brand loyalty, even on a local basis.
A regional manager for Chik-fil-a (a large U.S. restaurant chain) told me she was setting up individual Twitter accounts for her restaurants. She was thinking of putting pictures of the store front as the avatars. Umm … “No,” I said. How about the iconographic cows used in the restaurant ads? No again. Why not feature the store managers who are actually doing the tweeting? Wouldn’t it be cool to establish a Twitter relationship with a real person and then get to say hi to them when you visit? Wouldn’t this build a connection and loyalty? This seems like such a basic concept but it’s ignored by almost every company. Just puzzles me.
Tweets in transition
A logical next question is, what happens when your Twitter face-to-the-world leaves?
I think this is best answered through a comment from Bert DuMars, Vice President E-Business & Interactive Marketing at Newell Rubbermaid. A few months ago, I wrote a post about Twitter branding, wondering what would happen when popular Susan Wassel, the wonderfully-entertaining Sharpie Susan on Twitter got a new job? Here’s how Bert answered this:
“The ID @sharpiesusan is owned by Newell Rubbermaid and the Office Products Division. If Susan were ever to leave Newell Rubbermaid, we would keep that ID and she would be free to re-establish herself on Twitter or any other social network as herself.”
This is happening before our eyes at GE. Yes … Megan has a new job! To my horror, she was replaced on Twitter by:
Sean Gannon GE’s managing editor for digital media explained how they are handling the transition: “Megan is on another team, so we are now ‘tag-teaming’ our Twitter account. On any given day, it may be a different person tweeting. Rather that give the illusion that it’s one person, we went back to a logo until we hand over the Twitter keys to just one person.”
(sigh of relief)
Let’s look at personalization under one more scenario. A company such as Coca-Cola may choose to have one main corporate (and they do). Certainly they’ve earned that right because as one of the world’s great brands, people are interested in their tweets even if it is merely a broadcast of press releases. One way to personalize is to add the initial of the Tweeter at the end like this:
Whether you’re a person or mega-brand, let’s move away from trying to create a personal connection with a picture of an office building or a truck. It’s time to get personal.
Do you agree?
Let’s not have a Quor-gasm
Jan 14th
I don’t like Quora.
As far as I can tell I stand alone in this sentiment. Every blogger this side of Silicon Valley has lined up behind Robert Scoble’s opinion that Quora is the future of blogging.
I am an unabashed fan of The Scobelizer. He is usually right, and much smarter than me. Most people are. And I understand some of the potential personal and business benefits of Quora.
But at the end of the day, any social platform has to connect with people in a consistent, meaningful way and on a personal level — even an emotional level. And the emotion I feel when I’m on Quora is anxiety. I’m not sure that’s the emotion they’re looking for. Why does this creep me out?
It’s already too crowded
When I first visited Quora (pre-buzz), I thought it was a breath of fresh air. It was so empty and wonderful! I could connect to some good conversations, contribute, follow along, and learn a few things.
The next time I visited, I had 380 followers. Huh? And 20 messages in my inbox, most of them crap from people I never heard of before — the Quora equivalent of an automatic direct message. But wait there’s more. I also had five notifications and “241 items related to you.” WTF?
Look I don’t need that in my life. I don’t need more freaking messages, notifications and items. I’m happy to answer a few questions to help people. Then leave me alone.
I already have too much to read.
Many popular questions have 10, 20, maybe even 50 answers. Long answers. Who has time for that? On a daily basis? ZZZzzz.
It’s too disorganized
There is already such a flood of questions that the site is a jumbled mess. People are asking the same questions over and over and over. There is no good way to sort through the goo to find something worthwhile.
Big buzz, little value.
So I’ve answered a few questions. I like answering questions because it makes me feel useful. One question I noticed was, “What makes a Twitter snob?” Now there’s a subject right up my alley! So I answered it and included links to my blog post, and Mitch Joel’s post which were directly relevant to this question. Apparently these links served as a red flag for the Quora gestapo who “collapsed” (erased) my answer. What a great way to build loyalty.
If you really want great answers to your questions without all the Quora flubber, join some LinkedIn groups related to your industry. With 600,000 varieties, you should be able to find a few you like. I’m constantly floored by the experts in those groups who give quality spam-free advice. Without collapsing answers.
A new channel for spam
Poor little Quora. It’s already like a little guppy in an oil spill gasping for breath. The spammers, SEO playas, and back-link re-sellers are probably circling like vultures. How to keep them out? I’m sure people will soon be selling us ways to build “massive traffic on Quora!!”
Obviously there is value to sharing information on Quora. I mean, how can you argue with that? There have already been a dozen posts written about the business benefits. If you have the time. If you have the energy. If you have the resources to respond to your 241 items.
I don’t.
But I’m a teacher, blogger, and consultant. When somebody asks me a question about Quora I better be ready to answer from a place of experience. So for better or worse I’m going to stick around and hope they develop an option for “I’m just here to visit, please don’t send me items.” And heck, let’s hope Quora can address some of these issues and make it. I always cheer for the guppy.
Look, I’m sure you have a much better bead on this platform than me. Have you tried it? What do you think? Am I missing the boat? What IS the future of blogging?
A PR 2.0 Success Story: How I Became a Mommy Blogger
Jan 13th
This is a true story. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. Wait, no they haven’t.
The Mommy Blogger Genre is generally not a pool I would splash around in, but I was doing research for a class and I was blown away by the facts and figures about this subculture. Check it out:
- There are 42 million women involved in social media weekly — and about half of them are moms with children at home. Of those, about 11.5 million moms are actively taking part in the blogosphere.
- According to the Consumer Electronics Association report, U.S. moms are more active on social networks than any adult demographic. Moms spend an average of 111 hours online, and one in three moms regularly post product reviews.
- Cision noted that “Mom bloggers are extremely vital to the new media landscape,” and that they “use new media like nobody’s business.”
- Nielsen compiled a list of the 50 most influential mommy bloggers and further dissected the genre into six sub-categories: Queen Bees, Savvy Spenders, Mom-Approved Reviewers, Mamastes, Tech Moms and CEO Moms.
During my research I discovered that General Mills has set up a blog network specifically to serve this group called MyBlogSpark. Mommy Bloggers in the program have insider access to General Mills product freebies.
Wait a minute. FREEBIES? You mean I could get my hands on some limited edition Cheerios or something? Maybe some Chipotle Hamburger Helper? Baby SIGN ME UP!
And that’s how I officially became a Mommy Blogger. You had me at Häagen-Dazs.
I LOVE the idea behind this blogger outreach program. This is a classic case of PR 2.0 and General Mills seems to be doing it right:
- They’re not depending on tired product pitches to get their news out. Influencers are right in the middle of the product introductions. They’re involved with the company and the products.
- They are running an upfront and ethical shop, encouraging bloggers to be transparent about how they receive samples.
- The company asks to be contacted directly for feedback if bloggers don’t feel they can write a positive review. This seems like enlightened brand management.
- General Mills is creating loyalty and community by highlighting and rewarding outstanding bloggers.
There’s been just one little problem so far. I’ve been in the program for more than a month and have yet to receive a single product sample. In fact the only thing I have received was a link to a lame Jolly Green Giant Holiday video.
C’mon. I want some crackers. Throw me some beans or something guys. This Mommy Blogger is ready to rock.
What’s your take on this new blogger outreach program?
Is it OK to fake your tweets?
Jan 11th
The other day a prominent Twitter celebrity was kind enough to re-tweet one of my blog posts. It was not Kim Kardashian. At least that time. Any way, because of his power and influence, my link was promptly re-tweeted by 12 of his followers. Wow, that’s influence right?
Only problem is, in that period of time, my server was down. None of them could have possibly read my blog post.
Welcome to the world of fake tweeting.
How often does this happen?
I’m guessing more than we could possibly realize. How many people are either tweeting without reading … or not even tweeting themselves at all?
Tweeting — The Industry
I recently was asked by a well-known business professional to help them get started on Twitter. The person had been flailing about and frustrated, simply broadcasting news about their business and products. It was mind-numbing.
After a couple of hours of training and re-setting her social media mindset, her tweets were transformed and the engagement was much more successful. Then suddenly the whole thing flopped again. She went back to broadcasting mindless self-serving tweets. I scolded the person and asked what happened. “Oh I went on vacation and turned my tweeting over to the ad agency.”
This is happening everywhere. Fake tweeting for people has become a cottage industry. I think it’s safe to say that a high percentage of tweets are disconnected from real people, broadcasting links that were never read and are little more than the results of automated programs.
Again, it’s impossible to have data on this, but based on my experience, I think the problem is also growing exponentially.
And maybe I contribute to the issue, too. I do “blind tweet” under one circumstance: If somebody I know well and trust completely asks me to tweet a link as a favor, the link is time-sensitive, and I simply don’t have time to read it first. So yes, in a way, I’m part of the problem.
Does anybody care?
Or is it a problem at all? Isn’t there a place on Twitter for everybody? Who made the “rules” any way?
Don’t you always have the option to un-follow people who are obviously not engaging as themselves? Are we simply being close-minded and elitist by claiming that Twitter is all about “the conversation” and “authenticity?” Do you tweet without reading? Fake your tweets?
I have my own views, but I’d like to hear your take on it. The comment section is yours …
Oh, and if you’d like to read about my stormy relationship with Kim Kardashian, click for the scoop! : )
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