Small business and social media: Which social network is right for you?
Social networking has become a minefield for business owners who are not following the latest trends. Should you be on Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Twitter and Pinterest? Then what about Instagram, Foursquare and the rest? Developing a social media presence is important for business owners who want to engage with potential customers online, but many of them lack the knowledge to successfully engage with their online community. If you feel a little lost this Infograp
read moreCan the new Myspace recapture the mainstream user?
This week, embattled social media network Myspace took the wraps off its revamped network. But unfortunately for the former social media heavy-weight, the launch of the new Myspace was largely overshadowed by the announcement of Facebook’s new search engine, Social Graph. Many sceptics are wondering whether Myspace will ever enjoy mainstream use again. Back in the early 2000s, Myspace was an incredibly popular social network among young people and music enthusiast
read moreInstagram launches web profiles
Instagram, the free photo-sharing social network, announced that they will be introducing profiles on the web. Up to now you could only view profiles from within the app on Android and Apple devices. There is no need to claim your vanity URL, your Instagram URL will read as instagram.com/yourusername. The public profile will show your profile image, bio, statistics as well as a live collage with your most recent Instagrams. If you have set your photo’s to publ
read moreContent curation – how the pros get it right
Content curation is a great way to become the go-to person for industry news. Many brands have now implemented content curation strategies so that they get to choose and share the best industry news with their followers. What makes content curation so attractive is the fact that you don’t have to produce every single piece of content yourself – you’re basically scouting the web and gathering the best pieces of news. Other advantages include being able to creat
read morePart Five: Training and ‘Best practice’
Social media”best practices” change constantly. And to expect that the entire organisation will be equipped with the knowledge to appropriately participate would be, in most cases, incorrect. Companies must assess the”must dos” to share with employees such as compliance and ethical considerations, and they also, increasingly, need to keep employees inspired by refreshing them with new ideas and best practices in the social space. Train for social media eti
read morePart Four: Organising Social Support Teams
One of the biggest challenges for many companies is properly organizing teams to engage in social media beyond one department. Moving beyond one team who coordinates all social activity can get messy, fast. There is no one, single way to properly organize company activity in social. Rather, this should be personalised by taking into account the people, business goals and levels of activity and responsibility of different business units. Start by thinking through pre
read morePart Three: Identifying and Embracing Advocates & Influencers in your social network
Big companies are increasingly building big networks. Each person is important, treating them with respect and delivering positive experiences should be a fundamental part of your initiatives. But undoubtedly, there will be a smaller group of people who are advocating on your behalf and have the potential to reach more people in sharing your messages. Brand advocacy is not a new concept. But social media advocacy is a new and growing area of opportunity for brands.
read morePart Two: Accessing and analysing relationship history of your customers
Larger networks and wider company participation in social media helps you reach more people and create a bigger social platform and will generate more business opportunities. It also means it’s more important to have context around the relationship with social customers. How will different team members know what has been said to a certain person on Twitter over the course of long periods of time? Should the Marketing team know that a certain member of your networ
read morePart One: Understanding your social customer and how they behave with your brand
The behaviour of those you want to be in your network, provides the key to how you can better connect with them. For most companies, sharing content becomes all about them and won’t help you create meaningful connections that lead to engagement and relationship building. Keeping a pulse on the social conversations and actions of your audience can help inform whether or not your company is actually important to them, as well as help drive your social initiatives.
read moreWhen “Real Time” Boomerangs
If you’re old enough you most likely remember the 1990’s, when JR, Sue Ellen and Bobby had to be watched in real time for animated discussion the next day with your colleagues and friends. We didn’t have Facebook or BlackBerry yet. At the advent of email and VCRs (and for that matter, ATMs and cell phones), a miracle occurred. We evolved from having to do things when other people made it possible for us to do them, to answering email, returning phone c
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