by Miriam Hara | Jun 22, 2015 | Business Success, Latest, Social Media
Social media is not a single act … or a monologue. In order to achieve greatness (isn’t that what we’re all after!), a social media marketing strategy must embrace an internal social media culture. The use of social media must, and I repeat, must, be holistic.[inlinetweet prefix=”null” tweeter=”null” suffix=”#SocialMediaCulture”] We live in an age of voyeurism. [/inlinetweet] People want to know the ins and outs of brands and companies. They want to see for themselves the truth in everything. A properly developed social media marketing strategy takes advantage of a social media platform to educate, inform and to showcase what companies’ philosophies are all about, what their culture is all about.
A social media marketing strategy that promotes one tone and culture for their external audience and another for their internal audience is destined to meet with confusion and failure. You’ll be outed sooner than soon.
Recently, I was asked to take a survey giving my opinion on embracing an internal social media platform that would be like a social media intranet … allowing company departments to communicate with one another. I admit, I was and still am a little confused about this concept. I’ll tell you why.
Social media is all about being social, inclusive and holistic with everyone. To ring true, it’s a conversation that must run internally and externally. Our company’s social media is, I believe, inclusive. In any successful corporate or branded social media initiative, the entire company is on board. Social Media isn’t just marketing, nor is it customer service, or sales. It’s all of these and more, all departments singing from the same song sheet … yes, that includes the accounting department! In other words,[inlinetweet prefix=”null” tweeter=”null” suffix=”#SocialMediaCulture”] a business’s social media marketing strategy must incorporate all departments [/inlinetweet] and must make each department accountable for contributing to the overall social media initiative. That could take the form of staff or team members simply ‘liking’ a post, retweeting a comment, sharing an article, a post, or ‘how to’ video. All of these actions help fuel the integration of the business culture and business philosophy, leading to the success of the business’s social media platform, internally and externally.
As far as my opinion and receptiveness to an internal social media intranet, the concept just doesn’t ring true or right. If you’re doing it properly, your[inlinetweet prefix=”null” tweeter=”null” suffix=”#SocialMediaCulture”] Social Media should be a dimensional blend [/inlinetweet]; whether a business or brand, speaking to staff, clients and potential clients. Using social media as a platform allows you to speak to all of these segments. The use of LinkedIn Company pages, as with Facebook Brand pages, allows for communications between teams and followers alike. The actual channels may be different, but your tone, style, what you say, how you say it, the ways you choose to communicate should [inlinetweet prefix=”null” tweeter=”null” suffix=”#SocialMediaCulture”]remain true to your business and brand core[/inlinetweet]. A social media marketing strategy must always keep in mind that in today’s landscape, and that includes the internal corporate culture, people really are looking for the truth in things. If you live it inside the company, then outside the company it’s believable too: in other words, what is true, ultimately rings true.
by Miriam Hara | Jun 18, 2015 | Advertising, Business Success, Latest, Marketing, Social Media
As a skill, business writing isn’t new. Written expression has always been valued as a means of communication between departments within organizations. Few businesses can do without a key business writer.
Many feel a new dawn has arrived for business writing, making it more highly valued and sought after. With the advent of content marketing, businesses and corporations see strategic business writing as a skill they require from their marketing department. The hair-trigger reaction is to find someone to fulfill this important new “role”. But is this the most logical way to venture forward? In the brave new world of content marketing, what kind of writer does your business need?
Does the skill of business writing equal the skill of content creation?
The writing skill of a business writer may equal the writing skill of a content creator, but the skill sets are different. At the risk of sounding patronizing, not all writing “types” are the same. A journalist doesn’t write the same way as a novelist, or an editorial writer, or an investigative reporter, or a copywriter. Hence a business writer may not have the writing style or skill set needed for content marketing. Content marketing requires content creation, which requires not only basic business writing skills, but strategic and creative thinking. Those are the skills needed to propel content creation to the next level – getting the consumer interested and then engaged. A solid understanding and healthy respect for content development and creation is key to achieving content that resonates, eliciting the desired action from the consumer
Perhaps then, a content creator must be three parts writer and one part marketer: The writer must be investigative, inventive and devoted to engagement and the marketer ensures things relate back to brand, but not in an obvious way. It irks me when content is created under the guise of information, when in fact, it’s purely promotional. Shame on brand! Shame on business. Consumers today are savvy and they expect more from brands and businesses. Fortunately, in this new era, a good content creator understands and respects the difference. Businesses should too!
What are your thoughts on writing and on the new dynamic in the marketing landscape: Content marketing?
by Miriam Hara | Jun 15, 2015 | Advertising, Business Success, Latest, Social Media
“The advertising world is a young person’s game.” We have all heard this statement before – but is it accurate? Social media, although not in itself ‘advertising‘ has carved out its place within branding in an effort to establish brand relevancy. Similar to any other industry, advertising has evolved to include a ‘holistic‘ communication approach. Am I being naive by saying that there is indeed room for the 50+ marketer within social media – that we are not over the hill? Didn’t we also hear, “Today’s 50 is the new 40”?
It may come as a complete surprise to many that some people consider the 50+ executive to be over the hill. This kind of thinking ultimately leads to the conclusion that those over 50 should not be trying to navigate social media! Think about this: Did you know that the over the hill demographic is the fastest growing of Facebook users. More than half of all online adults 65 and older (56%) use Facebook. This represents 31% of all seniors. It would seem then that being over the hill, is about getting social! Forgive me, I digress.
My point is to speak about social media in the context of building a social media team. Has the business of social media taken on the same youthful persona as advertising? Is the perception of business and their corporate human resource management that the 50-something professional is over the hill and therefore not capable of embracing the new, fast-paced and ever-changing world of social media?
Here are a few reasons why any human resource manager should consider a 50-something applicant to be part of their social media team, (providing that they want to be part of a social media team):
They have people experience. They have business experience. They have process experience. They have team culture experience. They have life experience.
Couple this wealth of ‘experiences’ with these three core attributes that any candidate, regardless of age, needs to have:
Here’s another statement that we’ve all heard before that still rings true: “Don’t judge a book by its cover” – even if that cover is on your eReader screen. Tap open the book, swipe through the pages and you might be pleasantly surprised by what you learn.
by Miriam Hara | Jun 12, 2015 | Business Success, Creative, Latest, Marketing
With the internet and social media opening up a new marketing dynamic, marketing function as it was is no longer valid – or is it? The business environment and the marketing function are continually evolving. What are the fundamental skills required of a marketing professional?
The digital landscape has created a convergence of many disciplines. Two of these are marketing function and creative skill. Gone are the days when there were distinct roles for designer, writer and creative director.
Recently, I received a comment on a post I wrote about the state of the creative environment. It stated that the “magic” of creative is now lost because of the “accessibility” of being creative for everyone. I realized the truth about that statement. The launch of great applications and software programs have enabled all of us to exercise the creative side of our personalities. That is truly wonderful! But does that mean that everyone has the potential of being a creative professional? I will go on the record as saying no, I don’t believe so.
Marketing function should take care of marketing – that’s what it should master.
Many feel that marketing function has changed. The expectation now is for marketing professionals to be able to “speak creative” and navigate through its “implementation” process. In the digital space, it is also expected that marketing professionals possess the ability to not only set content creation strategies, but also guide the content creation calendar, establish the critical path and even create content. All of that is a tall order for most marketing professionals. Not because they can’t do it, but considering the speed of business today, it’s simply too much to keep on top of in addition to existing marketing functions.
In the past, people within the marketing function simply needed to know enough about creative to understand its process and to make sure that the end campaign delivered on the objective, message, tone and ROI. However, it is no longer left to professionals and experts to provide the knowledge about how to “break through the clutter” in the “advertising” space. The lines are blurred. As a result, many initiatives are not as successful as they should be, resulting in the unfair assessment of the channel – traditional or digital. To put that into perspective, who hasn’t heard it said that Social Media is not garnering the expected ROI, and therefore isn’t a valuable channel? How many within a marketing function role have purchased media without going through a media strategist? How many in a marketing function role have built branded sites with an available CMS platform without understanding user experience or SEO? How many take on the role of directing creative, without having taken graphic design 101? Unfortunately, there are many more questions like these. And, I can only do one thing at a time. -sigh-
by Miriam Hara | Jun 8, 2015 | Business Success, Latest, Marketing, Social Media
Social media is here to stay. It’s a fact of life. Gone are the naysayers that insisted that it was a passing fad. Social networking is now the new business network and it’s thriving! Consider this: Facebook represents one of the biggest social networks connecting people to people, people to brands and business to business. Let’s not forget to mention Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or LinkedIn, offering the same social networking possibilities. As of January 2015, the digital usage worldwide had increased exponentially.
Source: Wearesocial.net
Social networking isn’t just about dressing for the part, it’s about ‘owning it’.
Over 2 billion people on the planet are active on social media. Individuals, brands and businesses should now recognize the increasing importance of social networking and getting found – at the right time and at the right place.
But it’s not just about being there and getting found. Having an active digital footprint is imperative. As such, the importance of a brand’s or business’ social media footprint needs follow suit. Not only do brands and businesses need to have a considerable social media footprint in order to participate and be relevant within the customer journey, they need to walk the talk, which means they need to own it.
Owning the social networking for your brand or business translates into the following:
Establishing the objectives for social networking: Like any business networking opportunity, you need to define your measurement of success before heading to the event. Is it to meet new people so they know your business, target a potential client or provide an avenue to secure a follow-up meeting?
Developing a cohesive content strategy: How are you going to introduce yourself? How are you going deliver what you want to say? It’s necessary to prepare your content with flexibility based on whom you are speaking to. Create a protocol for dealing with different scenarios – even the negative ones. These could involve possible ‘faux pas’ made on the brand’s behalf or a community member with a complaint and the inevitability of just dealing with rude people (they exist in the digital space as well as the physical space).
Knowing your audience: Don’t show up in jeans when everyone else is in a suit. It’s good to stand apart, but as a business or brand, the need to stand apart is very much tied into relevancy and perception. Building credibility on their terms is key.
Following up: If you are going to take the time to embrace social networking, you need to be responsive. There is no use reaching out if you’re not going to follow up. Establish a process with a set guidelines about when and how to respond. Be sure to also include guidelines for the tone and style of responses in order to maintain consistency.
Social networking is here to stay and it will become (if it isn’t already), a considerable venue to achieve business and brand targets. Control how your business or brand is perceived in this space by making sure that every aspect of the ‘meet’ is reviewed carefully. Dress appropriately, have confidence and walk the talk!
