Archive for the ‘Social Media’ Category

The people you converse with the most on twitter are a large part of what you get out of it. If you spend your entire day just hoping a celebrity responds, well, you may not get much conversation. However, if you are following “real” (read non-celebrities), you make actually have a chance at building a solid relationship that both parties can learn from.

S0, how do you find out who you talk to the most? Other than the obvious “look through your twitter stream” you can also set up a thing called a “conversation list“. It’s super simple to set up – you just allow it access to your twitter account (it’s a safe site) and then it creates a list of the people you talk to the most each day. It changes as your conversation changes, and you can see it at any time under your lists in twitter. It’s great help for you to know who you talk to the most, and it’s great for your followers as it can help them to find other interesting people! (feel free to check out mine ) So, based on this list, I can see that I talk with lots of real people – just a few companies – and that they are spread out all over the world. I can also monitor this list and if someone stays there long enough, I can add them to my (private) rockstars list. This allows me to keep closer tabs on them and their conversations – which means I can build a stronger connection with them – and connections is what twitter is all about!

Who are your top people you talk with on twitter? How do you keep connected with them?

snapping pictures at the Sanyo & Social Rewards event last week

Social media has made parties and party planning so much easier…which means there has been an explosion of events that are planned, promoted and talked about just through these channels. Almost everytime I turn around, I see a new twtvite shooting by, or am getting a facebook invitation.

For consumer businesses, being part of one of these events can really help you to get your name out there. But, a business doesn’t just have to host an event to get heir name out there – sometimes all it takes is participating and helping in an event. Even if you can’t participate in a donation or the planning – you still should try and go to as many events as possible. There is no downside to meeting lots of new people.

For restaurants, nightclubs and hotels, offering your venue to host an event can often help fill you up on busy nights and help spread the word about what amazing things you can offer. Small events allow you to feature new recipes, drinks and your venue and have a fun event that people will be talking about for a long time.

This year, I have attended more than my fair share of tweetups, launch parties and networking events. Some have been awesome, others have been okay, and some have been seriously disappointing. The good news is there are a few ways to help make sure that your next event is as good as it can be:

1. Pick a venue that is easy to get to.
2. Plan it at least two weeks in advance for a small tweetup.
3. Plan at least a month in advance for large events.
4. Get a few big name people on board.
5. Ask for help promoting the event from your friends.
6. Provide food and drinks either free or at a discount.
7. Make sure there are plenty of places to sit down.
8. Have an awesome speaker or giveaway.
9. Make it easy for people to tweet while there.
10. Have a photographer (or a few) to share the awesomeness.
11. Make it easy for people to exchange their information after the event.
12. Have a list of all attendees so you can send them thank you notes.
13. Share the twitter and facebook name of the venue so people can share it.
14. Set up an easy to remember hashtag for the event.

What other tips can you share about hosting a great event? Have you been to one that did something really spectacular or awful? Share it!

Business is as much about who you know as it is about what you know. The more people who know you, the more people who respect what you do, the more people there are to refer you clients and help your business succeed! Think about the last 5 clients you met with – how did they find you? If any of it was through word of mouth, referrals or social media, you have experienced the power of really connecting.

And you would think, with all the social tools and number of people online, that connecting would be easy, right?

Wrong.

It is easy to talk, listen and converse. Connecting takes time, energy and more effort than just a tweet or two. In order to honestly connect with someone you need to take things beyond just the basics. You need to step out of the twittersphere, away from the facebook and actually have a conversation – preferably in person, but at a minimum, over the phone and via emails.

Stepping out from behind the status update box allows us to deepen our relationships and actually get answers to what a person does. Knowing someone better means you can better connect them to the right people – and help them with their business. Of course, as a firm believer in what goes around comes around, this method works very well.

So, the next step is learning more about how we can all connect and help each other – so in the comments, I want you to share who you are, what you do and what you are looking for. Give us a way to help and promote you…and let’s spread the connecting!

Ready, go!

Image from Failbook.com

Despite the multi millions on twitter, there is a huge percentage of that number who have no idea what they are doing – add in those who have never tried twitter, and there is a large chunk of the population that has never sent a tweet, typed the @ symbol before a twitter handle, used a hashtag or RT’ed something.

Twitter is still in its infancy, and has a lot of room to grow, change and develop. Businesses are still trying to discover why (or if) it is beneficial for them to use, and how to use it if it is. Unfortunately, many of them feel that social media can be a solve all – that adding in facebook, twitter and a blog will skyrocket sales and change the face of their business. Reality: it won’t. It may open new doors, create conversation and down the road, increase sales, but it is not something that works over night. Or even over a couple weeks.

Most of you reading this probably have a twitter account, may have came here through a tweet and follow me on twitter. You know everything I said above to be true. You may use twitter for your business, yourself or a combination of the two. You have gotten involved with the community and have learned to appreciate what twitter can and can’t do. You understand its value but also understand that it is not a super power. You are the ones that are doing it right. But, at one point, you were the person in red in this situation. You had no idea what you were doing, how to start the conversation, or how to benefit from using social media.  You struggled to think of things to tweet, who to follow and what links to share. Twitter was a wild jungle and you were ill-prepared to take it on. Luckily, you had help from other friends in the twitter world who gave you advice and helped you along the way. Maybe you even hired someone to come in and talk with you about how to set up lists, what to talk about and how to use tweetdeck and twellow. Either way, you had support and you learned how to survive in the jungle. Because of your struggles and accomplishments, you are part of the twitter “we”.

“We” are of the group that is active in the web world – connected in many ways to our audience and are on the forefront of the newest technology. “We” lead the way, sharing conversations, having tweetups and building yet another way to create more conversation. “We” know the news before anyone else and “we” are the proud who share it, brag about it and love it. “We” are unique in the fact that “we” have serious contacts and friends spanning the globe, all created through a simple tool and a lot of work and effort. “We” are the people that the news talks about when social media is a trend, and “we” are the victims of the social media scammers.

And now, “we” need to take a moment and think about what we are involved in – and how what “we” know can help the rest.

So now…yes, right now…I want you to share something about twitter – anything you think a first time user needs to know. Let’s make this list awesome, and then let’s share it.

Let’s open the “we” to everyone else…

Last night, I was craving CPK…but had zero desire to go out to dinner. So I jumped online and ordered food for my husband to pick up at their (awesome) curbside delivery. But then I remembered…if I don’t go in for dinner, I can’t get the foursquare benefits, and CPK does a good job with theirs. For example, if you check in anywhere near a CPK, you get a “special nearby” for a free appetizer when you spend $20. And I would have loved a free appetizer! But, if you are picking up food to-go, you don’t want to wait for the appetizer. And there is no way to “check-in” through the web so that you can order it… Which I think is unbelievably silly because there are a huge number of people who shop online – and not just for food. So I did what any normal person would do and tweeted about it – and @Admore responded with an idea I liked, and wanted to expand upon.

(read from the bottom up)

So here’s how I think it should work…

Step 1. You login to foursquare from your computer, type in the retailers name that you want to shop online with, or you can search by categories.

Step 2. Follow them on Foursquare, then click on their web link within their profile – this will have a tracking code that determines what you are doing.

Step 3. Each retailer can determine the level of participation required on the site for the checkin points, however I suggest that the visitor should have to buy something if you are checking in online. This would stop the issues of tons of people checking in online, because they have to buy something to make it count.

Step 4: Stores could offer the same types of specials through the web that they can online. Or, another way to do it would be to have “web mayors” in addition to actual “mayors”, so there is one for the brick and mortar facility, and there is one for the website.

I just know how little I like going to real stores, but how much I shop online – and I think that we are such a web driven world that it needs to be recognized. This makes foursquare more accessible too for people who live far from their favorite stores, or don’t have the ability to go out as much as they would like. This opens up foursquare to a larger demographic – and as long as the checkins online have strict rules so that you can’t abuse it, I think this could be a really successful new part!

So Foursquare…what do you think?

Readers…how can we improve on this idea?

With Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Blogging, it can feel like all you need to network is the internet. This is definitely not true. Just like 50 years ago, the best way to connect with new people is to meet them in person – social media just makes these connections a bit easier.

Every area has their own events, and usually just asking some of your friends on twitter or facebook will help you find the groups. If you are in Orange County/Southern California, I’ve done the leg work for you. Here are the top 4 networking groups in Orange County, who hold great events and I definitely recommend joining!

1. LinkedOC (all business types)
2. WAOC (all business types)
3. Blog Crush (for bloggers)
4. Ladies1st (women only)

Plus, you can always search twitvite for events that twitter users have created! These are usually smaller and more intimate gatherings, but can be a lot of fun.

Also, If you can provide links for your local area, please do so below (make sure to include where you live)!

This giraffe is watching you. He is judging you. And he is keeping that judgment for a very long time.

Every time someone comes into contact with you in anyway, you are making an impression. In business, this can make or break you as one impression may be all you get before they decide whether or not to work with you! While not every question below will apply to you, each question reflects something about your brand and who you are as a business. The answers you choose may vary from time to time, and that is perfectly fine. What is important to think about is how you react, what you say or do, and how others will feel about your behavior.

What happens when someone emails you?

• Where does the email go?
• How quickly do you respond?
• What type of responses do you send?
• Are their emails you ignore (other than spam)?
• What is your email signature like?

What happens when someone calls?

• Is your phone number available?
• Do they reach a real person or a recording?
• What about after hours?
• What does your voice-mail say?
• How long do you give someone on the phone?

What happens when someone sends you a tweet?

• How quickly do you respond?
• What tone of voice do you use?
• Do you respond via reply or DM?
• Do you follow people who tweet you?
• How do you monitor your twitter stream?

What happens when someone visits your office?

• Who greets them first?
• What are they wearing?
• What does your office look like?
• How long do they have to wait to talk to you if they have an appointment?
• What if they don’t have an appointment?
• What is the temperature like?
• What music is playing?

What happens when you meet someone randomly?

• Do you great everyone in a welcoming tone?
• Do you have your business cards on hand?
• Do you stay and talk with people or brush them off?
• How long will you give a stranger to talk?

What happens with you meet someone at a networking event?

• Do you immediately hand then your card or wait to be asked?
• Do you have a nametag?
• What do you ask them first?
• How do you end a conversation?
• Are you drinking or eating?

Are you making the right impression?

*image courtesy of recursion_see_recursion on flickr

Foursquare and I have had a tough relationship…which has been chronicled on the Motor Creative blog, one of the blogs I on which I cover social media strategy. First, I started on foursquare. And then I decided it wasn’t for me. Finally, I decided (after a lot of convincing) to go back. While each of these posts has a lot of explanation behind each of my decisions it really came down to one thing:

Foursquare is learning, growing and expanding. It is going to change and possibly change how businesses market themselves…why would I want to miss the changes?

What are your thoughts on foursquare?

A month ago, this post would have been entitled Facbook Fan Pages, but since Facebook has nothing better to do than change around functions, terminology and their TOS…anyway, I digress.

I have a fan page for Kirsten Wright. I meant to set it up for Wright Creativity, but apparently wasn’t paying attention, and whoops! That was months and months ago. I figured it would be no big deal to change it later, so I didn’t worry about it. Much to my chagrin, it is a big deal…as in you can’t change page names. So now, I don’t really use it, and it sits there with pretty much the same content that is on my normal profile or this blog.

I understand the value of “Like” pages, in fact I have suggested them to many of the companies I have worked with. And, when it is used right, a fan page can be very successful. Unfortunately for me, I am not really using my fan page the way I actually recommend. Partially because it isn’t named right, partially because I share all my thoughts and content through my main facebook stream, twitter and linkedin already, and partially because I just don’t like the facebook pages that much.

So, I am considering removing my facebook “like” page and just telling everyone to subscribe via rss or email…or to follow me on twitter. It is all the same content, and these are tools I already maintain.

Do you have a “like” page? Any opinions on me removing mine (for or against?)?

It’s often considered an ugly word, a word that denotes no value. You give away free samples to convince someone your product is good because it can’t convince people on its own. You offer free advice to convince people that it is worth paying for more of it. You get a free trial so that you know it works before you buy it. Free has a bad connotation – there is no such thing as a free lunch – or a free ride. Free speech is good, but when is the last time a “free speech” event ended well? It is rare that one happens without police involvement and news coverage. Free press is everywhere now, and journalists (and bloggers) are happy it exists, but what about those who are written about? I am sure they wish that press wasn’t always so free.

But what if we changed that meaning? What if free wasn’t said with scorn or concern? What if free was a wonderful thing and more people were willing to use free? What if free advice wasn’t given with the hope that the person would pay for more? Instead, free advice was given because it was helpful and would improve the receivers life/business/attitude? What if free samples were given, not because they were needed to prove the product was good but because it is so good that people deserve to try it for free? What if free press was used to write stories that benefited the world, instead of which celebs are sleeping together or what free trips a blogger got to go on? What if free speech was used without the need for police forces and people learned to respect each others opinions?

Okay, so I know that this is a very “optimistic” and maybe a bit naive view, but I’d like to think that it is possible. I would love to see people relishing in free – offering free versions of software that isn’t trialware. Offering free consulting time that is actually useful. Using free speech and press to empower others rather than berate.

In order to do this, I am going to start. I am going to offer 1 free hour of strategy time with me during the month of May. I hour of time that I will focus 100% on giving you tools that you can actually use to improve your overall strategy. How do you get it? Leave a comment below with what you can offer free to someone else this month and how you plan on doing it. I will pick a random commenter and reward them the hour. Then, they can use the time for themselves or reward it to someone else that they think deserves an hour with me (in person or over the phone).

Ready…go!