Notes from the Science of Timing Webinar I Attended This Week

Earlier this week, I was able to hear the audio portion of a webinar entitled "The Science of Timing" with Dan Zarrella who calls himself a Social Media Scientist. He's full of numbers, formulas, hard facts and a few theories. Sounds like a scientist to me. He talked a lot about contra-competitive timing for marketing. In other words, sending updates when others are not sending updates.

Here are a few of my notes. All times in notes are EST.
 

Fast facts

• More men are on social media sites in the evening.
• It is okay to tie your blog, Twitter and Facebook accounts together as long as you are not repeating everything. Add some original content to each outlet.
• Marketing events on Twitter should start happening two weeks out.

Twitter

• Most re-tweets happen during the day.
• If you post something to Twitter late in the day (2-5pm), it will be more likely to be re-tweeted. Also posts made late in the week have a better chance of being re-tweeted.
• Click-thru rates are stable throughout the week, including weekends. Monday and Thursday have the lowest click-thru rates.
• Click-thrus spike between 11am and 5pm.
• Do not fear that you are sending too many tweets. Tweet more!
• Tweet links to other sites more often than to your own site.
• Tool: tweetwhen.com to analyze your retweets

Facebook

• Don’t crowd your content.
• More articles are shared on Facebook on the weekends.
• 12am – 3am are the better times for Facebook postings.
• Post links to your site more often than other sites.
• Facebook is better for direct marketing.
• There is very little difference for marketing on Facebook between B2B and B2C.

Email

• Emails are read mostly in the mornings.
• Most emails are opened 5am – 8am
• Abuse/spam reports are highest on weekends.
• Open rates are higher on the weekends.
• Higher click-thru rates on weekends because of contra-competitive timing.
• Frequency – Know your audience.
• If you are sending quality, informative emails, once a week is good.
• Put the unsubscribe button right at the top of the page. Do not be afraid of unsubscribers. They help you keep your list up-to-date. Why would you want to market to someone who doesn’t care about your product/company?
• Send more emails! The more emails you send the lower your unsubscribe rates.

Blogs

• Most blogs are read in the morning between 10-11am
• Blogs have the most page views on Mondays, least amount of views on the weekends.
• More blogs are shared on Facebook on the weekends.
• More comments to blogs are made on the weekends.
• If you are blogging so others will share a link to your blog, then you should publish on Monday and Thursday.
• Blogs posted between 6-7am get the most links.
• The more frequently you blog, the better your stats

Sharing Client Videos

We help our clients create videos to showcase their products and services. If you are not including video in your blogs, email campaigns and social media, you are missing out! You can easily create videos from photos.

How are you utilizing video in 2011?

Main Event Productions LLC

Liberty Party Rental

Visual Elements

Video - #1 Item to Include in Your Social Media Plan in 2011

I have been preaching for some time now that 2011 is the "Year of the Video" in social media. I thought it was high time to practice what I preach.

When you watch this, you will laugh and all that jazz but the message is to just do it. My flipcam and I are going to get a workout over the next few months and cannot wait to show you what we have learned. One of these days we will go back to this first video and laugh (even more than we are now) at how professional we/I have become.

In the meantime, think about ways you can use video to enhance your social media plan in 2011. Please share with the entire class.

Stuff We Do

When I say that we assist companies and individuals with their social media efforts, I usually get a stare that says "I don't get it" or a nod of the head and "that's nice." Well, it is nice but I'm sure they fully understand what we do.

At the urging of a client, I came up with the following that we have added to our monthly electronic newsletter, as well as to our website.

Stuff we do: Newsletters | Social Media Strategies | Electronic Communications | Social Media Set-Up and Maintenance | Photos-to-Video | Branding | Promotions | Social Media Research | Consulting | Target Marketing | Even More Stuff We Haven't Thought of Yet

You can check out our website to see samples of our work. If you see something you like, complete our inquiry form and give us a call. We love to hear from new people!

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!