Clever Girls Blog

Do You Pay for Social Media? We Think You Should.

Recently I had an exchange with business acquaintance, where I was asked to leverage my social media contacts to help gather people for an event.

Naturally, because I have first-hand experience with the power of our social media power user network, The Clever 1000, I offered to mobilize the C1k. For a fee.

That's our business. Clever Girls Collective helps brands connect with social media power users, who apply their bright communication wattage to deliver the brand's message. 

Clever Girls comes up with the strategy, we manage the logistics, and most importantly, we spend time getting to know the members of our network. Because of that, we have a good idea of who's interested in which kind of promotion, who's a good match for a brand, and what kind of communications they can produce achieve the brand's goals. We charge for these services and expertise, as well as access to the network.

We're the gatekeepers, so we're not spamming our network with crappy deals, and we're also their agent, asking for money on their behalf.

This particular person decided not to have the C1k work on the project, which is totally fine. But then s/he added, "I don't pay for social media."

That stuck with me for a couple of days, and I finally figured out why:

Clever Girls Collective believes very deeply that brands should pay for social media, specifically because brands expect to make money from that social media activity.

And we think that some of that financial benefit should flow through to the people doing the feet-on-the-street, word-of-mouth work.

We talk about blogger (or Tweeter, or Facebooker) compensation with every prospect, explaining that if you ask someone to work on your behalf, then you have to expect to pay them something -- in money, in product, in access to your audience/customer base, or a donation on their behalf to an important cause. The requirement is that it be something that the blogger values. Hey, some people actually don't like to accept cash compensation. There are an infinite number ways to compensate people, if you're willing to start with the premise that you need to pay people who do work for you.

The bottom line is, yeah, these are real communications programs, with real results, and it takes some budget to do right, just like any other real form of advertising, PR, or marketing. And you have to include paying for your resources, i.e. "blogger compensation" as a line item in your budget.

Helping social media users get appropriately compensated is one of our core Clever Girls values, and we are hard at work on projects to help achieve this. We do our best to build compensation into programs, e.g. the recent Roots Candles Mother's Day promotion, for which we paid bloggers $50 to manage a giveaway (plus they got a nice review sample of the product, which let's be honest, people enjoy the samples.) And we're giving back to the C1k out of our own budget, by sending two bloggers to the EVO Conference in Utah this June.

Although we don't pay people to be in the C1k, one of the benefits of membership is that over time you'll have access to opportunities to work with brands who value your effort and input, and will compensate you for them.

As I like to remind people: Nothing says "I LOVE YOUR WORK!" like cash.

Bravo to the brands who already recognize the value of having social media power users work on their behalf and are willing to pay for that benefit.

And to those who are still trying to make social media magic happen at the bargain rate of "air and Twitter followers", I have this advice: Get out your checkbooks, it's time to show some love!

- Cat Lincoln/@DearBadKitty

Note: This am Liz posted this fantastic post about paying Mommybloggers on Mom 101, as I was proofing my post. Clearly we're on the same, "SHOW ME THE MONEY!" cycle.

10 Things I'd Like To See Less Of On Twitter In 2010

I love Twitter, and despite lots of experts weighing in on Twitter rules of engagement, I don't think there is necessarily a "right" or "wrong" way to use it. Nevertheless, because I'm never shy about sharing my opinions, I have some suggestions on how to make Twitter a better experience for Tweeters and followers in 2010. If I could control Twitter, here are 10 things I'd like to see less of in 2010:

1. Enough with the affirmations and inspirational tips, Donnie Wahlberg. You are one of my favorite actors, but you are one of the worst "Affirmation Offenders." Sending out 140 character bursts of positivity is a popular way to use Twitter with celebrities who all seem to attend the same Hollywood School of Motivational Thinking. I gather that actors and singers need to repeat mantras of "You're the best! No one can touch you! Critics are haters!" just to get out of bed in the morning, but keep it to yourself. Even Ashton and Demi starting using Twitter by sharing their Kabbalah-isms until they finally just started tweeting their real thoughts and opinions about stuff. And when, they did, didn't we all feel like we could relate to them (whether we "like" them or not) just a little more? (Honorable mention: "Quote of the Day"--or worse: "Business Quotes of the Day"--tweeters. Enough already!)
2. Stop the serial re-tweeting. If your twitter stream is more than 75%--no, 50%--retweets of other people's links or articles, you aren't letting your followers in on who the person behind the retweets is. If you are trying to build credibility in your particular area of expertise, don't forget to let us know who YOU are.What do you have to say about stuff? If all you are doing in retweeting, you aren't an expert, you are a link-sharer Want to be taken seriously as a thought leader? Start sharing what YOU think, not just what others think. Link to your own posts and let those spread where they may. I wonder what Twitter would be like if not another link to Mashable or TechCrunch was tweeted. Would it crash less?
3. Linking or mentions without any explanation. Related to #2, please let us know why you are linking to an article or why your "Follow Friday" or "Women to Follow" peeps are so special. Especially with #FF, instead of a list of 6 or 8 tweeps, throw us a bone and let us know why these people add value to your Twitter experience. We want to know. Really, we do!
4. Curb the late night Blip'ing. It's almost as predictible as death and taxes. You know it's going to happen. Sometime around 11PM, Twitter is taken over by legions of amatuer DJs sharing their music. Twitter becomes a flowing stream of Bon Jovi-Susan Boyle mashups, 80's hairband tunes, and emo, emo and more emo. Every once in awhile I will Blip along with Twitter (usually when @reneejross is DJing), but it's not so much fun when everyone is doing it.
5. Death to automated direct messages! "Hi there! Thanks for following me! I hope you like my tweets! Check out my blog at..." Auto-DMs are pointless, add zero value to fledgling Twitter relationships, and, since first impressions matter, might be seen as a huge turn off. Some people will even unfollow you immediately for sending them as they seem smarmy. I won't, but I admit it does make my pause and wonder why you couldn't be bothered to send me a personal note, maybe not right away, but down the line.
6. Less fear. How many people did you follow because your found their tweets interesting, but then you never hear from them again? I hear all the time from people who love to "read" Twitter, but are too afraid of "doing it wrong" to just jump in and participate. My advice: Just do it. Just start Tweeting. Sooner or later you'll make connections that are fun/valuable/entertaining/informative and you'll begin to see the power in the medium. You aren't boring. You add value. We want to hear from you!
7. No more "selfishness." That's a harsh word, but that's what it feels like when you "@" someone repeatedly to try and join in on the conversations they start, and they never "@" you back. I can understand if it's a popular someone with tens or hundreds of thousands of followers, but if you know the person is an active Twitter user who likes to ask questions or spark conversations, and you've made several attempts to strike up a conversation, she or he should try to respond. Not everyone can be on top of their "@'s", but Twitter tools nowadays make it very easy to see who has been responding to you. Be generous and "@" back.
8. "Opaque" tweets. If you are tweeting about that face cream you love, the vacation you're on, or the holiday cards you just received and you got it all for free, let us know, please. I'd like to see less opaqueness and more transparency in 2010, especially since marketers (yes, like Clever Girls Collective) are increasingly using Twitter to connect with customers and brand advocates. We absolutely require transparency from everyone we work with. Save some room in your tweet to add a #freebie or a #client or a #sp (for sponsored) at the end of it. It's not that I don't want to hear about what you love--I do--but part of my trusting your opinion is knowing if you bought the item or service or if it was given to you for free.
9. Companies on Twitter who only use it to post coupon codes, sales, or links to new products. Companies, I can go to your website for that. If you are a brand on Twitter, I want to know why you value me as a (potential) customer. If there is a theme to this list (and to how I use Twitter), it's that I want to know who you are, whether you are a company or an individual. Think of the companies you interact with on Twitter who get it right, who make you feel appreciated, who have turned you into loyal customers. I immediately can think of 5 or 6 where I have had very positive interactions on Twitter with their representatives, and, as a result, will be a customer for life. What makes the experience so much more meaningful is feeling like you are connecting with a real, live person (even if it's a team of people), and not with The Marketing Department or an animated sales circular. My advice to you if you are a company on Twitter: don't be afraid to let your freak flag fly! Your potential customers are freaks (and I mean that in the best way possible), too!
10. Less assholery, more community. Suffice it to say, I love to see Twitter used for good, whether it's to shine a spotlight on a government uprising that isn't getting mainstream media coverage or to rally support for a member of the Twitter community. Heck, even if it's to share what you are making for dinner or a beautiful photo of your front yard covered in snow, (at the risk of sounding like one of those affirmation tweeters) I'd like to see more goodness and less jerkiness in the community in 2010. I promise to do my part.

Now it's your turn. What would you like to see less of on Twitter in 2010? And if you say Twitter parties, we promise our feelings won't be hurt! —Stefania Pomponi Butler

Transparency on Twitter

One of our concerns as Twitter lovers and founders of a social media marketing agency is how to handle tweeting about the products or services we love when the products happen to be connected to our clients. We strive to be as transparent as possible, not just because we fear the wrath of the FTC or being called out by bloggers and Twitterers we know and trust, but because it has always been in our nature to be as crystal clear as possible about everything we are doing.

From the moment Sheila, Cat, and I decided to form our company, we're shared our progress every step of the way on our blogs, on Facebook, and especially on Twitter where we've loved getting immediate feedback on our plans and ideas. We are--all three of us--long-time social media power users (when I say "social media," I also include blogging).  We have always been completely transparent when it comes to product reviews and giveaways on our blogs because that's our style. It helps that we all have separate review blogs, but even when we mention products on our main sites, we are clear about how we obtained it. (If you doubt how serious I am about this, just check out the name of my review site and the non-nonsense style in which I review products. I'm not trying to get over on anyone.)

I've been blogging since 2003. Back then there was no such thing as ads on blogs, no Twitter, no Facebook, and companies were just starting to figure out how to connect their brands with bloggers. People blogged because they loved writing and creating community around their writing (whatever the topic), not to review products, share coupons, or host giveaways.

Brands perceived bloggers to be influential over their communities of readers and they started reaching out.  Bloggers took, and plenty of bloggers bungled those write-ups making it seem as if they really did love that powder or paste or cleanser or wax or bleach*, when really, they got it for free and therefore felt obligated to say something positive about it.

On the flip side, plenty of bloggers didn't bungle those write-ups.  Plenty of bloggers have always been above-board about where and how they got a free product and shared their honest feelings about it.

When it comes to Twitter, we feel it's just as important to be on the level, but it's harder since we're limited to 140 characters. We tweet about our clients using our "business" Twitter handle, @clevergirlscoll, but there are times when we re-tweet using our personal handles. If it's for something like one of our Twitter parties, the fact that we include the "@clevergirlscoll" right up front makes it clear that it's a work-related event.  See example below:

@citymama RT @CleverGirlsColl: RSVP now 4 the #cgc #ProjectRunway finale twitter party! Prizes from #Timex & MomMadeThat.com! http://bit.ly/3WAMDP

Not everyone on Twitter may know that Sheila, Cat, and I are associated with @clevergirlscoll, and we often don't have the space to explain it in 140 characters, but our Twitter profiles are very clear about our role as founders and principals of a social media marketing agency for anyone doing a little digging.

Today I re-tweeted a tweet from one of our clients, Yummie Tummie and I added (client) at the end of it.  See example below:

@citymama RT @yummietummie: Check out the new Yummie Tummie Undercover! The shaping panel is covered w/stretch cotton! http://bit.ly/3RIuGp (client)

I do want my followers to know about this product since many of my followers are women who wear shapewear, but I also want my followers to know exactly why I am tweeting. Yes, I love Yummie Tummie, and yes, they also happen to be a Clever Girls Collective client.

Here are some other ways people on Twitter are handling transparency.  Scott Monty (@scottmonty), head of Social Media at Ford does it thusly:

RT @ScottMonty: The official car of CES: the 2010 Ford Taurus. The Taurus? Yep. http://bit.ly/1uakg4 [Congrats! - and yes, disc: client]

Karen Untereker, digital strategist at Ogilvy handles transparency like this:

@unterekless My sponsor Yoplait is offering a $1.25 coupon off new 100 calorie Yoplait Delights! http://bit.ly/4fv2sV

Melanie Notkin, founder of Savvy Auntie (@SavvyAuntie) handles it a variety of ways. When the TNT show Saving Grace sponsored some of her tweets earlier this year, Melanie wrote a thoughtful post about why she was doing it and let her followers know that her sponsored tweets would contain a special hashtag: 

Because these weekly events are sponsored, I will add [sp] to each tweet. The hashtag "#SavingGrace" will be used to keep track of the conversation for all those following.

Melanie also tweets directly about her relationship to the folks who sponsor her as she did today:

@savvyauntie I'd like to thank @americanexpress for inviting me to see Jon Bon Jovi at Alice Tully Hall last night. Awesome experience #amexjovi

So far there doesn't seem to be a de facto standard as to how to handle sponsored- or client-related tweets, but from what see out there, we have some very clear examples from some extremely conscientious people to follow.

—Stefania Pomponi Butler

* a nod to Free To Be You and Me

Why Twitter Parties Don't Suck

I’ve been hearing some talk lately about how and Twitter parties (like Jyl Johnson Pattee's Girls' Night Out/GNO and, on a smaller scale, our own Clever Girls Collective parties) are “stupid.” Here's why I think they aren’t stupid and why companies testing the marketing waters on Twitter shouldn't think they are stupid either.

Blogger Jessica Gottlieb outlined the suckitude in a recent post, and I'll address each of her points directly.

Brands should host the parties themselves.

Sure brands could host the parties themselves, but there are lots of reasons they might not want to (or can’t). Brands like Coke or Ford certainly could put together a huge Twitter promotion that has reach well beyond an hour-long Twitter party. Both brands have gigantic followings in the social media space and wouldn’t necessarily need a third party host to make a successful Twitter party happen, although let’s not forget that brands like Coke and Ford go out-of-house all the time to help them plan and execute other social media, marketing, and PR campaigns.

And then there are the brands that are just entering the social media arena. They don't have the in-house resources, and require the assistance of an experienced guide, and access to their (presumably interested) following.

Keeping this in mind, using an outside host for a Twitter party shouldn’t be out of the question for any brand. It goes without saying that smart brands will be participating along side the host, joining in the fun, and connecting with potential customers.