One person may be all you need to create and execute marketing programs. But can one person change the way your entire organization does business? Of course not. This article details why and how to train every employee to adopt social media.

Does your brand stand out in social media? A competitive analysis is a good way to find out. This step-by-step process will help you find the data you need and explain how to turn it into actionable insights.

The Nuances of Timeline Images on Facebook Mobile

As I blogged about previously, the ideal size for a Facebook image is 403 pixels tall x 403 pixels wide. This is the size that your image will appear on your Timeline regardless of how you create it. Using this size for images, you will avoid any cropping or blurring that may occur when Facebook displays your image.

Facebook Mobile, however, displays images slightly different on your Timeline than the desktop browser version does.

Let’s take a look at an example of an image on the full Timeline versus the Facebook Mobile Timeline:

The image on the left is from the desktop browser version of Facebook Timeline. The image on the right, which has the top and bottom cut off, is from a Facebook Mobile Timeline.

In this specific image, part of the text and the watermarked URL are invisible to the mobile viewer unless the user touches the screen to enlarge it. This isn’t ideal. So how can I fix it?

How to Optimize Facebook Mobile Images

The big question is exactly how much of my photo is actually chopped off? It appears that Facebook crops out the top and bottom 67 pixels while scaling the width to fit in the mobile browser. Remember, this is based on an image that is 403 pixels tall x 403 pixels wide.

Another way to look at it is that Facebook’s mobile site and apps show only 269 pixels of the horizontal center of the image from top to bottom.

It may seem smart at this point to say, “Great! I’ll tell my designer to leave 67 empty pixels on the top and bottom of my image and place the text in the horizontal center!”

Not so fast. Do you really want your text bumping up against the very edge of the viewable part of the image? Probably not. I recommend leaving no less than a 10 pixel buffer around all of your text. This means that you should have your designer leave 77 empty pixels at the top and bottom of any image placed on Facebook.

For visual learners, I created this image to help you understand. Please feel free to download this image as a template for your personal or business use.

Let’s Keep This in Perspective

Facebook does not crop images in the news feed, which is where the majority of people will see them. This means that it does not matter if your images are 403 pixels tall by 403 pixels wide. However, when a user visits your Timeline, whether it be from their desktop browser or mobile phone, they will potentially see a cropped version of what you originally shared if it is not these exact dimensions.

If you want to have a professional, clean Timeline both in the desktop browser and on mobile devices, then implement this method of creating images on Facebook.

Image credit: jon jordon

I recently talked about inspiration. Sometimes it comes. Sometimes it goes. And yet as marketers, we still have a job to do, regardless of the whims of how we feel.

This blog is a prime example of how inspiration can affect content. Some days I talk about strategy, while other days I talk about tactics. Some days I write short posts, while on other days they are very long. And, well, on some days I don’t write about anything at all.

It’s important to stop and ask yourself why you do what you do. Why push through when you get frustrated and don’t have any creative or helpful ideas? Today, I am answering this question for myself. Why do I blog? These are my answers.

1. I Blog To Learn

Dave Delaney, a recognized social media professional, wrote a blog post about this. In it, he says:

What better way to introduce yourself to a topic than to start a blog about it?

Though I work full-time in social media for a large organization, I’m not ashamed to say I don’t know it all. I would be weary of anyone who does! Blogging encourages me to learn new things. One great example of this my post on How to Share a Direct Link to Your Vine Profile. I wasn’t 100% sure how to do what I was blogging about before I started writing. Today, this post sends more traffic to my blog than any other.

2. I Blog To Help Others

There are few things more satisfying in life than knowing you helped someone. From time to time, I encounter someone either in person or online that thanks me for what I do. I’m always amazed that people actually visit my blog. Though sometimes I feel that I’m not sharing any new or interesting information, some people disagree.

In one instance, a high school friend said about my blog, “It’s exactly what I need!” I was blown away! Don’t underestimate your ability to help others in a meaningful way.

3. I Blog To Become Better

Blogging helps me grow in many ways. I’m not the best writer I know. An editor once left a comment on my blog, and I replied with, “It always makes me a little nervous when an editor visits my blog.” I wasn’t kidding. I could just imagine him picking out all of my writing errors.

Blogging puts you out there, for all the word to see, to be judged and criticized for both your words and how you structure them. It’s a bit intimidating, but I know the only way to become a better writer is to keep doing it.

I also believe blogging also makes be better at my job. I can’t share my expertise or ideas if I don’t have any. My commitment to write 3-5 times per week (sometimes on Social Media Today) keeps me motivated to experiment and try new things at work.

Why You Should Blog, Too

“My problem is that I don’t have anything new to add.” I used to say this to people about blogging. I didn’t believe that I could possibly contribute anything new to the topic of social media (and some days I still don’t think I can).

Your voice matters. You do have something to contribute. And if nothing else, you can achieve the same things that I have written above.

The easiest way to get started is to create an account on WordPress.com. Put your blog link in the comments!

Image credit: Marlon Bunday

Inspiration comes and goes. But one thing stays the same: you have a job to do.

The last thing a social media manager needs to get hung up on is ideas for status updates. Here are ten ideas you can use when you need inspiration.

Status Update Ideas for Your Business

1. Quotes

2. Publicly thank a fan / follower or share their content

3. Fill in the _______.

4. Ask a question

5. Behind the scenes information / picture / video

6. Coupons and promo codes

7. Share content from a partner or vendor

8. Job openings at your organization

9. Promote your other social media accounts

10. Recycle content that users engaged with in the past

A Question You Can Ask Yourself To Find Inspiration

Notice that most of the list above benefits your fans and followers rather than asks something of them. Another way to find inspiration is to ask yourself this simple question:

How can I help my community today?

Your answer will provide the inspiration you need.

It’s sometimes easier to identify what a social media strategy isn’t than what it is.

However, several thought leaders in social media have provided free resources to help practitioners. Let’s take a look at three of them.

1. Jay Baer’s Social Media Strategy in 8 Steps

Jay Baer, a well-known social media author and keynote speaker, developed an 8-step approach to creating a social media strategy for large organizations. He does a great job of covering all of the bases necessary for a good strategy and presents it in a way that is very easy to understand.

View the image below and read the blog post about it to learn more.

2. Advanced Human Technologies’ Social Media Strategy Framework

If you want a more advanced but still easy-to-understand approach for creating a social media strategy, Advanced Human Techonolgies has a beautiful diagram to help you get started. Unlike many frameworks, it addresses the human resource aspect of social media in an organization including training and governance. You can download a PDF version here.

3. The P.O.S.T. Method by Forrester Research

The P.O.S.T. Method by Forrester Research was developed in 2007 and published in their book Groundswell in 2008. It is the framework I repeatedly turn to when creating new strategies. I wholeheartedly agree with the sequence of steps that Forrester recommends. The graphic below explains the acronym. You can’t find a more detailed explanation on their blog.

Get Started on Your Strategy Today

Write down your ideas on paper. If you work in a large organization, do this in a brainstorming meeting with people from every business function. Keep your customer at the forefront of your mind and do not overlook the value of the human relationship. This mindset will help you create and execute a successful strategy for your organization.

Image credit: Eva the Weaver

If your business is interested in using social media, it’s important to have a strategy in place before you begin. As with any business activity, creating a specific, measurable plan will result in the most efficient and effective use of your resources.

However, strategy is a word that means many different things in social media depending on who you ask. Let’s explore what a social media strategy is not.

What a Social Media Strategy is Not

A social media strategy is not about you. It is focused on people.

A social media strategy is not static. It is a living, breathing plan that is flexible and changes with the very nature of the medium.

A social media strategy is not a list of tactics. It is actionable regardless of what social networks or tools are at your disposal to execute it.

A social media strategy is not able to be copied. It is developed with your business intelligence and your experience, which no one else has.

A social media strategy is not effective when created in a silo. It is built with expertise from all business functions.

A social media strategy is not only about social media. It considers how social media will affect every other touchpoint you have with your customers.

A social media strategy is not only a document or framework. It is a mindset that should be embraced by everyone in your organization.

A social media strategy is not a quick fix. It will expose your business for what it really is, not fix anything that is wrong.

How to Use This List

Next time you write or review your social media strategy, compare it to the list above. If it is any of these things, consider making some changes.

Are you going to settle for reaching only 12% of your Facebook audience? These three tips will help you beat the system to unleash a much larger audience than you are reaching today.

Image credit: Shawn Campbell

I recently saw a well-known author and speaker tweet about an event he was hosting. Included in the tweet was a screenshot from Twitter with a message reading, “The event is trending!”

The event was trending, but only for him. How is that possible? I’ll explain.

Twitter’s Default Trends

A few months ago Twitter rolled out a new feature called Tailored Trends. As the name suggests, these trends are tailored just for you based on your location and who you follow. Tailored Trends became the default when rolled out to all Twitter users.

To identify Tailored Trends (as opposed to Worldwide, for instance), look for the box on the lower left-hand column of your Twitter feed. It should look something like this:

Notice that the title of the box is simply Trends. This means you are viewing Tailored Trends.

How to View Worldwide Trends

When most people exclaim that their topic is trending, they presumably mean it’s trending worldwide. To avoid making the mistake of confusing a Tailored Trend with a Worldwide Trend, click the ‘Change’ link next to the Trends title. A pop-up will appear that tries to convince you to keep Tailored Trends.

Click ‘Change’ on this popup. You will receive a list of options on the next window. Select ‘Worldwide’ – the first option in the left column.

After selecting ‘Worldwide’, the top of the box should refresh to show your selection. Now click ‘Done’ in the lower right-hand corner. After the box closes, the Trends box in the lower left-hand corner of your Twitter feed will now look like this, with the updated ‘Worldwide Trends’ headline:

So, Is Your Topic Really Trending on Twitter?

I hate to sound negative or to deflate you. But someone needs to say it. There’s a slim chance that you’ve ever had a Worldwide Trending Topic. However, that doesn’t minimize the importance of integrating social media with your traditional marketing, events and other opportunities to spread the word online. Who knows – one day you might find yourself among the few fortunate marketers that do, in fact, reach around the world with your topic on Twitter.

Social media is a rapidly growing career choice for young professionals and recent college graduates. These five tips will help you get the interview you’re looking for.