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Margie Clayman

Top Ten Ways To Twinkle on Twitter

by Margie Clayman

As I go through and look at people who are following me, I analyze carefully who I follow back and who I decide to just keep my eye on. I’ve come to notice over the last couple of months that there are things I look for in my fellow tweeters, so I thought I would share my top ten (or tep ton as I just typed) ideas for how to get rolling on Twitter. Let me know if these ideas help!

1. The whole 12:1 Ratio Concept: I was still having a really hard time getting going on Twitter when I saw a remark from Chris Brogan that he makes a point of promoting 12 people for every comment he makes. This changed my entire approach to Twitter. It’s easy to think that Twitter is like Facebook, where you update YOUR status. Twitter is more like a news stream, however, and that means people don’t just want to hear about you, they want to network with you to reach other people and other information. I started making sure that there was plenty of space between me tweeting out posts, and that is when things started to go better for me.

2. Do not become a parrot: It’s easy to think that “Promoting 12 people for every comment you make” means retweeting a lot. I made mistake, too. I would click on “Retweet” like it was an easy button. Retweeting isn’t bad, but if you do retweet, try to add a couple of words introducing what you are saying to show that you really found it interesting. Even more fun is to indicate disagreement so that you can start some conversation.

3. Don’t follow 5 million people right out of the gate: One thing that I look for now is people who are followed by more people than they are following. Don’t despair if you’re just getting started. I’m not saying that if you have 57 followers and you’re following 127 people you’re doing a bad job. Where I start to get a little suspicious is when people have 57 followers but they are following 9,742 people. That tells me they are trying to get numbers rather than a quality community.

4. Don’t measure your success based on the big names: I know that a lot of people base their measure of success on Twitter by how many replies they get from some of the big thinkers. To get RTd by such a person is like gold. To have the beginnings of a conversation is cause for giddiness. I know how that is, but things started working better for me when I said, “Heck, they are following more people than I can even imagine. How are they going to see anything I say?” I started talking to people who were just breaking into Twitter like I was. More chance for conversation, more chance to build community, more value.

5. Attend Twitter Chats: I’ll say it till you beg me to stop. Twitter opened up for me when I went to #blogchat for the very first time. Get out there and share ideas with people who are interested in the same things you are. Here is a list of the Twitter chats in existence right now. You can find me at #Blogchat, #TechChat, #CustServ, #IMCChat, sometimes #B2BChat, and #TweetDiner (which I co-founded with Stan from Pushingsocial).

6. Read as much as you can: This may not seem like a straight line, but in order to pass on informed and credible information, you have to gather it first. Read blogs, comment on them, build u a rapport with bloggers, mention great things you read – that is how you build community.

7. Aim to make friends: I told someone this the other night and I think they thought I was kidding, but honestly, if you worry about things like the “quality” of your followers or the number of retweets you’re getting, Twitter won’t work for you. It’s like falling in love, right? You work on just getting to know people, share content, and then by accident you find yourself as part of a great community. Seriously.

8. Be Yourself: Just because you’re on Twitter for business reasons doesn’t mean you have to only talk about business. A bot can do that. Let people get to know you a little. That’s not to say that you should bleed all over the page, but engage with people.

9. The Avatar: If I see the little Twitter birdy instead of a customized avatar, I’m honestly going to have some doubts about whether you are a human being. This is not meant to be judgmental, but a lot of spam bot accounts are absent a picture, so it raises flags for me. Show me who you are or who you are on Twitter for, barring a personal picture. It doesn’t have to be a glamor shot – in fact those make me suspicious too. Just a nice little portraits works well.

10. A little bio: Take a bit of time to fill out the bio. You don’t have room to tell your life story, so you don’t have to worry about getting too personal. However, having a few keywords there or a brief synopsis is a good idea. It helps people find you, and if Im hedging about whether to follow someone, having a bio, which means a little effort was taken, can be a difference maker.

Image by Billy Alexander. http://www.sxc.hu/profile/ba1969

Filed Under: Marketing Talk

#30Thursday: Four, Four, Gimme S’more!

by Margie Clayman

Phew. What a week, and it’s not over yet! I’m really excited about something regarding this project – people are recommending OTHER peoples’ blogs more than their own. These are the kinds of things that give me faith in both humanity and Social Media – in that order. I hope you enjoy these posts. Don’t forget to congratulate the authors, and don’t forget – as soon as you see this post, it’s time to send me new ones for next week!

1. Great post on proofreading by Bob James (The Mighty Copywriter). The graphic he uses is hilarious!

2. @DWesterberg notes that good marketing is memorable, valuable, and frequent! Recommended by @kseniacoffman

3. My friend @jeffthesensei warns that the “man behind the curtain”may not necessarily be a wiz

4. New publisher Sterling Hope finds that the Clinton Global Initiative’s goal of expanding impact resonates (from @AmberCleveland, authored by @KayWhitaker)

5. A truly beautiful post by my new friend @cristianisdaman – about the day his own Superman gave him a call

6. My stunning friend Lisa @ellisvalincom) explains why she is a marketing stylist

7. @Michael_Evanko recommended this smart article about Empowerment from the Harvard Business Review

8. My friend @FutureJennD recommended this post about an atypical day at the fair, by @framericandream. Be ready to hold your breath!

9. @FutureJennD also wrote a post her own self! A great post about the complexities of a blended family.

10. My friend @KnowledgeBishop took his blogging skills on the road. He waxes poetical on the Subtleties of Success at the Get Your Leadership Big On Blog

11. @Tommyismyname warns you that your profile information can be used against you. Watch out!

12. I loved this post by @LisaPetrilli. Maybe sometimes the best leaders are those willing to be vulnerable. Brilliant.

13. There’s a lot of buzz about how awesome @LaurenKGray is. One of the reasons is that she is always out there helping people, like in this post about her favorite chats

14. My friend @fredMcClimans has important observations about bit.ly and other link tracking through Twitter. Privacy concern post #2 on this week’s list!

15. Whenever @IanMRountree attends a #blogchat, he writes up some of the best “meeting notes” out there. I wanted to give you an example of one of Ian’s Blogchat round-ups

16. My friend Stan @PushingSocial tackled the question “How often should I post?” a little while ago. It’s a great argument. What do you think?

17. @MissusP (Christine Perkett) is one sharp thinker. I loved her post on how Social Media is affecting PR firms. Check it out!

18. @SueYoungMedia offers a fun quiz for PR Pros. Pretty fun, funny, and thought provoking!

19. The brilliant @SuzanneVara ponders if school bus advertising is going too far

20. @Salamicat ponders food, glorious food. Don’t read if you’re already hungry!

21. The first post to make me tear up. @naomidunford’s guest post on problogger about not giving up is sad, inspiring, and beautiful. Read it!

22. Your weekly @JayBaer dose – Jay looked at the 25 most popular blog posts on his blog. Then he blogged about how that exercise can help you blog better.

23. Another mind-bending post from @julien. Happiness, what to do, what not to do...you might be surprised at what you learn.

24. I loved this post by the super awesome @MayaREGuru. Why do you use Twitter? Not as existential as you might think 🙂

25. @BillBoorman always is offering advice, whether during #blogchat or many other chats in which he partakes. On this day, Bill spoke with images instead – The 2 things you need for Social Media. Well “said,” Bill! And the right order, too 🙂

26. @pprothe is one of my favorite co-IMCChatters on Wednesday nights. I really enjoyed his post on how to connect with 8-year-old girls if you’re not Justin Bieber. Plus there’s a really good lesson to learn! 🙂

27. Read this post by @AmberCadabra if only because she uses the word kerfuffle! A post about opinions, the freedom of, and PriceChopper.

28. My brilliant friend Debra Ellis (@wilsonellis) wrote a great post on the 8 people your company will meet on Social Media sites. Invest your time wisely.

29. This is a really interesting post regarding what kind of language to use in your blog – and why. By @ctmarcom

30. I’ve already put this wisdom to use this week, so I guess I’ll round things off with my favorite Chris Brogan post of the week…are you asking the right questions? You just might be surprised at how a subtle change can alter your outlook.

Filed Under: Marketing Talk

50 Reasons To Consider An Agency

by Margie Clayman

Being an agency person in the world of Social Media can be an interesting journey. On the one hand, I am out here learning so that I can offer the best advice possible to our clients. But then recommendations come through my Twitter stream that are geared towards the “do it yourself” mentality. This places me in an untenable situation. I can try to argue that something that works decently and is super duper cheap is not really good for you, or I can say, “Hey, try this out everybody!” And talk our agency out of potential projects.

The problem with this dichotomy is that it makes it seem like agencies are job shops. We are all about making stuff, right? We make ads, we make websites, we make business cards. If you can find a way to do those things, you don’t need an agency. Right?

The problem is that the word “agency,” like so many other words in this rapidly evolving age, is no longer the same thing that it was even five years ago. There are still agencies out there that really do just focus on project work, but that is not the whole story. Agencies, as I have said before, are really in the service industry. We are like the folks who own your favorite restaurant. Yes, we make the food you eat. But we also can tell you what wine will go best with that meal. We can tell you how to warm it up so it tastes just as good tomorrow. We can tell you what dessert will be the perfect follow-up. Yes, we also enjoy getting paid for doing that stuff. Just like your favorite restaurant.

I’ve only ever worked for one agency – my family’s agency. So I can only speak to what we do and how we do it. There are some things we can do that you might not be thinking about at all. And that last part – that’s why the “do it yourself” mentality keeps me up at night. It’s not about the fact companies can now do a lot of things themselves. It’s about the fact that those projects are not the whole story. There’s a whole world beyond just creating a sell sheet. Here’s a small sample of what we do. How many of these things are on your radar?

1. Analyze publications with a fine-toothed comb, including examining the folio, looking at the BPA statements, and talking to publishers and sales reps about potential concerns

2. Take calls from publications who either want you to advertise or maybe who want to include you in editorial

3. Handle invoicing tied to your advertising campaign

4. Make sure you are protected against vendor mistakes, like a magazine running your ad by mistake and then trying to charge you

5. Copywriting – for anything

6. Product Research, including assisting in creating focus groups, industry research, etc

7. Connect with vendors that will benefit you, from people who sell premiums to printers to videographers and voice specialists

8. Consult with you on whether a company or product should be purchased

9. Offer constructive criticism on a project

10. Offer ideas on how to improve customer satisfaction

11. Offer ideas on how to improve employee satisfaction

12. Create materials for your sales meetings

13. Consult on the development of your e-newsletter

14. Execute your e-newsletter

15. Conduct research to see if Social Media is right for you

16. Help you implement  your Social Media Plan

17. Recommend trade shows to attend

18. Recommend trade show promotional concepts

19. Orchestrate corporate outings

20. Create promotional materials tied to corporate outings

21. Keep you updated on what is happening in the industry and with your competition

22. Alert you when you encounter good or bad buzz

23. Plan marketing campaigns for and with you

24. Implement marketing campaigns for and with you

25. Research how your competition is using their websites

26. Develop websites that will make sense to your customers and that will outshine your competition

27. Consult on Search Engine Optimization strategies

28. Consult on web hosting

29. Consult on e-commerce stores, including issues like taxation and how to calculate shipping

30. Keep you updated on the newest goings-on in the world of technology and marketing

31. Offer product concepts

32. Assist with budgeting

33. Consult on international marketing

34. Media placement

35. Ad Development

36. Recommend campaign measurement strategies

37. Implement/monitor campaign measurement strategies

38. Recommend appropriate paper stock and printing methodologies

40. Represent your company via meetings with publication representatives and other personnel tied to your industry

41. Recommend topics for news releases

42. Develop and send news releases

43. Create/recommend opportunities for article inclusion in key publications

44. Make sure your marketing is remaining cohesive and coherent

45. Monitor new industries that might be relevant to you

46. Develop campaign and corporate tag lines

47. Help your company build towards a bigger future through research and planning

48. Organize your content in a sensible, easy to navigate way

49. Proofread everything tied to your company

50. Assist you in anything else you might need to make your company grow

Filed Under: Marketing Talk

A Real Life “Mad Man”

by Margie Clayman

A few months back, I started a brand new Twitter account for myself, and I decided to call myself “real life mad man” (I have since shortened my handle to RLMadMan). The idea came to me when a friend asked if my office and the goings-on were anything like what Mad Men shows. “Well, not exactly,” I said. I thought I would try to create a Twitter account comparing my daily experiences with those of say, Don Draper. As I have discussed before, this modus operandi was not ideal for the Twitter world.

Now, however, seems like an okay time to revisit the idea. What are some things we do everyday that I’m sure would just make for a riveting television show?

1. We look through publications when we get them to make sure our placed ads ran properly and to see if there are stories of import

2. We explain to new contacts that actually invoices need to come to us, not to the client, and that yes, that is the client’s address but our company name

3. We take calls from companies that have now been trained to make us think they are our friends. ‘Heyyyy is so and so there?” “Um, who are you? “Oh, I’m George and I’m from SellYourSoul.com.” “Yeah, um…the president of our agency actually JUST got eaten by a pack of dogs. Sorry.”

4. We file. Oh the filing. We file magazines. We file job jackets. We file invoices. We file tear sheets. We file our nails. So much filing.

5. We sort mail and wonder why someone who left us 15 years ago is still in someone’s database.

6. We analyze BPA statements to compare key publications.

7. We monitor publication news

8. We monitor technology news

Not exactly made for TV, but…

These things may all sound very tedious, but let me tell you something about the life of a real life “Mad Man.” It is all of the little things that will make or break you. Yes, we write copy. Yes, we design ads. Yes, we take photos and make cool websites. Our difference is in the little things that illustrate our commitment throughout the entirety of a project. Our difference is our complete commitment to serve our clients’ needs in every way possible, glamorous or not. The little, boring, not good for TV things that we do, like making sure we have authorization from our clients before we order anything on their behalf, that’s our bread and butter.

The Invisible

My mom used to go nuts when my brother and I were kids. She’d spend a whole day cleaning the house, and inevitably, the family would be hard-pressed to notice. “I make things disappear,” she’d say. Where there was a mess, she took it away. Where there was a pile of stuff, there was now blank table space. Similarly, the little things we do make problems disappear for clients (hopefully). We rush in and strive to solve problems or, more often, we aim to prevent problems before they even think about starting.

Are you a “real life” something or other? What little things do you do that make you valuable? What bad for TV specialties do you illustrate as often as possible? Hang on to them, whatever you do. They may not be exciting. They may not be glamorous. However, they could easily represent the factors that make you memorable and unique. No matter how mundane some of your tasks might be, if they are for a greater good, hang on tight. It’s not made for TV, but it is made for Real Life.

Filed Under: Marketing Talk

This is not the post I was going to write

by Margie Clayman

I am one of those people who likes routines. I am okay about creating new ones, but I do like to have routines. It helps me keep things in my head straight. It helps me feel productive.

I was thinking about my emerging Social Media routine the other day. I had just tweeted good night to my various buddies and friends on Twitter. I checked my Facebook account one more time. Patted my blog on the head. I realized that I felt like a farmer, making sure all of the animals are safe and sound before hitting the hay. In the morning, I wake everybody up, feed them a little with posts, maybe deal with a little manure (but not very often), and then the cycle starts again.

I thought, “What a great blog post this would be! I could take it to the point of planting seeds for the future, I could talk about how relationships are plants beginning to grow.” There’s just one problem. That post, virtually exactly what I wanted to write, had already been written. About 3 years ago. I had never seen it. I didn’t know it existed till I mentioned my idea and was brought up to speed.

We’re in the business of ideas

So, the time slot for last night’s  blogging became a little bit more complex, needless to say. I could try to put my own spin on it, but would that really be meaningful? The nugget of the idea is what I had been excited about.

This happens a LOT in the marketing world. It happens a lot in the world of Social Media. It’s not all that surprising. Without realizing it most of the time, we are all exposing ourselves to the same information, the same pools of resources, the same societal signals, right? And while it’s fun to think that great truths and great information are infinite, there’s going to be a lot of overlap. Sometimes, your innovative idea will get published as an ad, and you’ll find a competitor’s ad in the same issue with an almost identical concept. Your innovation just turned into a misery. Sometimes you get an idea for a speech or a presentation only to find that someone delivered virtually the same concept 17 years ago. Sometimes it just happens.

This should not discourage you

When I was a Girl Scout, back in the day, we took a field trip to a science center in Columbus called COSI. One of the activities we got to do was “panning for gold.” There was a little mock river, real tiny flakes of gold, and we all got little sifter pans to work with. Boy was it frustrating. It was frustrating and that was just a play thing. It was frustrating and we knew that there was good stuff to be found. Imagine being out there in the real world sifting for ideas, not knowing if your pure gold concept is going to stick in your pan or not.

Truthfully, though, there is *always* gold in your little pan, and that is what Social Media reminds me of every day.  You see, ideas are pure gold if they come from you. Because you are unique. There is not a single person in the world who is exactly like you. There is not anyone else on the planet who can say something exactly the way you would, even if the idea is the same. Was Martin Luther King discouraged because Gandhi had already thought of nonviolent protest? Nope. He added his own beautiful voice to the scrolling tale of that story. Are musicians discouraged because there are only so many chords to play? Nope. They just keep finding new ways to weave them together.

In day-to-day life, we should not be discouraged if someone answers a question first, solves a problem first, or comes up with an idea, an ad, a blog post, a chat name, or anything else before we do. Because we can still add our own spin to things that come along. By default, because it comes from us, it is unique. As long as you breathe yourself into an idea, it is all you.

Are you breathing yourself into the ideas you send out? Are you speaking with your voice? Are you acting from your heart and soul? Nobody’s done that before. Not exactly. And no one will do it after you, either. What could be more unique than that?

Filed Under: Musings

Leads vs. Return on Investment (ROI)

by Margie Clayman

I have been having a lot of conversations lately about how people confuse a lead with ROI. ROI should not really be measured based on how many clicks an ad receives. ROI is about how many of those “clicks” result in a sale. It’s why metrics are so important, and it’s why so many people who love metrics are often frustrated that they don’t have more comrades in arms.

Well, I thought of a way last night to kind of bring the difference to life. Foursquare! Yes, that mobile geo-location creepy thing that I will probably regret bad-mouthing in 3 years will help me illustrate the difference between a lead and ROI.

So, let’s say you’ve downloaded Foursquare to your phone. You are checking in like a crazy person. You have already become mayor of the name you gave your car. You find out that a store near you is offering cookie samples if you go and check in there via Foursquare, so you take your loyal subjects of Cartonia and go shopping. You check in. You get your sample. You look around, but you realize that buying a dozen cookies the size of your head may not be a good idea. You’re already hopping up and down just from the sample. You’ll come back another time.

Are you a lead or can the store calculate you as part of the ROI of their mobile campaign?

You are just a lead, my friend. In fact, you might be proving the VP of Sales right. She said, “Um, we are giving away free samples, and we are asking people to come by, but people who get free samples are seeing their desire met. They don’t have an incentive to buy, they just have an incentive to check things out and check in on Foursquare.”

The Online Translation

Now, take this Foursquare story and bring it to the online world. Instead of an incentive via Foursquare, you’re enticing people to come check out your site via a contest you’re promoting on Facebook. If they download your white paper, they get entered into a drawing for the new iPod Touch. So, you get people to your site. You get people to download your white paper for free. Those are not examples of your Social Media ROI, though. Those are the people who got the free samples at the cookie store. If you give them something good, they may consider coming back later. If you don’t give them a reason to come back, or if you don’t motivate them to buy, then they might never become a customer. Your ROI will be poor.

Does this make sense?

Image by Tan Hsin-Ee. http://www.sxc.hu/profile/hsin26

Filed Under: Marketing Talk

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