Every Monday I post an interview with a social media marketing expert. My blog focuses on using social media to promote books (particularly self-published books), and I believe authors can really learn a lot about successful social networking by following the experts.
Kelly: Tell me about your company – how it was created and what you do.
Kristen: Threadless is not your ordinary company. The designs on our products are sourced from our ongoing open-call for submissions from a worldwide community of amazing artists and designers. Once submitted, our community of over 1 million members cast votes that help us decide which designs go on Threadless stuff.
My job title is Social Media coordinator, but everyone at Threadless plays multiple roles. On a daily basis, I run our Facebook page and Twitter account as well as having my hand in a variety of marketing and video projects.
Kelly: Who do you feel can benefit from a social media marketing strategy?
Kristen: Anyone who uses social media, especially businesses. If your business is going to be involved in social media, it just makes sense to have a strategy. It doesn’t have to be formal or even written down, but it’s a good idea to know what approach you’re taking and what you hope the outcome will be.
Because Threadless is a friendly community-based company, we try to reflect that in our social media voice. We aim to tweet like your friend. We try to make sure our social media content is interesting and above all fun!
Kelly: How long have you been blogging and what is the primary focus of your blog?
Kristen: I contribute to the Threadstaff blog about different office happenings and news here: http://www.threadless.com/news
And every member of the Threadless community has a personal blog associated with their account: http://www.threadless.com/profile/224796/hello_kristen
I primarily blog about what we’re up to at Threadless and engage our community about what’s on their minds.
Kelly: What is your favorite social networking site? Why?
Kristen: I really like Twitter. It can be kinda like the Wild West where anything can happen. You can learn about world news, new products, and what your friend had for lunch all in one place. And if something is interesting or awesome, it will catch on.
Kelly: What is your #1 piece of advice for social networking newbies?
Kristen: Get to know the social network you’re working with. People have different expectations about the frequency and types of posts on each network. Twitter is much more ephemeral and your followers will tolerate a lot of content, though the engagement can be lower. Whereas on Facebook, since posts stick around longer, it’s best to space them out. Also people tend to expect more interaction on Facebook.
To find out more about Kristen Studard and Threadless, visit:
Website: www.threadless.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/threadless
Twitter: @threadless
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