skip to main |
skip to sidebar
On Social Media Today, blogger Sherryl Perry describes her exchange with one company's social media manager.
It's a prime example of using social media marketing the right way.
After linking in her blog to Grasshopper (a B2B provider of phone service), Perry received a hand-written thank-you note from the company's "ambassador of buzz."
Included were the ambassador's business card and a Starbucks gift card.
Grasshopper reps also commented on Perry's blog and Tweeted about it.
The upshot? Perry now has "a new Twitter friend and an even warmer and fuzzier feeling about Grasshopper."
Was the company merely soliciting Perry's business? Not really. In fact, Perry had recently cancelled her contract with Grasshopper, because she no longer needed its service.
Grasshopper was simply using social media marketing the right way.
"Obviously, this is a company that has a process in place," Perry writes. "When I left them as a customer, they sent an automated email. When I blogged about them, someone Tweeted my post (good move on their part because of the backlink to them) and left a comment for me. It could have stopped there but it didn’t."
Does your organization have a social media process in place?
- Do you habitually thank readers who comment about your blog posts?
- Do you follow links left in comments and leave comments for readers?
- Do you thank readers who Tweet about your blog?
- Do you go the extra mile and reach out to readers off line?
If you've ever produced a Webinar, you know a ton of effort's required.
So it's hugely disappointing when a mere handful of attendees show up.
Marketo's resident blogger Andrew Spoeth recommends these five ways to boost attendance of your next Webinar:
Give attendees access to the speaker. In your promotions, emphasize that attendees can chat with the speaker. And encourage them to send questions to the speaker in advance.
Hold a drawing. The promise of a prize can be the incentive that turns a registrant into an attendee. Offer an item related to the topic, such as a book.
Help attendees connect with other attendees. Have a Twitter chat after the Webinar or invite attendees to join a LinkedIn group.
Make an exclusive offer. Provide an e-book or special report that's available only to attendees after the Webinar.
Phone ahead. A pre-recorded "reminder" sent automatically to registrants will increase attendance.
New research by IBM indicates business executives hold some false beliefs about social media:
- According to the study, 70 percent of executives think their organizations will be “out of touch” if they don’t engage customers through social media. But 55 percent of customers say they don’t engage with brands at all through social media.
- Of the 45 percent of customers who engage with brands, 66 percent say they must feel the organization is communicating honestly before they’ll interact. But 33 percent of executives feel lukewarm about transparency.
- Executives think “getting discounts” and “purchasing products” are the two least likely reasons customers engage with brands through social media. But customers say these are the two most likely reasons.
- Executives are three times more likely than customers to think customers want to be part of an online “community.” Customers want to interact when it’s to their direct benefit.
The researchers urge executives to think like customers. “Recast social interaction strategies to focus on giving customers the value they seek and the customer intimacy will come,” they suggest.
Most event planners focus exclusively on the “onsite experience.”
But a few savvy ones integrate that experience into a series of encounters that begin long before, says event planning expert Jeff Hurt. These include:
Videos. Savvy planners produce a series of pre-event videos that promote features like the headquarters hotel and keynote speaker. The videos include testimonials from attendees.
YouTube. These planners post the videos on a branded page.
Blogs. Savvy planners blog weekly (and more frequently as the event draws near). Guest posts are contributed by speakers, event committee members and the host city’s mayor.
Crowdsourced content. Savvy planners use social media to solicit suggestions for speakers’ topics and ask attendees to vote for or against them.
Webinars. Savvy planners contract with speakers to provide pre-event Webinars. Positive word-of-mouth about the Webinars helps generate attendees for the face-to-face event.
Radio stations. Savvy planners create a radio station and produce interviews with speakers, event committee members and representatives of the host city.
Video FAQs. These produce a video that answers common questions and share it through social networking sites.
“I’m Attending” badges. Savvy planners create digital badges that attendees can embed on their Facebook pages. The badges can link to the event’s Website.
Are you prepared for a social media crisis?
In the event of one, Jay Baer and Amber Naslund, in The Now Revolution, recommend these eight steps:
Acknowledge the crisis. Right at the onset, let customers and social media onlookers know you’re not asleep at the wheel.
Fight fire with fire. It’s imperative to communicate through the vehicle where the crisis started. If it broke out on Twitter, respond first on Twitter.
Apologize. If you made a mistake and want the healing process to begin quickly, start with “We’re sorry.”
Create an FAQ. List the prominent inquiries about the crisis and provide your responses, even if you don’t have complete answers to every question. Update the document in real time.
Build a pressure-relief valve. Open your blog to comments and your Facebook page to discussions. Consider creating a dedicated discussion forum.
Know when to take it off line. Engage people who are extremely upset off line. You can usually reduce the toxicity.
Arm your army. Provide your team with the same information you provide the public. Often, communication professionals are so busy during a crisis they fail to keep employees in the loop.
Learn your lessons. Once the crisis has abated, document it, so you reconstruct and learn from your response.
