Interesting Social Media Poll Results

There is so much information available on social media - albeit much of it useless.  I get excited whenever I come across actual data that substantiates using social as part of an overall business marketing strategy.  That being said, I am really happy to see that SmartBrief is polling users about their thoughts, feelings and opinions about social - because this is information we marketers can actually use to make decisions!

An interesting poll I saw posted this past week asked readers to select what causes them to unfollow an individual or business on social networks.  While some of the results were predictable others were insightful.

The single most important reason for unfollowing a person or business was that "Their over-communication gets overwhelming" (about 51% had this answer).  Additional answers were as follows:

• The person or business does not add value to my day with their irrelevant postings (33%)
• They only talk about themselves or act irresponsibly toward their audience (10%)
• They rarely communicate or update their networks (3%)
• They're not open to feedback, dialogue or user-generated content (3%)

What I take from this from a personal and professional level is to communicate daily with a reasonable amount of updates based on the network. Twitter for example is a content sharing network so posting 5, 10 or even 20x a day is acceptable if it is relevant and useful to your followers. On Facebook or LinkedIn, that many updates would annoy people and possibly cause them to unfollow.  

Also, be relevant! It's okay to post updates about what you're eating if you're a person but a business should refrain from such updates...unless your business is related to food. Make sense?

Finally, don't just talk about yourself.  Share and engage in dialogue. That is why people are so enamored with social media afterall. We are social beings. So be social and keep it responsible and you'll be on your way to realizing the value that this media generates.

Gap Fall Ad Campaign Goes Social!

Okay, so anyone who knows me (loved one, client or friend) knows that I am a huge advocate for social media and have recently been touting social media as "the new mass media". Just this week I have given three presentations on how to use social media and I came across this news from The Gap this afternoon, which made me squeal with delight.

The Gap will not be using its tried and true television advertising for its "Born to fit" fall ad campaign. That's right folks. The Gap is trading in its old denim for the new media...Facebook! They will have print ads, cinema ads and outdoor - all driving traffic to their Facebook page! I love it! The message they are sending to others is loud and clear...be there or be square.

We're developing social media solutions for clients in a wide variety of industries. Have questions? Give me a shout. I'd love to talk shop with you.