The #Social Mom

The Best and Worst of Twitter Mass Unfollow Tools

2013-11-03T09:21:00.001-05:00

If you're anything like me, sometimes you can get a little too trigger-happy with the "follow" button on Twitter. This can lead to a lot of crap in your newsfeed that you don't really like seeing, and following a lot of people who aren't active Twitter users.

Often, when you're trying to build a follower base, especially in the beginning, you follow a bunch of people in your niche (or at least you should be!) in hopes that they follow you back. Many do, but many don't. These tools are an easy way to rid your feed of the folks who aren't following you back and clear out your numbers a bit.

You've probably heard of some of the tools online that allow you to manage, review and mass-unfollow a bunch of users at one time. Each of these tools come with their own pro's and con's, and it's hard to remember their names to curate your list on the regular... so I'm here to help!

I've tried out a few different tools, and now I will give you my review. Let me know if you've tried any of these, or any others, and I will try to keep the list updated regularly! Note that each service on this list has a FREE side of their tool, so it shouldn't cost you anything to try out. If you like the service a lot you can always upgrade!

*PLEASE BE ADVISED* Any service that you allow access to your Twitter API has the ability to tweet, delete and copy your information. I highly suggest removing them from your twitter settings/applications after you're done by clicking here.

1. UnTweeps - "Unfollow Twitter Users Who Don't Tweet Often Enough"

This service is fairly simple, you connect this application to your Twitter account and it'll scan up to 2,500 of your followers at a time. You can check up to 100 off at a time and unfollow. It tells you the last time they were active on Twitter.

Pros: I like that this isn't based on who's following you back, but who isn't active anymore. If 30 days doesn't seem like long enough, you can extend it to 90 or 150 to see who's really stopped using their account.

Cons: You can only do 100 at a time, so if you're looking to do a MAJOR sweep, this could take a while!

Grade: B+

2. Social Oomph - "Boost your social media productivity!"

I had high hopes for this service, but they're offering wayyyyy too many options and too much text to navigate the site. I want to login and know exactly what I have to do and how to do it. They have lists upon lists of "how to" and it was all just too much. I gave up before I even figured out how to unfollow anybody. I haven't tried this service as a standalone social service like hootsuite, it may be better for that... but I doubt it.

Pros: Want to start fresh? There's a button for Unfollowing EVERYONE on your twitter. Wait.. maybe that should be in the Con column! Ahh!

Cons: This one requires a full-login with a 2-step email verification process. That's a lot of work for someone who just wants to clean up their account a little bit. It also runs a "FREE TRIAL!!!!" based system, which I'm not a fan of. Makes me feel like I'm signing up for Columbia House in 1995.
There are WAY too many steps to go through and the whole site is really too much to navigate. I appreciate they're trying to do everything beyond Twitter, but it's too much.

Grade: F

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3. Manage Flitter - "Unfollow people who have unfollowed you."

Manage Flitter is what all the other unfollow sites WISH they could be! They're probably one of the most commonly used, and they do offer a wide variety of services, but they're all Twitter-Oriented and VERY easy to use. They offer a free account in which you can earn "bonus" unfollows every day, which I appreciate. They also have the upgrade option for users who want more useability.

You have a few filters for HOW you want to curate your new unfollows:
1. People not following you back
2. People with no profile image
3. Non-English tweets (that's cool!)
4. Inactive Accounts
5. Fake/Spam Accounts
6. Unbalanced Follow Ratios (for the snobs, like me! :P)
7. Talkative/Quiet Accounts (people who tweet TOO much, people who don't tweet at all)
8. High/Low Influence (this is a great tool if you're looking to curate locally!)
9. Ninja Mode (Premium Only!) Allows you to combine filters!

Pros: It has an easy one-step "connect to twitter" sign in button. I like easy. Much like Mailchimp, their loading widgets are funny and poignant, which keeps you entertained while things are working in the background. Instead of checking and then mass-unfollowing, you have a one-click "unfollow" button. You CAN however, turn that option on with "batch select".

Cons: You only get a certain amount of unfollows every day, you can tweet or do other things to "earn" more... but still, if you're not running a ginormous account, this shouldn't be an issue!

Grade: A+

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These are the services I've tried so far, there will be more to come! If you have any recommendations, please let me know! I'd love to try them out!

#TheSocialMom

Facebook's New Pages To Watch Section

2013-10-01T12:11:00.001-04:00

Have you seen this new section in the admin area of your Facebook Page yet?

Facebook has rolled out yet ANOTHER great new feature for Small to Large Businesses and Communities, and this one is going to be a hit!

This allows you to track (or watch) the progress of other pages and compare it with your own page's insights.

"Search for a Page" and "track the progress for 5 or more Pages you want to watch" reads the pop up that you see when you click on the "Add Pages" link in this new section.

So what does this mean for Facebook Page Admins? Well, for starters you can see how many likes they've gained in a particular week. You can compare your closest or biggest competition's progress to your own, then check to see what it is that they're doing to engage more people.

This will likely also come in quite handy for bragging rights, so keep your eyes peeled! ;)

(Updated) Some Things to Note:

This feature is still in testing mode and therefore is not available to every page. I run approximately 35 pages and it's only become available on one so far!
If you choose to use this feature, the pages that you're tagging to "watch" will be notified that you're watching them. So if you're trying to be stealthy, this may not be the tool you want to use! (H/T @GlutenfreeAZ)

What is a Twitter Party?

2013-09-13T23:09:00.000-04:00

There has been a lot of action on social media lately about Twitter Parties. In fact, we're about to have one at my day-job to promote our brand! Yet, every day when the subject comes up I hear the same question over and over again: What is a Twitter Party? How does it work?

Well, take a seat and I'll explain it to you.

"500 Milllll-ionnnnn"

You see, wayyyyy back in 2006 a few enterprising guys thought that all that you needed to get your point across was 140 characters. They weren't exactly wrong (even though it can be annoying sometimes!) and their social networking site, Twitter, has been a big deal ever since.

A big deal to the tune of 500 MILLION followers worldwide and 200 MILLION active users every month.

So naturally, brands and businesses have found a way to capitalize on this ever-growing population of online users. Although many opt for the obvious choices, like promoted tweets and ads, some brands have taken a more organic approach.

Many bloggers and influencers have found great success with twitter, garnering followings upwards of 100-thousand people in a relatively short period of time. Leveraging these bloggers and any bloggers, really, to participate in brand activities and create relevant content that can be shared across social media, is what many brands have done.

Thus came... the Twitter Party!

If you're expecting balloons and pinatas, it's probably not going to happen. But here's what does happen at a twitter party:

1) A brand and a group of dedicated influencers (ex. Bloggers, Notable People) set a date and time where they will all convene to discuss a certain topic. Generally this is directed towards a product or brand launch.

2) A hashtag is selected, usually around the product, brand or topic. This is what creates the conversation that people can follow along with and participate in via Twitter.

3) The Twitter Party is officially launched & promoted. Most Twitter parties involve giveaways and/or prizes to participants to incentivize people to engage with the brand. Attendees are generally asked to RSVP ahead of time so they can be cross-referenced to win prizes.

4) The day of the twitter party arrives. If the party is successful then generally the twitter hashtag will become a trending topic. (Many tweets with a specific hashtag from a wide range of users in a short amount of time = trending topic)

5) Most Twitter Parties involve a Question & Answer format where the host(s) will ask questions in a Q1 / A1 format. As the questions are put out, attendees are asked to respond (including corresponding A# and hashtag for the party) and then winners are selected. Most are selected randomly and aren't reflective of the quality of the tweet.

6) Most parties generally last about 1 hour and have between 4 and 10 questions and/or prizes. Generally they will start with the smallest prize and work their way up to a Grand Prize. Some questions involve trivia and links to brand-specific landing pages where hints are available. Many questions are more subjective and are opinion-based. Usually there is a combination of both for a wide variety of responses.

Here's what you should know before you consider attending a Twitter Party:

A) It's going to be brand-heavy. Be positive about the brand.

B) Yes you can win free stuff, but it's also about networking and creating a meaningful conversation.

C) If you don't win free stuff, that's okay. Hundred's of people attend twitter parties and only a handful win prizes. There's always a next time.

Here's what you should know before you consider throwing a Twitter Party:

A) Although it's brand and product specific, Twitter Parties aren't created as a means to sell product. Most participants are in it for the free stuff and are NOT going to make a purchase based on activities around the product. As a brand or business your focus should be on building relationships and long-term brand visibility.

B) The best Twitter Parties are the ones that really inspire people to engage. (i.e. Asking generic/boring questions isn't entertaining and likely won't be that impactful.)

C) Your influencers = Your reach. Don't be afraid to pay for high-quality influencers, because they will make the difference in the overall success of your party.

Anyways... that's Twitter Parties in a nutshell. Got a question? Leave it in the comments below!

If You Don't, Someone Else Will

2013-09-10T22:25:00.001-04:00

I was thinking today about what makes a social network so successful, like the Facebook's and Twitter's out there. There are only a handful of really useful, substantial networks out there. The ones that I discuss in my presentations and workshops. The ones that a brand "can't exist online without."

As a social media specialist, content creator and aggregator... as a person who measures collective interest in these sites and their product for a living, it's easy to see what makes each site individually appealing. How one site is used versus the other, and how each creates its own style of meaningful connection and ability to interact with other people -- customers, friends, companies; you name it.

But how do you know when you've really got something special on your hand after you come up with an idea for a new network in your dorm room? Is it your first fifty-thousand early adopters? Your first million? Is it when the news begins reporting your impact? When companies can't "exist" without being part of your network?

Nope. All close, but not close enough.

The real testament to a social network's rank? When other social networks use your network as a means to provide information to their users, developers and fans.

You know your social networking site is working when other social networking sites have to create profiles on yours to brand themselves.
— Christella (@christellasays) September 11, 2013

After this moment of clarity (accurately depicted here in a tweet) I went searching. Here's what I found:

Pinterest on Twitter - 1.48 M Followers

Google on Twitter - 6.89 M Followers

A "Google on Twitter" list containing all of the offical google
twitter accounts -- on Twitter, by Google.
173 Official Accounts.

Some of the List Members of Offical Google Accounts of Google on Twitter, by Google... on Twitter.

A Twitter Page on Facebook. - 10 M Followers

A (slightly underloved) Google Plus page on Facebook.

An Official (and verified!) Google page on Facebook.
14 Million likes.

Official Pinterest page on Facebook. 2.8 M likes.

An Official Twitter Account on Pinterest.
Not very many followers.

It's actually quite humorous if you think of the moment a social network social media marketing team has to decide to officially launch a page on a new social network.

But, in reality... it shouldn't be that funny. Any business should be concerned with staking a claim in what is, for all intents and purposes, theirs. Right now it probably doesn't seem like a big deal to a small business if they have to secure their pages name on Facebook, make sure they're on top of their Google Plus page so they can tie in reviews, or launch a twitter page to connect with local users. In a little while, when they are finally at that step and need to confirm their pages they may have become popular and someone else has reserved those pages.

It has happened to me before. In a large corporate setting, I was the new social media marketing specialist and it was my job to put them on the map, so to speak. Well lo and behold a multi-million dollar company's name isn't available anymore. Of course not! Someone thought to take it for themselves, whether intentionally or not.

The process in trying to attain any previously registered name for your business can be time consuming and often doesn't even yield results. Often times businesses just have to choose another name altogether, if they didn't agree to pay through the nose for the one they wanted originally.

My advice to you (and to emerging social networks out there!) is to stake a claim in whatever you can... now. When they're still a good chance what you want is available for the claiming. Develop your brand with these things in mind.

My other advice? You really don't need 173 different pages that all essentially do the same thing. Er... unless you're Google. ;)

Drunk Driver Video: My Gut Reaction

2013-09-09T22:28:00.000-04:00

About twelve and a half minutes ago I saw a post go viral... in my mind. Then, I checked it out online and saw it has (slightly, in the lightspeed pace we go today) already gone there. Over 1 million views of a video, uploaded just a few days ago.

I just saw this video.

In this video, Matthew, a relatively young guy, mid-to-late twenties, confesses to drunk driving... a choice which resulted in the death of another person. Never being found out or charged, Matthew -- who has essentially gotten away scott free from a vehicular manslaughter charge at best, is now confessing out of nowhere about the death.

The video begins with him sheathed in a pixellated likeness, talking through a voice modifier, as though on a reality television program. Just as he confesses his terrible mistake (this is after, of course, he's talked about his alcohol problem and its affects on his life) the disguise is removed and we see him, the real, painfully guilty and painfully remorseful, well-lit version of him.

Well lit.. yeah... it was a pretty well-lit video for just anyone, even with a DSLR and a plan.

Do you know where I found this video? Upworthy. UPWORTHY?
Why is a person confessing to killing another person and running away to "high priced lawyers" in a professional-grade video that was released, not to the family of the victim, but to YouTube. After he messaged an anti-drinking and driving campaign page via Facebook to let them know of his plan.

I just don't understand the scenario here. At what point after he left his high-priced lawyers in a haze of crippling guilt, did he decide to make such a high-end video? Is he a film student who just happens to be a talented film maker with an alcohol addiction who hit someone with his car a few years back? Is he a rich kid who told his parents he wanted to confess, so they hired a film crew to help him do it? Or... is he part of a bigger plan?

With the rate that people with viral videos get on Ellen these days, you'd think maybe putting a good spin on it and calling it a "huge accident as a result of my alcohol problem, PS don't drink and drive or this could be youuuuuuu" YouTube Video and sending it to a site that belongs to people who are People Against Intoxicating and Driving (ha!), wouldn't go viral? Doubtful.

Of course it would, because nothing gets people clicking "Tweet" and "Share" faster than a good old underdog story. (Remember KONY?) But then wouldn't he go to jail? Umm... I hate to sound like a conspiracy theorist (no really, I do), but... George Zimmerman anyone? Virality and Moral Values play a huge role in convictions these days and nothing sways a vote, whether judiciary or "of the people" faster than a whole bunch of media exposure.

I didn't mean to get so... political... but seriously? Is this what life has come to, that lawyers could potentially be determining the value of a "let's go viral!" opposition? We've seen the way a major celebrity breakdown can somehow go "so big" it changes the public perception of them and allows them to re-create themselves in a new light... now we're going to see it happen with court cases and the like. We know how OJ Simpson verdict would've turned out without that media exposure... (yeah, I went old school)... is it going to be the same for social media now, too?

Look at how it's been posted, even. The way it was from social media site to social media site. The way that the "page" that posted the blog for the young man has outlined everything so clearly. How they've put a nice big "CLICK HERE TO VIEW IT ON YOUTUBE DIRECTLY" button. How they've shared even more viral information in updates further on down. This is literally tracking his way through the confession, the arrest... everything. It seems to clear to me... but you have to wonder "am I being too overblown about this?" I really don't think this time I am. I truly think this is essentially a "PR stunt" for lack of better terminology. Whether it's he, a bright young man with a nice camera and a good plan, or a team of lawyers and social media specialists is yet to be determined, I think.

I know I'm going to stop for a second and examine the motivation behind viral videos a little more closely now, and probably talk to my kids about how social media can be used as a tool to alter perception, both in their own lives and in the news. Wow.

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I want to know what you think! Comment below.
Is this man a hero for coming forward?
What's the worst thing you've ever confessed to doing? Would you confess to something you'd certainly go to jail for if you thought you'd get away with it?
What if you knew you couldn't and it was only a matter of time and you had to build a defence?

Building a Digital Culture in Your Business

2013-08-09T10:44:00.000-04:00

It’s safe to say that not everyone, perhaps even no one initially, is interested in using social media to promote a business. In fact, it can be terribly difficult at times to establish a digital culture in a place of business for some managers and owners. Often time’s customers and employees aren't inclined to participate because of a lack of awareness, or maybe it’s an aversion to technology. The only real way to achieve peak performance, both socially and digitally, is to have complete participation within the ranks. Creating this culture, however, isn't an easy feat. It takes training, encouragement and proven results to really get off of the ground.

In the dawn of social media and sharing many business owners were afraid to allow employees to use social sites at work. They were concerned for overall productivity and of course, sharing trade secrets or guarded information. Many government agencies and large companies, especially those with high security levels, still do not allow access to sites like Facebook or Twitter across the board. Occasionally employees are even required to lock their phones away before their shift to ensure that private information remains that way. There isn’t much you can do about that, when dealing with highly secure information, but for the small to midsize business, or businesses that don’t deal in protected data, the days of the security walls and social bans are long gone.

TRAINING & BEST PRACTICES

Many Fortune 500 companies now offer training to employees on best practices around social media and you’re hard pressed these days to come across a new employee manual that doesn't offer up some sort of regulations around social activity. Whether you’re trying to protect your brand’s image or your client’s information, having a best practices for employees surrounding social sharing is just… well… a best practice!

When it comes to encouraging employees to use social media in a business perspective, however, things can still be quite unclear. Most companies, especially smaller ones, do not monitor employee activity online. HR and Marketing Depts. rarely offer training on how employees can offer assistance in company growth online, and they most often don’t encourage it. This, in my opinion, is the first real mistake.

On one hand, you’re not observing employee activity and ensuring they’re standing up to the rules that have been set in place. An occasional Google of employee activity isn’t nearly effective enough in ensuring they’re meeting your standards. When a customer offers up a negative opinion on your business or services its bad enough, but when an employee does it? There could be no coming back from that!

NEGATIVE vs. POSITIVE EMPLOYEE SHARING

We see stories every day of employees posting photos and videos of themselves, or their place of employment, shining a light on poor working conditions or management. Often this activity results in the immediate termination of an employee, sometimes reasonably and sometimes not. Rarely do we see upper-level management using such an occurrence as an opportunity to review their own practices and determine why the employee would risk their job just to share something of that nature online. Either they are disgruntled over poor working conditions/treatment, or they’re inefficiently (if at all) trained on appropriate online behavior as an employee. Both of these fall under the management umbrella and without being addresses, could occur at any time in your business.

(source)

INCLUDE YOUR EMPLOYEES IN YOUR DIGITAL MARKETING EFFORTS

Beyond the obvious need to train employees on best-practices around workplace social sharing, it’s also increasingly important to include them in the digital marketing plans for your business.

Offering training, info sessions and employee events that can be utilized as a way to encourage positive employee sharing online is a great way to start!

Here are some ideas as to how you can begin to create a (positive) digital sharing culture in your workplace:

Encourage employees to take photos with customers happily buying product. Offer up a hashtag that is company specific and show them where they can post them online (with customer approval, of course!)
Create a Private Facebook Group for employees only, where you can include shareable content to be posted from your social sites onto others, as well as directives and questions/polls. This is a great way to gather information and see who is participating!
Share your digital roadmap/objectives with employees! Give them an opportunity to join in on the work. Many hands make light work and many employees create a larger reach!
Embrace newer social sharing sites like Instagram, Tumblr, Google + and encourage employees to help carve out a new audience there.
Offer incentives to employees who achieve certain goals socially. Including: Getting likes on your facebook page from their friends, encouraging contest participation, getting X amount of views of a workplace-video online. Not all incentives need to be monetary; some can align with workplace rewards like events or product.
Create online profiles for your employees on your website and ask them to participate in sharing their own personal pages. Utilize little-known facts, fun ideas and games to create high-content pages or blog posts about them. Encourage online sharing across all social media.
Encourage check-ins online on sites like Foursquare and Facebook, especially if there is low customer participation.
Hire a photographer to do employee portraits. What would an employee rather share than a particularly great photo of themselves? They’ll be grateful for an opportunity to have a professional photo taken at no cost to them and likely share them in an exceptionally positive light.
Create events (online and offline) that especially encourage digital sharing. Ex. Offer to have a bi-weekly/monthly movie night IF employees share X amount of posts every week, and then get them to garner votes online for what movie should be presented.
Ask employees to brainstorm ideas for marketing efforts, like blog posts, photo sessions and product displays. If they’re putting effort into the conceptualizing and execution, they’re far more likely to share the finished product online!

I hope that you’ll be able to effectively deploy some of these ideas in your own workplace! Please let me know your results!

The #Social Mom

What are your Fans worth to YOU?

2013-07-31T11:09:00.002-04:00

As a brand and social media specialist, it is expected of me in some sense that when I like or support a brand I will share their posts, product and ideas across social media. When I see something that piques my interest it either ends up here on my blog, or elsewhere on Twitter and Facebook. I try to reward and encourage brand accounts, especially those belonging to small businesses to keep their momentum building in their social space.

But there are other people out there, not like me, who don't actively look for opportunities to share and engage with brands. A lot of business owners who've yet to embrace the social sphere write the idea off entirely because they feel that a fan liking their page on Facebook or re-tweeting a post on their Twitter feed has no bearing on sales. Well I'm sorry, business owner, but you're WRONG. You're so so so wrong.

On Facebook alone, the basic act of a fan "liking" your business page is valued at $174.17.

That doesn't mean that you get $174.17 credited to your account every time someone likes your page (oh wouldn't that be nice?) but it does mean that the person taking action online equates to real-life sales offline.

"In the study, Syncapse observed more than 2,000 Facebook users who had liked or friended a brand. By analyzing dynamics such as product spending, loyalty, page recommendations, media value acquisition cost, and brand affinity, the company was able to determine that the average Facebook friend, or “fan,” was worth $174.17." (source)

People who interact with your brand on a regular basis, promoting or sharing your activity are called Brand Evangelists. These people aren't paid or compensated in product for what they do, they're taking action because they truly stand behind your product and these people and their actions are invaluable.

Often Brand Evangelists are also social influencers, which means that when they engage with activity on social media it begins a domino effect of other people taking action. On sites like Facebook and Twitter, one social influencer's engagement can equal a LOT more engagement from their friends and friends of friends.

There is also an antithesis to the Brand Evangelist: The Negative Nelly!

Although Brand Evangelists are out there, promoting and sharing your products for no reason, when you're in the business of customer service you're far more likely to come across a Negative Nelly! These influencers can wreak havoc on your brand, especially when they aren't handled properly.

You have to remember, most people take action when they're unhappy before they'll take action for superior customer service. Most people will spend more time bashing poor service than uplifting those who gave them a positive experience. Anyone can be turned into a Negative Nelly with a poor meal or bad experience, but few will step up after having a great experience and share it with the world.

This is why nurturing and rewarding brand evangelists is so important! These people go out of their way to support your brand and you can do the same right back.

Running "Fan of The Month" contests, keeping track of quality engagement and rewarding your Brand Evangelists will only grow your community. Encouraging this behavior will in turn create more brand evangelists and allow your brand to grow online.

Here are some ways you can find and reward Brand Evangelists:

Find local bloggers and social media influencers with services like Klout for Business and send them free offers
Hold community events and encourage social participation online; Find & reward the most active individuals
Offer rewards for online reviews in spaces like Google Reviews, Yelp and Facebook (note: don't offer compensation FOR reviews, but encourage reviews and reward regardless of quality! Address negative reviews with complimentary product or services to try and change reviewer's experiences)
Feature a "Fan of the Week" on your Social Media feeds, encourage competition with stories, ideas and creative content
Keep track of your most active online fans and contact them privately to offer your appreciation and complimentary services for their activity!
Hold online "meetups" and "twitter parties" where you offer free products for answering trivia questions correctly and for attending. Use hashtags to keep track of the conversations.
Contests that encourage creative thinking & social sharing! (Ex: Families compete in a road trip competition and the family who gets the most votes at the end of the month wins a free car/camera etc.)

If you'd like to know more about Affiliate Marketing & Harnessing your Brand Evangelists, contact me!

Social Media Do's and Don'ts: An Un-Official List

2013-07-30T15:25:00.000-04:00

In the world of social media there are a bevvy of unspoken (or oft-spoken, in some cases) rules. Some are designated for users en masse and some are specifically for brands.

Just like the rules we were taught as children (always hold the door open for strangers, don't put your elbows on the table, say "excuse me" after your sneeze) these rules exemplify that we, as social networkers, recognize that other people inhabit these planes and we should be respectful of them.

Here's a list of the big Do's and Don'ts you should keep in mind:

DON'T beg for likes! Posts that are solely about asking for likes come off greedy and non-caring. After all, as a brand people like your page because they like or are interested in your community, NOT how many likes you have.

Ex. "We're ALMOST at 500 likes! Share our page with your friends and help us get over the hump!"
DO create contests and competitions to help grow your audience! Asking for likes is okay, but only when you're willing to give something up for it. If your audience isn't getting something out of it, why should they bother?

A simple fan gate should do the trick!
DON'T get (too) personal! Your brand page IS NOT a place for personal opinions (unless its a page intended for people to share personal opinions, of course!) -- Sounding off on political, personal or moral issues can make more than a few people uncomfortable!
DO encourage your FANS to get personal! Ask them questions that give insight into the type of community you're working with. Get them to tell stories and start talking! This whole thing is about getting closer to and growing an audience, after all isn't it?
DON'T take things too personally. A little bit of constructive criticism never hurt anybody and if a fan is engaging negatively use it as an opportunity to show your other fans how helpful you can be!
DON'T ignore ANYBODY! If posts and questions go too long without responses people will lose interest in your page. Check your page often to ensure you're not missing anything! Even if you're not that active (why not?) you should be checking in regularly! Set a reminder on your phone so at the same time every day you check all of your sites for updates.
DO get creative! Even if it may seem like your posts have NOTHING to do with your brand, it never hurts to try something new!
DON'T post too often (on facebook!) Save your BEST posts for Facebook and try everything else out on Twitter and Pinterest first to see if it sticks!
DO learn how measurements and analytic's work! What's the point in generating a buzz if you don't know what worked and when? Pay attention to who is interacting and what they're interacting with, then go from there.
DON'T steal other people's ideas. Or at least wait a (long) while before you do! There's nothing worse than seeing a bunch of brands from the same industry doing the same thing at the same time. Epic unfollow!
DO include your employees and customers in your social media plans! Take photos, encourage participation!
DON'T block Facebook at work for your employees! They're not going to do much social sharing for you if they can't even access their accounts, are they?
DO try new social sites ONCE you get an idea of how they work. Join and follow for a few weeks before you start taking part, ensure you know how it all works. Every site incorporates something different and working from that angle will give you a better long term engagement rate.
DON'T sync your Twitter Feed with Facebook! (Your twitter posts automatically on your Facebook timeline.) This is bad. Very bad.
DO sync your Facebook feed with Twitter. Since you're posting there less often you'll just be killing two birds with one stone.
DON'T bash your competition! EVER! A little dig here and there, when innocent, can be funny, but throwing another brand under the bus just to make yourself look better (like posting negative reviews for other brands, or sharing news stories that shed a negative light) it will just make your brand look petty.
DO put things in their proper places. If you're sharing customer photos every day or two, don't post them to your wall every single time, place them in their own album so people can actually find them any time. Same thing goes for varieties of products, etc.
DON'T use your social media feeds for advertising. Most of them have their own ad management system and THAT is where your ad's go. Your feed(s) should be more content driven and less sales-driven.
DO have some fun! Social Media is about exploring, sharing and learning, so do that!

My Facebook Page Reach Has Declined! Guess What? It Doesn't Matter!

2013-07-26T12:19:00.000-04:00

So your Facebook Page's reach has dropped... not as many of your fans (and even less non-fans) are seeing your posts! It’s not the end of the world, I promise!

Lately I have seen many Facebook Page owners (mostly bloggers and small businesses) complaining or posting about the decline in the reach of their posts. Although this may have an initial significant impact in your growth, it doesn't impact the way your fans interact with your page.

Here are five things you can try, or remember, when it comes to your Facebook Page:

1) What’s so bad about spending a bit of money anyway?

An example of a client's ad campaign, which cost just
over $30.00 for 6 weeks and equated into 65 Actions taken by
fans & potential fans! That's roughly $0.46 per action!

At the end of the day, Facebook is a business. They offer a free service that has changed the landscape of marketing and advertising as we know it. The majority of their services are FREE to both users and marketers, but of course they are going to give the premium services, like extended reach and ads, to paying customers.

This doesn’t mean that everything from this point on has to cost money; it just means that as business owners we have to get more creative or spend a bit of money!

Think for a second the cost of running a newspaper advertisement… upwards of $1000 when you may only be hitting 20-40% of your target demographic. Half of the newspapers printed these days go right from delivery into a recycling box and even the ones that are opened have the ad sections tossed out without a glance. So why are we still spending money on print ads? Because it used to work!

Facebook (as well as Twitter and other Social Networking sites) has developed an entirely NEW way of advertising at a much MUCH lower cost than traditional (inbound) methods.

The reason that Facebook’s initial IPO didn’t perform well is because most business-savvy people saw that, at that point, Facebook was still giving the milk away for free, as it were. By making some significant and some slight changes to their modus operandi when it comes to business pages, their value has gone up significantly due to a much higher cash flow coming from promoted posts, ads and premium services.

Why spend $1000+ on an ad that runs for a weekend in one newspaper, when you can spend $50 on a promoted post that hits far beyond your page’s current reach, and only to people who are relevant to your target demographic?

Every business needs a marketing budget, even if it is only a few hundred dollars a month. Why not use this money in a better way, instead of tossing it in the recycling with the paper?

2) You don’t have to spend money to get the most of your reach!

Being a little creative with your digital marketing can make a huge impact in the way that your audience engages with you. Instead of posting once a day, (or worse, once a week) with generic, product and business oriented posts, try asking questions!

Be creative! Get resourceful!

Only 10% of your content on social sharing sites should be in a promotional context. Sharing ideas, tips, links, finds and resources should take up the other 90% of your content. Research when and how often posting should take place for your industry specifically.

Did you know that text-only posts have a significantly higher reach than posts with links or photos?

Try asking basic questions, fill in the blanks, and looking for ideas from your audience.

Here's a client post that includes an easy-to-answer, yet engaging question
that most fans will answer without even thinking about it!

3) Get Regular!

I’m not talking about your diet here! If your audience knows where to look and what to expect, they’re more likely to follow you on a regular basis and interact with you more often.

Interaction = Higher Edge Rank Score = Higher Reach!

You know your product better than anyone, but getting regular with HOW you post it makes a big difference.

A local vintage boutique creates regular Monday posts that are Male-Centric.
Being a vintage boutique, the majority of their current fans are probably
female. This weekly post is a GREAT way to bring some more male attention
to their brand! Kudos!

If you’re a blogger, consider doing a weekly series. Your fans will start to remember that “oh, today is Tasty Tuesday over at [Your Blog Here] and I should check out her facebook for the recipe!”

Other bloggers may even pick up on the idea and ta-da, you’ve got yourself a bloggy-nomenon!

Have a business that is product-oriented? Say, a clothing store for instance? Change up your window displays every Wednesday (Tuesday night) and post your “Window Wednesdays” on instagram -> facebook & twitter every Wednesday morning! The more creative you get with your window designs, the more interaction you will receive. It may even drive people into your store to see what’s happening with the theme that week!

By creating regular content you put yourself on a schedule and give your readers/audience something to expect.

Don’t be afraid to ask for what you need! If you see your page shares are declining, ask your fans to share your page in a few posts. If you see your comments are dwindling, ask a question in a way that encourages people to comment with their response!

4) Don’t be afraid to get a little edgy!

Whether its blogging, community management or business promotion, sometimes straddling the fence between the safe zone and the “they've gone too far!” zone can come in quite handy. Things don’t go viral for being boring, that's for sure!

Think about all of the best ads you’ve seen in your life. They push boundaries, they make people think.

There’s a little quote that goes something like “The definition of “Crazy” is doing the same thing every day and expecting different results!” and when it comes to digital marketing, it couldn’t be more poignant!

Sometimes you’ve got to piss a few people off to get them talking about you!

Tampon-Talk may not be the most appropriate way to garner fan attention,
but when it relates to your brand (say for instance this post by a local
mechanic shop, sharing a pre-existing meme) it instantly becomes more funny
and more likely to grab people's attention!

Keep in mind that slightly more women use and engage with brands on
social media than men when making "edgy" posts! You don't want your
stuff going viral for the WRONG reasons either!

5) The 3 P’s: Pre-Planning and Passion!

Flying by the seat of your pants might be fun at a theme park, but when it comes to your marketing why aren't you spending a bit more time planning your trajectory and researching your results?

Focus some energy into creating a plan, whether it be weekly, monthly or even daily. When is the best time for you to sit down and spend some time scheduling posts? Would a weekly theme work well in your business? What are some hash tags that would be appropriate for your page and accounts?

Schedule some posts ahead of time (but ALWAYS remember to remove auto-posts in the event of national tragedy!) and then elaborate upon those during moments of virility. For me, I general schedule about 50% of my posts and do the other 50% as I go, ensuring my posts don’t come off as stale and off time.

Not everyone is a genius when it comes to marketing, some couldn't tell you the difference between an impression and an engagement if you held a dictionary in front of them. I get that. That’s where someone like me comes in!

If your passion is painting furniture, or doing hypnotherapy, or being a blogger, you may just not be capable of spending the time, energy and creativity it takes to execute a quality social blast. You may not see the little things that can enhance your space, make it more engaging! There’s nothing wrong with that.

If you want to learn (and certainly you likely do, if you’re here) book a consultation with someone who does this for a living. Shadow them, learn from them, barter with them! Do what you are good at and learn how to do what we’re good at, if you don’t think a full time (or even part time for that matter) social media consultant is in your grasp.

The people who are the best at this stuff, the social media and marketing stuff, are the people who never stop learning. They are constantly discovering and measuring their growth, determining the best approach for their next move. Analytics aren’t everyone’s strong suit, but getting even a small grasp on this aspect of your marketing will give huge insights (pun slightly intended) into where you can focus your efforts for optimal growth.

Pinterest: Increasing Your Web Traffic Using Photo Sharing

2013-06-03T09:27:00.000-04:00

I was an early adopter when Pinterest came out. It was like a bad addiction, except good. I loved it! I couldn't get enough. Although my time spent on the site has wained over time, I've still got the same love for Pinterest as I did in the beginning.

There's two main reasons for that. 1) It's always been very easy to use and 2) it's visually appealing!

As a blogger, I adopted using Pinterest pretty early on as well. At that time it was best used for recipes and tutorials, neither of which I did very often, but it helped me get insight into what other bloggers were doing more than anything else.

As a Mom, Pinterest is great. It's chalk full of amazing ideas, visual interpretations and link-backs to some pretty amazing blogs. It's like Pandora's box, once you start it's hard to stop!

As a business owner or blogger it may be difficult, at first, to find a place where you fit in on Pinterest, but as more people adopt the site into their daily web lives, the opportunities only grow! One of my big projects in my new role is to create some brand awareness online for our car dealership. Most people would think that the automotive industry is male-driven (it's not) and that pinterest wouldn't be an ideal place to set up shop online (it is.) There's some very good reasons for that:

Pinterest is photo-rich which means things that look beautiful in pictures, like cars for instance, perform well
Photography is key here, so if you've got a good photographer you will do well
People share on Pinterest more than any other site, so if you've created good content you're far more likely to be shared
Pinterest Click-Backs (people following your photo's link back to your website or blog) are higher than Google, Facebook and Twitter COMBINED
People who get to your site via Pinterest have a longer bounce rate (the time that they stay on your site) than from any other site
Pinterest works well with nostalgic/history rich material, so things like vintage cars perform very well also
Just like Facebook, LinkedIn and Google +, a well-maintained and properly filled-out Pinterest for Business page is patrolled by Google, giving you a higher Page Rank (contingent on you indexing properly, of course!)
Pinterest recently launched a Business-oriented option, like Facebook Pages, but... on Pinterest!

So what are some things you can do to help leverage this Pinteresting Craze? I've got a few ideas for you!

Use Pinterest Goodies to help people easily pin items from your site directly onto their Pinterest Boards
Create high-quality, information rich photos and infographics that encourage sharing - include accurate web links, proper information and a hashtag or two!
ASK and you shall receive! Ask your fans/visitors to follow you on Pinterest and Pin from your site!
Link Up! Link your other accounts (Facebook, Website, Twitter, etc.) to your Pinterest Page for easy syncing and sharing
Create Pinterest-Oriented content.... cool things you found on pinterest, stuff that would be good for pinterest...

What is Klout and how does it work?

2013-06-01T17:20:00.000-04:00

You may have been perusing Twitter and noticed that people are acknowledging something called their "Klout Score" and thought to yourself, what is this exactly? Or maybe you're a business and you're considering putting a perk online to get the word out about your services. Either way, if you're wondering about Klout, you've come to the right place!

Klout is an online start up that takes all of your social media activity and determines your online influence based on how many people follow you, friend you or fan you, and how well your posts do based on those numbers. The algorithm is a bit more complicated than that, but suffice it to say that your Klout Score is a number that indicates what your overall influence is online. The more you create impressions and engage, the higher your Klout Score.

What makes Klout different than say, your Facebook EdgeRank score, is that its a) visible and b) competitive. Everyone utilizing this web service is doing so because they want to showcase their influence online. They want to see how well what they're putting online is performing.

Klout was initially created for individuals, but has now expanded to offer service for businesses as well through Klout Business. Through this service not only can you determine your brand's online score, but you can also create Perks which give high-level influencers the chance to try out your products for free, and potentially create conversations around your brand within their online communities.

There are a few other websites offering the same thing, however Klout seems to be reigning supreme in the space. Some sites say Klout doesn't measure influence very well, but at this point it still seems to be industry standard.

Currently my Klout Score is 65. That's not particularly high, but it's not low either. I've been offered 3 perks so far, the first one was a #mooperk from Moo.com for 50 free business cards. Not a big deal, but everyone could use some free business cards and it gives moo.com the opportunity to showcase some of their more original offerings.

Woo hoo! My first klout perk just arrived! Business cards from moo.com! #lovethem instagram.com/p/aBu-IRIs9c/

— Christella (@christellasays) June 1, 2013

Once I claimed the perk it took a bit of trial and error before I finalized my order. In the end it was great and I really like my new cards. I chose the "Green Style" of card, so they're not AS professional looking as they could be, but they're printed on eco-friendly paper which I think is more important.

I was able to use a template to build out my card, uploading my own photos and creating my own style. For an extra cost I could've used better quality paper and had my corners rounded. I did take a few minutes and peruse the moo.com site and found that some of their offerings are pretty cool... like their Facebook Card!

This is the only perk I've actually received in the mail so far, but I've opted for 3 at this point. There are no requirements as an influencer to preach on behalf of the brand, and if you don't like the service or product you're more than welcome to say so. That's what I like about Klout... they actually want to know what YOU think. There's even a section on the website that gives you the opportunity to answer questions based around your expertise. (They figure that out based on your tweets, or you can personalize your profile when you set it up.)

Did that answer your questions about Klout? Check out this video about how Klout works for influencers.

Teaching Your Kids How to Use Social Media

2013-05-21T22:58:00.001-04:00

It's safe to say that when it comes to kids, Monkey See Monkey Do is a realistic approach to parenting. We try hard to limit them seeing our "bad behaviours" because we know they will most certainly mimic them. When it comes to Social Media it's hard to determine as a parent when is an appropriate time to start phasing your kids into using it.

I hear many parents talking about limiting their kids' screen time, or not allowing them to use computers or technology at all, because they're worried about the toll it takes on their development. My approach, as a parent and as a social media strategist, is slightly different. Although I do limit my kids' screen time, I don't think that restricting their access to the technologies is the best approach. In fact, I think that could have a negative impact on their capacity to learn alongside new technologies later in life.

The main reason I do what I do and I am where I am today is because I spent so much time on my computer as a kid. Although I had a fair balance of internet and schooling and outdoor play, I certainly found my stride building websites, writing blogs and learning HTML and design quite early on.

source: mumzworld

My eldest son has recently turned three, and already he's fairly adept at using our iPad and my iPhone. We haven't spent a lot of time on computer learning yet, because for one, neither of us spend that much time on a desktop at home these days. The majority of our online work is done via our iPad or Phones, so it makes sense that our kids would pick up technology in the same way. That being said, it is on my radar that my kids learn how to effectively use a computer and navigate the web.

Now, when it comes to teaching your kids to use social media, of course safety is the main factor. You don't throw a new Facebook account at them and say "have at it" and back off, no matter how old they are. Teaching them how to protect themselves online and the positive sides of sharing are an integral part of the technological health. We want to encourage sharing behaviours while teaching them what is and is NOT appropriate to share.

From what I've seen on the web so far, there are quite a few kids already creating online blogs. I think this is a great initial dive into social media because it helps encourage creative writing, photography and design. Additionally, it can teach kids how to safely promote themselves online and any good parent would have a close eye on their activities at all times.

source: callmehannah

One awesome example of an online "kid" blog is child eco-blogger Hannah Alper, over at Call Me Hannah. Hannah's been blogging for a short while and has already taken the blogging world by storm, interviewing celebrities, creating eco-friendly online challenges and finding her own voice in a world where everyone is clamouring for a niche. It helps that her Dad, Eric Alper, has been a successful Twitter Influencer and Blogger for quite some time, while her mom, Candice Alper, runs a web-based business (Name Your Tune) and complimentary blog as well.

The best way for a kid to learn about using social media is by watching their parents interact with it. It's a great way to develop another level of socialization, while also remaining safely in the comfort of their own home.

I was part of one of the first real generations who lived their lives online, as well as in real life. Although it seems like forever ago from technology's point of view, the world of the internet has only been around for public consumption for a few years, and although we, as young and now older adults, have learned to navigate it through trial and error, our children will not remember a time when it didn't exist. Our minds have been shaped by scroll bars and mouse pointers and keyboards like no generation before us, and now with our broad knowledge we can create and share a new way of integrating social media, technology and the internet as a resource to our children that hopefully will shape their future lives and careers. That is, if we teach them how to use it safely and successfully.

I hope this has helped spark your imagination with how you can share social media with your kids safely and effectively. Until next time!

The #Social Mom

What I Learned from #AutoBootCamp

2013-05-20T11:17:00.003-04:00

I spent the better part of last week at #autobootcamp in Philadelphia, networking and doing workshops focusing on digital technology in the automotive industry.

I met quite a few great people, and got up close and personal with some great new technologies for advertising, marketing and creating content on social media. One of the best things I learned was that I'm not so far behind the curve. That's a pretty good feeling!

I've only been involved in the digital marketing field in the automotive industry for a few months, but I'm already loving it! There's never a dull moment, that's for sure! Automotive dealerships and manufacturers are always finding new, great ways to participate in new fields of marketing. Although many are afraid to take the leap into the digital realm, many are also leading the stride when it comes to advertising, google adwords, facebook marketing, twitter marketing and advertising and much much more.

One of the key things I learned at this event is how important video marketing is to a successful busines. From Video Blogs to Video Pre-Roll, if your business isn't harnessing this technology it's already falling short of what customers expect.

Integrating video into your weekly marketing activities, to paraphrase Brian Pasch (@automotiveseo) is "showing them your give a shit meter". When it comes to marketing, not just for automotive, but for every industry, creating short videos that customers can easily access via YouTube, Mobile, Facebook, etc. is hitting them "where they live" and essentially coming to them with your marketing message.

People are much more inclined these days to open a link to a video than read a 600 character email. They want the information and they want it FAST!

Regardless of your "sales funnel", most consumers make their purchase decisions, especially the big ones, when they've either been recommended toward a certain company via word of mouth (ex. asking on facebook) OR when they feel that a company will go that extra mile to ensure they are happy.

It also works the opposite way, you as a company may be crossed off of someone's buying list forever if you make the wrong move. Didn't answer an email? Gone. Didn't address a negative review? SEE YA! Didn't follow up with correct pricing info? Au Revoir, Amigo!

Ultimately the key thing to remember is be on top of your digital marketing. Use your Facebook page to communicate with your consumers. Don't talk AT them, talk WITH them. Respond to messages and questions people post on your wall or send you directly. Look for people chatting about you in the twitter sphere. Be responsive, cordial and most importantly, try to meet your consumers expectations, or more importantly, surpass them!

Click Here to check out AutoBootCamp.com

When Social Media Attacks: How to Calm The Storm

2013-05-08T14:11:00.001-04:00

source

Although there are 1,000,001 GREAT reasons to use social media to your full advantage as a small or large business or brand, one of the things you HAVE to have on your radar and plan for is a viral attack.

In social media, especially as brands we are largely dealing with customers... most of whom are happy to provide stellar feedback and recommend you when people are looking for suggestions. THIS is why social media is such a massive aspect of marketing today and a must-do when it comes to launching word of mouth campaigns.

There is a flip side, though. A dark, scary place where one unsatisfied customer, however legitimate or radical their concerns may be, can negate all of the work you've done to grow a following.

In the "days of yore" it took contacting media outlets, constant negative spin or a terrible tragedy to send a businesses' marketing efforts into a tail spin. These days, one unhappy customer with the right "friends" or "followers" can turn your whole business upside down.

Case in point, Brides by Tara, a Peterborough-based bridal shop that sells local brides a variety of styles of wedding gowns and formal dress.

In this instance, Brides by Tara sold a dress to a woman and her mother, for the woman's wedding. A few months after giving a substantial deposit on the dress, the young woman passed away unexpectedly. From the stories being told across social media streams, it seems that the woman's grieving mother has attempted, unsuccessfully, to contact the bridal store and get the deposit back. When she final did reach them, after 10 opened (read receipts, people!) but non-responsive emails, they indicated that the dress was already being manufactured overseas and the deposit would not be remitted.

This post floated past my news feed only moments ago.

It hasn't been conveyed the overall tone of the conversation between the two parties, but it's easy to see that the customer is unhappy. In today's social atmosphere, one major mis-step can cause a veritable disaster which is exactly what Brides by Tara's Facebook Page is dealing with right now.

These concerned consumers have blasted this page in only an hour with tons of negative comments.

The worst thing you can do? NOTHING.
Which up until this point is exactly how this bridal shop has been handling this issue. No response is not the best response.

The second worst thing? Deleting/Denying.

While it's terrible to make no mention of the smoke and hope the fire goes away, ignoring the situation generally only fans the flames. What's worse could be ignoring the situation and deleting the posts/information from concerned social media followers.

The best thing? Address it head on!
By setting the pace at which your consumers can consume this information, and giving your business a leg up with a positive outlook and quick response/action, you can take back the reigns of a story gone wild and although some damage may already be done, you will certainly regain trust with long time clients.

The best approach here would be to cough up the dough for the deposit this time and apologize to the family for their loss. Yes it sucks that you have to take a hit on the cost of the dress, but it'll much less than the hit on the cost of your entire business. Especially a small local one like Brides by Tara.

In the future, create a clause on your website and on your sales contracts stating that in the instance of unexpected death, a certain percentage of the deposit will be refunded, however, depending on the delivery time unfortunately there's little the store can do.

These "in case of" clauses, like lightning, rarely strike twice, but having the back up plan in place will give peace of mind if it were to ever happen again.

Chances are, looking at the half-done facbook page and irregular posts, this business doesn't afford much time/thought to their social strategy. Maybe now, in the wake of such a nerve-racking (and still growing) attack from their consumers, they will reconsider their approach.

Update: May 8th, 2013 - 5:15 pm

The store has now deleted the majority of negative comments on this page, only responding to ones in favour of their stance without making an official statement. Also, they've turned off the comment option so that concerned parties cannot comment or post on their page.

Update: May 20th, 2013

The store has posted a "full disclosure" post on their facebook page regarding the events. Although they've garnered some support from this, the original family hasn't made a statement regarding these circumstances. This good will gesture, although a bit late, shows that BBT has taken some steps towards repairing their brand's image.

----------------------------
Christella Morris is a Social Media Strategist and Design Expert based in Bowmanville, Ontario. She writes two blogs The Social Mom and Crawl The Line, and manages a multitude of online communities.

Leading The Pack: Responding to the Consumers Needs in Web and Social

2013-05-07T19:00:00.000-04:00

Although mobile integration has long since been an important aspect of all things social, only recently has it become so painfully obvious how without mobile, the social media we know today wouldn't exist. We are constantly on the go, managing multiple tasks at once and with the advances in mobile technology creating a seamless blend of work life and social life has never been so easy.

The use of social media is consistently growing and changing, but what is also changing is how we use social media as consumers and as brands. As you can see in the infographic below, Facebook's mobile usage has climbed significantly in the past year, with 68% of its users now using Facebook on Mobile Only or in a combination of Mobile and Desktop.

As brands we have to be aware of these ever-changing behaviors, filling the gaps with little to no downtime. Being aware of how your target audience consumes your content allows you to effectively market to them.

This is as simple as creating a responsive website that has code that can be manipulated depending on the size in which the site is being explored, allowing the same look and feel across a variety of devices and platforms.

The other day I saw a contest run by a local organization float through my news feed, their call to action was "visit our website and enter" and being on my desktop I simply entered the URL into my browser. Once the website loaded it was plain to see that the website was built for "mobile" use. I actually went so far as to go back to the facebook page it was posted on and say "this website is not desktop-friendly!" which is a rare occurrence for me.

In most instances the opposite situation generally happens, we click on a link on our mobile app/browsers and it takes us to a wide format, bulky website that is text heavy and far too small to read when live on our smart phones. With a bit of pinching and tilting you might be able to get it to work, but generally in our current "technologically consumptive society" we're more interested in having things just work right the first time. Hence, responsive web technology.

Obviously this goes both ways. We want the same site to work as effortlessly on a mobile phone as on our google chrome browser. By not having a desktop-friendly website, that organization has lost countless lead-gen opportunities due to probably significantly higher bounce rates than normal. Why? Because they're not catering to an audience, however mobile-friendly they might be, who are at work, at home, at a hotel conference, using a PC instead of their smart phone. When something isn't appealing generally people aren't going to stick around long enough to figure out how it works these days.

So my advice? Be on the leading edge. Adopt responsive technology on your website, so no matter HOW someone gets there, they're more likely to stay there.

How should your organization's Social Workflow be spread out?

2013-04-09T09:48:00.001-04:00

Organizations finally embracing Social should by now understand the impact of social media, but how much time should your community or digital marketing managers be allotting to each area of social?
Here's a great infographic that breaks it down!

(source)

How to get more information about Negative Feedback on Facebook Pages

2013-04-08T09:16:00.002-04:00

Negative Feedback on your Facebook Page Posts? Here’s how you figure out the when, where and how!

As Facebook develops more and more ways for us to gain insight (pun!) on Facebook Pages we start to see more and more relatable information… user engagement, how they engaged and when… using this data we can then determine how to create content that will work even better for the target audience and create even more engagement.

The other side of the coin, although painful, is also very important. If you have been following closely enough you may have come across something that looks like this:

Negative Feedback on your Page

So we know that we are getting negative feedback, but how do we figure out what it is? Are they simply hiding the post? Hiding your page’s updates from their newsfeed? Un-Liking the page?

As I always encourage my clients to dig deeper into their data, the key tool in analyzing data for Facebook is and has long since been the “Export Data” option.

How to Export Data

If you export data into an Excel Spreadsheet, the tabs at the bottom indicate what each page of data represents. A few pages in you will find the “Lifetime Negative Feedback” tab. This holds the key! Here you will find exactly which posts (in the time frame in which you exported the data) had negative feedback and how much. This tool can help you analyze the overall negative impression your posts may be having on your audience so you can augment your approach (if needed).

Analyzing the Data

There are five “types” of negative feedback:

1)      Hide All Clicks (in which the viewer of the post opts to hide all activity coming from your page from their newsfeed.)

2)      Hide Clicks (in which the viewer of the post opts to hide only the specific post they’re viewing at that time)

3)      Report Spam Clicks (in which the viewer of the post opts to report the post as spam – this one is not good, but also doesn’t seem to carry too much weight with Facebook unless it’s happening regularly)

4)      Unlike Page Clicks (in which the viewer of the post opts to visit the page and Un-Like it. Not good!)

5)      X Button (from what I understand this is when the viewer of the post x’s the post on their newsfeed to drop down options 1, 2 and 3, but takes no action.)

By analyzing the data around these types of activity you can determine how in-effective overall your post was… also keep in mind that sometimes pushing the limits can be overwhelmingly good for your page, even if you do offend a few people, so keep the new likes or engagement ratio in mind when you’re analyzing your negative feedback data. Although it’s important to keep things like Un-Likes to a minimum to retain followers, if in comparison to your overall growth it’s not holding a significant weight then you should be okay.

Hope this helped! If you have any questions regarding Facebook Pages, Data Analytics or Social Media in general, please feel free to comment and I will get back to you ASAP!

Sincerely,
The#SocialMom

How To Help Your Friends with Social Pages

2013-02-27T10:03:00.004-05:00

So your good friends owns a small business locally, and (since you're an awesome friend!) you want to do everything you can to help increase their traffic, and subsequently their brand visibility.

Well there is a lot you can do to help their page(s) grow! In fact, a few warm recommendations from you go a long way!

It's easy enough to like every one of their posts, but is that really enough? No. Not really.

In fact, just "liking" a facebook status update, photo or event isn't enough to get the ball rolling, same goes with "favouriting" a tweet. When considering how to best boost traffic for a friend's (or your own) page, the best way is to consider the Facebook EdgeRank system.

Here's what it looks like broken down in a fairly simple formula:

(click to enlarge)

(And you can go here if you'd like to learn more about exactly what EdgeRank is!)

So, considering the EdgeRank system, how do we best interact with these pages to ensure our other friends see the story in their news feed?

1) The more interaction, the better! -- Liking a page is good, but make sure you do more than that. Comment on a status update, Share a photo. How you interact means more than when you interact (Weight) so try to remember this:

A Comment weighs more than a Like

A Share weighs more than a Comment

A Comment & a Share weigh the most of all!

2) Make sure you're up to date -- Although you may think reviving an older post would be nice to do, because of the "decay" aspect of the EdgeRank algorithm it makes more sense to promote newer posts as they're more likely to be re-posted.

3) Share the most valuable content first! - I'm not talking about gold buying ads here, I'm talking about stuff that is actually good content. The real shareable things, that when you post them to your wall, your friends are most likely to comment on & repost again!

4) Calls To Action! - Don't let the sharing & engagement stop with you, think about it from a social marketing perspective and when you re-post the content, create a "call to action" (ex. "I just LOVE this thought from Crawl The Line... what do you think about her style of parenting? Leave a comment below!") -- This type of call to action tells people exactly what you want them to do and doesn't leave it open for interpretation.

I hope this helps you help your friends! :)

Sincerely,

The Social Mom

Market Research

2013-02-25T15:55:00.002-05:00

Hey there, folks!

I've been hard at work the past few weeks taking on a huge new endeavour! You see, as much as I love being a free agent (see: not at all) I have been gently nudged by the majority of my awesome friends into the idea of starting my own marketing company. Yeah I'm a bit of a risk taker! :)

The advantage of this is there is a program that happens 'round here every year in which all new "small business ventures" can have an opportunity to hit up Uncle Dalton for some extra employment insurance for 42 weeks if you do this fancy little program called OSEB. And since I like all things fancy and fabulous, I decided to try and get in. Nobody told me* the application process would be so. freaking. hard!

(*yes they did)

Part of the application process, BEFORE you even get to the interview portion, is to do some fancy pants market research. This means going out and getting information about target demographics and geographic locations and expenditures and all that boring stuff. So, in order to help the process along I've created this fancy pants online survey. And guess what?! You can take it**! Right now. Go. Seriously. Do it!

(*if you're a small or medium sized business owner, or you're a major decision maker within your company!)

So how do you take the survey? Well that's easy!

Step 1: GO HERE: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1-noZLxBTJ5C78uU5UZ4Aq7RyVBaYuj8x7_F-MznL9PY/viewform

Step 2: Fill out all of the answers

Step 3: Eat a cookie

See? Easy as that! Thanks a bunch! You're my favourite!

Contests and Giveaways

2013-02-06T09:15:00.004-05:00

Did you know that running native contests on your Facebook page is against their Page Terms & Conditions? Every single day I come across pages running "Like this!" and "Share that" contests, within their posts. This type of contest is against Facebook Policies and could potentially have your page shut down. The way Facebook wants people to run contests is through developer apps like Rafflecopter, Offerpop or Shortstack, to name a few. Basically, what that means is instead of using "organic" facebook actions like "Liking", "Sharing" and "Commenting" on pictures/posts, you are taken to a built-in tab on the page where fans and entrants can do the exact same actions, but without breaking the rules.

The additional benefits of this type of app is that you can "Fan Gate" it, which means that before someone enters your contest, they're required to like your page to see the entry form or rules. This can significantly jump your page numbers if the incentive is good enough.

Here's some more information on how to create contests and giveaways via Facebook:

One of the fastest (and best!) ways to increase your Facebook traffic and "likes" is to utilize a built-in contest app. There are the "build it yourself" kinds like Rafflecopter (which now integrates directly with facebook pages!) and then there are the "pre-built" kinds like the campaigns offered by Offerpop.

Did you know that Offerpop gives you the first campaign you run for free?!

It's a great way to try a new format for contests and try your hand at the program, too. Quite easy to use, their system allows you to pick from a wide variety of campaign "types" including Photo Contests, Referral Programs and more!

Each campaign is pre-built (it even gives you examples and dimensions for the graphics needed to run the campaign!) and you can easily select which page you want to run it on with a drop down menu.

If you're like me and support multiple pages every week it's a great option for running multiple campaigns simultaneously.

And the best part? Offerpop has already worked out all of the kinks, working within the Facebook Rules and Regulations and creating coherent campaigns that give real-time analytics.

An example of one of their great campaigns is the "Diapers.com" campaign. Allowing anyone who signs up to enter to win Free Diapers for a Year, this contest drives participants to the facebook page and is a simple "Sign Up" style campaign. Easy for the user to enter and can return a lot of results.

Who wouldn't want the chance to win FREE diapers for a year?

One of my go-to apps for running contests (especially on blogs and websites) is the Rafflecopter widget. This allows you to create a variety of different qualifying ways to enter a contest, the whole thing is pre-coded but allows you to customize the app depending on the contest that you're running.

I am currently running a contest on my lifestyle blog Crawl The Line for the month of February called 7 Days of Giveaways! For each day the contest is running (7) there is one prize (a piece or set of jewellery) to be drawn at the end of the week. This allows me to cross-market with a sponsor, create a widget that's built directly into my blog (no going elsewhere to sign up for the contest!) and integrates across a variety of different platforms (Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and Blogger -- plus many more!) their basic (unpaid) version of the app is totally useable as many times as you want, and if you want even more great options (like real-time analytics) you can subscribe to their service for a small (or large, depending on how much you need to see) monthly fee.

This totally isn't a sell for Offerpop or Rafflecopter, but I do have to say they are both great options for any campaign you want to run in the social sphere!

Case Study: Content Marketing

2012-12-04T22:37:00.000-05:00

A lot of brands understand the importance of social media, but explaining what the difference between posting an advertisement and content marketing is can be a bit complicated to say the least.

As a brand, you have a target demographic. This target demographic, if targeted correctly, can become your audience. As an audience they don't want to see commercials (most people fast forward through those these days, don't they?) -- they want to see real, fresh and relevant(!) content.

There's no easy equation to what your ideal content is. Depending on your audience it may be facts, funny photos, interesting or new products, found objects or even the weather.

Here's a great example "case study":

Coffee & Cakes is a quaint coffee shop in a growing, but small town outside of a major city. They recently opened up in the small town, offering a comfortable environment filled with fresh brewed coffee, sandwiches and, yes, cakes.

Even before opening their doors Coffee & Cakes had adopted Facebook as their main social platform. They created a facebook page where they could build an audience (targeted locally, of course) and grow awareness about their store. Every morning owner Mark Robinson posts what's on their menu, what the weather is like and occasionally an interesting factoid.

People in the community have come to appreciate this morning greeting and often stop into the store because of the wake up call being in their Facebook feed each day. A simple reminder of "hey, we're here!" doesn't have to be so in your face. This type of content sets a tone that says, "we're here ready to serve you whenever you feel like dropping by!" and they meet that with excellent customer service.

Mark responds to every comment and post on his Facebook page personally and has really given a soul to their brand.

This is such a great example of small business utilizing social media as the foundation for their marketing, and creating fresh content on a daily basis that is engaging to their community.

Loft Resumes

2012-12-03T15:19:00.001-05:00

When you work in social media or design, being visual should be one of your top priorities. So, when looking for a job it's important to make sure your resume looks as good as it reads! Here's an example of a loft resume made by yours truly.

TSM Tip of the Day #5

2012-11-23T10:25:00.000-05:00

Tip: Twitter -- Don't follow back everyone who follows you as a rule! People want to see what your brand's interests are, so cultivate lists of partners, interesting knowledge and content based on what appeals to your brand and not what would appeal to your customers! Same goes for Facebook!

TSM Tip of The Day #4

2012-11-22T12:00:00.000-05:00

Tip: Did you know that 60% of consumers feel more positive about a company after reading custom content on it's site? This is CONTENT marketing, people! Don't waste your brand's space!

TSM Tip of The Day #3

2012-11-21T14:21:00.000-05:00

Tip: Social Media Content BOOSTS SALES!

61% of Companies find customers via LinkedIn, 67% via Facebook and 53% via Twitter! Don't lose out on your slice of the pie!

Mmm... pie.