social media marketing

Putting Pinterest to Work for You

Heather Allard — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 21:36:37 +0000

Link:

http://www.openforum.com/articles/putting-pinterest-to-work-for-you

If you had the opportunity to make your business part of someone’s vision board, would you do it? Pinterest is that vision board. Consider it a visual buffet—a look book—of all the things we crave in life; travel, food, fashion and home design are just icing on the Pinterest cake.

Pinterest is a social network that allows you to grab and organize images of things you love, and pin them to virtual corkboards. You can browse boards created by others, or share yours with the Pinterest community. Even better, other “pinners” can share your images and boards, too. No matter if you’re a service business or selling a product, you can create a Pinterest pin board that showcases your talent and offers potential clients solutions.

Here are three ways to use Pinterest to boost your business.

Research Your Market

Having access to a plethora of Pinterest boards created by others, in virtually any category, offers you the perfect opportunity to research your market. Just by viewing what others are talking about, you can gauge how popular a new product or service might be.

Hot new trends emerge throughout Pinterest, giving you an insider’s look at what people are coveting. It’s like a private marketing meeting, just for you!

Alternately, you may create your own Pinterest board to showcase a new product or idea, and even gather opinions.

Drive Traffic to Your Website

Like all social media sites, Pinterest can drive traffic to your website in two ways.

First, you can add a link to your website right in your Pinterest profile, so anyone who’s impressed by what you’ve pinned can sail on over to check out your site.

Second, when Pinterest users pin things they find on your site, their pin has a “From yoursite.com” on it.

Combine loads of pictures and comments on things you love and want to share with the world with a smattering of your own products. Be sure to add images and content that people can use—a solution to a problem or tips on having a better wedding/wardrobe/life/travel experience, etc…

How is this going to generate business? Simply, people will talk about the great images and content that you share. Pinners will click on your images and information that lead to your website. Because Pinterest is social networking, the more helpful networking you do, the more it will come back to you.

Increase Word of Mouth

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then consider Pinterest a “visual testimonial”.

When users pin things from your site, they’re showing the world (and their Pinterest followers) that they believe in your company, your service, or your product.

The more Pinterest interest you get, the more word of mouth about you will increase.

How to Make the Most of Pinterest in 4 Easy Steps

1. Offer up the Best Photos Possible

Because the entire point of Pinterest is to wrap viewers up in “wow” photography, having great pix is a must. This is especially true when pinning images of your own products. Be sure to find or use high quality, clear and stunning photography to really draw others to your boards. The better the images, the more your pictures will be shared.

2. Make Pinning Easy

Pinterest offers several “Goodies” to make pinning easy, including a “Pin It” button for your bookmarks bar, a free iPhone app, a “Follow Button” for websites and a “Pin It” button for websites. Take advantage of these tools to increase pinning and re-pinning from your site.

3. Limit Self-Promotion

You’re probably thinking that this defeats the purpose of using Pinterest for business, but not necessarily. Pinterest touts:

Pinterest is designed to curate and share things you love. If there is a photo or project you’re proud of, pin away! However, try not to use Pinterest purely as a tool for self-promotion.

This is where a wonderful mixture of business and personal interests comes into play. Just like any social media venue, there is a very fine line between offering engaging information and being spammy. Pinners want to see visual ideas; they want to read about new ideas or uses for things. This is the perfect opportunity to mix up a batch of the things you love and the things you have to offer.

4. Tell Your Clients that You Use Pinterest!

Yes! Tell your clients about Pinterest. Let them know that you’d love it if they shared images of your product or service in use, on their own Pinterest boards. Imagine the great promotions coming your way if ten or twelve of your clients started to add images of your work or service. Imagine those pics getting re-pinned by other people.

If you’re thinking of Pinterest as just another social media platform to get tied down to; you’re right. But this may be the most fun you’ve had on social media in a long, long time. With its rapid growth of new pinners joining every day, there is an unlimited world waiting to see what you’re pinning up—and that’s a marketing and networking opportunity you can’t afford to miss.

This article is from Heather Allard of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Is Social Media Killing Your Business?

Annie Mueller — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 20:51:14 +0000

Link:

http://www.openforum.com/articles/is-social-media-killing-your-business

Social media isn't always a good thing, and it's certainly not a guarantee that your marketing is in the bag. Are you using social media in a way that builds a great reputation and enhances your business, or are you achieving much different results?

If one or more of the following statements is true for you, you may be killing your business with social media.

You’re spending more time "doing social media" than you are on the important work of your business.

What an easy trap to fall into. Who hasn't sat down to answer just one email or spend five minutes on Twitter, only to lose a couple of hours? Social media can be a fun, new toy that distracts you from what you need to be focused on, such as, producing things people want to buy, perfecting services, gaining sales, dealing with customer issues, getting better deals from your distributors, training your employees…

You're confusing your customers with a fragmented approach.

If you haven't taken some time to develop a unique selling proposition (USP) and the core message of your business, chances are you're throwing a lot of different things at your customers. Maybe you emphasize one service on your Facebook page, some other product with your Twitter account, and an entirely different aspect of your business on your blog or Youtube videos.

Customers who find you at one social media outlet and like what they see follow you to the next platform, only to see a different message from you. What are you all about? They're getting different pieces of the puzzle at different social media outlets, but nothing that provides a cohesive overview of your business.

Confused customers don't become loyal customers. If they can't quite figure out what your business is all about, they won't be ready to but any trust in what you offer.

You’re failing to provide the basic information people want.

You've had this experience, most likely… You find a cool new site, a great blog or company, and you click over to find something basic: contact information, or a price list, or a description of service. And it's not there. Maybe there's no link, or there's a place holder page.

When this happens, whether it's on your business blog, website, Facebook page, Twitter page, or any of the other social media platforms you might be using, it's a huge turn-off for customers. Internet surfers are notoriously short on attention span. They don't need to check back later, and they probably won't, because there are ten thousand other options out there instead.

If you lose your potential customers because you're not providing basic information when and where they want it, you've probably lost them forever.

You're making your business look amateur.

Do-it-yourself works, to a certain point, and part of the appeal of social media marketing is the potential to jump into it and do a great job without a huge initial investment. For SMB owners, it's a dream come true: a great marketing outlet that doesn't cost thousands of dollars you don't have.

What isn't a dream, however, is the very amateur image you can produce with a misinformed DIY strategy. Slapping together a color-block logo and a cheesy tagline does not equal good branding. A website that looks like a clip-art explosion punctuated by long blocks of error-filled text does not equal a good web presence.

When you carry your unpolished branding efforts into your social media marketing, and then send potential customers to a dated, amateur website, you're not building your business. You're convincing potential customers that you really don't deserve to be taken seriously.

You're skipping from one media outlet to another.

If you get started on Facebook, decide Google+ is better, abandon Twitter for Youtube, you leave your customers frustrated and ready to find someone consistent.

You don't have to be on all the social media outlets. You most likely shouldn't be on more than a few. Too many false starts and a mile-long list of online profiles simply convinces potential customers that you can't stick to something long enough to make it work.

You're providing content without direction.

All content and no sales funnel means you're not (actively) helping your business grow.

Don't get me wrong: free is wonderful, and can be a powerful marketing tool, especially in terms of social media. However, content can't do everything. It can help you establish expertise, and get people to pay attention to you, but you can't leave them there. Once you've gotten their attention, what do you want them to do?

To put it plainly, you're not putting that work into social media just so you can make the world a better place or make a lot of neat, new friends. No, you're putting that effort into social media so you can build your business.

That means that the end result of successful efforts in social media should be something profiting your business, either in cold, hard cash or in selling potential (mailing list, surveys, opt-in forms filled out by rabidly eager new customers, and so on).

You're failing to respond to negative reviews and mentions.

The good news about negativity in the form of review and press online is that you have the ability to access it, track down the source (usually), and respond to it publicly in the same sort of forum.

An accusation or negative review without rebuttal seems legitimate, even if it is not. A total lack of response says, “Um, I really don't have anything to say to make this better...”

If there are legitimate complaints, it's infinitely better that your potential customers see you acknowledge and correct your mistakes. Trustworthiness doesn't mean your business is perfect; it means that your business has a policy of quickly dealing with mistakes and making them right.

How are you using social media in your marketing? Are you actively building your business, or are you wasting your time?

This article is from Annie Mueller of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Are Your Tweets Being Heard?

Justine Grey — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 18:28:56 +0000

Link:

http://www.openforum.com/articles/are-your-tweets-being-heard

Twitter. That miraculous, 140 character marketing tool that has the power to both wow and frustrate.

If you’re using Twitter for business, you’ve probably found that simply acquiring followers does not always equal a boon in your marketing efforts. Perhaps you sense that your tweets aren’t being heard or, worse, your posts are ignored altogether. Why? Likely, you’ve gathered a mass of the wrong followers—people who are just tagging along and not really interested in what you have to say or offer in the first place. Finding the right network on Twitter is imperative, and so is keeping them engaged. But, how do you find the right followers?

Your profile is the bulletin board that people stop to read when looking for new people to follow. An effective profile will tell people who you are, what you do and why they should follow you. It’s a way for like-minded tweeters to find each other. So, use it wisely! Start by fixing your profile in three easy steps.

1. Show Off

Your face that is. That’s right; add a picture of you for the Twitter world to see.

One of the first things people look at when considering people to follow is the avatar. Your avatar (or, avi) is the little picture you added to your account when you created your Twitter profile. That tiny little image has big, big power. Essentially, it can pull people in or turn them away. Using a generic image, such as the graphics Twitter gives you to choose from, or a random image that has nothing to do with your business, deflates your credibility. Only other deflated tweeters will follow you, so be sure your avi shows off the real you. Make that personal connection!

2. Have a Reason

You’re allowed a short bio on your Twitter profile. This is your chance to tell the world who you are or what your business is about. Add in your description, a snippet about the things you’ll be tweeting about. Perhaps you dish tips and ideas on throwing a smashing party. Or, perhaps your business is centered on quick recipes or meal preparation. Let people know you’ll be tweeting about these things by mentioning it in your bio. You’re most likely to find followers who are genuinely interested in what you have to say when you let them know what you’re talking about in the first place.

3. Have a Personality

Because we humans are nosey by nature, we want to know the person behind the Twitter name. No matter if you’re a hobby business or a thriving corporation, there is nothing wrong with injecting a little of your personality into your Tweets. You want to be personable, relatable and, well, human. People connect better when they feel they are interacting with a live person and not just a computer screen. Don’t be afraid to talk a little about yourself, share some humor or interests you may have. When people get to know you, and subsequently like you, they’ll look forward to reading your tweets.

Once you’ve tweaked your Twitter profile to be a better reflection of your business, it’s time to engage your followers. Over time, you’ll want to start forming personal relationships with your followers. You want them to know you and want to hear from you.

How, exactly, do you do that?

Share What Others Tweet About

When someone you follow tweets about something you’re interested in, share it. Retweet your favorite posts from those you follow; share the love. By doing so, you’re making other people feel heard and they are likely to return the favor.

Post Good Stuff

Really, that’s all there is to it. No fluff (unless fluff is your main reason for being on Twitter in the first place). Tweet about things that your followers will find valuable-information, how-to’s, photos, etc... These things are more likely to be read, appreciated and retweeted—which builds your credibility and following.

Talk to Your Followers

It’s OK to drum up personal conversations with followers that you have an interest in. Say hi. Ask about the kids. Form friendships. After all, Twitter is about making personal connections. Those connections are the most valuable piece of the Twitter puzzle. Stay connected and watch your relevant follower base—and marketing efforts—grow!

This article is from Justine Grey of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

4 Steps To Perfecting Your Social Media Strategy

Chris Birk — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 19:08:35 +0000

Link:

http://www.openforum.com/articles/4-steps-to-perfecting-your-social-media-strate...

It took some time, but the art and science of search engine marketing eventually emerged from the shadows and shed its “snake oil” image.

That’s mostly because entrepreneurs came to demand accountability from search campaigns and the companies behind them. And like SEO, social media initiatives aren’t some magical, ethereal wizardry that can’t be tracked, analyzed and adapted.

Small business owners have to bring that same spirit of accountability to bear when it comes to utilizing social media tools, whether they’ve hired an outside firm or are handling things in-house. Finding concrete ways to assess the efficacy of social media strategies and initiatives is crucial.

Entrepreneurs can’t tweak strategies or double down on successful ones if they’re unable to track performance and payoff. There are scores of ways to make that happen. Here’s a look at just a few, for starters.

Dig Inside Facebook

Creating an engaging Facebook presence and consistent, high-quality content for fans is imperative for businesses seeking a foothold in the social networking realm. But entrepreneurs can get their hands dirty and really dig into the metrics surrounding user growth, content consumption, referrals, and traffic.

The key is to get the most from Facebook Insights, the network’s back-end data hub for business owners and web developers. Insights allows entrepreneurs get an accurate look at how effective individual posts are and what kind of sharing, if any, follows publication.

You can track statistics by the hour and use the findings to shape not just the type of postings you release, but when to release them. Being able to see who shares your content and when can help business owners more narrowly tailor their Facebook presence and focus on boosting conversions.

Track Traffic and Mentions

Setting up Google alerts for your company name and other key terms is an important part of any online reputation management strategy. But these simple notifications can also help business owners track the ripples of social media initiatives.

You can also go a step further and utilize new, free tools that are more geared toward social media. Social Mention is a great site that provides real-time social media search and also allows businesses to create social media alerts, which are in essence more nuanced Google alerts.

Entrepreneurs can also purchase services like Vocus, which offers more traditional public relations and media management software along with social media tracking.

The focus is finding and capitalizing on tools that can help track brand mentions and social chatter across the web. Some of it may wind up being more anecdotal, but casting a wider net allows you to get a sense of how consumers are responding. It can also help you identify needs, communities and online influencers that can help you shape future social media strategies.

Shares, Tweets and Links

Sometimes the less complicated the better.

Likes, Retweets and links are all important metrics that don’t require a big budget or exhaustive research to track.

Simple things like tracking shares, direct traffic and conversions can help when it comes to social media efficacy. You can use site traffic tools from Google Analytics, WebTrends, Bit.ly and others to get a better handle on who’s consuming your content, who’s visiting your site and how they’re getting there. SEOmoz and others have excellent tools that allow you to track a specific piece of content at a given time.

There are scores of ways to drill down. Personal branding blogger Ryan Rancatore calculates a “retweets per page view” metric for his content, which is basically a ratio of eyeballs to shares. If a content piece has 500 views and 50 retweets, that’s a rate of one retweet per ten page views. You can track these numbers in a spreadsheet, search for patterns and seize on the key topics, phrases, headline choices, and other elements that seem to spur greater engagement.

“We have recently increased our social media efforts by frequently commenting on Facebook posts and retweeting content on Twitter,” said Nikki Lyman, marketing communications manager for Solar Power.org, which provides news and resources regarding renewable energy. “Engaging with others in the solar industry using social media platforms has allowed us to see a 15 percent increase in website traffic and knowledge of our service.”

Link growth and search trends are also important. Keeping tabs on your links and standing in the search results is simply a part of daily business living. Or it should be. Pay close attention to how those results ebb and flow in relation to specific social media campaigns.

Make a Commitment

It’s easy to set up a Facebook page or Twitter account for your business and jump into the fray. It’s much more difficult to carry the same fervor and ferocity day in, day out for months and months.

One of the best ways to keep accountability at the forefront is to embrace the power of social media, which gives entrepreneurs an interactive platform to build and strengthen brand, generate leads and lower the barrier to conversion. Committing to social media as an integral part of your holistic marketing vision is a great place to start.

This article is from Chris Birk of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

5 Key Social Media Findings That Affect Your Business

Glen Stansberry — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 22:06:25 +0000

Link:

http://www.openforum.com/articles/5-key-social-media-findings-that-affect-your-b...

The Nielsen group recently came out with a fantastic report on social media usage in 2011, and the findings were a bit surprising. Sure, there were a few no-brainers like “U.S. internet users spend more time on Facebook more than any other site,” but buried in the report were some interesting nuggets. That may have a major impact on your business. These are five of the most interesting facts the study uncovered about how we use social networks.

1. Americans spend most of their time online on social network and blogs.

We all knew that Americans spent a lot of time on Facebook, but to put this into perspective, we only spend about 7.6 percent of our time checking email. We spend almost three times (23 percent) more time on blogs and social networks than checking email.

The report also shows that 4 out of 5 active American internet users visit social networks and blogs, and blogs and social networks are used by over three quarters of active internet users (across 10 major global markets).

There are a couple key takeaways from this.

If you're not building up profiles on social networks for your small business, you're already behind. Your customers are already there, talking about you, waiting for you to respond. Go meet them!
Blogs are still very important for small businesses. I can't stress this enough. Successful online businesses or destinations have blogs. They're great for communication, evergreen content, and even search engine optimization. People haven't stopped reading blogs like some might like you to believe.

2. 70 percent of active online adult social networkers shop online.

If an adult is on a social network, odds are she is somewhat computer savvy. She'll spend more time online than the "average intent user", doing things like checking email, reading news sites and blogs, chatting, and shopping.

If I was marketing a product, I'd make certain that I was marketing it on social networks. You have to sell where your buyers are, and a lot of them are on social networks.

3. 53 percent of active adult social networkers follow a brand; only 32 percent follow a celebrity.

Most people still subscribe to the myth that Twitter and Facebook are only for teens to follow celebrities talking about the daily activities of their cats. Not true... The people who most likely will be buying your products, (or are at least old enough to have a credit card), are looking for your brand on sites like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Adults have made it clear that they want to follow brands across social networks.

4. 60 percent of social media users create reviews of products or services.

Consumers on social media rely on the recommendations of their friends or peers. They're also more likely to write reviews of your product or service. Active social media users greatly influence the shopping habits of their friends. Example: If my buddy from work says your product stinks, I'm probably not going to buy it. It's not a question of are they talking about your brand. They're talking about you. The question is: how are they talking about your products? Are you listening? Are you communicating with them?

5. The number of mobile internet users is up 47 percent from last year.

Is your site optimized for mobile usage? Mobile usage is exploding across social networks. Here are a few more interesting facts from the study:

Twice as many people aged 55+ visit social networking sites on their mobile phone than did last year;
Mobile internet audience for social networking sites is up 62 percent since last year;
2 in 5 social media users access these services from their mobile phones.

Mobile usage is real, and it could greatly help or hurt your online business. Consider this: as people write reviews and discuss your product on social networking sites, their friends and followers read and click through to your product. From there, the mobile experience on your site could encourage people to buy your product, or quickly send them away.

Key Takeaways

What exactly does this mean for your business?

If your business doesn't have a strong presence in social media or blogging, start today. Don't wait. You're missing out on connections with customers, brand satisfaction, and more sales. People are talking about your brand. Make sure you're there to respond.
Mobile usage across key age groups is exploding. If you don't have a mobile site of some sort, you need to build one. Loading traditional webpages from the phone takes much longer, and those who want to buy on the phone want instant gratification. Create a fast and simple experience that allows mobile users to learn more about your product and buy right from their phones.

Glen Stansberry is currently building Appsourced, an application that makes finding apps easier.

This article is from Glen Stansberry of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

4 Social Media Strategies that Actually Work

James Clear — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 22:12:55 +0000

Link:

http://www.openforum.com/articles/4-social-media-strategies-that-actually-work

As a small business owner, entrepreneur, or ambitious individual, I'm betting that you have at least thought about leveraging social media for your business. But how?

There are lots of ways, of course, but let’s start with four actionable steps you can take to find new business, generate more leads, and make more sales through social media.

1. Join a Group Discussion on LinkedIn

It's easy to overlook LinkedIn with all the fuss about Google+ and Facebook and Twitter, but the job and career site a very powerful network. In fact, the average household income is higher on LinkedIn than it is on both Facebook and Twitter.

Higher income means deeper pockets – and deeper pockets mean better customers.

One way to access the deep pockets on LinkedIn is to join groups related to your business and start answering relevant questions that are asked in the discussions section.

There are some groups on LinkedIn with over 100,000 members (browse the full group directory).

You can imagine that when 100,000 people gather together around a topic, a few of them have some questions to ask.

If you're the one providing answers to those questions, then it's a natural extension to send them a more detailed message with more information. With group discussion serving as the conversation spark, you might find yourself with a new client in no time.

2. Leverage the Answers Section of LinkedIn

Another wonderful place to find quality leads on LinkedIn is in the "Answers" section.

This area of the site is where people can ask questions about any topic. Other userss – like you – can then search those questions and provide answers. All you have to do is go to the search bar and select "Answers" from the dropdown menu. Then, simply search for a relevant topic.

For example, I just searched for the term "small business" and there are currently 132 open questions on LinkedIn for that term.

Let's say you're a small business consultant. Think about how powerful this feature is for you. That's 132 people who are actively looking for answers to their small business questions – and you could be the one to provide the answer they want.

As you can see, the Answers section has the potential to be a very high quality pool of leads for your business.

3. Twitter Search

Twitter has a massive audience of more than 200 million members. They also have a search bar right at the top of the screen. You would think that people would start putting those two things together and search Twitter like crazy for clients, but my experience tells me otherwise.

The real shame is that there are people on Twitter actively telling the world that they need help with problem X or issue Y. All you have to do is search for them and you’ve found a potential new client.

So how exactly does this unexplored universe of Twitter leads work? It's pretty simple. All you need to do is search for relevant terms in the search box.

For example, if you run a graphic design company, then you might search for "logo design" or "infographic" or "brand designer". Then, people who use those words in their tweets will show up in the results. It's not unreasonable at all to expect that someone might have recently tweeted, "Anyone know a good logo designer?"

4. Google Plus Circles

Google Plus – which is Google's just released social networking tool – is all the rage right now. Over 10 million people have received invites and joined already, and you can be sure that Google will be rolling the service out to everyone else soon.

The beauty of Google Plus is that it allows you to segment your communication efforts. Google Plus allows you to create "circles,” which are just groups of different people. You can put anyone you want into a circle and then send out a message to a specific circle, multiple circles, or everyone.

This is great for businesses because you can choose the specific people you want to target with your message.

Let's say that your business offers three products and you just built a great upgrade for customers of one product. If you let the world know about it on Twitter, you might reach a few of the relevant people, but many of the people who see it couldn’t care less.

On Google Plus, however, you could create a circle of customers for each product. You could then notify the relevant circle of people when you have a new product update, an upsell offering, or a new customer service feature.

Unlike most social networks, Google Plus offers a way for you to group your customers and then address each group specifically. More specificity means better messaging, more traction, and more sales.

The Key Takeaway

Social media, regardless of the network, is filled with people who have interests and passions, problems and pain points. They are just waiting for someone to reach out to them and lend a helping hand.

The methods might be different – groups, discussions, search, circles – but the approach is the same: use the strengths of each network to find people you can help. The strategies above won't always bring you a paying client, but you can be sure that the more people you help through social media, the more social media will help you.

This article is from James Clear of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Creating a Campaign on the Fly: Lessons from SXSW

Thursday Bram — Tue, 24 May 2011 19:46:05 +0000

Link:

http://www.openforum.com/articles/creating-a-relief-campaign-on-the-fly-lessons-...

Imagine that you’re at a big conference — South by Southwest to be precise — and a major natural disaster strikes somewhere in the world, like the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in March. It’s not directly impacting you or your conference; what do you do? Anything?

In the case of certain bloggers who were attending SXSW, the next step was to create a campaign to encourage attendees to donate to the Red Cross. The first push, lead by Leigh Durst and Deb Ng, focused on a Twitter hashtag, #SXSWcares, telling people how to text donations to the Red Cross.

The Twitter hashtag was just the start. Soon the organizers created flyers, set up a website, landed interviews, and eventually raised more than $120,000. Not bad for conference attendees making it up as they went.

Physical Access Makes a Difference

Events like SXSW offer a special opportunity for bloggers and other marketers used to working online. While there have been similar, spontaneous campaigns for charitable causes, the fact that thousands of people were in one place helped move #SXSWcares to a new level. Within a matter of hours, Rob Wu, founder of CauseVox, had built a website for the campaign using the platform he had developed for fundraising, and Hugh MacLeod, the artist behind Gaping Void, created a logo. The elements of the #SXSWcares campaign came together in a way that many marketers only hope their projects would. But how easy would had been to coordinate all of these moving parts without physical access?

Durst notes, “I believe physical access was a critical component of the campaigns success, and the hub of interaction at the Samsung Blogger lounge served as a key area for meetings and interaction. We may have facilitated donations and spread the word online — but the face-to-face meetings we had with people impacted by the crisis, other fundraisers, bloggers, authors, thought leaders, business executives and even the media — created momentum that pushed the online effort further than it would have gone on its own, in my opinion.”

It didn’t hurt that SXSW plays host to tens of thousands of attendees over the course of the three sections of the festival. Around twenty thousand people were in attendance during the interactive portion, when #SXSWcares began.

The Work Continues After You Go Home

One of the benefits of a sudden campaign like #SXSWcares is that you don’t have to quit when your event is over and you board your plane to head home. But you do have to make plans to keep the ball rolling.

Durst describes the effort she and other organizers of #SXSWcares made to make sure that, as they left Austin, things kept going. “Well, Rob had to leave to attend the Non-Profits in Technology conference in DC. I actually extended my stay in Austin to help extend to the Music Track, and I left Austin the day before SXSW officially ended. Fortunately, we were able to leave Denice Crowell in charge of outreach at the large venue concert, while Rob collaborated to stream the Hanson 12 hour music telethon on our site. Because we had already been tightly connected with SXSW leadership as well as the City of Austin, we had things covered. Rob and I were actively engaged remotely. That's sort of the beauty of the cloud — you can manage something like this anywhere!”

Follow-up media can provide additional reach for such efforts, beyond the attendees of a given event – or the reach of the people originally involved. “Follow up media has helped keep the spotlight on the effort,” says Durst. “However, we've shifted gears a bit now, as SXSW is over, and the online donations have wound down to a trickle. We re-streamed the Hanson Music telethon several times, and Hanson's album release has placed additional focus on the effort.”

Ready for the Next Campaign

For ad hoc campaigns created on the fly, whether in response to disasters or in support of more positive projects, Durst notes several factors critical to success.

Move quickly. Durst points out that people are often looking for ways to support a cause, but only in the short period of time after they actually hear about it. You need to be up and operational as fast as possible, even if that means a less-than-pretty presentation.
Keep it simple. If you’ve got to get moving quickly, don’t try to tack on every bell and whistle. The #SXSWcares organizers considered creating t-shirts — but the pricing and timeline just weren’t practical.
Connect directly with the cause. Especially if you’re working with a nonprofit, get in touch with their representatives – at the very least, they may be able to help you get set up faster, as well as provide your efforts with legitimacy.

It is possible to pull together an effective campaign – especially to raise money for a cause — in a matter of hours. The organizers behind #SXSWcares showed that even if you start with a simple conversation on Twitter, you can organize an effort that inspires thousands of people to donate and gives them a simple way to do so. #SXSWcares' organizers moved quickly, took advantage their location and their connections, and ultimately raised far, far more than their initial goal of $10,000 for the Red Cross’ relief efforts.

This article is from Thursday Bram of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread: