Social media marketing | Liz Hover's Diary of a Web Gal

Looking through the stats on my blog I’ve noticed that a lot of folks are searching for inspiration to help them come up with good ideas to post on Twitter.

Previously I’d written about a post on Ari Herzog’s blog by Mark Havenner in which Mark describes his C.R.A.S.H formula when he’s stuck for tweet ideas.

Comment. Reply. Ask. Share. Help. This is an excellent formula.

I’d also like to share my tweeting philosophy with you in the hope it will help those of you looking for inspiration on Twitter.

Your number one goal when posting to Twitter should be to add value.

In fact I think Jason Falls put it best when he said, ‘Share good shit.’ Anytime you post to Twitter, ask yourself, ‘Is this something others will want to know? Is it of value to them? Am I sharing knowledge?’

One of the most popular types of tweet are those that contain links.

Dan Zarella recently posted an interesting infographic showing how to get more retweets on Twitter. I think you’ll find his information useful when considering what to post to Twitter. Dan describes himself as a social media scientist so you’re probably wise to heed his advice.

Dan recommends we tweet links, stop talking about ourselves, say new things and tweet about Twitter.

So head on over to your Twitter account and tweet away!

Just watch it. It’s funny.

I’m a huge fan of the Big Brother TV show set in the UK. I’ve been watching since the show started ten years ago.

Since moving to Canada seven years ago I’ve managed to keep up with it every year.

Clearly, Twitter has grown and more Big Brother fans use it than ever before.

2010 is a major year for Big Brother in the UK; this is the last series. Channel Four are cancelling it.

Last night was the first eviction – if you’re not familiar with the Big Brother format then all you need to know is that a bunch of strangers get put in a house for a couple of months and get to nominate each other for eviction every week. The whole thing is shown on TV and the general public vote to decide who leaves. In the end, the last housemate wins a major cash prize – like $100,000.

Channel Four broadcasts a highlights show every night of the week and Friday is always eviction night.

Eviction night is a major event for Big Brother fans.

So it was with nervous excitement that I ‘tuned in’ to the internet late yesterday afternoon to check on which of the three peeps up for eviction would leave.

I was on Twitter and also a Big Brother forum which I regularly check – obviously I can’t watch the eviction show live on TV because I’m in Canada so I’m relying totally on the internet to keep me up to date.

I’m scanning everything for clues about who will leave the house. That announcement is always made live on TV by presenter Davina McCall.

Until last night.

Someone at Channel Four messed up on Twitter by announcing the name of the person being evicted before it was announced live on TV.

In some cases this type of reveal is intentional – breaking exclusive news on Twitter. This was not one of those moments.

In addition to the main Big Brother show there are several supplementary TV shows which cover news, gossip and behind-the-scenes. Big Brother’s Big Mouth (presented at one time by Russell Brand) is one of them. They even have their own Twitter account.

Moments before the TV reveal Big Brother’s Big Mouth tweeted:

SHOCKER!!! Tell us what you think of Rachael getting evicted. Say what you really think!!!

Seconds later the tweet was deleted. I didn’t see it but what I did see were dozens of angry Big Brother fans on Twitter bemoaning the slip up.

But Big Brother’s Big Mouth did good.

Sure there were plenty of folks on Twitter proclaiming that the tweeter responsible would surely lose their job. I hope not because Big Brother’s Big Mouth did precisely what you should do in a crisis situation.

The listened. They acknowledged. They apologized.

The result?

Reactions like this one.

Honestly it didn’t bother me one bit but what it did do was underscore an important issue about handling yourself publicly when you mess up.

In the ‘olden days’ the PR approach was to act as if it didn’t happen, cover it up, not comment or comment with an excuse. I’ve lived through that – back in England as a press officer.

And that’s why I love the social web in 2010.

It forces you to be open, honest and genuine. I hope!

People will love you all the more if you can be those things. Even when you mess up.

Social media and old school PR approaches don’t mix.

This is something we can all learn from.

Thanks to the excellent Social Media Guide I just came across this. Sound advice from Twitter users.

I’m not the first person to say this and I won’t be the last but I’m getting a bit bored of reading that social media is all about Twitter (or maybe I’m getting bored of reading about Twitter?)

It isn’t. And it never will be.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Twitter. Most of the time.

And most of the time, it loves me back.

But people – there is a world outside Twitter.

I worry about the marketers who think as long as they have a Twitter account they have their social media bases covered.

No. You. Don’t.

I should be thankful that there’s so much interest in Twitter – most of the popular posts on my site from the past 12 months are about Twitter.

This all goes back to what I’ve said before: social media is a silly term. Misleading in fact.

There are many tools ‘out there’ that allow you and me and many others to talk to each other online including Facebook, Twitter et al. Many (most?) websites let you communicate through comments or using sharing tools.

In fact, the internet in general lets us all communicate with each other and have ongoing dialogue. That’s why it’s called ‘the social web.’

So to focus on one website (Twitter) is a mistake. It’s also foolish for websites dedicated to social media to largely be trumpeting Twitter.

There is so much more out there.

And if we’re to teach communication professionals (and anyone else willing to listen) about the benefits of the social web we’re not doing those folks any favours by remaining so narrow-minded.

This isn’t a case of me listing for you all the sites, in addition to Twitter, that make up the collective we call ‘social media tools.’

I’m talking about the entire internet. This blog. Your comments and so much more.

The internet has given us a way to talk to each other. To listen to each other. To share. To create. To manipulate content.

If you’re a communications professional, for the love of God, don’t let Twitter cloud your vision of what social media really is.

Being a Brit gal I was interested to see the UK government has written an extensive document about Twitter.

The Template Twitter Strategy for Government Departments really is a step by step guide to Twitter and includes information about positioning, tone of voice and a breakdown of content principles.

One could say it’s a little over the top but I guess that’s bureaucracy for you.

The one thing that pains me about corporate Twitter accounts is the possibility that every tweet must be approved. This simply isn’t practical and prevents folks from having any form of conversation because it slows everything down. Sadly the UK government has succumbed to this.

Overall the guide makes for interesting reading especially for folks new to Twitter who need an extensive breakdown of exactly how Twitter works.