social media and marketing - Romack Revealed

I’d Rather Have a Root Canal than Buy a New Car

January 9, 2012 By romack Leave a Comment

I said we wouldn’t do it, but having a kid changes a lot of things, one of which being holiday travel arrangements. Our plan was to stay in College Station for Christmas this year, mostly because neither of us expected to meet Tyson before his due date in mid-December. Alas – he came a few weeks earlier than expected and, of course, we made the trek into Arlington for the holiday get-together with my family.

It became readily apparent as I played cargo Tetris for the umpteenth time – the Romacks teeny, tiny Honda Fit wasn’t really fitting much of anything. It’s amazing how roomy those things are – when it’s just Angela and me sucking up the oxygen inside the cabin of this subcompact. Add a dog, or two, and another human being, and you’ve got a recipe for cramped and cranky commuters.

Imagine my surprise when, coincidentally, the good folks at Rusty Wallace Honda in Dallas hit up our phone with an intriguing proposition. It’s the same old song and dance – they’re in need of used vehicles, ours is a couple years old, they want it and will offer us a brand new vehicle for no money down and the same monthly payment. As I unravel the offer a bit, we negotiate that, for a few extra bucks each month, our growing family will step into the SUV terrain with Honda’s snappy little CRV.

I don’t like buying cars. Sure – I love to inhale the sweet aroma of glorious new car scent for a few months, but I’m not keen on dealing with the middle man needed to have this said scent grace my nostrils. Don’t get me wrong, Rusty Wallace Honda is hands down where we’ll buy our cars time after time because they’ve done good business with us on every occasion. I just can’t help but get a little irritated by the false flattery and disingenuous buddy-buddy conversation that goes down with many of the car salesman I’ve encountered through the years.

You know what, though? I have to catch myself from slipping into the slick salesman, hyper-personable businessman mode from time to time. It’s always a humbling experience when I buy cars because it pits me against these expertly trained and highly motivated fast talkers – and reminds me that I can’t base my business on smooth talking and ulterior motives.

As we take delivery of our sexy new set of wheels tomorrow afternoon, I will be sure to remember that I strive to establish my relationships on integrity. I foster transparency and openness with my friends, colleagues and clients. I say what I mean and mean what I say. I desire to cultivate a personal and professional brand that resonates these ideals – each and every time. Not just when a pitch hangs in the balance. Not because a deal is about to go down.

How are you striving for integrity in your marketplace? What ideals and principles do you desire to resonate with your network? Spare a few seconds and let me know in the comments.

Filed Under: communication, community management, social media and marketing, Uncategorized Tagged With: communication, honesty, transparency

I “Like” You: But I’m Not Sure We’re “Friends”

August 30, 2011 By romack Leave a Comment

I get a little heated over here and here and here – and do you want to know what gets me so fired up?

I “like” brands, and some more than others, but we most certainly aren’t “friends”. Yet, why do some businesses still insist on creating personal Facebook profiles in an attempt to squeeze out some perceived functionality. You’re not being sneaky, nor have you bamboozled your competition in the social arena.

I’ve talked about how I’m a huge fan of brands going beyond their logo and becoming more human for consumers. But, creating a profile to display your favorite TV show is “FOX News”, that you enjoy “the Notebook”, and that your religious views are “God and family – and then business”? That’s the height of just-too-muchery.

Facebook makes no bones about it – the service spells out its intended use for personal profiles in its terms of service. Who reads that anyway? You probably should, at minimum, scan through it, but we’re all busy, so I’ve pulled a juicy tidbit from it:

Facebook profiles are meant to represent a single individual. Organizations of any type are not permitted to maintain an account under the name of their organization. We have created Facebook pages to allow organizations to have a presence on Facebook. These Pages are distinct presences, separate from user profiles, and optimized for an organization’s needs to communicate, distribute information/content, engage their fans, and capture new audiences virally through their fan’s recommendations to their friends. Facebook Pages are designed to be a media rich, valuable presence for any artist, business or brand.

Why are brands so hesitant about the “fan page” tailored specifically for the needs of businesses? I’ve heard folks squabble over semantics, access to personal information obtained through the “friend” connection, and the ability to search and seek out based on demographic information, but those ideas aren’t reason enough to violate Facebook’s terms of service, nor do they detract from the overwhelming benefits of transitioning your brand’s profile to the business platform.

These are just a few of the many reasons your brand might be missing out on all Facebook has to offer – and why you should make the switch to a fan page.

You’re Missing Out on SEO Juice: Personal profiles aren’t indexed by search engines, thank goodness, which means those clever updates, dynamite notes, thoughtful comments and super rich media are going unnoticed. Transition over to a business page and you’ll notice your content popping up in search results. Magic.
Why Limit Yourself?: It’s no savvy insider talk, nor is anyone keeping it hush-hush, but personal profiles are only able to connect with 5000 individuals and brands. How embarrassing, and logistically confusing, will it be when you hit that mark? Save yourself the hassle and convert yourself now.
A Much Nicer Landing: Crafting engaging landing page content never gets old – and that’s one of the highlights offer by fan pages on Facebook. Brands can customize the content users land on when they hit their page, and can even set up special “reveal” tabs that are only visible once users “like” the page. Make your page stand out with the ability to create custom environments within the Facebook experience. Nifty, huh?
There’s An App for That: It seems like there’s an app for everything these days – and Facebook is no exception. There are a plethora of useful applications available on Facebook, but they’re only intended for the business platform. You could be missing out on some cool functionality.
Reach the Right Audience: Facebook advertising is among some of the most exciting ad space on the market today. It’s quite affordable, highly effective and incredibly targeted. You can even drill down your advertising by zip code. Facebook has access to demographic information that many other advertising options can’t touch. Reason enough right here.
Something for the Boss: Our clients want them, your boss hounds you for it, but data is imperative when evaluating the ROI of social media marketing. Personal profiles don’t offer statistics and other web analytics – but fan pages most certainly do.

Facebook is doing a much better job at providing businesses with the tools to interact much more efficiently on their site. With the revamp of the business platform and a whole slew of new resources to educate brands, Facebook is proving time and time again that it’s a viable medium for brands and businesses to engage in today’s social marketplace.

If you like what I’m talking about and want to stay ahead of the curve on Facebook, you can always like our page on Facebook and subscribe to our blog for free.

Can brands really have “friends”? Or do we “like” products, services and businesses instead? And – can a brand really list “Rush Hour 2″ as a favorite movie? Take a second to share what’s on your mind in the comments section.

Filed Under: community management, social media and marketing Tagged With: community management, facebook, friends, like, personal, social media

Consistency and Your Dusty Blog: Creating Content Amidst Chaos

August 26, 2011 By romack Leave a Comment

Trust is a peculiar concept, and one us marketers and communication folks have been harping on a great deal, as of late. It’s what we hope to base the relationships with our readers, followers and customers upon and is pivotal for ensuring longevity with our contacts. The trouble is, it’s not like you can go stock up on “trust” at an Office Depot or Target. It’s tricky, a great deal of work, not instantaneous, and difficult to regain once it is lost.

There’s many ways to establish trust and build healthy, long-lasting relationships, and one blog certainly wouldn’t do each concept justice. I wanted to focus on the idea of consistent content in today’s post, as the notion has hit pretty close to home lately.

We’ve All Got Chaos

I’ve had my fair share of the healthcare industry throughout my life. You can go take a look at this and this and this for more details, but suffice it to say that I’ve had as many surgeries as this guy has had birthdays – and there’s another one on the horizon for me. Our home is filled with excitement and, what often feels like, chaos, with a baby on the way, a recently retired guide dog going through therapy, a thriving business and frequent trips to see out of town family, it seems as though our life has been on fast forward here lately. Consistency is foreign to us, that’s for sure.

Why am I even telling you this? Because I’m not alone. Your life is crazy, too, and I know that. You’re juggling a sweet, new startup, freelancing some graphic design work alongside your full-time job, pastoring a church while managing a local business, pursuing a degree, and the list goes on and on. Time marches on whether we want it to or not, but that’s not our audience’s fault, nor should it be their concern.

Your Followers Shouldn’t Need a Feather Duster

I can’t tell you how often I’ve had to do a “cobweb check” on a blogging community I started earlier this year. I hit a point in early July where we saw 3000 page views for the month, which included 2000 visitors and a ton of new subscribers. Just as this community hit its stride, life crept up behind me and did a blitz attack. Have you ever felt that way?

How’s that blog doing today? Half the views, visitors and momentum. I stopped posting regularly, didn’t respond to comments and generally vanished from my reader’s perspective. The community is currently collecting dust – and my trust and credibility is covered right along with it.

How to Find Consistency in the Chaos

I could give you some nifty acronym or six step process to help you find consistency when there is none, but I’m just as guilty as you are. The fact is, it’s not easy to sit down and create, monitor conversation, be social *AND* market yourself all at once. But, your customer doesn’t care and, frankly, they shouldn’t have to.

I’m finding consistency by taking an hour or so to share these thoughts. It’s quiet in our house right now, with the exception of a snoring dog at my feet, and it’s important that we take advantage of any stray moments of silence and serenity that we can manage. If it’s 100 words, or 1000, be there for your community. Trust is only acquired over time, and is only maintained with proof and consistency.

Could You Give Me Some Take Away Here?

Your mileage will vary, and I certainly don’t model these ideas at present, but there are a few guidelines to benchmark consistency. I shoot for three posts a week for my personal and professional communities. You establish more credibility and authority with frequency, increase SEO benefits with greater content, and build good habits with routine. Your posts don’t need to be novels, but shoot for 300 to 500 words, with consideration that your content must be as brief or expanded as necessary. I also recommend that you help establish expectations with your audience. Routine will certainly enforce these expectations, but spelling out some specifics allows readers to gauge when and what to expect.

You have to carve out your creative and content creation times – even in the hectic, bumper to bumper, red eye flight, instant breakfast, DVR lifestyle we live in today. It’s taken me 37 minutes to jot out these thoughts and, to be honest, you guys are worth it to me. I know you feel the same way about your readers.

When do you find time to carve out consistency? What guidelines do you follow to help you get there? Share your pointers and advice with a community that needs the insight. Our comments section awaits you – tell us what you think.

Filed Under: community management, content marketing, social media and marketing