Blog: Tips of the Trade

If you use Facebook, Twitter or other social media channels for business, you probably consider yours to be a social business. But is it?

When you post a status update to Facebook, tweet or publish a blog post, you are simply using social media tools. This is only the first step in becoming a social business, which is really what you want to be, right?
Think about it this way – when you attend a party, you are being social, correct? Well, it depends on what you do at the party. If you simply stand in the corner, drink some punch and eat some cookies, you're being wallflower, not a social butterfly. There's a big difference. The same goes for social media tools – how you participate determines your level of sociability, and utlimately, your success.

Let's use Facebook as an example. If you're a local automobile dealership posting your latest financing deals, this isn't social, it's sales. It's using a social media tool in a very unsocial way. On the other hand, if you post photos of some of your staff attending and judging automobiles at the local car show, this is what social media is all about. People enjoy a peek behind the curtain to learn more about the who, not just the what of your business.

Think of your website as your business – the homepage is the front door that welcomes new and returning customers into the storefront, warehouse or garage. It's a place where you display products, offer services and conduct business.
Now consider your Facebook page. This is the company cocktail party. This is where ties are loosened and your customers become fans of you and what you're all about. It's a place where you talk with them about what's going on in your world, ask them questions about theirs and most importantly, listen and respond. Sure, it's ok to talk a bit about your business; you do want friends and customers to know about that too! Again, simply consider how you're talking about it and know that people on Facebook are looking for relevant and interesting content, not a sales pitch.

 

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It seems that everyone is blogging about something these days. There are tech blogs, political blogs, medical blogs, cooking blogs - there are even blogs about blogging. But to create a successful blog that enjoys a loyal following, you must provide interesting content that benefits readers.

People, being the curious creatures that we are, want to learn, solve and do, but we want our information fed to us in small bites, which is why "How-to..." and "Top 10..." (or less) headlines tend to get substantially more clicks.

The key is to deliver what you have to say in an appealing way. Make readers laugh, ponder, envision and most importantly, motivate them to act. The trick? Say it in 250-500 words or less.

Here's some inspiration to get you started.

• Begin with your topic. Explore every angle, and choose what would be most interesting to readers.
• Consider a story, example or antidote for your lead graph.
• Focus on the good stuff. Take out whatever is unnecessary or can be held over for another blog.
• Identify key points with bullets or lists.
• Add keywords, links and photos for search engine optimization.
• Use a strong headline and subheads. Remember, the average attention span of an online reader is just 10 seconds.
• Craft the conclusion. Give readers something to ponder or act upon.

Stick to the essentials. Keep it interesting. And they'll be back. To learn more about successful blogging, contact us.

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One of the key steps in managing a successful social media marketing campaign is monitoring. This might mean listenting to what's being said (good and bad) about your company, monitoring what the competition is up to, or keeping an eye on news-worthy updates within your industry.

Whatever you want to monitor, there's a tool for it. In fact, there are hundreds of solutions to help you keep an eye on conversations, blog posts, mentions, and tweets that may include your company's name. Some are free, others cost thousands of dollars a month. So how do you pick the right one?

If you own a small business or target a local audience, the truth is that there probably is not a great deal of chatter specifically tied to your company name or its employees. Although, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be listening. It simply means that your monitoring tools needn't be complex or expensive.

In fact, some of the best tools out there are not only easy to use, but also free. The first is our old pal, Google. If you perform a search there, you'll notice that on the left side of the page, there are a number of ways to narrow the results. You can choose to see results from specific sources like blogs or videos, or by specific date ranges. And as we've discussed in a previous blog post, you can also set up Google Alerts for any number of keywords, and Google will email you daily results. If you use targeted, relevant keywords in your searches and alerts, Google will deliver much of what you're looking for.

Another powerful monitoring tool is Twitter Search. There's a reason we named it one of our ten favorite websites. There are hundreds of thousands of conversations taking place everyday on Twitter. Its search engine provides up-to-the-second access to these interactions, so you can answer questions or join conversations in real time.

Social Mention is a "social media search and analysis platform that aggregates user generated content from across the universe into a single stream of information." It's another excellent (and free!) tool that offers Google-esque alerts, a buzz widget for your site and a browser search plugin.

Social media monitoring for a small business does not require complex dashboards or loads of money. It's about taking the time to monitor, seeing your opportunities, and acting upon them.

 

 

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Twitter search is arguably the web's best source for up-to-the-second news and information. With its constantly-growing audience, businesses want to be included in those search results. One of those business's is probably yours!

But did you know - much like Google reviews websites to determine search rank, Twitter monitors your tweets? Not only do they monitor them, but if you break a few unwritten rules, yours could be removed from the results completely.

Corey Eridon at HubSpot has written an excellent piece on how to avoid getting the boot, and what to do if it does happen.

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Over time, media has experienced shrinking news holes, meaning that they have less space or time for stories. Yet, they are literally overwhelmed with stories they could cover - breaking news, business news and human interest stories - and they have hundreds of pitches to choose from every day.

How can you make your story stand out? First, pay attention to what gets covered. News editors and reporters, like everyone, focus on different things. You'll be most successful if you provide information that appeals to a specific publication or station.

Second, submit stories that are truly newsworthy. Think about how many nonprofits there are in our county. They are all doing good work and helping people in need. What is compelling about your story? Why would people enjoy learning more? Do you have a unique angle or someone who truly stands out as an advocate? The more thinking you do before contacting a reporter, the more successful you will be in getting your story covered.

Third, respect the reporter. If you are asked to communicate via email, do it. If the reporter says "no," don't go looking for someone else at that publication or station. Accept the "no," and think about what might be more interesting.

Finally, always do your best to help reporters. When you get a call for information or someone to interview, respond as soon as possible. Even if you don't have the answer, get back to the reporter. Things move fast in the news world, and it helps to know whether someone will be able to provide the information or a spokesperson. If you can't help, be sure to recommend other sources.

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