CubeSocial

Unlike the phrases ‘hazardous materials’ or ‘free money’, people often ignore the first word in the phrase ‘social media’…

I’m still new to this Twitter ‘thang’, but already I’m surprised at the basic mistakes some companies are making. People new to social media tend to resort to what they know. And often, what they know is how to advertise their company as they would in a magazine or television ad. On Twitter though, this just doesn’t work.

The Internet is Big, So We Need a Megaphone

There are different types of Tweets. One of those is the Broadcast Tweet. Broadcast Tweets are impersonal and are seen by all your followers. For companies they usually go something like:

‘Here’s our amazing product. You can buy it here. It costs just £X.’

What these companies are missing is that Twitter is about conversations. Tweeting only Broadcast Tweets is equivalent to standing in a crowded restaurant shouting whether or not you like your meal at the top of your voice.

What to Do Instead

Here are some quick tips when tweeting to encourage interaction and look less spammy:

1. Create a need to respond
   What are people going to reply to ‘Buy our product’? Either ‘OK’ or ‘No thanks’. Most likely it’ll be ‘No thanks’. Instead try asking open questions the way good salespeople do – ones that will allow you to talk about the benefits of your product in a way that is relevant to your prospect.
2. If no one is talking with you, start a conversation
   Look at your prospect’s Twitter timeline. What are they talking about? If it’s their cats, ask how they are; if it’s a business trip, recommend your favourite restaurant. Tweet things of interest to the people you want to engage.
3. Read your own Twitter page
   What would you think if you were a prospect reading your tweets?

Don’t Do All the Talking

Twitter is a different kind of promotion. It’s not about shouting how great you are; it’s about building relationships, earning trust and then winning business.

Ask Yourself…

Think about every tweet you send and ask yourself: ‘If I read that tweet as a stranger, how would I respond to it?’ Would you retweet it because it was funny, discuss its relevance, or start a debate?

If you’re struggling to think of a response, well, you should be able to see the problem…

By Rewan Tremethick

Linda tasked me recently with identifying interesting people and conversations from Marketing Week Live 2011 (#mwl2011). Whilst there was lots of activity on the hashtag, I didn’t find anyone or anything that I thought worth bringing to her attention. I’m sure there were lots of interesting companies there, but they were so caught up in getting people to visit their stand, they forgot to mention why.

Are You Selling Fruit And Veg?

Much of the hashtag activity resembled market stall vendors. We’ve all walked down the street hearing, ‘Bha-nah-ahs! Five for a paaaaaand!’ A lot of companies on #mwl2011 were doing exactly the same kind of thing, shouting ‘We’re on stand x111, come and say hi. There’ll be cake!’ yet they’re not on the street, nor selling fruit.

What Kind Of Cake?

So we know where company Z is, and we know there is cake. Whilst we’re wondering what sort of cake, we’re missing a more important question – what does the company do?

Whilst enticing people with cake might sound like a good idea, #mwl2011 is a tradeshow full of professionals, looking to network and build relationships. Cake, loved as it is, isn’t their top priority. What your business could do for them is, but that wasn’t mentioned in the Tweet.

So…You Do What?

Of course I could check out their website to find out what they do. But hundreds of companies Tweeted that they deserved a visit. Who has the time to go on hundreds of websites, only to find out that the companies are completely irrelevant to them?

When writing Press Releases, you have to remember to include the Who, What, When, Where and Why’s?

Most of the hashtagged tweets ran like this:

‘Come and see us at #mwl2011. We’ll be on stand X100. Have a chat and free donuts!’

How many of those W’s were answered? Why should we come and talk to you?

Three Tips For Better Hashtagging

• Put company information in your bio, so tweeps can quickly see whether or not you are right for them.
• Give people a business incentive to come and talk to you. ‘Stand x100 for chats on how social media can help your business.’
• Cake is not a USP. But don’t stop giving it away, though.

Considering it was a marketing tradeshow, a lot of companies missed a great opportunity to market themselves on the hashtag. Cake, on the other hand, got a lot of exposure.