@web smith
Branding, Media, Strategy, Creation, and User Experience. I build brand advocacy.
Web Smith, L.L.C.
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ME AND ANNE IN THE WHIP.
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Why, Hello General.
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Classic.
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GQ Endorses: The New White Suit
Don’t treat the white suit like some dainty costume. Split it in two, dress it down, get it ...
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37 posts tagged Twitter
So many of us have wanted #CrossFit to grow in pop cultural relevance. Trending topics have been a key factor in boosting that relevance. Yesterday, it took another great step. I happen to geek out on social media analytics so this meant quite a bit to me. At peak traffic (as measured by five different TweetDeck columns), 17 tweets/second were sent - all mentioning Chris Spealler, SPEAL, Spealler, and two common misspellings.
This may be the first year that July’s CrossFit Games week dominates Twitter - as world records and sensational performances are being broadcasted. Pretty cool to see the CrossFit Games social media crew already anticipating that rush by designating last names as the way to mention athletes. If enough people see #Froning, it will accomplish the same visibility goal that #CrossFit would.
Here’s a great blog over at Compete Every Day.
Trickle up. Kanye West made news today by simply going on an unsolicited truth-spree. While his spurt of tweets could be deemed hilarious by some, obnoxious by most - it is a great example of how social media can instantaneously influence social networks and more traditional media when the message is sensational (or even aggravating) enough. Anatomy of a Twitter rant.
How time flies. All it took was one news search on the Twitter platform to realize that relevantnews was no longer fastest through CNN, ESPN, or even Mashable. 2009 wasn’t early adoption by any means but even in the last three years, I’ve watched the platform develop into a necessity for many personal and corporate brands.
Influencing Health. What we eat is influenced heavily by a) what is available b) what is customary. Social’s effect falls into the “B” category and it is, in my opinion, one of the most persuasive forms of suggestion that we see over media platforms.
If people in your circle drink a lot of alcohol, it will numb your sensitivity to the infrequency in which it should be consumed. If people herald their “cheat days”, you will feel obligated to take one of your own. But if the people around you are super strict with their choices, eventually, you’ll be inspired to get back on the wagon. Who inspires your diet? Leave their Twitter handle below.
See More: Your Bad Eating Habits Are Contagious (via Fast Company)
A lot can be done in 140 characters or less. Here is a wonderful guide to the best and worst type of tweets. Whether you’re manning a corporate account or your personal one, this is a great perspective on balancing what you want to say with what others want to hear.
If Twitter is about adding value, this is a must see guide that will help you shape your message and eliminate noise. (via Wall Street Journal)
What does the UFC, NFL, and the CrossFit Games have in common? While it is still a novelty to most sports, the @UFC (also, the @NFL, @NHL, and the @CrossFitGames) uses Twitter (Facebook and social integration) to effectively generate interest in a sporting event / sporting brand. Oddly, the NBA, MLB, and extreme sports leagues are behind the curve in this category.
Dana White’s league expects the UFC 145 fight to be the largest audience for a fight in the past 100 years. He attributes at least some of this constant anticipation to the personal brands of the athletes and their followings on the social media platform.
Just this past month, he divvied up bonuses to the most influential fighters on Twitter. Ahead of the curve, White understands the power of word-of-mouth influence (the way that it is being done today) and by doing so - he is silencing marketing dinosaurs that are still depending solely on paid advertising to drive interest and revenue.
Know the audience, know the platform, and communicate effectively. Here is a great breakdown of the major social networks and the important information that you need to understand - each - before taking full advantage of the numerous social tools that can help you.
Brands and Word of Mouth: What’s Your Hashtag?
If you’ve ever searched a topic on Twitter, you know what a hashtag is. Most know it as the successor to the Internet Relay Chat’s (IRC) metadata tag that classified chats, groups, and topics through the 90’s. Back then hashtags were contained to smaller groups - mainly early adopters of the internet.
Later, it became more common place. Used in MSN’s .net messenger or in 2007’s fledgling micro-blogging service, then called Twittr. Chris Messina’s tweet: How do you feel about using # (pound) for groups. As in #barcamp [msg]? And as Twitter jumped the chasm between the early adopters to the mainstream, the hashtags became a way to express context - departing from the original intent of classify conversation for the sake of time-stamping and tracking. You know many examples of misused hashtags. Example: I went to @Wholefoods today. #WentThereFinanciallySolventButIleftDirtPoor
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Claimed my name. Finally snagged my first name on Twitter! It only took six months but the British gentleman was a good man to negotiate with. I have a lot of respect for the internet tycoon across the pond. More than anything, I am just really excited to have my own name, it has been taken for a few years. Anyhow, from now on it’s @web.
Had the buzz not begun: Social Media and Trayvon Martin. Stanford, Florida’s local news may or may not have mentioned his case on February 26. Likely, they didn’t, beyond a mention of a dead suspicious teenage male. He was taken to the morgue as “John Doe” that night. Even with a cell phone in hand and neighbors who would have recognized him. He wasn’t identified until his mother filed a missing persons report, the next day.
These unfortunate facts aside, is news really news until everyone knows about it? For lack of a better word, the “marketing” of a news story could have an influence on the way its perceived - and if applicable - how legal matters are addressed in that story’s future. Had the buzz not begun about Trayvon Martin, had easily searchable cues (via Twitter) like “hoodie” not been possible, there would have been no further consideration.
This is an instagram photo of my buddy Sam Taggart, a creative strategist for New York City’s VaynerMedia. It was a cool photo to me because it shows an example of what it takes to move awareness beyond the skewed confines of Uncles Jesse and Al. It represents one of the many inflection points - void of cultural or racial boundaries - caused by online word of mouth that has propelled the case to the heights that you see today. A detailed wiki page, 24 hour cable news coverage, dozens of planned events, Presidential candidates acknowledging the tragedy, and the President- himself - chiming in (in a way that prejudices the accuser - in all fairness).
The question remains. What if this story wouldn’t have been newsworthy? And how many other people, cases, and situations are heard and then forgotten without the aid of the social media engine? It’s a fascinating question that will spur thoughtful innovation.
SXSW. And I’m not there, this year. The perennial convergence on Austin for all things Tech, Music, and Film is deemed a party to some - and for some, it is - but the reality is that futures will be made off of this weekend. Yes, for the sponsors. But also for the plain jane entrepreneurs who were missing: that one connection to formalize a business plan, that one point of advice from a keynote, the one suggestion from a Gary Vaynerchuk, Brian Solis, or Baratunde Thurston. Or, that one financial nod of approval from an investor that believes in their idea. It may be the greatest, concentrated talent farm in all of technology and art.
This is the idealism of SXSW. Some good, some bad, but its real. I’ve watched a punkish Machine Gun Kelly turn from a local someone to a national somebody because of one coffee house performance that led to another, that led to a meeting with Diddy, that led to a record deal. But in my three years at the festival of knowledge, I’ve learned more than in all my years of school. It’s a place where the passionate travel to drive substance to that passion. It’s helped me to where I am now and I’m so grateful.
Until next year, SXSW. For all that are there for the first time, you’re life will be a little bit better for it. Really.
The Brand Of: Social Media Isn’t Silly
There is a thin line between the gimmick of social media and the contributory function that the platforms can serve as a layer of top a business’s brand, customer service, and community relations operations. I know very well that social media is not a gimmick. But lets face it, when you are stretched thin with operations, answering emails, and keeping the other 10 sails at full capacity - platform names like: Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and so on sound like childsplay.
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Twitter Updates. How will Twitter’s new simplicity and brand pages affect how seriously the platform is being taken? In many circles, the use of Twitter is still stuck in the mindless gaming category. But will this change the game?
The Evangelizing of Business. What if your product was the best on the market and you wanted everyone to know about it? What if you didn’t want to spend a boat load on traditional advertising. What if you wanted a more efficient way to bolster the investment in search engine optimization and SEM? This infographic demonstrates the efficacy of word-of-mouth messaging and advertising. It also explores the half life of tweets and how far they travel. How long do you think it will take businesses to buy in to this concept?
