The Brains Behind Social Influence Marketing

If you are running a social media company or  thinking about implementing some type of social media strategy into your business… there is no better company to track than Razorfish. They recently released a report called Fluent which examines the possibilites of using social media influencers (like Chris Brogan and Douglas Karr) to market a product or service. The definition of social influence marketing is as follows:

Social influence marketing is about employing social media as part of the entire lifecycle of a marketing campaign, even beyond the campaign.

There is also a deeper understanding to the concept of social influence marketing (SIM). The idea that marketing has turned away from the company and now is in control of the customer (or at least soon will be) is the basis of SIM. How do you create a market when in reality… in the not-to-distant future… marketing campaigns may not exist. How do you empower certain evangelists to spread the word about your product or service and seem absolutely genuine at the same time?

Razorfish is leading the way in deciding the right form to tackle social media as part of a marketing process. I would encourage you to read the report and experience the world of social influence marketing.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Fluent, the Social Influence Marketing Report (socialmediatoday.com)
• Only 33% of Us Trust Our “Online” Friends; Barely More Than Trust in Banner Ads! (myventurepad.com)
• The New Marketing Career (slideshare.net)
• Social Media is Valuable but Broken. We Need to Work Together. (via Google Reader) (kylelacy.com)

6 Ways to Use TwitterCounter for Twitter Growth

I have been doing a ton of research for the new book from Wiley Publishing, Twitter Marketing for Dummies. The research has to do with productivity tools, marketing tools, and overall marketing knowledge for use on Twitter. I came across TwitterCounter in my search for a tool that fully utilizes trends of your followers, as well as, a personalized platform to track Twitter growth. TwitterCounter doesn’t look like much at first glance but if you dig into the roots of the tool you will find that the guts of the website is fairly useful in terms of analyzing Twitter.

When you first go to the site it gives you the ability to sign in with your Twitter account and gain access to a variety of  data that I found extremely useful.

1. Tracking Your Growth. The site allows you to view a graph that can expand over a couple of days or a couple of months that shows the growth of your followers. This is interesting because it shows you where you being effective and where you were not being effective pertaining to growing your following. If you can see the graph to the right it shows that I had a couple of days last week where my follower count shot up and then it started leveling off at the end of the week. This shows that halfway through the week I was sharing content that people found more valuable than at the end. You can then review your tweets and figure out what content your followers enjoy most.

2. Comparing Your Growth with Other Users. Under the graph you will find a section that allows you to compare different Twitter accounts with your own growth. This allows you to either track your growth compared to competitors in your industry or anything else you could possibly think of when trending growth patterns. It is similar to Compete.com and the use of comparing website traffic with multiple sites. You can then cross reference the data with the accounts you are comparing and find what type of content they are sharing to drive more growth.

3. Twitter Badge for Your Blog. I have always wanted a little badge on my blog that tracks how many followers I have. TwitterCounter gives you the ability to pull an embedded code off their website and place it on your own site. You can see mine to the right of this post under the email subscribe button. This badge gives you another route to gain more followers (especially the people who read your blog and are not following you on Twitter).

4. Twitter and TwitterCounter API. For the geeks reading this post the TwitterCounter API is a pretty cool application to develop. The TwitterCounter API allows you to retrieve everything TwitterCounter knows about a certain Twitter username. It uses a simple REST API, which can be called on at the following UR. Personally, I would not be using the Twitter API but it gives TwitterCounter another route to fully utilizing and searching Twitter for different types of data.

5. Tracking Updates and ReTweets. You have the abiliy to view a graph on the amount of updates you have made in a given day or month and the amount of retweets tracking throughout a given period. This is valuable in order to keep yourself accountable to pushing a certain amount of updates in a given day on Twitter. If you found you have been slacking during a certain time in the week it might be wise to adjust your schedule to help with making more updates to your Twitter account. However, don’t share stupid content.

6. Remote Twitter Stats. This function is apparently still in building phase but the potential of the tool is pretty cool. The remote allows you to view WHO visited your site from Twitter. This is an awesome application in concept because it will allow you to target the Twitter users that visit your blog on a daily or weekly basis. I don’t know about you but I would love to know which users truly visited my blog. You can start adapting a help me, help you process to your Twitter usage and really push content that specific Twitter users have found appealing.

Did I miss anything on the use of TwitterCounter? Any other avenues that YOU personally use to track your growth using this awesome tool?

Related articles by Zemanta

• SocialWhale – twitter web 2.0! (twi5.com)
• Calling all Twitter tool providers to implement OAuth (thenextweb.com)
• TwitterCounter: how do we keep up with Twitter? (thenextweb.com)
• Easily Manage Your Twitter Flock (themoxiemomblog.com)

15 Ways to Promote Your Blog Offline

The website is changing. The simple fact that individuals are wanting, craving, and needing updated content is generating a ton of traffic to one thing on your website : your blog. We know of multiple ways to promote your individual or company blog online but what about offline? The following is a list of 15 ways to promote your blog in a “traditional” sense. Some of the tips are a little outrageous but ya know what… we are all outrageous in some way… That is business, baby!

1. Put your blog address on your business card. If you have a personal bog (like mine: www.kylelacy.com) or even if you have a business blog off of your current website (example: getbrandswag.com/blog). Single out your blog on your business card.

2. Talk about you blog with every breath you take.. every move you make. This does not mean you overpower and drown people with your blog thought and opinions. This DOES mean that you talk about your blog when the time presents itself. If somebody is asking your opinion on a certain topic… give them your ideas and point them towards your blog.

3. Stick em up! Stickers for promotion. I have seen multiple bloggers and Internet-preneurs have stickers designed and printed that promoted their blog. If you have a catchy URL or tagline (example: Sometimes it is better to be socially creative) it might be a good idea to produce some stickers and hand them out.

4. Traditional Networking Rocks. Find a Chamber or a Rainmakers. If you are a small business owner, sales manager, or account manager… you are more than likely already involved in a traditional networking event. Hand out your business cards, pass out your stickers, and talk your blog up! People want to read content that helps them with a pain point in their lives. Help them out and they will be forever grateful!

5. Hire a Dominos or Liberty Tax Guy/Girl. We have all seen them holding a promotion sign and dancing on the side of the road. I have had my fair share of almost running them off the road by accident but out of all honesty, it could be a great way to promote your blog. There is one benefit to hiring a roadside promotional person… they are hardcore!

6. Ninja Attack on Display Computers. This idea comes from Future of Blog. If you find yourself in a Best Buy or any store that may have display computers… jump on the computer and surf to your blog and walk away. Now, this is not going to push any valuable traffic to your blog (who knows) but it was a funny idea.

7. Write an article for a magazine. There are plenty of local magazines around your area. Find the magazine that caters to your demographic and write articles for submission. This will help in your ability to gain traction with a knowledge hungry public.

8. Expensive Traditional Marketing. It pains me to write this portion of the tips but the ideas can still be used to promote a blog. Buy traditional marketing. Traditional marketing could be anything from radio, TV, billboard, or yellow page advertisements. I wouldn’t mind seeing my blog on a billboard but honestly, you have to REALLY justify the cost.

9. Sponsor a fund raising event. Find an event or not-for-profit that you can sponsor as a writer or blogger. This will help in your promotion to the community. One tip: Make sure you believe in the community based sponsorship before you buy.

10. Attend Conferences and Conventions. This idea could be delegated to an individual inside the company or yourself… it is all dependent on your time and ability to commit to different conferences. The same concept applies to offline networking groups applies to attending the conferences and conventions in your industry. Your online relationships are SO much stronger if you connect in the offline environment.

11. Get a vehicle wrap going on your car. We have all seen the massive car wraps. If you are wanting to REALLY promote your blog… get a car wrap but to be honest… I wouldn’t recommend it.

12. Write a Press Release and Include Your Blog. There are individuals better at writing about promotion through the use of public relation tactics but it is still a viable option to promoting your blog.

13. Attend a TweetUp. You are probably already using Twitter and if you are not… you probably should be. Twitter users usually have different networking events where different users can meet each other in a specific geographic location. Attend a TweetUP and give more face time with the people you communicate with online.

14. T-shirt It Up. This tip comes directly from @baldeagle on Twitter. Put quotes from your blog on a t-shirt. Make sure that you wear them around as much as possible. This may seem a little egotistical but come on… most of us are… at least a little bit.

15. Create a brochure with your top post. Many of us are in agreement when we talk about the power of an integrated marketing approach when it comes to promotion. Create a brochure that is catered directly to your blog. Take the best and top read post from your blog and transfer it to the print material. Be sure that you hand your blog-chure out whenever you have the chance. This could be extremely valuable at speaking engagement. I have printed blog posts out in order to hand them to event attendees.

Is Social Media Changing Lead Generation?

I was reading Jeremiah Owyang’s post about social networking and corporate sites connecting and he makes a general reference about the changing landscape of lead generation:

“Because brands will let users login using their social network identity (like Facebook or Twitter) they are increasing their chances of user interaction and engagement –but miss out on lead generation in the traditional sense.”

This was an interesting proposition from one of the leading minds in the Internet interaction world. Is the entire definition of lead generation changing in the business environment? I would venture to say… maybe a little bit.

There are plenty of lead generating activities that will not change the overall concept when it comes to search engine marketing or e-mail list buying. There are still ways to produce lead generation using content through software services like Compendium Blogware or an awesome organic search firm like Slingshot SEO. But there has been a slight shift in how small businesses and corporate brands are building lead generation through social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIN.

We are talking about  lead generation activities built through relationship development. Let me be clear that you need both strategies when developing a marketing strategy for the Internet but it is important to recognize that consumers may want more interaction than previously believed.

Through interaction and engagement you can build a different type of list than in the “traditional sense.” This is the whole concept of customer evangelists… empowering people to share your brand. You may find that sales may be longer but they are sales just the same.

Connect both strategies of search lead generation and social networking interaction when connecting your brand to the marketplace.. you may be pleasantly surprised!

Related articles by Zemanta

• Four Business-Social Networking Sites Worth Visiting (networksboise.wordpress.com)
• Caveat Emptor: Do You Know Enough to Buy or Hire Social Media Expertise? (socialmediatoday.com)
• Who Uses Social Networks and What Are They Like? (Part 1) (readwriteweb.com)
• Allen Weiss: What the Young People Say About Social Media (mpdailyfix.com)

Help with Twitter Marketing for Dummies Book

At this moment I am currently writing a new Twitter Marketing for Dummies book from Wiley Publishing. I am going to be featuring some Twitter users in the back of the book and I need some Twitter marketing thoughts in 140 characters or less. There are two ways you can submit a Twitter comment:

1. Place the 140 character post including your Twitter name into the comment section below.

2. Send a tweet out into the realm of the unknown using the hashtag : #twitterdummy

Example: Remember to listen and then react. This is important when using Twitter. #twitterdummy

We will be compiling the entries and then placing them in a special Twitter Marketing Thoughts in the back of the Twitter Marketing for Dummies book. Remember, I am looking for Twitter Marketing thoughts based solely on marketing advice while using Twitter.

Thanks everyone!

Twitter Usage Plan for Success

Twitter is the talk of the town from marketing firms to small business owners… how do we use this tool to increase leads and drive growth? This seems to be the question most people are asking across the business landscape. If you are skeptical and a little confused… believe me… you are not alone. I am immersed in social media on a daily basis and I am still testing strategies when using Twitter.

We are all trying to figure out this new world of online communication.. so where do you start when diving into Twitter.

Twitter is just another tool in your (business) aresenal to drive brand awareness across a specific group of people. So what do you do when first starting out? Limit your twitter use. It is extremely important to build out a usage plan for Twitter when first starting out on the tool.

An example:

Phase 1

• Use Twitter for 30 minutes a day
• Add 10 strategic relationships to follow every two days (between 30-45 followers a week)
• Tweet (send a twitter message) three times a day
• Write down all strategic relationships or new business leads formed when using Twitter

Phase 2

• Move up to an hour of Twitter usage a day. Example: designate 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes after the work day. You could also break the usage out over the day
• Sign up for a HootSuite account to help with Tweeting and follower management throughout the day.
• Move up to 10 tweets a day. If need be… use HootSuite for random posting through-out the day.

This is just small example of how you can build out a Twitter usage plan for yourself or your employees. There are a couple of important things to remember:

• Use the tool on a daily basis. It is important to build up a habit of using the tool.
• Measure. Measure. Measure. Measure. If you do not see some type of success from Twitter after 3-5 months.. re-evaluate your usage.
• Remember that Twitter is just another medium to reach potential consumers… don’t give up your other marketing strategies… integrate your approach

Twitter is a great tool to use for communication and brand awareness. Do you have any other productivity tips? Ways to be productive? This is just a small example but I would LOVE to hear from other people.

Related articles by Zemanta

• The One Place You Should Focus ALL Marketing (kylelacy.com)
• Atlanta Women In Social Media Marketing_4 (marketing.blogtanker.com)
• The Small Business Marketing Secret to Getting Referrals (marketing.blogtanker.com)
• Boost Your Sales series: “As a Seller, Is Social Media Just Hype or Is There Real Value In It?” by Paul McCord (thecustomercollective.com)

The Value of Thought Leadership for Your Business

Is thought leadership valuable for a small business? That is the question that is being asked around the blogosphere as of late. Is it important for an owner, sales director, or a sole proprietor to be involved and have their “head” into the concept of thought leadership?

Well. I would say yes but what is the definition of a thought leader?

Thought leader is a buzzword or article of jargon used to describe a futurist or person who is recognized among peers and mentors for innovative ideas and demonstrates the confidence to promote or share those ideas as actionable distilled insights (thinklets)

Now, I don’t have a clue what a “thinklet” is but there is the definition of thought leader from wikipedia. Does this strike you as something important for your business? Instead of thinking of a thought leader as a single individual why not view your entire company as a massive thought leader?

Using social media can help you develop and nurture your (company) thought leadership by sharing ideas, view points, and opinions on events in your industry. By developing trust you are developing thought leadership. Last time I checked… trust potentially can lead to a long term sale.

By constantly producing content that is genuine, up-to-date, thoughtful, and insightful you can develop a leadership base that will follow your lead.

What do you think happens when one of your readers runs into a pain point in their business that you talk about on a daily basis… lead generation at its best.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Thought Leadership Ain’t What It Used to Be (thecustomercollective.com)
• Thought Leadership Webinar February 10 (deswalsh.com)
• Thought Leadership is Not Enough (socialmediatoday.com)
• Give the People What They Want: Thought Leadership and Lead Gen (funnelholic.com)

What You Can Learn From Tony Robbins About Twitter

I was browsing Twitter this morning (I know. It sounds stimulating doesn’t it?) and happened across Tony Robbins Twitter profile. If you have no idea of who Tony Robbins is… go check out his website. He is an extremely influential speaker and thought leader in the world of personal development. I was surprised to find that Tony Robbins very rarely used Twitter for communication.. only the broadcasting of messages.

Some may say that Mr. Robbins is accomplishing communication by using social media tools to spread a message… unfortunately he is not. Communication is a two way street and unfortunately, one-way messages rarely harness the power of social media.

What if Tony were to take 30 minutes a week to respond to his fans and supporters? What if Tony were to utilize the some 750,000 people following him on Twitter? He is probably accomplishing some type of thought leadership and a hint of viral marketing by continuing to use Twitter in this manner… but the roads that could be forged if he did more than just USED the tool… endless.

What can you learn from Tony Robbins about Twitter? Move from automation to emotion. You can automate anything in the world but it takes the human quality out of the process. Take some time and add personal c0mmunication into your Twitter strategy. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Why Do You ReTweet? Take the Survey (pistachioconsulting.com)
• 100 Plus Authors Tweeting! (nettiehartsock.com)
• MC Hammer’s Flashmob: Hammer Pants Dance (viralblog.com)
• 74% of Canadians unaware of Twitter: online survey (cbc.ca)
• Discover How Susan Boyle Turn Out To Be An Overnight Success (healthmoneysuccess.com)

Twitter More Important than LinkedIN for Business

I love polling. Sometimes you take it for what it’s worth… and sometimes it blows you away. I stumbled across a post by ReadWriteWeb about a polling completed on LinkedIN asking their members What is the most important new platform for brands to master?
and the results?

Talk about an interesting development? Facebook even beat out the famous business networking site for social media brand development! What is even more interesting is that small business owners made up 76% of the votes (out of a total of 3,600).

What does this mean for marketing and social media?

Business owners are starting to take notice of the growing trend in the social media world and the ability for businesses to use networks to drive revenue. The influence of the social Internet age is growing exponentially.

My question to all the business owners and marketing directors is this… What are you going to do with this information? Is it time to take the dive and joining the Twitter or Facebook community?

Is your brand going to be hurt if you do not join the masses?

Related articles by Zemanta

• Poll: Business People Say Twitter More Important Than LinkedIn (readwriteweb.com)
• Social Media Influencers and Ripple Marketing | Laurel Papworth … (jonggunlee.tistory.com)
• Getting True Value Out of Social Media (kylelacy.com)
• Charities can lure donors, raise awareness on social-network sites … (jonggunlee.tistory.com)

Is Your Boss Wet-Behind-The-Ears?

I have been really enjoying NPR recently while I am sitting in the office and they have a show on Saturday mornings that is all about the origin of words and phrases. On the show they talked about the phrase: Wet-Behind-the-Ears.

We all have some idea of what the phrase means.. we have probably been called that on numerous occasions. The original orignin from the Phrase Finder:

Origin: The ‘wetness’ is supposed to be from just being born. Ie. you still have the fluid from your mothers womb behind your ears.

The idea of the phrase is that if you are “wet-behind-the-ears”.. you are a beginner.. or a novice..

Many business owners are wet-behind-the-ears when it comes to social media and using it for their marketing purposes.. it is a given across the board. The question is this.. how do you go into a company and convince a business owner to use a tool that YOU KNOW will be huge in the future of marketing?

Show them the art of listening. Give them case studies of companies like Zappos, Comcast, and Dell. Talk to them about the value of collaboration across multiple levels of customer interaction.

It is about listening and then applying what you HEAR to your business model.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Social Media Influencers and Ripple Marketing | Laurel Papworth … (jonggunlee.tistory.com)
• Why Businesses Fail in Social Media (kylelacy.com)
• Free eBook – Finding Your Voice in a Crowded World: Personal Branding, Social Media and You (byronmiller.typepad.com)
• Be Naked (chrisbrogan.com)