Bridget Willard | SaaS Marketing Agency

Category: Branding, Marketing, Advertising

  • Why San Antonio Businesses Should Bother With The X Platform (Twitter)

    While talking with a friend a few months back, raving about my research into how many people might be using Twitter here in Alamo City she said,

    “But Bridget, why would any San Antonio Business bother with Twitter?” 

    To that, I replied, “How much time do you have?” (I have a tendency to launch into TEDTalks.)

    She wasn’t questioning my reasoning – she believes in the power of Twiter for small businesses. After all, that is precisely how we met back in 2015. As a former resident of San Antonio, she says, “San Antonio is the biggest small town you’ll ever know. Everything here is a handshake and who you know.” 

    To me, that reinforces why a small business in San Antonio should use Twitter. Either, you’re part of that “it’s who you know” club and you can use Twitter to amplify the word-of-mouth you already have, or you’re new to San Antonio and you need to stand out to even be competitive.

    “Twitter offers a different model however to YouTube and Facebook but it still has enormous potential to support a thriving and innovative ecosystem of users, business and media outlets and to enable them to engage in discussion on topics relevant and important to them.” (Curran et al) (1)

    How Many People Move to San Antonio Every Year?

    As of March 1, 2020, Census data reports that 1,434,625 people live in San Antonio. It’s the 7th largest city in the US. Yes. We are in the top 10 and that’s part of the reason why I moved here and started by LLC here (I was previously freelancing). I wanted to live in a city, not a suburb, and enjoy my quiet, walkable Southtown Life for the rest of my days. (Yep, I even got a Texas tattoo!) 

    “Greater San Antonio is a region of choice. Military, blue collar, white collar, hikers, bikers, students, foodies, animal lovers, tech-heads — people from all walks — love living here.” greater:SATX

    Whether people grew up here in Texas or were based here during their Military career, people love San Antonio and even move here from other counties in Texas. According to a 2020 KENS5 article, 66 people move to San Antonio every day. That means that approximately 24,000 people move to San Antonio every year. That’s a lot of people! We’re projected to add another million to our population by 2040.

    “The San Antonio area is now home to more than 1.5 million people and the city’s population is projected to add 1 million more by 2040.” TPR

    How Many Businesses are in San Antonio?

    There are 117,546 businesses in San Antonio, and 44,295 of those are women-owned according to Census data. (You go, girl!) That tells us that about 8% of the population owns a business here in San Antonio. 

    So, if 8% of the population are business owners, and 24,000 people move here every year, it’s reasonable to say about 1,920 new businesses are coming to San Antonio every year. When you count the surrounding area, it could be much higher. According to greater:SATX’s Q3 2021 report for Bexar County (pronounced “bear”), 34% of the businesses here have 1-4 employees. Thirty-four percent! WOW!

    “San Antonio and Bexar County are home to approximately 34,000 small businesses and approximately 145,000 sole proprietorships. These small businesses and sole proprietors account for 34% of the local workforce.“ COSA

    How will you compete when you’re the new business in Alamo City? 

    Will you rely upon word-of-mouth, Meetups, Billboards, or Instagram to build your business in San Antonio? Those are all fine. And, of course, you should join the Chamber of Commerce. We have 4-6 chambers of commerce here in San Antonio. I’m part of the North SA Chamber along with Rhonda Negard of Fat Dog Creatives – another San Antonio business that relocated here. 

    But when you consider the time and effort needed to grow your brand awareness, Twitter is the best tool for small business owners – hands down. Well, right next to your website. (You have a website, right?)

    My real estate client in Phoenix had doubts about shifting our marketing budget from Facebook to Twitter – until he saw the numbers. By the way, I wrote a case study about that. Would you like 600 people to see your Facebook post or 4,000 people to see your tweet?

    To me the answer is clear.

    Do People in San Antonio Even Tweet?

    Yes, people in San Antonio tweet. Ever seen the news here? The anchors have Twitter accounts, they even show screenshots of tweets on the news. Even Spurs Coyote tweets. Rhonda Negard uses Twitter because of emergencies as well. Admittedly, she is my friend and a Twitter convert.

    During the freeze of 2021, I was live Tweeting about the boil water notice (I was watching the meeting on Facebook). She heard about it from me a good hour before SAWS tweeted. 

    Back on Topic – Do People Tweet in San Antonio?

    Yes, people in San Antonio tweet. Have I said that enough yet? In my article, “How Many People Tweet in San Antonio,” I came up with these answers. 

    • Approximately 255,296 adults in San Antonio use Twitter.
    • Approximately 329,264 adults in Bexar County use Twitter.
    • Approximately 383,538 adults in the Tri-County area use Twitter.

    According to HubSpot, the average Twitter user follows five businesses. That seems low to me, but let’s accept that number as truth. Why shouldn’t your business be one of those five? Why would you deny yourself the opportunity to engage with a quarter of a million people who follow brands on Twitter?

    “Twitter is an undeniably powerful platform to increase your business’s online reach. The average Twitter user follows five businesses, and 80% of all Twitter users have mentioned a brand in a Tweet.” HubSpot 

    Okay, fine, Bridget. I get it. How will anyone even notice me?

    How Do You Cut Through the Noise and Get Noticed in San Antonio?

    The best way to cut through the noise on Twitter and get noticed in San Antonio is to do three things:

    1. Create Twitter lists and engage with those people.
    2. Follow and use hashtags like #SATX, #AlamoCity, #SouthtownSATX, etc.
    3. Reply to Tweets. The Retweet Button is lazy. I said what I said.

    I have a simple 3-2-1 plan for Twitter.

    Every day log into Twitter during the morning.

    • Follow 3 new people (and list them).
    • Reply to 2 tweets.
    • Write 1 original tweet.

    If you want to level up, do that after lunch, too. You should be able to do this consistently in 15 to 20 minutes each day. You get faster at it. Believe me. You will. Then you’ll write me a letter telling me how much it changed your life. Or you’ll send a tweet. Or write a LinkedIn Recommendation. 

    “Bridget’s Twitter coaching has been transformational.

    I used to use Facebook exclusively and avoided Twitter at all costs. After a single session with Bridget, I understood exactly how to wrangle Twitter and make it work for my business.

    Now Twitter is a key part of my social media marketing. I’m building relationships and growing my online visibility. I even, I dare say, prefer it to Facebook somedays!

    If you’ve ever wondered how to get more out of your existing social media presence, reach out to Bridget. She is a wealth of knowledge and practical experience.” Jocelyn Mozak, deceased

    The only way Bridget Willard, LLC can compete as a marketing agency in the 7th largest city in America is because of Twitter and the relationships I built with people before I moved here and since I moved here.

    “Twitter provides a platform for businesses to see what customers really feel about their own brand and also their competitors and in near real time. In addition to this Twitter allows businesses to connect directly in near real time with customers, which gives them the opportunity to build and enhance customer relationships. More businesses are using Twitter as a research, marketing and customer support tool.” (Curran et al) (1)

    Are You Ready to Learn Twiter for Your Business, San Antonio?

    If you’re ready to learn (or re-learn) Twitter, I have a free course, right here on my website that goes step-by-step. It will not only show you how to use Twitter but the WHY behind the HOW – which is often not taught. 

    Once you’re finished with that, you may appreciate my short book, “The Definitive Guide to Twitter Marketing (I Double Dog Dare You To Try It)” available on Amazon. 

    Once you start using Twitter, follow me. I would love to get to know you.

    Article Citation

    1. Curran, Kevin & O’Hara, Kevin & O’Brien, Sean. (2011). The Role of Twitter in the World of Business. IJBDCN. 7. 1-15. 10.4018/jbdcn.2011070101. 

  • Why It’s Important to Be Part of Your Local Community – Even the Press

    So I’ve lived here in San Antonio for just over a year now and have been featured in two articles by San Antonio Magazines. Why? I’m convinced it is because of my active and local presence in the online and offline community. And when I say “presence,” I mean this: I interact with the local community online. This means I comment on posts from businesses on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and, of course, Twitter. 

    I’m also a member of quite a few local community groups on Facebook. This is all very helpful when the press wants to reach out for a story. They have deadlines, too.

    So why should you be part of your local community and take advantage of seemingly fluff pieces and press opportunities?

    San Antonio Report’s Where I Live Series

    Shortly before Fiesta happened here in 2021 (scheduled for June last year), I was contacted through Instagram by the San Antonio Report. They have a series called “Where I Live” that talks about the different neighborhoods here in Alamo City. Of course, since I live in Lavaca, that wasn’t covered yet. Right place. Right time.

    That article was published on May 1, 2021, and I love that I had just put up my Fiesta banner for the balcony photo!

    “The Where I Live series aims to showcase our diverse city and region by spotlighting its many vibrant neighborhoods. Each week a local resident invites us over and lets us in on what makes their neighborhood special. Have we been to your neighborhood yet? Get in touch to share your story.” San Antonio Report 

    Voyage’s Inspiring Stories Series

    Back in April of 2021, I was contacted by ​​Stephanie Rodriguez of Voyage LA to be part of their Inspiring Stories features. I mentioned that I moved to San Antonio and then was contacted Camila Sanchez in December. That article was published on January 5, 2022.  

    Is it an in-depth piece from a local news station? No. And by the way, most of those news interviews are paid promotions. Personal branding and brand awareness for your company don’t come cheaply, so take advantage of these types of media opportunities when you can. 

    Below are five tips on how to be a good subject for a press or podcast interview.

    Tip 1 – Try Not to Copy/Paste Your Same Boring Story

    Each press interview is different. Some will call and interview over the phone like the San Antonio Report did. Voyage sent me a link to answer questions. Sure, I’ve answered “my story” questions before like for Cloudways, WPFounders, and a ton of video podcasts. It would be easy to copy and paste from a Google Doc. But we evolve, our story evolves, and the questions are different. Cutting and pasting answers will be really boring. That’s the opposite of interesting.

    When you have an opportunity for an interview by the press – especially in your local community – localize your answers as much as possible. 

    For example, The San Antonio Report asked me why I chose my neighborhood. This is an opportunity for me to name-drop my favorite Mexican Restaurant.

    “I chose to live in Lavaca because of its walkability and proximity to Rosario’s. While on vacation, I went to Rosario’s after a suggestion from Google maps based on a restaurant I liked in California, and it did not disappoint. The Griselda’s tacos are amazing – so good I knew I had to live nearby so I could visit often. I like that I can go sit at the bar and have lunch and some drinks, chat with the bartenders, and watch some football.“

    The Voyage chose to ask me about my struggle as a business owner – which I am always happy to talk about. That’s always an opportunity for an interesting answer.

    “There have been tears. Many tears. And I have a therapist to work through these things as well as a few close friends in the business. You can’t control what happens within a client’s internal structure. You can’t convince them to believe in Twitter. What you can do, is understand yourself.” Bridget Willard

    Tip 2 – Be Helpful, Be Available, and Be Interesting 

    Back in the day when I worked in construction, I signed up on HARO (Help a Reporter Out) to be a source. I may do that again. I should do that again. The point is that being a helpful, available, and interesting source in your local community will only increase press inquiries. It also doesn’t hurt your brand awareness to be listed in the “news” section of a Google Search. I’m personally working on that as well. (Twitter won’t verify your account unless you’re “noteworthy.” Apparently, I’m not “noteworthy” enough.)

    Making friends with the press isn’t a bad thing. Join your local Chamber, attend volunteer and ribbon-cutting events. Have distinct opinions that make you a good interview – and this can also go for podcasting. But that would be another topic. If you don’t have an opinion, there’s nothing to talk about. I used to joke with my friend Jen Miller about how our show was a bit boring since we agree too often – except for the Oxford Comma. (Don’t even get me started. Or her. HA!)

    Tip 3 – Recommend Other Sources for Local Interviews

    It could be said that this is a side tip for Tip 2. Be helpful by recommending other people the press can interview. For Voyage, I recommended Fat Dog Creatives and Zen, Sweat and Cheers. For San Antonio Report, I’ve made suggestions for “Where I Work” and introductions through email. I’ve also done with this when I see podcasters looking for guests. Suggest other people, they’ll always be happy to invite you as well. Whichever order it comes, be helpful. 

    Tip 4 – Ensure You Have Background Info At the Ready

    Whether it’s an official Press Kit or an up-to-date bio in the third person on your website, be sure to have background info at the ready. Most press interviews – and podcasts – will want your official headshot, additional interesting photos, as well as short or long bios. It’s much easier and reads more consistently across the internet if you’re using the same language and style. This is where copy/paste works well for you.

    Tip 5 – Good Interviewees Share Their Interviews On Social Media

    If you want to be a good interviewee (or a good podcast guest) then you’ll want to share those interviews online. And not just once, either. Keep sharing those links. Do it in different ways. Mix up the share with quotes, not just headlines. Write a blog post linking to that show (or those like I’m doing now). As altruistic as we all want to believe we are, reaching out to guests is a way of extending our brand. Why wouldn’t it be the same with the local community press? 

    How Will You Be Part of Your Local Community and Press in 2022?

    How much you want to be found online depends upon you. Twitter, interviews, organic backlinks, name dropping is all part of your long-term goals of brand recognition. I started my first Twitter account in 2007. All of this didn’t happen overnight. So how will you start the ball rolling?

  • How Many People Use The X Platform (Twitter) in San Antonio?

    Since I’ve moved to San Antonio in 2020, I’ve been following and talking to businesses here. Actually, I’ve been managing Rhonda Negard’s Twitter account since before I moved. I’m always building Twitter Lists for local businesses, so my heart has been in Alamo City for quite a while. But I digress.

    As I talk to business owners and local folks, I’ve been quite surprised at how few businesses use Twitter here in San Antonio or believe it to be useful in their marketing stack.

    So I thought I would do a bit of digging to see what the potential audience is for those in San Antonio on Twitter. I used Census data and information from Pew Research.

    So, How Many People Use Twitter in San Antonio?

    According to the Census, 1,547,253 people live in San Antonio, Texas, 25% of which are under the age of 18. That leaves 1,160,439 adults.

    Pew Research shows that 22% of American adults use Twitter.

    It’s reasonable, then, to project that 255,296 adults in San Antonio use Twitter.

    Why Should I Care About Twitter Users?

    Twitter users are a different demographic. People who choose Twitter are slightly different than other social media users, according to Pew Research. They spend time on Twitter to read and engage. They’re learning, researching. They are looking to make connections. I have had the same experience managing client Twitter accounts since 2009.

    You don’t have to care about Twitter. But you should ask yourself if you care about that demographic. Can your business afford to not reach 250,000 people who are highly educated with a higher income than the US population at large? Can your San Antonio business afford to ignore the social media users who believe in true diversity and inclusion?

    “The analysis indicates that the 22% of American adults who use Twitter are representative of the broader population in certain ways, but not others. Twitter users are younger, more likely to identify as Democrats, more highly educated and have higher incomes than U.S. adults overall. Twitter users also differ from the broader population on some key social issues. For instance, Twitter users are somewhat more likely to say that immigrants strengthen rather than weaken the country and to see evidence of racial and gender-based inequalities in society. But on other subjects, the views of Twitter users are not dramatically different from those expressed by all U.S. adults.” Pew Research

    Do You Think 250k People are Tweeting in San Antonio?

    Of course not. That’s only an estimate based upon the Census data available to us and Pew Research’s 22%. Thanks to privacy laws, it’s not entirely possible to know how many people in San Antonio have Twitter accounts, or how many are duplicated (I have three accounts myself). 

    About 10% of people (users) create most (80%) of the tweets. However, that doesn’t mean that people aren’t looking at Twitter.

    People see screenshots of tweets in text messages, on Facebook, and on Instagram. It’s also possible to view tweets in a Google search, as well as hear and see tweets read aloud on talk radio, sports radio, network, and cable TV, and so on.

    According to this site that reports real-time data, San Antonio is Number 10 in cities that tweet at the time of this writing (December 15, 2021, at 1:57 PM Central Time). There are more tweets here right now than in Austin or San Diego. Houston and Dallas are a bit ahead of us. 

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    How Many People Tweet in Austin, Houston, or Dallas?

    If we keep the 22% of adults number who tweet, we can easily compare these numbers to other cities in Texas by their census data. San Antonio is only second to Houston. 

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    How Many People Tweet in the Greater San Antonio Area?

    The Greater San Antonio area comprised of Bexar, Comal, and Guadalupe County has a population of about 2.3 million people. Of those, 1.7 million are adults, and likey there are 383,538 people in the Greater San Antonio Area who tweet. That’s a lot of eyeballs not seeing your business on Twitter.

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    Who Tweets in San Antonio?

    Almost every part of the government, including utilities, museums, universities, big companies, and news stations and anchors use Twitter. Other people who tweet are small businesses, social media & marketing folks, podcasters & gamers, as well as politicians & realtors. 

    Do a few hashtag searches and you’re bound to find some folks to follow and engage with. With this SparkToro audience, the top three accounts people are engaged with include Keep SA Real, SA Tomorrow, and Liberty Bar.

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    It’s interesting that the most engaging podcast is Making it Up as I Go, City of San Antonio YouTube Channel, and My SA as far as news goes.

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    SparkToro’s Listing of Top Twitter Accounts that Talk about San Antonio 

    Top 20 Accounts to Follow in San Antonio, TX

    1. https://twitter.com/mySA
    2. https://twitter.com/COSAGOV
    3. https://twitter.com/SAcurrent
    4. https://twitter.com/ksatnews
    5. https://twitter.com/News4SA
    6. https://twitter.com/SanAntonioMag
    7. https://twitter.com/VisitSanAntonio
    8. https://twitter.com/KENS5
    9. https://twitter.com/PuroSanAntonio
    10. https://twitter.com/FiestaSA
    11. https://twitter.com/centrosa
    12. https://twitter.com/sachamber
    13. https://twitter.com/HistoricPearl
    14. https://twitter.com/SABizJournal
    15. https://twitter.com/SA2020
    16. https://twitter.com/HEB
    17. https://twitter.com/BexarCounty
    18. https://twitter.com/KABBFOX29
    19. https://twitter.com/SAReport
    20. https://twitter.com/JulianCastro

    Is there a Hashtag for San Antonio?

    Yes of course there are local hashtags for San Antonio. The hashtag I most commonly use for San Antonio is #SATX. Though, I use #SomosSATX sometimes. People also use #SanAntonio, #GoSpursGo, #Spurs, #UTSA, and #KSATNews.

    According to SparkToro’s database, 1,293 people in the Greater San Antonio Area use the #SATX hashtag. That shows plenty of opportunities since 380,000 adults are estimated to use Twitter here. 

    What does that mean for you or your business? 

    It means you have a huge potential to grow your audience on social and help your SEO efforts.

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    Are You Ready to Learn Twitter?

    The numbers speak for themselves and your San Antonio-based business should be using Twitter in its marketing efforts. So the only question is: are you ready to learn Twitter?

    Along with my book on Amazon, I have a free Twitter course for small businesses. So there’s no reason not to start learning to use Twitter for your small business today.

    What do you have to lose?

    More Links

  • How I Work — My Twitter Management Process

    I decided to write a bit more about my processes here at Bridget Willard, LLC. I started as a freelancer back in 2017, and now that I have vendors and an LLC, I’m a marketing agency. But I still do the work — one of my mottos. In the last article of this series, I talked about my SEO copywriting services.

    Maybe you heard through the grapevine that Bridget Willard manages Twitter accounts for brands. It’s true. I shed light on my process in this article.

    With all of my being, I believe Twitter to be the best social media platform for driving traffic to your website. I wrote The Definitive Guide to Twitter Marketing which is available as a blog post or a book. I also offer a free course if you want to learn to do it better yourself.

    Do You Discount Your Twitter Packages?

    Aside from businesses in San Antonio, TX getting 20% off automatically, I do not discount my Twitter packages. They’re already competitively priced. 

    Do You Have a Pitch Deck for your Twitter Management?

    The answer, for now, is no. I do have a video though — made a while back while I was blonde and heavier and a Californian.

    Do You Promise Results from Twitter Management?

    Since each client has different marketing budgets and business goals, it’s a challenge to promise results. With that said, my hope is that after three months of the Twitter Pro Plan, there is a 10% lift to website traffic. Together, we can work to promote the right things to the right audience to support your business goals. 

    How Do You Feel About Emjoi?

    It’s controversial but I don’t believe in using emoji as a replacement for a word. Emoji present accessibility issues for low-vision folks as well as aged eyes since they don’t enlarge. Sadly, there are too many tweets with emoji as bullet points. Emoji are great for decoration. GIFs are better for many reasons — one of which is that it adds to the length of the tweet. 

    How Do You Feel About Hashtags?

    Most people think hashtags are more powerful than they are. What they’re good for is discovery. So you’ll want to use keyword-like words. Think about general categories. They’re also good for threading conversations like for a Twitter chat.

    Do You Take Competing Products?

    While I manage your Twitter marketing, I don’t take on competing products.

    What Is the Turnaround Time for Curation?

    I’d rather underpromise and over-deliver. Let’s say seven working days.

    How Is the Client Twitter Calendar Built?

    Both Pro and Basic Plans include the editorial calendar on Google Sheets. Every third tweet goes to your website, so I defer to the copy written on the blog, landing page, or YouTube descriptions and reviews.

    The other two tweets are curated based upon topics adjacent to your business. For example, if your customer base is in Insurance, that will be one of the topics. The third topic across all of my clients is the professional development category. This includes tweets from accounts like Harvard Business Review on leadership, technology, and remote work.

    Do You Write All of the Tweets?

    Yes. I write all of the tweets. The two tweets that come from other accounts are generally RT-style retweets. When writing tweets that lead to your website, I defer to the copy there. Meaning, I find a quote from the words on your website and copy/passte with a link and hashtags. I may slightly edit to create a call to action.

    It’s important that my clients understand they have me personally working on their accounts. When you hire me you get me; you don’t get an intern and you don’t get automation. 

    I use Hootsuite to schedule your tweets and Twitter’s iOS app for monitoring. So I will need access to your account.

    How Many Hours Do You Work On My Twitter Account?

    I don’t charge by the hour because that would be cost-prohibitive. Since I am managing many accounts, I curate at the same time. In my job costing efforts, I know that I spend about two hours a day on each account. Social media isn’t a 9-5 job so I check notifications during my waking hours of 7:00 AM – 10:00 PM Central (Texas) Time. 

    What About Twitter Management Reporting?

    All Twitter clients get basic reporting. It’s a Google Sheet with basic stats that come from Twitter’s internal analytics. I share insights in real-time in Slack/Email/WhatsApp/Discord (however we communicate). This style works best since I’m brought on as another member of the marketing team. Your Marketing Manager will likely put together better-looking reports. 

    What Does Client Onboarding Look Like?

    Once we’ve agreed to bring you on as a Twitter Management client for the Twitter Pro or Basic Package, I’ll send you an invoice. Once the invoice is paid, I’ll begin building the Twitter Editorial Calendar. Twitter Lite clients don’t have an editorial calendar. It’s entirely organic.

    This editorial calendar is in a Google Sheet and each month will be a new tab. One of the benefits of this process is that the Google Sheet provides a history of social posts (aside from organic, in-the-moment Tweets) should you need them for your compliance department.

    The editorial calendar is built in two parts. The first is the first 15 days of the month and the second half is for the balance of the month. As soon as the editorial calendar is finished, and email it to you for review and /or approval. This is generally turned into the client a few days before they should be scheduled. 

    My Twitter Management Onboarding Process

    • Sales Call
    • Invoice
    • First Half of the Editorial Calendar
    • Approval of Tweets
    • Scheduling
    • Monitoring
    • Second Half of the Editorial Calendar
    • Approval of Tweets
    • Scheduling
    • Monitoring
    • Invoice 7 days before the end of the month for the next month.

    Are You Accepting Twitter Management Clients?

    I will always chat with a prospective client to see if we’re a match. In my free 20 min sales call we can talk about your goals and budget. I have time to work on your business, do you?

    “I’ve learned so much having Bridget manage my Twitter account. I was kicking and screaming about hating Twitter for years. Why was I so resistant? I wish I had paid more attention earlier in our working relationship so I could have be so much further ahead. There’s real value in her work, and the greatest value is what she teaches you and me to do with our accounts while she’s doing all the real ‘work’ in them.” Rhonda Negard

  • Moving Marketing Budget From Facebook to Twitter — A Case Study

    Are you frustrated with Instagram? How’s your Facebook Page working out for you? Did you get distracted from blogging by making TikTok videos? It happens to the best of us. 

    In marketing, it’s important to not only know who your audience is but where they spend time. Frankly, I’ve never believed that anyone spends time on Facebook. Facebook has always had a post-and-go culture. This is why commenting as a business is super important. 

    Sometimes, however, that’s not a good enough reason to stay with a channel that is underperforming for your business goals. This was the case with my long-time client, Team Clayton out of Glendale, Arizona.

    Who is the Business?

    Team Clayton is a RE/MAX Professional and has been serving the greater Phoenix area for quite some time. It’s a family business that prides itself on relationships. Their website says, 

    “Each member of Team Clayton brings their own perspective in serving different generations of clients, with 45 years of combined experience. As Tom puts it, ‘You get three for the price of one.’”

    What Was Team Clayton Doing Before?

    I’ve known Kyle Clayton — thanks to Amy Donohue and Twitter — for over ten years. I was lucky enough to have finally met him in person in 2016! Kyle himself is a naturally gifted marketer and entrepreneur. 

    So when Team Clayton got busy in the fall of 2019 and needed to outsource Facebook Page Management with a custom plan, they came to me first.

    We set up a plan to post to their Facebook Page six times a week including native video posts, Facebook Live, virtual home tours, as well as photos and links to listings. We also included sharing other people’s posts that are helpful and relevant including local events and restaurants in Phoenix. 

    Of course, I also commented and liked other local business pages and commented as appropriate.

    We also experimented with $20 boosted posts. This is tricky for real estate because it is a special ad category.

    What Was the Problem?

    Everything was going well with Facebook Page management and strategy until it wasn’t. Our average monthly research (impressions) for Q42019 was 1,919. Q12020-Q42020 was 5,030. (Q42019-Q42020 was 5,968) There’s nothing wrong with those numbers.

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    Then the pandemic hit. It changed how people interacted online. We had an election. We had Zoom fatigue. Facebook Exodus. New Privacy Laws affecting Apple and Facebook. 

    It was a perfect storm that brought our average reach from almost 6,000 to 624. (Six hundred twenty-four. That’s not a typo.) It dropped to 277 in May. What the what??? Not okay.

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    They all came to a point where Kyle and I had a meeting and were like, “hmmm do you like these results? I don’t.” Twinning of course — as marketers do. 

    Across all of my clients, I became very cynical about Facebook results. We looked at the numbers and I said, 

    “What if we shifted some budget to Twitter as an experiment for one month?”

    We tried adding Twitter in March and immediately had 10,300 impressions. March’s reach for our Facebook Page was 389. That was a compelling difference. 

    What Was the Solution?

    We stumbled on something that even I doubted would work for a local realtor. Of course, Team Clayton has an Instagram account and Facebook Page. But I had no idea that the first month would be so dramatic. Of course, it leveled out — numbers always go up when there was such little activity before.

    We reduced the Facebook plan to my Lite plan and added Twitter Lite. We kept Facebook in the mix until June when we realized it wasn’t the best use of our marketing budget.

    Kyle added the native videos from Facebook to YouTube, I had them transcribed, and we started tweeting those out along with more of the same type of content that we used on Twitter. 

    We shifted that Facebook Page budget to creating blog posts from YouTube videos.

    What Were the Results?

    Who doesn’t love almost 593.44% growth?

    Going from 600 to almost 4000? Yes, please!

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    The average impressions for Q12021 is 3,581, Q22021 is 5,298, and Q32021 is 4,107. For this year through September of 2021, the average number of impressions on Twitter is 4,329. Nine months of stability, basically.

    That amount of impressions is a number we can live with and only build upon as we continue a cohesive marketing strategy.

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    What Does Team Clayton’s Marketing Look Like Now?

    Team Clayton hired a great agency for a redesign of their website and advertising. So the Facebook Page and Instagram accounts are completely in their capable hands. And they continue their in-house newsletter and local events as well as the Month of Miracles drive!

    Partnering with Bridget Willard, LLC, Team Clayton and I are using the YouTube library we built over the last year or so for blog posts. Of course, we’re sharing them on Twitter!

    I’m honored to partner with a great client like Team Clayton. Seriously, my heart is full.

    Background Notes for the Team Clayton Case Study

    What are Impressions?

    When you pay for a billboard, you’re paying by the potential number of eyeballs. For the San Antonio Designated Marketing Area (DMA), ClearChannel Outdoor reports that their billboard, “Reaches 87% of the DMA A18+ population weekly (567.2 MM impressions).” In Advertising speak, that’s 567.2 million impressions.

    It’s the same on social media. If you don’t count the other reasons why you should engage with your audience online, impressions is what you’re paying for on social media.

    So, where is your audience? If they’re driving on I-35 daily and you’re a roofing company, maybe the billboard is the best use. If they’re scrolling on Twitter while watching Comedy Central, then Twitter is the best use of your marketing budget. 

    Ideally, you’ll want to use a combination of channels with the primary goal being driving traffic to your website. What happens after that depends upon your sales goals and lead intake process.

    Why is Twitter Important for Business Marketing?

    There are essentially five reasons why Twitter is important for any business.

    • Distributing Content & SEO 
    • Building Relationships
    • Content Curation 
    • Customer Service 
    • Market Insights 

    Are You Ready to Learn Twitter?

    I have a free Twitter course that takes less than ten hours over two days. By watching each video and implementing the steps, you will see a rise in your traffic.

    Are You Ready to Outsource Twitter?

    Awesome, I have three plans that are detailed on my pricing page. Take a look, set aside some budget, and let’s chat. I only take a handful of clients since I personally manage your account.