Category Archives: Social Marketing Tips

Dust off the old mailbox for social media

Social Marketing Tips

Direct Mail Discount from USPS For 2D QR Code Can Build Social Networks

Drew Hannush by Drew Hannush (3 Aug 2011)  |  1 Comment

I hear what you’re saying…U.S. Postal Service, how old school.  But have you noticed that your mailbox is getting lighter and lighter with junk mail?

That’s right, that might be the perfect time to do that direct mail campaign you’ve put on the back burner. In fact, through August 31st the USPS is running an upfront 3% discount on First-Class Mail and Standard Mail letters and flats that include a mobile “2D barcode or QR code” to help revive the dying practice. That’s why you see companies like American Express adding QR codes to their bills. And when no one else is abusing it…it becomes more powerful.

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The Key

Social Marketing Tips

ReferralKey Reminds Me What I Need In Social Networks

Drew Hannush by Drew Hannush (21 Jun 2011)  |  4 Comments

Of late, I have become a little bit overwhelmed by the explosion of social media.  Not only is there a new network opening weekly, but the current networks are adding tools at a break neck speed.

Because of this glut of social stimulation, I have found it easier to limit my attention to the big three…Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Yet, even narrowing the field still does not relieve the frustration or feeling that I’m falling behind on the social side of my business.

Facebook is where I spend most of my time talking with friends and colleagues and it really does promote daily communication, because its mission and delivery are in sync. In other words, the idea of this social network is to be social and the tools are in place to facilitate this. Mission accomplished. Although I don’t know how much talking about my 30 song countdown, or talking about my favorite ballparks is really affecting my bottom line at the office.

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Advertising

Social Marketing Tips

New Twitter Ads…Did You See Them?

Drew Hannush by Drew Hannush (3 May 2011)  |  16 Comments

It looks like Twitter has launched its new ad space.  Again, a social media outlet has to resort to traditional marketing methods to begin justifying itself to its venture capital backers.

But Twitter’s business model is one in which it is basically just a database, rather than a website portal for information.  Many of us never go to Twitter.com.  And it would be interesting to know how many people actually use third party tools for all of their accessing of Twitter.  In my case, I do all of my work in HootSuite and other apps that just access Twitter feeds.

So, how long before Twitter advertisers figure this out?

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Tearing Down The Goal Posts

Social Marketing Tips

Act Like You’ve Been There Before

Drew Hannush by Drew Hannush (25 Feb 2011)  |  2 Comments

There’s an old sports adage, “act like you’ve been there before.” Its a phrase that is usually uttered after insane fans run out on the court or field and start destroying things because their team finally won the big game.  It started as a fun, “lets tear the goal post down” after a game. But schools got wise and started lowering the posts so no one would get hurt…so the idiots started tearing up other things…like each other and other’s property.

I believe the social networks have the same statement for over-zealous business owners who want to shout to the roof tops about their products and services.

Nothing annoys me more than being advertised to on my social network.  And what’s sad is, some of the worst offenders are people who claim to be social network “experts.” (sorry for all the quotation marks…it happens when I get riled up)  Selling me social networking with direct pitches is traditional advertising…so they obviously are having trouble influencing and selling it through the very techniques they are bloviating about.

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Joy Joy Joy

Social Marketing Tips

Finally You Can Get Alerts to Comments on Facebook Pages

Drew Hannush by Drew Hannush (14 Jan 2011)  |  8 Comments

Sometimes I wonder how companies can miss things so obvious.

For months, I have been nervously perusing my Facebook.com/HannushWeb page to see if I’ve missed any comments.  Its quite frustrating.

Unlike a Facebook Profile, which neatly adds a red circle with number of new notifications you have, the Facebook Page has been the red-headed step-child (no offense to red heads, natural or practicing).

I even had my friends over at LiveFyre in on the chase, but all we could find were a couple of expensive “pay-for-only” versions.

So today, I felt complete liberation when after discovering the same question on Quora.com I retraced my steps, looking for the answer.  And this time…success!

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Face in the crowd

Social Marketing Tips

Goal for Social Media 2011: Quality over Quantity

Drew Hannush by Drew Hannush (15 Dec 2010)  |  4 Comments

Caution – Rant to follow: One of my biggest pet peeves about social media is the high volume of experts that don’t do as they preach. Over and over I hear, “its about being part of the conversation.”  Yet, there are so many who never acknowledge when you make comment or try to add something to the conversation.  Its like these people are rock stars or something…

Okay, so that really sounded like old “high school” envy coming out, didn’t it?  Am I just jealous because I haven’t achieved the same level of following in the social marketing world?

I don’t believe so. I think it has more to do with the maturing of a medium, where reach and impersonal communications by definition should be losing ground to quality, personal dialog.

Think about the social media expert with 70,000 followers. If they put out a challenge to their audience that draws a massive response from 8,000 people, how could they ever personally respond to each person? It is physically impossible for these experts to cultivate meaningful relations with this many people, unless they use stand-ins or auto-responders.

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twitter_facebook

Social Marketing Tips

Facebook Secret Links for Username and Twitter

Drew Hannush by Drew Hannush (1 Dec 2010)  |  Leave a comment

Ever get frustrated with Facebook because you couldn’t find out how to turn something on or off?

I have run into this a couple of times.  Mainly it is with features that you don’t use very often…and sometimes with things you turn on during setup and then forget all about. Unfortunately, not all of these are under “Settings.”

Today I was looking for a way to stop my Hannush Web Facebook page from auto updating my Twitter account.  This is something that I was prompted to do when I set up my Facebook page and now that I see the value of real updates to Twitter over automated ones, I wanted to shut it off.  But where?

Here are two secret links that can help you turn on or off some great features Facebook provides.

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