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#GooglePlus, #SocialSearch And Why You’re SCREWED If You’re Not Taking It Seriously
I was a HUGE fan of Google Plus from its initial introduction and I was one of the many people within my social circle that jumped on board immediately. We were all a part of the original beta testers and were immediately impressed with this platform. In the earlier stages of Google plus, there were many that were of the “either or” mentality about social media, either they leave Facebook or try Google Plus. Even with so many doubting the importance of Google plus, there were many within my social circles that knew that Google was on to something. Many, like myself are still of that mindset.
I had a discussion over a year ago, with a recreational Facebook user that argued how irrelevant Google Plus was and how it would remain so because HE felt as if Facebook would always rule. As a recreational social media user that shared pictures on Facebook two or three times and would log on every 3 months or so, how could he recognize the importance of a platform beyond his own minimal recreational use. I won’t even go into why anyone NOT living under a rock in Narnia with centaurs would ever minimize a Google platform. With the exception of a few platforms, Google has been known to turn dust into gold.
Although I have always been excited about the possibilities of Google Plus I never thought of it as a platform for casual users. I always thought of Google plus and its extraordinary capabilities for business owners and digital marketers. Honestly I never pictured a person like Mr. Recreational user pounding away and connecting on Google plus. However I did think of digital marketers like myself and other likeminded marketers in my social circles utilizing this as a huge platform to boost their exposure and their clients’ exposure in ways that we have never seen before, even with Facebook.
I am not comparing it to Facebook beyond placing in into the category of Social Media platform. I’m not minimizing Facebook in anyway, because who could ever minimize a platform that really was a pioneer in the sharing and oversharing world that we live in today. Facebook literally changed HOW we communicate, how much we communicate and even extended into the workplace changing the marketing and advertising fabric of practically EVERY organization in business. Facebook could NEVER be minimized because they really changed the world and our views of communication and sharing information.
Although Facebook boasts over one billion active users Google plus has the power of the biggest search engine in the world behind it, Google. This is what separates Google plus, as a social media platform, from Facebook. Google is so darn huge that we don’t even use the phrase search engine anymore. I don’t search, I FREAKIN’ Google. I haven’t searched something since back in the 90’s when those now obscure search engines like; Looksmart, Infoseek and AskJeeves were around. WE ALL FREAKIN’ GOOGLE NOW, we DO NOT search.
Google in all of it’s greatness has been “on to something” since the introduction of Google Plus and they have, in their own Google Greatness kind of way molded this platform into a platform that shouldn’t be ignored. There have been many subtle changes to Google and Google plus since they pushed the social search platform out to the masses.
Initially Google plus wasn’t much to look at with its small narrow banner and boring look, but the layout has been tweaked a few times to create a much better-looking page. The last few tweaks consisted of the banner change and a full layout change.
There were outward changes to the Google plus platform but most of the changes were behind the scenes with Google and very gradual. These are the changes that will benefit businesses most.
- The integration of all Google Services
- Uniform sign on
- Personalized search results
- Google places merging into Google Local
- Blogger ability to be shared easily on Google+ Pages
- Blogger becoming a much more relevant blogging platform
- Google+ and team up with Zagat
- Finally, the push toward social search
In essence there has almost been a full integration of all Google Services with Google Plus at most and at the very least these services greatly compliment Google plus. Any way you look at it, the integration of these services with Google plus creates an avenue in which shared information meets search. SOCIAL SEARCH.
Social Search is something that Wajam tried but never was able to move forward as successfully as Google will. Also Facebook tried to play the social search game with Bing. We all know how that worked out. Besides there really cool TV commercials, no one really gives a poop about Bing because they are really kinda’ sorta’ irrelevant in the search game. Or I should say in the Google Domination Game.
Google plus is the platform, now that it is merging all of the Google services, will be a pioneer and will dominate Social Search. An avenue where social results will play a role in search results. Oh wait, that’s happening now.
Take a look at the graphic below of an image that I posted to Google plus that displayed in Google search results, for a company that I represent in the digital marketing space.
THIS is Social Search, THIS is Google plus
THIS is Social Search, THIS is Google plus and THIS is why you are seriously cheating yourself if you do not have your company page on Google Plus.
If you have any comments, good, bad, ugly or indifferent you can reach me on Google Plus, Twitter and Facebook. Circle Me and Follow me!
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Digital Marketing: Targeting Your Audience [Infographic]
Digital Marketing will be used to some degree for practically every marketing campaign moving forward. Whether we go with a campaign that includes video, slides or social media channels, digital marketing now is a huge aspect of marketing now. One of the most important things we can do when deciding which digital marketing channel that we utilize is deciding which platform(s) may target our audience best. This is becoming increasingly more important with so many digital marketing channels available now.
If we want to be successful in our Digital Market campaigns it is very important to stay abreast of all of the channels but also to be aware that all channels do not fit the needs of all audiences. For instance Pinterest is primary geared toward a female demographic so if we are marketing services that are geared mostly toward men, this may not be the ideal platform to use.
Take a look at the Infographic below to give you an idea of HOW to target the proper digital marketing channel for your target audience.
Digital Marketing: Targeting Your Audience
Please Include Attribution to InternetServiceProviders.org With This Graphic
Public Shaming In Social Media: Is It A Form Of Bullying?
Social media and its uses have grown substantially in the past few years. Most people log in to social media channels several times per day and some just log on and never log off. I’m not admitting to this but I’ve HEARD that it happens. :-) Social Media has become so huge, as a source of information that news breaks on Facebook sometimes, quicker than traditional news media channels. I was literally watching breaking news live on TV and news still broke on Facebook and Twitter at least 5 minutes or so before traditional media. That is astounding and quite frankly still surprising, in a very cool way of course.
Social media has a variety of uses, it is a great way to catch up with old friends, meet new friends, extend your network and make business connections. It is also a great way to get involved with social good ventures and this is one of the most wonderful things about social media. I’ve found that social media has been for the most part good and this is primarily due to the circle of friends in my network. I’ve met so many people that have hearts of gold that it allows me to believe that there are still lots of amazing people in the world. We all need proof of good in a world, when we all see so many bad things.
I believe that social media is still primarily good because I am surrounded by so many amazing people that are involved with social good projects that really have helped so many people. These people throw themselves into causes selflessly and quite often. So much so, that I am in awe about the power of social media and how it can and is being used for great causes. With so many good things happening I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that sometimes good can be offset by some things that are not so good. One of the not so good things that have reared its ugly head is the growing trend of public shaming.
A few years ago I noticed an incident of public shaming in social media, which escalated into something quite ugly. There was a situation in which a few people felt as if another person was spamming. I cannot definitely say if the incident was true or false but I do remember that the entire situation was extremely ugly and brought out a lot of meanness in a lot of people involved. Everyone is very entitled to his or her views but what escalated this issue was how so many people jumped on the bandwagon and formed a Salem Witch Trial sort of hate mongering mob campaign against this one person. Ok, say if this person was in fact guilty of spamming, which is not a great thing but why would that person be deserving of the mob of people that went after him as if he were an abuser of animals or something equally heinous. What is most disturbing about this is the mob mentality and the willingness of people to jump in the fray for negative actions against another without finding out any details. At the time of this incident I believed it to be an isolated incident and proceeded to push it to the back of my mind in hopes that I would never witness a repeat of such unnecessary nastiness. Unfortunately this was not an isolated incident.
I’ve noticed a surge in these online behaviors starting with a restaurant and others resorting to public shaming. I also noticed a repeat in how quick others jump on the bandwagon of negativity, even when some don’t even seem to understand why they are doing so. There seems to be a new wave of people, organizations and restaurants that have resorted to public shaming for a variety of reasons.
I am not claiming that I have never taken a shot at an organization with less than desirable customer service utilizing online channels. I admit that I had a very open online divorce from Comcast, so maybe I am just as guilty as others. Although I have never gone after in individual with the goal of publically shaming them, I have had negative online dialogue about a company or two. Maybe they were wrong or maybe not but I think that I should now analyze and revaluate how I handle things. This realization is prompted by how ashamed I am of the behaviors that I have witnessed lately.
When we utilize an online platform as a means of public shaming, is that NOT a form of bullying? Could there possibly be a better way to make a point or let your displeasure with another be known? Is ruining a person’s reputation and possibly shaming them publicly the best route to take? Are we at the point that when we feel wronged that we are justified somehow by automatically jump on social media as a means to, not only voice our displeasure but round up the troops of our followers to jump on our bandwagon as well, in a lynch mob fashion?
Maybe we should ALL revaluate our usages of social media. How about we bring the human element back into social by reaching out to have a conversation [privately] with someone that we feel has wronged us instead of rounding up our loyal followers and creating a lynch mob. It needed to be said….
I will start with addressing my online behaviors….
5 Platforms That Will Help With Time Management And Balancing Your Workflow in 2013
As platforms are introduced to the digital marketing space we continue to be spread thin in trying to embrace them all. At a certain point, as Digital Marketers we must really look at the amount of time we are spending on platforms. Then we should decide which ones we need to keep, make priority and decide which ones we might need to reevaluate.
It’s not as if we are discarding platforms but more like be realistic and making a conscious choice to stop spreading ourselves thin. This is exactly what can happen if we continue try to embrace every new platform that presents itself in this ever-increasing digital marketing space.
I wrote a blog post about the 13 Digital Marketing Platforms That We Must Embrace in 2013 and I am a firm believer in embracing those 13 platforms successfully and minimizing my interaction with some others. I am not going to eliminate them just reevaluate how much time I need to spend on them and utilize platforms which help to manage time more effectively.
A few really essential platforms that help me to manage my time more effectively is as follows:
This option is by far one of the BEST things that Facebook accomplished in all of 2012. Not only was it a great addition, but it also allowed people to explore a FREE option of scheduling posts. This allows me to exercise my life’s philosophy of “If It’s FREE, it’s For Me!” I love Facebook schedule posts, I utilize this often because I manage more than a dozen Facebook pages and this is a GREAT time saver!
This continues to be a GREAT option for scheduling social media posts! Buffer has continued to improve by adding analytics and additional social media channels that can be utilize through this platform. One of the things that I really love about buffer are that the toolbar and WordPress sharing plugin that allows you to add posts to your Buffer schedule at any point in your online travels. So this continues to be a GREAT platform whether you go with free posting or expand into the extended options offered if you decide to upgrade. If you go with the upgraded options you will have the ability to add unlimited posts and share to up to 12 social media platforms. Whichever option you chose Buffer should be a part of your digital marketing time management strategy.
I have been using Laterbro for quite a while and I cannot say enough about this platform. Although not as popular as some of the other scheduling tools, Laterbro is still a winner. It is FREE and allows you to schedule content to Facebook and multiple Twitter accounts. If you have not had a chance to give Laterbro a run, you should make a point to do so.
I am a HUGE fan of Triberr and I can never say enough about this amazing platform. Triberr is a platform that allows you to team up with other people in tribes to share content through Twitter and other social media channels. One of the things that I really LOVE about Triberr is that it allows you to determine how you’d like the schedule sharing the posts of your tribemates. You can share in15-minute increments or up to 24-hour increments. Although not officially a scheduling platform, Triberr allows you to schedule information of your tribemates with your content to create a very nice flow of content through your Twitter feed.
If you are using a self-hosted WordPress platform for your blog take a look at the plugin Tweet Old Post. This allows you to share some of your WordPress blog posts through your Twitter feed automatically using this plugin.
So, lets start 2013 off right with the right social media platforms, making 2013 a happier year, saving more money in 2013, and NOW effective time management ! Lets get excited about 2013!!!
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13 Things Digital Marketers Should Master In #2013
Last year I created a post about 12 Platforms That We Should Use in 2012 and my goodness what a difference a year makes. So much has happened in the world of Digital Marketing in 2012, all pretty exciting. Progress is always a wonderful thing and all of the changes, good, bad or ugly is history altering in this industry.
With so much change occuring last year, we should start 2013 with mastering some things that will alter and enhance our lives within this ever changing digital marketing space. Take a look at the 13 things you should master in 2013.
- Google+: Last Year Google+ barely made my list although I was always a fan. I must admit to being quite guilty of not utilizing this platform as much as I should. So this year I will change that! Google has really stepped up their game with this platform and that is a game changer for social media platforms. Google has integrated all of the Google services, this is HUGE. Google rolled out a great connection with Blogger, Youtube, merged Google Local and added Communities. ALL HUGE, especially when Facebook has been making so many changes that have not been beneficial to brands. One of these changes is the algorithm change almost forcing brands to utilize Facebook ads to get the exposure that they once had for free. Also the new layout that doesn’t allow branded iFrame pages to be the default landing page, again forcing brands to look at other channels for driving website traffic, namely Facebook ads. Finally Facebook doesn’t allow contact information on brand cover pages. ALL of these choices that Facebook has made make it very easy for brands to explore Google+ for their brands.
- Explore Twitter more thoroughly: As Facebook minimized avenues in which brands could expose their contact
information to their followers, Twitter provided an opportunity for brands by way of the new layout and header to maximize exposure. This is reason enough to explore Twitter more or utilize it more, if you currently do not use it as much as you should. - WordPress: If you are not utilizing wordpress and you have an old school traditional website, now is the time to consider looking at WordPress as your website/blog platform. The endless possibilities of this platform is enough to make you take a look at it and go for it. Also venture outside of the templates offered by WordPress, there are so many websites that offer templates that may better fit your brands needs. If you can’t find one suitable, consider getting a custom template created just for your brand.
- Triberr: Is a MUST have this year as it was last year, maybe more so. I cannot stress the importance of this platform enough. EVERYONE that blogs needs to be a part of Triberr for the maximum exposure to their blog. The key to Triberr and being successful is being selective about Tribes. Make Triberr a part of your digital marketing strategy for 2013 NOW!
- Refresh Your Brand: Your digital marketing strategy loses its effectiveness without consistent branding. It is very important to have a memorable and consistent brand across all social media channels. A new year is a great time to freshen your old brand or even start from scratch.
- Monetize Your Content: If you have a decent blog following you should consider monetizing your content. Look at Google ads, affiliate marketing and other monetizing options.
- Go Visual: Even if you are currently put off by Instagram don’t let that stop you from diving into other visual platforms. Check out Flickr, Pinterest or both. Don’t forget to incorporated Youtube into your Digital Marketing Mix. The new year is a great time to create a company capabilities videos displaying some of the new services that you offer or emphasize some of the other services that you currrently offer. Incorporate your new refreshed brand while you’re at it in to your Youtube channel.
- Add some traditional Marketing to your mix: All of any one way to market is never a good idea even in this very digital world. I have blogged often about integrating digital into traditional marketing, but there are a few traditional marketing concepts that work well with digital marketing concepts. Although traditional marketing has changed so much it is not totally obsolete. A fusion of traditional and digital marketing is something that should be explored. Consider doing a direct mail campaign to reintroduce your newly branded online presence and wordpress page. This will allow you to tie your marketing efforts together and create some buzz about your newly branded online presence.
- Explore new technologies: There is always a reason to explore new technologies, primarily because we are living through a huge period of change with technologies. Although these technologies aren’t exactly new, they are not totally embraced yet so learn more about Augmented Reality, Cloud Computing, 3D Printing and more.
- Explore Mobile: Just in case you haven’t noticed yet a lot of people utilize their mobile device probably more than their laptop and/or desktop. Make your site mobile ready, if you haven’t done so yet. Also consider getting a mobile website if you do not have the ability to make your site mobile ready and create a redirect from your traditional site to your mobile site. This would allow people that are on mobile devices to automatically go to your mobile site if they are on a mobile device.
- Explore QR Codes again: Mobile devices aren’t going anywhere, if anything usage will increase as the years go by.
QR Codes are a great way to create great campaigns to get people to your website. Make sure your QR code campaign is well planned and executed. A few tips, you must have a call to action. You must give a person a reason to scan and make sure your QR Code scans to a mobile device. Finally have a GREAT QR code scanning App. I am currently using Scan.Me and It is the best QR code scanner that I’ve used as of yet because you just move your mobile device close to the QR code and it scans. That’s it, no fiddling around, minimal steps. Tie your QR code campaign to your new direct mail campaign! WINNING! - Social Media Time Management: Time management is essential with social media, which can honestly be a huge time suck which could lead to burn out without effective time management. Social Media burn out is not even an option, if you are a Digital Marketer. So utilize tools that will help you manage your time more efffectively.
- Finally, Have FUN! Digital Marketing is FUN especially if you have figured out a way to effectively manage your time!
As usual, I welcome any thoughts or comments, good, bad, ugly or indifferent! Feel free to check me out on Facebook or Twitter!
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This Is Your BRAIN On Social Media [Infographic]
Last weekend I was having a bit of a technical issue with my router and it’s failure to communicate effectively with my modem. This created a HUGE issue with my need to communicate by way of social media. Not that I was having a social media withdrawal issue or anything.
I really think that we have grown so accustomed to tuning in to social media because it allows us to gain access to so many things that are going on. We tune in to find out what’s going on with our friends, the latest news and everything that is going on in the world. Social Media has literally become our one stop shop news source. So it is understandable the it has become very valuable to most. With that said, it seems that social media has become a bit of an addiction for many. I’m still not admitting that I have an issue or anything ONLY saying that I understand. 
However, take a look at the infographic below which displays how many other people may be having a social media issues.
Please Include Attribution to OnlineCollegeCourses.com With This Graphic 
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To Post Or Not To Post, That Is The Question: Share Responsibly W [Infographic]
We are living in a increasingly social world and I am pretty sure that it will become more social as time passes, if you can even imagine that. As we grow accustomed to a different way of conducting “conversations” and sharing content we must be very aware of how and what we share, this is especially true if you are not self employed.
I am a total advocate of freedom of speech, freedom of expression and all of the other freedoms we are allow by because we are American Citizens. I love to see great content, even controversial content especially when it is beautiful and or thought provoking. However I have had some things come through my news feed that makes me question the sanity of the people that are posting. For example I had a full upclose and personal blow by blow image gallery of c-section photos. Ummm Seriously? I want to see this? Why? Wouldn’t a person think about how they would feel if they got an a up close and personal of someone’s C-section in their news feed. One would think that the persons posting would come to the conclusion that people may not want that much information about them or may it could be that this may come under the over-sharing category. People should think about this BEFORE they hit the dang share button. Hmm imagine that, think before you post? I, do so wish that this had been the case with my c-section over-sharing friend, my cornea is still scorched and its been about two years since that traumatic experience.
Ironically the same person that shared her C-section photos had the audacity to complain that Facebook was violated her privacy. Umm wow, really? I think that Facebook MIGHT have had an opportunity to violate your privacy had you not beat them to the punch with the full frontal cornea burning images first. My point here is that although we are living in a social world some personal photos and such go way beyond oversharing and there needs to be an exercise in restraint. With that said I would never report a person based on their sharing. I recently experienced a friend that was reported and banned and I believe that to be excessive when I can just as easy move on to the next piece of content.
Sharing with lack of restraint is really unnecessary because you can share only the information that you’d like by utilizing Facebook privacy settings. I find that in addition to the abundance of over sharing people really lack the ability , or chose not to to set up lists. This is the simplest way to provide content to certain lists of people and not to others. Facebook has always had the ability to set up lists to gear your content toward certain people on those lists. I wrote an ebook about this at least two years ago. This option was tweaked a bit and made easier after Google+ was introduced with their fancy circles which almost force you to be aware of who you share content with. Lists would have allowed c-section overshare abuser to share her photos with just the people she wanted to, instead of her entire friends list. This would have spared me the trauma of a scorched cornea as well. I have a super quick video below that will aid you so won’t, too, be guilty of affecting the vision of some poor unsuspecting soul.
I have a list of friends, family, acquaintances, co-workers and subscribers on my Facebook page and I gear my content to different people by using lists that I’ve created. However even though I have lists, I am very cognizant of the information that I share. I only share information that I would share with my grandmother, father and or son. Since my father and son are both friends with me on Facebook this rule is easy to remember.
If you question what you should or should not post, take a look at the infographic below to give some guidance.
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Social Search is Here and So Is Social Search Optimization: ARE YOU READY?
I had a discussion a short while ago about the importance of social media to a business person in this era. My specific conversation revolved around the importance of Facebook for new and established businesses. I cannot stress enough that traditional marketing as we once knew it is over. O-V-E-R. I’m not saying that traditional marketing as it once was does not play a role in our daily lives, only that it has changed. Think about the last time you picked up a traditional TV guide or magazine. Makes you say wow, right? It is imperative that your marketing plan surpass what was the norm years ago and embrace what is happening NOW.
Social Media has really taken business by storm and grown beyond that even. Social Media Campaigns have totally gone beyond posting/updating your Facebook page and Tweeting your deal of the day. As businesses we must be more strategic than that, we must engage our audience, focus on the social media channels that are good for our brand and monitor our insights to see if the content we are sharing is on target. So, social media campaigns are just that, campaigns and really go beyond just playing on Facebook.
One of the biggest game changers in the creation of effective social media strategies are the merging of social media and search, I’ve talked about this for a few years now. This really involves utilizing social media channels in search results to increase search rank with Google. A huge player in this game will be Google+ although the naysayers would reject this theory. I have personally noticed an increase of my social media channels integrated in my search results and this has increased my organic search presence.
As an Internet Marketing company I visualize Social Search Optimization as a natural progression to utilizing social media, search and optimizing those channels for the most effective social media campaigns ever. It is truly time to take it to the next level, embrace the extreme change of marketing, rock your business and learn more about strategies that give your business an opportunity to compete with and maybe surpass its competitors. A company that is totally rocking this Social Search Optimization space is ThinkBigSites, appropriate name don’t ya’ think?
Are you ready to take your social media strategy to the next level?
Social Media and Technology SHOULD Make Tasks EASIER NOT Harder So, Keep It Simple Stupid [KISS]
Technology and Social Media can be as difficult or as easy as you want to make it. I’m not saying that it’s so easy, only that sometimes it doesn’t have to be quite as complicated as some can make it. Sometimes people make technology, social media and digital marketing a lot more complicated than it needs to be. This is usually because of lack of understanding, negativity toward online platforms, the need to use something that is new and shiny just because it’s new and shiny or a combination of all of the above.
So I’ve decided to list a few very simple things that can be done to help you THINK of technology in a different way, a way that can create an easier way to get things done in the easiest way possible. The first thing you should really do is shift your mindset about technology, social media and Internet Marketing. Sometimes a persons mindset about technology can create unnecessary hurdles and complications. I think of technology as a way to make some tasks a lot simpler or as an easier replacement of tasks that have become obsolete. It’s really not that complicated.
Take a look at a few things that you should consider if you want to benefit from technology and do so in the simplest way possible. Keep in mind, that all platforms and social media channels do not work for every brand, but it is great to give a few of them a go to see if they work for you and if they make some aspect of your daily work flow simpler!
- Embrace Social Media and its Growth: Social media has really taken the place of some traditional advertising and marketing methods that were mainstream a few years ago. So we MUST Stop fighting the growth of this technology! We should be at the point that we realize that social media is not going anywhere. We will NOT be able to roll back time, the horse is out of the barn, blah, blah blah. The point is, we should all be beyond denial that social media is here to stay. So we must make a conscious choice learn more and find a way to make this technology work for us. This is especially the case if you have a business because the use of traditional marketing ONLY as means of advertising and promoting a business is really a thing of the past. I don’t believe traditional marketing will ever totally fade but it has evolved into something different now and it has happened so gradually that we were unaware that it was happening. We hardly ever read newspapers or magazines anymore. Instead we turn on our computers, laptops, tablets and mobile phones which have fueled the growth of social media. So it’s time to embrace social media on a business level even if you opt out of it on a personal level because traditional advertising and marketing options are very limited and I’m pretty sure time will not go backward anytime soon. This is Simple, right?
- Go Beta: Some Beta platforms allow you to complete some of your tasks in an easier way. There are so many new social media programs and channels introduced in beta form that you could almost try a new one a daily basis. Why not give a few of them a try? I have found some of the most amazing online channels offered in beta initially. I have incorporated these programs, channels and tools into my marketing mix and they have really been a great addition. Some of these channels have really allowed me to streamline some of my workflow. I’m not saying that you should jump at every beta that is available, only that you should try the channels that you believe would be most beneficial to your brand. Some of the these platforms may simplify your work flow as they have mine. YES, It is just that Simple
- Keep only the Platforms that are good for your brand: After trying some of these Beta programs weed out the channels that do not fit your needs. Not all platforms are a good fit for all brands or sometimes a platform just does not meet your expectations. Both are good reasons to discontinue use of the platform. Simply, if the platform adds value and simplifies some of your processes, keep it, if not dump it. Simple.
- Use Facebook: Why there are still people that are resistent to Facebook and additional social media channels for business is beyond me. It’s not like there are an abundance of options available to advertise and market a business these days. We are not living in the 80′s. I cannot stress how important Facebook has become, particularly for businesses. Ok, we understand Facebook does have glitches, the platform changes every year and Facebook implements changes that we may or may not like. Well guess what, there are 900 million people on Facebook and if we have an opportunity as business owners to even reach a percentage of those people why wouldn’t we go for it? Facebook with all of its flaws has presented companies with an opportunity to reach out to their customers in a way that has never been presented before. Stop whining and use this platform for your business even if you chose not to use it on a personal level. If you want to be even a little competitive, expand your business, or be relevant online you much embrace this platform. Simple.
- Use Twitter: Twitter may seem stupid to some but Twitter works! This platform rocks for business, increasing brand recognition and customer service. It allows to you engage, reach out, become an authority in your field and increase customer interaction ALL within 140 characters for people that ONLY have time to indulge in you in these 140 characters, so make it good.
- Use G+: Whether you think Google+ is relevent or not is irrelevant especially when it comes to business. Google plus is an extension of Google which rocks on every possible level, it’s Google. This platform is NOT a Facebook replacement but it is an important part of any online strategy primarily because the use of Google+ will help with exposure, indexing and increasing your company relevance with Google. With the merging of Google Local and Google+ Local pages creates one more reason that you need to be utilizing G+ for your brand.. Just hit the +1, share content on Google+ and watch the results. Simple, right?
- Blog: The importance of a blog cannot be expressed too much. Quite simply every post you write is a piece of content which makes your company more relevant as an authority in your industry. If you blog 3 times per week and another person never blogs, when the blog posts are indexed by Google the person that has blogged 3 times per week will be more relevant than the person that never blogged. That’s Simple
- Use WordPress for your blog: As a former WordPress basher I am quick to admit that I was wrong. WordPress is quite simply the BEST blogging platform available. I’ve tried others and WordPress has been the absolute best platform because of its ease of use and abundant plugins that creates a versatility and simplicity beyond any other blogging platform. It’s simple, use it.
- Go Mobile: A very high percentage of people use mobile devices to check Facebook, shop and visit other online websites. People have their mobile devices with them every waking moment so as business owners we simply MUST provide a channel in which visitors can view our online precence on their mobile device. NOT to do so, is cheating yourself and your business. Simple!
- Schedule Your social media: The use of so many channels and platforms makes it almost physically impossible NOT to schedule at least some of your business social media. There are a few channels that allow you to schedule your social media, one of which is Buffer. Simple, try it!
- Do Not SPAM: No one wants messages spammy or otherwise shoved down their throats. That is very old school and just simply doesn’t fly in an engaging, social oriented world that we now live it. Simple Don’t Do it!
- Keep It simple: Technology is an amazing platform and there are so many things to learn and utilize but technolgy and the use of technology should ALWAYS make something that is difficult, easier. The use of technology shouldn’t take a simple task and make that task harder. That is just STUPID NOT SIMPLE. So if any of the channels that you are utilizing creates a more difficult experience for yourself or the user, there needs to be an evaluation of that platform. I selected the platforms above because these are some of the most simple online platforms to utilize and should make workflow a lot simpler for a person or company.
So when venturing into technology and social media platforms for the first time, remember it just doesn’t have to be that complicated, there are easy steps, easy to use platforms and the use of any platform should not complicate a task.
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@Commun_it IS #Twitter Management Awesome Sauce, Why You NEED IT, @SharelOmer
At one time I was not a fan of any management tools, in retrospect I believe that was primarily due to the lack of need for them. If you are working with a small amount of accounts or in the beginning stages of your social media usage the need for management tools are minimal. However, as your business grows, the accounts you manage expand and your social optimization plan evolves you WILL need any and every management tool you can find. So, needless to say the philosophy that I could manage multiple social media accounts without any tools went out the window.
I tried a few tools that had me manage accounts by way of some form of dashboard. Although these tools seem to work for many, I honestly found the buzzing, movement and noise of the dashboard to be a bit much. I am not by any stretch minimizing any of these platforms but sometimes a platform is just not for you or your brand. I am a huge advocated of trying any and everything that seems of interest but I will only stick with them if they fit my branding, marketing and or digital marketing needs.
At this point in the social media game we realize the importance of Twitter for marketing a business. It is quite frankly my number one social media platform to reach business leads. Although I do love some of the others, I find that Twitter has worked very well for allowing me to build an amazing network of friends, followers, clients and potential clients. So if you use Twitter as much as I do and you find it to be an essential part of your digital marketing strategy, it is imperative to find a great platform or tool that helps to manage your Twitter profiles, especially if you manage more than one brand.
After trying a lot of Twitter Management tools and platforms I found out about Commun.it. Well the search for a Twitter Management Tool was OVER because this one fit like a glove. If you’ve ever read this blog, i’m sure you’ve read a post or two about how Commun.it makes my Digital Marketing Life Complete! They are my Digital Marketing soul mates, the Yin to my Yang, the peanut butter to my jelly, you get it right? In a nutshell they have it figured out and they continue to one up themselves with the upgrades which meet needs that a person didn’t even know they had. The Commun.it Team Rocks on Ice as well!
Commun.it offers the ability to totally manage ALL of your Twitter presences from one platform . In one of the many amazing upgrades, they now offer the ability to manage more than one Twitter profile. This is HUGE especially if, like me you are manager of more than one brand. I am currently managing four of my largest brands using Commun.it and it has really allowed me to maximize my Workflow.
- Build Relationships: This is the area that allows you to see a list of people that are more in touch with your brand. This section is separated by Most Engaged Members, Supporters, Influencers and Starred Members. This list changes according to engagement level but most importantly it allows you to interact more with the people that are in touch with your brand so that you can build a better relationship.
- Manage: This section allows you to analyze your New Followers, New Unfollowers, Consider to Follow and Consider to Unfollow. This is a great guide in allowing you to monitor your Twitter account in a very strategic way.
- Discover Leads: The most powerful sections of this platform or any platform that allows you to connect with Leads. This is an essential element to any sales driven industry. You have to spend a few minutes setting up key words and or phrases which allow Commun.it to compile this data for you, but after that you are golden.
Commun.it recently added more awesome sauce if you can image that! Using this very powerful platform we now have the ability to import Twitter lists and use the above functions, Build Relationships, Manage and Discover leads. These three functions are essential elements to any social media platform. I love the, discover leads options because as business owners and Entrepreneurs one has to be the marketing, graphics, account, sales departments and more. So one must have the ability to connect with and discover leads and Commun.it allows you to do so using Twitter which is one of the most amazing social media platforms for connecting with potential clients.
Why it’s Important
Social Media has removed barriers in creating new business relationships, and Twitter makes it easier than ever to connect with anyone. But the chaotic and disruptive nature of Twitter creates a huge challenge for businesses to leverage its potential and put all of the relationships in a business context. This is why for businesses that grow and rely on building & maintaining relationships with their customers, prospects, and partners, relationship management has become more important than ever. While traditionally businesses maintained various silos of relationship management activities (lead generation, CRM, support channels, sales funnel…), social media & online channels are creating a sea change in this area: there is a convergence in the mediums that are used to engage with potential customers, new leads, support cases and more – and the differentiation in these categories becomes blurred as well.Commun.it is the first solution that fuses community management, CRM and lead generation in a way that enables business-focused relationship management on Twitter.
How Relationship Management Works in Commun.it
Commun.it dashboard is intutive and easy to use. See how you manage relationships in 3 steps:
- Step 1: Incoming engagements are prioritized – easily focus on your high-value members – top influencers that drive awareness, top supporters that spread your word, most engaged members, potential leads
- Step 2: Relationship context in a glance – quickly scan through members in each list and see your relationship status, total # of engagements you made, # of times he mentioned items you monitor
- Step 3: Full relationship history with a member – drill down to a member reveals full relationship history – all mutual engagements ever made (including all mentions, replies, retweets and dms you ever made), since when you are following each other
One of the things that allows Commun.it to surpass the minimal competition that they do have is that they offer amazing features with the user in mind. Take a look at the video series that I created below to give you a demo of some of the features that are listed above.
I am using The Pro Version of Commun.it and I am really loving it. If interested in the functionality of this platform, check out the Commun.it Pro Tier . I would love to to know what you think of Commun.it! Feel free to catch me on Facebook, G+ or Twitter of course.
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