Category Archives: Twitter Marketing

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Should All Brands Be Onboard With “Real Time Marketing?”

by: Jamey Brown

I was reading a good piece by Scott Monty yesterday on what exactly “real time marketing” was and if it should even be a term. After taking 24 hours to digest the piece and digest the comments, I woke up with these thoughts about the newly slated strategy:

- I like this term, but it will soon be overused by every marketer out there and will then die a tragic, buzzword death.

- No, not all brands need to adopt this style of marketing. It needs to be applicable to A. your brand and B. your brand’s campaign.

- Don’t forget normal marketing.

- Not everything has to be “live.” I swear, as soon as a harlem shake comes down the pike it’s off to the races on who can push out the fastest blog post. And half the time, they aren’t worth the keystrokes that went into writing them. When something viral hits and I read these immediate write-ups on it, they usually just say that it happened…and that’s it. Is it too much to ask to be informative these days?

- Force messaging is not the answer. During the Oscars I saw SO many brands pushing campaigns that had no business being lumped into this stream of conversation. Again, don’t compromise your brand’s mantra just because a big event is coming up.

Bottom line: Real Time Marketing can be effective, but under the right circumstances and for the right brand. Always be wary of marketing trends before decisions are made.

Do You Know Brands Who Are Doing A Good Job With “Real Time Marketing?” A Bad Job? 

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3 Reasons Why Vine Will Help Brands

A couple of days ago the new Vine application was released and every digital nerd, including myself, thought we were the new Spielbergs of directing. The stop/go flip book app allows users to easily edit together video content of their choosing and then share socially within the Vine community or to other social networks (Twitter and Facebook). I refrained from writing an immediate piece upon the app’s release date because I wanted to let the initial wave of “OMG, this is awesome” to blow over and really examine the realistic benefits of this program. Is this application a real game changer? No. Will it be a useful, tactical tool for brands? Yes. Below are 3 reasons why.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Transparency: one of the most important staples a brand must embrace when using social media is transparency. This is something that we all know by now. The question now is “how can we further our transparency?” The Vine app will allow users to take a step further into the brand’s internal way of life. Nothing huge, but it will make users connect with the brand further because…ding ding ding…the brand will be further humanized in the eyes of the user!

2. Conciseness: I am sure there were many meetings, debates, brainstorms, etc. on how long the clip’s length. And Vine did a great job with staying in line with Twitter’s mantra of being the salsa dance network of social media. When user’s only have a limited amount of time to make their multimedia content oscar winning they know it has to be good. And it is perfect for people who are on the go (and the majority of us are these days). So if I want a quick “how-to” clip on how to cook a meal or how to put something together then I know Vine can give me the quick video blueprint of how to do that. Hmm… do you hear that brands? “How-to” videos on Vine…not a bad practice to start implementing if applicable.

3. Content: everything in social media will always wrap back around to “is your content worthy?” So, whether it is a “how to” clip or you showing segments of your day, make sure the content you push out on this application is something users will not just like, but benefit from. I can like something all day on Facebook, but Vine takes things a step further in that it will be a competition for good content.

So, future social media directors, go out and start filming. Just know that you should not overuse this app and the content you push out needs to not only be “cool,” but valuable to other users.

Have you used the Vine application yet? If so, what has been your favorite type of content you’ve seen so far? 

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5 Reasons How Twitter Helps With Engagement

by: Jamey Brown

 

 

 

 

 

 

In my opinion, Twitter is the best social network for brand to customer engagement. Why? It’s fast. It’s concise. And it’s the best listening tool around. With that in mind, I will keep this entry concise and to the point. So, below are five quick tips on how Twitter can help spark up engagement between brand and customer.

1. It’s A Listening Tool

Twitter allows a brand to hear exactly what its market is saying. Now how is this different than Facebook, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, etc.? Twitter is 140 characters long, thus meaning followers only have a short breath to say what they mean. So you better believe they are going to say the most important thing on their mind. With only 140 characters to spare, followers are going to use them wisely…and in response so should brands.

2. Speed

Twitter is about speed. If you are not timely on Twitter then it will be noted by followers and trust me, that isn’t good. Think of being speedy on Twitter like being a waiter at a wedding reception – you are moving 100 miles per minute and being nice along the way. Hard? Yes. Effective? Very. Remember though, do not sacrifice content and accuracy of responses just to be fast.

3. User Generated Content

Now all social networks allow this, but my reason for listing this is because Twitter allows one button execution for pushing out user generated content. Yes, the almighty RT! In one click of a button a follower can go from being a regular Joe Schmo to a brand ambassador rockstar. This application is powerful and builds a heck of a dedicated fan base.

4. Connection

Again, all networks have this characteristic - that’s the point of social marketing, right? But Twitter enables a much more personal type of connection. It’s as if we are texting back and forth with the brand or even a celebrity. The connections made on Twitter are deep and I value them greatly – this should be the same mindset for brands on Twitter as well.

5. Conversation

This is what happens after the connection. There’s no point in connecting if you are not going to talk! Twitter allows followers to carry snappy conversations in real time, while also bringing others into the mix. Facebook does this as well, but it is at a much slower pace and the dialogue tends to be clunky.

The next time you are cruising through your Twitterverse think of it as a network that will actually let you connect with someone and talk with them more than just one time. I have multiple Twitter connections that I tweet back and forth with on a regular basis – topics ranging all the way from personal life to work. That my friends is called engagement.

How do you use Twitter? How often do you genuinely engage with your followers?