BrainStorm

At BrainGain we like to think we are bringing social media to the masses. We’re not trying to preach to the choir but instead we constantly look for new opportunities to educate and equip organizations on how to use social media effectively. Higher education is one area that we see huge opportunities for effective communications and marketing through social media. Here’s just one of many reasons why:
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At BrainGain Marketing we’ve been working with a number of clients to basically explain social media and train them how to join the conversation. I love the CommonCraft videos on social media. They pretty much sum it all up in 5 minute segments. Here’s their latest work - “Social Media in Plain English” - Enjoy!

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As mentioned in my last post “10 Reasons I Love Twitter” I am somewhat of a Twitter evangelist. I rarely go a day or two without telling someone new about the virtues of the 140 character driven little engine that could. So naturally people are curious about the service and often run right to their laptop to sign up. Then the guilt of preaching to people about getting on Twitter without helping them gain an audience begins to set in. So I go out of my way to “introduce” my new converts to my tweeps. I’ve coin this activity of getting friends into a private party as lending Tweet Cred.

Street cred - as defined by Urban Dictionary - is:

Commanding a level of respect in an urban environment due to experience in or knowledge of issues affecting those environments.

Obviously, one can’t open up a Twitter account start posting tweets and expect Tweet Cred so I’ve posted a few rules on how to gain the respect of your Twitter Peeps (tweeps).

Rule #1 - Post at least once a day (but not once an hour)

Unless you’re an A-list Twitterati there’s no need to post every waking moment of your day. And I often wonder why the A-listers feel the need to give us a recap of every minute detail of their lives. For the rest of us it’s good to check in at least once per day. When searching for new folks to follow in my hometown (Detroit, the D, the 313, the Motor City, Motown, Hockeytown, the Murder Capital…whatever, take your pick) the first thing I look for is when was the last time they’ve posted. If someone hasn’t posted in a while - let’s say longer than a week ago - I’m not buying. Of course as you find relevant and useful information throughout the day it’s great to pass that along to the twitterverse so we can all enjoy your brilliant find or thoughts or random rants as the case may be.

I also recommend occasionally posting from where you are. I use brighkite.com to “check in” so people know where I’m tweeting from. It’s also a great way to find new places or see who frequents your favorite spots.

Rule #2 - Don’t just status - Post with a purpose

Okay, so I know rule #1 is post (at least) once per day but that doesn’t mean you need to just post anything. If I’m going to check in I typically add context to the post. For instance, as opposed to posting I’m “at the office” I like to say things like “working on my next post - 5 Rules for Gaining Tweet Cred - from my office in Troy”. My favorite posts from friends are “I’m reading _____” with a url so I can check it out, or a quick comment about a new website or cool company someone just stumbled upon. In order to keep the followers coming and retain your audience its important to join in the conversation by adding value, not just adding volume.

Rule #3 - Comment on other people’s posts

Twitter is the quintessential social media tool. It’s two-way, conversational, real-time, social web 2.0 at its finest. The rules of social media apply double-y for Twitter. Tweet cred comes by joining the conversation. Giving as well as taking - commenting as well as posting. If you lurk you lose. If you auto-follow just to take in the conversation without giving back you lose your tweet cred. I’ve been fortunate enough to meet some great folks and very influential bloggers just through replying to a tweet. I can’t tell you how excited I get when other people reply back to something I post. The tool is useless unless it’s a two-way street (notice I resisted the urge to say stweet…oops I guess I just did it).

Rule #4 Pick at least two but no more than three “circles” to follow

I have 3 circles - in order of importance to me:

1. Detroit tweeps

2. Social Media circle

3. Greater Michigan twitter users

Really 1 and 2 are primary - 3 is a distant third but something of a job requirement for me. I find that the more circles you try to fit into the harder it is to be useful to any one or two groups. If you try to engage in too many groups twitter may become unusable. It kinda reminds me of being a part of too many social networks/niche social networks. The more ning groups I join the less effective my involvement in all the groups becomes.

Choosing your circles can be a personal decision, professional decision or in most cases both. One drawback of twitter in its current state is that when you post it goes to all your circles. It would be nice (and I’m sure there is either a client or one in the works that will do this) that will allow you to post tweets to only a circle of twitter users. Until that day and tool comes, your tweet about 1-75 and 696 being a cluster-you-know-what right now doesn’t exactly bring value to your global quilting twitter circle. So choose your circles with care and don’t over extend yourself (if of course you want to gain tweet cred that is)

#5 - Start a tweetup

So you think you’ve got the goods to be respected amongst your peers (feel free to “tw” that word…I’m not gonna touch it). A sure fire way to see if you can hang in the twood is to start a tweetup. Locally we’ve (@ccarmichael and I) begun the “Detroit Tweetup Network” to get on-line folks to meet up off-line. We’ve had some great times over coffee, drinks, dinner, whatever talking social media, Detroit politics, some weird biker places in Ontario, Canada - I digress - but the best part is we’ve actually started a community. I don’t claim in any way shape or form to be the local Twitter guru or the center of the Detroit Twitterverse, but hopefully by trying to connect the people together great friendships, business ideas and new thinking will emerge to help Detroit pull out of the current economic and overall slump it finds itself in.

So there you have it. Tweet Cred - getting the tweeps to like you and respect you - has some rules attached. Don’t let me find out you’ve been breaking them or I may have to come and take your tweet cred card from you.

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Anytime I mention the word Twitter in a conversation I get one of two responses. The first response is “Huh???”. The second response is “I signed up for Twitter, like, a year ago and I didn’t really ‘get it’ so I quit using it.”

When given the first response I become the Twitter evangelist that I have become, preaching the virtues of this fantastic tool (without mentioning the constant technical issues the Twitterati face on a daily basis). When I get the second response I typically give the “I know how you feel…I felt the same way when I first started using Twitter.”

I’ve run across many posts about the benefits - or the lack thereof - of using Twitter. I even ran across a pretty funny video called “Twitter Whore” on YouTube today mocking the Twitterati. I thought I would give my reasons for being such a huge Twitter fan.

1.) Connect-ability

I’m a pretty social guy. If most people that know me were forced into describing me in one word, I’m pretty sure it would be “connector”. I love to connect with people and help others make connections. I’m a firm believer you should, as Keith Ferrazzi puts it “Never Eat Alone”. With Twitter I’m able to keep a constant eye open for people in my area (Detroit) using the tool and then I typically will “follow” them to stay in touch with other social media junkies in the area. Since using Twitter I’ve received several resumes from potential new hires, received some solid business plans for start-up ideas, met potential new customers but most importantly connected with some great new friends.

Not only was I able to connect with people online but we’ve taken the party offline through the Detroit Tweetup Network - a monthly(ish) meetup of Detroit Twitter users. Social Media Guru Chris Brogan - @chrisbrogan - was a guest at a recent Detroit Tweetup, using the tool to connect with fellow Twitter users while visiting our fair city. No question, Twitter is an amazing way to find new ideas, new hires, new business, and most important new friends.

2.) Twitter as a CRM Tool

When meeting a potential new customer and sharing tools like Twitter with those that don’t have a clue what I’m talking about, I often take them to Summize.com to show the Twitter posts about their brand, industry or even themselves. At lunch today I looked up the term “tea” to a online tea distributor. The query returned thousands of “tweets” with the word “tea”. I began to reiterate how amazing it is to find tea enthusiasts (the vast majority of tweets went something like “just woke up and having my first cup of tea” or “I love tea” or “If I don’t drink my tea soon I’m going to explode”) in such a targeted form. People are basically identifying themselves as tea fans.

I’ve done similar experiments with a top marketing official with the State of Michigan’s Travel Bureau - Travel Michigan. I posted the question to my network “does anyone have a question to ask Travel Michigan rep” and within a minute I had several responses. “Where’s the best place in Michigan to find wine or visit wineries?” “Where do you recommend young professionals visit in Michigan?” “How does the construction surrounding the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit impact visitors to Port Huron’s Bluewater Bridge?” Needless to say the fellow I was with was stunned at the speed of the responses and happily answered all of their questions. How many ways can you think of to directly identify likely or like-minded consumers who want to engage in a two-way conversation about your brand?

3.) Twitter as a Knowledge Base

Another group I follow on Twitter is the global Social Media elite. Following the likes of Chris Brogan, Robert Scoble, Jason Calacanis, and Joseph Jaffe is like getting the “Social Media Journal” delivered to my front door. The wealth of information of cool new sites, cool new gadgets, new techniques and theories on using social media, etc. is phenomenal. And unlike receiving their RSS feeds in an aggregator I can reply back to have an immediate dialog about their tweet.

4.) Twitter as my new E-mail System (well, not really, but kinda)
I love to DM (Direct Message). Why hassle with e-mail when I can direct message people I need to contact. For private messages DM is great. For the “I want to say something to you but I don’t really care if the world knows it” replies work as well. The obviously great thing about Twitter as a messaging system is that it is 100% opt-in. No DM’s from pill manufacturers or princes from Zimbabwe wanting to leave me a million dollars if I would only send them an e-mail back. For groups or virtual companies (like mine) Twitter is a great way to keep people in the loop either publicly or privately. Twitter will never replace my e-mail account but it does serve the direct messaging niche well.

5.) Public Relations through Twitter

Twitter can be a great way to communicate out your press release, your most recent blog post or if you are a publisher, your latest news, events, etc. Again, the people following you are doing so because (ideally) you have something of value to them. The opt-in nature of the medium means it’s not only acceptable to pass along information, it’s expected. Obviously abuses may and do occur, but as far as push mediums go, Twitter is probably the most news friendly audience you’ll find anywhere.

6.) It’s Free

Not alot to say here except…well…it’s free. You can’t beat that. And as for now it’s ad free as well. Uninterrupted opt-in two-way conversations brought to you commercial free. Sounds like the future of media to me!

7.) The Open API

Twitter not only has an open API but the creators go out of their way to encourage apps, new websites capitalizing on the tool, hacks and mashups. I don’t even use the Twitter website to keep tabs on my “tweeps”. I use a third-party client called Twitterfox (a Firefox add-on) to manage my twitterverse. This openness has ushered in a whole new world of cool sites and applications using Twitter as the web 2.0 “telegraph system” as quoted by Nicholas Carr, Author and Technologist.

8.) The Vernacular

I love saying things like Tweets and Tweetups and Twitterati especially in a room full of Twitter newbies. Some of my favorite Twitter jargon from the glossary:

• Dweet - a drunk tweet
• Tweeps - my Twitter homies
• Twittastic - something fabulous
• Twittard - a Twitter retard
• Twitterrhea - the act of sending too many tweets
• Twype - to type a tweet
• Twoogle - Twitter as the human Google
• Twouche - someone acting like a big fat jerk via twitter

9.) Simplicity

While other microblogging sites are emerging with new capabilities, pretty graphics and timelines and the ability to add emoticons (read Plurk.com) Twitter works because it’s just so darn plain. Yes, you can customize your profile background but that’s about as custom as it gets. With the open API Twitter has kept their tool pretty bare bones leaving the creativity and ingenuity to the developer network. Twitter makes it so simple to post and receive updates via SMS and IM, as well as place your personal timeline on your blog or website. The ease of use and the power of the tool makes Twitter one of the most exciting web 2.0 tools available.

10.) 140 Character Limit

A friend of mine once said “Sorry for the long letter…I didn’t have time to write a short one”. The art of getting straight to the point has been lost on the ubiquity of bandwidth and webspace. Even this blog post you’re reading should have been cut off about 5 paragraphs ago. Twitter encourages users to get right to the point. It even allows you to enter urls and with the right tools will shorten the link for you so you can get it in under the 140 character limit. Hopefully, being forced to capture your thoughts in 140 characters or less will trickle over to e-mail, phone conversations and lectures from your significant other (accept for my tweetheart, of course).

So there you have it. The 10 reasons I Love Twitter. If you are a marketing or PR professional and you would like to learn more about how you can use Twitter or have questions about other social media strategies, techniques or terminology, we’re here to help. Please send inquiries to ecedo @ braingainmarketing (dot) com.

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From Workforce Magazine Online - Today, just more than 11 percent of Fortune 500 companies have corporate blogs. While not exactly mainstream kind of numbers the number of corporate blogs continues to rise. And companies such as Coca-Cola, Marriott and Kodak have created the position of Chief Blogger.

When we first meet with prospects the initial conversation usually begins with “we want to blog” but upon probing most don’t have a clue why they should. Corporate blogging, while often misused, can be quite useful especially when done properly.

If you are considering creating a corporate blog check out this list of the Six Tips for Corporate Bloggers from Business Week Online.

To me the most important aspect of a corporate blog is the authenticity of the content. Corporate blogs MUST be written and maintained by an internal communications professional or at the very least someone within the organization that can give straight answers about the inner workings of the company. Often clients ask if we can maintain their blogs. We politely refuse. As a social media agency we can assist in the development of a blog, the tracking of online conversations, the development of an editorial calendar, even help in writing content for websites, publications or other communications collateral. We can’t and won’t take on the roll of “blogger” for a client.

Why? Consumers want to hear directly from a brand. We want a direct conversation with someone that can speak intelligently about the company, products or services we value. That’s why it is our hope that the role of chief blogger continues to catch on. For good examples of corporate bloggers check out Jenny Cisney Chief Blogger for Kodak and Lionel Menchaca, Chief Blogger for Direct2Dell.

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Curious about the impact Social Media is having on marketing decision makers?

Here are some numbers from Coremetrics Second Annual Survey on “The Face of the New Marketer“.

Their findings:

A clear disconnect between the desirability of social marketing and the budget allocated to it:

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It’s been just over a year since I joined BrainGain and began my journey and discovery into the power of social media and Web 2.0. I’ve spent nearly 10 years in agency life leading traditional PR and media relations campaigns for museums and cultural institutions, nonprofits and special events. The rise of social media and the new possibilities in connecting with niche communities has renewed my love and interest in the field of PR. We’re getting back to the soul of what public relations was always meant to be.

I had the pleasure of being one of three presenters on the topic of “Cultivating a Creative Culture Through Social Media” at the outstanding Cranbrook Art Museum in Bloomfield Hills on Tuesday.  Hosted by BrainGain and Issue Media Group, we invited cultural institutions and nonprofits from SE Michigan to learn how new media and social networking provide inexpensive ways to build relationships with potential members, visitors and supporters. 

A few highlights worth repeating:

On Nonprofits & Social Media (Especially in arts/culture)

• You have almost endless new opportunities to connect with niche communities and special interest groups through social media and social networking sites
• You no longer have to depend on a handful of print, TV and radio outlets to be the only medium to share your unique stories
• You have to be willing to transition from a guarded/veiled way of doing business (you know, the joyful and timely process of approving all messages and releases before going public) to a more open and conversational mentality.  This must happen organizational-wide, not just adopted by the PR/Marketing department.

On Adopting Social Media into Your Life/Marketing Mix

• Content is King.  You have to have a compelling and relevant story or POV to share.  Many become enraptured with new technology and mediums.  But success in gaining traction and spreading the word will always depend on whether the story is interesting enough.
• You must participate.  This is not a passive thing.  It can sometimes even feel a little high maintenance.  But isn’t that what it really takes to build good relationships in the real world?

On Blogs

• Many are catching on to social media but don’t know where to begin.  (An upcoming post will offer some entry points.) We’ve heard in so many meetings with new clients, “We want to start a blog” but they have no ideas on what exactly or who will write it.  Free tip: Don’t start a blog unless you 1) decided on one topic that you can offer a unique POV and be a kind of ”expert” on; 2) will be the writer (don’t count on an agency to do this for you.  Authenticity is key); and 3) have time to post 1-3 times a week and respond to comments within 24 hours. 

 Several requests have come in for copies of the presentations.  Ask and you shall receive!

On New Media by Brian Boyle, Publisher of Issue Media Group

On an Intro to PR 2.0 by Nettie Boivin, Media Mix Director, BrainGain

On Using Widgets and Digital Marketing by Lori Laurent Smith, Group Director, Global New Business, Organic Inc. (Please be patient, they take a minute to load)

Thanks again to our hosts at Cranbrook and to all who stopped by and offered up some great questions!

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Starbucks is the latest major brand to engage their consumers in an online conversation. Earlier this month the Cafe behemoth launched “My Starbucks Idea” a website that according to the site will “Help shape the future of Starbucks…with Your ideas”. On the site you can share your ideas, vote on other’s ideas, discuss the ideas with people from the online community and see which ideas are taking root and being carried into action.

On the surface this appears to be a good concept. But as John Moore of BrandAutopsy writes this could backfire because Starbucks has decided to jump full stream into social media before getting their feet wet. I was actually rather surprised when I visited the Starbucks website only to find there was no company blog at all! Is it true that Starbucks has not participated in an online conversation until now?

Better late than never.

Gathering consumer input through the use of a social media site like mystarbucksidea.com is nothing new and I assume some great insights will be brought forth. The thing that impressed me most from this site is that the “Idea Team” from Starbucks frequently interject into the conversation with comments about how they are putting these ideas into action. One post is from the user interface designer giving his inspiration for the design of the website. Great job humanizing Starbucks corp with the actual team involved in running the idea site on a day to day basis.

I’m a firm believer that brands can and should become more transparent by involving the people behind the scenes designing the products, marketing the services, hiring the talent in sharing the insights and methodologies used in the process. We’ll keep an eye out for this site to see if this is a nice marketing stunt or if Starbucks truly is committed to learning from the ideas of their customers.

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Download and listen to our first podcast - The BrainGain Report Episode #1

BrainGain Report

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It only took one day.

Heath Ledger’s tragic passing on January 22nd was accompanied by a San Diego Best Buy store clerk bumble (Best Buy Cashes In on Heath Ledgers’ Death) within hours of his passing. Well that only took about 4 hours…what took one day was for the news to become the hottest topic on the blogoshpere with a picture of the makeshift display being sent to bestweekever.com and the corresponding digg post to reach upcoming in about 2 hours. At the time of this posting the story has 3744 diggs.

What also took a day was Best Buy’s reponse to this controversy. By 2pm on the Best Buy website newsroom an apology was issued. Here’s the problem. The press release is on a website news room tool that you can’t rss, copy a url or even comment on. The apology was not front and center any where on the Best Buy main site or even on the entry page to the news site.

What’s worse is that Best Buy did nothing to respond to the negative posts and comments circulating across social media sites worldwide. Check out some of the comments from the digg post (these are the first 5 responses to the post in order)

Once again best buy is at the cutting edge of moral bankruptcy. Kudos guys, kudos.

Look at the bright side, if you go to Hell you know there will be a Best Buy there along with a Blockbuster.

It’s Best Buy…. what did you expect????

It’s Best Buy….. what did you expect? Moral decency? Who needs that when you can sell products…….

It really is sad. I’m sure that some of the higher-ups behind The Dark Knight are also quietly grinning because of his death due to the increase in viewers they’ll get. Disgusting.

I actually called Best Buy’s media relations department in Minnesota to offer to help with social media relations…to take the press release and “comment” on the negative posts with Best Buy’s response. I got a voicemail and no returned call.

FYI…I checked Best Buy’s stock and it dropped $2 the day after the news broke. And of course traditional media was no where to be found on this one.

Lesson learned.  Someone somewhere with a camera phone is watching your every move. Do stupd stuff and you will be found out. And when you are found out you better have a strategy to use this kind of negative buzz to have a conversation with your consumers. Make your high-priced low performing PR firm get off their retainer and address the negative dialogue.

Of course you could do like Target and pretend as if social media doesn’t exist.

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