Think I might try this…

Could this be something that you pass on to your clients who are struggling with their marketing budget? Or those who have no budget? Maybe it is something that you can offer your clients as one of your services? There is always something more that you can do for your clients, to make a few more dollars for yourself, and to make them cherish your attention to their success. You just have to do it.

I know I am being asked more and more by my clients about social media/networking. And specifically about QR codes.

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For those who are just starting out on Twitter

measuring, metrics, it is a necessary task.

As more of us offer social media services for our clients, we really need to measure their success or lack of, for the client. This post has some good ideas on how to do that.

Nobody said social media was easy.

Two things come up when I read this, and both are tied together. The other day I was watching the 140character conference on Ustream (http://140conf.com) a speaker really hit a note with me @hankwasiak . (his pdf of his presentation and his video ) He had a little line that just said it all. Social media transforms the old model of marketing from shouting and selling to a new model. Sharing, and Helping and I add,  Listening. As the above post points out, you have to work at this every day.

Recently a couple of list members mentioned that they had bought a Twitter marketing program. Now without knowing the specifics of these “programs” that were purchased, I have a funny feeling that they are nothing more than some old-school marketer who feels he has missed the boat with what twitter is, and is now trying to jump on the fast moving rocket and push his SHOUTING AND SELLING ways to others who also feel they need to “jump on the marketing goldmine/cash machine that is twitter” (I read that somewhere).  They probably promise that if you follow their system, grab news in your field from RSS feeds and tweet it out, you will get thousands of followers and you can then sell them your product/services. And do it all with no effort, no thought, no work other than click click. All automated. Just go Google on Twitter marketing programs and you will see what I mean by this old school trying to turn social media back to their old paradigm. You’ll see phrases like “brute force power twitter marketing” , “Marketing Twitter success automation software can make all the difference in your twitter success” and “Earned $4000 on One Tweet Proven System”.

One person said that she “looks at twitter once a day to respond (and sometimes not that often)” and also said that she looks through her followers about once a week, to find something to retweet. When she is not bogged down.

Yeah.

Nothing like actually having a genuine conversation with your followers. Replying to a tweet a week later is just, just so… ugggh. Too busy to talk with your customers. Many of the programs tell their purchasers that they will get a gazillion new followers. The old school “bigger is better” when it comes to numbers. It is not a numbers game. It is the interactions with the actual PERSON who is behind the follower profile. One on one conversations. Not a blast of tweets and see which one sticks. It is talking to them, getting to know them and letting them get to know you. Sharing commonalities with them. Listening to their wants/needs. Tweeting things back and forth and developing a conversation with many. Then you may get their permission to give them some info on what you are selling. Twitter is not a telemarketing call system for the digital age. It is a conversation with people. It is listening and sharing and caring about them. It is not shoving your service in their face every day with programmed and scheduled tweets. @garyvee gets that. @scottmonty gets that. Many others get it. It is why they are succeeding. I suspect that those who buy “twitter marketing systems” don’t get it. But, well, I guess enough ranting for now. Tweeting since 2007 @zenfishing and since 2008 @kidoimages and no, I don’t have automated anything.