Yesterday, I went to a seminar produced by Madison + Main, a Richmond, Va.-based marketing firm. As part of the presentation, a small business owner who does not feel the warm and fuzzies about social media (but is smart enough to understand the inevitable importance of it) talked about his experience using Twitter.
He talked about how using Twitter enabled him to get his foot in the door with Apple Computer, Inc. and how, on more than one occasion, his response to a prospect’s tweet about a problem led to a sale.
The president of Madison + Main, Dave Saunders, also talked about how Twitter is the #3 social media network and how the success of Facebook (#1) and MySpace (#2) is driven by conversation – the “electricity” of social media.
And when you think of ROI, whether you need to justify to the boss why you’re “wasting” so much time with this social media stuff, or, you are the boss and you’re wondering why your employees are “wasting” so much time on this social media stuff, think about this:
1.) If you love shoes and you’re on Twitter, and you follow Zappos, when you need a new pair of sandals for your summer vacation, where are you likely to buy the shoes from?
2.) Everybody needs a used car sometime – so if you have a question about a used car that you’re interested in, and you send a Tweet to Carmax and get your question answered, aren’t you more likely to consider them for your next car purchase?
3.) The next time, as a small business owner, you need to hire a consultant to refresh your marketing campaign, who are you more likely to call: the person who answered your tweet when you had a question, or the company who sent you a slick postcard mailer with a call to action? You’re likely to call the one you’ve established a relationship with — and with Twitter, that can be done very quickly and easily.
I could keep going, but you get the point. So, the conversations on Twitter for companies and organizations are a supplement to good old-fashioned public relations. Be present, start the conversation, listen and be responsive.
And the ROI will surely follow.
