ASR – San Deigo Convention Center
San Diego, CA
Sep 11, 2009 – 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM

TWITTER, SOCIAL MEDIA, SEO, PPC: WHO HAS TIME FOR ALL THIS GEEK STUFF?
Location: Meeting Room 5A
Just think if you could do market research, organize focus groups and build your customer base all without spending a dime? Thanks to social media and great internet tools, you can. Small businesses are acquiring loyal customers, gaining valuable insight and boosting their business by harnessing these tools. Learn the top tricks and tools in a changing internet environment to boost sales and your brand without needing an army.

Surf Expo – Orange County Convention Center
Orlando, Florida
Sat, August 22 at 2:00

LEVERAGING SOCIAL TOOLS
Blogs, Facebook and Twitter – Learn the best ways to use the latest social marketing tools to communicate and connect with customers, get instant feedback on ideas, listen to what’s being said about your brand and more.  With real world examples, this seminar will help and help make sense of the tools, and help you make them work effectively for your business.

As part of their “Life’s for Sharing” campaign, T-Mobile gathered 13,500 people in London’s Trafalgar Square, handed out microphones throughout the audience and asked them to sing in unison. The result — a video of the crowd “simultaneously” singing “Hey Jude” together — has been viewed on YouTube over 55,000 times in two days. The success of the campaign will likely grow as the viral video makes its rounds on social networks and blogs throughout the work week.

The stunt is a great example of how companies can use viral marketing to position their brands front and center in the social media world in a positive light. I’m sure the undertaking wasn’t cheap, but hopefully it will pay off as the video continues to be passed around the Web.

And because it made my Monday a little brighter, here it is:

One of the biggest problems that businesses have with social media is time. Twitter, Facebook, and other social media outlets require a big time investment, and with ROI still not certain, many businesses choose to invest their time elsewhere.

With about 5,000 new accounts created each day, Twitter is the fastest growing social network on the Web and the third largest. It’s quickly gaining in popularity and may even overtake Facebook and MySpace for one of the top spots.

Last week at the Board Retailers Association Summit, I shared some Twitter tips with heavyweights in the surf, snow, skate, and wake retail industries. Here are some of the key points for business owners who want to use Twitter to their advantage but are short on time:

Find the best strategy for your business.

Twitter allows users to follow information in real time. That means instant access to your customers to listen to what they’re saying about your brand, share information with them, and offer instant customer service. Find the right balance of these uses for your company.

Choose your audience.

Build a network of customers, competitors, strategic partners, experts in your industry (including bloggers), colleagues, and other people within your industry circle. By following them (and being followed by them), you can maintain constant conversation.

Choose your tone.

Twitter allows you to converse with your network casually on a personal level. Try not to be too stuffy, and whatever you do, don’t just focus on marketing and PR and don’t automate your conversation. Automated direct messages and tweets make followers think you’re a robot. Talk to your customers, listen closely to what they’re saying, and keep it casual.

Decide who will represent your brand online.

Twitter and all social media is an online representation of your brand. Be careful when choosing who will represent your business and how. Whether it’s the CEO, an employee, or an in-house community manager, be sure they’re putting the right face on your company.

Start talking.

Initiate conversation about your brand, listen to what people are saying about your company, and be proactive in responding to @ replies and direct messages. Offer information that customers and other people in your network will find interesting — not just marketing and PR speak. Don’t toot your own horn too much, bombard users with links, or repetitive marketing messages. Just like any conversation, these common mistakes will make you boring or annoying to followers.

Twitter tools for building your network:

Twitter Search – Search for your brand name and key phrases associated with your industry to find users who are interested in you and your products.

We Follow – User powered Twitter directory helps you find users that may fit in your network.

Just Tweet It – Another Twitter directory where you can find followers.

Mr. Tweet – A Twitter networking client that helps you discover new people in your industry, find relevant followers, and track usage stats.

Tools for using Twitter:

tinyurl, bit.ly, is.gd and countless other URL shortening services shrink long URLs to Twitter-friendly sizes.

TweetDeck – The Twitter client of choice for many busy users, this free program allows you to track your feed, specific searches, and replies in one window.

Tools for monitoring your conversation & brand:

TweetScan – Alerts you when users mention your brand and related keywords.

TweetBeep – Google alerts for Twitter. Set it up to tell you when people are talking about your brand or industry.

Twollow – Auto-follow users who mention your brand or products to build your network.

Qwitter: Notifies you of the last tweet you sent before losing followers. Great tool to find out what you could be doing to turn off followers.

Twitterless: Graphs your followers and tells you who stops following you.

Tools for engaging your users:

TwtQpn: Create coupons for Twitter to give users incentive to follow you.

StrawPoll: Poll your followers to find out what they think about your brand and pertinent questions related to your industry.

TwitPic: Share photos of new products, office antics, and other cool stuff they may find interesting.

Follow me:

Sage Island
Mike Duncan

This week, a disturbing YouTube video posted by two disgruntled Domino’s employees quickly went viral. The video, titled “Disgusting Domino’s People,” shows the employees doing gross things to the food they would eventually serve.

The implications for the Domino’s brand are catastrophic. Though it was an isolated incident in one store, it spread throughout the country through various social media channels. Domino’s franchises on the other side of the country will most likely feel the fallout of this incident. It’s a scary reminder of the power of viral marketing.

While the impact is unavoidable, Domino’s acted swiftly to respond to the incident on YouTube. Today Domino’s posted this personal response from the company’s president, Patrick Doyle.

What can we learn from Domino’s response?

Act fast.

Domino’s issued a press release immediately, but it was two full days before they responded to the video directly on YouTube. Two days is a lifetime when it comes to viral content. The faster you respond, the faster you can steer the conversation.

Viral content lasts forever — so should your response.

The most effective response will reach out directly to the viral audience that spread the damaging content. Today’s YouTube statement was much more effective than Tuesday’s press release, and it will continue to reach customers even as the press coverage dies down.

Viral content lasts forever, but a press release only lasts through one news cycle. To ensure that the video will continue to reach their customers affected by the damaging content, Domino’s wisely included the title from the original video in their response and added “Domino’s Responds.” When people search YouTube to find the video they’ve heard so much about, they’ll also find a direct response from the company. Like the damaging viral video, this response will last forever.

Don’t just apologize, take action.

Instead of playing the victim and placing all the blame on the employees, Doyle clearly outlines the actions Domino’s will take to protect their customers in the future. Not only does he assure customers that the specific store has been sterilized, but he assures them that Domino’s is working to prevent this from happening again. “We’re re-examining all of our hiring practices to make sure that people like this don’t make it into our stores,” he says.

Make the last word a good one.

The last minute of the Domino’s response is devoted to displaying the brand in a positive light. Your response is your opportunity to get the last word in. Don’t waste it rehashing the negative press. Use it to remind your customers why they should trust you.

Unfortunately, social media and user generated content have made it much harder for brands to shield themselves from this type of damage. That’s why it’s more important than ever that you know and understand how to use social media channels to promote your company positively and protect your brand from damaging viral content. Through smart use of social media, you can shift the conversation to correct the damage just as quickly as it was done.

With Internet usage almost overtaking TV usage and the recent rave for social networking groups such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, companies all over are jumping on the bandwagon and doing their part to invest in this new form of advertising. Buzz questions such as “Are you my Facebook friend?”, ”Have you tweeted recently?” and “Did you check out that blog?” are heard around the world from audiences of all demographics. Sounds like they may be speaking another language, but in fact this is the language socially accepted in response to the new age of  social media marketing.

In an effort to compete with advertising across a social platform, Downy is promoting a new way to stay connected with friends and family. Until May 31, those who enter a snapshot photo with a pledge caption are automatically entered to win the ultimate reunion trip. Downy, the fragrant fabric softener, wants you to share this pledge with the world and connect with family and friends in a whole new atmosphere. So check it out, submit your own Downy pledge and stay connected with family and friends in a whole new way.

This morning Sage Island CEO and creative director Mike Duncan participated in a panel discussion hosted by the Greater Wilmington Business Journal on leveraging the power of the Internet for business. More than 500 community members and business leaders attended. Mike and the five other panel members — including Chip Mahan, president of Live Oak Bank; Brett Martin, president of Castle Branch; Fred Meyers, president of Queensboro Shirt Company; Justin Queen, president of Blu Zeus Interactive; and Debbie Elliott, president of Talk Inc. — answered questions from the audience about online marketing and social media.

For those of you who couldn’t attend the event, here are the CliffsNotes:

Talk to your customers, not at them.

Social media has changed a lot about the way that businesses market themselves online and offline. But most of those changes can be summed up with one simple idea: the practice of talking at your customers through your marketing has been replaced by conversation. Talk to them through social media, blogs, and other interactive sources. The conversation is happening with or without you. Your customers are probably already talking about your business, reviewing your services, and recommending you (or complaining) online. By participating in the conversation, you’ll build a stronger relationship with your customers and put yourself in a better position to control your brand.

User generated content is the new king.

According to a recent Forrester survey on how technology decision makers in business utilize social media during the buying process, 69 percent of the 1,200 respondents “read blogs, forums and reviews, keep track of podcasts, and watch video from other users” before making purchasing decisions. People trust these sources, because this content is coming from users just like them.

Becoming a participant in blogs, forums, and review communities where your customers are likely to partipate can help stimulate conversation. Seek opinions about your business and your services, and listen carefully to what they’re saying about you. Monitoring the conversation allows you to respond quickly to complaints and make the situation right with the customer — and potential customers who may see the negative review. But remember, transparency is essential. Be clear about who you are, and seek engagement with your customers honestly.

In social media, you are your business.

In order to succeed at social media, it’s essential that you put a human face on your company. People talk to people. Be prepared to get personally involved in your social media campaigns. It’s important to remember, though, that you’re representing your business. Don’t get too caught up in the personal aspect of social media. Many users have gotten into trouble for various degrees of oversharing. Think carefully before you post anything, and remember that the Internet is forever. Would you shout it or share it in front of a roomful of people at a professional networking event? If the answer is no, then don’t post it on your social media profile.

Adapt early for maximum benefit.

By the time an online marketing method has gone mainstream, it’s already old news. Early adapters reap the most benefit from new methods, because they have more time to learn about it and test new ideas. By the time it reaches the mainstream, the early adapters are already pros with a solid grasp of how best to utilize the latest technology. Stay up to date with new ideas, work with interactive marketing professionals who can guide you in new technology, and stay ahead of the curve.

Be innovative.

Mike Duncan closed the panel discussion with a word of advice: “Be innovative.” The world of online marketing is changing so rapidly that there’s no telling where it will go next. If you want to stay ahead, you have to be open to new ideas and willing to try new things. Emerging technologies and interactive marketing methods may seem foreign, but marketing hasn’t changed. The tools are just a little different now. It’s impossible to predict where online marketing will go next, so the best way to stay ahead of the game is to be ready for anything.