Social Media Stats

Infographic & Viral Marketing from Dream Systems Media

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Is Perry taking our advice about social media when a conversation turns negative? Doesn’t really look like it. Here’s what he had to say today:

While Perry has largely avoided questions on the subject, he told reporters in Iowa on Friday he does not consider Mormonism a cult.

And his campaign released a statement Tuesday in response to Romney’s comments vowing Perry would keep his focus on jobs and the economy.

“Mitt Romney’s comments are a distraction from the fact that Romneycare served as a blueprint for Obamacare,” the campaign said.

Avoiding the topic or changing the topic is NOT how to handle a conversation that turns negative in social media.

Man, I’ve never been an Anderson Cooper fan, but he completely demolished this guy that called Mormons a “cult,” and wiped the floor with him. It’s hilarious! (From the Facebook video description – which has since been taken down – go figure)

This was the description of a Facebook video, originally viewed on CNN with Anderson Cooper, that has gone viral and is being talked about all over social networks.

Here’s the video:

Here’s what just a few of my Facebook friends had to say:

No, this isn’t a post where I “share my testimony” about politics, faith or religion.

No, I haven’t really done any additional research on Pastor Robert Jeffress (nor do I plan to waste my time doing so).

But, as Anderson Cooper stated a couple times in the final questions: “Don’t you think a stand like this will only hurt Perry’s chances for the Presidency?”

Using Facebook to Spread the Word

Just from my Facebook friends alone, there were at least 197 mentions of this video within a couple hours.

I’m sure most of us know the potential Facebook has for sharing content all over the world. But do Pastor Jeffress or Governor Perry really understand the power of social media and reputation management?

Not only did Jeffress slam the Mormon faith, of which there is a strong following and support in social networks, but he also went on to basically slam all other religions that don’t follow his practices. And all this in an effort to support his politician of choice? Really?

Other Highlights of the Interview

Pastor Jeffress: When I talk about a cult, I’m talking about a theological cult as opposed to a social cult…(although he never explained the difference)

Pastor Jeffress: And we could get into an in-depth theological discussion and put everyone to sleep out there (Anderson interrupts)

Anderson Cooper: Well, I’m fine putting people to sleep as long as we educate people…

Anderson Cooper: Hindus, Buddhist, Islam – Cults?

Pastor Jeffress: Yes, absolutely.

Anderson Cooper: Do you worry that you’re actually harming your candidate Rick Perry…clearly Rick Perry is now distancing himself…do you worry you’re damaging him?

I was happy to see articles later this evening, some event written by Evangelicals, that took a stand for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons).

The 4 Social Media Takeaways for Protecting Your Online Reputation

1. Do Your Research

Take time to think things through before you blast away, especially if you’re talking about things that are near and dear to potential voters hearts. Jeffress should have asked himself these important questions before saying a word:

• What are my goals and objectives?
• Who am I trying to reach? Where do I think those people are online?
• What online channels or social media sites might be the right fit for my business?
• How much time do I realistically have to invest in this?
• Am I prepared for negative conversation about my products and services?

It appears to me that he didn’t ask himself ANY of these questions or he’d be “repenting” for all the fluff he said.

2. Listen to Your Audience

Can you imagine what’s happening on Google Alerts with phrases like “Pastor Robert Jeffress”, “Anti-Mormon Pastor”, “Evangelical Pastor”, “Mormon Cult”, etc.?

I wonder how this all ties back to Governor Perry and his run for the Presidency?

3. Join the Conversation

Interesting point: If you go to Pastor Robert Jeffress Youtube account, he’s turned off all comments, all likes and dislikes. Isn’t that ironic with social media? Does he really WANT to know what other people think and feel or is he all about his own $ocial agenda$?

4. When Conversation Turns Negative

What will you do if people write nasty things about you, or even worse, an issue explodes that could deliver a devastating knock-out blow to your business, or in this case, to Rick Perry’s presidential campaign? It appears Pastor Jeffress plan is to just turn off all comments, ignore the negative, and keep getting TV spots to make more of a fool of himself.

If you want to do social media the right way, the most important thing to do when and if you receive negative feedback is to respond as soon as possible—and that’s true of almost any online channel.

There is nothing wrong with admitting a mistake or apologizing. Most people will stick with you if you work to make things right. Rick Perry has had one of his representatives make a comment – but if he really wants to win back votes he should take a stand himself.

What are your thoughts on this bad PR stunt for Rick Perry by Pastor Robert Jeffress? How do you feel it will effect his online reputation (if he had one to begin with)?

In fact, in my opinion, if your business doesn’t have a blog and isn’t practicing social media on a fairly consistent basis, you’re going to be passed up in SERPs and in market share by some of the younger generation marketers that “get it”.

I read a great post recently that talked all about the job opportunities out there in social media. The funny thing was, if you’re a social media marketer looking for a job, the simple phrase “social media marketer” is only one of at least 75 different titles describing your area of expertise. Doing a job search for this industry, according to the list I read, has become much more “long-tail“.

As I reviewed the collection of social media job titles, some were creative and probably helped broaden the appeal to “old school” marketing folk. However, there were at least 16 that I felt I had to share as a warning on how NOT to market your social media skills.

16 Stupid Job Titles for a Social Media Marketer

1. Blogger-in-Chief – this sounds like a name from “Dances with Wolves”
2. Brand Champion – who did they compete against to be considered the “Champion”?
3. Community Data Guerrilla – the word “Guerrilla” reminds me of the “get-rich-quick” schemes I see way too often.
4. Conversation Manager – so does this mean they are constantly monitoring every employees conversation, both on and offline?
5. Director of Enterprise Communications – sounds corny.
6. Idea Inventor – wow, now that’s creative and must be really time consuming
7. Social Media Rockstar – “Hey now, you’re a [social media] rockstar, get your game on, go play…”
8. Social Media Missionary – do they go door to door preaching the good [social media] word?
9. Product Evangelist – amen, amen! They must work closely with the “SM Missionaries”.
10. Serial Entrepreneur – “Serial”, really? This seems too much like something you’d read about on the front page of the morning news and wonder – what’d they do?
11. Social Media Guru – Guru is just like “Guerilla” – aka FAKE, SCAM, LIAR, etc.
12. Online Community and Social Media Czar – Czar is a new one but seems too similar to Guru and Guerilla
13. Leadership Trainer – wow, that’s a generalized term for social media work
14. Tweeter / Ghost Tweeter – I’d be so excited to have that title on MY business card…
15. Virtual Worlds Developer – hmm…how would you explain that one to the in-laws? To have this title do you have to be at a certain level in Facebook Farmville?
16. Youth Marketing Manager – this sounds illegal

What are your thoughts on these titles? Are there some that I left out of the “stupid” list?

To help you SEE the growth of social media, check out this infographic: it will give you a better picture of how social media has become a part of every aspect of our business and personal life:

Source: The Growth of Social Media: An Infographic

Nate Moller works with businesses who want to improve their online business. For over five years, he’s worked with thousands of companies who are looking for answers in their online marketing journey. Follow Nate on Twitter and become a fan of Moller Marketing on Facebook!

Eating Social Media

Infographic & Viral Marketing from Dream Systems Media

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We have talked about all kinds of Marketing Channels here at DSM, and at one point in time, these ads had their 15 minutes.  Social standards have done their fair share of evolving across the years and in many cases, what use to be widely acceptable in the mainstream, is now deemed taboo. With this social-shift in mind, we’ve decided to highlight some old school advertisements in the gallery below that are definitive proof that the times they are a changing…

Illegal to Kill a Woman?

Is it always illegal to kill a woman? As much as this might seem like a no-brainer, the topic was apparently up for debate in past generations. Rest assured, we looked it up and the answer is yes, it is always illegal to kill a woman.

http://bedazzled.blogs.com/bedazzled/images/2008/01/09/postagedm2711_468x705.jpg

Lane Bryant Chubbies

Maybe it was endearing back in the day when plus-size was the preferred size; however, calling bigger women Chubbies in this day and age will drastically increase your odds of being slapped across the face or with a law suit.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/169/429763662_6d9ec682e0.jpg

Cocaine Toothache Drops

Although the science behind these vintage cocaine toothache drops is tried and true (if you can’t feel your face, you can’t feel your tooth), the now-illegal substance is the last thing you’d feed your children these days – if you’re looking to stay out of prison that is.

http://cdn.edu-search.com/uploads/cocainedrops.jpg

Blowing Smoke

The process of courtship has evolved across the years, and although there are many ways to approach a woman, recent studies have shown that blatantly blowing smoke in her face, as your method of seduction, will have the same result as casually offering her chloroform – AKA she will not be following you anywhere.

http://www.bradruggles.com/images/skitched-20090118-190737.jpg

A Girl Around the House

We’re not sure whether the modern Women’s Rights organizations or the Animal Cruelty societies would show the biggest resistance toward this vintage ad campaign but one thing is for sure, the black and white print is not the only outdated element in this message.

http://www.fashionrat.com/images/vintage-pants-trouser-ad-from-the-70s-creepy-and-s1.jpg

Blatz Beer

Yeah, last we checked the Surgeon General has advised us that infants and alcohol don’t mix. While Blatz Beer might have been a refreshing beverage for the mother in its day, the modern interpretation of this ad’s fine print is: It’ll get your kid drunk!

IMG SOURCE: http://katherinegscott.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/blatz-beer-ad.jpg

More Doctors Smoke Camels

Speaking of the Surgeon General, we have a sneaking suspicion that this physician-endorsed Camel Cigarettes advertisement was released in the years prior to the connection made between cigarettes and … cancer. Just a hunch.

http://www.naturalnews.com/Images/Doctors-Smoke-Camels.jpg

I didn’t realize it wasn’t available to everyone until I recommended that a client use it to better define their target audience – come to find out it was nowhere to be found on their Facebook account.

I’m pretty sure that the Questions function is now available to everyone, and my recommendation is USE IT – especially for business interaction.

As most of you probably already know, social media marketing is taking over the world of modern media. It’s not very often that I don’t see or hear mention of Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube on the Channel 5 News. From sports stars talking about how Jimmer is the best scorer in the world, to President Obama sealing his election largely in part to his social media presence.

There’s a great question going on right now on Facebook about bin Laden’s death that we’d like you to respond to:

RESULTS: The Osama Bin Laden Death Exposed via Social Networks First

So far, here are the results from 22,089 votes:

1. Facebook: 6,860
2. TV: 6476
3. Phone (which could have been cell phone = social media): 2,832
4. Twitter: 1,784
5. Website: 1,071
6. In Person: 998 (maybe these people were actually IN Pakistan…?)
7. Other: 863
8. Radio: 841
9. Newspaper: 189
10. Email: 175

My question then to all of you,

Where do you think the media will be in 6 months, 1 year, 5 years from now in regard to how they get the word out?

Facebook and Twitter have far surpassed the old-school methods of Newspaper and Radio. Even EMAIL is becoming a thing of the past to places like Twitter and Facebook and Texting.

Special thanks to the “…Tweeter, awake at the time of the crash [in Abbottabad, Pakistan]” who unknowingly tweeted the entire attack as he heard helicopters cruising by his place at 1:00 a.m.

If you’re not tapped into the social media mania, it’s time to hop on the band wagon because it’s only going to become a more eminent part of our day to day lives.

UPDATE: Since I started this post, votes have gone up to 22,449…

The idea caught on and now there are 2 guys (it should be WeWearYourShirt.com).

Then comes a new spin on the idea – at SheWearsYourTee. I really like this one because a model will wear your tee. That means you get some killer product shots you can use on your site.

Another element is how the pricing works to encourage people to act fast and not wait. January 1st the price is $1 and the price goes up every day. It’s the same concept with another one of my favorite businesses using this model called LoveJingles.com.

I figured out the guy who started it made $18k in 5 days and continues to bring in more money and build more value for his customers each day as the word spreads. He signed on Yahoo! to advertise on their anniversary. I also like how he launched it by reaching out to 10 bloggers (I was one of them and didn’t blog about it but wish I had. I’m making up for it now).

Another twist is to make it personal – someone has a birthday or anniversary every day of the year. Someone gets married or engaged every day, has a baby, etc. What could you offer them? People also have news that you could promote in a similar way. You could be their social media billboard. I really like when it’s both online and offline.

Here’s another one with a new spin – product giveaways — AnyLuckyDay.com Now if the guys at Backcountry.com would just use this to market their sites like steepandcheap.com you can see how this idea can apply to businesses. The site has a deal on ski gear and once the item is sold it’s gone and the next deal shows up. Why not promote the current deal on social sites? At least a button to tweet about it.

Could you add this model to your business? Have any other examples for me? Leave them in the comments. Oh, and if you wouldn’t mind, could you tweet this post? Thanks!

Twitter sent me lots of traffic but the average time spent on my site was just seconds. Compare that to another site that had people who stayed 4 minutes on average on my site. I can now see where to focus my linkbuilding and build my credibility.  I’ll focus on the sites that are sending me quality traffic – it’s much easier to convert. Think of them as warm leads.

This is the audience who will read my blog posts, come to my webinars and who I have built trust with (maybe even buy my online PR book). I can build that relationship by offering to guest post, commenting on their content and otherwise

Develop a list of contacts to build out your network. I like JibberJobber as a CRM to help manage my contacts. Then when you have an article or are starting a new campaign, be sure to contact your network to let them know. If you’re like me my networks are different on every site I’m on and I need to keep track of them.

Where is your audience online – where are the people you want to reach? Are they on forums? Commenting on blogs? On Facebook? You need to know. This post has a list of tools to help you find your audience online.

Here are some tools that I like:

Backtype – You can search for people and follow them to see where they comment. When you hear someone speak or read their blog, find them here and see the places they visit online. If they are new to you see if it’s a valuable place for you to network too.

Twitter Grader helps you find Twitterers by location and other categories.

TweetReach helps you find the people who are tweeting most about a topic. You can put in a hash tag like #SEO and on the right hand side you’ll see who is tweeting about SEO. It shows the numbers of times they’ve used the hash tag. Then follow them. You can also search for your name, your competitors name, etc.

Find the community that likes you and start building relationships. And while you’re at it, if you liked this article, you can join my community. www.Facebook.com/OnlinePRBook or on Twitter at @Newspapergrl.

A Twitter Case Study — Picture This Scenario:

Image by Brandon Buttars

You’re hired to manage a social media campaign for a client – a family fun center with several locations. You decide to test the social media waters with Twitter. So you recommend the following:

Send out a message via the family fun center Twitter account, tweeting something like:

“TODAY ONLY (3/5/09) FREE entry to skate rink and free skate rental. Please RT.”

What Happens Next:

Before you know it the tweet is spreading like wildfire. You are of course tracking the number of retweets and are astonished by the number of people retweeting the promotion. Initially, you are excited. You can’t help but think; “This is awesome, our business is getting exposed to tons of new potential customers.” You are also getting a little nervous… just how many freebies will you give away today? A couple hundred? More?

The only thing you can do is wait and see what exactly will happen. Throughout the day the number of tweets continues to grow and so does the line for FREE entry into your client’s business. By nightfall you have given freebies to literally thousands of people and some of your locations are experiencing over-crowd. What will your paying customers think? Are they going to be satisfied with their experience and wish to return? This scenario brings up the following questions:

1. Is giving away something FREE worth the price of potentially acquiring a new customer?
2. Will this particular cost of acquisition to be less than normal, considering that you had paying customers that were upset that they didn’t get in free, and might not return because of the frustration they experience having to pay and then the place being so packed?
3. Will this promotion actually lead to a true customer acquisition, considering the fact these people are not paying for anything.
4. How can you estimate the effect this Twitter campaign might have?
5. Will the locations be properly staffed?
6. Do the store managers know about the promotion? Will customers be questioned about the authenticity of the promotion?
7. Will there be enough skate rentals available?
8. Will the owners of the business be satisfied?
9. What is the expectation?

The list goes on and on.

Morals of the story: Pick one… Social media promotions can spread like wildfire, people like to get something for free, or something else???

Now considering this scenario described above; how could this promotion scenario be tweaked for better results? Here are a few suggestions we came up with:

1. If you are going to give away something for free, maybe you should require the taker do something simple in return.
2. You could require the customer do something. Give them options: 1) write a blog post about the promotion and link to the company website. 2) follow us on Twitter. 3) friend us on Facebook.
3. Or, require the customer to make some kind of purchase. “Free entry with skate rental purchase.” This can help hedge the cost.
4. Communication must be great. Every manager needs to know about the Twitter promotion. The locations need to be properly staffed for the potential influx of customers. You should have extra skates on hand and other products as well, and probably limit the amount of free entries to maybe like the first 500 or something.
5. Mostly their must be a measurable goal, agreed to beforehand by all involved.

Example:

For example, the agreed upon goal could be to get potential new customers exposed to the business by offering them free entry. This also creates some buzz about your business and might also give you an excellent opportunity for getting some press coverage. With those being the goals, you would then determine how to measure the success by maybe determine what average customer acquisition budget you need to hit to make the event a success.

Overall, we agreed that using Twitter as a promotional tool can be a great thing. In fact, we often recommend these promotions to our clients, but realize that the execution needs to be stellar or you might end up having a Twitter promotion nightmare. Any Twitter promotion attempt should be applauded and a signal that business owners are realizing the potential they have when marketing in the social media arena.

If you know of, have been involved with, or witnessed a Twitter promotion gone wild, please leave a comment with your story.

Note: This post has been updated from it’s original version.