A digital trust fund is not monetary. To the contrary, it takes little more than your time to set up. It’s a way to claim and safeguard certain accounts for your child; for instance their name as a Gmail address, domain, Twitter handle and personalized Facebook url.

I first heard this idea from Tess Vigeland on Marketplace Money. Here’s a link to the podcast if you’re interested.

When I mentioned the idea to our very own Amy Kramer, she confirmed that she had her childrens’ names as urls. Being the president of a digital marketing company, this came as no surprise. But then I started thinking about all the ways this made sense. It would be helpful to have these digital addresses in place to:

• beat out any other kids who could possibly have the same name as your child
• prevent anyone from posing as your child and ruining their reputation – especially if they want to be a politician when they grow up
• could potentially boost their SEO rankings due to their longstanding accounts

Will all this really matter in 12-15 years when your little bundle of joy is taking their first steps into the digital world? Here is where I start to think this could be a time waster. I love Facebook, but will it really be around for that long? I’m dubious. But I’ve also been wrong before. What do you think?

My Twitter habits have been largely the same as they were in the weeks prior to this experiment.  I’ve been tweeting, re-tweeting, conversing and following/unfollowing in the same pattern I always do.  Literally the only change in my profile has been the addition of the word GURU.

I’m haven’t reached the coveted “Guru 100″ yet — Zarella says that those of us who use that word  in our Twitter profile have on average 100 more followers than others — I’m well on my way.  Check in next week to see where I’m at.

UPDATE SEPTEMBER 15th: 99 MORE FOLLWERS!  1 TO GO!

There were several startling takeaways, this one being the oddest: People who use the term “guru” to describe themselves in their Twitter bios have more followers than people who don’t.  100 more followers on average, to be exact.

So instead of “Social Media Director,” I am now a “Social Media Guru” on Twitter.  I feel like a complete tool, because despite the fact I do know a lot about social media, calling myself a guru is such, um, douchebaggery. However, my enquiring mind needs to know: will it work?

Of course, Dan reminded us that content is still king.  Overlord, actually.  People need to share social content and links if they want to be seen as an authority on a topic and build reputation.

So off I go to tweet interesting social media and mommy content with links, which I learned today is statistically more important than engaging in conversation if the goal is to increase reach.  Please find me at @counterintuity and @lisapbs on Twitter.  I’ll let you know in a few weeks if I’m the guru I actually say I am.

With the advent of services such as Yelp, Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms, customers no longer have to wait to get out the door to write a letter of complaint or praise via snail mail.  They can–and will– do it right there under your nose.  Anyone at any time can generate a social media post that describes you inaccurately or criticizes your performance, service or product. Social media sites make it easy to to trash everything from bad food to slow service, and that is not what you want potential clients to find online. If you’ve spent any time making a good name for yourself, keeping it so online is a priority.

We recommend you track what people are saying about you online at least once a week.  Here are our favorite free tools (there are many good paid services, as well):

Social Mention This real-time Internet tracking aggregates mentions about your brand from across the web (and the universe, they proclaim) to give you a snapshot of who is talking about you and what they are saying.  While it’s not 100% accurate (we find it sometimes pulls in other accounts if you have a common Twitter or Facebook name), it does a great job of finding blog forum and Twitter mentions.  While it dishes out some questionable metrics (Passion? Sentiment?), the lists of top keywords, top hastags and top users it returns is invaluable information for your social media monitoring.

MonitorThis is another easy search tool that  feeds mentions from 26 various search engines like Google Blogsearch, delicious, MSN, Yahoo News, Flickr and many others.  What’s particularly nice here is that it features a ‘Get as RSS’ button that lets you directly subscribe to a list of feeds it pulls up.

Board Tracker watches conversation in discussion forums and keeps you up to speed on mentions. Just set alerts based on your specific keywords and you’ll be notified any time your brand’s name is mentioned in a forum.

TweetBeep is a Twitter tracker that keeps track of conversations that mention you, your products, your company, your brand–and gives you frequent e-mailed updates.

Google Alerts are regular email updates of the latest relevant Google results (web, news, etc.) based on your choice of keyword or topic.

The real answer to online reputation lies in constantly building, updating  and maintaining your online brand. This way, any negative commentary is automatically countered by positive news and information you’ve already put out.

The social media response was incredible, time will tell if it will increase sales.

UPDATE: According to Nielsen data, Old Spice sales are up 107% in the last month.

We’ve encountered many firms that boast about their “genius” nineteen year-old social media hires. “They get this Facebook stuff,” we’ve heard. “They understand how to network through the Internet.” True. My older teen has hundreds of friends on social networks. He can easily find out the questions on the history test and where the best Saturday night party will be. He can connect girls to boys, not unlike traditional networking.

But what he can’t do—because he doesn’t have business training—is strategize, monitor and analyze a social media campaign. Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, and other social media platform use is a skill most teens and college grads have. But putting a tech-savvy teen in charge of your $30,000 website redesign and social media campaign is like asking my husband to do the laundry. He’ll gladly wash clothes, but they won’t be sorted, he’ll forget the fabric softener, and assuming they get folded, they’ll end up in the wrong person’s drawer.

A social media expert is much more than someone who knows how to use Facebook. We are like custom builders, creating a blueprint for your entire campaign. From audience analysis and content goals to editorial calendars and professional monitoring with ROI tracking, firms that specialize in social media have both the knowledge and expertise to make your online campaign successful.

Anyone can get your business pages followers and likes. The question is: Do they know how to attract the right people, and do they know what to do with them? Can they track real-time and trending results—and do they even know what that is?

Nothing against teens. I have a few myself.  And they are experts at socializing. But please, for the sake of your online reputation and your hard-earned dollars, leave your all-important social media marketing to the experts.

This company is far from alone.  Though Facebook doesn’t release stats on inactive business (or personal) pages, I come across them daily.

To me, this is akin to training all season for the championship game and then dropping out in the first quarter.  Why would you spend all that (insert: time, money, effort, frustration) building a social media network and not use it?  Would you build a custom home and not move into it?

Facebook is free.  It’s easy.  And it tells people more about your business than you may realize.  A stale Facebook page says a) you’re no longer in business; b) you’re too busy to care about your fans or c) you don’t keep up with technology trends.  All three scenarios are troubling and lead me straight to your competitor(s).

Even if you’re not the cool kid on block-al la Victoria’s Secret PINK, consumers today expect you to be a player.   You don’t need a pimped-out Facebook or Twitter page just to stay in the game. 

Social media “housekeeping” should take small companies no more than 30 minutes a day, tops.  It can be done by anyone with knowledge of your company or products. Toss the excuses.  If you don’t have time, your secretary or intern does (and they’re probably young enough to understand the process).  Make a commitment now to spending time daily to keep your fans updated and engaged.

After all, if your online pages are slowly rotting away, then so is your reputation.

“New consumer research shows over 50% of Facebook fans and Twitter followers are more likely to buy, recommend than before they were engaged”

A February 2010 study by Chadwick Martin Bailey finds that if a consumer friends, follows or fans your brand, the odds are good that they will recommend you or buy from you.

Consumers expect brands to be participating in social media. My favorite quote is from a Female 50-54:

“It’s EXPECTED that a company have some digital face – whether it’s on FB or Twitter I don’t know – but they need a strong electronic presence or you doubt their relevance in today’s marketplace.”

What are you doing to engage in social media?
How is it working for you?
I’d love to hear about your experiences and wins.

Companies using tools like Facebook and Twitter say customers like being engaged.

By Zain Shauk, Burbank Leader (reprinted)

Audrey Robles doesn’t panic about the economic slowdown or the dwindling foot traffic outside her Kenneth Village store. Instead, she fires up her Twitter account.

 She also posts to her blog, monitors her Facebook page and adds to her biweekly e-mail newsletter.

The media blitz may seem aggressive to those unfamiliar with the social networking tools, but Robles credits her efforts for not only keeping audrey*k boutique in the black, but pushing it to new heights as well.

 “This year has actually been our most profitable year in the three years since I’ve been here,” she said. “So even though there is a recession, customers still come and buy.”

 Robles is not alone.

From real estate agents and restaurants to car dealerships and shopping malls, businesses in Glendale and Burbank are increasingly buying into a nationwide trend toward using social media as a tool to expand their reach and connect with consumers who have more options than ever before.

While some business owners have experimented with Web-based services and given up on them, social networking tools like Twitter and Facebook are developing into valuable marketing frontiers, even for small businesses, said George Geis, professor of information technology and entrepreneurship at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

“The online sites have done quite well, so consequently, in a challenged economic time like we still are in, it’s important to recognize that you want to be where people are hanging out,” Geis said.

Businesses are using the service to promote their products and services, and keep their customers in the loop about discounts and special events, but the most effective social media marketers go far beyond that, said Amy Kramer (@amykramer), president of Counterintuity, a Burbank-based marketing consulting firm that advises clients to set up Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Having exchanges with online contacts is, in many cases, more important than simply blasting out advertisements in the form of Twitter posts, Kramer said.

“That’s the key that a lot of people miss is the relationship part,” she said. “People will tweet, ‘Oh, buy this. Oh, buy that,’ but what helps businesses the most is when they engage because it’s a very interactive medium.”

 Kramer manages two Twitter accounts where she has exchanges with clients and friends.

On her company’s account (@counterintuity) she will share announcements, but she will also distribute news related to marketing and useful information that might be of interest to her online followers, while not having a direct connection to her business.

She also mixes in her observations on a personal account (@amykramer), where she talks about marketing, but also recently tweeted, “Getting my embarrassingly dirty car washed. I feel less ashamed already.”

“It’s about relationship-building; establishing yourself as an expert in your field, but also making people feel that you’re relatable,” said Kramer, who recently added a client from among the neighborhood moms who monitor her posts.

The networking tools are becoming more valuable during the recession, when businesses are cutting back on advertising budgets, owners said.

They are also giving consumers a platform for discussion about products and services, a dimension of online communication that has become important for shoppers, said Kendyl Young, an independent real estate agent who regularly updates her Facebook, blog and Twitter posts.

The online arenas give consumers an opportunity to learn more about items they care about while interacting through a business’ website, but comments are directed at other readers instead of the vendors or service providers, Young said.

Visitors to Young’s blog may begin discussing their preference for neighborhoods or their interest in finding a location for their families without asking Young directly, she said.

That makes the blog a useful destination where visitors interested in Glendale homes might find themselves sifting through collections of posts and launching into exchanges with other readers, often leaving them more knowledgeable than they might have otherwise been, Young said.

Consumers have other places where they can discuss homes, but Young’s posts about trends and home market developments that might interest prospective Glendale buyers keep visitors coming back, she said.

Discussion on the Facebook page for Revelation Tops in Montrose has also become popular among customers, co-owner Mary Dawson said.

Dawson posts pictures of new dresses or announcements for special events, which often spurs conversation about what customers may like, dislike or want to reserve.

Without the store’s Facebook page, Twitter account and blog, customers who typically log onto the sites at work or from home might fall out of the loop, Dawson said.

But with regular updates and online comments, customers stay connected, she said.

“They love the little quick communications because it’s quick and painless and fun,” she said.

To my high school buddy Richard Jalichandra, CEO of blog aggregator Technorati (who just launched Twittorati.com): I’m sorry I doubted you.  Not that either of us knew back then which road Twitter would take, but you were confident it would stay on course.  Alas, eating humble pie doesn’t taste so bad when losing a debate actually helps me help my clients realize how Twitter fits into their business.

The solution came to me last week as I received a cell phone call from an  unknown number.  “Hi, Lisa, this is Steve, and I am the Customer Service Manager for Sport Chalet.”  Thinking he was calling about the “Nike Super Speed D 3/4′s” we ordered weeks ago,  I replied, “Are the shoes in?”  Nope. “I’m the customer service manager for Sport Chalet Corporate (!) and I am calling about the problem in our store you mentioned on Twitter last week.”

Panic hit, because some of the Sport Chalet kids know my kids. Feeling like a school-girl caught in a gossip scandal, I blurted out how sorry I was for badmouthing them on Twitter but I had been so frustrated and we really needed the shoes right away and they hadn’t come in yet and no one had followed up and why do they never have our size annd blah blah blah blah blah.  Don’t remember precisely what I said. It’s like getting caught with the smoking gun and your dad is at the other end of the barrel.

Somebody actually read Tweets???? “Hooray” and “OMG” went through my head simultaneously.

In this big wide online world, who would have thought that I could Tweet my frustrations, have them actually get back to Sport Chalet, have them look up my Twitter account, click through to my website, find out my  name, get my cell phone number and call to solve my problem?

But that’s PRECISELY my point. Sport Chalet took the time to read my Tweet,  look up my Twitter account, click through to my website, find out my name, get my cell phone number and call me.  And to apologize and offer to solve the problem. This was no impersonal Twitter DM.  This was a personal phone call from a corporate officer of Sport Chalet!

It hit me that THIS is the real future of Twitter–a direct, personal, one-on-one experience with companies who actually care about customers as individuals.  No more talking to “John” in Mumbai who might pass your ire on to “Sally” in the cubicle next door.  I got Steve at Sport Chalet corporate headquarters, prompted personally by a CEO who has better things to do than worry about a pair of cleats—like run 55 stores.

Sport Chalet cared about ME.  And it felt good, not just personally, but for my clients.  Because now I know exactly how to help them make their Twitter account successful.

It’s not about making money-it’s about creating relationships.  White papers and links to websites are great.  But my experience with Sport Chalet helped me to see that the true value of Twitter for business is to connect with customers and make them feel important. It sure worked on me!