Networked for Success
1. Tweet for Drinks
Even before Talara opened last spring, its owners were enticing folks to follow the Harbor East restaurant on Twitter with the offer of a free mojito, and inviting them to become Facebook fans. Now Talara cements its fan base by regularly “tweeting” special offers (e.g., bring a ticket stub from a Baltimore concert and get one free tapa), as well as reminders about Ladies Nights and Salsa Nights. “Facebook was an extremely crucial component to our pre-opening marketing. We had over 300 fans before we even opened for business,” says managing partner Nick Rizzo. “The traditional marketing techniques have been to create a brand and push that brand on your target. With these new social networking sites, we no longer have to ‘push’ our concept or brand on anybody— they are all there for us to pull in.” talarabaltimore.com, @talarabaltimore on Twitter, Talara Baltimore on Facebook.
>>Birds of a feather: Café Hon posts enticing daily specials and events through Twitter (@cafehon) and Facebook (Café Hon). Joe Squared tweets upcoming bands and DJs as well as soul, funk and break dancing nights from @joesquared. —Lauren Seibert
2. Breaking News
Newspaper sales might be down, but tweets are up. Last spring, The Baltimore Sun created a seven-person social networking team and, in the space of six weeks, they amassed 5,000 followers on Twitter and more than 1,000 on Facebook. Tweets and wall posts include photos, snappy headlines with links to the full articles and random fun (such as the tweet-inviting lead, “You know you’re in Baltimore when…”). Sun reporters also use these sites to sniff out ideas for articles. On its official Web site, The Sun works the blog angle, asking tough questions that invite reader response (see Peter Hermann’s “Baltimore Crime Beat” for the death penalty debate). “The news used to be, pass the newspaper across the table and say, ‘Hey, look at this article,’” says Julie Scharper, The Sun’s community coordinator. “But now, through social media, we’re able to do the same thing by passing stories along to hundreds of thousands of friends or contacts.” baltimoresun.com, @baltimoresun on Twitter, The Baltimore Sun on Facebook.
>>Birds of a feather: Check out Baltimore City Paper on Facebook and on Twitter (@city_paper). An artsy black-and-white street photo in the background sets its Twitter page apart from the rest, with tweets covering everything from concert recommendations to news blurbs. And radio station WYPR-FM 88.1 tweets news updates, upcoming talks and online auctions for tickets and more (@wypr on Twitter). —L.S.
3. Siren Song
“UPDATE ON FIGHT AGAINST BAD GUYS w/ GUNS: As of today, 598 people arrested for illegal guns; 1,285 illegal guns seized from city streets,” blares one tweet, capital letters demanding attention. “SHOOTING, 1400 MOUNT, ADULT MALE SHOT,” announces another. Against a bold background of police badges, the Baltimore Police Department’s Twitter page broadcasts crime alerts in real time. Aiming to engage the plugged-in community as partners in the crime fight, the police also post videos on YouTube, update their Web site’s searchable “Crime Map” and use the Metro Crime Stoppers site to gather anonymous tips. “It does help us fight crime, because it helps us let people know what’s going on in the city,” says Anthony Guglielmi, chief of public affairs. “A year from now, it’s not going to be this remote thing— it’s going to be a standard. Every law enforcement agency is going to have to have some type of presence in the social networking community.” http://www.baltimorepolice.org, @BaltimorePolice on Twitter, Baltimore Police Department on Facebook.
>>Birds of a feather: The Baltimore City Fire Department is on Facebook, posting photos of fire scenes. —L.S.
4. Artist as Networker
Robert McClintock is everywhere. With his website, MySpace and Facebook pages and Twitter account, the 51-year-old Baltimore artist uses social networking to weave a giant web of online connections. “When it comes down to it, it’s all related,” he says. “But I don’t want to put all my eggs in one basket.” The artist’s Twitter/Facebook tactics are pretty tongue-in-cheek, mixing event announcements with posts like “tweet” and “Would someone tell me the value of you knowing where I am?” Based on the success of his Facebook and Twitter pages (he gets three to four new Facebook friends a day), McClintock believes it’s worth keeping up with social networking. “Because of all this activity that I’m getting, it’s making me take a much more serious look at it,” he says. “I am seeing a lot of people showing up, so I’m not writing it off like I used to.” On his Web site, customers can browse galleries, read about upcoming events and sign up for a monthly e-mail list (currently reaching 4,000 people) for a chance to win a free art print. robertmcclintock.com, @ robtmcclintock on Twitter, Robert McClintock on Facebook and MySpace.
>>Birds of a feather: Jah Works, a Baltimore six-person reggae band with roots in Jamaican dance hall, is on Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. The band tweets updates about new albums and creates Facebook events for upcoming gigs. Jah Works on Facebook and myspace.com and @jahworks on Twitter. —L.S.
5. Visitors Welcome
“We didn’t just want to tell the Inner Harbor story,” says Tom Rowe, director of Web marketing at Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association, and one of the head designers of the new and cutting-edge visitmybaltimore.com. “We wanted to tap into the knowledge of the residents and let them help tell the fuller Baltimore story.” A social media aggregator, visitmybaltimore.com encourages local folks to connect their personal feeds (on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, etc.) to the site, creating a collage of what’s happening in Baltimore told by Baltimoreans themselves. That’s not the only unconventional tactic BACVA uses to promote the city. Last February, after being excluded from a race between Chicago and Portland to get 3,000 Twitter followers, Rowe and friend Ryan Goff, a word-of-mouth marketing specialist at MGH advertising, challenged themselves to beat both cities. As an incentive to prospective Twitter followers, Goff promised to get a tattoo of the Twitter “fail whale” if BACVA reached its goal. Indeed, BACVA’s Twitter account added 1,300 followers in one night to reach the 3,000 mark before both Chicago and Portland; they also became a “trend topic” on Twitter both the night of the race and the night Rowe got the tattoo at Saints and Sinners in Fells Point, a process aired live on U-STREAM.com. “It was a great experience,” says Rowe. “And, of course, we got a lot of good attention for free.” visitmybaltimore.com, @BaltimoreMd on Twitter, Baltimore MD on Facebook. —Emma Brodie
6. Tuneful Tweets
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra has trained the Twitter bird to tweet its tune… literally. The BSO posts playful clues that lead concertgoers to secret locations where they can receive free tickets. Early this summer, folks followed clues such as, “When I say what food they serve, people think I’m saying ‘topless,’” and, “If you haven’t figured out the secret location yet, it’s a tasty 4-letter word,” to Pazo, where the first to arrive received a free dinner for two and concert tickets to Hilary Hahn. The symphony started its Twitter contests in April in advance of a sold-out show featuring the BSO playing with Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio. “We had heard on a radio station that they were doing a similar sort of contest,” says Sarah Haller, public relations coordinator for the BSO. “Since then, we’ve gotten a ton of new followers and, what’s more, another avenue to reach our patrons.” The BSO currently has more than 1,000 followers, all of whom were invited to solve clues— “Which 1992 film led to a spike in Queen album sales?”— to win tickets to the BSO’s summer performance of the music of legendary rock band Queen. Bsomusic.org, @BaltSymphony on Twitter; Baltimore Symphony Orchestra on Facebook.
>>Birds of a feather: Tweets from the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore (@Marylandzoo) offer fun facts about prairie dogs and the Walters Art Museum’s feature “Art of the Day” provides a new picture with each tweet. @walters_museum on Twitter. —E.B.
7. Lighting a Candle
Watch out media moguls, Dave and Sue Adams, owners of Candles Off Main in Annapolis, have their own up-and-coming multimedia empire that’s run, conveniently, right out of their store. “Our sales were down in the fourth quarter of 2008, so we knew we had to do something for 2009,” says Sue Adams. “We’d always been involved with the Internet but it wasn’t until last January that we started using Facebook, Twitter and doing the Web show. Since then, Web site sales are back up and the best part is everything we’ve done online is free.” More than 50 five- to seven-minute episodes of their homespun mini-show, “The Main Event,” are streaming over YouTube, Viddler and UStream. Episodes range from in-depth explorations of a single product to a weekly installment highlighting the previous week’s top sellers. “We’re trying to be everywhere our customers are so we can reach them without them having to come to us,” says Sue. “It’s inspiring when you run a small business to see how many accessible ways there are to stay connected.” Candlesoffmain.com, @candlesoffmain on Twitter, Candles off Main on Facebook.
>>Birds of a feather: Baltimore boutiques Wee Chic, Cupcake, Handbags in the City and Lilac Bijoux post pictures of merchandise and news on their Facebook pages, as well as offer a place for customers to discuss products (weechic.com, handbagsinthecity.com, bijouxjewels.com). Also, old-fashioned hardware store Lombard Hardware & Tool Rental has a presence on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook, showing off its stained glass as well as its store and customers. (@lombardhardware on Twitter) —E.B.
8. Savvy Sage
“Facebook keeps you in touch with people you know, and Twitter connects you with people you didn’t know you needed to know,” says Tracy Gosson, president of the business and economic development marketing firm Sagesse Inc. and nothing short of Baltimore’s Twitter guru. Gosson has more than 1,285 followers (the Baltimore Orioles have just 635) and follows about 1,000 folks herself, so it’s no wonder that Gosson knows what’s going on in Baltimore. Gosson’s tweets are intelligent, wry and charming— “If you’re not infusing some personality in your posts, no one’s going to follow you,” she says. Through Twitter, Gosson has made countless professional contacts, hired a virtual assistant and virtually met a neighbor before she met her in person. “It’s like virtual cocktail networking,” she says. “Only it allows you to network with a ton of people.”sagesseinc.com, @SagesseInc on Twitter —E.B.
>>Birds of a feather: Renee Lemley, a local marketing consultant, social networking enthusiast and writer, tweets from @usegraymatter, blogs at graymatterminute.com and is on Facebook at Renee Lemley.
9. Watch Dogs
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is redefining the term “watchdog.” with its Web cam, which, during business hours, allows outsiders to check in on two dog kennels in the facility. “In the early days of the Internet, there was a Web site called puppycam and they were going to install cameras in our shelter. That never came to be, but the idea kind of stuck with us,” says David Drake, director of development and marketing for MD-SPCA. “We wanted something that would bring people back and make them stay longer, and we thought videos of animals would be the perfect thing.” MD-SPCA has bonded with Twitter, tweeting frequently about a range of subjects, from a particularly cute puppy mill poodle dancing in her kennel, to Mariah, the three-legged wonder kitty that needs a home, to the “500 Free Cats” promotion (which resulted in adoptions for 297 of the total 573 cats in shelters citywide). Mdspca.org, @mdspca on Twitter, Maryland SPCA on Facebook.
>>Birds of a feather: Other Baltimore nonprofits on the Web include the Baltimore Humane Society (baltimorehumane.org), tweeting adoption and event updates (@baltimorehumane on Twitter).
10. Tweety Birds
Yes, both the Ravens and the Orioles are up and running on Twitter and Facebook. “We’re taking advantage of new technology, especially reaching a younger demographic,” says director of public relations Monica Barlow. “The Internet enables us to communicate with our fans pretty much instantly, enabling us to get in touch with what fans are saying, whether it’s concerning a roster move or a win or a loss. It gives them the ability to have input and for us to get their feedback.” Fans can buy tickets on Facebook, find official updates, and, for an extra hoot, post pictures of games and other team-related events in the fans’ section. Additionally, some Ravens and Orioles fans tweet on unofficial blogs, updating fellow fans about scores, rosters, schedules and sometimes even outs by the inning. The Ravens are @1winningdrive on Twitter and Orioles are Baltimore Orioles on Facebook and @birdlandinsider on Twitter.
>>Birds of a feather: Other sports teams following the flock include the Baltimore Blast, Baltimore’s indoor soccer team, whose Twitter updates (@BaltimoreBlast) offer fans scores, events and personal greetings. College teams also have taken wing, such as the Johns Hopkins lacrosse team (@hopkinsbluejay), whose goofball posts and informative updates keep fans in the loop. —E.B.
