Not to give him any more attention than he deserves, but if we look at the case of Tiger Woods, we can learn a lot about how people will always fill the void if nothing is being said. It took him excruciatingly long to come out with his side of the story, and what happened? Everyone and their mother came out with their side of the story. Now, if Woods had come out with his side at a much more reasonable pace, the fourteen or so women most likely all wouldn’t have tried to claim they had the inside scoop.

The exact same thing happens in business. If something negative and newsworthy happens, and a business keeps their lips sealed for more than an ample amount of time that it would take to whip up a press release, quick tape a YouTube video and start tweeting about the issue, people will begin to fill that void. Whether it’s with assumptions and rumors, or just plain bashing the brand for the simple fact that nothing’s been done.

So, the moral of the story is that if you want to avoid the rumors and the negative chatter, especially in a place as visible as the web, it’s imperative to create a plan of action for public relations mishaps and act as quickly and efficiently as possible.

However, on the other hand, a void can work to your advantage – but only if you already have a very loyal fan base. Take Apple for example, they rarely come out with information about new products until it’s time for Steve Jobs to give his keynote. This void often creates a lot of hype, and positive (although potentially led astray) rumors.  So, if you are going to allow a void, make sure it’s only about things that will create hype around your brand.

Photo: Chelseaッ

So, how exactly to you create massive, organic growth in the social media sphere? Well, it takes patience and a firm understanding of the following tips.

#1: Create something worth paying attention to. It may seem like an obvious tip, but even after social media had its year and the hype has begun to die down and it has entered mainstream acceptance in the marketing industry, there are still people making the same mistakes. In order to get people to start paying attention, make it about their favorite subject: themselves. Instead of talking about you (or your brand, in this case), ask for their opinions or embrace topics that are relevant to what you do and to your audience. Then, to get them to keep paying attention, it’s essential to open up and share. Give fans and followers an inside look into your organization and the people behind it.

#2: Build connections. Focusing on your audience will large in part aid in creating a connection with your consumers, but there are other strategies that can help turn regular old customers into brand advocates. Contests where winners are chosen and featured are one way to build a connection with a select few. Giveaways and promotions (such as discount codes) are another way to keep your audience’s connection and help build an affinity towards your brand. Another simple strategy that will help build relationships is just simply to acknowledge your fans and followers. Did they retweet your latest blog post? Let them know that you’re appreciative with a thank you tweet or direct message.

#3: Reach out. One of the easiest ways to gain a large, genuine audience is to promote, promote, promote. Link up with influencers in your market on Twitter and work out a deal where they tweet and blog about your company or product. Do something innovative and unique enough in the social media sphere that your story is guaranteed to attract some press. When people find out about you, and search you out on social media to find out more, the connection is a lot more genuine than if they’re just thinking “Hmm, I guess I’ll follow them.”

The last and final step, is to have patience and be persistence. A large fan base and following won’t happen overnight, but it if you keep it up and constantly experiment with new strategies, it will happen.

photo: foxofthetrail

Marketing traditionally is a very one-sided conversation. Even in the digital age, with banner ads and SMS offers sent to your phone, there often is very little room for conversation; for consumers to offer feedback and share their opinions. Each day, more and more tech savvy consumers are entering your markets, who often will be taking to their blog (little known fact: 20,000 blogs are started every day) and Twitter to talk about their life, opinions and musings, which often can include brands.

You see, social media gives everyone a voice. Instead of being squawked at by your television set, or being bombarded with Netflix pop-ups (yeah, we said it…) when you’re trolling your favorite site for worthwhile news, consumers are now able to broadcast to the masses, just as marketers have in the past, via social media sites. But, more importantly, they are able to join the conversation. And, that’s exactly why social media, and social media marketing, are here to stay. Because, just as much as brands will always need their voice, people will crave their share of attention, too.

One of the first reasons why it’s important to recognize that it’s better to start on social media sooner, rather than later, is three-fold:

1. You’ll miss out on participating, and potentially leveraging, all the conversations surrounding your brand.
2. Joining later, will only make it harder to cut through the clutter and gain a sizeable audience.
3. Social media has a learning curve, and is always changing, so it’s important to get familiar with it and learn what works before your competition even starts.

You see, online, whether it’s to your face or behind your back, people will talk. But, in order to lead, manage or capitalize on those conversations, you need to be there. Even more importantly than being there, is knowing the medium’s norms, culture and language and having a distinct, yet flexible strategy in place.

photo: brigerking

Their sources? Jill Clapp, a 42-year-old Facebooker who says that the ads on Facebook are unappealing to her since they make a lot of assumptions based on her age and gender (see: Botox, NutriSystem). Well, yeah, I would hate to constantly be reminded that I wasn’t young and beautiful anymore, but that isn’t Facebook’s fault. It’s the advertisers. See, Facebook ads are actually pretty genius. You can target by the most specific things, such as obsessed with Starbucks, a hardcore Chicago Bulls fan who is vegetarian, women interested in law and the color red that live near Anchorage. As long as it’s in someone’s profile, they’ll see your ad. Which is obviously like a goldmine for marketers. The problem is that most haven’t figured out how to target very specific audiences.

Denise Paolucci, formerly of Live Journal and Founder of Dreamwidth, says that the big problem with selling ads on social networks is that “people are there to socialize, not shop.”

That’s interesting, because, I can’t even count the number of times I’ve clicked on an ad on Facebook for a retailer, ranging from online tee shirt shops to American Apparel ads with the latest additions to their collection. Also, I’ve even asked friends where they got the dress, top or handbag they were wearing in their Facebook picture. While my main goal on Facebook, as it is with pretty much everyone, is to find out what my friends are up to and connect with them, another huge aspect is discovery. Facebook is pretty much the holy grail of word of mouth. Users can see what their friends like, whether it’s new movies, bands, products, stores, restaurants. Discovering new things—whether it’s that Mom is into bikram yoga now or that your best friend just went to the White Rabbits concert or your old roommate found a Theory dress on sale—is what Facebook is all about, and ads can play into that, if they are done right.

Paolucci also states that advertising on social media sites is “just like if you’re at a cocktail party and mingling with people having a conversation, you’re not going to want to be interrupted by somebody jumping and shouting, ‘Hey! Free widgets!’”

Right, just like I’m not going to want to be hit up for cash while I’m at a cocktail party mingling…

So, what’s the lesser of the two evils? Well, it depends on the history of the social network. With Facebook, there would be no way they would maintain their numbers if they switched to a paid service. So, much to Clapp’s chagrin, Facebook ads will most likely be here to stay. However, to make the social media giant even more profitable, they could offer premium benefits at a cost, like LinkedIn does, such as premium pages for brands that allow easy customization or such as increasing limits for personal pages (such as increasing number of friends allowed, etc.).

How many people are thirsty for charity: water updates? Over 1 million on the organization’s Twitter account (and thousands more on each employee’s Twitter account). Over 44,000 on Facebook. About 1 million  on YouTube.

They have used social media to promote events, such as Twestival. Twestival was an event that raised money around the world for charity: water and was organized using Twitter, drew in over $250,000 in donations, but most importantly, the event took place in 80 cities across the globe.

Their website even caters to the social media addicted, by offering borninseptember.org, a site where people that were born in September can create a profile where they can collect donations that go to charity: water in lieu of birthday gifts. So far 1,646 (including one of our own) have given up mediocre and unnecessary birthday presents for charity: water.

The key takeaway from charity: water’s practices? They treat their social media fans and followers like friends –constantly letting them know what’s happening within the organization. They let people know about campaigns, especially ones that are location specific (which, hello, only adds to ROI), they talk about events (like how Blake Lively hosted one of their recent events), they talk about the people they help (“Not having to share water with animals makes us feel more human” says woman with a new village well), they upload a picture everyday that either shows what they’re up to that day or something they’ve done recently and much more.

So, you’re probably thinking, “I’m a CPA and I own my own business…what exactly could I talk about that would be interesting?” Well, you’d be surprised… Blogs for small businesses such as accounting firms and law firms are a great way to show future clients your voice, such as offering tax tips to small business owners or starting a blog and commenting on legal issues in the news. Twitter and Facebook are great for small retail businesses, offering deals to fans and followers and letting them know about upcoming sales. There are tons of ways to apply what charity: water teaches us to your own business.

Well, many marketers are trying to control the conversation, as well, but the key is not to shut them up, or worse, not even join in. The key is to be proactive, address any of those bad-mouthers (which will make people think twice before they say anything less than nice) and help guide the conversation when you can.