TIME Magazine or AmeriCares ...Who Is Better At Twitter?

Which of these two brands (@TIME Magazine or @AmeriCares Non-Profit) is making better use of their Twitter account?


TIME is a big, well-established brand with a huge pre-existing fanbase. They had little trouble leveraging their name into an enormous number of Twitter followers.

AmeriCares is more like most smaller businesses (they are probably a lot like your business.) They don't have the mass appeal of a Time magazine. It will take them longer to establish in this space.

TIME has 614,143 followers. AmeriCares has 2,434. At first glance, it might appear that TIME is benefiting more from this tool.

LOOK CLOSER!

AmeriCares is following 2,428 people! They are taking a much more interactive approach and building two-way relationships with their users. They are engaging and bonding with their existing fans. They are introducing themselves to people who may have never heard of them before. AmeriCares' overall Twitter numbers aren't as impressive as TIME's, but is it possible that they are actually getting more benefit from this powerful tool?

TIME found only 54 of it's 600,000+ users to be interesting enough to follow back.

This is a HUGE MISS!

One could take this as a sign that TIME thinks what they have to say to their customer is far more important than what their customer has to say to them. This thinking might work for them (for now) because their brand is well-established. It won't work for you!

TIME may see their Twitter campaign as a marketing success based on their follow numbers, but you have to ask several questions:

• How many of these Twitter followers are already "following" them in other spaces?
• How many of these followers are building tighter bonds with the brand as a result of this one-way messaging?
  
• Is TIME actually gaining anything new from their Twitter campaign that they can't get elsewhere?

Ultimately, isn't the quality of the relationships you build in Social Media far more important than the quantity?

Now it's your turn:

Which of these two brands (@RollingStone Magazine or @WorldCircuit Record Label) is making better use of their Twitter account?

De La Soul-cial Networking

Do you remember these guys:

De La Soul. They've been making music since the 1980s. Recently, they teamed up with Nike Sport Music to release "ARE YOU IN?: Nike+ Original Run", a record that is now available through iTunes for $9.99.

To promote this new project, De La Soul took to technology in true De La-fashion. Check out what one of them (Posdnous - twittername: @PlugWonDeLaSoul) is doing on Twitter:


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What stands out in all of Posdnous's posts?


The "@RESPONSE"!

Posdnous is responding...conversing...interacting...having one-on-one, personal exchanges with his fans. Aside from his time, the cost is nothing. The impact on building a dedicated fanbase is HUGE! This is such easy stuff, you have to wonder why every business in the world isn't doing it.

Questions:

How many of the fans that Posdnous has connected with on this personal level will go on to buy the album?

How many of those fans will remember these connections years from now when De La Soul releases another CD?

How is a musician interacting with his fans similar to your company interacting with your customers?

What can you learn from De La Soul-cial Networking?

What Else Does A Guy Have To Do To Get A JOB?

My main goal at WHY? Media (the blog) is to showcase easy-to-use, low cost ways to leverage technology in order to spread the word about your brand. Today I offer a story about a guy who is using every high-tech-tool in the book to spread the word about his job search.

Meet Mike:

These days, most job seekers build some sort of website to feature a resume, portfolio and such. Mike is going way beyond that. He's turned his job search into a major social media marketing campaign. He calls it "Get Mike a Job (and Win Prizes!)"

Mike has built a "Get Mike a Job (and Win Prizes!)" website & blog:


Mike has built a "Get Mike a Job (and Win Prizes!)" LinkedIn Page:


Mike has built a "Get Mike a Job (and Win Prizes!)" FaceBook Page:


Mike has built a "Get Mike a Job (and Win Prizes!)" Twitter Account:


Mike has built a "Get Mike a Job (and Win Prizes!)" YouTube Channel:


(Editors Note: I didn't find "Get Mike a Job" on Blip.Fm, a popular music-streaming site. Hey Mike, maybe you should create a "Get Mike a Job (and Win Prizes!)" Blip channel and play nothing but work-themed songs. Stuff like "Works Hard For The Money" by Donna Summer or "Working Man" by Rush. You could set your Blip account to update your Twitter account so you'll be reaching more eyeballs every time you spin a tune!)


What Mike is demonstrating in his job search is what every company, big or small, should be doing with their brand. This is an ultra-modern, well-planned, well-executed, multi-channeled attack. If your company isn't doing this stuff, maybe you should give Mike a call.

Questions:
What is Mike doing that your company isn't?
What other tech-tools can Mike use in his campaign?
What can your company learn about viral marketing from "Get Mike a Job (and Win Prizes!)"?

(Editors Note: By spreading the word about this blog post, you could be helping Mike find his next employer. Tweet this article, post it on Facebook, Digg It, Stumble It, RSS Feed it...do whatever it is you do with blog posts that you like. I'm sure Mike will thank you.")

Is Hate-Tweeting Oprah Basically The Same As Loving Her?

Oprah Winfrey (twittername: @Oprah) caught tons of media (and social media) attention last week by opening a Twitter account live on her TV show. If a recent Twitter Search is any indication, the tweet community appears to be less than tweet-ceptive. Check out all the hate-tweeting going on:

Questions:

Don't you think all these less-than-positive mentions of the @Oprah name are actually a good thing for her brand overall?

Wouldn't you consider it a huge win if your brand got this much attention it's first week on Twitter?

I'm just sayin'...

The Web Beats Traditional Media (Yet Again)

Have you heard about the recent star-powered popularity contest that came in the form of a contest to be the first Tweeter to gather 1 million followers on Twitter.

In one corner, Media giant CNN (twittername: @CNN) sporting it's millions of television viewers and fire-fueled promotional machine. In the other corner, underdog everyman-actor Aston Kutcher (twittername: @aplusk), equipped only with a laptop and a small web-based videocast (oh yeah...and his hugely popular brand and black book of A list friends.)

CNN was largely considered the favorite...after all, they have Larry King. But Kutcher leveraged his fan base (and a large offering of man-boy prizes) and pulled off the upset victory.

Yet another example of the web out-media-ing the media.

Live Videos by Ustream

Cool Content + Social Media = BUZZZZ!!!

Savannah College Of Art And Design is doing something really cool with social media right now. The school is hosting the Game Developers eXchange (game developers, educators and students sharing their behind-the-scenes knowledge of the game industry.) The cool part is that they have built an online videocast channel called SCADTV into their website. They are using this great tool to provide live coverage of the event. They are also live microblogging about the event (and their SCADTV coverage of it) on Twitter (twittername: @scaddotedu). Users can interact by tweeting questions and thoughts live by using "#gdx" in their message.

I love this stuff! Combining multi-media assets and social media tools is a super-strong play. Are you using your website to engage your audience in this way?

How Will You Protect Your Brand From Viral Hijacking?

Have you seen this yet?

A couple of lovely Domino's (thankfully now EX) employees were looking for YouTube fame. What they achieved instead was a viral-hijacking of Domino's basically respected brand. With this series of disgusting behind-the-pizza-oven videos, these two have levied more destruction than Pizza Hut, Little Ceasars and Papa John's combined.

Patrick Doyle (President, Domino's U.S.A) went to the web to deliver some probably too tightly-scripted damage control.


What do you think...

Did Doyle get it right?
Did he do enough to erase the negative buzz?
How would you respond if your brand was under a similar attack?

SMILE AND MOVE: Sometimes It Really Is That Simple.

I've blogged about Sam Parker (twittername: @justParker) in the past ("The Power Of Words" 05/20/2008). He is a professional motivator (great job if you can get it) who is effective because his messages are simple and actionable. He also gives us great examples of the importance of using slick, quick, fast-paced, educational, informational, entertaining and interactive content to help get a message across.

Here's his latest work...I'm sure you'll enjoy his message. More importantly, learn from his technique. Ask yourself the question, "how can I package and present my brand with a similar impactful spirit?"

Is Britney Spears Socially Stupid?

Last week was an interesting one in the world of New Media. Two new high profile jobs were in the headlines. Anyone interested in Viral Marketing should be watching these very closely.

In Washington DC, President Obama unveiled his new DIRECTOR OF NEW MEDIA FOR THE WHITE HOUSE. Meanwhile, Britney Spears began her search for a 2.0 MEDIA MANAGER.

High profile positions like these can do nothing but legitimize the need for solid Social Media planning. The question is...can Britney Spears keep from screwing this up?

DIRECTOR OF NEW MEDIA FOR THE WHITE HOUSE

Early last week, within minutes after the inauguration, a brand new blog was introduced at http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/. As a result, we were more formally introduced to Obama's New Media mastermind...Macon Phillips:

As the week (and even the weekend) progressed, it became apparent that we are dealing with a different White House. So far, The White House Blog has been a pretty readable combination of press-release/policy information and some slightly more candid quotes from our latest President. There has also been an occasional (and refreshing) behind-the-scenes editorial:

"For incoming White House staff, the past few days have been a singularly thrilling -- and learning -- experience. Wide-eyed staffers roam the halls of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building with thick stacks of HR paperwork in hand, new phone numbers are being memorized -- and the line for coffee and club sandwiches is starting to grow as word spreads about the White House Mess. It's safe to say that working at the White House isn't something anyone can prepare for, but the career staff continue to work tirelessly to make the first few days as smooth as possible."

It will be very interesting as time goes on the see how much of this editorial aspect remains. Day-in-the-life, behind-the-curtain, insider glimpses of what it's like to be in the White House everyday...that's pretty engaging stuff. The amount of personalization and transparency used in future posts will surely determine whether this becomes a blog for the common man...or merely an unused tool for the press. I cheer for the common man. This type of "open" communication will go a long way in times like these.

BRITNEY SPEARS 2.0 MEDIA MANAGER

Also in the news last week, as if stealing directly from the Prez playbook, pop-tart Britney Spears posted a new job listing:

If anyone needs an online makeover right now, it's Ms. Spears. Building a better Britney through Social Media is a logical plan. The problem is that the above job posting only appeared (as far as I can tell) on a Harvard job board. Apparently Britney's people think there is a pedigree in Social Media. Bad move!

Consider the new DIRECTOR OF NEW MEDIA FOR THE WHITE HOUSE, Macon Phillips. It can be argued that this guy holds the top New Media job in the country right now. Currently, Phillips is the poster boy for Word-Of-Mouth Marketing. Interesting to note...Macon Phillips went to a university with a watchable basketball team:

HARVARD NEW MEDIA SPECIALIST

Oh, by the way. It looks like Harvard is also looking for a New Media Specialist. This posting is showing up on job boards all across the nation:

Funny...looks like Harvard isn't limiting their search for a New Media pro to just the Boston area.

That would be social stupidity.

"There Is Really Nothing New About Social Media..."

My good friend Todd Feldman just wrote a great blog post that I wanted to share. It's called Getting Real About Integrating Your Brand with Social Media.

First, a little about Todd. He and I worked together on the Emerging Channels team at circuitcity.com. More than just about anyone I know, Todd gets social media and how it can be used for e-commerce and marketing. He likes to say "Social Media should be viewed as a powerful ingredient that enables the connection of every department within your company with each other and then directly to your customer."

That would look a little like this:


...or perhaps we can think about it like this:

Social Media is a lot like Manhattan. It's an island. Not the lonely, inaccessible island the 48 survivors of Lost call home. On the contrary, Manhattan is booming with traffic and connected to land on all sides by a complex system of bridges. The folks in your company who are struggling to accept Social Media because they see it as an island...show 'em this map.

In his blog post, Todd wrote "Word-of Mouth Marketing is the oldest form of marketing, right?" He then came to a very insightful conclusion..."There really is nothing new about Social Media, except that now we have technology on our side." I couldn't agree more. The "new" part, I would argue, is the new importance in excepting the need for transparency.

Let's face it, big-business is borrowing social technologies from the general population. If we are going to have any real success in this field, we're going to have to spend some effort discovering what makes Social Networking work in the real world. Consider this, the most influential bloggers, tweeters, facebook friends, ect...they are the ones that allow themselves to be exposed online. They share with us their real experiences...and they are rewarded with our loyalty and trust.

How can you be more transparent in your viral branding? What can you share about your business that will create a bond of trust between you and your online followers? Discuss those questions in the comment section below. Maybe your answers will help us all.

Tech Sandwich: Episode 017 - The Best (& Worst) Of CES 2009.The Final Tech Sandwich Podcast.

(Note from the editor: For archival purposes (and in keeping with our DIY viral marketing philosophy), I'm reprinting a series of articles originally written for circuitcity.com.)

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It's called TECH SANDWICH (a tech news and gadget information PODcast by Circuit City.) Each Thursday, our crack team of Circuit City experts gather to inform, educate, entertain and interact. We discuss top tech information and explore the latest gadget rumors...and we always invite you to join in the discussion.
This week on TECH SANDWICH:
A review of CES 2009.

To Download TECH SANDWICH..."Right Click" and "Save As" HERE!

Try This Tool:WiFi Digital Camera

Last week at CES (Consumer Electronic Showcase in Las Vegas), Sony introduced "the world's first Wi-Fi digital camera with Web browser". The Cyber-shot DSC-G3 will allow you to take a picture or video and (if you have a Wi-Fi connection) upload it directly to the internet.

The photos/videos can be uploaded directly to Photobucket, Shutterfly, Picasa, YouTube, Dailymotion and more, meaning you could set up your blog to instantly post this photos within seconds of actually taking them. This could take your mobile blogging to a whole new level!

DIY Sighting On A Cold Sunday.

DIY is such an important part of internet success...success in everything for that matter.

I just saw a father working on the roof on his house with his young son...teaching him the DIY spirit.

Good job dad!

A New Year. A New...

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