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Hunting for Engagement Opportunities on Twitter

Build it and they will come? Most of the time, it’s not that easy.


We can’t all be Starbucks or Disney. We can’t all gather a half-million Facebook fans in a week, or a hundred thousand Twitter followers in a month. It’s a simple fact that a large number of lesser-known companies live in industries where Social Media adoption is lagging behind, and those companies are going to have to work extra-hard to uncover the opportunities for engagement. However, if these companies look hard enough, they’ll find that there ARE people talking about their brands. There ARE people talking about their products. There ARE people who WILL engage with them. It just take a little hunting to find them.

Now, you’ll notice the title of this article is ‘Hunting for ENGAGEMENT’, not ‘Hunting for Sales’. This approach will NOT work if all you want to do is blast sales messages. Engagement and interaction is the key to being a superstar in social media communications. So, with that in mind, let us continue.

The first step, aside from starting to Tweet in the first place, is to scour Twitter for any mentions of your brand name, product types, competitors, industry organizations, and any other keywords that relate to your business. The easiest, most effective way to do this is to utilize the multitude of free alert services and advanced ‘Twitter’ search sites that exist. These can help you uncover any Tweet that gets posted on any number of topics with any combination of terms and keywords.

Some of the best tools I’ve found are:

Advanced Twitter Search – http://search.twitter.com/advanced
• Search Twitter using extremely detailed search criteria, including exact phrases, language, with links or without, positive or negative attitude, and more.

TweetAlarm – http://www.tweetalarm.com/
• Like Google Alerts, but for Twitter. Sends email reports to you of any mention of any number of keywords, and allows you to exclude Tweets from certain users (like yourself). Get real-time, daily, or weekly reports.

Who’s Talkin’ – http://www.whostalkin.com/
• Social Media search engine that examines multiple sources for any and all mentions of a specific keyword. Sources include Google Blog Search, Twitter, WordPress, and more.

SocialMention – http://www.socialmention.com/
• Similar to Who’s Talkin – Allows you to drill down further and look at comments, images, news, etc, and provides positive/negative sentiment indicators. Also provides detailed metrics on the mentions it finds.

Example of SocialMention search results:

Ok, so now you’ve found a handful of people talking about your product. What do you do next? It’s a very simple 3-step process:

1 – Follow them – This is essential to creating a sense of appreciation and goodwill to them, letting them know that you’re not just spamming. Also, adding them to a custom list would be a good thing as well.

2 – Respond to them – Not just an @ message with a canned ‘check us out!’ response, but an actual reply to their message. Did they post a link to a photo? Say it was cool, or better yet, RT it with a personal message. Did they have an issue with their product? Offer help on their specific problem. Don’t just say ‘call us at 1-800-BLA-BLAH.

3 – Follow-up – Do they respond back to you? Then respond back again. Always be the last one to respond. This way you always leave the ball in their court, and if they have any other desire to talk with you, they will.

The point is this: If your company exists in a very specific industry, or a very niche market, it may not be common knowledge among your customers that they can get help/knowledge/information through Social Media channels. They may only use it for personal reasons, oblivious to the fact that there is a wealth of knowledge and interaction that you can provide to them.

By actively finding THEM, instead of waiting for them to find YOU, you’re kick-starting your community in a very positive way. You’re letting them know that you’re listening, that you care about what they have to say, and that you really want to help.

Twitter + TV = Better Entertainment

Jeff Probst and CBS get Twitter in a way that very few do.


Image linked from: http://mikesbloggityblog.com


I’m a big Survivor fan. Been watching since my wife (then girlfriend) convinced me to watch the finale of the Australia season (#2). Seen every episode of every season since then, and it never gets old.

That being said, this season (#21 if you’re keeping track) has added a completely new element to the experience of watching this show: Jeff Probst, the long-serving and exceptionally entertaining host of the show, live-Tweets with fans during the show.

For the past few episodes, he’s done this, and it’s added a new layer of insight in to what is the longest running ‘reality show’ in history. Imagine if you could sit on the couch right next to the director of your favourite movie AS you’re watching it. Yeah, it’s THAT cool.

For example, tonight I found out that Jeff gets to keep the torch-snuffers from each season, he accidentally smashed a vote urn during a lighting rehearsal, and that he thinks Ralph telling everyone about the hidden idol was a huge mistake. Now granted, if you’re not a fan you’re probably saying “So what?”. But if you ARE a fan, you know how interesting these little bits of info are. Now you’ll likely start thinking about other shows that you watch, and what little bits of info the host or actors might have that you might find really interesting. See how this adds a new level of entertainment to the whole ‘TV’ experience?

What Jeff Probst and CBS have done is recognize the potential for connecting with their already-loyal fans and making them feel like they’re very nearly part of the show. Which, of course, they are. Without fans a show doesn’t get past the first season. By having a host who clearly loves what he does, and allowing him to connect with the fans of the show while it airs, they’re allowing the ‘Survivor’ experience to be enhanced by having ‘behind-the-scenes’ comments sent out in real-time to everyone who wants to know more about the show. This kind of bonus material is usually reserved for ‘special edition’ DVD’s or two-hour post-season specials. Now you get it instantaneously, and for free.

What this clearly illustrates is the passion that both Jeff and CBS have for the show, which in turn will take already devoted fans and turn them in to raving evangelists. They recognize that by engaging with their fans they increase the amount of entertainment that they can jam in to a TV show’s time slot.

Businesses can learn something from this example. Sure, social media is great at improving your SEO, generating brand awareness, and all those other good things. But what social media is EXCEPTIONAL at is taking an already strong relationship with your biggest fans and making that relationship essentially indestructible. If you give your advocates and enthusiasts more than they expect, they will sing your praises even louder than they already do. Just something to think about.

The Tao of Twitter – Book Review

The book I wish I had before I wrote my first Tweet.

Twitter can be a really hard sell sometimes. “Who wants to hear what celebrities had for lunch?”, “You can’t use something like Twitter for business.”, or “How can you say anything worthwhile in 140 characters?” are all questions that we’ve heard before, and some of us are even guilty of asking them. But the reality is far from this perception. Twitter is indeed a viable platform for business communication, professional networking, customer service, marketing, news, and more. Every day more and more people are realizing the positives from participating on Twitter. They are preaching its awesomeness from all corners of the globe, and yet there are still droves of people who still think it’s stupid, pointless, just for kids, or full of celebrity gossip.

So how do you break that stereotype and show them the reality? Well, Mark W. Schaefer, author of the {grow} blog, took action and wrote The Tao of Twitter. A book whose sole purpose is to smash the negative stereotypes that talk of Twitter as a ‘waste of time’, and show readers that the personal and business benefits you can achieve on Twitter are real and are far-reaching.

Rather than start off with the typical lists of terminology and mechanics, Mark begins the book with a funny little anecdote about when he had his ‘a-ha!’ moment on Twitter. A moment that we all have when we start using it. The precise moment when you realize what the potential is. He then moves to an example of a tangible business success that could only have come to him as a result of Twitter. This approach allows the reader to understand the whole point of Twitter in the first 10 pages, and see what it’s capable of, instead of getting immediately bogged down with dry definitions and acronyms.

From there, Schaefer proceeds to explain the three ‘Tao’s that ensure you’re developing a strong community. In summary, the keys are to ensure you follow a group of people that are providing good content, that you return the favour and share good content to your followers, and that you commit to being genuinely helpful to the community. Through these three activities you will begin to realize the full benefits of Twitter.

Only then, once he’s shown that YES it does work for business, does Schaefer begin to explain some of the essential common terminology, the basic mechanics of how to Tweet properly, and some of the best do’s/don’ts for both beginners and veterans alike. Mark also outlines a simple regimen for ensuring that your entire day is not devoured by Twitter, but you are still an active participant within your community.

Finally, the book discusses how to put all the concepts together, as well as some important competitive advantages that will come from using Twitter, and how some of the current influence benchmarks work and are being used. While far from perfect, these influence metrics are still important to be aware of, and you certainly won’t be able to ignore them for long.

Overall, I was quite impressed by this first book by Mark W. Schaefer. It tackles a key problem that businesses face when adopting Social Media, and uses real examples of successes, both personal and professional. The Tao of Twitter should be viewed as the handbook to become one of those Twitter users that people will actually WANT to follow. It’s the kind of book that you’ll read more than once, lend to your friends and colleagues, and will probably fill with post-it notes, highlighter marks, and dog-eared pages.

*NOTE: This review was not solicited in any way. My copy of the Tao of Twitter was purchased.

Top 5 Tips to Get in to the Twitter Pool Without Drowning

imageKnow someone who should be on Twitter, but is a bit apprehensive? Here’s 5 tips to help them get their feet wet.

Twitter is intimidating for new users. Back in June 2010 (which is eons in the past, for Twitter), there were an estimated 65 million tweets being posted per day. PER DAY!?! I don’t care who you are or where you’re from, that’s an impressive figure, and it’s even totally out of date. How many daily tweets are there now? No idea, but it’s surely many more than that.

So, now that everyone is saying that you have to be on Twitter, where do you start? How do you step in to a community of 90 million users and not get completely swept away? Well, there’s two strategies, just like swimmers entering an ice-cold lake: The brave just dive in and deal with the shock, the timid move in slowly and adjust a little bit at a time. Here’s a fun fact: Twitter retention is about 40%, with most users who quit leaving within the first month. Why? Hard to know, but it may have something to do with the lack of any standard way of being ‘introduced’ to Twitter. Everyone has their own idea of what users should do first, and it never works the same for everyone.

But I believe there are some basic tactics that new users can follow, regardless of their reasons for joining. I’ve decided to compile what I believe to be the top few tactics that might be helpful to those timid Twitter swimmers who know they need to be there, and want to see what’s happening, but aren’t quite ready to plunge headlong in to the unknown. Here we go:

1 – Choose one interest to start with.

    This might seem simple, but it can be incredibly daunting. There are Twitter communities out there for any topic you can imagine, and I mean ANY topic. Want to connect with other people who use Twitter for their small-business? You can find them.  Want to connect with other people who dye their cats fur? You can find them, too. It’s a good idea to not spread out too fast all at once, since you will quickly become overwhelmed with ‘stuff’ to sort through. Choose one main focus to start, and see what’s there. You can always add other interests once you get the hang of things.

2 – Identify a handful of key influencers.

    For every topic, there are those Twitter users who it seems like EVERYONE follows. A Twitter user in Marketing? They probably follow @mitchjoel or @unmarketing. A pop music enthusiast? They probably follow @coldplay or @ladygaga. Choose a few really popular users that fit your topic of interest, follow them and see what they’re posting. Not only will you likely find their posts incredibly interesting, but it will help get you adjusted to the way tweets are written, and how other people interact on Twitter.

3 – Find a few users that make you laugh.

    Have a favourite comedian? Or perhaps an actor/actress that you can’t get enough of? Follow them. It will give your Twitter feed a ‘break’ from the monotony of one topic on a regular basis, and it will help you see Twitter not just as informative, but entertaining as well.

4 – Retweeting to show that you exist.

    Posting a fresh and original tweet is great, and I encourage you to do it whenever the mood strikes you, but if you have no followers, you quickly feel like sending out your own tweets is pointless. (Note: Yes, I know that it’s not pointless, but when you have no one reading them, it sure FEELS like that) Retweeting stuff that you find interesting allows those tweets to appear in searches that other people conduct for the original tweeter, as well as any # hashtags that appear in the tweet. This is a good way to introduce yourself as someone on Twitter who has an interest in those topics, and wants to share that information with the rest of the community. It’s a good way to earn your first few followers.

5 – Answering questions & giving feedback.

    Have an opinion on something someone just tweeted? Don’t hesitate to let them know. I’ve noticed that the Twitter community is not only very receptive to feedback, but we tend to crave it. I love to know what people think of my content, especially if they have something new to add to the conversation. It helps everyone see different perspectives, and gets your own creative juices flowing. A single comment can be the spark that generates a whole new series of tweets.

Well, there you have it. Hopefully those tips help make Twitter seem a bit less scary. It’s always comforting to have some kind of plan in place when you start something new, and social media is no different. I believe that following these tips for your first steps in to the Twitter universe will get you in the groove quickly and effectively. It’s always good to keep in mind that Twitter is not a competition, nor is it a race. Don’t focus on how many followers you have, or how many people have retweeted you. What’s really important is if you’re getting some value out of your experience. As long as you feel like it’s beneficial for you, then you’re doing it right.

Also, if some of the words in my post seem like gibberish to you heres a collection of Twitter Definitions and Terminology:
http://hellboundbloggers.com/2009/04/23/twitter-definitions-for-newbies/

I’d love to hear your opinions on these tips, or if you have any of your own that have worked for you, let’s hear from you! Or maybe you’ve got a great ‘what not to do’ example that you can share, let’s hear those too!