Twitter 101

After a 6+ month sabbatical from twittering and blogging, I am back (more on that later....).

I just read that a university in Australia is requiring journalism students to take a course on Twitter. This definitely ranks as the most ridiculous news I have heard this week.

Apparently some students at the university didn't know what Twitter was, and since Twitter - and social media - play an increasingly important role in the world of journalism, it's important that these students know how to use it.

That said, I still think this course is a waste of a college student's time and money. If you're a journalism major and you don't actively use Twitter, then you're putting yourself at a disadvantage. Same thing goes if you don't read the newspaper everyday...but that doesn't mean you should take a college course on how to read the paper.

As a communications major myself, I have plenty of experience with pointless classes (such as Creative Thinking where I learned how to meditate). I also know that if you major in something like journalism or communications, you need to be interested in and motivated enough to continuously stay on top of the latest and greatest outlets people use to communicate - which is something a class can't teach!

Turns out most students required to take the course agree with me and think the class is a "waste of time."* One student was quoted as saying, "The class is kind of pointless but on the bright side, we're allowed to chat with our mates on our iPhones during class. Plus, homework is really easy since all of our essays are 140 characters or less."**

*This sentence is true.

**This one isn't.

How to Win New Business with $11 and a Blog

What if I told you that there was an ad agency out there that.....

• Won eight new clients recently without a business pitch or cold calls - in fact, the clients called them!
• Increased profit by 104% in 2008
• Only spent time and $11 on all new business endeavors
• Six of her eight new clients came from the agency's social media endeavors

Pretty unbelievable, but it's all true!

The agency is called The Russo Group and I first read about the agency's success on the blog Fuel Lines. The post includes a recorded interview with Jaci Russo, a Senior Partner at the agency. During the interview, she shares the secrets of the agency's success.

The interview was sort of long, but REALLY INTERESTING (you can listen to it here). In case you don't have time to listen, I took down some notes, which I wanted to share....

But before I share, here is some background on the agency......it is located in Louisiana and has about 19 employees. Despite being a small agency in a small town, TRG has clients in London, New York, PA, DC, LA, and other faraway cities with much bigger and well-known agencies.

Okay, back to the interview. Here are the highlights:

On winning new business.....

• Russo attributes a lot of the agency's success to its involvement in social media. Her agency started out by studying the landscape to see what social media outlets potential clients were using. As the agency became more familiar with the space, they took small steps to become involved in social media themselves. They now have a blog, Twitter, YouTube group, and use Facebook to connect with new clients.
• As stated above, six of their eight new clients came from social media. Russo pays close attention to the analytics of her blog, her twitter and website. Typically, a new client will start reading the agency blog for about 40 days, and then they will start commenting before downloading a white paper. Eventually, they reach out to the agency.
• The blog is updated frequently, but Russo says she rarely writes about the agency. Instead, she writes about what's happening in the industry, why branding is so important, or about her clients (she won't mention a client directly, but will write about the client's industry for example).
• Russo believes that social media teaches agencies to approach new business as it should always be approached. Instead of going after clients with cold calls, social media allows an agency to build relationships with potential clients. For example, if you look at TRG's holiday video on YouTube, you get a good idea of what the agency is all about.

How to take advantage of social media with existing clients.....

• Russo identifies three ways agencies can profit from using (and recommending) social media: 1) You're a thought leader - Russo is asked to speak at various events, which in turn helps her win new business. 2) Even if you can't monetize Twitter, you can develop tactics that drive traffic to that Twitter or blog. Or, you can write the blog for the client. 3) Social media is just one tool in the box, but Russo believes it is the most important - not only is it cheap (or free), but it's measurable, and effective.

Bottom line.....

• Social media is too important to ignore. As an ad professional, it is vital to commit time to learning about it and getting involved (Russo spends about 2 hours each day blogging, tweeting, and Facebooking).
• Agency size or location doesn't matter as much anymore - social media breaks that barrier.
• Branding should always be top priority. Social media is just a really effective outlet to promote your brand.
• The Russo Group's approach to new business is not only relevant for agencies - it's a great case study for growing business period.

Customer Service (or lack thereof) in Pharma

Back in college, I had to read this book that my professor wrote called "Service This: Winning the War Against Customer Disservice". It was a short, easy read about how to overcome the MANY MANY obstacles one encounters when dealing with customer service. The advice in the book was to keep your cool, document everything, and if all else fails, write a letter.

That was three years ago. Nowadays, I think the conversation would be different. Thanks to the advent of "social media", there are many outlets that allow customers to fight back using weapons far more powerful than an email or letter.

As a result, businesses are providing (and promoting) outlets where customers can get in touch with the business directly and easily. This concept, known as "Direct From Consumer Marketing" - isn't new. For example, companies like Zappos and Comcast have customer service Twitter accounts, both of which have proven to be wildly successful.

As the blog Dose of Digital says,

"Whether they are buying shoes, computers, or golf clubs, someone is available to
provide immediate customer service. This isn’t just customer service to help
with a return or handle complaints. This is customer service to provide
recommendations, to help find the right product, and, if necessary, direct
you somewhere else if the company doesn’t have what you need. "

That said, not many pharma companies have caught onto the idea of "Direct From Consumer Marketing" yet. Hopefully this will change in the near future. Why? Well here are some reasons....

1) Customers expect it. “More than three-quarters of ePharma Consumers report that they “expect” online customer service from a pharmaceutical company" (from from a recent Manhattan Research study, found on Dose of Digital's blog). And why shouldn't they? You have great customer service when you order shoes, why not for drugs? It especially makes sense when you consider how hard it can be to obtain and keep a loyal customer in the pharma market. Plus investing in customer service is a great opportunity to be there for the client and put money towards endeavors that make clients think you care.

2) Brand Loyalty and ROI. If you invest in good customer service, you keep existing customers happy, who will then promote your company for you, and help grow your business. If you don't have good customer service, you could loose customers, who could then criticize your company, and result in more lost business.

Anyway, I am done my customer service rant. If you have any examples of DFC marketing within or outside the pharma industry, please feel free to share!

Check It Out! New (to me) Social Media Wiki!

You hear about it from time to time - pharma is attempting to dabble in social media.

Whether it be the ADHD Moms Facebook page (created by Johnson & Johnson), or a pharmco starting a Twitter account, such as the one hosted by AstraZenca US - pharma and social media are no longer like oil and water.

Unless you've been hiding under a rock for the past year, this is old news.

However, what is new news (to me at least) is this wonderful Healthcare Social Media Wiki that was created to "house every Social Media project that has been created by pharma (or healthcare companies in general)."

I highly recommend that you check it out. The wiki includes:

• Every known Facebook and MySpace page (yes, MySpace still exists), blog, Twitter account, etc. created by a pharmco
• Patient communities
• Marketing professional communities
• Hospitals that use social media
• Brand sites
• Top industry blogs and Twitter accounts

Who knows, someday the AdPharmBlog might be on there!