Tools of the Trade

(For the faithful, this isn't solely about Twitter, which we've covered here and here. This is more of a focused continuation of our previous discussion about marketing during an economic downturn.)

As marketers, we tend to stand on the outside, looking in. Specifically, we're at a distance from a group of customers or potential markets, and our primary objective is to help our clients learn how to reach that group. It's a perfectly legitimate form of stalking.

If there's one constant lament—from both consumers and businesses—about the various social media tools out there, it's that many of them seem somewhat unprofessional or childish. There's room for argument there, certainly, but both groups have reason to fear that perception can equal reality. Enter LinkedIn.

One of the things I studied in college was business, and there's something I learned quickly: You have to know how to talk the talk. True, business jargon has existed for years, but it seemed to reach new heights during the last 20 years—such ridiculous heights, in fact, that there has been a well-deserved backlash by some of the very companies who may have had a hand in the problem.

Tuesday we were surprised to see that our package had arrived early. Everyone gathered around to see it as I began cutting into the large cardboard box. The result was better than any of us could have imagined.

Let me start from the beginning, let me back up the truck. We had our offices renovated not too long ago with a new Digett sign, new light fixtures, and new paint throughout. Everything looked great, but the freshly painted walls were a little bland—they needed some help.

We all know times have been tough, of late. Fear not—I'm not going to launch into a lengthy analysis of potential causes of the economic meltdown. After all, I'm in marketing, so I'm a little more concerned about potential effects. In any economic downturn, a plethora of experts in micro-/macro-financial issues and experts in worldwide market analysis will share with you their years of strategic wisdom—though little of it may apply to you and even less of it will make sense.

We're lucky to have a cooler-than-cool, ice-cold client like Marlowe Candle Company. Marlowe specializes in hand-poured, perfectly scented candles of great variety. Their scents range from Honeysuckle to Whiskey Sour and include holiday favorites like Fall Harvest, Marlowe Christmas, and Candy Corn.

Our first look at Twitter was, admittedly, a little bit of a lightweight. That is, we talked about the service and gave a high-level description of what it is, but we didn't really get to talk much about how you should (and should not) use it.

So, you've got 10-20 Drupal sites under your belt and are feeling pretty good about how far you've come in your ability to leverage the Drupal content management system. You're even helping newbies out on the support forums on drupal.org, whistling to the tune of "It's a wonderful day in the neighborhood" and "Won't you be my neighbor" all the while. You're a viable, competent part of the community, and life is good.

Perhaps the hardest thing about taking the plunge into social media is choosing the right avenues. There are hundreds of services out there, and it's hard to know where to start—especially since you don't want to invest time and resources in something that's ineffective. Thankfully, there is an easy way to test the waters, and it's called Twitter.

I couldn't be happier about representing Digett at this year's Texas Travel Summit (September 21-24), hosted by the Texas Travel Industry Association. For starters, I haven't been to Galveston since I was a kid, and I'm itching to erase the memory of a brutal sunburn. Better yet, I'll be bringing many of you with me.