So much is made of Twitter as a platform for conversation, it’s powerful search qualities are often overlooked.

Twitter provides marketers with the ability to micro-target based on geography, keywords and phrases, subjects referenced, content and even sentiment shared.

The increased ability to search necessitates a deeper understanding of your target audience. It also enables marketers to create an ongoing focus group to obtain it.

Use search.twitter.com, wefollow.com and other tools to find your brand’s target consumers.

If you follow 100 people from your target audience, you’ll notice trends. You’ll see who your target audience really is, what they read, think and share.

Your ability to market to them will greatly improve, too. You’ll stop seeing them as just statistics and more as real people.

If you work in midtown Manhattan, you’re likely to know the food cart I’m talking about. It’s the one on 53rd and 6th with 30 people waiting in line. They’re waiting to eat middle eastern food sold from a cart the size of a mini-copper. And they wait at all hours. When I passed by at 10 pm at least 50 people were in line. When I asked them if the food was “that good” to merit the line, they responded, “well, I saw the line, so it must be.”

I believe the same psychology of lines applies to Twitter. So often people use following / follower ratio to determine who they want to follow before actually “trying the food.”

There are many ways to cause lines to form, yet far fewer to cook a great meal.

Meet Biba Milioto. She’s the creative inspiration behind the social media fashion campaign that has women chasing hidden bags all over New
York City.

Here’s how it works:

Brooklyn handbag designer Rachel Nasvik is luring New Yorkers to her twitter account and blog offering clues as to where she will “loose”
her next bag. Each bag is stuffed with the essentials for a night on the town including a summer mix of music and a mysterious key. The bag
includes a note to the lucky finder which instructs them that the bag is theirs to keep. Finders are encouraged to log on to the blog and
post the story of how they found it under the corresponding picture of the bag’s location. The campaign has been very successful
in getting users excited and eager to participate in the hunt. It’s a great example of how to use social media creatively and effectively.

1. What was the creative inspiration for the campaign?

A few yards of neon pink leather and a desire to create something that was purely fun, and completely tailored to the target market—something that would delight them and engage them in the story of the Rachel Nasvik brand.

It’s actually two separate ideas that happily fused together, amazingly enough. Rachel and I conceived of the bag-hunt aspect separately from what we’re now calling ‘phase two’ which is launching this weekend.

Michael Hastings-Black of Desedo cooked up this fantastic idea of joining forces with street vendors in NYC and getting the bags to have some full-on street level face time- his inspiration was trying to further tease out the totally dedicated relationship that the Rachel Nasvik brand has with New York City, since the brand is so rooted here, where it was born. I love that it has brought the two separate ideas into one cohesive campaign. It’s been great, great fun.

2.  You mentioned there’s a second phase. What can fans expect to see?

Well- that’s where Mr. Hastings-Black comes in. He conceived of this great idea where we hook up with some street vendors (the guys that sell the knockoffs) and slip some of the Rachel Nasvik bags into the mix. It’s meant to be surprising, funny, and irreverent, and also meant to be a bit of a love letter to New York- so much of Rachel’s brand is inspired by the New York lifestyle. What’s neat about this second phase is that since we’re cutting out the middle man of the retailer, there will be maximum street-level presence. We expect to roll that out this weekend.

3. What results have you seen?

The reaction has been overwhelming- on the first day we picked up about 700 followers on Twitter thanks to some web press from DailyCandy.com- that number has grown to nearly 1,000.The blog we set up www.wherethenighttakesyou.blogspot.com has seen lots of commenting and clicks.  And the media loves the idea as much as the NYC audience does- we’ve had such great coverage, which has continued to spread the word. It seems to have offered everyone a reason to smile and pay attention. We’ve also witnessed girls running down the street to be the first to grab the bag!

4. How have you used Twitter to promote the brand and the campaign?

The Twitter account is the lifeline of the campaign- we use it to drop clues, to ask questions, to post pictures. It’s the bridge that is directly connecting us to our rapt audience.

5.  What is the most surprising aspect of the campaign?

How constantly evolving it is- and how because it’s small and tightly managed, it can change every day to up the ante. If Michael has an
idea, or Rachel wants to try something different, we can just go for it and see what happens. It’s exhilarating, and really gratifying. The flexibility of the web and the immediacy of the Twitter feed has totally changed the game in terms of interactivity.

6. What did you do to make sure this campaign truly represented the Rachel Nasvik brand?

I had worked with Rachel previously when I was the Marketing Director at Ravinstyle.com. So I had a very precise idea of where the brand was positioned, and since I live in New York, where there are lots of RN fans, I usually spot at least one bag on the subway each day (full disclosure- I have a closet full of them myself!). So I know there’s a street style, an edginess, and a spirit that is very specific to her customer. She’s the kind of girl who knows where the get the best cocktail in the city, who peruses the smartest bookstores, and eats at the coolest new restaurant- you know, the one that doesn’t have it’s liquor license yet? She’s also not flashy or showy and appreciates subtlety in design.

So- I knew we had to be fresh and smart and that dreaded word: cool. And cool here in New York has an atmosphere & an address- we figured if we showed up where that girl was, with a gorgeous bag and a neat strategy, we’d embody the essence of the brand perfectly.

7.  You called this an “experiment.” What were you testing?

We were testing the waters of interactivity and looking to see how far people would follow us into the game. Will they trek all the way across town for a bag? Will they use a password and ask for what they want? We were experimenting with removing most of the boundaries that usually exist between a brand an it’s audience—we are directly interacting with them in a way that usually doesn’t happen. I’m happy to say it worked!

8.  Can you provide my readers with any advanced clues to where the next bag may be dropped?

That would ruin the fun of the anticipation! Follow the Twitter feed!

**Recognition: Special thanks to @JennMorales for recognizing the campaign and support all aspects of this posts.

The benefits of social networks apply to both business to consumer and business to business models, as well as to individual executives
within those organizations. Both types of companies can use social networks to recruit talent, build reputation, identify new customers, connect more meaningfully with existing customers, respond to service issues, develop an effective communication channel with the press and the public.  For business to business organizations,  social networks provide a platform to position a company as a resource and thought leader in its respective industry. This can be accomplished by sharing
assets such as whitepapers and other industry insight. Essentially, a business can derive similar value through social networks as they can through participating in a conference.

Executives can use social networks as professional development resources. Follow subject matter experts on Twitter to benefit from articles and opinions even before they are written in trade publications. Pay attention to status updates in Facebook and LinkedIn to gain perspective into what colleagues are thinking.  Participating in social networks provides even greater opportunities. These include generating new business, speaking engagements, interviews with reporters and personal branding as a subject matter expert.

Of all the compelling reasons to be on social networks, I believe the most compelling is enhancement. Executives make mistakes assuming
social networking is an end, rather than a means to end. Here’s what I mean. If you are an executive whose sales strategy involves learning
about a new industry, a social network will provide unique insights. If you are a seasoned executive looking for speaking engagements, there are many ways to use social networks to achieve this end. My advice to you is to articulate the goals you wish to achieve for yourself and your business first and then determine which social
networks and what strategies and tactics will enable you to realize them.

Here are 5 articles I’ve found useful in demonstrating the power of social networks and social media:

•    Forbes: Yes, CEOs Should Facebook and Twitter. The importance of CEO’s and companies participating in business, new media requires a different way to do business.

•    WSJ.com: The Art of Making Online ‘Friends.’ Builds a strong case for building up your social networks, including your “weak ties.”

•    BusinessWeek: Social Networking 101 For Businesses. Businesses need to embrace social networking as a part of doing business.

•    NYTimes: I’m So Totally, Digitally Close to You. Article centers around the relationships people form through social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. It centers around the concept of “ambient awareness” which helps explain the appeal of constant updates from these social networks.

•    BusinessWeek: Are Social Networking Sites Useful for Business? To get the most out of social networking sites, small companies should set concrete business goals, then start experimenting.

A few weeks ago I presented to a room full of litigators at a local law firm. The topic of the presentation was how they can use both social media and interactive marketing to effectively communicate with existing and new customers and grow their business. Around that time, I started following Kara Smith on Twitter. Daily, she posts informative links on social media PR for the legal community.

Prior to starting Karasma Media, she worked in Human Resources at Goldman Sachs and with their Equity Derivative attorneys. She received her MA in Media Studies while working as a marketing manager at TIAA-CREF. Her company, Karasma Media, works with legal marketers to create a more clearly defined focus and distinctive business strategy that will provide them with a competitive advantage for new business, higher reputation recognition, and enhance their ability to attract, win, and retain the clients they really want.

We spoke with her recently about her perspective on social media for the legal community.

1.   Does a law firm have to have an open culture for social media to work?

If by “open culture” you mean, “have a willingness to be transparent”, then yes. In today’s business paradigm, we as consumers are not longer tolerating hidden or miscellaneous fees, and the anonymity of those managing the organizations we spend money with. Communication is key.  While the legal industry may have considered themselves immune from the expectations of corporate business in the past, clearly this is no longer the case. So, now more than ever before, open communications and transparency is necessary for firms to gain and retain their clients.

2.   What are some common objectives you receive from members of the legal profession regarding using social media?

Quite simply, like everyone else, they want to know how they can use social media to increase their bottom line.

3.   What do you wish more lawyers knew about social media?

1) They had a clearer comprehension of how incredibly important it is for them to be actively using social media to communicate with their current clients, and attract new ones. Using social media, prospective clients who call them will be the ones that they want, and be ready to do business. There’s no better ROI than that.

2) I wish attorneys had a greater comprehension of how social media works. The more they understand how it works, its cost effectiveness and the time saving techniques available to them, the more satisfaction they’ll have on multiple levels. Mastering how to utilize it and being able to attract the kind of clients they want took me years of study and ongoing personal communication. And what I do for myself, I do for my clients.

4.   What makes social media for law firms different from social media for other professional groups?

The most prominent differences are due to the history of the legal industry and the nature of their business. For one thing, lawyers have been marketing their services for the last 100+ years the same way, and until very recently, have been doing so very successfully. Secondly, the legal industry is extremely comfortable using online platforms like FindLaw.com, LegalOnRamp, JD Supra, and Plaxo that are “closed to outsiders” and cater specifically to their industry.  Once they step outside of that comfort zone, social media moves away from being simply a networking tool to being a public relations outlet.

It’s understandable that because their business is law, many attorneys are cautious about making themselves available on a platform that they perceive to be “open to public scruitiny”.  The truth of the matter is, if you are not at the forefront of your online conversation someone else is going to be. Holland and Knight learned that the hard way to be sure.

5.   What is the least intuitive aspect of social media for the legal profession?

It’s important that their target audience be narrowed down as much as possible, and this is a difficult concept for many firms to grasp. Today’s consumer is savvy, very aware of his options, and extremely customer service conscious.  In order to stand out from their competition, it’s mandatory for firms to satisfy information needs, and address concerns directly.

Once the audience is identified, a blog should be created that’s specific to that audience. The blog’s content should be made up of useful information and resources; build relationships and trust, along with positioning the firm’s principals as experts among your target group.

They’ll continue expand their firm’s online footprint using other new media tools such as eNewsletters, online surveys/polls, traditional and new-media public relations, presentations, downloadable whitepapers, YouTube, and article marketing.

In order to be successful, they need to understand that motive matters, these tools need to be used correctly. Also they wont be effective unless they are used consistently.

When other firms are cutting back, there is no better opportunity to pick up new clients, increase your agency’s profile and market share. You can do more online with a fraction of the cost of any other advertising of PR campaign.