Tag Archives: Twitter

May 17, 2012 · 5:39 pm

5 Good Reads

ImageThink there’s too much to read out there in the social media universe?  You’re right.  But here’s five worth taking a look:

1.  Learn from McDonald’s:  http://www.ragan.com/Main/Articles/44902.aspx

2.  Don’t cut off your nose…:  http://searchengineland.com/the-social-funnel-what-you-lose-when-you-ignore-it-121120

3.  How to use Facebook ads:  http://www.bizreport.com/2012/05/wildfire-study-reveals-best-type-of-social-campaign.html

4.  How to use Twitter:  http://www.ragan.com/Main/Articles/44888.aspx

5.  A daily cartoon to make you smile:  http://gapingvoid.com/

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February 17, 2012 · 3:29 pm

1 Way Small Business Can Easily Harness Social Media Power

The NFL and United Way have nailed it.  The theory is simple:  college students + smart phones + computers = brand connectivity to its target audience.

Mashable shared that the United Way is looking for social media interns to promote the philanthropic efforts of the 32 teams.  Actually, the interns will be called player promoters, not interns, as a perk.  They will be assigned a player — each who has his own social media following.  The interns are going to be responsible for creating social media strategies to reach the NFL player’s audiences.  These are unpaid positions, by the way.

The NFL knows what it’s doing.  It has more than 4.6 million people are NFL Facebook fans.  And they have 2.8 million followers on Twitter.  [Check out the complete story:  http://mashable.com/2012/02/16/nfl-social-media-player-promoter/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable+%28Mashable%29].

There’s a big lesson to be learned here for small businesses just wading into social media.  Many smaller to mid-size corporations feel they don’t have the manpower or budget to delve into the social media world.  Some even feel they don’t know how to manage the technical side of social media.  Well, there is a gold mine of knowledge — and hunger for a job in this economy — at your neighborhood college.  

Develop your goals and social media path, then tap a few college students to be interns to carry it out for you.  You’ll find that they are quick, have great ideas and can create other opportunities for your brand.

And no, you don’t have an NFL team or player to attract a student to work for you.  But you have plenty to offer — whether it’s experience or a paycheck or just a chance to work with your brand.

 


 

 

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January 6, 2012 · 6:45 pm

Virtually There For Jabby

Every day I hear businesses question the power of Social Media and worry about what it can really do for ROI.

Well, I’m putting business aside today to talk about what Social Media can do for morale.  For hope.  For love of a friend.  For compassion from a stranger.

If you have not read or seen the story of Jack Jablonski, a 16-year-0ld sophomore at Benilde-St. Margaret’s High School in the Twin Cities — he was tragically hurt in a HS hockey game last Friday.  After surgery this week, the doctors have said he has some movement in his right shoulder and bicep, but due to a spinal cord injury the rest of his body remains paralyzed.  There is some hope that he will be able to feed himself and drive a wheel chair.   See the full story:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/05/jack-jablonski-paralyzed-hockey-high-school-injury_n_1187684.html?ref=sports

While Jack (aka Jabby)  and his family — Mom Leslie, Dad Mike, brother Max — rally by his side, it seems his teammates,  classmates, the Twin Cities, Minnesota, the Midwest and the U.S. are trying to rally their spirits.   

Via Social Media friends, family, strangers have been able to send their best wishes, hopes, prayers to the Jablonskis.  Jack went from a few hundred friends on Facebook to 5002 (as of this writing).  There’s been 240,304 visits to CaringBridge.com to wish him well.  #jabs has trended on Twitter.  The Minnesota Wild even have a ticker item on their site – just click on  Jablonski.

His friends started a groundswell of hope that has been passed on.  High Schools around the Midwest have worn white for Jack.  Hockey families everywhere — who I’m sure know it could just have easily happened to them — have rallied and sent prayers, best wishes and contributions.  At a time in the U.S. where folks have been out of jobs or unsure of their future — complete strangers have shown that compassion and humanity still abound.  

The Wells Fargo Bank has even started a Jack Jablonski Fund (8200 Golden Valley Road, Golden Valley, MN  55427 – if you’re interested).

For those who want to reach out and offer support at a time when it’s clear there’s not a lot you can do, at least Social Media (driven by Jack’s friends), shows the Jablonski family they are not alone.

Since the Jablonski’s are my friends, it’s nice to know that there’s a ray of light in this tragedy from the compassion and support of friends and complete strangers.  And, while they face everything that will come with  Jack’s new life and theirs — may this outpouring buoy their spirits and hopes.  We’re with you, Jack!

PS:  A website is now up and running for donations:  www.jabby13.com.  Thanks.

PSS:  Some great news this weekend!  http://kaaltv.com/article/stories/s2443321.shtml

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August 25, 2011 · 5:14 pm

3 Don’ts to Use as a Checklist at Your Next Social Media Meeting

What’s the old speech maxim?  Tell them what you’re going to tell them; tell them; tell them what you just told them.

I guess the same should be said about Social Media counsel, because there seems to be a need for a lot of reinforcement.

I’ve come to that conclusion because some Social Media  meetings seem to be like deja vu when it comes to plans for action.  Here are three mistakes that happen so often, you should come up with a list of don’ts and make sure you follow them:

1.  Don’t  say” Let’s Tweet It”!  Or “Let’s Put It on Facebook!” without a plan

The common answer to working with Social Media seems to be to tweet or post about the opportunity or problem without an objective or strategy.  Just willy-nilly comments without thought to how it fits into your brand’s image or goals.  The next time you get the urge to say that, stop.  Instead stand back and ask:  do we have a proper Social Media strategy?  Does this idea fit into it?  Then go from there.

2.  Don’t kick off a Social Media plan without measurement goal(s)

Today I read at least 3 articles about how brands don’t have any idea how to analyze or measure what they’re doing with Social Media.  But they promise to start figuring it out.  So, start right now.  Some first attempts at measurement can be simple.  Or there are analysis companies to tap.  Look into it.

3.  Don’t let the 24/7 nature of  Social Media commandeer your day OR limit your ideas.

It’s a huge temptation to check in and stay tuned to everything happening on the Web.   Thus many Social Media ideas stop when someone at the decision table decides this effort will become overwhelming.  It doesn’t have to be.  You can set aside a couple times of day for monitoring, or you can assign monitoring to someone else (who can be equally as efficient in checking only a certain number of times per day).   You can be effective with your efforts and your time.

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May 13, 2011 · 10:06 pm

Get local customers excited about your product

I was about to write my weekly post about Social Media, when I saw this video coverage on Social Media Examiner.  Watch the video — smart advice, without having to read through one of my posts!

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/how-to-turn-your-local-customers-into-raving-fans/

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April 29, 2011 · 8:09 pm

4 Media (Social & Traditional) Things to Remember

It’s been a busy week of news and business.  It’s always good to take a moment and think about what you can learn from it.  Or, better yet, how it reinforces what you already know.  Here’s four I can share — what about you?

1.  Celebrities still rule.  As much as corporations are trying to steer away from using celebs as spokespeople — the average person still pays attention to the celeb.  Especially online.  Celebrities are aspirational in a tough world right now.  And, if you look at the online records broken (streaming and others) by the marriage of Prince William and Kate today — you could say they’re “hopes-perational.”  Many people still believe in the fairy tale…and hope they live happily ever after.

2.  If you build it; they will come.  But not instantly.  As much as the world tuned in via their computers to watch the royal wedding; many are not sure how Social Media works.  Yes, they can talk a good game,  throwing out phrases like:  did you see that YouTube video that’s gone over-the-top viral this week?  Sounds like success, but not every video is a viral homerun (in fact, the average YouTube video gets about 12 views).  And an overnight viral phenomenon is rare.  You need a strong campaign to push it through.  Be strategic, then patient.

3.  The Social Media Fab 4 aren’t for everyone.  Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube are on everyone’s minds.  And all four can play a role in your business.  But small business should choose wisely, since it takes a lot of push-pull of other activity to drive consumers to you.  Evaluate the right strategies for your budget.  Don’t be pushed into something you can’t keep up with — or consumers will see that right away and it will become a negative for you.

4.  Email is still king (queen?) for women.  As much as the world is now  smaller because we’re all connected on Facebook and other social networking sites, women — and Mom’s in particular — still rely on their own circles via email.  So even if buying an email list sounds antiquated — it isn’t.  It’s a direct line to Mom.

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March 18, 2011 · 2:46 am

Social Media Isn’t New – How You Use It Is

A normal morning includes reading RSS feeds, favorite blogs and newspapers online.  And each day I’m left marveling:  why are so many writing about the “new” world of Social Media?  The only thing new about it now, is that it morphs every day to keep up with the competition, technology and the world.

Yet, many businesses still seem to act like it just occurred over night.  In case some folk haven’t paid attention until The Social Network came along in theaters, blogging was started in 1994.  Granted, according to Wikipedia, it started to boom in 1999 and wasn’t mainstream until 2004.  And the numbers keep escalating, but Technorati’s 2010 estimate on number of blogs in the world was 112.8 million.

Microblogging hit it big with Twitter’s founding in 2006.  As of last July, there were an estimated 190 million people tweeting.  Facebook is older than that, founded in 2004, with a whopping 600 million active users (as of January 2011).

LinkedIn was founded a year earlier in 2003 — which makes sense as it was geared for business and getting jobs.  As of January, there’s 90 million active users there.

So there’s your history lesson.  But the real advice is:  dive in, learn about how it works.  The numbers above represent huge communities who could need your company or brand.  Consult with a Social Media expert (I can help or refer you) or look to many of your own employees — it’s what many do in their spare time.

 

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January 21, 2011 · 3:45 pm

Social Media Can Be Measured: 3 Ways to Gain Control

Today, BizReport reported that “7 in 10 marketers struggle to understand social media conversations,” according to a poll by Alterian.  One third of the poll said that they have little or no understanding of what conversations are about their brand, and the majority lack direction on what to measure and analyze — or how to go about it.

This is sad news, given that the survey also says three-quarters of those polled will spend more money on social this year than last.

Here’s a few key actions that could help marketers regain direction and effectiveness:

  1. Develop an overall Social Media strategy.  Don’t just throw some extra budget money at Social Media to extend what you’re already doing, as an afterthought.  Instead, decide what your overall purpose is; where you want to be and set goals for what you want to achieve.  You should not be on Facebook just to be there.  What are your business and communications goals to accomplish on Facebook?
  2. Monitor conversations about your Brand. And monitor conversations about your competition, for that matter.  It will give you valuable insight into your target audience and will create opportunities for you to have conversations with them.  It will also keep you well aware of the category environment.  There are plenty of companies out there now, such as Radian 6, that can track conversations for you; analyze and make recommendations.
  3. Measure, then start the cycle again. If you’ve set your goals — you know what to measure to track against those goals.  The data can be anything from Facebook “likes” and comments, Tweets or Twitter followers, Website traffic, coupon downloads, comments (positive, negative, neutral), or video views.  If you’re simply measuring increase in awareness — more visits, comments, followers all meet your goal.  If you’re trying to change attitudes — conversation content is what should be measured.  There are a variety of companies out there to help you with this tracking — paid or unpaid.  The important thing is to measure against your goals, analyze and then start the process over again.  The more you fine-tune, the more in touch you’ll be with your target audience.

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