Social Strategies

Rule number one of Social Media: People first, tools second.

Ten Reasons To Be Thankful For Social Media

November 23rd, 2010 Posted in social media marketing, Twitter, YouTube
Nov, 23 2010
5 Comments »

1. Rekindling old friendships. I’ve loved reuniting with so many good friends from high school and college. Our high school is planning a reunion in 2011 that in all likelihood would have never happened without Facebook.

2. Help on just about any topic is a mere Facebook post or Tweet away. In fact, during the earthquake in Haiti, Twitter was a lifeline in getting the word out quickly about conditions and needs there to mobilize disaster response.

3. You can publish your knowledge, thoughts, life experiences, etc., by starting a Blog. Blogger and WordPress are great platforms to use. Many wonderful writers have been born in the Blogosphere.

4. Learning new skills. YouTube is a great avenue for that. My daughter’s rookie volleyball coach this year schooled herself on the rules of the game by watching YouTube videos. Guess what? Her team won the league championship.

5. Bridging the gap with loved ones living far away has never been easier, and it’s FREE! When you see them over the holidays, you’ll feel more a part of their everyday lives, because you have been. Very cool.

6. Your favorite businesses probably have a social media presence. Isn’t it nice to stay up to date on specials and happenings without having to go to a website?

7. You’ll get breaking news faster than ever before (CNN, Fox, CBS, NBC, are all on Twitter).  Sign up to receive one or two of your local station’s tweets on your mobile device – great for traffic updates in your area!

8. Parents, you can keep up with what your teens and their friends are doing.  I know moms who have nipped a couple of risky situations in the bud. And of course there’s the nice stuff, like when your teen will actually talk to you there. Don’t think teens should have a Facebook page? Check out my blog post on that topic.

9. Games and Quizzes: Well, maybe thankful is a bit strong, but hey, they’re fun to play! So you can be thankful to add a little more fun to your life, right?

10. Relationship building. Yes, you read that right. You can develop great online friendships that develop into real life friendships and time spent in person.

I’m thankful for Social Media for so many reasons, not the least of which are the friendships and  business relationships built online that have grown  into real life ones. These are people I work with, laugh with, cry with – that I would not have met otherwise.

I’d love to get your thoughts on this topic.  Here’s wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving!

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From Twitter Friends to Real Life Friends

November 19th, 2010 Posted in blogging, Social Media
Nov, 19 2010
5 Comments »

Recently, I had the great pleasure of meeting some Twitter friends here in Charleston for a Tweetup on Blogging. Some of us have personal blogs, some blog for business, some have both, and/or manage and write them professionally.

What’s a Tweetup? It’s a casual gathering or “meet-up” coordinated through Twitter.  A great tool I used to organize this one is Twtvite. What was great about this event is several of us “met” through Twitter and have been talking to each other there for weeks or months prior to meeting in person. It was great to spend time with these talented people who have so much to offer.  Here are the high points that came from our discussion:

  • WordPress is one of the best blogging platforms to use for so many reasons: Ease of use, search ranking performance, support and feedback from the people at WordPress, and the various themes and plug- ins available make it very user friendly, functional, and easy to personalize.
  • Ideally, you should Blog at least twice a week to keep your content fresh and boost your search rankings. One of our guests last night blogs daily, and has developed a loyal following. And with good reason – she’s funny, insightful, and engaging, and you really get to know her through her writings. This leads me to insight number three:
  • Whether for business or pleasure, what you write about has to really matter to you on some level. And, there has to be a bit of you in it. Even if it’s for business – yours, or a client whose Blog you maintain. A bit of your personality and know-how should permeate each post you write to make it interesting and conversational.
  • Jotting down ideas as they come to you is a great way to have topics to blog about, so keep a running list going.  Also, try to write more than one at a time if you can (you tend to get on a roll) or devote the same time weekly in your schedule to doing so. This increases the likelihood of doing it consistently.
  • Over time, you’ll find that writing each Blog post becomes easier and less time consuming, generally speaking. It took me about half an hour to write this post – a good average. As with anything, the more you practice, the more proficient you become.
  • Check to see if there are blogging groups in your area for advice and support. Here in Charleston, Lowcountry Bloggers is a great resource.

Lastly, I want to give a shout out to these terrific people whose Blogs should be on your reading list: Andra Watkins, Laura Otero, Sarah Early, Brian Rogel, and Kelly Thiel. Visit their sites, and follow them on Twitter. You’ll be glad you did.

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Top Ten Signs Your Company Doesn’t Get Social Media.

October 10th, 2010 Posted in Social Media
Oct, 10 2010
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So your company has a social media presence. Great! This is becoming more prevalent as the number of people using social media grows. But there’s a big difference between being present and using it well.  Here are my Top Ten Signs Your Company Doesn’t Get Social Media. Do you see your company in any of these?

1. Your website has no links to your social media. Your website should be the main hub from which all relevant information flows because you own the space. Each of your online mediums should drive traffic to the others.

2. Your website has links to your sites, but there’s little to no activity. A few Facebook posts a month is not enough.  Ditto everywhere else.

3.  Your Facebook and Twitter accounts have no links back to your website. Think ‘reciprocity.’

4. Your Blog has only a few entries – spaced several months or even weeks apart. Implies you don’t have much to say and don’t understand the crucial link between fresh content and SEO.

5. Your Twitter stream is a series of blatant sales pitches or @userid posts with links back to your website. Occasional linking back with a relevant tagline is fine.  But if you’re not even talking with your followers – people like you – why in the world should they visit your website?

6. You have a lot more followers than people you follow. There are many worthy people, causes, and businesses with info of value you can use and retweet. If you’re not interested in following anyone, why should they follow you?

7. You follow a lot of people relative to the number following you means you’re either boring, a spammer, or both.

8. You take days to respond to questions or comments posted on any of your mediums. Are you kidding? Twenty four hours or less is a good rule of thumb.

9. You have no videos favorited or uploaded to your YouTube Channel. Newbies may need awhile to get a couple of videos there, but at least favorite some and subscribe to other relevant channels. It gives visitors something to do until you get your own videos on board.

10. There’s no common thread between your website and social media presence. It’s  fine to establish an online brand that differs somewhat from your entity’s name. Just be sure there’s some unifying theme such as logo, colors, and/or slogan from one medium to the next so people recognize you as one in the same.

So how’d you do? If you didn’t see your business anywhere here, great job! If you saw yourself in one or two, chances are you’re getting the hang of it and with a few tweaks can make your efforts even better. More than that? Don’t lose heart. They’re all fixable – starting now!

Did I miss anything? What would you add to this list?

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Hello, Blog! Have you missed me?

August 30th, 2010 Posted in FaceBook, Opinions, Social Media, Twitter
Aug, 30 2010
2 Comments »

It is with more than just a little embarrassment that I write this Blog post. Why? Well, check the date of my last one. Go ahead – scroll down – I’ll wait for you.

Did you see that? July 13th. Almost six weeks ago. Not good. I know all too well the value of business blogging. It is a great way to establish yourself as a thought leader in your field, share worthy ideas with others, and boost your search rankings. Content is king; therefore, it’s important to feed your website and other online presences with fresh information so you’re more readily found online. I love to share what I’ve learned; the how-to’s, the lessons learned and the “I’m-not-sure what-this-is-yet, but keep reading.”  (Pssst….that would be this post.)

I’m not going to make excuses about why I haven’t been here lately. If you’ve ever blogged, you know what those excuses are (think Life 101 – stuff happens) and have probably experienced them yourself. And guess what? None of these things are usually the real reasons people stall in their blogging efforts. My theory is that people who enjoy writing stall out because they’re just not ‘feeling it’ for some reason. (Hand raised.) Whether for business or pleasure, what you write has to really matter to you on some level. And, there has to be a bit of you in it. Even if it’s for business – yours, or a client whose Blog you maintain. A bit of your personality and know-how should permeate each post you write.

So, I’ve come to a few realizations about what it will take for me to ‘feel it’ and contribute here much more often. My goal is once a week minimum. (Feel free to hold me to that.)  While the main thrust will still be social media marketing – a subject I love – I’m not necessarily going to tackle such widely addressed topics as Social Media ROI or The Explosion of Mobile Geolocation Networks and What It Means. Yes, they’re important, but you can Google them as I have for a wealth of great info. There’s no need for me to add to the noise.  I’m just going to write about what helps and moves me, with my own unique slant, and the goal of helping and moving you, too.

I’d love to hear from you on ways you’ve re-ignited your own writing, or any other related insights you’d like to share. See you again real soon. I promise. (Oh, and please click ‘Read More” to go to comment section.)

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Social Media and the Delete Key: A No-no?

May 10th, 2010 Posted in FaceBook, Service Philosophies
May, 10 2010
3 Comments »

Last Saturday, I came across a thought provoking status update on a Facebook page for a women’s political group I like called Chicks on the Right. (For the record, I like several from across the political spectrum). Here’s how it read: “Nuked last thread. Would like fans here to enjoy some snarky humor, but not bring the conversation down into hateful lunacy. We started our site to snark on politics-but also to give conservatism a makeover & rise above stereotypes. Racial slurs & pure viciousness aren’t part of our makeover strategy. If that means we lose some of you, so be it. We’ll stick w/the folks who like civility along with their great heels!”

Uh oh. Censorship? In social media? How could they? Isn’t hitting the delete key in social media a no-no? Well, at the risk of sparking some healthy debate, (which I admit I love to do) I’m going to part company with that sentiment, at least to the degree that I’d like to qualify it.

Granted, my example is from a political page whose objectives are not going to be exactly the same, for example, as your business or personal pages. Nonetheless, any type of page may get negative comments for various reasons, so the same principles of common sense and judgment in dealing with them should apply. In the above scenario, the page’s creators felt the thread in question had deteriorated into an all out slugfest between posters, with no apparent objective except to insult, demean, and debase. Though risky, judging by many of their friend’s comments, taking a strong stand for civility was a good move. Also key in this decision was that they explained why they deleted the thread – they didn’t just do so and hope no one would notice.

Contrast this with the following scenario: On your Facebook business page, a customer weighs in with some complaints. What if more complaints follow, perhaps even with bad language and naming one or more employees thought to be rude or incompetent? Should these types of comments be deleted? Absolutely not. They hurt, they’re negative, but they must be left intact and dealt with openly and quickly. In fact, what I tell my clients is that when they respond in the open forum, they should offer to contact people individually by phone, or even better, meet with them in person if possible. This shows a commitment to solve problems presented, and hopefully takes them out of the public spotlight.

In short, comments on a Facebook page, Blog, or other online mediums that disagree with a position taken, issue complaints, or question hotbed issues for your company should not be deleted. Those should be addressed calmly by addressing specific complaints and dispelling misinformation first and foremost. On the other hand, for comments replete with profanity, racial and/or sexual slurs, personal insults, and/or threatening language that seem to serve no useful purpose otherwise, hitting the delete key just may be a good option. It’s a judgment call. My opinion is that there is nothing wrong with making the types of careful distinctions noted in managing contributions to your online mediums when necessary.

What do you think? Is deleting ever justified, or is it a no-no? Ever deleted comments? Why or why not?

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