I’ve scoured the Internet to find you the best, little known tips and tricks for your favorite social media platforms. I even found some tricky things to try on Google+ !
Did I leave out something? Tell us your favorite social media trick in comments below. Happy Networking!
In the wake of Google+, law firms are being forced to rethink their strategy. Attorneys are already growing a decent following on Facebook and Twitter, sharing the latest in legal news (as well as showing themselves as likable people). Small communities are popping up around such topics as accident injury, food poisoning, and toy recalls. The addition of Google+ gives the legal industry something new to think about.
The early adopters of Google+ will have to work hard to gain the trust of the social community and get into their circles. The best way to do this would be by developing and sharing fresh and exciting content, as well as engaging with others in the public stream.
It doesn’t just take great content. Growing a community in social media requires the careful use of ad words, engagement, and thoughtful design. A professional looking page still goes a long way in today’s competitive market. For an attorney, it’s also important to come across as a likeable person and not just another lawyer. The occasional non-business status update and genuinely responding to others in the stream will make a lawyer seem more personable.
Sharing content across multiple social platforms will also increase a law firm’s chances of landing a client. It’s already been proven that Facebook users aren’t as likely to be Twitter users. Although, the majority of Twitter users are found to be active on Facebook. Through the use of Twitter chats, Facebook polls, blog posts and now Google+ huddles and sparks… attorneys have multiple ways to share what they have to offer, listen to their potential clients needs, and act accordingly.
However, Google+ isn’t for the casual social media user. It seems to have attracted those who are typically early adopters of technology. So if a law firm is looking to expand its reach in the social media community, being a part of the new platform will show they’re forward thinkers. And the upcoming addition of Google+ for businesses will make the social transition even easier.
Here are some new terms coined by Google+:
These are groups sorted according to their relationship to the user. Family, Friends, Clients, and even People Who Annoy Me all have their place in Google+ Circles. Status updates and content sharing can be done publicly or can be limited to specific circles. This comes in handy when you’re talking about that crazy weekend in Vegas.
Sparks are content create based on the users interests. This comes in handy when it comes to sharing relevant content.
A huddle is essentially a group chat messenger. It allows you to communicate with users in various circles.
Just like it sounds… a hangout is a video chat room for groups. Users can participate via video, voice, or text chat. Content such as a YouTube video can also be shared in a Hangout.
Many specialized industries will be jumping into Google+ in the days and weeks to come. Not only would Law Firms benefit from being so technically savvy… but the medical field and financial divisions would also do well by updating their social media strategies. Take my word for it. Better yet… shoot me a message (KellyL@Social2B.com) or a tweet (@Social2B) and I’ll help to train you or your enterprise for the next phase of your social media marketing. *Photo Credit Aaron Wood on Google+*
#OnSocial Twitter Chat Wrap Up: June 20 2011 View more presentations from Social2B. Was your tweet featured in this week’s #OnSocial wrap up? Join us Mondays at 4pm EST and be a part of our growing social media, marketing, and best practices chat!
Was your tweet featured in this week’s #OnSocial wrap up? Join us Mondays at 4pm EST and be a part of our growing social media, marketing, and best practices chat!
I took some time to ask my Twitter audience the following question: Why do you follow your favorite brands on Twitter? It turns out that most of us just want to be informed. Follow on!
You have a Facebook page, a account, a YouTube channel and a blog. You update them regularly and have a growing community on each of the platforms. This community could be much larger if the social profiles were integrated together. Below are some tips on seamlessly integrating your profiles and getting them the readership they deserve.
Utilizing relevant search terms isn’t just for blog posts. Using key words tailored for you company are important even in the tweets you put out. Recently, Google announced that it’s search algorythm was adjusted to include social media. Don’t get left behind in the top searches because your company isn’t optimized properly.
It’s a well known fact that Facebook users aren’t avid Twitter users. By integrating your social profiles, you’re exposing your Facebook and Twitter readers to what’s happening on your blog, website, and YouTube channel. Sharing buttons, links, and portals to your profiles allow your readers to easily share and discover new content.
Spread the word about your company and be sure to include all of your social profiles. In all outgoing collateral, include the many ways that your customer can find you online. And… don’t forget email marketing. Looked on by some as “spam”, emarketer recently reported that 95% of 18-25 year olds opt-in to email updates and newsletters.
Social Media Marketing doesn’t exist without some form of integration. Whether you are integrating your social media effort inside of a large organization or an independent marketer, there are a plethora of new tools to help you efficiently integrate social media based on the demands of their clients and partners. If you are a small business or a start up, don’t be left out – many of the tactics and strategies that apply in the Fortune 1000 world can just as easily be implemented by you.
Now get out there and share what you’re made of!
Kelly Loubet is the Director of Social Community Marketing at Social2B. She’s a believer in community building and using social media for good. Kelly is a mom, a writer, and a speaker. Follow her @Social2B and on her personal account @childhood. To read more of her writing, check out EverydayChildhood.com.
You have a new follower on Twitter! Great! You’re expanding your readership and increasing your online influence. Now what? How do you retain Twitter followers once they’ve clicked “follow”? Many new followers click “follow” and that’s the end of them. There’s no engagement… no involvement whatsoever.
New followers bring a new relationship and like any new relationship, it will need cultivating. Developing personal relationships with your followers will create a loyal community. Of course having a one on one conversation with each of your followers everyday isn’t feasible, but it is important to set aside a portion of your day each day to converse with some of them.
First, see who’s speaking to you. Check your @’s and respond to them accordingly. Taking time to respond to those who took the time to reach out to you will go a long way in your community building efforts.
Everyone knows that clicking the “like” button on a company’s Facebook page shows that company is increasing its fan base. But what happens after the click? For me… it’s often just that. A click. I’m sure that I’m not alone. So how do brands turn a simple click into loyal relationship with consumers?
It all starts with engagement. If a brand can engage its audience… they’re on the right track. Being able to excite the fan base and get them to act is key in building a Facebook community. In order to get them to act, there must be an exciting call to action. Contests, polls, and general questions encourage a sense of community. They’ve already acknowledged that they like the brand, now’s their chance to share their opinion.
In addition to a call to action, in order to engage the audience, a brand must also put out worthwhile content. Posts that both inform and entertain readers are a must. So many brands today are just putting out fluff pieces. Sure, these pieces of content keep their page fresh, but audiences want something more. They want something they can relate to. A well written post can be shared again and again across Facebook by loyal community members. Give them something worth sharing.
Finally, loyal community members want to be rewarded. Companies that find a way to give back to their fans have a much more activity on their pages than brands who don’t engage. A simple “thank you” to fans when a certain milestone has been reached can go a long way.
“Thank you to all our readers who helped us reach 10,000. We couldn’t have done it without you and your input.”
A message like this will prompt those who have been around from the beginning to comment and be proud of the community they helped to build. Beyond words of thanks, giveaways are a nice way to show your community you’re happy to have them around. Brands might also consider a charity drive. Giving back always builds a sense of gratitude in people. Nothing builds community more than giving.
These are just some simple ideas that could be easily implemented with a dedicated team. Without a team willing to put the time in to keep the conversations going… it’s not going to work. Facebook is about people. It’s about relationships. No relationship grows without some cultivation. If your brand is looking to step up your Facebook efforts, be sure you have the proper team in place. Soon enough, your Facebook community will be going beyond the “like”.
By Ytzik Aranov, Managing Partner, Social2B
For those of you who’ve been through business school lectures on Michael Porter’s Value Chain Analysis this doesn’t come as news to you. But when asked to implement social media practices, policies, platforms, tools, etc., in today’s corporation or enterprise, we throw out all of what we learned that makes the enterprise tick and elect to “surf” it through!
Attention – and I quote:
“Social Media (in the Enterprise) is a Business Process, not a channel, department, or vertical silo”.
End quote.
You heard it here! Think about it. Social media touches upon every department, every business process, every channel, every prospect / customer interaction, every investor, every supplier, in short, it touches the entire organization.
In today’s marketplace, social media and an enterprise’s’ online brand architecture and social media footprint is arguably, the most important business process affecting the entire Enterprise Value Chain. Poor implementation of a solid online & social media platform strategy & tactics directly impacts a company’s ability to market, sell and extend its brand reach, globally. Failure to effectively implement an integrated social media strategy & tactics across the entire Value Chain could potentially lead to lower revenues (read, shareholder value), slippage in market share, increased financial exposure, risk, and more
.png "Enterprise Value Chain")
One of the most effective measurement techniques to measure enterprise social media effectiveness, both pre- and post-implementation, is to diagnose the “Social Media Maturity Index” (see graphic), which establishes a recognizable industry-specific metric with which to assess the social media value, influence, depth, and footprint of an enterprise’s value chain components – combining both departments and business processes. Moreover, the social media maturity Index in its very essence is a barometer of how the value chain is capable of moving at the speed of (digital & social) business today.
So, when looking for added revenue stream, cost savings, internal value, constraints, and external interfaces with the world, then social media maturity acutely identifies the lack of, or plethora, of business excellence in sync with today’s pace of commerce.
OK, skeptics, How do we drill down into the Enterprise Value Chain and establish Social Value Chain Maturity & Scalability? Let’s break it apart into pieces. Look at the following chart that defines touch points throughout selected departments throughout the enterprise, and their social media impacts.
The same goes for every other vertical silo, and, every business processes. Each and every business process running across – horizontally – the enterprise has multiple social media touch points.
Social media maturity, coupled with an integrated online, SEO, SEM and Social Community Marketing strategy replaces one-way communication with dialogue. Participation by customers, suppliers, employees, the industry, the market, etc., and feedback from them all (!), must be listened to because it has the power to make or break your enterprise or enterprise function. Social media tools allow us to observe the conversations, measure, monitor, track and quantify the online & social media reach and influence. It allows us to assess and re-assess the correct strategy & tactics from the bottom up to increase revenues, open new markets, capture greater market share, lower costs and in general, improve the bottom-line ROI.
So, what about ROI?
If done right — and you’ll have to come back for a later post on this subject — the Social Media Maturity Index is then mapped by those of you honored to be the “Keeper of the Social Keys” in the enterprise, to any existing enterprise Balanced Scorecard KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) in use by the Executive suite (read CFO), in order to assess true ROI, Economic Value & shareholder value. And, by the way, to justify shifting dollars from traditional advertising / marketing into your online / social media marketing budget.
In Summary:
The value in executing a Social Media Maturity Index exercise, as the very first step prior to embarking on that “Journey to the Edge of the Social World”, includes, but by no means is limited to:
The Social Media Maturity Index provides an immediate snapshot of where every Value Chain component of the organization is today is with respect to social media & market acceleration and what can be expected in terms of performance based on the overall social media maturity of the enterprise. It also maps out where each Value Chain component is lacking and what can be done to accelerate it and better sync it to the other Value Chain components thereby creating a powerhouse enterprise that socially rocks!
I recently attended The CMO Club Summit in NYC. I’m not a CMO (yet), but I was there as a representative of Social2B and we were a sponsor of the event. Having the opportunity to listen to the presenters and be a part of the round table discussions was extremely valuable. Even more valuable was the networking. Getting down to a personal level and hearing the issues that CMOs face has changed the way I think about social marketing.
In today’s economy, the job of a CMO has become increasingly difficult. A few years ago, a CMO could lay out a social media campaign that included online advertising, paid bloggers as ambassadors, and huge giveaways. The CMO worked closely with an social media marketing agency to help make the campaign happen.
You’re probably thinking… this still goes on in today’s economy. CMOs still lay out social media campaigns and still work closely with agencies.
Yes. They do. But the key ingredient missing from those early campaigns was tangible results. Those campaigns weren’t necessarily results driven. Beyond growing the fan base… CMOs and agencies alike weren’t sure what else to expect. It was a new frontier and all that was important was to be the first one there.
Now, nearly every company is there. Digital property is scarce and whether they are using it or not, companies are forced to start developing a digital foot print. In this economy, CMOs can’t simply lay out a plan and hope that it works. Facebook “likes” are not sales and acquiring followers on Twitter doesn’t necessarily help the bottom line.
The biggest challenge that CMOs face is justifying the spending on a social media or digital campaign. The results have to be there in order to get the funding approved. How does a CMO correlate their digital marketing effort to the ROI? The expectations have never been higher. Luckily, with these challenges, solutions are being developed.
Software companies, developers, and even guys still living in their mom’s basement, have been hard at work making tools to aid the CMO. Many of these tools are initially free and give some really amazing insights. Tools like PeerIndex to measure the influence of an individual or company in the social space. Tools to follow a Twitter conversation and detail the impact like Tweet Reach. And measurement tools like SocialReport that will “listen” to sentiment about a company and get down to a granular level so that customer’s social behavior can be tracked and understood. The list goes on and on.
Partnering with the right people to utilize these tools is the next step in the CMOs plan. They must choose partners that will best read the data and create a social media solution that will ultimately impact the bottom line. A strategic partner won’t rely on social alone to try and show a ROI. They will utilize SEO and SEM. They will integrate social profiles and properties for maximum exposure. A strategic partner will be innovative in their ideas, yet have a way to back up the results through efficient reporting. And they’ll continue to grow the community surrounding the brand while giving the current audience a call to action.
Today’s CMO faces a great challenge, but they aren’t alone. The tools are available. The partnerships are out there and the customers in the social media community are eager to be a part of the new marketing frontier.
