Colin Clarke sits down with me to discuss communications strategy, social media, hockey and work/family balance. He shares his insight on how he keeps up with the new developments, technologies and advancements in marketing and applying them to client work.
Posts Tagged ‘Twitter’
Automation vs. Humanization in Social Media
Automation can make all of our lives easier, and it does play a role in social media. HootSuite allows you to enter in tweets and set the time you want them to be sent out. Blogging software can allow you to create blog posts for the entire week and publish them on a schedule. Marketing Automation software allows you to send email based on consumer action.
If you have regularly scheduled announcements/posts/etc. then it makes perfect sense to automate. You can’t always be at your computer when it is time for the push, so this can keep you on schedule.
All of those examples have one main thing in common. They all center around publishing content, not engaging in conversation. This distinction gets lost far too often.
Nothing bugs me more than automated responses from companies, or an automated Direct Message on Twitter after I have followed someone. I recently sent an email to Northwest Airlines asking a question about my account. It was clear that the reply was either automated, or a canned response since they asked me to try things that I had already told them I have tried.
Automation in the form of a Direct Message has become a standard after you follow someone on twitter, and it is a lazy response. Here are a few examples of DMs I have received after following someone on Twitter:
Thanks for following me, I’m excited about knowing you! Please join me on FB too, (link to their FB page)
Thanks for following. Keep me posted on any marketing insights or groundbreaking ideas you may come across.
Thanks for following, Hope you are having a nice day!
And my personal favorite:
I just gave you “peace and happiness “! Check it out: (Link from them) You should send me a gift back 
On a very rare occasion does a DM response to my follow even have my name. Very lazy, very automated. On the other hand, responses that address me, and who I am get my attention every time. This is key in social media and building relationships.
A great example of this happened to me a few weeks back. David Armano (@armano). who writes the blog Logic + Emotion, (a must read) replied to my Direct Message after he followed me. Here is how it went.
My Direct Message:
Thanks for the follow David. I’ve been following you since the Twitter 20 with (@jaybaer). Have a great day!
His Response:
Cool, I appreciate you reaching out. always nice to hear from a real live person. 
This is from a guy that has almost 20,000 followers on Twitter. Just to prove my point, I talked to David and asked if he responds to all of the Direct Messages he gets. His response was that not only does he not reply to the automated responses, he sometimes blocks them. Adding a personal touch made me stand out.
Another example of good customer service and listening courtesy of Boingo.
My Tweet:
@Boingo Your connection keeps cutting out in the Mpls airport. Great when it is working, but getting frustrating.
Within minutes I had this back from them:
@jlysne What part of the airport are you in?
That response immediately told me that someone was listening and was ready to help troubleshoot my problem. Even though I had some trouble with the connection, I know that customer support is ready and listening if I have problems in the future.
Think about this next time you want to add more automation to your process. Yes, it plays a big role in making us more efficient, but if you are trying to build relationships or enhance customer service, it can be your downfall.
(photos by Sergi Golyshev and Photochiel)
Inspired Clarity: KNOW Seminar on Social Media
Inspired clarity
Is social media a fad? The numbers (if you’re into that kind of thing) tell the story:
- If Facebook were a country, it would be the 4th largest (China, India, United States top it—for now)
- 80% of companies use LinkedIn as primary tool to find employees
- 80% of Twitter is on mobile devices: What are your customers saying about your brand?
- 78% of consumers trust peer recommendations | Only 14% trust advertisements
Here’s our take: Social media is a fundamental shift in how we communicate.
A couple weeks ago, SimmonsFlint hosted 46 professionals at our KNOW seminar in Grand Forks. We opened with the video Is Social Media a Fad?
Our premise was to get our fellow marketers thinking about proven, measurable ways to harness the potential of digital media to achieve their own goals—without feeling overwhelmed.
We brought in three of our own. First up, Eric Piela, our Automated Marketing Strategist.
Get engaged
Eric’s our expert in automated marketing, and yes, it’s much more than zipping an e-mail to a list of prospects. As Eric says, you wouldn’t just waltz up to someone and ask her to marry you. (Even if you did meet online, and last year 1 out of 8 couples married in the U.S. did meet via social media.)
Done right, automated marketing coordinates advertising, direct mail, microsites, landing pages and, of course, e-mails, to reach your customers and prospects in ways that make sense to them. Again, in Eric’s words, you start a conversation, have dinner, get acquainted, meet the parents….then, and only then, do you propose. And the answer is yes: It works.
Email Eric
Follow Eric on Twitter
Get it in your plans
Next up, Josh Lysne, our Digital Media Strategist, guided us through what’s working in online advertising, websites, social networking, texting, new media and other digital marketing. Josh ought to know, too. He has new media experience with major international brands, and he lives and breathes this landscape. Josh also highlighted proven opportunities to use these tools to build your business or organization.
Email Josh
Follow Josh on Twitter
Get better results
Tried and true media still works. ‘Works better when used with new media. Jennifer Strickler, our VP of Flint Interactive, discussed the role of print, radio, TV, outdoor, direct mail and other more familiar options. Integrated with social media, mobile, online and other new media, this approach gets better results.
Email Jen
Follow Jen on Twitter
If you joined our KNOW session, thanks. We hope you share our inspired clarity for this great shift in communications.
