Tweet, Tweet, Tweet

Tweet, Tweet, Tweet

The fact that Twitter is a real-time information network that connects users to the latest stories, ideas, opinions, and news and which can be accessed through a variety of methods, including Twitter’s website, text messaging, instant messaging, and third-party desktop, mobile, and web applications, stands to reason that it is a benefit to any company, especially to public relations professionals aiming to engage with its publics through this tool.

Why Advertise on Twitter?

Twitter ads are best for a few common marketing objectives, including:

• Promotions: Recommended for time sensitive events
• Brand awareness: Allow advertisers exposure to potentially new audience
• Followers: Pay-per-follow to grow the follower base and leverage this audience for future     promotions and dialogue.

Twitter has grown to over 500 million users and is expected to see ad revenues grow as well. Making most of its money from advertising, Twitter is expected to post ad revenues of $259.9 million this year, according to researcher eMarketer.

The introduction of Twitter’s monetization model which are “promoted tweets”, “promoted accounts” and “promoted trends” has increased the way in which companies can engage their followers. Since the introduction of these tools from 2010 onward, users have been engaged with Promoted Products on Twitter at rates that far exceed typical forms of online advertising.  Promoted Tweets has helped even more people discover interesting accounts, people and information they may otherwise have missed.

Twitter now provides advertisers with higher engagement levels than Facebook.

Promoted Tweets

Promoted Tweets allow brands to spread their message in ways that engage users and drive conversations about their products. Promoted Tweets are offered on a Cost-per-Engagement (CPE) basis, so you only pay when someone clicks, retweets, replies to, or favorites your Promoted Tweet. In addition, impressions on retweets are free and can amplify the reach and cost-effectiveness of your campaign many times over.

More info on Promoted Tweets

• Promoted Tweets are ordinary Tweets purchased by advertisers who want to reach a wider group of users or to spark engagement from their existing followers.
• Promoted Tweets are clearly labeled as Promoted when an advertiser is paying for their placement on Twitter. In every other respect, Promoted Tweets act just like regular Tweets and can be retweeted, replied to, favorited and more.
• Promoted Tweets in search – Reach users who are searching for your brand or related topics. Your Tweet appears fixed at the top of the search results based on winning the auction for the search terms.

Promoted Tweets in timelines – Reach users who are likely to be interested in your message, at scale - including followers who might have missed your organic Tweets and/or users who share similar interests with your followers. Your Tweet appears at or near the top of the user’s timeline and scrolls down in the timeline like any other Tweet.

Geo-targeting – Reach users in the locations that are most relevant to your message. Promoted Tweets can be targeted to specific countries or to specific metro areas within the U.S.

On average, marketers have seen a 3-5% engagement rate for Promoted Tweets in search (an order of magnitude above most forms of digital advertising) and engagement has remained strong.

Cost: Promoted tweets use cost-per-click pricing and Twitter recommends $.50 to at least max of $1.50.

Promoted Accounts

Promoted Accounts are part of Who to Follow, which suggests accounts that people don’t currently follow and may find interesting. Promoted Accounts help introduce an even wider variety of accounts people may enjoy.

How do Promoted Accounts work?

Promoted Accounts are suggested based on a user’s public list of whom they follow. When an advertiser promotes an account, Twitter’s algorithm looks at that account’s followers and determines other accounts that those users tend to follow. If a user follows some of those accounts, but not the advertiser’s account, then Twitter may recommend the advertiser’s Promoted Account to that user. For example, a lot of people who follow several education-related accounts also follow @teachforamerica. If someone follows education-related accounts, but not @teachforamerica, Twitter may recommend @teachforamerica to that user.

Cost: Promoted Account ads are priced on a cost-per-follower basis with advertisers only paying for new followers gained. The recommended bid to start is $.50 to at least max of $2.50.

Promoted Trends

Promoted Trends began as an extension of the Promoted Tweets platform, and are now a full-fledged product in their own right. With Promoted Trends, users see time-, context-, and event-sensitive trends promoted by Twitter’s advertising partners. These paid Promoted Trends appear at the top of the Trending Topics list on Twitter and are clearly marked as "Promoted."

How is a Promoted Trend different from a Trending Topic?

Users interact with Promoted Trends the same way they interact with any other Trending Topic. They are able to click on a Promoted Trend to view all Tweets containing the trending #hashtag or trend terms. They are also able to Tweet about the Promoted Trend by including the terms in their Tweets. The only real difference is that a Promoted Trend is purchased by an advertiser and clearly marked as being promoted.

Cost: The current cost of a Promoted Trend for a day is $125,000!

It stands to reason that any public relations program would benefit from one or potentially all three of the promoted products, based on the strategy of the organization and their goal(s) in how they want to reach their publics, whether it be through promotions, increasing brand awareness or gaining new followers. The key to assessing the potential value in using either of the three promoted products, is to ensure to target your message and target your audience. If a company hasn’t done either, it may burn through cash in minutes and fail to make the impact it was aiming for. When using promoted tweets, the tweets should change daily to remain effective. This requires a lot of hands on management and tweaking so you will need a dedicated resource to handle this.

Research found through:

1. Twitter Help Centre:

http://support.twitter.com/homes/search?query=promoted+tweets

2.Twitter Advertising Guide

http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2190651/Twitter-Advertising-Guide

by Lisa Raehsler, July 11, 2012

3.The lowdown on promoted tweets and trends at #SMWChicago: posted 26 September 2012 19:51pm by Heather Taylor

 

 

"My thoughts on Foursquare and a QR Code Reader"

Well, I just signed up on Foursquare and am already seeing its value.

Many times I've driven along hungry wondering what to eat and trying to recall places that I've once wanted to eat at but can no longer remember. Of the first few 'picks' when I logged in, there were numerous places to eat, some that I've not thought of and some that I've forgotten about. The important thing I noticed is that each 'pick' offered an incentive for me to go there, whether it be a discount, a free appetizer or a just a comment on the 'hot' item on the menu. I thought a post from a 'foodie' at a Cineplex nearby was funny, "Walk in with your own snacks! OMG the prices are outgrageous!!".

I can definitely see the advantages of Foursquare for someone new to an area and unfamiliar with what's available in their neighbourhood, however I can also see the advantage of someone who's been around a neighbourhood for awhile but would like to know what deals are being offered.

I also signed up to 'follow' or 'like' a number of 'pages', which are really a string of companies such as Time, Metro News, Cineplex and Scotiabank Nuit Blanche to be in the loop with the news, movie offers and updates to the Scotiabank Nuit Blanche event on Sep 29.

Single Biggest Learning

So far my single biggest learning from registering on Foursquare is, well actually two-fold. Both the user (me) and the companies that post their status information are benefiting from this location-based service. I as a user am benefting because at the click of a button I can find out what deals or tips are available when I am ready to shop or just visit a certain location. The companies are benefting because they are reaching out to the public in a user-friendly and non intrusive way to provide incentives to the public in hopes that it will draw them to purchase from them and increase profit and customer loyalty.

QR Code Reader

Just last week I had an oil change at Mr. Lube and upon paying my bill, I receive a receipt with instructions to either scan the QR code, email Mr. Lube at www.tellmrlube.com or call their 1-800 number to fill our a survey for a chance to win prizes.

Since add the QR reader APP, I've only used it twice and didn't think much of it, other than a really quick way to get into a company website. It's a good idea but when I scanned the QR code for Mr. Lube, it did direct me to their website where it prompted me to enter my survey code number. After that, it asked me to fill out some cells, which I did and clicked 'done'. Unfortunately the website URL for the survey was not functional, so I reverted to typing the email address in my explore and filling out the survey on my home computer.

Single Biggest Learning

My single biggest learning in providing a QR code to customers is actually more than one:  the link should work and the link should direct customers to a user friendly page, otherwise customers will have to re-route to the original method of looking up the company email address. Customers will only do this if they have the time, if they are interested and if there is an incentive.

Possible Uses of Foursquare for Public Relations

1. A listening strategy to hear 'live' comments and opinions from the public to assist in improving customer experience or products and services.
2. Get your company noticed. Whether the company is a mom or pop shop or a major retailer, people will know you are there. It's a great way of obtaining new customers and encouraging existing customers to continue to visit.
3. Measure customer traffic and plan for the high and low seasons, offering further incentives to customers in the low seasons.

 Possible Uses of QR Codes for Public Relations

1. Within a press release to direct people to more information
2. For a company campaign to gain customer traffic; direct to main page with free offers
3. Directing customers to an online blog site where they can find more information and answer to common questions.

Thoughts on Week 1 Readings

In reading 7 Steps to a Successful Location-Based Social Media Campaign, the first step, "1. Offer Strategic Incentives" describes how businesses can offer incentive that increases volume during down times (eg: between 3 - 6pm).

 

Starbucks' clientelle purchase coffee in the morning and the mid-late afternoon, however just after lunch, the business probably experiences low volume sales. One of their sales campaigns runs in August called the "Treat Receipt program, offering 16-ounce cold beverages for $2 after 2 p.m. when you make a morning purchase at participating stores. So, if you buy a Tall Pike's Place at 9 a.m., save your receipt, pop back in at 2 p.m. and show it to get a Mocha Coconut Frappuccino for $2!" This is a great incentive to bring bag clientelle during down times.

 

In reading The Power of foursquare: Best Practices from Carmine Gallo, author of The Power of foursquare, there are "Five Pitfalls to Avoid". The last one of them spoke volumes to me:

 

5. Doing it just to do it: Do it because you believe in it, not because it’s the hot new marketing tool.

 

I think the above statement is key. Our Social Media instructor mentioned in our first class that people are either 'on' social media or 'in' social media. 'On' being signed on, but 'in' being a contributer, an influencer, a player (in the game, so to speak).

 

I think it's important to be true to yourself and why you are on a social media platform. What is your motive? Are you trying to help people, make a difference, influence change, provide valuable information or are you a spectator, not adding any real or significant value?

In reading, Why QR Codes Won’t Last, I was surprised to learn the following:

"Recently, there have been documented cases of QR code misuse and abuse around the globe. For instance, infected QR codes can download an app that embeds a hidden SMS texting charge in your monthly cellphone bill. QR codes can also be used to gain full access to a smartphone — Internet access, camera, GPS, read/write local storage and contact data. All of the data from a smartphone can be downloaded and stolen, putting the user at risk for identity theft — without the user noticing.
Mobile visual search is a safer and more secure technology that can provide more information and content than a QR code, without as many security risks. By focusing on real-world objects and images rather than code, MVS lessens the risk of a virus or Trojan attack."

I've scanned two QR codes in the past and didn't get hooked. I didn't really see the benefit of having to scroll my list of apps to find the scanner and centre it on the image and click, etc. I'd rather just type something in Google and get the info. I need in seconds. I'm glad to learn the info. above about the security risks of using QR codes.

 

 In reading, "No, QR Codes are not dead. But some of the stupid ways they’re used should be killed",
on the other hand, I thought the following was a very effective way of using a QR code:
A QR Code postage stamp was issued for the 20th anniversary of the issuance of postal stamps by Croatian Post Hrvatske pošte, the national postal service of Croatia.
Each of the 3.10 Kuna (0.56 U.S. dollars) stamps has a unique code printed below the QR Code. When you scan the QR Code you’re taken to a mobile site where the unique code can be entered and you can view confirmation on the receipt of your mail as well as additional data about its route. Users can find out when the mail was sent, how many kilometers it had traveled, when it reached its destination and more.