Twitter

MH900053611After the tragic Boston Marathon bombings took place, everyone within our nation and abroad was immediately aware of what took place. Within just a week's time, authorities, officials and the media worked around the clock to solve the crime and inform the people. Now that we can reflect on what took place, there is definitely some discussion on what news sources were the most credible throughout the whole process. Where did you turn to for your news on the Boston Marathon bombings? If you paid close attention to the news reports throughout the crisis, you probably noticed that you were receiving information at a much faster rate than any other previous crises. Not to mention, you were probably seeking/receiving it from multiple sources, including social media. In the age of social media, we are used to getting our information now. In situations like the Boston bombings, the added pressure of the rapid pace at which social media churns information had traditional (and respected) news media all a flurry.
RightSliceWe “like” The Right Slice. On Facebook. And otherwise.  The company makes deep dish pies with hand-rolled butter crusts filled to the brim with local Kaua`i ingredients. They’ve got a nice website and are astute in their social media interaction. Recently, they placed an offer on their Facebook page asking for “volunteers” to test a bake-at-home pie and provide feedback about their experience.
kukuigroveThis post is brought to you by guest columnist Jonell Kaohelaulii, Marketing Manager at Kukui Grove Center. Located in Lihue, Kauai.  Kukui Grove Center offers more than 60 shops and restaurants. Social networking has been a part of the customer service and shopping experience at Kukui Grove Center for over a year.  Our presence on Twitter, Facebook, Posterous, and other social media sites has allowed us to expand our online reach, beyond traditional website capabilities, to build relationships and communicate with our customers about services, sales, merchants, and community events. We utilize social media to increase Kukui Grove’s advertising exposure at every opportunity.  After a year of creating a database of online followers and fans, we decided to test Kukui Grove’s social media reach initially by promoting a new Toddler Thursday event via our Twitter and Facebook pages. The results were amazing!  Attendance increased each week.  Recently, we garnered our largest turnout of more than 81 toddlers thus, providing valuable entertainment for our weekday consumers and increasing pedestrian traffic for our merchants.
blk_dots_white1_400x372We’ve just completed a round of holidays and most of us have spent a good amount of time with friends, family, and co-workers in the process of celebrating.  Though holiday get-togethers can sometimes be stressful, it’s important to recognize how very important they are.  “Psychology Today” recently reported that “In surveys to determine the factors that contribute most to human happiness, respondents consistently rate connection to friends and family-love, intimacy, social affiliation-above wealth or fame, even above physical health...Loneliness isn’t about being alone; it’s about not feeling connected.”
Self-Storage-for-Business1We’ve found that while many are calling this a “challenging economy,” many businesses are making the best of the times.  So, if we all can put ourselves in the mindset that challenges are opportunities waiting to be unearthed, then here are three free PR tips for maximizing the times. 1)    Clean up and clear out.  Clutter is useless and takes up space that could be better used.  Having stacks of old things around is also unattractive.  Give your customers, your employees, and yourself more room to move around and a nice, organized space in which to work.  Be merciless about the clearing.  Donate items that you can no longer use to a nonprofit that might be able to use them.  Recycle what you can.  If there are things you absolutely cannot part with, organize them, label them, and put them in storage.  A cleaner, clearer workspace will make everyone feel better – your customers, your employees, and you, and it will symbolically provide the needed open space for useful, and perhaps moneymaking things and ideas.
hot-chocolateOk, so we've blogged about Twitter and its benefits a few times before But as we Tweet more and more, it's amazing to see how Twitter has opened up a whole new meaning to communication, connectivity, and customer service. First of all, Twitter gives you a one-degree separation between you and the people and businesses on Twitter. Move out of the way, Kevin Bacon, Twitter's got you beat!  It's so easy to Tweet your favorite celebrity, reporter, business, and so on. Of course you'll need to do a little investigating (quick Google search) to make sure the user you're tweeting is the "real" person or business you're looking for (versus imposters). And, many times, they will reply back to you. We've tweeted to and received replies from Al Roker, KGMB9 News, Starbucks, Zippy's, and Andy Bumatai, to name a few. So cool! We know it's cheesy to be star struck, but we don't care...we LOVE it!  As a frequent Starbucks drinker, I was thrilled and very impressed with the prompt response I got when I tweeted @Starbucks a question one day. In terms of brand loyalty, can you imagine how my original warm-and-fuzzy feelings for my favorite coffee stop got even warmer and fuzzier (and led to more visits and purchases)?
twitter-blackTwitter, the social networking micro-blogging service, is gaining popularity like wildfire. Everyone from celebrities, news entities, politicians, businesses, non-profit organizations, and individuals like you and me, are using Twitter to connect with their publics.  According to mashable.com, Twitter has an expected 1,192 percent annual growth rate.  That's astounding!  On Kauai, businesses such as No Ka Oi Landscape Service (@NKOLandscape), The Grand Hyatt Kauai (@GHKPoipu), Deja Vu Surf Hawaii (@dejavusurf), and more are tweeting about the latest news and activities in their companies and industries, and even offering exclusive tips and deals for their tweeting customers (check out Bubba Burger @Bubba_Burger). 
twitter_treeThere's new meaning to the phrase, "a little bird told me..."  Twitter, the social networking and micro-blogging service describes itself as "a service for friends, family, and co-workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?"  But Twitter has gone far beyond friends, family and co-workers.