Social Media Trends: What’s Ahead?

I am looking forward to moderating a terrific panel in Chicago on June 21. PRSA Chicago will present some of the city’s top agency leaders working in Social Media discussing “Social Media Trends: What We Know Now and What’s Ahead”.

These agency executives will share what’s hot with their wide variety of b-to-b and b-to-c clients and what all PR professionals should be doing right now to stay on top of the social wave. Speakers include:

Adam Keats, SVP Interactive, Emerging and Social Media Marketing, Weber Shandwick
@akeats

Mike Pilarz, Manager, Technology Practice, Burson-Marsteller and Co-Founder of Social Media Breakfast Chicago
@mikepilarz

Glenn Raines, CEO, Social Media Moves
@socialmoves

Moderated by Jack Monson, VP, Engage121
@jackmonson

If you’re able to join us, please bring questions to the event and be ready to participate in-person, via The PRSA Chicago Fan Page, and on Twitter (hashtag: #prsachicago).

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When
Tuesday, June 21, 2011 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM

Where
Maggiano’s Little Italy
516 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL

Attire
Business Attire

Fees
Member $37.00
NonMember $45.00
Student $37.00
NOTE: Walk-in registrants will be charged an additional $5 per person.

Social Media: Get In, Get Out, Get On With Your Day

Today’s guest post is from my friend Jack Campisi of Engage121. When working with his clients who range from large franchise systems to small business owners, Jack’s advice is to “Get In, Get Out, Get on with your Day!” – a concept I love! JC reports in here from a conference where he’s leading a discussion on SM basics.

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I ran two great workshops on the basics of social media today at the Plato’s Closet Convention in Las Vegas, and I tweeted pics of the groups during the sessions. Here’s a shot of one of the groups.

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One of the great things about these events is that even though I am teaching a class, I also end up learning a lot. One of the biggest challenges facing small businesses, and franchises like this, is that the level of social media knowledge varies greatly from person to person. And all of these people, no mater their social media savvy, are all busy. So the objective today was to help them understand the social media landscape, rules of the road and the tools at their disposal. No small task.

One of the things I encouraged the group to do, especially the newbies, was to not jump head first into the deep-end of the social media pool. Start slow… get your toes wet. Start to surf the various sites like Facebook, Twitter and blogs. See what’s being said and done. Get an idea of how it works. Get the lay of the land. Once you’ve done that, you’ll have a better idea of where you want to start in social media.

The Difference Between Facebook and Twitter That No One Seems to Get

Many people used Facebook for a quite a while before using Twitter. For many, this may have created a misunderstanding that Twitter works the way Facebook works: you post content and people with whom you’re connected will see it in their feed. Sure, it can work like that (and does for those who follow only 100 or so people). But here’s the little secret that none of your followers will tell you…

How Twitter Really Works:

1. You post content and none of your followers read it.

What?!? They don’t read it!?! At all?!? Hold on, it’s about to make sense.

2. Then, when anyone, follower or not, searches for a name, keyword, topic, or hashtag, they see your content.

So when we all say great content is key, we’re not kidding. High quality, high value, interesting content – with an attractive headline or catchy wording – is much, much more important on Twitter than your number of followers. Remember, all of those followers aren’t really reading everything you write. Sure they say they are, but Tweeps are nice like that.

More to think about: RTs not only matter, but also perhaps are the most important thing besides quality of content. We used to think about RTs as a great way of your content getting shared into new groups of people and communities. But, no one is reading all of your followers’ Tweets either. Or your followers’ followers’ Tweets. But, once again, it’s all about search. If anyone searches about your topic and sees multiple RTs pop up with your content, I’m betting that it will get read and your links will get clicked more often than if it only shows up once.

So, remember these Twitter points:

Interesting content = Most Important

Searchable Tweets = Very Important

RTs of yours = Important

Number of followers = Not so much…

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Twitter: Just #Do It

Author: Jack Campisi

As a person immersed in social media, one thing I encounter on a regular basis are people who are unfamiliar with Twitter. There are usually two kinds:

The Twitter Virgin: These are people who have never been on Twitter. They’ve heard about it, maybe they have looked at the site, but they don’t have an account nor a clue about what it’s all about. They may be a little technophobic or they may just have not gotten around to it yet. A common phrase from a “TV” is “Why would anyone care if I’m on line at Starbucks or going to the gym. And what do I care if other people are?”

The Twitter Quitter This person has actually set up an account, tweeted a couple of times, and then dropped off the map. They didn’t have much to say and they didn’t get much back to make it worth their while. So they simply stopped tweeting or paying attention.
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Both of these types can be people who either use Twitter for business or personal use. Regardless of their potential motivations for Twitter, they just don’t get it. But often, these people continue to hear about Twitter and many of them want to get on the bandwagon… or back on the bandwagon, in some cases.

It’s not always easy to describe Twitter to someone unfamiliar with it. Ever try explaining a hashtag to someone? It usually starts out something like… “It’s a word with a number sign or the pound symbol in front of it… with no spaces.”

I usually try to start with the benefits of Twitter, like the wealth of information and news that is available on Twitter. Whether it’s news about world events like an earthquake or an election or maybe just the latest celebrity gossip or breaking sports news.

Or perhaps I’ll focus on the marketing and networking opportunities. There are countless amounts of people just waiting to be engaged. These can be potential customers, fans, employers, employees or new friends. I’ll also touch on the advantages of monitoring the Twitterverse for mentions of significant keywords, like your name or brand name

But this article is not meant as a Twitter tutorial. I just wanted to give you a little advice if you are curious about Twitter. To borrow a famous catch phrase: JUST DO IT!

No, this is not a sneaker commercial, but the fact remains that the only real way to learn about Twitter is to do Twitter. You don’t have to start off as a content generating machine. Just get on there. Start by signing up, surfing around and following some people. Follow your friends, favorite bands and celebrities and your favorite companies. If you have a smart phone, install a Twitter app.

Send some tweets and do some retweets. It can be as simple as commenting on your favorite show, a 140-character review of a movie or restaurant. (Maybe tweet from the line in Starbucks, just to see what it’s like.) Over the next few weeks, read a couple of articles on Twitter basics. Ask your “social media” friends about it. Learn how to search Twitter and set saved searches on your phone app.

I guarantee that after a while, you’ll start to get it. You’ll start to sift through the noise and find the value. You’ll even start to understand hashtags.

So what are you waiting for? It’s free, it’s not rocket science and Twitter doesn’t bite. Twitter may or may not be the right tool for you in the grand scheme of social media, but you’ll never know until you try.

Jack Campisi is a Sr. Account Director and Social Media Consultant at Engage121. He is also the co-host of The Purple Goldfish Project and the MRA Hot Seat video podcasts. Twitter: @jackcampisi

Social Media for Senior Executives

PRSA Chicago Presents: Social Media for Senior Executives with Very Special Guest, Gini Dietrich – April 19

Engagement with consumers via Social Media channels is no longer an option for Public Relations and Communications executives. Whether you’re still getting started with your own personal digital presence or you’re already a top influencer, join PRSA Chicago for a special program for senior-level execs and future senior-level execs! You will learn practical tips and tactics to take your social media game to the next level.

Our guest speaker is Gini Dietrich, founder and chief executive officer of Arment Dietrich, Inc., a firm that uses non-traditional marketing in a digital world.

Gini authors the popular Spin Sucks blog and can be found writing at Crain’s Chicago Business, AllBusiness, and Franchise Times. She delivers numerous keynotes, panel discussions, CEO coaching sessions, and workshops across North America on the subject of using online technology in communication, marketing, sales, and HR. One of the top rated communications professionals on the social networks, Gini was recently named the number one PR person on the channels, according to Klout and TechCrunch, and number one on Twitter, according to TweetLevel.

Sponsored by MSL Chicago and Big Shoes Network

When
Tuesday, April 19, 2011 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM

Where
Maggiano’s Little Italy
516 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL

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