Category: Social Media

Categories
Business Measurement Social Media SXSW

What happens after SXSW?

From the HB Blog

Post-conference communication often creates challenges:

  • What was that person’s name?
  • Did I remember to follow her on Twitter?
  • How can I reach out to him?
  • And, the big one: could this person become a partner or client?

One can imagine an avalanche of email correspondence the week following SXSW Interactive. But how can your voice, note, or offer get to the thousands of people you met?

Keep it short

The last thing anyone wants to do is slog through dozens of emails about how much the sender enjoyed meeting you. Keep your message brief, targeted, and actionable. What do you want the recipient to do? At the very least, keep the conversation going – invite the recipient to a Twitter chat, encourage them to watch a SXSW recap, or setup a time to chat.

Show some love

Folks appreciate digital manners. If you meet someone interesting, mention them on Twitter, connect on LinkedIn, or provide them a soapbox on your blog. A post about the 5-10 interesting people met on day 1 of SXSW helps the folks you meet and lays the groundwork for future partnerships.

Grow your audience

Conferences provide excellent opportunities to share your voice with a larger audience. No matter your tactic or strategy, continuing the conversation with SXSW attendees helps extend your reach and develop a larger audience for your content (and maybe, your business).

Categories
Content Marketing Design Facebook Social Media Strategy

The power of the comment

 

From the HB Blog

Chances are you left a comment on Facebook or retweeted on Twitter today. If you’re fancy, you may have done the same on newer social sites Pinterest and Path.

Are we leaving blogs out in the cold?

Home base

Your business calls its web site and blog its home. Branded messages and campaigns may live on several (or several thousand, through AdWords) other web sites.

But your home page – and your blog – houses your customer community. A comment left on a blog comes from a true “subscriber,” someone who chooses to read your work or receive the latest updates through a news feed.

Design and media

Even better, the visual experience of a blog post far surpasses that of Facebook, Twitter, or other social offerings. As an author, you can work with your creative team to include video, photo galleries, infographics, or type treatments to call out specific parts of your post.

The main course

Sure – your Facebook page and Twitter might offer your customers the “sweets.” Giveaways, campaigns, and discussion can take on a life of their own.

But your blog – rich of nutrients and vitamins – is the main course. Treat it well and it will do the same for your community.

Categories
Content Marketing Measurement Media Social Media Strategy

Control vs. continuation: a shift in marketing strategy

From the HB Blog

Last week, I overheard a conversation between our PR team and a representative from a prominent wire service.

“When I started, we concentrated solely on media. We differentiated ourselves from our competitors through speed – as soon as you faxed something to us, we had two people proof it as soon as possible.”

That was only 10 or so years ago.

Then, media strategy stressed control. An agency suggested key messages – and that would be the only thing you heard from a business.

Lack of control

And then the internet happened. Through the birth – and rapid explosion – of social networks, companies soon learned a then-awful truth: they no longer controlled their messages and stories.

The customers had a new playground to express their opinions. Gasp!

Embrace uncontrollability

As companies learned to harness their networks over the last few years, the power of the customer grew exponentially. Companies now interacted directly with customers… and often, the customers drove business decisions. What a novel concept!

The shift to continuation

More recently, companies’ social strategies matured into something Gary Varynerchuk called “continuing the story.” Instead of fearing the uncontrollable, businesses began crafting their own story… and extending it online with a microsite, hashtag, or Facebook URL.

Customers are now characters, taking the beginning of an idea and crafting it into a story of their own, providing ample opportunities for brands to re-engage.

Now that’s continuing the story.

Categories
Business Social Media Technology

What is Google+?

From the HB Blog

“You don’t even know what the thing is yet.” – Sean Parker, “The Social Network”

Much like Justin Timberlake’s line from the 2010 film, “The Social Network,” this Google+ “thing” has yet to find an identity since its launch in June of last year – and that’s okay.

The platform offers some of the same things as other major players Twitter and Facebook:

  • follow other users’ news streams,
  • share interesting content via text, links, photos, and videos, and
  • comment on others’ posts.

However, there are two unique offerings that help separate Google+ as its own platform.

The power of search

As we all know, Google dominates the search market. Google+ offers users and businesses the added bonus of search traffic to their accounts. Now, your bio, content, and posts are all searchable content. In fact, Google created controversy with their recent announcement regarding Google+ content appearing in Google searches.

Businesses can heighten their brand awareness efforts with engaging content on their Google+ pages that will accompany searches about their brand, product, or service.

Let’s hang out

The second unique feature comes from Google’s take on video chats. They’re called Hangouts, or impromptu video chats with dozens of people.

With a few simple clicks, you can invite certain people to private chats for collaboration and communication, or offer a public forum for topical discussion. I see great potential in Hangouts for businesses. Companies can offer previously impossible direct contact with their customers to provide support and recommendations in the hopes of extending the customer’s relationship with a brand.

Only six months into its life, Google+ sits in prime position to grow in 2012. Will you grow with it?

 

Categories
Business Social Media

Meetings, Greetings, and Tweetings

From the HB Blog

Networking events serve to connect people, provide an opportunity for introductions, and act as an environment in which to speak about your business.

And often they conclude without any business leads. Such is the nature of networking events – meet interesting people, engage in conversation, but ultimately struggle to gain traction with prospects. So what’s the point?

Practice

Start thinking of networking events as incredible opportunities to speak eloquently about you and your business. I recently attended several events, including a South Shore Tweet-up, where constant interactions require I succinctly and efficiently share HB’s solutions from the perspective of the client.

Patience

In order to effectively discuss your business, you must practice. Practice in the mirror, to your significant other, to your dog – whatever works best. Over time, networking events will seem less intimidating and more beneficial. Talk about your business well and your conversations become more meaningful.

How are you talking about your business?