Brandon Twyford – Marketing Communications

You’re on your way to becoming a Twitter Ninja — you’ve finally got some of those “Big Name” Twitter guys and gals following you and you’re following and interacting with a significant number of people in your social network. It’s become crucial to manage your social media time efficiently. Seeing updates from the same person that are consistently un-useful can be annoying at best and will get that person unfollowed or blocked at worst. Here are five tips to help you avoid being “that guy:”

Bored – “I’m sooo bored. Anything fun going on tonight?” Wow … you’re bored, huh? I can’t imagine being bored. There are so many things to do and only so many hours in the day — if I have a free hour or two to kill, I consider myself lucky these days. For the busy, motivated social media marketer, seeing updates about how bored someone is seems like a counterproductive waste of valuable time.

Depressed - “Ugh. Why can’t people just be real. This job is killing me. So depressing.” We all get down sometimes. We all have problems. We don’t all have to share them with the Twitterverse. I’m not saying everything has to be roses. But I’m definitely not on Twitter to read about your problems. Again, there’s just not enough time in the day to spend any of it on reading about someone’s mood. If that person is a great friend of mine, fine. But that’s what a phone call or text message is for.

I - You know the type. “I, I, I” is mostly used by people who don’t get Twitter. They spend all their time on Twitter posting mundane, self-centered updates because that’s what they think Twitter is for. Most of the people I’ve spoken with who are all over Facebook but think Twitter is stupid tell me they see Twitter as just the status update section of Facebook, with none of the other features. They don’t get the “social” part of social media. It’s not about posting whatever pops into your head – it’s about engaging in relevant conversation. This is not to say you can’t post relevant updates about where you are, what you’re doing, etc., as long as what you’re posting is of importance to your followers. “I can’t wait for the new season of True Blood!” … “I love summer!” … “I’m getting my drink on tonight!” … I don’t care.

Help – “Please help my child win the cutest kid contest by voting here!!” … “Help me reach my goal of 1,000 followers!! Pls Retweet!!” Let me clarify: I’m not against someone asking for advice or seeking help from their network — that’s part of what they are there for. But the word “help” — especially accompanied by multiple exclamation points — can too easily sound desperate and fall victim to the “boy who cried wolf” syndrome. I might pay attention and even take action once, but if I see a similar request for “help” repeatedly, I’m going to glaze over pretty quick when I see your posts. Asking someone to vote in a trivial contest or to invest precious time and energy to help you reach a petty goal can get you ignored quickly.

Any word that makes the reader feel they’re being sold to - I know this isn’t one word, so it’s kind of cheating, but it’s important. People don’t want to see a sales pitch in their social media interactions. The reason they are there is to share and consume information, not be marketed to. Social media is about real-time sharing of information and fostering conversation. The engaged social media user wants to inform themselves and make a buying decision based on their own knowledge, not click on the first post they see that says “The BEST System For Making Money Online – Guaranteed!”

Do you agree or disagree with these? Would you add any annoying trends you see from people in your network?

picture credit: Sparkey Davis

“I just don’t get it”

“I don’t care what someone had for lunch”

“Twitter is stupid”

Twitter can be mystifying to the uninitiated user. If they’re not a marketer, business owner or blogger, Twitter may just be a way to get celebrity updates and converse with friends. The non-social-media-savvy user will typically join Twitter because they keep hearing about it and they feel like “everyone else is on it.” They’ll follow a few famous people and random real world or Facebook friends. They’ll sporadically post mundane updates for a short time, with no real engagement—just broadcasting to their audience. Then they get bored and quit because nothing interesting is going on. There are many thousands of these inactive Twitter accounts, with minimal posts and no current activity.

Are you like this—ready to quit because you don’t “get” Twitter? Do you know someone like this, to whom you’ve tried to explain what exactly the fuss is all about?

I started out exactly like this. I wanted to be involved in Twitter just because I knew it was somehow the next big thing in social media. I didn’t really get it, and for a while, I barely posted anything. Then, I learned the one thing that opened my eyes to the immense value of Twitter. If there is one single thing that will make a newbie “get” Twitter instantly, it’s this:

1. You have to have a reason to use Twitter.

It helps to have a goal in mind when you start to use Twitter. Are you trying to market something, build a network around a brand, promote your blog? Regardless of what Twitter’s tagline says, it’s not just for getting short, timely updates from your friends. In fact, the word “updates” is kind of misleading. It makes you think of the update section of Facebook. I don’t mean to sound harsh, but no one really cares what you’re having for dinner, or what movie you’re watching. They may comment, but only because they want you to comment back when they post what they’re eating for dinner. There’s a weird kind of voyeurism going on between these types of users. What first really got me into Twitter was tinkering with my Droid X. I was learning about rooting (which is kind of like jailbreaking an iPhone, only cooler), ROMing (putting a custom operating system on your device) and theming (giving your phone a custom appearance). A lot of the latest info was posted by developers and hackers on Twitter. I started following those people and mentioning them in my tweets. They would respond and it was then that I really “got” Twitter. Information that would later show up on forums and Facebook had already been discussed on Twitter. Your thing might be sewing, or dog washing, or bodybuilding or cartooning. Start a free blog and get involved in the community of sharing that already exists around your passion. Building a network of like-minded people and sharing information with them in real-time is the purpose of Twitter.

2. You have to follow and interact with interesting people.

If you’re following the wrong people (see my post here) your timeline will be cluttered, noisy and annoying. It can easily discourage you from getting engaged on Twitter. See who is active in the discussions you want to take part in. Engage with them by mentioning them in your tweets. Read blogs that are relevant to your interests, comment on them and follow those people on Twitter. Soon you’ll build a valuable network of people who are well-suited to provide you with helpful information.

3. You have to be active.

Facebook is great for scrolling through and seeing what happened earlier in the day, yesterday or even earlier in the week. Twitter is the real-time sharing of social media. With Twitter, things move fast. It’s what’s happening right now. Things that were discussed even an hour ago can be old news. If you are away for long periods, your network will move on and you’ll become less in touch with what’s going on in your industry or area of interest. Keep up with a large network by creating lists and grouping the people you follow into them. You can view each list as you have time. Mark favorites to go back and read at your leisure. This way you keep informed on the most cutting-edge trends in your industry. If Facebook is this week, Twitter is today.

There’s a lot more to Twitter than this. But these three key steps will open the door and get you well on the way to being a Twitter guru. What was your experience the first time you “got” Twitter? Any steps or key things to keep in mind that you would include?

picture credit: Sparkey Davis

There’s kind of a misconception among people who aren’t used to using social media at a professional level that being a social media manager or coordinator for a company is an easy job. “I’m on Facebook all the time — I can’t believe there’s a job for that!” In fact, it can be one of the hardest jobs in marketing, just because it’s so time-consuming and because there’s a lot of responsibility that comes with it. If you tweet the wrong thing that results in bad publicity for your company, it’s your fault. It takes someone very familiar with the social media landscape to handle that type of responsibility. It also takes someone willing to work long hours researching the latest trends in social media, often on their own time. Ask yourself or your candidate these questions before you jump into social media for your company:

Are you going to use social media to market your company?

If you’re planning on using your company Twitter or Facebook account just to post upcoming promotions and marketing initiatives, you might wanna reconsider being the social media guy. Studies have shown that customers just aren’t looking to buy a lot of stuff when they get on Facebook or Twitter. They might “like” your Facebook page to get the free offer you just posted, but after that, they probably aren’t coming back very often, if ever. The point of social media for your company should be to build a culture of conversation around your brand. Make it fun, interesting and engaging. Get people wanting to come back to discuss something unrelated to your latest promotion. Your name will grow and your reputation as a company that “gets” social media will be worth more than any marketing ROI analytic can prove.

Are you looking for something that’s 40 hours a week?

If you’re just expecting to surf the web, post here and there and basically show off that you’re getting paid to be on Facebook and Twitter, you might wanna reconsider being the social media gal. Demonstrating the effectiveness of your social media efforts requires a strong analytical mind and constant tracking of your company’s web presence. You also have to keep up on the latest trends by reading — a lot. I always say that the biggest time-consumer of social media is the stuff you don’t get paid for. To really be effective at social media marketing, you have to spend a lot of your off-time researching it. Reading other companies’ blogs, commenting everywhere, writing your company’s blog, strategically building your network — all of that takes a lot of time. Also, most typical consumers spend the majority of their time on social media sites after work — around 6 to 9 p.m. or so. To be truly engaged with them, you have to be online then, too.

Are you willing to be paid very well?

Yes, that’s a trick question. You might get a fairly decent salary (assuming your company understands the importance of the social media manager position) but as mentioned above, when you calculate the hours actually spent on social media for what you get paid, chances are it’s not going to be what you were expecting. If you’re going to spend long hours for what works out to be average pay, you have to be passionate about what you’re doing. That’s what it all comes down to. If you’re passionate about it, if you love it, if you get it, you’d do it for free. Wouldn’t we all like to get paid for what we really love to do?

Social media can be fun, exciting, rewarding, grueling and disappointing. So — do you still want to be your company’s Twitter guru?

I sometimes hear people saying they don’t see why they should start a blog or get a Twitter account. They think “What do I have to offer that other people would want to read” or “There are successful blogs on my topic with big followings – why would someone want to read mine?”

Here’s Why:

The beauty of personal branding and creative blogging is that everyone has something different to offer. Your unique background and experience gives you a different and valuable perspective on whatever topic you’re addressing. Period.

I’m into marketing. I’m also a writer. There are a ton of online marketers, copywriters and social media gurus expressing their viewpoints with Twitter and blogs. I had the same thoughts – why should I blog if I’m not going to offer anything new? I thought about my personal background and realized I have some unique things to bring to the table.

I have a background in direct sales – something not all “marketers” have. I’ve also traveled quite a bit and lived in Asia for three years, which gave me an intercultural and worldly perspective not everyone else has. And I was an English major, a teacher and a professional editor. I realized I could use my background in language, teaching and professional writing (not blogging) to contribute something of unique value.

What’s Your Niche?

Everyone needs to find a niche. Even within a niche, you can find a more specific sub-niche to set yourself apart from the other established bloggers in your field. What makes you slightly different and unique? A good place to start is by taking a look at what you did before the internet marketing/social media boom. What can you bring from that experience to your blog and online presence?

Everyone has a voice; blogging and establishing a strong online presence in your field of interest will only help you in the future — and the future starts now.

Picture credit: Hugh MacLeod

I took three years of Spanish in high school and one year of Spanish in college. I had to start at Intro to Spanish in college because I had forgotten everything I learned in high school over the summer, just as I had to struggle to remember what I had learned the previous year each time I started a new Spanish course in high school. Spending one hour two or three days a week on a subject just doesn’t make it sink in very well. Most of the knowledge you gain each day slips away as soon as you leave the classroom. Homework helps a little, but unless you have real-world opportunities to apply what you’ve learned, you’re swimming against the stream — gaining a little every day, but not as much as you could be.

Let’s go back to my Spanish skills. To this day I remember a few words and simple phrases — certainly not as much as four school years of studying should have taught me. Granted, I didn’t put as much effort into my Spanish classes that I put into other subjects, but that’s not the point. When I first went to Japan to teach English in 2001 (I stayed for nearly three years), I spoke almost no Japanese. I knew how to count to ten and how to ask where the bathroom was. Actually, due to my reliance on the inaccurate Lonely Planet phrase book I brought with me, what I knew how to ask was, “Where is the bath house?” You can imagine the look on the Japanese airport employee when I asked him that first thing off the plane.

The thing is, after about six months of living in Japan — not consciously studying the language for a single day — I learned more Japanese than I had learned in four years of formal Spanish classes. I found myself at a conversational, natural level of speaking, and I still remember much of what I learned, although it leaves me more and more each day that I don’t use it. The difference between my Spanish and my Japanese was that I was forced to use Japanese every day. When I didn’t understand a word, I looked it up and taught myself the meaning. Then, when I had to use it later that day, the knowledge was reinforced in my mind — I learned through experience.

Immersion – instruction based on extensive exposure to surroundings or conditions that are native or pertinent to the object of study — is widely accepted as the most effective way to learn a new language. Social media/social marketing is a kind of language, and the same holds true. A certain amount of savvy and a knowledge base help to get you started on the right foot, of course, but at some point, you’ve gotta just dive in. Taking part in webinars and reading social media blogs is great — and there’s a lot of incredibly useful information out there. But you’re never going to learn what the “right” way is for you until you just start doing it.

Best Piece of Advice I Ever Got

One of the best pieces of advice I ever got on learning Japanese was from a long-haired, six-foot-six surfer dude from the U.S. He was pretty close to fluent in Japanese after living in Tokyo for about three years. He watched me flipping through my English-to-Japanese dictionary as I tried to converse with someone I had met at a party. What he told me was, “You should throw that thing away. What you need is a Japanese-to-English dictionary.” Rather than try to translate my thoughts into a foreign language, which could be incredibly frustrating and ineffective, I would absorb exactly what someone was telling me, then look up the various meanings and nuances of that word. When you’re coming strictly from a place you know well (in this example the English language), you subconsciously put blinders on yourself. You look at things solely from your perspective instead of experiencing them as something new. When I threw away that dictionary and began experiencing the language from the other side, from the inside out, a whole new world opened up. Like many people, I’m an experiential learner — I need to do something myself before I “get it.”

Dive In and Start Swimming

You can read all the articles and watch all the webinars you want — until you actually dive in and start trying to swim, it’s all theoretical. Immerse yourself in the community and the act of social networking and social marketing and you will start to see good things happen, guaranteed.

Do you agree with the idea of immersion: jumping right into social marketing? Or do you think people should learn as much as they can from the experts before they start doing things themselves?

One of the most well-known and effective copywriting formulas is the AIDA methodology. AIDA stands for Attention, Interest, Desire and Action. To write compelling copy, you should attract Attention, arouse Interest, stimulate Desire and present a call to Action. As marketing changes in the online world, I’ve found it more effective to change one component of the formula — Interest. Of course, you absolutely want your reader interested in your copy. But in online marketing, if you’ve done your job on the first step — Attention — by writing a killer headline that has gotten your reader to click on your article or scroll down to read more, you’ve already piqued their interest. Now what you should do to really sell or convince is show an Advantage.

AADA – Attention, Advantage, Desire, Action

Attention

As many of us know, writing a killer headline is the most critical ingredient of effective online marketing. They say in the online copywriting world that 8 out of 10 people will read headline copy, but only 2 out of 10 will read the rest. So get your reader to click on your article or visit your website any way you can (while still making sure you’re following through on the promise laid out by your headline — readers hate a dirty trick.) Some of the most effective headlines are “How To” posts or something that details a way to “get ahead” through a series of numerical steps. Check my headline for this article: The NEW 4-Step Formula For Writing Compelling Online Copy That Sells. That shows the reader that if nothing else, they can quickly scan the article for four clearly laid-out steps to improve something of interest to them. With an irresistible headline, you’ve gotten the reader’s attention and their interest. Let’s move on to the next step: showing an Advantage.

Advantage

Demonstrating a real, valuable advantage in the modern information age is critical to the success of your copywriting and your business. If you can’t show your audience why they should choose your product or service over your competitor, you’ll have a hard time keeping them around. Most of the online readership knows how to do their own research — you can’t simply convince them with a well-rehearsed, formulaic sales pitch anymore. You’ve got to make your service stand out and appear unique. Do this by brainstorming all the possible objections to your copy and addressing each of them by demonstrating how your product will give the reader an advantage. Be specific. What exactly is it about your product that is so great? With the depth of information and services available on the Net, chances are your reader has already found potential providers for the service he or she needs. That means that one of the most common objections you’ll encounter is: “I already have a social media coordinator, why do I need this guy?” Or “I already use XYZ company to ship my goods, why do I need this company?” It’s on you to convince your audience that you provide a real, substantial advantage over the other guy.

Blogging is not necessarily intended to be the most professional of mediums. It’s all about presenting compelling content. So let’s assume the content is there — a little more professionalism couldn’t possibly hurt, right? You can still be conversational while being professional. The following tips aren’t meant to change or even improve your writing style dramatically. They’re merely easy-to-remember, frequently broken rules to keep in mind that can make your writing more polished.

1.) It’s one space after the period, not two. You’ve probably heard this before, but you may be so stuck in the habit that you still automatically insert two spaces after the end of a sentence, thinking it’s not that big of a deal. However, to a trained eye, it can look unprofessional. I know as well as anyone that the indoctrination we all got in grade school is hard to break. But start being strict with your spacing and you’ll break the two-space habit in no time. Seeing two spaces after the end of a sentence looks weird to me now. (The two-space thing comes from the era of typewriters — on a typewriter, spacing is tighter and you need two spaces to visually set one sentence apart from another)

2.) When in doubt, don’t abbreviate. One of the most useful things I learned in Bill Walsh’s great book on copy editing, “The Elephants of Style,” is when to abbreviate. In the book, Bill writes, “The use of postal abbreviations outside full mailing addresses is a telltale sign of amateurism.” I think most writers’ instincts are to write Denver, CO, San Francisco, CA or Austin, TX. If you must abbreviate it, it should be Denver, Colo., San Francisco, Calif., and Austin, Texas (no abbreviation). For a major city, it’s better to just leave off the state. Many writers also use initialisms in their writing even when it makes the meaning unclear or confusing. You or I may know what NRF means, but many readers may not (it’s National Retail Federation). Making a reader pause to think about the meaning is counterproductive to your writing. If there is any doubt as to whether a normal reader would understand the meaning of the initialism, go with the full name. On a second reference in the article – if the meaning is clear – you can use the initialism. There are exceptions, especially in the blogging world: SEO is a widely known and acceptable term, for example. There’s also a reverse abbreviation clause: HDMI is more recognizable and understandable than high-definition multimedia interface.

3. Don’t capitalize words just because you think they’re important. You’re a director of marketing, not a Director of Marketing. If the job title is directly attached to the company, you can be President, ABC Corporation or VP Sales & Marketing, Epic Researchers. Similarly, you’re teaching a course in search engine optimization, not Search Engine Optimization (things don’t need to be capitalized just because they are when you abbreviate them). Again, when in doubt, you’re almost always safer lowercasing it unless it’s a name of a person or a company.

These writing faux pas may not have a huge impact on the content you’re presenting, but it can never hurt to be more confident in the professionalism of your writing. We won’t get into your/you’re, it’s/its and the like…because really, if you’re writing for a living, you should know that by now.

Originally posted on StacyKinney.com

I come from the world of direct sales. I’m used to finding clients through prospecting, cold-calls and industry networking events — face-to-face stuff. I’m not quite from the “old-school” where deals were made on the golf course and contracts were signed on a bar napkin, but I’m used to building relationships, negotiating and closing deals in person. When I started doing online marketing, I learned a great deal of new strategies and innovative ways to build business. The world of online marketing is vastly different than direct sales, there’s no doubt. But after a while I realized that there are many ways my direct selling experience could help my online marketing.

The Stages Of The Sale
In my sales training for a major corporation, I was taught the process of the sale and how to close effectively. The steps below were made for the direct sale process, but there are useful strategies and techniques in each step that can greatly improve your online marketing.

1. The Introduction
In direct selling, you have to be creative and persistent in finding new clients. You have to attend networking events and you have to build your relationships with existing clients so they will refer you to new ones. In online marketing, you have to get your name and face out there as well — just in a different way. Connecting through social media sites is crucial — and the online equivalent of networking and building trusted relationships through word-of-mouth is getting other people to share your content. It’s great if one person reads your content. Having them share it with their network is even better as it gives you instant credibility and drives outside traffic to your site.

2. Establish Rapport
Engaging in natural, positive conversation is an integral part of making a sale. It helps you build trust and makes the client comfortable with giving you their money. The more you engage your followers and your network online in natural, useful conversation, the more they will enjoy interacting with you and the more willing they will be to share your content. If they feel ignored or unappreciated, they won’t help build your network. Comment on other bloggers’ pages, retweet their posts, keep the conversation going.

3. Determine Needs
In direct sales, if you come prepared with a one-size-fits-all approach, you’ll fail. Every customer is different. For some, a low price is the most important factor. For others, it’s quality. I’ve dealt with some customers whose most important need was looking good for their boss. They already had a budget, they already had a plan — they just wanted to look like a star in front of their company. You have to determine each individual customer’s need — then sell to that. Likewise, your online marketing approach must have a point. It must have a target audience and it must solve a problem or provide a useful service. If you’re using a broad, one-size-fits-all approach, you’re not using your online resources to their full potential.

4. Overcome Objections
My sales training taught me to listen, then clarify — then listen again before addressing objections. Make sure you understand completely what objections you need to address so you can effectively overcome them. In online marketing, you can be at a disadvantage as you don’t always have the opportunity to engage in direct conversation with a potential client. You can’t react; you have to anticipate every possible objection and proactively address and overcome them with your content. Being aware of this one point will improve your marketing approach tremendously.

5. Presentation
You’ve determined your client’s needs, you’ve addressed their objections and you’ve customized your proposal — it’s time to present. You have to make yourself stand out from the other offers they’ve received. You have to make your product or service more attractive than the competition. In online marketing, this is done through an effective landing page, using attractive visuals and creating an interactive, enjoyable experience on your site. You’ve got your customer’s attention – now keep it.

6. The Close
Surprisingly, this is the part of the sale that many people have the most trouble with. They know they’ve built a great rapport with the client, they’ve presented an attractive offer that addresses the client’s needs — but they’re afraid to ask for the sale. One thing I learned very quickly: if you don’t ask for it, you won’t get it. Be confident in your product and ask your client to commit to it. In your online marketing you should always include a call to action up front. I’ve seen many websites where I’ve asked myself, “OK, if I want to buy this product, where do I click?” — and I couldn’t find anywhere to do so. If your customer has to search for longer than a few seconds to buy your product, you might lose them. Make it easy for your visitors to buy, sign up, subscribe, whatever it is you offer.

Using tried-and-true strategies of effective selling can improve your online marketing and social media efforts. Are you including them in your approach?

Originally posted on StacyKinney.com