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The Lifespan of a Link in Social Media

September 16, 2011 Leave a Comment

Unless you’re a public company trying to bury bad financial news on a Friday afternoon, you want as many people as possible to see, click and forward the links to your blog post, press release, sales page or other online content you’re trying to drive traffic to.

So, you may be interested in a recent study about how long a link published via social media and other online marketing is clicked and shared.

Borrowing the concept of a “half-life” from science, bit.ly URL shortening service recently measured how long it takes a link to get half of the clicks it will ever receive after the clicks have peaked.

Lifespan of social media links

Tracking the Social Media Buzz

No surprise, links had the shortest half-lives on Twitter. Although the average of 2.8 hours was longer than I expected.

Links shared on Facebook fared a bit better, getting clicks for a half-life of 3.2 hours–which makes sense since your newstream on Facebook tends to update slower than your Twitter stream.

Links sent via email and Instant Messaging (IM) programs were next with 3.4 hours. Again, you hopefully get few emails than you do Facebook updates, so an email stays on the “front page” longer.

The difference between email and Facebook should have been even bigger. But for some odd reason, bit.ly decided to include links shared via instant message programs like Skype in this number.  Not sure what they were thinking there…

The Social Media King of Link Longevity

The surprising winner–links shared from YouTube got clicks for twice as long as links shared in other social media–at 7.4 hours.

The study also found that sharing and forwarding links followed the same time spans as clicks.

Bottom line, if you want your link distributed with maximum speed–for example, if you have breaking news–Twitter is your best bet. But YouTube takes the cake for longevity.

Of course, the smartest strategy is usually to use ALL of these online marketing methods to get your link out.  And if you stagger the posting times so your link stays in circulation longer, you’ll multiply the amount of time it’s driving traffic to your website.

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For Killer Teleseminars and Info Products, Cultivate Your Inner Barbara Walters

December 15, 2010 Leave a Comment

Killer interviews can help you create some buzz, stand out from the crowd and provide valuable content for your information products.

So here are a few tips I learned during my experiences as a freelance writer and in grad school journalism classes to help your interviews shine–regardless of whether it’s for Fortune magazine or your own teleseminar or webinar.

1. Never ask a question you don’t know the answer to. Because like Forrest Gump said, “you never know what you’re gonna get.”

For example, you may ask what they’re working on now and they may announce a joint venture with a guru that competes directly with the product you just launched.

A perfect example of this…DC101′s Flounder was doing his first on-air interview with wrestler Jake “the Snake” Roberts a few years back. On a whim, he threw in a question asking what Roberts thought about WWE wrestler Owen Hart falling to his death the night before. The question was met with a long, excruciating silence.

Roberts–obviously struggling to hold back tears–haltingly admitted he had not yet heard the news about his friend and hung up.

It had to be one of the most painful minutes on radio ever.

Tip: Do your homework so you have an idea of what answers to expect when you’re doing live interviews.

2. When you really want the dirt, let the person finish giving their answer…then keep your mouth shut.

Silences are awkward and uncomfortable for everyone (see above LOL)–BUT you can use this to your advantage. If you can just resist the temptation to jump right in with another question, the interviewee will often feel compelled to fill the silence.

She’s already given you her pat answer, so now she’ll have to delve deeper and speak off the cuff. And what often comes out is pure gold.

Tip: I know, it can be really hard to do in practice. But if you can pull it off, you can get some real wow content.

3. Be careful with rewording any questions the interviewee gives you to ask. One teleseminar guest sent questions that just didn’t sound like words I would say. So, I reworked them a bit. Problem was, he didn’t recognize the third question when I asked it on the live teleseminar.

He thought I’d jumped ahead in the questions, so he gave me a different answer, which meant we then had to backtrack, then leap forward again. It was a mess and definitely disrupted the flow of the teleseminar.

Tip: If you want to change the questions the interviewee gives you, send him a revised copy so he knows exactly what to expect. Or, at least leave key phrases of the original question intact so he recognizes it.

Do you have other tips for creating killer interviews? Feel free to add them below. Happy interviewing!

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Revealing Flaws is Smart Marketing in Undercover Boss

February 8, 2010 2 Comments

Saying “yes” to the  TV producer who wanted the CEO to anonymously work on the company’s front lines was a risky marketing move for Waste Management (WM).

Especially since reality TV is all about drama…and the company was given no control and no say in what would air. So you can be sure they’ll choose the worst issues and problems you find.

But it was a smart risk to take.

Because people crave authenticity these days. And whether you do it via copywriting or more visual media,  showing that you don’t pretend to be perfect helps demonstrate that.

In fact, exposing flaws can help build that all-important Know, Like and Trust factor that leads to more clients and more loyal clients in two key ways:

  • When you pretend your business, product or service is perfect, most people can’t help thinking, “Okay, what are they hiding?” So acknowledging flaws helps quell the fear that it’s too good to be true.
  • Have you ever heard someone gripe, “She’s just so perfect I can’t stand it!”?  It may be a catty comment but the reality is we tend to like (and like to buy from) people who are “like us.” So acknowledging flaws makes it easier for a prospect to connect with you.

Of course, what those flaws are is important. If the flaws could prevent your customer from achieving the results they’re looking for, you may need to rethink what you’re offering. And it also helps if you can show how you’re addressing or compensating for those flaws.

A Risky Marketing Move Pays Off

On the first episode of CBS’ new reality TV show Undercover Boss, WM CEO Larry O’Donnell  learns what life is like for the hourly folks at the bottom of the corporate ladder as he goes about working in recycling centers, cleaning porta-potties and picking-up trash.

While the venue of reality TV itself isn’t very authentic, the problems he discovers along the way are. Fortunately for the company, the issues involved unfair management policies that make the company look a little bad, but they’re certainly not PR nightmares.

(Of course, it would have been a whole different story if he’d found, say, employees rummaging through trash to steal identities or a big safety issue that was jeopardizing workers’ lives.)

But the appearance has certainly paid off publicity-wise…

  • Last night’s debut had about 38.6 million viewers–the 3rd largest post-SuperBowl audience ever
  • O’Donnell and 2 of the employees appeared on Oprah last week to promote the show
  • And numerous stories featuring O’Donnell’s appearance have run in business and lifestyle media over the past week

I won’t even try to calculate the value of the media coverage the company has received, which has been overwhelmingly positive.

WM was savvy enough to try to capitalize on the publicity by adding a special feature front and center on their home page that speaks directly to show’s viewers about the company’s sustainability initiatives. (Although I think they could have done a much better job with that.)

For the record, Undercover Boss producers say none of the companies paid to be on the show and none of the employees including O’Donnell were compensated by the show.

Photo from CBS.com

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5 Savvy Cause Marketing Strategies from Oprah

September 16, 2009 1 Comment

Yesterday, we talked about Oprah’s newest line of O Bracelets, which has smart lessons for businesses of all sizes interested in cause marketing.

We also discussed the first savvy strategy–sticking with one charitable theme that’s important to your customers.

Instead of scattering her efforts like some well-meaning businesses do, all three beneficiaries of the O Bracelets project are disadvantaged women and children in the U.S. and Africa trying to create better lives. And it’s a cause her fans are likely to be sympathetic to.

As a result, the project has a consistent message–and it’s going to have a bigger impact.

Now, let’s look at other smart moves she’s making with the O Bracelet project…

4 More Ways to Make an Impact with Cause Marketing

Donate a big chunk of the proceeds. Oprah and Macy’s (the exclusive retailer for the bracelets) have gone all out in this regard–neither is making a dime from the sale of the bracelets.

You don’ t have to donate 100%, customers understand that’s not always feasible. But customers do want to see the charity benefiting in a meaningful way.

When they see the total donation is just a token amount of the proceeds, they know it’s just a marketing ploy to boost sales of your product…and they’re not shy about voicing their distaste.

Appeal to all members of your market. It’s great to get a customer to buy something that supports the cause. But selling something your customer is proud to actually use or wear is even better because it helps spread the word about the project.

Each O Bracelet in the collection unique–so everyone feels they’re getting something exclusive–which always ups the sales appeal. Also, the bracelets range from $35 to $350 (depending the stones used) so everyone can find one that suits her budget and taste.

Shine the light on the people who benefit. Too often, companies fall into the “look at how awesome we are for donating this money” trap when they’re promoting their good deeds—which is simply boring and self-serving.

It’s MUCH more powerful when you keep the focus on the people who are benefiting from the project because everyone loves stories of people who are overcoming the odds and starting to enjoy new-found success.

Which is exactly what you get in several articles about the project in this month’s O Magazine.

Create a multi-faceted program. At its best, cause marketing is about much more than just writing a check. In this case, the people making the bracelets are earning much-needed income and developing new skills that will help them prosper in the future.

Overall, using these savvy strategies will definitely make more of a difference… in the world and in your business as well.

Like this article? Then you should check out Your Social Conscience is an Asset to Your Business too!

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Marketing Lessons from Oprah

September 15, 2009 Leave a Comment

Before the stores are flooded with products boasting pink ribbons in support of breast cancer research next month, let’s take a look at how you can put cause marketing to work for your business.

Cause marketing is basically a marketing partnership between a business and a non-profit for mutual benefit. Smart companies know that these types of projects can make a difference in the world–and have big benefits for the company as well.

In fact, research shows that customers are both much more likely to buy from and stay with a company that’s involved with a cause they care about.

And when it comes to both branding and charitable efforts, no one does it better than Oprah.

O is for Oprah…and Opportunity

The newest line of O Bracelets is a great example of what cause marketing was meant to be.

This year, the collection of beaded bracelets benefits three groups:

  • Fair Winds Trading , a group that trains women in Rwanda, Zambia and Kenya to make woven disks for bracelets (and other jewelry). The group pays the women up to 12 times the average daily wage so they can buy food for their families and send their children to school.
  • New Orleans artists, who were hired to design and create the bracelets, many of whom are still jobless and living in temporary homes four years after Hurricane Katrina.
  • Hope Shines, a mentoring program for orphaned girls in Africa that receives 10% of the purchase price.

Notice a common thread? All three groups help disadvantaged women and children in the U.S. and Africa to create better lives.

She’s NOT trying to save the whales or the environment (both of which are worthy causes, so don’t get mad and misunderstand what I’m saying here) or anything else at the same time with this product.

Sticking with one charitable theme that’s important to your customers is a super smart strategy when your business is spearheading charitable projects.

Because one focus = bigger impact.

But as she’s done here, the cause should be one that will resonate with many of your customers. Otherwise, it’ll be hard for them to get excited about it.

Tomorrow, we’ll talk about four more savvy cause marketing strategies Oprah used that any you can implement to “do well while doing good.”

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Creating Community with Your Blog–Wordcamp Part 5

June 19, 2009 Leave a Comment

We’ve covered WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg’s entertaining presentation on blogging and more, SEO for WordPress, Getting Others to Create Blog Content for You, and Staying Out of Hot Water with the Law so far this week as part of our series on last weekend’s Wordcamp RDU.

Today, we’ll wrap up with some tips on turning your blog into a community and a presentation I missed on Twitter.

Angela Connor, Online Community Manager for WRAL, talked about building a community with your blog–and that means a lot more than providing really useful content (which should be a given!)

  • Ask questions of your visitors and even ask for their help. Blogging is meant to be more of a discussion among equals than one wise man (or woman) speaking from the mountain top.
  • Also, thank commenters and visit their blogs. Of course, if you get a ton of comments on a post you don’t need to respond to all–but do respond to some so everyone can see you are participating.

Finally, I had to miss Wayne Sutton’s Tweetshop but he’s posted slides and notes from his terrific session on his social media blog.

Speaking of Twitter…like always, attending an event like Wordcamp is a great way to finally meet friends from the Twitter-sphere! Online social networking is even more fun and productive when relationships created online go offline as well.

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5 Ways to Get Others to Create Blog Content For You–Wordcamp Part 3

June 17, 2009 1 Comment

Today, some tips from another Wordcamp RDU presenter, Jason Keath.

Jason is Social Media Director of Heels.com and a social media consultant. He talked about ways to have others provide blog content for you. My five favorites of the suggestions he shared were to:

  • Build a circle of people who comment on each others’ blogs. An “informal” blog network, so to speak. You can even arrange to talk about the same topic once or twice a month and link to each other’s articles.
  • Do a round-up of Tweets about some hot topic in your market to show different sides of the discussion.
  • Write guest posts for others and have them do the same for you. (give before you get)
  • Create a topic series where you interview other experts on a related subject.
  • Interview your customers–either in text or video–or invite them to write guest posts. (Brilliant because it’s not only interesting for visitors–it also provides social proof of your work!)

So far in this Wordcamp RDU wrap-up series I’ve covered:

WordPress News, Tips & Stories from founder Matt Mullenweg

SEO for Blogs from Andy Beal

Tomorrow…how to stay out of trouble with the law.

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A Round Up of Twitter Resources

June 2, 2009 1 Comment

If you’re just finding your way around Twitter, or looking for helpful tips and strategies, TwitterHandbook is a great place to start. One invaluable tip I learned from it was how to change your Twitter name.

Here’s a helpful list of various Twitter apps to make your life easier.

And here are the Twitter apps I use…

Tweetdeck to scan tweets and track categories of people and keyword searches that I’ve created. You can also track Facebook Friend updates as well.

Tweetgrid to watch groups of searches in real time.

Twitterfeed to feed blog posts to Twitter.

Tweetlater to pre-schedule a series of tips via Twitter. I used to use it to send an auto DM to new followers until the backlash about that hit.

Twitbacks to create a quick and easy Twitter background with more of your contact info.

Twitter Grader Ok, first, it’s really cool to see what your Twitter grade is (especially when you rank among the Twitter Elite in your locale!). But I also use it to find local people I should be following.

To find people to follow…

I don’t autofollow people. To me it’s not about getting the biggest list, it’s about finding people I’d like to connect with. So here are some tools to make finding the right people easier:

Twellow to search Twitter profiles for keywords or location or find various groups of people by area of interest.

Twitseeker to search keywords in both tweets and profiles.

Twitter Karma see who you’re following that’s not following you and vice versa. (Not always accurate, but it’s a good  way to get an idea of who’s following you that you may want to follow back.)

Mr. Tweet will analyze your tweets and send you a link every two weeks of people it says you should be following. Will also show you who’s following you that you’re not following back.

Who Should I Follow? will analyze people you follow and find others like them.

Other Small Business-Related Twitter posts I’ve done…

One List is Not Enough Anymore

Using Twitter for Business

More on the Value of Social Media for Entrepreneurs

My Top 10 Reasons for Using Twitter

Twitterberry Versus Tiny Twitter for the Crackberry



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One List is Not Enough Anymore

May 27, 2009 2 Comments

Remember when business was simpler and you only had one list to worry about?! (Or two, if you count contacts that aren’t on your ezine list.) But Web 2.0 has changed all that.

Because blogs, Facebook and Twitter are essentially creating other lists of contacts and prospects within your sphere of influence. But the quality of your relationship with each of these lists varies greatly.

my image

Ezine subscribers–They’re in the center of the bulls-eye below because they tend to be your most loyal fans.

They’re not only letting you into their inbox– which people are getting increasingly protective about–but the personal note most ezines include gives them a chance to know you better. So they feel more of a connection with you.

Blog subscribers (via email)–A step out from the center, these prospects are all about the information.

They want to keep an eye on what you’re doing, but you’re not building as much rapport with them. Plus, they usually have to take the extra step of clicking over to the blog to read the full article. So you tend to get less overall readership.

On the other hand, they may be getting your emails more often–which can create a sense of familiarity.

Blog subscribers (via RSS)–These prospects are literally keeping you at arms length because they’re not convinced you’ll consistently provide enough value to rate being in their inbox. (Unless they’re a fanatic feed reader.)

Facebook–Friends would probably be yet another ring beyond Twitter because it’s so common to friend someone yet never interact with them.

But people who join your FB Group have taken that extra step–so they’re definitely interested in your topic. Also,you can build credibility and rapport through group emails.

The downside is you don’t have direct access to them (ie their email address) and groups can be pretty inactive.

But it exposes you to a new circle of contacts and can be a good first step in building a relationship with them. It’s also a good way to interact with subscribers and contacts you already have.

Twitter Followers–Twitter is more complex, which is why it’s on the outer ring. If someone’s following thousands of people and not breaking them down by interest in apps such as Tweetdeck, they may never even see your tweets.

Yet the more casual nature of Twitter means you can connect on a business and personal level that builds the all important Know, Like and Trust factor.

So again, it’s exposure to a new group of people and a good way to further relationships with other contacts.

Keep in mind that Twitter and Facebook are NOT about just pushing offers and info out to people. (None of these should be, but you’re held to a higher standard with Facebook and especially Twitter.) It’s more about interacting.

But in short, all of these networks create a valuable web of contacts and potential clients for your business.

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PR Tools to Start Spreading the News

April 17, 2009 Leave a Comment

Think about a CD and DVD. Both are for storing files and blank ones look pretty much alike. But using a DVD to save a couple Word documents would be overkill, and using a CD to save any kind of video file wouldn’t get the job done.

So you need to use the one that best fits the results you’re looking for.

It’s the same with press releases. While the goal is to spread the word about your company, there are two distinct outcomes to shoot for–

  • Real press coverage and media interviews or
  • Driving traffic back to your website

So HOW you should distribute your press release depends on which one you most want.

“Real” Press Coverage

If you’ve really got a hot, newsworthy topic, then PRNewswire is top choice because it’s the first stop for most journalists and your release will go out over the Associated Press newswire to media around the country. But with a high per-release fee and an annual fee (though small businesses can often get that waived) it’s not for the faint of wallet.

A more affordable alternative is PRWeb.com. It starts at $80 a pop and goes up to $360 for their service featuring AP wire distribution. They also tend to crush PRNewswire in getting valuable backlinks to your website.

Search Engine Rankings & Web Traffic

Most of the time though, you won’t have a newsworthy story. Don’t be offended, but the Wall Street Journal just won’t care about your new ebook. So save your money and focus on the lower-cost sites that can drive some quality traffic.

PR.com
Cost: Free (with ads) or starting at $29.99

PR.com has a relatively professional appearance and their releases rank fairly well. Their $29.99 releases are often included in Google News–unlike most of the low cost/free sites. That level also provides an active link within the release back to your website.

24-7 Press Release
Cost: Free (with ads)

If you need free distribution, 24-7 Press Release tends to get you better links than most free sites. Their free option does NOT include a link within the release, but although they will include one in the contact information box on the page.

PitchEngine.com
Cost: Free to use

Pitch Engine lets you create snazzy-looking social media releases and share them via the social networks. It’s not a distribution or newswire site per se, but journalists and bloggers can subscribe to RSS feeds. And Google News will usually pick up the release within in a few hours.

Good for Both

Any time you can send your release directly to a relevant journalist or blogger, you’ll have a better chance of getting coverage. Here are two services to help.

MatchPoint and MyPRGenie

Cost: Free trials or $65/month and $49/session

Enter your topic and brand new MatchPoint will search more than 3 million articles  then list and rank writers based on relevance of articles they’ve written in the last six months. You can either download the list or contact them through the service. It’s $65 a month for the basic service after the free trial.

MyPRGenie will create a list of 25 names for you for $49 ($2 a name for more) and track any release you send them so you’ll know who actually read it. You will have to pay $49 each time you want to use that list though–downloads are not available. But you can also upload your own list of media contacts free of charge and get real-time tracking as well.

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