As a reader or subscriber to this blog, you know my ‘opinion’ of social media… This cartoon summarises it quite cleverly. 
Tag Archive for 'Social Media'
Even though this is a study by Virgin Mobile, it still puts into question the true so-called value of Social Media… As you know from reading this blog, I am NOT a proponent of Social Media. I rely on RESULTS to direct my marketing and sales activities. If you do what everyone else does, you end up with the same results they get, which by definition is… AVERAGE.
Contact us if you want to learn the art and science of antimimeticisomorphism – how to have fun doing out-of-the-ordinary things that create extra-ordinary results with the least amount of effort and lowest cost.
If you would like to get a full media audit to determine how you can create more leads that turn into sales, contact Ultimate Edge Communications.
While most organisations acknowledge having a social media presence is almost non-negotiable in the modern, connected world; not everyone fully understands how to incorporate it into the marketing mix with proven return on investment.
The social media realms can be difficult to navigate – it’s still a relatively new industry that is continually undergoing rapid growth and developments. What worked six months ago may have changed; or a brand may find itself with a strong following but low conversions.
Below are some ways you can get the most out of your social media activities.
Consider Hiring A Digital Strategist
For social media marketing activities to be effective, they should be carried out as part of an integrated marketing and communications plan and this is where hiring professionals, even if only in the initial implementation stages, can really help to maximise return on investment. A full service agency like Simple can ensure that an organisation’s social media presence supports overall goals and objectives and help to present a professional and results driven solution.
Choose Which Platforms To Be Active On And Commit To Them
Unless a brand has the resources to hire a social media team, choosing one or two key social media applications to focus attention on is often more effective than trying to have a presence on all of them. Go with what you know and where you know your customers and target audience are. It is really important that if a brand is going to use social media, they do so regularly and consistently. Only updating sporadically can impact the reach of social media posts and failing to check the profiles regularly may mean that a genuine customer enquiry has gone wanting.
Have Goals and Objectives
It’s nearly impossible to measure results and return on investment if social media activity is carried out haphazardly without purpose. Be wary of relying on numbers of followers and likes as a measure – while a business doing social media well should see genuine fan engagement and audience growth, it is better to have 500 passionate and interested supporters than 50,000 who aren’t interested. While competitions and promotions can be effective ways to build audiences, make sure that they are carried out in a targeted and calculated away to appeal to the people who want to do business with the brand.
Be Social
Social media is not the place to broadcast one-sided sales messages – the focus should be on building relationships and conversations that lead to trust and confidence in the brand. Interact with followers, encourage conversation and acknowledge their comments. Also seek to build rapport with like-minded brands and businesses. While casual communication is encouraged on social media platforms, ensure there is still a level of professionalism in all posts and responses.
Social media marketing can be an effective communications channel for brands when it is done well, and done with purpose. Embracing the fact that it is not like any other marketing medium can go a long way to ensuring that brand activities on social media platforms are effective.
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Social networking websites have become a popular way to interact with people on the Internet. Thirty-five percent of adults on the Internet now have a profile on at least one social networking site, and 51 percent have more than one. Three-quarters of users between the ages of 18 and 24 have an online profile.
Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Friendster, Urban Chat and Black Planet are just a few of more than 100 Web sites connecting folks around the world who are eager to share their thoughts and feelings.
The use of social media at work presents new opportunities to employers, but also new responsibilities. One is how to manage the amount of time employees spend using the sites and how it is affecting workplace productivity.
Here are some recommendations relating to what employees should not be doing/sharing on social media sites:
- Don’t share too much information – It’s very easy to get caught up in the social aspects of sites like Facebook, but what you choose to share is there for all to see if you don’t limit who can view your information. Sharing personal information with strangers can be dangerous business, and there are some things you should definitely put on your “do not share” list. With Twitter, you can tweet a half dozen times per day and be fine. With Facebook Business Page, once a day should be enough and the same goes for LinkedIn too.
- Don’t say you hate your job – You may not like your job or your boss but complaining about it on social media is not going to go down well when your boss finds out.
- Posting information when your profiles are linked to more than one site – You may post something innocuous on one site, but then it’s linked to your LinkedIn work profile and you’ve put your job at risk because of that posting.
- Failing to keep secrets – News about your workplace, for example, a planned expansion or project should be kept private and under wraps. For instance, broadcasting your visit to a competitor’s client might hurt your company’s chances of securing new business.
- Avoid being negative – Negative comments on social media about fellow employees, your employer or customers lowers the reputation of the company and its customers. You should showcase the success of your colleagues, your company and not just your own achievements and accomplishments.
Don’t get into an argument – A difference of opinion is OK; a full-blown argument is definitely taboo. If you want to descend into mud-slinging, just remember, on the Internet, you can’t take it back – it’s permanent and will remain there… forever!- Don’t boast – It’s OK to let people know you just got promoted or you just got a brand new car but be subtle – and grateful. Humility goes a long way on social networks.
- Don’t get personal – Just because you have some dirt on the office manager or another colleague, it doesn’t mean you have the green light to share unflattering gossip online. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you is the perfect maxim for social networking.
- Don’t share the fact that you are planning to take a sick day on social media! And don’t share photos of an event that reveals that you were not sick that day. (Note: What the $##@$#$ are you doing taking a (fake) sick day in the first place? If you want a day off, ask for it and schedule it with your boss. Have some self-respect!)
- Don’t use social media for posting defamatory or discriminatory messages – Be aware that social media can be used for cyber bullying and harassment purposes, so avoid posting offensive or threatening comments.
- Do not breach confidentiality – Unauthorised disclosure of company information via social media sites could include details relating to profit/loss, potential redundancies, employee personal information, client details, internal complaints or trade secrets.
- Do not repost articles – be careful about sharing posts you have not actually read because headlines rarely reveal the entire story. Read the article before you attach your reputation to it.
- Don’t compromise your organisation’s security – visiting social networking sites at work may expose company networks to malware and can help hackers steal identities and data. Hackers are attracted to networking sites because of the potential they see to commit fraud and launch spam malware attacks.
LinkedIn – LinkedIn is a professional networking site and you should not be doing the following there:
- Rapid posting – spamming the newsfeed. This is not the place to broadcast links to articles.
- Post/participate in spam comments. This is frowned upon by all.
- Participate in flame wars. The opinions on LinkedIn may not be the same as yours so while it may be difficult to hold back and express your opinion, do so in a professional manner.
- Auto-post from another social channel to LinkedIn. You cannot sync LinkedIn with Twitter; it causes spam and clutter.
- Auto-post from website feed. You should not auto share every post on social media. Everything you do on LinkedIn will always be taken in a professional way, unlike Facebook and Twitter. LinkedIn is not a publishing tool for broadcasting messages; it’s a networking tool for showcasing yourself as a professional and make people want to work with you, value your opinions and thoughts.
Twitter is another social networking phenomenon you should be careful with.
- You are what you share/tweet – Just use good common sense when sharing on social networks. The Internet is now the track record of your life. Don’t share something that you don’t want to be left as a representation of you. But don’t let this stop you from making yourself known on issues and things that matter. Having no voice pertaining to certain things that your business stands behind could be worse than a few people disagreeing with your own beliefs. Be proud of who you are and represent as a business, but make sure that you know what image you’re crafting as a result.
- Don’t be needy – No one likes needy people on social media. So don’t ask your Twitter followers to “retweet this tweet please.” And don’t beg your Facebook friends to come “Like” your page. Get creative with the way you do things. You can still accomplish those tasks, but learn how to disguise them.
- If you misuse Twitter, let’s face it, everyone will see you for what you are – a TWIT!
This is from a parody Twitter account, but I thought it made the point quite succinctly:
Being popular on Facebook is like sitting at the cool table in a mental hospital.
Don’t just listen to what I have been saying for years, BRW Magazine’s recent headline speaks for itself…
Click on the image to find out what your best Internet Marketing Options are.
Twitter, the micro-blogging site, has cut off tweets on the professional social network LinkedIn, ending a two-year partnership.Twitter is a website that lets users broadcast 140-character status updates, or tweets, in real time. The micro-blogging service has had a partnership with LinkedIn since 2009.
“If you had previously synced your LinkedIn and Twitter accounts, and selected the option to share Tweets on LinkedIn, those Tweets generated from Twitter will no longer appear on LinkedIn. There will be no other changes to your LinkedIn experience,” Ryan Roslansky, LinkedIn head of content, said in a recent blog post.
Want to know what to do about it? We cover all of this and more in our Business Blogging For Sales Lead Generation Webinar and Internet Marketing Bootcamp.
As you must know by now, I am not a fan of Social Media Marketing. I think it’s a monumental waste of time, money and effort. I haven’t held back on this view and it’s simply because it doesn’t make any financial sense for small business to waste countless hours and in some case thousands of dollars on strategies that don’t work.
The research is just starting to come in that fewer shoppers are flocking to social media websites in search of deals and coupons, according to a study released Thursday by the National Retail Federation in the United States.
The number of consumers who reported following retailers on the likes of Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest fell to 51 percent from 58 percent last year, according to the 2012 Social and Mobile Commerce Study.
I am not saying social media is dead, all I’m saying is that more and more businesses are realising that the inevitable point of diminishing returns is here.
As a small business, you have limited resources and cash. You want to make the most of it. Social media marketing is not where you should be spending it – that’s all I’m saying.
Want to know where you should invest your hard earned money to get your biggest bang for your buck?
Come invest 3 days with me at the Exponential Internet Marketing Bootcamp and you’ll learn how small businesses – just like yours are dominating their market places, growing when others are contracting and laying off staff.
Are you struggling with the time, effort and cost associated with Social Media Marketing? You’re not alone – have a look at this article – Burberry has deep pockets for their social media marketing and you have to ask yourself – can it really be worth it?
If you’re a small business, I can tell you without a doubt – you can’t justify the time or cost.
That doesn’t mean you ignore social media, it just means you LEVERAGE it – exponentially.
How? Great question! Click here -> to learn how to generate more leads via social media.
It’s hard to get an important PREVENTION message across… The anti-smoking lobby struggles with it. One of our gym owner/client finds it hard to help people prevent the onset of type II Diabetes and I want to protect small business owners from being fleeced by unscrupulous Internet Marketing spuikers, web design companies and now “Social Media Consultants”…
It’s hard to get the message across
without being heavy-handed or sensationalistic
Brendan Rigby of Inspire Fitness and Wellbeing in Melbourne tells me that someone who’s overweight, drinks too much alcohol, smokes and doesn’t exercise is a prime target for Type II Diabetes, but even if all the red flags are there, everyone but the ‘patient’ sees them.
I feel it’s the same thing with the Internet. I see or hear about small business owners getting fleeced, taken advantage of and otherwise ‘robbed’ by Internet Marketing Spruikers who pitch miracle solutions from stage with manipulative tactics at the get-rich-quick opportunists that many would argue “get what they deserve”.
But isn’t that the same for the smokers or obese, soon-to-be diabetics?
The challenge we all have is how do we get the message across without being fear mongerers and using heavy-handed tactics like the video below?
I can remember meeting a smoker amputee who lost BOTH her legs (above the knee) due to smoking. She was still smoking with the impeding threat of double-arm amputation, which is when she claimed she would “try to quit”. I was in my early twenties at the time, she was in her 40’s. I doubt she made it to her 50th birthday. I am still shocked almost 30 years later recalling that conversation.
There are some people that can’t and don’t want to be helped or saved
But there are those who, given a fair chance,
want to be forewarned – especially if the alternative is better
Leveraging the Internet does not have to be scary, intimidating or costly. In fact, the world has changed to make technology and access ubiquitous via increasingly easier and cheaper tools.
But the bottom line is – there is no point in discussing any of them – UNLESS YOU’RE OPEN to the possibilities.
If you are open to consider alternatives to expensive web designers and social media consultants, we’re staging an eye-opening workshop in Sydney and Melbourne in April.
It comes with a 100% Money-Back Guarantee that simply states that if after the 4-hour DIY Masterclass you didn’t get enough ideas, tips and tools to make or save you at least a multiple of the workshop fee, we’ll refund you the full registration fee – NO QUESTIONS ASKED.
Why? Because we don’t offer Internet web design and Social Media Consulting services – we and our clients don’t like them any more than you do.
AND BELIEVE IT OR NOT, you can grow your business leveraging the Internet doing it yourself AT A FRACTION OF THE COST OF THE SO-CALLED EXPERTS… AND GET BETTER RESULTS !!!
Come find out how at our next workshop called “How To Convert Online Browsers Into Buyers“.
If you think you’re an Internetaholic, addicted to Social Media, Tweeting and Facebooking your every move – Have a look at this video I am sure you’ll tweet and forward it on!
Even though small businesses in Australia lag in Internet adoption with most small businesses either not having a website established or not having a fully integrated, functional website, in contrast, Australian consumers are quite techno-savvy.
According to recent research, 37% of Australians use smart phones and is predicted to be 50% by the end of 2011. 92% say they use smart phones while consuming other media; 46% while watching TV, 43% while listening to music, 36% while online. A whopping 26% say they have purchased something on their smart phone. Average number of apps is 25, with 8 being purchased. Nearly 50% browse the web every day on their phones.
Nielsen research shows Australians are #1 in usage of social networks
Neilsen reports that Australians spend 7 hours 17 minutes per person each month on social networks and blogs. Australian social media usage was highest for the second year running, out of Nielsen’s Internet-metered markets including: Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland, U.K., and U.S. This means Australians used social media 25 minutes more per month than the previous year. That’s quite a bit more.
Most small business owners still don’t fully appreciate the value of social networking for business purposes.
A lot of it is due to ignorance (not knowing) and confusion. For example, there’s a common misconception that links last a lot longer on Facebook than Twitter, because the newsfeed moves slower than the stream, but recent research confirmed this is not the case.
The half life of a link (i.e. the time it takes to receive half its total clicks from when it’s first shared) is on average 2.8 hours on Twitter and 3.2 hours on Facebook – not a massive difference, although on YouTube links last considerably longer.
What’s more interesting is that a link pointing to a topical news story – like an earthquake – is likely to have a lot shorter half-life than a link pointing to something oblique (like lolcats).
The graph below illustrates this phenomenon, but once again ignorance (not knowing) can be damaging. The concept of the half life of a link is important if you’re in the news business, but if you’re a business looking to stay in business for years to come, what is important and relevant to you is the value of the individual links established, not the half life.
Half Life Of Internet Links In Social Media Networks
This is a vitally important concept we will cover at our Business Blogging For Sales Lead Generation event, it’s an exclusive by-invitation-only event that you need to contact us if you want to attend.
Why is a blog important for business?
Blogs are used to establish contact and communication with a business. A website by design is static, whereas a blog and Facebook are interactive, engaging the prospect. More importantly, he/she can read and assess the type of communications others have had with you/the business.
In this day and age, it’s not a nice-to-have sales and marketing tool, a blog is a must-have sales, marketing and customer support and brand building tool.
Let’s face it, if you’re not blogging, you’re just not serious about sales lead generation.
As you know by now, my short blog posts are rare. This is one of them. This YouTube video is a must watch for anyone involved in Internet Marketing. It is absolutely priceless. I know you’ll want to watch it more than once and forward this blog link to colleagues and friends.
The Social Media Revolution Is Here
