Schmaps’ smooth Twitter marketing tactic
This post is not an endorsement of Schmaps nor was I paid to write about Schmaps
Schmaps is a new service (at least this is the first I’ve heard of it) that allows you easily attach a map to your Tweets. Their value statement is “Share places and events on Twitter”. All in all, it seems like a pretty neat service. But this post isn’t a critique of the service. This post is about what I think is a clever and very unobtrusive tactic they’re using for raising awareness about Schmaps through Twitter.
I’ve been promoting an upcoming tweetup through the Social Media Club Orlando Twitter account and recently found this @ response to me from @MeaganLeader
@SMCOrlando here’s a ‘schmap’ for the tweetup: http://schmap.it/qyEoYI?a (made at http://www.schmap.it = share places and events on Twitter)
If you read Chris Brogan on a regular basis, you’ll know of his disdain for social media marketing tactics that involve pushing your product on someone without first taking the time to build a relationship. To use Chris’ analogy, it’s like trying to stick your tongue in their mouth when you should be shaking their hand. For the most part, I agree with his thoughts on this - build the relationship first. However, I think that Schmaps was able to combine the tongue kiss and the handshake in one smooth move that didn’t feel awkward.
It comes down to value
So how did she do it? It’s simple. Value. Her initial contact with me contained value in the form of a tool, in this case a Schmap link, that I could use to promote an event that I care about. When I saw that tweet and realized there was something in it for me, any barriers that I had, came down.
Through focusing on what is important to me, Schmaps effectively delivered a message about them. Nicely done.
Posted by Jeremy Hilton on Dec. 10, 2009