8 Excellent Twitter Analytics Tools to Extract Insights from Twitter Streams

Twitter is now the third most popular social network, behind Facebook and MySpace (Compete, 2009). A year ago, it has over a million users and 200,000 active monthly users sending over 3 million updates per day (TechCrunch, 2008). Those figures have almost certainly increased since then. With the torrential streams of Twitter updates (or tweets), there's an emerging demand to sieve signals from noises and harvest useful information.


Enter Twitter Analytics, Twitter Analysis, or simply just Analytwits (in the tradition of Twitter slang). These analytics tools are growing in numbers; even Twitter is developing them.

Besides Twitter Search, the following 8 Analytwits are some of the more useful web applications to analyze Twitter streams. Each of these tools serve specific purpose. They crawl and sift through Twitter streams; also, aggregate, rank and slice-and-dice data to deliver some insights on Twitter activities and trends. There's no single best analytic tool available but use in combination, they can extract interesting insights from Twitter streams.

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Facebook: First social networking, then movies, now shoes???

 These shoes are going Places (get it Facebook Places, ah forget it). The sneakers are not available for purchase (sorry to disappoint you). It's simply a concept by Glasgow designer Gerry McKan. McKan also created a Twitter version. Read the whole Blog Herald article here.

Top 20 Apps For Managing Social Media -- InformationWeek

Top 20 Apps For Managing Social Media -- InformationWeek

There's Truly A Social Networking Site for Everyone

OMI's Social Media University: Linked In

Introducing: OMI's Social Media U!

One of the things we've found here at OMI as we work with our clients is that they know enough about all of the social networks they hear about to know they need to join, but amazingly, they have no idea why they need to join.

So they sign up for an account (on whichever network grabs their attention first) and begin hammering away at hard-selling whoever they attract to their page, or sometimes, unsure of what the heck to do, they just start posting short, mindless blurbs about whatever crosses their minds that day. Not good.

So at OMI, we've dedicated ourselves to finding the best content available that explains not just what a network is, but what it does, and how you should use it. First in our series is "What is Linked In?", produced by the fine folks at Linked In to give users a better sense of how to use this important tool. Later, we'll share tips on using Linked In, and a wealth of information about all of the other dizzying array of network choices their are for the online marketer and casual social media user. But for now - let's have a look at Linked In. Prepare to be amazed! Astonished! Or..educated!!!! (Clears throat).

Twitter's Tipping Point?

 I was first introduced to Twitter in 2008 while working for a media outlet in Washington, D.C. My editor, a wise newsman (and the person who signed my paychecks) predicted that it would be the next big thing and encouraged us all to sign up for accounts. At this time I was just really getting into Facebook. I had no idea that two years later my career would revolve around these two social networking mediums.

  I guess that's why this video is so funny to me. Three years ago most of us didn't know what Twitter was. Few of us knew that it would reach the heights that it's reached. This got me wondering when was Twitter's tipping point. At what point did Twitter go from being this crazy fad that no one but tech geeks cared about to the hot way to market and sell products, follow celebrities, and communicate with friends. Twitter has more than 100 million users. Companies have had to jump on board and not only admit this is powerful platform for communication, but for their advertising and marketing to consumers. Media have begun to rely on it for real time news dispersal and consumer engagement When did this happen?

 I can think of two big moments that really cemented Twitter as a force. The first was the Hudson River plane crash, when heroic Captain Sully Sullenberger safely landed the flight in the river with no deaths or major injuries. People tweeted photos and real-time updates that scooped even the media. It was the first time that we saw that this medium as a viable source for sending out necessary information to the masses.

  The other is when Ashton Kutcher challenged CNN to see who could get to a million followers first. Kutcher boldly challenged the international network to a duel to see who could hit that million target and he won. The publicity garnered by the "popularity contest" had the dual impact of adding a big surge of followers to the social networking site and publicity and attention to something many people were previously unaware of.

  Those are my theories, what do you think? At what point did Twitter really gain momentum? What was the point in time when it went from fad to phenomenon?




 

34 Ways to Motivate Your Social Media Group To Engage

(Source: http://www.carolroth.com)

So, you’ve got a Social Media Group…now what? Whether you’re on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or have your own blog/forum, it can be challenging to get group members to stay active, submit relevant discussions, comment or even meet up online. So, I have again reached out to my network of valued experts and entrepreneurs to find out their best tips for motivating a Social Media Group to actively participate. Their answers are presented below in no particular order.

This topic was suggested by a regular CarolRoth.com contributor, Eric Pursh of Gemini Media Group LLC, so thanks Eric!

You may notice some similar tips, but I kept the insights separate, as something in the way one is framed may resonate differently with you.

1. Engage Authentically!

Once you know where your audience hangs out, it's essential to engage authentically. The best conversations arise from sharing who you are and being willing to be different, even if you feel like you are out on a limb!

I find the more 'out there' my comments are, the more people engage... show up as the quirky, insightful, interested, creative being that you are and watch your comments skyrocket.

People on social media want to connect with people...not a whole lot of autofeed links!!

Thanks to: Lisa Murray of BlissTribe.

2. Stay on Topic!

Okay, how many of us have been in a discussion group that covers our topic of choice and all of a sudden, out of nowhere, you get a barrage of posts that have nothing to do with the topic at hand. Someone, or some people, for some unknown reason hijacks the conversation and starts talking about things that are not either relevant or anything I care about. Once, okay, it happens. Twice, I start adding my $0.02, getting people back on subject. Want to keep people engaged... STAY ON TOPIC!

Thanks to: Ben Baker of CMYK Solutions Inc..

3. Get Real, Get Known

Social networking is called social for a reason. To build an active community, we need to get known to each other for more active engagement. Don't talk to your group; talk with your group members. Ask them interesting questions, ones that allow them to share a bit of their personal life. Allow yourself to be authentic, encouraging others to be also. When we have commonalities with someone, we feel a kinship, they become your kind of people and that's how a connection and loyalty is made.

Thanks to: Jane Morrison of Smart Savvy Success.

4. It's Gotta Be Free

We wanted to get people to attend our Conference, but it was our first one and we didn't have a track record, so... we used the Free Facebook Event App to invite people to a Free Presentation about Social Media Marketing. Since it was a subject of interest, people signed up and attended. Once they saw who we were and what we had to offer, then they were more comfortable to communicate with us online and sign-up for our non-free conference. Step 1: Free Social Marketing Presentation. Step 2: Engage.

Thanks to: William Michael of Vallarta Escapes.

5. The Most Beautiful Sound...

to another person...is their name! Admit it or not, we all like to be the subject of positive commentary and discussion. With that in mind, a sure fire way to inspire an otherwise inactive social media list is to post a message featuring someone from your circle with an inspiring story or worthwhile product. Do this daily. These types of endorsements are invaluable and cost nothing. Just imagine what would happen to you if your best business friends referred you to all of their friends!

Thanks to: Steve Gallegos of WhoYa.

6. Book it

In social media, you have to be current...so choose a recent book that is helpful to your profession and set up a discussion group on that book. Then, you might establish a book of the month club to keep interest. Discussion members can suggest books as well. Contact the author of the book to have him make a "guest" appearance at the discussion board. This gives you credibility and encourages people to continue to participate.

Thanks to: Brenda Gustafson of One Move Ahead.

7. Carve out your Niche

This tip is simple - Don't try to be everything to everyone. Find a niche where you can really make a difference to your social circle. Focus on just your niche and how you can help others through your postings and others will follow you. Don't be self-serving, but work on giving to others within that niche and everything will come together.

Thanks to: Mary Francis of The Sisterhood of Widows.

8. Talk WITH Them and Not to Them

Talk WITH them; do not sell to them. Share usable information, tips and tricks. Get to know them - their needs and concerns. Then, you are in position to suggest a solution. Also, it's a good idea to ask them questions or their opinions. Make them feel that they are individual, unique and valued.

Thanks to: Heidi McCarthy of Toughest Customer.

9. Invite...Engage

In a short, we began to use thought provoking questions with personable responses, advertise other events in the world and promote giveaways...People love to win quality, useable gifts and this builds your reputation as one of "quality".

Thanks to: Sherell Edwards of Christian Women's Leadership Exchan.

10. Build a System

Building a social media system has increased our ability to stay in touch and minimizes our time spent on social media. Here's what we do. Following each event, we go through each business card/contact and connect with them on linkedin, twitter and facebook. For those who indicated interest in being on our mailing list, we send a personalized email and begin the relationship right away. A system means no more piles of cards on the desk!

Thanks to: Charmaine Hammond of Hammond International Inc..

11. Connect & Get Personal

The key to successful social media is making it personal & connecting with "people". Put your photo (not your pet's photo) so they can connect with a person, the EII (educate, inform & invite). Share great tips or quotes, and respond to their posts. DO NOT use an auto messaging system on FaceBook! The whole point is to connect with people! Pretend you are courting them before EVER asking for business, whether you meet live, phone call or FB...PERSONAL!

Thanks to: Robin Hardy of Integrity VA Services.

12. Talk About Them!

Submit interesting articles that relate specifically to their needs and interests and they will be sure to comment on them. Also, ask questions. Another way to create a sure response is to launch a contest - give away a prize for the most interesting comment on a topic or question.

Thanks to: Stefania Lucchetti of Stefania Lucchetti.

13. Make the Honest Ask

Sometimes, you just need to be transparent and let your community know you need help. If you haven't been asking for too much and have always been a good person to them, they will happily reciprocate.

Thanks to: Danny Wong of Custom Men's Dress Shirts | BL.

14. Engage their imagination

I publish Be Inkandescent Magazine, a monthly ezine for entrepreneurs. Each day, I post an interesting tip or tidbit from one of the ezine columns on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter with the goal of engaging feedback. It works! Daily, I get several comments about the article, suggestions of new story ideas, and queries about the services of my PR firm. Ideas beget growth and that generates more good ideas.

Thanks to: Hope Katz Gibbs of Inkandescent Public Relations.

15. And You Shall Receive

For discussion groups on LinkedIn, I've found the best way to get members to engage is to ASK THEM directly. For offline meetings, ask group members to submit door prizes, and then announce the event not only via the group Discussions/Announcement feature, but in other places online...including direct, personal emails to those you most want to attend (and be sure to target the Big Mouths in your group --- the extroverts that post often, have a blog, etc).

Thanks to: Eric Pursh of Gemini Media Group LLC.

16. Ask for What You Want

If you want to motivate people in your social media group or readers of your blog to engage, do something radical -- ask for their opinion.

I end every one of my blog posts asking people to share their thoughts on the post by leaving a comment.

I read every comment -- and except for those which are clearly spam -- I approve it and respond.

Sometimes it's just a "Thank you" for comments like "great post".

To encourage interaction, I respond in detail to substantive comments.

Thanks to: Bud Bilanich of The Common Sense Guy.

17. Ask Me Anything

Posting questions for social media can create a flood of conversation and get you lots of attention from friends of friends, etc. Ramp it up with the right words and you'll multiply your success. If your Perfect Prospects are leaders, ask about getting organized and they'll respond. If your Perfect Prospects are fun-loving, ask what they did last weekend. Knowing who you're talking to will open the door for dozens of responses, and that's the ticket to a social media home run.

Thanks to: Rosey Dow of The Prospect Profiler™.

18. We're Only Human

A Best Practice is to provide fresh, original and relevant material that speaks directly to your Human audience. Give your audience a "feeling" that they are receiving value from engagement by offering information that will benefit their business or their lives.

Thanks to: Jerry Pollio of CMT Creative Marketing.

19. Ignite Discussions with Video

Our social network site caters to "veteran rock fans". Our most popular thread is "So Whaddya Buy?", in which members report on their latest music purchases.

To kick off the thread, I posted a video giving my own buying report and inviting others to post theirs. It had a tremendous impact on reader response, as members saw my enthusiasm for the topic. It's easy to do and starts off a thread much better than a boring text post.

Thanks to: Jon Bard of Rock and Roll Tribe.

20. Be the Connector

If you want your audience to really engage and even meet-up offline, the best thing you can do is give them more than one reason (you) to do so. Start introducing people to each other.

If you notice you have two contacts that are in the same city, make the connection. If a couple of people are really into business, fishing, comic books, or whatever, get them talking to each other.

This keeps the conversation going online and when it comes time to meet up, they'll have more reasons to show up.

Thanks to: Tyler Tervooren of Advanced Riskology.

21. Pimping Your Personal Brand!

Treat your business brand like you do your personal brand! The tactics used to get members of a business social network to engage should be as spontaneous and entertaining as those used to engage your personal network. Posting your thoughts on subjects important to your network, even making your network laugh, is all fair game! The idea is to create a sense of camaraderie that will make members of your network eventually WANT to meet and take their social engagement to the next level.

Thanks to: Patricia Wilson-Smith of Online Media Interactive.

22. Contests Create Brand Activity

A great way to keep your social media followers active is to have a contest where they submit stories, pictures, videos, or tips. These submissions lead to natural comments from others and keep your social media site active and thriving. The prize retains current members and attracts new people.

Pictures of the messiest office, (office supply company), the worst 1980's picture of a hair style (salon) are examples. Have another prize for a person who refers new followers, thus building your group.

Thanks to: Jerry Krull of Aristo Associates Inc..

23. Excite Them!

To encourage participation in social media groups, run a contest with a prize to get excitement going. Invite people to submit pictures or videos on a relevant subject for your business and interact with their submissions on social networks. How excited your target market will be to interact with you and others with the same interest in anticipation to see if they won! Also encourage them to tell their friends to submit and you will have everyone talking about your company.

Thanks to: Sandy Zuniga of PEAK ASSIST, Inc..

24. Ask Questions

If you want your facebook fans to interact with you, ask questions. Don't just post article links and offers. Make sure the questions are relevant to the topic of your facebook page.

Thanks to: Vinil Ramdev of StartUp Growth Expert.

25. Give 'Em Candy

...of the digital variety, of course. Ask, "What does my audience value most? A money-saving deal? The inside scoop? A chance to showcase their work?" Then, give it to them via a Twitter contest offering a chance to win a gift card or a Twitter exclusive announcement. Try a Facebook promotion offering 20% off or a call for photos, essays, or product ideas within your blog. It's all about the prospect of a sweet reward, and this value is the make or break for all things social media.

Thanks to: Sherrie A. Madia, Ph.D. of Author, Social Media Survival Guide.

26. Engage, Engage, Engage

You need to participate just as much, if not more, than you need to lead the conversation. Social networking is more than just talking about yourself and what you're doing. It's more than just selling your products and services. In fact, it's more than just having brief conversations with people. No one will become a raving fan if they don't get to know, like and trust you. You need to engage-ask questions, share resources, share a funny or emotional video or story...join in the conversation!

Thanks to: Katy Tafoya of Success for Solopreneurs.

27. The Secret to Getting Traction

The secret to getting traction in social media is to keep people talking.

Whether you're asking a direct question like, "Why do you..." or asking for their opinion on a news topic, if you want to succeed, you keep them talking and they keep marketing you (through their feeds). It doesn't get any "harder" than that.

Thanks to: Jonathan Rivera of Real-TechGuy.com.

28. Meaningful Engagement

I have a Facebook & Twitter presence and pose meaningful thoughts and questions to stimulate thoughts that help provide personal answers for my particular niche. My format helps me connect with my audience in a more personal and meaningful way. Participants interact with each other to provide support. It's refreshing for all of us to realize that we're not alone in our feelings.

Thanks to: Cliff Harwin of The Highly Sensitive Person Pub Co..

29. Talk About People

If you are using a social media service for prospecting and recruiting customers, and you want people to participate; talk about people. People will take the time to read and comment if they, or someone they know, are featured in your blogs and posts. You may want to focus on people who have had a problem and how you solved their problem. Give people credit for their achievements and they will encourage others to participate as well.

Thanks to: Tom Hemphill of Hemphill Iron Works.

30. ABC - Always Be Challenging

In the words of Alec Baldwin, "ABC", Always Be Challenging... well he said closing, but anyway. You need to challenge your audience to engage & to take action to bring their brand loyalty to the streets & e-ways. The best way to engage in the social media space is to ask questions, solicit ideas, and make them part of the process. Create a platform for submitting user generated content like videos and interesting testimonials. See what CPB did with Domino's Pizza: http://www.showusyourpizza.com

Thanks to: Kevin Kelly of BigBuzz Communications.

31. Chase the Calendar

For business entries on Facebook and twitter, make sure you are relevant by consulting Chase’s Calendar of Events in advance. If you haven’t used this clever reference guide before, they offer a comprehensive listing of special events, holidays, et al., Most local libraries carry current copies or you can purchase direct.

Thanks to: Kelly Isley of Corcoran Associates.

32. Offer Incentives to Members

One of the most effective ways to keep social media group members engaged and participating in the community is to provide different incentives for members to contribute. Incentive ideas: offer a small prize for the first five contributors, solicit submissions in exchange for being entered into a giveaway, and highlight the “best” or “most popular” contribution of the week in the group e-newsletter or blog.

Thanks to: Serena Matter of Peak Communicators.

33. Social Media Group Motivation

The best strategy for connecting & keeping people engaged or relevant is to start a group discussion page on Facebook & then promote topics of interest & seminars to those participating in the discussion of choice!

Thanks to: John Dye of Heart Ministries Online.com.

34. Great Comments, Great Blog!

People want to belong to a community. And allowing people to comment on your blog is one way to do it. But many people leave bonus comments just to get more visibility and link backs. In fact, many of the comments have nothing to do with the topics I discuss on my blog! So, I decided to reward people with valuable products for giving thoughtful comments and creating a dialogue... and it worked. It enhanced my blog's quality and people love being rewarded for their efforts, so it's a win-win!

Pop Culture Christens Social Media

I was watching the Simpson's this weekend when I saw this little gem. Mark Zuckerberg made a "cameo" appearance on the show this week. Even better, he's a cartoon character who's "Facebooking" (just made up a word). This episode appeared on the same weekend the "Social Network," which features a less likable depiction of Zuckerberg, came to theatres.

Coincidence or conspiracy theory? Who knows?

We do know the movie boasted a pretty good opening weekend draw, spawned a copycat picture, and is receiving Oscar buzz and critical acclaim.

Whether or not you believe the two are an evil marketing plot, it all confirms one thing - Facebook, and thus social media as a whole, has officially been christened as part of pop culture. It may sound crazy, but the fact someone is willing to turn Zuck into a cartoon character on a long-running and popular television show, and that the characters on that show are using Facebook, AND that the movie was number one this weekend goes to prove that social media is relevant. People care about it and it has become a fixture in our lives. It's no longer just for kids. It's a viable platform for communication and business. It's a piece of Americana. It's not a fad and guess what? It doesn't appear to be going away anytime soon.

In my business I often encounter people who say I don't want to get into Facebook or "the Twitter" (I love when people say "the Twitter"). When it comes from a business owner's mouth I'm stunned. Twitter and Facebook alone boast over 600 million users. That's just two of the hundreds of social networking sites out there. Even if you account for overlapping, that's still an incredible fount of potential customers, donors, and users of your products and services. Cutting social networking out of your online marketing strategy is essentially cutting off a very viable source of new business.

This is not an endorsement of Facebook or for Zuckerberg. Love him or hate him (and there are definitely people on both sides of that camp), he's changed the way we communicate and do business forever. I mean seriously, in 20 years how many real life CEOs have you seen on the Simpsons? Yeah, me neither. Guess its just a matter of time before we see the Twitter movie and an appearance on the Simpsons for Jack Dorsey.

Getting Friendly With Social Media

By Eugene Kane of the Journal Sentinel 

The new Facebook movie opened up at the top of the box office last weekend, which no doubt came as a big surprise to many observers.

Who would have guessed so many people would log off Facebook long enough to watch a twohour movie?

"The Social Network" was as eagerly anticipated as any recent Hollywood film based on a hot new trend. After all, 500,000,000 Facebook users can't be wrong. That's right; Facebook has 500 million members across the world.

The most amazing thing to consider about Facebook - and its social network counterpart Twitter - is its rapid growth over such a short time. Not so long ago, these kinds of outlets simply didn't exist, at least not to anyone who didn't live in a college dorm.
In 2004, a Harvard undergraduate named Mark Zuckerberg came up with the idea to create an all-purpose networking site on the Internet that would serve his peers group, only to watch it mushroom to the point where adults in just about every modern country in the world have some sort of Facebook connection.

Clearly, it's not just for college students anymore.

The network Zuckerberg created made him rich beyond his imagination as it grew into a daily touchstone for millions of "friends" of all ages who regularly communicate, update their status, hit "Like" to agree with something and send birthday wishes.

Facebook is free of charge and allows single individuals to amass as many as 5,000 friends for their page in order to create a virtual online community network.

I use both Facebook and Twitter in my career and personal life. My social networks include family, friends and colleagues but also local and national news sources including elected officials and assorted celebrities. They are not all "friends" in the way I usually use the word, but it's better than "followers," the word Twitter uses, which frankly suggests cult-like behavior to me.

The rise in social networks represents an essential tool for journalists who want to distribute news and information over the Internet to a new audience in a new form. Social media like Facebook and Twitter have been derided as frivolous, mainly because of the people who used it in a frivolous fashion to post mundane updates on ordinary life.

(OK, guilty as charged. Sometimes.)

But when big news events happen - an earthquake, a flood, a crackdown on dissidents in Iran - the value of these bold new avenues to relay information becomes starkly apparent.

Because it's the first movie to tackle the subject, "The Social Network" is more concerned with Facebook's origins as an entrepreneurial venture by a young genius than with explaining the impact of technology that has redefined interpersonal relationships during the first decade of the 2000s.
One thing's for sure, Facebook and others are definitely not a fad. Every public school system, in particular, should start training students how to use the current social media to their best advantage. Just like dinosaurs that became extinct because of a too-small brain, failure to recognize changing conditions could signal a death knell for those who get left behind.

Believe me, there will be nothing to "Like" about that.

Your Personal vs. Your Business Brand

By Patricia Wilson-Smith

By now, if you own a small business, you already know that you should be on Facebook. Check. And you know that by now, you should have a Twitter account. Check. And maybe a..blog..thingy. Check. But do you really know why?

Well, if you're like me, you've been personally using these and maybe a few other social networks for some time now - and as the months and years of hanging out online have passed, you've amassed a respectable network of 'friends', all waiting with baited breath for your next clever post. Hee-hee - like my latest from FaceBook this afternoon:

'I just said "thank you" to a voice response system - am I crazy, or just very well-raised?'

Clever stuff like that. And our friends and family soak it up like a sponge, right? Of course they do - because you've somehow, after hundreds of updates and tweets, managed to build a sense of community around yourself that keeps it all going.Cool, right? Imagine if you could do the same for your small business!

 

No need to imagine, because of course, you can. With a little bit of planning, and some patience, your business can spawn the same kind of loyal following, and turn that following into new revenue and more customers for your business. Let's face it - ever since Dell's famed multi-million dollar increase in revenues was attributed to their Twitter activity, businesses large and small have plunged head first into the social networking malaise, with kick-ass results.

 

So what do these businesses know that you don't?

 

It's simple. It takes more to be successful marketing online than putting up a FaceBook page and waiting for the masses to flock to you. Like the carefully crafted community of friends you've built around you personally, you have to have a better, even more well-crafted strategy for how you will engage your customers online - a real step-by-step plan for building a community around your business.

 

The good news is, social networking makes it inexpensive and fun to do so. Anyone can create Facebook fan pages for their business, as well as create any number of other accounts on any of a dizzying array of social networks choices. Part of creating a sound strategy, however, means making sure that you're on the right social networks - the ones where your current and potential customers can be found. 

 

For example, if you're a record label and you're trying to break a new artist, you almost certainly need to establish a presence on MySpace - but cultivating a FourSquare presence? Maybe not so much. And if you sell products and services and you want to get the word out quickly about sales or other deals, Twitter is a perfect choice - a blog would work too, but better in conjunction with Twitter and Facebook. Get the idea?

 

And you must, absolutely must find a way to build a community around your brand, by giving your social networks reason to engage with you online. Whether its free and helpful information, or discounts on your products, the experience you give customers online must be substantive - simply setting up accounts all over the place and blasting daily specials to all who will bother to read them won't cut it - just like there are people who want to be a part of the community you created around your personal brand, there are people who are interested in what you have to offer that may want to be a part of the community that naturally springs out of your business' brand.

 

The other good news is - if you have no idea how to get started, there are many professionals out there who are willing and able to help. You know your business best - running it is your main gig. Don't be afraid to leverage a social media management professional to help you take your business online via the magic of Web 2.0! 

 

Whether you know it or not, you've likely developed a digital footprint over the years. Years of posting comments, downloading music, sharing photos and videos online - has created a virtual view of you that says a lot about who you are. You need to do the same thing for your business, before someone does it for you, and a proactive and comprehensive social networking strategy can help you do just that. Get behind the wheel of your business' brand and drive it into the 21st century - your revenues and new customers will thank you for it!

Are You Taking Advantage of The New Social Media Marketing?

By Carl Gerber

With the advent of Social Media everything has changed. An online community of Twitter or Facebook users can make or break your business with their iPhones. Your company or service may be getting hundreds or thousands of good or bad reviews on the new mobile sites like Gowalla or Foursquare, either building up your reputation or tearing it down without you even knowing it. Social Networking sites are growing exponentially. A Social Media Manager can help you build a positive presence and increase your customer base.

Facebook markting – in 2009, the population of Facebook surpassed that of the U.S.A. If Facebook were a nation, they would have 100 million more people than the U.S’s 300 million. The impact of this on marketing through Social Media is staggering. Big corporations are quickly catching on to the power of Social Media Marketing, which includes Twitter marketing. For the first time, in 2010, ending a 23 year run, Pepsi Cola pulled out of advertising in the Super Bowl ditching it for Social Media. The phenomenal growth of Social Media (texting, blogging, networking)has the attention of every major company. Social Media Management has become an essential component in today’s business.

Are you taking advantage of the new Social Media, which is in many ways free or much less expensive than traditional advertising methods?

Read more: http://socialmediapathways.com/#ixzz10LYjulKu

It's not Facebook's fault you got robbed...(The Pros and Cons of Geo-tagging)

 There've been a few stories in the media this week about a rash of burglaries. Apparently, the burglar was able to learn what houses would be empty because of Facebook statuses and geo-tagging.

 For those who don't know, geo-tagging is a way to include actual geographic metadata location information to your websites or photos. Say you own a restaurant and on your website is a photo of the restaurant. I get a glimpse of your fantastic looking food and must drop everything and eat their immediately (melodramatic I know, sorry its lunch time). Geotagging allows me to find out where you are and get to you easier. We both win. Its also a great for those times when you are like "I'm really in the mood for some coffee, where's a coffee shop around here?" By plugging in your address into a maps site or phone or your car's GPS its gonna pull up the closest coffee shops. It will often times even show you how to get there.

 There are definite business benefits to geo-tagging. Used carefully and creatively they can be a fantastic addition to business digital media network. Contact us at Online Media Interactive (shameless plug) and we can show you how to make them work for your particular business. 

 Personally speaking though, the technology scares me a little. It's available in many of the new cell phones and Twitter and 4square are among the social media networks that utilize the technology. I'm not sure I want everyone knowing where I am all the time. For safety's sake, you have to be careful not to give too much of your personal comings and goings away.

 Here are a few tips for safely using social media:

1. Be careful friending people you don't know. If someone you don't know and have no mutual friends in common with sends you a friend request exercise caution when accepting it.

    2.   Don't  announce you are going away on vacation in status updates and tweets. If you absolutely must brag    about the killer two week vacation you're taking, use your privacy settings to ensure that only the people you trust and know will see it.

    3.  Wait until after you are back home to post those great vacation photos. Taking photos and instantly uploading them to Facebook or Twitter can alert potential thieves that you away.

    4.  Twitter gives you the option to include your location in the tweets you send out. Depending on the Twitter application you use this may be a default setting or something that you have to disable. For safety's sake consider disabling this location setting.

   5.   If you are making plans with people for the evening over Twitter or Facebook use the inbox and direct messaging features. Don't make these plans on your profile walls. Direct messages and inboxes are private. Walls can be seen. The great thing about doing this on Facebook is that as long as everyone you are messaging is on Facebook too you can write one message that includes them all.

Do you all have any additional suggestions on how to use social media safely? Or have you had any horror stories about someone who was victimized? Let us know.

What Viral Video Can Do For Your Business (The Phil Davison Lesson)

Surely you've seen this...



 We here at Online Media Interactive, spent a good fifteen minutes of our staff meetings last week laughing at it. Once we were finished making fun of it we had to acknowledge what a video like that actually says about the world we live in. This video is an excellent (and pretty hilarious) example of the impact social media has. Ten years ago, Phil Davision would have given that speech and only the 100 or so people in that room would have seen it and been talking about it.

 In today's Web 2.0 world, almost a million viewers have seen that speech. Many of them far removed from Stark County. Davison has made the rounds at Good Morning America, the speech has been all over cable and late night television.

 Viral video is a fantastic Web 2.0 and social media marketing tool for your business to consider. Depending on how creative and resourceful you are, videos can be produced relatively cheaply. Sites like YouTube, Google Video open your business to global marketing opportunities. Viewers are also allowed to comment on videos which offer you a way to gauge customer feedback and to engage them if you'd like.

 Davison didn't win the treasurer nomination, but to paraphrase his speech he turned difficulty into opportunity. The possibilities are endless for him and they can be for your business too.

Tell your friends and tell your neighbors.

50 Ideas for Using Twitter for Business

By Chris Brogan

(Source: http://www.chrisbrogan.com/50-ideas-on-using-twitter-for-business/)

First Steps

1. Build an account and immediate start using Twitter Search to listen for your name, your competitor’s names, words that relate to your space. (Listening always comes first.)
2. Add a picture. ( Shel reminds us of this.) We want to see you.
3. Talk to people about THEIR interests, too. I know this doesn’t sell more widgets, but it shows us you’re human.
4. Point out interesting things in your space, not just about you.
5. Share links to neat things in your community. ( @wholefoods does this well).
6. Don’t get stuck in the apology loop. Be helpful instead. ( @jetblue gives travel tips.)
7. Be wary of always pimping your stuff. Your fans will love it. Others will tune out.
8. Promote your employees’ outside-of-work stories. ( @TheHomeDepot does it well.)
9. Throw in a few humans, like RichardAtDELL, LionelAtDELL, etc.
10. Talk about non-business, too, like @aaronstrout and @jimstorer.

Ideas About WHAT to Tweet

11. Instead of answering the question, “What are you doing?”, answer the question, “What has your attention?”
12. Have more than one twitterer at the company. People can quit. People take vacations. It’s nice to have a variety.
13. When promoting a blog post, ask a question or explain what’s coming next, instead of just dumping a link.
14. Ask questions. Twitter is GREAT for getting opinions.
15. Follow interesting people. If you find someone who tweets interesting things, see who she follows, and follow her.
16. Tweet about other people’s stuff. Again, doesn’t directly impact your business, but makes us feel like you’re not “that guy.”
17. When you DO talk about your stuff, make it useful. Give advice, blog posts, pictures, etc.
18. Share the human side of your company. If you’re bothering to tweet, it means you believe social media has value for human connections. Point us to pictures and other human things.
19. Don’t toot your own horn too much. (Man, I can’t believe I’m saying this. I do it all the time. – Side note: I’ve gotta stop tooting my own horn).
20. Or, if you do, try to balance it out by promoting the heck out of others, too.

Some Sanity For You

21. You don’t have to read every tweet.
22. You don’t have to reply to every @ tweet directed to you (try to reply to some, but don’t feel guilty).
23. Use direct messages for 1-to-1 conversations if you feel there’s no value to Twitter at large to hear the conversation ( got this from @pistachio).
24. Use services like Twitter Search to make sure you see if someone’s talking about you. Try to participate where it makes sense.
25. 3rd party clients like Tweetdeck and Twhirl make it a lot easier to manage Twitter.
26. If you tweet all day while your coworkers are busy, you’re going to hear about it.
27. If you’re representing clients and billing hours, and tweeting all the time, you might hear about it.
28. Learn quickly to use the URL shortening tools like TinyURL and all the variants. It helps tidy up your tweets.
29. If someone says you’re using twitter wrong, forget it. It’s an opt out society. They can unfollow if they don’t like how you use it.
30. Commenting on others’ tweets, and retweeting what others have posted is a great way to build community.

The Negatives People Will Throw At You

31. Twitter takes up time.
32. Twitter takes you away from other productive work.
33. Without a strategy, it’s just typing.
34. There are other ways to do this.
35. As Frank hears often, Twitter doesn’t replace customer service (Frank is @comcastcares and is a superhero for what he’s started.)
36. Twitter is buggy and not enterprise-ready.
37. Twitter is just for technonerds.
38. Twitter’s only a few million people. (only)
39. Twitter doesn’t replace direct email marketing.
40. Twitter opens the company up to more criticism and griping.

Some Positives to Throw Back

41. Twitter helps one organize great, instant meetups (tweetups).
42. Twitter works swell as an opinion poll.
43. Twitter can help direct people’s attention to good things.
44. Twitter at events helps people build an instant “backchannel.”
45. Twitter breaks news faster than other sources, often (especially if the news impacts online denizens).
46. Twitter gives businesses a glimpse at what status messaging can do for an organization. Remember presence in the 1990s?
47. Twitter brings great minds together, and gives you daily opportunities to learn (if you look for it, and/or if you follow the right folks).
48. Twitter gives your critics a forum, but that means you can study them.
49. Twitter helps with business development, if your prospects are online (mine are).
50. Twitter can augment customer service. (but see above)

What else would you add? How are you using Twitter for your business?

3 Tools To Help Optimize Your Social Presence

By Rob Birgfeld (Source: SmartBlogs.com)

You have a great product. People love your content, your products or your services. You have even stepped up your game and created a blog, a Facebook page and an active Twitter account. Yet, the results are unspectacular. Enter social-graph optimization.

Yet another Social Media Week panel, fittingly titled “Social Graph Optimization” featured insights from Seth Sternberg, CEO of Meebo, Mark Ghuneim, CEO and founder of Wiredset and Trendrr, Hashem Bajwa of Droga 5, and Anna O’Brien of Citibank to help attendees grasp the idea.
While Social Graph Optimization might be a foreign concept to many marketers, the good news is that it is based on common sense. If search engine optimization is about getting visibility via search, social graph optimization is about getting your messages out there via social media. Whether that is achieved via your audience’s networks or yours, it’s all about increasing your reach. In some ways, this concept is what social media should be in its purest form: optimized word of mouth.
These activities seem logical, but they are something we take for granted and often lose sight of. SmartBrief on Social Media Editor at Large and WOM guru Andy Sernovitz reminds us to “Just ask” often, and every time I hear it I think of more applications.
Mark Ghuneim of Trendrr sees Social Graph Optimization as significant because with social media, we can now see what people are doing, what they are watching and where they are going. Now, he argues, we can target those spaces rather than just targeting the people. This represents a critical shift in thinking for many marketers currently “engaging” in social media. Optimizing social media is not about finding new ways to DM people on Twitter, it’s about leveraging your audience to help them spread your message for you. To build on these opportunities, we can use data. Anna O’Brien of Citibank underscored the importance of analytics in optimization. Once we’re looking at data indicating what’s being shared and what users are reacting to, she pointed out, we can use this data to shape our products. What does your customer want more of?  Create more of that and feed the hunger.

Seth Sternberg of Meebo mentioned that two years ago, Google was probably the most significant traffic driver for branded sites. While the big 10 blue links are probably still a big piece of that share, social channels are now a major player. He believes that providing current customers with smart and integrated sharing technologies is key to successful social media optimization. “After all,” he pointed out, “My pictures didn’t get any better when I bought an iPhone, but I certainly share them a lot more now.”

Now let’s get tactical and figure out what businesses can do today to optimize their social graph. Here are three tools to help you get started.

1. Retweet buttons. Many sites now use TweetMeme buttons effectively, and Guy Kawasaki has showed the impact they can have. They serve as a subtle, yet useful, reminder for your audience to share via Twitter.

2. Widgets and plugin and apps, oh my! Does your blog feature a Twitter feed? Not just of what you’re saying, but what others are saying (see: sharing) about you in real-time? Check out Collecta.  Does your Facebook fan page reference your blog or your Twitter updates? There are plenty of apps for that. While it’s important that each of these channels remains distinct, taking advantages of the qualities of each space, we have to remember to use them to feed one another. Your blog should be able to stand alone — but your readers should know that they can follow you on Twitter and fan you on Facebook for further engagement.

3. Web site/blog toolbar. I’m not going to shamelessly plug Meebo because they sponsored the event, took care of lunch or because CEO Seth Sternberg had some great things to say. However, the Meebo toolbar (and Wibiya, used on this blog) is a very tactical and smart way to get started integrating your social graph. The first step in social graph optimization is making it easy for your customers and readers to share your content, offers or information. These bars are a constant reminder to your audience, and according to Sternberg, if 1% of your daily unique visitors share your content, you’re doing pretty well.

If you have great content, don’t let it languish. The first step is integrating your business’ social profiles — but the real jump will happen when you give your audience the tools they need to make it easy to share with their networks.

Women Dominate Social Networks

According to a new study from comScore, social networking sites reach a higher percentage of women than men. “Women on the Web: How Women Are Shaping the Internet”, found that 76% of women visit a social networking site compared to 70% of men.

Globally, women demonstrate higher engagement levels with social networking sites than men. Using data from May 2010, comScore reported that although women comprise 48% of total unique visitors to the social networking category, they consume 57% of pages and account for nearly 57% of total minutes spent on these sites.



Women spend significantly more time on social networking sites than men, with women averaging 5.5 hours per month compared to 4 hours for men — this demonstrates women’s strong engagement with social sites.
On average, women spend more time online per month, 25 hours vs. 23 hours for men. But, when it comes to the social Web, there’s an even bigger divergence between the sexes. “Nearly 56 percent of adult women say they use the Internet to stay in touch with people, compared to 46% of adult men,” according to the report. comScore identifies higher activity levels in social categories such as social networking, instant messenger, and e-mail.
Those behaviors equate to women spending an average of 16.3% of their online time per month on social networks, a percentage that continues to rise month-to-month. Men spend just 11.7% of their time on the same activities.

Latin America and North America Display Strongest Social Networking Reach Among Women

Perhaps reflecting cultural differences, the relative importance of social networking varies across countries. However, no matter the location, women are consistently more social on the Web than their male counterparts. The social Web’s influence among women is highest in Latin America, where it reached 94% of females online, and in North America, where 91% engaged. 86% of Europe’s female online population visit a social networking site, while Asia Pacific, where parts of the region still have site restrictions and low broadband penetration, reported a 55% reach.

Social Networking Category Reach by Worldwide Region for Females and Males May 2010 Total Audience, Age 15+ – Home & Work Locations* Source: comScore Media Metrix
Social Networking % Reach by Region
Females	Males
Worldwide	75.8%	69.7%
Latin America	94.1%	91.9%
North America	91.0%	87.5%
Europe	85.6%	80.6%
Asia Pacific	54.9%	50.7%

Other takeaways from the report:

• Although men are in the majority across the global Internet, women spend about 8% more time online.
• Globally, women spend 20% more time on retail sites overall than men. Among the various retail sub-categories, Comparison Shopping and Apparel sites reached the highest percentage of women at 24.8% and 18.7%, respectively, in May 2010.
• In the U.S., women are more avid online buyers than men, with 12.5% of female Internet users making an online purchase in February 2010, compared to 9.3% of men.
• Health sites show some of the largest overall differences in reach between female and male, with a nearly 6-point gap between global women and men.
• In most countries women spend far less time watching online video than men, but women spend a much higher share of their time watching videos on YouTube than men.
• In both the U.S. and Europe, smartphone usage is dominated by men with both markets experiencing close to a 60/40 split in smartphone adoption between the genders.

10 Small Business Social Media Marketing Tips: Today's Tip - FaceBook

Late last year, the website Mashable.com offered up "10 small Business Social Media Marketing Tips", which we're going to be sharing with you over the next several days!

Facebook is by far the largest social network. Nearly 500 million people actively use Facebook, including nearly 1/3 of all American adults. This has huge implications for businesses who want to reach the people FaceBook has attracted to its vast network.



Facebook () offers exceptional, low cost marketing opportunities for small business. Facebook now has over 300 million users, and while that seems like an outrageous number for small businesses to be targeting, Facebook offers a very powerful platform on which to build a presence. If you’re not already active on Facebook; you should get started right away.

Basic Strategy: If you haven’t signed up for Facebook yet, you absolutely should as soon as possible. Once you’ve signed up, you should also consider securing your company’s username. Be aware, however, that if you reserve your company name for your personal account, you won’t be able to use it for your Business Fan Page (more on those in the Advanced Strategy), so you may want to create a Page before registering your company’s name. Fan Pages have special rules regarding usernames, which you can read here.

You should do one other thing: search for your competitors and evaluate their Facebook presence. What types of Pages () have they built? How many fans or “friends” do they have? Spend 15 minutes (per competitor) looking at their posts, photos and/or videos to understand how they’re using Facebook.

Advanced Strategy: You may already have a personal Facebook account, but how do you extend that presence for your business? You have several options. You can register a Business Account – which is designed for a very simple presence on Facebook. There are many limitations on such accounts (read the FAQ here), however, so you’ll most likely prefer to have a Business Fan Page. A Business Fan Page lets you create a page where customers or fans of your business can register as a “fan” — expanding the presence of your business (because your updates will also flow to their pages). You might also want to consider running hyper-local ads on Facebook.

Online Media Interactive can help you manage all of your social networking accounts. For more information on what we offer, visit us at http://www.onlinemediainteractive.com/plans.asp.

Integrating Your Social Web Presence: Two Sample Plans

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Integrating Your Social Web Presence: Two Sample Plans

View more presentations from Deltina Hay.

How To Use Twitter To Grow Your Business

by Michael Stelzner 

Can Twitter actually help my business or is it a complete waste of my valuable time? This was the very question I asked myself only a few months back.

Perhaps you’ve pondered the same?

When people I respect started singing the praises of Twitter, I decided to give it a go. At first I just didn’t get it. However, after a short while I was shocked at the level of access to high profile individuals I was able to achieve.

This article reveals how bestselling authors and business professionals use Twitter to grow their businesses and reveals ideas you can employ to achieve Twitter success.

In fact, I used Twitter (and LinkedIn) to source much of what you see here!

First, What is Twitter Again?

“Twitter is instant messaging made available to the public,” stated talk show host and author Hugh Hewitt.

I think that’s a fair starting point. I’ve heard others call Twitter a micro-blogging platform.
Here’s what you need to know. According to the State of the Twittersphere report, each day 5 to 10 thousand new people join Twitter. Current estimates of total users top out around 5 million. That’s a lot of opportunity.

Twitter allows you to post updates (called Tweets) as often as you want (and limited to 140 characters). When you follow other people on Twitter, you see their tweets. When they follow you, they see your tweets.

It’s a constant stream of communication. The good news is you can turn it on or off as often as you like. Twitter also keeps a public record of all updates, which can be mined with Twitter Search.

Why High-Profile People Use Twitter

Twitter is not just a fad. When very high profile folks begin evangelizing Twitter, it’s worth closer examination. Here’s what some of those gurus told me:

Duct Tape Marketing founder John Jantsch identified three big advantages of Twitter, “(1) I get great insight when I ask questions, (2) let’s face it, I get traffic and (3) people on Twitter spread my thoughts to new places.”

Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com said, “We’ve found that Twitter has been a great way for us to connect on a more personal level with our employees and customers. We use it to help build our brand, not drive direct sales. It’d be like asking how does providing a telephone number for customer service translate into new business when they are mostly non-sales-related calls. In the long term, Twitter helps drive repeat customers and word of mouth, but we’re not looking to it as a way of driving immediate sales.”

Bestselling author David Meerman Scott said, “I have personally connected with hundreds of people I otherwise wouldn’t have, and I booked an interview on NPR and a big daily newspaper using Twitter.”

Copyblogger’s own Brian Clark said, “Twitter Search is an amazing way to see what people are saying about your products or services. For example, I’ll do searches for Thesis Theme and people will be asking questions about our WordPress Theme. I’ll use the reply function to answer the question, which has led to direct sales. Plus, my answer creates awareness of Thesis for others that follow me. It’s a form of constructive promotion.”

Be sure to check out this Business Week article that surveyed 18 CEOs and how they’re using Twitter to help their businesses.

Practical Ways Twitter Can Help Your Business

This is where it gets interesting. A lot of people are doing some very innovate things with Twitter.

Here’s some of their stories.

The Twitter Plan

Cindy King, an international sales specialist, saw a huge boost in business inquires by implementing a strategic Twitter plan.

“Following the right people on Twitter was key. There are some people very gifted at building relationships on Twitter. As I followed these online community builders, I realized that some of them are also excellent direct response copywriters. They get their Twitter followers to take action,” said King.

“Light bulbs went off, and I spent a weekend putting together a tweet marketing plan and entered in 6 weeks worth of tweets, 5 a day, using TweetLater. I used a mindmap, created categories, varied times on tweets and used BUDurls so I could track results and improve my tweet plan the next time around. That was a month ago,” explained King.

When King finds a spare minute between projects, she logs into Twitter and watches what folks are talking about. When she Tweets, about 90 percent of the time she presents useful information and resources to her followers. The remaining tweets are surveys and questions. Following this strategy, King saw an 800 percent increase in inquiries about her business after she setup her Twitter campaign.

Getting In Front of High Profile People

B2B copywriter Terri Rylander took a much different approach. At first she was very skeptical of Twitter. “I looked at it but couldn’t figure out why people would continually send out messages about the size of a text message, unless they were a teenager. Twitter was for sending updates they said. I don’t have time for updates, and besides, who would care?” said Rylander.

She later came across a peer in her industry that was using Twitter and suggested Rylander follow her on Twitter. “That’s when I discovered Twitter as a business tool. I’ve been in my particular niche for over 10 years and know who the players are (though they don’t know me). When I checked who she was following on Twitter, there they all were! It read like a “Who’s Who” list.”

Rylander joined Twitter and began following and interacting with the people she respected. “Other than a cold call on the phone or e-mail, I would never have the chance to get my name in front of vendors, industry analysts, and industry experts. I’ve had a number of Twitter conversations that have also led to personal conversations.”

To stay top of mind with experts, she offers interesting links, responds to tweets, and posts her thoughts for conversation at least a few times a day.

Getting Traffic and Leads

Pam O’Neil, VP of Marketing at BreakingPoint said, “Twitter has all but replaced our PR agency as a large percentage of our followers are press and analysts. A writer for ZDNet wrote about us and linked to us based on something we tweeted and that resulted in a huge spike in web traffic and at least one deal with a major service provider.”
Mike Damphousse of Green Leads said, “Twitter is new to us. That said, in a few short weeks we’ve had definite increase in all sorts of traffic. Out of the normal inbound leads, the number has increased 15% and two of the inbounds are now active pipeline opportunities. We’ve found one extremely valuable partner relationship. We are also building PR relationships, although finding the contacts is a bit of a chore.”
Are you beginning to see the potential here?

A Few Tools to Help Your Twitter Experience

Twitter has a whole world of available support applications you can employ to gain the most of the service for your business. Here’s a few of my favorites:
TwitterFox: This Firefox web browser plugin allows you to view Tweets within your web browser (in a popup menu). This is very handy and eliminates the need to constantly go to Twitter.com.
TweetLater: This powerful service allows you to schedule tweets (much like you would schedule emails). Another very powerful feature is the ability to receive email digests of keyword activity in the Tweetosphere. This allows you to join a conversation or track topics and trends.
Ping.fm: If you have accounts with many services, such as LinkedIn and Facebook, this amazing site allows you to post updates across ALL of your social media sites in one single step.
Twitter for Facebook: If you are on Facebook, this application forwards your Twitter updates directly to Facebook as status updates.

And just in case you get addicted to Twitter, here’s some advice from one of the leading authorities on Twitter. Chris Brogan says, “Most people who see Twitter the first time either flat-out ‘get it,’ or they say, ‘why bother?’ Here’s what people miss. They believe one should read every single update that rolls across your screen of choice. Don’t. Just let it roll past like a stream.”
So what are you waiting for? Go check out Twitter and report back here with your experience.
Has Twitter already helped your business? If so, tell us your story.