Take It Face To Face

Ever since Twitter joined the social media club its usefulness has been a topic for debate. For those who argue against it, this post is for you.

Sockington, the Twittering Cat with over 500,000 followers

Every time I begin to think I understand Twitter’s purpose, an article like this comes along and I’m back to square one. More than 500,000 people are currently following “Sockington”, a cat that Twitters. Really? Of all the people in the world that Twitter, one of the most popular is a 38 year old man that Twitters as his cat?

Jason Scott, Sockington’s owner, believes Sockington is a “21st Century Garfield” and is actually selling t-shirts with famous Sockington one-liners on them. I really find it hard to believe Stockington’s popularity will continue to grow, but I also thought Twitter was going to fade after a couple months.

While it offers marketers and companies an opportunity to interact directly with consumers, what is the draw for other people? Twitter has been described by many as a “Facebook status, without the rest of Facebook” and undoubtedly leaves the majority of individuals asking “so what?”

Maybe I don’t get it because my personal Twitter page is dominated by NFL Agent Drew Rosenhaus’ minute-by-minute updates of his clients, but I know I’m not alone. Do you Twitter? What do you like/dislike about it? Do you find it useful or do you think its popularity will pass?

How many distinct uses are there for Twitter?

On the most basic level, you can keep tabs on your friends, stalk celebrities, and read up on blogs and news feeds of interest.

But beyond these most common utilities, Twitter can serve as a tool for connecting with others with similar interests. The day after I wrote a post debating whether to enroll in a Gay and Lesbian Documentary course, “LogoChannel” (whose biography describes it as “a television channel for the LGBT community), began following my tweets. Side note: Though I did enroll in the class, I must say that the content of my posts has likely been disappointingly irrelevant since.

Beyond personal ventures, however, Twitter has inevitably evolved into a powerful direct marketing tool. Case in point: last week, my coworker Anthony tweeted that he was, “hanging shelves tonight.” Shortly thereafter, he received a direct reply from another Twitter account stating, “dont forget to use [brand name] anchor to hang up your friends shelf. Go to [company’s web address] use coupon code twitter1 for 10% off.”

Well, there you have it. Who can be more effectively convinced to buy shelf hanging products (at a discount, no less!) than a person who has just admitted they’ll be performing that very activity in the near future? Probably no one.

A glance at the latest string of tweets from this user demonstrates that the account exists for the sole purpose of direct marketing. And because a Twitter account is free, this targeted coupon distribution costs only the manpower (or computer program power, as the case may be) to hunt down these relevant entries and fire a pre-written pitch in their direction.

The effectiveness of this technique, in both cost and reach, will likely lead to its widespread promulgation. As of now, a user’s only real defense against such marketers is to make their updates private. Doing so, however, has the simultaneous effect of cutting off much of Twitter’s utility as a networking service. What is the unhappily targeted consumer to do?

After its initial growth spurt, Facebook began a policy of forcibly shutting down fictional profiles, particularly those created in the name of celebrities and fictional characters (though this did have the unfortunate side effect of barring from the site all the real life Yodas and Batmans of the world). Perhaps a policy of monitoring Twitter accounts for similar dissenters is not far off.

As a consumer, do you find this marketing approach desirable because of the relevant discount offers that it’s likely to include, or is it just pesky and intrusive? How would you feel if Twitter implemented a policy that forbade accounts designed solely for marketing purposes? Tell us your thoughts.

The say not much is certain in life, Death and Taxes is about it. Well I once met a man who didn’t have to pay taxes because he won the Congressional Medal of Honor and as we all see Dick Clark is proving that whole death thing wrong.

The new thing most certainly will be Facebook. We all heard the news that 150 million people are now on Facebook but what about the dead. Yup, they too are now on Facebook. A new intern of mine showed me this “event”.

Its for a funeral. I actually think this is a good idea. How best to reach out to members of a persons community than through a social network. That being said there is just something unsettling knowing that if I were to die tomorrow my friends would set up an event page for me.

I am certain that this page isn’t the first for a funeral but what about weddings, bah mitzvahs, cake tastings, or dog walks? I have been doing a good deal of thinking about how integrated Facebook has become with people and this seems to be it.

I propose a cradle to grave style system where when a child is born parents buy domain names, set up Facebook and twitter accounts, and begin posting photos of life events on flickr.

Too much? I don’t think so.

Facebook is becoming more than a place to track down those people you do not really keep in touch with. Now Facebook wants to take word-of-mouth marketing to a whole new level. Their new approach is to pay for ads that have your profile picture attached to it. It is another way to market your brand preferences. By getting Facebook users to recommend products to friends, they are narrowing down their targeted audiences.

Not only does Facebook allow you to post your interests on your personal profile, but now whenever you make a purchase or a rental, it will ask you if you would like to attach your picture to the brand or type of product that you just ordered. They will basically try to partner with companies and keep up with the activity of Facebook users on those sites. Facebook is not giving the information to marketers and they are just letting it roll.

It is true that nothing means more than when it comes from a friend. This is the easiest, and smartest way to market a brand and to easily target those that will most likely be interested in the same things. By accompanying the ads with friends’ comments, this takes away a largely commercial feel from the Facebook site as well. This concept is social marketing at work.

However, is this really what we want our future to look like? I mean yeah, marketers will be getting a gain out of it and your friends will be able to see what you are interested in. But it could turn your face and comment into an advertisement. Like most social network dealings, you must be careful what information you have made available about yourself and who you offer it to. You could become a “brand ambassador.”

This sounds like an effective marketing idea, but will it really hold out this way without marketers eventually getting involved?

I have a decent amount of clients who want to try this “facebook” thing they have been hearing about. They hear about how their kids are using it more and more while they themselves only admit that they are interested in FaceBook when they are certain no one is listening.

Get Central:

Find a good place to drive all your social media traffic. I often suggest a web page, blog or even a Facebook profile as a good place to start.

Get Everyone on Board:

Don’t do it alone. Let others in your office join in by blogging, tweeting, or creating a community Flickr account.

Get on Schedule:

Start and stay regular. Make a schedule to update and use your social media and keep it up. Don’t start your effort and let it fall to the side.

Get Social:

The idea is to meet and engage people. Don’t just put your word out, find other people and listen to what they say.

Get Tracking:

Creating landing pages and keeping track of who you meet and what they say. Like any effort if you don’t look at the results you will have been wasting your time.

I always try and keep things simple and I think these five points really sum things up. If you can think of any let me know. Do you think I missed the boat on this or am I spot on?