Dan Soschin

Twitter Tips – Cutting Through the Clutter

Great article containing tips on how to configure Twitter (using third-party tools) to reduce the number of tweets you are consuming:

http://blogs.sitepoint.com/2011/01/14/5-ways-to-make-twitter-less-noisy/

However, before leveraging another tool, definitely take a look at unfollowing content providers that are offering little value. And, most importantly, use lists to group your content into multiple streams. This is a great way to manage multiple topics.

Finally, bring in the horsepower of another product as a last result. A tool like Radian6 can let you monitor literally thousands of tweets and users at once and alert you to “only the good stuff”. But be warned, tools like Radian6 and the many others out there require a fair amount of time to manage so that you can configure them accurately enough to deliver what you are looking for and to avoid the stuff you’d normally pass up. If a monitoring tool or service is consuming too much time, then you’re not getting the right value out of it.
7 Great Tips about Getting your Content Shared

Just read this fantastic article on how to get your content shared efficiently on Facebook. The article follows its own advice (which is good to know, and probably why I found it in the first place).

I share many of these tips with my clients, especially the ones regarding video and digits. We see great results in that area.

Here’s the article:

http://www.problogger.net/archives/2011/01/14/7-ways-to-get-your-blog-posts-shared-on-facebook/
OMMA Global San Francisco – I’ll be in Attendance

I will be attending OMMA Global in San Francisco from February 28 through March 1st.

Here’s the link for more info: http://www.mediapost.com/events/?/showID/OMMAGlobalSanFrancisco.11.SF

I’ll post from the event next month with additional details.
Don’t Interrupt!

If you are monitoring social media to listen in about your brand, take heed to this message… don’t interrupt the conversation!

If you see someone posting a crazy rant, do you really think you’ll be able to change their mind? The last think you want to do is come across as defensive in the social space.

Instead, use this opportunity to learn and listen!

If you feel that you can engage the user, then do so. Maybe they have a genuine issue that you can assist and resolve. In that case, by all means, help!

Be transparent and genuine, not defensive and antagonistic. Otherwise, you might start a verbal fight and that will make this negative experience worse.

Usually rants go away quickly, and if you were able to solve their problem, the rant might even be deleted or rescinded.

Also, if someone compliments you, you can certainly say thanks, but that may look a little like “big brother is watching”, so be mindful of where the praise was given.

What I have found is that if you have a good product/service, with a good following, if someone posts a negative, your customers come to your own defense, which is far stronger than you being defensive. And when they cheer lead your brand, other customers chime in.

Here’s a great article about listening versus participating:

http://www.freshnetworks.com/blog/2011/01/social-media-monitoring-reacting-responding-online/
Facebook Advertising – Click Fraud & Scams

I’ve recently started running a number of large campaigns on Facebook with decent success. My biggest problem is that the data I receive via the Facebook interface differs vastly from my Google Analytics data. I tend to believe G/A data, like it is my bible, so I’m a bit annoyed. Facebook’s reply to my inquiry was the standard reply that GA only records visitors to your site that don’t have JavaScript blocked or cookies disabled, etc… I don’t buy this as the primary issue because the discrepancy in clicks is nearly 40%. And 40% of Facebook users are not blocking cookies and JavaScript.

There’s a big issue with click fraud on Facebook which is a little odd, because Facebook doesn’t have an AdSense network like Google (where click fraud is a big issue). But, from what I’ve researched on the web, it seems that some competitors in certain industries do employ methods for clicking on competitor ads to exhaust their budgets. Based upon Facebook’s immaturity in the advertising space, I’m curious to see if they are equipped to detect, prevent and handle these types of abuse. I would guess probably not… Even Google was a bit late to the game in this regard and still has it’s work cut out in my opinion.

So, I wasn’t too surprised to learn that Facebook’s #3 advertiser is a site called make-my-baby.com which requires you to install a browser plug-in before continuing. It’s a toolbar that is a Bing-affiliate… meaning that every time you do a search and click an ad, Bing and the affiliate (the website I just mentioned) make money. So, they just need to get you to their web site once and the money rolls in… clearly it is working based upon the amount of dough they are dropping. Read the full story here: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/facebooks_3rd_biggest_advertiser_is_a_bing_affilia.php

Clearly, the only person who gets hurt here is the consumer, who gets a poor search experience perhaps… but, advertisers suffer because their rates get inflated as profits are diluted. I don’t Facebook or Bing care, since both profit from the situation. One shady toolbar company rakes in the bucks too!
2010 Search Volume, CPC Data and Market Share Stats for Paid Search

Great article on media post regarding the 2010 paid search results:

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=143089&nid=122741

Not surprising, Google’s market share increased and the Yahoo-Bing relationship created havoc for advertisers (I can relate to this as I observed many unexpected results to search campaigns upon this merger).

CPC for Google continues to rise, and branded search continues to pay dividends for advertisers.
Social Media Policies – Do You Have One?
If your company has more than a few employees, you should have a social media policy. I’m not talking about a 400-page manual of restrictions and edicts. Rather, a document that serves as a reference point and guide for employees, helping them understand how social media affects their careers and the company.

If you search the ‘net for example policies, you’ll find many. The keys to a good social media policy are:
- be concise
- provide examples
- illustrate do’s and don’ts
- provide contact info of your SM managers
- list out procedure for reporting issues
- embrace your employee’s energy as a brand ambassador
- facilitate conversation
- ensure that you outline how social media can impact your business
- explain the value of social media
Here’s a great starter article to get you going: http://www.livingstonbuzz.com/2011/01/24/ten-things-to-include-in-your-social-media-policy-ready/

But the key to any policy is adoption. What I have typically done is an all-staff training day, where we cover all the do’s and don’ts and walk through the policy, leaving ample time for role playing and questions. We follow it up with a quiz as well – and we make the questions tough! Additionally, we incorporate a social media training session into our new hire orientation programs, which works well at acclimating young employees to the professional world of social media, and providing older employees with a comfortable atmosphere to learn about these new tools.
Facebook to Enter Social Buying Space?

Just yesterday I was sharing my opinion on how I though Groupon missed a big opportunity by rejecting Google’s buyout, primarily because I think Google will be able to enter the market and succeed just as well (if not better). Now, before the dust even settled on that debate, there’s news out that Facebook might be entering the mix too – albeit slightly differently. But with Facebook’s 500 million users, you can deny that this has some serious implications (and validation) of the social buying phenomenon.

Here’s my earlier post: http://www.dansoschin.com/social-media/did-groupon-miss-its-narrow-window-of-opportunity

Here’s that article about Facebook:

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=143699
Adwords – Bidding on Competitor Names
Just saw this question in a marketing forum and thought I’d share my answer…

QUESTION:

Google Adwords – Using Competitors Names?

I’m starting a google adwords campaign and looking to generate as much relevent traffic as possible.

One way is to bid on competitor names but I am starting to get a message that I have a low quality score for these.

Has anyone done this before and got around this issue?

Also what is a reasonable budget to give this campaign a shot?

Also what sort of monetary limit is reasonable to set on a per click basis?

MY ANSWER:
A low quality score is typically the result of a low CTR (click through rate). Low CTR’s are the result of one or more of the following variables:
your ad copy is not relevant to the keyword you are buying

your ad copy is not relevant to what the searcher is looking for

your ad is not being displayed in premium places (due to low bid or low quality score)

Your quality score may be affected by a poor landing page – one that does not have content (text) that is relevant to your ad and keyword. The best text ad campaigns have their own landing pages, rather than just direct people to a common web page on your site.
With regards to bidding on competitor’s keywords, it’s a grey area. If you are selling tires and you bid on the brand name of a tire, you should have that tire’s info on your landing page. If not, people will bounce from your landing page.

There are also a number of legal issues with bidding on competitor names. I am not an attorney, so I will not provide legal advice in this forum, but I do know that many cases on this issue are pending. So long as your ad does not confuse the searcher into thinking you are that company and it is clear that you are a competitor, you are “probably” okay. But, I would recommend as a matter of policy that you do not bid on competitor names at all. Typically these convert to leads poorly, because searchers were not looking for your site, they were looking for the competitor’s site. Plus, if you bid on competitor’s names, what’s to stop them from doing the same, and that drives up the cost of your branded keywords (which should be your bread and butter). You’ll start a keyword bidding “arm’s race”.

Your question about budget and CPC is completely variable depending upon your business model, objectives and industry. Certain keywords can cost $25 per click in various industries, while others can cost just pennies.

Some companies literally spend millions of dollars per week on search, and can afford unlimited budgets, while other can only spend a few hundred. This is entirely driven by your business model, so I cannot provide any advice there.

It is not a violation of Google’s Advertising policy to bid on competitor’s names in the USA. However, you still may not want to do this. The person who said “Google frowns on this” is incorrect. But like I said, there are court cases pending, as this is a very active area of Internet law.
Alternative Uses for Social Media

As a hiring manager, when I am looking to fill a position, I post the job through social media.

Then, when candidates apply, I search for them online to “find out more about them”. And, since I’m a social media consultant, I look for people to hire that have a good handle on their own social media presence.

But some industries have learned to use social media for other reasons, primarily to keep people honest and look for fraud. Here’s a great article that sums up some of these case studies by Media Post:

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=143614&nid=123026#

I’m reminded of the story of why many people in my region (DC Metro) still don’t purchase the automated toll pass systems for their cars… each time they go through a toll, the time and location is recorded. Now imagine you are being investigated for being somewhere you weren’t supposed to be (like a cheating spouse, or skipping work). A toll pass recording might provide enough damning evidence to contradict you. Similarly, posting a picture of you skiing when you were supposed to be at work, or at a conference, or wherever you were really supposed to be, just might land you in some hot water, and not just with your office, but maybe your insurer too.