Designed to help social media marketers strengthen their brand’s, company’s or organization’s presence on Twitter, this presentation uses real-life examples to present, explain and demonstrate how social media marketers can improve their presence and engagement metrics on Twitter. By using these tactics, you will succeed in growing your company's number of Twitter connections and, consequently, increasing your organization's ability to reach more current and future customers in the social space.
This presentation was developed by Bob Cargill, Director of Social Media at Boston-based digital marketing agency, Overdrive Interactive. It was the first of three segments that comprised a panel discussion entitled "How to Use Social Media to Stand Out in a Crowd," given at NEDMA's 2014 DM Innovations Symposium.
Hannah Brady - Powering Up Your Brand with Content @ Force24 All leads
NEDMAInno14: 10 Ways Your Brand Can Stand Out On Twitter - Bob Cargill
1. .
38 Everett St | Allston, Massachusetts 02134 | 617-254-5000 | www.ovrdrv.com
10 Ways Your Brand Can Stand Out on Twitter
March 13, 2014
Bob Cargill (@cargillcreative on Twitter)
Director of Social Media
Overdrive Interactive
#NEDMAInno14
2. 2
.
How do you stand out in a
crowd of over 241 million
active Twitter users?
3. 3
.
10 Ways Your Brand Can Stand Out on Twitter
1. Newsjack What’s Hot
2. Ask Questions
3. Engage with other Brands
4. Embrace Your Fans
5. Talk about the Weather
6. Be Responsive
7. Have a Sense of Humor
8. Give Something Away
9. Be Inspirational
10. Share Your Knowledge
This presentation is based on an article written by Bob Cargill for ClickZ (www.clickz.com) on February 25, 2014,
which you can find here: http://www.clickz.com/clickz/column/2330617/10-ways-your-brand-can-stand-out-on-twitter
4. 4
.
Newsjack What’s Hot
1. Taking advantage of trending news by writing about it as it is
breaking can be a very effective way to inject your brand into the
conversation IF it is done in a clever, timely and tasteful manner.
The Grammys. The Academy Awards. The Olympics. Special events
like these are ripe for the picking.
For instance, during this year’s Super Bowl, many brands were playing
the newsjacking game, sharing their quips in real time.
10. 10
.
Ask Questions
2. Any networker worth his or her salt knows the best way to win over
an audience is to show an interest in what others have to say rather
than to talk about yourself.
Ask them anything. The more you ask them questions, the more likely
they’ll be to trust that you’re genuinely interested in their needs,
interests and opinions. The more likely they’ll be to do business with
you when the time comes.
16. 16
.
Engage With other Brands
3. Back in the day, it would have been highly unusual – and nearly
impossible – for one brand to talk to another. What would be the point?
And without the Internet, there wasn’t really a good forum for such
conversation, anyway.
Social media changes everything. And today, now that most brands
have the basics of Twitter down, they’re going where no brands have
gone before, reaching out to one another for not just casual banter, but
for strategically timed engagement.
22. 22
.
Embrace Your Fans
4. People follow brands on Twitter for a number of reasons, one of
which is for a digital autograph, a chance to connect with someone or
something they adore.
One-on-one interaction is ideal. A retweet or a reply goes a long way
with your fans. But if you’re too big or too busy to reach out to others
individually, you can still at least acknowledge those who follow you in
one fell swoop and thank them every once in a while.
28. 28
.
Talk about the Weather
5. What’s the one thing people talk about when they have nothing else
to say? The weather! Everyone is interested in the forecast, the
temperature and whether it’s sunny, raining or snowing outside.
The weather is the lowest common denominator of conversation. It’s an
opportunity for brands to talk about something that has universal
appeal.
36. 36
.
Be Responsive
6. Given the fact that over 70% of users expect brands to get back to
them on Twitter in under an hour (according to a Lithium Technologies
report http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2304492/Brands-Expected-
to-Respond-Within-an-Hour-on-Twitter-Study), it only makes sense that
the quicker you respond to those who tag you, the better.
Monitor the channel for mentions and questions. Unless they’re trolls,
spammers or ridiculously rude people, everyone deserves a timely
response.
43. 43
.
Have a Sense of Humor
7. Far too many brands take themselves too seriously on Twitter. For
them, every single tweet is watered down, devoid of any personality
whatsoever, never mind a sense of humor. Yet one of the best ways to
stand out on this channel is to lighten up every once in a while.
Laugh at yourself. Poke fun at others – in a harmless, good-natured
way. Don’t hesitate to put a smile on the face of your brand.
51. 51
.
8. Perhaps the easiest way to stand among the competition for
attention on Twitter is to host a contest or sweepstakes. You don’t have
to feature a big prize, either. Anything you have to offer is sure to draw
interest.
Make sure you abide by Twitter’s guidelines, though
https://support.twitter.com/articles/68877-guidelines-for-contests-on-
twitter. There are probably more details involved than you realize. But if
you play by the rules and your prize is desirable, you’ll likely be deluged
with replies and entries.
Give Something Away
57. 57
.
Be Inspirational
9. Whether you’re marketing to businesses or consumers, don’t forget
that you’re talking to other humans on Twitter. Sure, your ultimate
objective may be to increase lead and sales, but that doesn’t happen
overnight on Twitter. It happens over time.
Start by helping your followers achieve both their personal and
professional dreams. A little emotion goes a long way toward moving
people to action and helping them separate the good tweets from those
not worth their time.
63. 63
.
Share Your Knowledge
10. Speaking of being helpful, some of the most popular accounts on
Twitter are those that provide insight and information to their followers.
Like the most successful thought leaders, they share tips, tricks, facts
and figures about the space in which their brands and followers live,
work and play.
70. 70
.
10 Ways Your Brand Can Stand Out on Twitter
This presentation is based on an article written by Bob Cargill for
ClickZ (www.clickz.com) on February 25, 2014, which you can find
here: http://
www.clickz.com/clickz/column/2330617/10-ways-your-brand-can-stand-
71. 71
.
Bob Cargill
• Director of Social Media at Overdrive Interactive
• 30+ Years or Experience as a Marketing Professional
• The New England Direct Marketing Association’s Direct Marketer of
the Year in 2009
• Over 40 Awards for Copywriting, Creative Direction and Social
Media
• Gold from NEDMA for Blog in 2006
• Gold from NEDMA for Best Tweets in 2010
• Frequent Speaker at Industry Events and Elsewhere
• Past President of the New England Direct Marketing Association
(‘99-’00) and Two Toastmasters Clubs
• Graduate of Leadership MetroWest’s Leadership Academy (‘92)
72. .
Thank you!
Bob Cargill
Director of Social Media
Overdrive Interactive
bcargill@overdriveinteractive.com
617-254-5000
@cargillcreative on Twitter