Category Archives: Social Media

Social media duke it out

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Twitter and Facebook are seasoned veterans of the social media scene. Yet, there continues to be considerable discussion around these two behemoths of late—particularly when it comes to their mind-boggling growth rates.

Twitter is a phenomenon in its own right. With a 1,382% annual growth rate, it’s hard to disagree. There’s even talk about Google acquiring the micro-blogging site (which would warrant its own blog post if and when that happens).

Though I regret to admit I’ve been slacking on my own tweets, it seems I personally have been surrounded by all-things Twitter over the past two months. Our agency supported the Rochester Twestival—the first event of its kind that united 200+ local communities worldwide on the same day, using Twitter to raise money and awareness for a good cause. While watching NCAA basketball, commentators were glogging via Twitter to capture the action as it unfolded. Oh, and RAF requested to follow me too!

Now, what about Facebook and its robust 200% growth rate? Is it really taking over our lives? I was surprised to learn that Facebook’s fastest growing demographic is women 55 and over—up 175% since September 2008. Also, for the first time, I saw a commercial that included VitaminWater’s Facebook page—instead of the company’s website.

These are all solid examples of how both Twitter and Facebook have already transformed the way people communicate in general, as well as how businesses have adapted to reach their customers in new ways. It will be interesting to see how these two evolve, and what results from the competition between them. Will the companies continue to one-up each other? Will they remain private entities, or eventually be acquired? Ultimately, is their growth sustainable?

Post with Purpose

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National Acrobats of China

National Acrobats of China

My kids recently went to see Nazareth College’s National Acrobats of China performance; absolutely loved it. I had seen a small ad in the paper a while back, but frankly forgot about it. So what prompted me to buy those tickets? Facebook.

My friend Rachel DeGuzman, marketing director at Nazareth College Arts Center, is using Facebook the way organizations should. She not only posts interesting and relevant information (to share with her well-cultivated friends list), she makes it actionable. So, because Rachel posted the acrobats performance it was now “in my face,” where I not only noticed it but could take the follow next steps:

  1. Link to a page where I could buy tickets
  2. Export the event to my calendar
  3. Share the event with other friends

Rachel also kept this post interesting by adding reviews as they appeared in local media. There are plenty of additional next steps you can give your friends for your events: RSVP, share with more friends, comment/vote, etc. This is a truly interactive way to engage.

I’ve used Facebook events for both personal and professional events. The key is to post with purpose: notify your friends about the event, but make sure you give them those next steps to seal the deal.

— Andrea Zuegel

Ignore

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I am on Flickr, Blogger, Facebook, Twitter, Adgabber and even a social network just for knitters called Ravelry. But I am no equal opportunity social networker. For example, I can’t bring myself to join LinkedIn. People keep sending me invites. I keep ignoring them. With mounting guilt, I admit. I just have this perception of LinkedIn as a kind of Facebook for suits.

And speaking of Facebook, I do have my limits there as well. I have never thrown a snowball, poked back, sent a cocktail or discovered what kind of writer I am. Oh sure, I’ll shamelessly post a link promoting a cause I support and occasionally tag a photo of one of my friends. But only if it’s a really, really good photo. So far, I have ignored every request sent my way. A couple of times I faltered and hit accept. But I swear, I never went all the way. Maybe it was the guilt. Maybe it was the tiny fear that somehow my Facebook Friend would find out I spurned their invitation. But I never get past the screen that asks if I will then allow Facebook to access my information. Sorry, FB, I’m just not that kind of girl.

I also can’t bring myself to sign on for any RSS feeds. The idea of syndicating the posts from all of my “news” sources seems too daunting. As if I’d then have to actually read them.

What about you? Do you have any limits in this wild interactive world? Or am I just an ignoramus?

Facebook v. Twitter

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One of my facebook friends recently sent me this question:

What’s the advantage of Twitter over FB? Seems like you can twitter on FB and do so much more. What am I missing, Ms. Social Media Guru?

I’d been pondering the same thing over the past few months, and this is where I come out:

Facebook is for friends to share personal stuff about each other, and you choose with whom to share. The homepage view format resembles twitter, with its list of short status updates, but it’s much more. Sharing personal photos, sending friends whacky “gifts” among other things make Facebook fairly robust and highly social. While many people use Facebook for business contacts, that doesn’t feel quite right to me. Do I really want to see pictures of my work contact’s children, vacation places and potentially embarrassing moments?

Twitter, on the other hand is an easy way to keep up with the thoughts and goings on of people who you may not even know. That’s where it gets interesting. Follow people or organizations you admire, and you get regular exposure into what makes them successful. A great example is Barack Obama. By tweeting regularly, he’s making good on his promise of transparency and creating a great way to get buy in.

Businesses I think should tweet:

  • Wegmans, when they have new products
  • Restaurants, when they change their menu
  • Organizations when they host events
  • Growers when crops are progressing and promising good yields (okay, I’m really thinking about wine, here)
  • Any kind of business when it offers new services

That said, I wouldn’t start a twitter page unless you’re going to tweet at least a couple times a month.

Andrea Zuegel

Meet Gary, Social Media Ninja

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Gary Vaynerchuk owns a wine shop in New Jersey named the Wine Library, and also happens to be a social media expert. Now, I understand that you can’t swing a dead cat on the web these days without hitting a “social media expert”, but Gary’s the real deal, i.e. he uses tools like online video and twitter to actually increase sales, seemingly the point of our efforts.

His experience captures a dilemma facing the advertising industry: For very specific brands in very specific categories, digital technology will replace a big chunk of the “traditional” advertising spend. And with a bit of courage and panache, clients can do it themselves. This quote from an article in the New York Times on Gary’s approach sums it up:

“Last December, seeking to enhance sales, he offered free shipping and promoted it three ways. Direct marketing cost $15,000 and brought in 200 new customers; a billboard cost $7,500 and won 300 new customers; and tweeting the promotion on Twitter attracted 1,800 new customers.”

Sales up, costs down, and he’s humanized the store. I’m the first person to say that for 99% of brands, apps like facebook make little sense. People don’t want to be friends with detergent. But there will be exceptions and there’s more to social media than facebook. Here’s my free advice to agencies: have a point of view, educate your clients, and experiment like crazy under your own roof. Unlike Gary, most will want a partner.

Matt Jones