Twitter

Check out Chris Brogan’s presentation at Web2 Expo 2009. I particularly like the part about social media and serendipity, which is similar to a discussion I had early this week about promoting those “cosmic collisions” with shoppers that make them stop in their tracks and think differently about your brand.

A common question I am asked by clients who are nervous about engaging in Social Media is “What about negative comments or flame wars?” It’s a valid concern. We all know instances where a negative meme picks up steam and spins out of control, leaving the brand scrambling to recover. And that’s where the failure was: if you’re not going to be actively engaged in your social media efforts, then don’t bother. Playing catch up is generally a losing game.

This is a question often asked by clients and marketers in general. Social Media Marketing is abuzz with people who are advising you to invest marketing dollars into the channel. You want to, but you don't really understand why, other than the fact that you see competitors doing it. Fair enough.

Yes, Oprah mentioned Twitter in a show and now a million of her fans flooded the network, many of whom got confused or realized they didn’t have time to micro-blog and left, and now we have even more noise in the system. The upside to this sort of mainstream acceptance is the potential to cultivate a real messaging platform in which smart companies and agencies can leverage followers to spread the word on their behalf. Case in point: The CDC Emergency Twitter Stream.

BL Ochman’s whatsnextblog.com has a post featuring The Top 10 Reasons Your Company Should Not Tweet. It’s true; despite the fact that everyone in advertising and marketing is talking about Twitter, it may not be for everyone. So let’s take a look at Ochman’s list.

Through Twitter, I found Twitalyzer this morning.  Its an online app that allows you to put in anyone's Twitter handle, and get a set of metrics on several factors.  So far, I have been enjoying Twitter as part messaging tool, part idea stream, and part cocktail party. Ideas come in, and random shouts echo around the alley as my friends react and digest ideas in their own ways. Its fun, and sometimes a distraction.

If you spend any time reading marketing blogs you’ve probably read a hundred times that you need to engage in social media. Everyone is basically saying the same thing and it breaks down into three parts:

• Monitor
• Build
• Engage

Seems simple enough, right? What few people talk about (and what leads to client frustration and abandoned programs) is the mechanics of implementing a social media program and the resources required for maintaining it. Let’s start with those three basic building blocks first.