Posts tagged: Social Media
Search engine optimization and social media is the third episode in the social media marketing video series.
Thanks so much to Gary Bohringer of Bohringer Creative for producing the series. Since its beginnings in 1993 Bohringer Creative has focused on personal service.
Last November, I wrote about the AmEx Open Forum Shop Small campaign. As a small business owner, consultant and customer, I appreciate AmEx Open Forum’s ongoing commitment. That’s why I was so excited when Katie Morell contacted me about being quoted in the AmEx Open Forum 2012 Social Media Business feature.
Being quoted on AmEx Open Forum is one big 2012 goal I can cross off. Katie interviewed me for two articles.
Here’s a clip from Should You Hire a Social Media Consultant or Create an In-House Position?
“When you’re interviewing someone for this position, watch out for confusing messages, warns Barbara Rozgonyi, a social media expert and founder of CoryWest Media, a strategic marketing firm in Chicago. “That is a real red flag,” she says. “The consultant needs to explain things in your language and involve you in the process.”
And. here’s a quote from Social Media 101: A Guide to the Top 5 Social Media Tools for Business
“Don’t just write about your business, take a community approach and talk about what is going on in your industry and your community,” Rozgonyi says. “It needs to be a good mix.”
Finally, here’s the complete list of articles. You’ll find lots of good information here.
The Basics
Social Media 101: A Guide to the Top 5 Social Media Tools for Business
A Quick Guide to Tumblr for Business
How Pinterest Can Benefit Your Small Business
How to Maintain a Stellar Facebook Fan Page
How to Leverage Facebook’s Timeline Tool
6 Surefire Ways to Capture More ‘Likes’ on Facebook
How to Craft the Perfect Social Media Contest
5 Tips for Using LinkedIn’s Mobile Site
Should You Hire a Social Media Consultant or Create an In-House Position?
5 Common Social Media Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Getting Customers
Which Social Media Site Really Wins You Clients?
How to Build a Blog Following
9 Hot Facebook-Marketing Tips for Business
Love for Sale: Should You Buy Facebook Fans?
’90 Percent of My Business Comes From Social Media’
Dig Deeper
Google+ vs. Facebook: Which Is Best for Business?
How Small Business Beats Big Business at Social Media
Infographic: A History of the Business of Social Media
To pin or not to pin? That’s the question businesses are asking about Pinterest, a newer social network that’s stealing headlines from the usual suspects. Kind of a cross between digital scrapbooking, recipe swapping, link sharing and vision boarding, Pinterest started out as an image-rich sharing space for domestic divas, crafters and artists. Now businesses are taking notice and wondering if they, too, should start pinning.
My friend Duong Sheahan recommended Pinterest to me months ago. She loves this alternative, visual social network and encouraged everyone to jump in last summer. But, I waited. I needed to think through strategy and decide how spending time and creative energy on Pinterest would fit into my digital footprint, both personally and professionally. As I enter this new [to me] social network, I’m sharing seven ways I think Pinterest will contribute to a business and the people inside it. What would you add?
1. New Beats Now
Like many business owners, the number one reason I waited to sign up for Pinterest was: it would take up too much time. But the truth is, I’m looking for something new. Could this be why Pinterest is taking off so fast? People get bored. Although we’re creatures of habit who type and shout in protest over Facebook’s Timeline design change, that doesn’t mean we aren’t ready to exit now to test drive new.
Wondering if your customers are on Pinterest? Ask them. You always want to be where people can find you and interact with the people inside your brand. Add the Pinterest icon to your marketing and see who shows up.
2. Expands into the Consumer Come Back
As the economy starts to spring back, people are more willing to explore expanding their material acquisitions – and they need a place to look around and try things on. Pinterest is a perfect place for that.
Search to see how other companies, including your competition, is using Pinterest. How do they present their products and services? How do they interact with their community?
3. Takes You Home to the Comfort Zone
Even if you’re not homey, you may want to be. Personally, I love looking at arts and crafts projects I know I’ll never make. I can imagine how much fun a group of room moms would have searching Pinterest for class party projects over coffee on their iPads.
What kinds of comforts of home can you share?
4, Curates and Mutates Inspiration
How cool to carve your own swatch of life for everyone to see. If your business isn’t on the visual side, let’s say you’re a service company, find people to follow and then share what appeals to you. You can comment and repin/share images and videos you like.
How about starting a Pinterest collaborative network with other businesses where you share and comment on each other’s boards and pins?
5. Self-actualizes with Digital Visualization
One of the best, and maybe most overlooked, purposes for Pinterest is as a vision board that serves as your big idea list. As you sort through images that appeal and resonate, you may find yourself going down unpaved paths that connect you with intriguing people as your world expands.
What categories of collections can you share now?
6. Perks up Your Personality
Excuse me for yawning, but do you think your business is boring? Being part of the latest social network adds to your cool factor – as long as you do it well. Sharing visually from different perspectives adds dimension to your company’s personality.
Need inspiration? Forget about your business for a few minutes and think about how you like to relax.
7. Opens the Door to Opportunity
Last on the list, but not least, is the opportunity to connect with customers. To get started, you’ll need an invitation to join Pinterest. Following Pinterest etiquette and social networking protocol, being overly self promotional will only turn people away. But, I know you know that. When you get started, find your friends, including your customers. Being part of a community that you already engage with makes it that much easier to make connections.
Are you on Pinterest? Whose boards do you like to follow?
In researching how Pinterest benefits businesses, I came across so many helpful articles that I wanted to group them together as a collection. Using list.ly, I came up with 50 Pinterest for business resources. Feel free to share, embed, add more resources and comment on those listed.
Today’s guest post is by Stacey Acevero, Social Media Community Manager at PR Web. 
Looking for a way to boost your social media and PR? We have the perfect tool to deepen your engagement with consumers and provide your online marketing with a creative spark.
Skype can give your business the face-to-face time with consumers that might otherwise be missing in your marketing. You can use it in a number of ways to increase your public presence through the social realm.
Check out these 9 tips:
1. Install A Skype Button On Your Website
Give consumers immediate and direct access to your company by installing a Skype button on your website. The person who manages your social media campaigns, responds to customer and writer inquiries can be the contact for all Skype calls.
2. Create Video Contests
Because Skype and Facebook are integrated, you have the perfect opportunity to create a live platform for audience contests, combining social media and PR to produce powerful marketing results.
Try offering special rewards for contestants who answer questions correctly or demonstrate how your product worked for them.
For example, invite followers to put together groups and show all the places they ate your pizza or drank your coffee.
Introducing a new product or service? Skype can help you converse directly with potential customers. Arrange a pre-set question and answer session and put out invitations via all your social channels for followers to join in
One of the best ways to stay engaged with consumers is to ask for their feedback. They get to share their opinions and you get the benefit of knowing how well you are giving them what they need.
Create regular feedback sessions and reward contributors with special coupons. You can tweet or post the results and give credit to the folks who participated.
Do you have a celebrity spokesperson or CEO who conducts interviews for your brand? Create a schedule of Skype interviews to connect journalists and bloggers directly, and then share the best moments on your website.
Suppose a consumer is trying to use your product, say an oven, to accomplish something (in this case, cook a holiday turkey) but has questions beyond what the user manual addresses. Encourage them to Skype your customer service department for immediate support
Don’t forget the initial appeal of Skype for business. You can use it for video conferencing between co-workers and vendors.
Get a number of your employees to put together a Skype group and create a video message to followers. You can share holiday greetings or news of your next big event – and add to your social media and PR library of successful tactics.
Perhaps there is a blogger who is especially important to your industry. You may have sent them dozens of press releases but never met them. Invite them to chat on Skype and add more power to your pitches.
The power of social is that it creates and sustains relationships. When adding the immediacy of video to that formula, you’re bound to increase the connection between you and those you want to touch.
Searching for more tips? Check out this social media survival kit.
Keepers – these all are. In late December, I cull through all wiredPRworks blog posts looking for the best of the best to share. Here’s the 2011 lot. You’ll find inspiration, ideas, trends, news and stories. What’s missing? What would you like to see here in 2012?