JitterJam – Integrated Social Marketing Software for Business

Last month, I wrote about the importance of measurement in social media campaigns. In that post, I identified three things you should be tracking in particular: the buzz building around your company and industry; the ROI on the special promotions you’re running; and trends in the development of your contact list.

We’ve already talked about trends in the development of your contact list. This time, let’s focus on the buzz building around your company and industry. Here are three tips on how to handle it.

Contribute without selling. Don’t enter into the conversation looking to sell. As with any social media interaction, enter the room with the aim of being helpful first and foremost. Be subtle and tactful as you try to raise awareness of your product or service. This is especially crucial if the conversation is about your industry in general and not your company specifically.

Don’t duck in and duck out. Become a presence in the conversation, not just the person who sneaks into the picture to get noticed, then leaves. This ties in with the point above: Show your potential customers that you are engaged in this conversation for the long haul, and that your first interaction was not just a token appearance or some kind of marketing stunt or trick.

Research the origins of the buzz. A key piece of reacting to buzz is anticipating and reacting quickly. If you didn’t react as swiftly as you’d like this time, the key to reacting quicker next time is in understanding where the buzz started, how it started, and who started it. If you’re seeing buzz consistently originate from the same people or sites, it might be time to start tracking what they’re saying more carefully. Use tagging or segmentation features in your marketing platform (like those found in JitterJam) to create a group of contacts you should be checking in on more regularly.

Those are just a couple of the strategies that come immediately to mind when thinking about buzz management. Have anything to add? Drop a note in the comments below.

What are people talking about on Twitter? Everything. And anything.

How do you find out what’s hot on Twitter? Take a look at what’s Trending. What’s fascinating is that real-time conversation is organic–it has its own life, and grows its own way, and the things people are talking about can sweep the globe–but also can be localized.

How do you find out what’s trending? Go to your http://twitter.com page and view the Trending list (scroll down and look below your searches and lists). What’s cool is that you can see what’s trending across the country, in various global regions or cities. You can change the location and see what’s hot in different areas. For instance, right now Waka Flocka is hot in Seattle. In London, it’s Andrew Lloyd Webber. Worlds apart in geography and in music!

How does this help your social marketing efforts? It’s good to know what people are talking about. If its related to what you do, the products you sell, the brands you market…well, you want to know what people are saying in your market. If it’s not related to what you do…well, it could be just for fun.

After all, it IS Fun Stuff Friday!