Twitter Gives Light to Community Outreach

What was life like before Twitter? I can hardly remember the days before I received HotAmishChick’s updates (example tweet: “Tobias: ‘Wow! How many bonnets can one girl own?!’ Me: ‘Four.’ We lead a simple life.”), and Meanbot’s mean-but-funny retorts (Meanbot is “seldom misquoted by her children. In fact they usually repeat word for word the things she should not have said.”). But all jokes aside, Twitter had proven some very real worth in the business world, and it has also opened the door to some great things going on in the field.

Case in point: While perusing Twitter this month, I saw some tweets about an event aiming to help school age children in Texas get healthy. For some reason or another it caught my attention, and I decided to dig into it to see what it was all about. Some quick research showed me this: The National Dairy Council, in conjunction with numerous other organizations like the Houston Independent School District, spearheaded a “Healthy Kids, Healthy Schools” summit this past weekend. This working session brought together forward-thinking individuals willing to take charge in eliminating childhood obesity. Suggestions were made, projects were defined and challenges were addressed – all in an effort to help Houston-area students be more fit and healthy.

A recent blog post by Seth Godin (http://sethgodin.typepad.com/) included this paragraph: “Just like every powerful tool, the impact comes from the craftsman, not the tool. Marketing has more reach, with more speed, than it has ever had before. With less money, you can have more impact than anyone could have imagined just ten years ago. The question, one I hope you'll ask yourself, is what are you going to do with that impact?”

In my eyes, the National Dairy Council decided to use its impact to do the best type of marketing: the type that helps others. It is a great principle on many levels, as the National Dairy Council will be affiliated with a summit that is all about creating change – and members of the council are taking time to educate people in the hopes of bettering their lives. The council attained quality face time with the community, but the fact they are taking time to make a difference is something great to have associated with its name. Companies can often seem unattainable and impersonal, but through efforts such as this, they can attach a community-outreach persona to their name while helping our youth improve their futures. I’m glad to see there are still some organizations out there that are promoting good.

Puzzle Piece #2: Social Networking, Microblogging and Blogging Sites

Once you get the gist, it’s time to get rolling. First, you will need to create profiles on the following top social networking, microblogging and blogging sites:

Social Networking:
1. MySpace
2. Facebook
3. LinkedIn

4. You Tube
5. Flickr

Microblogging:

6. Twitter

Blogging:

7. Blogger/Wordpress

And, just in case you are wondering what the microblogging/blogging is all about, here is some background for you:

• Microblogging sites (i.e. Twitter) allow you to post short versions (around 140 characters) of what you are up to. You can post a new article, blog entry, or article as a “tweet,” status update, etc, which others can then view.
• Blogging sites allow for more room and greater versatility. Write relatively short posts that will engage the reader
  

Puzzle Piece #1: Intro, Overview and your Company's Web site

Those of you who have been reading my blog know I am pretty heavy into social media. Recently I posted a PowerPoint presentation that was a year in the making; it went into the nitty, gritty details of not just why but how you should go about using social media for your business. We call it the “Social Media Puzzle,” and it is our humble attempt is trying to piece it all together. Granted, new applications are coming out all the time, so things might change as some programs become outdated. But for the time being, this is our process (broken down into text). Here is section one – stay tuned for more!

Social networking truly is the new way of the world. With print on the decline and the number of bookmarking, sharing and blogging sites increasing every day, this is one medium that is demanding attention – and it’s either get in or be left in the dust. When used correctly and effectively, these sites have the power to deliver news to more people than you ever dreamed possible. However, it is quality over quantity, so the following are our notes on the best way to get your message out to an interested audience.
The process is simple – here is an overview:
1. Build your Web site to talk to others by making sure your home page has “Add This” features.
2. Post links and news (such as press releases and authored articles) on your
company’s home page.3. Reach an even greater audience th
rough Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.
4. Push your info out by posting those same URLs via ping.fm on social networking sites via personal and company-related outlets.
5. Employ the use of RSS feeds to update your info.



Your Web site:
First and foremost comes your company website. When people are googling and find your company’s site, you need to make sure it delivers by outlining more than just your services. Promote your news and social media connections by:
1. Posting your news on your Web site
2. Providing quick links to social sites on your Web site
3. Adding bookmarking tools such as the “Add This” feature to your news, events and blogs


When thinking about the best way for your company to go about this, keep this in mind: You want people to be able to view your information where they feel most comfortable. Whether that be on Facebook, MySpace or any other medium, you want to give them that option. Additionally, you want them to be able to share your news and blog posts. The ability to send the info outward is important, as is the ability to get the info when it’s wanted. RSS feeds allow this.

The Social Media Puzzle: A Noble Attempt at Piecing It All Together

Social Networking Ppt

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