Many organizations and professionals have immersed themselves in the trial and error world of Social Media Marketing.  Not unlike the internet (r)evolution over a decade ago, many businesses are still wary of this new frontier of marketing.  The social media space is vast and offers many conduits to better connect with your key customers.  One very basic principle of social media strategy is understanding the differences between broadcast and engagement.

Broadcast

In Social Media syntax, broadcast embraces the old school of marketing.  Simply put, broadcast is sharing information not intended to illicit a response.  Since broadcast tends to consist of one-sided announcements it can often times come across as spammy or disingenuous.

Social media broadcast can be very effective in stating the facts; sharing important updates or content, making announcements.  Examples of effective broadcast might be providing a link to an article related to your particular industry or announcing an upcoming sale or a new product.  Just be careful that you are not using broadcast too frequently or too ‘loud’ as it can often feel to your customers that they are coming down with a pounding case of the blah-blah-blah’s. (more…)

We’ve all done it. You’re chatting with your friends and something stupid slips from your lips and before you know it, there’s a faux pas explosion so embarrassing that you’ll never live it down.

Your words are forever.

The same is true in the online world. The only difference is that you generally have a bit more time to think about what you are going to say before it has to come out. Still, people spew things without thinking, hit the post button, and voila! You have backed yourself into a nice little corner.

The internet is forever.

I think that is why I like social media so much. It gives people like me, who tend to be on the quieter side of conversation in “real life” a chance to think about what they want to say before it comes out. I don’t want to make a fool out of myself (I’m hoping you don’t either) so I mull things over for a bit before they are posted.

What a lot of people don’t realize is that while they may have deleted that nasty comment or less-than-flattering pic of themselves, someone may have a screen grab, or saved a cached version of the page. (more…)

With my life revolving around social media and being constantly “plugged in” I sometimes forget that it is not the same for everyone else. I was reminded this weekend when I was asked what a hash tag was and why it was being used on a particular TV show that we were watching. I am also reminded again and again when I come across a company whose social media sites are in desperate need of an intervention.

In this social media world, things are ever changing, and that is usually hourly. So to keep up, seems nearly impossible at times. Many people stay so focused on just trying to keep up, they forget to make sure they have covered all of the basics. That’s why I thought it would be good to cover some best practices and common mistakes that I come across all the time.

Fans not Friends

First of all, make sure you have a fan page on Facebook. If you are still using a personal page, you should change it over immediately.  Think of it like this: You’re the owner of a coffee shop, do you want your customers to ask if they can come in and order? (The equivalent of requesting to be your friend on a personal page.) Or, would you prefer they come in, order, enjoy their drink and then tell their friends about your amazing coffee shop? (The equivalent of “liking” your page, which is seen by the customer’s network.) I hope you picked option number two. (more…)