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Twitter for Business - Hashtags help you at Trade Shows

22 Feb
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Posted by Posted in Twitter

I hear the same story every day from companies “We have a Twitter account, but don’t use it that often. I just don’t have the time.” At some point, someone suggested you create a Twitter account, if for no other reason it’s what everyone else is doing. Then you aded a link to Twitter on your website. For a week you sent messages. And that was it. It’s been months since you last checked the account. Even longer since the last update. Time and how to use Twitter are often the reasons I hear.

For example, think about the last trade show you attended. You have a booth to make new contacts, get feedback about your latest products and meet with existing buyers. It’s hectic, and you always seem to be rushing. But, while you are at the trade show, you will check your email and voicemail frequently to keep in touch with the outside world. As business people we have to check for messages, to ignore either or both is unthinkable. It’s time to put Twitter on that priority list.

I recently attended the American International Toy Fair in New York City to help a client develop new ideas for her gift box business. The day before the show I sent out a simple Tweet, asking what booths were a “must see” at the show. I received several responses from companies asking me to stop by. They even provided me with their booth number. I responded back and made the effort to stop by their booths to introduce myself. But, out of 1100 exhibitors, only three responded to this direct request. For sure, this is a missed opportunity.

Let’s put it in perspective. If a buyer left a message on your voicemail asking if he should stop by your booth, would you return the message? Of course. You want as many people to visit you. Twitter is similar, in fact it is easier than returning voicemail. If you text with people you once called on the phone, you already understand why. The conversation is quick and to the point. No lengthy chit-chat, save that for the show floor.

Here is just one way to be effective with Twitter:

1 ) The #hashtag.The hashtag is simply a word, acronym or short phrase preceded by #. The hashtag makes it easy for attendees, exhibitors, organizers and anyone who is interested, to search for news about the event.

2) Where do you find the hashtag?Most show organizers will create a hashtag for their event. This helps promote the discussion on Twitter. Check the show website several  days or even weeks before the show to find it. The hashtag might also be in the emails or printed materials you receive prior to the show. The 2012 Toy Fair’s hashtag is #tf12

What is a Twitter Hashtag

Twitter hashtag from the 2012 American International Toy Fair

3) Search for the hashtag. Just enter the hashtag, including the #, into the Twitter search. The search will present all the tweets that include that hashtag.

4) Read the recent tweets.  Look for questions or comments related to your business. If you have a relevant comment or answer, by all means reply. Make sure your reply contains the show hashtag, because others are watching that same hashtag. They may add to the conversation, further expanding your network.

5) Save the search. This will make it easy to check for new posts later. Twitter allows you to save searches, but a tool like Hootsuite is far better at keeping track of your saved searches. Hootsuite is free and is available through any browser and as an app on your iPhone, iPad, Blackberry and Android smartphone (Bonus: Hootsuite also helps you manage your Facebook page, LinkedIn, Foursquare account and more from the same screen).

6) Be notified. Ensure your mobile device is set up to notify you when a message sent to you has been posted. If your replies are timely, you’ll gain the respect of those who are listening.

7) Add to your following list. Make sure to add any of the people you tweet with to your following list. In the future you will be able to read their tweets when they don’t use the hashtag. This can form a solid relationship, maybe one that leads to new business.

You may have noticed a grammatical error above. I used the present tense referring to the Toy Fair’s hashtag. But, it’s not a typing error. Hashtags live on. As I write this, a week after the show, people are continuing the conversation using that hashtag. So don’t delete that search. Keep an eye on it.

It’s time to put more effort into Twitter. There is a conversation going on and you need to participate. It’s as important as the flashing red light on your telephone.

PS: Follow me on Twitter @edkuryluk

02 May

@twitter: A culture changing cultures

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In April 2008, I created my Twitter account @edkuryluk.

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The act did not seem like much. Just another interesting social network I was curious about. Would it be the next Facebook or the next Yahoo! Mash? In hindsight it was neither. Back then, I unwittingly planted a flag on my piece of dirt in a new land far removed from successful and unsuccessful attempts at social media. Far removed from anything we had experienced before.

It’s difficult to pinpoint how many users were tweeting 3 years ago, but at the 2007 SXSW festival Twitter averaged 60,000 tweets per day. Twitter now averages 60,000 tweets per minute. In the early days, it was who or why do I follow someone. Sure, I followed news people to stay on top of breaking news. But there were people I followed for reasons I can’t explain. I look at their profiles now and it seems to be more based on geography than anything else. Many of the people I followed in the early days I pruned simply because they stopped tweeting. And there was a certain awkwardness. Do I respond to tweets? How personal should I be? Can I curse?

From those awkward beginnings Twitter evolved. Twitter passed the test with the early adopters, and started to move mainstream. During 2009, CNN captioned newscasts with reporters’ Twitter ids. Other news outlets followed. The first to find out about Michael Jackson’s death June 29, 2009 were Twitter users from around the world, temporarily crashing the service. And six-months later, an earthquake in Haiti galvanized Twitter’s place in world communications. With this one devastating event, I believe the Twitter culture started changing cultures around the world.

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Twitter is a culture.

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With it’s own language, unwritten rules and social events. The culture opens the doors to a flow of conversations that resonate freely across national borders, geography, celebrity, education, age, race, and so on. Anyone can join the conversation. No Visa or Passport required.

After the earthquake, China was one of the first to land relief support at Haiti’s battered airport. I first heard about this on Twitter amid people asking if there is a side to China we do not know. Discussions started debating everything from motives to how they motivated so swiftly. Yet a country, known for it’s human rights atrocities, was seen in a new light, by a population of people using Twitter. On Twitter, people on the ground posted images of the devastation, told stories of heroism and terror. People from around the world responded with prayer-filled tweets, aide and searches for loved ones.

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Micro-Connections build the cultural framework

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At the individual level, the Twitter culture is forging new relationships. On Facebook, our friends are largely those friends that existed before Facebook. But Twitter provides us the power to engage with people we didn’t know before. And if someone’s tweets irritate you, it’s simple to end the relationship forever with an unfollow. Twitter users efficiently build relationships with people, from around the world who possess similar values and interests. Search “mommybloggers” “skiing” or any global activity and you will find people talking as if they live next door. Dig a little deeper and you may find they live across an ocean or two. These are regular people. Not just the nerds and computer geeks. With little more than the right twitter id and a certain amount of wit, you may just get a response from your favorite celebrity. And a lot of new followers, who have the same interests as you.

It’s these new micro-connections with shared values, brewing new ideas, that allows the pace of cultural change to accelerate. Heck, we only need to look at Egypt as proof.

The speed of this change is rapid. And with about 56million active users, according to the Business Insider, Twitter is a culture the same size as Italy. Like other cultures, there will be skeptics, naysayers and the unaware. Positive or negative, one thing is for sure, the Twitter culture will continue to evolve the cultures around it.

Do you think there is a Twitter culture? And is the culture changing our world? Please leave a comment below.

01 May

Real Time Internet and Marketing


Ok, I’ll be the first to admit it, I don’t like the term “Social Media”. It doesn’t do it for me. Social is too friendly. Sure Facebook is a place to make friends and talk, but Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Foursquare and a host of others are very one-sided conversations. Media is also mis-placed. The sites we use are not media at all. They are user-driven communities, updated continuously by the participants in real-time. Back in March I attended a Meetup organized by Jeff Keni Pulver (co-founder of Vonage) and he used the term Real-Time Internet to describe Twitter. I think it makes sense and is self-explanatory.

The Real Time Internet’s impact on marketing has been huge. Without question, businesses have jumped into the real-time internet’s offerings and some have been successful, others are still learning their way around.

However, the real-time internet presents several pitfalls that can hamper even the best intentions. First, how to allocate people to the task of marketing in this new environment. Traditional marketing tactics are needed (testing, messaging, promotion, etc) but marketers with traditional marketing experience are cautious and tend to put too much emphasis on getting it right the first time. So the development can take long, too long.

Second, how does a business stay on top of emerging opportunities? When to jump is a big concern. Too early and it’s wasted time and money if that platform is not widely adopted. Too late and users have moved to the next big thing. Identifying that next big thing is a tough task for a marketing dept to do, because their resources are already stretched.

Companies who approach the Real-Time Internet with an open-mind, adaptability and no fear of failure will come ahead in the long run.

13 Apr

You and YouTube

I just had a call with another entrepreneur that I am working with to get his business off the ground. As we talk through marketing channels, like most people, he brings up YouTube as a marketing medium. Understandably, businesses, especially small businesses, are curious about what lies beneath the surface of YouTube.

First, YouTube needs to be understood.
- YouTube is the 3rd most visited website in the United States.
- YouTube is becoming a prominent search engine.
- YouTube videos often appear as results in Google searches. (ie. search plumbing in Google and you will see results for youtube videos)
- YouTube videos can be uploaded in HD quality, providing a pleasing viewing experience.

More importantly, how can you turn these viewers into customers. It’s one thing to having a plumbing how to video, but if you are a plumber, that video needs to work as a marketing tool to attract new customers. It’s great to walk a viewer step-by-step for fixing a common faucet leak, however there is information a plumber can provide that a viewer might not normally think of. Preventative maintenance, what to look for to prevent future problems, new products. The end of the video would include a very short message with contact info about the service.

The video doesn’t have to be shot by a professional, but the higher quality achieved in the video the better. The video should be edited, single shot videos look sloppy to viewers. And with low cost editing software available, it’s very easy. Text helps a viewer understand more about the product or service, use it sparingly. Most importantly, use a tripod whenever possible. An external microphone is a close second.

Once a video is uploaded to YouTube it can be embedded into your website. Are you producing numerous videos (good idea)? Then create an archive page for any videos that continue to have relevance.

Here is a video I created for the MaximumFerrari Calendar. Total production time was an hour, and that includes the time I created the original soundtrack.

08 Apr

Why the iPad isn't Going to Kill Newspapers

With all the buzz about the iPad, some are saying Apple’s latest device is yet another nail in the coffin for the newspaper industry, taking away a viable marketing channel. However, I believe we will see a newspaper industry that evolves with the times and will continue to provide us a means to reach customers.

It’s true, some newspapers will disappear that has to do more with business models than distribution. The iPad changes the distribution model, but here’s the catch: their are large demographics that won’t be using an iPad (or similar device) to get their news.

Catching a subway in New York City? See that guy selling The Daily News for 25 cents? The Daily News doesn’t make any money on that sale. I’ve seen days where they are giving it away for free. The cost of getting the news is extremely cheap relative to the iPad. Even when Apple eventually lowers the price of the iPad, months or years from now, for some the cost of entry will be too high. Or it just doesn’t fit their lifestyle. What demographic does this pertain to? Actually quite a few. Hourly workers paid at or near minimum wage, the elderly, people who are living on a fixed income, in fact anyone who doesn’t fit what Forrest Research calls “the elite upper class of smartphone customers”. This is obviously a study that focuses on iPhone users, but it’s hard to imagine the demographics being largely different than the iPad’s.

Getting back to newspapers, businesses will still need to reach an audience. There are very few businesses that cater to the elite upper class exclusively. The other businesses will need to reach a very large demographic where they spend their time.

With this large group of consumers not using the iPad, or the iPhone and other smart devices, there is still room for newspapers that have the right combination of efficient distribution (ie. free weekly at the coffee shop) and advertising rates that are attractive, yet profitable.

11 Jan

Facebook? Is it right for my business?

Is Facebook right for my business? How many times have you asked yourself this simple question? I get it a lot from my clients and contacts. There are quite a few things to consider, but I start with three simple concepts and work from there:

  1. What is the company’s target market?
  2. Why are people using Facebook?
  3. What would success look like?

What is the company’s target market?

A company needs to be sure of who they want as customers, and where they see future growth. For some this is easy. The local bike shop, they know exactly who the need to reach: Cycling enthusiasts, people considering improving their fitness, families, etc. But it surprises me how often a business is unsure of their target market. They try to be all things to all people and ultimately they are excelling at anything. A restaurant might say “We want people who are hungry”. That’s everybody 3 or 4 times a day. People want to make a connection with the businesses they patronize. This connection needs to be nurtured by the business owner and can only be done if the target market is defined.

Why are people using Facebook?

While the first question is largely Marketing 101, understanding Facebook is challenging for most businesses. I’ve met many people who consider Facebook a means for people to waste time (and I don’t necessarily disagree). According to Nielson , time spent on Facebook was up 700% in April 2009 vs. April 2008. Surely some of the people in this study are “wasting” time, playing farmville or running a mafia. However, there are many people who are using Facebook as a means to stay connected with distant friends and close friends. People’s relationships grow stronger, and time spent on Facebook increases. But, what does this have to do with marketing? The common thread is almost all of the time is personal. Even if they are accessing Facebook from work, it’s largely for personal reasons. The actual audience may overlap with LinkedIn, but when people are on LinkedIn they are looking for business contacts, a job or staying in touch with associates. Those same people will likely be on Facebook, but there contacts will only slightly overlap.

What would success look like?

No marketing campaign should commence without defining success beforehand. This is one of the gotchas with Facebook. Too often a company will jump in because “Everybody else is doing it” or “my kid said I need to have a Group Page”. Once they are up and running they end up disappointed. Why? Because their reason didn’t include a goal. A restaurant could have 50 followers, but is that success? Or is 500? Or more? The lack of a goal set them up for disappointment in another way. Having thousands of fans is nothing if they don’t become a customer. Success is converting Facebook fans to customers, otherwise you have a negative ROI.

This is a start.

These three questions are the beginning. They do give a business a starting point. Does your target market include people who are spending personal time on Facebook and do you have the means to convert fans to customers?