Tuvel Communications Blog

February 16, 2010

Social Media Myths and Truths

(reprinted from ShowSmart January, 2010 issue) by: Mitch Arnowitz

first in a series

Myth: Social media is Facebook and Twitter
Truth: Social media is web forums, e-mail lists, video, photo sharing, wikis, social networking and social bookmarking.

Many people falsely believe that 'social media' is defined by websites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Social media certainly includes these social networking services but also encompass other content channels. Wikipedia defines social media as "media which are formed mainly by the public as a group, in a social way, rather than media produced by journalists, editors and media conglomerates."

Consumer generated content can be found in Internet forums such as Creative Cow, Yahoo! Groups e-mail lists, blogs, podcasts, YouTube and vimeo videos, photo sharing services such as Flickr, wikis, and social bookmarking websites like Delicious and StumbleUpon. Rather than broadcasting messages, social media outlets engage prospects and attendees while building relationships. In the new communications paradigm and shifting landscape, consumers create their own value through the use of social media. Some companies harness this activity and turn passionate customers into a public relations bonanza while others misstep in their approach and become negative case studies.

Social media efforts should be managed by a stakeholder or someone with a vested interest in your product or service! Utilize all networking vehicles available but maintain a seamless approach so that conversations and relationships are woven together. Grow your relationships through social media by participating in conversations while listening. Let prospects and attendees help define your presence while driving traffic to 2010 NAB Show!

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February 08, 2010

Crucial Keys to Driving Event Traffic Through the Use of Social Media

(reprinted from College of Association Marketing February, 2010 newsletter) by: Mitch Arnowitz

Using social media is vital to your marketing plans today, especially for increasing attendance at your association’s events. Here are some tips for success.

You need good information about potential event attendees, which means knowing whom to reach. Create a strategy and define goals and metrics. Then, hunt for people who are passionate about and likely to be interested in your event. Some of our best promotional efforts have come from out-of-the-box thinking—we pick up unlikely “rocks” on the Internet to find those whom others respect, and our research landscape includes social networking sites along with e-mail lists, web forums, user groups, e-newsletters, online communities, niche websites and individuals, along with a human search engine, conversation tracker and e-mail list finder.

Your message must include a clear, concise value proposition. For it to get delivered, you have to find real people to send it to—that’s why we don’t send to sales@, info@ or pres@ e-mail addresses. If you build relationships on a one-to-one basis, you get great contact information! We use syndicated calendars to spread the word, and make it easy to pass along information by supplying a sample newsletter or blog post.

Program execution includes personalizing all communications, and visiting blogs and other marketing vehicles before reaching out. Best practices include asking publishers to pass the word along. Be transparent: Identify yourself in outbound communications, and follow up promptly.

We use Google Docs for organizing, sharing information and streamlining the process. We track activities and report on progress with free tools like Google Alerts and targeted sites for comments, reach, trending and blogs, and an RSS reader.

A successful social-media campaign has all communication components in sync—there really are no shortcuts to delivering awareness, excitement, attendees and ROI. Have fun with it and, above all, be social!

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