Yet many, many are still not using social media strategically.  Many businesses and businesspeople are in the mode of fire, ready, aim, instead of planning and aiming first before making a move.

So what can you do?  What are some ways to better ensure your social media is on target?  Here are 3 checkpoints for you to consider right now:

1.  Have you identified your audience – or prioritized which of your target audiences is most important to reach?  You need to know who you want to reach with your messaging – and use the social media channels where this audience is.  It might be a blog, it might be Facebook, Twitter, or another channel.  You don’t need to be a part of every social media channel out there – but you MUST be where your audience is.

2. Is your content engaging?  Is it what your audience wants to hear, so they can learn, talk to you and each other, and move on to the next step of their relationship to you?  A big mistake many make is posting content that is not of value to your target audience.  Remember, your audience is going to ask, “what’s in it for me?”

3. Do you have a call to action – are you looking to build the relationship beyond social media?  Before you post, figure out what you would like your audience to do.  Likely you’d like someone to visit your website to learn more and get more of an idea of your story and what you are all about.  You might want to encourage that person to engage with you on a different social media channel (such as watch a video on YouTube, have a conversation on Facebook or Twitter).  Or you might want to encourage a call or invite someone to schedule of a meeting with you.

Here is a recent video where I discuss the strategic side of social media (a bit of a different angle from above):   

What can you do next?  Learn more about my views on social media at the MMC website.  Want to ask some questions?  Have some insight you’d like to share?  You can do so on the MMC Facebook page or via Twitter.  Or, feel free to contact me in another way.

And this is also the time of year when a lot of non-profits are asking for donations … and us consumers who want to open our pocketbooks at this time of year then have decision to make – WHO to give to? How much?

And we tend to give to causes that are close to our heart, or ones that tell a good story that gets to us at an emotional level.

MMC recently spent some time in the Big Apple, and saw the Salvation Army red kettles near Rockefeller Center.  (They certainly are everywhere this time of year, aren’t they?!)

If you look at the picture, you will see some singers (look for the guy on the right holding the bell in the one hand and a microphone in the other).  There is a karaoke machine under the kettle (that you cannot see), and these folks are all jamin’ to Christmas favorites.  They are dancing, singing, attracting a crowd and having others join in. Having a great time.  It’s fun, it’s a bit of a party on the streets of festive NYC.

And many people were pulling out their wallets for dollars or their phones (see how easy it is to text to donate $10 – instructions clearly on the big sign which you can hopefully enlargen to see). MANY, MANY people were making donations – many more than you would normally see at a Salvation Army kettle.

But why was this groups so much more successful?  This group was adding VALUE to everyone around them – providing entertainment that really makes everyone feel good about sharing in the spirit of giving.  It’s not just a one way transaction in this case - which would be I put money in a kettle, am thanked perhaps, and then I am gone - here in the streets of NY there is value given to the person who walks buy.  People stop to see what’s happening, they share the excitement, and join in the giving.

This translates into a much bigger percentage of people actually donating…..and more money going to the people who need it (which isn’t part of the messaging here – but is implied as we all know the brand).

Whether you are a not-for-profit or a for-profit business, keep this in mind.  Make it clear the value you provide. Do something different to attract attention and get others excited about you.  Experiment.

I wish I had videoed this group – but someone else found some other Salvation Army folks in NYC and posted it on YouTube.  This is similar to what I saw – enjoy!!

HAPPY, HAPPY holidays from MMC! 

Google+ seemed to take off early on, when it was first introduced and people were excited to get on, check it out, and see the features.  And many of the features of G+ are cool, really quite a bit better than what Facebook offers (the list includes the ability to edit a post, better-looking pictures once posted, ‘circles’ to better organize your database and those who you want to follow, and so on).  Early on, people signed up in droves as things were really exciting. 

I was among the first to sign up, and I really liked it.

But the floodgates didn’t open soon enough. Many who wanted to sign up couldn’t (all in an effort to keep it special and build more excitement, I presume).  So I was left waiting to engage with many people who didn’t add a G+ profile as they either couldn’t get in (or didn’t know how), or they decided they didn’t need to move over as they already had a Facebook profile.

I found myself waiting, and waiting and waiting for others to join the crowd at G+. But they never came on over.  It was disheartening.

And on top of all that, business pages took forever to be introduced.  That really, REALLY hurt Google+. 

And so last week, business pages were finally introduced and early word on the street seems to be positive.  So my thoughts were back to maybe Google+ has a chance to make it and can spark interest again….

Until I got this email from Google+ less than a week ago:

Yes, you read that right.  Google+ is inviting me to join.  To join!  I guess they weren’t able to check their database to see if I was already “in.”

Some might say this isn’t that big a deal, but I think it is.  To me, this just means the Google+ folks don’t have their act fully together. I always think it is the little things that count, and I would even dare to argue this is a big thing.  Anything that makes a company or product look silly – well, I think everyone would agree you want to avoid that.

But maybe you have different thoughts about the past, present and future of Google+.  I definitely want to hear about it.

I am able to use this tool in such amazing ways – like, um, to talk to Peggy Olson, circa 1965, the trailblazing female copywriter at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce on Madison Avenue – you know all about her if you watch the hit AMC show Mad Men. 

(Oh, and I love Mad Men.  But that is totally going off topic. Focus, Laurel, focus.)

Back to Twitter.  I say this whenever I give social media presentation, and I will say it again right now:

It never ceases to amaze me the connections I am able to make via Twitter. I would not be able to make these connections in any other way.

I have read articles about many amazing people, wanted to touch base with them in some way, and sent them a tweet and gotten a response.  Each time the response and emotion I feel is the same:  Connection!  Yes!  Success! 

Twitter has become my communication tool of choice at the times I want to make a one-to-one connection, and there are many reasons for this.  A tweet is short and concise.  It isn’t a big time commitment (unlike an email or old fashioned letter).  It is public – meaning the tweet and any response (or lack of a response) are transparent and available for the world to see (again, very different from an email where it is all too easy for a recipient to ignore and hit the “delete” button).

Twitter is also an excellent tool to use to reconnect with someone you have met before but haven’t seen in a long time or don’t know well…..I have used it to reconnect with a Pulitzer Prize winning professor from my MBA days who travels the world talking about his field (negotiations); I have used Twitter to have some public (and informal) discussions with collegues I know well, on topics that invite other voices to chime in as well. 

I use it to experiment….and to see, in the world of communications, what is possible.  (Like connect with Peggy Olson!)

How did this this Peggy Olson connection happen?  I love blog posts at Social Media Examiner, a great resource for staying on top of social media trends.  I saw an interview there with Carri Bugbee, who had noticed no one was tweeting for the fictional character Peggy Olson. For fun, she decided to do it.  And after some…..discussion (!) with AMC, she has continued tweeting for Peggy (& doing a great job!). 

(She has, not surprisingly, many fun stories from her tweeting adventures.  You can watch the interview with Bugbee by clicking here if you wish.)

So as an experiment, and for fun, I decided to reach out to “Peggy” and see if I would get a response to a tweet I directed at her (using the @ symbol).  I did – and you can see above my actual tweet and Bugbee’s response for Olson.

My favorite thing to do with Twitter is to see what types of connections are possible.  And thus my fun experiments, and my never-ceasing amazement and admiration of Twitter as a connecting tool, continue.

Who should I reach out to next via Twitter?  Don Draper?  Pete Campbell? Roger Sterling?

And I’d love to connect with you via Twitter (http://twitter.com/LaurelinMadison).  Facebook is another great tool, (the business page tool is awesome!), and I invite you to join the conversation there well on MMC’s page.

So I turned to Priceline – and got really lucky by snagging a room at the W (City Center) at a great price – some might say a steal.

While I was there, I noticed many great things the hotel did in terms of branding, + one important miss.  But let’s start with the good – here is what was done so well:

1. As a visitor, I started to feel the vibe for the brand as soon as I pulled up to the hotel.  And this brand image was true and consistent during my stay. The W brand is funky and hip, a bit Euro, and the tone takes on a certain spin that makes the place unique.  You’ll see this reflected throughout the hotel – check out this first picture that is of a coaster in my bathroom.  Note it doesn’t just have the brand stamped on it – it has a saying that seems to aim to make the guest think (perhaps a bit deeply) for a moment.

2. Details matter to the brand.  The W had a complimentary car service available to desks – a really nice touch.  There was amazingly creamy and rich hot cocoa and yummy cookies in the check-in area – really comfort food that put someone at ease. The rugs in the elevator were changed according to the time of day – from “good morning” to “good afternoon” to “good evening.”  I wonder how many people notice – but I did.

3. This customer felt special.  And this is notable because I was a Priceline customer and was put in a room by the elevator.  Despite this, I was made to feel like I was a cool customer.  At check-in, I was given special attention (or so it seemed to me) as I had a bunch of questions and I never felt rushed.  Later that night, when I expressed disappointment later that the hot cocoa was no longer available, a staff person had one sent especially to my room (and a big size at that).  I felt like I was a valued guest, even though I was very likely paying less than everyone  else in the hotel and the staff knew it.

4. The W brand does not try to be all things to all people.  It is clear this is not a family hotel, and does not try to be.  Yes, I am sure kids are welcome if they show up, but the target is definitely a certain age-range of adults.  You know it, you feel it, and the W doesn’t try to hide it.  There is no confusion about the brand’s target audience, and it works well.

5. Even though my stay was short, I felt an emotional attachment to the brand. I noticed the small touches, and felt happy and relaxed to be there at the W. And we all know that when a customer starts to feel an attachment to a brand, that is the start of a good thing (and perhaps a long standing relationship).

So, with all this positive energy from my stay, what was missing from the experience?  What was the element that the W missed??

I was never given the information on how to connect with the W brand via social media.  So many things were done right, the final follow up touch would have been for me to connect via Facebook (a logical first place to engage), or some other social media channel (Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, a blog….).

And why would this be important?  I would be more likely to remember the brand and keep it more top of mind if I were connected via these other channels – and after a wonderful experience in the real world at their fine hotel, it would have been a natural next step to engage with me via social media.  And I would have been happy to do so if asked.

Have you ever had a great experience off-line, and then extended in on-line as a next step?  Or had this second step forgotten?

And I invite you to further engage with me and MMC on Facebook and Twitter…..and share the stories and passion for great communication that we have.  We hope to learn from you, as well as offer up our own ideas to inspire you.

OK, that is understatement.  People misuse social media seemingly all the time, in big ways and in small ways.

But I’ll mention one way that seems to be gaining in popularity, and one that drives me crazy.

If there is one thing you do with social media, don’t use the auto feed to send the same message out via different social medial channels.  For example, with Twitter, do not, DO NOT send those tweets automatically to your LinkedIn status update field.  Or to your Facebook account as a post.

Why?  you might ask. Or why not?

Let’s think about what Twitter and a tweet are.  Twitter is a microblog that allows for a short update, thought or idea. It allows for a short concise dialogue to take place.  It allows one to reshare another person’s thought.  It’s great to use Twitter and add content multiple times a day.

Let’s think about LinkedIn.  A professional channel, this is the place that one can share updates on projects, accomplishments, events, and so on.  I have found that it is fine to have no more than 2 or 3 LinkedIn status updates per week.  More than that, and it is too much information.

And Facebook allows for a more open exchange of ideas, and a running dialogue with people who are interested in a posted topic.

These are all VERY different uses – thus, you’d want different types of content or at least differently phrased content to come out via each channel.

To put it bluntly - to have a Twitter feed automatically populate your LinkedIn status update field, and you are trying to drown me with information that is not relevant if received via that channel.  By sending that Twitter tweet to Facebook, you are likely not phrasing it in a way that will encourage a dialogue to develop.

Social media forces us to think about who our audience is, what information they want to receive, and how frequently they want to receive it.  I want different information via LinkedIn than I do via Twitter or Facebook – as do the majority of people, I’d venture.  So don’t merge these different channels together.  Post different things to different channels as they are used in different ways.

I know that many social media users are trying to figure out ways to streamline the process, make it easier to keep different channels filled with info.  There are so many channels (and growing!).  But I think this backfires, and doesn’t work. 

Take the extra bit of time to be most meaningful to people.

PS Ready to engage with MMC on Facebook?  Click here to join in!

Want to connect with Laurel on Google+?  Click here (or post to MMC’s FB account if you want a G+ invite!)

We’d love to keep the conversation going on these other channels!!

Social Media as a means of College Life

Clearly, most people go to college to pursue a degree in one field of study or another, but once the classes are over for the day, college life begins. As a college student, being social is a central focus in our four (or five or six!) years of pursuing a degree. We use social media as a break from studies, as a way to commiserate with friends after a rough exam, as a meeting place, as a news source, and for a multitude of other things. Social media is a way of life on college campuses.

I think it is amazing how many times when I walk past computers in the library, most have up some sort of social media channel. Social media is our way of bonding with one another. It is a way for us to discover new talent, new friends, new videos, new photos, new celebrity crushes, and new activities – new information.

Social media has exploded over the last ten years. I’m hard-pressed at UW-Madison to find a single student who does not have a Facebook account. In fact, I’m hard-pressed to find anyone between the ages of 18-30 who does not have a Facebook account. Facebook has become a staple in most college towns. Instead of inviting people to an event the old fashioned pen and paper way, now with a few key strokes you can invite hundreds of people to the next great party in a matter of minutes. Then after your event is over you can share all your crazy photos with everyone who attended by sticking them up on Facebook. You can use Facebook to procrastinate before writing that paper for tomorrow by getting caught up in Farmville. You can rank how cute your friends are or see which words you use most often in your status updates.

If all that isn’t enough, every time you do something cool you can post it as your status and every one of your friends can see it. Facebook is it’s own world and it is merely one example of the social media sites that are commonly used by college students.

Social Media is bigger than the computer

My generation is a “smart phone pda generation” and social media has not missed a beat with apps. The saying “there’s an app for that” totally makes sense when we are talking about social media. Most of my friends have at least a Facebook app, Youtube app and a Twitter app on their phones. People will check their Facebooks between classes. They will look at that sweet new video someone suggested on Youtube while riding the bus. Students will even follow their favorite celebs secretly while the professor is discussing supply and demand. With our handheld devices the world is at our fingertips every second of the day.

Social Media has become a language. It would be normal for college students to joke about “Like”ing something someone said just like on Facebook. Twitter makes news global and I often hear people say “I learned about this from a tweet.” Then there is of course how we’ve made social media sites into verbs. “He was facebooking before the exam.” “Let’s YouTube the Charlie video.” “I totally caught her blogging during class.” The social media lingo is almost big as the social media fad itself.

As a college student, life without some form of social media is unimaginable.

ENDNOTE: Laurel, the Owner and President of MMC, cannot imagine what life is like for professors today with students plugged in (and presumably distracted) during classroom discussions. Laurel is also happy to say she remembers prehistoric times when invitations to social events were all made and sent on paper.

How can it be all these things at once?

First let me say I am a Groupon customer and observer.  I have actively watched Groupon since it arrived in my current city of Madison (WI).  I have made a select number of purchases, and witnessed my own behavior when using the Groupons at new (for me) retail locations and businesses.

Have you used a Groupon?  Have you tried a new expensive or special occasion restaurant that you are pretty sure you will only try once?  Have you tried a salon that offered a great deal via this one time offer, all the while knowing you will never likely visit there again?

Have you ever redeemed a Groupon offer while making a calculation of the amount of money the retailer actually receives on your transaction? (Which, if the offer is 50% off, is about ¼ the retail value of what you receive, less credit card interchange fees. It’s not much.)

I started to think about these things – a lot – after a few Groupon transactions. And then I started to feel that something wasn’t quite feeling right.  I recognized I would be a “one hit wonder” at many of the Groupon businesses I tried out.  I began feeling guilt when using a Groupon – as I realized that I was getting a lot more out of the transaction than the retailer. 

And as a consumer, that is not a good feeling. I want it to be a win-win for me, and for the business person.  I want to feel a positive vibe when I go shopping in this type of situation.

And the whole concept of price anchoring?  That really seals the deal for me.  I’ve been reading Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely, and the author explains a great deal about human psychology and consumer behavior and decision making. 

And the bottom line is this, per Ariely: a person is “anchored” to the first price he or she experiences with a product or service. 

This means if you pay $20 for a haircut the first time you visit a salon, you really aren’t going to ever want to pay $40 for that same haircut later on.  If you pay $30 for a nice meal out, you then won’t be ok paying $60 for that exact same meal at a later date.  In most cases (yes, I realize there are exceptions), you just won’t like it or be willing to do it (and Ariely has the data behind this).

Now, I will share that there were 2 Groupons in which I participated that I think were good for me AND the retailer:  (1) Old Navy – I spent much more than the $20 face value of the Groupon, and I will likely go in again soon as I saw the collection of kids clothes they have; and (2) Red Mango – a frozen yogert place that add really fresh yummy fruit and the stuff seems fairly healthy – I’ll be back!

But, looking at the overall concept, it seems there are solid reasons Groupon in many cases won’t work for retailers. It won’t bring them many long-term, loyal customers – instead, it may bring a slew of one-time customers.  And there are observations we can make about our own feelings and actions that can help us decide if it is something we want to continue to partake in. 

I know I’m still thinking.

How have you found using Groupon – a great experience, or not?  Have you become loyal to any businesses you “met” through Groupon?  Post a comment here or join the Facebook discussion!

Instead, I saw one amazing element of the Disney experience – one that I didn’t know about before – work its magic before my eyes.

It’s called Pin Trading.  It reminded me so much of what social media needs to do to be effective.  And Pin Trading, I assure you, has nothing to do directly with social media.

Basically it works like this:  Disney visitors, or guests as they are called, can participate in a fun past time called Pin Trading.  (This has been going on for some time, but, well, I don’t go to Disney very often.)

Some (actually many) Disney workers, or cast members as they are called, also participate.  Those who are “in” have a lanyard with some Disney pins on them (see picture) – they are cute, they are fun, and both kids and adults get into this.  

Here’s the beauty of it.

• A cast member will trade any pin a guest wants.  There are unspoken “rules of engagement” that are simple – any time a guest sees a cast member wearing a lanyard with pins, he or she is free to approach the cast member, request to see the pins, and request a trade if a pin catches the guest’s fancy.  Cast members say yes to any request as long as it is a one for one trade!
• Cast members opt in to Pin Trading. Disney doesn’t make its workers partake – so those Disney folks who like to interact with guests participate.  Those who prefer not to, don’t.
• The Disney folks participating in Pin Trading can be ride attendants, servers and cashiers, even the janitorial staff.  It is so neat to see such a wide range of people “playing.”
• Guest can make a sport of it if they choose.  Many, many people have no interest in this, but for those who are passionate about the brand, this takes engagement to the next level.
• Pin Trading brings the Disney brand to life in a new way – it puts personality behind much more than just Mickey and Goofy and friends….now  the workers – umm, I mean cast members – are approachable and engage with guest who want to engage.  “Disney” is now all the cast members who are at the parks, resorts and restaurants….there are many human faces that all make up the larger brand (as an aside, a nice touch is that all the cast members wear name badges with their first name and hometown printed on them – again, personalizing and making more human those guests come in contact with).

Like I said, Pin Trading isn’t social media but there are similarities.

Good, strategic use of social media includes conversation and engagement, makes the brand more personal, and even puts the consumer in a position of more control.  This all sounds like Pin Trading to me.

What do you think?  Is this a good thing for Disney’s brand?

 NOTE:  Thanks for reading my blog post! I hope you will join in the conversation, either here, on the MMC Facebook page at www.facebook.com/madisonmarketing, or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/LaurelinMadison.

Also, be sure to sign up for notifications whenever MMC posts a new blog entry.  (see field to right)

• Target audience
• Messaging
• Story
• Emotion
• Compelling
• Call to action

Yes, this is a bit jumbled….but they do all come together.  A piece of marketing – whether a social media post, a direct marketing piece, an ad, whatever – needs to do certain things to be effective:

There should be a clear idea as to whom is the target audience.  There should be thought given to the messaging to best speak to that audience.  If at all possible, make sure there is a story – it might just be a start to a story – but a story is the best way to draw someone in to start to education them about your product or service (think of the old days – when it was a blantant sell – we are well beyond this now!).  With a story comes the idea that there is emotion, which makes the message compelling to the audience; we know the audience will ask “what’s in it for me.”  Finally, there should be a call to action, that drives someone to do something as a next step.  Don’t just leave the person hanging….allow them to engage more if that is what they would like to do.

So I found an example of an ad from the Gatorade “Become” campaign, which does much of this quite well (click on image for a larger view):

Gatorade’s campaign right now is targeted toward an audience of moms, quite clearly.  (These are real moms, I have learned, so that makes these pieces all the more powerful.)  Umm, yes, there is emotion coming through, and a great story that is I’d call compelling (yes, I have to admit I am the target audience….and I emphasize with this and other moms in the campaign). 

There is a clear message that this mom wants what is best for her daughter, and will go to great lengths to provide that to her.  As a mom, I can see myself in her shoes, in this situation. I feel her anxiety, her pride, her nervousness, and I too want to do what is best for my kids.  If it means I should buy Gatorade, so be it.  (As a note, Gatorade is doing a good job to clarify that harmful ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup aren’t in the product – this is important to me to know this.)

Gatorade’s call to action is to go to a special URL (www.gatorade.com/moms) - and when I go to it, I see video stories of real-life moms with kids involved in sports (some of the stories are real tear-jerkers).  I see Gatorade is creating a hub for moms to go to for info on sports issues (like injuries), is presenting a panel of experts, and is enabling me to learn about the moms and kids (and their stories) behind the campaign.  It’s a cool site.

Gatorade figured it out.  As a mom of athletes, I want what is best for them.  I’ll do anything for them, always be there for them …. and do whatever it takes.  They are talking to me with messaging that means something, and giving me a call to action that makes sense.  I am engaging further with the brand.  And I will remember that next time I am in the grocery store.

Now back to your world - I’ll bet you have ideas for what you can do with your brand.  Keep thinking, and then test some of your ideas.

Do you you have thoughts about this? other ideas? I invite you to connect with MMC on our Facebook page - and let’s continue the discussion!