Welcome Loca!

Introducing Sara Loca-- Axiom's newest intern who will be blogging from her cube...

With my entries, I hope to explore how the entertainment industry is using social media and get off-topic once in a while. I am passionate about social media and talking; therefore, I blog. I should tell you about myself before you read my posts and let you know that my last name is more of an adjective than a noun.

social.media.
Through Facebook I was able to reconnect with a friend from Italy that I hadn’t spoken to in 14 years. I went to Scotland to see her this past May. Social media also allows me to keep in touch with cousins in Italy and replay my mother’s fantastic Italo-disco days. Professionally, social media has pushed me to be creative and accept that anything is possible. Live from our basements, power is relative.


evolution.of.sara.loca.
I was born crying, pudgy, and stubborn to a Michele (Mike) Loca and Jane Hilleren, November 1 in Milan, Italy. My parents were part of the Italo-disco movement in the 1980s, which resulted in fantastic dress up clothes and me. My dad left home at fifteen to play music at an American base in Germany where soldiers traveling in and out of Vietnam stayed. He once played for the Shah of Iran. My mom is on You Tube. I unfortunately didn’t inherit their musical gifts. I failed miserably at the violin and virtually lip-synched through show choir in high school. In 1994, my family moved from the metropolis of Milano and the Loca family to the suburbia of Bloomington, Minnesota and the Hillerens. I had to learn English, the lunch line, and casual outfits.

At my high school open house I only allowed a single picture of the 6th to 9th grade years to be displayed. Adolescence, enough said. My high school years were consumed by my passion for dance. That passion hasn’t died, but expanded into a passion for the arts in general. Coffee shops, travel, performing in local shows, and public relation classes pretty much sum up college.

The four warm days of the year I love being outside in downtown or uptown. I love to read. It’s the most smartest way to learn (see what I mean:). Ithaca is my favorite poem and Fahrenheit 451 is my favorite book. The Odd Couple II has been my favorite movie since 5th grade. The likes of Frank Sinatra, Miles Davis, Erykah Badu, Sting, John Mayer, Adele and Sergio Mendes tickle my ears often. In another life, I inherited millions of dollars and traveled for years. I love to explore new cultures and meet new people. Don’t ask me about sports.

I am only passionate about sports gossip or when I know a player…

exhibit.a:
At a baseball game, junior year of high school:
“How many quarters are there?”
exhibit.b:
Having spoken to Amir Pinnix on the bus for an entire semester and attending a majority of the home games:
“So how’s the wide receiver coach treating you?”
exhibit.c:
I still couldn’t tell you the position my brother played in football for six years.
exhibit.d:
However, I do know that Joe DiMaggio was furious when Marilyn Monroe did her infamous white dress Seven Year Itch photoshoot.

In conclusion, I hope you benefit from and/or are entertained by my future posts. Most of all, I hope to start conversations.

Ciao,

Sara LaLaLoca
The intern

Taking Time To Comment

Just when I thought 'social media expert' was really just a nice way of saying “I’m a Twitterholic, a Facebook junkie, blogging nut—and hey I can say ‘meme’, too”– an encounter with a PR pro on Twitter changed all that.

rachelakay @AxiomPR I haven't cmted yet - but doesn't mean I won't. I like to take time to craft comments but have to prioritize against my task list.

It never crossed my mind to think that those who comment on blogs take time to craft their thoughts -- a process that may or may not take all day -- making sure their work/client priorities come first. I assumed frankly that online users were just standing by waiting to call someone out on something when a blog post link came across the Twitter feed, or just simply commenting for the sheer effect of gaining more people to their own blog by retweeting something as their own. Beth Harte calls those types of people “social media leeches”. Danny Brown can’t stand them, as he’s all about keeping the tweet associated with the originator.

I’m humbled knowing there are people out there who don’t have a get-rich-quick scheme driven by their quest for more connections on all social networks; that they’re really trying to provide value to the space. If I were running a consumer business, I’d look for the social media experts who actually take time to do things, like commenting on blogs. That alone surely guarantees quality work.

Here is a list of some people that I’ve connected with—and that doesn’t mean on LinkedIn or they’re following me on Twitter. These are the social media types that actually offer quality conversations and take the time to comment:

Rachel Kay (rachelakay)
Amber Naslund (Ambercadabra)
Amanda Vega (AmandaVega)
Jason Baer (jaybaer)
Arik Hanson (arikhanson)
Beth Harte (BethHarte)
Danny Brown (dannybrown)
Peter Shankman (skydiver)
David Meerman Scott (dmscott)
Sarah Evans (prsarahevans)
David Armano (armano)
Graeme Thickins (GraemeThickins)
David Spinks (DavidSpinks)

Sure, this list is small what should that tell us about the social media majority? Who are people you think add quality and new depth to blog conversations?

Best Sharing Practices for Twitter... Amidst all the Freakin Noise

Twitter is noisy. Period. So how do you get your content to stand out much like PR pros try to do when pitching to reporters’ e-mail? Essentially that’s what you’re doing, right? You’re pitching your content to the Twitter feed of those you’re following and who are following you—in order to build trust.

Social media pros will tell people to read tweets, not write them, so you can develop a base of friends that can then turn into friends for the remainder of Twitter’s existence. (That’s a LONG time.) Here I’ll share with you the best ways to share tweets on Twitter without severely annoying the masses:

Retweets
Retweets are severely losing their legitimacy with so many choosing to retweet as a method to gain followers, not necessarily endorse the content of what that Twitter user wrote or said. If you want to legitimize your retweets, customize your retweets by adding a quick comment at the beginning of the tweet, indicating you’ve actually read the blog post or understand the tweet’s context.

Info not found
There’s nothing more frustrating than when a Twitterer comments on what they’re doing or reading and doesn’t share the link to the info they’re addressing. If it is possible, you should provide the link. Cmon’ now—you don’t do this to reporters needing the scoop so why do it here, right?

Track your links
Thanks to Bit.Ly, you can see the amount of impact your tweets have on the Twitter populace. Of course, it cannot be said enough that your impact is really dependent on how much you interact and how dependable you are in the space, but by setting up a shortened and measurable URL with a service such as Bit.ly, you can see what tweets people are drawn to on your feed. You can then learn something from your trial and error method and verify your feed’s audience.

As far as using Bit.ly in your Twitter bio linking to your source Website, is that really a good idea if your goal first and foremost is to build trust or gain someone’s approval?

Talk first, share link second
Whoever coined this phrase I don’t think is really talking about sharing links secondly after firstly communicating. I think sharing links is allowed when you feel you’ve got a friend rather than an acquaintance.

BTW, that doesn’t look this…

@Twitteruser1: Wow, really enjoyed the post about Soap scum in your bathroom. Can’t stand scraping that stuff off.

@Twitteruser2: Thanks! My wife and I are working on remodeling our bathroom. We’re sick of it!

@Twitteruser1: Nice. Hey, you should check out our company blog that will give you all the free paperweights you’ll ever need! [link to site]


Time is Everything
The more of your time it takes to read Twitter users’ posts, access Web sites and touch on key points that hit that user’s brand or personality, you will see more @ replies coming from that person as opposed to none at all. Again, like a reporter expects a PR practitioner to know their beat, it’s key that you know the Twitter user outside the Twitter community. When you have a link to share, don’t be surprised if they retweet it with a “Great post!” simply because they like you and want to do you a favor.

Please Comment
It seems more people are commenting on blogs by using the Twitter feed in place of the comments box on a blog. Some comments applications have honed in on this and it has allowed for better comments tracking, but I really don’t think retweets should count as comments under blog posts. If it’s not offering value to the context of the blog entry, is that really a comment? Please comment – bloggers will love you for it, and they’ll seek you out on Twitter for taking the time to do so unless they’re totally above themselves.

These are just several ways you can maximize your tweet reach in sharing links on Twitter but is by no means a closed list. Feel free to comment on how you feel you can legitimize your tweets so that they won’t mirror the trashcan a reporter so often uses with a bad pitch.

@-Kissers of the Social Media Kind

PLEASE NOTE: This post in no way reflects the opinions of Axiom Marketing Communications. These are my own thoughts after reading countless blog entries suggesting people just spend too much time on social networks...

Everyone seems to be ranting about social media offenses lately, so here’s mine… Enjoy.

Boy, I have to say that I want to take a whip to some of these linked-happy people that are part of social networks to build community. Social media gurus and experts will tell you it’s all about relationships, but what type of relationships are those exactly? I'd say deceptive ones.

I feel as though we’ve really abused the issue of trust in some ways, and have actually redefined the notion of it by simply kissing up to blog writers via comment, retweeting Twitter posts—and for what? Their approval? Since when is approval even remotely close to trust? Being connected is all about approval, not about trust. Somehow social media has blurred those lines and people are listening to it. Really, that’s what it has boiled down to, has it? To get the social media celebs of the world to notice you and approve of you so you can get more subscribers to your blog, more followers to your Twitter account, and suddenly you’ve made it and now have a purpose in this very noisy environment. If your goal is to get a high profile social media celeb to reply to your Twitter feed, goodness-- seek help. I’m finding more and more that people are trying to define their very existence and purpose by the number of friends they have on Facebook who will reply to or ‘like’ their status updates, or reach a life-changing number of followers on Twitter. For some, 100,000 is simply not enough. One conversation I had with a social media participant suggested applications like Qwitter somehow make them feel “ugly” and therefore non-following potential. What’s next? Failed marriages due to more time spent on building a Web community than on family? Yes, spouses are getting angered by their partners’ non-existence outside of the computer screen.

Seriously, this mindset of importance is happening ALL around us. Admittedly, I have been an @-kisser, trying to be more ‘strategic’ than natural on Twitter mostly, and I’ve found the same thing time and time again: it’s all about being natural. The minute you’re forcing something to go through to reach your targeted audience, you will fail, because it reeks of being contrived. Maybe… just maybe… the 3-5 hours on Twitter reading people’s tweets and replying to them will make up for it, but I don’t want to wait around to find out.

The fact of the matter is, though, social media is only natural when there’s not an agenda behind it. By agenda, I mean trying to become the leading voice of social media, trying to retire early because your workday is entirely founded upon getting more fans and followers to believe what you are saying. Trying to push more books through by commenting on how pretty someone’s hair looks in a Twitpic. It sounds mundane, BUT it is happening. News media is doing it, too! Again, I ask, how does that equate to any level of trust?

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve come in contact with people who boast his/her strategy to build community. If you feel you can trust the @-kissers of the social media kind, great. As for me, I'll just do what comes natural and hope to be-friend the all-natural types.

On-brand or off-brand… on Twitter?

As said in a previous post, most experienced marketers would say that it doesn’t do a company any good to delineate from brand-centric messages in the social space. This is completely and utterly the wrong counsel, especially when referring to noisy platforms such as Twitter.

If your company’s Twitter account isn’t growing, ask yourself this question:

How many times do I tweet with someone and not at someone? You’ll know exactly when you’re doing this, as the realization of it will manifest itself in the form of seeing your Twitter followers drop one by one, or that your feed is covered in corporate announcements. Okay- perhaps Apple or Google could get away with corporate announcements, BUT brands that are trying to build awareness should stick to conversing with their followers. I know you’re excited to share the latest and greatest news about your company, but remember the issue with all twitter users is trust.

Another key thing to remember about social media channels is they were never meant for companies to be a part of. It’s just yet another opportunity to meet consumers where they’re at—in terms of their passions, interests, buying decisions, and dilemmas. Social media is human at its core so it shouldn't be rocket science, but it is to companies who really just want to talk about, well, themselves. Picture the same approach happening at a retail shop. This is how the consumer-to-service person's dialog would go:

(Customer walks in)

Service guy: Hi! Try our Jalapeno Cheddar cream cheese! Here's a coupon!

Customer: No thanks, I'm just browsing.

Service guy: Piggly Wiggly just acquired Payless and we'll be selling shoes, isn't that great?!

Customer: I don't care.

Service guy: Ok, but definitely tell your friends!

Customer: Look. I like your store, but I'm feeling a bit suffocated. Can you lay off for a second so I can ask you a question?

Service guy: Uh...

Customer: Where do you keep the Miracle Whip?

Service guy: Um...

Customer: I'm leaving.

Here's a refined learning scenario-- the ones companies should definitely adhere to:

(Customer walks in)

Service guy: Hi! Try our Jalapeno Cheddar cream cheese! Here's a coupon!
Customer: No thanks, I'm just browsing.
Service guy: Piggly Wiggly just acquired Payless and we'll be selling shoes, isn't that great?!
Customer: I don't care.
Service guy: Ok, but definitely tell your friends!
Customer: Look. I like your store, but I'm feeling a bit suffocated. Can you lay off for a second so I can ask you a question?
Service guy: Sure.
Customer: Where do you keep the Miracle Whip?
Service guy: Aisle 5
Customer: Thanks.

(Customer walks to Aisle 5, and discovers Miracle Whip is at a bargain price).

Customer: Hey, look everyone! Miracle Whip is on sale at Piggly Wiggly for $1.25!

So... when using a platform like Twitter, keep the message off brand more than on brand so that you can focus on your customers and turn them into fans for life. Agree or disagree? (I’ve really gone back and forth with this one).