Major Findings from the 2010 Social Media Marketing Industry Report | Personal Branding Blog - Dan Schawbel

The awesome crew over at SocialMediaExaminer.com just released their 2o1o Social Media Marketing Industry Report. The 33 page report is geared to marketers and has some great info for anyone looking to create and grow their personal brand.

Here are some of the major findings from the survey:

• Marketers are mostly new to social media: A significant 65% of marketers surveyed have only been involved with social media marketing for a few months or less.

• The top benefits of social media marketing: The number-one advantage of social media marketing (by a long shot) is generating exposure for the business, indicated by 85% of all marketers, followed by increasing traffic (63%) and building new business partnerships (56%).

• In 2009, only 23% of marketers were using social media for years. Now that number has grown to 31%.

• A significant 56% of marketers are using social media for 6 hours or more each week and 30% for 11 or more hours weekly. It’s interesting to note that 12.5% of marketers spend more than 20 hours each week on social media.

• People age 20 to 29 spend the most time using social media marketing (59.1% spending 6+ hours weekly), followed by 40- to 49-year-olds (58.3% spending 6+ hours weekly) and then 30- to 39-year-olds (58% spending 6+ hours weekly).

• The number-one benefit of social media marketing is gaining the all-important eyeball. A significant 85% of all marketers indicated that their social media efforts have generated exposure for their businesses. Improving traffic was the second major benefit, followed by building new partnerships.

• 

  More than half of marketers indicated a rise in search engine rankings was a benefit of social media marketing. As search engine rankings improve, so will business exposure, lead generation efforts and a reduction in overall marketing expenses. More than half of marketers found social media generated qualified leads.

• Those who invest the most time in social media marketing gain the most business partnerships. However, 53.1% of people who’ve only invested a few months with social media marketing report newpartnerships were gained.

• We asked marketers which social media tools they most want to learn more about.Social bookmarking sites slightly edged out Twitter for the number-one slot. Facebook came in third, followed closely by Digg/Reddit/Mixx/StumbleUpon and then LinkedIn.

Get ahead of the curve

By getting started with blogging, social media and inbound marketing you will be ahead of the curve. While many of us have heard of these new disciplines, there are far fewer that are implementing with a sound strategy.

Take your cue from savvy marketers and begin to use blogs, social media and search engines as a way to create more visibility and quality opportunities for yourself.

The barriers to entry have been lowered. Will you rise up?

What do you think of the major findings from the report? Where do you think all of this is heading? Please share your thoughts in the comments section.

Author:

Chad Levitt is the author of the New Sales Economy blog, which focuses on how Sales 2.0 & Social Media can help you connect, create more opportunities and increase your business. Chad is also the featured Sales 2.0 blogger at SalesGravy.com, the number one web portal for sales pros, the professional athletes of the business world. Make sure to connect with him on Twitter @chadalevitt.

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What Your Company Should Know Before Hiring A Social Media Analyst | Brand-Yourself.com Blog

For most companies, social media is still an emerging platform.  Yes, many brands are visible, however, while some brands are faster to the social media market than others, everyone recognizes the importance of having a presence on at least a few social media sites.  But who will run such a campaign?

Marketing (or Public Relations) is typically the group that makes the most sense to manage such a role within an organization.  After all, Marketing has all sorts of tools, technologies and propaganda to be in a position to effectively disseminate the content.

As a company explores the idea of either hiring a new employee to manage the activity or moving an internal employee into this role, there are a few key criteria that must be addressed when identifying the right candidate.

Social Networking for Grown-Ups » The Glass Hammer

By Elisabeth Grant (Washington, D.C.)

By now you’ve heard of social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) and social networking (interacting in these different online spaces). In fact you may be sick of hearing about it!

Perhaps you have Facebook account, and maybe you’re even on Twitter. While these sites can offer great ways to keep up with friends, share photos, and be part of an online community, social media also offers important business opportunities as well. While you have to be careful what you post online (”Don’t Get Dooced“), don’t pass up the chance to make connections, brand yourself, and use social media in a business savvy way.

Out of the Playground

Social media may have started out as a diversion for teenagers and college students. But, in recent years, as Diane Garnick, Investment Strategist at Invesco Ltd. (and noted social media practitioner) explained:

“Social media stopped being a Generation Y playground and became an important tool for discovering, cultivating and expanding business relationships. Bridge the gap between you and your competitors by expressing your best ideas in an electronic forum the entire world can see.”

Social networking isn’t just for “kids” any more. The White House is on Facebook. The Library of Congress is on Twitter. Social media has evolved into a space where serious conversations can take place, and important information can be released. It allows for new ways to communicate with the public, with clients, and with potential clients. The best feature of social media is that it’s opt-in. People become your fans or friends on Facebook and your followers on Twitter, because they’re interested in what you have to say. Therefore, your message is more effective when you send it out: it’s reaching an targeted and relevant audience.

Grow Your Personal Brand with Social Media

Mary Gillen, a business owner who wears many hats (including writer and web developer) maintains the blog Learn One Thing where she offers ideas on marketing, social media, blogging for business, and more. When asked about how social networking has helped her business, she explained, “in my experience, participating in social media has brought me better rankings in the major search engines, which then leads to business, because people can actually find me that way.”

She cautions that it’s both “important not to ignore this ’shift’” to social media, but equally as important not to jump in blindly. Instead, she says, “start simply, and build on your skills as you go.”

Social media allows your audience to find you in multiple ways. Stumbling across your Facebook wall or Twitter feed can lead people to more information on your web site. Your web site or blog (or the best case, a hybrid of both) is your “online business base,” says Gillen. Your base is “where you post and publish content that educates visitors about what you do. You can then use your social media accounts like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook, to drive traffic to the content on your site.” Tweet news of a promotion on Twitter with a link back to your web site. Post information about an upcoming event on Facebook and your “fans” immediately know.

The more social media options you use, the more opportunities you have to catch different people’s interest. Mary Gillen encourages you to “re-purpose and publish what you know as your ’story’ in different ways: videos, ebooks, blog posts, slideshows, Tweets, Facebook Fan Page postings, LinkedIn Answers etc. This gives folks the chance to understand that you know what you are talking about. This process then contributes to their decision to do business with you.”

Facebook and Twitter Tips

Need more some concrete tips to see how social media can help you promote your business and business self? Here are a few to get you started.

• Business Appropriate – On Facebook, keep personal content (photos, statuses, private information) hidden by tweaking settings and creating lists (like Work, Friends, and Limited). On Twitter, be consistent. Don’t tweet a link to a business article one day and a note about what your cat just did the other day. Set up separate Twitter accounts for business and personal uses.
• Email Signature – Include a link to your Facebook page and your @Twittername in your email signature, so that every email you send out alerts friends and colleagues of your presence in social media.
• Interaction – Make contact with other people on Facebook and Twitter. Intelligent and constructive comments can lead people back to your social media pages or web site. And retweeting shows that you’re listening to what others are saying and you’re involved in the Twitter community.

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How Social Media Will Change Your Business For The Better | Brand-Yourself.com Blog

The emerging tools that are social media are being used by organizations of all sizes and industries.  Just like any other tool, there are pro’s and con’s to utilizing social media…

Sample Pro’s

Accessible anywhere at anytime Go to where your target market spends time Listen to the conversations Engage in discussions with consumers Positively promote your brand

Sample Con’s

Time consuming updates Unfamiliarity with the sites Distracted from project results Being argumentative rather than helpful Over promotion with little personalized engagement

Social Media & Your Job Search: Act Like a Company, Not a Person | Tim's Strategy

A guest post by author and social media strategist Neal Schaffer

You’re in transition.  Fine.  We are all, at multiple times in our lives, in between jobs and conducting a job search.  And we all land jobs and don’t remain a job seeker forever.  But the situation in 2010 is not like it was when you graduated from college in 1990 or even 2000.  Now, you truly are your own company, and those that have been in transition during this recession realize it.  If this is the case then, why don’t more people act like a company would?

10 Golden Rules of Social Media

from WebWorkerDaily by Aliza Sherman

Written by Aliza Sherman.

I know, I know — it's a bit presumptuous of me to think I can write the "10 Golden Rules of Social Media." Then again, I've been online since 1987, consulting clients on the Internet since 1992, on the web since 1994, immersed in working on and speaking about the web since the mid-1990s, so I do feel like I've paid some dues and learned some lessons along the way.

So here are my 10 Golden Rules of Social Media to embrace, debate, pass around and refine. Have at it.

1. Respect the Spirit of the 'Net. Since 1995, I've been writing about and talking about what I call the "Spirit of the 'Net." The Internet was not meant for marketing and selling but for communication and connection to people and information. Understanding this, even today, can flip your marketing and selling strategy on its head, but you'll have far more success respecting the spirit of the 'Net, rather than throwing money at hard-sell tactics.

2. Listen. In the '90s, the Golden Rule of posting to a Usenet Newsgroup or other online community was to listen first before speaking. Listening thoughtfully gives you a better sense of not only what people are saying but also how they are feeling. In virtual spaces where there are no visual cues, good listening skills become a powerful asset. Listening also helps you map out your current social media footprint and measure your marketing campaigns over time. The key to successful social media marketing is listening.

3. Add Value. Enter any online conversation with the aim of adding value. Before posting a message as a new participant in a forum, ask yourself: How is this providing value to the conversation? To the community? In some circles, talking about your product or service can be considered valuable, but in most, it is unwelcome and intrusive.

4. Respond. From the early days of setting up the first web presences for clients such as Origins and Dr. Atkins, my company outlined the importance of timely responses to any feedback or queries generated from those sites. The burden of response can be great, but it can be lessened by using the right tools and crowdsourcing answers. A quick response is more important than ever, and thanks to search tools, alert apps and other services, it is possible to achieve. Don't be a dam in a conversation flow.

5. Do Good Things. Back in the '90s, a mentor and dear friend — Jerry Colonna — talked about "doing well by doing good," sparking in me the confidence to build a successful business with an underlying mission to help others. Doing good things can really help you to succeed in social media, too. Just do a Google search for Social Media for Social Good to see the power of this movement. This goes beyond adding value online. It means fundamentally changing your business model from a single bottom line — profit — to a triple bottom line — people, planet, profit — and then perpetuating this social responsibility to all you do in business, including online marketing and selling. I'm working with a financial client right now who truly believes in doing good. My client's messages and conversations around social good are getting much more traction than the regular financial messages.

6. Share the Wealth. When I used to talk about the Internet around the world, one key tenet I repeated almost every time was to share the wealth. "If you've got it, share it, spread it around," I'd say, but I wasn't only talking about money. I was talking about time, information and knowledge. In social media, sharing is the fuel of the conversation engine.

7. Give Kudos. Social media works when you are generous. There is nothing wrong with self-promotion, but things really take off when you give others praise or a moment in the spotlight. The rise of retweeting — real retweeting, not spammy retweeting — shows how far giving credit to others can go in social spaces.

8. Don't Spam. And speaking of spam, there is also an ugly surge of spamming in social media, today's equivalent of unscrupulous email marketers who inundated our email boxes with garbage and left a bad taste in our mouths for email marketing. On Twitter, I'm finding it a daily chore to delete people I'm following who send out spam messages, but I just don't have the time, interest or bandwidth to tolerate the "Get Lots of Followers on Autopilot" spam.

9. Be Real. Authenticity is the secret ingredient behind any good and valuable social media marketing campaign. If you know your audience, locate them online, listen, add value, respond, refrain from spamming and just be yourself, you'll have far better and more long-lasting positive results than if you try to be someone — or something — you're not.

10. Collaborate. Before you dive into social media for marketing and selling, take a look at who is out there and who is doing it well. How can you work with them, instead of trying to muscle your way into the space with all of your dollars? Those will often be dollars wasted because people can feel that push and recoil from the hard sell, blog about your misstep, sign petitions to boycott your company, you name it. If you put your money in places where it can do good while generating goodwill for your brand, you'll be much more likely to get a positive result from social media.

Social media tools are only that — tools. The real energy, spirit and power of social media is people. We are social media.

What are your Golden Rules of Social Media? What am I missing?

MSNBC Completely Misunderstands Role Of Social Media in Job Search | Brand-Yourself.com Blog

MSNBC recently published an article entitled “Social Networking seldom gets new grads hired.” The article tries to argue that social media is not an effective way to land a job, but instead, only proves that many students simply aren’t taking advantage of the tools.  The article goes on to misunderstand how social media fits into the job search.

The article itself is actually very interesting and raises some important points but is ultimately ill-researched and draws false conclusions. I enjoyed the article, so I tried to comment with some counter research, but my comment was denied,which prompted me to write this post.

The Article uses unrelated research to support it’s claim

The article implies that social media is ineffective for recent college grads, by using anecdotal cases of a few well-connected, students who landed a job through traditional means, and statistics taken  out of context, as it main points of reference. The bread and butter of her argument quotes a study that demonstrated last year only one percent of new hires were found through social media.

Her evidence does not prove the most important point in question: Is social media an effective vehicle to land a job? It simply proves that the majority of candidates are still using traditional techniques

Who wouldn’t expect this? Social media as a job search tool has been around for a couple of years. Of course most hires are found through traditional means.

Research shows social media is an increasingly effective tool to land a job

If the article took the time to fully research the matter, it would be clear that even though many candidates aren’t utilizing the tools in  an effective way, social media is a very powerful tool to get hired.

According to recent in depth U.S study by Cross Tab Marketing:

• 75% of HR departments are now required to research candidates online.
• 70% of U.S recruiters and HR professionals say they have rejected candidates based on information they found online.
• 85% say that positive online reputation influences their hiring decisions at least to some extent. Nearly half say that a strong online reputation influences their decisions to a great extent.

In-depth 2008/2009 studies from Career Builder and Execunet report very similar findings. I have the links below, including an interesting article Mashable wrote on the Career Builder study last year.

• http://www.execunet.com/m_releases_content.cfm?id=3651
• http://mashable.com/2009/08/19/social-media-screening/

Conclusion: How social media helps

The MSNBC article simply found that social media job search techniques  are not yet mainstream practice and inaccurately concluded the methods themselves are not effective. The author did not bother to explore how social media actually complements the very techniques she champions to find a job.

Here’s what we know as fact:

• Employers will Google candidates and research them online
• They will make hiring decisions based on positive content

The article correctly pinpoints the key ingredients to getting hired:

• Networking
• Knowledge of company and industry trends
• Strong First Impression

What the author fails to understand is that for many grads, social media is the easiest way to accomplish these paramounts. Most grads don’t have many contacts in their dream companies. By creating positive content and making sure it shows up at the top of Google, grads are ensuring they make a good first impression. By participating in industry forums and groups, commenting on articles, and sharing industry trends, they are networking. By plugging into RSS feeds, posting content and joining groups they are keeping up to date and preparing themselves for the work place.  They are meeting (and impressing) industry peers they would not have met otherwise and getting their foot in the door.

Research only indicates that this method of networking will only grow.

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70 Helpful Resources To Help You Understand Social Media | Brand-Yourself.com Blog

There seems to be a lot to learn about when it comes to marketing your business with social media.  The learning curve is steep, and mastery of the subject is still undefined.

by Flowtown

The first step is understanding the shift to social media.  Are you looking to answer the who, what, where, when and why questions? You also want resources that will keep you up to date.   I’ve compiled a list of resources I’ve found helpful in developing my knowledge on the subject.

Why Social Media Matters To Your Business | Brand-Yourself.com Blog

In my Brand-Yourself post last week I spoke about the benefits of using Twitter for your business.  This week I wanted to discuss why social media, as a whole, matters to your business.

Social media is the next tool for businesses to connect with their clients, customers and target audience.  Other mediums (such as print, radio, television, website banner ads, in-video game ads, etc.) may still be pertinent to your business, however, social media is one avenue that cannot be ignored by *almost* everyone.

Update: Expanding Our Knowledge on Social Media Marketing

In a previous post, we discussed the fundamentals of social media marketing and its importance for small businesses. Since then, We've delved deeper into the subject and uncovered some additional resources that are immensely valuable for anyone looking to master social media marketing. Here’s a comprehensive update based on the latest information and resources available.

There is indeed a lot to learn about marketing your business through social media. The learning curve can be steep, and mastering this dynamic field is an ongoing journey. To assist with this, We've compiled a list of resources that have significantly contributed to my understanding of social media marketing.

Specialty Sites

Subscribing to these sites can help you stay updated and easily search for information:

• Mashable
• HubSpot
• ClickZ
• Econsultancy
• Social Media Today

Noted “Social Media Greats”

These individuals and their blogs are excellent examples of social media in action:

• BizSugar
• Brian Solis
• Chris Brogan
• Gary Vaynerchuk
• Seth Godin
• The Steve Rubel Stream
• Web Ink Now

Twitter Influencers

Following these accounts on Twitter can provide daily insights and updates:

• Jeff Bullas (@jeffbullas)
• Iconic88 (@iconic88)
• Christine Korda (@christinekorda)
• SMM Magazine (@SMMmagazine)
• Mack Collier (@MackCollier)
• Karen Swim (@karenswim)
• Bird Bath Buzz (@birdbathbuzz)
• Mike Fixs (@mikefixs)
• Social Streaming (@SocialStreaming)
• Trend Tracker (@TrendTracker)
• Chris Pirillo (@ChrisPirillo)
• Ray Beckerman (@RayBeckerman)
• Denise Wakeman (@DeniseWakeman)
• Amber Cadabra (@AmberCadabra)
• Penn Olson (@PennOlson)
• Equalman (@equalman)
• Social Small Biz (@social_smallbiz)
• Pete Kistler (@pete_kistler)
• Social Media Prof (@SocialMediaProf)
• Real Strategic (@realstrategic)
• Simon Mainwaring (@simonmainwaring)
• Mashable (@mashable)
• Mari Smith (@MariSmith)
• TB Social Media (@TBsocialmedia)
• Social Net Daily (@SocialNetDaily)

Curated Lists

For more curated content, follow:

• Mashable’s Social Media list on Twitter

These resources are invaluable for staying current with social media trends and strategies. Whether you're just starting or looking to refine your approach, the knowledge from these experts and sources will guide you towards more effective and engaging social media marketing.

10 Branding & Social Media Blogs You Should Be Following | Social Branding Blog

I am a big fan of blog content. If you’re reading this, then the chances are good that you are too.

Whether you’re a  brand manager, marketer, or just someone looking to make a name for yourself or your product/business, following the right blogs can be a source of free education.

Out of the hundreds of blogs I (try to) follow regularly, I have compiled this list of some of the very best when it comes to social branding.

If you read these blogs regularly, you will learn a lot about brand marketing. Look for more lists like this in the future, as I am always on the hunt for useful content!

These are in no particular order:

Chris Brogan

One of the best in the business when it comes to building communities and marketing with social media, Chris Brogan’s blog is a good place to start for anyone. You’ll find a lot of great marketing tips and insights, as well as new and interesting ways to use social media that you may not have realized before.

Social Media Explorer

This is a great site that covers everything regarding social media, PR, advertising, and marketing. Discover new tools for monitoring your brand and overall presence online.

Altitude Branding

Amber Naslund’s blog contains a lot of great information pertaining to social branding and makes for a very insightful read. You’re bound to learn something useful from her.

Hard Knox Life

Dave Knox lists a lot of good information in regard to marketing and new media. While maybe not as well known as some on this list, this blog is extremely helpful and is a constant source of ideas for the Social Branding Blog.

SocialMouths

SocialMouths is another great resource for social media strategies and branding for your business. If you can’t find something you’re interested in reading on this site, you’re not looking hard enough.

Conversation Agent

Valeria Maltoni is an expert at marketing online and is very focused on social media. See how things work from the inside as she provides industry-related social strategies and terminology.

Techipedia

Tamar Weinberg is a driving force in the social media movement. On her blog, she provides a creative look at how to utilize social media for business and marketing. Her articles are very informative and are a great way to stay up-to-date with the latest news/trends.

Branding Strategy Insider

Geared towards marketing professionals and leaders, the Branding Strategy Insider covers everything branding and advertising. A truly great resource.

Social Media Examiner

This blog gives you a lot of creative ways to use your favorite social tools and websites. It is a constant stream of useful information pertaining to social media and marketing tools.

Web Strategy

Jeremiah Owyang’s Web Strategy blog rounds up this list. A true professional, his blog is very informative and covers CRM and the social business industry extensively.

Conclusion

What do you think of the websites I’ve listed? Did I forget to mention your favorite social branding site? Leave your thoughts, ideas, and comments below!

Image Credit:  Mexicanwave

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Starting Out in Social Media: Blogging and Social Networking for Business | Brand-Yourself.com Blog

The business case for leveraging social media as a business tool has been made time and time again. Startups to big business use the platform of social media to spread ideas, connect with their audience, and ultimately drive sales.

When working with clients I often am confronted with glossy eyes when talking about the topic of social media. Chances are they’ve read about it in the mainstream media, however, putting it in to action is another thing all together. If you consider yourself a social media fan boy shout hooray and jump to the comments below and give us your fill after skimming this primer, but if you are fall into the glossy eyed category or want to read this basic primer, read below for a primer on how to start out in social media for business.

Social media in itself comprises of many different elements, but two of the most common and important categories:

• Blogging – WordPress, Posterous
• Social networks – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn

Blogging for business

Social since inception, blogs were designed and still hold strong as great publishing platforms to create useful content and share it with a wide audience. With built in web feed abilities (RSS/Atom), blogs make it possible to publish content and “push” it out to other services. For an example, see this explanation on Facebook how to import your feed as Notes.

Picture your website, and blog in particular, as a hub where all of your social media activity and presence across the Internet should point back to. This is important, as all of the content and important information about your business is no good if no one ever hears about it. Don’t shamelessly self-promote every chance you get, but rather use social media etiquette.

If no one already told you, get your own domain name. Don’t use the subdomain from a service, no matter how much you like it. To sum up other people’s experiences, once you build a great following around and get massive amounts of links to yourawesomewebsite.wordpress.com and then decide to migrate to your custom domain later, its a pain and you lose traffic and followers.  Start off fresh, and get a domain name now. Its cheap and easy, and you will not regret it later. Its OK to have your website hosted on a service like WordPress.com, if that is what you prefer, but use custom domain features.

Social networks for business

No matter what industry you are in, social media can work for your business. It just depends however, on how you choose to use it and where your audience is. If you are speaking to an older generation, you may have to be crafty and see where they are hanging out. With valuations on the larger social networks sometimes coming out at us with mind boggling numbers (such as LinkedIn’s over $2 Billion valuation), you can bet that the social media research companies are still spewing out reports and research about how consumers and business use these services.

Facebook isn’t just for the cool kids anymore. With over 500 million active users, and 900 million objects made up of pages, whether business or community, and events, they clearly have a lot of activity happening there. Accordingly, businesses are leveraging their platforms to attack their target markets more effectively. Although in the spotlight for concerns over privacy and changes to the way advertisers and marketers can access information, Facebook remains adamant that the information is still in your control.

Twitter boasts a flurry of activity happening each day with many millions of updates from around the globe. From fast breaking news, to still the good old lunch tales, it has a lively and active community of people ready to speak their mind. Businesses may find it challenging to have active “conversations” with their audience on Twitter, only because it seems personal connections make for better success, but many businesses still use the platform and thrive, assuming they are active listeners and are useful.

LinkedIn remains the premier business networking social network. With a thriving advertising system, and active groups, there isn’t anything bad to say about using LinkedIn for business, other than it can sometimes be confusing to newbies. I often see profiles that aren’t filled out properly or people let LinkedIn invites build up for eternities before accepting. LinkedIn isn’t just a great living “resume” or CV, its a platform that needs to be used daily, or as often as possible to do things such as connect with other like minded professionals, or find clients and partners. Companies can use it as an excellent passive recruitment tool. It still is the best kept secret in that realm. Spend less on your job searching and just see who is already in your network, connected to your friends and partners.

How to make it happen for your business

As a business, it’s important for you to focus your time on what works best for you. Leveraging these platforms will depend on available talent, time, and resources. Do a bit of research to find out where your target audience is, and spend time with them. You already likely have a great network of contacts, invite them to join you on social networks, make sure they know about your blog, and keep it fresh and alive with relevant content of their interest. Don’t be afraid to experiment: that is what it’s all about. Try new things, don’t let the same old processes get in the way of exploring new ways to communicate and do business. The payoffs are far too great to miss out.

About the Author: An avid inbound marketing strategist, Mark Mathson gets to live his passion every day while consulting on social media marketing.  He enjoys conversing on Twitter and growing and adding value to his network on LinkedIn

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Why You Should Have a Social Media Calendar

Original Post: Here

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When I hear about the processes companies are using to engage in social media-based conversations and communities, I’m a bit surprised that many lack any kind of strategy or written plan. While I’m a firm believer in the need for both spontaneity and frequency in social media-enabled communications, I also believe that whenever a company decides to adopt new communications tools, they need to start with the basics of Marketing and Communications 101:

• What are your business objectives?
• Who is your audience (target market)?
• What do you hope this communication will help your company achieve?
• How will you measure your efforts?

Once you think through the business basics, the next steps are identifying the right tools to reach the right audience(s) in the right ways, and then determining what your company is going to do once you stick start participating in social networks, on blogs, and in other online communities.


Editorial Calendars for Blogs

My company uses what we refer to as “editorial calendars” for social media engagement, but that term is a bit of a misnomer. The term “editorial calendar” implies that social media communications is then based solely around “editorial” content like magazine articles. Social media editorial calendars are not about planning all of your tweets, status updates on Facebook, etc., but you do need to create some kind of framework that fits into an overall plan for engagement.

For blogs, we always develop an actual editorial calendar that is similar to a magazine editorial calendar. That calendar, however, should never lock the blogger or bloggers into publishing specific posts on specific dates without any flexibility. Blog editorial calendars should be considered strategic planning tools as well as resources for content ideas when there isn’t something topical or time-sensitive that needs to be posted.


Social Media Calendars

You shouldn’t be tweeting and updating entirely in a vacuum. For my company, our social media calendars start with a blog editorial calendar as a starting point. From those specific topics and post references, we then branch out, looking for other people’s tweets or posts that we can reference that are relevant to our client’s focus, objectives, and brand.

To utilize social media tools effectively and properly, you must absolutely generate spontaneous communications in direct response to what others are saying or to what is happening in that moment. Be yourself. Be conversational. Be engaged.

Then, at regular intervals, circle back to your objectives; the audience you want to attract and connect with; and the actions you’d like to drive through your outreach. Are you on track? If you are using social media to encourage others to give you feedback, to take a poll, to refer a friend to your site, to hire you, to purchase a product, whatever your goal or goals may be — is it working? If not, what are you doing wrong?


Social Media Planning

Maybe this sounds a little too formulaic to you. Maybe you see social media as being all about organic conversation. Well, yes, that is exactly what it is, but organic conversation doesn’t work for companies that are trying to achieve specific business objectives. That doesn’t mean that companies shouldn’t be in social networks and online communities if they do things in appropriate, valuable and thoughtful ways.

So be smart about it. Don’t deny that you are a business with business objectives. Be transparent about it. There’s a place for everyone in the playground as long as everyone places nicely. And if you stick to a plan — with a lot of common sense, generosity and kindness thrown in — your company can foster new levels of consumer loyalty from genuine engagement, while still achieving measurable business goals.

Social Media Etiquette at Work | Brand-Yourself.com Blog

You’ve heard the rumors, the horror stories and the success stories. You know the positives and negatives of using social media for promoting yourself and your business. Though it may seem obvious at times what you should and shouldn’t do, people are breaking the rules left and right.

The ABSOLUTE Do Not’s

Never ever, no matter how bad of a day you’re having, no matter how miserable you are, no matter what life debacles you’re facing, under any circumstances write about how much you hate your job or hate an employer or even fellow employee on the Internet. It doesn’t matter if you’re not Facebook friends or that they don’t follow you on Twitter. The Internet is public domain, and certainly no place to post your every thought and feeling. Even if you think you’re stuck at the worst job in the world, if you value keeping that job and receiving money, don’t complain! Well, you can complain but in private, in person—which can sometimes be a little risky as it is. But there’s no reason to tweet out for all to see that you think your boss is a spawn of the devil. That’s just a do-not-enter zone.

On the other side of the spectrum, don’t become a harbinger of all things work-related. Regardless of whether or not you love your job, your social media accounts shouldn’t revolve around what you’re doing at work this minute, or asking people to spotlight your company on their blog. You’ll quickly go from someone very pleased with their working situation to someone other people on the Internet see as an annoying spammer. Don’t be the person to friend request anyone you see of any importance on Facebook who could bolster your career or promote where you’re currently working. Social media has one key word that’s often forgotten: social! While you should definitely dedicate some time to promoting your business and tweeting articles, it’s also important to interact with people on a friendly or helpful basis. Find people asking questions, and give them tips or strike up the occasional conversation with a friend. It’s not the end of the world to use social media for some entertainment and potential connection making.

Social Media is Your Friend

While some people cower in fear at the thought of tweeting or posting helpful articles on Facebook—especially after hearing about people getting fired because of what they post—it’s important to remember that social media is more beneficial than it is negative. If used correctly, social media can even land you a job! Really, all it takes is some common sense, a friendly attitude and a proactive mindset to make the most out of social media. You need to take your accounts outside the realm of just spamming or delving more into your personal life than necessary. It’s important to remember that although you’re writing and interacting on your personal accounts, you shouldn’t treat it like a free for all. Think of the online world as an extension of the everyday real world. Proper grammar, talking to others with respect and actually providing useful and insightful information is a must if you want social media to work in your favor. Don’t cower away from the Internet, but immerse yourself into blogs, forums, and what have you to promote yourself and your business in a positive way.

Right from Wrong

It’s as simple as right and wrong when it comes to using social media at work. Don’t say anything bad about your business in any way. Even if it’s just teasing, it could still cause some harm. Don’t spam everyone you know constantly with what you and your business is doing; it’s not helpful, it’s annoying. Remember that the Internet is an open forum; people can access basically anything they want, so while your unsettled tweets about your job might not cause any problems now, they could in the future. Make your English teachers proud and spell correctly with complete sentences as much as possible, and use your best manners online. Live by the rule, if you wouldn’t say or do it in the workplace, then definitely don’t post it online.

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Posted via email from AndyWergedal

Personal Brand Interview: Social Media Strategist Mary Petto | Brand-Yourself.com Blog

Mary Petto learned to appreciate the art of communication during college. Her liberal arts education enabled her to develop a knack for concentrating on the big picture and small picture simultaneously—a key ingredient to successful marketing.

After college, she worked as an editor, copywriter, and ultimately a marketing VP for Merrill Lynch and DLJ Securities. While successful at coming up with creative ways to communicate with investors about the benefits of mutual funds, Mary longed to reach out to the broader population about products more personal to them. She left financial services behind, paid her dues at an advertising agency as an account executive and began her own business as a small business marketing consultant.  She now focuses her clients’ branding strategies to resonate throughout the world of social media, optimizing campaigns for search engines and drumming up word-of-mouth interest while garnering followings at a rapid rate.

Mary Petto has also created a joint product with Brand-Yourself.com that combines her one-on-one coaching  and virtual assistance with our personal branding tools.

Here is a sampling of what we discussed:

Describe your personal brand.

The Mary Petto brand represents approachable social media assistance. It’s inexpensive, it’s informative, it’s passionate about communication, it’s fun, and it’s for hire!

Describe what you do and what kinds of clients you usually work with?

My work is three-fold: First, I deliver news often to anyone who wants to hear about what’s happening in the social networking world and how it affects your business or your brand—and I do this for free. Second, I use social networks and the arts of marketing communications and brand personality to handle businesses’ social media campaigns. I work with businesses and organizations of all sizes in this capacity. Finally, I offer training in the form of group classes or tele-seminars and in the form of one-on-one training and consulting for individuals. This gets as specific as how to fully leverage opportunities on LinkedIn and how to appropriately post updates on social networks.

Tell me about a ”soup-to-nuts” campaign

A soup-to-nuts campaign plan is the strategy a business uses to fully develop its online brand. It begins with defining a brand personality, setting up profiles and fan pages, creating an active content and posting schedule, determining key words and target markets, and finally reaching out to and engaging with your target market.

Why should a business or company invest in some kind of social media platform, like a Facebook or LinkedIn account?  Do you think that one platform is more valuable than another?

There are many social networking platforms out there, and the ones that a business should focus on is a matter of their business goals and target market. While there may be crossover (and this just adds more value to your social media strategy), each one has something different to offer and has a particular culture to adapt to.

Is there such a thing as posting too much information on these social media platforms?  What is considered relevant information to publicize?  And what kind of information can be detrimental to a business or an entrepreneur?

I actually do not believe that there can be too much information offered, though the timing of the information should be thought through and you should be wary of “information overload.” Social media means that the new norm is “transparency.” So the more open you are, the more trusting your followers will be and, ultimately, the more loyal they’ll be to your brand. That being said, I highly warn everyone to not post about a topic or associate with a group that could be perceived as controversial. This is one point where transparency will not always play out right with your following.

People often say, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know!” Is that true?

Absolutely. Look, of course you need to present yourself as an expert in your field and keep up with your industry, but if no one knows about it, how are you going to get anywhere in this world? This is why social networking really excites me. Keeping your name or your brand top-of-mind with hundreds or thousands of people is a snap when your strategy is handled correctly. The rate at which business is being conducted and referred because of this phenomenon is unprecedented. And it’s so easy; I’m baffled by skeptics and old-school decision makers who don’t get this.

What, in your opinion, do you think will be the next social media platform?  What else could they possibly come up with?

I think locally focused networking is where the platforms are moving. This is fantastic for local business as it affords small companies to really leverage opportunities in giant platforms like Twitter. “Geo-tagging” is a buzzword that will become part of our everyday web 2.0 vocabulary. Check out Foursquare as an example of this trend.

Katharine’s Thoughts…

Social Media is the new black.  Chances are, you know at least ten people who have either a Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter account.  Or perhaps they have all three.  Social media platforms and online marketing are changing the way companies conduct business now.  Marketing tactics that may have worked for a company ten years ago may not necessarily work now.  Social media isn’t just about connecting with your friends and family – it’s about promoting a business, networking with other professionals in your industry, and finding a job through someone you know.   Gurus like Mary Petto can help entrepreneurs and businesses focus their social media angles successfully and increase their target audience.  Remember, it’s not [necessarily] what you know, it’s who you know.  I really wish my professors had told me that in college!

via blog.brand-yourself.com

Posted via web from AndyWergedal

Social Media -- Your Ticket to Career Success - Careers Articles

As a recent college graduate, it's difficult to argue that you have more experience and knowledge than someone in their 40s or 50s. However, you may just have a case if you are talking about social media.

Whether it's a small business, a non-profit or a Fortune 500 company, every organization is at a disadvantage without an effective social media strategy. As a Millennial, you should take advantage of being a member of the first generation to have Facebook and Twitter accounts!

Starting Out in Social Media: Social Networking for Business | Brand-Yourself.com Blog

The business case for leveraging social media as a business tool has been made time and time again. Startups to big business use the platform of social media to spread ideas, connect with their audience, and ultimately drive sales.

When working with clients I often am confronted with glossy eyes when talking about the topic of social media. Chances are they’ve read about it in the mainstream media, however, putting it in to action is another thing all together. If you consider yourself a social media fan boy shout hooray and jump to the comments below and give us your fill after skimming this primer, but if you are fall into the glossy eyed category or want to read this basic primer, read below for a primer on how to start out in social media for business.

Social media in itself comprises of many different elements, but two of the most common and important categories:

• Blogging – WordPress, Posterous
• Social networks – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn

Blogging for business

Social since inception, blogs were designed and still hold strong as great publishing platforms to create useful content and share it with a wide audience. With built in web feed abilities (RSS/Atom), blogs make it possible to publish content and “push” it out to other services. For an example, see this explanation on Facebook how to import your feed as Notes.

Picture your website, and blog in particular, as a hub where all of your social media activity and presence across the Internet should point back to. This is important, as all of the content and important information about your business is no good if no one ever hears about it. Don’t shamelessly self-promote every chance you get, but rather use social media etiquette.

If no one already told you, get your own domain name. Don’t use the subdomain from a service, no matter how much you like it. To sum up other people’s experiences, once you build a great following around and get massive amounts of links to yourawesomewebsite.wordpress.com and then decide to migrate to your custom domain later, its a pain and you lose traffic and followers.  Start off fresh, and get a domain name now. Its cheap and easy, and you will not regret it later. Its OK to have your website hosted on a service like WordPress.com, if that is what you prefer, but use custom domain features.

Social networking for business

No matter what industry you are in, social networking can work for your business. It just depends however, on how you choose to use it and where your audience is. If you are speaking to an older generation, you may have to be crafty and see where they are hanging out. With valuations on the larger social networks sometimes coming out at us with mind boggling numbers (such as LinkedIn’s over $2 Billion valuation), you can bet that the social media research companies are still spewing out reports and research about how consumers and business use these services.

Facebook isn’t just for the cool kids anymore. With over 500 million active users, and 900 million objects made up of pages, whether business or community, and events, they clearly have a lot of activity happening there. Accordingly, businesses are leveraging their platforms to attack their target markets more effectively. Although in the spotlight for concerns over privacy and changes to the way advertisers and marketers can access information, Facebook remains adamant that the information is still in your control.

Twitter boasts a flurry of activity happening each day with many millions of updates from around the globe. From fast breaking news, to still the good old lunch tales, it has a lively and active community of people ready to speak their mind. Businesses may find it challenging to have active “conversations” with their audience on Twitter, only because it seems personal connections make for better success, but many businesses still use the platform and thrive, assuming they are active listeners and are useful.

LinkedIn remains the premier website of social networking for business. With a thriving advertising system, and active groups, there isn’t anything bad to say about using LinkedIn for business, other than it can sometimes be confusing to newbies. I often see profiles that aren’t filled out properly or people let LinkedIn invites build up for eternities before accepting. LinkedIn isn’t just a great living “resume” or CV, its a platform that needs to be used daily, or as often as possible to do things such as connect with other like minded professionals, or find clients and partners. Companies can use it as an excellent passive recruitment tool. It still is the best kept secret in that realm. Spend less on your job searching and just see who is already in your network, connected to your friends and partners.

How to make it happen for your business

As a business, it’s important for you to focus your time on what works best for you. Leveraging these platforms will depend on available talent, time, and resources. Do a bit of research to find out where your target audience is, and spend time with them. You already likely have a great network of contacts, invite them to join you on social networks, make sure they know about your blog, and keep it fresh and alive with relevant content of their interest. Don’t be afraid to experiment: that is what it’s all about. Try new things, don’t let the same old processes get in the way of exploring new ways to communicate and do business. The payoffs are far too great to miss out.

About the Author: An avid inbound marketing strategist, Mark Mathson gets to live his passion every day while consulting on social media marketing.  He enjoys conversing on Twitter and growing and adding value to his network on LinkedIn

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Posted via email from AndyWergedal

Social Media Tips For a Multi-Generational Workforce | Brand-Yourself.com Blog

With the burst of technology, social media, and personal branding, it is an interesting experience to be out in a workforce that consists of four different and distinct generations of employees working together. Technology, social media, and personal branding are very important to some and relatively unimportant to others. Your success in ‘playing well with others’ at work comes down to education, understanding, and adjusting your style within this multi-generational workforce.

Social Media Within the Generations

Gen Y (born 1981-1994) is clearly the most influential age group when it comes to social media, technology, and personal branding. They grew up on the computer, are heavy users, and are the most innovative generation in this respect.

Gen X (1965-1980) have more responsibilities with families and kids and did not grow up online but they adapted quickly. This generation is also very active in social media and is growing by leaps and bounds on many social networking sites.

The Baby Boomers (1946-1964) is one of the fastest growing generations in terms of the growth in users over the past several years. However, Baby Boomers are moderate users and spend considerably less time on social media sites and tend to use fewer of them. However, there is a large age span in this generation which makes a big difference. Younger boomers are definitely more active users than their older counterparts.

The Traditional or Silent Generation (1925-1946) is the smallest generation of people using social media sites, as their primary use of the internet is for email and product/information research.

Most People Are On Board, Right?

Where things get tricky in the workforce is when you have to adapt your style towards those in the older generations who simply do not use (nor generally care to learn) anything about social media. They likely don’t even know what personal branding is, at least from the internet perspective. They might think of social media sites as huge time wasters.

I know of many people like this in the workforce and if you work for one of them, you can try to educate but ultimately may have to adjust. There are many generational differences but it is important to point out some things to take note of when working with/for someone like this -where more “traditional” approaches will help your personal brand at work.

What Does it Mean to be “Traditional”?

• Recognize that in-person communications and phone calls are preferable over emails to these people. This is a big one and can be a difficult adjustment. If you want to impress, try to get more face time rathen than sending emails.
• How and where we want to do our work is different across the generations. Selling your boss on using different technologies (webinars, webcasts,smartphones,etc) or different work schedules (telecommuting) might be difficult. Educate! But in the end, you may have to settle with their way.
• Twitter has given us the ability to condense our thoughts into 140 characters or less. How do we do it?  We often use letters and numbers to replace words. Do not do this in company email communications – even if just communicating with a coworker. You never know when it may be forwarded to someone who will consider that means of communication to be very unprofessional.
• It is offensive to many non-users if you “check your phone” often. Many people bring their phones into meetings, put them in front of them and turn them off. The mere presence of your phone is actually disturbing to some people and if it is, checking it is far worse! And if it rings? Watch out! If you know this will bother someone, your best bet is to put your phone away during communications with this person. If you are a job candidate and are in an interview, don’t even think about having your phone on!
• Job candidates, take this tip to heart: do not email a cover letter with a link at the bottom and state, “See my LinkedIn profile for my resume.”  I have actually seen many people do this, and I promise you that many people want to see a resume with a cover letter and LinkedIn cannot replace a real resume no matter how much information you have in your profile!

My advice to those who find themselves working with or reporting to a person who does not participate in (or care about) the use of social media or technology is to respect their place with it and understand that this simply is not part of who they are. Adapt accordingly but educate them as much as you can.

Some non-users will take to it if they just understand it better. Help them! Non-users may also be the same people who are not branding their business online either. Educating using dollars and cents and how it can help the business’ bottom line is the key to winning them over. I have seen people change their attitudes. It can be done, just be very respectful along the way!  Remember that these people may be avoiding social media not because they don’t think it’s useful, but because they don’t know where to start with it, or how to make it work for them.  If you’re a good teacher, it shouldn’t be a tough sell!

Jessica Simko is a seasoned senior level Human Resources professional with over 15 years of experience in all facets of Human Resources Management.  She is a Freelance Writer and  Entrepreneur specializing in career/ life coaching and social media. Striving to help people connect their passions with their jobs and life, she offers great career, personal branding, and life tips on her new blog, Work and Life Solutions.  Feel free to connect with her on:

Twitter
Linked In

via blog.brand-yourself.com

Posted via web from AndyWergedal

Baby Boomers, Social Networking and Competitive Advantage

Posted by: Alin Wagner-Lahmy | Date: May 26, 2009 | for: martindale.com/blog/ | Topic: Web 2.0
image via balivillareservation.com

This year we have seen amazing growth in Internet use by adults, with 45+ category gaining more and more attention and pulling more weight with web advertising and investment overall. Last week Danah Boyd posted about Facebook being for Old people, and more and more stats show how internet, and especially social media is being used by Boomers, especially fo networking and community purposes.

Some key facts from Pew Internet show amazing growth:

• 2008 - today 36% of internet users are boomers (as oppose to 0% in 2000)
• 2008 - 35% of boomers are online several times a day
• 2008 - sharing videos and reading blogs seems like the strongest web 2.0 activity among boomers

All these show a great trend, and I was looking for some real inside info. 5 months ago I ran across the rare opportunity to meet an extraordinary man by the name of Carlos Hernandez, who made it his goal to educate, train and teach Social Media to the masses, especially to Baby Boomers. Following his presentation in CES09 (Social Media Jungle sessions) I asked Carlos about Boomers and Social Media. I was curious about why would Boomers find Social Media useful as well as what deters this group from using it; how does one explain the sudden surge and rise in Social Networkinguse with Boomers, one we have not witnessed in past years, and what are the main trends in it? Carlos and I exchanged a few emails a while back and now I finally have the opportunity to share them with you. there are some great pearls there:

"Suffice to say, the good news about being a Baby Boomer... is that we have the benefit of a built-up knowledge base and oodles of lessons learned. Alas, it can also be our down-fall, if we get so full of ourselves, i.e. hubris, that we ignore seeing our blind-spots and then wonder why we lose our jobs and less expensive, younger people seem to be our biggest competitors in the job search."

"Social media, and in particular LInkedIn, Facebook and Twitter are potential game-changers for us, because they allow one to be less of a stuffed shirt, without dumping the experience of walking the corporate halls. How? I find these powerful tools to be just the communication mode that opens the door to be more human. The ability to post a picture, list groups where we participate  (volunteer and professional) plus encourage asking and answering questions which opens windows for one to be heard and seen."

Carlos also shared this valuable link:  "Doctors, engineers, lawyers and any of many other classic professionals now have the avenue to sound less like a boiler-plate-laden resume. Liz Ryan, San Francisco Chronicle writer and 25-year HR veteran voiced the following in her recent article titled "The Savvy Networker: Eight Little Known Tricks for the Job Hunt".  "Yank the boilerplate out of your resume and give it a human voice, replacing the "results-orientated professional" with "I'm happiest solving thorny problems that slow down product development" or whatever (human) statement describes you". And that to me so accurately reflects the spirit of Social Media - the personality and personal connections that enhance and boost our personal and professional lives.

Together with Carlos, Barbara Rozgonyi has written a a great post that list great sources to show why social media is spreading like fire among baby boomers. Highly recommended for more reading on the subject.

Boomers are key participants for a fruitful web, and web is key for boomers. Despite and because of the above all numbers, links, quotes and proofs, I am still constantly thinking: how does one demonstrates the value of social media to ones still not buying into it? how does one converts offline behavior to online behavior, to break the wall that sometimes is to be found between boomers and social media and most importantly - what happened in 2008 to have caused such a jump in percentage of boomers participating in social media and how can we leverage on that? 

How Social Media Is an Extension of Your PR and Marketing Teams | Brand-Yourself.com Blog

Marketing has changed – permanently. The old, traditional marketing and PR methods still work, thought not entirely on their own. Enter Social Media. At first it seemed there was a stronger emphasis on ‘social’ instead of ‘media.’ But what we’ve come to learn is this – Social Media is a critical element in any company’s PR and marketing efforts. That it’s social tells us about the importance of the relationship in the business building process.