The Tendo View » Twitter

Humanizing your Twitter brand

Brian McDonough — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 01:03:17 +0000

One of the last social media stories of 2011 told of a company suing the guy who used to run its Twitter presence because he took the account’s followers with him when he left the job. The questions that raised, along with my colleague Jillian Kurvers’ earlier take on whether marketers should handle their own Twitter accounts or engage an outside agency, got me thinking about the literal face of your Twitter account. Many companies have no face at all—the tweets are from “the brand,” with no indication of the person behind the keyboard.

Often a company’s execs will use their personal accounts to cheerlead about the brand. Although that human-to-human interaction may provide the best “social engagement,” having a brand-based identity is valuable for at least three reasons:

It’s easier to find. Not everyone will think to search for your vice president of development’s feed. They’ll be looking for your company name.
It’s an information hub. Large enterprises might have a dozen people tweeting about the company and the market niche. For specific announcements and news, though, you expect a corporate site to aggregate it.
It’s permanent and controlled. When employees leave, they take their accounts with them. A former employee may shut down the account, stop tweeting about your market niche, or even start tweeting about the rival company he or she just joined. A corporate identity is yours, even through staff changes. And you don’t have to fight for it in court.

But there’s one challenge to “@companyname” versus “@companyperson.” If the face of your account is your logo rather than, you know, a face, how do you successfully engage in the most personal and identity-driven form of marketing since door-to-door? It’s no problem when the tweet is “Hey, watch our new video” or “Attend our free webinar.” But what happens when it’s more personal?

Companies large and small have dealt with this potential social disconnect in a variety of ways. Here are a few:

Allstate tweets as a single entity (@allstate), but its page posts names and photos of the six-person team behind the tweeting. Generic announcements of contests and such go unsigned, but tweets directed at individuals or with a personal flair are initialed. It makes a big difference when the tweet responding to a problem and offering direct contact for resolution comes from an identifiable human rather than a cipher behind a logo.

(In a sort of inverse, Michelle Obama initials all the tweets that are actually from her. Tweets without her initials are sent out by anonymous staffers. Either way, it’s about authenticity and the human touch.)

Social media marketing house Radian6 names its Twitter attendants in its profile (@Radian6) and posts their active hours. Is it weird to think of something on the Internet being “closed for business”? Maybe, but at least the company lets followers know when they can and can’t expect responses. Intel tells you who its three tweeters are (@Intel) and links you to their personal Twitter accounts as well, but there’s no way to tell who’s tweeting what on the main Intel feed. Because Intel’s stream is fairly impersonal, even by B2B standards, knowing who’s typing each tweet seems less important.

But @CiscoSecurity names the marketing manager behind the account as Jason Lackey, who runs it with a mix of announcements and interesting security-related links. The recent content I scanned was not much more “personal” than on Cisco Systems’ main feed (@CiscoSystems is as impersonal as @Intel), but just having a name made those “hey, interesting reading” links more appealing to me.

There are different uses and strategies behind a Twitter account, especially when you’re coordinating your brand identity with other, human-identified accounts, so there’s no one correct approach. And norms change. People become used to the idea of “companies” tweeting.

I turn the question to you—should a brand’s official Twitter account identify its humans or keep them anonymous? If it depends on circumstances, which circumstances persuade you one way or the other?

5 reasons why 2012 is the year of social media

Jillian Kurvers — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 18:06:30 +0000

Social media was top of mind in 2011 and that will only increase in 2012. B2C companies like Starbucks have proven that they are not only savvy but also strategic with their social media efforts. B2B companies are gaining momentum in the market as well, with projections indicating that more and more plan to get on the bandwagon.

According to a recent eMarketer report, “B2B Social Media: A Growing Focus for Marketers,” only 11 percent of B2B companies are not using social media in their marketing mix. While an overwhelming majority of companies are exercising social media strategies, it’s still surprising to learn that there are companies that have yet to try out social media—or more alarming still, don’t believe there’s value in it. Here’s why it is valuable:

1) It creates brand awareness. People are on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+. If you’re not, you’re missing a key opportunity to connect with customers and promote your brand to a fairly captive audience.

2) It helps humanize your brand. Whether B2C or B2B, companies run the risk of seeming unapproachable and unrelatable. They’re more like entities than groups of people. Opening new communication channels helps debunk these myths.

3) It establishes thought leadership. Regularly posting relevant content on social media sites shows, not just tells, potential customers that you know what you’re talking about (your company website might fall into the “telling” only category).

4) It provides new touch points for connecting with customers. Customer service lines are outsourced and outdated. In their place have emerged new and more relevant ways for customers to get in touch, share opinions, make suggestions, and ask questions.

5) It helps you keep your finger on the pulse. As more consumers make social media a priority, more businesses should, too. Paying attention to what they’re saying keeps you knowledgeable and customer-focused, which can inform your future business decisions.

Where should you begin?

Even the smallest shop can employ a dedicated social media operation. Facebook will reach more than 1 billion users in 2012. If this isn’t reason enough to get a company page up, I don’t know what is. In addition, Twitter’s recent redesign is aimed at helping businesses better use its promotional services, and Google+ also has businesses on its mind. So not only are your present and potential customers using social media, but the platforms themselves are growing more business-friendly and business-compatible.

What happens if you receive public negative feedback?

Look at negative feedback as yet another way to humanize your brand. We’ve all received unfavorable feedback. It’s natural and expected—it’s practically written into the opportunity cost. Since you know that not all customers will have a perfect experience, you should also expect some of them to voice their concerns on public forums like social media sites. Don’t shy away from this sort of exposure; it can actually work in your favor. Customers appreciate candor as much as they appreciate a top-notch product or service. If you’ve made a blunder, now you have the opportunity to make up for it and show that you’re human and capable of earning back trust.

Important social media objectives for B2B firms

According to eMarketer, when B2B companies focus on social media outreach, they’re able to interact with potential customers earlier in the buying process. The result is new lead generation and, if all goes well, new sales and customers. But first things first—often the primary purpose of initial B2B social media efforts is to create brand awareness. Mary Ann Gallo, senior director of corporate marketing and communications at Hitachi Data Systems, says that while there is some lead generation involved in her company’s social media marketing efforts, it’s primarily about “top-level company awareness.”

Why? Social media allows for more of a branding and awareness-building focus. Marketers can leverage social media outlets to promote messages that will reach customers where they are and when they are ready to learn more about a specific company or product.

Do you have plans to kick-start your social media efforts in 2012? Let us know in the comments.

Check out the eMarketer report here (registration required).

Sentiment analysis predicts customer outcomes

Linda Leung — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 22:58:15 +0000

I wouldn’t say I’m particularly gifted at reading people’s emotions, but I am easily affected by the emotions of people around me—whether they’re sad, happy, excited, or apprehensive—and I’ll adjust how I interact with them accordingly. As a business, there is great value in knowing the emotions your customers are feeling about you—and not just when they’re interacting with you. Wouldn’t you like to know how your customers feel about you when they’re chatting with friends online, adding comments on your competitor’s website, or watching TV?

Over the last few years, computer scientists and business intelligence experts have been developing sentiment analysis tools that track and assess the perception of your brand in social media conversations, newspapers, online chat groups, videos, and many other digital sources.

Sentiment analysis is a powerful tool that enables you to understand what customers and potential customers are saying about you. Used correctly, you’d be able to stop negative sentiment from getting out of control or promote and grow positive sentiment.

Experts suggest that there are some 200 tools and platforms that provide sentiment analysis. Some, such as Jive Software’s free Fathom application, provide basic monitoring and analyzing of social media conversations. With Fathom, organizations can keep track of conversations and engage in these discussions, as necessary. Facebook was recently reported to be testing a negative sentiment analysis feature for its upgraded Page Insights offering. Page administrators would be able to view the number of Facebook users who have commented negatively in response to a brand post.

Other sentiment analysis tools provide more detailed analysis and are able to notify and mobilize specific job functions, such as product development, customer support, public outreach, and lead generation, based on the analysis.

What the best sentiment analysis tool should do
The Holy Grail of sentiment analysis tools is not only to listen to conversations on social media and other digital platforms, but also to marry that with customer data found in traditional sources, such as customer relationship management or enterprise relationship management systems used to identify sales and business opportunities. The most effective sentiment analysis tool would be able to filter the noise around social media, understand and take into account different cultural and geographic nuances, predict likely outcomes, and present business decisions as recommended actions.

There are many examples of organizations acting on sentiment analysis. A New York Times article describes how StubHub avoided a full-blown customer revolt by offering discounts and credits to fans affected by a rain-delayed Yankees-Red Sox game. Fans had mistakenly been told by stadium officials that the game had been canceled. The fans were denied requests for refunds because the game was actually played. When fans voiced their displeasure online, the company moved to offer discounts and credits.

Sarcasm or genuine sentiment?
Experts say there are a number of challenges with sentiment analysis. “Sarcasm or other forms of derisive language are extremely problematic for technologies to interpret,” notes a post on the TIBCO Business Intelligence Blog. Context could be another problem. How well would sentiment analysis tools differentiate between these two statements: “Rolex watches cost a great deal” versus “I have a great deal of work ahead of me. Thank my Rolex watch for keeping me on time.” Also, these complex tools likely need the human touch of a statistician or business intelligence expert to analyze the results effectively.

If you haven’t experienced sentiment analysis tools, you can test out the very basic tool at tweetfeel.com. According to the site’s FAQ, the tool monitors positive and negative feelings in Twitter conversations using some “insanely complex algorithms to make sure your results fairly display the true feelings.” Type in a common term, such as “Ashton Kutcher,” and watch the numbers under the happy green icon and the unhappy red icon ratchet up as the real-time tweets showing your search term scroll down the screen.

The TweetFeel FAQ admits the tool can be fooled by sarcasm, though: “Achieving perfection is impossible, but that doesn’t mean we won’t try.”

Should you be the face of your Twitter account?

Jillian Kurvers — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 01:28:52 +0000

If you haven’t already created a Twitter account, consider yourself in the minority of brands and businesses out there. These days you’ll be hard-pressed to find a big brand (like @CocaCola or @Target) or smaller shop (like @threetwins ice cream in San Francisco) that isn’t tweeting to legions of followers.

Once you take the leap, you’ll be faced with yet another conundrum: Should you tweet on your own behalf or leave the task to a professional?

When faced with the choice between manning your own social media effort or hiring an expert, you should think long and hard. There are benefits to both, as well as potential pitfalls. Let’s start with some obvious pitfalls: If you’re manning your own ship and you’re not careful, you could end up in hot water.

A plus K, minus taste

Take, for example, Ashton Kutcher, aka @aplusk. Known more for his charisma and off-the-wall charm (?) than for his sensibility and adept knowledge of the world, Kutcher did something we’ve all been warned not to: He spoke before he thought. Or, in this case, he tweeted before he learned all (or any) of the facts. The “Two and a Half Men” star got himself all worked up over the firing of Penn State football coach Joe Paterno. Thing is, Kutcher allegedly hadn’t heard that Paterno had been let go for his role in covering up assistant coach Jerry Sandusky’s inappropriate behavior with young boys. Oops.

Immediately following the overlook, Kutcher tweeted that he’d no longer be in charge of his Twitter self, handing over his account—like so many before him—to a seasoned management team. On the plus side: no more offensive, misguided tweets. But the downside: no more true Kutcher-esque authenticity. Now it’s just a message from his sponsor.

It’s no surprise that some higher profile individuals (even without formal admission) have ghost-tweeters. Nor does it come as a surprise when others do come right out and say it. For example, @BarackObama’s Twitter bio makes it clear that only posts signed “BO” have come directly from the president. This kind of transparency is appreciated; if you’re going to take the less credible road, humor us and let it be known.

However, Guy Kawasaki, the CEO of aggregation site alltop.com, does not personally tweet on behalf of his eponymous Twitter account. Instead he employs others to write and publish to the account. Does this take away from the content he puts out there? No, not at all. His tweets are carefully curated and posted with his and the company’s best intentions. Kawasaki, like President Obama, is a very busy guy. And while I’m certain maintaining close bonds with social media followers is top of mind, it may not, in fact, make the short list.

What’s your game plan?

So let’s say you’re the CEO of a midsized company or the owner of a local shop. Should you be the face behind your own @identity? Ideally, yes. There’s a certain excitement and implied intimacy that comes with reading tips, thoughts, or musings straight from the horse’s mouth. But before you saddle up, consider the following:

1) How much is at stake? If you make a gaffe, will you lose more than just followers? Will customers lose faith in you or your company?

2) How much reach do you have? Celebrities and prominent business people and politicians are at greater risk because they’re often dealing with millions of followers. Imagine making a typo that goes out to 4 million strangers. A simple, honest mistake might get blown out of proportion. (Now imagine you really put your foot in your mouth…)

3) How much will tweeting impact your other important tasks? Realistically, you’re busier than you have time to stop and discuss. Will regularly posting content be an issue? Consistency and relevance are keys to social media success, so if you foresee this becoming an issue, it might be wise to dedicate someone with the time.

Upshot

Today’s businesses are well-advised to create and maintain a presence on social media channels like Twitter. What’s most important is doing so in such a way that paints you and your company in the best light. Whether you can do that on your own or through the filter of someone who’s deeply knowledgeable about your brand is ultimately up to you. Just remember to keep it professional and always, always avoid controversy, especially when you don’t know what you’re talking about.

When should you use a Twitter hashtag?

Selena Welz — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 19:04:41 +0000

There seems to be a love/hate thing going on with Twitter hashtags. They have a lot of benefits, like helping to target your audience and categorize your tweets. Some say they even increase the likelihood of getting retweeted, which can help grow your audience through more exposure. And the significance of hashtags is undisputed in communicating disaster information, as seen in the Japan tsunami, or providing a platform for social movements, like the current Occupy movement.

On the other hand, many Twitter users are bemoaning abuse of hashtags, like the practice of stuffing, where tweets include hashtags because of their search value, rather than the actual relevance to the post. Some users are equating hashtags with spam—and it’s no wonder when the topic strings they’ve been following start getting watered down with irrelevant marketing junk.

So, what are the rules? When and how should you use hashtags?

Rule #1: There are no rules—only common sense

For starters, there really aren’t any established rules for using Twitter hashtags. Hashtags and Twitter itself are relatively new conventions, so best practices are still being developed and will continue to change. As well, Twitter remains a user-driven community, so any “rules” are just repeated behaviors by community members; a convention is dictated by its use.

In addition to its newness, Twitter has rapidly grown. What started as a smaller community of select users who shared details of their daily lives, à la Twitterville, has now developed into a standard tool in the customer communications and marketing social media toolbox. (Early Twitter adopter Dave Coustan, on his Extraface blog, provides a thoughtful reaction to the changes he’s observed on the platform.) This transition from a platform used to communicate with a personal community to communicating on a much broader scale has introduced many more use—and abuse—cases.

Most of the so-called hashtag abuse seems to be the result of platform confusion—thinking of hashtags as a form of metadata—and perhaps a small dash of irrational exuberance around the power of hashtags to increase followers. Looking at how hashtags have evolved might shed some light.

Grouping mechanism gone wild

Chris Messina created the first hashtag in 2007 to help organize communication around the BarCamp unconferences that he helped found. Since then, that simple original purpose of hashtags, linking communication within groups, has been exploited effectively, from social uprisings to creating a platinum-selling pop sensation like Justin Bieber (#bieberfever). But even these uses of hashtags tend to organize communication around physical events, like a conference, rally, or concert, or a person, like The Biebster.

Now the use of hashtags has evolved to indicate categories, somewhat like keywords, which significantly broadens their use. Some Twitter users follow specific hashtags to stay updated on topics that interest them, so including those keywords will help you reach those interested audiences.

This last point is where the hate part of the love/hate equation likely comes in. Now that the business world is paying attention to Twitter as a customer communications platform, people are latching onto increasing numbers of followers and retweets as a quantifiable metric. So the reasoning tends to be more hashtags = more exposure = more followers.

Hashtags vs. keywords

Hashtags are different than keywords. It’s true that hashtags are searchable on Twitter, which makes them seem like keywords, but the effectiveness of hashtags is in their specificity.

Most people think of keywords in an SEO context, which is more like casting a net to draw in your audience. You focus on a group of three to five related words in the hopes of capturing searchers.

Including a hashtag in a tweet is more like linking your tweet to an existing thread of tweets on the same topic—or creating your own thread that other tweets can link onto. Trying to hook onto too many streams will likely just dilute the relevance of your message. In addition, you could end up on threads where your content appears irrelevant, which may just anger the users you’re trying to attract.

Best practices

Hashtags function better as a means to bring communication streams and groups together, or associating yourself with existing groups, rather than a means of getting found. Here are a few scenarios in which hashtags can work beautifully:

Events. Creating a unique hashtag to tag communication around a specific event is a brilliant strategy. It makes a lot more sense for attendees of an event to simply follow the event’s hashtag than to track all the individuals who might be tweeting at or about the event.
To create context. When you only have 140 characters to work with, sometimes it’s easier to append your tweet with a hashtag that will indicate the context of your comment, rather than try to work that context into your 140-character statement.
To provide (a little bit of) metadata. Hashtags can work well for including limited simple information, like a location. But don’t try to include much more than that.
To differentiate your tweets or start a conversation. Remember, including a hashtag is like latching onto an existing conversation stream. If you’re using the same keywords as thousands of other people, your tweets won’t stand out.

What best-use cases have you observed? Tell me about them in the comments.

5 ways to avoid social media blunders

Linda Leung — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 21:36:55 +0000

Recent Twitter activities over at Microsoft (regarding Amy Winehouse) and Entenmann’s (regarding the company’s #notguilty blunder) are serving as a big reminder to marketers that they need to step out of their cubes once in a while and talk to real customers.

Market research and stats are all well and good, but smart marketers will tell you that talking to customers 1-1 will help you appreciate the sentiments of the moment. Customers have strong beliefs and feelings that go far beyond what they buy from you. And we need to be sensitive to that.

If you missed the news, Microsoft tweeted an apology after a tweet from its Xbox 360 PR account encouraged Amy Winehouse fans to remember the singer by downloading her album. Twitter users accused Microsoft of being “cynical” and acting with “appalling taste.”

Baked goods maker Entenmann’s tweeted “Who’s #notguilty about eating all the tasty treats they want?!” on the heels of the Casey Anthony not-guilty murder verdict. Entenmann’s soon tweeted an apology, admitting that it should have checked the trending hashtag before broadcasting its tweet.

No offense intended

These blunders reminded me of an unintended offense made by a technology print magazine I worked for many years ago. We published an illustration of the Hindu deity Shiva with four arms. Each arm was holding some sort of digital device. We received so many complaints from offended readers that to this day, I remember the anger.

The magazine’s illustrator meant no malice. Likewise, it’s hard to imagine that the original tweets from Microsoft or Entenmann’s were created with bad intent. We all get caught up in the moment. We have a huge list of tasks to get through and sometimes we make mistakes or use bad judgment. But when you’re in a position of producing content that’s consumed by the public, it pays to take a step back and do a sanity check.

Here are some quick tips for keeping your social media audience happy:

1. Go with your gut. If something doesn’t feel right, check it with someone who’s not involved with the project and see if it raises alarm bells with them.
2. Check hashtags before “hashtag surfing” (i.e., using hashtags to get a wider audience to see your tweets).
3. If you’re using a competitor’s hashtag (for example, a hashtag a competitor has created for a special event) to get your point of view across to your competitor’s audience, don’t spam. Tweet useful comments and be polite.
4. Remember the old adage, “Never talk about religion or politics in dinner conversations.” Never refer to religious or political figures/issues in your marketing content (unless you’re in those sectors).
5. Go out and meet your customers face-to-face. Find out what else they do when they’re not using your product; find out their likes and dislikes. You might be surprised.

Twitter: Be clear, focused and relevant

Paul O'Neil — Tue, 17 May 2011 01:47:03 +0000

Perhaps it’s an old classmate, a relative, a comedian or a politician. You follow them with glee and know, in time, they might say something inappropriate or off topic. You think that you’ll never do this but, unfortunately, some of us do.

A recent review of marketing content led me to Twitter posts from marketing experts. I found some great information, as well as some off-topic and even inappropriate posts. Curious, I asked Charlotte Zeims, our in-house social media expert, for her suggestions on how business professionals should use Twitter effectively.

The following suggestions should provide some guidelines to position yourself as a thought leader.

Define your goal. What is your objective? Are you out to build your brand, expand your network, or generate leads?
Keep it relevant. Think of yourself as a brand and stay true to your objective and the audience you want to cultivate. Create clear and relevant content for your audience by linking to articles that interest you and are relevant to your industry. Additionally, provide your own insight on news coverage that relates to your industry.
Keep it professional. Don’t become too personal or informal with your audience. Become known as an expert in your field and keep your posts on topic.
Keep it consistent. Post your tweets on a regular basis—commit to a minimum of three tweets per day, for instance. You’ll notice that when you do, you’ll attract more followers and find more people you want to follow. (Please see the recent post from my colleague, Siobhan Nash, on the timing of social media and Twitter posts.)
Develop your audience. You gain followers by creating a relevant brand. On Twitter, that means focusing your tweets on content that supports your brand and monitoring those who follow you. You’re looking at their profiles to see if they care about the same things you’re tweeting about. Sometimes you’ll attract followers who are just looking for a mass quantity of people to market to—we recommend you not follow them back.

Live tweeting Osama, the royal wedding, and more

Linda Leung — Tue, 10 May 2011 00:16:22 +0000

The news that Sohaib Athar, an IT consultant in Abbottabad, Pakistan, became the “guy who tweeted the Osama raid without knowing it” was extraordinary. It’s certainly a great illustration of social media as a powerful communications medium. It also got me thinking about live tweeting and live blogging of events in general. Why do we do it, how should we do it, what are the returns, and who does it the best?

I admit I don’t have the answers. I admit that I’ve never live blogged an event (but I’d love to hear from those who have). I have followed live tweets, though, and here’s my 2 cents.

Live tweeting the founder of Twitter

One of the most memorable was the live tweeting of Twitter CEO Evan Williams’ appearance at the 2009 Online News Association conference in San Francisco. I remember following #ONA09 on Twitter during the lead up to Williams’ keynote, which was also being streamed live. The webcast hit difficulties—according to the tweets at #ONA09—because of a network failure at the conference hotel. Some people tweeted that they thought it was because the network was overloaded with people trying to tweet or read their tweets!

When the keynote began, people began tweeting (using the #ONA09 hashtag) blow-by-blow accounts of what Williams said. Some offered analysis. Mostly, though, the tweets gave an account of what the rest of us could see as we watched the webcast. In other words, a lot of it was noise I could have done without (repeated over and over again by different people).

Why do it?

So what’s the right way to live-tweet or blog? Let’s begin by asking why we’re doing it. Is it because it’s another social media box you need to check off your list? Or is it because it would be useful to your followers who may not be able to attend your event? Only you can answer that question.

What are the benefits?

When done right, it could be a great way for you to add some value to the event. Instead of just offering a blow-by-blow account of what your CEO is saying on stage, add value that your followers may not be able to get elsewhere. (Remember that some of your followers may actually be at the event as well—and perhaps live tweeting it for their followers.)

How about offering a link to more information on the product or service that your CEO just mentioned on stage? Or link to a photo of your exec and the special guest comedian getting ready back stage? Give your followers something that they couldn’t get elsewhere.

How should it be done?

There’s plenty of advice out there, so I’ve compiled some of the best live tweeting tips below:

Before the start of the event:

Ask the attendees to follow the profile you have created for the event.
Tell them about the hashtag and advise them to tag all tweets related to the event with the same tag.
Request that they retweet relevant tweets related to the event.
Ask the speakers to reveal their twitter user name (a.k.a., twitter handle) to the audience right before the start of their talk so that you can associate tweets related to the talk with the speaker’s handle.

During the event:

Engage all the senses as you compose your tweets—smells, sights, sounds, etc.
Try to add quotes for good color commentary. For example: Obama: “We will not give up in this fight against terror.”

General tips:

Use news judgment to decide what should and should not be tweeted. Limit yourself to a maximum of three tweets a minute.
Having a backup way to tweet (I recommend plain old twitter.com) to ensure you don’t miss a beat.

These tips were culled from the following sources: Twitter Journalism, 5 Tips To Help You Live Tweet A Speech, and 7 Tips to Live Tweet an Event Effectively. Check them out for more information.

Who does it best?

That’s a question I want you to help me answer. What live-tweet did you enjoy and get a lot out of recently? If you watched the recent royal wedding, perhaps you also followed the live tweeting via @ClarenceHouse? The royals gave their followers links to some interesting background info, such as the wedding lunch menu and pictures of the royal wedding cake.

Who, in your opinion, has done the best live tweeting of an event and why?

Social media: It’s all about timing

Siobhan Nash — Fri, 06 May 2011 01:21:27 +0000

We all do it. In our efforts to engage with our audience and provide them with quality content, we post what we have, when we have it, to all of our social media outlets without giving a second thought as to timing. You should. Timing your posts and updates to better coincide with a particular platform’s peak usage increases the likelihood that your content will be read and, more importantly, acted upon—whether that’s opening an email, sharing a link, or commenting on a blog.

I recently attended two presentations that discussed this issue of social media timing—one from HubSpot and one from our own Tendo social media expert Charlotte Ziems. Here are some highlights about timing for four key social platforms—Facebook, Twitter, email, and blogs:

Facebook
• Content posted before noon gets 65 percent more engagement than contented posted later in the day
• Friday posts generate the most engagement, followed by Monday and Tuesday
• Saturday and Sunday posts generate the least engagement but the highest number of shares

Twitter
• Twitter updates are retweeted more often when posted later in the day, as well as late in the week
• Click-through rates (CTRs) are highest mid-morning and early evening
• Mondays and Tuesdays yield the lowest CTRs

Blogs
• Twice as many blogs are read in the morning than at night
• Viewing is highest on Mondays and lowest on Saturdays
• Commenting is highest in the morning and on Saturdays, and lowest on Wednesdays

Email
• More email is opened on Saturdays and Sundays (early in the morning) than during the week
• Sending emails more frequently improves click-through rates and doesn’t result in higher unsubscribe rates

The takeaway from this research confirms something we’ve all heard before: the more frequent your activity, the better the response—and that can be further improved by timing your updates and posts accordingly. Try experimenting with the timing of your social media activity; for example, consider sending an email early in the morning and on a weekend and see what the metrics reveal.

Have you noticed certain days and times work better for your social media activity on some platforms? We’d love to hear about it!

3 social media trends for 2010

Selena Welz — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 19:17:08 +0000

As an evolving medium, social media is a breeding ground for constant experimentation and continued development. Lots of efforts fall short—in fact, we probably never even hear about them, given the nature of social media. But when something does take off in the social media sphere, it takes off like gangbusters. In that vein, here are a few social media trends that saw great success this year.

Nonprofits jumping aboard the social media train

As the business world finds new ways to benefit from social media, nonprofits are naturally following suit.

Take the Red Cross. After seeing significant decreases in cash donations to its traditional red buckets and bell ringers stationed outside of shopping malls and supermarkets, the Red Cross began recruiting virtual bell ringers using Twitter and Facebook. The Red Cross reports that this effort raises an average of $3 million per year.

Other nonprofits are using social media as their primary business model, such as Catchafire and Taproot Foundation, which exist purely online and match skilled volunteers to charitable opportunities.

Location-based social media on the rise

Online junkies have flocked to location-based social media, also referred to as geo-social media. Now, in addition to announcing your every thought and action, you can include where these fascinating events are taking place.

Geo-social sites like Foursquare and Gowalla are attracting four percent of online Americans, according to Pew Internet Research. Four percent doesn’t sound like much until you consider how many people are online.

Some pundits question the long-term viability of location-based services. However, as businesses begin experimenting with the possibilities of this type of interaction, as reported in a post by my colleague Linda Leung, we’ll likely see many more iterations of these services.

Users like Facebook’s “like” feature

People were already using the “like” feature frequently within Facebook. But once the social network released a “like” plug-in that can be added to external pages, people have been “liking” all over the place. The “like” feature can even include comments now.

Not only does this feature allow users to enrich their Facebook profiles by including more external content, Facebook itself has a whole new stream of user preferences to play with.

The user ease of simply clicking a button to “like” something combined with the value this could hold for marketers—and Facebook is pushing this marketing value—means this development (like social media itself) has only just begun to evolve.

As we head into 2011, this year’s developments will be yesterday’s news in no time—and the new year will introduce new ways of communicating online that we haven’t even considered.

What social media trends have stood out for you this year? Have you tried something new that worked? I’d love to hear about your social media successes in the comments.