Mute Represents Everything Wrong with Twitter Today

LALALALA!
Finally, you can mute on Twitter. Everything that’s wrong with Twitter has been fixed confirmed.

If you don’t want to see what someone Tweets, unfollow them. If they are spamming with mentions, favorites or retweets, block them. If that isn’t enough, report them for spam.

But mute? The only reason Twitter needs a mute button is the platform’s addiction to reciprocity. [Read more…]

Why The Analysts Are Wrong About Twitter’s Ad Platform

Media Buyers Are Dinosaurs: Picture of a FossilWhat happens when you survey 50 media buyers? You learn that media buyers have put a bit of social lipstick on their buys but they still don’t understand the potential of social media, the importance of content, and so much more.

About two weeks ago, two equity research analysts at Cowen & Co surveyed 50 ad buyers. 60% said Facebook delivers the best ROI, 25% picked LinkedIn and just 5% chose Twitter.

The analyst’s conclusion? Sell Twitter. They expect Twitter’s stock price to fall to $32 (it closed at $62.53 on 1/21).

My conclusion? The majority of media buyers are doomed. And Twitter will be just fine. [Read more…]

Invisible Brand Marketing Is Not Just a Facebook Problem!

Invisible Brand MarketingStop grumbling about Facebook’s latest blow to marketers.

You’ve increased your likes 100-fold in the last two years, and many of your competitors have too. Others have finally jumped on the social media bandwagon, adding their own voice to the marketing cacophony of Facebook.

Of course your posts aren’t reaching as many people on Facebook! [Read more…]

Google Analytics Is Underreporting Results from Twitter

Question MarkB2B marketers are undervaluing Twitter’s contribution to their business.

That’s hard to believe at a time when many B2B marketers are glomming on to Twitter like it’s the last shiny object opportunity they will ever have (even turning to spamming), but it’s true. It is happening because web analytics packages are dramatically underreporting traffic from Twitter.

How many leads came from Twitter? How many website visits? How many purchases? When your web analytics package doesn’t recognize that traffic is coming from Twitter, Twitter doesn’t get the credit it deserves. [Read more…]

15 People Every B2B Marketer Should Follow On Twitter

B2B Marketers: Follow These 15 People On TwitterAs a B2B marketer, it is easy to find people to follow on Twitter, right? Big names in B2B marketing, content marketing and social media seem to be everywhere.

But what about those hidden gems, the people that don’t post frequently, will still have a conversation and don’t seem to always share the same thing or spout the same idea? They will add the variety and perspective your Twitter stream just may be missing.

Here are 15 hidden gems B2B marketers should be following. They cross a range of topics, but all focus on B2B directly or add perspectives I’ve consistently found valuable for B2B. Nearly all of them will engage in a discussion on Twitter and not just broadcast the same links you already see from everyone else. [Read more…]

Is Twitter Using Research to Mislead Marketers?

Lying“Overall, a 30% increase in positive Tweets is four times more effective in driving sales than a 30% increase in existing above-the-line advertising.”

That is an impressive statistic, quoted directly from a Twitter infographic and attributed to a study by Deloitte. With the inclusion of a big name audit and consulting firm doing a study of 100 different game releases, it has all of the marks of credibility.

Unfortunately, it isn’t true. [Read more…]

A Guide to Creating a Thought Leadership Campaign

Desert LeaderSituation: Your B2B company is not seen as a thought leader in your industry. You have been asked to develop a campaign to establish your company as a thought leader and become one of the leading voices within your industry.

Normally I am opposed to the idea of thought leadership and campaign being used together.

However, establishing thought leadership is a common objective and many B2B marketing organizations continue to work within a campaign framework. Ideal or not, many B2B marketers need solutions that deliver real recognition as thought leaders within a campaign structure. [Read more…]

Putting the Conversation Back into Twitter

http Callout BoxSome days it seems Twitter has moved from a social platform to a headline and link platform. I don’t know about you, but I miss the old days of Twitter where people shared insightful thoughts or strangers met through a conversation.

Communicating something useful or interesting in 140 characters was an art, and some practiced it well. This art is already being lost.

Today, 140 characters is just a promotion for 500 more words. [Read more…]

3 Ways To Use the Value of a Like or Follow

Dan Zarella and Hubspot gave the “what is your social media audience worth” pot a good stir last week.

It doesn’t matter if you like Hubspot’s formula or not (at least not for this article). One day many businesses will put a value on their social media audience, if it is in the form of monthly impact to their business or the average value of an audience member.

Then what? How do you use the value of a like, follower, circler, or similar to improve the value of your marketing and your business? [Read more…]

Will Jet Engines Ever Be Social?

What would a jet engine say if it was on a social network?

The CMO of GE talked about this in a video earlier this year at Dreamforce. Wow, what a question. To think, soon your refrigerator, car and, yes, jet engines may be part of your social network.

But as devices join you on Facebook, Twitter or other social platforms, are they really becoming social? [Read more…]