Using auto direct messages (DM) on Twitter is a bad idea.

It was a bad idea when I first joined Twitter in June 2008 – a time when there were fewer than 500,000 Tweeple in the Twitterverse. And it’s a worse idea now…particularly with 75 million users on Twitter. Why?

1. Auto DMs are spam – unsolicited and unwelcome mail. To top it off, many Twitter users also get email notifications about their DMs, so it’s actually more like a one-two spam punch – in the face. Why would anyone choose to welcome people to their “community” this way?

Welcome to <Twitter Name Here> on Twitter. We hope you enjoy experiencing learning with us.

Thank you for following the writers of <New Pub Name Here>. We are hoping that our expertise will enlighten you and make you healthy.

We produce #environmental awareness posters, decals, much more, helping companies promote #sustainability & #recycling. Please pass us along

Hi there! I’m new to Twitter so I hope you enjoy my tweets. I love solar electricity and if you want to learn about it, I’ll show it to you

Well, you might be thinking, these sound like friendly, well-intended welcome messages. Yes, they are. But they are also disruptive communications as described in the definition of spam (below). They are disruptive because they are unsolicited and may very well be irrelevant to the recipient. Auto DMs are disruptive because they constitute noise that dilutes the signal for relevant information I want to receive and the conversations I choose to participate in.

Spam: A disruptive, esp. commercial message posted on a computer network or sent as e-mail

And, yes, the worst auto DM spam is the kind that is used for advertising:

Hi, thx for following? Are you up to date with social media? <Link Here to a Book on Amazon>

Thx for connecting. Are you attending <Name of Event Here> next week? <Link to Event Here> Discount code information here.

{In the case above I was already registered, which made the spam even more annoying.}

Just because I follow you back on Twitter does not mean that I am giving you permission to market to me. A follow back on Twitter does not constitute an “opt-in” subscription to anything you perceive is valuable to your community.

2. Auto DMs are sometimes viruses – and they appear to come from people you follow. So even if you are using auto-DMs to sell a book or a workshop, how effective do you think it will be in the DM-shy world we inhabit today? Today it is rare that I will click on a URL in a DM…unless I am “expecting” specific information from a fellow Twitter user.

3. Auto DMs are for robots, not humans. Social media is about human and personal interaction. If you don’t care enough to take the time to personally “welcome” someone on Twitter, then you shouldn’t do it at all.

In my opinion, Twitter DM should be a sacred channel. It should be used conscientiously and for those moments when you:

• Must get through to someone quickly;
• Have information to share with someone that is not relevant for the entire community; or
• Have to take a Twitter conversation offline.

With almost 8 million users on Twitter it has become rather noisy – not just from the auto-DM spam, but also from the grumblings of the unhappy Tweeple – like myself – who are on the receiving end of that spam.

So, if you are looking for a way to be unfollowed before your first conversation on Twitter begins or to lose loyal followers, then try using auto DMs.

Granted, there are some people may choose to unfollow auto DMers and others who may unhappily tolerate it – which is mostly the case for me in the small city where I live. But even if you are not getting unfollowed as the result of your auto DMs, how do you know it is not just because people are being polite and tolerating you?

At the end of the day, I would rather have people happily following me rather than unhappily tolerating me.

How about you?

Chart source: RJ Metrics

If you have not yet used Social Media Releases (SMR), here are five tips that will buy you some valuable added exposure until you make the leap to SMR…

1. Include FlickR image(s) with your news release – preferably one from your own FlickR account. If you don’t have a company FlickR account, what are you waiting for? The PR benefits are enormous, particularly for driving web traffic. Be sure to include stock photos in your account as well. And don’t forget to include the FlickR stream in your press room and on your company web site.

2. Use hyperlinks for key words and phrases throughout your news release – If your story does get ink, you want to make sure it’s also getting juice (of the Google, Yahoo and Bing variety). Obviously the links should also serve as relevant extension of your story.

3. For official statements, include an audio file with the release – What better way to illustrate such an important event? It also happens to be the quickest and most efficient way for your message to get published via all electronic media including radio, television and web.

4. Make sure that all multi-media content you submit is “embeddable” – For example, a video that is “embedded” into a news story looks like this. Publishing videos to YouTube, Vimeo or Blip.Tv makes it easier to share your content, which in turn will increase your level of exposure on the Web – much more so than sending an .MPG file attachment of your video over email.

5. Include the date of your event in the subject line of your email – So what does that have to do with news release prep for the Web? Well, in order for the above four items to be effective, your email must first be opened. Journalists and bloggers receive boatloads of emails every day from PR professionals. And they don’t necessarily get opened in chronological order. Some don’t get opened at all. One of the best ways for you to “red flag” your release is to include a date in the Subject Line. This also allows the receiver to organize and prioritize potential stories of interest.

One of the other hats I wear is that of a journalist over at MyEugene. The above list was compiled based on my experiences working on the receiving end of local PR pitches and materials for the past year.

Do you have any tips for preparing press releases for the Web? Let’s hear them!

Blogger relations and traditional media relations are not entirely uncommon. Of the following steps, which ones may also be applied to traditional media relations? And what other blogger-relations steps or tips would you add to this list?

1. RESEARCH and identify the blogs relating to your space
2. READ, read, and re-read those target blogs
3. RETRAIN yourself to listen more and talk (broadcast) less
4. RESPOND with thoughtful comments posted to target blogs
5. RELATIONSHIP is key, so start to develop one with the blogger before you pitch
6. RECIPROCITY in the relationship matters. So let the blogger get to know you as a person (and you should have some sort of online presence, too)
7. RELEVANCE is highly relevant. Your pitch content must match interest of the blogger and his/her community
8. REALLY SHORT pitches. Brevity counts! A three-liner is great. Shoot for the ultimate goal: 140 characters or less. Teaser pitches are OK.
9. REVIEW target blogs for Pitch policy icon or Pitch policy; if no icon or policy, then ask (a great way to introduce yourself)
10. RELEASES need to be social, as in template and tone
11. RESPECT bloggers – as most don’t get paid; so in reality, their time is even more precious
12. ROLE REVERSAL. It’s not about you or your company. Put yourself in the blogger’s shoes. What’s in it for the blogger?
13. REALIZE that – like PR – Social Media (e.g., blogging) is based more on the Social Sciences, not technology
14. RESOURCE. Be one for the blogger and blogger’s community; bring value (even if it means connecting blogger to another PR person) to the community and conversation. Be helpful and human.
15. REAL. Be transparent and authentic. No B.S.

Thanks to the following folks for inspiration:

Renee Blodgett
Jennifer Van Grove
Brian Solis
Todd Defren

And last but not least…
Toby Bloomberg
In particular, I am especially grateful for Toby Bloomberg’s leadership in developing and sharing this most excellent series about blogger relations.

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Only five percent of the 133 million blogs tracked by Technorati were updated in the last four months. So maybe some bloggers have been on extended vacation and perhaps others just abandoned their blogs altogether. And maybe a few are business bloggers who aren’t getting the proper support for maintaining oxygen flow into the lifeblood of their company blog. 

If you’re a business blogger, here’s important advice to consider as you strive to evolve your blog and fulfill your business objectives by leveraging the wonders of Web 2.0:

How your company perceives its own blog is just as important as how others view it.

1. Don’t be tempted to think of your new blog or any other social media resources as “technology” tools; think of them instead as communication vehicles or brand extensions for creating conversations, building relationships, and generating new, highly qualified business.
2. A blog by itself does not a social media strategy make. Please continue exploring multiple online channels and creating multiple, synchronous touch points in the Social Web Sphere – all of which are necessary to leverage the boundless opportunities associated with Web 2.0. Your blog is just one component of a much larger universe of opportunity.
3. The hardest part about joining the blogosphere is not deciding whether or not you should blog, learning how to blog, launching the blog, or even generating traffic to the blog (although this is definitely not easy, it is also not the hardest part). The hardest part is engaging readers, inspiring loyalty and building relationships, and this comes from the quality of conversation you create – not only on your blog, but also throughout the blogosphere. Many companies prefer to maintain the “built it and they will come” perspective when it comes to blogging. But even if “they” do come, what matters in blogging is whether or not they’ll stay.

Ultimately, your company’s perceptions can make or break whether or not you leave a meaningful brand mark in the blogosphere. So, how does your company perceive blogging?

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Groundswell: Winning In A World Transformed By Social Technologies, by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, is the proverbial gift that keeps on giving.

This book is a gift of timely and practical knowledge about the value of our participation in the social media phenomenon – from a business perspective. The Groundswell gift comes wrapped in a bow cut from the sophisticated fabric of Forrester’s finely woven research experience. 

While there is much to say about Groundswell and its astounding greatness (more in future posts), I’d like to immediately call out one side benefit – for professionals who leverage the groundswell – that was subtly mentioned in the book…a benefit that I believe will have a very strong appeal to the book’s core readership – marketers and communicators:

Getting that coveted “seat at the table” in your organization

It’s been my experience and that of many of my professional colleagues that the hardest part of our job is educating upper-level management and getting buy in. The ultimate and ever-elusive brass ring, of course, is empowerment. These sentiments, which erupt regularly in the blogosphere, were also echoed earlier this year during a Forrester Research and Heidrick & Struggles co-sponsored webcast based on “The Evolved CMO“ research report. According to the report’s executive summary:  

“Marketers want to be more business-focused and strategic in their roles.”

“…almost two-thirds of chief marketing officers want more involvement in business strategy development and increased P&L responsibility.”

In turn, these summary statements were underscored by the many comments from webcast attendees:

“CMO and CIO relationship is critical…”

“Alliance with CFO is key to build and execute on strong corporate strategy.”

“I heard somewhere that the average tenure for a corporate-level CMO is 24 months…why would that be?”

“CMOs are often seen as company doctors to bring about immediate change which – however – is a joint effort of the management board.”

“So many other C-suites see Marketing as only advertising and their feedback is based on font or background color of an ad rather than understanding the strategic importance of Marketing.”

“What can be done to increase CMO profile on the Board?”

“Marketing is an investment and not a cost!”

In the end, the report prophetically summarized: “CMOs have a great opportunity to transform their marketing team from order takers to collaborators, partnering with business units to drive the bottom line.”

And now – months later – as I was reading Groundswell, my eyes became wide when I saw this:

“Own the resource <for tapping into the groundswell> that generates the insights, and you have clout.” 

So, how do you gain that clout in your organization?  You guessed it. Buy the book and you’ll find out. 

A FUN ASIDE: I really love the title of the book, too.  Made me think: If you were on a flat wooden raft in the open seas and a groundswell began, how would you protect yourself from falling?

Would you give in to the movement, flexing your knees and absorbing the shock and the motion in synchronicity…? Or would you keep your knees rigid and straight (ouch, that could be painful!) in show of defiance and strength?  For me, the answer is the former, with the operative word being “flex.”

Finally, if you knew you were going to fall regardless of your stance, which way would you choose? Again I would choose the former, because the distance to the ground is shorter and the chances of breaking a bone would be fewer.  ;0)

Here’s to getting our social-sphere sea dogs, folks!

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Staying on top of the evolving social sphere, increasing internal mindshare, putting out fires, and managing information overload are just some of the challenges we face as marketers. As a result, it can be a struggle to maintain a sharp focus on priorities, make quick decisions that are effective, and strategically prepare for the future.

Here are five “overarching” principles that will help guide you in your efforts to focus, plan, prioritize, justify, and make rapid-fire decisions about all your marketing endeavors.

1. Map your marketing plan directly to your organization’s mission and business plan goals – This principle is #1 for a reason: It will insure that you’re always on the right track. It will also help you focus and prioritize.

2. Maintain a customer-centric focus in everything you do – If an idea, program, or strategy is not “customer-centric,” then scrap it. A “customer-centric” focus is one that is based on customer beliefs, wants, behaviors, needs, desires, feedback, conversation, etc. Note: Be sure to include a definition of your “customer” (which can include existing, prospective and former customers) in your marketing plan – even though this might seem like common knowledge within your organization.

3. Make data-based decisions – Don’t make decisions without data, if possible. Data-based decisions provide much-needed validation and justification, and require less time for deliberation. “Data” in this case can mean anything ranging from an industry research report, marketing book or blog, and program analysis to pinging a colleague or committee for feedback and surveying your customer base.

4. Measure and track programs – Executing a program without knowing the results is like throwing budget dollars into the wind. Setting up a mechanism for measuring and tracking programs may take extra time up front, but the payoff is invaluable. In the end, your new process will save you a great deal of time and spare you from guesswork when making decisions. Also, knowing the results of your programs is a key factor for determining ROI – which, in turn, will help you effectively plan your budget. By analyzing your results you can also better plan for the upcoming year. Note: Be sure to establish a “baseline” metric before launching any new programs and initiatives.

5. Make it a habit to ask “Why?” – Don’t be afraid to ask ”Why?” and ask it often. This will open new channels of communication, windows of opportunity, and access to interesting and valuable information. Some of your biggest surprises and insights will come from asking this tiny question – whether to yourself or others.

NOTE: This post is based on my original response to a question on LinkedIn about “avoiding marketing mistakes.”

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Give people credit.

All they need from you is the vision, some tools and the freedom to perform. Finally, you must trust that they will perform – within the purview of your superb leadership.

It’s a myth that the concept of managing people is the same as leading people. It is an even bigger myth that micro-managing people is somehow the same as “carefully” leading people. It will serve you well in your future endeavors to embrace and honor this distinction….

To further illustrate, it’s okay to manage projects, work/life balance, stock portfolio, anger, and weight – just not people. It is also perfectly suitable to manage time, budgets, processes, and crises…again, just not people. The closest one should come to managing people should be in the event of a riot or evacuation. But even then, this is often referred to as crowd “control” – an altogether different concept from leading or managing and, thankfully, not a typical scenario in business.

Leaders who inspire, guide, motivate, empower and enable people will achieve great results…outstanding results that will be undoubtedly driven and achieved by the very people with whom they had trust and confidence.

Can you recite the names of today’s successful businesses? Can you truly answer why they are successful? Are they experiencing growth through M&As or do they simply have great leadership? Dig a little deeper and you may find that true leadership has little to do with “managing” people…as is the case with Internet powerhouse Google, which also ranked #1 in Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For in 2007. 

Gary Hamel - management consultant and author of the soon-to-be-released book, The Future of Management – comments on Google in this Wall Street Journal article:

“The Mountain View, Calif., company is packed with intriguing, distinctive ways of running itself, he says. These include radical decentralization; small, self-managing teams; a just-try-it approach to rolling out new products before they are fully finished; and a willingness to let engineers spend sizable chunks of time on offbeat projects.”

Vision. Tools. Freedom. Trust.

Astounding results.