Fresh ID » Twitter

The Superbowl & Social Media 2012

Kristi — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:50:06 +0000

It’s finally here… the day we get to eat chili, hot dogs, snack on stadiums made of sandwiches, drink beer, and chat all day with our friends about the NFL Superbowl! Some neat things that are going on in the social media world:

The NFL has a GIANT command center set up, and massive bandwidth has been pumped through the stadium so people can share about the game live with their friends who aren’t fortunate enough to be there. Check this out! and look at this gallery of images from the SMCC. They aren’t just watching to see what is said – over 20 people will monitor to reach out proactively to help people with things like parking info, getting lost in the stadium, getting an answer to a question, etc. even though they have not been directly asked via Twitter or Facebook. This isn’t push marketing – this is amazing customer service! Very, very cool!

Mashable has some ways you can use SM while watching and talking about the game: http://mashable.com/2012/02/05/super-bowl-2012-social-media

And we have set up a mini Tweet Command Center using Intefy today, that anyone can make their own just by logging in and tweeting while watching the search streams in the other columns. Go to http://intefy.com/superbowl if you want to watch it or use it today. Here are some things you should know about using this app:

Login Securely using Oauth to Tweet
Once you login, you can tweet from this page securely and we don’t see your account credentials, dm’s or anything.

Retweet and Reply from Other Columns
If you mouse over a tweet you’ll see some icons show up under the avatar. Click one to retweet or reply, and the text will pop over into your Tweet box so you can edit and send it to easily communicate with others. (You won’t necessarily see it on this page if it doesn’t contain a keyword being searched.)

Problems with the Page?
If you run into problems, tweet us @intefy and we will try to help. The product is going through a development change regarding the way searches happen – if the page times out today and you see error messages, wait a few minutes and reload the page and hopefully the time will have passed where it will display tweets again. We will soon have a different api from Twitter implemented that will eliminate this issue.

We have no preference for a winner today, since our own beloved Chiefs aren’t in the game, but have fun watching the Superbowl and ads! See you online.

The Future of Twitter is Here Now!

Kristi — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:01:30 +0000

I had a bittersweet moment tonight, though ultimately it’s a victory and I’m excited to see someone do it. Two years ago, I penned a long diatribe calling for automation on Twitter of an informational (not marketing) nature, and gave several examples of what I’d like to see happen in the future. That article is here if you have an hour (joking, sort of): https://freshid.com/2010/01/information-vs-engagement-are-you-giving-people-what-they-need

Well, I’m pleased to report that airline KLM has launched @KLMFares and done exactly what I described and envisioned, with great results. If you tweet that specific handle + locations, they will return a link with ticket info for the airfare you seek, and the whole experience will take you seconds-t0-under a minute. Aaron Lee has written a great post about it, head over to his blog and read it for details: http://askaaronlee.com/automate-twitter-account

If you want to work with Fresh ID on your own Tweet-to-respond technology, contact us or tweet us now! I’m dying to experiment as I STILL think this is the wave of the future. Well done KLM!

7 Habits of Highly Effective Twitterers

Kristi — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:08:15 +0000

Originally posted February 2009 on the Mr. Tweet blog, this post has been modified slightly to reflect current information.

I lived in Texas all my life until moving to Kansas 4 years ago to get married. As a designer and business owner who depends on rich relationships for personal and business prospects, I originally felt like a fish out of water in this strange new land. Twitter has been a critical component that changed everything for me, both in terms of finding and being found by relevant folks.

As opposed to gaming the system to gain followers, I believe in constant engagement and adding value to build up a meaningful network. It works!

Here are just some examples of meaningful relationships and opportunities I have gained by using Twitter.

Fresh Partnerships: I’ve met people online that we do business with at Fresh ID that we’ve never met in person.
New Clients, Friends & Mentors: I have clients that I would never have known if not for Twitter, friends I cherish, and mentors like Kelly Olexa, Gary Vaynerchuk and Olivier Blanchard that I draw motivation and inspiration from regularly.
Own Application: I have designed several applications for Twitter because of the incredible availability of the Twitter software feeds and creativity such freedom inspires.

Based on the principle of Stephen Covey’s 7 habits, I have loosely adapted them to explain the 7 habits I have practiced consistently in order to achieve the results above. Enjoy, and I would love to hear your feedback! A lot of people say “Twitter is what you make of it.” I find that to be very true. If you send out links to your site, or try to push your products or services, you’re not liable to get as much out of it as someone who gets to know people before they talk about business. If you ask for advice or competitive information, but never share valuable tidbits when you come across them, you’re not likely to reap the same rewards as someone who is known as a generous sharer. Jump into Conversations. I get to know people by just jumping into the conversation when I see something that I can respond to. It can be awkward to make random statements to the world at large. Especially when starting out, replying to someone else can be the safe way to get some conversation going. Don’t be shy – when you see someone ask a question and you have the answer, or know where they can find it, don’t hesitate to speak up. I cannot remember all the times when I shared some information that seemed obvious to me, but really helped someone else out because they didn’t know something that I did. Proactively seek out people to follow. I used Mr. Tweet a lot before that product went offline, because of the way my report gave me advice on who to follow and the related connections so I understood the big picture better. I have used Twollo to find people to follow based on keywords, and found some awesome user experience people I had never known were out there. I love to visit the Just Tweet It directory because people are organized by their interests, and I’ve even gone to favorite friends follow lists and found really cool people that way. It is not uncommon for me to go on a “find new folks” mission once a week or so and add lots of people that seem interesting to me. Why are you on Twitter? I admit, I had no idea, really, what was available for me until I read a great article by Darren Rowse on his Problogger site about other bloggers being on Twitter. I had a Twitter account with one update on it – I didn’t understand what to do with it. I was new to blogging, but a lot of the folks he listed seemed cool, so I made it a point to follow 100 of them to get started. Very quickly, I saw that this was a wonderful place to connect with like-minded people. Since I miss the social aspects of working around other people in an office, Twitter soon became my personal “breakroom” – a place I could stop in and visit for a moment with people who get what I’m talking about. What is the reason you’re on Twitter? I have a friend with an autistic son, and she is an autism advocate who provides autistic children with a creative outlet in Texas. She uses Twitter to connect with parents of autistic kids and has found a marvelous support system. A coffee shop in Houston uses Twitter to provide service to its customers and bring together people in person who live in Houston, frequent the coffee shop, and use Twitter. Whole Foods Market answers customer questions and passes information along to headquarters, so that customers have a direct communication channel that’s easy and convenient for them. Despite a lot of people who feel there is a right and wrong way to use Twitter, the truth is there are many valid reasons to participate, and everyone’s is unique. I try not to criticize people (except for spammers) for using Twitter how they want to. You don’t need a formal mission statement or personal brand, but some internal guidelines will be helpful if you intend to use Twitter in any sort of business capacity. I often self-censor because I use Twitter for general networking and playtime, but am a business owner with clients following me, and this is always in the back of my mind. How important are your Twitter friends and this social platform to you? For some of us, it’s the first thing we check every morning and our Twitter friends are the last people we communicate with before bed. Others check in every few days, or maybe only once a day. If Twitter is important to you and not something you can use at work, get an iPhone, Droid or Blackberry and check in at lunch. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying Twitter so much that it becomes an important part of your day. Part of Business Process: Having been on Twitter for a number of months, I now have clients that follow me and sometimes they Direct Message me instead of sending an email. For those of us doing business with other Twitter users, it’s as important as having email or internet access. Set Aside When Need To: However, if Twitter is sucking away your time and distracting you from important tasks, try to put it aside totally for a while and get yourself started on a single task. I have had to do that before, because my friends would not stop sending out fascinating articles and saying interesting things! Give Love to Followers: It’s been fun to follow celebrities like Lance Armstrong, Demi Moore and Brent Spiner on Twitter. But for the average person, those relationships are fairly one-sided: we send love to the stars we like so much, and they soak it up, but don’t follow many people back or even acknowledge many people with @ replies. How do you treat your followers? What do you give, and what do you take from them? Get Personal, Not Bottish: I have been very vocal about my dislike of automated Direct Messages from people you follow. They bother me because someone is talking “at me”, not “to me.” If you’ve been on Twitter very long you’ve probably witnessed some disastrous DM’s that make you roll your eyes. For example, and this one happens quite often: someone follows me. I see them, and decide to follow them. Then I get a ridiculous message that thanks me for following them, and says they will check out my bio and possibly follow me within a few days. Now this person I thought was cool, just took a turn for the worse in my eyes. Consequently, I think I end up filtering them out mentally because I prefer other people I don’t see as lame, more. If this same person did not send a thank you when I followed them, but rather waited for an opening and sent me a reply that was helpful, supportive or funny, I would be more likely to forge a friendship with them based on mutual interest. If Twitter is a place you want to be for a long time, treat followers as you want to be treated… show them respect if you disagree, be courteous, offer sympathy and demonstrate empathy. It takes a big person to put themselves in another persons shoes, though it might seem easy. We can only relate to what we already understand, so when someone is rubbing you the wrong way, try to imagine their position. If you don’t agree the majority of the time, you don’t have to follow each other. There’s no shame in removing yourself from bad situations. I have done it, and have had people unfollow me that didn’t feel we were a good fit for each other. But be gracious. When people see you are capable of comprehending their point of view, they may become more open-minded about hearing yours.

Synergistic brainstorming is the secret sauce that brings new users to Twitter by leaps and bounds month after month. It is the reason people talk their co-workers, industry colleagues, friends and family members into joining. If people following each other is the fabric, brainstorming is the thread that binds them together and makes individual networks strong. Community Sharing: I am a designer and now CEO of Fresh ID, though a bit more focused on software design, usability, social media and product marketing than some of my creative pals. The design community on Twitter is amazing… they promote each others work, share ideas, links and articles, support each other if one of them suffers an issue and unconditionally have each others backs. A lot of these creatives, like myself, work alone, but this community effect ensures they are never far from suggestions, feedback or a willing ear to listen when times are tough.

I always feel my followers have made me smarter. There is an evolution of a thought… if left alone, your thought may only go so far, limited by your past, experiences and imagination. Take the same thought, and launch it into the sea of Twitter friends. Now it morphs with another idea added it to it, changes into something new with yet more input, and growswhen someone smart makes a comment from a new angle you didn’t realize existed. This is how using Twitter on a regular basis can sharpen your mind and improve your thinking. Of course, it helps if you follow smart people!I have found Twitter to be such a valuable tool, I struggle for words to describe its place in my life. It is woven into my day as much as brushing my teeth, petting my four-footed children, eating, drinking and sleeping.I believe it makes me a more effective person… and I know it’s made me a more satisfied person. How has using Twitter changed your life?

Fresh ID out and about…ONLINE

freshid — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 22:04:48 +0000

The Fresh ID team believes in practicing what we preach. And you all know (or should know) that we try to share our world with you, online. We believe in exploring, updating, engaging and embracing all different kinds of social networks and sharing our thoughts and opinions. So we wanted to share with you all WHERE exactly we are hanging out, and invite you to “Follow” us. Also, if you’d like help setting anything up (Like Tumblr, Blogging etc.) you know we’d be happy to help! So here we are, you can find us 24/7… Introducing, Fresh ID ONLINE Lisa Qualls, CEO: @LQualls4444 Facebook.com/lqualls4444 Linkedin Google Plus Tumblr About.Me Slideshare Visible. Me Kristi Colvin, CCO: @KrisColvin @EatWellWorkWell Facebook.com/kriscolvin LinkedIn KrisColvin (FourSquare) Blogging Tumblr Tom Jenkins, CTO: @TechGuyTom Facebook.com/Techguytom LinkedIn Google Plus Blogging Slideshare Sherry Liu, Art Director: @SherryLiu Facebook.com/AznLiu Sherry Liu (FourSquare) Google Plus LinkedIn Tumblr Ryan McElhaney: Sales and Marketing Director: @RyanLeighMac Facebook.com/RyanMcElhaney LinkedIn Google Plus Tumblr Blogging Flavors.Me Fresh ID: @Freshid Facebook.com/FreshID Blogging Slideshare YouTube

Social Media in the News

freshid — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 00:13:32 +0000

You can tell that Social Media is now officially mainstream when you read the news. This week’s headlines include a Missouri state judge issuing an injunction against a teachers social networking prohibition law, social media use during natural disasters, and Britain political leaders meeting to brainstorm on how to use social media or limit others from using social media to curb civil unrest.

Missouri Court Injunction

The Missouri story is of particular interest as my husband happens to be a Missouri teacher. With a 15-year old daughter who also happens to attend his school, we were very concerned with this new law (Senate Bill 54, section 162.069) going in to effect. There was a real possibility that he would no longer be able to be “friends” with his own child. Thankfully we have a pretty good kid, but I would be lying if I didn’t admit to keeping a watchful eye on her posts and interactions. As a softball coach, I used Facebook to keep up with my players, make sure they were staying out of trouble (which sometimes they weren’t and we were able to address it) and get insight as to how they were handling the challenges of competitive ball. I was able to help parents know when to ask questions and play a proactive role in minimizing issues before they came to a head. I know many teachers who do the same…often times a student will express stress, pain, and/or staying out til 3 a.m on Facebook but would never saying anything to their parents…to prohibit one of the most popular communication channels today from being used to facilitate teacher and student interaction just didn’t make sense. It is refreshing to see the teachers have their voice heard. The law will be delayed 180 days or until the state legislature and teachers can work out an agreement. It is important to note that only section 162.069 will be delayed…the rest of the bill, which is a good bill related to prevention of sexual abuse will go in to effect as planned.

Hurricane Irene, Earthquakes, Social Media, Oh My!

Hurricane Irene along with the east coast earthquakes are creating shakes, waves and jiggles on the social media scene this week. (corny yes I know but I couldn’t resist). Many of the articles talk about increase mentions, is SM good or bad, and citizens relying on SM during disasters. Consumerreports.org noted some very interesting facts that were brought to my attention by David Erickson (fyi…David provides a great daily email you should subscribe to if you like stats):

24% of Americans would use social tools to tell people they are safe
1 in 5 would try an online channel if they were unable to reach EMS
80% expect emergency responder to monitor social sites
One-third expect help to arrive within an hour of posting a need to a social site

You have to wonder, does our police, fire and other emergency rescue services realize these kind of expectations exist? It is somewhat scary to think that people may be requesting help when nobody is listening. The Social Media Club of Kansas City had a great breakfast a few months ago where the Johnson County Sheriff department shared with us what steps they are taking to monitor and participate in social media. We can only hope that other community emergency services are adopting similar best practices.

Britain Meets with Twitter, Facebook and Blackberry

You know you are beyond early adoption when the Queen comes knocking on your door. Obviously the Britain riots are no laughing matter and I think it is an important step by leaders to acknowledge the role social media may play in not only creating civil unrest but possibly calming it as well. There are many of my peers in this industry that may interpret the Britain conversations as an attempt to prohibit free speech. However, if there is a main channel that is causing destruction don’t we have to ask our leaders to take a responsible look and understand how that channel functions, how to minimize the risk and ultimately how to shut it down in the event that it leads to wide-scale tragedy? Many of the uprisings we have seen this year have led to freedom but we would be naive if we didn’t respect the potential for technology and new media to be just as dangerous as they are liberating. This is the kind of topic that makes for great happy hour conversations! What a crazy, wacky week …we hope you were able to experience more positive than negative and wish you the best of fun, safety and enjoyment this weekend! Cheers, Lisa

Fresh ID Out and About in KC

freshid — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 22:34:35 +0000

It’s been a busy, exciting and educational past few weeks at the Fresh ID offices. Our team has been in full force around KC, and working around the clock. At Fresh ID, we believe in sharing what we know and actively learning at all times. Recently, our very own CEO Lisa Qualls was featured in the Kansas City Business Journal talking about “Social Media Club of Kansas City”, and then Lisa and our CTO, Tom Jenkins both knocked it out of the park with their presentations at “WordCamp KC”. Lisa (@lqualls4444) and our friend Joe Cox (@joenormal) were featured in the Kansas City Business Journal (KCBJ) for their involvement with Social Media Club Kansas City (@SMCKC). Joe, the current President, and Lisa, Chairwoman of the Board, talked about the growing membership and development of SMCKC and the cool information and social activities members are involved in. Lisa and Joe explained how businesses are reaching out and using social media and how this club is a place for business professionals to reach out and learn from each other. “None of us are social ninjas”, Cox said. “We’re all eager to learn from each other” (KCBJ). SMCKC is a big part of Fresh ID’s networking, and we like to participate in events, get to know other members and experience the ever-changing landscape of social media together. Lisa believes that it’s the “personal focus” that drives business and deals and relationships within the group. For more information, check out the article here (full article requires paid subscription): “Social Media Club continues to blaze and build connections” Tom and Lisa both presented at WordCamp KC the weekend of June 11^th. WordCamp KC was a success, with over 200 attendees, and after following #WCKC on Twitter, even I (who was out of town and not able to attend in person) learned a thing or two. WordCamps are community organized meetings for users of WordPress, the blogging platform and content management system that is sweeping the online world. Wes Mikel, (5alldesign.com), who attended #WCKC says; “ I was impressed by the range of people so dedicated to the community. Sometimes, I fall into the trap of thinking KC is not a ”forward thinking place”, but the WC proved otherwise. It was a great mix of people coming together, with so many different backgrounds, to lift each other up and help out, educate and experience.” Lisa’s presentation, How do people use social media? was described as a “Best” in the blog post “Sharing the Good, the Bad, the Ugly and the Best from two days of #wckc” . You can read a great review of her presentation on “The Guavalicious Life”. Tom Jenkins presentation, “Understanding the Relationship Between Parent and Child Themes” was also a hit among the “campers”. @mighty_jeff said: ” @TechGuyTom Nice meeting you this weekend at #wckc. Thanks for answering my questions about learning PHP and getting my career started” “My big take away was to quit thinking of WP as anything other than what I happen to work with, in design. It’s a tool and it’s up to the person to not let the tool limit you, become the expert of it, become a craftsman of it and take it to the next limit. Thinking above and beyond, and being flexible is important with WP. The community needs to evolve when thinking about WP and the WC helped us take a step in that direction.”- Wes Mikel Fresh ID was happy to lend it’s team to such a great community and event, and not only sharing what we know, but learning from others along the way! For tweets about the conference search #WCKC on Twitter! We are super proud of our Fresh ID team, and Lisa and Tom for always representing us well! Until next time…..

We Are All Paid to Tweet… Sorta

Kristi — Sat, 07 May 2011 14:48:28 +0000

People often think I am tweeting for dollars, because I gush enthusiastically over a brand name or a particular thing on Twitter. If some people are saying that, and asking me directly about it, the likelihood of many other people thinking it but never saying it is high. So I wanted to clear up any misconceptions and also share with you our philosophy at Fresh ID on being paid to tweet (or Facebook, or whatever) and the principles we use with clients, for the curious. At any given point in time, seeing a tweet like this from me is not rare: I was reading something online, possibly Girl’s Guide to Paris or some such blog, and I found that post. You’ll note it is to the Nine West tumblr. I am going to Paris, love France, love pink and red together and find that shoe next to the Eiffel Tower DELICIOUS, hence… I shared it. I was not paid by Nine West to promote anything, nor have they ever even contacted me, but if they want to send me a pair of those shoes I wouldn’t turn them down! That’s just one recent example. I have many. On any given day I may be mentioning my standard brands Apple, Nike or Starbucks, though just this morning I became turned off by Starbucks food entirely, when I read and shared Is Starbucks Any Healthier than McDonald’s? (Short answer, no. Long answer… ewww, faux ingredients everywhere!) The funny thing about people assuming – and they are making a totally false assumption – about me being paid to tweet is that no one has ever even offered that to me. No one of note, at least, like a major brand. Some people have solicited me in the past to promote them and I declined, as it is not something I intend to ever do. I told a friend and client the other day, as we discussed my love for Twitter, that I wanted to follow a million people and wanted a million followers. He asked if I would tweet for dollars then, and was a little surprised when I said I never would. The reason I like to follow so many people is for ready sources of information, knowledge and companionship. I gain far more attempting to have more genuine online relationships in a share-and-exchange type of environment than I would if I amassed followers so I could pimp stuff out to them mindlessly, while counting my dollars in the bank. That said, I realize I DO promote things and people and activities. Some of them a lot. Some of them, despite complaints (I am aware of the soccer murmerings behind my back. It amuses me, because people could just unfollow me.) Some things I routinely promote & why: Olivier Blanchard, aka @thebrandbuilder – I adore him. He rocks. He has a Big Brain but not a Big Head. (He’s delightfully French!!) He is one of my best friends, which he may not even realize. I tell him (almost) everything. We help him with his sites and digital assets and in doing so often point people to them, to him, and to his various activities. (He keeps saying I could be his agent, but he has not paid me to do so. Perhaps I HAVE missed my calling as an agent… another delightful friend called me a “cheerleader to the stars” recently.) Gary Vaynerchuk – He inspires and motivates me personally, with his views on business and social media and going for things with nothing but the sweat on your brow and determination. He has never paid me for anything, but I remember the first magical DM I ever got from him! (It said “agreed on pink!” about a tshirt color. I loooove my Garyvee.) Kidsongs – We helped them get going a little bit on Twitter when doing some work for them, and I tweeted as the beloved blue Billy Biggle character some, to show them how they could interact with folks on Twitter as well as promote their merchandise. I know that a lot of friends have small children, and their stuff is well suited to occupy kids for hours on end, so when I see they are having a promotion of some type I often try to share that on Twitter and Facebook so those people might learn about them, even though they are not products I use myself. Meers Agency – We helped them build up the agency Twitter handle last year and disclosed our names along with others who were tweeting in the bio of the Twitter profile. It wasn’t a secret that we tweeted right along with them, but then we backed out gradually and now don’t tweet from their account. Cabot Cares – We helped the Cabot team get setup on various social media platforms when we set up a donor campaign for them online, and started out doing the tweeting and showing them how to engage, then as is our custom, gradually backed out and let them manage the account on their own. Sporting KC - My beloved soccer team! We don’t tweet from their accounts but yes, I promote them constantly because somehow, as they have become our client and we work more closely with them, I have caught the soccer fever for the team and I am interested in all their activities. I stay home Saturday nights to watch them play on KSMO, bugged Lisa to death to buy season tickets (Section 107, over the tunnel!!), and though we are being paid regularly for web design and software design, we are NOT being paid to tweet – they just can’t stop me. There is a time when your genuine excitement over something surpasses a client relationship if it resonates with you, and that is what has happened with me & SKC. Kansas City Chiefs – You will see us refer to them more and more as they are a client and we are working on social media ideas for the coming season with them, that involve sponsors and hopefully fun things to do. We are not paid to promote them from OUR accounts, but we will because we are excited about what is going on with these different campaign ideas. We also know that given we have a lot of Chiefs fans who follow us, we want to share things going on with the team when we catch them, just to keep people informed. I’m sure there are many others but this is representative of client scenarios. At Fresh ID, we have a number of social media-related clients. They hire us to both come up with ideas for campaigns AND to execute them digitally, with sites, apps, landing pages, email marketing designs or live event pages. In the case of live events, we usually do a lot of promotion from our accounts because we want people to attend the event. We sponsor some events, like LikeMinds, so we have a vested interest in promoting it, as it showcases our Intefy platform. (And they always have awesome events!) We are watching these events and usually pretty excited about it all, so the tweets we send out are a mix of natural enthusiasm and support for our client, but NONE of them are planned, paid tweets. I realize this is probably a gray area a lot of people would debate endlessly, but this is our reality:

We don’t take cash to tweet
Tweeting for promotion is not in our contracts
We are indirectly paid, via client retainers to do other things, to help spread the word… we usually OFFER this or it is unmentioned, rather than being ASKED for it, because we are all active, fluent social media users it is a natural course of business for us
We sometimes feel something for a particular project or client that causes us as individuals to talk about it more than other things (our true personalities take over, in other words, since we aren’t tweeting automatons)
We do tweet for clients as part of a Getting Started package that we do, but we do NOT do this long-term as we can’t do it meaningfully enough, not being with their company all day long. Our standard is to get them talking online more than we are, within about 3 months and then we stop tweeting, facebooking, etc. from their accounts.
We encourage using social platforms as customer service outlets MORE than for marketing, but the reality is some clients or prospects want to add Twitter for marketing only and don’t use it like we do personally for real engagement, which we can’t control
The exception is live event coverage: sometimes we will tweet from a client account during a live online event because they are too busy to do it, as they are putting on the event
I can’t speak for other members of our team, but I (Kristi) will personally not take cash to tweet and I would highly frown upon anyone else in our company doing so – it’s a matter of principle as it changes the dynamic of everything you’re doing online

We have lucked out, regarding the clients we’ve had and social promoting we have done. We haven’t had someone with a toilet plunger hire us to do a campaign wherein we felt we should talk about them out of client loyalty and a genuine desire to help them succeed, but it would be beyond odd to do so, given it’s about something obviously not interesting to us. I don’t love celebrity endorsements for this reason. They seem, about 60% of the time, not to be totally genuine. Does Kim Kardashian actually wear her bottom-plumping Sketchers around?? I’ve never seen them on her in non-promotional pictures, so I don’t think so. She just took some cash to promote them, regardless of any real excitement about them. A lot of people think that is great… and I certainly would like to make a lot more money. But I am not a “celebrity” who sits around all day being famous for tweeting about random merchandise. I have a real job IN the social media, design, software related industries and the things I come across or am introduced to via clients in a given week are the things I am talking about with my social media friends. The beauty of Twitter is, if you don’t like a person’s style or excessive soccer tweeting, you can opt-out and unfollow them at any time. If you don’t unfollow someone, but are kvetching about them, WHY are you not unfollowing them? Are you hedging a bet you may want them, and their perceived influence to promote you or your interests someday? That could be one reason. Or maybe you like the links they tweet that suit your interests, but you wish they would tamp down their personality? That’s a bit unfair. We all use social media channels for our own personal reasons (if a personal account), not for an audience we are trying to please. We are all paid to tweet if we hover around the creative services, advertising & social media-focused industries. We all promote something… our bosses, our company, our partners, the games we love to play, the things we eat, drink and do, the places we go, the software we use, our friend’s books and accomplishments, people we admire, conferences we want to attend, etc. Even if you’re not in this business, don’t you promote hobbies, your kids teams at school, your alumni college, or something, if you really examine your updates? Some of us are just more active twitterers – I have pumped out an appalling 64,000+ tweets since I joined in March 26, 2008. So our “noise” is a little more loud than others. If you have any specific questions regarding Fresh ID, our policies and procedures around using social media for ourselves or clients, or any comments about our practices, please feel free to leave them below or contact us privately by email! See you on Twitter.

AMA KC 2011 Seminar Thoughts…

freshid — Tue, 03 May 2011 19:20:35 +0000

On Tuesday, May 2^nd I got to attend the American Marketing Associate of Kansas City’s 2011 Seminar at Avila University. Here is my quick overview and favorite tweets from the seminar! The American Marketing Association of Kansas City invited students, AMA members and curious professionals alike to the 2011 Seminar “The Power of Like: Facebook and Social Media Panel”. Emceed by John Holt of Fox 4 News, the panel consisted of Brad Keown, Regional Marketing Director of Facebook, Randall Brown, Global Director of Digital Strategy at Gatorade and Jonathan Busky, Senior Director of Sales Innovation & Marketing Solutions, Cafe Mom. They provided the audience with their expertise and opinions about how social marketing is influencing today’s marketing world. As an attendee, it was a great pleasure to listen to the panel give their examples, advice and tips that could benefit any size company, whether it’s a large brand like “Gatorade” or a small business around the corner. Being strategic, transparent and authentic are keys to social media success for any size company when building relationships with your audience. Create brand advocates online who become your biggest cheerleaders and who will influence their friends and connections by sharing their personal experience with your brand. Knowing what your customers say and do for you online can help you develop your own strategic plan regarding social media. Know what they are saying, where they are saying it, how they are saying it and then reward them for what they say. Build relationships that are based on trust by being responsive and honest.

With the hashtag #amakc2011, attendees tweeted some of their favorite remarks, here a few that I really liked and think you will enjoy:

@rockchalkgirl Set objectives in social media, build an engagement plan to meet those goals and build relationships. -Randall Brown #amakc2011 @AMA_KC Be useful, answer the consumers question and be authentic! From there, the relationship builds and you’ve created an advocate #amakc2011 @Sprint_Premier Without authenticity you lose all control in crisis. Always true, not just in social media. #amakc2011 @melaniewoods If you have strong sales channels don’t force social to be a sales channel, just focus on adding value to your brand fans #amakc2011 @pluswillis: If you’re going to give customers access to your brand with social media, you need to be ready to act. #amakc2011 @timmccoy2 Social media is the new 1-800 number. You better have someone on the other end of the line. #amakc2011

The Etsy-Twitter-Tumblr Triumvirate

Kristi — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 17:18:19 +0000

This post is primarily meant for Etsy sellers. (We are one now too!) There are currently 273,270 active Etsy sellers, people signing up as members at a rate of over 300,000 per month, and in November 2010 Etsy broke a sales record of over 2 million items sold in one month. So how can sellers expand their reach, have more fun selling and increase their sales potential? By adding some other social networks to their mix of daily activities! We are going to be making and selling themes and templates in support of Etsy sellers and have just begun stocking our store. The set Lulu & Fifi has only had 77 views since I put it up, so I just tweeted about it to let people know it’s there, using the handy “Share” button on my page. If I used Twitter simply to promote my Etsy wares, it wouldn’t work as well. It is because I am actually friends with people and do a lot of reciprocal sharing and communicating, that anyone will care to click on my link. In a few minutes time, my views have gone from 77 to 111, just while writing this paragraph. That’s the power of using Twitter in conjunction with Etsy (and why it’s important to build social networks with like-minded folks who you enjoy interacting with.) Another important use of Twitter is for customer service – it’s easy to chat back and forth via DM or using your public stream, with an interested prospect or buyer. Showing people you’re around and active during buying times, plus seeing your interactions with others is another way to demonstrate they can trust you to provide quality service and merchandise. Here’s the tweet I sent – note how the latest version of Twitter shows the full graphic if you look at the tweet by itself… awesome! If you don’t have a Twitter account you can get one here. Be sure to match your background and colors to your store for the greatest brand effectiveness.

I also have a Tumblr for my personal blog, which I dearly love because I follow a lot of cool, fun people who post interesting things, that I can “reblog” in a matter of seconds. Things I love, I reblog, so I can reference them later. So think about what’s on Etsy for a moment… TONS of adorably quirky, fun, neat things. Things that people on Tumblr who like to share and play, might find interesting enough to pass along to their friends. The moral of this point? Set up a Tumblr and make friends there! I would use it, if you have no other website, as the companion site or blog for my Etsy store. Seeing handmade stuff on Etsy is very cool, but sometimes hearing the backstory of how something creative came to be, is even cooler and draws people who are intrigued by it toward purchasing. Plus, blogging your thoughts and letting people know who you are as a person (the same goes for tweeting) breeds familiarity, and familiarity breeds trust, and trust is a cornerstone of selling. So there is benefit in being accessible and approachable as a businessperson, and not just the Wizard behind the curtain (the curtain being the graphic avatar of your store.) Another benefit of Tumblr is that with some custom coding, you can add the Etsy mini widgets to your sidebar or the top or bottom of your site. You can also put one on Facebook, like we did on our Fresh ID business page. I have not put the Etsy widgets on my Tumblr yet, because I’m trying to decide whether we’re going to create a new one for the Themes & Templates we are going to sell or not, but the graphic here shows how it might look. Selling on Etsy is obviously not our core business – we are a creative services and social media agency -but if it’s yours you shouldn’t hesitate to put that on your Tumblr so that everytime people visit it, they will see the latest stuff you’re offering in your store. You can also set it up so that when you Tumble something, it goes into your Twitter feed, and if you post something you’re offering on Etsy as a story on Tumblr, that will automatically get sent to Twitter. You can get a free Tumblr account here. You will need to find a Tumblr theme, buy one or have a custom theme made for your site, so try to get one that coordinates with your store branding. We do custom-designed themes with lots of social network-integrated coding that run around $1000. We are going to eventually offer a Tumblr theme just for Etsy sellers that will be much less (under $100), and will be built to quickly brand it like your store and insert your Etsy Mini listings. If you want to know more about that theme just contact us… it’s not out of production yet. We also intend to do some Tumblr themes that will match the shop templates in our Etsy store. Tumblr, just like Twitter, involves reciprocal friendship for maximum effectiveness. I use my Tumblr for a highly personal site (as opposed to this blog, for our business) so I can reblog, write down, and share anything that amuses, delights or annoys me. So it is a total mix of goofy pictures, designer-inspired home decor and illustrations, funny, raunchy things, thoughtful musings, tirades against injustice and self-promotional blather. In other words, it’s the sum of my parts. If you want to keep your Tumblr more business-like though, you will be in plenty of good company. Everyone from major publications like Newsweek to hugely popular web applications like Twitter and Foursquare are making use of Tumblr for their business. When I began writing this post I had 77 views of my Lulu & Fifi Shop Theme, and I now have 160 views, a retweet of the link and a question from someone about our shop sets. Not bad for taking the time to send a single tweet to let my friends know what I’m doing! Do you have any questions or success stories to share about using other social networks to promote your Etsy wares? Would love to hear them. Ebay is doing something kind of unique – they have a new “social media sellers” program they’re initiating. If there is enough interest from Etsy sellers on social media we can help set up a regular Twitter chat about this topic so we can all help each other. Happy selling! Kristi

Think Like a Rockstar

freshid — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 03:37:28 +0000

Ran across this great set of slides posted on Twitter by @mikesansone from his blog, www.converstations.com. This is a great message about the roles played by both an Actor and an Audience. The presentation he cites is called “Think Like a Rockstar: How to Build Fans and Community Around Your Social Media Efforts” by @MackCollier. In the presentation, Mack draws a very interesting parallel between rockstars and companies in social media, noting that Rockstars have Fans, while companies have costumers. The idea is that rockstars are focused more on simply engaging, rather than building up a fan base. Take Pink for example (@Pink). Pink uses her Twitter account in mostly the same ways any individual would use a Twitter account. She uses it to stay connected and close with friends and other rockstars and to talk about topics she is interested in. There isn’t a lot of promotion going on. This simple difference in motive makes all the difference when it comes to building a community of brand advocates. You can check out the blog post here: http://www.converstations.com/2010/09/brunch-n-brains-mingle-with-your-audience-become-a-fan.html or view the slides below. Please tell us what you think!

Think Like a Rockstar: How to Build Fans and Community Around Your Social Media Efforts

View more presentations from Mack Collier.

~ Matt