Tag Archives: Online Communities

digital media, social media, twitter

Google Plus: new kid on the block

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Google Plus logo
Image by Bruce Clay, Inc via Flickr

You know I like relevance right? Well, I do. And I’m suggesting you probably like relevance, too.

The Importance of Relevance

We now understand that numbers don’t mean everything.  You might have thousands of followers or likes but how many of these people actually interact with you and your brand? How many people are you interacting with? Who are you interacting with?

Those who continue to re-visit your Facebook page or tweet with you are people who find your content relevant. The goal now is to figure out a way to interact with as many people as possible. Providing relevant content to the right people is the way to get this done.

Google Plus Addresses Relevance: Circles:

More than any other social network, Google Plus addresses relevance like Facebook doesn’t and Twitter can’t.

Now, Google Plus doesn’t yet support brands or businesses but Circles (the Google Plus product) is ingenious.  And if you as an individual consider yourself a brand then you should take advantage of Circles.

Circles allows you to organize the people in your social graph according to how you define each relationship.  Is someone your friend? Family member, co-worker, associate or customer? You get to decide because not everyone is your friend.

Increased Engagement:   

What does this segmentation and relevance lead to for you? Increased engagement.  Why? Because now your messages are going to specific people. For example, a note about Robbie Alomar’s induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame can be directed to people you know will be interested in this specific piece of news.

As long as you keep the value of the “Circles” sacred, your community will come to know exactly what to expect from you.  Everything individuals receive from you will now be of value to your community.

You can even go one step further and set which circle(s) you want to watch. Unlike Twitter, the issue of relevance is now controlled by both the sender and receiver of information. I can choose who I send information to and who I receive information from.

Why does this lead to increased engagement?  Put yourself in the seat of a consumer.  If you got to choose the type of messaging you would receive from your favourite brands (and you could be specific as you wanted) would you be more likely than not to at least read the message?  Of course you would!

Now put yourself in the brand’s position.  Are you just interested in “likes” or do you want true engagement in these online spaces?  Likes may result in an increased email database but the issue remains the same:  For online and social media communications to truly succeed the magic pill is and always will be relevance.

Google Plus addresses this issue better than any other social tool out there.  And this is why Google Plus will continue to grow and force Facebook and Twitter (and email marketers) to change.

As always your thoughts are appreciated.

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blog, digital media, social media, twitter

Why Klout (aka influence) is Important

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Like it or not influence matters.  And chances are you’re not sitting on the fence on this one.  Especially when it comes to online influence. You either love Klout or you hate Klout.  

You love Klout because you either understand what they are trying to achieve.  Or if you’ve received a free bag of chips.

You hate Klout because you’ve never “won” anything in your life or your score is lower than 50. Or you don’t believe in what Klout is attempting to build.

But if I asked you if influence matters you would have to agree with me.  Think about it for a moment:

  1. have you “liked” something on Facebook?
  2. ever “retweet” something on Twitter?
  3. have you ever forwarded an email or online article?
  4. do you refer products or services you enjoy to your friends?

You answered yes to at least one question above.  And by doing so you’ve exerted your influence over someone else.  And I believe this is what Klout wants to capture:  The influence you, others and myself have in comparison to others.

Is Klout perfect just yet?  Of course not.  And it may never be.  But here’s the question you should ask yourself:

Will you stop forwarding good content to your sphere of influence?  Of course not.  And that’s why Klout is important.

What say you?

digital media, social media, twitter

how to twitter

Follow me on Twitter logo
Image via Wikipedia

I always get asked, “How do I get more people to follow me on Twitter?”  I figure I get asked this question because these same people have yet to meet folks like @unmarketing, @clickflickca, or @erinbury.  All these folks have more “followers” than I will have in several lifetimes.

I also get asked this question because my clients (through thirdocean) and potential clients aren’t heavy personal users of social media tools.  They are more interested in how to leverage these tools to grow their already successful businesses.  I’m not the biggest dude on Twitter and I don’t pretend to be.  However, because I’ve been asked, allow me to share with all of you what I’ve been doing on Twitter.

Follow To Be Followed:

This is the easiest way to gain a following.  It’s not based on anything you’ve created or the value that you give to others.  It’s only based on you following other people.  Follow me and there’s a chance that I might follow back if I like your tweets and content you are creating.

Cater To A Specific Crowd:

There was a time when I was live-tweeting a Toronto Maple Leaf open practice.  And guess what happened?  My follower count went through the roof over a two-day period of time.  Again, I wasn’t trying to gain more followers and those that did follow me have probably left.  Why? Because I don’t generally tweet about the Leafs.

Provide Valuable Content:

Content is King. Content leads to conversation. Conversation leads to engagement. Engagement will lead to so much more than followers on Twitter.  It can lead to opportunities: both personal and professional.  Be human and be valuable.  Not all your tweets have to be mind-blasting or inspirational.  But please try to provide content that people will want to read and share.

@reply:

If you read a tweet that you like take a moment and share it with your followers.

Don’t Buy Followers:

Yes it is possible to buy followers.  Not only does it cost you money.  But, long-term, it will cost you credibility.

Well, these are just some of my recommendations.  What are some of yours?

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