How do you use Twitter? For business? For personal use? For listening, monitoring and learning? Whatever your goals are, success does not come overnight. It takes a strong commitment to learn the platform, get comfortable and begin taking advantage of its numerous opportunities for interaction and engagement.

For those new to Twitter, and for those curious to improve their current Twitter usage, I offer you this challenge:

I’ve conveniently laid out 31 tips to advance your Twitter knowledge and capabilities. For the each day of the upcoming month of August, try adopting one of the following Twitter tips. Though most of these are geared towards the beginner, Twitter users of any level are bound to find use in this list. As an added bonus , I’ve written them in 140 characters or less for your tweeting convenience.

The best part? When September roles around, you can show off your ripped Twitter muscles to all your new friends and followers.

31 Twitter Tips

To Get Started

1. Your first goal: Retweet at least one person per day and mention another person, either directly or indirectly
2. Try starting every morning by saying hello to your Twitter followers and giving them a short update or message
3. Have you considered finding out who you already know on Twitter? Chances are people you are good friends with are active Twitter users
4. Or ask a simple question like “What are you up to today?” It’s a great way to get responses, even from people you’ve never met before
5. Make sure to follow anyone who follows you. People appreciate the reciprocity.

To Increase Engagement

6. Admire someone’s Tweets? Don’t be shy. Let ‘em! know
7. Try to follow the 80/20 rule of Twitter. Dedicate 80% of your output to sharing and interacting. Dedicate the other 20% to self-promotion
8. ...Or think of it this way: Try promoting other people more often than you promote yourself
9. Have an upcoming trip planned? Need advice? Twitter is great for crowd sourcing any question
10. Two of the most important acronyms on Twitter are “RT” and “TY”. Get used to using them
11. Remember to address your followers as if you were talking to one person; that is, avoid saying “you all” or “to all my followers”
12. There are many ways to have conversations on Twitter. One way is to simply try asking questions to all of your followers
13. Have a blog? It’s okay to tweet your blog posts, but try asking a question that leads readers into the post

To Listen Better

14. Take a few of your most favorite Twitter users, and observe how and when they Tweet. You can reveal new possibilities for your own
15. Remember who talks to you the most, and some of their details—the human element goes a long way
16. Spend 15 minutes a week reviewing your mentions and retweets. Do it to get proper understanding of what value people find in your tweets
17. Always try to find a way to personalize anything you say on Twitter. Every little bit helps drive engagement

To Get More Followers

18. A great way to get more followers quickly is to follow other people. Don’t be shy about it. Always ask for people’s Twitter handles when you meet them
19. Make sure to include your Twitter handle in your email signature. Especially if you use Twitter as part of your business
20. Already have it your signature? Ok. Is it visible on your website? on Business Cards? In your Newsletter? See where I’m going with this?
21. Speaking at an event in the near future? Find one new way to promote your Twitter handle or solicit other people’s Twitter handles

To Better Utilize Twitter platforms

22. Manage multiple accounts? Are you using a Twitter client like Hootsuite or Tweedeck? If not, you need to take advantage of these
23. If you find it hard to separate people you enjoy following from those you do not, consider making a Twitter list with just your favorites
24. Going to be away from Twitter for a while? Try setting up pending tweets to keep your output continuous while you’re away
25. Chances are if someone is on Twitter, they’re also on LinkedIn or Facebook. Good to know if you want to extend your relationships

To Show Off Your Twitter Savvy

26. Have you tried Twitter Searching yet? There is a lot to explore and the search value is immense
27. Always be aware of going over the 140 character limit. Remember to always pay attention, otherwise you’re message will be cut off
28. Moreover, if you can, try to Tweet in 120 characters or less. It saves potential retweeters the pain of trying to edit your tweets
29. If you participate in follower Friday, remember to #ff one or two people with an explanation why.
30. Make sure never to get toooooo enthusiastic with Twitter. Posting a dozen tweets in a row is a great way to get unfollowed quickly
31. Never ask people to “please RT” anything. If it’s worth retweeting, they’ll do so naturally

And finally .....

Want to know if you’re doing Twitter the right way? Are you enjoying Twitter? Then you’re doing it the right way.

Think you're up to the challenge? Have any other tips you’d add to this list? Feel free to comment on these ones or share your own.

Photo Credit: Fletcher Prince

There is a huge party going on in the social web these days! Facebook just announced that it has reached the 500 Million mark while Twitter and others continue to spike in growth! The social channels are popping up all over mainstream news sources, being used for sourcing on web TV channels like The Pulse and pumping out massive amounts of data every day. The social media elite are constantly telling you that it’s important to learn, locate, analyze and make sense of all the data coming out in these public streams.

As true and as important as this is; it is not what this post is about. Rather, I’d like to take a look into the future with you. As these large public networks continue to grow I believe that they are really laying the frameworks for more intimate, high value, low noise communities.

Lets paint a typical scenario.

Step One
There is a good chance that if you're reading this that you are an early adopter. Maybe you were one of the first to pre-order an iPhone or one of the first to join Twitter. Whatever the situation, you are probably a proponent and evangelist for the social media space. You have built community and you have told your boss, friends and co-workers how valuable these channels have been in developing your career and new found friendships.

Step two
Your friends, family and co-workers have always looked at you with blank stares while you pound out tweet after tweet from your mobile device. They are clueless to the point of it and maybe even poke fun at you behind your back. At least for a while...until you get the call from a friend or are summoned to the boss’ office for the following chat:  “You use that social networking stuff right?” As if they didn’t know.

Step Three
You have given some rudimentary advice to the boss. Maybe you even walk them through the simple set up of an account. They glow with anticipation of large relevant audiences to talk to, do business with and reap the bounty from the social media landscape.

Step Four
A month after setting your boss free into this space he calls you in to tell you what a numbskull you are. “This space is ridiculous," he says. "I don’t really care about when Sally gets her nails done or when Joey is taking a lunch break. You told me this was valuable stuff!?!? Rubbish.”

This scenario happens every day to someone. Of course the social media proponent will get defensive and tell the boss that they are not putting enough time in. You get out what you put in right?

Stop, wait, and spend a moment thinking about the task you have asked that person to undertake and lets paint a not-so-typical scenario. One that I believe will begin to take over in the very near future.

Step One and Two remain the same as above.

Step Three: You bring the boss, co-worker or friend to a very specific community site that is instantaneously relevant to the things they are interested in. Maybe the boss wants to talk and learn more about management structure. Maybe your friend wants to find more people to share fishing stories with, and maybe your co-worker wants to find a community to learn more about making effective sales presentations. This in my opinion is the place to start.

Step Four: The boss calls you into the office to thank you for setting him up in the management community and alerts you to the fact that he has finally connected with someone who he believes will assist you in your accounting role at the company. This scenario can go many different ways but you get the point.

Dropping someone into the middle of Manhattan and telling them to make friends is difficult. Dropping them into the middle of an intimate gathering of like-minded individuals and telling them to make friends is much easier!

At New Marketing Labs we are constantly exploring niche community opportunities. It is getting more challenging each day to extract value from the large social networks due to their large volume of noise. maybe it’s time to begin exploring some of the smaller niche networks out there. In my next article I will explain how to reduce the size of Twitter or Facebook into more manageable chunks. I will also share advice on how locate and join smaller more niche communities.

In the meantime I ask you this question. “Would you rather swim in the ocean with everyone or would you rather swim in a pond with people you have something in common with?”

Photo Credit: Matthijs

Last week, I responded to an article in the Harvard Business Review claiming the existence of a "Social Media Bubble”. This week I touch upon some more issues brought up in the article. To see last week's post, click here.

Have we really seen a decrease in trust due to social media? Let me put the question to you this way: Do you trust what you read in People magazine? The New York Times? We know intuitively that our experience will differ with each outlet, the same way we temper our expectations according to a social platform. Chris Brogan’s Trust Agents tells us there are members in each community who are trusted to be consistently useful. This concept has resonated with the echo chamber, but also with many who apply and leverage Chris’ ideas in their business lives. New Marketing Labs’ Outpost Marketing strategy, for example, is driven by customers with whom businesses have deepened relationships as a result of engagement with them and/or community leaders (influencers).

Gatekeepers

Regarding gatekeepers, they remain at this stage a necessary part of doing business. Companies can be human and have individual relationships, but for the most part they can’t do this all on their own. Those businesses which first commit to and execute end-2-end solutions, with the right gatekeepers, have the ability to establish long-term commercial relationships. Self serving for NML, sure, given this is one of our core solutions, but we have seen the proof. Those that can scale will do it alone, ultimately, and those that can’t will use gatekeepers.

Hate & Exclusion

I won’t spend time on hate, except to note that communities that are based on hate will attract those who thrive on same. And, I don’t believe social media drives ‘exclusion’ any more than my eating Brussel sprouts at dinner excludes my children from doing the same. They could have them, but they don’t like them, and they remain indifferent to my eating them. Are they being excluded? Exclusion in the social context is more a by-product of interest or choice rather than proactive exclusion.

Ethics

Not all companies are ethical, but it isn’t true that relationships that ethical companies have in social aren’t valuable. Many of our partners provide value to customers by providing them access to useful content. Workshifting.com is simply useful to community members. I agree that a great asset of social media is trust, connection and community. I don’t believe that every person is trustworthy, relevant or should be part of your community. This isn’t realistic. Choice and usefulness will ultimately strengthen the vitality of the web, not eat it away. Farmville may not be high quality content or make kids better off, but The Henry Ford is and does.

Is social media for posers, voyeurs and haters, or is it primarily for the development of useful communities which are helpful to people? What do you think?

Photo Credit: Thorinside

I remember as a kid standing in the batters box in little league baseball and my coach hollering out to me: “Square Up, Square Up”. I can honestly say that at the age of five I had no idea what he was talking about. In my mind all I could think of was, “Don’t get hit by the ball and when it comes across the plate, whack it as hard as I can with the bat!” I struck out that first at bat but the next time up my coach walked me into the batters box and showed me what “Square Up” meant. He effectively positioned me for success to hit the ball and I did!

So what does this have to do with social media, marketing, community or any of the other things we talk about? Simple really. With this new influx of eyeballs to digital and target audiences fragmenting all over the place, we see companies and individuals every day that are approaching the space with no plan! They were like me as a five year old staring down the first base line rather than looking at the pitcher. That failure to “Square Up” can effect not only the overall outcome of your initiatives (if you have any), but also effect the overall reputation and positioning of your company!

At New Marketing Labs we help some really great clients learn how to “Square Up”. Here are some important and integral parts of the process to consider before entering into any company wide social media initiatives.

1. Understand that social media is not separate from your offline business. They need to work together, leveraging the strengths of each. Your existing partners, clients, potential clients and vendors may be in both spaces. You want to be sure to convey the same professionalism, branding and culture in both spaces. Also, it is important to understand that with the tremendous growth of social platforms that your profiles in these spaces may often times be the first impression that an individual will have with your brand. Make it a good one!
2. Researching the space is critical. We see companies creating these social profiles just to have them. They treat them like ad platforms using old fashioned push style messaging and marketing. Research the space a bit and find out what people are talking about. Who are the thought leaders in the space. What is the etiquette and culture? Social media has many of it own quirks, unwritten rules and best practices. It’s important to become versed in these areas before entering and alienating potential community members.
3. Create measurable objectives. While the culture of social is largely conversational and trust-based it is still VERY important to have the ability to report back to objectives. If you don’t have the objectives clear and measurable don’t bother starting. These objectives should be the guiding factors when creating a written strategy.
4. Answer the question “What’s Next”. So you started a Facebook page. “What’s Next?” So you now have a Linked In group. “What’s Next?” Answering this question is key in the success of any good program. Last year TGI Fridays spent millions promoting a Facebook Fan page asking people to join for a free hamburger coupon. Millions did join, but they failed to answer the question “What’s Next?” When coupons failed to make it to Fan Page members and the community had no one really answering questions it became a 24/7 PR nightmare for the company. Failure to ask “What’s next” can have massive implications on the success or failure of your initiative.

Here at NML we do our best to educate our clients through on-site and off-site training, make them aware of the market around them through digital audits, create strategic and measurable plans, develop creative, and lead them through execution. We find that “Squaring Up” really sets the groundwork for success and gives the partnership the ability to hit the ball out of the park! If you are approaching a new social initiative and find yourself staring into left field someplace feel free to contact us! Heck, if you have a question, leave it in the comments or send us and email. We’d be happy to assist in any way we can.

Photo Credit: Keith Burtis

Over the past several months, we have been exploring the world of social media measurement and Social CRM. While it is incredibly interesting to see the approaches that people are taking to measuring their social media presence and efforts, it is even more interesting to think about the questions that are not answered.

This is often the issue with analytics and the tools, people, and processes responsible for analytics. While they provide us with lots of insights and tons of data - as well as do a lot to analyze, crunch, and measure - they often miss the opportunity to roll up those insights into language that is simple to view, easy to understand, and valuable to the reader  - What is my ROI? What is my positioning, how has it changed, and why? What was the net effect of certain efforts on my social positioning and marketing?

True, the answers to these questions are often in the analytics that are provided, but figuring them out and understanding and reading deeper into the data to get this information is not always as simple as the measuring tools would hope.

While people often refer to the KISS principle (Keep It Simple Stupid) and overuse the term, in this case, simplifying by rolling up is really the key. Companies need to understand in an easy way what they are seeing, why it is important, and what they can do to effect it. HubSpot does this well with its website grader and Twitter grader. I am not sure many people understand the math behind these tools, but that doesn't keep people from talking about it or attempting to “increase these grades”. We can all learn a lot from Hubspot about the beauty and elegance in the simplicity of models and how this should be carried out in social media measuring.

Keep the data. Keep the details. Use them to support the conclusions. But make the conclusions obvious, tangible, and simple.

Photo Credit: Freddy Fam

Most children go through a phase in which everything in their surrounding environment is met with simple question: "Why?" I would contend that those of us in the social space could better help our clients if we all thought a little more like a five-year old.

Build with Purpose
This philosophy extends beyond social marketing, and into web design, user interface development, etc... As a developer, when someone came to me with a piece of code, I would always ask them: Why did you build it this way?

If their response is a blank stare, I know they won't last very long on my team. Good developers always have a reason why they build something in a particular way, even if it isn't the best reason (sometime it is just "easier that way"). Great developers have generally thought about several different possible scenarios, weighed the benefits of each, and made the appropriate choice for the circumstances.

With that said...let's talk social.

Social Icons Everywhere...But not a Drop to Drink.
Everywhere I look, I am being bombarded with social media icons: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc... As a social media marketer, this is a great. It shows that traditional media and large corporations are listening to what we have been shouting from the rooftops for the last several years. To use the old cliché, they are starting to "get it." As a consumer, nothing is more disappointing then taking precious time out of my day to check out a company's Twitter account, only to see a single tweet: "Trying to figure out this Twitter thing". For anyone considering a social presence, ask yourself a simple question...why do you tweet?

Do it Small....but Right
Earlier this week we spoke with a client about a website redesign, specifically the integration of social into the website. After a brief discussion, we decided they would better off with Facebook and YouTube, but without Twitter.

I can almost guarantee this campaign will be successful, because the client has a clear sense of its audience, and we found the right platforms to reach that audience.

Next time you are planning updates to your website or social presence, be sure to ask yourself, "Why?"

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Photo Credit: hmk

I recently read a blog post from the Harvard Business Review lamenting that social media had become the equivalent of a bunch of "low quality relations" unlikely to yield anything meaningful or lasting. The author also mentioned the abuse of trust, disempowerment, hate, exclusion and the general lack of value of social media.

My first reaction was, really? Don’t all communities contain bits of these traits?

I can’t accept that social media is based on ‘relationship inflation’, where there is an inverse relationship between the number and value of relationships (“relationship” defined as someone you can count on) simply because that is not my experience. I also think those who effectively use social media know the difference between ‘collectors’ and those that seek to derive real value from relationships. In my own experience, social media platforms have allowed me to do three things which have enabled me to have more real relationships with responsible people:

1. I have reconnected with people with whom I’ve worked (e.g. client, vendor, competitor, partner) or met and respect but with whom I’d lost touch
2. I have access to their networks (which are closely guarded to protect their own brand)
3. I can access information on those that approach me, and connect with only to those who pass the sniff test.

Since my early 20’s – many moons ago - I have lived and worked across the US, in Asian and European capitals, and like many who have done the same, I did not have the time, tools or wherewithal along the way to keep contact with every person I met and respected. Today, many of these folks are senior government or business leaders. Instead of the diminishing returns, or ‘inflation’, I have found tremendous value in rekindling these relationships through social media. Not in ‘swapping bits’, but in establishing valuable global strategic partnerships, just to name one real benefit.

Do you find that social media adds more or less value to your relationships?  What is your experience? 

Photo Credit: Jek in the box

Google and other search engines are amazing! They offer us quick information in one click! In fact, this one-click information methodology has literally revolutionized the way we seek out everything from people to companies to information. You already knew that though, right? Sure you did... which is why I am going to give you a different point of view on a VERY typical scenario found millions of times a day in the corporate and non-corporate world!

A Scenario
Your boss comes to you and tells you to write up your thoughts on a new project the company is proposing to a new client. He or she comes to you and says that they need some creative ideas on how to execute a digital launch strategy for the new widgets just coming out of research and Development. What is your first thought....besides that of terror because you have never launched a new widget? Your first thought is probably to head over to Google or any number of other search engines and find someone else that has already done this. I ask you to STOP and “Put Down the Google!”

Think Big
Use Your Brain! I’ve been where you are. I’ve been in the scenario where I needed an answer or idea fast and had the boss breathing down my neck. However, I implore you to start with the soft mass of tissue (i.e. your brain) between your ears before you ever decide to lean on Google or any other such search engine. I am writing this in conjunction with a very complex and idea driven document right now. After writing for about 20 minutes and brainstorming ideas I was able to come up with a breakthrough idea that will certainly add value to my document and carry all the way through execution! I can’t wait to tell you about it in a future post! My point here is that had I immediately headed over to Google to see what everyone else's answer to this same problem was I would not have come up with this breakthrough idea. In fact most of my time would probably have been vetting other peoples ideas that did not resonate with me or work well with our companies particular situation.

Methodology
Heading over to Google and other search engines can often seem like the easy answer to solve your problems or ideate a creative.Try this method though first: Spend some time in quiet with your own thoughts and ideas. See what comes to you. Don’t force things. Be honest with your boss or others in telling them that you may need a bit of time to let your psyche work on the problem. I promise the results will be 1000% more rewarding and tailored to your situation. Once you have gotten the idea out then head over to your favorite search engine to research potential pitfalls. Maybe hit Twitter or Facebook and ask your network what their thoughts are if you can. This will help you refine the idea and take it to the next step.

How do you ideate? Please share your thoughts in the comments!

Photo Credit: Keith Burtis

It is New Marketing Labs' goal to not just consistently deliver for our clients, but to continue to add value and see where we can be more helpful. We do this through a couple of methods, including monitoring feedback and also, client brainstorming sessions. Every day for 15 minutes, the Client Services team puts their heads together for ideation.

These brainstorming sessions are quick, fruitful, and provide a jumping off point to further delve into providing value. Not all of the ideas are big "WOW" ideas, or the most relevant, or even possible, but the process of throwing out ideas within a basic framework on a daily basis constantly has us thinking of what we can improve, what we can add, and what we could be doing better. It's a true team process: One team member takes notes, while another fleshes out the ideas and throws a strategy behind them. The best ideas are vetted and put into a final document that we present to the whole NML team at our weekly staff meeting. If we're doing our job well, these ideas, originally brief sketches, can become the cornerstone of a client's new marketing strategy.

We log all of them into an idea database for future reference—what may not work now for various reasons, could work in the future or could be parlayed into a new, workable idea. It never hurts to have too many good ideas.

A simple 15 minute brainstorm can be incredibly productive—what can you accomplish in 15 minutes?

Photo Credit: sonson

The social web has brought to us some of the most powerful communications tools known any time in history. The potential for the Average Joe to capture the attention of an audience is better and worse than ever before. How can something be better and worse at the same time? It’s simple really; The tools we have today allow us to reach massive audiences, while at the same time fracture the attention spans of the potential consumers of that content. Small businesses, Fortune 500’s, even the individual making a cat video on YouTube are all vying for and fracturing your attention. If you or your business is new to the digital space or a seasoned veteran, what are you to do?

Two weeks ago here on the NML Blog I briefly mentioned the importance of the Three “E’s”; Entertain, Educate, and Engage in an article called Sharing Your Process. Today I’d like to give you a few reasons why you should care about the three E’s and hopefully inspire some ways you can put them into practice.

So, you have seen the additions of a Facebook or Twitter logo on just about every website, magazine, and piece of advertising on TV. It’s interesting to me that it's becoming a go-ahead method to bolt on these additions in hopes that someone will seek you out via these channels.  In fact, just recently I asked a local business owner why he plopped a Twitter logo on his weekly circular and his response was, “How else would you do it?” I proceeded to ask the woman behind me in line if she would know how to get to the merchant's Twitter page by looking at a logo and she and her daughter said they had no clue. More importantly, the teenage daughter asked the business owner the key question, “What do you do with your Twitter page?”

Do you get where I am going with this story? Unfortunately, the owner of this small business (who gives amazing service and has a loyal customer base) figured that just by slapping a logo on his circular, folks would flock to friend him on Twitter. He later told me that he wanted to use it to engage further with his clientele and maybe provide them with daily specials. My answer to him was simple, “Then state that on your flyer and tell people exactly how to get there.” Big business falls into this trap all the time thinking, We are BIG COMPANY X with hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of customers. If we put up a Facebook Page everyone will come and hang on our every word. Common Misconception.

Education

People like to be educated. Whether this education is something that furthers the knowledge of their industry or whether it informs them of a daily special like the shop owner we spoke of, people will clammer for education if it’s something they care about. Think about ways you can engage consumers through education. especially if this is an active part of your current marketing process.

Entertain

Remember the Big Company X that thought everyone would flock because they are who they are? This company will quickly learn that maybe people don’t care as much as they thought they did. this is often times where entertainment comes in. My colleague Chris Brogan says all the time that all companies are media companies in this new economy. I agree with him, but it is important to remember that it’s not your job to make 30 second spots but rather to peak interest and entertain your potential visitors.

Cisco (disclosure: NML Client) is one of the largest and most recognized brands in the world. However, it is really easy for a company of this size to rest on it’s laurels and become boring. Recently, one of their many interns created a video (below) from his cubicle and that video went viral bringing Cisco and its brand name thousands of tweets and hundreds of blog posts. it pays to be entertaining.



Engage

"Engage" gets passed around the social net like an overused buzz word. The fact is that without engagement on your behalf or on behalf of your company, there is really no point to adopting the first two “E’s”. Returning engagement shows your consumers, customers, listeners or readers that you care about them. Engagement builds trust, relationships, dialogue and community. If you ever hope to see your message spread by the internet communities you must engage. You must show respect and help Enable your community whenever possible. What a fourth “E”? We’ll talk about Enabling next week. Until then feel free to leave your feedback and comments. I promise I wont ignore!


Photo Credit: Wendi Dunlap