“Five Trigger Points where you can deploy social media as part of a larger unified strategy to help improve your marketing efforts.”

1. Awareness

2. Attention

3. Engagement

4. Execution

5. Extension

The Hamburger Helper reference is genius — traditional marketing vehicles will always be the meat, but the meal is a hell of a lot better seasoned with spices and cheese.

And to take it a step further, most people will get sick of plain old ground beef if it’s served all the time.

Ok, now I’m hungry

More and more brands are flocking to Twitter in an attempt to reach and communicate with their consumers. Though there is a clear debate on whether or not brands and major corporations belong on Twitter and in other social networks, I think everyone can agree that there is no chance these companies are packing it in any time soon. What’s actually refreshing about brands trying their hand at social media – Twitter in particular, is their new found willingness to follow the community rules and guidelines (or perhaps their new found fear of being chastised by its members), and learn from the mistakes of others. At Fanscape, we assist many brands, corporations, advertisers, and personalities in developing their Twitter strategies – and one of the questions we repeatedly get from clients is – “How many times should I Twitter per day?”

Seems like a simple enough question – only the answer is a bit more complicated. I will of course explain to our clients that it’s about finding the right mix between quality and quantity. It’s about providing value to those who follow you. It’s about engaging with the community and responding to their questions, commenting on their tweets, re-tweeting what you find of interest, and relaying compelling messages. Some brands can do this effectively in 2-3 tweets a day, some in 10 or more.

The real answer is – there is no magic number. But for those of us working at marketing agencies, we know that this answer simply isn’t good enough for a client new to this world.

So lately when I’ve been asked this question – I will go through the motions, explain the Twitter etiquette, the engagement value, the importance of communication – and then I will just say 5. Five is the magic number. Brands will learn best practices and how to properly interact with their customers through a process of trial and error. Sure we can guide them down the right path – but they need to jump in head first. The best thing I can provide is a solid, manageable goal – one that will get them started and keep them focused. It may seem overly simple – but the “5 tweet rule” makes it all seem possible.

I will admit I recently was having a conversation with someone about Dairy Queen since I rarely see them around Los Angeles. (Random factoid: a friend of mine just inherited a Dairy Queen store from his grandparents in CO. I know.) Back to the DQ Game, the article talks about how this economy is definitely forcing people to count their pennies and attempt to get more for their buck(s). This game, “What’s Your Deal”, allows customers to “mix and match nine menu items” creating various value combinations. Looking at the screenshot included in the article I already should’ve started running. It looks so elementary and basic. But I had to give it a go and see if this was compelling enough to make me want to find the nearest DQ.

Logging into the game is very simple. Then I get to the instructions and all I have to do is match colors? I play and think things will get difficult as I keep playing, maybe even have a point! Alas, it turns out all I really am doing is matching colors, really not paying attention to the items themselves. If people are “home more often in this economy” playing casual games like this then I weep for the world! I am all for mindless games but this was mindless and pointless! And to top it off I didn’t even get some sort of coupon at the end! All I got was a note to “exercise my right to choose and mix my meal”. Are you kidding me? Share with a Friend button? I shall spare you!

When I understand Twitter I feel young. When I don’t quite get “Call of Duty 4”, I feel old. Then again, I also feel like a girl with better things to do.

My latest feeling ‘old’ or ‘young’ moment happened the other day while reading one of the many emails Media Post sends me daily. This one featured a blog post titled “Engage: Kids 6-11 – At the Forefront of the Era of User Choice and Control”. Now this ongoing blog series is designed to keep me aware of how to engage youth, so I’m already knocking on ‘feelin old’s’ door, but not even one paragraph into the piece, I read something so powerful that I had to stop to write this. It says that today’s 6-11 year-olds can basically get their entertainment anyway they want – through television, video games, merchandise, etc. That is no earth shattering revelation, but then the post concludes by calling us (adults), digital immigrants, and them (kids), digital natives.

I have to admit I stopped reading – basically to write this and reflect on what this means (I did go back and read the entire article…I’m not an idiot). In some ways I’m mad to be seen as an ‘immigrant’ to the digital space, especially since I’m only 26. Computers did have green screens when I first saw them, but we had computer labs, we played Oregon Trail, heck we even had assignments to look up presidential candidate’s web pages to get their stances on the issues. Up until this moment I truly considered myself advanced since I ‘technically’ grew up on computers. But let’s face it – like all emerging technologies, the next version always has more then the previous. By definition I was meant to concede to the generation behind me, and behind them, and so on.

Then I remembered I left out one crucial piece, the ability to keep learning emerging technologies. Sure, a fifth grader can get Harry Potter through his/her computer and master even the most complex video games, and yes they can probably learn how to navigate and utilize these technologies far faster then I. But I actually have the license to drive to the theatre and see the movie…so there.

My point is getting old or staying young…digitally speaking, this is just continuing to learn. And since this is a blog about digital engagement, I’ll take it a step further and commend the brands making an effort to learn and emerge in new technologies. And to the brands that don’t…well you know what happens after you get too old…right?