“We should be on Twitter.”

“Does anyone know how to use YouTube?”

Those are not “social media strategies,” a panel of Valley consultants told a crowd of 40 at the Oct. 14 Social Media Club of Phoenix event at Jobing.com’s headquarters. Those are tactics.

Before a business gets started in social media, it needs a strategy, said Chris Sietsema, owner of Teach to Fish Digital.

Is it to improve customer service? Make sales? Engage an audience? That decision will affect how you use social media, he said.

Jennifer Maggiore, founder and president of Maggiore Consulting & Marketing, believes a firm needs to identify an objective and plan accordingly.

“You may be able to hone in on a target audience or segments of that audience,” she said.

The panel discussed ideas behind building relationships. (The panel comprised, from left, moderator Jeff Moriarty, director of social media strategy for Sitewire; Maggiore, Feitlinger, Sietsma, Michael Barber, strategist for Lucid Agency; and Katie Van Domelen, social media manager for Off Madison Ave.)

Jay Feitlinger, president of StringCan Interactive, said firms need to be realistic.

“Companies want to connect with everyone,” he said. “But they need to know their target audience and where they are.”

“You don’t use Twitter if your customers aren’t comfortable there,” he said.

He added that it’s important to pick an objective that you can measure and quantify.

Van Domelen emphasized that the company’s social media strategy needs to be written down. That allows everyone to know the direction and the tone, while also providing some responses if a topic or post becomes controversial.

Sietsma added that it’s important that the owner of the company be involved in the planning and messaging, to assure that he or she is comfortable with how the marketing will affect the brand.

Another key step is to see what competitors are doing in social media. This is the “listening” that should occur before a strategy is finalized.

Are all companies capable of employing a social media strategy?

That was put to the test in a question from an audience member whose company sells parts for RVs.

The initial perception was that seniors may not be online and RV parts are a dull topic.

But then panelists explored possibilities.

Feitlinger suggested the business could produce “how to” videos on RV use and post them on YouTube. “Become an authority in the space,” he said.

Perhaps the business could look to engage the children of the seniors, to address safety and cost issues, he added.

Barber agreed, noting that nursing homes have used that approach.

He also expressed that the company could engage customers – and secure content – by asking them to share videos of their travels and experiences.

Maggiore addressed the issue that the business may simply have a small, local clientele. In that case, the RV store could be a conduit to local media outlets, pitching stories on RV topics using their customers as sources.

Many communications pros struggle with it – what to say, when to say it, how to use it.

Three Arizona social media experts took a few minutes after last week’s Social Media Club of Phoenix meeting at Jobing.com‘s offices to share their experiences with the micro-blogging application.

The three are:

Evo Terra, director of media strategies at Sitewire (@evo_terra on Twitter) – It’s a broadcast mechanism to share information and opinions.

Jeff Moriarty, director of social media strategy at Sitewire (@jmoriarty) – It’s a vehicle to have conversations with people around the world.

Jay Feitlinger, president and strategist at StringCan Interactive (@jayfeitlinger) – It’s a timely research tool that facilitates sharing.

Here are their ideas …

Evo Terra, director of media strategies for Sitewire.com

Here are the 10 no-nos:
1. Don’t #hashtag everything in your Twitter tweets.
It’s obnoxious. Use only one, sometimes two, in a tweet.
2. Don’t use any auto-DM program to reply to anyone who chooses to follow you on Twitter. It’s annoying and hurts your reputation.
3. Don’t be the Twitterer who shares only links. If anyone cares, he would just follow the person you’re linking to.
“Twitter is about showing your personality,” Terra said. “I don’t get that through a link.”
4. Don’t be the idiot who uses @(name) at start of a tweet. That’s a direct reference to the person but comes off like a shout.
If the mention is sincere, you will have a better chance of connecting with the person, he said.
5. On Facebook, do not create a Fan page for yourself and then invite all of your friends to become fans.
“It’s like being in a band and wearing a T-shirt with your band’s name on stage,” he said. “Uh, no.”
6. The biggest mistake on Facebook is the assumption of privacy.
Rules change, settings change — so expect that your posts are in the public eye, he said.
If you need more evidence as a reminder, go to Lamebook.com.
7. Committing one or all of these errors:
* frequent unimportant posts
* polarizing posts
* inappropriate posts (language or content)
* “everyday life” posts like where you’re eating lunch.
“A grad student did a study and these were the reasons why someone ‘unfriended’ someone else,” he said. “Everyone’s pipeline is getting busier and busier. Don’t add to it.”
8. One-way communication.
“It’s not a broadcast medium,” Terra said. “It’s a social medium.”
9. Confusing acquaintanceship with friendship.
If you’re a “friend” on Facebook, don’t expect the other person to carry your torch, he said.
10. Getting phished.
Don’t share your user names and passwords with other sites. These sites can then take over your profile and do all sorts of nefarious things under your name.
“You’ll be enticed by a worm in the water,” he said. “Don’t bite.”

Search guru Danny Sullivan speaks to the AZIMA crowd of 210 on Oct. 12 at the Scottsdale Hilton.

It seems like Danny Sullivan has been writing about search engines and search marketing since before search was even created.

The editor-in-chief of Search Engine Land and blogger at Daggle.com, a former journalist with the Los Angeles Times and Orange County Register, has been watching the industry’s development since 1995.

He’s been especially busy over the last few years as Google as expanded its search offerings and Microsoft’s Bing has attempted to grab more market share. Search has moved well beyond keywords and one’s place in search results.

Sullivan addressed trends in search marketing as the featured speaker of the Oct. 12 meeting of the Arizona Interactive Marketing Association at the Scottsdale Hilton. His hour-long presentation was a primer on topics like real-time search, the possibilities ahead for Facebook and Google, and what’s happening in mobile.

Despite talk that Google may be losing market share, he noted that the volume of searches has exploded every year and Google still gets the majority of hits.

Microsoft’s Bing seems to be making some headway, but Sullivan cautioned that its surge may be the result of a massive TV campaign. Yahoo, Microsoft’s partner and the early search leader, seems to be scrambling to find its niche.

He is studying the new Google Instant, which is affecting how searches take place.

“Each keystroke could now be considered a search,” he said in disbelief. “So this will really screw up the metrics.”

On Real-Time Search:

Sullivan also told that crowd that the days of a uniform search – in which every user sees the same results – is “dead.” The search engines are using cookies and past searches and users’ demographics to hone searches for the individual, in an effort to make them more relevant and valuable.

On Personal Search:

Sullivan said social media is providing a different approach to search.

To get answers on a subject two decades ago, an individual might go to the library or consult with one or two friends or professionals.

Now, with Twitter and Facebook, people can ask questions and get answers at a speed never seen before.

“We’ve replaced all that,” he said. “It’s the revolution we don’t fully appreciate.”

On “Anybody Know?” Search:

A lot of people are talking about Facebook as a challenger to Google. Sullivan likes to clarify the premise.

“Facebook is not a search engine,” he said. “It won’t rival Google on the search front.”

He added that Facebook is very successful at keeping users on the site (and seeing advertising). Why would they want to steer users off the site?

Each has a niche and an audience, and users may not want them to do the same things, he said. People like choice.

On Google vs. Facebook:

The use of social media applications is also having an impact on local searches, he said.

On Mobile Search:

Sullivan shared some thoughts on where he sees search marketing going over the next three to five years.

On Giving Answers through Search Marketing:

On How Search Will Evolve:

AZIMA president Arnie Kuenn of Vertical Measures speaks to the crowd of 210 before Danny Sullivan’s presentation.

1. Greg Chapman of Sitewire: Objective in marketing (and social media) is to be found, be liked and be known. For each medium, engage customers in a way that creates: Awareness, Consideration, Interaction, Loyalty and, ultimately, Advocacy.
2. Would you like to be considered an authority in your field? Cultivate it as a “thought leader” on issues facing the industry. Then identify the influencers in the industry and interact with them.
3. Identify your target audience and understand the user experience you want to provide. How will you reach them? Is there a way to invite your customers to engage with you on Facebook? Twitter? Foursquare? YouTube?

   ***

4. Matt O’Brien of Mint Social: Have you considered your marketing strategy based on your customers’ psychological profile? Individuals’ dominant characteristics can be separated into four groups (and the media most likely to resonate):
   1. Emotional buyer: Likes success stories, testimonials, helping, humanistic, solving problems (Likes blogs, forums)
   2. Spontaneous buyer: Wants to be entertained, looks to influencers for guidance (Wants visuals like PowerPoints, videos, and photos)
   3. Analytical buyer: Wants information, details, features, data (Needs case studies, white papers, charts and graphs)
   4. Competitive buyer: Wants to be empowered, to get an advantage, get control, get results, improve the bottom line (Wants any information to be short and to stick to the facts)
5. Understand the “long tail” of rankings in Google. A simple white paper on an industry topic can be turned into a video, then a blog, then an audio file of the blog, then ezine text, and then a PowerPoint to put on Slideshare. From there, bring it to the social networks.
6. Blogs + Stats + Photos = Massive social relevance
7. 5 Parts of ROI: Increase mentions and links, Increase traffic to a Call for Action, Increase keyword rankings, Build an online community, and Increase in-bound inquiries.

   ***

8. Cindy Kim of JDA Software: In planning a content strategy for your organization, do an audit to know what you have and don’t have.
9. Create your content and then syndicate across all channels. Use an editorial calendar for the year that identifies these channels and incorporates additional outlets like email and a LinkedIn presence.

   ***

10. Mike Corak of Tallwave: You can find your customers’ demographics with a program like Flowtown. Understand how each medium differs in tone and frequency and identify which one is the most effective way to reach your customers.
11. In planning your search strategy, use Google’s Keyword Research Tools to identify words being used by your customers in searches. Create an Excel file that lists the words to help create a “long tail” for your content.

***

12. Sheila Kleifkorn of KEO Marketing: Search is going nuts! Now there are these search segments – just in Google: Web/Universal, Personalized, Local, Images, Video, Social, Caffeine, Instant.

13. Make sure you use keywords that your customers care about and then repeat them on your Twitter profile, LinkedIn profile, Facebook profile, and YouTube profile.

14. Onsite strategies:

• First word/Any words in the title tag
• First word/Any words in the H1 tag
• Internal link/external link in anchor text on the page
• First 50 to 100 words in the HTML on the page
• Meta description tag
• URL structure and single URL for each page
• Other headline tags (<h2> — <h6>)
• Image alt text (labeling images)
• Number of repetitions in the HTML text on the page
• Keyword use in image names

15. Don’t forget “backlinks“: Sources include your partners’ sites, distributors, online PR spots, blogs, articles, social media sites, product review sites, and directories.

16. How to incorporate search into social:

• Listen. What are people saying to competitors? Where do I need to be?
• Analyze the audience: What are the keywords and phrases being used? Where?
• Determine the objective and the metrics to use: Is it brand building? Lead generation? Buzz? Sales? Customer service? New hires? Engagement? Influencing?
• Create outposts (i.e. Facebook or consumer forums) where the company will be an active participant
• Engage, listen, dialogue. Repeat.
• Monitor and analyze.

17. Paid ads on Google can be effective but use them only when you need them. If your product is one customers typically buy on the weekend, only advertise then, not during the entire week.

***

18. Derek Neighbors of Gangplank: Some people get caught up in numbers, like followers. But you should think in terms of effectiveness, if you are really trying to tap the power of a social network. For instance, he was trying to recall when and where a child’s soccer game was. He didn’t post a request on Facebook; his daughter sent a mass text to 13 teammates and within minutes they had the information. It’s the quality of the audience, he noted.

When it’s just about you, most people are pretty open about what they’re thinking, what they’re doing and who they’re with. They are posting items on the World Wide Web, for gosh sakes.

But what happens when you introduce a spouse, a boyfriend or your children into the experience?

That was the subject of a panel discussion at the Sept. 30 Social Media Club of Phoenix event at the Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale.

Guests also had the chance to interact with the founder of the Social Media Club organization, Chris Heuer of San Francisco, who served as emcee.

Chris Heuer, founder of the national Social Media Club network, outlines the group’s priorities.

The panel comprised four unique vantage points:

• C.J. Feierabend, the MightMommy blogger of young children.
• Derek Neighbors, the Chandler entrepreneur behind the Gangplank technology cooperative and a parent with teens.
• Keagan Pearson, founder of the FatherhoodFactor blog, with young kids.
• Lesley Hettinger, assistant manager for Chevrolet Communications, and in a relationship. (She is active in promoting Chevy’s new Cruze compact, one of which was on display at the event.)

Each person has his own level of comfort.

Pearson tries to be quite open and honest on the issues facing fathers but he limits clues that might identify his children.

“It’s a common theme: Should we use names?” he said. He is reluctant, concerned that parents may be making a decision for the child that is better left to the individual when he or she comes of age.

Feierabend seconded that approach. She advocates using the privacy tools available on social-media websites to restrict access to one’s information.

“But I still don’t like the name of the school in the background,” she said. “And I don’t ‘check in’ at school.”

Hettinger realized how quickly information travels when she changed her Facebook status to in a relationship. Her co-workers mentioned if she had any concerns about sharing that she was dating a fellow GM employee.

It turned out OK but it was a bit of a wake-up call.

They also encourage parents to educate their children about the Internet.

“Kids get into the networked world a lot easier now,” Feierabend said. “And they don’t get that the world is watching.”

“Girls can get pretty catty with each other,” she added. “But now those words stick around for 20 hours.”

The group also discussed the recent incident at Rutgers, in which a student was unknowingly videotaped with a partner by his roommate. The roommate broadcast it on the Web and tweeted about it. The student ended up committing suicide by jumping off a bridge in New York City.

“The kid (doing the videotaping) didn’t grasp it,” Heuer said. “He didn’t intend that result.”

But when you’re dealing with teens, privacy and reputations, bad things can happen.

Feierabend urges parents to make teens aware of the YouTube site ItGetsBetter.com.

For parents of pre-teens, Pearson recommends having a gameplan. Be aware of what’s out there and set boundaries.

Heuer shared one idea that Facebook accounts are “our” accounts, not the teen’s. They should be connected so that there are no secrets.

But what if your child “unfriends” you?

Neighbors offered that you might want to create a fictitious account with an attractive teenage boy and “friend” her that way.

In all seriousness, when something like that happens, it’s a signal that the parent and child need to talk out the issue.

Both Neighbors and Feierabend said it’s easy for both parents and children to get lost in the connected world. Don’t.

“Go outside. Meet with people,” she said. “Don’t let it replace your relationships.”

The Social Media Club of Phoenix panel comprised, from left, C.J. Feierabend, Derek Neighbors, Keagan Pearson, and Lesley Hettinger.

That’s the name of the game for businesses in the Internet age.

To hear Al Maag, chief communications officer for Avnet, explain it, every company is now a publisher.

Avnet produces blogs to advance a thought-leadership strategy (see this “soft-pitch” blog for journalists) and incorporates videos from suppliers to share relevant information with customers.

“If there’s one thing our corporation does better than the competition,” Maag told the audience at the Sept. 23 Marketing Technology Summit in Phoenix, “it’s we do educate our customers.”

A key element is Avnet OnDemand. Avnet aggregates informational and training videos from its suppliers, becoming a resource to customers in any location around the world while also strengthening its corporate partnerships.

Maag discusses Avnet’s approach.

Another aspect of Avnet’s strategy is employee engagement. As a distributor, not a producer, the majority of Avnet’s expenses are in human resources.

“We believe strongly that employee engagement leads to better service, and better service leads to better sales and profits,” he said.

Maag’s advice is simple: Try things.

“We’ve been called ‘Blog Boy’ and ‘Tweeter Dee’ and ‘Tweeter Dum,’” he related. “But it all comes down to one word: Education.”