Success stories and an up-and-coming sensation
Let’s start off the week with some recent social media developments you might have missed:
– Since we often hear from people questioning social media’s value, we should mention five “surprise success stories” using Facebook and Twitter for business detailed by Rick Burnes of HubSpot His list includes an equine dentist, a manufacturer of prefabricated steel buildings, makers of specialized paint and paper and an aircraft maintenance and support company. And there are plenty more to come.
– It’s now possible to “follow” companies on LinkedIn. This new feature, quietly introduced in late April, enables users to keep up with companies, whether one is looking for a job, looking for b-to-b-opportunities or just wanting to follow business developments. It’s a primitive, one-way system compared to Twitter and Facebook, in which you can interact directly with a company. Nor can companies offer timely status updates. However, you can see the status updates of key employees as well as promotions and other company news, assuming employees and the company are updating their accounts..While LinkedIn has a lot of work ahead to keep pace with the major social networks, this is still significant step in the right direction.
–Are you a job seeker? Since we regularly work with a local jobs networking group to assist the unemployed, we thought we’d share 13 “essential tips” for finding a job using LinkedIn from author and former pro athlete Lewis Howes. Howes offers solid advice, particularly for those who are new to the business networking site. One follow-up comment: If you add your blog or Twitter feed to your LinkedIn profile — as Howes correctly suggests you should do — make darn sure what you write on those places is professional. Otherwise, you’re asking for trouble.
– We know a lot of folks — of all ages— who don’t “get” Foursquare. Many of these same people also still remain openly skeptical of Twitter (We’re trying!) While the business potential of Foursquare has barely scratched the surface, consider this: Foursquare founder Dennis Crowley told Business Insider’s Henry Blodget last week that the service is adding 15,000 users a day. Not exactly Facebook numbers, but numbers that can’t be ignored.
Age no excuse for business to avoid social media
When I talk with small-business people, many who are skeptical of social media — particularly Baby Boomers — often talk about how social sites are just meant for the young. And some say they think spending a lot of time online is unhealthy and antisocial.
I try to show them that people of all ages are adopters of social media. Facebook alone has had dramatic growth this year at nearly all age levels, none more pronounced than women over 50.
Now there are new numbers available on social media users. The median age of a Facebook user has now risen to 33, seven years older than in May 2008. That’s not far behind LinkedIn, the business networking site whose 50 million-plus users have a median age of 39. The median age of a Twitter user has dropped to 31, which shows that Generation Y, which was not an early adopter, is now turning to the microblogging service. There had been numerous articles earlier in the year that Gen Y thought Twitter was pointless. Apparently, that’s changing.
Facebook getting older? Twitter getting younger? What does this mean? It means the old adage is no longer true that only the young are the early adopters of technology. And new social sites designed to attract the young away from Facebook and Twitter are reportedly not having an impact. The young are willing to use the same social media now used by their parents.
So much for age creating a digital divide in social media. (Yes, MySpace remains decidedly young — a median age of 26 — but its focus has shifted to mostly music and entertainment. And it’s certainly not the dominant influence it once was.)
While we’re debunking myths, let’s burst another bubble. Remember the study which found people were becoming more socially isolated because of technology, especially mobile phones and the Internet? Not so fast, according to a new study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project. Pew found that these technologies do not have a harmful social impact upon people.
In fact, Pew found social networking sites provide an outlet for “discussion networks that are more likely to contain people from different backgrounds.” In other words, people have digital contact with a more diverse group of people.
Boomer business owners, isn’t that one of your company goals? Don’t you want to expand your reach to new people, new contacts outside your regular sphere?
Can’t wait for the next business owner to bring up age, or dismiss the merits of social networking. I’ve got some new research to share.
Are LinkedIn Groups relevant any more?
One thing many social media consultants will tell clients is that LinkedIn Groups are important for business people to establish themselves as thought leaders or experts in their business. For starters, they’ll say: Get on LinkedIn, join a Group and start a discussion topic. They’ll show you the little trick where you write a question and than add “Comment here or join the discussion on my blog …”
There was a time when that tactic might have driven significant traffic to your Web site. Or posing a question might have actually led to a good discussion.
There may be some Groups on LinkedIn where quality discussion takes place. However, those places are few and far between. Many people tell me they no longer open e-mails from the Groups. I’m about to join them.
What’s happened? LinkedIn Groups have mostly been hijacked by self-promoters whose idea of “discussion” is to endlessly promote their “free” seminars, blogs, products and themselves. My interest, naturally, has been social media, but there is very little “discussion” in those groups. There are plenty of people, though, who want to “help” me with their pitches, which they have the gall to present as discussion.
This morning, I received an e-mail from someone obviously involved in setting up a Group, inviting me to their “free” teleseminar. The e-mail subject line said it was an “announcement” from the Group. They said to hurry, seats are filling up fast. Impressive, since just recently this same individual was spamming me with another free session, and the seats were going quickly. I have serious ethical issues with an e-mail coming from a Group with an individual using the Group name to tout his business. Where is LinkedIn on this?
Another problem with LinkedIn Groups is that it’s hard to find true discussions that are all that informative. I can only speak for social media topics, but I can tell you most of the talk there is behind the curve. I find much more valuable — and current — information on Twitter or elsewhere. Yes, there are tons of spammers on Twitter, but I have the flexibility to unfollow or block users if need be.
Sorry, LinkedIn, no disrespect. I still think there is great potential for businesses in using the social networking site to grow connections and get introductions. They’ve established clear guidelines in that section of LinkedIn and crack down on people who violate the rules. (I also still think the Advanced Search feature is a goldmine of business intelligence.) However, I can no longer recommend that business people join Groups unless their business is a rare case where the self-promoters haven’t already poisoned the atmosphere.
Small businesses and professionals, what do you think? Are LinkedIn Groups relevant any more? Do any help you in your business?
The Rarity: Finding the no-spam zone
Peter Madden had a clever piece on AdAge on Friday, a primer on the seven personalities of Facebook users. Read his full piece for all his witty comments. Quickly, his seven Facebook user categories:
1. Super Moms.
2. The Thing. (Updates on what thing they’re into)
3. BraggaBROcious. (Male or female, they brag about their lives)
4 and 5. Emotionally Yours and Constant Contact (Obvious)
6. The Drinker/Eater (Also obvious).
7. Honored Mom/Dad (Tommy scored two goals!)
Readers added their own, including the Facebooker who never updates their status — The Observer or The Lurker. Others pointed out inept marketers who don’t know how to use the site. (Of course, one marketer couldn’t resist plugging his own site.)
Peter has inspired me to work on my own lists for Twitter and LinkedIn personality categories. Your ideas are welcome.
Here’s just a few for each site to get started. Moving forward, we’ll certainly focus on more than just the clever putdowns, even if they are more fun.
Twitter:
• The Strafer. The user who can’t resist five or more tweets at the same time. Guess they think that this is effective marketing. I call it hit the Unfollow button.
• No-Free Lunchmate. The marketer who plugs “free” things, which invariably cost something, at minimum your e-mail address.
• The Forgetful. The user who teases the same content constantly — usually their own.
LinkedIn:
• The Conversational Spammer. The user who turns every appearance in a Group, Ask A Question, or Answer A Question into a pitch for his services.
• The Expert’s Expert: The user who spends as much time calling themself an expert as he/she does communicating on the site.
• The Forgetful. See Twitter above.
Again, we’d love to hear your suggestions. Yes, you’ll find teases to this post on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, but notice the lack of spam or any sales pitch.
There’s a name for that category in social media, too. It’s called: The Rarity.
Twitter: A brand needing an identity
An entrepreneur yesterday had lots of questions about using Facebook as a marketing tool to help grow his business. He said he looked at Facebook as the new Yellow Pages for small businesses. His clients, he said, are all Facebook users.
He wasn’t nearly as excited, however, about Twitter. When I told him — an educated guess — that many of his clients and prospective clients probably use Twitter, he said he’s “not there yet.” He said he doesn’t see it as a marketing/sales tool.
I tried to explain to him that Twitter is not all about people tweeting about what they had for breakfast. (True story: The only time I’ve ever read anything like that was on Facebook, where a friend wrote “I’m eating a delicious sandwich” as her status update. Still give her grief over that.)
Twitter users are far more receptive than Facebook users to marketing/product conversations. By that, I mean ongoing conversation about a product or service, not blatant, in-your-face pitches. Twitter has the highest percentage of users among the social media sites who are entrepreneurs, according to several surveys.
So what’s the problem? Then I remembered last week’s latest Harris Poll conducted for LinkedIn — 69% of U.S. consumers said they don’t know enough about Twitter to use it. Marketers were particularly harsh in their response to Twitter — 21% thought it wouldn’t go mainstream while 17% said it was “already over.” And only 8% of marketers felt Twitter was an effective promotional tool.
Why the reluctance on Twitter? Why haven’t the Time magazine cover stories and relentless, positive daily coverage (even The New York Times) quieted the reservations of people like this entrepreneur?
When I look at the 69% figure, I think of more than just people needing more information before they use Twitter. Many people still don’t get what Twitter is; it lacks any real identity or clear purpose. LinkedIn is business networking, period. Facebook is social between friends, acquaintances and, increasingly, family. Marketers are just trying to ride the wave of Facebook’s immense popularity.
But Twitter? Many people don’t understand the point of 140-character posts read by strangers. They’re not sure if Twitter is social, business, bulletin board, news, opinion or what. It’s perceived as untamed and unfocused. While Twitter users have the ability to control who they follow or those who follow them, there is still a Wild West quality to the site. Marketers, spammers, porn star wannabes and weirdos can find you easily, even if you can quickly block them. Because Facebook and LinkedIn are perceived as far more protective of the user, people feel safer there.
Brand identity and a quality user experience are the two biggest challenges for Twitter moving forward, particularly as it looks to cash in on its vast audience. And social media marketers and strategists will be challenged in convincing many professionals and small businesses that Twitter is worth a look. Trust me, Twitter is worth checking out.
