Jeff Swanson » social media

A Yelp Anecdote

Jeff Swanson — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 12:58:02 +0000

It’s pretty amazing to think how powerful a few comments on Yelp can be. For years, I personally have used Yelp to find the highest rated establishments or see what others had to say about a particular venue. This post is an a real-life example of how social media plays a role in how we make decisions as consumers in an age of instant information. And as a result, poorly managed brands will be exposed.

Last week, I was driving home from work when my car died in the middle of traffic. Eventually, it powered back up on its own and I was able to drive home. The following day, my girlfriend dropped it off at a auto garage in proximity to where we live. She told them the back story of how we recently had a battery installed by AAA and the car has been “acting up” ever since. She asked them to diagnose the problem and get back to her immediately because we had to bolt out of town for a wedding the next day.

The garage contacted her a few hours later and said that we needed a new alternator and that he would happily have one installed for $600. We were in a hurry and they were adamant about having the car fixed there, but we decided to take it to an Acura dealer instead. There, we could get a second opinion (just in case) and make sure the part was a great fit for the car. I took it to the dealership and explained the situation. They tested the alternator and said there was absolutely nothing wrong with it. It was the battery, which had a bolt lodged underneath because it was improperly installed a few months back.

I’m not sure if the first garage we took it to was intentionally bamboozling us or if they simply had no clue what they were talking about, but nonetheless we nearly spent $600, whereas we spent $100 at the Acura dealership and the car has been running like new ever since. But what I am sure about is that both of these auto shops will be reviewed online. One will be negative and one will be extremely kind. And as these reviews build up over the years, users in need of this this type of service will see what kind of brand they are dealing with. In fact, many will filter their results for the highest rated businesses in the area. And who will be on top?

How local stores can benefit from Twitter

Jeff Swanson — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 23:23:18 +0000

One way for local companies to benefit from social media is by using Twitter. Let’s take an example from a local company here in the Windy City – Birchwood Kitchen.

Birchwood Kitchen is a gourmet sandwich shop located in Wicker Park. They use their Twitter page to communicate lunch specials and upcoming events . Fans can follow Birchwood Kitchen on Twitter to get these updates and not worry about calling or stopping by to stay in the loop.

Social media is especially powerful if your store is a local favorite. The more attached locals are with your brand, the more likely they are to follow you on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook, for example.

Homer’s is a local music store in Nebraska that might benefit from such a strategy. They have a Facebook group page, but not a Twitter page that I’m aware of. At the time of this post, they have over 700 fans on Facebook, which represents a strong local following. By communicating with locals through these social platforms, they strengthen their brand by making their friends and fans feel like part of a community. Not to mention they are able to communicate what’s happening with their store, including special deals and promotions over the holiday season. A great way to prompt an already targeted market.

My current top 5 favorite blogs

Jeff Swanson — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:59:20 +0000

In no particular order…

Scott Monty’s Social Media Blog
Follow on Twitter: @scottmonty

SEOmoz Blog
Follow on Twitter: @seomoz

Mashable Social Media Blog
Follow on Twitter: @mashable

Copyblogger
Follow on Twitter: @copyblogger

Silicon Prairie News
Follow on Twitter: @siliconprairie

Social shopping with ShopTogether

Jeff Swanson — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 05:24:56 +0000

In a previous post, I mentioned that one of the advantages of shopping offline is the social environment it creates. Social shopping is evolving online, however, with technolgy like ShopTogether from DecisionStep.

ShopTogether allows users to share their online shopping experience with others. You can view products at the same time and have a live chat in the meantime. ShopTogether also has capabilities with Sites like MySpace, Facebook and Twitter that lets you share product links for friends to join in.

Some Sites already using ShopTogether include Charlotte Russe, Rugsale.com and NetShops. Visit one of these domains and try it our for yourself.

How to display your lifestream in WordPress in 7 steps

Jeff Swanson — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:00:07 +0000

If you’re unfamiliar with the term “lifestream,” it is an aggregate of your social media feeds. In other words, it is a collection of your Tweets, images, blog posts, boomarks, etc all in one stream. See an example on my new lifestream page.

If you have a WordPress blog, it’s extremely simple to add a lifestream page. Just follow these steps:

1. Login in to your WP admin page and click the “add new” link in the plugin bar.

2. In the search field, type “lifestream’ and hit enter

3. Install and activate the lifestream plugin by iBegin

4. On the very bottom of the left hand column, click on the lifestream tab

5. Add as many or as few feeds from your social media accounts

6. Create a new page and in the body section type [lifestream]

7. Publish the page and check your new URL to make sure everything is working

Questions? I’d be happy to answer any I can in the comments.

12 pages to follow on Twitter for Omahans

Jeff Swanson — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:46:50 +0000

I currently reside in Chicago, but I still like to stay in touch with what is happening in my hometown, Omaha, NE. Below, I’ve listed 12 pages you should definitely follow on Twitter if you want to stay privy to the Omaha scene.

theslowdown
Twitter bio: rock club. bar. omaha. good times.

filmstreams
Twitter bio: omaha’s nonprofit cinema

omahacoupons
Twitter bio: Promoting local Omaha businesses. News, Events, Promotions, & More! Click, Print, $AVE! It just makes CENT$!

slamomaha
Twitter bio: keeping everyone updated on the Omaha area’s great Music scene

thereaderomaha
Twitter bio: Omaha’s alternative newsweekly

bigomaha
Twitter bio: May 13th – 15th 2010…Mark it down and get ready!

wildjays
Twitter bio: Creighton Basketball Fan

huskerheadlines
Twitter bio: Huskers Illustrated is the authority on Nebraska Cornhusker news and Husker football recruiting. Follow the Huskers on our website, magazine & radio show.

coach_sadler
Nebraska men’s head basketball coach

If you have one you’d like add, feel free mention it in the comments.

Twitter hashtags explained

Jeff Swanson — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:30:31 +0000

During the Q&A portion of a webinar that I listened to today, one of the participants asked what the hash symbol (#) meant in regards to Tweets. I thought I would take some time today to briefly explain why hashtags are used on Twitter and when they might be appropriate.

Placing a hashtag in front of a term in a Tweet is a way of tagging that term, similar to how you might tag a blog post. Once the hashtag is in place, it becomes easier for others to follow this conversation as they search for Tweets that contain that hashtag.

Let’s look at an example. The webinar I referred to earlier was using this hashtag: #prwebinar. If someone was using Twitter and wanted to follow the flow of conversations about this webinar, they could search for this hashtag and find a stream of all Tweets that refer to it.

For a full list of Twitter hashtags, visit this Twitter hashtag directory.

What is social media?

Jeff Swanson — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:13:23 +0000

Here’s a slide show that explains social media and what you should know if you are planning a social media strategy for your company. I found this puppy on Mashable.

What the F**K is Social Media: One Year Later

View more documents from Marta Kagan.

Online social media cards

Jeff Swanson — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 20:19:40 +0000

One way to spice up your blog or Web site is using an online “business” card like Retaggr. Retaggr is basically a widget in the shape of a card that can display your picture and links to various social networking sites you partake in. It’s more or less a snapshot of the social media sites that you are a part of.

A few times I’ve heard these widgets referred to as online business cards. I’m not sure if that is an accurate description. It’s more of an online social media card.

I first heard about Retaggr in an article I read on Mashable.com. Now, I use it on my social media page. I don’t think it’s the most pleasing design in the world, but it works for me and it’s super easy to setup and use. I’d be interested to know if there are any other online “business” cards out there similar to this one. If you’re privy to one, let me know.