New Twitter App: Bufferapp.com - UPDATED

I recently blogged about my new BFF and now that we have been together for a month, I thought I would update you on how things are going.

I'm still in love. I was at a conference on Thursday where the topic was social media. I was singing bufferapp's praises up and down the hallway -- even in the restroom during a break -- where I had a fairly large crowd. My apologies to all of the women who were trying to get to the sink but we had SERIOUS business to discuss. :-)

My presence on Twitter has increased just over 30% in my first month and I cannot wait to see what the second month brings. Oh, I've lost a few here and there but the number of new followers has offset that easily.

I have used HootSuite for a long time and will continue to do so to reach my Facebook, LinkedIn and other accounts. The ease of bufferapp to schedule tweets is what sucked me in. In the words of Ron Popeil, "Set it and forget it."

Do you have a favorite app that makes your social media efforts effortless?

Thinking of Jumping Into Social Media? Five Things You Need to Think About

Everyone is jumping on the social media bandwagon and then finding out there is a lot to digest. Before you go biting off more than you can chew, here are some things to consider:

1. What do you want to accomplish? Determine why you want to utilize social media and whether it is just conversational or marketing a service or product.

2. Define your goals and determine how you will measure success. One of the most debated topics with regard to social media is how to measure ROI. One company might wish to raise their Google search ranking while another might measure their success by the number of fans/friends/followers they have.

3. Who is in charge? Is it the executive? Staffer? Marketing Department? Intern? Someone needs to head the project and be responsible for the success (or failure). You must have a commitment to make it a priority and become as much a part of your company’s culture as checking email.

4. Meet criticisms head-on. You should deal with any non-positive comments in an open and friendly manner. If you want to maintain your integrity within the community you are building, do not delete these less-than-flattering comments or pretend they do not exist. Simply ask the person who posted the negative comment how you can help them and make sure they are helped.

5. Does your company have trade secrets? Pharmaceutical reps can be fired if they discuss products or any aspect of their jobs on social media sites. Develop a social media policy to deal with these issues.

Once these items have been discussed, you can begin to formulate a more comprehensive plan of action and you will be one step ahead of the competition.

It's Been a Busy Month!

Since the Recap of 2010 blog post, we have added more clients! We would like to welcome the following companies to NetConnect Group:

Main Event Productions LLC - The main event family of companies includes The Bake Shoppe, A Catered Affair, Fantastic Flipbooks, Events @ 1418 and Legacy Farms. The first area we will focus on is branding and pulling all of these companies into one brand, Main Event Productions. Kellie Bryson is a great marketer and has a greater understanding of social media than any other client. It's going to be a fun ride.

Taylor Entertainment - Working with Robert Taylor to develop his Facebook page is going to be a blast. I have worked him in the event planning world where he produced some casino parties and a game show that has been the talk of that group's annual convention for years. Be sure to check out his Facebook page for photos of his interactive entertainment options, especially the crab races!

Event Logistics, Inc. - I started talking to this company back in the summer of 2010 and they just weren't ready to even think about their social media presence but, six months later, here we are -- ready to start this ball rolling. In addition to their outstanding meeting planning division, they also manage a venue on the floor above their offices that I am also going to be working with.

One Eleven - Nashville's Premier Rooftop Event Venue is one of Nashville's secret gems. Located above Big River Restaurant, this venue provides a sideline seat to all of the action that is happening at Riverfront Park and on Second Avenue.

Isn't it time you added your company to this list?

Using Social Media to Gain Attention to a Problem with a Corporation

In the November 2010 Reader's Digest, they ran a story titled "Buyers' Revenge." It told the stories of a few people who had used Social Media and the Internet to get the attention of the higher-up-on-the-ladder-execs-at-companies-who-appear-to-not-give-a-hoot-about-their-customers. From Volvo to 1-800-FLOWERS, consumers found a way to get their voices heard by the people in a position to make a difference.

I have never gone to such extreme measures but I would if a situation would merit it. I have complained on Facebook on a couple of occasions to companies and it is all in how they responded that got my attention. And loyalty.


The first time was to a national budget hotel chain. I had made reservations online at one rate but when I checked in, the new owners refused to honor the rate. No matter how much I talked to the owner, he refused. I paid the higher rate but, upon my arrival back home, I looked up their corporate website to make a complaint. I completed the online form and the response was that I should hear something back within 14-21 days. Say what? You have a disgruntled customer and they may have to wait three weeks to get any type of response from you? I went to Facebook and put my compliant on their wall. It took about 15 minutes before someone from the company posted a phone number for me to call. I did. They refunded me the difference in a timely manner. In fact, the refund arrived before they responded to my first complaint.

The next time was a locally-owned restaurant where service and food quality was an issue. I posted on their Facebook page how disappointed I was as I was hoping for better. It took a week for someone to respond to the Facebook post and their response was for me to enter my mailing address so that they could send me coupons for a free dinner. Say what? I'm going to post my mailing address on Facebook? I provided them my email address (mine is all over the Internet anyway so I wasn't worried about that) and asked them to contact me via email for the mailing address. I'm still waiting. That was in October. I haven't been back to the restaurant and may never go back.

If your company is going to go to the trouble to set up a Facebook page, Twitter account or website, you need someone to monitor it on a frequent basis. Don't let disgruntled buyers have their revenge at your expense.

2010 - Year in Review

It was not easy being a start-up in 2010. The economy was in the tank and my "vision" for the company wasn't (and still isn't) understood by the masses. However, as the word gets out and more of NetConnect Group's work is seen, the better things have become.

January 2010
I attended a reception in the later part of the month and sat down with Sharon Hill from the Nashville Municipal Auditorium. They were thinking of  hiring an intern to set up their social media accounts. I gave Sharon some key points to ask while they were interviewing interns but it seems she didn't need them as I got a call the next day to come by and talk to them! They were my very first client and I thank them for that.

March 2010
A mutual friend told me that I needed to call Carol Hodge at Visual Elements. Carol had commented to our friend that social media was "kicking her butt" and she didn't have the time to devote to it properly. We met for breakfast and discussed Visual Elements, as well as the Music Valley Event Center. By early spring, NetConnect Group was taking on the daily tasks of maintaining a social media presence for both companies. Thanks for your confidence in us!


June 2010
I have Carol Hodge to thank for introducing me to Monica Holmes at The Clean Plate Club. Monica was looking for a new way to promote her catering company and wanted to give social media a try. We started working with her to promote her company via Facebook and an electronic newsletter. While our time together was short due to a change in marketing philosophy, I loved working the Monica and getting to know her quirky sense of humor. She is very much a free spirit.

September 2010
NetConnect Group's September electronic newsletter was distributed a few days after Labor Day and a call from Sue Chasteen, Executive Director of the Tennessee Academy of Ophthalmology, soon followed. She was having some trouble setting up a Facebook page for her organization. After asking her questions about why she thought Facebook was the way to go, we decided that LinkedIn might be a better option for what her association would like to accomplish. I look forward to continuing to consult with Sue in 2011.

October 2010
Julie Hurst from Liberty Party Rental called and said, "I give up!" She had been attempting to keep up with their company's social media but it was just too much with her busy schedule at work and at home. Julie and I met and came up with a plan of attack and attack it we did! Updates to their Facebook page have been posted almost daily since that meeting and their first electronic newsletter, The Liberty LowDow, was distributed the first week of January. I produced a video today to be posted soon. I am really enjoying working with Julie and the team at Liberty Party. It's never a dull moment!

December 2010
In support of the Meeting Professionals International Tennessee Chapter's fundraising auction, I had donated a consultation to the highest bidder. Just before Christmas I had a telephone consultation with the gang at Stardome Comedy Club in Birmingham, Alabama. The majority of our time together was spent discussing Google Adwords but we also talked about Facebook (they are having tremendous success with FB ads) and electronic newsletters.

I met with what will be our first 2011 client just before Christmas as well and yesterday was when I received the call that they want to hire NetConnect Group. More information on this one coming soon but they saw the first issue of The Liberty LowDown and called Julie Hurst to see if she would be interested in producing their e-newsletter. Julie referred them to me and the rest is history! I cannot wait to get start with this one.

What We are Doing in 2011
We will continue doing what we have been doing but will add more services as the year progresses. We announced in December our offer of a free social media program to associations and non-profits (within a 50 mile radius of Nashville). We will hold one of our highly popular "ask anything" social media workshops in the first quarter of 2011. Lots more to come.

Thanks for your loyalty and support. I hope to do you proud!

Facebook PPC (Pay per Click) Campaign Results

Not long ago, I decided to run a PPC campaign for one of my clients. I admit that we did not want to have a lot of money invested in this and had no idea how much it might end up costing so we were EXTREMELY conservative when designing the campaign.

Our demographics were narrowly focused into people within that profession who were age 25 or older and lived in the State of Tennessee. The conference this client is planning is for educators so it was felt that a someone qualified to attend would be at least 25 years old and tradition has shown that 95% of the attendees come from within the state.

The campaign has ended and here are the results.

• There were 5,447 impressions which means that the ad appeared on a Facebook page 5,447 times.
• There were 3 people who clicked the ad for a CTR (click thru rate) of .055%. Each of these 3 individuals did "join" as fans of the page.
• We had bid 50 cents per click (CPC) but the rate we actually paid was 38 cents per click. We might have achieved better results if we had bid higher as Facebook recommends around $1 per click.
• There was a $10 daily limit; however, we only spent $1.14 for the entire campaign.
• If only one person who clicked actually decides to pay and attend the conference, $1.14 is a pretty good return on investment.

What are your Facebook PPC campaign results? Inquiring minds want to know!

What's Coming Up

Life comes at you fast and it really picks up after Labor Day! Do you feel like you woke up and suddenly realized the year is more than half over?

Next Thursday, I will be exhibiting at the Tennessee Society of Association Executives Trade Show in Nashville, Tennessee. My co-exhibitors are Music Valley Event Center and Visual Elements. I am excited to get out and talk social media to everyone over this two-day event.


I also have a couple of webinars on my schedule next week. There are a lot of free webinar opportunities out there on social media and marketing, as well as communications in general. If you would like to know who I'm listening to, give me a shout.

What's on your schedule?

Do You Have a Social Media Policy?

A current headline in The Tennessean:
Teacher's Facebook comments about student's suspension cause stir
Click HERE to read the entire article.

Start by setting standards. Here is a sample of Intel's opening statement for their policy:

These are the official guidelines for social media at Intel. If you're an Intel employee or contractor creating or contributing to blogs, wikis, social networks, virtual worlds, or any other kind of social media both on and off intel.com—these guidelines are for you. We expect all who participate in social media on behalf of Intel to be trained, to understand and to follow these guidelines. Failure to do so could put your future participation at risk. These guidelines will continually evolve as new technologies and social networking tools emerge—so check back once in awhile to make sure you're up to date.

Then educate your employees on social media etiquette. Here are only a few examples:

• It's okay to disagree but keep it respectful, appropriate and polite.
• Ask yourself if you are adding value to the conversation.
• Review your comments before pressing the "send" button. If you are the slightest bit uncomfortable, please take the hint and delete without sending.
• Even if your social media activities take place outside work, what you say can have an influence on your ability to conduct your job responsibilities.

Add in some policy, such as:

• What you write is your responsibility.
• Stick to your area of expertise.
• Be transparent.

If your company employs contract employees, develop a social media policy for them as well.

As with all policy, you must make your employees aware of it and ensure that they understand the policy, why it has been established and the consequences of not following it.

Does your company have a social media policy?

So Many Things This Week

We have a lot of social media items on our agenda this week and I say "bring it on!"

I will be attending the MPI:TN Vendor Trade Show this afternoon. I love to visit with the vendors and see what each property/company have to offer. I will also be taking video and pictures of our client who is an exhibitor, Visual Elements, to post on their Facebook page.

Today is also the day that another client, The Clean Plate Club, will be catering the Nashville NACE luncheon at Houston Station. Chef Chris, Monica and the team have a special menu planned and are ready to strut their stuff.

Thursday is the Social Media Workshop which will be very informal. If you or someone you know would like to attend, I still have a space or two left. Many people that I talk to are intimidated by social media and have basic questions that they need answered. So many of the social media educational offerings are so much more advanced and it is our hope that these informal workshops will help launch some incredible social media campaigns.

I am also getting geared up to exhibit at the TSAE Trade Show in September. Spending time working on printed materials and booth give-away. Hope to see you there.

What's your social media priority this week?

Only TWO Spots Left for the Social Media Workshop

A friend recently stated they wished there was a forum where they could go to get simple social media questions answered.

NOW THERE IS!

I am facilitating an (extremely) informal social media discussion workshop. Bring your questions, no matter how silly you think they are. Some examples:

• I read articles on "social media in five minutes a day." Can this be done?
• How can I incorporate social media into my events?
• My audience is way behind the learning curve. How can I engage them?
• Is it really worth the time and effort?

Date: Thursday, August 19, 2010

Time: 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Location: Visual Elements, 2416 Music Valley Dr., Nashville, TN 37214 (behind Cracker Barrel)

There is no charge to attend and I will even spring for some refreshments.

In order to have an intimate discussion, the workshop will be limited to the first six who respond. Send an email to beverly@netconnectgroup.com to reserve your space!

20 Fantastic Content Ideas For Your Online Community

Engage365 is an online knowledge community where association and corporate meeting professionals can network with each other and learn proven concepts and strategies to help their organizations maximize the use of social media for their events… yada yada yada.

20 Fantastic Content Ideas For Your Online Community
This article is not just for meeting professionals, as there are many good ideas for every business considering the social media marketing arena.

Thought-Based Social Media Dialogue

I was recently reading an article that I found online that contained a paragraph from Marie Domingo (@MarieDomingo) with regard to Twitter. She wrote:

"The best Tweets have a call to action or a link that includes an interesting photo or website. Followers following interesting dialogues."

This got me to thinking about the dialogues that are used to market a product, store or service. I find very few businesses follow this social media model.

My current favorite is Chef's Market who almost always uses a photo with their Facebook updates. The scrumptious food photos make my mouth water. The same happens to other Fans as they do post how much they love the food there.

I Love Website Magazine

FREE Website Magazine

I think it was Larry Baltz at Build Team ONE who gave me a copy and said I might like it. An understatement. I love this magazine.

You will like it, too.

Do Fans Really = Fans?

I was watching CBS Evening News last night and saw this story on the Barefoot Bandit. Toward the end of the story, there are a few lines about the bandit's fans on Facebook. The slant made it feel as if all of the fans of this person were supporters.

I am sure that many who are fans are curious bystanders who want to keep abreast of the story. Think about it. You have an interest in a particular story and instead of performing a Google search, you simply become a fan and links to almost every story on this topic will be in one easy, convenient place.

Have you become a fan of a particular Facebook page/person just because you are curious? I have joined many pages just to see what's up with a particular subject. Every month or so I go through and purge those that are no longer of interest.

I'm still a fan of Betty White to host SNL. I'm hoping she will do it again.

Random Ramblings

MPI:TN Fundraising Auction
Down to the last hours (ends at 5 p.m. today). Click HERE to find exotic vacations, services, gift baskets and a whole lot more.Proceeds go to Tennessee Chapter of Meeting Professionals International in order to support scholarships (I have one!) and chapter education and activities. Be sure to tell your friends, family, community. Did I mention that I am co-chair of the auction? Yes, I am.

Maurilio Amorim
I am enjoying reading Maruilio's tweets this week from Singapore. He keeps complaining about the heat and humidity there. Wait until he gets back to Nashville.

Martha Stewart's Twitter Tips
I was so disappointed that Martha's tips did not include anything to do with a glue gun and flowers from the garden. Anyway. It's a good thing.

My Mom's Facebook Status
My brother was helping my mother navigate Facebook and thought it might be funny to change her relationship status to "it's complicated" even though my parents have been married 50+ years. I'm sure that everyone who has been married that long will admit that it really is complicated. One of my mom's FB and "real life" friends saw the change in status and came to visit. My dad was outside cleaning up their camper (for us! Thanks, Dad) and the friend thought my mom was making my dad stay in the camper. Her status has now been changed back to "married" but it was much more fun when it was complicated.

Feel free to post whatever is on your mind. I did.

Why Do We Feel Compelled to Tell EVERYONE?

I am safe and dry here in my house north of Nashville and feel far, far away from the destruction of the recent Nashville (and other parts of Tennessee) floods.

There was a lunch meeting that I needed to attend yesterday that normally would have been a 35-40 minute drive. It took me an hour and 45 minutes to get there. Traffic was diverted off a major highway onto a secondary road that was not prepared to handle the traffic. Once I figured out how to cut through the back of a shopping complex (and shaving off probably 15 more minutes), I was on my way. Once I get almost to my destination, traffic backs up because the normal four-lane road had been cut to two. I was already stressing about how I was going to get home.

My lunch meeting was over in an hour and it took me another hour to get home as I decided to take my chances on road closures and head cross-country to find my way. It was new territory but all worked out okay. I'm just not planning to venture out again for a couple of days.

But, I digress.

During the lunch with my social media-challenged colleague she posed the following question: "Why do people on Facebook and Twitter think they have to tell everything they know about Nashville and the flood damage?"

I could only answer on how it made me feel to post on Sunday afternoon and Monday as I watched television reports in horror as pieces of Nashville history floated away on the Cumberland River.

It was cathartic to do so. I felt isolated, cut off from my network of friends and family. Lots of people were without power but they still had cell phone service to get updates. I wanted them to feel like I did. I wanted them to know what was going on outside of their own neighborhoods.

So, why DO you feel compelled to tell everything to everyone?

Top 10 Notes from Maurilio Amorim Presentation

I attended Meetings Industry Day yesterday and sat through a three hour (yes --- THREE hours! - I didn't know my ADD would let me do that anymore) session by Maruilio Amorim (@maruilio) which turned out to be great. I have blogged before on the fact that all of the social media sessions (in person or online) are beginning to sound the same and, I have to say, this was different.

First off, Maruilio did not use PowerPoint, he used Keynote. I have been playing around with Keynote and Prezzi and will now dig a little deeper into each one.

My top 10 notes:

1. New term - digital immigrant (that's another term for us old people who didn't grow up with computers.)
2. Amorim likes foursquare. I have been trying to resist but now realize that resisting is futile.
3. Google Alerts - I have been using them for myself and my company but had not thought of that for my clients. I felt so inadequate at that light bulb moment.
   
4. While this didn't come from Amorim , check to see if your desired username or vanity url is still available at dozens of popular Social Networking and Social Bookmarking websites at namechk. Thanks Angela Layton.
5. Use of photo tagging for viral marketing (ala IKEA). I have always loved IKEA and now love them even more.
6. You should create landing pages on your website that are specific to your different target markets.
7. It matters more what consumers say than what you say about yourself.
8. The more things change, the more things stay the same. Direct mail and email campaigns are still highly successful marketing tools.
9. Wednesday - Thursday afternoon is the time of the week when people buy the most online. Send your product promotion emails out during this period.
10. Create a way for people to share their thoughts. Use a thumbs up or thumbs down icon or ask what they think. Make it easy and quick.

Bonus Note: Don't create a page that you would not want to be a fan of yourself.

Can you think of ONE great social media tidbit you learned recently?

Followers Follow Interesting Dialogues

We refer to social media as being about "the conversation" but does anyone really know what that is? I found the title of this article from a quote by Maria Domingo (@mariedomingo) which helps clarify what "the conversation" means. We use words like "engage," but how do you accomplish that?

Pretend you are at a reception where everyone is wearing HELLO MY NAME IS name tags. Someone approaches, you exchange names and pleasantries and then you ask something about their job.

Engaging an individual on your social media site means asking questions and listening to the answers. Find out about each other and determine common ground. Offer your expertise but don't be pushy.

Start a dialogue -- even if that means talking to yourself. Others will join in if it is interesting enough.

Are You Tired of all the Social Media Hype?

I was asked recently to speak later this year to a group on social media. One of the things they asked me was "do you think we will be social media weary by November?" I think the answer is both YES and NO.

YES because we are beginning to hear the same old rhetoric. Everyone's skill level is different and social media presenters are trying to cover all the bases but losing part of the audience because they are looking for basic, how-to social media nuts-and-bolts. You make the presentation too elementary and you loose the more advanced audience.

NO because we all still have a lot to learn as the face of social media is changing on a daily basis.

My belief is that if I can engage the advanced audience with the nuts-and-bolts audience in discussions with each other, we all benefit. I would no longer be the presenter but take on the role of facilitator.

I like that. It's better than the same old PowerPoint presentation.

Hashtags - Single Most Important Twitter Application for Meetings & Events

I believe that hashtags are the most important items a meeting professional can use when promoting their meetings and events. It helps funnel the chatter on to one back channel that makes the conversation easy to follow. The more people talk about your event, the more excitement is generated.

Hashtags are simply a short way of identifying your event. The # sign is the same as a hashtag. Don't get me started on all of the new language to be learned in social media. That is a whole new topic.

Let's say you are the International Society of Dog Bathers and your upcoming meeting is known as "Splash Your Way to Profits." You might want to assign the hashtag #splash to this meeting. A simple search on Twitter can tell you if your hashtag is already in use by another group.

Going even further, meeting professionals can get their speakers involved in promoting their presentation at the event. You could assign a hashtag to each speaker's presentation (i.e. #splashfleas for a presentation on flea prevention.)

Don't forget to communicate your unique hashtag by using it on your promotional materials, website, email signatures, blogs, Facebook event pages, etc. Attendees, speakers, exhibitors, sponsors and others cannot help promote your event for you if they don't know what it is.