Launch - Spring 2009 - (Page 20)

which are typically younger and more familiar with social media etiquette, the biggest no-no is to think social networking is a miracle cure that will take the place of all other PR or marketing initiatives.” 2. Defend your brand. monitor everything that’s being said about our different products online. I’ve been using Summize (which Twitter recently acquired and renamed Twitter Search) and TweetScan, tools on Twitter, to get a real-time sense of what people are saying about us.” 3. Keep your message relevant. “Whether or not you choose to engage in social media, people are still talking about your brand. You might as well be a part of the conversation,” says Brian Watkins, PR manager of social media at Omniture. Watkins also leads the Utah Technology Council peerto-peer clinic on social media in public relations. “I Consider the Alternatives Eric Eliason, CEO and founder of Logan-based Meosphere, says alumni networks are the best online networking tool for him. “I’m not as social as Twitter or Facebook. I don’t think you get a lot out of those as a business. Alumni sites work best for me. When I needed to fill a position in the Netherlands. I reached out through the alumni network and found someone right away.” Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com, the largest independent online shoe retailer, is on Twitter almost every day. “He may tweet trivial things like, ‘Oh, I need a cup of coffee,’ but that’s much more interesting coming from a CEO,” Postman says. Also, Hsieh takes it several steps further by engaging Twitter followers with questions about products. He once asked, “What is your favorite shoe brand and why do you like it? Send me your answers and I’ll randomly select one of you to go to L.A., and I’ll pay for it,” according to Postman. “Asking a question is one of the best ways to get people to follow you on social media sites,” says Jason Alba, CEO of the job search management site JibberJobber.com, and author of “I’m on LinkedIn — Now What?” and a coauthor of “I’m on Facebook — Now What?” “Also, when I write a blog post, I tweet about it and include a link to my post. I have about 800 Twitter followers and 600 friends on Facebook. My Facebook has the Twitter application, so the message gets out to a lot of people.” 4. Remember, quality and quantity matter. “A business that doesn’t take the little time required to blog or use social networking is ignoring one of the lowest-cost, highest returns on investments they can make.” The value of your social networks is largely based on the quality, and to some extent quantity, of people in them. Connect with people with like experience and interests, the same schools and employers, or those who are potential mentors. “Don’t add connections simply to display an impressive number,” Postman says. “Quality trumps quantity … connect, don’t collect.” But quantity is still important. “If you have five connections on Facebook, or five people following you on Twitter, there’s not going to be a big enough impact,” Alba says. “If you have 5,000 people in your contacts, then tweeting about products or industry news will help get your message out. Right now, I think Twitter is the 20 launch spring 09 http://www.Zappos.com http://www.JibberJobber.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Launch - Spring 2009

Launch - Spring 2009 Contents Editor's Note Dashboard Mentor: Mind Your Business Ps & Qs Diary: Great Idea, Now Show Me the Money Sales: Buying Eyeballs Funding: Stay Focused! NETworking Do’s and Don’ts Be the Networking King Entrepreneur Spotlight

Launch - Spring 2009

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