by Belinda Lui | Dec 24, 2013 | Latest, Social Media
If you’re a company that’s looking to hire for Social Media Consulting, there’s a lot to consider prior to engaging with a consultant. Understandably, without a clear understanding of how social media exactly works, hiring on outside source may seem daunting. For starters, and to facilitate proliferation, your consultant must learn how your company works… and what is is all about in terms of products, services and brands. More importantly a sound knowledge of company culture, voice and persona is integral in establishing a social media context. Only then, can one create and deliver a social media strategy to spread ‘social’ throughout your organization.
Social Media Consulting should begin with research, followed by a concise strategy, finally resulting in a transparent and easily understandable analytic report.
But in the meantime, here’s what you should be hearing from your consultant:
“What’s your goal?” Some social media gurus think the big prize is community. That’s a fine start, but for a business, it’s also a means to an end–which is whatever your company’s larger goals are, whether they be sales, brand awareness, or traffic. Your social strategy should not end with the creation of an online conversation.
“Here’s the ROI.” Consultants may tell you that social investments can’t be justified in a quantifiable way. Wrong. The data is out there. If they want you to spend $75,000 on a Foursquare badge, they should explain how that investment will help you reach your goals.
“I don’t care about follower counts.” Companies obsess over how many followers they have, and consultants play to that. But Facebook ads and “Like this page” contests often don’t boost consumer engagement. Rather, you should be courting influencers–trusted insiders with engaged followers (such as bloggers, niche celebrities, or active tweeters), who can help spread your message.
“Facebook and Twitter are only a start.” Consultants should know which platforms are best for your businesses. For example, if you are a fashion designer and your consultant isn’t talking about collage platform Polyvore, they’re doing something wrong.
“Let’s look at data.” Your consultant should find smart ways to interpret data that platforms provide, and track down new data sources as well. They should also identify the best social measurement, management, and listening tools for your company’s needs, so you can look up those data yourself after they’re gone.
“Your website should be social.” Don’t just rely on other platforms. Your consultant should optimize your own site for sharing and data collection. To start, connect to Facebook’s Open Graph and measure social activity–including “likes”–within your domain, in addition to measuring that activity within Facebook itself.
(Information from: Fast Company)
What are some of the success/horror stories of when you’ve worked with social media consulting companies?
by Miriam Hara | Nov 5, 2013 | Latest, Social Media
There’s much ado about content management these days. In fact, it’s the new buzz word in the social media and marketing landscape. With so many business and brand managers just grappling with the ever-changing dynamics of the worldwide internet and what it means for their business and brand portfolios, content management is yet another aspect of this evolving channel that they need to understand. Content Management is the umbrella of the social media marketing landscape, where content creation strategy plays a significant role under that umbrella.
Like all initiatives in marketing, and more specifically, advertising, achieving critical mass is extremely important in social media. By now, I believe many businesses have come to terms with the fact that social media takes a lot of time and effort. In business terms, that means it’s not free, but nor is it inexpensive. In order for social media initiatives to work, clear goals need to be defined and closely tied into clear and precise strategy. This is what we, at 3H, refer to as Content Creation Strategy. In the social media arena, being without a plan that outlines specific strategy means that businesses are essentially just shooting at random.
Here’s a quick overview of a Content Creation Strategy.
Define your audience: As with marketing, a clear and concise statement of who your target is, is essential. Without it, you are just pushing out content without intent. The beauty of social media is that you can aim… very specifically. Hallelujah! Niche marketing is where it’s at, especially in social media. Why not take advantage of it? Mine the internet and find other like-minded and complementary sites that also speak to your target audience. Define your target: not only by where they go, but by what they do and what they like.
Create a plan: Content creation, like advertising, needs to have a plan. What are the relevant topics for your brand or business? Are there key cycles that you need to build up to and are important? In traditional advertising, if February was Heart Health month, then all the major brands with something to “sell” in heart health would be advertising in February. In the social media environment, there’s no need for that. Slow builds to peak event activity garners greater rewards. At 3H, we establish social media calendars, months in advance. This doesn’t mean that it is set in stone, but the ability to be nimble and flexible on a moment’s notice is key.
Mix it up: Content creation doesn’t only speak to words, blog posts, posts on Facebook, or discussion comments on LinkedIn. Make sure that you blend in a mix of visual(photos) and if possible, video as well. Once you engage in the social media platform, you’ll be surprised how many consumers you have that are your advocates already; sending photos, testimonials and videos and allowing you to share them on your social media properties.
Know where to be: Part of any solid strategy is knowing where to be seen. Assessing the true value of each social media property is essential as well as understanding the must-have versus the nice-to-have. There are so many properties… yet, so little budget. Assess the need to be on every social media property versus the key properties; building towards achieving a broader range and greater reach. That’s what strategy is all about.
If you haven’t established a content creation strategy for your brand or business, then stop what you’re doing… and do it now. Marketing is all about efficiencies, and a content creation strategy plays right into that. Content creation does reap rewards and does provide ROI, but only if, there’s clear objectives and strategy behind the content.
by Miriam Hara | Sep 3, 2013 | Business Success, Latest, Social Media
Blogging for business has exploded onto the marketing landscape. Many businesses utilize blogs to promote their services and expertise, others to engage potential and existing client base, and yet other to generate sales leads. Regardless of the objective, launching a blog in the business arena is no small feat. Many businesses have jumped on the social media bandwagon and in the last few years, many have created Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, LinkedIn Business Profile Pages, Pinterest….. and now their very own Blog.
If you’re thinking about creating a blog for your business here’s a few of the hurdles you’ll need to overcome before engaging the blogging arena:
1) Make sure your website can perform accordingly. Many business launch a blog as a separate entity not realizing it’s very beneficial to link their business blog to their website. Blogging can only help the overall traffic your site generates, especially when your posts are featured on your home page, providing Google for a reason to visit your site more frequently. Google looks for fresh and new content. And that traffic can be an opportunity to accumulate leads or at the very least provide information that enables good analysis.
2) Create a strong Blog Persona. Make sure that your blog is an extension of your business and what it represents. Just because it’s social, it doesn’t mean it can’t be branded. It’s part of your brand, so it needs to resonate with your target audience. It also needs to propel your brand forward. It’s a marketing initiative.
3) Be consistent. Be relevant. If you don’t use it, you’ll lose! Many businesses believe that they can do this in-house, and that is certainly doable, but it is a substantial time commitment. Create a social media calendar to ensure that you always have topics in the pipeline that speak to your business. We all get writer’s block or rather, blogging block… but consistency is a must.
4) Write smart. Do your homework. It’s not good enough to just write. It’s important to do your homework. Yes. Homework. Research your topic, and research it with keywords traffic analytics. Make sure your post is SEO enriched. If you write for the pleasure of writing, then you’re just posting and hoping for the best. That’s just not marketing.
5) Spread the word. What’s the point of expending all this energy and time and not sharing your post in the social media properties? You need to tweet about it, post it on Facebook, StumbleUpon, LinkedIn, Google+1, Digg…only to name a few.
After you do it for a while, having a blog for your business can be fun. You start developing a community and a network of like-minded people that speak their minds and provide insight on topics that are relevant to your business. Creating a blog for your business and posting relevant material can elevate your business status and provide you with a strong foundation for developing business. After all, blogging is serious business and done properly should be an integral part of your business marketing program.
What key learning have you found in launching your business blog? I’d like to hear about the different challenges you have been facing with your business blog?
by Miriam Hara | Aug 21, 2013 | Business Success, Latest, Management, Social Media
The echo generation is not a new story. We’ve heard about them for years. Those born in the eighties and nineties, they’re called the echo generation because they are the demographic echo of their parents: the infamous baby boomers.
We knew by their sheer volume the echo generation would transform our lives. And why wouldn’t they? They are a fast, quick thinking group with information at their fingertips. With mobile phones and unlimited access, no question goes unanswered for more than a few minutes. Arguments about facts are settled within a google second… there is no dispute over who is right or wrong. The ultimate multi-tasker. They are involved with everything. They talk, text, download music, post to social media accounts, take photos… sometimes simultaneously!. And they do it at all hours of the day. Their social circle reaches to all corners of the world. They can as easily talk, Facetime or Skype to Singapore at any hour of the day on a whim, at less than a moment’s notice!
The echo generation is plugged in
Like in the Matrix they are the totally plugged-in citizens of a worldwide community. The only difference is the plug is wireless and it’s not in their head. And with this connection comes the transformations that has changed the way we do business…. and the speed in which we do it in.
The echo generation extended our work day
You may not have noticed. It’s been a slow, insidious process. But the extended work day has seeped into our work culture and personal world. It’s not overtime that’s a few extra hours here and there at the end of the day. It’s a work day that starts you get up and ends when you go to sleep… if you go to sleep! Now that the echo generation is part of the work force they are keeping us up at night. I call it the No Place, No Time Rule. It doesn’t matter where you are or what time it is, as long as there is access, your work day is not over. I keep my phone by the side of the bed and listen for the tell-tale tone that informs me I need to respond. Think about it… when planning a holiday in whatever part of the world… one of the check marks about a place is whether it has WiFi… and if it’s free!
Did the echo generation create the new work order?
Who created this business landscape? Many say it’s the echo generation. I tend to give credit where credit is due… to those that have created the foundation of the technology and gave the echo generation the tools. Suffice to say neither Bill Gates nor Steve Jobs are from the echo generation! But, did the echo generation seize the technology and make it work the way they wanted? Regardless of who created this, the echo generation have paved the way to a work week without borders. No longer are weekends true weekends. It’s 24/7. Better get used to it.
by Miriam Hara | Aug 6, 2013 | Business Success, Design, Latest, Marketing, Social Media
In today’s corporate environment the vertical integration of all marketing facets is fast becoming the norm. The adage of “wearing many hats” that was once synonymous only with entrepreneurship, is no longer. Corporate marketing is increasingly becoming, in their own corporate space, a marketing hub for their brands, services or products.
If you’ve been following our blog 3H hoopla, you know that I have posted many times about the changes in technology and what that has meant to the advertising and creative field. Today I’m going to focus my perspective on what those changes have meant to corporations. Technological advancements, in terms of today’s computer and software systems, have allowed corporations to get “a handle” on their creative. Desktop publishing has given way to more sophisticated marketing and creative departments. Many corporate businesses have full internal marketing and creative departments, staffed with art directors, creative directors and graphic designers. Needless to say, this also means there is a greater need for full internet connectivity and monitoring of the way the corporation presents themselves to their target audience online, requiring a merging of the IT department with the evolved marketing department.
Over two decades after the launch of desktop publishing and the worldwide web, the business world is “a buzz” with social media.
Today’s corporate marketing departments are now finding themselves having to contend with all the social media platforms: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram, to name just a few! Although the social media channel is nothing new, its platforms are relatively unchartered territory for corporate marketing. Many don’t know how to use them effectively, or evaluate and monitor their use.
As a result, many corporate marketing departments are becoming entrepreneurial adding yet another hat, social media to the number of hats they are currently wearing. Unlike entrepreneurs however, budgets are the not the motivating factor in initially taking on social media as a DIY (“do it yourself”) initiative. What ever the motivation is, it isn’t too long before corporate marketing is faced with the fact that to really run and maintain any social media property effectively, it takes a lot of time, focus, energy and knowledge.
Corporations are vertically integrating their creative needs and now, their social media needs.
On a theoretical level it all makes sense. At the surface, staffing for social media simply involves a good command of the English language with a strong understanding of social media properties. Right? Corporate businesses can now “own” all the layers of marketing, from product development, brand management, creative development, design and execution and now social media. The motivation of control and “owning” the brand voice is a real concern, but there are creative professionals and agencies that can be outsourced to provide this service seamlessly.
All this to say, social media isn’t a layer of marketing to be taken lightly. Social media entails strategy, investigation, monitoring, writing and engagement on a continuous (24-7) basis. At this point of the life cycle of Social Media, does it make sense for corporations to spread their resources too thin by including social media into their marketing layers? What are your thoughts on this, I’d like to hear about them.
