Twitter Part III -- So what's the ROI?

This is Part III about Twitter and other forms of social media.

In response to an association colleague who was "resigning Twitter," I've written two posts titled "Twitter is More than 140 Characters."

My colleague has asked and others have posted same question: "How much time and what's the ROI for Twitter and other social media tools?"

To be honest: that is a tough question. I can share anecdotal information but at this point, I have no personal ROI analysis to share.

Nevertheless, here are some thoughts about return on investment for social media.

The ROI Question
In my early career (public relations), we faced same question: "What's the ROI of a news release?" And, that remains for PR. Flash back to last Christmas: What is the ROI of this national network news feature on one of our client's Trees for Troops program? NBC Nightly News piece

Let's assume the literal definition of ROI is "the financial results (impact, sales, revenue) generated by an investment of time, money and resources into a specific set of actions."

It is easier for us to measure "activities" such as number of "Web hits," number of news releases, number of conference attendees, your page ranking on a Google search; etc.

Measuring ROI starts back with your overall strategy: Why are you doing what you are doing? Who are you trying to influence and what do you want them to do?

As I mentioned in Parts I and II, my goals for social media have included:

1) Listening: Monitoring mentions about our company, our clients and the industries/professions of our clients.
2) Sharing: building community which in turn helps build brand awareness and find collaborators for our AMC and/or our clients.
3) Promoting & Fund-raising: In my mind, social media includes blog(s), LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, Google (News Alerts), etc.

ROI Anecdotes

1. The content being shared via Twitter serves as a valuable tool in our association and cause marketing work. I shared some of my key contacts
2. Last month, we signed an agreement to manage another association client. We first learned of their search via a Google News Alert. Chalk one up for social media.
3. We are currently implementing two or three fund-raising projects for the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation which we "connected" via Twitter. Until we complete the fund-raising, I won't be able to determining the ROI ... in terms of net revenue.
4. We're in the middle of a Twitter-based fund-raising campaign for the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation's Trees for Troops program. Some of the ideas came from Twestival fund-raising which we learned via Twitter. [I'll be presenting a workshop about Twestivals and Tweetups at the ASAE Great Ideas Conference in March.]
5. Friday, I received this Tweet "@causeaholic We could really use you expertise!" I responded. "Call me." He did. And, now we're in a dialogue about a potential new client.
6. AdAge has slated a blog post from me in its Good Works section. Assuming it runs, what is the ROI for our company and the client we are showcasing?

More on ROI

Here are links to some blogs and papers on Social Media ROI that I've collected and may be useful to you ... all shared via Twitter contacts:

1. Measuring the ROI of Social Media Campaigns: http://bit.ly/1s0mhH


2. Measuring Social Media is like an Oreo Cookie: http://bit.ly/7NxrN


3. Case Foundation Video: Is there a good return on investments when you use social media? http://bit.ly/3lQEto


4. Six Must Read Posts on the ROI of Social Media from @MaddieGrant http://bit.ly/4suOoQ

And, finally, here's (http://bit.ly/2ZHvMy) great blog post from David Cooperstein at Forrester ... not on ROI but simply some ways you can test the power of Social Media.

PLUG: I'll be a faculty member for a Social Media Workshop at the AMC Institute's winter conference at the Hyatt Regency Hill Country in San Antonio. The Workshop will be held from 1-5 pm, Wednesday, February 10.

Don't Judge an Industry on a Few Bad Examples

I’m switching gears for this blog. I’ve been writing primarily about association management, but I heard a news story on the radio this week that really hit home for me. It was about the increasing attacks on animal agriculture, and the struggles these farmers are facing thanks to the misinformation and untruths that the media continuously circulate.

The news story was about a hog farmer that was being investigated for mistreatment of his animals, according to an ex-employee that happened to be let go from the farm this year. This ex-employee has no proof or documentation of the mistreatment, and yet, the news story was inherently skewed in favor of the ex-employee. And even more ridiculous, the story cited other “mistreatment” cases in California as credibility.

In a nutshell, the animal agriculture industry is often attacked based on a few bad examples. Maybe this isn’t the best illustration, but it’s the best I could think of: consider the police brutality videos that come across the news every once in a while. There it is – plain as day – an officer not adhering to the rules and mistreating another individual. Not only is that image burned into the minds of the civilians watching it, it is burned even deeper into the minds of other officers watching it. These hard-working officers immediately recognize that this example of poor police work will affect their own police work moving forward, and the reputation of officers overall. I would assume that it angers them, knowing that a colleague who took an oath “to protect and to serve” failed to live up to those expectations. And still, when a video like this is sensationalized for days on end, there is no mass movement to eliminate the nation’s entire police force, is there?

I know many farmers who raise animals that are disgusted and angered when they hear about animal mistreatment. It affects them personally and professionally. They work hard to do what they do, and the vast majority of farmers treat their animals extremely well. I’ve even heard some of the cattle farmers refer to their calves as “their babies.” Their animals are a vital part of the success of their business, and more importantly, a living example of the passion they have for their work. To classify all of animal agriculture as “bad” based on a few poor examples is simply unfair and untrue.

So the next time you hear one of those sensational news stories about animal mistreatment, please think twice before jumping on the bandwagon. Don’t let one bad example set the tone for an entire industry – an industry that cares greatly about its animals so it can provide a safe, healthy food supply for you.

Comic Strips & Volunteering ... Who knew?

I cannot start my day without taking time to read the comic strips in the morning newspaper. In fact, I loudly lament that I am not sure what I will do when newspapers go the way of the dinosaur, but that’s a topic for another day.

Last week, Oct. 19-25, I noticed that the majority of the comic strips had a common theme – promoting community service and volunteering. They offered suggestions in their story boards on ways anyone, from children to seniors, could help make a difference. To learn more about their efforts, visit www.handsonnetwork.org/comics.

At Drake & Company (http://www.drakeco.com/), we know and appreciate the value of volunteering. As an association management company, we see how volunteers make a difference every day. From board members to committee members to members providing news and info, each effort affects their association in a positive way.

Becoming a member of an association is a beneficial, supportive start. Contributing a little time to that association will make an even greater impact for a cause that you already feel strongly enough about to pay member dues

If you are looking for a way to get more involved, here are a few you might consider.

1. Volunteer to write an article, a news brief or a tip of the week.


2. Send in photos that can be used in the association’s publications.


3. Offer to serve on a committee. There’s something for everyone – membership, editorial, conference, finance to name a few.


4. Spread the word about the benefits of being a member of the association. Encourage others to join.


5. Run for a board position – you’ll bring your enthusiasm and new ideas to the association.
   

Whether you commit to volunteer or serve an hour a month, an hour a week, or even more, it will be appreciated by the association and rewarding to you as well. So contact your association today and tell them you want to get involved. Your efforts will make a difference!

Twitter is More than 140 Characters – Part II

Last week, I wrote a blog in response to an association management colleague who had written that he was resigning from Twitter because "Intuitively I couldn’t quite accept that much of anything could be communicated in 140 characters unless a deep context already existed between the communicating parties. If other means of online communications didn’t exist (e.g., email, group lists, blogs, SNSs, etc.), then there might be some value to it; but I couldn’t see the there, there."

Start with Strategies

I wrote of the importance of social media fitting within your overall strategies.

In DrakeCo's strategies, we use Twitter for:
(a) branding our AMC and our cause marketing expertise;
(b) building awareness for our AMC and some of our clients;
(c) monitoring (in real time) what is being said about our company, our clients and/or the industries/professions they serve; and
(d) fund-raising for some of our 501(c)(3) clients

In today’s post, I plan to focus on how Twitter and other social media platforms fit within our company’s strategies as well as those of our association clients.

As you read this post, I encourage you to read Debra Askanase’s “The Cse of the 4,000 Twitter Followers Who Don’t Care.” http://bit.ly/2lOluP This is a great piece on starting with strategy.

Last January, we decided to jump into social media space not only for our AMC but also for our association clients.

We started from a defensive strategy to protect our brands since “naming rights” are first come, first served. So, our goal was to protect the names of our company and our clients. And, thus, we registered the AMC and client names in Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.

As we explored various social media platforms, we developed individual strategies for the AMC and clients and built social media tools designed to fit the overall strategies.
Examples
1) For the Christmas SPIRT Foundation, we’ve used Facebook, Twitter and YouTube … these help us share information about the Foundation and its Trees for Troops program. And, this fall, we’ve used these formats to seek local hosts for fund-raising events we are calling TweetUp4Troops.
2) For one of our health care clients, we are using LinkedIn for their marketing and branding. Why? Because we discovered that's the space where we found a large number of their target audience.
3) For an ag client, we’ve started weekly Tips of the Week (via e-mail) supplemented with monthly Webinars on relevant topics for this industry segment.
4) For our AMC, we’ve used Twitter, Facebook and blogs with YouTube coming in 2010. To enhance our presence in the blogosphere, we created DrakeCo bloggers. Now, rather than my occasional blog post, a team of DrakeCo staffers post blogs on a regular schedule.
For social media to work, you need to focus on which best serves your members and are the best forms for delivering the content.
Twitter Tactics
Please understand that I am not a Twitter expert and I’ve learned by trial and error. With that understanding, here’s how I use Twitter within the framework of our strategic objectives:
1) With my @SteveDrake account, I follow people who share information about agriculture, association management, content marketing and social media ... since those are the areas that interest me. And, I tweet about those same topics.
2) With my @causeaholic account, I follow people to share information about cause marketing and I tweet information about cause marketing ... one of my passions as well as a key element of the association management services our company provides associations and nonprofits.

Remember the STL newspaper quote that Twitter helps form communities of people with common interests. I use this as a guide in both content and followers. The interest areas (of DrakeCo and our clients) help determine whether to follow someone on Twitter.

Selecting followers starts with a quick check of their Twitter profile. It provides their areas of interest. And, it lets you check recent Tweets to determine if their content is of interest to me.

My rule of thumb: “No profile, no follow.”

We also use Twitter for listening and trend tracking on topics important to our AMC and/or our association partners. Combined with Google News Alerts, Twitter search allows us to follow what is being said within our areas of interest. And, we provide the information we uncover to our association leaders.

To increase the efficiency of trend tracking/searching, I keep TweetDeck “live” on my computer throughout the day. TweetDeck alerts me to any Tweets (followers or not) mentioning the key works I’m tracking. In my case, this includes cause marketing, Trees for Troops, association management. Because of our client mix, we’re also tracking farm, agriculture, dairy, Christmas, healthcare communication and more.

To tweet or not to tweet depends on you and your overall strategies. I would hope, however, you wouldn’t signup for Twitter, tweet once or twice and then claim it’s useless. That would be like joining an organization, not engaging and then resigning your membership because it was useless.

As I prepare this post, news is streaming in that Twitter has just signed search agreements with both Google and Bing. Thus Tweets will now be part of the real time search engines. And, for those engaged in SEO, Tweeting with links back to your Web site will become even more important as a branding strategy.

I’ve been asked to comment on the ROI of social media efforts. I’ll tackle that next week.

Show, Don't Tell

"Show, don't tell." -- I wish I had a nickel for every time this refrain was uttered in my journalism school classes, usually while my article was being ripped to shreds. But it's good advice for every writer. Instead of "telling" a reader what they should know or how they should feel, it is far more effective to provide the details, description and evidence that allow them to come to this conclusion on their own.

It's also good advice for associations. How often do you find yourself talking AT your members rather than talking WITH them, engaging them in an ongoing dialogue?

Working with agricultural associations, it's no secret that many of our members are behind the curve when it comes to technology. How do you communicate regularly with members who don't even have e-mail addresses? What value is a webinar when half of your members are still using dial-up? These are very real challenges for many associations.

Far too often, we found ourselves preaching to members about the value of having a Web site, the need for social media, the importance of e-mail marketing. We told them that their customers were on the Internet, the grown-up equivalent of "everyone else is doing it." We made our case with research and pounded the point home with statistics. But, despite all of this, we weren't making an impact. We were too busy telling our members instead of showing them.

So we looked at the root of the problem. In this case, it was a lack of training and knowledge. Our members didn't feel confident using the technology, and in many cases, they didn't have the time or inclination to seek out education on these topics. The bottom line is - if we want them to do something, then it's up to us to show them how in a way that makes sense.

For our association. it's a fundamental shift in the way we present information. Instead of articles in our association publication talking about the importance of social media, we have created a regular feature called "Teach Me How To ..." that provides step-by-step instruction on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites. When presenting breakout sessions, we look at ways to maximize interactivity - inviting participants to bring their laptops so they can work alongside the presenter. When introducing webinars, we took the time to explain how they work and tailored them to our members' needs. And it means offering different levels of training for a diverse membership.

The fact is - our members don't want to be behind the curve. They want to improve their businesses, they want to keep up with technology, they want to grow their marketing -- they just need someone to show them how. Don't you want that to be the role of your association?

Twitter is More than 140 Characters

One of my association management colleagues recently posted a blog titled "Why I'm Deleting My Twitter Account." The author is one of the most thoughtful and deep thinkers in our industry so his post makes one pause ... especially since I may have been the colleague that suggested he join Twitter.

His post said: "Intuitively I couldn’t quite accept that much of anything could be communicated in 140 characters unless a deep context already existed between the communicating parties. If other means of online communications didn’t exist (e.g., email, group lists, blogs, SNSs, etc.), then there might be some value to it; but I couldn’t see the there, there."

Strategy Comes First
Clearly, strategy and goals comes before determining which Social Media platform to use. Too many individuals and organizations jump into social media without first clarifying strategy or goals. After establishing strategies, Twitter may not be for everyone.

In DrakeCo's strategies, we use Twitter for (a) branding of our AMC, (b) building awareness for our AMC and some of our clients; (c) monitoring (in real time) what is being said about our company, our clients and/or the industries/professions they serve and (d) fund-raising for some of our 501(c)(3) clients. I’ll share our strategy in a post next week.

Twitter is not about the 140 character limit on Tweets but rests on the content of the URLs attached within the tweet. These lead me to blogs, newspaper articles, Web sites and other sources of content I find extremely valuable for my areas of interest. The content coming to me via Twitter is so valuable that I find myself "unsubscribing" to previous information sources I had used to keep updated on my interest areas.

Sharing Important part of Tweeting
To avoid being a “One Tweet Wonder,” you need to recognize the benefits of Twitter -- like being involved in an association -- come from being engaged and from sharing ... it is give to get.
While social media offers a content delivery platform similar to newsletters, Web sites, Webinars and conferences, it is more than just a delivery platform. Social media, unlike traditional delivery media, serves as a community building catalyst that goes far beyond traditional media.

Twitter Increases Your Network
I'm struggling with the author's statement that "I couldn’t quite accept that much of anything could be communicated in 140 characters unless a deep context already existed between the communicating parties."

This is not my experience with Twitter. In fact, Twitter has greatly expanded my network of colleagues to those who I have not met previously in my association circles. And, over the last 10 months, I have developed a "deep context" with them by sharing content through our mutual Tweets. I've even met some face-to-face. For example, during a business trip to the Boston area, I made it a point to meet one of my cause marketing "Twitter buddies." While in Toronto for the ASAE meetings, about 10 of us used Twitter to “organize” an informal dinner.

Building Community
A local newspaper reporter here may have said it best this weekend: “Twitter lends itself to forming communities of people with a common interest.” Here are some of my Twitter-found colleagues in my communities of common interest …
If I want to connect about cause marketing, I know to look for Tweets from @joewaters; @koodooz; @davecause; @kidsareheroes; @kaboomplay; @MakeAWishAZ; @brokers4charity; @majastevanovich; @casefoundation; @scottyhendo; @CharityGiving; @BelieveKids and more.

If I want to link with the agricultural community (for a number of our clients), I follow @agriblogger; @CCImarketing; @shortliner; @mpaynknoper; @farmanddairy; @agrimarketing; @andyvance; @AFBFmace; @followfarmer;

If I want to engage in a dialog about the association community, I know to engage with @maddiegrant; @jamienotter; @lindydeyer; @deirdrereid; @pinnovation; @brianjohnriggs; @PaulRJones; @rjleaman and others.

If I'm seeking updates about trends. technology or social media, I check in with @trendtracker; @johnhaydon; @joePulizzi; @scottmckain; @tomshay; @ikepigott; @JeffHurt; @BillHurlbut; @GrantGriffiths; @JuliaAngwin; @scottyhendo and more

Yes, as with e-mail, phone calls or personal visits, Twitter requires time management skills.

Twitter Builds Business
In a twist of irony, the Google News Alert announcing this “Goodbye Twitter” blog arrived the same morning as this e-mail to me:

"I hope you are well. I was referred to you by Deirdre Reid. My company is passionate about supporting the troops and we are social media savvy. Deidre suggest there may be a way we can help with this project?"

The irony comes because I met Deirdre through Twitter. I never knew her before even though both of us work in association management. And, it is further ironic because this marketing director discovered our Trees for Troops program on Deirdre's Facebook page talking about our program ... which I shared with her on a Twitter post (yes, that little 140-characters ... with a URL attachment).

I'm not sure of the future of Twitter. I've heard some say that Twitter could be replaced but that Tweeting won't be.

I only know that for me and our clients, Twitter is providing a valuable service. Thus, we continue to invest time into Twitter along with other Social Media platforms that serve as strategic tools to meet the objectives of our clients.

I’ll share how in next week’s post.

Steve

The End of Off Season

Today marks the middle of the month of October. Twelve times a year I am surprised when we get to this point of the month so quickly. No complaints as there are many great things that happen on the 15th, most notably pay day. And if it were December 15, we would be a mere six days away from the celebration of my birth! Regardless of how we feel each time the 15th of the month rolls around, it puts us that much closer to our busy time to year.

Two months and ten days from today is Christmas day. As a member of the National Christmas Tree Association and the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation staff teams, it means this is one of our busiest time of year. When many businesses begin to slow down towards the end of the year, our work picks up. Throughout the year we are preparing for this busy time by marketing, distributing publications and hosting meetings (Christmas trees do in fact exist outside of the holiday season).

Around the beginning of October when we see the holiday within reach our days get busier. NCTA is not alone. Many associations managed by Drake & Company see a similar influx of work at certain times in the year, and this just happens to be ours. Right now, NCTA and CSF are at the beginning of several projects and campaigns, including Trees for Troops, the Official White House Blue Room Christmas Tree selection and presentation, our newest campaign TweetUp4Troops and answering media and consumer calls and questions regarding real Christmas trees. All while maintaining the regular workload of publications, marketing, meeting planning, social media management and more. In the middle of October, most people are thinking pumpkins, but here at Drake, we are thinking Christmas trees.

At first glance, one might think being busy at work during the holiday season is a bad thing. I beg to differ. During the holidays I am consistently busy at work and outside of work, traveling to see family and enjoying time with friends. I perform my best when I am consistently busy and hard-pressed. When you are entering a period of the calendar year, similar to this one for NCTA and CSF, take your days in strides, make lists (and check things off), prioritize and do everything possible to produce your best work.

New Intern on the Block

If you haven't met the new DrakeCo intern yet my name is Lauren Mangnall. I am a fellow Mizzou alum to add to the masses. Go Tigers! Since graduating from the J-School in 2007, I worked at a recruitment ad agency in St. Louis called JWT Inside. My clients were mainly located all along the east coast and the southeast from New York to Atlanta. I had the opportunity to work on 2 annual Spring Hire campaigns with my main client, The Home Depot. After leaving JWT Inside, I became involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters as a volunteer and have been matched with my Little Sister since early this July. She is an amazing 11 year old who I’m sure you’ll hear me boast about from time to time. I am excited to be working in my industry again and excited to have joined the team here at DrakeCo. I’ll be mainly helping out with the Christmas Spirit Foundation and Alpha Zeta. I look forward to working with you all!

Making Mountains out of Mole Hills

Last week I helped put on the International Conference on Communication in Healthcare (ICCH) in Miami Beach, Florida with the American Academy on Communication in Healthcare (AACH). I’ve worked with this association for over a year, but I had never met any of the board members (or members in general), or any of the conference participants. I was excited but also nervous to finally meet everyone. This would also be the first professional conference I had ever helped plan and attend. In the days leading up to the conference I started to worry about the little things: “What if I say someone’s name wrong?” “What if they don’t like the way I’ve done something? What if I can’t help them or answer their questions?” I was proud of the work I had done leading up to the conference, so why was I so worried that I wouldn’t be up to par once I got there? I was so worried about making a good “first” impression, when I had already built the relationships. We usually make mountains out of mole hills when it comes to ourselves and our work, don’t we?

I heard something very interesting the other day – it is the difference between self esteem and self confidence. Self confidence is fostered by being good at what you do, while self esteem is more a feeling of who you are inherently. As it turns out, we can have good self esteem but bad self confidence and vice versa. Although my esteem (my internal self) was feeling high, my confidence (my external self) was feeling low. Nerves and new situations will do that to people, but we just have to learn how to get a grip on it so that we can show how well we can do. I believe that we can relate to that in our businesses as well, especially in association management. When we take on a new client at Drake & Company we admit up front how much we know about a client’s industry. If we don’t know much about it, though, we promise to learn the industry so well that no one would ever know we were new to the field. That’s having both self esteem and self confidence. It’s protruding good self-worth on both the inside and outside. It’s all about attitude, I believe.

When I was on the plane to Miami I just kept telling myself, “You’ll be fine. You’ve worked with these people for a long time and have built good relationships. Just be yourself.” Just be yourself. That’s a phrase I think a lot of people dismiss. Once I finally decided to just be the “me” I had been all this time, I wasn’t nervous anymore. I became even more excited to meet my colleagues and all of the conference participants. My original plan was to have our executive director introduce me to everyone, but I decided that it was more “me” to just introduce myself. So that’s what I did. Thank goodness for name tags because I didn’t know everyone’s faces, but every time I saw a name that I recognized, I would introduce myself with a big smile and my hand reached out to meet them officially. The response was overwhelming! As it turns out, people were just as excited to finally meet me. Moreover, they wanted to thank us for all of the work we had done and all of the help we had provided along the way. That was such a good feeling. It was like all of the work and relationship building had paid off. That in turn gave me even more motivation to do my best while I was there. I’m very proud of the work I did and the help I gave during my time at the conference. I feel confident in saying that I helped a lot of people and did my job to the best of my ability. And, I had a great time in general. It really didn’t feel like work, even though the days were longer and my feet hurt worse than ever!

Since I’ve returned from the conference I feel even more “connected” to my client and the people. It is like I have come full circle on so many levels. I’ve finally attended a conference for a client (so now I have another shared experience with my colleagues at DrakeCo), I now know that I can help plan a conference of high caliber, and I know that I can feel confident about the work I do and how I represent both my clients and my company. I have more self esteem as well as self confidence than ever and I’m excited to do more! Bring on the mountains; they’re just mole hills anyway!

Twitter Lessons from the Week

Lesson #1 – Read all of the FAQ’s page and don’t assume

For one of our clients, the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation, part of our strategy this year has been to learn what special things people do to celebrate Christmas. In order to gather and share these stories, Steve had the idea of posting a request on HARO (Peter Shankman’s Help a Reporter Out) to ask people to leave stories on our new blog. We submitted the request and received a response from a HARO employees (we’ll call her Jane) saying that our request did not meet the criteria for posting to the HARO Web site and referred us to the HARO FAQ’s page for more information.

After looking through the FAQ’s page I discovered that if you do not have a lot of blog posts and are not ranked high on Google and Alexa rankings then they may not allow you to post a request on their site. Since the CSF blog is new and only had a few posts I just “assumed” that that was the reason Jane was referring to.

Steve emailed Jane with a request to reconsider our submission based on all of the forms of media we use only to find out that we were not accepted because we were asking people to respond by posting something on our Web site rather than by sending an e-mail! Here we were trying to prove our legitimacy as a blog and all we needed to do was provide an e-mail address! So my lesson learned from this was to read all of the FAQ’s page and don’t assume. You get what you inspect, not what you expect!

Lesson #2 – Twitter can help build a rapport

After e-mailing Jane, Steve remembered he had Tweeted with her previously in the week. He looked at her profile again and saw she was a VA Tech alumn. He e-mailed her after realizing this and asked her how the game had been. Steve’s quick recollection of who she was allowed him to add a personal touch while working with Jane on a business-related issue. Twitter can be a good tool for getting to know more about a person you may be working with in a business setting.