Have you ever heard of the song, “Who let the dogs out?” Of course you have! Just the shear mention of it probably has you cringing and wanting to shout out, “Who… who. who!” at that same time.  Like most people, when you first heard it, you probably thought, ” That’s catchy.” And then suddenly it was everywhere.  It was in every movie, it was at every mall, it was on all the radio stations! Soon you would rather listen to a chain saw hitting cement than have to listen to that song… ONE… MORE… TIME!

I HOPE WHOEVER LET THOSE DOGS OUT ENDED UP GETTING MAULED! (who.. who. who)

Now enters Social Media… do you see where I’m going with this?

Yes, I am entering into a rant.  Yes I know that ranting is so cliché. Yes, I am perfectly aware that I am head deep into the “Social Media” world.  It is not that social media is dead, or ever going to be completely dead… it is just that name… “Social Media.”  It has been used, and over used, and over abused.

I do not like defining myself as a Social Media Marketer, I prefer terms like “Community Marketing” or “Brand Social Development.”  Social Media just has such a “Oh, that’s so 2008″ sound to it.

Can you come up with a better name?

While I was bouncing around Germany when I was 18 years old, I heard what was claimed to be an old German saying… “The stupid farmer grows the biggest potato.”

The person who shared these words of wisdom did so with a mischievous smile that instantly said, “figure that one out.”

“Whoa! That’s deep.” I said, trying to feign some form of comprehension.

It All Makes Sense!

It wasn’t until I was living in Idaho a few years later and got to see, first hand, how complex potato farming was, that I finally understood what that German phrase meant.

The farmer that plops the potato in the ground and gives the basics of what is needed, not fretting over if he has the best equipment, the best seed or the best weather conditions.  He just daily tends to his plant with happy, ignorant care.  Then when harvest time has come, he has huge potatoes!

And the Connection is…

When working on building up your fan base or community plan, it can often seem overwhelming.  Do you have the right tools or services?  Is your messaging perfect? Will people respond positively?

Sometimes you need to take a breath and proceed with just a little ignorant stupidity.  Eventually, if nurtured, your community will grow.

Google analytics is awesome! If you have a website/blog then you need google analytics to let you know how well you are doing.  But what does analytics have to do with social media?  EVERYTHING!

If you are trying to drive traffic to your blog/website through social media tactics, how else are you going to know if it is working or not?  You could just throw something out there and hope for the best… but with analytics, you can throw something out there, see what the results are, throw something else out there, see what those results are and figure out the most effective way to reach your audience.

These are some of my favorite data points that google provides in google analytics…

Visitors:

1. Map Overview: This will let you know the geographical location of people who visit your site.  How is this helpful?  Well if you are getting a lot of people from one area of the country or world, then you can better tailor your message to those people.  Or, if you are targeting a specific area and not getting traffic from that area, you can try to adjust your marketing methods to better suit those people.
2. New vs. Returning: How many new people are coming to your site?  How many are returning visitors? If you have a good number of new people coming in and an increasing number of returning visitors… congratulations, you have content that attracts people and gets them excited to comeback!  Having a high number of returning visitors or not can be a good or bad thing, depending on the purpose of your website.  If you are changing or adding information constantly, like in a blog, you want people to return.
3. Visitor Trending – Visits: This is really cool because you can see the days of the week you are getting the most visits.  If the trend is that the most people are coming on Thursday and the least amount of people are coming on Sunday, you’ll know to post your most important stuff on Thursday and your least, if anything at all, on Sunday.  Maximize when people are most likely to see what you have to offer!
4. Visitor Loyalty – Loyalty: Want to know how many loyal followers you have?  This shows how many people have been to your site 1 time… how many have been 2 times, and continues on up.

Traffic Source:

1. Overview: This gives you the basic run down of where your traffic is coming from.  This could be from people typing in your URL directly or links from search engines, like google, or links from other websites.  This is helpful if someone is directing a lot of traffic your way from their site or if you have a profile on a social network with a link on it, how much does that drive traffic to your site.  It also tells you what key words people are using to find your site.

Content:

1. Top Content: Here you can see which pages get the most traffic, this let you know what people are interested in the most.  If you have one post on a particular topic that gets a lot of traffic, then that should tell you that people are interested in that topic and you probably should write more posts on the subject.
2. Site Overlay: Now this is just pure gold and worth every penny you are not spending on Google analytics (because it is free!). This does an overlay of your site and shows what people are clicking on the most! I can’t even begin to emphasize the super usefullness of this information! If you post a banner up on a page and people are clicking on the left navigation more than the banner, you know to adjust what goes where.  You can see where people are going and what they do when they get there.

Now this is just scratching the surface of the awesome power that is google analytics.  We haven’t even touched on the capabilities of when you combine it with a campaign or in conjunction with something like bit.ly URLs… and A B testing… don’t even get me started!

The best part about it… and I mean this is THE BEST PART ABOUT IT… it is completely, entirely and whole heartedly free!  You can’t beat that price!

I’ve been doing this for about two and a half years now and while that doesn’t sound like a lot of time, in social media marketing terms, I’ve been at it forever.  I’ve seen Facebook go through 3 major overhauls, watched as YouTube implemented their profit model and watched the number of  Twitter users explode. Because I have my head in this daily I sometimes forget that there are people out there who aren’t familiar with the terms “tweeting” or “friending” and think that going viral is a bad thing.

Why is social media so important?

Why have McDonald’s and Walmart been so successful over the years?  While many factors can be attributed to building their success, there is one point that both companies spend a huge amount of money researching… location, location, location. They put their buildings where the people will be.

Now the location is changing from a plot of land to the bytes and bits that make up the internet. Like it or not, that is where the people are and it is only growing bigger and bigger. And whether you like it or not, you might already be out there. People could already be talking about you on Twitter and Facebook or posting reviews about you on Yelp. Hopefully it is all good, but it could be bad and if you are not watching the conversation, you could be missing out on opportunities.

But I’m a localized business and social media is global, so it is not really for me.

WRONG! Every social media outlet, be it FaceBook, Twitter, YouTube, etc., requires their users to fill out a “profile” with information like name, gender, location, etc. This allows you to target the type of people you want to attract with laser accuracy.

Let’s say you are a local dentist, specializing in working with children, trying to build up business in your neighborhood. You can run an ad campaign on FaceBook targeting parents in your geographical area. You can also search Twitter for people within a 10 mile radius that are talking about any number of topics, kids, tooth problems, etc. How to market properly to these people is a whole other topic, but this just illustrates that these people can be found.

So I just throw stuff out there and hope people see it?

Now this is the question that gets me excited, because this is where the true beauty of social media marketing comes into place. Quick answer… NOPE! With social media, you can track everything! So you put a link up on twitter, you can see just how many people clicked on that link, how many people did what you wanted them to after they clicked and how much money you made from that link. Then you can tailor your messages to get more attention.

BUT WAIT! IT GETS BETTER

Due to the relatively low cost, you can experiment with various forms of marketing to see which one is the most effective. In marketing we have what’s called A B testing.  We use marketing method A to see what the results are and then we use marketing method B and compare the results with A (you can also add a C and D, but it is best to keep the test pretty simple and basic). Not only does this help find the most effective way to reach your potential customers, it also lets you know where some of their motivations lie.

Going back to the dentist example… If you run a campaign, “Brighten your child’s smile!” and one “Protect your child’s teeth!” and you get more results from the latter, you know now that parents are more concerned about protecting the teeth of their young ones than they are of making sure they have bright smiles.

It’s time to call a pro!

If reading this above has you excited and freaking out at the same time, wondering where, when and how to get started, it is time to call a professional. Think of it as remodeling a kitchen. You can do it by yourself, and you can probably do a good job, but it will take a lot of time, a lot of study and a lot of trial and error that a good professional will have already gone through and know how to avoid. Social Media can be a DIY project and regardless of how involved your marketer is, there are some things you are going to have to do on your own. A good Social Media Consultant will be able to help navigate and decipher what everything means.

Look for someone who can demonstrate not only expertise in the field, but has the actual experience of developing effective campaigns.
People are adapting social media into their lives in droves. If your business is not venturing into this space then you are not going where the people are and are missing out on opportunities. Every business can benefit from social media, and every business should!

Image via CrunchBase

If you listened to my podcast posted last week, you’ll know that I have mixed feelings about FaceBook.  It is an awesome marketing tool, yet can be a bit cumbersome to navigate and manipulate.  That being said, it does provide many opportunities for businesses to effectively build brand loyalty and drive sales (yes… you can drive sales!).  As a side note, since FaceBook has changed their format from “fanning” pages to “liking” pages, I now refer to “fans” as “followers.”

1. Provide followers “first look”.

Got a new program you’re launching or a fantastic product that will be on the market soon?  Let your followers know before you send out the press releases and notify the rest of the world.  Getting a first hand look into what’s going on in your company gives people a reason to follow, it gets them excited to buy, provides you with marketing info based on their response and, if people start buzzing about it, once the press releases get sent out the media will want to hurry and jump on the band wagon so they are not left with “old news.”

2. Feel the pulse of your followers.

If you aren’t looking at your FaceBook “insight” you should! On your Fan Page, in the left column, you’ll see a section labeled “Insight” with a star rating for “post quality” and a number of “interactions.”  What you really want to click on is the “see all” link in the upper right corner of the box.  This will take you to a wondrous assortment of data.  Here you will get charts and graphs of what is going on with your FaceBook page and who follows you. Raw data can even be exported to excel and played to your heart’s content! This will help you get a better understanding of who your followers are and what they are interested in so you can customize your marketing messages.

3. Customize the experience.

FaceBook limits what you can do with your fan page, but I’ve always thought true creativity comes while working within limits.  FaceBook has provided some excellent tools, FBML (facebook markup language) is one of them. While some technical knowledge is necessary (if you don’t have the technical know how, I’d be more than happy to accommodate ) it is possible to create custom tabs and set a specific tab as a landing page. These tabs can include video, links and images.  For an example, take a look at this custom tab, http://www.facebook.com/trxsuspensiontraining?v=app_7146470109.

If you are interested in learning more, google search FBML and you will come across ample information.

4. Provide Exclusive Content.

Now we are getting into a bit more of the technical aspects of FaceBook, but it is possible for you to have content that only your followers will be able to access. Put up the velvet rope, let everyone know that only those chosen few who have “liked” the page will be allowed to pass. Nothing creates more brand loyalty and generates buzz than having access to something no one else has access to. This will help build a bigger following!

For those technical people… here is the coding behind this functionality.

5. Thanks For Following!

Lastly, what better way to show appreciation to your followers (and drive sales at the same time) than providing a special promotion just for them.  This can be done using the above method to make the offer only visible by followers or you can just announce it through FaceBook.  People love being treated special, and what better people to treat like royalty than those who have shown an active interest in your company? After all, aren’t those people the smartest, most deserving people in the world?

I am always interested in hearing what people are doing with FaceBook so let me know if you have any tips and tricks in the comments below!  You can even comment using your FaceBbook account .

“You gotta fight… for your right… to Paaarrrty!” ~ Beastie Boys

I grew up in a small town outside of Fresno, CA.  Currently the town boasts a population of a whopping 50k people.  That is a huge increase from the 30k people that inhabited the town in my youth.  The economic stability of the community thrives mainly on the agricultural success of the local farmers, which as of late has hit upon tough times due to water right issues.

California has been awarded $2.5 billion in federal high-speed rail funding to support a rail way that will connect San Francisco to Los Angeles. The proposed railway would have stops all up and down the state, including my sleepy little village (which already has a very active Amtrak station). This would help bolster the struggling economy and create new jobs in an environmentally sound industry.

There is a grass root’s movement to rally support and I received an email from a friend and former high school classmate, Seth Champi, who manages the “Strongly in Favor of a High Speed Train Station in Hanford, CA” group on FaceBook. He forwarded an email he had received from Cassidy Smith, who is trying to rally people to show support of having the high speed train station in Hanford (this my friends is how viral grass root campaigns get started).

Cassidy’s call to action was simple:

The California High Speed Rail Authority Board will be meeting in Sacramento on Thursday, June 3rd at 9:00 am.

“Show them that we need the rail to go THROUGH the towns of the Valley, not just follow the I-5. The Valley should be the backbone of the system and also see its benefits.

Take an Amtrak train up to Sacramento — one leaves from Hanford at 6:12 am and arrives at 10 am.

Or you could even tweet your support at http://twitter.com/cahsra while the meeting is taking place. Either way, we need to show our support.”

Now I am not able to drop everything and run out to Sacramento and many of my fellow Hanfordites have since left the small town and spread themselves across the globe. This does not mean our affinity or concern for the welfare of our beloved hometown is any less. Through the power of social media and the use of real time updates we have the opportunity to make our voices heard and participate in creating change.

Even if you have never heard of Hanford (most people haven’t) I invite you to show your support for this cause.  Social media has the power to bring people together globally in order to make changes locally.  Let’s put that power into effect!

This Thursday, starting at 9:00 am PDT, tweet your support at http://twitter.com/cahsra and let’s make this happen!

How do you get people engaged online?  Well, the same tactics you use to engage people in conversation in the real world… you ask questions. But, you don’t just ask questions for the sake of asking. Engaging your followers just for the sake of engagement doesn’t really accomplish anything except filling up the social media space with a bunch of small talk.

What happens Monday morning? You get to work, and while you are pouring your morning cup of coffee you ask Bob, “How was your weekend?” and then you politely listen while Bob tells you about his humdrum weekend.  You kill 5 – 10 minutes and delay going back to your desk and staring at your computer. A week later, do you even remember what Bob did? Do you even care? Are the questions you ask online basically just small talk?

Small talk, even online, is fine. It is part of our social development and ingrained in our society and it has its place in a one on one personal level. If you are trying to use social media as a method of marketing, small talk has no place.  To often I’ve seen companies asking questions just for the sake of asking, “but we got 150 responses!”  And what about those responses?  Do those responses provide any further insight into your customers? Did you respond to them and further the conversation?

In Social Marketing there are 3 basic reasons to ask a question:

• Build Rapport
• Gather Important Information
• Get Feedback

Build Rapport

These questions are asked to build a stronger connection with your followers and appeal on an emotional level.  Rapport questions should always be followed by a connecting statement.  “What did you do this weekend?” when building rapport becomes, “What did you enjoy about the weekend?” This gets them thinking in a much more emotional sense. You may want to call out a specific response that is unique, but to strengthen the rapport and customer loyalty, you can follow by creating a connection, “Wow! You guys sure know how to have a good time.  No wonder you are fans of brand X!”

Gather Important Information

Asking questions about interests, hobbies and daily life can provide information that will help further your marketing efforts. Responses can help shape marketing efforts and develop new products. If you are familiar with surveys and the data provided, this tactic is similar, but much more casual and can be a form of marketing in itself. People may be a bit apprehensive to fill out a marketing survey, but they are always willing to share their opinion. “What is your favorite ice cream flavor?” will elicit a variety of responses and if you are planning to move into the ice cream market, you now have some great info to get started.

Get Feedback

Probably one of the most important question categories and you should be asking these types of questions often. “What do you think about X?”, “How do you use our product?” etc. Just be prepared, sometimes the responses can be brutally honest!

People can tell when you are asking questions just for the sake of asking and they’ll answer, but it won’t really help accomplish any objectives. When you ask questions with purpose, you not only get responses that will drive you closer to your objectives, it will also strengthen your connection with your customers.

What question-asking tactics have you found to be effective?

Facebook is one of, if not the most popular site on the internet and they are doing some crazy cool stuff! Then why are they still doing business like a small start up?

For those geeks out there who want to find out more about Facebook Graph API (of course if you were a true geek you would already know) check out this URL: http://developers.facebook.com/docs/api

Completely open to feedback!

Facebook Rant

Twitter is a powerful social media tool and I consider it one of the big three, those being Facebook, YouTube and then of course twitter. I’ve taught training courses in it, built twitter followings for clients and am actively “tweeting.”  It has definitely found its use in the social media realm and I don’t think it is going to phase out anytime soon.

The beef I have with this social networking platform is the whole adding TW thing to words to make them “twitter friendly.”  Let’s see, I’ve tweeted to tweople and tweeps, I’ve been to tweetups and twestivals, I’ve seen pro twests and participated in tweet ins and I’ve heard the jokes about twits and tw*ts (seriously guys?  Do we have to take it to that level?).

The issue is it just sounds… um… silly.  Like every one has contracted a speech impediment or we are all secretly on a television show for toddlers (I wonder if the teletubbies tweet… well my search on twellow.com came up inconclusive).  I’ve actually been in meetings where discussions of revenue growth and projected forecasts were discussed, and then, without skipping a beat, everyone turns to me and asks, “Nathan, how are our tweets doing? How are our followers or do you call them twollowers?”

Twitter, I love you, really I do… but… I am just twired of twalking like I’m tw-oo.