Our objective was to help drive traffic to the Gail’s Scoop newsletter and website using Twitter. You will find some of our thoughts from the meeting below. 

Interaction is key
- Converse with your followers. Twitter is not for one-way conversations. Do more then just put content out there. Show your followers there is a person on the other side of that user name. Discussions and conversations can be created around subjects that are included in the newsletter. Retweeting tweets your follows put out and thanking users for retweeting your content shows users that two-way conversation. Converse with your followers about anything they talk about. Maybe what they talk about holds no value or relates to your target audience but people will continue to come back when you converse with them.

Twitter followers want a unique experience
-The Twitter feed and Facebook Feeds look very similar. Try to find a way to separate the two. Using Hootsuite or Tweetdeck would be a better option than using Facebook to update your Twitter. In a Twitter client you can still see what is happening on Twitter. If Facebook is the only platform you are logging into then you are probably missing the opportunity to interact on Twitter and also missing any conversations happening around your Twitter username. Hootsuite can be used to update your Twitter, Facebook, and Facebook Fanpages. Tweetdeck will allow you to update Twitter and Facebook but not fanpages.

Create discussions and conversations around hashtags
-Look for hashtags that relate to the content in the newsletters. For example if it’s related to health then use the hashtag #kidshealth. (A real Twitter hashtag by the way.) Create your own unique hashtag or hashtags. Some examples would be #Jocomom or #KCmom. Might even be able to create unique hashtags for the subjects mentioned in the newsletter. When it comes to hashtags the uses can be endless just have to be smart about using them and focusing the content in the right discussions.

Build brand alliances
-There are quite a few brands and companies advertised in the newsletters. Talking to the people and companies who represent those brands can drive traffic to Twitter and the website. Those brands should be willing to help you out in some way to gain you more followers or traffic. It can be as easy as them retweeting one of your newsletters or even possibly them mentioning it at an offline local event. Focus though on brands like @ddinkc, @legendsshopping, and so on who are local brands.

Search for the right people to follow
-There are tons of people on Twitter to partner with. Find other Tweeps who are doing the same thing you are. When you follow them and tweet there stuff they will most likely give back and do the same for you. Not everyone on Twitter is out there for competition. Most people are willing to help you grow your brand.

Embrace Twitter
-Don’t just use it to push your updates out. Find third party apps that will benefit growing your newsletter. You can use Twitpic or a location based service to involve your users. If you headed to an offline event you can upload pictures of the event to Twitpic or even check in on Foursquare or Gowalla so your followers can see what’s going on. Maybe just in seeing pics or where you checked in at, followers may end up checking out that same event. There are even third party apps that let you upload video and let you do so much. Just have to find the right ways to use Twitter to push out your content to your followers. (some of this could help you create that unique experience for Twitter.)

Your Website, the central hub
-No matter how many social media platforms you use, your website will always be the main focus. Link your website to all your platforms whether it be Twitter, Facebook, your blog or whatever it might be. You want your users to see they have other options and experiences they have access to. There are options like posting our Twitter feeds to your website so they can see what is happening out on your Twitter. Seeing that on the website may even draw some interest to go sign up for a Twitter account or at least check out your Twitter page.

If you have any questions or comments about the above information let us know.

Our next Kansas City Social Media Group meeting is on August 12 at Houlihan’s in Olathe. This event is one you don’t want to miss. 

At this breakfast, we will have Gail Keller from Gailsscoop.com introduce her newsletter she sends out to Johnson County parents with info about things to do in the area. She will also be presenting some marketing and social media obstacles she has encountered and will ask the group to come up with some ideas/solutions she can use. 

If you know of a business that could benefit by using new marketing and social media skills to promote their business, you may want to invite them. This will be a great learning experience for all involved. 

Agenda:

7:15-7:30 Networking
7:30-8:05 Breakfast Buffet 
7:40-7:50 Business Announcements
7:50-8:00 Martin Taggert will introduce Gail and agenda for remainder of meeting
8:00-8:15 Gail Keller will state marketing and social media obstacles she is facing
8:15-8:40 Break up into groups. Groups will work on creating solutions to Gail’s obstacles
8:45-8:55 A group leader from each group will present ideas/solutions for Gail
8:55-9:00 Closing
9:00-9:30 Networking for those who wish to stay

Cost: $10 for breakfast buffet. Tip will be included in your final bill and all bills will be given out to everyone towards the beginning of the meeting so you can pay when you are ready.

There will be door prize drawings.

Bonus: Tweet the event with the hashtag #KCSM and you can get a professional photograph at the event to use as you wish.

Mark your calendar for August 12th!

RSVP on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=142041029147495 
or send a DM (Direct Message) to @KCSMGroup on Twitter if you wish to attend. Space is limited to first 100 who register.  

We had the first Kansas City Social Media Breakfast meeting on July 15 (aka SMBHoulihans) at Houlihan’s in Olathe. This meeting was started to give opportunities to people in Johnson County, KS and surrounding areas to come and learn about social media topics. The Olathe Houlihan’s location offered to host our breakfast group and had a nice breakfast buffet setup for the group to enjoy. It is the gracious offering of Houlihan’s to host our group that enables us to have these meetings. 

At the first breakfast, we had 35 people show up and we had a few speakers talk about various social media topics like how to set up Twitter/Facebook lists, how to effectively network, what is Google Me, and what type of Twitter apps one can download to use. We broke up into small groups and at each group, one of the speakers shared tips and advice on the topics. 

What did we learn? We learned that breaking up into small groups so everyone could learn from one another brought good feedback from those in attendance. Many seemed to like this format. Also, the breakfast items (sweet potato pancakes, biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and fruit salad provided by Houlihan’s was a big hit. 

We learned a few other things with this first breakfast to make it go more smoothly the next time we have this event. 1) Have everyone pay for their breakfast once they have gone through the buffet line so they can take care of this and not wait until the end. This will be resolved at the next meeting. 2) Keep to the timeframe of when we have the meeting. We know there are many who need to get to work right after the meeting, so we will be sensitive to this at future meetings. We do want you to know that beginning with our Aug. 12 breakfast, there will be time afterwards to network until 9:30 am if you wish to do that. 3) Have door prizes to engage the crowd. We intend to have several door prize drawings for our next meeting. 

For this first meeting, I would have to say it went very well and we look forward to the next one coming up in August. 

Feel free to share your comments and thoughts if you attended the July 15 breakfast. Thanks.