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Reality Check for Twitter and Business Use – Part 3

December 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment
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A reality check for Twitter: what’s next for businesses now that the hype’s wearing off? (part 3 of 3)

Who is using Twitter

Stats from Pew Internet find that 11% of the U.S. population has used Twitter. Further, it suggest that the young and the connected are most likely to be early adopters.

Twenty percent of 25- to 34-year-olds have used Twitter, while that number drops to just 2% of those over 65.  In August, results by Nielsen showed a surge with a 20% growth happening within the 55+ age range.   Is this because more companies are getting the idea of Twitter? Are they getting profiles and their brand claimed online?

Fun Twitter history statistics by Kodak

  • 72.5% of the 44 million Twitter users joined during the first five months of 2009.
  • 93.6% of Twitter users have less than 100 followers, while 92.4% follow less than 100 people
  • More than 50% of all updates are published using tools, mobile and Web-based, other than Twitter.com. Tweet Deck is the most popular non-Twitter.com tool with 19.7% market share.
  • There are more women on Twitter (53%) than men (47%) This is also confirmed on Quancast reports see below.

Other interesting stats:

  • 27% of bloggers use Twitter
  • 35% of city-dwellers use Twitter
  • 76% of Twitter users use the internet wirelessly
  • Only 10% of those earning more than $75,000 use Twitter, while 17% of those making less than $30k use the service.

Twitter Statistics 2009

Where does this leave me?
I am an early adopter but define young for me. I have two gmail accounts, two twitter profiles, I am on LinkedIn, Facebook, Myspace (just to save my username), YouTube, Slideshare, etc.  I go by the adage that “You are as young as you feel.” I am not in the rapidly growing 55+ age group but unfortunately can’t honestly say I am under 34.  The important thing is that I am using Twitter in a way that fits with my business strategy of engaging the B2B community. I am a blogging but live in a rural area and have not totally bought into using Twitter on my phone except for direct replies from key people I follow.

I have objectives that include connecting with Wisconsin businesses, driving traffic to my blog, engaging with people who are interested in the larger issues of social media applied across their organization. On top of that I am working hard to understand social media strategy and tools so that I can advise on nuances for B2B organizations. I follow any Wisconsin B2B business I find on Twitter, and many other B2b Business who are active on Twitter.

Interconnectivity of social media platforms

The use of Twitter is tied with the use of other social media; both blogging and social network use increase the likelihood than an individual also uses Twitter. Twitter users and status updaters are also a mobile bunch; as a group they are much more likely to be using wireless technologies — laptops, handhelds and cell phones — for internet access, or cell phones for text messaging.

More third part applications are being created that allow immediate connection and posting between blogs and twitter such as Twitter Tools. Social media sites and twitter – i.e. LinkedIn users can now send status updates to twitter and vice versa.  Google is doing more and more to incorporate real time information into their search results as Search. Twitter becomes a go to page for trending and immediate results of conversations.

I blog and find that TwitterTools is an essential tool to gain broader exposure to my relatively new blog.  I use it to notify my followers of new blog posts But I needed to spend some time on Twitter to develop a following so there was someone to hear my news.

When I first started on Twitter, due to my mobile situation, I tried the phone txt messaging only for a weekend before I turned it off. Just recently I felt that I could turn that back on for direct messaging of select contacts, clients and partners. Obviously I am learning to filter the noise to some degree.

The “killer” application for businesses, news and knowledge

For the SMB business to business market, the application that will be the most successfully embraced social media tool duo, in my opinion, will be incorporating a business blog and Twitter. Twitter can get your messages out to many people simultaneously, and go viral within minutes (not for everyone mind you).

Blogging is the one tool that allows you to brand your messages, brings thought leadership front and center, and helps people get to know companies and the people who work for them.  This should help to push up the 27% of bloggers using Twitter up higher.  As new corporate bloggers are educated on content and begin to publish  they will need to understand how to market a blog. That is where incorporating Twitter integration tools will play a role on blogs and strategy.

Beyond blogging, a recent survey on value added content for the B2B market showed that c-level executives find white papers, ebooks and video tutorials are some of the most trusted educational content for them. They are subscribing to more feeds from blogs created by thought leaders in their industries. The way to promote this valued content is with Twitter.

A recent post by my business associate and nurture marketing specialist, Doug Tangwall of End Result Marketing, on White Papers points out some very convincing statistics both of valued content, but also lead generation success for a proven ROI. Several recent e-book to book publications such as David Meerman Scott, started their lives out as a blog post, accumulated comments, and when marketed as an ebook strictly online, was tweeted, reposted, blogged, and went viral in a very short time. I believe this type of information will gain the attention of B2B marketers who incorporate social media tools for content and Twitter for posting the information stream.

Watch in 2010 how the blogger statistic will grow as more business leaders begin to understand the power of Twitter. They will use it  to let followers know of a new post, video, or podcast  and to spread the word through retweets of articles, blogs, white papers, videos and other value-added information.  As more social media professionals provide training on how to use Twitter to achieve business goals with subsequent case studies, I would expect to see more substantial usage from the B2B market who is looking for more results (case studies and ROI) to justify their involvement.

Twitter examples

Mike Frichol posted a interesting list of Twitter examples on EzineArticles. He did not list company names in order to focus on how people were using the tool

1. Several computer vendors and retailers offer exclusive discounts to their Twitter followers and bring in substantial revenue from this additional source.
2. A coffee shop in Houston uses Twitter for customers to place to-go orders so that their order is ready and waiting for them at the drive thru window when they arrive.
3. At that same coffee shop, customers can Tweet their orders directly from their table without going to the counter to order.
4. Various hotel chains send special offers to their Twitter followers to fill vacant rooms.
5. Several airlines provide informational updates, customer service, competitions, promotions and general dialog with customers.
6. A bakery in London uses Twitter to notify followers when baked goods are fresh out of the oven.
7. Event organizers use Twitter to notify attendees about logistics, updates, schedule changes and other information about an event.
8. The staff at a New Orleans Pizza restaurant sends information about the healthy and fresh ingredients in their organic pizzas and details about special deals.
9. A hotel chain provides concierge services via Twitter to answer guest questions about getting around the local area for a particular hotel.
10. Street vendors in several cities notify their followers where they’re parked at different times and what specials they have that day.
11. Home improvement stores provide tips, suggestions and how-to advice to their followers.
12. A Research firm notifies their followers when new research, articles or discussions are published.
13. A food supermarket chain gets input from customers on what they like as research to determine what to stock in each store to meet local tastes and preferences.
14. An online retailer has developed a huge following on Twitter by encouraging employees to communicate with customers about a wide variety of topics of mutual interest.
15. A tax preparation service provides question-and-answer services to their customers via Twitter.
16. A cable operator provides real time customer service and problem resolution on Twitter.
17. A fast food chain uses Twitter for customer comments and feedback. They also send coupons to followers.
18. A car manufacturer provides updates on their green vehicles and sustainability initiatives across the business.
19. Several news organizations provide news headlines and breaking news to followers.
20. An online retailer specializing in selling clearance products has over 1.3 million followers by posting daily sale items on Twitter.
21. A seafood wholesaler in Chicago sends Tweets to Chefs with details about available fresh fish and links to photos. Chefs respond with orders directly via Twitter.

Do you have your own Twitter example to add? Contribute your success story in the comments.


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Filed Under: Social Media Strategy, Social Media Tools, Twitter Tagged With: , , , , ,

Government 2.0 | Is using social media the same or different than B2B

October 30, 2009 By 1 Comment
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The most recent Madison, Wisconsin social media event, titled Government 2.0 Utilizing Social Media, was presented by Wired Wisconsin. It focused on social media usage for government agencies, elected officials and lobbyists. The program is an effort to get governmental agencies up to speed on social media channels and the tools to engage their audiences. After talking with some of the attendees, its clear that they are behind the curve for implementation, are unclear on how best to use social media to engage, and worried about the personal and agency legal exposure they may encounter.

Many parallels to business

The presentation primarily paralleled social media strategy for business to business markets on many points.  These include, listening to your audience first, selecting tools that are appropriate for the audience, and taking small steps in moving forward so you don’t overwhelm you or your staff.  Having a lawyer, Liza Barry-Kessler, also speak about policy and the special legal issues involved in the government sector was unique, and not something seen too often in the B2B space.

The introduction was by Thad Nation, Director of Wired Wisconsin and principal of Nation Consulting. Wired Wisconsin is a nonprofit coalition of concerned individuals, businesses and organizations working to put the state of Wisconsin on the cutting edge of technology. With goals of education, collaboration and activation, it seems an appropriate platform to use and endorse social media in all sectors of the business and governmental organizations.

Nation commented, “There is a challenge for government agencies to catch up to where most businesses and individuals are at this point of time. The goal of the session today was to provide an overview to start the learning process.”

Emily Lenard, the Associate Director of Wired Wisconsin gave an informative session on why these agencies need to embrace social media and some strategies to do so. As is the case in many public sessions on social media, there was a diverse group of attendees in terms of experience. Lenard, with an engaging style, did a good job of explaining how this channel can bring two-way conversation into the forefront. It can help people who, due to location, might otherwise miss the conversation. It can be an asset to listen to what the public has to say about an issue as well as help organizations achieve goals.

Social media works both ways

She also recognized that constituents in voting districts can use social media to share concerns, complain, and even disparage an elected representative. However, the same channels and tools allow you to share your side of the story and balance the information. Many of the audience’s concerns were around time management, moderation and/or treatment of comments and reactions.

Some of the benefits Lenard pointed out are

* Address feedback as it happens
* Reach out, react and interact with people not otherwise able to speak with you
* Allow for dialogue – two way conversation

Perhaps the biggest issue is encouraging the agencies to focus on organizational goals first. Secondly, begin to listen through a social ecosystem assessment of the people who would use their services or the type of service. Once you have some information you can then determine if social media can directly or indirectly help you. It’s clear that social media will let them connect with a wider audience.

Issues of compliance, privacy and security

The issues of compliance, legality, privacy and security are very real in the Government 2.0 space.  Not that some of these aren’t for private business.  It seems that open records laws can influence how you capture and archive things like “tweets” on Twitter, Facebook postings, etc. Like insurance and financial institutions, what you say and how you say it may get into complex compliance and security related questions.  Proceed with caution in the governmental space, but don’t overlook the benefits to the public.

How do you think they should implement social media?

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Challenges we face as leaders | Thoughts on Blogs Week of October 23, 2009

October 27, 2009 By 1 Comment

Participation on the social web following the Social Media Academy’s NCP Model.

What do you see as the biggest challenges for business leaders in the next 12 months.

LinkedIn Questions -Dan Paulson C level executive adviser.  CEO of InVision.

In response:

Corporate websites are doomed.  Buyers are not going to these sites for information. They are using online readers, social sites, product sites and forums to learn the “real story” and share reviews on products and services.
Leaders need to find ways for buyers to personally connect with you  while integrating them into your business. This allows you to establish lasting connections.

Leaders need to recognize that buyers (both consumers and B2B) have fundamentally changed their buying process. Therefore they must change the sales process.  Trust is the biggest issue.  Those suppliers who  are open and share information,  are active in marketplace, and engaged in community of professionals will standout and can be trusted sooner.

Having customer evangelists who are freely recommending your product and service based on their customer experience being outstanding is the most important thing to move you up the recommendation chain. Your goal should be to provide the best customer experience and engagement.

Your online presence should integrate with social sites in various forms.  Build your platforms across your organizations to integrate with the social web.

Does your company have a Social Media Policy for employees?

Social Media Marketing Group – LinkedIn Questions & Answers

Can employees blog about your company? Tweet about it? Can they RT something about the company that someone has already said?

In response:

I also agree with Ryan that social media policies and guidelines are helpful to both employees and senior management.  It provides the structure for employees to follow so they know when they are out of line.  It reassures senior management that they have escalation paths in place should conversations go haywire and it documents for legal reasons grounds for inappropriate actions.

I recently heard Lee Aase of Mayo Clinic speak and they have a policy statement on their blog.

I have started to see policy statements by social media professionals such as chrisbrogan.com that include disclaimers, linking policies, connection policies, and disclaimers.

Privacy Begins at Home.

Lee Aase on the use of Skype and various social media tools.

In response:

Lee, thanks for making yourself oh so human.When we see people from big organizations talking about using social media, its easy to assume that they know everything.

Its easy to be intimidated by the conversations that’s ongoing or in trying to start one yourself.

I appreciated the very real presentation you gave on your own humble beginnings recently in Madison WI for the AAF. It helps even to those of us firmly entrenched in the world of social media, It also helps us be creative with how we implement social media.

You provided great incentive to use Flip video for interviews and capturing content in new ways. So I did a video blog post while I was traveling to a soccer game in the car. I will try and be brave and post it today on my blog. Note to everyone, its easier to do this with some type of velcro on the dashboard so you don’t have to hold the camera.

Thanks again for the great presentation and for your blog and SMUG university.

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How to participate in the social web

October 7, 2009 By 3 Comments
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Social Media Academy’s NCP Model

I follow the Social Media Academy’s NCP model which stands for Network Contribution Participation.b4nature_landscapes015

Network provides the reach for your message and connection to people in your social ecosystem.

Its about growing your network by connecting with people in various places.

Contribution is the active engagement and content contribution over such networks. Conversation is the currency in social media.

It can be blogs, articles, pictures, videos or podcasts.

Participation is the positive or negative reflection of the contribution and the actual conversation.

So you have to speak up in new areas, comment on others blogs, and add to the color of the conversation with your very own twist in the fabric.

Networking

You start the process with Networking.  I do great at networking and growing my network. At first it was slow on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.  Now, they each have a mind of their own with an almost organic growth that has taken over.

Since I do a lot of public speaking on social media, this has provided added stimulus to the growth, maybe greater than most users would find.  I have not done much with TopLinked or some of the speed networking opportunities yet on LinkedIn, rather I wanted to work hard at this myself and truly know the work involved.

Now I can expand further my network in several new areas such as YouTube, Flickr, Picasa, and Slideshare.  These will provide a different type of space and I am looking forward to who I connect with there as well. Some will be professional, but I suspect it will allow me to enter new relationships that aren’t the same as those that connect with me and the written word.

Contribution

The contribution part of the NCP Model is likely the most difficult for many.  This means writing, folks.  Creating original thoughts and getting them posted in the social space. I wrote community opinion pieces first for my local paper. Then I started with book reviews in a metro business publication, which then transferred to an online forum for greater reach.

I was asked to provide quest posts on several social media blogs.  This was the hardest step because I was offering knowledge to my peers.  I am not sure anyone is listening to those posts yet, but I find that I do have a unique perspective that provides another facet of conversation in the business community.

Then came my own blog (Network Mindshare).  This is hard work – no doubt about it.  Being creative in coming up with ideas is not the problem, it’s deciding what to write about the idea!

Last but not least, I also took on the challenge of a social media column in an online newspaper.  More deadlines, a different writing style and another shift in the audience. Good for the network.

Participation

Participation in the social web is the final piece of the NCP Model.  You just can’t shout out your opinions in a one way megaphone.

You need to actively search out and read others who have shared their opinions on topics that are of interest.  Don’t just read these, you must comment.  Your thoughts can support, express a contrary point of view, offer explanation, share examples, express frustration, ask further questions, offer solutions or just compliment the post.

The key is engagement and you can’t do that without putting those thoughts in writing.

Thoughts on Blogs

I am trying a technique to make sure that I continue effectively on the participation side of the NCP Model.  Each week I have set a goal to comment on at least three different blogs.  In order to find the blogs, I have Google Alerts set on keywords that I researched using the Google Keyword Tool.  I share comments on these blogs and keep track of them using the Social Relationship Management tool www.xeesm.com/wendysoucie, which lets me search for all references I have made (after using that link) and I will pick out several and post them.  I will include them in a new blog category called “Thoughts on Blogs.”

Perhaps you have a blog that I should read and on which I should offer my opinion?  Comment here with the link and I will check it out.

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Filed Under: Business Blogging, Inbound Marketing, Social Media, Social Media Academy, Social Media Strategy, Social Media Tools, Thoughts on Blogs, Web 2.0 Tagged With: , , , ,
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