How to Filter Twitter Followers

August 9, 2010

Does the shear number of twitter followers have you confused? Not sure whom to follow in return? Are they worth it? What if you do not follow someone back; will they unfollow you? How do you sift through the people that are just noise versus those whom are saying things that are relevant to YOU???

NPOdev has been using a three step approach to help filter out the people that follow, in order to just receive a reciprocation follow, versus those that are actually worth following. A stance must be clearly made here! Just because Tweeple follow you does NOT mean you have to follow them in return.

Why is this an important distinction and how can it be a positive decision for you and your organization?

Consider this: You exist on Twitter because you have something to say. More importantly, you exist on Twitter because you want to hear what other people have to say. Following this logic it then makes sense to follow anyone in return that follows you. Right? Well, maybe not! In this tweetable world of nearly 8 million Twitter accounts (2010, Hubspot twitter.grader results) it cannot not make perfect sense to automatically follow anyone who follows you. While the vast majority of people that follow you may have similar interests and it may make sense to follow them in return, this should not be an automatic decision. This decision should be based upon metrics, filtered by the follower’s reputation, and further filtered by the relevance of their tweets to that which you are listening to, participating in conversations about, and engaging your audience AND the audience of your follower’s with. This last part is really the crux of the decision. You should be able to answer the following question. If I follow this person or organization, will I be able to engage not only them, but their listeners as well??

Finding the answer to this question is what has led NPOdev to create a three step process to determine whom and whom not to follow on Twitter.

1. Sign up for and utilize Hubspot’s alerts.grader http://alerts.grader.com This tool monitors the people that follow you based upon a criteria set by you that takes into consideration their twitter.grader score (also a free Hubspot tool) and their ranking out of the almost 8 million Tweeple in the world.
Another benefit to alerts.grader is that you can connect your Google Alerts account and LinkedIn accounts to help monitor conversations that may be of interest to you (more on that below).

2. Once you receive an alert from Hubspot that someone has followed you that falls within the criteria you set, you will want to further filter them using Klout http://www.klout.com Klout is an awesome tool even apart from alerts.grader but when used to further refine your following base, it becomes even more beneficial. “Klout” is the measure of your overall influence online (2010, Klout Website). Like twitter.grader, it uses an algorithm to calculate a number of factors that lead to a Twerson’s Klout, or Twitter Influence score. The system is easy to understand but harder to fool than alerts.grader and therefore makes itself a valuable tool for further refinement.
Depending on your market, you will probably want to follow only those that have a Klout score of 25+ (you will want to adjust this for your purposes). Klout uses a 0-100 scale for reporting their calculations. It is VERY difficult to obtain a Klout score of 55+ (80th percentile) and therefore by choosing to follow those that have at least a Klout score of 25, you ensure you cut out the lesser quality influencers but do not bypass those that are sound, up-and-coming, and rightfully so an influencer in their field, even if the general Tweeple World does not follow them.

3. Typically the above two steps suffice for determining whom and whom not to follow. However, in case you need further refinement, or you have a follower who is on the edge of your criteria and you need more information about them, or even if you want to search out new “following” tweeples for yourself; you can leverage a variety of twitter search engines. These would include Google Custom Twitter Search, Twitter’s built in Search, or even the majority of Twitter applications that support searching such as Hootsuite (NPOdev’s favorite), Seesmic, and many others.  All of the above listed support #hashtag searching, trending, topics, and general word/phrase searching.  The benefit to Google and Twitter’s own search is that these methods support advanced searching as well as searches with Boolean operators.

Whether you want to refine whom you follow, search out new Tweeples to follow, or determine if the Twerson that just followed you is worth following in return, these three steps will ensure that the Tweeple you do decide to follow are worth it.

In closing, some Tweeple might argue that if one does not follow another Twerson, then you run the risk of losing them as a follower. Likewise there is the fear of potentially missing the occasional relevant tweet that the unfollowed Twerson posts.  To solve the second issue NPOdev suggests using Lists, Hashtags, and the Twitter Search features discussed above in order to locate and join the conversations relevant to you that exists outside of your follower and following base.

To address the first issue of losing followers because you did not follow them back…well…that isn’t so bad. If someone drops you because you did not reciprocate their follow, that means they were in it for themselves and they were not in it for the right reasons. The right reasons for using the online communication vehicle of Twitter is to listen, converse, and engage your audience!

So go ahead, and give it a twirl (bad pun). See whom you can find new to follow, and whom you can categorize as noise and redirect that energy towards your followers that matter.

An EPIC Solution for Economic Hardships in NPOs Part 7 (Conclusion)

April 8, 2010

So… get out there and get people to know, like, and trust you. Ensure that this is done EPIC-ally.

If you already have a reserve – great! Implement this strategy and nurture the relationships you have at this time of hardship.

Just starting, or can’t figure out how the next bill will be paid?  Then stop!  Take the next few days to figure out what you can do to immediately have people experience, participate, be filled with images of your organization and its cause, and ultimately connect with you, your cause, and with like-minded people that support you.  This will build a resource engine that is unstoppable due to vitality. This strategy will accomplish the non-profit’s mission because it is viable; and (rightfully so) will build a foundation of success through sustainability in order to accomplish the future vision…and to make it through those hardships that come our way.

Read: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Get the Full Article

References

Jantsch, John (2008).  Duct tape marketing: The world’s most practical small business marketing guide. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

An EPIC Solution for Economic Hardships in NPOs Part 6 (Connective)

April 1, 2010

The key to surviving is to focus on time and brand. Get people to know, like, and trust you. But how? EPIC-ally!

People become supporters of non-profits when the organization approaches them EPIC-ally.

Experiential
Participatory
Image-Rich
Connective

People need connectivity. If this is doubted, then look at Facebook, MySpace, Google’s introduction of Buzz, the explosion of dating sites, Plaxo, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Every major brand has communities surrounding its products and storefronts. Project management systems now integrate social components.  Blogs themselves connect speakers and their audiences.  Most modern churches use numerous aspects of technology and the web to connect the members of their congregations locally and as they travel on missions trips. There is Kiva.org which allows micro lenders to travel into the field to meet with other like-minded lenders whom have helped fund the same project.  Even education’s transition to the online environment for courses as well as simply collaborating and sharing with other students that are on the other side of the globe; proves that people need connectivity.

People want to feel as though they are a part of what the organization is doing, and they want to see the results thereof.  Connectivity transitions a person from merely liking the organization and its cause, to actually trusting it.   With this new found trust through connectivity comes the inherent results of effective marketing, which have not yet been mentioned.  After someone gets to know, like, and trust you; they will contact, repeat buy/support, and refer others. By providing avenues by which people may connect, on all levels and in all possible ways, with the organization; knowledge is gained, favor is given, loyalty is birthed out of trust, and the resource engine will begin to sustain itself as well as gather new fuel. It will even replace broken or missing parts through people who contact, repeat support, and now refer their friends and contacts to support your organization’s cause.

Read: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Get the Full Article

References

Jantsch, John (2008).  Duct tape marketing: The world’s most practical small business marketing guide. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

Sweet, L. (2007). The Gospel according to Starbucks: Living with a grande passion. Colorado Springs, CO: WaterBook Press.

The EPIC acrostic is adapted from Leonard Sweet’s “The Gospel According to Starbucks: Living with a Grande Passion”, 2007.

An EPIC Solution for Economic Hardships in NPOs Part 5 (Image-Rich)

March 18, 2010

The key to surviving is to focus on time and brand. Get people to know, like, and trust you. But how? EPIC-ally!

People become supporters of non-profits when the organization approaches them EPIC-ally.

Experiential
Participatory
Image-Rich
Connective

People need image-rich experiences and participation.  They want to cultivate their like into trust, and ultimately into loyalty. One obvious aspect of imagery is visual.  However, sight is merely one sensory receptor.  Constituents need to feel, hear, smell, taste, and emotionally connect to the organization and its cause, and discover the culture surrounding it.

Consider a cup of Starbucks Coffee.  With a cup of  * bux,  one is immersed in a rich image that involves the aroma, the flavor, the color, the warmth, the “buzz” of audible decadence that surrounds actually getting the liquid in the cup (just the way you ordered it), the connection that is made with the people that are enjoying the cup together or memories of such a time, and of course the culture that is Starbucks when actually placing the order (Sweet, 2007).

A person patronizing Starbucks does not simply “ask” for a small cup of coffee.  They have to speak the language.  The customer has to culturally understand that “their” cup of coffee is an “iced venti sugar-free vanilla soy decaf latte” (or for something more common, a “double short skinny extra-dry with legs”. Too complicated still? Ok…just a “grande breve”).  Addressing the senses, including their emotional ties, solidifies a stakeholder’s notion to like the organization, and further perpetuates the trust factor.

Read: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Get the Full Article

References

Jantsch, John (2008).  Duct tape marketing: The world’s most practical small business marketing guide. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

Sweet, L. (2007). The Gospel according to Starbucks: Living with a grande passion. Colorado Springs, CO: WaterBook Press.

The EPIC acrostic is adapted from Leonard Sweet’s “The Gospel According to Starbucks: Living with a Grande Passion”, 2007.

When Should Non Profits Post Social Media to Social Networks?

March 14, 2010

Dan Zarrella, a Social Media Scientist, has been generating some great data and charts which empirically show when an organization should post their social media to the social networks.  Don’t think it matters when your non-profit Tweets, shares on Facebook, or which platform to post a video to?  Think again!  Dan’s information is very helpful and when followed can generate powerful results.

As defined in this week’s earlier post Non Profit Communication Vehicles, Social Networks are comprised of the platforms wherein one can connect with another based upon a relationship.  The corresponding chart of communication channels and vehicles, present in that post, indicates a number of these platforms.  The following information and recommendations can be gleaned by reviewing the chart:

1. Each of these Social Networks have their own function and audience.
2. Because the function and audience (and hence the fans/followers) are different between the platforms, the content should be different on each one.
3. Although the content (format, phrasing, possibly the information) itself varies and is modified for each platform, the message should be the same.
4. Caution must be used when posting via post broadcasters such as Ping.fm, Seesmic, HootSuite, and other platforms that allow you to post to multiple communication channels.  These tools ignor the above two points.  By ignoring the difference audiences your organization runs the risk of damaging the relationship with the channels’ fans/followers.
5. Posting to the organization’s website is not covered in the scientific social media data below and therefore the best day and time to release information for your website’s viewers should be determined by you and your organization’s posting tests.  Here are three video resources to get you started, How to Build a High-Traffic Blog (time stamp 6:45-8:15), Getting Readers for Your Blog (time stamp 4:50-5:38 for post length & frequency), and More Blogging Tactics for days of the week and times to post.

Now onto the research.  Here are several key points and takeaways from Dan’s study regarding Facebook and Twitter.

1. Saturday is the best day of the week to post articles that you want re-shared.

Dan States,

While I found less articles posted on the weekends (notice the gray bars at the bottom of the graph which indicate volume of URLs analyzed for each day), those stories that were published on the weekends tended to be shared on Facebook more, on average, than stories that were published during the week. The reasons for this probably include the fact that more than half of companies in the US block Facebook, so people can only use the social network at home, on the weekends. Additionally, the mainstream Facebook audience does not use Facebook for work.

2. If posting Video, use Facebook not Twitter.

Dan attributes this difference to the fact that Facebook makes it easier to embed multimedia into updates than Twitter does.

3. Post on Friday at 4PM (EST)

Look at the data…it says it all.

Conclusion

While Dan’s research cannot help determine when to release your content on your website and blog, his data clearly shows that both Facebook and Twitter have different times when it is best broadcast your content to these two Social Media and Social Network platforms.

Should these be the only days and times your organization releases content or updates its statuses?  No!  But as the above video resources explain, if there is crucial content for your audiences, then you should follow the scientifically identified opportune times.

Refferences

Macsai, D. (2009, September 21). Report: nine scientifically proven ways to get retweeted on twitter. Retrieved from http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/dan-macsai/popwise/report-nine-scientifically-proven-ways-get-re-tweeted-twitter

Zarrella, D. (2009). The Science of retweets [pp. 20-21]. (Research Study), Retrieved from http://danzarrella.com/the-science-of-retweets-report.html

Zarrella, D. (2010, March 3). Data shows that facebook is better for video marketing than twitter. Retrieved from http://danzarrella.com/data-shows-that-facebook-is-better-for-video-marketing-than-twitter.html

Zarrella, D. (2010, March 8). Http://danzarrella.com/data-shows-articles-published-on-the-weekend-are-shared-on-facebook-more.html. Retrieved from http://danzarrella.com/data-shows-articles-published-on-the-weekend-are-shared-on-facebook-more.html

Non Profit Communication Vehicles

March 7, 2010

Social Media seems to have taken the marketing world by storm.  Words such as “viral”, “online”, “offline”, “always on”, “champions”, “friends”, “lurkers”, “peer-to-peer”, “network”, “engagement”, and “groundswell” have all emerged from this trend victorious and redefined.  Social Media is sometimes interpreted as any type of marketing and communication executed on the internet.  This however is not true.  Social Media is simply one of many online vehicles used for such endeavors.  Yet long before there were online methods of delivering your organization’s message there were offline methods of communication.

Most people realize that there are various forms of  transportation vehicles.  They come in all shapes and sizes.  Each type has its own specific use and function.  A company or a person must learn which type is the best to move specific items.  For example, a train is great for moving large quantities of material at a steady pace over a long distance.  However, a train is relegated to land (it won’t go very far on water).   A train then would not be the vehicle of choice to cross a large body of water such as an ocean.  In this case a jet plane or a ship might be used to accomplish the transportation need.

Crossing land and crossing the ocean are relatively easy examples to follow.  But how does one decide between a train and a semi-truck, a van or a car, or a plane or a helicopter?  These decisions in transportation can be difficult because the medium is the same.  There are only idiosyncrasies that separate the modes, and so it is with delivering your nonprofit’s message.

As one can see Social Media, and Social Networking platforms, are just one presence (aspect) of communicating online with an organization’s constituency.  There is a time and  place for online marketing, and a time and a place for offline marketing.  Using these two broad channels in a directed, purposeful, and message driven way will ensure that your nonprofit maximizes its return on investment for its communications and marketing budget.

Author’s Note:  This post discusses Social Media, Social Networks and online marketing.  Many times Social Media and Social Networking are considered one in the same, however they completely different.  One provides a platform for advertising and delivering one’s message and information; and the other deals with building community.  The most popular of these platforms are obviously those which allow for both, such as Facebook.

Social Media is defined as delivering one’s adverts, information and message (the content) via a relational marketing (social network) platform.

Social Network is defined as community building platforms wherein one can connect with another based upon a relationship.

An EPIC Solution for Economic Hardships in NPOs Part 4 (Participatory)

February 22, 2010

The key to surviving is to focus on time and brand. Get people to know, like, and trust you. But how? EPIC-ally!

People become supporters of non-profits when the organization approaches them EPIC-ally.

Experiential
Participatory
Image-Rich
Connective

People need to participate in the organization.  They want to like what the entity is doing.  What better way to know if you like something than to try it on for size? Invite people to volunteer their time, to take an acquaintance course, to visit the site or field in which the outreach is occurring, to physically see in a hands-on way, what cause is being furthered.

Don’t be afraid of what the prospective supporter may not like or may not want to do.  This is the time to be open and honest (which also works towards trust, another aspect of being EPIC and of effective marketing).  If the potential supporter does not like what your organization is doing, you don’t want their support!   This is the hardest thing for a not-for-profit to do: say “no” to resources that are not aligned with their mission, heritage, and vision of the future.  By participating in what the NPO does, a supporter will like the company and, ultimately, their cause, more and more and more which turns into loyalty and – a key aspect of loyalty – trust.

Read: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Get the Full Article

References

Jantsch, John (2008).  Duct tape marketing: The world’s most practical small business marketing guide. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

Sweet, L. (2007). The Gospel according to Starbucks: Living with a grande passion. Colorado Springs, CO: WaterBook Press.

The EPIC acrostic is adapted from Leonard Sweet’s “The Gospel According to Starbucks: Living with a Grande Passion”, 2007.

Facebook Now Drives More Traffic to Websites

February 16, 2010

Reposted from http://www.steverubel.com/facebook-now-drives-more-traffic-to-web-sites

UPDATE: A couple of notes to clarify this post. First, the chart above, which I pulled from compete.com, shows the top sites that Facebook drives traffic to. Also the headline has been updated to reflect that Facebook is driving more traffic to portals than Google. The San Francisco Chronicle story, linked below, notes that Facebook is only starting to encroach on Google for other sites. The trend, however, still holds.

We’re at the beginning of a major shift in how we find, consume and interact with information. If the 2000s was the Google decade, then the 2010s will be the Facebook decade. Already, you can see the writing on the wall – pun intended. Case in point: a search for “google decade danny sullivan” pulls up his Facebook note higher than a blog post (an item I wanted to include here for context). But that’s nothing. Look at the data.

According to new stats from compete.com Facebook is becoming the web’s top source of traffic (link via Jeremiah Owyang on where else, Facebook). The image above is a snapshot I pulled from compete.com. It shows where Facebook is sending traffic…

“According to Web measurement firm Compete Inc., Facebook has passed search-engine giant Google to become the top source for traffic to major portals like Yahoo and MSN, and is among the leaders for other types of sites.

This trend is shifting the way Web site operators approach online marketing, even as Google takes steps to move into the social-media world.

Some experts say social media could become the Internet’s next search engine.”

That last line is key. I see Facebook starting to look more like Google while Google tries and stumbles at becoming more social. Bing will start to play a central supporting role here. I see Facebook and Bing becoming an “Axis of FTW” that will disrupt Google on every front. (Microsoft is an Edelman client.)

You can already see it coming…

• Titan/Facebook Chat will challenge Gmail in communications
• Facebook pages will disrupt Google – especially if they were to integrate Bing Maps and location technology a la Foursquare. This can quickly position Facebook as the Web’s Yellow Pages, an area that Google and Yelp currently dominate
• Facebook will make search more social, allowing it to become annotated and curated. This up-ends Google’s core business. It also makes the Facebook self-serve advertising model smarter and more effective as it collects more data about where it sends traffic. This threatens Adwords

Social networking is here to stay. It’s where attention spirals are flowing and no one looms larger than Facebook. (Link sharing on Facebook rose 500% in six months.) And while Facebook has plenty of critics and they run into the occasional privacy concerns, I believe that they will dominate the landscape the next few years. In fact, I see them becoming the number one web site in the world in under three years. It could eat the web.

Now a lot could go wrong. It is possible that Facebook will become AOL the sequel. But I don’t see it. There’s no alternative and the more we put into Facebook the more value we gain from it. This is a different era where vertical integration (e.g. owning and controlling the whole experience) is a major plus, especially if it’s elegant and simple. There’s too much information and things vying for our attention today. This turns vertical integration and simplicity into a competitive advantage.

So what does this mean? I believe business web sites will become less important over time. They will be primarily transactional and/or for utility. Brands will shift more of their dollars and resources to creating robust presence where people already are and figure out how to activate employees en masse in a way that builds relationships and drives traffic back to their sites to complete transactions. Media companies will do the same – they will be “headless.”

Google and search will remain important for years to come. However, what we’re seeing is the beginning of big changes where social networking and Facebook will further disrupt advertising, media, one-to-one and one-to-many communications, not to mention search.

An EPIC Solution for Economic Hardship in NPOs Part 2 (Brand)

February 6, 2010

When focusing on brand, a company is trying to build its image within the community (area of influence) it serves, and from whence its supporters reside (figuratively, not necessarily literally/physically).  In a for-profit business this is commonly recognized as the target market and its corresponding segment. Realizing then that branding has a lot to do with how the organization is perceived, or its image, one might conclude that an NPO must focus on marketing. However, a requirement of traditional marketing is to spend large sums of money on numerous vehicles such as expensive advertising campaigns.  To view image building as marketing then would be counterintuitive for a not-for-profit company as it is struggling to acquire money for operational expenses, let alone an extensive marketing campaign.

What is required, then, is to view marketing in an entirely different light. Effective marketing is not sales.  When a business tries to promote a product directly, it often fails to get the individual (or a collection of individuals, and therefore other organizations) to know, like, and trust the company.  The business fails to educate the customer as to why the customer has a need for their product or service, what the benefits are, and why they can be trusted.

Therefore, and especially in the non-profit arena, marketing must be viewed through lenses that do not consider marketing sales, but rather as the educating of stakeholders (constituents, clients, customers, supporters, anyone who has a relationship with the organization) as to why the entity should be supported and why its services, products, or outreach is needed.  Effective marketing is getting people to know, like, and trust you (Jantsch, 2008).

The most effective way for an NPO to survive economic turmoil is to have been proactive in these areas, thereby having a reserve to tap into.  It’s also a tremendous boon to have a die-hard fan base that will support the company, even to the supporter’s detriment.  This of course is the best-case scenario, and provides a goal for non-profits to work towards.  Most often, though, small, young, or newly-started non-profits don’t have these sustainability reserves as a resource, and are back to facing the plight of how to survive this time of hardship.

The key to surviving is to focus on time and brand.  Get people to know, like, and trust you.  But how?  EPIC-ally!

Read: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Get the Full Article

References

Jantsch, John (2008).  Duct tape marketing: The world’s most practical small business marketing guide. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.