Making the Most of Twitter

Latest posts by Karen Bardsley (see all)

The way people interact with each other is changing. More and more people are communicating and interacting with one another then ever before. But before you say, “Well, social media allows more people to connect but it doesn’t mean that the connections are meaningful.” Take a moment and think about how you are interacting with people. Are you sending out mass messages or are you encouraging personal relationships? Are you engaging and strengthening communication with people or are you simply talking to people because it is convenient?” Do you only communicate when you want something? How much time do you spend making an effort? Your relationships are only what you make them. Like it or not, the facts still remain.* You are in control of your social media experience.

Let’s focus on Twitter. Twitter can be a very educational and fun resource. Not only is it great for keeping people informed about your daily life but it’s the conversations that are most rewarding. Interactions are fast, short and generally straight to the point. One of my favorite uses is simply asking people questions, there is a fantastic community spirit on Twitter, most people like helping fellow tweeters or just giving advice. One of most under utilized tools on Twitter is the search tool (www.twitter.com/search), type in a few key phrases and you’ll get an incredible amount of information back. It’s a great conversation starter!

One great way to get to make connections is to find experts and joining their group of followers and friends. When you are doing your search make sure to check out Bios, websites, links, number of followers and read their tweets to see if their content is relevant to you. If you decide it is, see if you can “join the conversation.” Content rules in social media and twitter is no exception so make sure what you contribute isn’t drivel; be genuine, be thoughtful. Reply to tweets, use direct messages but most of all befriend people and gain their respect through meaningful interaction and conversation.

 

* Twitter is a powerful tool, there are: over 465 million accounts, 175 million tweets a day and 1 million accounts are added to Twitter every day. In the U.S. alone there are 107 million users, 33 million in Brazil and nearly 30 million in Japan. “The busiest event in Twitter’s history is now “Castle in the Sky” TV screening 25,088 tweets per second (previous record was the last minutes of the 2012 Superbowl with 10,245 tweets per second).” Statistics and facts – http://www.blogherald.com/2012/02/22/twitter-2012-infographic/

GM Still Loves Facebook

Lacey and her brother Zeb Welborn founded Welborn Media. She has designed and launched websites, several projects, marketing materials, a podcast, a book and more. Her passions include her family, her friends, creating things and helping businesses grow.
Latest posts by Lacey Welborn (see all)

General Motors Facebook

General Motor’s decision to end its $10 million Facebook advertising campaign is big news in the social
media world. Many skeptics have used GM’s decision to pull their advertising dollars from
Facebook as a way to attack the effectiveness of social media marketing for businesses.
However, these skeptics fail to recognize the difference between social media marketing and
social media advertising. GM still loves Facebook and recognizes the importance of social media marketing, but has
failed to recognize the correlation between the Facebook advertising feature and profits. GM’s
decision to pull money from Facebook advertising has nothing to do with the effectiveness of
Facebook as a social media marketing tool.

GM is still spending 30 million dollars on Facebook content promotion. Despite having ceased
paid ads on the site, the car-maker continues to make full use of the social network. Their
Facebook page remains very active with several posts every day. This includes links to articles
about their products and their partners, as well as more traditional advertisements.

GM Facebook Post After Pulling Facebook Ads

GM stopped using Facebook Ads, but will continue producing Facebook Content

GM has built their Facebook following to 345,000 people through Facebook advertising. The
massive following they now have allows them to stop using Facebook ads, because
their 345,000 Facebook followers act as a built-in referral network to bring more customers
to their Facebook page. Facebook page interaction will attract new followers on a consistent
basis without advertising because their followers can interact with the page and share it with
their friends. The more “likes” they get, the more exposure they get.

According to a Mashable article, GM issued the following statement: “We are reassessing our
advertising, but remain committed to an aggressive content strategy with all of our products and
brands, as it continues to be a very effective tool for engaging with our customers.”

Don’t let people convince you that Facebook is not a useful tool because GM has pulled its
advertising dollars from Facebook. Arguments can be made either way about the effectiveness
of Facebook advertising; however, it remains clear that Facebook content promotion is
highly effective to engaging with a captive audience. Many other companies, including car
manufactures, say they do not plan on pulling their Facebook ads any time soon. Experts agree
that the ads can be an important part of a marketing campaign, but it is important to implement a
complete strategy that interacts with its audience in ways that keep their attention after bringing
them in with an ad. As a Ford representative put it, “It’s all about the execution. Our Facebook
ads are effective when strategically combined with engaging content and innovation.”

GM’s decision to pull their money from Facebook advertising may also not just be because
of the effectiveness of Facebook, but of GM’s decision to cut massive amounts of advertising
expenditures. GM also made big news recently for stating that they intended not to purchase a
$3.8 million dollar Super Bowl ad this year. Leading many to believe the new Chief Marketing
Officer, Joel Ewanick is seeking ways to cut his expenditures and is not cutting his
advertising just from Facebook ads, but across the board.

As a marketing tool, Facebook has proven its effectiveness time and time again. The percentage
of companies using Facebook to expand is increasing every month and sees no signs of slowing
down. Those companies that do not adapt to social media are missing out on a large captive
audience. In an increasingly digital world, traditional methods of advertisement don’t have the
same pull they used to. However, Facebook still has a lot to learn in terms of figuring out the
marketing game and knowing what exactly it has to offer. As its products continue to evolve,
companies that want to use social media will have to continue to adapt. We highly encourage
any business to develop a Facebook page and use Facebook as a way to connect with current and
potential customers. Having a Facebook presence is a built-in referral network. Don’t miss out
on the opportunity.

The Value of a Like on Facebook

The owner of Welborn Social Media and the founder of The Tutoring Solution.My goal is to help business owners share the passion they have for their business with as many potential customers as possible.By helping passionate people achieve their dreams I am helping to create a society of passionate leaders that will help inspire others to make their dreams a reality.

The most common question I get from businesses is:  What is the Return on Investment (ROI) of Social Media?  Although ROI is difficult to calculate, there are numerous studies that demonstrate the value Social Media can bring to any company.

The Value of a Facebook “Like”

While perusing my LinkedIn account I came across an article titled, “The Value of a Facebook Fan.”  According to the article, SocialCode, an agency owned by the Washington Post Company “looked at 50 brands and more than 5 million Facebook ads over a five-month period earlier this year.”

What they discovered was:

  • Facebook fans are 547 percent more likely to perform a desirable act than non-fans.
  • Facebook fans are 291 percent more likely to engage with brand than non-fans.
  • Facebook fans make actual purchases at a rate of 7 percent, while non-fans make purchases at a rate of 2 percent.
  • The difference in cost per acquisition* between fans and non-fans is $9.56.
  • For fans making a purchase, the fan cost per acquisition is $14.88 compared to $43.86 for a non-fan.

The overall impact of Social Media undoubtedly benefits your business more substantially and for less cost than other forms of marketing and advertising.  The study by SocialCode is just one example of the thousands that can be found online indicating the benefits Social Media can bring to any business.

Sign up for a free, personalized consultation with Welborn Social Media owner, Zeb Welborn to discuss how we can improve your Social Media presence, meet more customers and enhance the relationship you have with current customers.

(909) 973 -9089

*Cost per Acquisition means how much it costs to convert a sale incorporating all marketing and advertising used to attract clients to a product.