From the category archives:

Engagement

What Did Yahoo Really Buy Today?

by Tim on May 20, 2013

in content marketing,Engagement,Marketing,Social Media,social strategy,Strategy

So, the ‘net is all a-twitter (if you’ll pardon the phrase) about Yahoo’s acquisition of Tumblr today. But what did Yahoo actually buy?

Normally, I don’t get too hung up on tools (remember: they really are just tools). But Tumblr is much more than just a tool.

As I alluded to in an interview with Ragan a few months back (paywalled, sorry), Tumblr is a social network first and foremost. It’s where the cool kids hang out. And it’s access to those cool kids that Yahoo actually bought today.

Which might be the fatal flaw in this deal for Yahoo.

In a discussion with TechTarget, I’d referred to Tumblr as “…the world’s biggest underground thing.” The young demographic Yahoo so desperately wants to attract and retain with this acquisition aren’t altogether thrilled about Yahoo poking into “their” space. As one teen noted,

“It may seem strange that a site bringing together strangers from points around the globe can create a space for interactions that feel more real than those with people at school and at home, but that’s how it actually is.
Tumblr is so much more than a website at this point. It has grown into such a huge community, one that could be easily destroyed by the sort of reckless marketing that Yahoo must be about to unleash.”

If Yahoo’s smart, they’ll treat Tumblr the same way Google treated YouTube for a long time: leave it alone. CEO Marissa Mayer hinted that might by Yahoo’s strategy in a blog post when she said, “We promise not to screw it up.”

I do think this is a good move for Yahoo, but only if they execute correctly. At its core, social is people. And, as a result, all marketing is social. If you want to get in your customers’ heads (or pants… pockets), you’ve got to start by satisfying their needs first. Tumblr today represents a safe, happy place where like-minded individuals can congregate and share stuff they like. It’s a community, not a commodity.

And If Yahoo can’t hang on to the audience that makes Tumblr so attractive in the first place, they’ll find that instead of purchasing prime Internet real estate, what they really bought is a vacant lot.

Interested in more? Register to receive a free copy of my new special report, “Digital Hotel Marketing in a Multiscreen World,” produced in conjunction with Vizergy, here. And you might also enjoy some of our past coverage of social generally and Tumblr specifically, including:

Tagged as: Marketing, marketing strategy, social, social commerce, social is people, social media marketing, tumblr, Yahoo

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Your 10 Favorite Topics This Month (April 2013)

by Tim on May 2, 2013

in content marketing,E-commerce,Engagement,Strategy

Guest posting on blogs Each month, we round up your favorite posts from the prior month. And, so, without further ado, I’m doing just that. Enjoy:

Interested in more? Sign up for our free newsletter and get more information on how to build your social, local, mobile marketing strategy. And, if you’ve got a minute, you might enjoy some past coverage of popular topics, including:

Tagged as: blog, Blogging, top posts

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Tweeting for Results: 3 Tips for Using Twitter Effectively for Your Small Business by Megan Totka

by Tim on April 2, 2013

in content marketing,Engagement,Social Media,social strategy,twitter

Social media marketing can be a powerful tool, or a waste of your time. It all depends on how you use it. Twitter is one of the fastest moving and most influential social media platforms out there—but unfortunately, it’s also misunderstood by many businesses.

Neither occasional, random tweeting nor a constant barrage of promotional messages is an effective use of Twitter. You need to find a middle ground that mixes business with social interaction, yet doesn’t force you to spend hours combing feeds for relevant information or reply to tweets nonstop. While this may seem like a headache, your twitter strategy is actually easier than you think.

Here are three tips to help you make the most of this popular platform.

Give Them Something to Tweet About

Twitter is all about sharing. Mention something that is cool, different, brand-new, entertaining, or engaging, and people will be interested enough to follow you. Since you only get 140 characters to grab attention, you should be tweeting more links than straight messages.

However, make sure the links aren’t all about your business. It’s great to tweet a link to your latest blog post—but if that’s all you ever talk about, people are going to unfollow you pretty fast. Share relevant content from a variety of sources—and, of course, make sure to credit the source. If your credit includes a Twitter handle, the source will probably see your tweet and follow you to reciprocate for the mention.

If You Follow, They Will Tweet

Getting a wide distribution on the Twitter network isn’t so much about tweeting, as it is about retweeting. A retweet, or RT, sends your message to a whole list of people who wouldn’t otherwise see it. And if they like what they see, they’ll probably follow you.

How can you get more RTs? To better your chances of a RT, increase the number of people you follow. Of course, it’s important to follow customers and potential customers—but you should also follow industry leaders, many of whom have large followings of their own. When you start joining in their conversations and retweeting their messages, they’ll likely reciprocate with RTs for you.

Tweet Smarter, Not Harder

It’s important to make sure you’re working smarter in digital marketing. You can do this on Twitter by automating some (but not all) of your tweets, and organizing your conversations.

If you use an automated tweet service like Tweetdeck or the Tweet Old Post plugin for WordPress-based sites, make sure you’re scheduling them sparsely, and tweeting live in between. It’s easy for experienced Twitter users to spot an account that is entirely automated, and one of the fastest ways to lose followers.

An effective Twitter account follows a lot of people. However, this makes it hard to keep up with your home feed, as tweets can amass by the second. To make sure you’re not missing important tweets, create lists within your Twitter account and sort people into them as you follow them. For example, you might make lists for Customers, Prospects, Industry Leaders, Competitors, and Media Sources. Concentrate on scanning one list every time you log into Twitter, and respond to the most relevant tweets.

Follow these tips, and you’ll be tweeting like a pro in no time.

Megan Totka is the Chief Editor for ChamberofCommerce.com. She specializes on the topic of small business tips and resources. ChamberofCommerce.com helps small businesses grow their business on the web and facilitates connectivity between local businesses and more than 7,000 Chambers of Commerce worldwide.

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