What is Twitter?
Social networking and widgets have been called the root of Web 3.0. In the next few weeks I am going to explain and demystify the endless social networking sites and how they can be useful to your business. My descriptions will start out short and sweet but then they will evolve with deeper definitions and video showing how they work and why they do or don’t matter to you.
First up: Twitter.
What is Twitter? Twitter is a micro-blogging service that allows users to send short text based posts to the Twitter website, via cell phone, instant messaging, or a third-party application such as Facebook. On the other end, friends sign-up to “follow you” receiving updates whenever you post them. For those familiar with Facebook, it is very similar to “Status Update”.
b. How can Twitter be useful to me or my business? While company’s certainly don’t want to spam their followers, Twittering can be very useful in conveying timely information. Companies could take advantage of Twittering by:
i. Sharing new product launch info or even “leak” pre-product launch info to its followers.
ii. Announcing upcoming events, coupons or special offers, or web site updates.
iii. Reminding fans when a new show will premiere.
c. Twitter Bottom Line: Twitter is a great way to keep your most loyal customers/fans in the know with insider information. Be authentic and relevant and only share information you think will benefit the user. Twitter has a huge user base and it is rapidly growing.
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Micro Blogging Explained: Twitter, Pownce and Jaiku
Micro-blogging is yet another invention that separates the echo-boomers from Gen X and the Baby Boomers. In micro-blogging you are connecting with your “friends” and colleagues and giving them frequent updates of what you are doing often many times a day. For those familiar with Facebook, micro-blogging is similar to “status update”.
I have to admit that at first I did not understand why I would want other people to know what I am doing at all times of the day. So when I first signed on to Facebook and Twitter, I refrained from updating my current happenings. However, slowly but surely I am updating what I am doing and checking to see what my friends are doing.
How about this analogy: Let your whole day be represented by a glass. The rocks in a glass represent your planned, scheduled daily appointments; your cell phone calls would be the pebbles; your blackberry or iphone web app would be your sand; and micro-blogging would be the water that fills every ounce of your day with…something.
Waiting in line for a Chipotle Burrito? No problem, check Twitter, Pownce or Facebook to see what others are doing. Oh, and don’t forget to let them know you are in line waiting for a veggie burritos with extra Guacamole.
Personal habits aside, let’s look at some good company uses for micro-blogging…
While company’s certainly don’t want to spam their followers, micro-blogging can be very useful in conveying timely information. Companies could take advantage of micro-blogging by:
a. Sharing new product launch info or even “leak” pre-product launch info to its followers.
b. Announcing upcoming events, coupons or special offers, or web site updates.
c. Reminding fans when a new show will premiere.
Pownce adds a slightly different twist allowing file sharing and event invitations among friends. Twitter has a much larget user base than Pownce but Pownce is newer to the scene and could break loose.
Jaiku is the third micro-blogging app but is currently in distant third. Jaiku makes heavy use of icons and was recently acquired by Google so don’t count this service out as Google has a knack for figuring things out.
Blended Search is on the Rise
Blended search is the term used to define Google (or Yahoo) searches that return multi-media within the results. For example if you search for the Chicago Bears in a Google Search, you will find at least one video on page one of the search. It should be no surprise then that video, news and images benefit from blended search.
Jupiter research just came out with a study that gives some key facts:
* 36% click “news” results within blended search results
* Only 17% click a “news” result after conducting a news-specific search
* 31% click “image” results within blended search results
* Only 26% click an “image” result after conducting an image-specific search
* 17% click “video” results within blended search results
* Only 10% click a “video” result after conducting a video-specific search
What does this mean for your business: It’s all about utilizing multi-media to best optimize your brand and company. While good, old fashioned SEO is still hugely important, it’s time to optimize your pictures within your web site and news releases. It’s time to not only have video on major video serving sites, but also optimize them for all major search engines.
Standard Google, Yahoo and MSN searches will only reveal more and more multi-media within it’s results. That equates to advertising shelf-space for your brand. It’s time to fully optimize your entire online brand identity.
Unethical practices of making a video viral
Youtube viral video marketing can get as seedy as spam mail, if not seedier.Dan Ackerman from techcrunch posted a blog and gave away a lot of the “dirty” secrets of how to get at least 100,000 youtube video views. Some of the methods are completely legitimate and ethical but some are just, plain wrong.I wrote a few weeks back about how to chose the best thumbnail for youtube. Many people use pictures of pretty dames to lure folks into watching their vid. As we all know, sex does sell. However, Dan gives advice that goes way beyond simply posting a misleading, sexy thumbnail. He also suggests creating misleading titles (but only after youtube has featured you in the most viewed section).As informative as this information is, strategies like this will catch up with the authenticity of your brand and company.See full controversial post below (they actually purposefully created controversy in the blog coments to get it read more!)…These blog tricks are the same tricks employed by their youtube video strategies.
Best Ingredients for Web Video
Distributing your video on the web is just about the most cost effective way to share your branding message with the masses. Not only will people be able to search out your video on all the popular sharing sites but you can also use the video to send in e-mail blasts and other forms of communication.
Check out this great post on the best formula for getting your viral video seen.
