by Stephanie Fasulo | May 23, 2013 | Business Success, Latest, Social Media, Uncategorized
If you decide to take your company online you’re joining a community of teachers, learners, explorers, and open-minded people who are trying new marketing communications tools that are changing every day. Just this week alone I received numerous emails about my analytics on Facebook changing… yet again. The most frustrating change Facebook Analytics did was remove the Social Reach reference when monitoring Facebook Ads, in the Full Report mode ! Working around this new development, I was still able to find the necessary metrics I needed, in a less efficient way… a needless to say, a tad more stressful! This got me wondering on how any of us can keep up with our work while the platforms we work on everyday change so often!
Don’t get we wrong, I totally accept that being in social media, it’s what we signed up for, this diverse, ever-changing, community of social people. But how do we keep it up when there are so many other priorities in the day-to-day business of doing? Rather than depending on email updates or announcements, there are a few ways we can deal with the ever evolving ground of social media. Based on your brand’s vision and more importantly, goals that you establish, here are a few alternatives in how you can manage your social media initiatives. Picking the right one for your business will make the difference between how well you navigate the many transitions that are sure to come!
Hire someone: Hiring a designated person to handle your company’s social media specifically regardless of company size is that you can maintain a steady, unwavering pulse on social media and all the changes that happen so often. You can start off my hiring a part-time full-time person. This will allow the person to get a read on the business culture and brand voice so that they can communicate effectively.
Outsource: Like everything else in business, if you outsource to your social media initiatives to the right partner, your social media becomes their priority…and seeing that they are in the business of social media, they not only have a pulse on the changes, but they are the at the forefront of the changes and their potential impact on your business’ social initiatives. More care would have to be taken to ensure that the business culture and voice is portrayed consistently.
DIY: . I’m not saying not to do it yourself! You can be successful if you immerse yourself. You just have to know that you need to be involved with the image and online brand being shared all over the world every minute of every day. If your company is small, it can be fun and exciting to do it yourself because you can see your fan base and community build…in real time! You have to ask yourself though… is the time you are taking to do it yourself, taking you away from “your real job”…and thus short-changing the business goals?
Don’t get involved: Let’s face it, there’s always those who jump in with both feet…that would be the early adopters. And then there are those that really take a long time to get on board…and that would be the slow movers. In some cases, there are those that don’t ever get on board! I ‘m not sure if that’s even an option in today’s marketing and business landscape. After all, social media isn’t just Facebook…it’s LinkedIn, Google+, Twitter, Pinterest, MosiacHub, Reddit,Social Media Today and GuestBlog…to name a few.
If you are reading this right now you are already apart of the social media community where we all learn from each other. If there is a problem, challenge or question, online communicators… we social communicators don’t have to go very far for answers. Social Media has made us pioneers of sorts and we are all part of the same community, constantly learning and reaching out…and in fact keeping up with social media!
by Lisa Wedmann | May 14, 2013 | Business Success, Latest
It always amazes me how many start up companies and entrepreneurs operate without a marketing plan. You wouldn’t head out to a destination without at least which direction you are heading or more to the point, input the address on a GPS so you can get there in the most timely way. The purpose of a marketing plan is to articulate where you need to be and define the measurement of success for your business. It provides you with the forum to focus on your business, on your competition, on the current market trends. In short, it makes you do the homework you need to do to get a clear and concise understanding of all the roads and road blocks that will lead to your business’ success…. before you start your engine and put your car into drive.
No matter what size, or type, or whether you are offering a product or a service this “road map” will prove to be invaluable when decisions need to be made. You have a great product or service and you are anxious for everyone to know about it and you want to just get out there and start selling. STOP. Do you have a plan? Do you know when you get there? It always amazes me how many start up companies and entrepreneurs operate without a marketing plan.
In the not so recent past many businesses, start ups, retailers and b2b companies felt that any marketing initiatives were well beyond their reach. To have any impact on their audience, a lot of dollars were needed. Enter Social Media, and businesses everywhere are getting into the “marketing” of their businesses. Which is absolutely wonderful! In today’s business landscape, businesses are all embarking on the Social Media… some with little or no understanding of the true time cost of doing it properly. But I digress,that’s another blog for another time.
Jumping on the band wagon without a clear definition of your value proposition and your unique selling point is dangerous. Equally dangerous is not defining your businesses brand voice, brand tone and brand personality. This is where a marketing plan comes in. The purpose of a marketing plan is to map out the direction of where you need to be… and define the measurement of success for your business… it is essentially this “destination point” which will prove to be invaluable when decisions need to be made.
In this “road map” you need to determine your strategy, identify your priorities and then build out your tactics from there. Start by identifying who your target market is. Define as much as you can: age, sex, profession or career, income level, level of educational attainment and geographic location…. and go farther. Define your target markets likes and dislikes, habits, hobbies. This is the age of niche marketing!
Clearly define your business and set reasonable quantifiable objectives. It’s important to be honest. Don’t set yourself up for failure…be aware of the potential hazards before you start…and when detours happen along the way, your marketing plan will provide you with a solid base to switch gears and turn to an alternative road to get you where you are going… to success!
by Stephanie Fasulo | Apr 26, 2013 | Latest, Social Media
The sharing of “the visual” over the internet is now widespread. When developing an internet campaign on Facebook or Twitter, there is one thing that media savvy writers take for granted and it is usually the visual effects. Twitter has proven you can lock interest and develop followers on good, solid content. But is that all it really takes? The internet landscape with the introduction of social media has evolved throughout the years and increasingly the importance of clear, crisp visuals paired with engaging content is vital. Instagram, YouTube, Tumblr, Pinterest and Flikr are all platforms purely based on sharing videos and photos personally and business wide.
Nike’s business platform has a strong visual internet platform on Instagram.
Although Instagram was developed and still primarily used as an app on a mobile device, after Facebook purchased Instagram last year, they have integrated a more web-friendly site. Here you can see the heading of Nike’s Social Media Site with over 570 pictures being shared worldwide.
A photo from Nike’s Instagram account featuring its line of baseball equipment and apparel. Comments and Likes show that Nike’s decision to focus on artistic advertising – like images works very well and is widely becoming the new normal. With over 1 million followers already, Nike has developed an Instagram space that solely shares its product, defines its target audience and successfully incorporates artistic photography, its current fashion appeal and its promise to be the best fitness apparel out there. So why does this matter? It matters because while you’re writing, someone else is writing and sharing a picture. It’s all about being up to date and keeping engaged with what people want to see, learn about and connect with. Visuals on a social media campaign can increase followers, likes, quality, authenticity, and generally attract more people and interest to your online brand. So start building those high-quality visuals and pair it up with your message. On many social platforms it is a must and sometimes you won’t have a choice.
by Lisa Wedmann | Apr 20, 2013 | Advertising, Branding, Business Success, Latest, Social Media
It’s important to have a social media strategy. As Marketers it is important to get your message out in a consistent and timely basis; but how do you handle that when a tragic situation occurs within your community? Does your team have a crisis plan in place within your social media strategy?
Recently there have been some very tragic news stories that were rampant throughout mainstream media. When the horrible explosions occurred in Boston at the Boston Marathon finish line we at 3H, along with the brands that we represent, chose to extend our sympathies and then remain quiet in our social media streams. In light of the situation that was the appropriate and respectful thing to do and we were happy to see that many companies and brands chose the same approach.
Alas common sense is not so common and sadly there is always at least one company that puts out a message that the general public is offended by due to poor timing. https://twitter.com/stringsn88keys/status/324139615852298241/photo/1
Epicurious took a beating over these tweets and have since deleted them and apologized.
We can all learn a lesson by unfortunate situations like this. Here is a great checklist that your social media team should keep on hand:
- Turn off scheduled tweets/posts
- Listen to what your community is saying
- Just as you think before you speak (or should), think before you type and hit enter
If you happen to say something that you probably shouldn’t have:
- Don’t delete your post and then go into hiding
- Own up to it and do it quickly
- Be honest and genuine in your apology
If you approach your Community with honesty and integrity, even if you made a mistake, your Community will respect you for doing what you can to make things right. Once the dust settles your true fans and followers will still love you.
by Jenna Elberson | Mar 26, 2013 | Business Success, Latest, Social Media
You have a great Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest page. Your timeline photo, background image and profile pictures are eye catching. Your brand is engaging your fans/followers with compelling content, because as we know content is king. You have all the elements you need for great social media presence, do you have social media metrics to track and measure the growth and success on the social media landscape?
There’s more to social media metrics…
If your brand has a business page on Facebook tracking changes to your social media is easy, but that’s not always the metrics you need to go by. Even on sites like Google+, Twitter and Pinterest it can a little more complicated, but it’s do-able. Keep in mind that not every client or business is the same so measuring metrics and your ROI will vary.
Here are just a few ways you can measure the success of your social media and enhance it. First start with…
1. Track it!
Search the web and you will find a few social media templates that have likes, comments, RTs. You can easily make your own, ask your client or yourself what it is you’re trying to track. What is your objective with your social media campaign; retweets vs new followers? Once you have the items you want to track you’re good to go. Keep track of the weekly activity and at the end of the week visit the chart and see what works and what doesn’t.
2. Sales
You should keep a close eye on your sales when promoting on Social Media. Most companies see big gain in sales by doing a push on social media. Track which type of promo does best for your sales. Whether you offer a % discount vs. a BOGO etc AND also keep a watchful eye on which social platform you generate the most sales from. Pinterest always increases sale more when you promote and item like clothing or a gadget where as a % discount on a product will better suit you on Facebook and Twitter.
3. Engagement
Which stories or posts garnered the most comments? When your users engage with your brand or the content you aren’t necessarily gaining a fan you’re gaining interest from that person. Track their social media journey. Does a picture do better than a story or a video vs. a question. The social media chart should track this and by revisiting it find out what works and doesn’t with your brand and watch for an increase in engagement with your fans/followers. Another key ingredient here is how YOU engage with your followers. It doesn’t matter how long it takes you to response, but that you respond! People want their voice to be heard, whether it’s in a positive way or negative make sure you are engaging with your fans and interacting with them.
All brands will have a different social media strategy when it comes to tracking their metrics and ROI. As long as you keep a close eye on what’s working and what’s not and act on it, you will see a positive change towards your social media campaign. Not all things work the first time, be patience you’re working towards a positive ROI outcome and at first you don’t succeed try, try again.
