Yesterday, our own Joe Mansour participated in a panel at the Politics Online Conference on Social Media Analytics.  Focusing on different methods to measure success when it comes to social media, the panel was particularly interesting when talking about brand engagement, whether in the political or business worlds, using the Twitter platform.  Here's Joe speaking on the topic:

On the takeaway side, I pulled a few quick, yet vital, tips for brands (including candidates and elected officials) using social media:

-Be authentic:  People know fake.  By conversing with your stakeholders in a genuine and authentic tone, you can establish a personal connection with them that will be extremely valuable down the road.

 -Engage by default: The conversational basis of social media demands that people who use it well use it to engage the communities that they are in in a conversation.  The biggest benefit to using social media is this-- the potential for one-one conversation and connection with your community.  As Joe said in the panel, it's okay to say "I don't know," or "I'll get back to you."  In most cases, anything is better than silence.

The two days of the conference were filled with tons of interesting stuff, ranging from conceptual to technical, all worth watching.  Make sure you watch IPDI's Youtube channel for updates, as they should be uploading updated video from all of the panels in the next few days.