Top 10 mistakes to avoid in B2B social media

#10. Hiring an intern for the heavy lifting. If you believe that social media can be understood only by the “wired generation” or that it consists of simple content posting, you are likely to
undervalue its importance and err in prioritizing the use of resources. The time you take to
understand the importance of social media and how each channel works, along with online ads,
will be well worth the effort. A corollary is using a student intern who may not have sufficient
expertise to gather and disseminate mission-critical data or recognize a problem or opportunity
soon enough. Interns can serve your purposes well, but they must be trained and managed by
professionals on your team.

Who were the real winners in last night’s GOP debate? Google and Fox News.

by Dr. Susan Hardwicke

Despite its monolithic presence in global business, Google needed a win last night as much as Newt Gingrich. As Google executives faced scrutiny from Congress in anti-trust hearings, its timing as a Republican debate sponsor was, to say the least, uncanny. Executives do have reason to be concerned: as their brand has been associated closely with liberal agendas (more than a few accusations were leveled at Google for involvement in the Egyptian revolution earlier this year) may find themselves “out in the cold” if conservative influence results in a sweep in the 2012 elections.

Google and Fox pulled off an event that brought the nation (if only the conservative-leaning) together as a community in a dialogue with its prospective leaders. The “word clouds”—graphic representations of frequently searched terms—provided instant, meaningful feedback to viewers about Americans’ time-sensitive interests and priorities. Fox News moderators posed questions that had received the highest online votes. Average Americans posed questions directly via YouTube, and Fox displayed their geolocation: all brilliant mash-ups despite the absence of giant channels such as Facebook and Twitter.

Google delivered search content as only they can do, and Fox, for the most part, stayed out of the way of the candidates’ personae, content to probe and manage, and not to control the dialogue.

The tone of the debate was decidedly different from those presented and moderated by the media elite, whose greatest “gotcha” question recently was about whether Gov. Perry could sleep at night in the context of so many penal executions.

As the Internet and social media become inextricably woven into the American daily life, people will more strenuously resist the barriers erected by the professional media—at least those who project that they know best how to elicit the “real positions” and truth from politicians. Based on last night’s tough questions from the public, it looks like average Americans are doing just fine.

On second thought, the real winners of last night’s debate were the voters.

Attention: Don’t read this if you have all the answers!

The problem with Social Media is also its blessing: once an assertion is repeated enough times, it becomes gospel. Take, for example, the Social Media Marketing Funnel or AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action), those quixotic stages of consumer thought and action that lead to revenue nirvana. One major problem with the model is that it reveals nothing about what a company, political candidate, or non-profit must do or be in order to increase the likelihood that people actually migrate through those stages.

Here’s a good dose of practical experience, so please don’t read any further if you are wedded to the trial-and-error/do-it-yourself method of marketing. Write attention-grabbing copy, especially the headline.

Whether you’re composing a news release headline or subject of an email newsletter, if your material doesn’t stand out from the hundreds of items entering a person’s online view, you don’t stand a chance in garnering attention. And attention isn’t necessarily gained by shouting (just think of how many all-caps subject emails you no longer open).

Consider the following case: last week a federal district court struck down one of the primary provisions of the new healthcare law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Hundreds of news articles were rushed into online media and networking sites. How is it best to grab even a share of the viewership? An experienced writer and journalist proposed “Eleventh Circuit Court Strikes Down ObamaCare Individual Mandate” as a headline for the news release. I voted it down because it left nothing to be answered. Why would viewers read the story if the headline contains everything they think they need to know? We went with “ObamaCare Bombs in 11th Circuit Court” and obtained more than 2,400 views within an hour.

Compare the view results produced by these headlines: “Constitutional Attorney David Rivkin Predicts Obamacare Will Die in Supreme Court” with 2,604 views to “Laura Ingraham Show: Rivkin Confident Government Lawyers Will Lose ObamaCare Case” with 1,311 views. Also, “Mississippi House Candidate Kills Huge Rattlesnake” with 3,787 views to “Cindy Shivers Bryan Wins GOP Primary House” with 1,982 views. Can you tell which two out of the four, has more appeal and better interest?

Here’s a list of three ways you can increase attention in your news release headlines and email subjects.

1. Don’t tell the whole story—leave out a key piece of information so that readers will be compelled to read the entire story.
2. Use at least one word with emotional charge. You don’t need to shout, you just have to stand out and appeal to the emotions.
3. Reduce your word count: less is more. nSimple statements are more memorable than complex ones.

Healthcare providers at risk to miss opportunity

Published by The Hardwicke Group on August 8, 2011

In any era of technological change, the risk-benefit assessments made by adopters and would-be adopters determines how soon, if ever, the technology is adopted.  Except for diagnostic and treatment technologies, the risk-averse healthcare industry has been generally slow to adopt technology.  This is particularly true for marketing and patient contact.   But hesitation to leverage a powerful tool, such as Social Media, could have devastating consequences for any provider.  Social Media represents one of the most significant technological breakthroughs in the past 30 years because of its psychological and behavioral impact, even on those who don’t participate.  Failure to understand this will someday be likened to failure to understand the power of the x-ray.

When the American Medical Association released its recommendations on the exploding use of Social Media, they were predictably cautious. The report advised healthcare practitioners to routinely monitor their own Internet presence; use privacy settings to safeguard personal information; and maintain appropriate boundaries of the patient-physician relationship when interacting.

“Using social media can help physicians create a professional presence online, express their personal views and foster relationships, but it can also create new challenges for the patient-physician relationship,” said AMA Board Member Mary Anne McCaffree, M.D. Well, every new technology creates challenges.  It also creates opportunities—to reduce costs, improve service, and attract more patients.

In Social Media adoption, healthcare practices are being too cautious and the patients, as well as practices are missing out.  For the sake of patients everywhere, I hope that docs learn from the mainstream media’s resistance to Social Media– which nearly blew up their entire industry.  Let’s use Facebook as an example of how healthcare practitioners can improve the provider-patient relationship, as well as the health of their patients.

1. Facebook Groups. Did you know that you can form a closed group on Facebook, so that only your patients can view what you post there?  It helps to ensure, if you so choose, that practice resources are dedicated solely to patients.

 

2. Facebook Pages. A Facebook Page is like a mini-website that is rapidly becoming a business essential.  Last year, more searches were conducted on Facebook than on Google—a staggering accomplishment.  If you don’t have a Facebook presence, you really are missing out on conveying your basic business information.

 

3. Facebook postings and information: how you can help your patients.
   • Encourage compliance. People increasingly log on to Facebook on a daily basis.  They check their news feed, messages, and friend requests.  In fact, Facebook messaging has replaced a considerable amount of email activity. Facebook can be a friendly, non-intrusive way to remind patients generally to take their medication, schedule examinations, and take steps in the home to prevent disease.
   • Human engagement and communication. This can’t be stressed enough. With their time stretched thin and a high volume of patients, healthcare providers have greatly reduced that traditional sense of personal relationship with their patients. By using Social Media in a responsible and steady manner, healthcare providers can put a more human face on their practice. Do your patients know your nurses? Do they know you? Regular posting can make them feel like they do.
   • FAQs and education. Any frequently asked questions may also be addressed through regular Facebook updates, “Discussions,” or instructional videos. And when flu season rolls around, or kids go back to school, people need to be reminded to schedule appointments. One of the biggest complaints healthcare providers have these days is that patients are trying to self-diagnose their problems at home online. They don’t have the training or experience and may be looking at untrustworthy sites—all of which can add stress and make their condition (or lack thereof) worse. With Facebook, doctors can not only post new research studies that they deem helpful, but they can suggest the best online research tools and links. A doctor’s influence shouldn’t end in the office; it needs to be in the home.

 

4. Personal referrals and “Likes.” Facebook is the greatest method for word-of-mouth marketing in the world today. When you go to where the people are, where friends are sending recommendations to friends, you are gaining critical exposure for your practice. This is primarily done through the use of a “Like” button, which is the best kind of advertising you can get these days—and it’s free. The more “Likes” you have, the more new referrals you are likely to find. Don’t run the risk of losing your patients to the latest young doc on the block who knows how to network online.

 

5. Patient retention and satisfaction. Facebook is a major avenue for clients to voice both their approval and concerns—helping doctors and nurses improve their practice with a patient-centered approach. As small business owners have already learned, whenever you engage with your clientele in a public forum, usually it only helps to generate a better overall product or experience.

The greatest fear about Social Media is that it can’t be controlled.  Don’t let that stop you from using its power for you and your patients.

Smear tactics will discredit perpetrator, not reputation of target

“Swift justice demands more than just swiftness.”

When U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart penned those words from the bench in 1958, there wasn’t much chance he could have envisioned how quick “swift” could be 53 years later. Nor could he have imagined that swiftness — not necessarily in a legal sense, but in one every bit as important: Reputation.

The fact is, throughout history, it has always behooved people to rectify misconceptions or misrepresentations of their character or reputation as quickly as the message spreads. The longer a falsehood permeates the public discourse — even if the truth eventually comes out — the more likely the false perception will stick. Better to stamp out the rumors as soon as possible than wait for the vindication that comes when a charge, as ridiculous as it may be, dies of its own weight.

While critics may fault Social Media (or at least its misappropriated use) for the rapid ruination of reputations, the flip side is that the same speed and swiftness not only can clear one’s name more effectively, but also affords the opportunity to expose — and discredit — the smear artists.

A great example from about a week ago involved conservative radio and television commentator Glenn Beck. He took his family to a popular New York City outdoor movie series in Bryant Park. Sitting behind him were some people who apparently wear their liberalism on their sleeves and found Beck’s presence distasteful. After an instance of alleged taunting subsided, one of the antagonists, Lindsey Piscitell, “accidentally” spilled a glass of wine on Beck’s wife, Tanya.

The incident precipitated a media uproar. Beck had his megaphone while Ms. Piscitell had hers in the mainstream media, including what seemed to be a very rational, detailed description of what happened in a letter she wrote to New York Magazine. All very innocent, you understand. No harm intended. Just a peaceful pack of clumsy girls.

Perhaps, in the old days (five, 10 years ago?) this would have ended it. Not today.

In some online gum-shoeing, Beck (or his people) discovered tweets from Ms. Piscitell that sought ideas from her friends on how to aggravate the Becks. One reply suggested “kicking” or “spilling wine” on him. They also found corroborating evidence from the Twitter account of one of Ms. Piscitell’s friends. So much for “peaceful” and “unintentional” — and that only scratches the surface of the evidence uncovered.

Suddenly, a wannabe activist celebrating her 15 minutes was discredited as a liar. The whole event is masterfully retold here by Scott Baker at TheBlaze.com.

One of many smoking guns. 

Lessons learned? It’s bad enough to be uncivil, but if you want to create and spread mischief, think twice. Online “fingerprints” have a longevity and an even longer trail that a determined, aggrieved party certainly will find. Maybe DNA is a better description. There are screen captures and Google caches, for example, that preserve messages, despite deletions. Then there’s evidence from accounts on the receiving end. Cleaning up one’s own table is one thing, but wiping up after others may prove too arduous.

Even though speed of communication is considerably faster today, permanence still exists, whether it’s a broadside or a tweet. Then justice will be served to those who instigate misconduct as their reputations take a hit. Swiftly.

- Stephen J. Rossie

Politicians get Twitter jitters

In the wake of the strange Ballad of Rep. Anthony Weiner, politicians of both parties are saying ‘no’ to Twitter–at least for the time being.

TweetCongress, a website that monitors Congress members’ tweets, has found that tweets from politicians are down 27 percent since Weinergate erupted, as reported by Politico. That’s both sides of the aisle.

Because if there’s one thing that both parties can agree on, it’s that being nationally humiliated is for the birds.

Is this just a knee-jerk reaction, perhaps? The tacit acknowledgment by politicians that people out there are combing through their tweets just looking for any kind of foul-up that might make news? Do politicians suddenly feel an extra target on their #backside?

It’s more likely this is just a precautionary step initiated by press secretaries around the country, as they double-check their politician’s former posts and make sure nothing could be misconstrued or inflammatory. It’s also likely that new manuals are being written and published right now as we blog, regarding the do’s and don’ts of tweeting for public figures. Maybe they’ll call it “Tweeting For Dummies Who Happen to Be Celebrities or Public Figures.” Or something like that.

But most politicians aren’t so stupid. Weiner took a hit for the team; now, if anyone is caught texting, emailing, or tweeting unsavory information, they will really have no excuse except for some deep-seated addiction or compulsion that has completely warped their brain. They will likely be forced to resign immediately just for being a total idiot. It won’t even matter whether they read the chapter in the Dummy book titled: “Don’t send anything online that you wouldn’t send to your grandmother.”

Still, we bet that politicians will resume tweeting as soon as Weinergate blows over–if not sooner. There is an election coming in 2012. Most politicians know that Twitter is a vitally important tool for keeping in touch with their constituents.  The smart ones have already begun building their online presence for what experts predict will be the largest use of Social Media during an election yet. How could it not be?

Who’s guarding your Weinergate?

So far this week has been all about that sad clown, Rep. Anthony Weiner. Or more specifically, about his habit of sending young women half-naked self-portraits using his TweetDeck account. Then lying about being hacked, reversing himself in the most humiliating way, and begging forgiveness from a disgusted American public.

We don’t blame him for crying.

The lifelong work he put into his political career just got the industrial airport super flush. The question on everyone’s mind: How could anyone be so stupid? Was he blinded by the glare off his waxed chest? What this seemingly boils down to is an egomaniac, who may have thought he was techno savvy, making a stupid mistake with Twitter’s Direct Message (DM) feature—essentially turning a private message public through a typing error.

For national politicians as careless as Weiner, all it takes is a healthy disregard for the power of Social Media, and the foolish belief that only your staff needs to worry about Internet technology, and your goose is cooked. Maybe “Weiner” will become a new slang term for bone-headed social media move by a politician. As in, “yeah, his career was going places until he pulled a Weiner.”

On his behalf, Weiner has since stammered that he thought his actions were “frivolous.” Well . . . most of America doesn’t agree, Tony. Nor do they like a politician who outright lies about fooling around on his wife, then admits everything because he suddenly realizes he is the worst liar on the planet. Rep. Weiner found himself smack dab in the middle of the first big Social Media political scandal, and on the same day that Steve Jobs introduced the iCloud—the hidden place where everyone’s information will be stored. Funny how these things happen.

So should others be worried about using new media now?

Yes and no. Social Media is a lot of things—but primarily it is a tool and it really depends on the person using that tool. That’s why businesses can’t entrust their Social Media to any Joe Schmoe or chest hair-waxing cheeseball like Weiner. And it’s why you really should dedicate time and resources to its constant maintenance. You can try avoiding it, but like it or not, Social Media is here to stay. The 2011 Social Habit report, just released by Edison Research and Arbitron, found that 46 million Americans check social media sites multiple times every day—and that number is only growing exponentially. A recent survey found that 70 percent of small businesses are using social media.

If you’re a small business, don’t let scandals like Weinergate scare you. Keep things professional and you’ll be fine. Just look at the payoff. You don’t need to buy all that expensive television or print advertising space to stay competitive. New media can allow you to build your own community of friends and fans and develop a kind of brand loyalty that those other traditional media outlets could only dream of. Of course, you won’t always be able to control the behavior of your communities—but that’s just another reason why constant monitoring is necessary. Take it seriously.

Jim Blasingame, a columnist at Forbes Magazine, writes in his June 6, 2011 column: “Think of your website as the living room where you entertain new friends and social media communities as the den you share with close friends.”  Indeed, websites are still important. They should make a solid first impression and not confuse or annoy the viewer with too much information or bad design. A website should instill confidence and show a clarity of purpose when it comes to messaging or selling points. And there should be no scantily clad photos of anything—unless you’re in the porn industry.

More cowbell, less bots

“The emergence of Social Media has changed the way in which people communicate with each other and companies interact with clients,” Morgan Stanley Smith Barney U.S. wealth management boss Andy Saperstein

Yes, it does seem like the investment world has Pac Man fever for social media. With LinkedIn having gone public, and Microsoft recently gobbling up Skype for $8.5 billion, there definitely seems to be a trend on Wall Street developing. “Duh,” I can hear you saying. The question remains: Are the people going to do what the investors are predicting?

It sure seems that way to us. We know that if businesses don’t, they could be courting disaster. Remember all those newspapers that waited too long to jump into their online ventures? We didn’t think so. That’s because they went the way of the wooly mammoth.

Speaking of newspapers, an interesting discussion was recently sparked over at the New York Times when it decided to drop the bot that automatically tweets every article on the newspaper’s website. Right when we heard about it, we understood their reasoning.

Here at the Hardwicke Blog we like to get down to the nitty gritty details. Like the little ways to make Social Media work for your company. The little ways that can positively affect your bottom line in a major way.

Sure, a Twitter bot has its uses, for niche people that want quick up-to-date feeds, but should companies rely on that alone? No way. It’s much more important to have your social media become part of the discussion—to be active, in other words, at engaging with your audience. That takes time and commitment, not a bot.

But look what you get out of it. A manager from a local restaurant, who prefers to remain anonymous, recently told us the importance that the review site, Yelp.com, has become in her job. She uses it everyday to find out what needs to be improved at the restaurant. “It’s like giving me 15 new sets of eyes every day,” she said. “It’s probably the best way I know to improve our service for customers right now.”

So try it. Ask your followers what they want. Don’t be afraid to engage. And if you don’t have the time, hire someone to do it for you. You won’t be disappointed.

The bottom line for most companies is you simply can’t afford to miss this new form of Social Media marketing that is built more on establishing a personal relationship with customers, and actively seeking out their feedback. You need to go to them in the realm where today’s audiences feel most at home: On their computer or mobile device.

Even when I do find time to watch television these days, as soon as a commercial comes on, my eyes are back on my laptop—if they ever left.

And I know I’m not alone with that.

So a dentist walks in with a blogger . . .

You’re a professional who is so busy you really don’t have time to update your own website, social media, or keep fresh entries coming on your blog. You know that customers these days want to see steady activity online, that the Internet is the hot advertising arena, but you just don’t have the time or inclination to deal with that stuff. So you’re in the market to hire a blogger or ghostwriter of sorts.

For the sake of this example, let’s say you’re a dentist.

One thing that concerns you is making sure that you are represented well. You’ve spent a lot of time and money building up the reputation of your practice, and you’re not about to entrust it to some recently graduated English major who knows nothing about dentistry or its new procedures. So what do you do?

The best bet would be to go with a company that provides a host of content services, that way you know that the writers and designers employed there are used to delivering different styles and content for a variety of clients. Check out their work and make sure you’re satisfied. The writing should deliver thoughts clearly and effectively, with enough narrative spark to to keep online viewers from jumping ship to another page.

Don’t worry about being misrepresented. The staffs at many content providers are made up of professionals from different fields. They know better than to try to speak for you without first checking to make sure the information is accurate—in much the same manner that a journalist would pursue the truth for a story.

Most important: When choosing a content provider, make sure they KNOW Social Media because that is what you are really hiring. Not so much a ghostwriter, but someone who knows how to feed your ideas to the masses online—a Social Media expert who knows the demographics you are trying to reach and can use analytics to gauge their success. The online landscape is in constant flux, and it takes someone who is constantly involved with it to really know best how to communicate your message. Too many businesses still operate under the traditional advertising mindset that we’ve been living with for decades. It doesn’t work anymore.

Today’s customers grew up in an online world.  That’s where they forge relationships, be it with personal friends, politicians or companies. This is the new reality–and you either sink or swim in it.

New Search Marketing Report shows Facebook still crushing it

The State of Search Marketing Report 2011, produced by Econsultancy in association with SEMPO, looks in-depth at how companies are using paid search, search engine optimization (natural search) and social media marketing.

The report, according to the website, also contains a marketplace valuation, follows a survey of over 900 respondents from both companies (client-side advertisers) and agencies, and is based on data from 66 different countries collected in February and March 2011.

No surprise here, but Facebook continues to dominate the social media landscape.

“The use of social networks for marketing continues to grow,” a brief of the study reads. “The percentage of company respondents who say they use Facebook for marketing now stands at 84 percent, up from 73 percent last year.”