My Wall is NOT Your Billboard!

Stop putting advertisements on my Facebook and Twitter please.

I understand, you read an article on the Social Media revolution, Egypt, and how brands are being born through Facebook and Twitter.

You hired a social media guru who told you you would have 500 fans and followers within a week, a month, whatever and they promised to make you a "voice" on social media.

Maybe you read "Twitter Power" or "Social Media Marketing for Dummies" and signed up with Hootsuite or Cotweet with a "Whoohoo I just saved my Company" revelry.

You may get one or two desperate individuals who are social media newbies/old school marketing buffs to respond: "Oh yes, that whole life insurance for at $34.99 a month is just right for me." But you will not win fans and followers in the long haul. And social media, my friend is a long tail of the cat. It is about building a relationship. Not selling product. What?

You missed the most important statement that Dierdre Breakenridge ("PR 2.0: New Media, New Tools, New Audiences") and Brian Solis ("Engage") have been preaching for the last three years. (I've been devouring their books, blogs and tweets for two.)

Marketing and P.R. have merged. This means within the social media world, content and proper manners are king. YOU the marketer are supposed to engage. This can be hard for old die-hard radio hype advertisers who believe Frequency and the offer leads to the pot of gold.   This is not broadcast or outdoor media where the most obnoxious catch the attention.

Lately my Facebook wall and Twitter page are being cluttered with discounts, blatant ads - no valuable info - nothing I want to read.

Is this unusual? No. And often, if you follow me at twitter.com/Melsprwrks or twitter.com/SocalWinecntry you will see this kind of garbage on my page or on my Melody.Brunsting Facebook page. I friend and follow many. Melsprwrks follows social media, pr and marketing people that I consider to be experts. SocalWineCntry follows wineries, event planners and wine experts as it covers events in California. For every one individual I may follow there are two to three I either block or stop following. Why?

There is also a new crop of marketers that failed to read either
Brian's or Dierdre's book. They did read about Hootsuite and Cotweet, then signed up a few 50-something clients to "build and maintain" their social media presence. SAVE ME!!

They are doing it wrong. If "they" are doing this for you: "Save 20% on case of Zinfandel if you attend our concert this Friday at... yadeeyadeeyadee for $50 buy tix at yadee yadee."

If you are sending out ADS you are doing it wrong. Facebook, Twitter, Myspace and even your blog is not a FREE billboard. It is a SOCIAL network. Do you avoid the guy at the party who tells you why you need term, whole life and temporary disability insurance? Yes. Do you turn off the radio or television when an annoying ad blasts through your peace? Yes.

To the insurance agents that annoy me - tell me how to save money on business liability insurance, why I need automotive liability at $2 million or tell my friend if she should just add business liability to her home because she is home based? That's good information and I might just follow you for that.

And if you are a marketer -- I really hate seeing tweets with long lists of mentions and hashtags. What good does that do anyone on my Tweets or blogs? They can't tell what the heck you are trying to say or where you want us to go.

Here is what you will see on Brian Solis' Twitter:
"Reading@lou hoffman's book review of "Tell to Win" by @PeterGruber http://bit.lyh8fVkK.

"shelhotz 13 answers on Quora to "Should every business have a blog? Why or why not?" and mines on top! http://b.qr.ae/hStec7.

I am interested in both tweets and will follow the links.

Here is what I won't follow but was actually on my Twitter page:

"The BLEEP BLEEP Wine Guide Daily is out http://bit.lyleVbleep To stories via @bleep,@bleep@bleep."

"Dummy read/dummy does GET MORE FOLLOWERS MY BEST FRIENDS/ WILL FOLLOW YOU IF YOU FOLLOW ME. http..bleep.

Really? yes he did type all caps.  The BLEEP BLEEP guide actually put out a separate entry for every BLEEP BLEEP guide he/she writes and posted them all within the same 15 minutes.

I implore you - if you are serious about using the social media, take a public relations course, read at least two more books than Twitter Power and Social Media for Idiots - I mean dummies. And, please read the section on manners - not just the 1 hour a day task list. If you outsource - please in source with someone who reviews what your outsource is going to do. If it is nothing more than advertisements, don't waste your money or good name. Wait until you can do it right and put a person on the task that is engaging and engaged with your company story.

Next up - Do I need to Tweet to Sell a Seat? A primer for special event marketing.

For more information on marketing your event see my seminars at slideshare.net/Melsprworks

Social Media, Engaging and Egypt

For anyone who followed me during the “Grand Social Experiment” of 2010 where I conducted a contest using Facebook and Twitter to promote the Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival,  the campaign was very successful. The original goal was to increase the number of fans on Facebook by 10% of the event attendance. We increased it 9.5% – close. The second goal of the campaign was to increase online activity and online ticket sales. We doubled ticked sales, and doubled online traffic over the previous year – not once, but twice. That means we doubled it on Tuesday, and then doubled it again.

Bottom line to the Grand Social Media Experiment – it  accomplished its mission. The campaign has won two awards – Best New Idea at Calfest against events like the Miramar Air Show. And it won a Gold Pinnacle award at the International Festivals and Events convention, competing internationally against events like the Kentucky Derby, Cherry Blossom Festival, and Rose Parade. Gold is top honors – this award was for Best New Promotion.

I knew I had to embrace Facebook and Twitter – my new world of PR – to keep any of the events I promote on top of their game. I knew it was a strong and “cheap” tool. Today I witnessed just how strong this new media can be when used as it is intended.

Egyptians showed the world what tenacity and networking can accomplish. World news media credits much of the revolution to social media. As I watch the celebrating I wonder what is ahead. The power of the people to unite through communication, the long, long tail of the cat that spread the word to Egyptians even with their Internet and texting shut down, persevered. The outcome will be analyzed by world leaders and the intelligence agencies behind them. 18 Days – that was all it took – 18 days to throw a president/dictator out of office. To the people of Egypt, their campaign has rewarded them with a new Egypt.  The world will watch, read and listen as their new country takes shape.

Clearly, transparency in this new regime will be essential. Mubarak’s biggest mistake was trying to shut down the communication of the people.  May the world leaders take note.

I titled my blog Marketing Revolution 2012 because that is what social media has done to my profession of marketing and public relations. It has caused a revolution of transparency – communication is now king – and there is nowhere to hide when there is a problem.

As Public Relations and Marketing professionals we need to keep this in mind as we engage on the social networks. Companies that answer to complaints and problems, politicians and dignitaries who make attempts – good or bad – to explain and communicate with their constituents are respected for their candor in this age of transparency. Those faced with controversy and scandal that attempt to shut down the public’s right to speak, avoid journalists or reply “no comment” may not cause a revolt as Mubarak’s regime did in Egypt. But, they will lose. Whether it is market share or voters’ approval – they will lose as a precedent was set today.

A cat was let out of the bag decades ago when the Internet was commercialized. As of 2009 an estimated quarter of the Earth’s population used services of the Internet. Affordable cell phones that connect to the Internet followed, allowing communication throughout the world.

This new world is both challenging for “old P.R. dogs” and those in the public eye, but is also very exciting.