TwitterToolsReviews |
- LinkedIn Prospecting: How to Find Your Next Customer on LinkedIn
- How Brands are Using Humor to Win Customers on Twitter
- New Social Media Research That Could Change Your Strategy
- 4 Useful #Twitter #Automation #Tools and How to Use Them
- LinkedIn’s Ambitious Introduction Feature and Six Degrees of Separation
- What Do I Share on Social Media? 50 Ideas To Help You Connect With Your Followers
- Becoming a Media Company: How to Turn Your Business Into a Platform
- 3 essential Twitter marketing tips, plus a cheat sheet infographic
- Top 10 Social Media Marketing Posts: This Year in Social Media
- A Love Letter To Food [Video]
| LinkedIn Prospecting: How to Find Your Next Customer on LinkedIn Posted: 19 Apr 2014 03:13 AM PDT By Michael Stelzner
Are you wondering how to use LinkedIn to find prospects and customers? To learn about how to build strategic relationships through LinkedIn, I interview Viveka von Rosen for this episode of the Social Media Marketing podcast. More About This Show
The Social Media Marketing podcast is a show from Social Media Examiner. It's designed to help busy marketers and business owners discover what works with social media marketing. The show format is on-demand talk radio (also known as podcasting). In this episode, I interview Viveka von Rosen, author of LinkedIn Marketing: An Hour a Day and founder of Linked Into Business. Viveka shares how she prospects on LinkedIn for her business. You'll learn about the tools available to make prospecting easy and what you need to do to get started. Share your feedback, read the show notes and get the links mentioned in this episode below! Listen NowPodcast: Play in new window | Download You can also subscribe via iTunes, RSS, Stitcher or Blackberry. Here are some of the things you'll discover in this show: LinkedIn ProspectingWhat is prospecting? Viveka explains that a prospect is someone whom you either find or attract to you who's in a company, business, industry or organization that has a need for your product or service. Before social media, prospecting was done through very expensive outbound sales. However, social media and LinkedIn in particular have changed this. You'll hear why Viveka loves prospecting.  LinkedIn is great for finding prospects. Social media has changed us from the age of the seller to the age of the consumer. Consumers now tell us want they want. A large part of prospecting is to know who your ideal clients are and know their needs. Facebook, Yelp, LinkedIn and Twitter make the research a lot easier. As a seller, it's also a lot easier and cheaper to get out there and position yourself as a thought leader. This engenders the feeling of "know, like and trust" in a client or prospect with whom you may not have had direct interaction. It makes it easier to close the sale. In Jill Konrath's book, Selling to BIG Companies, she talks about how you have to know whom to sell to. This is why LinkedIn is so important—it tells you who works at the companies, their positions and whom they interact with. It enables you to reach out to the right person. Listen to the show to find out why groups can be so powerful. LinkedIn for prospecting Viveka explains the two aspects of prospecting—inbound and outbound. Actively prospecting is just a matter of research. With a combination of keywords, titles, company name and location, you can use the Advanced Search on LinkedIn to discover the people you want to interact with. These are your prospects.  Advanced Search on LinkedIn is a great research tool. You'll hear about some of the great benefits of LinkedIn and also some of its limitations. One of the most powerful search categories is Location. Not only can you see who lives in your town, but also when you attend trade shows or conferences, it's a great way to connect with people before the event. A really cool app that you can use for conferences is Bizzabo, which has a LinkedIn API interface. There are thousands of events in there and you can see who will be at the event. It shows you their LinkedIn profile. In the show, you'll also discover another app which can be used for prospecting.  We used Bizzabo for Social Media Marketing World. If you want to meet prospects face to face before an event, a cool new app called Trendr will set up a live meeting place. Listen to the show to find out how you can discover if a prospect is active in a particular LinkedIn group. Viveka's experience on LinkedIn Viveka is extremely active on LinkedIn, either prospecting or inbound. She says that 70-80% of her business comes through LinkedIn and the remainder through things that she markets on Twitter. When you own a LinkedIn group, it allows you to position yourself as a thought leader. Viveka owns quite a few groups. Make sure the content you share is helpful and useful and not at all promotional. You need to ask questions and respond to other group members' discussions. You'll hear about Viveka's most active group, and how it's a support system for the LinkedIn chat on Twitter. Listen to the show to learn how to @mention someone on LinkedIn. The first thing to do when prospecting on LinkedIn Viveka advises that the first thing you should do is to look professional. Make sure your personal profile, company page and groups are all up to date. It helps to have the latest features enabled and ensure you are well-branded across all your touch points.  It’s great for your own visibility to have a very professional personal profile on LinkedIn. When you join groups, you need to be clear about your target market and join these particular groups. You can join up to 50 groups. It's a great way to be proactive. When you invite people, be honest and let them know you want to grow your network with influencers in your industry. LinkedIn has a great free tool called Get Introduced. Viveka feels that most people aren't aware of it because it's hidden. You get 5 introductions at a time with the free account and 15 with the basic paid account.  Get Introduced is in a drop-down box to the right of the Send InMail link. There are many different ways to actively prospect and Viveka has used all of them. When you join a group, LinkedIn allows you to InMail people who are also members of that group, or you can send them a message. You'll learn the best way to find out if a group is a good fit before you join. Viveka has created a list on Listly for the groups that she likes. Listen to the show to hear about how LinkedIn's SWAM (Site-Wide Auto Moderation) works. Prospecting etiquette on LinkedIn Viveka says that it always comes back to the 80/20 rule. If you provide 80% useful content to attract your prospects, then 20% of the time you can invite people to see your webinar or download something. When you message someone, make it conversational. Don't do a sales pitch in a message. You can let people know about a free webinar or download, but if you want someone to buy your stuff, then don't pitch them in an email. The best way to contact a prospect whom you don't know is to send them an InMail or message through a group. You'll hear Viveka give an example of what she calls the "easy yes" and how to build that familiarity with people. To help you find directors and executive-level people within a company, Account Researcher by eGrabber is a really cool tool.  Account Researcher helps you find a prospect’s email address and telephone number. To help you keep track of all your prospects, Viveka highly recommends that you download the new LinkedIn Contacts feature, which is a free tool within LinkedIn. You can make notes on your clients/prospects and tag them. You can also set reminders for yourself.  Everyone will get the new LinkedIn Contacts feature within the next 3-6 months. The LinkedIn app for mobile is pretty good too. Sixty-seven percent of people interact primarily through the mobile apps. Listen to the show to find out which third-party CRM systems work well with LinkedIn. Discovery of the WeekI recently received a tweet about a really cool resource called Tweet Binder, which aggregates all tweets around a hashtag.  These are a few of the stats for our Social Media Success Summit 2013 hashtag (#SMSS13). When you put in your hashtag, it will show you exactly how many people have tweeted with that hashtag. It removes all spammers. You can see the activity on a graph, which includes the number that are replies, have links and pictures, original tweets and retweets. There are four different rankings for top contributor categories. It shows who your most active users are with that hashtag, who has the highest impact, who's the most popular and the most original tweets. It then creates binders around topics that people are chatting about. We shared this tool with everyone who was tweeting every day about Social Media Success Summit and they got really excited because they wanted to get onto the leader boards. I'm extremely impressed with Tweet Binder. There is a free version and a paid version. Be sure to check it out. Listen to the show to learn more and let us know how this works for you. Other Show Mentions
You'll hear Douglas Karr with the Marketing Tech Blog and DK New Media give a testimonial from this year's event. More than 60 of the world's leading social media marketers will present in four different tracks. It's going to be spectacular. I strongly recommend you check out some of the videos and the testimonials. You can learn a lot more about it here. Key takeaways mentioned in this episode:Ways to subscribe to the Social Media Marketing podcast: What do you think? What are your thoughts on LinkedIn prospecting? Please leave your comments below. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends:
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| How Brands are Using Humor to Win Customers on Twitter Posted: 19 Apr 2014 02:39 AM PDT In a world where 500 million Tweets are generated a day on Twitter, setting a brand apart can be pretty difficult. After all, a whopping 5,700 Tweets per second is nothing to scoff at. And while standing out is important, you don't want to be perceived as the class clown. But here's a secret… Shhh… Brands are becoming social comics. In fact, a little laughter is helping brands leapfrog ahead of the pack. Some of it is subtle, some of it is "in your face", but it's all humorous. And when consumers burst out laughing, they warm up to your brand.
In a recent Business Insider article, The Weird Way Brands Are Winning People Over On Twitter, Steve Babcock, creative director at Evolution Bureau is quoted saying "brands still don't know how to function in the social space. They're like an awkward parent chaperone at a high school dance. The key in all of this is to not try too hard, it always shows. Be confident. Be interesting. And be willing. This is the place to explore and experiment." There's a reason why brands get noticed on Twitter. And some of the top brands have found ways to reinvent themselves – not with expensive marketing campaigns – but with creative approaches to 140 characters of content. AdWeek announced the following finalists this month for wide ranging categories including the best brands on Twitter. My Shorty Industry Award picks for brands leveraging Twitter in interesting ways include:
What's the takeaway for content marketers? Loosen up. Get your laugh on. Consumers love to smile. But, to ensure they're laughing with you and not at you, your content should combine fun with purpose. And, of course, your brand's social media presence needs to match its company's personality. Still, a good chuckle spreads like wildfire. If done right, it has the power to draw consumers closer to your brand.  The post How Brands are Using Humor to Win Customers on Twitter appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| New Social Media Research That Could Change Your Strategy Posted: 19 Apr 2014 02:06 AM PDT By Patricia Redsicker
Do you pay attention to the trends happening across the social web? If so, you already know how the rules and landscape of social media marketing are always changing. But what you don't know may not only surprise you, but also may make you think twice about your social media strategy. Here are four surprising social media research findings you should leverage for your social media strategy. #1: Users 'Like' Facebook for Social LoginsWhen logging onto sites with a social network ID, research by eMarketer shows that a majority of users (51%) prefer to log in using their Facebook credentials. In fact, professionals across all industries favored Facebook. Only 28% of users log in with Google+. Facebook is also the preferred social login network ID for 63% of global mobile users.  Facebook login trumps all other social logins or registration requiring username and password. Key Takeaways: If you have a website that requires users to register, you should understand the concept of password fatigue. 92% of shoppers abandon a website rather than go through the process of recovering a lost or forgotten password. But if a website has a social login option, 65% of shoppers are more likely to return. So if you have an ecommerce site and you let folks use Facebook to log in, then you already know their likes and interests. Use that information to personalize their experience:
#2: Social Customer Care Demand Is Growing on TwitterWhen it comes to social customer service (or social customer care), Twitter is becoming the place to be for consumers who want to reach out to brands. Research by Socialbakers indicates that 59.3% of customer questions are asked on Twitter, compared to 40.7% on Facebook.  Use Twitter rather than Facebook to address your customers' concerns. Key Takeaways: Social media has conditioned consumers to get feedback fast. As a marketer, the risk of failing to meet this expectation can result in losing customers, getting a bad reputation or both.
#3: Younger Audiences Are NOT Unfriending FacebookThere's been a lot of talk lately about teens unfriending Facebook. Turns out it's not quite true. Facebook has indeed lost its exclusive grip on teens. Young audiences are flocking to more visual platforms like Snapchat, Instagram and Vine; however, these stats from eMarketer speak for themselves:  Teens and young audiences are still the largest demographic using Facebook. Key Takeaways: Like everybody else, teens and younger audiences have become multiple-platform users. That doesn't mean they're done with Facebook, it just means that their social interests are broadening. Consider this: teens are particularly interested in image and video sharing. Sure, they can share images on Facebook, but they're more comfortable on Snapchat and Instagram where there's less drama—and parents are not present. So if your target audience includes teens and young audiences, don't panic. Instead, try to enhance their experience by following these tips:
#4: Instagram Is the Fastest-Growing Site GloballyFacebook-owned Instagram may be the platform to watch closely, according to new research published on TechCrunch in January. Active user base grew by 26% in the last six months of 2013. In addition, available data shows that Instagram had 90 million active users in January 2013. By January 2014, that number had doubled to 180 million active users.  Instagram is quickly becoming one of the most interesting places to be online. Key Takeaways: Users love Instagram because images are super-creative and interesting since users can choose filters after the photo has already been taken. But of course the best part is being able to instantly share those photos with a community of like-minded people. In a previous post, we talked about how marketers can leverage Instagram to promote their brands. Some other tips I would add are:
What do you think? Have these facts helped you identify trends that could change your social media strategy? Please share your thoughts in the comment box below. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. The post New Social Media Research That Could Change Your Strategy appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. |
| 4 Useful #Twitter #Automation #Tools and How to Use Them Posted: 19 Apr 2014 01:34 AM PDT Social media is about engagement, so there's often quite a large debate about adding any automated elements to a social media campaign. Because let's face it—no one wants to follow an account that's essentially a bot. Or do they? While some automation tools do nothing but make your social media profile look like an announcement board, other tools can be used to sync right into your normal engagement to give it a helpful boost. Here are some Twitter automation tools, services and tips, which when used the right way, can be a valuable addition to your social media strategy. And when I say the right way, I mean that you should be using these to supplement your regular social engagement and not only using these tools to give your account the look of activity. #1: TwitterfeedTwitterfeed is a service that allows you to set up RSS feeds from your favorite blogs, and whenever those blogs have a new post, it will be tweeted to your account. It can be used to update your Twitter and Facebook accounts. How to Set Up TwitterfeedTo use Twitterfeed, you simply need to register for a free account and then set up your favorite blogs using the following steps. 1. Enter an easily recognizable Feed Name and the blog URL or RSS feed URL.  Twitterfeed Setup Step 1: Enter the feed name and blog or RSS URL. 2. Use the advanced settings to customize your tweets. I usually change thePost Content to Title Only and include via @username of the blog owner in the Post Suffix.  Twitterfeed Setup Step 2: Configure Advanced Settings. 3. Choose the Twitter or Facebook accounts that you would like to have updated with the blog's latest posts.  Twitterfeed Setup Step 3: Set to update statuses on specific Twitter or Facebook accounts. You'll need to use the "OAuth" authentication for new Twitter accounts and "Connect" with Facebook for new Facebook accounts. Pros of Using TwitterfeedSo what benefits can you get from using Twitterfeed? If you choose the right blogs that your audience enjoys, you'll be able to give them the latest news from their favorite sites and they will appreciate it!  If you choose blogs that your followers like, you will receive plenty of thanks. Generally, you'll know if your audience likes them because you see retweets of those status updates or, if you're really good at choosing the right blogs, you'll get thank-you messages for posting them, like the one above. Cons of Using TwitterfeedSo what's the downside of using Twitterfeed? As far as I know, there isn't a way to say when to tweet new posts. Sure, you can tell it to only check every certain number of hours, but even then it doesn't let you say only between the hours of 9am and 5pm, for instance. Another little quirk is that if you send an update that you want to stay at the top of your Twitter profile for a while, you might be out of luck if one of your blogs in Twitterfeed has recently updated right after your priority tweet. The last one has to do specifically with affiliate marketers. If you're promoting an event, such as the Social Media Success Summit, the last thing you want is to tweet a post promoting the same event (with someone else's affiliate link). But it's likely to happen if other blogs in your Twitterfeed are promoting the same products or events. Twitterfeed Best PracticesSo what best practices should you follow if you want to get the most out of Twitterfeed? Here are some good tips.
#2: Social OomphAh, the dreaded automated direct message. I wish I could greet all of my new followers with a personal direct message or a friendly mention, but it becomes tough to do once you're getting a high volume of follows in one day. Plus, it's sometimes hard to tell which accounts are manned by real people and which are bots, and why would you want to waste precious time greeting a bot? So yes, I like to use Social Oomph to create an automated direct message for new followers. How to Set Up Social Oomph Direct MessagesOnce you have created a 1. Use the navigation menu and go to Social Accounts > Add New Account > Add Twitter. Be sure to log into your desired Twitter account beforehand andAuthorize Access.  Social Oomph Setup Step 1: Authorize your desired Twitter account. 2. Use the navigation menu to go to Social Accounts > Edit Welcome DMand select your Twitter account. Here, you will find the form to enter your automated direct message and a checkbox to automatically send a welcome message.  Social Oomph Setup Step 2: Customize your direct message for new followers. Underneath this setup is also an option to follow your new followers back or place them in a queue to manually approve or reject following them.  Social Oomph Setup Step 3: Automatically follow new followers back. I always follow people back for one main reason. As you can see from my automated DM, I give them the opportunity to contact me privately, and if I'm not following them, they cannot do that. In general, I feel that if someone is connected with me, they should be able to contact me privately like they can on Facebook or LinkedIn. Pros of Using Automated Direct MessagesIf done correctly, you can make your new followers feel very welcome and open a good line of communication with them right off the bat. With my direct message, I also have the added bonus of discovering new questions from bloggers and social media users which have led to some good topic ideas for my blog. Cons of Using Automated Direct MessagesIf done incorrectly, you can put off users who are anti-automated direct messaging. I have tried out a few variations of direct messages, and unfortunately have had some that did not generate good feedback. My latest has been all positive though. Automated Direct Messages Best PracticesThe following will ensure that you keep your new followers once they receive your welcome message and not generate a lot of negative feedback.
#3: Tweet Old PostTweet Old Post is a great plugin for WordPress users. It allows you to connect a Twitter account with your blog and regularly tweet posts from your archives to your followers. How to Set Up Tweet Old PostSetting up Tweet Old Post is simple. Follow these steps once you have logged into your self-hosted WordPress blog and related Twitter account. 1. Go to your Dashboard > Plugins > Add New and search for Tweet Old Post.  Tweet Old Post Step 1: Search for the Tweet Old Post plugin in your WordPress dashboard. 2. Click on the Install Now link below the Tweet Old Post plugin by Ajay Matharu.  Tweet Old Post Step 2: Install Tweet Old Post plugin from the search results. After you've installed it, you'll need to activate it on the next screen by clicking on theActivate Plugin link. 3. Scroll down to the bottom of your dashboard and go to Tweet Old Post > Tweet Old Post to get to the main settings for this plugin. Tweet Old Post Step 3: Configure settings for Tweet Old Post plugin. Here you'll want to:
4. If you have specific posts from included categories that you want to exclude from being tweeted, use the Tweet Old Post > Exclude Postsettings to pick certain posts to exclude from being tweeted. Tweet Old Post Step 4: Exclude specific posts from being tweeted by Tweet Old Post. Pros of Using the Tweet Old Post PluginChances are, you gain new followers to your Twitter account and blog on a daily basis. Using Tweet Old Post is a great way to point new followers to some of your awesome content from the past. It's like having a Related Posts section that plugs into your Twitter account. Cons of Using the Tweet Old Post PluginSome followers may not be as open to older content, especially if that content is outdated or they're simply the type who only likes new and fresh blog posts. Tweet Old Post Best PracticesTo make sure your followers are only getting your best content, consider the following tips.
#4: HootSuite SchedulingHootSuite offers an option to schedule updates to specific social media accounts, which can come in really handy if you have items that you would like sent at specific times when you may be away from your computer. How to Set Up Scheduled Updates From HootSuiteThe following will help you set up scheduled updates to be sent from your Twitter accounts linked to your main HootSuite account. 1. Enter your desired status update in the box as you would like it to appear and select the accounts to which you would like it posted.  HootSuite Scheduling Step 1: Enter your status message as you would like it to appear. 2. Click on the calendar button to bring up a scheduling calendar to select your desired date and time to send the status update.  HootSuite Scheduling Step 2: Schedule your status message by date and time. You will also notice the Schedule in Bulk option.  HootSuite Scheduling in Bulk: Schedule multiple messages all at once. From here, you need to download a .CSV spreadsheet file so you can enter dates, times and tweets to schedule if you want to do more than one at a time for a specific account or set of accounts.  HootSuite Scheduling in Bulk: Use a .CSV to format your status messages for bulk scheduling. 3. Need to make a modification or cancel a scheduled update? Create a column for your Pending Tweets in HootSuite to see what you have scheduled. Use the Edit link to make changes or the X to delete the update.  HootSuite Pending Tweets: Edit or delete scheduled messages in this column. Pros of Using HootSuite SchedulingTime-sensitive tweets can be scheduled in advanced so you don't forgetto send important messages in a timely fashion. This is great for affiliates who are promoting the last few hours of a discount or special, speakers who want to send a countdown to their upcoming webinar or anyone who wants to keep his or her account updated at a regular rate. Another great use for scheduling is when you're reading through article after article that you want to send to your followers. Don't just send ten articles in a span of five minutes—use the scheduler to space them out over the next few hoursinstead. Cons of Using HootSuite SchedulingIf you're using HootSuite to schedule your messages when you aren't going to be around the computer, you may miss out on answering people who send quick questions about your latest tweet (if it needs any clarification). HootSuite Scheduling Best PracticesThere's a big one here that really applies to any automated social media service: Be sure that your account has more than just scheduled tweets. You want to be engaging with your audience, not just broadcasting to them. One Final ReminderThe above tools are meant to supplement and enrich your social media experience. They're not, by any means, meant to replace the most important part of social media networking, which is engaging with your followers and fans on a regular basis. Not every status update should include a link! Your Thoughts on Twitter Automation ToolsDo you use any of the above or other tools to enhance your Twitter presence? What results have you seen, good or bad? Leave your comments in the box below. The post 4 Useful #Twitter #Automation #Tools and How to Use Them appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. |
| LinkedIn’s Ambitious Introduction Feature and Six Degrees of Separation Posted: 19 Apr 2014 01:00 AM PDT
Recently, introduction requests from two of my Level 1 Connections prompted further investigation into the Introductions feature. I was surprised by the requests because I did not recognize the name of the target. After looking up the target's LinkedIn profile, I discovered that I was being asked to introduce my Level 1 requestor to someone in my Level 2 (their Level 3). Despite the popular "six degrees of separation" concept, I don't think this is an effective social networking practice. It's success centers on someone introducing a stranger to one of their Level 1 connections. Who is going to risk their relationship with someone they know by introducing a stranger? Here is what I wrote one of the requestors: I applaud you for using LinkedIn to get introductions. It is one of the best ways to initiate a dialog with someone. However, I cannot help in this situation because __________ is a Level 2 Connection to me. I do not know him. He is connected to someone that I am connected to (my Level 1) but connecting you would require a double-introduction. I've tried it a few times and it has never worked because it requires someone referring someone else that they do not know. It is too much a risk for most people. Here are some other options for reaching _________: 1. Try someone else who might be a shared Connection between you and ____________. (single-level introduction). 2. If you have a Premium account, you can message him directly via InMails. 3. If you are in a LinkedIn group he is also in, you can direct message him unless he has disabled that feature (which most people don't even know about). Otherwise, I'd be glad to help where I can. Review my Level 1 connections. I would be happy to give you an intro to any of these. Kurt You can try it yourself by going to the profile of a Level 3 Connection and selecting the "Get Introduced" hyperlink from the drop-down arrow. You see all the people (L1) who could introduce you to people (L2) who could introduce you to your target. What do you think? Is a double -introduction crazy or has it worked for you? The post LinkedIn's Ambitious Introduction Feature and Six Degrees of Separation appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| What Do I Share on Social Media? 50 Ideas To Help You Connect With Your Followers Posted: 19 Apr 2014 12:23 AM PDT
And if you're also committed to connecting with your fans and followers in an engaging and authentic way (i.e. not just talking about your business and products), coming up with content ideas can be even trickier. For this reason, I've put together this list of 50 ideas for what you can share with your social media followers; both in terms of business-related posts, as well as more personal posts that will help you engage with your community in a more personal and meaningful way. Remember: People want to connect with you, not just get updates about your business or products! Here is something I posted on Google+ almost 2 years ago, and I still believe it 100%!
 This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. The post What Do I Share on Social Media? 50 Ideas To Help You Connect With Your Followers appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. |
| Becoming a Media Company: How to Turn Your Business Into a Platform Posted: 18 Apr 2014 11:50 PM PDT By Michael Stelzner
Are you wondering how to reach out to a larger audience? To learn about how any business can become a media outlet, I interview Michael Brito for this episode of the Social Media Marketing podcast. More About This Show
The Social Media Marketing podcast is a show from Social Media Examiner. It's designed to help busy marketers and business owners discover what works with social media marketing. The show format is on-demand talk radio (also known as podcasting). In this episode, I interview Michael Brito, author of Smart Business, Social Business and his latest book, Your Brand: The Next Media Company. Michael shares the reasons why your business should become a media outlet. You'll learn the five characteristics behind a successful media company and how to get started. Share your feedback, read the show notes and get the links mentioned in this episode below! Listen NowPodcast: Play in new window | Download You can also subscribe via iTunes, RSS, Stitcher or Blackberry. Here are some of the things you'll discover in this show: Becoming a Media CompanyWhy you should become "the media" Historically the media has always captured the attention of consumers. Successful media companies produce great content and Michael says that brands need to think the same way. If you think about traditional media companies such as Condé Nast, it has a very diverse story and narrative. No matter what the subject is, a consistent story is shared across paid, earned and owned media.  Condé Nast remains consistent throughout all of its channels. When you start to dissect what they do at Condé Nast, they are actually storytellers. As a brand, you need to figure out what story you want to tell and then figure out how to tell it. It's not just for social platforms, but across every form of the customer experience. This can include paid advertising. You have to think of every customer touch point for your business. Media companies are very good at having a consistent story across each touch point. You'll hear how brands have a lot of power within their own companies to tell a story. You just need to figure out the right operational framework to make it come to life. Listen to the show to find out what Forbes did that started to grab Michael's attention 3-4 years ago. Businesses that have become media via their content and platform Michael gives an example of a brand in the consumer space, B2B space and small business space. A company that's in the consumer space is Red Bull. Red Bull is definitely a media company that has a very diverse narrative, and it's not about energy drinks. It's more to do with epic events and empowerment. It's another brand that is consistent across all channels.  Red Bull empowers people to be able to do what they want. Red Bull has its own in-house media agency that creates compelling content day in and day out, with the consistent message, "Red Bull Gives You Wings." When Red Bull helped Felix Baumgartner do a space dive, the brand was mentioned for months after the event. The story was told through visual content and long-form content, both paid and owned media. You'll hear why Michael believes that brands should capitalize on long-form content. Intel, a company in the B2B space, capitalized on its employees' passion for Intel's products. Today it's referred to as brand journalism. Consumers trust employees of a company, which especially helps when it comes to purchases. The small business example is a company based in San Francisco called Visage that does enterprise mobility software. Its Chief Mobility Officer blog talks about enterprise mobility and not about the company. Some of the writers are on staff and others are outside contributors.  Writers create content 3-5 times a week in long form. The story affects the way consumers view the brand. It's all value-added content to help non-consumers solve their problems. Michael says this is how brands need to think. Listen to the show to find out why long form is so powerful for any brand or company. What it takes to become a media company After five months of research, which included Michael's own experience and several interviews from traditional media companies, Michael identified five characteristics.
Media companies have workflows that facilitate the entire content supply chain—from the initial idea to the time the story is produced, distributed and then integrated into paid or owned media. They have software, editors and proofers. All of these controls make sure the story is consistent across all channels. It's what pumps and feeds the content engine every day. Listen to the show to learn why HubSpot is a role model for businesses. How to determine your focus Michael states that there are several factors that brands should consider as they think about their narrative. The first one is your brand's message and what the complete value proposition is. You'll discover why most companies fail on the social side. A few other factors are the way the media perceives the brand and how they talk about the brand. You need to be aware of how people talk about your brand and make sure it's in line with what you want them to say. Another important factor is search. You have to understand the way consumers search for your brand. Michael talks about 10 inputs to determining your focus in his new book, Your Brand: The Next Media Company.  All 10 inputs are covered in depth in Michael’s book. Once you understand all of the inputs, the right story will come to life. The next step is to figure out where you want to tell your stories. Listen to the show to find out how you can have a different storyline for each platform. Tips for small businesses that think it's beyond their reach Michael says that the number-one point is to understand your audience. You need to know what their interests are other than your brand. There are inexpensive tools available that can help you identify your audience's interests and understand their complete social graph. This allows you to provide more relevancy to your message. A tool that Michael and his team use to deliver content strategies for clients is Demographics Pro. You can get a complete analysis of your Twitter followers for around $200.  Part of the analysis includes where your audience members eat and shop. Another company is the Wisdom App, which does a very similar thing within Facebook. Listen to the show to discover another app that you can use to gather intelligence. Where to start if you want to become a media company Michael states that first of all, your brand needs to define its content strategy. There are three points to consider and you'll hear him give an example for each.
You can become a media company on all of the social channels you are already active on. Listen to the show to find out why you don't need to develop a blog from scratch to become a media company. Hire special people or use existing employees The resource side is a huge challenge. A lot of businesses don't have the resources available to hire an agency. There are platforms out there, including Contently and Ebyline, that have a network of journalists, bloggers and influencers. You need to write the creative brief and then hire writers to write the content on your behalf.  Use Ebyline to hire credible freelance writers to create your content. You'll find out who American Express OpenForum uses to create its content. It's good for business to have a combination of employees and third-party journalists. Listen to the show to find out how you can discover your best internal people for writing content. This Week's Social Media QuestionJose Milgar, a graphic designer, asks, "I am about to launch my website called ProyectaPrint. A lot of my colleagues use Facebook to promote themselves as freelancers and I see a lot of local businesses that use Twitter to try to force-feed you their products and services. I am definitely thinking about using social networks to promote my services, but should I address my audience as my business name or my own name? In other words, should I interact with my audience as a business or as a person?"  ProyectaPrint is coming soon. This is the very question I struggled with when I started Social Media Examiner. I had a Twitter account, which is @Mike_Stelzner, and I wasn't sure if I should set up another Twitter account for the brand. I had the same situation with Facebook too. Since you have a business that transcends Jose the graphic designer and it's not just about you, it's about your business, I strongly recommend you consider both. With both your business accounts for Twitter and Facebook, you can focus on the brand and business. In particular, the things that your prospects and clients will be interested in. On your personal profiles, you can do a little bit of both. Sometimes people want to know the man behind the brand, and sometimes people want to connect with you as a human. It's very hard to connect with a brand, but it's very easy to connect with a person. You can even cross-promote between the two. I think to have both is more work, but it's definitely worth it. I hope you have found this helpful. Call in and leave your social media–related questions for us and we may include them in a future show. Listen to the show to learn more and let us know how this works for you. Other Show MentionsSocial Media Marketing World 2014 is our physical mega-conference, which is set to return to San Diego, California on March 26, 27 and 28. Join 60 experts (including Chris Brogan, Mari Smith, Michael Hyatt, Jay Baer, John Jantsch, Amy Porterfield, Mark Schaefer and experts from more than a dozen brands) as they help you master social media marketing at Social Media Marketing World 2014.  Social Media Marketing World 2014. In April of this year, over 1100 marketers from 31 countries attended Social Media Marketing World 2013. You'll hear a clip from Neal Schaffer, who spoke at the conference this year, to give you a taste of what it's all about. I strongly recommend that you check it out. Key takeaways mentioned in this episode:Ways to subscribe to the Social Media Marketing podcast: What do you think? What are your thoughts on becoming a media company? Please leave your comments below. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends:
The post Becoming a Media Company: How to Turn Your Business Into a Platform appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 3 essential Twitter marketing tips, plus a cheat sheet infographic Posted: 18 Apr 2014 11:11 PM PDT
Even the most savvy social media marketers out there could do with a little help sometimes, and this infographic by James T Noble with Twitter marketing tips is designed to do just that. James’ infographic is a personal cheat sheet for improving Twitter communications. Some of the advice are generalisations, such as the best days to tweet are Saturday and Sunday. Thankfully for those who love their weekends, this is not true for every brand. The best days to tweet largely depends on when your target audience is online and using the social network. But there are some Twitter marketing tips that every social marketer should heed if they want to achieve social media success. Three important tips are: 1: Develop recommendation marketingAs the infographic says, a recommendation from a friend is up to 50 times more likely to influence a purchase. As a marketer you need encourage this type of communication about your brand. Using Twitter to build an engaged community (also known as a tribe) around your products and services is one way to nurture positive ‘word of mouth’ recommendations. 2. Don’t risk looking desperate by asking for RetweetsDoes depend on what you are asking a retweet for. If your tweet is about a good cause or charitable action then asking for a retweet is valid. But as the infographic says, continually asking for RT’s and retweets will make your brand look desperate. Focus on the content of the tweet as this is the main factor that encourages sharing of your communications. 3: Retweet more than self-promoteOver self-promotion is a huge turn-off on Twitter. As the infographic says, retweeting people rather than self promotion will get your more retweets in return. It’s the ‘do something for me, I’ll do something for you’ mentality that works so well with social media. However, don’t over do it! Work on creating your own tweets rather than retweeting everyone else’s. You maybe thinking, “without self promotion, what’s the point of my brand being on Twitter”? Social media is all about conversations rather than the ‘hard sell’. By concentrating on engagement to develop these conversations and build a social community, you will be creating brand awareness and trust that will eventually lead to sales. Check out James’ infographic and let me know what you think in the comments section below:
The post 3 essential Twitter marketing tips, plus a cheat sheet infographic appeared first on Muddywall. The post 3 essential Twitter marketing tips, plus a cheat sheet infographic appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Top 10 Social Media Marketing Posts: This Year in Social Media Posted: 18 Apr 2014 10:35 PM PDT By Cindy King
Here's what was really hot in 2013. As you scan these articles, you'll find great ideas you can put to use today. Here are 10 of our most popular articles of 2013. Top 10 Social Media Marketing Articles#1: New Facebook Marketing Research Shows What Works: The latest research on Facebook marketing shows interesting trends and opportunities. Use this to update your Facebook marketing with the latest findings.  Read more about this research to help you improve your Facebook marketing. #2: 10 Ways to Use Social Media to Promote an Event: Discover 10 creative ways to use social media to promote your offline and online events.  Read more about these 10 creative ways to use social media to increase your chances for a gangbuster event. #3: How to Use Hashtags in Your Social Media Marketing: How to use hashtags in your social media marketing to create successful campaigns and maximize your exposure across all social media channels.  Read more to discover how to choose a hashtag that's memorable and unique. #4: 4 Ways to Use Social Media to Generate Leads: Here's how social media for lead generation works and how you can activate your social audiences to generate leads that can affect your bottom line.  Read more on how you can activate your social audiences and generate leads that can affect your bottom line. #5: How Your Business Can Use the New Facebook Cover Photos: Here are some examples of what you can do with your Facebook cover photo and how to leverage the new rules to boost your business.  Read more to find out how you can feature an engaging and interesting cover photo. #6: 26 Tips to Create a Strong Social Media Content Strategy: Discover how to strengthen the impact of the content you create and generate the buzz you're looking for.  Read more in this A-Z guide, with key points that will help you create a social media content strategy that resonates with your audience. #7: 21 Social Media Marketing Tips From the Pros: Here's what these social media experts recommend you focus on to successfully market your business with social media.  Read more to discover the best social media tips from these pros. #8: 6 Facebook Metrics Marketers Should Be Measuring: Here are the statistics you need to measure and how to measure them to determine your Facebook page's performance.  Read more to discover the six key metrics you need to track to understand your Facebook page's performance, why you need them and where to find them. #9: 9 Creative Ways to Use Social Media to Launch a Product: Here's how we used social media to launch a new website. You'll discover unique ways to launch your next product or service.  Read more to find out how to create a teaser campaign on Facebook. #10: 5 LinkedIn Company Page Tips to Enhance Your Marketing: Here are the benefits of engaging followers with company news, updates, events and relevant content on your LinkedIn company page.  Read more to find out how to optimize your LinkedIn company page. Discover more social media marketing tactics in 2014Introducing Social Media Marketing World: 60+ pros help you master social media marketing! Join Chris Brogan (co-author of The Impact Equation), Mari Smith (co-author of Facebook Marketing: An Hour a Day), Michael Hyatt (author of Platform), Jay Baer (author of Youtility), John Jantsch (author of Duct Tape Marketing), Amy Porterfield (co-author of Facebook Marketing All-in-One for Dummies), Mark Schaefer (author of Tao of Twitter), Michael Stelzner (author of Launch) and experts from more than a dozen brands as they reveal proven social media marketing tactics at Social Media Marketing World 2014—Social Media Examiner's mega-conference in beautiful San Diego, California.
What do you think? What was your favorite article on Social Media Examiner in 2013? Please share your comments below. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. The post Top 10 Social Media Marketing Posts: This Year in Social Media appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. |
| Posted: 18 Apr 2014 10:12 PM PDT
The University of Minnesota is behind the artful YouTube video that made me feel guilty about throwing away a plate of nachos yesterday. Here in the United States we have an abusive relationship with food. We need it to survive, but often discard it in large quantities without a second thought. There was a rule when I was a kid that only clean plates may pass, and boy, I fought it hard. Anyone with a background in food service has seen what food waste truly looks like. Some employers would scold you for daring to eat food destined for the trash bin. This love letter highlights the sheer wonderfulness of food before hitting you with a reality check. Pretty educational. When you don't think about the supply chain required to deliver that meal to your plate there's a tendency to be unappreciative. We have it pretty good here in the United States. Remember that the next time you're scraping a plate in to the garbage. According to a brief from UM researchers roughly 40% of the food supply in the U.S. goes to waste. Reasons vary from over planting to general unawareness about waste. The goal of Love Letter to Food is to increase that awareness and make people think twice about food waste. A similar public awareness campaign in the U.K. helped to reduce household food waste by 19% over a 5 year period. Now, if we could only get out act together in this country. Get the word out. Stop wasting food. Damn, I sound just like my mother. [Image Credit:Nate Gray: A Culinary (Photo) Journal]The post A Love Letter To Food [Video] appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
A few weeks ago I sounded a false alarm over the demise of LinkedIn's Connection Strength feature (
One of the questions I get asked most is, "What do I share on social media?". When you're committed to consistently and actively using social media for your business, it's easy for the so-called 'idea well' to dry up from time to time.
![A Love Letter To Food [Video] image large 5112483103](http://cdn2.business2community.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/large_5112483103.jpg "A Love Letter To Food [Video]")
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