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Every so often I’ll have a client approach me about buying followers on Twitter, or advertising on Facebook. I’m sure there are a few organizations that would benefit from these tactics, but I’ve never been a part of one.

Content draws interest, not the number of subscribers.

It truly does not matter if you have 100 or one million followers. The only thing that matters is that you are creating and communicating your message in a unique way to those who are paying attention. The better the content, the more traffic you are going to generate. Building a huge base with no content just leads to a bunch of people who do not care about what you are saying.

One million followers who do not care about you is worth nothing; 100 followers who will actively advocate for you is priceless.

How do you generate this content? Well, that’s another post. If you are new to the social media business world, start with researching what your competitors are doing. Learn what is working and what is not.

Social media platforms are the ultimate capitalistic form of marketing: open competition for any and all to see what kind of tactics are being used by the competition. The key is understanding what is working and what is not. The one fail-safe in all of this chaos is content.

In this business it is just as important to learn about what others are doing as it is to be working on your own projects. Therefore I am constantly searching platforms and watching how others are developing content.

One of my favorite quotes is from the TV show The West Wing, in which a speech writer says that “good writers borrow from other writers, and great writers just flat out steal from them.”

This could not be more true with social media marketing. Learn what content works, create it, and watch your numbers grow.

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At 9:15 pm on Thursday, I posted the following tweet:

“Old Spice, your new commercials are sheer genius, but your products still smell like a dive bar full of long-haul truckers.”

At 9:17 pm, I received an email notification that Old Spice was following my tweets.

At 9:19 pm, Old Spice replied to me:

“@mattchandl3r Suggest you try our new line of lighter, fresher, non-trucker scents. Fiji is my favorite. http://tinyurl.com/ya4qr69”

Okay, the response was funny, just like their commercials (if you haven’t seen them, go now and watch … I’ll wait). And it seems like it may have even been made by a real person, as it referenced my original tweet. But I’m not sure how I feel about brands and companies auto-following me on Twitter when I happen to reference them.

I work in the internet marketing industry, and I use all the same tools (Radian6, HootSuite, Cotweet, Omniture, Quantcast, etc.) that they do. Old Spice has clearly hired someone who knows what they’re doing (maybe we do it better … call us, Old Spice!). I have gone around and around on a number of occasions debating using this same tactic, and I keep coming back to the decision that I find it creepy and obtrusive.

Bear in mind that if called upon our company would probably do something very similar. Call me a hypocrite, say I can dish it out but I can’t take it, whatever. You’re probably right.

Imagine if you were on the phone with your mother, and she asked what you did over the weekend. You respond by telling her you met up with some friends at BW3 to watch the big game and have some wings and beers. Suddenly, the phone clicks over to an automated message saying “Have you tried our new Spicy Chipotle Ranch Donut Holes from the B-Dubs breakfast bar? They’re great!”

Gaah! Who’s that listening in to our conversation? Oh, it’s Buffalo Wild Wings. They were just listening for their name so they could throw in a quick marketing message.

The difference, of course, is that we expect (and have a right to) privacy in our phone conversations, whereas on the internet there is no such expectation. Those Flickr photos of your four-month-old kid drooling on your sleeping dog are cute, but rest assured someone’s looking for them so they can try to sell you Gerber and Purina.

Or maybe it’s just disconcerting that some of the power of the internet is now being fully realized. Back in the basement computer labs when we got our first taste of Mosaic, we knew the game was officially on. We knew that if you put it out there, it was really out there for anybody to read, forever and forever. The same holds true today, except it happens in real time with people you don’t know and it just feels weird.

So stick to the man on the horse, Old Spice. Keep up the great work with your ad agency, because I and everyone I know loves your new commercials.

But I’m blocking you from seeing my Tweets.

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Had a great time this morning with the Indiana Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America at the Indiana Chamber of Commerce’s session on “The New Normal”.

I got to present with Slingshot SEO’s Jeremy Dearringer (a genius) and Kevin Bailey (also a genius). Also, Rodger Johnson from YourPRGuy was there, the Global Director of PR from Cook Medical, the head of PR from the NCAA, and several other amazing speakers. Lots of bright folks, I was way out of my league.  : ) Honored to even be in the same room with them.

Wow.

My topic today was the “how” behind social media. I went over several different tools, including one of our favorites at Raidious, Radian6. When I got back to my office, I found an email from Radian6 talking about their new product launch which was very exciting, and which I wrote about over on SocialMediaRisk.com. You should check it out – game changer for large enterprise.

If you were in today’s session and you have more questions for me, please email me or leave a comment. Great audience today, really enjoyed the event. Thanks Hoosier PRSA and Indiana Chamber of Commerce!

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If you are like many Americans, 2009 was rough year. Numerous industries cut back staff to bare-bones operations and, even less fortunate, some businesses locked their doors permanently. The banking industry is in flux, the automobile industry is still in a deep void, and the hospitality industry could use a break. Every industry was effected by the collapse of the financial markets and most industries aren’t projecting significant growth for a couple years. Yikes!

A study release from Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC shows that they are anticipating a rebound in Q1 for digital marketers. 46 % of respondents to their survey said they will be adding staff in Q1 of 2010; only 26% will remain on a hiring freeze, which is down from 45% in Q4 2009.

“All of our major indicators are showing significant improvement… As far as hiring goes, digital and direct marketers are back on a growth trajectory.”

- Jerry Bernhart, principal of Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC.

If you are a marketer or product specialist still searching for gainful employment, I would encourage you to switch your thinking to a digital mindset. This industry can be intimidating, but in my opinion it is the industry with the best growth potential and promise. Specifically, look to e-mail marketing service providers: ExtactTarget, Responsys, Contant Contact, etc.

These companies aren’t going to hire Joe-Blow-Marketing-Guy-to-Fill-the-Void because this industry is demanding top talent. With so many people out of a job in 2009, they have their pick of the litter. 2010 is your chance to grab the reins and get comfortable in the digital space because the old rules of submitting your resume and waiting for a e-mail or phone call no longer exist.

See the example of Hire Me, Headblade, when Eric Romer took an unconventional approach to landing a job on the West Coast with HeadBlade, Inc. When Eric found out about an opening as the Marketing Manager for HeadBlade, Inc., he not only submitted a resume, but he took his credentials social: Facebook, Twitter and Blog. 24 hours after getting these sites up and running Eric received an interview from HeadBlade, which ultimately led to HeadBlade hiring him.

It is not essential for everyone to go above and beyond like Eric did for the HeadBlade position, but it doesn’t hurt when trying to get noticed. Times are still tough and it is estimated things will remain tough for awhile. Luckily for enterprising individuals there is a way to land a job in a down time. It is up to you if you want that to be today.

Twitter Job Pages:

The Media is Hirin‘

Talent Zoo Jobs

Marketing Jobs

CareerBuilder for Job Seekers

Monster Careers

Bernhart Associates

Now go get ‘em.

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