Yesterday we saw Howard Tullman speak as part of Chicago Ideas Week. Tullman is the President and CEO of Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy, an accomplished entrepreneur and a Doejo client. He shared his tips for leveraging social technology to grow your business. His top tips include focusing on interests over data, employing "smart reach" and using status as a business incentive.
Here are the social media and technology tips Tullman shared with the audience:
Be Responsive
Today’s web is all about speed. Everything that is created is immediately ripped off. To be a leader in this competitive market you need to be able to identify and understand your consumer’s interests. True leaders will respond to them, using this data to improve their product. “You need to know what the customers are looking for and respond to their feedback, immediately changing your product and your service,” Tullman said.
Don’t just rely on data
The most critical attribute about the Internet is the heightened engagement it provides. If you wait until someone finishes a search to understand what he or she is looking for, you are too late. To succeed on the modern web you need to be able to influence interactions in real time, targeting the consumer before they finish the interaction. If you only rely on data you will always be playing catch up. For more information on how to target new customers based on their recent search engine activity, Tullman recommends checking out Chango, a search retargeting platform.
Interests outweigh demographics
Interests have become more important than demographics. Metrics mean everything and personal data is the most important kind data we can capture. Today's marketers already know who you are; they are now trying to figure out what you are interested in. Capitalizing on the trend towards personal data can help you get ahead by understanding the feelings and potential trends of your target market.
Use social media to gauge market swings
Twitter is a powerful marketing tool that helps you to better understand customer acquisition funnels, build traffic and increase value while providing instant feedback. The conversations on social media will go on with or without you so you want to be engaged. “If you are not where your customers are and you are not in those conversations then you are nowhere. This is the way people are aggregating data on how to serve and better interact with their customer, their clients and their vendors,” said Tullman. If you are not there a competitor will be.
